Mobile Tech & Gadgets

inside a living being

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For some time now, the most powerful nations in the world have started a race to find the rare earths that China dominates with iron fist. They all did it from the same perspective: with mining as part of the fundamental process for its extraction. And this is when China has announced the most shocking element in memory regarding these minerals. What if the mines were not needed? Challenging mining. The discovery by a Chinese-led team of scientists of a rare earth mineral formed inside a fern alive Blemchnum orientale It represents a profound break with the extractive logic that has dominated this sector for more than a century. For the first time, a hyperaccumulator has crystallized monazite (a critical material for strategic technologies) under normal environmental conditions, without heat, pressure or industrial processes. This natural ability turns the plant into a chemical laboratory capable of organizing metallic elements into functional structures, a phenomenon never documented in any living organism. The plant monazite. The monazite generated by the fern concentrates fundamental elements such as cerium, lanthanum or neodymium, all essential for magnets, lasers, advanced optical devices or energy systems. Its physical properties (thermal resistance, chemical stability and durability against radiation) place it in the core of the modern technology industry. That a plant can produce this mineral without human intervention reveals a completely new road to obtain materials that normally require intensive mining and aggressive chemical processes. Monacita The internal logic of the process. The identified mechanism shows that the plant crystallizes the mineral in their extracellular tissues to prevent non-nutritive elements from entering the cells. This spontaneous organization reproduces, on a plant scale, structures similar to the so-called “chemical gardens”, formations that arise when metallic salts self-assemble in aqueous media. This biological self-organization turns the fern into a system capable of transforming metallic solutions in minerals solids without altering their physiology. Hyperaccumulators as a tool. The process is based on the extraordinary capacity of certain plants to store metals in concentrations hundreds or thousands of times higher than those of the soil in which they grow. This ability makes hyperaccumulators ideal candidates for mining valuable items. without digging or removing large volumes of land. The detected mineral formation demonstrates that these organisms not only capture metals, but can convert them into a recoverable and stable form. A Blechnum Orientale fern A sustainable circular model. And here comes the possibly most transformative fact of the announcement. The combination of absorption, crystallization and plant detoxification allows us to imagine a model for obtaining rare earths based on plant cultivation in metal-rich soils. Once harvested, the biomass would serve as a direct source of the desired mineral, reducing dependence of mining operations traditional. The process also allows for simultaneously recovering degraded soils, treating them and returning them to an ecologically functional state, integrating production and restoration in the same cycle. Environmental implications. There is no doubt, the possibility of extracting rare earths without aggressive mining could alleviate geopolitical tensions in a sector dominated by few countries and marked by strategic risks. At an industrial level, it opens the door to cleaner and more diversified supply chains. And at the environmental level, it proposes a solution capable of reduce toxic wasteemissions and ecological damage, offering an alternative path to secure essential materials without repeating the impacts of the conventional extractive model. A new frontier for science. If you like, the discovery not only transforms the understanding of how minerals are formed in nature, but also opens up an innovation space radical that unites biology, geology and advanced technology. If the fern’s ability can be replicated, optimized or expanded to other species, plant mineral production could become in a key piece in the transition towards more resilient and sustainable supply chains. Science has shown that the plant can replace the mine, and now the challenge of transforming that possibility into a practical tool for the 21st century industry begins. Image | Ahmad Fuad Bin Morad In Xataka | The great paradox of the US: the world keeps asking for more F-35 fighters, but China has turned off the tap to build them In Xataka | Battery fever reaches the abyss: mining waste is changing life in the depths of the Pacific

the 15% that shows who has the power

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Apple has closed a deal with Tencent to charge a 15% commission on purchases within WeChat mini-games, half of what it usually charges, according to Bloomberg. After more than a year of negotiations, Apple accepts conditions that it would never have admitted in the West. Why is it important. WeChat It is not just another app: it is China’s unofficial operating system, with 1.41 billion monthly users. If Apple had blocked features or put too much pressure on Tencent, it risked a backlash that could have severely damaged its position in its third-largest market. Tencent I knew it. Apple too. 15% is the price the company pays to keep the peace in a market where it does not dictate the rules. The money trail. WeChat mini-games generated 32.3 billion yuan ($4.5 billion) in social media revenue in the last quarter alone for Tencent. Until now, Apple did not see a cent of that pie because developers avoided its payment system. With 15% on that basis, Apple could earn about $675 million annually if current rates are maintained. It seems like a lot, but it’s pocket change: Apple had a turnover of $383 billion last year. This deal doesn’t move the financial needle. Between the lines. The most striking thing is not how much Apple earns, but how much it has had to give up. In its global App Store, Apple takes 30% from most developers as a non-negotiable toll. In China, Tencent has forced you to accept half. The arithmetic speaks for itself: Apple has given up 50% of its potential revenue before even starting to charge. That is not “a trade agreement.” It is a recognition of who has the real bargaining power. Yes, but. Ultimately, for Apple, something is better than nothing. For years it has watched one of China’s fastest-growing digital entertainment segments develop entirely outside its payments ecosystem. The agreement opens a tap of income that did not exist before, even if it is a small tap. And it sets a worrying precedent: if the most powerful player in China gets a 50% discount, what will stop others from demanding the same in other markets? It will be a matter of negotiating strength. Not everyone has a market of 1.4 billion consumers. The contrast. In Europe and the United States, Apple has had to give ground due to regulatory pressure: antitrust lawsuits, digital market laws either court battles with Epic Games. In China, it has given way due to pure market reality. He has not needed a regulator to force him to lower the commission. It was enough for Tencent to sit down to negotiate knowing that it manages the digital infrastructure without which Apple cannot operate effectively in the country. The big question. Is this 15% the new standard for platforms with sufficient negotiating muscle, or can Apple manage to maintain it as a Chinese exception? What is clear is that the era of the universal 30% commission is over, replaced by a fragmented reality where whoever has the users dictates the conditions. It is another symptom of end of globalization as we knew it. In Xataka | Tim Cook promised them very happy expanding Apple thanks to China. The reality is that China has ended up conquering Apple Featured image | zhang kaiyv, Amanz

They stole almost 23,000 euros from him with the SIM swapping scam. Now Vodafone and Ibercaja will have to return them

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First, for no apparent reason, you are left without line or data coverage on your mobile. The next thing is to realize that your bank account has been emptied. This nightmare is the result of ‘SIM swapping’one of the most dangerous scams and protagonist of the sentence we are discussing today. what has happened. The Plasencia court has sentenced Vodafone and Ibercaja to return all the money to a client affected by this type of scam, as reported in Economist & Jurist. Vodafone issued a duplicate SIM card to the victim, but it was not she who requested it, but rather a third party who used it to obtain virtual bank cards without her authorization. When he reported it, the bank returned several transfers made by the scammers, but they did not cover the entire amount; There were still 22,833 euros to recover. The ruling concludes that both the bank and Vodafone are responsible and must replace that amount. Why is it importantand. The ruling places the responsibility for this type of scam on companies, not only banks but also operators. Vodafone tried to pass all responsibility to the bank, while Ibercaja alleged that it was not a security failure on its part, but rather negligence on the part of the client. The sentence is clear: both are responsible; Vodafone for not identifying who requested the duplicate SIM and the bank for not having implemented protection measures to avoid this fraud, which had been known for a long time. The ruling concludes that “generic warnings from banks cannot be used to impute negligence to the user”. Precedents. There have been other favorable rulings for those affected by ‘SIM swapping’, such as this one from the Supreme Court that condemned an entity (also Ibercaja, by the way) to return 56,474.63 euros. The cases in which the operators are also held responsible are less common, but they also exist. In 2022, the Court of First Instance No. 15 of Zaragoza sentenced Telefónica to pay 2,680 euros to another victim of this scam. Fines. Although the operators are not always sentenced to pay the stolen amount, they have received numerous fines. The AEDP has already fined different operators for allowing this practice for an amount of 6.7 million euros. Digi has been one of the most affected companies, with a initial fine of 70,000 euros that finally It reached 270,000 euros. SIM swapping. The mobile phone has become the center of our digital life. With it we access and identify ourselves in all types of services, also in our bank, which is why it has become such a valuable object for scammers. ‘SIM swapping’ consists of the scammer requesting a duplicate of our SIM card in order to control our bank accounts using SMS verification. The problem usually occurs due to a lack of security measures in the operators’ stores, which fail to identify who is going to request the duplicate. Image | Pexels, Vodafone In Xataka | What you can do to avoid “SIM swapping”, the cyberattack that wreaks havoc and allows bank accounts to be emptied

Anti-abuse bracelets were going to be a technical solution to a social problem. They are generating chaos of incidents

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The Cometa system, which manages anti-abuse control bracelets, registered this Tuesday a new technical incident which ended up causing an overload of the service for several hours. The ruling forced the Ministry of Equality to implement the emergency protocol to guarantee the safety of the approximately 4,500 women who use these devices. In recent months, these bracelets have been the talk of the town. the problems that have caused. And while they promised to solve a big problem, they are also generating other parallels. What exactly has gone wrong. This last problem has been located in a router that distributes alert messages according to the type of incident (entry into exclusion zones, manipulation of the device, low battery, etc.). According to Equality, around 10% of these messages has generated incidents recurring events that have collapsed the system. The failure was detected at 4:30 in the morning and the service did not regain stability until 5:25 p.m., although complete normalization did not arrive until 9:00 p.m. During this time, the panic button, emergency calls and Bluetooth alerts remained operational, according to informed the ministry. The Government’s response. From the moment the incident was detected, the protocol planned for these situations was activated: the 4,500 users of the service received text messages informing them of the problem and the Security Forces and Bodies were alerted to reinforce surveillance. Minister Ana Redondo and the Government delegate against Gender Violence, Carmen Martínez-Perza, traveled to the headquarters of the Cometa service and maintained direct contact with the Vodafone-Securitas UTE, the company responsible for the system. “No victim has been unprotected at any time during these hours of crisis,” has assured Round in a message spread through social networks. A device that accumulates problems. This incident comes just two months after the State Attorney General’s Office uncovered an even more serious mistake: During the transfer of management from Telefónica to Vodafone, access to the geolocation data of hundreds of attackers was lost for several months. This caused, according to the annual report of the Prosecutor’s Office, “a large number” of dismissals and acquittals in cases of violation of restraining orders, since the judges could not have the necessary evidence. That episode generated a strong political controversy, with the PP asking for resignation de Redondo, who defended that the victims were never in danger and criticized the “lack of prudence” of the Prosecutor’s Office in making the ruling public without providing concrete data. A technology in question. What was presented at the time as an effective technological solution to protect victims of gender violence is showing that it also has important limitations. The Government has announced that the next tender for the service, scheduled for spring, will include “technical improvements” and that an audit is currently being carried out to check whether Vodafone is complying with the contract. “We will investigate until the end and, if necessary, we will take appropriate action,” has warned Round. Beyond technology. Despite the incidents, anti-abuse bracelets continue to be considered a valuable tool. Since their implementation in 2009, no woman wearing one of these devices has been murdered. The ministry insists that the protection system goes beyond technology and includes an “institutional network” of professionals that guarantees the safety of victims. However, we have also witnessed that technology fails, and it is precisely in these cases that we must prevent this from happening at all times. Cover image | EFE (Herbert Neubauer) and National Police In Xataka | How to share location with your entire family permanently with your mobile

If with the Fujian it sat at the US table, the images of the next aircraft carrier place China in another dimension: the nuclear one

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Last week China announced its first 100% national aircraft carrier hitting the table and making it very clear what its naval aspirations are. Now the appearance of new images from the Dalian shipyard has revived one of the most significant naval movements of the 21st century: China’s advance towards an aircraft carrier that places it at an unknown level. The strategic leap. We are referring to what aims to be the first nuclear-powered one, provisionally known as Type 004. He visible discovery of a structure reminiscent of a reactor compartment (similar to those found on US supercarriers) suggests that Beijing is taking the definitive step towards a capability that until now only the United States and France have. The transition is not symbolic, but structural: A nuclear aircraft carrier offers virtually unlimited autonomy, massive electrical power for advanced sensors, and sustained ability to operate further from shore, an essential element for a China that aims to project power beyond its immediate periphery. The Fujian catapult. The recent entry into service from Fujianits first aircraft carrier with electromagnetic catapults had already marked a break with the It was STOBAR.but Type 004 represents a technological leap even greater by integrating nuclear propulsion with the most advanced launch ecosystem that the Chinese navy has. Even so, Chinese naval planning appears to bifurcate: as it builds this ambitious vessel, reports indicate who also works in another conventional aircraft carrier improved, a sign that Beijing wants a combination of mass and elite to accelerate its naval transformation. On new aircraft carrier under construction Comparative architecture. The reason why Type 004 arouses so much attention is that, in its designconcentrates the synthesis of global trends: a helmet inspired by the lines of the American Ford, EMALS catapults similar to the North American and French ones, and a deck capable of operating from J-35 stealth fighters even naval drones GJ-11 or airplanes AEW&C KJ-600. The satellite images reveal a deck under construction that will include two catapults in the port area (in addition to two in the bow), matching the layout of American ships and surpassing the capacity of Fujian itselfwhich only has a catapult in the oblique section. Extra ball. The vision of the program is clear: provide the Type 004 with a heaviest air wingvaried and technologically complex, optimized for sustained operations and for air and maritime space control roles beyond the Chinese coastline. The parallel development of a possible “Type 003A” conventional (cheaper, faster to produce and based on an already dominated architecture) demonstrates how China combines disruptive innovation with industrial iterationensuring sufficient volume to saturate any attempt at regional containment. If nuclearization provides range and resilience, the simultaneous construction of conventional ships ensures pace and fleet density. Unlimited energy. Plus: its function is not only to move aircraft further, but to serve as an energy platform for a set of emerging weapons that would transform naval warfare. Official voices, such as Professor Liang Fang of the National Defense University, they claim that the future Chinese nuclear class could carry directed energy weapons (including high-power laser weapons and the long-awaited electromagnetic cannon or rail gun). These weapons are not mere futuristic add-ons: they require colossal amounts of energy and an electrical stability that only a naval nuclear reactor can offer. He rail gunbased on the acceleration of metal projectiles to hypersonic speeds using electromagnetic fields, is a system that the United States abandoned due to costs and technological maturity, but that China continues to develop as part of its strategic disruption. And more. Its appeal lies in exit speedthe lack of explosive and the possibility of devastating kinetic impact at low cost per shot, although its electrical consumption is gigantic. The convergence between nuclear aircraft carriers and electromagnetic weapons aligns with the plans already outlined by figures such as Admiral Ma Weimingresponsible for the PLA’s electromagnetic program, and represents a clear attempt to turn a flagship into a technological node capable of challenging US naval dominance in emerging domains. The operational dimension. TWZ analysts recalled that the future Type 004 air wing combines aviation advanced manned and drones large in size, creating a hybrid system Designed for offensive projection and situational awareness over an extended range. The integration of stealth drones like the GJ-11, heavy AEW&C aircraft like the KJ-600, and fifth-generation J-35 fighters would allow China to adopt an operating model closer to the American one: extended air-to-air combat, persistent surveillance, distributed electronic warfare, and deep strike capability. Added to this are the new amphibious ships Type 076 (also equipped with electromagnetic catapults to launch drones) that would complement the aircraft carriers with saturation functions, regional air control and operations support directed towards Taiwan or the South China Sea. The result is, a priori, a navy that, although still inferior in number to the eleven American supercarriers, closes the gap with a unprecedented speed. China and the new balance. In summary, Type 004 symbolizes a decisive strategic shift: China is no longer just modernizing its fleet, but aspires to equal the autonomy, technological capability and global reach of US aircraft carriers by combining nuclear poweredelectromagnetic weapons, high energy lasers and a new generation embarked aviation. The visible integration of the reactor module in Dalian confirm that Beijing seeks to operate a type of super aircraft carrier capable of sustaining prolonged ocean missions and powering futuristic systems that could redefine naval warfare. At the same time, the parallel development of another conventional model demonstrates a dual strategy that seeks volume and sophistication at the same time, quickly reducing the gap with the US Navy. In other words, China is moving towards a maritime architecture based on abundant energy and dominion of the electromagnetic spectrum, a change that forces us to completely rethink the global competition for control of the seas. Image | x, x In Xataka | The Fujian is officially China’s largest power catapult: Beijing already has a button to challenge the US Navy In Xataka | China has just tested the … Read more

These are five of their best bargains

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Amazon has finally joined the early Black Friday that we are also seeing in other stores like MediaMarkt. In the case of Amazon, we can find quite interesting offers on a good assortment of devices, so in this article we are going to review five of the best deals that will be available until December 1 or while supplies last. Roborock QV 35A by 349.99 eurosa robot vacuum cleaner with a self-emptying base that features room navigation and mapping. Soundcore Boom 2 by 84.99 eurosa Bluetooth speaker with 80W sound power and autonomy of up to 24 hours. Petkit PuroBot Max Pro 2 by 509 eurosa smart cat litter box that includes odor elimination. Soundcore P30i by 26.99 eurosBluetooth headphones with noise cancellation and autonomy of up to 45 hours. Kodak Dock Plus 4Pass by 106.03 eurosan instant and portable photo printer with a pack of 90 sheets. Roborock QV 35A One of the offers that Roborock has recently launched through Amazon is the robot vacuum cleaner Roborock QV 35Awhich for 349.99 euros (its minimum price) includes a self-emptying base. It offers a suction power of 8,000 Pa, includes an anti-tangle side brush and has a scrubbing function. In addition, it has navigation PreciSense LiDARis able to avoid obstacles, is compatible with Alexa, Google Assistant and Siri and can map the rooms in the house. The price could vary. We earn commission from these links Soundcore Boom 2 Now that Christmas is approaching, it is a good time to buy a speaker that allows us to liven up dinners with family or friends. He Soundcore Boom 2 has dropped to 84.99 euros and stands out mainly for its 80W audio power, but also for its battery that offers a autonomy of up to 24 hours and because it is waterproof. The price could vary. We earn commission from these links Petkit PuroBot Max Pro 2 If you have a cat at home, this may interest you. He Petkit PuroBot Max Pro 2 has dropped to 509 euros and it is a smart sandbox that comes with some interesting features. The first thing is that it has 20 sensors to prevent it from working when the cat approaches —for security—. It also comes with a 76 liter capacity and an 8 liter waste container, so it is large for one or two cats to use, it has an odor elimination system and incorporates cameras with night vision that connect to your mobile. The price could vary. We earn commission from these links Soundcore P30i If you are looking for very cheap Bluetooth headphones that have active noise cancellation, be careful with the Soundcore P30i that have gone down to 26.99 euros. Its battery offers a autonomy of up to 48 hoursthey have resistance to water and dust (IP54 certification) and its charging case allows us to place the mobile phone as if it were a stand. The price could vary. We earn commission from these links Kodak Dock Plus 4Pass Also for the Christmas season, it is good to have an instant photo printer to immortalize moments with friends and family. For this, the Kodak Dock Plus 4Pass It is a good purchase option now that it has dropped to 106.03 euros. Connects to your phone via Bluetooth to print photos with size 10 x 15cm. In addition, it is a pack that includes 90 additional sheets. 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 | Amazon and Compradicción (header), Roborock, Anker, Petkit, Kodak In Xataka | The best mobile phones (2025), we have tested them and here are their analyzes In Xataka | Best televisions in quality price. Which one to buy and seven recommended 4K smart TVs

The Opus schools decided to keep up with the government and continue segregating by sex. His students are running away

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When it came into force in January 2021 the new education lawno one missed that in its provisions there was a direct missile to the waterline of dozens of schools and institutes throughout the country: segregation by sex was prohibited; Only mixed schools could continue to be chartered. What we discovered a couple of weeks later is that the missile came with a timer. Five years later, the timer is reaching zero and many centers are preparing to stop being chartered. Immediately afterwards, a wave of students are trying to leave those schools. What did the law say? The LOMLOE, which is what the law is called, demanded that educational centers that receive public funds “develop the principle of coeducation in all educational stages.” That is, they were prohibited from “not separating students by gender.” However, as competition is regional and each place has different regulations, many of the attempts to apply this point they have been delayed. In Catalonia, for example, when the ERC department tried to eliminate agreements with differentiated education centers, the courts stopped the measures until the agreements were renewed. That period begins at the beginning of 2026. And why does it affect Opus Dei? Strictly speaking, talking about “Opus schools” is a bit inaccurate. It is true that there are many centers in that orbit, but the relationships between them are complex and that means that they are not a uniform whole. However, this group of centers (which in Catalonia number a dozen and receive 35 million each year) are the spearhead of the “anti-coeducational” movement. Thus, many Catalan schools linked to the Prelature are doing the math. Continuing to be concerted would mean losing one of its hallmarks; Not losing it means becoming private (with the increase in fees that this entails). For this reason, the steps they were taking in two schools in the Sant Cugat/Bellaterra area (La Vall – for girls – and La Farga – for boys) were seen as the great privatization experiment. The area is one of the richest and most exclusive in all of Catalonia and, in that sense, it seemed logical to think that they would be two of the schools that would suffer the least from the jump. But the flight of students has begun. El País requested in July (through a complaint to the Commission for Guarantees of Access to Public Information) the data from the official pre-registration process and what these data show is a complete leak. 63 students from La Vall and 96 students from La Farga tried to go to other schools. Finally, only 38 of the first and 74 of the second achieved it; but it is a warning to sailors. Applications for admission also decreased (between 10 and 14%). All this, while a group of families try not to abandon the concert. However, the decision seems firm. Last week, two schools in L’Hospitalet de Llobregat also linked to the Prelature (Xaloc – for boys – and Pineda – for girls) announced that they were going to begin preparing for a more than possible non-renewal of the agreement and the problems that this will entail. According to data from El Paísonly those two schools (with more than 2,800 students) receive seven million euros from the Generalitat. And what situation does all this leave us in? In recent years, the debate about whether single-sex or mixed education it has become more intense. In fact, in some countries like the US, differentiated education It has been experiencing a real boom for a decade. However, the current conversation makes it clear that research on the topic is the least of it. The opposing positions at an ideological, economic and social level They make these investigations become ammunition with which to attack the opponent. For this reason, what everyone in the sector is wondering is how long the legislature will last and what will happen if, eventually, a government of the opposite direction arrives. Meanwhile, what is clear is that differentiated education is going to verify, for the first time in many years, the commitment of its families to the project. Image| Vazovsky In Xataka | The generation of parents who feel guilty because their children spend a lot of time looking at screens

This is how the trenches from the First World War are preserved today

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The veins of Europe had opened from north to south in 1914. After the outbreak of World War I, both Allied forces and German troops built a sophisticated and unprecedented network of trenches which extended from the coasts of the North Sea to the border with Switzerland. At that time, it was possible to cross the continent from end to end without setting foot on the surface once. One hundred years after the first large-scale modern war, what remains of all that? Bit. But there are still some vestiges that are worth visiting if you want to experience first-hand what the heavy, hellish existence of the soldiers on the Western Front was like. One of the best preserved trenches in Europe is located in Belgium, near the city of Ypres. There, among the still spectral forests of northern Flanders, The trenches on Hill 60 remain almost in their original condition.one of the many strategic fortified points built by British troops throughout their four years of fighting against German troops. A historical vestige. The place is known as Sanctuary Woodthe Sanctuary Forest. Religious reminiscence may make sense today, given that a memorial dedicated to those who fell during the First World War is located here. Between 1914 and 1918, however, Hill 60 was one of the most mundane and earthly, bloody and brutal, places history has known. Ypresdue to its relevant strategic position, was the scene of some of the worst battles of the war. And from these trenches, fierce disputes were fought to gain just a handful of kilometers of front. After the end of the war, farmers in the area recovered the lost land, returning to farming and putting aside the horrible memory of the battle. Not everything, of course: large areas of Belgium and France were constricted inside “the red zone”areas so contaminated by shrapnel and explosives that they were unusable for human life for centuries. Despite this, most of the trenches were dismantled or buried due to renewed farming and livestock activity. Sanctuary Wood It was maintained, however, over the years, and today serves as a living museum of the Great War. They had bunkers to protect soldiers from artillery attacks. (Image: Amanda Slater) Barbed wire was the first line of defense of any trench. (Image: Amanda Slater) Sinuous and complex, the trenches were small, almost underground cities. (Image: Amanda Slater) Mud was another enemy that the soldiers had to deal with almost constantly. In the Belgian plains, low and frequently flooded by rain, mud was everywhere. (Image: Amanda Slater) The trenches could be over two meters high. (Image: Amanda Slater) A conflict that would mark the world as we know it today, and that changed war forever. In Flandersin the north of Belgium, in places like these trenches, the war mutated. From variable fronts we moved to stable fronts, where soldiers lived for months waiting for news from the front. The trenches were unapproachable, but his life was far from peaceful. They were subjected to constant artillery sieges, which undermined morale and were mentally unsettling. One of the most reliable accounts of the time was written by Erich María Remarque, a German author who fought on the front during much of the war. All quiet on the front tells the daily life of soldiers in the trenchoften misunderstood. The soldiers rotated in the different trench lines: they spent a couple of weeks or three on the front line, returned to the rear, where they rested and recovered, and little by little they regained guard or front positions. Its role was cyclical. Meanwhile, they lived in these trenches. They were unhealthy places and subject to constant pressure from artillery, which forced soldiers to crowd into bunkers where rats, canned goods and mud piled up. The constant rains and the destruction of the territory resulting from the loads of artillery They left a muddy, lunatic landscape of demolished trees and small towns reduced to ruins and ashes. The trenches were authentic underground cities. The ones shown in the photos are worse than those the Germans enjoyed. While the British were dirty and poorly built, the German ones were much more comfortable and healthy. The Allied command never thought that the war would last so long, so they never worried about setting them up correctly to accommodate their soldiers. The Germans, however, quickly understood that the front would be static and that the trenches would be key. In Sanctuary Wood, trenches were sandwiched between trees. (Image: Jeremy) Craters are still visible on part of the former western front. (Image: Colorgrind) Another crater caused by heavy German artillery. (Image: Colorgrind) Trenches were often built with poor quality materials. More images of craters. Sanctuary Wood, in the middle of the war. A proof of the immobility of the front: in the battle of the sommeBritish offensive carried out during 1917 on the German northern front, near Ypres and in the heart of Flanders, More than 600,000 allied soldiers died. A gigantic figure for a meager, ridiculous loot: after the operations, the Germans had only retreated nine kilometers. The trenches shown here were easily defendable, and offensives resulted in soldiers running unprotected against large-caliber machine guns that wreaked havoc on enemy lines. Ypres perhaps witnessed the worst fighting. Sanctuary Wood is a perfect example of this. Furthermore, it magnificently illustrates the poor living conditions of the soldiers. An ideal look at the First World War one hundred years after it took place. Image | Image: Jeremy In Xataka | In 1955, the United Kingdom stole the “most isolated” islet in the world from the USSR. Today is a huge headache In Xataka | From horse to tank, from balloon to airplane: this is how the First World War revolutionized the art of killing forever

reviewing the best cars and raffle for five MediaMarkt gift cards

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We don’t stop, in Xataka we don’t stop. If just a few hours ago we were with Xataka Live, today the Special Week begins Xataka NordVPN Awards 2025. And what does it consist of? Well, while we wait for the gala to arrive on November 20, we are going to warm up our engines meeting the finalists of the different categories. Today is the first program and we are going to focus on two of the most disputed: the best hybrid and electric cars. Today’s program, November 13, will start at 4:00 p.m. Spanish peninsular time on our Twitch channel. It will be presented by Ana Boria (@ana_borbuj) and Angela Blanco (@angelablancof); but they will not be alone. During these programs we are always accompanied by an in-house editor specialized in the subject. Today we are talking about cars, so that person could not be other than Alberto de la Torre. And if this were not enough, we have a brutal and super timely giveaway. Because? Because Black Friday is just around the corner and we are going to raffle five gift cards of 50 euros each from MediaMarkt. We tell you everything. A review of the best cars of 2025 Before starting the program, it is important to remember how the finalists are chosen. In recent weeks, we have shared various forms where you, the xatakeros, have voted for your favorite devices. These votes have been responsible for defining the finalists. In addition, those same votes will be added to those of the jury, which is made up of editors from Xataka and colleagues from other media specialized in technology. Thus, together we will choose the winners who will be announced during the gala. That said, today it’s time to talk about cars. In the Xataka NordVPN 2025 awards we have two categories: the best technological electric cars and the best technological hybrid cars. You can see the candidates here and here You have the vehicles that the xatakeros have chosen as finalists. Today, with Alberto, we will get to know them better. You still have time to get your tickets for the gala Xataka NordVPN Awards 2025 on November 20 in Madrid! Join us and discover the best technological products of the year in a free event full of gadgets, humor and surprises. Advice offered by the brand How to get five 50 euro MediaMarkt gift cards In addition to learning about these two categories from Alberto, during today’s program (and all those to come) we will raffle five 50 euro gift cards from MediaMarkt. With Black Friday just around the corner, this prize is going to come as no surprise. How are they obtained? Participating in our giveaway. During today’s program we will ask a question. The first ten people to answer correctly in the Twitch chat will be assigned a number from one to ten and will advance to the second round. In this one, our presenters will draw five random numbers from a bag. The entries corresponding to that number will win the prize. Five winners and five substitutes will be selected. If any of the winners do not meet the requirements, they will be moved to the first alternate. If this one does not comply either, the second one will be resorted to, and so on. The winner will be chosen live and must contact Xataka through a whisper in the Twitch chat. In addition, the winner must be over 18 years old and resident in Spain. The legal bases can be found at this link. This content is a collaboration and sponsorship between Xataka and the brand, but there is no agreement on the script or the selection of the topics. The editorial content is created entirely by Xataka.

Duolingo was the fun, brave company we loved that taught us languages. Today it is sinking in the stock market

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Most people never manage to turn their ideas into business successes. Luis von Ahn (Guatemala City, 1978) has achieved it twice. The first, when he created reCAPTCHA and sold it to Google in 2009 for a small fortune. The second, years later, started from a much simpler concept. Learning languages ​​was a painso von Ahn wanted to turn that into just the opposite: something fun. This is how it was born Duolingoa company that taught how to speak languages ​​with a strong component of gamification. You already had to go to an academy or spend long periods of time in online courses: you could learn words, phrases and pronunciation through small tests when you were on the bus or waiting in a queue. Duolingo achieved the most difficult thing: making us like each other (and fall in love) Learning with Duolingo was fun and comforting. The small rewards worked and turned it almost into a video game that little by little more people became fond of. The snowball got bigger and bigger and Duolingo became one of those companies that already seemed likeable at first. It seemed that everything it did was done well, and little by little the company took important steps to become the giant it is today. The certifications arrived who wanted to rival the famous TOEFL exams, their platform for schools, and more and more languages. Some, like japanesewere a challenge. Others, like the Klingon or the high valyriumwere above all a diversion that consolidated the fun and cool image of the company. Then things started to get interesting because Duolingo wanted to not only teach us languages ​​to speak, but also programming languages. He was encouraged to want to serve as a tool so that the little ones They learned to read and write. And for the young and not so young, Duolingo wanted to become private mathematics teacherof music or even chess. All of this ensured that over the years Duolingo managed to solidify that company image that Not only did he solve real problems, but he did it in a friendly, friendly and fun way.. In 2021 the company decided go public and after a couple of relatively calm years, the shares began to rise in value significantly. Everything seemed to be going great for the company. And then everything went wrong. AI has mortally wounded Duolingo, but not because of what we think When OpenAI presented GPT-4o in June 2024, many of us saw the future. One in which you no longer typed on your computer or on your mobile screen: it was enough to talk to him. That promised to transform many segments and kill some others, and among those threatened were companies like Duolingo. At the time it wasn’t so obvious, but when we saw that kid solving a math problem With the help of AI, it was not difficult to imagine that education, as we had known it, could have an expiration date. Curiously, that didn’t seem to affect Duolingo too much. The company continued to grow, but then two things happened. First and foremost, a major blunder. Luis von Ahn advertisement in April an “AI First” vision in which I would bet on artificial intelligence as a new great tool for your growth. The message sounded like “let’s do without the human being,” and although von Ahn tried to clarify things, the damage was done. After that, the debacle. Duolingo shares began to plummet. But the thing didn’t end there. The second of those turning point events occurred in August, when GPT-5 demonstrated that one could build a custom Duolingo for, for example, learn french in a fun way. People stopped being in love with Duolingo and they began to criticize her precisely because of what had made her succeed. There was too much gamification and, as i said a user on Reddit, “for me the reward for learning a language is learning the language.” Source: Cinco Días. Stocks continued to fall almost steadily. These days Duolingo presented financial results, and the curious thing is that although they were good, they were not good enough for Wall Street. The firm reached 135 million active monthly users (50 million use it daily), 20% more than in the same period of the previous year. It also rose 34% in paying users. Although one would think those numbers were fantastic, they also warned that the forecasts for the fourth quarter were not so optimistic. Result: new stock market debacle. So much so that the shares have plummeted 64% since reaching their highs on May 1, just after the “AI First” announcement. Since then, Duolingo’s drift has been worrying, and the coming months will undoubtedly mark its future even more. The company is in a difficult moment, and the rise of AI may end up causing those experimenting with their chatbot to realize that starting to learn languages ​​​​is as easy as telling ChatGPT “I want to practice my English with you a little. Correct me when I say something else and suggest small exercises” out loud. That is the great challenge for Duolingo going forward. In Xataka | How to practice languages ​​using artificial intelligence

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