Mobile Tech & Gadgets

Starbase has acquired municipality status with a Spacex employee as mayor

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The residents of the small community that surrounds the Spacex headquarters in Boca Chica, southeast of Texas, have overwhelmingly voted in favor of constituting the city of Starbase. A step that gives Elon Musk’s company an unprecedented level of autonomy to develop the huge Starship rocket. Only six votes against. As We count in DecemberSpacex had initiated legal procedures to turn its growing Texan complex into an independent municipality. The movement followed Musk’s decision to transfer the official Head of California to Texas, in search of a more favorable regulatory and fiscal environment, and With explicit support From the state governor, Greg Abbott. Now, that plan has materialized. The vote took place on Saturday and resulted in 212 votes in favor and only six againstaccording to the Cameron County Elections Department. It is not a surprise, taking into account that the vast majority of the approximately 283 eligible voters within the territory of 3.9 square kilometers are employees of Spacex or their relatives. Who is the new mayor. The city of Starbase will be governed by a municipal commission of three members, composed, as expected, by three people linked to Spacex who presented themselves to the position without opposition. The mayor is Bobby Peden, current vice president of tests and releases in Texas de Spacex. Jenna Petrzelka, former Starbase Engineering Operations Manager, and Jordan Buss, current Senior Director of Environmental Health and Safety of Spacex, will be the other two councilors. Why does Spacex need your own city? The key is the control and agility that it gains with change. According to A letter to the authorities Signed at the end of 2024 by Kathryn Lueders (General Director of Starbase and former director of NASA manned flights), Starbase acquires greater autonomy to expedite the development of Starship and the colonization of Mars. With the city status, the Municipal Commission (Spacex controlled) has authority over zoning, construction projects and other aspects of local life. Although it is not a blank check to ignore state or federal regulations, it gives them considerable power to mark their own rhythm. Spacex was already de facto managing some infrastructure, such as the road (whose traffic frequently interrupts for evidence and rocket transfers). And already provided medical attention or education (the Astra Nova School of Elon Musk) to the families of employees. Starbase has a housing problem. Constituting the city of Starbase, Spacex has eliminated many bureaucratic friction to build the necessary infrastructure to attract and retain talent in its new headquarters. A critical point is housing. The company had no power to build enough houses for the hundreds of workers who would like to live near Starbase. Currently, some 260 employees live there with their families, almost 500 people. Other 3,100 move from Brownsville and nearby areas. In fact, a recent attempt to build more attached houses was rejected by the county. A controversial control over the beach. The creation of this “business city” is not exempt from criticism. Ecological groups and local residents have been expressing their concern for the growing control of Elon Musk about the area, especially with regard to access to the popular Beach of Boca Chica and the adjacent state park. For now, the closure of the road and the beach for the spacex launches and tests required the county authorization. However, there are legislative initiatives in Texas, promoted in parallel to the creation of the city, to transfer that closing authority directly to the Mayor and the City of Starbase. Spacex argues that this would speed up the releases now that they are looking for federal permission to increase the frequency of 5 to 25 per year. Following the steps of Toyota or Huawei. The creation of Starbase as a city follows a pattern that we already saw with Toyota City in Japan or the huge residential campus and R&D of Huawei in China. Also in urban projects such as the neighborhood Sidewalk Torontopromoted by Google in Canada. For Spacex, having its own city is another step to strengthen its mastery of space releases with Starship, whose ultimate goal is to take humans to Mars. Now, officially starbly on the map, Elon Musk has a little more control over his Texan fief to try to convert that vision into reality, although the controversy and scrutiny, without a doubt, will remain there. Image | Spacex In Xataka | Leaving California is just the first step: Spacex has started the procedures to create an independent city in Texas

In full world cocoa crisis, in the Canary Islands they have had an idea: cultivate them themselves

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Last week, Ghana expelled all foreign companies that operated in the gold market. The situation had become unsustainable. Not only are they “disastrous economic, health and environmental consequences“Of artisanal mining (which has skyrocketed in recent years), nor the battered accounts of the Ghanaian state; but the boom of gold exploitation was eroding other national industries. The clearest example is that of cocoa. What about cocoa? Only in the last year, Ghana (the second country that produces the most cocoa) lost 20% of its total production. And that happened in a global context in which bad harvests, pests and climate change fired cocoa prices at historical levels: the ton surpassed The $ 10,000 in the New York Stock Exchange. The problem is that for Ghanaian farmers, gold was more profitable in the short term. The arrival of Chinese operators changed the rules of the game a few years ago and the consequences began to be seen now: cocoa was not the ‘golden chicken’ for the African country industry; but it was much more sustainable than the Galamsey: stir tons and tons of land Almost handmade, illegal, dangerous and little regulated form To sell the gold they find. It is also an “infectious disease” and Ivory Coast (the world’s main cocoa producer) already begins to suffer The same problem. Where some see a problem, others see an opportunity. And for “another” I mean Canarian farmers. Because, like They said in the province“It has subtropical climatic conditions that make it a different region to the rest of the continent.” And that has consequences, above all, for agriculture. Therefore, it is not surprising that the Canarian Institute for Agricultural Research (ICIA) I have been two years “Analyzing the possibilities of culture growth (cocoa) in farm -pea farms.” Nor is it that its results are positive. The new jewel of Canarian agriculture? I wouldn’t say so much. As in the case of Café Granada, the Canarian cocoa It does not consider right now as a large crop. It would be about looking for a “boutique” product, something that allows “diversifying” Canarian agriculture and fleeing from the “bananodependence”. But it is not so easy. Because it is not only about convincing enough producers to achieve considerable productive stability; but of being able to develop the entire industrial chain: things like the fermentation of the grain and its drying. And many problems arise: because raising that industry is almost impossible (profitability is very low) and selling cocoa without further ado leaves you in a very bad strategic place. You have to think very well how to take the steps so that this does not become academic hobby. Since the end of 2023, cocoa has gone from quoting at $ 2,581 per ton at 10,371. It is something extremely sweet and, therefore, little by little that we are wrong a deadly trap for the Canarian field. Image | Majestic Lukas | Kyle Hinkson In Xataka | We go to the most expensive chocolate in history: how the cocoa crisis will shoot its price

It has a plan to escape once again the US sanctions

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China is very important for Nvidia. Since he arrived at this market in mid -2024 his chip for artificial intelligence (AI) H20 Their sales have grown no less than 50% quarter to quarter. For the company led by Jensen Huang This reception is a real successespecially if we keep in mind that this GPU is a trimmed review of its most powerful chips that seeks to satisfy the limitations imposed by the US Department of Commerce. Whatever the time of Nvidia bonanza in China seems to have concluded. As we explained in the middle of last April, this last American agency It has imposed restrictions To the export to China of the H20 GPU, and this in practice means that this chip presumably will not reach Chinese clients in Nvidia. This company soon react announcing that this prohibition will cause a hole in its accounts of 5.5 billion dollars due to the commitments linked to the H20 GPU that the reserves of this chip had already acquired that it will finally not be satisfied. Nvidia prepares new AI chips for China, according to The Information As expected, Nvidia will not easily lose the Chinese market. And it is that two media usually well informed as they are The Information and Reuters They have collected that their engineers are working on new GPUs for expressly adapted to the country’s market led by Xi Jinping. Nvidia has not officially confirmed it, but presumably these chips will be trimmed reviews of their most advanced solutions. This is the same strategy that Nvidia turned to when the GPU was ready H800, A800 Or H20, and although it worked, it didn’t do it for a long time. The US government seems to be determined to prevent research institutions and Chinese companies They access hardware for American originso the Department of Commerce Restrictions do not stop hardening that the GPUs must meet that US companies can sell in China. The US government seems to be determined to prevent research institutions and Chinese companies from accessing hardware for American origin At this juncture it is reasonable that we ask ourselves if Chinese clients in Nvidia, among which are Alibaba, Bytedance or Tencent, among others, they are interested in continuing to buy chips for less and less capable. In addition, Huawei is strengthening its position in China to take advantage of the hole that Nvidia is leaving in the market because of US sanctions. And is that just a few hours after the entry into force of the new regulation of the Department of Commerce He presented his chip for the ascend 920a solution that is clearly destined to occupy in the Chinese market The gaps that the H20 GPU is going to leave of Nvidia. This proposal will enter large -scale production during the second half of 2025 using 6 NM integration technology that have presumably developed elbow with Huawei elbow and SMIC. However, this is not the only asset that Huawei has to increase its market share both in China and beyond its country of origin. And this company is preparing to start the testing and validation phase of a new GPU for AI: the Ascend 910D chip. Unlike the GPU Ascend 920 that, as we have seen, presumably aspires to compete with the NVIDIA H20 chip, the GPU Ascend 910D seeks to overcome the performance of the chip NVIDIA H100. If this movement is confirmed, already priori this information is reliable, it will be evident that Huawei will have chosen to fight in all hardware market segments for AI In which Nvidia is present. Until now this Chinese company wanted to get its hardware dominate the inference processes in AIand not the training of the models, but this strategy in which moderation prevails seems to have come to an end. Image | Nvidia More information | The Information | Reuters In Xataka | The US gives Huawei a great opportunity: to get its new chip for AI with the Nvidia market in China

Temu has been an advertising reef for years for the US Big Tech. That ended

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In February 2024, the 58th edition of the Super Bowl was held, and during the break a very special announcement was issued. It was titled ‘Shop Like A Billionaire‘(‘ Buy as if you were a billionaire ‘) and published it Temuthe Chinese e -commerce giant. That turned out to be a swan song more than anything else, because this Chinese company (along with others like Shein) now has a very complicated future in the United States. Temu’s advertising expenditure on Big Tech collapses. As revealed In The New York Timesin the two -week period that began on March 31, Temu spent 31% less on Facebook advertising on Facebook, Instagram, Tiktok, Snap, X and YouTube of what did it on average on those platforms in the previous 30 days. The data are from the Consultant Sensor Tower, who also stressed that Shein also lowered her advertising investment: 19% those two weeks compared to the average in recent periods. Temu and Shein spent barbarity. Both companies were two of the large sources of advertising of the US Big Tech. According to The Wall Street JournalTemu invested 2,000 million dollars in advertising in goal in 2023, and was also one of the great advertisers in Google. In The New York Times they cited an equally striking estimate: according to Bernstein Research data, Temu spent 3,000 million dollars in marketing in 2023. Picture drop. But the panorama has changed radically. On April 5 Temu represented 19% of all ads published in Google Shopping in the US, but that figure fell to 0% a week later. Shein went from 20% to early 0% on April 16, according to data from the Tinuiti consultant. Apps fall into rankings. So far the mobile apps of Temu and Shein used to be among the 10 most downloaded in the United States. Now his popularity is falling, and they have left that top 10. Target warns. Susan Li, CFO of Meta, said in a recent conference with investors that some Chinese electronic commerce companies – without specifying – had reduced their advertising expenditure. Last year Chinese advertisers generated 18.4 billion dollars of target revenues. That represented 11% of the total and twice what was achieved in 2022. Pessimism is spread. Snap indicated after presenting financial results that “a subset of advertisers” had cut the advertising expenditure due to changes in shipments to the US. They did not want to provide estimates for the current quarter indicating that tariffs generated uncertainty. Google also showed its concern: its business director, Philipp Schindler, explained that changes with “obviously causing a slight setback to our advertising business in 2025”. The end of “of minimis“. Donald Trump, president of the United States, He signed in April an executive order for which the rule is put in the end of minimis. This exception has allowed for years that packages with value below $ 800 can enter the United States without paying taxes. It is a mechanism that platforms such as Shein or Temu have used to offer really competitive prices in their merchandise, but others such as Amazon, Etsy or Ebay have also benefited. Trump already warned. In February, the US government began its particular tariff war against China, imposing 10% tariffs on all types of Chinese merchandise. The end of the exception of minimis -carrying almost a century Activa – was actually an announced death, and its impact is huge, both in China and in the US. Trump momentarily suspended the exception then, but it is now when it is disabled indefinitely. Temu stop sending to the US. The Executive Order has caused Temu stop all shipments from China to US buyers. As they point out In CNBCa CNBC spokesman has indicated that all sales in that country are now managed by local sellers and are completed from the country itself, precisely to prevent tariffs from affecting those sales. Before the change, buyers tried to buy Temu products sent from China They faced each other At “import rates” between 130 and 150%, which caused many of those products to fold their price. Image | Goal | Freerlaw In Xataka | Chinese companies have found a “shortcut” to dodge US tariffs: re -estate in South Korea

an old F16 fleet that do not fly

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Last week, what the United States had been chasing since Trump was re -elected president. Washington reached an agreement around access and mineral exploitation Strategic and rare earths of Ukraine. Under the same, the United States obtains preferential rights and investment capacity On the natural resources of the nation (including titanium, zirconium, graphite, gas, oil and manganese) in a framework that aims to boost the reconstruction of the country devastated by war, without imposing any debt to Kyiv. For its part, the United States has reactivated help in the conflict. A new pact. The main instrument will be The so -called Investment Fund for the United States – Ucrania reconstruction, a binational entity with the same representation of both parties that will manage new licenses without affecting pre -existing companies or previously compromised budgets. For the Ukrainian authorities, the agreement represents a Investment -based alliancetechnology and shared autonomy, not in economic subordination. The logic of the agreement. One of the most striking elements of the pact is the explicit elimination of any type of Debt obligation from Ukraine to the United States. This gesture dissipates, a priori, Trump’s recurring criticisms about the “lack of compensation” for US military assistance, encrypted by the president in 350 billion dollars (figure “something” different from other levels). Ukrainian Minister of Economy, Yulia Svydenko, stressed that the agreement The legal status does not change of public or private companies of the extractive sector and that the income of the fund will be nourished only from new licenses, ensuring that current public funds will not be touched. Technology and deterrence. Although the agreement did not detail explicit commitments on military aid, both the official narrative and political statements They already pointed to a renewed willingness to support by the Trump administration. For Zelenski, the agreement opens the door to sustained flows of investment and technological transfer not only for economic development but also For defensive purposes. Svydenko indicated that the United States will help attract Key technologies that support the fight against Russia, with possibilities open to projects such as air defense systems. From Washington, the message is unequivocal: the agreement is also an instrument of strategic pressure and firm alignment in front of Moscow. Treasury Secretary Scott Besent declared that the firm represents A clear sign to the Kremlin that the United States bets in the long term for a free, sovereign and prosperous Ukraine. Trump, meanwhile, defended the pact as a way to protect US investment and reinforce the Ukrainian position in front of a “much larger and more powerful” Russia. The first “package”, in fact, It is on its way. F-16 unusable. Yes, the United States has begun to send to Ukraine F-16 fighters retired and non -operational, stored in his famous “Boneyard” of Arizona. The underlying idea is that these are used as a source of crucial spare parts for the growing F-16 fleet donated by European countries. The gesture, confirmed by the American Air Force after the appearance of images that showed involved and partially dismantled fuselages being loaded in a AN-124 Ukrainian In Tucson, it marks a new stage in the complex maintenance logistics that requires the use of these veteran Western fighters in active combat against Russia. The sent aircraft lack essential components such as engines, radars or wings, which makes them unusable in flight, but their value resides in the pieces they do, many of which are scarce in Europe. Transportation, destined for Rzesów-Jjaka, the Key Logistics Center In southeastern Poland for the transit of military aid to Ukraine, it reinforces the hypothesis that these F-16 will be integrated into the support system and not into the operational inventory. An international fleet. It is estimated that Ukraine will receive up to 85 F-16 in flight conditions: 24 from Netherlands, 19 of Denmark, 12 of Norway (which will also donate 10 additional exclusively for spare parts) and 30 promised by Belgium. However, part of these aircraft will go to pilot training at the F-16 formation center in Romania, which further reduces direct availability for combat. Before the loss of units in the front (two fighters They have already been shot downwith the death of their pilots In defensive missions) and the logistics difficulty involved in maintaining an old aircraft fleet, the supply of fuselages dismantled from the United States represents a strategic relief in terms of maintenance, although it does not expand direct offensive capacity. Configuration and tactical capacity. The F-16 Ukrainians have been deployed both in Air-Aire and Aire-Fetierra missions, using missiles AIM-9X and AIM-120 AMRAAM for air defense, in addition to GBU-39/B guided bombs mounted in Racks Bru-61which allows them a capacity Surgical of in -depth attack. Configurations have also been seen with three external fuel tanks, necessary to maximize autonomy in the absence of aerial refueling, and electronic warfare systems such as The AN/ALQ-131that reinforce survival in hostile environments. Units include internal electronic improvements specialized in threat detection and display of countermeasures. Cemetery of fighters as a vital source. The Base Davis-Monthanwhere the official “Boneyard” Air Force is located, still retains hundreds of F-16 fuselages in a variable state. Namely: 150 of model A, 27 of B, 143 of C and 22 of the D, although much of them are not suitable for flying again. Many of the reusable specimens have been diverted to functions such as aggressive airplanes for the Navy and the Air Force or converted into aerial targets QF-16 For training. Moreover, this progressive exhaustion of useful stocks has caused even the United States to extend the useful life of active service, while resisting, for now, the idea of ​​delivering blasting units to Ukraine. Limited supplies. Plus: the slowness in the delivery of F-16 by European allies, such as He has recognized Belgiumis due in large part to the shortage of spare parts. The technical demand that involves putting these fighters (even more so in a previously structured Air Force around Soviet platforms) converts the arrival of parts into an urgent need. … Read more

Spain wants to be the paradise of the data centers. The blackout has complicated that ambition

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Spain aspired to be The great HUB of data centers in Europetaking advantage of our surplus electrical capacity and the abundant physical space that we have available outside the large metropolitan areas. But The recent national blackout has exposed the structural vulnerabilities that could make this ambition derail, as analyzed The confidential. Why is it important. The data centers could attract up to 49,000 million euros in investments, representing a new form of industrialization for a country that has seen its traditional productive fabric diminish. In figures: The contradiction. The Spanish model has A difficult tension to solve that the blackout has put on the table: On the one hand, the commitment to renewable, necessary but variable. On the other hand, the nuclear abandonment plan, precisely those that give stability to the network. Yes, but. The data centers exceeded the blackout, as well as hospitals or radio stations, thanks to their support generators. However, the risk is in the perception of international investors. Seeing that a national blackout is a real possibility in Spain because it has already happened is something that can make them question their reliability about the Spanish system from something as basic as the energy supply. The competition. France, neighboring country, is the most notable rival: it is developing A data gigafactoría backed by the State and financed by United Arab Emiratesfed by a network where 70% comes from nuclear energy. Spain recovered from the blackout in a few hours – with some hard consequences along the way -, but perhaps it costs him more to recover from the problem of perception generated by such an event. The one who questions If you can guarantee basic stability that this industry demands … or if investors will prefer destinations with greater energy certainty. Outstanding image | Claudio Schwarz in Unspash In Xataka | “11 signs that you have ADHD and you don’t know it”: more and more people are self -diagnosis of mental health problems

Nothing’s last launch is gorgeous and, now, you can take it with headphones for less than you think

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If you are looking for a mobile with a different design from the rest, those of the Nothing brand stand out in front of the other terminals in the market. Now, at Amazon, you can get a pack composed of the Nothing Phone (3A) with Nothing Ear headphones (A) on offer. Specifically, it is available for 373 euros. Nothing Phone (3rd) 128 GB + Nothing Ear (A) * Some price may have changed from the last review A perfect pack for those looking to change mobile He Nothing Phone (3A) It is a terminal with 6.77 inches AMOLED screen and offers FullHD+ resolution (of 2,392 x 1,080 pixels). It offers an adaptive refreshment of 120 Hz and reaches a peak brightness of up to 3,000 Nits. The brain of this mobile is the processor Qualcomm Snapdragon 7s Gen3 and comes with a storage capacity of 128 GB. Your photographic system is made up of a Triple 50+50+8 mp rear camera and a 32 MP striker. Works under the nothing os 3.1 operating system (based on Android 15) and its battery admits fast charging of 50 W. It is a dual sim and comes with the iconic LED system (called Glyph Interface), which characterizes the firm. Regarding pack headphones, Nothing Ear (a) They stand out for their light weight of only 4.8 grams each. Although they also attract attention by Integrate Chatgpt. They have three -level adaptive noise cancellation and their battery lasts up to 40 hours. The best accessories to protect this mobile Boerhang compatible with Nothing Phone 3A * Some price may have changed from the last review Yenwen Screen protector for Nothing Phone 3A, 2 pieces tempered glass with 2 pieces chamber lens * Some price may have changed from the last review Some of the links of this article are affiliated and can report a benefit to Xataka. In case of non -availability, offers may vary. Images | Nothing In Xataka | The best mobiles, we have tried them and here are their analysis In Xataka | Nothing Phone (3rd) vs nothing phone (2a). What a mid -range mobile choose according to your tastes and needs

California project is being a real nightmare

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The United States has been dreaming of its high -speed train decades. The plan was ambitious, even poetic: Connect San Francisco and Los Angeles in less than three hoursreduce emissions, revitalize rail transport and demonstrate that the country could also compete with Europe and Asia in mobility of the 21st century. But what should be a symbol of modernity has become one of the most chaotic and discussed infrastructure projects of the country’s recent history. It all started with illusion. In 2008, California voters approved 10,000 million dollars in bonds to take the first big step. The objective was clear: a high speed line that would travel the state from north to south at 354 km/h. The, optimistic calendar, spoke of 2020 as an opening date. But 2020 arrived and passed. And 2025 is also happening, With just 35 kilometers ready To start placing the tracks. There are no trains. There are no operational stations. And what remains ahead seems, the less uncertain. Delays, cost overruns and uncertainty Today, the estimated total cost of the project exceeds 106,000 million dollarsmore than triple the initial budgeted. The layout has been reduced. The promise of joining Sacramento with San Diego It has been parked, and all the focus is now in a much more modest section: about 275 kilometers in the central valleybetween Merced and Bakersfield. A segment with low population density and a debatable impact in terms of real mobility. Why is it costing so much? There are many answers, and apparently any simple. The acquisition of private land has been a nightmare. In addition, the transfer of public infrastructure, such as pipes, electric lines or high steps, has triggered costs. But the most decisive has been the lack of stable financing. The project has been advancing to trumpets, based on fragmented budgets, partial promises and conditioned aids. Without a clear road map and with federal support that has varied according to the White House in turn, the work has accumulated delays, cost overruns and frustration. Even so, there are advances. At the end of 2023, after receiving a historical injection of almost 3.1 billion dollars by the federal governmentCalifornia High-Speed ​​Rail Authority took a key step: he published in January 2024 the list of finalist suppliers for the manufacture of their electric trains. The two selected companies are Alstom and Siemenstwo giants of the railway sector with more than accredited experience in Europe. The idea is clear: acquire trains capable of overcoming the 350 km/h, designed from scratch for this layout, and adapted to the specific needs of California. But the project is not limited to speed. There is a remarkable and unusual effort to think about the travel experience from the first moment. In Sacramento, A real scale model has already been built of one of the wagons, made of wood and foam, to visualize every detail of the interior. The model has been used to collect suggestions from experts in accessibility, engineers, public leaders and user associations. And the proposals go beyond the obvious: from large adapted toilets to emergency buttons accessible from the ground in case of fall, through areas for families, capsule compartments for those who seek privacy and spaces specifically designed for accessibility. California has also taken advantage of a structural advantage: his wagons will be wider than those of conventional trains in the United States, which will allow broader corridors Without sacrificing space for the passenger. The intention, according to the rail authority, is that this is a high -speed train designed for all. A really inclusive train. For the moment, There are more than 25 active works in the Central Valleywith about 1,500 workers deployed daily. 422 miles of the future route have been cleared, at least on the environmental level. And more than 50 structures have already been built: bridges, viaducts, high steps. But most of the project is still in the air. The financing to finish the central section must be closed before mid -2026. And although the current CEO, Ian Choudri, says they are on the right track to achieve it, either by private investors, federal loans or new bonds, the time runs against it. Especially if the Federal Administration changes sign and rethinking to keep the funds already committed. The Department of Transportation, under the leadership of Sean Duffy, has announced a complete audit of the project. THE OBJECTIVE: Determine SI California has fulfilled the commitments assumed Upon receiving federal money. The threat is clear. If there are no sufficient solid advances or guarantees, these funds could be reallocated to other states with more mature projects. The pressure, once again, is huge. The contrast with other countries is painful. Japan built his first Shinkansen in the 60s. Spain has been expanding its bird network more than three decades. Morocco has since 2018 its high -speed train between Tangier and Casablanca. In the United States, Acela remains the closest thing, with 240 km/h peaks on roads that cross tunnels of the nineteenth century. In California, everything is complex. The layout crosses agricultural areas, urban nuclei, protected land. Despite the promises, agreements and models in a real scale, there is a risk that the project appears: to continue being a dream. And yet, there is something in the original idea that continues to resist. A kind of conviction that, if ends, this train You can mark a before and after. Not only in California, but in the entire transport network of the country. Images | California High Speed ​​Rail In Xataka | The C919 Comac

Modern oil did not invent anything. China already extracted natural gas 2,000 years ago and transported it by bamboo pipes

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Possibly, many consider that oil industry And modern gas, with its platforms, deep wells, pumping systems and distribution networks, is a creation of the nineteenth century onwards, one associated with Western industrialization. And although they are not entirely wrong, the truth is that there was already a nation that had developed techniques for drilling, extraction and transporting energy resources with a simply amazing level of sophistication. That nation was China, and he did it a thousand years before Edwin Drake will pierce the first commercial oil well in 1859. Before the crude. As we said, although the collective imaginary places the beginning of the exploitation of hydrocarbons in the industrial revolution From the nineteenth century, history shows that ancient civilizations had already developed surprisingly advanced techniques of energy extraction. In fact, in the Chinese province of Sichuan, more than one millennium before the first commercial wells in the United States or Russia, entire communities already They pierced the earth To get brine And, later, natural gas. The salt searchvital for food conservation and human nutrition, led Chinese engineers to devise sophisticated Performant drilling systemsoperated with bamboo towers, pulleys, jump platforms and specialized metal tools that remember, in many ways, those used in the modern oil industry. Challenging your time. The wells, initiated during the PERIOD OF THE COMBATING KINGDOMS (480–221 AC), reached depths of up to 250 meters already in the Tang dynastyand exceeded the kilometer in the nineteenth century, long before the West even dreamed of such achievements. For each phase of the process they were used Different Broks (Fish tail, silver or horseshoe ingot) adapted to the type of rock. I also know They developed solutions for problems such as broken bits or collapsed wells, using ingenious technologies such as elongated bamboo tubes With fin valves, hydraulic cements based on Tung oil, and shutter with expanded straw. Then, around 1050, the introduction of flexible bamboo cables It allowed to achieve greater depths and simplify the operations a little more. By 1835, the Shenghai well reached officially The 1,000 meters deepa milestone in the world. From the byproduct to the energy treasure. Everything changed at a given time. During drilling in search of brine, workers began to run into Natural gas bagsinitially seen as dangerous or useless. But over time, that gas (mainly methane, often mixed with hydrogen sulphide) was recognized as energy resource and used for lighting, heating and, above all, to feed the boilers that evaporated the brine. This transition became crucial when deforestation prevented continuing to use firewood. The need promoted the invention of the call Drum Kang Penwhich allowed to extract and separate simultaneously gas and brine, and early carburetor that mixed gas with air to achieve more efficient combustion. In turn, the old perforators also included geology rudiments, placing gas wells in high areas and brine in valleys, according to the formation of underground bags. Industrial Network Without Pare. Over the centuries, the region was filled with bamboo towers, merchant ships and an infrastructure that included hundreds of kilometers of pipes Bamboo built completely. Far from being rudimentary, those pipes were precisely sealed by tung oil cement and braided rope, which made them surprisingly stagnant and durable. To get an idea, in the 1950s they were still operational More than 95 km of these conductions. A complex system that transformed Zigong and other cities into industrial, commercial and cultural centers. The operation was so extensive that it required uninterrupted shifts and written legal contracts (some of the first in the history of China) to distribute tasks and resources. Historical and legacy. The scale and sophistication of the Sichuan gas field eclipsed other premodern operations in Europe or Central Asia, such as those of Naples or Bakú. Beyond the volume produced, the most notable was the continuity and efficiency of the system itself. Even today, the region produces some 30,000 million cubic meters of gas annually, in many cases from perforated wells centuries ago. However, the work is still dangerous: in 2003, an explosion of gas near Chongqing He killed 233 people and left 9,000 intoxicatedbut the accumulated experience over almost 2,000 years avoided a major catastrophe. That technical and human legacy is, in fact, honest in the Shanxi Salt Museumwhere original tools and detailed models are preserved that document an industrial feat advanced to their time by millennia. If you want too, the Sichuan history Not only does it rewrite the origins of oil and gas in a certain way: redefine what we consider possible in ancient civilizations. Image | Thomas dependb, CSEG In Xataka | In its effort to extract oil, China is beating records: it has drilled a well -deep well In Xataka | 2025, a raw year: the sanctions to the Russian ships and the tension with China are raising the price of oil

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