Mobile Tech & Gadgets

In South Korea they offered $14,000 to young people in exchange for them getting married. The young people didn’t care

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With $14,000 you can plug holes, take a few months off to travel the world or invest in that business that has been on your mind for years. What you won’t be able to do is pair two South Koreans to get married, start a home, and have children with whom to help the country get out of the crisis. deep crisis birth rate in which it has been immersed for years. We know this because in Korea there are administrations that already they have pulled the checkbook and reached those figures (more than 10,000 dollars) in their efforts to act as matchmakers. All without success. What’s more, this effort by administrations to encourage couples is having a peculiar effect: it has made singleness a real business. A matter of love… and money. In its efforts to get out of the demographic slump in which South Korea has been mired for some time, it has not hesitated to draw on its checkbook. Their reasoning is simple: if the birth rate can be encouraged with money, the Government is willing to put it on the table. In recent months, the country’s authorities have proposed handing over large ‘baby checks’ to its citizens, offer tax incentives to families with children, expand the parental leave or even guarantee that new mothers have access to select food. Another of the country’s great bets has been to match its young people. And that has been so much to create dating programs specifically designed for singles to find love and make it easy for them financially, offering them money so that the cost of a romantic dinner is not an obstacle. It may sound exaggerated, but there is one fact that explains it: in South Korea couples and birth rates go hand in hand. So much so that less than 5% of babies are born out of wedlock. How much money are we talking about? Very much. Many of South Korea’s matchmaking programs come from regional organizations, so photography can vary from one area of ​​the country to another; But it comes with taking a quick look at Google to see news about cities or districts that are trying to raise their birth rate with very expensive matchmaking programs. Recently we were talking to you of the case of Seoul, where the Metropolitan Government was studying giving 700 euros to couples who get married there. It’s a lot. Although not as much as in other cities. In Busan, one of the main metropolitan areas of South Korea and which is suffering the effects of the demographic crisis in a way particularly hardhave gone a step further by blessing new couples with hundreds of dollars. What does that translate into? In which money stops being an obstacle to finding a girlfriend (or boyfriend). In June Korea Herald informed that one of Busan’s districts, Saha-gu, was planning a pilot project with local singles born between 1981 and 2001, offering them $360 (to spend on dates) just to ‘make match’ with someone That is, each couple that left the event holding hands and with plans to see each other again would add $700 to their romance. One figure: $14,000. Those $360 per person to enjoy as a couple were just the first part of Saha-gu’s program. The idea was to increase support as the relationship progressed until reaching the big wedding gift: 20 million won in advance for couples who say ‘I do’, about $13,600. The district was even willing to offer newlyweds a larger deposit if they decided to buy a house or help them with rent. Such a bet is better understood in light of the demographic tables of the metropolitan city of Busan: if at the beginning of the 90s it exceeded 3.8 million inhabitantsin 2010 it was at 3.4 million. The trend does not clash with that of the country as a whole, which at the end of 2024 became a “super-aged society”, with 20% of its population over 65 years of age. Do these aids work? That was the big question that was left hanging… and it just answered The Wall Street Journal (TWSJ) with a report in which the title is almost a sentence: “Not even a $14,000 government aid can get South Korean singles to get married.” Despite the promise of a $14,000 wedding gift, Saha-gu’s program was not very successful. TWSJ assures that no participant demanded that reward. And Saha-gu is just one of the aids that couples can qualify for. TWSJ recalls that not all support comes from the administrations and that there are also companies or religious organizations that are trying to reverse the country’s demographic crisis. Two examples are the construction company Booyoung Group, which offered $75,000 to employees who have a child; and the Yoido Full Gospel Churchwhich grants its members almost $1,400. The big question. With such incentives the question is obvious. Why don’t South Koreans get married? Why does your birth rate continue? far below from years ago? Part of the answer is social and cultural changes. TWSJ cite a survey recent study that shows that three-fifths of employed South Koreans do not see the slightest problem in not going through the altar, a factor to which are added other economic factors, such as long working hoursthe increase of cost of living or how burdensome it is the upbringing of children in a society characterized by its level of demand and competitiveness. Another key is the difficulties that women encounter when re-entering the labor market after becoming mothers. In fact, there are dating programs that have ended up being suspended precisely because they could not bring together a sufficient number of interested women. Other young people rule out registering simply because of the heavy bureaucracy that accompanies this type of initiative. “It’s more problematic than you imagine,” recognize one to TWSJ. Is the Government a good matchmaker? That is the other big question, especially if you take into account that programs like Seoul or … Read more

The argument of job creation has been the great asset to build data centers. It would be nice if it were true

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data centers they consume a lot of electricitymaking raise the electricity bill, they pollute the air and sometimes water too. There are more and more arguments against them, while the arguments in favor for those who live near one of these mastodons are basically reduced to one: they generate many jobs. Sure? What is happening. The United States concentrates a third of all data centers in the world. They count in Futurism that there are states competing to attract big technology companies, offering resources and tax exemptions in exchange for them generating jobs and helping to develop their communities. However, it is increasingly clear that the creation of stable and lasting employment is an unfulfilled promise. Billions for a handful of jobs. In Cedar Rapids, Iowa, there are two projects underway for two data centers from QTS and Google respectively. As reflected in the Cedar Rapids Economic Development Centerto encourage the construction of these infrastructures, the city has offered them a 70% exemption from property taxes for 20 years, in addition to returning 75% of electricity rates (a municipal surcharge that is applied to the bill). Google and QTS are going to spend 1.3 billion on their data centers, but it is estimated that they will save more than 580 million on taxes and municipal fees. And you will say how many jobs are they going to create? Under the contract, they are only required to create 61 permanent jobs. Why is it important. Data centers have become the engine of the American economy, but one thing is the wild investment of big tech to build them and the impact on local employment is quite another. They are enormous infrastructures, which cost a lot of money, but once launched they operate practically on autopilot. The tasks that really need human intervention are very few compared to their magnitude. In Aragon too. This situation is not exclusive to the United States, the same thing is also happening in Aragon. We recently learned the employment figures that Amazon will generate in Villanueva del Gállegowhere they are building six data centers. The company had spoken of up to 29,900 full-time positions linked to the project, but they were counting indirect and induced employment, such as suppliers and associated services. The reality is that between six data centers, they are going to hire only 180 permanent people who will work in shifts so that they can operate 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Once again, the narrative of mass employment is leaking everywhere. Employment yes, but temporary. To build data centers of that magnitude, many companies from different sectors must move, which indirectly does generate a lot of employment. In the case of Cedar Rapids, the city boasts that the projects will create “thousands of construction and trades jobs,” the problem is what will happen to all of them when the data center comes online. According to a recent report by Turner & Townsend echoed in Futurism, the urgency to build new data centers has caused prices to rise in other projects such as housing construction, in addition to monopolizing specialized labor in construction areas. Image | Xataka with Magnific In Xataka | While most oppose AI data centers, there is one group enthusiastic about them: merchandise thieves

OpenAI wants its own Alexa, but on steroids. Its first device seeks to change the relationship with AI, according to Bloomberg

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Home assistants have been operating for years around a simple logic: we give an order, the device executes a task and the relationship usually ends there. The bet that OpenAI would be working on aims precisely to break that limit and give artificial intelligence a more continuous role within the home. It wouldn’t just be about answering questions or activating services, but about learning from the user and offering help before they have to ask for it. The OpenAI device. According to BloombergOpenAI is working on a screenless home device, similar in general appearance to a speaker, but designed to be moved around the house thanks to a rechargeable battery. The company would like to make it the physical embodiment of ChatGPTcapable of responding to messages, playing content, controlling connected devices and helping with different tasks. It should be noted that the company has not presented it and there is no official information yet. Jony Ive, Apple’s former design chief, is also behind the project. OpenAI paid $6.5 billion in 2025 for io Productsthe company he had co-founded, while his studio LoveFrom participates in the design of this new family of devices. The team also brings together numerous former Apple designers and engineers responsible for products like the iPhone and Mac, a concentration of talent that helps understand both the ambition of the project and the legal conflict surrounding it. Your own Alexa, but with another ambition. The entry of the firm led by Sam Altman in the home it would put it in front of Amazon, Google and Apple, companies that have been building their own ecosystems of speakers, assistants and connected devices for years. According to the aforementioned medium, the difference would be in a more personalized and proactive experience, capable of learning from the user and offering information without always waiting for an order. OpenAI would describe it internally not as a simple smart speaker, but as a computer conceived from the beginning to work with artificial intelligence. The difference would be in its ability to interpret what is happening around it using a camera, several sensors and more advanced models than those available in conventional home assistants. Instead of processing an isolated instruction, the system could take into account the environment and the specific moment to determine what information is useful and how to respond. New voice model. Much of that experience would depend on GPT-Livea more advanced version of ChatGPT’s voice mode that OpenAI launched in July 2026. The idea is that you can listen and speak at the same time, adapting more naturally during conversations and processing information quickly. The device would also incorporate mechanical elements capable of moving on their own. With this, the company would try to reinforce the personality of the device and generate the feeling that “it is alive.” To anticipate, you will have to know us. OpenAI would like the device to become a kind of expert on its user over time, capable of identifying what information may be useful at any given moment. Bloomberg notes that to achieve this, it could turn to personal information, such as emails, and use it to better understand its owner. This personalization would be one of its main arguments, but it would also force us to decide to what extent we are willing to open our digital lives. Apple’s lawsuit. The project is also moving forward under pressure from a Apple lawsuitwhich accuses OpenAI of having used trade secrets to accelerate the development of its devices. OpenAI maintains that it knows of no evidence to support those accusations, although Apple has requested a court order that could delay its commercialization. According to Bloomberg, the company aims to present the product during 2026 and launch it in 2027, as long as the technical and legal process allows it. The final bet is to turn ChatGPT into a physical presence that we live with daily. Images | OpenAI/LoveFrom In Xataka | Alexa+ arrives in Spain with the ambition of understanding real conversations: we have seen it in action and everything changes there

Airbus leaves its aircraft engines in the hands of others. With hydrogen he has decided to enter that business

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Airbus has built some of the world’s most important commercial aircraft for decades, but its engines have always come from outside. Rolls-Royce, GE Aerospace, Pratt & Whitney and CFM International have occupied that specialized space, while the European manufacturer concentrated on design, integrate and assemble the aircraft. That separation has been one of the unwritten rules of the industry. Now, the search for a hydrogen-powered plane has led the group to cross a border that until today it had preferred to keep intact. The movement will take shape, if it overcomes the pending steps, in a joint venture between Airbus and MTU Aero Engines. Its objective will be to bring together in a single organization the development, testing, certification and commercialization of a fully electric propulsion system powered by hydrogen fuel cells. For now, both companies have signed a non-binding agreement and the operation remains subject to regulatory authorizations and the corresponding labor consultation processes. The forecast is that the new company will begin operating in 2027. Airbus wants to manufacture the heart of its future hydrogen plane The operation represents Airbus’s first foray into the manufacture of complete aeronautical engines. The step breaks with a model in which manufacturers define and integrate the aircraft, but leave the propulsion in the hands of specialized companies. The European firm does not intend to compete with them in the conventional engines that its models currently use. Its entry will be limited, at least for now, to a technology still in development that Airbus and MTU want to transform into an industrialized and certifiable system. The two partners come to the project from complementary positions. Airbus brings its knowledge of commercial aviation programs and its experience in fuel cell and liquid hydrogen propulsion; MTU adds capabilities in engine design, integration, validation, certification and maintenance. The final terms of the future partnership are still being negotiated. The Financial Times maintainsbased on two sources close to the talks, that the European manufacturer would have close to 75%, that the valuation could exceed 1.2 billion euros and that both parties are inclined to install it in Germany. Recreation of the ZEROe turboprop concept presented by Airbus in 2020 The initiative also reflects how ZEROe has changed since its launch in 2020. Airbus initially aspired to introduce a hydrogen aircraft around 2035, but ended up recognizing that the technology and the necessary ecosystem would not advance in time to meet that horizon. The British newspaper now places the launch in the 2040s and claims that the readjustment included a budget reduction and the reassignment of staff. After reviewing the program, the group decided to prioritize an all-electric architecture based on fuel cells. The prioritized architecture would not burn hydrogen inside a turbine. The fuel, stored in a liquid state, would power fuel cell systems that would electrochemically combine it with oxygen to produce electricity; That energy would later reach the electric motors responsible for moving the propellers. It should not be confused with the direct combustion demonstrator that Airbus and CFM International had planned to test on an A380. That was a different technological path. The system would not produce direct CO₂ emissions during the flight and would have water as a byproduct of the reaction. The announcement does not immediately bring a hydrogen plane closer to airports. As we say, the future society must still be established, convert the research and results of the demonstrators into an industrialized and certifiable system, and face obstacles ranging from weight and cooling to fuel supply. There is also no assigned model nor a confirmed commercial calendar. Images | Airbus In Xataka | Spain promised them very happy with the European hunting megaproject. Until a rival appeared out of nowhere: Italy

Carles Porta premieres a new season of ‘Crimes’ today on Movistar Plus

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He true crime It has a strong presence on almost all streaming platforms. Logical: it has more and more followers. If we talk about national production, one of the figures that stands out the most among this genre is Carles Portawho is not resting or on vacation. Today, July 14, new season of ‘Crímenes’ premieres on Movistar Plus: you can see it in full for just 4.99 euros per month. Monthly subscription to Movistar Plus The price could vary. We earn commission from these links More quality true crime comes to Movistar Plus It’s one more reason to give this streaming platform a chance. This production comes to the Movistar Plus Free Plan with films and series, which has a very affordable price. As with the other plan that includes sports (which costs 9.99 euros per month), it does not have any type of permanence. Furthermore, we can share the account with a friend or family member without any kind of problem. Of all the true crime that Movistar Plus has, Carles Porta is one of the highlights in its catalog. There are already many of his productions on this platform, such as ‘Mátalo ya’, ‘Tor’ or ‘Peregrina’. Today this new season of ‘Crimes’ premieres with a case called ‘The pandemic killer‘ which promises to maintain the same level of quality true crime of Porta. This premiere joins a very powerful list of movies that will arrive on the platform in the next few days, such as ‘The Black Ball’, ‘Anaconda’ or ‘Vida Privada’ among others. We remind you that you can download what you want from Movistar Plus and watch it offlinewhich can be great for these holidays to make those dead moments between flights or train trips more enjoyable. 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 | Movistar Plus In Xataka | Movistar Plus activates its Free Plan with complete programs and a lot of content, regardless of which operator you are In Xataka | Less than five euros per month and without permanence: this is the new Movistar Plus plan that you can even share with a friend

Intel just put 5 billion and an asterisk on the table

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Europe has been trying for years gain weight on the world map of semiconductors. It is not just about manufacturing more chips, but about reducing dependence on supply chains concentrated outside the continent and regaining ground in the most advanced processes. The United States pursues a similar objective and has reinforced its efforts to attract investmentsfactories and jobs linked to strategic technologies. This industrial race has left a striking scene: one of the largest American companies in the sector has decided to bet billions on expanding its production on European soil. That company is Intel, that has announced an investment of 5,000 million euros to expand and modernize its Leixlip complex, in Ireland. The goal is to increase production of Xeon 6 processors and certain upcoming Xeon products made with Intel 3, the most advanced process the company currently produces in Europe. The move, however, comes after the manufacturer canceled its industrial projects in Germany and Poland. The European Union reinforces its production, but the fine print forces us to clarify how far this victory really goes. More capacity in Ireland, but a European chain still incomplete The core of the plan is not to build a new factory or expand the clean room, but to better equip Fab 34, Upgrade your facilities and extend your automated network that moves the wafers during the numerous stages of the production process. This infrastructure will allow the different modules of the campus to be integrated more fluidly and increase the efficiency of the whole. Intel began rolling out the program in early 2026, although it has not detailed when it will complete the improvements. The expected result is a greater volume manufactured with Intel 3 taking advantage of the existing space. Fab 34 began full-scale production in 2023 and turned Leixlip into Intel’s large European advanced manufacturing center. The installation was born working with Intel 4, used in the first Core Ultra, and later incorporated Intel 3 for the Xeon processors. Both technologies use extreme ultraviolet lithography, known as EUV, to print smaller, more complex structures on wafers. When it began its activity, Fab 34 became the first European factory to use this technique in high-volume production. Main entrance to the Robert N. Noyce Building, Intel headquarters in Santa Clara, California The expected increase responds, according to Intel, to greater demand for server processors and infrastructure linked to artificial intelligence. Although GPUs and accelerators attract much of the attention, data centers still need CPU to run general loadsmanage resources and maintain the platforms on which these specialized systems work. The Xeons occupy precisely that space within their catalog. Expanding the volume of Intel 3 would allow us to better supply that market without waiting for a new plant to be ready. The disbursement also comes after a major financial pivot around Fab 34. In 2024, Apollo contributed $11.2 billion and acquired 49% of a joint venture tied to the facility’s production, although Intel maintained ownership and operational control of the factory. The company repurchased that stake in April 2026 for $14.2 billion. Three months later, it again commits capital to the Irish infrastructure after recovering 100% of that company. Intel’s European bet had been much more ambitious. The company introduced Fab 34 as one piece of a future chain that would combine wafer production in Ireland with two new advanced factories in Magdeburg, Germany, and an assembly and testing facility in Wrocław, Poland. That deployment was to cover within the Union several of the main stages necessary to convert a wafer into a finished processor. The projects were postponed in 2024 and definitively abandoned a year later, when Intel decided to adjust its investments to expected demand. The 5,000 million asterisk appears there. Europe will be able to manufacture a greater volume of advanced wafers, but it will still not have the complete framework that Intel had promised to build within the EU. The company maintains its main assembly and testing operations in the United States and Asia, after canceling the Polish facility that was to cover those stages. Leixlip reduces some of the external dependence, although it does not by itself convert Xeon production into a fully European chain. Images | Intel In Xataka | SK Hynix is ​​betting that the memory cycle is dead. He proves it by doing just what always killed him.

Michelin has invented indestructible airless tires. And no, you will not be able to mount them in your car.

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Tires that don’t get punctured… because there is no tube to puncture. That’s what Michelin engineers have in mind and that, in fact, you can now buy. Of course, there is one small (big detail) that you should keep in mind: you cannot mount it on your car. And it’s not because they don’t fit the measurements. tweel. That’s what it’s called Michelin’s airless tire. For years, the company has been researching formulas to put airless tires on the market and the Tweel are the first commercial option that you can buy within the company. Of course, they are tires that are only available for vehicles and machinery with very specific functions. For example, they are available for lawnmowers, skid steers, all-terrain vehicles that are only used in the field, or golf carts. But also for military vehicles. What do you mean without air? Indeed, these Tweel tires consist of two clearly differentiated structures. The first of these is the tread that the company calls a shear beam. It is responsible for rolling on the surface and partially absorbing the irregularities of the terrain. Inside, the tire structure is radialwith plastic elongations that reach inside the tire. These are flexible so the tire can overcome curbs and other elements that clearly deform its interior. However, its technical capabilities allow it to return to the traditional rounded shape once the obstacle has been overcome. And for what? As we say, Michelin has these tires developed to be mounted on vehicles that are not going to step on the asphalt. The idea is that with them you can move over unstable terrain or terrain that presents continuous obstacles without the risk of suffering a puncture. But where it is really interesting, explain the colleagues of Motorpassionis in military applications. First because, as we say, its ability to overcome obstacles is very great but above all because, lacking an air chamber, it cannot receive a shot that leaves an entire armored vehicle out of combat. In fact, this technology is also being studied by the ‘Combat Capabilities Development Command Ground Vehicle Systems Center‘, one of the programs that the United States Department of Defense has open. Additionally, brands like Bridgestone either Hankook They have been researching them for years. And my car? At the moment, bringing airless tires to passenger cars is still not working. Michelin presented the Uptis in 2023a prototype tire with which they have been testing but which, for the moment, is far from being able to dress the wheels of our car. Putting a rubber of this type on the market continues to be an enormous challenge. And it is that air is essential to cushion small irregularities of the asphalt, reducing noise in the cabin and increasing comfort. Airless tires for these tasks are still too uncomfortable. But in addition, rolling the tire at high speed generates so much heat that it is also a problem for the materials used. For this reason, at least for now, they are only available for vehicles that circulate at a moderate speed and the bulk of activity is carried out at a very low pace. Photo | Michelin In Xataka | China conquered the European cheap tire market. The EU has just put the brakes on it

It’s one of the best sci-fi movies of the 90s, great company for the heat, and it’s on Prime Video

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In 1994 no studio wanted to finance a film about an alien portal with two actors without much success at the box office. Almost 32 years later it is a franchise that includes a series with hundreds of episodes (which, by the way, has already been confirmed not to return, reinforcing the cult status of the film and original series), and a perfect plan for hot summer nights. We talk, of course, about ‘Stargate. Gate to the stars‘, which you can recover in Prime Video. According to producer Dean Devlin, all the Hollywood studios rejected the proposal, claiming that science fiction was no longer of interest to the public. Finally, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer agreed to distribute it to fill a gap in its release schedule, and the small but ambitious production company Carolco Pictures financed the filming, which would end up costing $55 million. In it we will see how an Egyptologist (James Spader) deciphers the hieroglyphs engraved on a ring found in Egypt in 1928 and discovers that it is a portal capable of opening a wormhole to another planet and will begin a journey joined by an army colonel (Kurt Russell). An interesting proposal that, despite the initial cold critical reception, has ended up gaining cult status for its eminently blockbuster (Roland Emmerich would go on to ‘Independence Day’, so he was becoming an expert in the blockbuster genre.) ‘Stargate’ grossed $16.6 million in its premiere, the best opening for the month of October until then, and ended up accumulating $196.5 million worldwide. The commercial success, however, was not enough to ensure a film sequel. Carolco went bankrupt in 1995 because of ‘The Island of Severed Heads’, and the rights ended up in the hands of MGM, which opted to develop a television series, Stargate SG-1, which would last ten seasons and would later give rise to ‘Stargate Atlantis’ and ‘Stargate Universe’. An epic of decades that we can now recover by claiming its taste for adventure in its purest form. In Xataka | One of the best horror and action films of recent years comes to Netflix. Four Oscars certify it

China’s longest underwater tunnel has 600,000 LED points calculated so you don’t fall asleep at the wheel

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A few months ago we unraveled everything about the Taihu tunnel in China and its LED ceiling that has turned the infrastructure into a tourist attraction. However, in addition to the very curious aesthetics offered by this illuminated ceiling, there is another reason why this infinite screen runs through the tunnel, and that is so you don’t fall asleep at the wheel. It is normal, since we are talking about the longest underwater tunnel in the country. Eyestrain. Traveling the 10.79 kilometers of the Taihu tunnel at the maximum permitted speed takes almost ten minutes under the lake, enclosed between concrete walls, without windows or external references. And it is precisely this scenario that is most conducive to the appearance of visual fatigue, a danger especially if we are behind the wheel. For this reason, when the tunnel was designed, lighting was no longer considered only a matter of visibility and aesthetics and also began to become a safety tool. Tthree “heavens” distributed along the route. The engineers divided the tunnel into three sections and placed, at the junction points between them, what the technical documentation calls a “visual wake-up system against fatigue.” There are three ceilings made up of LED dot screens, very common in tourist locations in China. Each of these roofs is made up of about 200,000 LED light pointsand the system can show different scenes, from a blue sky with clouds, a night sky full of stars or, on specific dates, the five-star flag of China. The control system can automatically switch between these scenes by time slots and sections. According to Baidu Baikethis “visual awakening” system seeks to relieve the tension and feeling of overwhelm caused by driving for a long time in a closed space. Why those colors? Those responsible for the project chose blue, yellow and cyan as the main colors of their activation zones, combined with warm tones to generate dynamic changes. There is scientific support behind this decision, since light with cold tones and short wavelengths, such as blue, has non-visual effects on the brain that go beyond allowing us to see better. Different studies have verified that the color temperature of the light influences the mood, alertness level and reaction time of drivers, something related to how this type of light stimulates the brain mechanisms that regulate wakefulness. Just like share From Motorpasión, simulator tests showed that blue-toned lights were the ones that increased drivers’ attention the most, followed by red-toned ones, precisely the colors that are repeated the most in the images showing the tunnel ceiling. On the other hand, researchers presented their results at an IEEE conference in 2024, having conducted field tests in the Taihu tunnel itself to see how different LED configurations modified the eye movements and physiological responses of drivers in real conditions. lThe walls also “speak”. Throughout the entire route, the side walls of the tunnel are decorated with stripes of blue, yellow and green that intertwine in geometric gradients, as if they were ribbons. According to they count From the local media Sohu, all this display of lights is managed by an intelligent lighting system that not only decides which scene to show and when, but also monitors its own operation. The system incorporates real-time monitoring of breakdowns, with automatic alerts that inform the exact point where a failure occurs, which facilitates the maintenance of an installation that, after all, has to operate uninterruptedly under a lake. Cover image | FeatureChina/AP (cnn) In Xataka | Chile wants a tunnel under the Strait of Magellan to link Tierra del Fuego with the continent. The project exists, the agreement with Argentina does not

The San Fermín bulls fight against TikTok and against modern times. And the ‘Joker’ proves that they are losing

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He wanted to be the protagonist in the San Fermín running of the bulls and he has achieved it. At least for a few hours. He more or less complied with the dress code of scarf and red sash, espadrille, white shirt and pants. But he was dressed up like the Joker. Not in vain do they know him as the “Joker” of the bullswith his green hair and that crazy look. With millions of views on their networks, the arrest and proposed sanction was not due to a matter of bad taste, but rather for converting the confinement into content and skipping a couple of digits from the public ordinance of Pamplona. After climb onto a balcony and do everything the performance so much in the square As in the races, the Municipal Police reduced it and stopped him. The case summarizes a phenomenon that has been growing for years. The Sanfermines continue to be a centenary festival, already converted into a huge set for TikTok, Instagram and YouTube. Every morning, dozens of runners look for a viral image and, meanwhile, the Municipal Police continues with its technique of tightening control to prevent the race from becoming a (more) dangerous spectacle. Mobile phones are still prohibited. Smart glasses too. In fact, this creative apogee has even forced the type of surveillance to change. Years ago the problem was cell phones. The municipal police told us that smartphones are not confiscated, but that runners are “invited” to leave the course. But things have changed. The use of smart glasses capable of recording video from the runner’s point of view has put the entire police force on alert. In just three running of the bulls during San Fermín 2026, the Municipal Police seized 54 glasses recording within the tour. All of them failed to comply with article 11 of the Ordinance, which prohibits the use of any image or sound device without express authorization. The violation is considered serious and can result in fines of between 601 and 6,000 euros. Who is the Joker behind the mask. Just like ElPaís has documentedthe name of this white label Joker is Lacey Mrzena. He landed in Pamplona from Chicago (Illinois), already dyed green and with his face made up. He seems to love the DC Comics villain and calls himself Straighdroplace. The arrest occurred after touching the bulls, he defied the municipal officials and reoffended despite police warnings. The Police insist that the costume does not constitute no violation. What is punishable (and sanctioned) are the behaviors that put the safety of the rest of the runners at risk. What can or cannot be done in the 850 meters that separates a good handful of bulls from a hundred people running these days, from last July 6 to today, closing day, is perfectly indicated after years of reviews: clothing, objects or behaviors that make the race difficult must leave the course in order to maintain “the good order and security of the running of the bulls.” More and more expulsions and sanctions. The “Joker” is just one of many. The Local Civil Protection Board confirmed several complaints during the holidays for reasons such as calling the attention of the cattle by shouting, climbing on urban elements or recording while they ran without permission or license to do so. Any distraction can cause a chain fall among dozens of runners and that is where the real danger lies. These objects can be confiscated for hindering progress on the course, the runner can be expelled and disciplinary proceedings can be initiated. And, of course, if the person reoffends or disobeys the agents’ orders, they can end up detained and fined with sanctions that “depend on the criteria of dangerousness and people involved according to each case”, as explained to us from Udaltzaingoa. The algorithm rewards risk. With videos that, until replicatedexceed the average number of TikTok views, the conflict of violating the ordinance in Pamplona seems to be worth it to some. In recent years, videos have proliferated that seek to be increasingly spectacular at popular festivals or mass events, even using drones and editing the speed to resemble professional sports content. In San Fermín the incentive is evident. A video recorded just a few centimeters from a bull can accumulate millions of views in a matter of hours. The more extreme the scene seems, the greater its diffusion. That incentive clashes with the philosophy of confinement. The Joker is just the scapegoat for an event that many sign up for just to see it. “What is this about confinement?”” from within. A battle impossible to win. The Municipal Police recognizes that technology evolves faster than those controls that many skip in the bullfightas is the case of selectivity reviews, with new radio frequency detectors. Every year new recording devices appear that are smaller and harder to detect. Smart glasses are the latest example that previously preceded GoPro and similar cameras. Meanwhile, the authorities maintain the same message: running requires doing it without cameras, without cell phones and without elements that distract participants. Virality is no exception. The “Joker” will probably disappear when San Fermín ends and we will see him again next year. Because the phenomenon lends itself like a magnet to any massive party that serves as a global showcase. And because, in practice, it is extremely difficult to prevent someone from being willing to risk a fine—or worse—to get the perfect video. Images | Flickr (Jonan Basterra) / Own edition In Xataka | Pamplona has discovered the definitive trick to break the rule: running in San Fermín filming it with glasses. The Police have another opinion

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