Mobile Tech & Gadgets

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

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

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

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

These are five of their best bargains

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

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

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

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

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

reviewing the best cars and raffle for five MediaMarkt gift cards

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

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

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

Madrid has so many tourists that a company tried to do business with paid bathrooms. Now it has entered bankruptcy

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The news revealed it in February Antonio Giraldo, geographer, urban planner and PSOE councilor in the Madrid City Council. In a tweet that ended up going viral told how a commercial ground floor in the city center that had once housed a bank branch was living a second life as a private bathroom. It might seem like a curiosity without much significance, but that ‘transmutation’ says a lot about Madrid and the tourism that other destinations in Spain experience. Now the toilets are back in the news, but for a very different reason: although Madrid tourism moves in record numbersthe business hasn’t taken off. Where I said bench, I say bathroom. To understand the controversy we have to go back a few months, to February 5, the day Giraldo published the tweet in which he warned of the change of use of a ground floor located in the heart of Madrid, to be more precise in the Plaza de San Miguel, near the Plaza Mayor. The space, which had once housed a bank branch, had been converted into private bathrooms. And to demonstrate it Giraldo included several photographs in which you could see the window with a huge ‘WC’ logo and the access to the new business, with automatic turnstile, lights, fence and card reader included. Click on the image to go to the tweet. “The tourism uncontrolled from the center”. Is it news that a commercial premises changes its use, that they open private bathrooms in the center of Madrid? The answer is yes. It may seem like a curiosity, but the change represents a much deeper and broader transformation: the loss of services aimed at residents in favor of others focused on passing customers, such as tourists. From BBVA office to private toilet that is accessed after payment by card. “The phenomenon of uncontrolled touristification in the center of Madrid brings us something new: a traditional commercial premises transformed into private toilets at a cost of one euro that you pay with a card at an entrance turnstile,” I was reflecting. “If the ultra-pressure that tourists put on public services, such as public bathrooms, is not passed on via a tax, ignore the fact that the private sector is already arriving.” Private bathrooms and much more. In reality, private toilets were just one piece of a much larger phenomenon. The residents of the Plaza de San Miguel may have seen how a commercial ground floor was converted into a paid toilet instead of hosting a pharmacy, fruit shop, shoe store, a supermarket or any other neighborhood business, but something similar has happened in other areas of the city with establishments clearly oriented towards tourism, such as slogans, accommodations or souvenir shops. It is nothing strange or exclusive to the capital. Not long ago in Santiago de Compostela they did the math and they discovered that in the historic center it is now easier to buy a souvenir than a loaf of bread. Another clear example Malaga leaves it. Over there a report of the City Council warns that “mass tourism can lead to the proliferation of low-quality gastronomic establishments” and points out the risks entailed by “the expulsion of native and value-added businesses, replaced by souvenir shops and other businesses for tourists.” A business not so business? The news about the private bathrooms in the center of Madrid could have stopped there, in another example of urban tourism. A few days ago, however, he once again made another headline, in this case in an information advanced by The Confidential: although Madrid has reached a record of overnight stays by foreign tourists, paying toilets have turned out to be less business than was believed. According to reveals the newspaper, the company behind it, The Mad Toilets, has filed bankruptcy proceedings overwhelmed by the losses. The news is even more interesting because initially the project was linked to Victor de Aldamaa businessman associated with such controversial episodes as the Ábalos case wave hydrocarbon plot. Political issues aside, The Confidential explains that the company presented the special procedure for microenterprises before the commercial court, suffocated by the accounts. In court they declared the opening of the special liquidation procedure and the company’s attorney opted for a continuation process. Now a Madrid firm specialized in restructuring has been chosen. Is there anything else known about the firm? Yes. According to the data sent to the court, the company found itself with losses that made its continuity unfeasible: the turnover was zero while the liabilities exceeded 750,000 euros. Consequently, the judge opted for the special procedure for liquidating the microenterprise. On the Empresite platform can be seen that its current status is that of competition. To provide the service, the company had four workers who were in charge of cleaning and supervision, for example. In its day, the premises were equipped with individual cubicles, paper dispensers, sinks and dryers. Searching for the causes. The question at this point is… Why didn’t the project work? Why has it not managed to become a profitable business in the midst of a tourism boom? From the outset, the place had a significant handicap: not far from there, a few minutes walk, there is public toilets that are part of the 129 WC network free access whose maintenance, clarifies the City Councilis paid for with advertising. Added to this competition is that exercised by other businesses such as cafes, bars and restaurants available to tourists. To access the private toilets it was necessary to pay one euro by card and the service was not available 24 hours a day either. In February elDiario explained that the business was operating with a provisional schedule, although the objective was to operate from nine in the morning to twelve at night. To do this, however, an employee explained, more staff would be necessary. In a post Published on LinkedIn, Esteban Mancuso points out that and some other key that explain what happened. Specifically speaks of an “underestimation of real … Read more

How to create presentations in Gemini from a document using a single prompt

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Let’s tell you how to create presentations with a single prompt wearing Gemini. This is a function with which you only have to add a document, and then ask the artificial intelligence to make the presentation based on the content of the file you are using. This feature is available to all users, both for free and paid. Of course, the result will always depend on the content of the document, its structure and its quality. The more complete and longer the document, the better the result will be. Create presentations with Gemini The first thing you should do is upload the file you want to use as a reference to create the presentation. You can do this by uploading the file from your computer or mobile, or linking it directly from Google Drive. Now, having the simple document, you have to add a prompt asking you to generate the presentation. You will then send this command along with the attached file. The one you can use is the following: “I am giving you this document. I want you to make a presentation to me with it.” Gemini will now take a few minutes to extract the information from the document, and will generate a presentation with several slides. The images will depend on the ones you have in the document, as well as all the content. Once you have the presentation created, you will have options to export or download it. If you export the document, it will go to your Drive as a Slides document, which is Google’s PowerPoint. And if you download it you will do so in a compatible format. In Xataka Basics | The best prompts to save hours of work and do your tasks with ChatGPT, Gemini, Copilot or other artificial intelligence

In Ukraine, the difficult thing is not to replace a drone, but its pilot. So Russia has started the hunt with something unprecedented: Rubikon

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For two years, Ukrainian drone operators had managed to maintain a decisive tactical advantage: the ability to detect, harass and destroy Russian positions with an agility that Moscow could not match. Pilots worked in small teams, in makeshift basements or camouflaged trenches, piloting from a distance FPV that turned the front into a transparent space where the enemy could rarely move unobserved. All that has changed with an appearance. The dark turn. Yes, that domain has been abruptly broken with the appearance Rubikona Russian unit created to track, locate and eliminate not so much drones as to those who operate them. The testimony in the financial times by Dmytro, a Ukrainian pilot and former rapper, summarizes this change of era: he went from being a hunter to being hunted in seconds when a Russian drone detected him on a reckless walk. That moment, which two years ago would have been exceptional, has become part of the daily routine on a front where the survival of the operator has become a strategic objective for Russia and a critical weak point for Ukraine. The result is a complete investment of roles: Innovators, previously almost untouchable, are now a priority target. Rubikon structure and ambition. This Russian elite corps is not simply a drone unit, but an organization of about 5,000 troops endowed with ample financial resources, tactical autonomy and a defined mission: deny Ukraine the ability to operate its drone network. Unlike the heavily bureaucratic operation that characterized the Russian army in the early stages of the war, this unit acts with speed, initiative and an approach more reminiscent of the Ukrainian groups it seeks to destroy. Their main task is not to attack the infantry on the front line, but penetrate behind the frontup to 10 kilometers in depth, to destroy logistics vehicles, ground robots and, above all, locate the operators who control the Ukrainian defensive swarms. Emblem of the elite Russian unit And much more. For Russian and Western experts, Rubikon functions as a development center of unmanned systems: trains other units, analyzes tactics, refines procedures and continually adapts its way of operating. Each technical or doctrinal improvement that emerges from Rubikon ends up radiating to the rest of the Russian army, which explains why the Ukrainians detect unexpected qualitative leaps in the performance of enemy drones. This ability fast learning It is one of the most disturbing elements, because it allows Russia to correct in months the technological gap that Ukraine built for years. The new invisible dimension. The combat is no longer limited to the visible sky, but is fought in a domain more abstract and lethal: the electromagnetic spectrum. Both Ukraine and Russia deploy electronic intelligence stations, signal guidance equipment and jamming systems capable of defeating, jamming or even hijacking adversary drones. This rivalry makes any radio broadcast a potential risk. Operators, no matter how hidden, need clear lines of sight, elevated antennas, and transmitters relatively close to the front, factors that Rubicon systematically explodes. Their teams track antennas on hills, thermal shadows in forests and emissions that reveal the presence of a pilot a few kilometers away. Andrey Belousov inspecting the Rubikon unit The signs. The inhibitorsdespite their usefulness, generate visible electrical signatures that can attract attacks. And in the midst of these maneuvers, both sides resort to signal hacking video to observe enemy cameras or locate the exact source of a remote control. Expert Tom Withington resume this complexity with a precise image: it is a game of cat and mouse where physics dictates the rules, and where each action leaves a trace that the opponent can exploit. Pressure on the pilots. Plus: unlike the Russians, Ukraine lacks the necessary troops to maintain continuous shiftswhich creates physical and psychological exhaustion that becomes as dangerous as the enemy itself. Zoommer, a Ukrainian soldier from a small drone unit, explained in the Times that Rubikon can operate without breaks because it has enough staff to rotate every few hours, while they must remain alert almost all day. The arrival of this unit to Pokrovsk area (a city that has been in a desperate defensive struggle for a year) has transformed life on the front, going from manageable days to a constant tension in which any movement can mean death. Before, says Zoommer.the area was almost “a vacation”, now it is an invisible hell where every antenna, every fleeting signal and every movement outside the trench can be a fatal mistake. This pressure has forced the Ukrainians to change routines, camouflage positions with extreme care, hide transmitters, disperse equipment and create anti-drone cells that act as a defensive mirror of Russia’s own tactics. The loss of transparency. Drones had provided Ukraine with a crucial tool: the ability to see and hit farther and faster, giving its defenders situational transparency that compensated for numerical inferiority. According to the RUSI analysisup to 80% of current casualties are attributed to drone operations, underscoring their central role in a war in which artillery and infantry depend on these mechanical eyes. What’s happening? Than Rubikon and the like have eroded that advantage in forcing Ukraine to reallocate resources from offensive missions to the protection of its own operators. The result is that, while Russia advances at an increasing pace, Ukraine devotes more efforts to stopping than hitting, losing the initiative at a critical moment in the conflict. Moscow has quickly absorbed the enemy’s lessons and turned them into doctrine, a process that would normally take years and that here has been compressed into months, tipping the balance on an increasingly dynamic front. Psychological warfare. The latest analysis show that the front is no longer defined only by the technology deployed, but by psychological pressure endured by Ukrainian operators and by the transformation of the Russian army towards a more agile structure, represented in Rubikon. The pilots, who have become priority objectives, live under constant tension that forces them to minimize any movement and operate with the permanent feeling of being watched, because … Read more

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