Mobile Tech & Gadgets

Thousands of Spaniards are obsessed with Hyrox. So Amazfit has launched two smart watches for them

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Crossfit is dead long live Hyrox. The other day a colleague asked me what the hell is that, and I had a hard time answering him in a simple way. So that we understand each other, it is basically a mix of running and seasonal exercises. You do one mile, move on to a station (sled pushing, burpees, rowing, weighted lunges), you do another mile, move on to another station for a total of eight. A boom that already brings together thousands of participants in competitions. Such is the Hyrox boom that one of the most relevant smart watch manufacturers in the world, Amazfit, has released two especially oriented for sports measurements of this discipline. Let’s take a look at the new ones Amazfit Balance 3 and Balance Ultra. Technical sheet of the Amazfit Balance 3 and Amazfit Balance Ultra amazfit balance 3 amazfit balance ultra DIMENSIONS AND WEIGHT 47.5 × 47.5 × 12.5mm 48.6 x 48.6 x 13.3mm MATERIAL Grade five titanium for the case Stainless steel and grade five titanium versions for the case SCREEN 1.5 inches AMOLED technology Resolution 480×480 3,000 nits peak brightness Supports glove mode sapphire lens 1.5 inches AMOLED technology Resolution 480×480 3,000 nits peak brightness Supports glove mode Sapphire Lens STRAP SIZE 22mm 22mm CONNECTIVITY Dual band GPS Bluetooth 2.4GHz WiFi Dual band GPS Bluetooth 2.4GHz WiFi SENSORS BioTracker PPG biometric sensor (supports blood oxygen measurement) temperature sensor Acceleration sensorGyroscopic sensorGeomagnetic sensorbarometric altimeterAmbient light sensor BioTracker PPG biometric sensor (supports blood oxygen measurement) temperature sensor Acceleration sensorGyroscopic sensorGeomagnetic sensorbarometric altimeterAmbient light sensor ENDURANCE 10ATM 45 meters diving 10ATM 45 meters diving processor ZPS3044S ZPS3044S memory 64GB 64GB BATTERY 780mAh 780mAh COMPATIBILITY iOS and Android iOS and Android SOFTWARE Zepp OS 6 Zepp OS 6 PRICE 349 euros for the steel version 449 euros for the titanium version 599 euros, unique titanium version Born for Hyrox Amazfit Balance Ultra vs Amazfit Balance 3 The most notable thing about the new Amazfit Balance Ultra and Amazfit Balance 3 is that they are specifically designed for Hyrox. It’s not that they have just one specific way to practice this sport, it’s that they have an entire library of hybrid training plans to prepare ourselves when making one. They are able to create strategies depending on the actual length of the track we are going to compete on, and even the size of the ROX Zone (the transition area between the running track and the exercise stations). The degree of analysis during Hyrox training is more than precise: We will see the weather in each of the stations in the apptarget pace, completed pace and average pace. In addition, a monitoring system called Hybrid Chargein which not only a measurement of physical parameters is made objectively: the watch will also ask us about our subjective sensation to track our recovery even more completely. These measurements will also analyze how we have performed in our training, to tell us if we have done better in the strength or resistance stations, with the aim that we are clear about the points to improve. Two great clocks with all the letters Beyond the specialization in Hyrox that Amazfit has wanted to provide to its Balance 3 and Balance Ultra, we are faced with two watches with more than interesting specifications. The panel is both 1.5 inches, AMOLED, with sapphire coating (it is quite difficult to scratch us due to the physical properties of this material), and with a peak brightness of 3,000 nits. Don’t you know if this is a lot or a little? It is the same brightness of a iPhone 17 Pro Maxwithout going any further. The main differences are in the battery. The Ultra model has 780mAh and lasts up to 30 days of typical use according to Amazfitwhile the Balance 3 has 658mAh and up to 21 days of typical use. Although in real use with GPS the figures go down, Amazfit is well known for offering one of the most complete autonomy in sports watches. There are also slight differences in the finish: The Ultra model is finished entirely in grade five titaniumwhile the Balance 3 has grade five titanium and stainless steel versions. Of course, the steel Balance 3 is not completely metallic (just the frame), the casing is plastic. These watches have something that their competition does not usually include: a Dual band circular polarization GPS antenna. This curious name refers precisely to how many GPS satellites transmit signals (circularly), which allows the signal to reach widely and with less interference. By the way As Amazfit usually does, there are dozens of sports modes, measurement of blood oxygen, heart rate, sleep and stress (among others), all through the app Zepp Lifewhose data can be synchronized with third-party apps such as StravaAdidas Running, Apple Health or Google Health. If you have never tried an Amazfit, it is worth knowing that incorporate ZeppOS 6. It is a hybrid between a simple java system and a complete system like WearOS either WatchOS. It has its own “application store” (a small repository), countless watchfaces (both official and third-party), and it works quite correctly. Besides, It is a system that allows callswith hardware that incorporates a microphone and speakers to be able to respond from the watch, just as we would do in the most advanced systems. Versions and price of the Amazfit Balance 3 and Amazfit Balance Ultra The Amazfit Balance 3 and Amazfit Balance Ultra are from the company’s most advanced watchesand they will arrive in Spain at the following prices. Amazfit Balance 3 in stainless steel case | 349 euros Amazfit Balance 3 in titanium frame | 449 euros Amazfit Balance Ultra in Titanium Case and Frame | 599 euros With the Ultra, Amazfit begins to look closely at the heaviest rivals on the market, looking for a niche in the Hyrox athlete that has not yet been covered. In Xataka | The Deportivo de la Coruña store knows how many people come in, … Read more

The problem is not spending a lot of tokens, it’s that most of them are being wasted

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A year ago, Sam Altman did a striking prediction: as the production of data centers becomes automated, the cost of intelligence (AI) should at some point converge with the cost of electricity.” Or what is the same: access to AI would be very, very cheap. That has not happened by any means, but in addition to spending a lot of tokens, we are wasting them. So much AI for what?. He phenomenon of tokenmaxxing -he rampant token consumption more like fashion than something useful—has begun to set off alarm bells, because companies have realized that they are spending small fortunes for their employees to try to get the most out of AI. AI dismissal. A study by the startup EntelligenceAI affirms that for every dollar invested in AI, only 18 cents end up reaching production. The remaining 82% ends up being invested in correcting errors, rewriting code and executing review processes that do not generate direct value. This is what they call “unproductive spending,” and it is a warning sign because the success of this technology does not depend on us using AI non-stop, but on using it to improve productivity. Uber warns. Andrew Macdonald, COO of Uber, I questioned openly whether this massive spending by companies like yours on AI is really justified when it is not linked to improvements in productivity. The company has been one of those that has decided to cut spending on Anthropic models because the available annual budget had already been “vented” to use them. Investing in tokens ends up being unprofitable: the “useful part” is less than a fifth of what is invested, according to EIntelligence AI. The uncertainty is there. Other experts They warn just the opposite: This is just the beginning of what is to come, so taking action against AI consumption may be counterproductive. The problem is not so much that AI is being used, but rather that it is being wasted: this obsession with consuming tokens caused the CFO at Amazon, for example, to tell his employees “Don’t use AI just for the sake of using it”. The company rewarded those who used AI the most, so many ended up using it for trivial, redundant or useless tasks. Use AI appropriately. Matan Gringberg, CEO of the AI ​​startup Factory, told in WSJ how a manager at a major financial institution had told him that his employees were spending hundreds of thousands of dollars a month on tokens. The problem was that some were using the most powerful models to answer simple questions or just to chat. The message here is clear: these models must be used appropriately to avoid wasting them: “If your daughter needs private algebra classes, you can probably find someone cheaper than Albert Einstein to give them to her,” he concluded. We are consuming tokens beyond our means. At the Google I/O event Sundar Pichai, CEO of Alphabet, explained that the company currently processes more than 3.2 trillion tokens per month, seven times more than a year ago. Faced with this demand, both it and other companies are “punishing” the trivial use of AI models. AI agents consume tokens like there’s no tomorrow. What has also happened is that the arrival and popularization of agentic programming tools, such as Claude Code, Codex or Antigravity, causes many more tokens to be consumed because with them it is possible to automate the execution of programming tasks (or other areas) on a continuous basis. The AI ​​model prepares a plan, executes it, and at each step thinks and evaluates its responses before continuing with the plan. This process is intensive in token consumption, and is the main reason why token consumption has skyrocketed. Flat rates, nothing. Monthly plans like ChatGPT Plus or Claude Pro offered leeway for developers to consume huge amounts of tokens with hardly any limitations. However, both OpenAI and Anthropic and other companies have begun to change their strategies, limiting the cases in which these flat rates can be used so that users cannot abuse them. If they want to consume more they can, but always through a pay-per-use philosophy: the more you use, the more you pay for something that at least helps users be aware that they cannot use super-powerful models for useless conversations with their chatbots. Image | Xataka with Magnific In Xataka | If the question is whether using ChatGPT or Claude in English is more efficient and saves tokens, the answer is: yes

open a ghost road that almost no one uses

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A mousetrap. This is how José Manuel Tofiño, mayor of Illescas, defines the A-42 highway that connects Madrid with Toledo. The road runs collapsed every day but next to it it has the most underused toll road in Spain. The claim is obvious. The answer, so far, too. Maddening. It is one of the terms that best defines the journey that thousands of drivers make every day on the A-42 towards Madrid. And in the direction of Toledo. Because back and forth, morning and afternoon, there is only one reality on the A-42 highway: it is clogged. Although neighborhood and political complaints are once again on the table, congestion on the A-42 has been critical for years. Already in 2020the representatives of the Popular party of the Community of Madrid and the affected municipalities of Toledo demanded measures from the Executive. Now they are the PSOE politicians those who demand solutions. What’s happening? Simply, the A-42 is clogged daily while the A-41, which runs parallel, is empty. According to data collected by The Countrythe A-42 has an average traffic flow of up to 90,000 vehicles per day at some points, while the payment option barely exceeds 2,000 vehicles. The figure has even been growing in recent years given that the neighboring free highway is completely overflowing. And a little over a decade ago the cars that passed through the A-41 was less than a thousand a day. The situation has even been causing for years delays on adjacent roads. National roads that drivers try to use as a means of escape from the highway. Because? Although the A-42 has been living in an extreme situation for years, the problem has become entrenched in recent years. The A-42 is a road that connects Madrid and Toledo passing through La Sagra. It is an area close to Madrid known for cities where a good part of the workers go to Madrid daily, such as Illescas and Yeles (Toledo) or Torrejón de la Calzada and Parla (Madrid). Next to the city, the road runs through Getafe. A good part of those workers left Madrid during the real estate bubble before 2008 looking for larger houses and at more affordable prices. However, the current housing crisis has once again caused Madrid residents look favorably on these towns south of the city. The cranes, for example, have returned to Seseñaclassic bubble burst image. But, in addition, together with Illescas, a logistics center has been promoted that has become one of the great merchandise hubs in the center of the peninsula. This has also triggered the transport of heavy vehicles, which complicates circulation even more. Precisely, The proximity of the A-42 is one of the great attractions to carry the goods there on the way to Madrid. make it free. Therefore, in their latest claims, regional politicians ask that the A-41 be opened to all vehicles to alleviate the situation on the A-42. The measure they propose is very simple: if one road is empty and the other is collapsed, let it be liberalized. The problem is that the concession for the A-41 does not expire until 2040. At the moment, the road is completely free from 0:00 to 6:00, which is an alternative to the first to hit the road. However, local voices They attribute this to the intention of the concessionaire company to save workers’ salaries and emphasize that at that time it is not a problem to travel on the A-42 since it is first thing in the morning when it gets stuck. Or at least public transportation. In his report, in The Countrycollect the testimony of Alberto Blázquez, a 28-year-old computer scientist and resident of Palomeque (near the A-42) who takes his car to Illescas and, from there, takes a train to Fuenlabrada (Madrid) and makes a transfer to get to Atocha and thus ends up arriving at his workplace. This is what some workers have opted for when they see that it takes the same time by public transport as by car. What they propose is that the Cercanías network be expanded to Illescas to facilitate the train connection with the city and that bus connections be improved, which right now, other voices point out in that same report, are also overwhelmed since they left Madrid. These claims, as well as the construction of a third lane from Parla, are the requests that residents and Madrid residents have been demanding for years. So far, the only thing that has changed is that the problem is even more serious. Photo | Miguel Angel Masegosa Martínez and DGT In Xataka | The longest straight road in the world is a mental challenge: 240 km without curves, in the middle of the desert and with truck traffic

the cash cow strategy

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The hardware market in 2026 It’s complicated, no, the following. The memory crisis has caused a domino effect that has made renewing a PC or building it from scratch almost a luxury. Given this situation, AMD has decided that the best attack is a good defense. Its strategy is striking: extend the life of what already works. difficult times. During the Computex celebration, AMD has made several launches that appeal precisely to that practical and conservative spirit. In fact, there is also a striking commitment to nostalgia and a clear message: if you need to update your PC, there are ways to do it without having to take out a second mortgage. Nostalgia made processor. To start, AMD has relaunched the Ryzen 7 5800X3D with a “10th Anniversary Edition”. It is a striking launch because we are dealing with a chip for Socket AM4 that, as its name indicates, was already launched 10 years ago. It sells for $349 and seeks to attract users who do not want to make the leap to Socket AM5 and prefer to opt for a chip that was the most popular a decade ago. Obviously it is no longer, but it is still an interesting proposal for a certain sector of users. The reasonable option. The real protagonist is the new AMD Ryzen 7 7700X3D, a processor for socket AM5 that is launched at a recommended retail price of $329. Its 104 MB of cache in total make it more than suitable for gaming equipment, and it is a very interesting alternative to the top of the range, the 7800X3D. Extending the life of the plate. AMD knows that it is not the best time to update equipment from scratch, so it has given some reassuring news: official support for the AM5 socket will be extended until 2029, three years longer than expected. It is a way to extend the validity of a platform that still makes sense, especially with the current market situation. A peculiar graphic. We recently told how, for the first time in 30 years, Nvidia predictably will not present new GPUs for gamers in 2026. AMD does have something new: the Radeon RX 9070 GRE, which will have 12 GB of GDDR6 memory. It costs $549 and has 22% more performance than the 16GB RTX 5060 Ti. It’s not exactly a bargain, but it gives something that is appreciated in these times: options. Deprogrammed obsolescence. At this Computex 2026 fair it seems to be confirmed that the industry is stopping the usual planned obsolescence, and it is doing so out of pure economic necessity. Savings have become a priority in view of the situation, and the PC segment is currently moving away from the search for the “fastest and best.” In Xataka | A man paid $23 for a PC case at an auction. He discovered inside a 24-core CPU and an RTX 3080 Ti

is reinventing its AI chips from scratch

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Cambricon Technologies is an essential company in China’s plans to challenge the US for its leadership in artificial intelligence (AI). Although it is not as well known as Huawei or Moore Threads, this is one of the companies specialized in the design of accelerators for AI with greater growth potential. Be that as it may, these three companies are China’s clearest alternatives to Nvidia because all three have already managed to place competitive solutions on the market. The priority strategy of the Government led by Xi Jinping seeks to build a self-sufficient ecosystem capable of breaking Nvidia’s dominance in the market. However, as stated SCMPat the center of this rivalry is a fundamental design debate: should China continue betting on GPUs or is it preferable for it to make the leap towards ASIC technology (Application-Specific Integrated Circuit or application-specific integrated circuit)? ASIC chips are designed to perform a single specific task, unlike GPUs and CPUs, which are general purpose. Its main advantage is efficiency. And since they are optimized for a specific function, they consume less energy and are faster in that task. Even so, they have a disadvantage: their rigidity. They cannot be reprogrammed to carry out another function, so the debate we raised a few lines above makes perfect sense. Convergence seems inevitable Large Chinese technology companies that choose ASIC chips for AI gain performance in their specific models, but are tied to an architecture that does not adapt well if the type of workload changes. This is the problem with this approach. a report prepared by Morgan Stanley and published on May 8, makes the market dynamics clear: it predicts that Huawei will capture 62% of the Chinese AI accelerator market in 2026, followed by Cambricon Technologies with 14%. ASIC chip heavyweights increasing relevance and volume in China Among the large technology companies with their own chips, Baidu and Alibaba are around 5% each. In any case, there is no doubt about one thing: the heavyweights of ASIC chips are increasing in relevance and its volume in China. And they are largely succeeding because the performance gap between Chinese chips and Nvidia GPUs allowed for export has narrowed noticeably. Morgan Stanley data reflect that Huawei’s Ascend 950 cards and Cambricon Technologies’ Siyuan 690 cards exceed the performance of Nvidia’s H20 GPU. Zhang Haijun, an expert semiconductor analyst, holds that as AI models become more complex the line between custom ASICs and flexible GPUs becomes increasingly blurred. This scenario suggests that the winning architecture could end up combining elements of both approaches. Su Lian Jye, the chief analyst at consulting firm Omdia, defend That companies with strong AI engineering capabilities and a clear roadmap benefit from ASICs, while those handling mixed workloads continue to lean toward general-purpose GPUs. For now, the market momentum in China clearly favors specialists. To companies that bet on ASIC technology. Partly by choice. Partly because the sanctions have left them no choice. Image | Enflame More information | SCMP In Xataka | The US remains committed to stopping China. Now it has targeted the second largest Chinese chip manufacturer

the taking of a castle

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When Saladin’s troops laid siege Beaufort Castle In 1190, the lord defending it tried to buy time by promising to surrender while he reinforced the walls and stockpiled supplies. More than eight centuries later, the same fortress continues to appear in the military plans of those fighting in the region. Modern warfare and the medieval castle. Few images better summarize the contradictions of the Middle East than that of soldiers advancing towards a fortress built almost a thousand years ago while drones fly over the battlefield. In the midst of a regional conflict marked by precision missiles, permanent surveillance and unmanned aircraft, one of the most symbolic episodes took place around the beaufort castlea Crusader fortress overlooking southern Lebanon from a strategic hill. The scene seemed taken from another century: the conquest of a medieval castle. However, behind it hid a deeply contemporary reality, marked by the struggle between Israel, Hezbollah, Iran and the United States. The remains of the ancient Beaufort Castle, also known locally as Qal’at Al-Shaqif, in Arnoun, Lebanon (2022) A position that never lost its value. The Beaufort history explains why a construction built in the 12th century continues to appear on military maps of the 21st century. From its walls you can see the Litani Valley, see the Golan Heights and control key routes in southern Lebanon. Crusaders, Saladin, Mamelukes, Palestinian fighters, Israeli troops and Hezbollah militiamen have passed through its stones throughout the centuries. Although military technology has changed radically, geography continues to impose its rules. The analysts match in which the position retains usefulness for land operations, but its current importance is above all symbolic: whoever controls Beaufort projects an image of dominance over a region loaded with historical memory. The psychological battle behind the flag. The entry of Israeli troops on the castle it had an impact that went far beyond any immediate tactical advantage. For many Israelis, it evoked a return to a place associated with decades of confrontations and sacrifices during the occupation of southern Lebanon. For many Lebanese, however, the image of the Israeli flag flying over the walls reopened memories of a military presence that lasted eighteen years. The fortress thus became a communication instrument strategic. The message was not only directed at the military enemy, but also at public opinion on both sides of the border, in a war where perception and narrative are almost as important as the terrain conquered. Drones changed war, but not the problem. The paradox is that this apparent return to medieval settings occurred precisely because modern warfare is complicating Israeli plans. The initial strategy was to create a security zone inside Lebanon to keep Hezbollah away from the border. However, the proliferation of fiber optic-guided FPV drones has considerably reduced the usefulness of that concept. These devices have demonstrated be able to locate and attack Israeli positions even within occupied areas, turning troops and commanders into constant targets. What should have been a rapid campaign to consolidate a security zone has led to a much more complex situation, where maintaining fixed positions implies assuming increasing risks. Trump, Iran and the fear of another endless occupation. While Israel searched increase pressure military on Hezbollah, the United States was trying to avoid an escalation that would jeopardize its talks with Iran. The US Administration pressed to limit certain operations, especially against Beirut, in the hope of facilitating a broader regional agreement. This situation has left Israel trapped between the demands of its internal politics, the persistent threat from Hezbollah and the restrictions imposed by its main ally. Many Israeli strategists also remember the lessons of the occupation started in 1982when an intervention that was supposed to last just a few days ended up lasting eighteen years. Therefore, behind the almost medieval image of a conquered castle hides a much more current concern: that a war born in the era of drones ends up reproducing strategic errors that seemed buried with the last century. Image | IDF Spokesperson’s Unit, ElysianEzryn In Xataka | That Iran shot down a US F-15 was something unusual. The problem is that they have opened the missile… and everything points to China In Xataka | The US has copied its very cheap drone swarms from Iran and Russia. The problem is what Starlink asks for connecting them

There is a weapon of mass destruction against our ability to remember things: stress

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One Monday you see your coworker, Laura, leave the office with a striking bright yellow umbrella. The next day, you walk into a coffee shop and see that same unmistakable umbrella resting on a chair. Without thinking twice, your brain does a quick calculation and you deduce that Laura is in there having coffee. This mental agility, which neuroscientists call “memory integration,” is the invisible tool that allows us to weave together loose ends and construct deductions from experiences separated in time. However, when pressure kicks in, this internal compass goes out of calibration. People who suffer an episode of acute stress not only experience emotional distress; your brain loses the ability to connect past memories with new information. Put bluntly: stress not only erases data from your mind, it also shuts down your ability to deduce. To demonstrate this cognitive “short circuit”, a team of specialists from the University of Hamburg, led by cognitive psychologist Lars Schwabe, designed a thorough experiment combining psychological testing and functional MRI to observe the real-time brain activity of 121 adults. The trial was developed in consecutive and carefully structured stages to compare how a relaxed brain reacts to one under extreme pressure. On the first day, participants memorized pairs of images, such as, for example, an animal next to a landscape. The next day, half of the group was subjected to a high-stress situation through a simulated job interview and complex calculations, while the rest performed relaxed tasks. Right after, everyone had to assimilate new information: they had to connect the same animals from the previous day with 3D figures. The final challenge was pure mental agility, as they were asked to deduce the indirect connection between the landscapes of the first day and the 3D figures of the second. The verdict was clear: the stressed group saw their ability to make these deductions drastically reduced compared to the participants who remained relaxed. Why does stress sabotage the ability to deduce? The epicenter of this problem lies in the hippocampus, a brain region essential for integrating information but which, at the same time, contains a very high density of receptors that are extremely vulnerable to stress hormones. According to the research of Science Advancesbrain imaging revealed that acute stress directly interferes with the reactivation of previous memories. In other words, while the stressed participants tried to learn the new information, their brains retrieved the memories stored the previous day much less intensely. Representational similarity analysis shed even more light on the process: instead of integrating memories into a connected network, the stressed brain encourages the separation of memory patterns. Under stress, our mind prioritizes representing each episode as an isolated and distinctive event, sacrificing the formation of connected and flexible knowledge structures. The research has captured the attention of leading scientific communicators due to its serious implications. In statements to the magazine NatureUniversity of Oregon neuroscientist Brice Kuhl (who was not involved in the research), emphasizes the immense value of being able to visually see what’s wrong in the brain thanks to technology. Kuhl points out that, usually, when something new is assimilated, a “small flash” of past experience rises to the mind, and it is precisely that flash that facilitates the integration of information. In people under pressure, the expert points out, that flash is practically absent. For his part, Kai Schüren, first author of the study explained in Wiredwho insists that the effects of acute stress transcend the emotional: they mechanically alter a vital cognitive mechanism, which prevents the construction of knowledge in an agile way. The current epidemic of mental exhaustion The consequences of this cognitive block are not limited to a laboratory environment, but have a profound impact on various critical areas of our society: In legal contexts, a failure to integrate overlapping events can lead to false inferences by witnesses and, consequently, erroneous accusations. In education, this difficulty in weaving together information hinders the creation of solid memory structures, an essential pillar for academic performance. In clinical health, problems integrating related memories are a distinctive feature of severe disorders such as psychosis and anxiety. To this we must add the current climate of tension in which we live immersed, which turns this finding into a major public health problem. According to the Ipsos Mind Health Reportsociety lives in a state of almost constant alert and pressure. The data in the document reflects the daily wear and tear of the population: 77% of people report suffering from multiple factors that negatively impact their mental health. Uncertainty about the future in a changing world affects and worries 57% of those surveyed. Financial instability and job insecurity are positioned as a source of constant stress for 56% of the sample. Continuous exposure to negative news in the media harms 49%. This chronic pressure means that an alarming 56% of people rate their level of stress experienced in the last twelve months with a score higher than 5 out of 10, while 31% admit to currently suffering from a mental health condition. We often consider stress as simply an emotional backpack that exhausts the body and clouds the mood. However, scientific evidence shows us that its impact is much deeper: stress redesigns the way we archive and use our own lives. By blocking neural connections in our hippocampus, the pressure not only makes us forgetful, it robs us of our innate ability to connect the dots. The next step for scientists, who are already preparing tests with rodents, will be to unravel the exact mechanisms to find ways to reverse this effect on memory. Meanwhile, understanding that stress isolates us in a fragmented present is the first strategic move to protect our mind. Image | Unsplash Xataka | Something disturbing is happening with young Spaniards: cases of colon cancer are multiplying

They learned cinema on YouTube, they have raised 300 million with their films and they have achieved something: defeating Star Wars

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Three horror movies. Budgets ranging from a ridiculous million dollars for one to ten million for another. Directors of 26, 34 and 20 years old trained on YouTube, not in schools for children of. So far in 2026, those three films have grossed more than $300 million in the North American market. Franchise cinema is not dead, of course, and we are going to prove it this year with the premiere of ‘Doomsday‘ (although, for once, surprises are no longer ruled out). But there are issues that seem to be changing in another sense. The ‘Backrooms’ explosion. Last weekend,’Backrooms‘ (directed by 20-year-old Kane Parsons) collection 81.4 million dollars in North America and 118 million worldwide in its first weekend (and it does not arrive in countries like Spain until the end of June), with a budget of only ten million. It is the biggest premiere in the history of A24surpassing the previous record held by ‘Civil War‘by Alex Garland. Parsons also becomes the youngest director to top the US domestic box office, taking that record from Josh Trank, who was 27 years old when ‘Chronicle’ topped the charts in 2012. Unstoppable obsession. At the same time, ‘Obsession’ (by Curry Barker, 26 years old) added 26.4 million in its third weekend, 54% more than the previous week, starting from a budget of one million dollars. Its domestic total already exceeds 104 million. Meanwhile, ‘The Mandalorian and Grogu‘, with a budget of 165 million, fell 69% compared to its opening week and was third on the list of box office receipts that week. We will see ‘Obsession’ this weekend in Spain. The precedent. January had already given the first sign. ‘Iron Lung’ (written, directed, starring and self-distributed by Mark Fischbach, Markiplier on YouTube, 34 years old), debuted with 17.8 million domestic dollars and reached 52 million at the global box office from a budget of three. Fischbach didn’t even go through a study: he self-financed and distributed the film himselfpocketing half of the world gross. Young audience. It is obvious where these collections come from: 86% of the opening audience for ‘Backrooms’ was under 35 years old, and 44% under 21. ‘The Mandalorian and Grogu’, not to get away from Disney’s setback with a financially similar debut the previous week, had a share of those under 25 years of age of 27%, although on paper, it should have attracted more viewers of that age (which corroborates that at this point ‘Star Wars’ is entirely a franchise for kids over forty.) These directors who came from YouTube did not summon a new audience, but rather the one they already brought from the internet. Warner Bros. Motion Pictures co-head Michael De Luca summed it up in a conference in which said that these directors “They are in dialogue with their audience from the first moment.” By the time movies like these hit theaters, he added, “they’ve already had a billion screenings.” Three directors, a common pattern. In 2022, Kane Parsons uploaded a nine-minute short film to YouTube titled ‘The Backrooms (Found Footage)’shot from his bedroom with the help of the 3D graphics software Blender. Over the next few years, episodes of the series They accumulated more than 197 million views. Curry Barker, on the other hand, came from the sketch comedy channel ‘That’s a Bad Idea’ which currently has over 700 million cumulative views across platforms. In 2024 he filmed ‘Milk & Serial’, a found footage horror with $800 budget, almost all of it spent on the camera. He spent a year trying to get mainstream distribution without success. He uploaded it for free to YouTube and accumulated 1.6 million views. Mark Fischbach, for his part, has been on YouTube since 2012. He had experimented with the film format in two of his own productions for YouTube (‘A Heist with Markiplier’ and ‘In Space with Markiplier’) before adapting ‘Iron Lung’, David Szymanski’s indie horror video game published in 2022. Why the terror. American terror has exceeded 800 million dollars worldwide so far this year, and these three films directed by YouTube creators account for a third of that figure. But… why this devotion to the genre, which goes hand in hand with the good state of health that enjoy in recent years? Horror operates well with low budgets, and the young audience that grew up with creepypasta and found footages on YouTube has a particular relationship with that aesthetic space. Testing ground. The video clips of the nineties were the laboratory where authors such as David Fincher or Michel Gondry developed their visual grammar before jumping into cinema. Now, YouTube serves as a testing ground for the new generation of filmmakers. That’s why studios and agents now scour YouTube for new names. Now what. Barker has already filmed his next film, a horror comedy titled ‘Anything but Ghosts’, and A24 has hired him for a remake of ‘The Texas Chainsaw Massacre’. Parsons wants to expand the ‘Backrooms’ universe, possibly in television format. Fischbach, for his part, has already made it clear that he would like to collaborate with a large studio on future projects, without giving up creative control. It is possibly the one with the most traditional discovery profile in the underground and jump to the big leagues. For now, ‘Backrooms’ could end its box office career between $140 and $160 million in the United States alone, which would make the film one of the biggest hits of the year. Not bad for an idea that started as just another meme on 4chan. In Xataka | Cinema can only survive by competing in the “experience” market. That’s why Madrid already has its 70 mm projector

that’s why he has a new plan

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YouTube has announced an important change in its transparency policy. And starting this month, the platform will stop depending solely on the boxes referring to AI that content creators check when uploading their videos and will begin to detect and label the videos generated with this technology itself. In addition, it will make these labels more visible both in the usual videos and in the Shorts. We tell you all the details. What exactly changes. Until now, the responsibility fell on whoever uploaded the video. Starting in 2024, YouTube requires creators to disclose when they use realistic AI that could be mistaken for a real person, place, or event. The problem is that the creators didn’t have much incentive to be honest. From now on, according to explains According to the company itself, if a creator does not indicate that they have used AI but their systems detect “significant use of photorealistic AI”, the label will still be applied automatically. More visible labels. The other big change is where those notices appear. Previously, the information was hidden in the extended description of the video, in a dedicated section, so that only those who specifically went to look for it saw it. For long videos, the label (a symbol with the word “AI” next to an information icon) will now appear just below the player, above the description. In the Shorts it will be shown superimposed over the video itself. YouTube affirms that with this change the viewer gets the context “at a glance.” What the system does not cover. The featured tag is intended only for photorealistic or substantially AI-modified content. Videos that are animated, clearly unrealistic, or have minor tweaks will continue to display the warning only in the extended description. Here YouTube is clearly differentiating between AI that can confuse the user or create disinformation and AI for entertainment purposes. How YouTube detects AI. The truth is that the company has not been too specific about how it will detect AI in videos. Which yes mention There are two cases that activate the label without exception: videos with C2PA metadata indicating that they are completely generated by AI, and those created with Google’s own tools, such as Veo or Dream Screen. On the other hand, if a user believes that their video has been flagged in error, they can correct the status in YouTube Studio, except in the two situations mentioned where the flag is permanent. A reasonable decision. The move comes shortly after Google presented in your I/O conference the model family Gemini Omnicapable of generating video with AI in a realistic and increasingly precise way. Added to this is that YouTube and the rest of the social networks have been dealing with the avalanche of ‘AI Slop‘, especially in the Shorts. The company also claims to have improved its deepfake detection technology, which now allows any adult to search for matches of their face on the platform. No impact on money or referrals. YouTube assures that carrying an AI tag will not affect how a video is recommended or its ability to monetize. The company maintains that the goal is to “balance transparency with creator control,” not to penalize the use of the technology. And now what. It remains to be seen how reliable the automatic detection will be and how many videos will continue to escape the system, since YouTube itself admits that there may be AI content without the new label. The platform has been criticized for the inconsistency of its labeling system to date, so we will have to wait to find out if the system ends up working. Cover image | YouTube In Xataka | Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang: “People talk about AI eliminating jobs. It’s complete nonsense”

We’ve been sold melatonin as the ultimate harmless sleep supplement. Science does not think the same

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By taking a walk through any pharmacy, supermarket or online store, it is easy to find melatonin as the definitive solution to sleep problems and with the great claim of being something totally natural that our body secretes. Pills, drops, infusions or even gummies are some of the presentations in which we find a product that for many should not be available to everyone and that, in their opinion, It should be regulated like any other medicine. The alarm voice. The scientific community and regulatory bodies They are starting to sound the alarm and the central idea is clear: melatonin is not as harmless as it is often promoted and, according to experts, it should be treated with the same rigor as a medication, and not as a simple vitamin supplement. The labels. One of the biggest problems with melatonin, especially in countries like the United States where it is regulated as a dietary supplement, is the lack of strict control over its production. Here a study published in 2017 put a worrying fact on the table when seeing that there are a great variability between what the labels say and what the bottle actually contains. And when analyzing multiple brands, researchers found products that contained from 83% less melatonin than declared, to an alarming 478% more. And if that were not enough, the study detected the presence of serotonin in several of these supplements, which is a neurotransmitter that is regulated. It’s not something magical. Marketing has positioned melatonin as a universal solution for sleep that can be consumed without almost any type of control or limit. But here the different reviews conclude that its benefits are modest, without having a powerful hypnotic effect, but rather that its real usefulness lies in adjusting specific circadian rhythm disorders such as jet lag, so use should be selective and not routine. Furthermore, it is not without risks. One of the most striking is the incompatibility that taking melatonin may have. with anticoagulant medicationswhich requires medical supervision. This is something that a priori is not known to patients as they do not go to the doctor for a prescription and have melatonin available on a supermarket shelf. The silent danger. The rise of melatonin in gummy form has brought with it very serious collateral damage, since children may see it as a candy, which has led to an increase in visits to the emergency room in the United States due to excessive consumption of melatonin. In Spain, The approach taken is more strict, since drug regulatory agencies evaluate the safety of this substance in the key of medicinealthough you can buy it almost without any type of control when going to any supermarket. The positive part here is that the highest concentrations of melatonin can only be prescribed by a doctor in consultation so that the pharmacy can make a master preparation, considering it as just another medication, which is what is requested internationally. Images | James Yarema Slaapwijsheid.nl In Xataka | Someone has said that melatonin damages the heart. The reality, according to science, is that we can be calm

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