Mobile Tech & Gadgets

In 1995 ‘Toy Story’ forever changed the way animated films are made. He did it with rudimentary computers

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Seen today, ‘Toy Story’ It remains as fresh, fun and surprising as it was in its day. That the later films of Pixar have drawn, to a greater or lesser extent, from its aesthetics, its plot structure and its characters, demonstrates the extent to which the company’s first film was influential and foundational in many ways. And that is taking into account that, technologically, its creative process has lost all traces of sophistication, and today it is a relic of the past like the first attempts at other techniques such as the rotoscope or the stop motion. As an example, this video that dates back to the time of filming but which had not been seen much until recently, and in which Pete Docter, the film’s animation supervisor, describes the rudimentary techniques with which the characters in the film were brought to life, based on the recording of the original voice. Their explanations and images attest to the way almost intuitive that they had to animate, and how perhaps the image that many people have of computer animation as something completely automated and where there is no human participation is absolutely wrong. We must add to this that Docter, in addition to being an animator in ‘Toy Story’, would write the basic story of almost all Pixar moviesthe script for ‘Delverso’ and ‘Up’ and he would direct those same ones and ‘Monstruos SA’. That is to say, apart from knowledge about the creative procedure in the technical part, he is also a key name in the most primitive section of the genesis of the film, where the ideas, the design of the characters and the very threads of the story emerge. In the video he explains how, based on sound, they sketch a series of movements on paper, a procedure that obviously has much more to do with traditional animation than with nothing programmatic. From there they go to a stand-in of Woody, that is, a character “made only with geometric shapes”, to save time on technical issues. In those days it was unthinkable to animate in real time with finished characters. From there, and with extreme precision, it moves the elbow, wrist, fingers… and finally, separately, all the facial animations. The interesting thing is what Docter adds later and that makes clear his interest not only in the technical section of this type of animation, but also in its creative and expressive twists and turns: “If you can make this model act, function and communicate without any type of facial expressions, then you have done a good job.” It’s a perfect example of why ‘Toy Story’ still works and exciting: because it does not remain a technical exhibition in which it was a pioneer, becoming the first computer-animated feature film, but there is a traditional creative work supporting it all. The rendering that gave life to the toys The key to Toy Story’s animation is RenderMan, Pixar’s proprietary 3D rendering software that it developed since the mid-1980s. In addition to using it in its own films, the company makes it available to third parties, as it did, with the software still in its infancy, in films such as ‘The Abyss’ in 1989 (in the scene of the water tentacle that gave the film an Oscar) or ‘Terminator 2’ in 1991 and its liquid metal effects. What RenderMan does It is managing issues such as lighting and volumes realistically, even on computers as primitive as those available in the early 1990s. The success of ‘Toy Story’ made the tool ubiquitous in productions that played a historic part in the birth of computer special effects in cinema. Even today, ‘Toy Story 4’ has been made with an updated version of RenderMan which, of course, manages aspects such as light and shadow projections in an infinitely more realistic way than in the first film. The importance of RenderMan is essential to understand even the origin of the company, because Pixar was born as a division of Lucasfilm that ended up becoming a software company that made short films to advertise the power of its products. After winning an Oscar with the short ‘Tin Toy‘ -shot with the Menv software, also from Pixar-, the decision made by the co-founder of the company Ed Catmull – the original core along with John Lasseter and the screenwriters Andrew Stanton and the aforementioned Docter -, who always had the ambition to make the leap to the feature film, was to make a half-hour Christmas special. In it, a ventriloquist doll made an unlikely couple with the metal ‘Tin Toy’ doll. ‘Tin Toy’ was not short on ambition (things appeared in it that had literally never been seen on that scale, such as textures of different materials such as wood or fabric, or shadows of different intensity), and part of that ambition would be transferred to ‘Toy Story’. For example, Catmull – like the rest of the animators – would provide a character to the dolls that appear hidden under the sofa. It was an elephant, which he designed by introducing Bézier curves by hand, as coordinates, into the programming language. The primitive concept of the metal dummies and the ventriloquist did not prosper, but Pixar ended up with a contract with Disney for 26 million dollars to make three feature films. They decided to extend the story of the toys that come to life from the short, and once again we can see Pixar’s desire for technology and ingenious concepts to come together in the same way: since visually they could not afford sophisticated and realistic animations with the software they used, they would animate toys, which would intuitively have robotic and rigid gestures and behaviors if they came to life. The ventriloquist dummy became Woody because the CEO of Disney at the time, Michael Eisner, had a bad feeling for puppets. Small calculation errors The first problem that Pixar encountered after starting production in 1993 was the equipment they believed was necessary to complete … Read more

be in favor of putting more taxes

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In addition to being the CEO of NVIDIA (the most valuable company on the planet), Jensen Huang is in the top 10 richest people in the world according to Forbes. He has a net worth of $160.7 billion, a salary of $1.5 million a year (rose 50% last summer) with 49.9 million bonuses and 3% of his company’s shares. There it is nothing. As for properties, he owns a luxurious mansion on Billionaire’s Row in San Francisco and another, considered as your habitual residence due to its proximity to NVIDIA’s headquarters in Santa Clara, in Los Altos Hills. In the first I had David Sacks as a neighbor and in the second the founders of Google. The use of the past tense is not a mistake: they have all moved away to avoid the tax on the rich of 2026. For the CEO of NVIDIA it is not a problem: ““I’m perfectly fine.” with California’s new multibillion-dollar tax. Jensen Huang is not alone. But they are an absolute minority In an interview with Bloomberg TV last Tuesday, Huang said that “We choose to live in Silicon Valley, and whatever taxes they would like to apply, so be it” and that he had not thought about moving even once and that, despite the fact that his company has offices in several countries: “we work in Silicon Valley because that is where the talent pool is.” This new law, which would go into effect on January 1, 2026 retroactively if it passes the vote in November this year, imposes a flat 5% tax on people with a net worth greater than $1 billion to fund health programs. Considering his Jensen Huang net worth, we are talking about a fiscal bite more than 8 billion dollars. Jensen Huang’s position is rare bird insofar as it goes against the trend of many other technology magnates, who have packed their bags to avoid tax burdens. But NVIDIA CEO is not alone: There are other millionaires who are favorable to paying taxes. Of course, they are a minority. Without going any further, one of the most famous defenders is Warren Buffet, who almost 15 years ago proposed the ‘Buffet rule’ arguing that it is unfair that he pays a lower percentage of taxes than his secretary. Bill Gates has also repeated a few times that taxes are raised on the rich and the tax burden on capital gains and inheritances is increased. Incredible as it may seem, the fervent defender of capitalism Mark Cuban has advocated for paying taxes as “the most patriotic thing to do.” And speaking of patriotism, there is even an organization known as “Patriotic Millionaires” where the Disney heiress or the philanthropist George Soros ask that their taxes be raised. By the way, the current president of the board is Morris Pearl, former CEO of Blackrock. The budding law is the new “well, I’m going to Andorra” As we mentioned in the intro, Larry Page and Sergey Brin have already migrated T-Rex LLC to Delaware, according to Business Insider. After, Page has acquired a residence in Miami following in the footsteps of Jeff Bezos, who we will talk about later. The Guardian collects the intention of Palantir co-founder Peter Thiel or investor David Sacks to move to other states with a more favorable tax policy such as Texas or Florida. For the majority of these businessmen, these types of taxes discourage innovation, cause capital flight or directly, they consider that the government wastes money on these types of social welfare concepts. One of the most critical tycoons with the tax burdens is Elon Musk, who moved his residence from California to Texas due to the tax pressure. For the CEO of SpaceX and Starlink, taxes on millionaires are stupid: instead they should invest in reaching Mars, declared for the public entity PBS. Jeff Bezos is much less controversial than Musk on his social networks, but his recent move to Florida (which lacks a state income tax) after several decades in Washington has been interpreted as a measure to escape taxes. Ken Griffin, founder of the financial company Citadel, has also gone to Miami after criticize the fiscal policies and security of Chicago (Illinois), his previous residence. Reid Hoffman​, founder of LinkedIn, who is a large donor to the Democratic cause, has recently spoken out against this Californian tax alleging which is poorly designed and harmful to innovation. In Xataka | Warren Buffett sold half of his Apple shares. You will now pay taxes equivalent to Spotify’s annual income In Xataka | SpaceX is on track to have more money than NASA. He has achieved this, in part, because he does not pay taxes Cover | NVIDIA

a 32 kilometer megastructure over the Red Sea

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The Straits of Tiran are only 13 kilometers long, a distance so short that you can even see the people on the beach on the other side or take a walk to cross it. Well, if there was something to cross it. So in practice that very small distance between that tip of the Sinai Peninsula in Egypt to the other end in Saudi Arabia means driving 1,600 kilometers. The other option is to take a ferry and face a trip that would also take a few hours. Saudi Arabia has a plan to link both countries in Africa and Asia: the “King Salman Causeway”, named after the Saudi monarch Salman bin Abdulaziz. An impressive mega infrastructure for crossing the Red Sea, evoking the biblical story of Moses. As? Combining a road and a railway with a length of 32 kilometers that links the straits from Ras El Sheikh Hamid (Saudi Arabia) to Sharm el-Sheikh (Egypt). Also known as the “Moses Bridge” for obvious reasons, the 4,000 million estimated for its construction are provided entirely by Saudi Arabia. The awarding company in charge to materialize it is China Civil Engineering Construction Corp., which has an enormous challenge on its hands. Because beyond the symbolism, this transcontinental land bridge has great strategic value for the economy of the parties involved. But it won’t be easy. Why is it important. Integrated within the Vision 2030 plan of Saudi Arabia to promote tourism, infrastructure and economic diversification, this megastructure would completely change regional geopolitics: an enclave is an area that connects Asia, Africa and indirectly Europe. With its construction, a new corridor would be opened between Asia and Europe through North Africa that would turn Saudi Arabia into a logistics and goods transportation hub. Tourism would also benefit: initial estimates they point to a rise in Egyptian tourism, going from 300,000 people a year to 1.2 million. And the other way around: it would be an agile way to reach the northwest of Saudi Arabia where the futuristic $500 billion megacity called NEOMwith a constellation of resorts on the Red Sea to attract tourism. Furthermore, the “Moses Bridge” would also be a passage area to the pilgrimage to Mecca. So Saudi Arabia (for now) is working out: new income from tolls and businesses, development of regions and the generation of thousands of jobs. In fact, planning estimates a recovery of the investment in about 10 years, as collects Global Business Outlook. A technically pharaonic work. With more than 30 kilometers long on the sea, the ends and the island of Tiran in the middle, will count with roads and a railway line that will allow transporting both goods and people on high-speed trains. Thus, the King Salman Causeway will be one of the longest maritime crossings ever built in the form of a hybrid construction that combines a mixture of bridges and submerged tunnels, which will allow the passage of deeper areas and allow the passage of heavy air traffic. For ships to pass underneath, it will have sections up to 75 meters high. For the bridge part you will use a type of piles called caissonshuge steel tubes placed on the seabed. For its installation it will be necessary to pump the water, so that dry foundations can be built. For the tunnel they will combine tunnel boring machines with the sinking of prefabricated segments with a technique similar to the link Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao. According to initial estimates, the work could last almost a decade. Scheme of a caisson. Yk Times – Wikimedia Hellish engineering. As we will see later, the Red Sea is a sea with a particular ecosystem, but also a terrifying topography for a work of this magnitude as it houses the Red Sea Trench, a rift where the African and Arabian plates separate, generating sudden drops: the areas close to the thing are shallow, but according to the bathymetry The passage area of ​​the King Salman Causeway registers a depth that “only” only touches 300 meters (the only thing is because it has an average depth of 500 meters and a maximum depth of 2,730 meters). At that depth, using traditional seabed-founded pillars is useless. The use of the adjective infernal has not been coincidental: the temperature in the area comfortably exceeds 40°C. Working there is like being in an oven, but it also takes its toll on the materials: the water in the concrete evaporates before it sets properly, losing structural resistance, as explained by Victor Yepes, engineer of Roads, Canals and Ports and professor at the Polytechnic University of Valencia. on your blog. So the concrete must be cooled during setting to avoid cracks. Steel also suffers: you have to deal with its thermal expansion, the accelerated corrosion of a high salinity environment and the thermal fatigue of day and night cycles. So we must resort to the use of high corrosion resistance alloys, a design of expansion joints capable of absorbing metric movements produced by thermal expansion in a structure more than 30 kilometers long, cathodic protection and even paints with reflective colors to reduce radiation absorption. The natural challenges of the Red Sea. The sea that bathes the coasts of the Straits of Tiran is a true garden: it is home to coral reefs, a great marine diversity with endangered species such as the dugong and it is a nesting area for turtles and seabirds. Obviously the construction of such a megastructure results in annoying noise pollution for fauna, but also the appearance of sediments, which are lethal for the coral as it suffocates it, modifying currents and affecting water quality. Egypt Independent echoes The warning from the environmental NGO HEPCA has given the go-ahead to the work, as long as there are rigorous environmental studies and the most sensitive reef area is avoided. Otherwise, he will take the project to court. Nothing new diplomatic challenges. The first time a bridge between Egypt and Saudi Arabia was formally proposed data 1988 at the … Read more

There is such a fever for melatonin in children that in the US we already have cases of “overdose”

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Over the last decade, melatonin has gone from being a specific resource for him jet lag to become a permanent tenant of millions of families and is present in many places to buy it. And it’s cheap, can be bought without a prescription and has an aura of “natural”. However, science is pointing to a problem it is creating: the use of these hormones in children has skyrocketed. Its main use. At a time when stress is accompanying us on a daily basis, insomnia is undoubtedly a serious problem for anyone, and solution that seems easier is melatonin. Under the pretext that it is something natural and without a prescription (in its lowest concentrations), it can be abused indiscriminately. The problem arises when children who cannot sleep well are also given a melatonin gummy so that they can sleep. Something that has already triggered cases of overdose and chronic treatments without medical supervision. The blind experiment. The study, led by the University of Kansas, has put figures to a trend that pediatricians have been observing in consultation for some time. By analyzing 19 studies (which include children up to 6 years old), researchers have drawn a worrying picture: between 2009 and 2021, accidental ingestions and overdoses of melatonin in minors in the US grew by 500%. And it is something that seems quite normal, since at the beginning the use of melatonin is applied to help sleep on a difficult night, but in the end it is becoming chronic by showing that between 40 and 50% of children who start the treatment continue taking it two or three years later. The problem is that today There is no solid data on the long-term safety or effectiveness of melatonin. in typically developing children. The legal vacuum. One of the big problems in Spain and the European Union is the product label. Currently, melatonin can be found as a dietary supplement in supermarkets, health food stores and countless other places. But it is also available as a medicine with pharmaceutical quality controls and intended primarily to treat chronodisruption severe. This is why some experts, such as Carlos Javier Egea Santaolalla, president of the Spanish Federation of Sleep Medicine Societies (FESMES), warn that this is a major public health problem. The proposed solution? That melatonin is always considered as a medication that must be prescribed to guarantee control of the duration and dose administered. Recommendations under supervision. It is the right thing to do when we talk about using melatonin in the little ones in the house, since it has been seen how it can be useful in children with ADHD to advance sleep. But the problem is that there are no studies that tell us about the consequences of using it for more than two years in a row. This is something that is also conveyed by the Spanish Sleep Society (SES), which recognizes that melatonin is a valuable tool in children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) or Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). A quality problem. When purchasing melatonin as a supplement, the consumer is faced with a “lottery” of formulations. Previous studies have shown that the actual amount of hormone in an over-the-counter gummy or pill can vary drastically from what the label says (sometimes up to 400% more). For Spanish experts, medicalizing its use would not only limit unnecessary consumption, but would guarantee that what the child ingests is exactly what the doctor has prescribed. In this way, the scientific community has pointed out that melatonin is a powerful drug that disrupts the endocrine system, not a magic solution so that parents can rest. Images | Annie Spratt Myriam Zilles In Xataka | I got my hands on some “sleep headphones” in the hopes of finally falling asleep. It came out regular

Now it is a paradise island of China where they are not accountable

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Hainan is a small province of China made up of more than 200 islands dotting the South China Sea. Although historically it has been an agricultural region, it has emerged as a tourist destination and I am not surprised, seeing its tropical beaches and lush forests. Furthermore, the Chinese government has considered the region as “special economic zone“. And the wealthiest citizens of a country are taking advantage of it: Russia. Hainan is the new Crimea Marbella. Although since last year the list of visitors to Hainan does not allow a breakdown by country, the New York Times collects that the number of Russian visitors has multiplied by eleven between 2023 and 2024. Thus, Russians are already the largest foreign nationality. In the peak winter season alone, Hainan Island, the largest in the province, receives eight or more daily flights from cities throughout Russia. The situation clashes head-on with the withdrawal of Russian tourism in Europe. What a change of scenery. Why Hainan? Beyond its paradisiacal places that we mentioned in the intro, that right now they are enjoying maximum temperatures of 24 degrees or that it is a cheap destination, Hainan enjoys special policies such as free trade and more flexibility in general for government affairs. Thus, the Chinese government has favored foreign investment and has raised its hand with visas (from 2024 in Hainan and throughout the country since November). Your exemption policy It allows citizens of 59 countries to enter for a tourist getaway of up to 30 days. Among them, Russia of course. like at home. Leaving aside that restrained and hospitable Chinese personality, the island’s gear is geared toward pleasing tourists. However, it is one of the great bets to revitalize the region. And it shows: translated letters and signs, guides who speak the language, being able to find products of Russian gastronomy and even the loudspeakers on the beach, controlled by the local government, playing Russian hits. The New York Times collects that even the New Year’s celebrations on the beach came to fruition before vigilant but relaxed authorities, beyond warning that fireworks could not be set off. They have even opened a copy of the famous Moscow restaurant chain Chaihona No. 1, which in China has its counterpart at Chaihona No. 9. No need to lower your voice. Talking about Taiwan or Hong Kong may be thorny there, but Russian tourists can calmly express themselves in their language without generating uncomfortable sidelong glances. Foreign geopolitics does not cause discomfort in Hainan, something that does happen in Europe. Hello Hainan, goodbye Europe. It is inevitable to establish a certain parallel with the theory of communicating vessels as long as and although with ups and downs, since 2019 it has shown a downward trend in Europe, reaching 90% less in 2022, according to Schengen Visa Info details. Thus, if in 2019 four million Russians visited the old continent, in 2024 the figure dropped to 1.4 million. Leaving aside the COVID-19 period that affected the entire world, the Russians have their own case, with the war with Ukraine and the consequent tightening when it comes to obtaining visas as the main reasons. Although the sanctions program against Russia applies throughout the continent, there are countries that are more lax than others. Without going any further, Italy, France, Spain and Greece, the favorite destinations of Russian citizens, are among them. As details the Russian Travel Digestdespite a timid recovery in 2025, Russian citizens travel to Europe 40 to 50 times less. New destinations have been sought both within the old continent (Türkiye or Belgrade), but also outside In Xataka | Tourism promised them a happy time exploiting an idyllic island in Yemen. Until 600 tourists were trapped in it In Xataka | There are Spanish cities trying to shield their beaches from bathers’ pee. Marbella illustrates that they do not have it easy Cover | Yubin Zhou

Extremadura has silently taken over 99% of an unexpected crop: Spanish tobacco

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These are not good times for tobacco cultivation. At least in the European Union, which has seen how in recent decades its weight has been decreasing in the fields. If at the beginning of the 90s I harvested 400,000 tonsat the end of the last decade that figure was already at 140,000. In Spain the situation is not much better: in 2024 The production volume (and hectares) was much lower than just ten years ago. That does not mean that tobacco does not continue to play a relevant role in part of the Spanish agrarian map. In fact there is a region that stands out for its contribution at national and European level: Extremadura. Only there it is concentrated 99% of the crop and the transformation of tobacco in Spain, which leads the sector to boast an economic impact of 126 million. Tobacco “made in” Extremadura. In Spain it is impossible to talk about tobacco without also talking about Extremadura. This was recently claimed by the sector in a report of AFI that leaves an eloquent figure: the cultivation and the first processing of the tobacco leaf generates in the region 69 million euros of added value, more or less 99% of the national total. The percentage is so overwhelming that the industry itself emphasizes that Extremadura is “the main producing center in the country and the first producing region at the European level.” If the focus is expanded, the Tobacco Roundtable estimates that the sector has a total impact of 126 million in the community and generates hundreds of jobs. To be more precise, it speaks of more than a thousand of direct positions, a figure that rises to 2,000 contracts full-time if indirect and induced workers are included. X-raying the sector. The Tobacco Table is not the only one that highlights the overwhelming weight of Extremadura. The Ministry of Agriculture itself recognizes that, according to data from the 2020 Agrarian Census (the latest available), the region brings together 94% of the 1,052 farms that exist in Spain. The activity focuses mainly on the north of the province of Cáceresin the regions of Campo Arañuelo, La Vera, Alagón, Talayuela and Navalmoral de la Mata. Beyond Extremadura. The agricultural map is basically completed with Castilla y León, Castilla-La Mancha and Navarra, although they dedicate many fewer hectares to tobacco. In 2024 Extremadura allocated 6,121compared to the 19 in Castilla y León, the 18 in Castilla-La Mancha and the three in Navarra. global photography of the sector is, however, much more complex. In the Canary Islands there is an outstanding manufacturing hub, in Cantabria there is the Entrambasaguas factoryfrom Altadis, “the main industrial production center on the peninsula”, and the Community of Madrid also benefits from hosting the headquarters of the Spanish subsidiaries of the large multinationals in the sector. In general, the Tobacco Table estimates that the sector contributes to the national GDP with 1,825 million eurosa figure that would exceed 3,700 if the total impact is included. Tobacco taxes are another source of substantial income for the State. The group speaks of around 6,700 million collected through the Tax on Tobacco Products, although the total fiscal contribution of the sector would be very high and would exceed 10,100 million euros annually. Getting perspective. Extremadura plays a prominent role on the Spanish (even European) tobacco map, but in reality our country accounts for a tiny part of the sector worldwide. Although the Spanish contribution represents about 19% of the total of the European Union, which usually places our country among the main producersrepresents 0.5% of global production. Your footprint It is very far from the big ones manufacturing powers like China, India or Brazil. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), Spain would occupy 36th place among tobacco producers by area. Its 8,450 hectares (2021) are in fact nothing when compared to China (1,014,553), India (431,146) or other producers in America and Africa. better times. After years of regulation and awareness campaigns, the European industry is not going through its best moment either. In 2018 the EC calculated that around 140,000 tonnes of tobacco were grown in the Union as a whole, a far cry from the 400,000 at the beginning of the 1990s. The cultivated area has also been reduced. Nothing surprising if we take into account the increasingly complex scenario facing the sector and the collapse of consumption. In fact Extremadura exports about 74% of the tobacco leaf he collects. The MAP data They also note the drop in production (and cultivated area) in recent years in Spain, although performance improves. Images | Rusty Watson (Unsplash), Uitbundig (Unsplash), MAP and Tobacco Table In Xataka | Extremadura promised them very happy with its powerful Spanish tomato industry. Until China arrived

Chinese mobile phones conquered the market by dividing into a thousand different brands. Now they are doing just the opposite.

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A few days ago OPPO made it official: after the merger with OnePlus (although with “independent” operation“), now brings Realme under its umbrella. Thus, both Realme and OnePlus go from going on their own to becoming sub-brands within a differentiated organizational chart. If the beginning of the decade was one of separations, with the division (forced by circumstances) from Honor and Huawei and the “independence” of POCO and Xiaomi following the steps of Redmi and Xiaomithe roaring 20s have taken a turn of the script to do just the opposite: associate even more (with one exception that swims against the current: Nothing and CMF). The quotes are important insofar as these separations, although announced with great fanfare, hid a reality of sharing certain processes and technologies to a greater or lesser extent. Why is it important. OPPO is the fifth best-selling mobile brand in the world, according to CounterPoint data for the third quarter of 2025. And if we go to 2024, Canalys data They show that OPPO (at that time together with OnePlus) had a global market share of 8%. With the merger, the three teams will work together although each continues to develop their own devices to share resources and thus reduce costs. But also, the direct consequence can be sensed in this graph: there is a small piece of Realme’s 4% pie that increases OPPO’s portion. Canalys As confirmed by OPPO and Realme to Xataka Mobilethis decision is a strategic measure to “make better use of resources and amplify synergy (…). This allows OPPO, Realme and OnePlus to present a unified and improved offer, offering more innovative and differential products and more optimized and user-focused customer service worldwide.” In short, to be more competitive. The context. Oppo’s share grows and approaches the top 3 of Apple, Samsung and Xiaomi. In a saturated market with reduced margins, competitiveness low-cost It’s brutal. and with runaway RAM pricessurvival depends on being strong to negotiate in the supply chain and reinforcing an ecosystem to build loyalty. Xiaomi already did it when POCO website loaded to integrate with the matrix in a simplification movement. In fact, OPPO is doing a Xiaomi by differentiating its sub-brands: the main one is the premium one, POCO is the one that offers some groundbreaking features at an eye-catching price and Redmi for tight budgets. The brand has not yet commented, but the history of each one leads us to think of premium devices with the OPPO seal, the good cost-performance ratio of Realme and OnePlus as a kind of flagship killer with differential functions. Inthree lines. In the complex ecosystem of Chinese mobile manufacturersthe huge conglomerate BBK Electronics It makes up a series of brands of different importance: there are the strong ones, led by OPPO and Vivo, and other smaller brands that have been developing their trajectory such as OnePlus and Realme, but also Iqoo. Although each had their own communication, sales and marketing strategies and some development elements, shared production, logistics and R&D&I processes. With this move, OPPO, Realme and OnePlus will share a structure. In Xataka | In the midst of a protectionist retreat, Xiaomi wants to be the new Huawei and knows where to start: with its own chips In Xataka | “The mobile industry was boring and monotonous.” Oppo is willing to change it Cover | Xataka and Wikipedia

ChatGPT is already our first line doctor (although we don’t want to admit it)

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ChatGPT has become one of the biggest attention grabbers in historyand now ChatGPT Health is going to take that further. Not competing with the GP, but yes occupying that space that we have filled with nightly Google searcheswith visits to forums where a stranger tells you that that mole does not have to worry you, or with the brother-in-law who knows a little about those topics. We’ve been delegating our fears to slightly ridiculous spaces for years, and now OpenAI is going to offer one that’s a little less ridiculous. The interesting thing is not that AI knows medicine. The LLMs They have been passing clinical exams for years and have resolved, better or worse, several doubts. The interesting thing is that we trust it more than real institutions or people. Two hundred and thirty million people asking ChatGPT about their health every week is a fact that says a lot about our psychology. We’d rather ask a chatbot than wait three weeks for an appointment or bother a friend at eleven at night. Everything before admitting out loud that that pain scares us. ChatGPT Health presents itself as a kind of “pocket doctor”, but it functions as a confessor. Because “should I worry about this?” It is never just a medical question. It’s existential. And the app never judges you, never gets tired, never makes you feel like you’re overreacting. He responds instantly, in a reassuring tone, citing studies that you will never read but that make you feel informed. Deep down, we know he can skate and invent things, but that doesn’t matter as much to us as gaining peace of mind for a while.and that feeling does manage to convey it. Even though There have been shady cases that have ended badly. OpenAI says this is not a replacement for the doctor. Of course not. But functionally it is already doing it. Not in a serious diagnosis, which is where we still go to the hospital, but in who decides when something is worth worrying about. Who immediately interprets those blood test numbers, or who tells us if we should change our diet or exercise routine. In the daily practice of managing a body, the doctor has become the second option, ChatGPT is now the first line. It may be uncomfortable, it may displease, but it is what is already happening. That is, in fact, the awkward twist: ChatGPT’s competition is not so much with doctors as with the emotional support network we used to have. We asked our mother, our partner, our friend who studied nursing. Now directly to ChatGPT. And with Health, this will go even further. Because it’s immediate, it’s fast, it doesn’t make you feel vulnerable and you can delete the conversation if the response starts to scare you. ChatGPT Health is the consolidation of the symptom of structural loneliness that we have not even consciously chosen. It’s just that annoying someone has become emotionally costly, while asking a machine that simulates empathy (sometimes Claude calls me ‘brother’) is fluid and simple. OpenAI did not invent this dynamic, it just came naturally when people made ChatGPT a habit and now he has optimized it to better monetize it. In Xataka | ChatGPT has been a tool. If you start remembering all our conversations, it’s going to be something else: a relationship. Featured image | Xataka

IKEA has had to close seven large stores in China. It is the symptom of a much more important trend

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The real estate market was the great economic engine in China, but currently it is plunged into a deep crisis from which it does not seem that it will come out soon. Houses are not sold and, consequently, not as much furniture is sold either. If we add to this an increasingly strong online market and competitors with very aggressive prices, it is not surprising that IKEA is not doing very well. Seven fewer stores. IKEA China has announced which will close seven of its stores on February 2. These are seven large stores, known as ‘blue box’, located in Shanghai, Guangzhou, Tianjin, Nantong, Xuzhou, Ningbo and Zhejiang. After the closure, there will be 34 more operational stores in the country. Change of strategy. IKEA emphasizes that “we will move from large-scale expansion to focused development.” Its strategy is to move away from large stores and focus on local commerce. They plan to open ten small stores in the next two years, starting with the Dongguan store scheduled for next February. This strategy contrasts with the one they are following in other countries like the United Kingdom either USAwhere what they are closing are some small stores opened after the pandemic. Competence. As we said, the Chinese real estate crisis is one of the reasons why sales have fallen, but not the only one. The Swedish giant faces other difficulties, such as the emergence of new local competitors that offer Much lower prices and much faster deliveries. In this context, it makes sense that IKEA wants to focus on small stores and strengthen its online channel. In fact, recently They opened a store on JD.com. Online presence. In statements to South China Morning Posteconomist Fan Xinyu, attributes the closure to “a highly developed online sales market in China, a trend that has reduced the survival margin of physical points of sale.” It is estimated that in 2024 in China They delivered 5,400 packets per secondmaking it the largest online marketplace in the world. In this sense, we can say that in China it is more common to place an order online than to go to a large store such as IKEA. IKEA China. The Swedish company opened its doors in China in 1998 and went on to open 41 large stores. The company has not published financial data, but China continues to be among the ten markets where they sell the most. According to ReutersChina accounts for 3.5% of all IKEA global sales. Image | Wikipedia In Xataka | The founder of Ikea was one of the richest men on the planet, but his most famous trick is available to everyone

the Ukrainian drone that stopped Russia for six weeks with a machine gun and not a single human soldier

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On the Ukrainian front, where every meter conquered or defended is paid for with a human cost that is increasingly difficult to assume, ingenuity is has become a resource as valuable as ammunition. In this context of extreme wear and constant adaptation, some units are experimenting with little visible solutions that, without attracting attention, are beginning to change the way a battle line is held. When there are no soldiers left. In a war marked by a shortage of infantry and the extreme lethality of maintaining forward positions, Ukraine has begun to test a solution that until recently belonged to military science fiction: leaving the front in machine hands. During 45 consecutive daysa Ukrainian unit maintained front-line sectors without direct human presence, entrusting the defense to a single land vehicle unmanned, a bet that summarizes the crude logic of the current conflict: if something can receive enemy fire, it better not bleed. The doctrine. The experience was reported by the NC-13 Strike Company, integrated into the Third Corps of the Ukrainian Army, a unit created specifically to operate unmanned ground vehicles. Its commander, Mykola “Makar” Zinkevych, explained that the idea was radically simple: “robots don’t bleed,” and the ground drone was the only element present in the position, carrying out constant suppressive fire missions to deter Russian advances and force the enemy to confront a defense that could not be psychologically worn down or eliminated with human casualties. The droid TW 12.7. The system used was the Droid TW 12.7developed by the Ukrainian company DevDroida small tracked vehicle armed with a heavy machine gun M2 Browning .50 caliber. Far from being an isolated prototype, the drone was displaced between different positions at the request of local command posts, acting as a mobile punishment platform that turned each attempted Russian advance into a costly and risky operation. The Droid TW 12.7 Wear and tear… also for machines. Although the robot could remain in place for days, it needed withdraw every 48 hours for maintenance, resupply of ammunition and recharging of batteries, tasks carried out by a team located several kilometers from the front. The process, initially four hours, is reduced by half thanks to the purchase of additional batteries paid for by the soldiers themselves, a detail that illustrates the extent to which the Ukrainian war continues to depend on local initiatives and improvised financing even when talking about advanced technology. Limited autonomy. DevDroid affirms that the Droid TW 12.7 can operate at distances of up to 15 miles and has artificial intelligence-assisted navigation functions, although it is unclear to what extent it can act autonomously in combat. Even so, the simple fact that a single UGV has held positions for six weeks demonstrates that the value of these systems lies not only in their sophistication, but in their ability to replace human bodies in tasks where survival is minimal. From experiment to military doctrine. After this experience, the Zinkevych unit plans to expand the use of UGVs in both defensive and offensive missions, relying on new variants equipped with grenade launchers already approved for official use. The demand, recognizeis very high, but so are the costs, to the point that development continues to be partially financed through crowdfunding campaigns. The future of the front. If you like, the case Droid TW 12.7 It is not just a technological anecdote, but a sign of where to go war is headed modern in Ukraine: a battlefield where every meter can be defended with sensors, steel and algorithms instead of flesh and blood, and where the strategic value of a soldier begins to also be measured by his ability not to be physically there. Image | Tank Bureau In Xataka | Russia has reminded the planet that the war in Ukraine is a ticking bomb. And for this he has pressed a nuclear button: Oreshnik In Xataka | Ukraine has become an animal slaughterhouse: Russian soldiers appear with horses and drones blow them up

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