Mobile Tech & Gadgets

depends on something more difficult to replace

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Europe has just learned an uncomfortable lesson. After the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the European Union moved at unprecedented speed to cut the umbilical cord of Russian gas. He succeeded—more or less, because It has been a story in fits and starts– with REPowerEU: new infrastructures, supplier diversification and painful but effective adjustments. The metals are coming. However, in the background, a deeper vulnerability that is difficult to reverse has been consolidated. As Richard Holtum, director of Trafigura, warned, in his column for the Financial Times“Europe has stopped being dependent on Russian gas and has become vulnerable in something even more structural: its metal supply chains.” And that, according to himself, has a very simple and very serious consequence: “Without critical metals there are no semiconductors, no renewable energy, no military equipment, no artificial intelligence.” The continent has emerged from a trap to enter a labyrinth. The labyrinth of critical metals. The root of the problem is twofold: an overwhelming dependence on foreign countries and a silent erosion of European industrial capacity to produce and transform the minerals that sustain the modern economy. Holtum sums it up with a devastating fact: Europe has not built a single new refining complex since the 1990s, and in the last decade it has closed or cut about a third of its existing ones. Meanwhile, China deployed a deliberate strategy to absorb global refining capacity, the key link in the chain. Today controls between 70% and 90% of global processing of many essential metals. The figures confirm it. A European meta-analysis, published in Springer Naturereveals that the EU does not produce any of the gallium, germanium, vanadium or rare earths that it consumes; only residual percentages of lithium (0.1%), cobalt (0.5%), nickel (1%) or natural graphite. The same study concludes that the community objective of covering 10% of its needs for critical raw materials by 2030 is simply “unrealistic” for most metals. Europe depends almost entirely on others to access the materials that make it possible to manufacture everything from batteries to advanced weapons. Added to this structural weakness is a problem of scale: demand will multiply between six and fifteen times between now and 2050 due to the electrification of transport, the massive deployment of renewables and accelerated digitalization. The Union needs more metals than ever just when it has the least capacity to produce or refine them. A strategic industry that is reeling. The impact is already visible. According to Euronewsthe European steel industry speaks openly of “survival” in the face of the flood of heavily subsidized Chinese steel and punitive American tariffs. The chemical industry, another historical pillar of the European industrial fabric, is going through even more severe deterioration: closed plants, evaporated investments and a growing consensus among analysts that “deindustrialization is no longer a risk: it is a reality.” The irony is bitter. The EU wants to electrify everything, but it does not control the minimum materials for that electrification. Wind turbines contain more than 8,000 parts, many containing critical metals; solar panels generate increasing amounts of waste whose recycling is still in its infancy; 85% of a turbine can be recycled, but almost no one does. What should be the European passport to energy autonomy becomes a bottleneck that threatens to stop factories, delay infrastructure and undermine the green transition. China, from supplier to industrial minotaur. Friction with China is no longer just commercial: it is structural. Beijing has tightened its export controls on critical metals in the last year. According to the World Economic Forum, Recent restrictions on rare earths, gallium, germanium and antimony have raised prices, forced European plants to shut down and generated a climate of permanent uncertainty for entire industries. can be explained with a recent example: To obtain import licenses, German companies must provide the Chinese government with extremely detailed information: manufacturing diagrams, photographs indicating where rare earths are located in a product, customer lists, inventory volumes, production data for the last three years and future forecasts. Meanwhile, the German government acknowledges that it does not even have that level of detail about its own companies. The paradox is evident: China knows more about the German industrial anatomy than the German state itself. That asymmetry fuels a form of surgical coercion: delaying a critical license here, slowing a key flow there, straining bilateral negotiations, pushing through rotating checks every six months. The underlying message is clear: whoever depends, obeys, or better known as “Second China Shock”. A response that arrives late. The European reaction is underway, although many recognize that it is late. According to the European CommissionBefore the end of the year, Brussels will present the new RESourceEU plan, aimed at guaranteeing supply, creating strategic reserves, strengthening agreements with third countries and boosting mining and refining within the EU. To this will be added the creation of a European Center for Critical Raw Materials, in charge of coordinating joint purchases, monitoring risks and acting as a nerve center for industrial intelligence. The Commission’s work program for 2026, under the motto “Europe’s Independence Moment”also places access to raw materials at the heart of its sovereignty strategy. Along with strengthening defense capabilities, protecting critical infrastructure and promoting innovation, Brussels admits for the first time that without stable access to essential minerals no industrial autonomy project is viable. The return of stockpiling. One of the most relevant developments is the debate on strategic reserves. According to a Financial Times reportthe EU will launch a consultation to decide which metals to store, how much to buy and how to finance it. It is a profound change: Europe has had oil reserves for decades, but has never considered storing critical minerals. However, an obvious problem arises. Some materials—such as lithium hydroxide, recalls Fastmarkets—have a useful life of just six months even when stored correctly. Others, such as certain metal oxides, require very specific humidity and temperature conditions. And in the case of metals such as gallium or germanium, buying massively would imply acquiring them from China. … Read more

You are already testing ads within your search engine’s AI responses

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Since the beginning of this year in the United States and since October in SpainGoogle has deployed AI Mode, its new search system with artificial intelligence. And, although it is still taking its first steps, it is already experimenting with changes that may not please everyone: it has begun to show advertising within generative responses. Advertising in AI Mode. The novelty has been detected by Brodie ClarkSEO consultant, who has shared a screenshot showing cards with sponsored results labeled “Sponsored”. They appear integrated directly at the end of the conversation, within the generative interface, which represents a relevant change compared to the classic search. In the screenshot shared by Clark, two cards with information and their corresponding organic links can be seen at the top. Then a map appears and, to the right, other informative results, also organic. No advertising here. The interesting thing is precisely at the bottom of the interaction, where the results are no longer organic and two cards appear with the label “Sponsored”. That is, advertising integrated into generative search, embedded within the conversational interface and not just in the margins. It should be noted that the generative text appears to have been omitted from the capture. For now, just tests. Google has confirmed to 9to5Google that these are intermittent experiments and that, at the moment, there are no plans to deploy them generally. This means that some users could start seeing ads in AI Mode, although it is not yet clear if these trials are limited to the United States or also affect markets such as Spain, where the service is already available. And in other AI services? Google is not the only company exploring advertising avenues for artificial intelligence tools. The CFO of OpenAI has recognized that ads could reach free users of ChatGPT. Microsoft, for its part, is already showing advertising on Copilot in certain markets. The strategy makes sense (for Google). Alphabet, Google’s parent company, bases much of its business on digital advertising. This is reflected in a Statista reportwhich remembers that a significant part of its income comes precisely from that model. Integrating ads into AI Mode would therefore be a natural extension of your strategy. AI Mode is powered by artificial intelligence models that generate responses from multiple sources. He does not limit himself to showing them: he interprets them and presents them in the form of a conversation. The system tries to understand what the user wants to know, allows cross-questioning, and maintains context. But it is not infallible. Like any generative model, it can make mistakes, omit data, or even make it up. Images | Google | Brodie Clark In Xataka | Satya Nadella made the world love Microsoft again. AI is making people hate it again

We believed that nothing would surpass the Russian robot that ended up on the ground. Until they made one dance in front of Putin

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When it seemed that the humanoid robotics board was dominated by the United States and China, with proposals such as Neo from 1X startup or the Unitree G1 —which even starred in a moment at the Xataka NordVPN 2025 Awards—, Russia decided to make a move with AIDOL, presented as “the country’s first domestic anthropomorphic robot with AI.” The problem was that its debut did not exactly show technological stability: the robot began to wobble, lost its balance and ended up falling face down in front of the cameras. All this with the music of ‘Rocky’ playing in the background. The scene went viral in a matter of hours, overshadowing any technological message that the manufacturer intended to convey. The explanations came quicklybut the public conversation was filled with parodies and memes. In a context where every step in robotics is also measured in terms of reputation, Russia needed a response that showed more than just a failed prototype. Green, the technological replica of Russia. Now, the images arriving from Moscow show a project of a very different nature. Green is an AI-powered humanoid robot that, according to its creators“can move independently and interact with targets in real space.” All development, from mechanical design and electronics to GigaChat-based artificial intelligence, has been carried out by Sberthe country’s largest bank and an increasingly visible player in the Russian technological ecosystem. The humanoid that danced in front of Putin. His debut was very different from that of AIDOL: Green was presented at the conference Artificial Intelligence Journey 2025where he spoke a few words and then, as we can see on YouTubedanced in front of the Russian president, Vladimir Putin. “My name is Green. I am the first humanoid Russian robot that has embodied artificial intelligence. This means that I am not just a program on a screen, but a physical embodiment of technology. I was created by Sber engineers,” the robot said before beginning its demonstration. According to Sber, Green incorporates more than a hundred motors and a large number of sensors, allowing it to maintain balance even during rapid and coordinated movements. This time, the presentation did not only seek to surprise, but rather to convey control, stability and a more mature image of the Russian commitment to humanoid robotics. What it means for AI to become embodied The idea of ​​embodied artificial intelligence, according to Sber, goes beyond running models on a screen. It is not just about responding to what a user writes, but about interpreting the environment through sensors, cameras and microphones, processing that information in real time and physically acting. It means providing technology with perception, movement and the ability to make decisions in real situations. That approach proposes a model where hardware is built around artificial intelligence, and not the other way around. What is Russia looking for with humanoid robots? It remains to be seen whether humanoid robots will end up integrating into everyday life, as anticipated by Elon Musk and other figures in the sector. But, should that scenario materialize, Russia wants to ensure that it will have models developed within its borders. Its strategy aims to build technological sovereignty not only in the hardware of the automata, but also in the AI ​​models that drive them and in the infrastructure necessary to train and execute them. For now, there is no information on whether Green will ever become a commercial product or how much it might cost. It is still a technological demonstration and not a robot designed for the market. It is also not easy to place Russia within the global race for humanoids, because there is still no clear data on their real development, their autonomy or their possible applications. What it does seem is that, for the moment, the United States and China are setting the pace in this industry, with more consolidated and visible projects. Images | Kremlin In Xataka | Satya Nadella made the world love Microsoft again. AI is making people hate it again

Italy has been importing its famous “Italian” tomato paste from China for years. And now China has a problem

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The powerful tomato sector Chinese faces turbulence. After achieving a prominent position in the global market and becoming the largest tomato orchard in the world, the Asian giant has encountered a drop in sales in a strategic market: the European market. More specifically in Italy, where the demand for vegetables from Xinjiang has deflated at the stroke of controversies. The data is quite eloquent. Only during the third quarter of 2025 did sales of Chinese tomato paste in Italy decrease about 80%. Tomato ‘made in China’? It comes with taking a look at the maps from World Population Review to understand the enormous weight that China has achieved in the world tomato market. According to its latest data, in 2023 the nation produced about 70.1 million tons. This places it considerably above India, which occupies second place with 20.4 million tons, Turkey (13.3 million), the US (12.4 million) or Egypt (6.2 million), which complete the ‘TOP 5’. Also from Spain, which occupies ninth place, with nearly four million. Extremaduran farmers warned about the growing threat from China a few months ago, who recognize that the competition exerted by the Asian tomato is already their “biggest problem”. It’s not just that China harvests tons and tons of vegetables, it’s that it does so at such low costs that they make its tomato paste (a fundamental product for the food industry) unbeatable. Click on the image to go to the tweet. Is he that attractive? Yes. And it is not something that is observed only in Extremadura. Just a year ago Francesco Mutti, CEO of the sauce manufacturer that bears his last name, recognized that much of the cheap tomato paste coming from China is produced in the Xinjiang region with “very, very low labor costs.” something similar they slid in 2016 from Las Marismas (Andalusia): “They ask us for European quality at the price of Chinese tomatoes, something impossible taking into account the costs.” In practice this means that China exports every year tons and tons of tomato to the European market, which in turn generates a lucrative business. OEC calculate That last year the Asian giant exported processed tomatoes worth 1.21 billion dollars. If we look at its main destinations, Italy occupied a priority place, with a value of 83.8 million dollars. And what has happened? That although China is a gigantic exporter and has managed to differentiate itself in prices, its product has been compromised by an unexpected factor?: controversy. I told it a few days ago Financial Times. News about the use of forced labor in Xinjiang (a region that has attracted attention of the UN for alleged human rights violations against the Uyghur minority) and the lack of clarity The labeling with which some Italian companies identify the origin of their products has conditioned Chinese pasta exports, in which large state companies play a crucial role. Result? Against this backdrop, to which is added the campaign of the Italian agricultural association Coldiretti, China has encountered a problem: a ‘pinch’ in exports that has left it with a huge stock of processed tomatoes. Financial Times assuresciting data from the platform Tomato News, that the Asian giant has a reserve of between 600,000 and 700,000 tons of tomato paste. To understand its scope, it is equivalent to six months of exports. Has demand dropped that much? Yes. The data shows that the Western market seems to want to move away from the doubts that shadow the Chinese product. In general, Chinese tomato paste exports decreased by 9% year-on-year during the third quarter of 2025, but if we focus specifically on sales to Western EU countries, that percentage rises to 67%. In the specific case of Italy, purchases plummeted by 76%. “It is clear that Europe has become a difficult place to export,” recognize to Financial Times Martin Stilwell, head of Tomate News, the source of the data. Do we handle more data? Yes. There are two other reveals. The first has to do with the value of processed tomato exports to Italy. If between January and September 2024, Chinese customs recorded about 75 million dollars, this year, during the same period, it did not even reach 13. The other data has to do with the volume of fresh tomato processed to turn it into pasta: 4.8 million tons in 2021, 11 million in 2024 and 3.7 this year (estimate). For Stilwell, the reading is clear: faced with the difficulties of selling, China chooses to cut expenses instead of increasing its stock. What does China say? That accusations about the use of forced labor in Xinjuang are “a lie” created and propagated by “anti-Chinese forces” to harm the country. The truth is that years ago the US decided to turn its back on imports of tomato paste from that region of the Asian giant and in the case of Italy they weigh somewhat more than the suspicions of the UN. In 2021 the Caribineri ‘hunted’ a company that labeled its canned tomato as “100% Italian” when in reality it included product from China. “If we assume that Italy has 80 companies related to tomato processing, three, four or five have committed dishonest practices,” Mutti assureswho regrets the damage this does to the reputation of the Italian sector. Images | Tom Hermans (Unsplash) and Arthur Wang (Unsplash) In Xataka | Four nations are fighting over a fruit that smells like rotten eggs. China has turned it into its gastronomic phenomenon

The industry has stopped manufacturing for people, it does it for machines

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On October 1, 2025, the average price of two 8GB DDR4-3200 modules was $60. Today that price is 110 dollars. Things are worse for DDR5 memory: at the beginning of September the average price of two 16GB DDR5-4800 modules was about $100, but now the price is approaching $250. In just a few months those prices have skyrocketed and we know perfectly well who is to blame: the AI. what has happened. He who warns is not a traitor: at the beginning of October we were talking about how A perfect storm had brewed with AI and data centers. This storm was going to cause notable increases in the prices of NAND and DRAM memories. And indeed those prices have skyrocketed in an astonishing and worrying way. The average price of DDR5-4800 2x16GB modules has multiplied by 2.5 in less than two months. Source: PC PartPicker 307% more. The consulting firm TrendForce, specialized in this type of market analysis, indicated this week how the price of DDR5 memories has increased by up to 307% since September, but the worst thing is not that: the worst thing is that these prices are going to continue rising and it also affects DDR4 modules, although somewhat less (“only” 158%). In fact, in a graph they showed how two 8 GB DDR4-3200 modules had gone from $30.55 to $34.42, 12.67% more expensive… than a week ago. More information. The well-known website PCPartPicker It offers among its services an analysis of the price evolution of different components. The graphics of DRAM memories were quite boring because they were almost always relatively flat, but now they have gone crazy and very unfun. In all types of memory analyzed, the increase in average prices confirms the TrendForce data. The curve is more worrying for DDR5 modules, but it is clear that all are affected. NAND are going the same way. NAND memories have the same problemand that will make SSD drives also increase in price. The demand for data centers is causing end users to suffer the direct consequences, and prices are expected to grow significantly. Khein Seng Pua, CEO of Phison—one of the largest manufacturers of this type of chips— warned that “recently all NAND companies have begun to increase their sales prices by around 50 or 75%” and warned that all this will make “the supply of NAND chips very tight for many, many years.” Or what is the same: prices that will rise but will not fall in the medium (or long term). A vicious circle. The news is terrible for those who were thinking of updating their equipment with more RAM or more storage capacity. The upward trend in prices will not relax at least in this quarter, and may continue for much longer due to this AI fever. Data centers need AI GPUs, AI GPUs (often) need HBM memories, and HBM memories cause manufacturers to put RAM on the back burner. Bad time to upgrade or build a PC (or maybe it’s a good time). It’s a vicious circle that will make upgrading or building a PC right now a bad deal. But of course, it can also be seen from another perspective: maybe waiting is even worse and this is “a good time” or at least, “the best of bad times” in the medium term. Of course the threat is there. Most expensive smartphones and laptops in sight. Of course this can also directly affect the new smartphones, tablets, PCs and laptops that appear on the market from this moment on. Price increases in components clearly impact the manufacturing costs of these devices, and it would not be strange to see significant increases in all types of devices. In fact, Khein Seng explained that some manufacturers could decide to do a kind of “reduflation” of their products by lowering specifications in order to maintain sales prices. Image | Andrey Matveev In Xataka | Samsung has its biggest competitor at home. His future with chips depends on his rivalry with SK Hynix

The mansions of the most exclusive urbanization in Spain are usually a mystery. Marc Márquez has opened it up a little

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The MotoGP rider has had no shame in reveal the value of his mansion in La Finca, along with other details about how he manages an asset that exceeds 80 million euros. Far from the clichés of the millionaire athlete, Márquez talks about fiscal responsibility, professional advice and a clear philosophy: money has not changed his lifestyle (or at least not in everyday things). The mansion as an investment, not as a whim. Marc Márquez has resided since 2022 in La Finca, the most exclusive urbanization in Pozuelo de Alarcón, where he has neighbors such as Cristiano Ronaldo or Cristina Pedroche. His property, valued at around 10 million euros, has 1,300 square meters distributed in seven rooms, a gym, a two-story swimming pool and a minimalist aesthetic with straight lines and light tones. When asked about the price, the pilot responds: “10 million? Around there. That area is around there. But it is an investment,” according to declared on Imagin’s ‘The End of the Month Podcast’. He also states that “the house is paid for.” This case, in fact, It was owned by Mariano Díazformer Real Madrid player and current Deportivo Alavés forward. The jump to Madrid. The move from Cervera to the capital was not just a matter of comfort. According to revealed to ‘Todo Circuit’the decision was motivated by medical reasons, being close to his doctors after the injuries that have marked his career, and by logistical efficiency. “I save hours on the train, with events and commitments,” he explained. The Finca also offers you the privacy you are looking for, being a refuge where you can disconnect from the circuit without fanfare. The lesson of the first million. The path to economic stability began in 2013, when Márquez won his first MotoGP title at just 20 years old. That bonus of more than a million euros opened his eyes about money management. “More than 50%, bam!, Treasury. 10% for the manager, training motorcycles…”, remembered in that same interview. It was then that he met the lawyer who still advises him and learned the importance of not losing his mind: “They told me: ‘it seems like a lot, but it’s little, leave it in the bank.’” Since then, he assures that his advice is provided by a lawyer and an accounting manager, without limited companies. “I am self-employed, I am not a company, I do not have a SL,” he says. An empire beyond motorcycles. In addition to his residence, Márquez has diversified his assets with investments in the audiovisual sector with his brother Álex. They participate in companies such as Fast Brothers Productions, dedicated to film and series production, and Café Para Muy Cafeteros, focused on podcasts. They also founded Vertical Management SL, specialized in representation and advice of athletes and content creators, together with Vertical Content Creators SL and Bamboleo Events SL, the latter focused on organizing sporting events. With this network of companies, he not only manages his image, but also builds a professional future that will be very good for him once he retires from his profession. 2025, year of 10. His season with Ducati has been historic: he has won his ninth world title, achieved 11 victories in grand prix and 14 in sprint. This, according to Forbes, has reported him extraordinary income that totals more than 5 million euros in bonuses, in addition to his base salary of 12 million. Added to this are sponsorships with brands such as Estrella Galicia, Alpinestars, Shoei or Audi, which represent a substantial part of a total assets that exceeds 80 million euros. Money without posturing. “I’m lucky that money hasn’t changed my lifestyle,” says Márquez. “I have the same time with my friends anywhere, I don’t need to show off.” He has no debts, declares himself self-employed and maintains a low profile. “I don’t want to be in the newspapers or anything like that,” he confesses. It is the same solvency with which he rides a Ducati: a cool head, long-term vision and feet on the ground. In Xataka | An atoll in the South Pacific has become a magnet for millionaires. Its great attraction is not its beaches, it is its banks

Idealista is filling up with images of houses for sale made with AI. And it’s getting harder and harder to identify them.

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AI-generated content has flooded everything and it is becoming increasingly difficult to distinguish it. The call AI Slop It is everywhere; in social networks, on Spotifyin Wikipedia…even in niches as specific as that of crochet patterns. This avalanche has made us distrust almost any image that we see online, also if you are looking for a house, just because: Idealista has also been filled with AI. house catfish. We typically use the term when a person on the Internet impersonates another person and lies about their appearance. This is what is happening on some real estate sales and rental platforms. Wired already showed some cases of images altered with AIbut it is not a trend exclusive to the United States, on platforms such as Idealista and Fotocasa many ads are also appearing with images modified with AI tools. “So you can see how it would look.” It is the excuse that many owners and real estate agencies use. What they do is enhance the photos using artificial intelligence tools so that the property appears newer than it actually is or how it would look renovated. in the advertisement what this user reports in Xthey have used AI in the image of the pool to show what it would look like if the water was clean and everything was in perfect condition. In the responses to the same post, another user shows this other ad where they have used AI to put grass in the garden of the house, with a pretty bad result by the way. What you ask for vs what you get. Click on the image to open the publication in X. More eye-catching ads. In the description of the ads that users report, they warn that AI has been used to retouch some images, but what they usually do is put the images with AI first to attract the attention of those interested. Once inside the ad, you find reality: the house is falling apart. If it is specified in the description and then they put the real photos, it is not technically a scam, but it is a rather shady strategy that adds another layer of difficulty to the already difficult task of finding a house to buy or rent. Undetectable. The first image generators were not useful for making modifications because images were basically invented, but The arrival of Nano Banana was a turning point since it allows changes to be made while being consistent with the original photo. In September Images appeared on Idealista with the Gemini watermark. We cannot know what they have removed or added, but it could be used to remove moisture or some defects without it being obvious that they have used AI. In this specific case they have left the watermark, but there will be many people who do not know what it means, not to mention that removing it is very simple. There may be many more AI-modified images that are undetectable. Idealista promotes it. In 2023 the platform published an article explaining how to take advantage of AI tools to fix ad images. They showed examples such as organizing rooms, filling swimming pools or furnishing empty rooms. They also launched ‘smart text’ to generate descriptions of the properties, a function similar to those found on other platforms such as Wallapop. Recently published another article where they warned of scams on their platform using fake image generation with AI; a confirmation that it is a fairly widespread and not always transparent practice. Image | Pexelsedited with Nano Banana Pro In Xataka | Alibaba has new Open Source AI to generate videos. The problem is that it is being used to generate pornographic deepfakes

Luxury was the last industry where Europe, because it was Europe, had a competitive advantage in China. Until now

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For decades, China was known as the country where the world’s luxury products were made, not where they were designed. The “Made in China” lived years associated with mass productionto the workshops that supplied Europe and to the supply chains that kept the pace of the sector alive. The great Western houses dependedand still depend— of its manufacturing capacity. But what almost no one saw coming is that that same country, which built the industrial muscle of global luxury, would begin to develop its own brands capable of not only imitating, but directly competing. A market that no longer responds to the previous rules. According to data published by Bloombergspending on Western brands within China has slowed down in a huge market—around $49 billion—while several local firms are growing with a strength that surprises the industry itself: Laopu Gold, artisanal aesthetic jewelry, has multiplied by ten its online sales in just two years, compared to the 57 million of Van Cleef & Arpels, one of the most recognized names in Western fine jewelry. Songmont, specialized in bags with clean lines and minimalist design, is close to 90% growth in e-commerce. In contrast, Gucci’s drop in the same channel exceeds 50%. Mao Geping—a local brand with a strong Chinese theatrical aesthetic— doubles income by Bobbi Brown on the platform. And all this happens while giants like LVMH or Kering are experiencing sharp declines in the stock market compared to their highs in 2023 and 2021 respectively. As Chosun Biz points outmany consumers who previously reserved their large purchases for foreign brands are now choosing local firms. A simple phrase, but one that reveals a profound cultural change. Luxury is no longer defined only by Europe. The transformation is not explained solely by the economic context, because otherwise the phenomenon would be limited. However, local brands are succeeding because they offer something that the young Chinese consumer recognizes as their own: an aesthetic and a cultural story that does not seek to appear Western. There are different examples, such as Songmont building its brand around “oriental beauty” and designing spaces inspired by calligraphy. To Summer creates fragrances with ingredients that are part of Chinese sensory memory—tea, osmanthus, preserved citrus—and presents them in Jingdezhen porcelainindisputable reference of the country’s ceramics. ICICLE bases its entire design on principles of harmony and simplicity rooted in local philosophy. This approach connects with a generation that no longer considers European logos as automatic symbols of taste. They look for beauty, yes, but a beauty that belongs to their culture. Luxury Society adds that local brands They have become experts in building coherent, deep brand universes full of cultural references that are natural, not forced. Meanwhile, foreign firms have been trying to adapt for years, often with superficial interpretations of Chinese symbolism. The rise of national pride. EITHER guochao, born as a movement roots that vindicate the aesthetics and identity of the Asian giant. A term that has become a purchasing criterion for many young people. It is not about rejecting what is Western, but about valuing what arises in the country’s own companies. Western houses try to adapt. The big foreign brands have begun to react. Digitalizing document a change in the way in which Louis Vuitton, Prada or Loewe relate to Chinese culture: they no longer only launch thematic collections on Lunar New Year, but they open stores that interpret local architectural languages, collaborate with artisans of intangible cultural heritage, produce content about Chinese cities and organize parades in enclaves that dialogue with the country’s history. The reality is that they have to respond to an increasingly demanding market and a consumer who has reduced his enthusiasm for luxury in the midst of an uncertain economic climate, marked by youth unemployment and the fall of confidence. The point is that, although Western localization is increasingly sophisticated, Chinese brands have an advantage because they start from a native understanding of their own aesthetic. They are not imitating the global language of luxury: they are proposing a new one. From followers to creators. The ecosystem is reminiscent of the process that Japan experienced decades ago. As some analyzes showfirst came the fascination with European luxury, then an economic crisis, and finally the rise of local brands that redefined modern Japanese aesthetics. China is going through a similar cycle, but with a level of global ambition that Japan did not have from the beginning. Furthermore, the picture is complicated by another key movement: according to Luxury SocietyChinese luxury spending has not disappeared, but has shifted abroad following the post-pandemic reopening. Japan is now one of the favorite destinations, where up to 80% of customers in some luxury stores are Chinese, it also happens in Singapore and Thailand. This makes the sales decline within China seem more serious than it is. Even so, at home, the preference for local brands is a cultural phenomenon, not a situational one. Can Chinese luxury consolidate itself as a global competitor? The potential is there, but the challenges are great. According to figures cited by Bloombergno Chinese brand in the sector has yet exceeded 0.5% global share or 10 billion yuan in annual revenue. The growth of recent years starts from small bases and there is still no truly global Chinese brand. The economy doesn’t help either. Consumer confidence is fragile and an important part of the local boom depends on a cultural pride that could fluctuate if the domestic situation worsens. The brands themselves recognize, in interviews collected by the same medium, that they need international talent and expansion outside of China to consolidate themselves. However, their advantage is powerful: they dominate the supply chain, manufacturing and, now, increasingly, aesthetics. The case of Shajuanstudied by researchers at Fudan University, shows how vertically integrated brands can control design, production and narrative more effectively than many international firms. A new global aesthetic emerges from China. The Asian giant is no longer just a key market for Western luxury; It is a creator of trends, … Read more

one of the best VPNs out there is now available for less than three euros per month

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Many of us wait for offers from the Black Friday to go for that cell phone or this laptop that we’ve been keeping an eye on for a while. Are those the only offers we should look at? Clearly not, since there are also services with their own promotions. That’s where NordVPN comes in, one of the best VPNs out there that now we can get one of its lowest prices of the year: only 2.99 euros per month. NordVPN Monthly Basic Plan (2-year plan) The price could vary. We earn commission from these links Discount of up to 75% and 3 extra months on all your plans As we always tell you, a VPN is one of those tools that is always good to have installed, whether on your mobile or PC. A very clear example: it is ideal if, for example, we go to a hotel or a cafeteria and we want to use their WiFi network. These public networks may not be too secureso it is better to protect our data and our traffic as much as possible. For this, nothing better than one of these VPN. Logically, we cannot ignore that there are free alternatives. We can find many by doing a simple search on the Internet, although they are tools that we do not recommend. They are not safe at allso it doesn’t make much sense to go for a free VPN if we are also putting our privacy at risk. Yes, and taking into account the prices that NordVPN has on Black Friday, it makes less sense to bet on a free VPN. Have discounts of up to 75% on all plans in a promo that we will have accessible and visible as soon as we enter its website, all without the need to use any type of promotional coupon or discount of any kind. Everything is applied automatically without us having to do anything. In addition to being a very easy tool to install, configure and use, it stands out for its high level of security. It has military grade encryption to avoid hacker attacks, as well as a ‘kill switch’ function that will automatically disconnect you from the Internet in case the VPN goes down, protecting your data to the maximum. With a single account, we can use this VPN on up to 10 devices simultaneouslyall without having to change accounts. In addition, we will be able to connect to more than 8,400 servers distributed in 165 locations, which is not only useful, but ensures that your service is maintained with less congestion and better speed. At this point, what we have left is to choose the plan that best suits us, since they are all on sale. If we are only looking to have a VPN with us, then the Basic plan is the ideal one for us: it comes out, as we have said, for 2.99 euros a month and coming with three extra months in its two-year modality, so we will have 27 months of service and we will only pay 80.73 euros. Do you want more? So, you have the rest of the plans available. To make it easier for you to know their prices, we leave them below, in a schematic way: Basic Plan: 27 months for 80.73 euros in total (2.99 euros per month). Plus Plan: 27 months for 105.03 euros in total (3.89 euros per month). Complete Plan: 27 months for 132.03 euros in total (4.89 euros per month). Ultra Plan: 27 months for 175.23 euros in total (6.49 euros per month). The Plus plan, for example, has an ad blocker and a leak scanner. If we want all this and, furthermore, 1 TB of cloud storagethen we have the Complete plan for a little more. The Ultra plan goes with everything: in addition to everything above, it includes a tool that is used to delete personal data from databases. All these discounts They will only be available until next December 1stso we don’t have much time to take advantage of them. It should be remembered that NordVPN has a 30-day trial period, during which we can request a refund at any time if we are not satisfied. Black Friday also comes to NordPass with discounts If we seek to protect our accounts and services, there are few things as important as taking care of the security of our passwords. Although this is something we can do from its creationit is not a bad idea to get a password manager to help us keep them safe. That’s where NordPass comes in.which is also owned by NordVPN and is also on sale this Black Friday. In addition to giving military grade security To the passwords we store, NordPass allows us to take them everywhere with us. It has an auto-complete and auto-save system and allows us to identify those passwords that we have that are weak, old or that we have used too many times. This Black Friday, we can get the NordPass Premium plan for 0.99 euros per month in its 2-year modality, so we will only pay 34.83 euros in total and we will receive 27 months of the service (because it also comes with three extra months). If we want to share NordPass with family or loved ones, we have their Family plan, which has 6 user accountsby 2.79 euros per month. NordPass Monthly Premium Plan (2-year plan) The price could vary. We earn commission from these links Some of the links in this article are affiliated and may provide a benefit to Xataka. In case of non-availability, offers may vary. Images | NordVPN In Xataka | Public WiFis: why they are dangerous and tips to connect safely In Xataka | The best solutions to protect your data and your company’s IT equipment

We have left Moss out for nine months in space at the mercy of vacuum and radiation. He’s back alive and breaking records

by

Life is much more tenacious than we usually think, even when we take it out of its cradle and expose it to the most hostile environment we know: the emptiness of the outer space. And to carry out this test, a team of scientists has decided to take a moss and expose it to conditions outside of Earth, giving a result that opens a path for us on how to create new ecosystems on other planets. The protagonist of this story is Physcomitrium patensor better known as primitive moss. And there were a series of Japanese researchers those who wanted to check What would happen if this little primitive moss was left outside the International Space Station. The logical a priori thing would have been that he would have died instantly, since he did not have oxygen, the environment was really aggressive, with a lot of direct radiation as he did not have the protection of our ozone layer and logically he was not in his natural habitat. But the reality is that he has managed to endure the absolute emptiness and the cosmic radiation for 283 days. But not only has it survived these conditions, but upon returning to Earth it has been planted and germinated. Without a doubt a great surprise in the face of the resistance that these organisms have. A round trip. The research, led by biologist Tomomichi Fujita of Hokkaidō University and published in iScience, started from a premise that seemed like science fiction: can a primitive land plant withstand prolonged exposure to cosmic elements without protection? To find out, in March 2022 they launched hundreds of samples aboard the ship Cygnus NG-17. Once on the ISS, the astronauts attached these samples to the outside of the station, orbiting at about 400 km altitude from the Earth’s surface. There they stayed for nine months, exposed to constant cycles of light and shadow, extreme cold, and relentless ultraviolet radiation. In January 2023, the samples returned in a SpaceX capsule (mission CRS-16) and when analyzed in the laboratory, the results perplexed the researchers. More than 80% of the spores had survived and were able to germinate. Not everything is the same. Just as two humans may not be equally resistant, something similar happens with mosses. In this research, we tried to verify the resistance of three types of fabric, but the winner was undoubtedly the sporophytewas the hardest fabric. Something that was already suspected, but the litmus test that this was was missing. In terrestrial laboratories, stress is usually tested separately. That is, in a season an organism is exposed to heat, or cold, or high radiation. But in this case everything happens at the same time, and that is why it was expected that his survival would be null with this combination of factors. But the reality is that the spores protected within the sporangium endured. And although the scientists noted a degradation of one type of chlorophyll due to visible light, the structural and genetic integrity of the plant remained intact enough to be “resurrected” upon returning home. Its importance. Growing a moss on the surface of the ISS seems insignificant and a silly waste of money. But the reality is that this finding has two very important readings. The first looks towards the stars and the terraforming process. It must be taken into account that mosses were the first plants to colonize land on our planet 500 million years ago. It can be said that they are natural pioneers thanks to the fact that they can settle on bare stones and then when they die, they generate soil where more complex plants later emerge. In this way, if they can survive space travel and withstand extreme conditions, they could theoretically be the biological vanguard. in lunar or martian bases to help modify its atmosphere and ecosystem. Something more urgent. Right now, our goal has to be to create crops that are more resistant to the extreme weather conditions we face on our planet. And the solution may lie in these spores and their genetics. Understanding the mechanism that gives them this great resistance is vital so that we can modify seeds of other crops with the aim of conferring the same resistance. A vital step to face everything that may be yet to come to our planet. Images | Mike Frandson POT In Xataka | Fungal spores and other microorganisms are candidates for surviving on the surface of Mars, according to NASA

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