Mobile Tech & Gadgets

The surprising thing is not its pieces, but how they work

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It was in the middle of the Cold War when Western engineers who managed to examine captured Soviet equipment they were surprised finding surprisingly simple circuits and unrefined finishes, but yes, designed to continue working even in extreme conditions where more advanced systems would have failed. That scenario halfway between simplicity and effectiveness left a lesson that decades later makes sense again. Open a missile and understand war. Analysis of remains of North Korean missiles used in Ukraine has offered (one more time) an image as unexpected as it is revealing about the evolution of modern war, by showing that apparently sophisticated systems hide a reality much more hybrid. Just like have reported Since the kyiv government, Ukrainian engineers and scientists have disassembled and studied these projectiles after their use in combat, finding a surprising combination of elements that don’t fit with the classic idea of ​​advanced weaponry. That contrast, between what it seems and what it really is, has become a key clue to understanding how current military balances are changing. Technology from another era in the midst of globalization. To be more exact, the missiles analyzed, mainly the KN-23 and the KN-24reveal a very clear pattern: they are built with manufacturing methods reminiscent half a century ago at the very least, with rudimentary welding, basic materials and simple technical solutions such as the use of graphite to withstand heat. However, inside it appears a completely different element, with commercial electronics from multiple countries, integrated into its control systems to make up for the lack of its own technology. The result is a weapon that mixes the old and the modern in a way that is as unexpected as it is functional. Bigger, less efficient. According to has explained the Ukrainian ministry, technical limitations are evident, since these missiles use less efficient fuels and require significantly larger motors to reach distances comparable to more advanced systems. This lack of sophistication also translates in reliability problemswith failures in flight and premature explosions detected on multiple occasions. Even so, all these shortcomings do not make them irrelevant, but rather an example of how less refined engineering can remain useful if it fulfills its basic objective on the battlefield. The real problem. Be that as it may, and despite their apparent low quality, these missiles continue representing a danger more than significant, since their ballistic nature makes them difficult to intercept and requires the use of advanced air defense systems like the patriot. In turn, this creates a strategic paradox in which relatively simple weapons force the use of resources much more expensive to neutralize them, replicating the same economic imbalance that is already observed in drone warfare. In other words, they don’t have to be perfect to be effective. Adaptation on the ground. Furthermore, they said in kyiv that the use of these systems is also linked to a tactical evolution on the ground that we have been countingone where North Korean forces deployed alongside Russia have been adjusting their way of fighting after suffering significant losses. In this way, they have gone from massive attacks to operations smaller and more flexiblesupported by drones and better coordinated with artillery, in a process of direct learning from the battlefield. If you will, this adaptation also reinforces the idea that the current war not only transforms technology, obviously, but also the way in which it is being used. The new norm. Ultimately, the last unboxing of missiles illustrates a deeper change where war no longer depends solely on the most advanced technology, but on the ability to combine resources available effectively. Blending ancient manufacturing methods with accessible global electronics proves that innovation doesn’t always mean sophistication, but intelligent adaptation. In that context, what Ukraine has found inside these North Korean missiles is not only a technical curiosity, but a clear sign of where modern warfare and its resources are heading, one where imperfect systems coexist, but sufficient and capable of generating real strategic effects. Image | Ukrainian M., Lightrocket In Xataka | A disturbing idea has begun to take hold in Europe: Ukraine has turned Russia into a fearsome air force In Xataka | Cities such as London or Madrid appear on Russia’s new objective map. The reason: drone production

Meta spent 2 billion on a Chinese AI startup. China is clear that it was a conspiracy

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With China and the United States dancing the dance of artificial intelligenceboth countries and companies want to get the best cards for their decks. Meta is investing millions in the development of AI and, even so, it seems to be lagging behind. To turn the tables, he closed 2025 with a $2 billion purchase: that of a Chinese startup called Manus. The operation was so notorious that the Chinese government itself raised an eyebrow and undertook an investigation to see what was happening there. And they are already clear. It was a conspiracy. The Manus case. Although it has rained a lot and these last few months in China AI companies have come out from under the stones, during the first half of 2025 the proper name was that of deepseek. It was the great competition from the Western OpenAI or Google Gemini, but in March something that looked like an AI agent began to appear: Manus. That’s how they sold italthough it was really a deep investigation mode that helps you perform actions, but does not do them for you. It didn’t matter: the expectation was there and, although there were doubts about his behavior and limits, Manus began to move a lot of money (more than 100 million in estimated income) and attract attention from the big players. One of them was Meta, who took over the company. The purchase. A good question is how China let something like this slip away for a technological and strategic rival to buy. And it’s a good question, but the answer is that, at some point, Manus stopped being a Chinese startup. In the middle of last year, Manus moved to Singapore, allowing the company to bypass export and import controls imposed on China. To the not having your own LLMthey depended on others like Claude which they could more easily access from outside China. This already set off alarm bells in the Government, but with the purchase of Meta the bells echoed. China put to work to various organizations to see what was really happening, the largest of them being the Chinese National Security Commission, which is commanded by President Xi Jinping himself. The reports prepared by this body are directly supervised by the leaders of the Communist Party, so it is a voice that must be taken into account. Conspiracy. And the result of the investigation is clear. As they comment in Financial Timesthe conclusion is that Meta’s acquisition of Manus is a conspiratorial attempt to try to undermine China’s technological capabilities. These are big words that do not remain in a vacuum, since the founders of Manus – Xiao Hong and Ji Yichao – were summoned by the NDRC last March to address issues such as possible violations of foreign investment rules in China. He did not stay for a meeting and, as the FT points out, both have been prohibited from leaving the country during the review process. In fact, there are sources that suggest that Manus would be considering backing out of the agreement, but even so, it is not clear that the Chinese authorities will be satisfied. For his part, Meta points out that they did everything according to the law and it seems that he has already started to integrate Manus systems into their tools, so taking that step back would be very complex. And now… what. That the National Security Commission has classified the case as “conspiracy” is something serious, since it was the trigger for a broader review that involves more agencies in the country that are currently reviewing everything. And the underlying problem is the speed with which everything happened. Manus took off and, just four months later, they moved everything to Singapore to break away from China just before the purchase of an American company. The investigation is shaking the Chinese technology sector because it is not the first time something like this has happened. Although on a smaller scale, it is an operation called ‘Singapore washing’ in which startups founded by Chinese move to the city-state to bypass China’s control and have a more direct line with the United States. The problem is that, at a time when the commercial and strategic war has intensified, calling the Manus case a “conspiracy” sets a precedent. One in which it is stated that China does not want to let artificial intelligence talent and technology escape because this advance has become one of the country’s strategic legs for the next five years. We will see what happens when the case is resolved, but it is clear that Beijing’s objective, like Washington’s, is to prevent its assets from escaping, and Manus can be the example for national technology companies do not follow a similar model in the future. In Xataka | We don’t know if “crisis” means “opportunity” in China, but there is one business where it does: RAM memory

so Samsung Mother’s Day

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It’s still a little while before it arrives, but Samsung is already in Mother’s Day mode. What does that mean? That its official store has a lot of discounts right now, both on TVs and on appliances and any of its devices, thanks, mainly, to the code ‘MAMITA10‘. We are going to show you some outstanding offers, although these prices are not the only thing to take into account. Because, furthermore, we can finance our purchases for up to 24 months without interest with PayPalwhich makes it much easier to renew what we need. TV 75″ QLED QEF1 4K Samsung Vision AI Smart TV 2025 The price could vary. We earn commission from these links There is a lot to choose from, but we have selected five example offers where there are appliances and some TV: Refrigerator Combi 2m 390L and Smart AI by 600 euros (instead of 1,109 euros). Bespoke AI Class A Combi Refrigerator by 937 euros (instead of 1,799 euros). Bespoke AI American Refrigerator by 1,599 euros (instead of 2,849 euros). 9Kg Ecobubble Washing Machine by 384 euros (instead of 609 euros). 75-inch QLED QEF1 Smart TV by 629 euros (instead of 1,499 euros). Combi refrigerator 2m 390L and Smart AI We start with this combi refrigerator, with 390 liters of capacity and 2 meters high. Because it uses Samsung’s SpaceMax technology, its walls are thin, which means it makes much more use of its space. In addition, it integrates with the SmartThings ecosystem of the Korean manufacturer and has energy efficiency C. The RRP of it is 1,109 euros, but we can take it right now for 600 euros (or 25 euros per month if we finance 24 months). That’s a 46% discount. We break down the prices so that everything can be seen clearly: Right now, this refrigerator is reduced to 777 euros. If we use Delivery and Release, the renewal system that Samsung has, we will obtain a direct discount of 60 euros. In addition, we will also receive a refund of up to 330 euros depending on the appliance we deliver. Using PayPal or Bizum as a payment method, we will receive an additional 50 euros discount. Finally, we have the code ‘MAMITA10‘ which will give us a 10% discount. Combi refrigerator 2m 390L and Smart AI – RB38C776CS9/EF The price could vary. We earn commission from these links Bespoke AI Class A Combi Refrigerator If you are looking for a refrigerator similar to the previous one, but with a higher energy ratingyou have this Bespoke AI, which is class A. It measures a little more than 2 meters high and has a total capacity of 387 liters, which is not bad at all. What is not bad either is its price right now, we can buy it for 937 euros (instead of 1,799 euros). A great price that, if we do the math, is a 48% discount. As with the previous one, let’s look at the discounts: Its price is currently at 1,261 euros, so we are already facing a fairly significant starting discount. We can also use Delivery and Release, although in this case the direct discount is much greater: 170 euros. All without forgetting the maximum of 330 euros in reimbursement that we can obtain for our old appliance delivered. With PayPal (or Bizum), the discount is also 50 euros. And, as with the previous one, we can use ‘MAMITA10’ to have a 10% discount. Bespoke AI Combi Refrigerator 203cm 387L Class A Inox RB38C7B6AS9/EF The price could vary. We earn commission from these links Bespoke AI American Refrigerator Now that the American refrigerators They are so fashionable, we are also in a good time to get this one from Samsung. In this case, its capacity rises to 614 total liters. and its 21.5-inch screen stands out a lot, which can be used to manage the food in the refrigerator, plan meals or even, why not, browse the Internet. We can get it for 1,599 euros or 66.63 euros per month in 24 months (instead of 2,849 euros). 44% discount. Below are the discounts: Its price right now starts at 1,997 euros. With Delivery and Premiere, in addition to the maximum refund of 330 euros, we have a direct discount of 170 euros. We also have a 50 euro discount for paying with Bizum or PayPal. And we can also use the code ‘MAMITA10’. Bespoke AI Family Hub™ American Refrigerator 178.5cm 614L Class E Inox RS90F66BETEF The price could vary. We earn commission from these links 9Kg Ecobubble Washing Machine We now change to a washing machine, in this case one with a 9 kg capacity and energy classification A, which represents a significant saving on the electricity bill. You can integrate it into SmartThings and control it from your mobile or receive notifications when a wash cycle ends, as well as receive program recommendations so that our washes are better and more efficient. comes out for 384 euros (instead of 609 euros, so it is a 37% discount) and these are the discounts that we can apply: To start, this washing machine is available for 426.91 euros. In this case, we can only use ‘MAMITA10’ to get the 10% discount. 9Kg Ecobubble™ Class A Washing Machine White WW90CGC04DAEEC The price could vary. We earn commission from these links 75-inch QLED QEF1 Smart TV We finish this selection of offers with a TV and a 75-inch TV. This QEF1 from Samsung uses QLED technology, which results in more vivid colors than conventional LED televisions. In addition, it has Vision AI (Samsung’s AI for TVs) and seven years of guaranteed updates, which ensures that it is up to date for many years. We can get it for 629 euros or 26.21 euros per month in 24 months (instead of 1,499 euros), which translates into a discount of 58%. These are the discounts or promos that we can take advantage of with it: Its starting price is 699 euros, quite reasonable … Read more

More than 2,000 years ago, people were already taking to the grave the greatest “bestseller” of all time: the ‘Iliad’

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No matter how many centuries pass or where they dig their shovels, the soil of Egypt remains a box of surprises for historians. Just checked it a team of archaeologists who have found a surprise when exploring an ancient necropolis from the Roman era of Al-Bahansalocated almost 200 km from Cairo. In addition to mummies, vessels with ashes and amulets, the researchers located one of the largest bestsellers of all time: the ‘Iliad’. The question is… What was he doing there? In a place in Minia… The news has taken care of advance it the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities of Egypt, which gives an idea of ​​the relevance that the country gives to the discovery. An archaeological campaign led by doctors Maite Mascort and Esther Ponce has discovered mummies and funerary offerings in a necropolis from the Roman era of Al-Bahansa (Minia), the ancient Oxyrhynchus. The site is not exactly new. In fact, the Government speaks of two parts of the necropolis: number 65 and number 67, a Ptolemaic burial. located in 2024. The tombs were also not spared from grave robbers, who once damaged the coffins and probably took valuables with them. Still, the Spanish-Egyptian mission has made interesting discoveries. To the other world with Homer. Perhaps the most fascinating is the one found inside one of the mummies from the Roman period. When examining the body, the archaeologists extracted a papyrus with a fragment of the ‘Iliad’, the universal work attributed to Homer. To be more precise, they identified the passage ‘Catalogue of Ships’from the second book of the Greek epic and which describes part of the Achaean forces deployed in the Troy campaign. “This discovery adds a literary and historically significant dimension to the site,” they celebrate from the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism. Gold leaf and decorated linen. It was not the only surprise that archaeologists got when exploring the tomb no.65. The necropolis preserved several mummies from the Roman era carefully wrapped in linen decorated with geometric motifs. Even the polychrome wooden coffins and the fragments of gold leaf that were attached to some of the corpses are preserved. Tongues of gold and copper. It was not the only thing that the archaeologists found. When exploring the hypogeum, the researchers located three languages made with gold and a fourth made with copper next to the mummies that were still preserved in the funerary chamber. These were probably mortuary amulets that were placed in the mouths of the deceased to facilitate their journey to the Hereafter. Why is it important? Beyond how curious they may be, the findings are valuable for two main reasons. To begin with, as has been responsible for highlighting the head of Archeology and Tourism, Sharif Fathi, confirm the wealth and enormous diversity that accumulated in the Egyptian civilization over the centuries, including the Ptolemaic era and the domination of Rome. Furthermore, the mummies and other vestiges offer a valuable clue about the funerary practices used in Al-Bahansa in Greek and Roman times. Vessels with ashes. When exploring the east of tomb No. 67, from the Ptolemaic period, the archaeologists found a ditch with three limestone chambers in which they were still preserved. historical treasures. For example, in one of the rooms they located a stone slab and a vessel with charred remains that seem to belong to an adult, in addition to the bones of a baby and the head of a feline. All carefully wrapped in fabrics. In the second chamber there was also a container with the remains of cremated people and an animal of the same species. Statues representing the god were located in the surroundings. Harpocrates and even a figurine of the god Cupid. Images | Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities (Facebook) In Xataka | We just discovered that a semi-legendary Nile king really existed thanks to a 17th century document found in trash

With the new increase, the Netflix plan with ads already costs more than what it cost to watch the platform without advertising two years ago

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Netflix has just confirmed a new price increase in Spain. When the platform presented the plan with ads in 2022, it did so as the economic option for those who did not want to pay the full rate. Four years later, as Antonio Ortiz emphasized in Xthat plan with advertising costs more than the old basic plan cost without any type of advertising, which was eliminated in 2023. The new prices. The increase affects the three rates available in Spain. This is how they look: Standard Plan with ads: It goes from 6.99 to 8.99 euros per month, an increase of two euros or close to 29%. Standard Plan without ads: It goes up from 13.99 to 14.99 euros. Premium Plan: Access to four simultaneous screens, 4K resolution and without ads, scale from 19.99 to 21.99 euros, surpassing the barrier of 20 euros per month for the first time. This is the second price increase in less than two years, since in October 2024 the company increased its rates in Spain. The new prices are now active for new users and will apply to current users in the next billing cycle. Ten years reviewing upwards. Netflix arrived in Spain in October 2015. Since then, the evolution of its rates describes a trajectory without exceptions. In 2017 the Standard plan increased by one euro and the Premium plan by two. The same pattern was repeated in 2019 and 2021. In 2022 it introduced the plan with ads at 5.49 euros, and in 2023 it eliminated the basic plan of 7.99 euros to push towards that advertising option. Already in 2021 we were talking about how the Premium plan had risen 50% in four years. It has not stopped doing so: currently it costs 21.99 euros, in 2017 11.99. Almost double in nine years. The paradox of the cheap rate. As we say, when the plan with advertisements arrived in Spain it did so 5.49 euros per month. Subsequently It went to 6.99 euros and now stands at 8.99 euros, which represents a joint increase of around 64% since its launch. That is, Netflix’s cheapest option has gone above what the old Basic plan without ads cost, which remained at 7.99 euros until its final elimination. In other words: whoever today wants to pay as little as possible on Netflix accepts advertising and pays more than what those who had a completely ad-free subscription paid two years ago. Because. The company often justifies these revisions as necessary to sustain investment in content. Netflix plans to allocate about $20 billion to this aspect in 2026, 10% more than in 2025. But there is a very clear reason for these increases to arrive at a fixed and almost biannual cadence: Netflix has more than 325 million global subscribers and previous increases have not caused significant falls in its user base. Put into practice: the plan with ads accumulates more than 190 million monthly active users and represents 55% of new registrations in markets with enabled advertisingaccording to the company’s own data. It is the segment that has grown the most, and also the one that suffers the greatest percentage increase in this last round. The end of the climbs? At the beginning of this month, a court ruling in Italy It could mark a before and after in the relationship between the platform and the continent’s regulators. A court in Rome ruled that price increases applied by Netflix in Italy between 2017 and 2024 are illegal under the national consumer code, which requires specific and advance justification of any price change. Premium subscribers active since 2017 could receive refunds of up to 500 euros and those on the Standard plan, around 250. Netflix has 90 days to notify all those affected through its website and national media, under penalty of 700 euros per day for delay. The judges’ decision is a good blow for the finances of Netflix, which is going to appeal the ruling, and which could affect the platform’s more than 5.4 million subscribers in Italy. The potential bill for the platform could exceed 2 billion euros. The door to similar litigation in other European countries remains open, although the transposition of European Directive 93/13/EEC on which the Italian court’s decision is based varies between legislations. In Spain, for now, it can be applied but a comparable judicial resolution has not yet been reached, although FACUA has filed a complaint before the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, which could also end the platform in court. In Xataka | 29 years later, Netflix has become the television it promised to replace. That’s why Wall Street has punished her

Two neobanks without offices are putting Spanish banks in trouble. And the worst for the IBEX is yet to come

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Revolut accumulates 6 million customers in Spain. Trade Republic has doubled its own in ten months. When Revolut grants mortgages, we will talk about a war that escalates. Why is it important. It is not common for actors outside the system to appear in a sector as large and historic as banking (without a network of branches or lobby nor the level of advertising of the large ones) and achieve a scale comparable to that of medium-sized entities, in a very short time. They have also done so by attracting younger clients with a greater propensity to operate: exactly the profile that generates the most commissions and that is most difficult for traditional banks to recover. The context. Spain has been a seemingly impenetrable financial market for years: highly banked, highly concentrated after the 2008 crisis and dominated by four or five entities that control the majority of the retail business. The digital commitment of big banks (Imagin from CaixaBank or Openbank from Santander) is working well, but the essence of the matter has not changed: they are subsidiary brands that do not threaten the core business of their parent companies. Revolut and Trade Republic, on the other hand, are independent entities with no internal conflict to resolve. In figures: More than 6 million Revolut customers in Spain at the end of 2025, with a penetration of 13% of the population, close to ING and ahead of Banco Sabadell. 3,990 million euros in total Revolut deposits in Spain according to the Bank of Spainwith a growth of 74% in 2025. 2 million Trade Republic clients in Spain, doubled in just ten months, with a projection of reach 3 million before the end of 2026. Spain is already Revolut’s second largest market in the EU, and the third globally, only behind the United Kingdom and France. The two sides of the same phenomenon. Revolut and Trade Republic attack different but complementary flanks. Revolut is going after the everyday bank: checking account, card, currency exchange, savings, personal loans, soon business credit… and considerable success when it comes to positioning itself as a card for travel or online purchases. Trade Republic goes for savings and retail investing: ETFs, stocks, cryptocurrencies and a 2.75% APR interest-bearing account with no balance limit. Together they cover practically the entire banking customer value chain retail. What used to require two or three banking relationships now fits into two applications. Between the lines. The most revealing data about Trade Republic is the speed at which they are growing: one million new users in less than a year, a rate that exceeds that which the entity itself registered in Germany during its initial expansion. It is a sign that in Spain there is a latent demand for alternatives that traditional banking has never fully satisfied, especially among the group of savers under forty years of age. The average age of the Trade Republic customer is around 35 years old. They are exactly the clients that IBEX banks need for their next decade. Yes, but. Growing customers is not the same as capturing their money. Revolut has 13% penetration in Spain but barely 0.25% of the system’s total deposits, according to a Citi analysis collected by The World. Only 1% of payrolls reach Revolut. Most of its users use it as a secondary bank: for trips, for specific payments or to park some savings with better remuneration than their usual bank. Trade Republic has not yet published its deposit figures in Spain. Traditional banking has been using this argument as a shield for some time: having many clients with a low average balance is not a business model, it is an acquisition model. The real test will come with the credit. The decisive moment. The big unknown (and the biggest threat to conventional banking) is the mortgage. Revolut has confirmed that it plans to launch it in Spain between 2026 and 2027. The model you have announced is completely digital, without negotiation: an offer. Take it or leave it. Ignacio Zunzunegui, Revolut’s growth director for southern Europe, said this in an interview with The World: “You could press a button and start being much more aggressive with credit.” If that works, Revolut stops being “your other bank” and becomes the first, as happened to ING in the first decade of the century. The mortgage is the product that anchors a client for decades, the one that generates the deepest relationship and the greatest income over time. It is the last moat that protects traditional banking. Meanwhile, its CEO has confirmed that Revolut will not go public before 2028: a company with almost 2,000 million euros of profit that prefers to remain unlisted publicly while it consolidates markets. Featured image | Sophie DupauTrade Republic In Xataka | Revolut wants more than your savings: it’s going after Spanish millionaires

chatbot is not working and OpenAI says it is investigating an issue

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If you are a user of ChatGPT and this afternoon you wanted to ask the chatbot something, you’ve probably been left without an answer – it’s time to use your brain again. It is that the famous service powered by artificial intelligence (IA) has been giving errors for several minutes. OpenAI, for its part, has launched an investigation to understand the origins of the problem. The outage entered the scene around 4:00 p.m., preventing users from around the world from using ChatGPT normally. As we can see in the screenshot, the chatbot refused to respond, offering error messages such as ‘Hmm… something seems to have gone wrong’, which in Spanish means ‘Mmm… something seems to have gone wrong’. In development. Images | Solen Feyissa In Xataka | What is Cloudflare, how it works and why a crash or block causes half the Internet to fail

The science of learning dismantles the mathematical rule of the fashionable study method

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When it comes to studying anything, almost all of us want to have a system that allows us learn quickly and efficient. This is where we can turn to the Internet, where there are numerous pages that promise us almost miraculous systems to pass easily, and one of them is the 2-7-30 method. But… What does science say about this system? What is it about? This method focuses on a system where you have to review the information exactly 2, 7 and 30 days after having addressed it on the first occasion. Something that is quite similar to what we want to achieve with the flashcards. Something that a priori seems quite simple to put into practice, but which can generate quite a bit of fear by leaving a topic shelved for so many days in the last round. It gives good results. But it is the best from the point of view of science, and to understand it, we have to go to the basics of how our memory works. And this method is based on the spacing effectwhich undoubtedly far surpasses the classic ‘binge’ the night before an exam, where you try to get all the data in in a matter of hours. Here, a classic meta-analysis published in 2006 in Psychological Bulletin, analyzed 839 measures in 317 experiments and confirmed that distributing practice over separate intervals dramatically improves retention. But even in the past, other studies suggested that repeating material over time consolidates memory much more efficiently. Recovery practice. There is no point in spacing out the reviews if, when day 2 or day 7 of the method arrives, we limit ourselves to passively rereading the notes. Here different studies have shown that actively trying to remember information produces much more lasting learning than passively re-studying it. In this way, forcing the brain to “rescue” that data strengthens neuronal connections, and science points to the advantage of active remembering over traditional binge-watching methods, such as making conceptual maps. The enemy to beat. The concept of reviewing in increasingly longer windows of time is born from the need to combat our natural decline in retention. This is where a work on the “forgetting curve” by Hermann Ebbinghaus comes into play, which demonstrated that we lose most of the newly learned information within hours or days if we do nothing to retain it. More modern replications of this idea confirm that this initial rapid forgetting is real and useful to contextualize the problem, although researchers depend on different factors and not only the strict passage of time. That is why the idea we should stick with is that every time we review the information, the forgetting curve resets and its slope becomes gentler so that it takes longer to disappear. The myth of exact numbers. Although it has been shown that spacing study days, in reality science does not identify 2, 7 and 30 days as a universally valid pattern for all learning and people, but will depend on many factors. Here, a study published in 2008 showed that the optimal interval between reviews depends on the retention interval we are looking for, but that the spacing changes radically if the objective is to remember something for an exam that is due in a week versus if we want to remember something in a year, as can happen in an opposition. In this way we get the following pattern: If the exam is in 1 week, the reviews should be separated by just 1 or 2 days. If the exam is in 1 year, Reviews should be spaced several weeks or even a month apart. Images | freepik In Xataka | SQ3R technique: the study method that helps you understand the subjects, not just remember them

In silence, the US is arming Spain’s most uncomfortable neighbor on the other side of the Strait of Gibraltar in a big way.

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The scene took place in the 1980s, when the United States discreetly used bases in southern Spain to launch air strikes on Libya, an operation that showed to what extent the strategic balances in the Mediterranean could depend on little visible agreements for public opinion. Decades later, that same board moves again, although along less obvious paths for Spain. A silent turn in the Strait. In the surroundings of Strait of Gibraltar A fundamental strategic change is taking place that does not respond to a single movement in itself, but to an entire accumulation of decisions sustained over time that are strengthening Morocco. as a key military actor on the southern European flank. This movement, although it is still not public, has now acquired character official with the signature of a road map of defense between the governments of Rabat and Washington for the next decade, a movement that is neither trivial nor an isolated gesture, but the formalization of a broader commitment in which the United States consolidates Morocco in the next 10 years as itsyour preferred partner in North Africa, with direct implications for regional balance and, no doubt, for Spain’s position. From regional partner to strategic platform. Yes, because the relationship between both countries has evolved to make Morocco more than an allygoing on to play the role of operational and technological platform from which the United States projects influence towards Africa and the Mediterranean. There are several examples, for example, the exercises as African Lionwhich integrate troops, industry and technology, and reflect this transformation, as well as the incorporation advanced capabilities as the Link-16 systemwhich brings Morocco closer to NATO standards. This leap not only improves military interoperability, but also places the country in a privileged position within the Western security architecture. Access to advanced technology. The reinforcement of this alliance translates into a military modernization unprecedented, with a significant increase in defense spending and access to systems that until recently were out of reach, from helicopters Apache attack up to guided munitions and potentially the almighty F-35 Lightning II fighters. Added to this is the development of a self defense industrywith production, maintenance and training plants that allow Morocco not only to acquire capabilities, but to begin to consolidate them autonomously, reducing its external dependence in the long term. A rearmament to change the balance. Be that as it may, and despite this progress, Spain maintains a clear superiority for now in structural termsespecially in the naval field and in its technological and industrial base, which allows it to retain a significant advantage over Morocco. However, this advantage is no longer as large as in the past, and the trend and agreement with Washington aims for a progressive convergence, driven by Moroccan economic growth and its sustained investment in military capabilities. If you like, the result is not an immediate balance, but an increasingly competitive environment in which the distance between both countries is reduced constantly. Technology, influence and projection. Plus: Morocco’s objective is not limited to improving its military capacity, but is very possibly part of a broader strategy to increase its geopolitical weight in the Maghreb, the Sahel and the entire western Mediterranean. American support, along with its approach to other partners like Israelreinforces this idea and ambition, allowing Rabat to position itself as a central actor in regional security and as a privileged interlocutor of the great powers in the area. Gradual change. In short, the panorama that draw ten years view is not that of an abrupt and total break, of course, but rather that of a progressive transformation in which Morocco gains capabilities, influence and room for maneuver thanks to the US support. In this process, Spain will continue to be the dominant actor on the military level, but it no longer operates in a static environment, but in one in which its neighbor to the south, often uncomfortable depending on the circumstances, is getting stronger constantly, slowly altering the balance in one of the most sensitive points of Europe, and nuclear from Spain. Image | US Africa CommandNARA In Xataka | The tunnel between Spain and Morocco seemed like a chimera. Now a tunnel boring machine manufacturer says it is viable In Xataka | The US threatened to take the Rota base to Morocco. Spain has buried it with an unbeatable offer: more territory

that of quantum chips

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Manufacture a qubit, the physical device that implements the minimum unit of information in the quantum computersit is not at all a piece of cake. There are several types: superconductors, ion traps, neutral atoms or ions implanted in macromolecules, among other variants. Not all of them are equally complex, but until just two years ago it was not possible to manufacture any of these qubits in an industrialized way that opened the door to large-scale production. This scenario changed in March 2024. Intel and QuTech, the research institute specialized in quantum computing that belongs to the Technical University of Delft, in the Netherlands, they managed to manufacture for the first time a qubit in an industrial way, and, what is even more important, using the same processes and the same technology that is currently used to manufacture semiconductors. It was a very important milestone for a crucial reason: this innovation opened the door to the massive scaling of qubits that can be integrated into a quantum computer. Now GlobalFoundries has decided to follow in Intel’s footsteps. Semiconductors open the door to universal quantum computers The qubit that Intel and QuTech researchers managed to manufacture using industrial procedures is, as we can guess, a semiconductor qubit. The most obvious advantage of this type of qubit is that it benefits from the development that integrated circuit production technology has undergone for decades, so it is presumably easier to produce a semiconductor qubit than one that uses an ion trap or a neutral atom. Furthermore, it is evident that Intel is well versed in the processes involved in chip manufacturing. Quantum Motion has recently opened an office in San Sebastián “It’s kind of like we started writing with calligraphy and suddenly switched to using a printer.” This statement belongs to Anne-Marije Zwerver, the QuTech researcher who led this project, and emphasizes the possibility of using this technology to manufacture semiconductor qubits on a large scale. Furthermore, according to Intel, the performance they have achieved using this manufacturing process is 98%. This simply means that 98 out of every 100 semiconductor qubits produced with this technology work correctly. GlobalFoundries has embarked in a project very similar to that of Intel, although it has not done it alone; It has done so with Quantum Motion, an emerging company specialized in the development of semiconductor quantum bits. An interesting note: this last company has recently opened an office in San Sebastián (Spain). Their plan is to demonstrate that it is possible to manufacture qubits using CMOS technology, which is commonly used in the integrated circuit industry. However, GlobalFoundries’ strategy goes further: it wants to adapt its 12 and 22 nm nodes to the manufacturing of quantum chips without having to reorganize its plants from scratch. An interesting note: the materials used by Intel to manufacture its semiconductor qubits are similar to those currently used to produce transistors, such as silicon oxide. However, everything is not done yet. Intel and QuTech have demonstrated that it is possible to manufacture semiconductor qubits using industrial processes, but now need to refine and improve the quality of its multi-qubit spin control system. Whatever they have achieved, it is very important and invites us to look once again towards the future of quantum computers with optimism. Image | Intel More information | GlobalFoundries In Xataka | They are called giant super atoms and they are going to be crucial for something: the future of universal quantum computers

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