Mobile Tech & Gadgets Archives - Page 619 of 1642

14 steps to ensure higher quality and better sources

January 25, 2026 by usatoday24

We are going to give you 14 Tips to Improve Gemini Responsesso that the artificial intelligence Google is more precise. These are tips related to improving the prompts. Geminiand even the way you interact with this AI. Because simply asking a generic question is not the same as giving the proper context or a better structure to your questions. Therefore, we will tell you these things that should be taken into account to refine as much as possible and ensure that the response is closer and better to what you have in mind, whether it is a text or an image. Don’t talk to him like he’s Google AI chats are trained to understand natural language. This means that it is not necessary that you write only using keywords as you do with Google or other search engines, but that you have to write in a more organic and natural way. Come on, when you make a request to Gemini you have to talk to him like you would as a personexplaining well what you want. Yes, if you write to him “best camera phones 2026” he will understand what you mean, but there may be room for errors and misinterpretations that there would not be if you write what you want naturally. Specify well what you want to say The first tip to improve Gemini answers is specify as much as you can the details of the answer you want to get. Your question must be clear and precise, and take into account context and purpose of what you want to achieve. To give you an example, it’s one thing to ask them to write you an email to request something. However, if you specify details such as whether it is in English or the tone that you want to use, as long as it is professional, the result it gives you will be more precise. Details, details, details Sorry, I’m going to insist on the previous point. But it is vital don’t spare details when making requests. Don’t leave anything out, because each of the details you provide will help the AI have a little more context when composing its response. When creating images, every detail you provide will make the results more personal, and the same thing happens with texts: All the details you can give will enrich the answer. You can say who the text is addressed to, the purpose, or how long you want the answer. Also tell him formats such as summarized or by points, what part of an event or topic you want him to explain to you, what event, anything that comes to mind. Go composing prompt by prompt It is obvious that you are not going to come up with all the details you want the first time. Therefore, when an answer is not what you expect, you can ask again using the same prompt but adding things to it. And so, little by little you will compose a much more specific request. Imagine that you ask him to explain an event to you, but the answer is too vague. So, you can ask him to tell you from a specific point of view, then you can add the tone, and little by little improve it. Besides, You don’t need to write the entire prompt either.. If you say something like “make it more formal,” he’ll know you mean the answer he just gave you. Ask me to use the structure you need When you ask Gemini to compose a text, you may have a purpose or a structure in mind, and that the result that the AI gives you is totally different. That is why it is important that you mention that purpose or structure in the prompt. For example, if you want to ask Gemini for a comparison, it is not the same as him making you a short text or making you a list of points for or against. That’s why it’s important to specify it. You can also ask that it be an academic document, that it has a specific format, that it uses bullets, whatever you need. Adapt the explanations to you If you ask Gemini to explain something you have no idea about, it’s possible that if the answer is somewhat technical you don’t understand it too much eitheror that seems a little complicated to you. In these cases, you will be able to adapt it by having it explained to you in a simpler way. A classic when asking for more elaborate definitions is to add something like “explain it to me like a 10-year-old child.” You can also adapt it to other ages, or even to specific school years. When you do, Gemini will change terminology and examples to make them much simpler, basic and understandable. Specify the fonts you want to use When it comes to answering you, Gemini combines a knowledge base with which it has been trained and information it pulls from the Internet. And when composing a response it will use these sources to generate it. However, you can also specify where you want me to get the information from in case you want me to use a specific source of knowledge. For example, asking “what is climate change” is not the same as asking “Explain to me what climate change is based on academic research and peer-reviewed studies.” With this you are asking him not to get the information from anywhere, but only from a specific type of more reliable source, and when giving you the explanation he will include quotes mentioning where he got it from. Mention specific institutions or media In addition to generic font types, you can also ask to use specific sources. This can be institutions or organizations, as well as specific websites or media. You can even ask for specific authors or studies. Because asking them to tell you what the weather will be like tomorrow is not the same as asking … Read more

Producing them emits hundreds of times less than coal and gas

January 25, 2026 by usatoday24

All energy sources have their dark side and solar is no exception. Without going any further, we are creating huge mountains of garbage thanks to (or because of) the solar panels cheap. Now, as in any other decision-making, it is time to weigh the pros and cons and compare them with alternatives to have some perspective and here, solar energy does not fare so badly. Damn (blessed) cheap solar panels. The generation of waste from solar panels is a reality that goes hand in hand with the deployment of solar energy. Between 2020 and 2024 the number of solar panels that have gone to waste has multiplied by four according to IRENA reports: from 220,000 to 900,000 tons and be careful because by 2050 have already estimated that the figure will be 250 million tons. The reason? Although their useful life is 25 – 30 years, they are replaced before the end due to incidents such as storm damage or manufacturing defects. In short: replacing is cheaper than repairing. In perspective. But the moment of truth comes from an estimate: the actual waste per megawatt hour of electricity generated. A current standard solar panel weighs about 20 kg and over its 25-year lifespan in moderate sunshine generates about 10 megawatt hours of electricity. The calculation is simple: it is equivalent to 2 kilograms of waste per megawatt hour and is similar to that offered by recent research published in Nature Physicswhich aimed at 1.7 kg/megawatt hour. And now let’s face it against two energy rivals: coal and gas, two fossil fuels that continue to be behind the planet’s electricity generation. coal plants generate between 80 – 100 kg per megawatt hour. And that’s not to mention the 950 kg of carbon dioxide per megawatt hour emitted in combustion. Gas is slightly better: emits 450 kg of CO₂ per megawatt hour generated and no ash generated. But the difference is abysmal compared to the waste from solar panels. In a table on energy generation it is better seen, as this one from Clean Technica: solar panels Coal NATURAL GAS Solid waste (kg/megawatt hour) 2 80 – 100 0 CO₂ emissions (kg/ Megawatt HOUR) 0 950 (per ton) 450 Other emissions No SO₂, NOₓ, particles, mercury… NOx emissions An abysmal difference. That is to say, we are talking about that considering the megawatt hour of electricity generated, a solar panel produces 2 kg of solid waste for about 90 kg of ashes that lead to an emission of 950 kg of CO₂ under the arm for coal and for gas, about 450 kg of CO₂ emitted. Electricity generation plants based on fossil fuels generate continuous and massive atmospheric pollution compared to 0 from solar panels and if we talk about solid waste, coal substantially surpasses it. Not only the quantity, but also the quality. It has already been made clear that the amount of waste is substantially lower, but it is also worth mentioning how harmful this waste is and its consequences. To the remove a solar panel We find a frame made of aluminum, silicon, glass and some plastic, which although technically can be mostly recycled, in practice they are not recycled circularly. It is true that there are panels with traces of heavy metals such as lead (solders) or cadmium in thin film panels, but also that the EU counts with management programs for this waste. And the solar panels do not emit pollutants while they are operational. Coal ashes have a list of traces fearsome: in addition to lead and cadmium there is arsenic, mercury, selenium, uranium or thorium. This cocktail is a risk to health and the environment due to inadequate management or spills. There is no need to talk too much about carbon dioxide emissions: they are behind the global warming. Coal combustion alone generated 15 gigatonnes of CO₂ between 2020 and 2024, according to analysis by the Global Carbon Project. This another study from the British Medical Journal relates air pollution from fossil fuels to some five million premature deaths last year, mainly respiratory diseases, cardiovascular diseases, and strokes. Solar energy waste is not the problem. Clean energies are not perfect and their operation involves a series of challenges. As we have seen, in the EU in fact recycling infrastructure already exists which currently manages to recover up to 95% of these (the WEEE directive establishes a minimum recycling of 85% of the modules) in consolidated, scalable processes and result in small, manageable and moderately harmless final waste. With the data in hand, it is substantially clear that yes, waste from solar energy exists, but viewed from the perspective of current energy needs and the sources that provide it, they are not the problem at all. In Xataka | The dark side of solar energy: we are creating a 250 million ton mountain of garbage In Xataka | Europe produces more clean electricity than fossil electricity for the first time. The hard part starts now Cover | Anders J

This tool blocks all AI features and other elements you don’t want from your browser: and it does it without installations

January 25, 2026 by usatoday24

Installing a browser is very simple, and companies have taken charge to keep it that way. The really complicated thing is to use it without all the extras that we don’t want and that hinder us when browsing the Internet, which is precisely its original purpose. With that seemingly crazy idea of using a browser only for browsing, a developer has launched “Just the Browser”, a tool that allows you to disable artificial intelligence functions, sponsored content, telemetry and other features that many of us hate in the main browsers. I’ll tell you how it works, because you might be interested. Browsers increasingly saturated with functions The creator of this initiative is Corbin Davenport, software developer and technology writer. Davenport starts from a simple premise: modern browsers have moved away from their basic function to become feature-packed platforms that many users consider distractions. And if you don’t want AI in your browser, it’s becoming increasingly difficult, since both Chrome, Edge and even Firefox They point towards a future full of AI generative, whether you like it or not. Luckily we have measures to solve thisand “Just the Browser” is one of them. The key to Just the Browser: enterprise group policies What’s ingenious about Just the Browser is its approach. And instead of creating a fork of another popular browser (as projects like LibreWolf, Waterfox or Pale Moon do), it uses the group policy settings that Google, Mozilla and Microsoft provide for companies and organizations. These corporate policies allow IT departments to block certain functions on work or school computers. Davenport has taken advantage of this functionality to make it available to individual users who want a cleaner browser. The process does not modify executable files or require additional extensions. It simply applies settings that browsers themselves are designed to honor permanently, something that doesn’t always happen with the settings that companies provide to home users. In Xataka Opera Neon promises to be the future of the browser. It is an ambitious vision yet to mature What exactly does it remove? Just the Browser disables several elements of your browser: Most generative AI features, both cloud and on-premises, with the exception of page translation in Firefox. Shopping integrations: price tracking, coupon codes, loan offers. Sponsored or Third Party Content: Suggested articles on new tab pages, suggested promoted sites. Reminders to set the browser as default. Experiences when launching the browser for the first time and automatic data import. Telemetry and data collection (maintaining crash reporting when the browser allows it as a separate option). Autostart functions with the operating system. According to Davenport, these settings are limited in scope because each user has their own definition of what they consider bloatware. The project does not aim for extreme minimalism or install additional privacy extensions. Simple installation using scripts The tool is available for Windows, macOS and Linux. Your official website offers automated installation scripts that work by running a single command in the system terminal. Users can also download the configuration files directly from their GitHub page to apply them manually. Active policies can be checked at any time by accessing ‘about:policies’ in Firefox or ‘chrome://policy’ in Chromium-based browsers. You may see a “Your browser is being managed by your organization” message, a common browser warning when group policies are applied, but nothing to raise suspicions. The project is completely open source and Davenport hopes the community will help keep configurations up to date as browsers evolve. {“videoId”:”x883ph8″,”autoplay”:true,”title”:”From CHROME to VIVALDI: the 7 BEST BROWSERS to CHOOSE”, “tag”:”webedia-prod”, “duration”:”475″} Limitations At the moment, the tool only works on desktop computers. There is no support for mobile devices, although there are already users who have published requests on the GitHub page to add compatibility on Android and iOS systems. Keep in mind that the effectiveness of Just the Browser depends on browsers continuing to respect these group policies. If Google, Mozilla, or Microsoft decide to remove or modify these business controls, the settings may stop working. However, since these policies are designed for corporate clients, they are unlikely to be removed without notice. Cover image | Denny Muller In Xataka |ChatGPT Atlas: what it is, how it works and how to use this internet browser with artificial intelligence (function() { window._JS_MODULES = window._JS_MODULES || {}; var headElement = document.getElementsByTagName(‘head’)(0); if (_JS_MODULES.instagram) { var instagramScript = document.createElement(‘script’); instagramScript.src=”https://platform.instagram.com/en_US/embeds.js”; instagramScript.async = true; instagramScript.defer = true; headElement.appendChild(instagramScript); – The news This tool blocks all AI features and other elements you don’t want from your browser: and it does it without installations was originally published in Xataka by Antonio Vallejo .

The price of electricity, the cold and the fear of a blackout have brought a 19th century job back to London: chimney sweeps

January 25, 2026 by usatoday24

When you hear about chimney sweeps, the image that comes to mind is that of men (or boys) from the late 19th century with smudged faces, shirts full of soot and a large broom on their shoulders. That’s the topic. The photographs that Google shows when we search for the word and the one it illustrates your entry on Wikipedia. Today the reality is very different. In the middle of 2026, not only are there still professionals dedicated to the trade, but they use cutting-edge technology and in cities like London they are experimenting a resurgence thanks to the price of energy. His appearance is nothing like that of the famous Bert de ‘Mary Poppins’but they continue to play a key role… and above all they are in demand. Chimney sweeps in 2026? Exact. And at least in London they are not an extemporaneous and decadent group, the memory of a bygone era. On the contrary. As I counted a few days ago The New York Times The profession is still very much alive there, it has been able to adapt to the needs (and resources) of the 21st century and above all it is experiencing a resurgence thanks to the cost of energy. The clearest proof is left by National Chimney Sweeps Association (NACS, for its acronym in English): in 2021 it had 590 members, today its membership base is already around 750. The union includes dozens of women and some businesses claim that in winter they receive between 70 and 80 calls a day. What do they do? Essentially the same as its predecessors from the 19th and 20th centuries, although in a very different context and with very different resources. To remove soot from chimneys they still use brushes that Bert from ‘Mary Popins’ would perfectly recognize, but that is only part of an arsenal that also includes digital cameras, industrial vacuum cleaners and smoke detection equipment. “Almost like chimney technicians,” points out Martin Glynnfrom NACS. Companies are even using drones to scan rooftops. Nothing to do with the habits that once made the profession infamous, such as employing orphans to climb chimneys and clean ducts. It sounds like terrifying science fiction, but this practice was common in the 18th and 19th centuries. In fact in 1875 the death of a child that got stuck in Fulbourn generated such a stir that the Government approved a law that banned “climbing children.” Are there still chimneys? Yes. British chimney sweeps were not immune to key changes, such as the popularization of central heating in the second half of the 20th century or the Clean Air Act (‘Clean Air Act‘) of 1956, but the union has been able to endure and today lives in a much kinder time, even one of vindication. I told it just a year ago in The Telegraph Steven Pearce, descendant of a long line of chimney sweeps who started in the trade decades ago, convinced that the profession’s days were numbered. “At first I only accepted it as a weekend job because we thought the trade would disappear with the 1956 law, when the Government gave local authorities the power to control the burning of coal and boiler fumes,” Pearce relates. “But that didn’t happen, in fact the last five years have been better than ever in business. It’s the busiest time I’ve seen in 45 years.” He is not the only one which confirms the rebirth of the profession. What is the reason? In 2026 English homes may not rely on coal and wood for heat, but they will still light their fireplaces. And not only because of the popularization of stoves. NACS itself admits that demand for its services has been driven by two factors: the increase in energy prices of recent years and a turbulent international context, in which the electricity supply seems a vulnerable flank to enemy attacks. The group also remembers that people simply “like to sit in front of a fireplace” to read, have a glass of wine, watch a movie and unwind. As if that were not enough, a good fire also helps reduce dependence and expense on central heating. What does the regulations say? Of course there are restrictions on the domestic use of coal, but The New York Times remember that even in areas like London the burning of authorized fuels They emit very little visible smoke. What they do generate is soot, which explains why the Government advises that chimneys be cleaned every year with professional help. “People think: ‘We’re going to have a plan B, a fireplace, a stove in case the power goes out,’” Glynn adds.president of NACS. “If you have the option of burning wood or smokeless fuel you can still cook and have some heating. There is a big increase in demand, people are lighting fireplaces again.” How does the future look? Steven Pearce assures that his clients continue buying stoves and admits that it is difficult for him to believe that people are going to do without the installations, even if they are prohibited. “I can’t imagine those who have spent £3,000 to £5,000 installing them not using them.” In fact, he maintains that in recent years he has seen “a great resurgence in the purchase of multi-fuel fireplaces and stoves, which burn wood, charcoal and smokeless materials.” It’s not all advantages: your ‘bill’ is PM2.5 emissionparticles invisible to the naked eye but which do represent a harmful “air pollutant”. Images | Wikipedia, Jorbasa Fotografie (Flickr) and NACS In Xataka | While the whole world looks at oil, Venezuela’s true treasure is hidden in the basements of London: its gold

Drinking coffee in the morning has very positive consequences for someone unexpected in your body: the microbiota

January 25, 2026 by usatoday24

For millions of people, the day doesn’t begin until the first cup of coffee hits their table. Something that makes a lot of sense because of how coffee affects our brain. so we can wake up and improve concentrationbut the reality is that it has many more effects further down the brain. We talk about the intestinewhere it passes and has a great involvement in the microbiota. The microbiota. There is more and more research that is focused on the microbiotathe bacteria we have in our digestive system and that have an increasingly relevant role in our daily lives. In this case, taking care of these bacteria inside us is a priority to be able to have good health, even to avoid major diseases. Now science is beginning to glimpse that Coffee is much more than a vehicle for caffeineand that has an important implication in the modulation of the intestinal microbiota. Beyond caffeine. We tend to think that coffee is nothing more than “caffeinated water”, unless you add a little sugar to remove its bitterness. But the reality is that we have a large ‘soup’ of bioactive compounds. Science is seeing how coffee is key due to its intestinal impact thanks to two of its components: polyphenols and dietary fiber. This is something that is currently being analyzed through studies. in the laboratory and in animal models where they have seen that a large part of these compounds reach the colon intact without digesting. There they act as ‘food’ for the bacteria that are there, such as dihydroferulic acid, which has local anti-inflammatory effects. That is, it acts like something similar to a prebiotic. The ‘planter’ effect. If we treat the intestine like a garden, coffee seems to work as a selective fertilizer. Although the evidence in humans is still heterogeneous, several patterns are repeated in the scientific literature, such as an intervention study in humans that showed that three cups of coffee daily for three weeks increased abundance of Bifidobacteriuma genre classically associated with intestinal health. But it does not stop there, since another large population metagenomic study associated the consumption of beverages rich in polyphenols such as coffee, tea or red wine with greater alpha diversity. This is something that within this world is associated with greater resilience and health in the microbiota. The recent discovery. Published in Nature in 2024science found a very specific association: those who regularly consume coffee have a much greater presence of the bacteria Lawsonibacter asaccharolyticu. A bacteria that is not just any bacteria, but helps digestion and also offers the colon the necessary elements for it to have much more energy and even prevents inflammation. That is why having this bacteria in large numbers in our intestine is actually very beneficial. Have metabolic health. Keeping the bacteria in our intestine ‘happy’ is essential as we have seen. The main hypothesis that supports all of this focuses on the ability of bacteria to ferment fiber and polyphenols of coffee producing short chain fatty acids such as butyrate. These compounds are the favorite fuel of colon cells and have systemic anti-inflammatory properties. This could explain, at least partially, why epidemiological studies often associate moderate coffee consumption with better metabolic and cardiovascular health. The small print. Before you rush for your fifth cup, you need to put on the brakes and look at the limitations of current studies, since not everything is rosy. And science, despite offering these benefits, indicates that robust clinical evidence is lacking. It must be taken into account here that not all coffees are the same, since soluble coffee, an espresso or using a filter in a coffee maker are not the same. And furthermore, not all people respond the same because each microbiota is literally a different world in each organism. Big tests are missing. Although in the laboratory and on paper everything may sound great, we must keep in mind that there are still many studies that demonstrate that coffee causes a direct improvement in diseases through the microbiota. And although coffee feeds your Bifidobacteria It does not eliminate the fact that excess caffeine causes insomnia, anxiety or tachycardia in sensitive people. Furthermore, the benefits observed in the microbiota are associated with black coffee or coffee with little milk. If your “coffee” is a smoothie loaded with sugar, cream and syrups, the negative impact of ultra-processed foods on your intestine will probably cancel out any benefits of polyphenols. Images | Nathan Dumlao CDC In Xataka | Having a cup of coffee as soon as you wake up seems like a great idea. Science has something to say about it

a 300 km “moving wall” to close sea routes instantly

January 25, 2026 by usatoday24

In the constant pulse between China and TaiwanBeijing has been looking for ways to increase pressure without crossing the threshold of an open conflict. As maneuvers, exercises and actions in gray areas multiply, each new movement points to a key idea: control the environment. If a few days ago it was drone entrynow another formula has appeared. A wall that doesn’t shoot. He told it through images the new york times. China has shown that it can create a gigantic sea barrier without firing a single shot, simply gathering thousands of ships fishing vessels in formations so dense that they disrupt traffic and force other vessels to go around or through them with uncomfortable maneuvers. In one of the recent operations, around of 1,400 boats They suddenly abandoned their routines and concentrated on the East China Sea until they formed a rectangle of more than 300 kmwith a presence so compact that it was seen in the navigation data as a kind of continuous obstacle. The practical effect is obvious. If this is done near key trade routes, chaos pcan arrive very quickly without anyone having to declare a formal block. Maritime militia and war in gray. The relevant thing about the movement is not only how many ships appear, but what does it suggest about who It moves them and for what. Experts and analysts interpret these concentrations as a state-led exercise that dovetails with the use of maritime militia, a network of civilian vessels trained to support strategic objectives. Plus: it is a perfect tool to operate in that ambiguous zone where there is no clear attack, but there is a real pressure on the sea. It is a way of imposing control without showing frigates in the front row and without assuming the political cost of open military action, while the rest are forced to decide whether to treat that mass as civilians or as an organized force. Rehearsal of blocking… without calling it a blocking. In a crisis scenario over Taiwan, a mass like this no need to “enforce” a lock by force to be useful. It is enough to hinder, slow down and complicate the movement of commercial or military support ships. It can force route changes, introduce delays, create points of friction and increase the risk of incidents. It can also serve to mark areas where traffic becomes unsafe or impassable for hours or days. That kind of pressure fits ideas like “quarantine”which seeks to strangle the functioning of an area without completely crossing the threshold of open war. Saturation as a tactic. Another advantage of this “wall” is that it converts the sea into tactical noise. Thousands of small ships together can overwhelm surveillance and complicate the identification of real threats, especially if there are drones, radars and automated systems trying to classify contacts. In a tense situation, this saturation can also act as a screen. It can conceal movements, force the adversary to expend attention and resources, and open space for other operations. Although each ship is weak on its own, value comes when they multiply until they become a problem of management rather than combat. What is revealed. The Times analysts who have followed Chinese activity in disputed seas for years highlighted that it is not usual Seeing such a large and orderly formation, and maintaining relatively stable positions, does not resemble a normal fishing pattern. The important thing here is the organizational muscle. Gathering thousands of ships at a specific point, in a short time, and positioning them with discipline indicates a clear improvement in command, control, communications and planning. This suggests that China is practicing something that you can repeat when you need it, and that does not depend on improvisations or simple crowds. Why does it matter so much? The trainings were given in the east china seaclose to major routes that connect with Shanghai, one of the most important port centers in the world. It’s not just any place. They are maritime corridors through which goods pass daily, including Chinese exports and flows that connect entire economies. Controlling or interrupting these steps is a way strategic pressure first level, on Taiwan, on Japan and also on any actor that has to operate there, including the United States and its allies. Beijing’s official silence fits with the logic of these actions. There is no need to announce anything if what you want is to check capabilities, measure reactions and leave a clear message with facts. A difficult model to answer. The really surprising thing about this is that a fishing barrier It is a relatively cheap instrument compared to deploying large military unitsand it can also be scaled. If today there are 1,400 or 2,000 barges, tomorrow there could be many more in a time of crisis. And for the rival(s), the answer will always be uncomfortable. The main reason is that it is not easy to justify brute force against ships that present themselves as civilians, but it is also not feasible to ignore them if they are effectively blocking a critical path. That’s the value of this “weapon” that does not fire a single projectile. That of forcing a choice between tolerating the pressure or escalating first, while China gains time, control and the ability to shape the pace of the situation. Image | Planet Labs, Ernest Gunasekara-Rockwell, Anna Frodesiak, Micromesistius In Xataka | China has just crossed the same red line as Russia: for the first time, a military drone has invaded Taiwan’s airspace In Xataka | The US has just sent an unprecedented package to Taiwan. Inside are the instructions and weapons against an invasion

the new life of your Cable Car

January 25, 2026 by usatoday24

This week, January 20, 2026, works started to dismantle one of the symbols of Madrid. They are, however, the first step to modernize it and adapt it to current security standards. With more than 50 years Behind them, the Madrid Cable Car is being taken down. The reason is a comprehensive renovation of the infrastructure. In fact, the cable car will remain alive but The iconic image will no longer return of the blue cabins supported by cables that seemed to flex too much. Because those cables with more than half a century behind them are being dismantled. The project includes a completely renovated cable car. Fewer cabins, faster journeys and, of course, the obligatory announcement that we will have the AI monitoring possible incidents. It is a turning point in a story that was born at the end of the 60s. A cable car to nowhere Year 1969. Gento continued running on the Real Madrid wing and Gregorio “Hacha braba” Benito brought order to the center of the defense. But the team’s best years in Europe had passed. Gárate, Ufarte, Adelardo and Luis Aragonés would lead Atlético de Madrid to become League champion the following year and a few years later to brush with glory in Heysel before that great shot hit the net by one of those Germans with an unpronounceable name. The 60s gave way to a new decade and Madrid began to breathe a certain air of change without yet letting go of its most traditional signs of identity. Carlos Arias Navarro, then mayor of the city, turned the city upside down to get anywhere by car. Urban highways such as scalextric from Atocha and the proliferation of parking lots honored the rich Madrid tradition of drilling holes in the ground and always keep some work active. But, unlike motorized vehicles, in 1969 Madrid inaugurated a mass of iron that allowed people to fly above what would later become the M-30 and unite the Argüelles neighborhood with the Casa de Campo, then open to traffic and the classic setting for Sunday picnics. The plan seemed perfect to spend a day with the family eating tortillas away from the hustle and bustle. A completely isolated hill that, really, has no services at hand. What then led to building a cable car to nowhere in a city that was in full ferment and whose neighbors seemed eager for new plans? They count in elDiario.es that, really, the current Casa de Campo station was nothing more than an intermediate stop to get to the Amusement Park and the Zoo. That 1969, in fact, an attempt was made to inaugurate the first of these attractions together with the Cable Car, taking advantage of the festival of San Isidro, patron saint of the city, but the flying cabins had to wait because some neighbors tried to stop the project, claiming that the passage of these vehicles did not respect their privacy since they could see the interior of their houses. The Casa de Campo Cable Car station is linked to the Lake, the Amusement Park and the Zoo by roads that run through the interior of the urban park. But then you had to walk through pine trees to get to the recent Amusement Park, which is located just over a kilometer from the end of the cable car. To get to the Zoo it is necessary to double the distance. And the project contemplated joining both spaces with the cable car in a monorail that never came to fruition. If it had left, one of the city’s wealthy neighborhoods would be linked by air to two of the municipality’s great leisure attractions at that turn of the decade. The project, however, was stopped. Since 1969 it has been in operation with the same infrastructure, its cables have remained active for more than 50 years and it is estimated that it has transported more than eight million people. In 2022, a review temporarily paralyzed the facility when it was considered that it was not completely safe and in 2023 it was temporarily closed indefinitely. Now, the Madrid Cable Car seeks to write a new page in its history. This week the works for its dismantling began but a renovation project is already underway, so that the cabins can fly again for almost three kilometers above the Parque del Oeste and the Casa de Campo. They will do it with new cabins and renewed cables from Switzerland. With artificial intelligenceof course, which according to the Madrid City Council will help control incidents. Spaces that will weigh a ton with seats to transport a total of 10 people per trip. The challenge, they say from the City Council, has been to put new material in a space that was designed 60 years ago, they collect in The World. If everything goes ahead as planned, the flying cabins will return to the Madrid sky next year. They will do so after a five-year hiatus and almost 60 years after the first travelers covered that walk that, one day, should have linked the Argüelles neighborhood with the Madrid Zoo. Photo | FDV on Wikimedia and Madrid City Council In Xataka | Madrid wants to put 110,000 tons of weight on the M-30. And the challenge is not technical: it is not to collapse the road

The valuations of the AI giants are sustained because we want to believe in them

January 25, 2026 by usatoday24

In the wonderful The Big Shortthe characters discover that the mortgage market subprime It’s a kind of house of cards. The data doesn’t add up and the valuations don’t make sense, but the system still works because everyone pretends it works. Until it stops working. That dynamic summarizes very well what is happening in the technology sector. OpenAI follows palming money for each consultation What do we do to ChatGPT but it’s already worth half a billion. AI startups increase their valuations tenfold even though they have no real recurring revenue. The funds They continue opening fat rounds for what they continue to be wrappers of AI whose only technical difference with the competition is the marketing paragraph. A domain ending in ‘.ai’ serves to make the investor take his back off the backrest and whisper to the person next to him. Nobody asks about EBITDA. Nobody expects profitability in five years. Not in ten. You have to keep turning the crank. This, to another extent, We already experienced it with the dotcom bubble. What has changed is that we have twisted the loop of self-deception. There was more naivety in the ’90s: Too many people actually believed that Pets.com would revolutionize the dog food trade. Now almost everyone senses that this is more fragile than it seems, but no one can afford to be the first to say it. Because whoever says it, loses. The CEO who admits his “AI integration” is just a wrapper of OpenAI with little uniqueness is left without the next round. The fund that does not invest in AI remains like a dinosaur. The CTO who says “this is cool but it’s not improving our productivity” risks being replaced by someone more enthusiastic: in this industry, a frown sells little. So many nod, many applaud, many pretend to see the complete revolution when perhaps they are only seeing the beginning. Meanwhile, we are often seeing how the distance between narrative and reality continues to widen. There are companies laying off employees justifying it as a “strategic reorganization towards AI”, when in reality they have burned capital on technology that does not work for them or at least does not pay off. Products are launched by releasing pigeons, fail six months later, and no one mentions the corpse because they are already busy announcing the next one. The metric of success is sometimes no longer “this solves a real problem” but rather “this got us another round of funding,” when not “this earned me a promotion.” The curious thing is that this economy of belief can be sustained for many years. As long as there is liquidity and rates allow for financing losses indefinitely, as long as no one has clear incentives to break the consensus, the theater continues. But there are two problems: ANDThis dynamic destroys the sector’s ability to distinguish the real from the performative.. When much of the discourse is narrative and few ask about fundamentals, companies that really build something valuable can become difficult to distinguish from those that only know how to raise capital. Good engineers and good products sometimes get hidden amidst a lot of extremely well-funded mediocrity. This economy constantly needs new believers. Like other speculative cycles, it works as long as there are more people entering than leaving. And if the music stops—when rates change, when investors demand tangible returns, or when customers stop paying on promises—there may not be enough chairs. Here is the fundamental difference with the dotcom bubble: AI does have real and demonstrable value. ChatGPT solves specific problems, Claude Code development skyrockets and models improve quarter by quarter. Nobody believes at this point that they are vaporware like thirty years ago. There are companies using AI to improve margins, accelerate processes and automate tasks that previously required entire teams. The issue is that The gap between the value that technology generates today and the capital it absorbs is considerable. And as long as that gap exists, the sector works more by consensus than by fundamentals. It’s not that everything is smoke, it’s that there is too much capital chasing too few profitable applications in the short term. No one knows when the adjustment will come, if it ever comes. AI may end up justifying all bets and this will be seen in retrospect as the moment when the giants of tomorrow were built. Some of this capital may even end up funding breakthroughs that truly change entire industries. Many cities today have subways because someone more than a century ago decided to build tunnels and lay roads, assuming brutal costs without an immediate return. At the time it may have seemed like financial madness, but thanks to that today we don’t go by bus. The difference is that this was public money betting on the long term. This is private capital waiting to multiply in less than a decade. And that difference matters, because it changes the incentives: whoever builds public infrastructure can wait two generations to see the return. Whoever raises a Series B round needs metrics in the next quarter. So the optimistic scenario exists, but it coexists with another less rosy one: that a large part of the sector is playing the same game (believing because it is necessary to believe, investing because everyone invests) without really knowing where the bottom is. For now, we just keep painting the ships red and acting like that makes them fly faster. Maybe I will. Maybe not. We’ll know when someone dares to check if the painting was what mattered. In Xataka | AI needs 650 billion a year to sustain itself. The problem is who will put them on the table Featured image | Xataka

Five of the best MediaMarkt offers in technology, today January 25

January 25, 2026 by usatoday24

MediaMarkt has renewed its campaign Downhill and has added the Web Weekso we can find a huge assortment of discounts (also in single offers) during this Sunday, January 25. Therefore, in this article we are going to review five of the best bargains that the store has available. Honor Magic8 Lite by 329 eurosa beautiful mobile phone in red with a 7,500 mAh battery. Fire TV Stick 4K Select by 35.99 eurosone of the dongle from Amazon with a good discount. Xiaomi Redmi Note 15 Pro by 296.65 euros When registering in the store, a tighter price on the new Xiaomi Redmi mobile. LG 55QNED87A6B by 579 eurosa good QNED TV from LG with a 55-inch screen. Google Pixel 10 by 629 eurosa more reasonable price on a mobile phone ideal for taking photos. Honor Magic8 Lite If right now there is a very interesting mobile phone under 350 euros, that is the Honor Magic8 Lite. By 329 euroswe have a phone resistant to drops of up to 2.5 meters with 7,500 mAh batterya very high figure for its range. Its AMOLED screen is 6.79 inches, it has the Snapdragon 6 Gen 4 and it has 256 GB of internal storage. Honor Magic8 Lite (256GB) The price could vary. We earn commission from these links Fire TV Stick 4K Select MediaMarkt also has on offer the Fire TV Stick 4K Select from Amazon, and at a good price 35.99 euros. This device can play content in 4K and, as is customary for the brand, it integrates the Alexa voice assistant. In addition, it includes a remote control with direct access to streaming platforms such as Prime Video or Netflix. The price could vary. We earn commission from these links Xiaomi Redmi Note 15 Pro He Xiaomi Redmi Note 15 Pro has landed on MediaMarkt with a good discount, as long as we are registered in the store. The usual price is 349 euros, but if we register it stays at 296.65 euros. It comes with 256 GB of storage, but can be expanded up to 2 TB with a microSD. Its 6.77-inch AMOLED screen offers a 120 Hz refresh rate, Its battery is 6,500 mAh and its processor is the MediaTek Helio G200-Ultra. Xiaomi Redmi Note 15 Pro (256GB, 4G) The price could vary. We earn commission from these links LG 55QNED87A6B If what we want is a good television at a not very high price, the LG 55QNED87A6B Right now it is on sale for 579 euros. It incorporates a 55-inch QNED screen with 4K resolution and a refresh rate of 120Hz. It supports Dolby Vision and Dolby Digital and comes with four HDMI ports (one HDMI 2.1). LG 55QNED87A6B (QNED, 55 inches) The price could vary. We earn commission from these links Google Pixel 10 He Google Pixel 10 It hasn’t stopped receiving discounts since before Black Friday 2025 and now it has one of the best: it’s on sale for 629 euros. It is a small mobile 6.3 inches which offers good performance, although its two key points are the operating system, which will be updated for many years, and its photography section, which is excellent. 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 | MediaMarkt and Compradicción (header), Honor, Amazon, Xiaomi, LG, Google In Xataka | The best mobile phones, we have tested them and here are their analyzes In Xataka | Best Amazon Fire TV. Which one to buy and recommended models to convert your TV into a smart TV depending on use

Petrer’s most popular vehicle is a hearse mounted on a Mercedes W124 300D: Funeraria El Fiambre

January 25, 2026 by usatoday24

Rubén Cano, a 26-year-old resident of Petrer, has been driving around the streets of his municipality and nearby towns for months at the wheel of a mortuary Mercedes that he has labeled with the motto “Funeraria El Fiambre. Express shipping for the stiff ones.” The vehicle, which he uses as a private car, has become a viral phenomenon in the province of Alicante, and has given rise to both very curious anecdotes and the occasional problem. Three years searching your custom car. Just like share the Levante EMV medium, Rubén has been an automotive aesthetics enthusiast since he was a teenager, and had been looking for a hearse “at an affordable price” for a few years. He bought it second-hand at Wallapop and moved it from Barcelona. It is a Mercedes Benz W124 Sedan 300 D, bodywork for funeral homes, with 200 horsepower and 3,000 cubic centimeters. Cano assures that he has all the documentation in order: ITV, insurance and driving license. Its only practical drawback is its size: at 5.1 meters long, it needs to take up two parking spaces. Image: Rafa Petrer (Facebook) Between humor and controversy. The vehicle does not go unnoticed, far from it. While many neighbors stop to take photos with him or even joke by asking Rubén to be the one to take them to the cemetery when his time comes, others have not taken the joke too well. Some of the complaints arose when the car appeared parked near a well-known school in Petrer or in front of private homes. On Facebook you can find messages like “get that car off my street”, reflecting a certain discomfort on the part of the neighborhood at what they consider an inappropriate presence on public roads. The Local Police he was about to fine him. The protests led the Petrer Local Police to contact Rubén and his mother to warn them of a possible sanction for disturbance of public order and usurpation of powers of funeral staff. “I don’t understand why they wanted to report me if I don’t dedicate myself to transporting dead people. The only ones I transport are my friends and some may be glanders but not dead,” Rubén explained to the aforementioned media with humor. After consulting the police headquarters, it was clarified that there was no violation and the matter was resolved without a fine. Future plans with the mortuary Mercedes. Passionate about the world of motors and considered a tinkerer in bodywork and painting by his friends, Rubén has very specific plans for his peculiar acquisition. He wants to camperize the cabin, which measures 2.2 meters, so he can sleep in it during his trips. He comments that the changes will be subtle because, as he admits, he is satisfied with his four-wheeled “jewel” as it is. The young man account that even during a police stop at dawn in the Port of Alicante area, the National Police officers laughed when they read the car sign. Living using a hearse. Like Rubén’s example, we find several people who have become accustomed to using a car designed for funeral homes in their daily lives. Our colleague Javier Lacort was lucky enough to interview some owners of Seat 124, 131, Opel Kadett and Citroën BX in Motorpasión, all of them bodywork models for funeral homes. Due to the length that these vehicles offer, their owners are delighted because in the end you can fit everything, even a dead person. Cover image | Ruben Cano (instagram) In Xataka | A remote town in Soria attracted neighbors by offering them a house and bar. Two months later they left due to the cold

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