usatoday24

There’s a reason you stop to pet any cat you pass on the street (and it says a lot more about you than you think).

June 8, 2026 by usatoday24

There’s something that happens to me every time I walk down the street and pass a cat. It doesn’t matter if you’re perched on a wall, looking out of a window, or just sitting on the sidewalk watching the world go by. Arrest. Greetings. I extend my hand slowly, wait to see if it comes closer, and if it does, I pet it. It is not a conscious decision: it is automatic. It also happens to me with dogs or any other animal that crosses my path. For a long time I thought it was just a personal quirk. But it turns out not. Psychology and neuroscience have been studying exactly that gesture for years—that almost uncontrollable impulse to seek contact with a cat—and what they have found says much more about who we are than what appears at first glance. The first thing to understand is that in this bond, the cat has the last word. It’s not like petting a dog, which usually comes alone and enthusiastically. Cats are selective, unpredictable and much less invasive in their displays of affection. Therefore, what science says about this exchange has a particular complexity. a study, collected by Science Alert measured the hormone levels of owners and cats during 15-minute sessions of physical contact at home. The results were eloquent: when contact was relaxed—stroking, gentle hugs, rocking—oxytocin levels rose in both people and animals. But there was an indispensable condition: the interaction could not be forced. Cats had to be able to walk away if they wanted to.. “The hormone flows when the cat feels safe and comfortable,” the study authors wrote. What would happen when that condition was not met was just as revealing. According to Vice owners who tried to hug cats that didn’t want to be hugged saw their oxytocin levels drop, not rise. And the same would happen in the animal. The forced hug does not activate love: it turns it off. There is something deeply human in that. Oxytocin, cortisol and a 150 hertz purr Oxytocin is the hormone that scientists call “love” or “bonding.” It is the same one that is triggered when we hug someone we love, when a mother sees her newborn child, when there is real trust between two people. That it also appears in contact with a cat—and that it appears in the cat as well—is not a minor fact. The connection with animals and the increase in oxytocin is not new in scientific research. A review published in Frontiers in Psychology in 2012 already documented that interaction with animals produced measurable increases in oxytocin and reductions in cortisol, the hormone associated with stress. But studies on cats in particular came later and with important nuances. Researchers in Japan published in MDPI Animals an experiment with 32 cat owners: those who freely interacted with their animals showed significant hormonal changes compared to non-contact rest periods. A 2002 study already documented that the increase in oxytocin generated by gentle contact with cats helped reduce cortisol and, consequently, blood pressure and even the perception of pain. It is one of the works collected by Laura Elin Pigott, professor of Neuroscience at London South Bank University, in his analysis published in The Conversation. But there is a third player in this equation that is often overlooked: the purr. According to a synthesis of research collected by PetShun the frequency of a cat’s purr—which ranges wildly between 25 and 150 hertz—falls within what specialists call the “biomechanical stimulation range.” It is literally the same range of frequencies used in clinical vibration therapy to promote tissue repair and bone density. Some studies suggest that Listening to that sound can reduce cortisol levels by 10% to 20% in just 15 minutes of exposure. It’s not magic or intuition new age. It is physics and biochemistry. With a dog the bond is automatic. With a cat, you have to earn it But not all animals produce this effect in the same way. And understanding that difference is key to understanding what it says about you that you are looking for cats. In a 2016 experiment, scientists measured oxytocin in pets and their owners before and after ten minutes of play. The dogs saw an average 57% increase in their oxytocin levels. Cats, just 12%. The difference, according to researchers collected by Science Alertdoes not reflect feline coldness but rather evolutionary history: dogs were domesticated for millions of years for constant visual contact and dependence on humans. Cats, no. That’s why they reserve that hormonal surge—and that confidence—for the moments when they feel truly safe. In other words: with a dog, the emotional bond is almost automatic. With a cat, you have to earn it. And that completely changes what it says about the person looking for it. What stopping on the street to greet a cat says about you A study from Nottingham Trent University, published in PLOS ONE by Lauren Finka and her team with a sample of more than 3,300 cat owners, found something that at first seems striking: certain personality traits observed in the owners also appeared in their cats. The researchers’ hypothesis is that cats could be reflecting, in part, the personalities of those who care for them. It is not a minor fact: it suggests that the relationship is not one-way and that the human-feline bond is so real that it leaves a mark on both. On the other hand, research on people who prefer the company of cats consistently points to certain shared traits. a study published in Humanities and Social Sciences Communications analyzed 319 young adult cat owners and found that pet attachment was positively correlated with empathy, emotional regulation, and perceived social support. In other words, Those who build a solid bond with their cat tend to also have greater empathic capacity in their human relationships. This finding connect with what Faunalyticsan organization that synthesizes research on the human-animal bond, has documented: people who live with companion animals are … Read more

300,000 euros for a week

June 8, 2026 by usatoday24

Vacation rentals in tourist areas they are through the cloudsand in the Balearic Islands they know it well: so much so that high prices have ended up becoming in a work problem for the tourism sector. However, for whom money is no object, renting a villa on the seafront in the north of Ibiza can be a perfect plan for summer. And when we say that money should not be a problem it is because this luxury is expensive. Very expensive. About 300,000 euros a week, to be more exact. It is not a house, it is a private island Sa Ferradura is an example of those exclusive villas reserved only for a clientele of very high purchasing power. In reality, it is not just a villa located on a 35,000 m2 rocky plot, it is a private islet joined to the land by a narrow strip of land that serves as a beach. That is, not only do you pay to rent a property located on the seafront in a privileged enclave on the Ibizan coast, but you also get maximum privacy by being surrounded by the sea. Its name, Sa Ferradura, refers to the horseshoe shape that the property draws and a set of rooms organized around a central patio facing the Mediterranean. The 975 m2 mansion located in the center of the peninsula has six double rooms, all with private bathrooms, and capacity for 12 people. During their stay, guests have a team of 22 employees at their disposal, from cooks to laundry staff. Although the villa is facing the sea, it has a 23-meter infinity pool next to the villa, and a second pool that merges with the 12,000 m2 of garden with native plants that emulates a lagoon. The north-facing viewing terrace has an area of 750 square meters with open views of the sea and the landscape of Es Amunts. It has two bars, pergolas and a mixing table to play music. According to detailed Ibiza Diarythe level of detail and luxury in the furniture is almost sickening, with chairs brought expressly from Japan and a walnut table in one of the dining rooms handcrafted by an Amish community in New York. The complex is accessed by car from the adjacent beach, which acts as a platform that connects it with the rest of the island, while a small private pier located on the side of that same beach gives access to the property from the sea. A very profitable business A Dutch textile businessman acquired the property in 1994 for 50 million pesetas, which would be equivalent to the 300,000 euros that it currently costs to stay for a week in this villa. In 2006, a Russian millionaire bought it for 22 million euros and today it belongs to Russian magnate Mikhail Prokhorov, who was owner of the NBA’s Brooklyn Nets between 2010 and 2019, when he sold the team for $2.35 billion. Prokhorov acquired Sa Ferradura in 2013 for around €33 million, and his estimated fortune is around $11.5 billion. according to Bloomberg. Since then, the Russian millionaire has invested in design renovations with high-end materials, positioning the small islet among the most appreciated luxury islands in the world and, as he collected in 2018 The Newspaper of Ibiza and Formenterawas named “Best Private Villa in the Mediterranean” at The Boutique Hotel Awards of that yearwhich distinguishes the most exclusive spaces, hotels and private villas. Precisely this organization reveals the price per night that its tenants must pay: about 42,624.78 euros or, in other words, 298,373.46 euros for a week of vacation on a private island 35 minutes by car from Ibiza airport. This means that, during the summer season alone, the villa generates more than a million euros per month, which makes it a very profitable business. Millionaires like Elon Musk or footballers like Lionel Messi or Cesc Fábregas they have walked through the gardens of Sa Ferradura, which gives an idea of the type of client who stays in this type of holiday residence. In Xataka | The mystery of the most expensive mansion in Spain: someone is selling it for 70 million euros but we don’t know who it is Image | The Boutique Hotel Awards

A mysterious Chinese structure has remained for five days in one of the most tense points in Asia

June 8, 2026 by usatoday24

In September 2023, a Philippine patrol cut and removed a floating barrier of about 300 meters that China had installed at the entrance to the Scarborough Shoal lagoon. The scene was so symbolic that it gave around the world: a simple cable supported by buoys had become one of the most delicate geopolitical hotspots in Asia. Five days in suspense. It all started with a series of images by satellite that showed something unexpected at the entrance to the lagoon Scarborough Shoalone of the most sensitive and disputed enclaves in Asia. For several consecutive days, different satellite captures recorded the presence of a reflective object accompanied in some cases by a type of linear barrier that seemed to partially cross the access to the atoll. No one could determine with certainty whether it was a buoy, a floating platform or a more permanent installation, but its mere appearance was enough to trigger investigations in the Philippines and attract the attention of specialized analysts. When new images taken days later showed that the object had disappearedthe questions remained the same: what the hell exactly was it, who placed it, and what was it trying to achieve. Why Scarborough Shoal is much more than a reef. The reaction is explained by the strategic importance of the place. Scarborough Shoal is situated within the exclusive economic zone claimed by the Philippines, but remains under effective Chinese control since the crisis of 2012. Since then it has become one of the main points of friction between both countries. Its waters are valuable for fishing, its lagoon serves as a natural refuge for boats and its position offers an important advantage to control sea routes and airspace in a region through which billions of dollars in commerce circulate each year. In such a sensitive environment, even a structure less than ten meters tall can acquire disproportionate geopolitical relevance. Scarborough Shoal The suspicions behind the mysterious structure. The images showed a visible object for at least five days and a possible barrier similar to those that China has previously used to restrict Filipino fishermen’s access to the lagoon. That sparked speculation about whether Beijing was taking a new step to tighten its control over the atoll. The experts they warned that, if it was a fixed installation, it could be interpreted as a disruption of the status quo in an area whose sovereignty remains disputed. Although no authority has been able to confirm the exact nature of the object, the episode reflects the extent to which satellite surveillance has become in a key tool to detect movements that just a few years ago would have gone completely unnoticed. A dispute that has never stopped escalating. The appearance of the structure also coincided with a particularly tense moment. China maintains an almost permanent presence of coast guard and vessels around scarboroughwhile the Philippines increases its patrols and strengthens military cooperation with the United States. Shortly before the object was detected, US and Philippine forces had carried out new joint maneuvers in the area. Manila also denounced the presence of dozens of Chinese vessels operating within its claimed waters. The result is something like a constant cycle of shows of force where every patrol, every maneuver and every potential construction is watched with enormous attention by all parties involved. The great transformation. What happened in Scarborough also fits into a much broader trend. As we have been countingOver the last decade, China has turned practically submerged reefs into authentic artificial islands equipped with ports, radars, military installations and even landing strips. The transformation of places like Mischief Reef, Fiery Cross Reef or Subi Reef changed completely regional balance and demonstrated that physical construction can become a tool of territorial control as effective as military presence. Each new structure detected satellite arouses concern precisely because there is a clear precedent of how small initial changes can end up becoming permanent bases. A race to consolidate positions. The response of the other claimants has been to assume that the scenario has changed. Vietnam has been expanding reefs under its control for years, building ports and new infrastructure. The Philippines reinforces its existing positions, expands landing strips and strengthens isolated detachments. The feeling that dominates the region is that the multilateral negotiations have failed and that each country is trying consolidate what you already control before circumstances worsen. In this context, the mysterious structure of Scarborough It is especially symbolic. Regardless of what it really was, it reminded all the actors involved that in the South China Sea a simple spot detected from space can become for a few days the center of a geopolitical dispute that affects a good part of Asia and in which China continues to be, by far, the most powerful player. Image | Vantor In Xataka | China has a problem: behind thousands of food delivery restaurants there is no establishment, no kitchen, no restaurant In Xataka | The US had a ship with 2,000 marines ready to invade Iran. Now he has sent it right to the place where China worries the most

We have believed all our lives that “dying of grief” was a romantic myth. Science is clear that there is some truth

June 8, 2026 by usatoday24

The classic scene of two old people who have been together their entire lives, and when one dies, the other follows him a few days later because “he couldn’t bear the pain” seems to be something that remains in the movies. However, what we have always dismissed as romantic hyperbole or statistical coincidence has, in reality, deep physiological support. It is studied. A recent deluge of scientific data puts on the table a conclusion that is quite devastating by pointing out that intense grief not only hurts emotionally, but also drastically increases the chances of suffering a fatal cardiovascular event that triggers long-term mortality. The most robust and recent confirmation comes through a study published in Frontiers in Public Health that analyzed 1735 people in a ground situation to be able to find out what happened in the long term with those who could not overcome a loss naturally. The results. The researchers here divided the patients into groups according to the intensity and duration of their suffering. What was precisely seen is that those who showed a high and sustained grief trajectory, which is called prolonged grief, not only needed many medical consultations and psychotropic drugs, but also presented a higher risk of mortality than the low grief groups. Translated into plain numbers: people trapped in persistent grief were almost twice as likely to die in the decade after the loss. The heart breaks. When we receive bad news, we sometimes say that the heart ‘has broken’ and for many it may seem strange, since physically the heart is intact. But this expression, which may be popular, has clinical demonstration behind it, as pointed out a published study in Circulation which shows that the first weeks after widowhood or the loss of a loved one are high risk. Specifically, in the first 24 hours after the loss, it was shown that the risk of suffering an acute myocardial infarction reached its maximum peakwhile in the following 30 days cardiovascular events also increased, including stroke. In the guides. As a curiosity, there is even a clinically documented pathology known as Takotsubo syndrome (or broken heart syndrome), which is a cardiomyopathy induced by extreme emotional stress that temporarily weakens the heart muscle, simulating the symptoms of a massive heart attack. The small print. What has been compiled in this case is a statistical correlation, that is, that those people who have had a deep mourning have seen their mortality increase. But this does not mean that there will be an event of this magnitude. What happens in these cases is that grief is a marker of constant vulnerability, since cortisol levels increase, keeping the body in a state of alert that exhausts the immune system. But in addition, those who suffer extreme grief often stop eating properly and reduce their physical activity to zero, and in many cases, forget to take their medication. All of this ultimately increases the risk of mortality, but not the loss itself. Images | Yosi Prihantoro In Xataka | More and more people die from a sudden heart attack in Spain: the sudden death pandemic

What is it, what is it for, who can use it and how to activate it

June 8, 2026 by usatoday24

Let’s explain to you what is lock mode of ChatGPTa method with which you can have more protection against attacks aimed at the artificial intelligence. To do so, it will greatly limit what AI can do, but in exchange it will be more difficult for it to send data abroad. We are going to start by explaining what this mode is and what it is for, so that you can understand its usefulness. Then we will explain who will be able to use it, and we will finish by explaining the steps to activate it in case you are within that group of users. What is ChatGPT Lock Mode ChatGPT’s Lockdown Mode is used to Protect organizations from prompt injection and other types of attacks that could compromise sensitive data of its members. Prompt injection is when you put a hidden instruction inside a file or a website so that, when an AI reads it, it behaves in a certain way without the user knowing. And this can be quite dangerous in some contexts. Imagine that you are part of an organization or company where you review contracts, analyze customer data, or work with confidential company information using artificial intelligence. So, by using ChatGPT you expose yourself to the fact that a document, an external app or a website have a hidden instruction to execute commands that send this data to an attacker. And that’s where this mode comes into play. To protect you, when you activate ChatGPT will very strictly limit AI. With these limitations it will be much less useful, but also safer to use when handling sensitive data. What it does and what it is for Lock Mode will limit ChatGPT’s interaction with the outside world. It will be like a barrier that does not allow you to consult apps and pages, in order to minimize the possibilities of attacks and data leaks when you work with extremely sensitive information. The premise is simple: if ChatGPT can’t send data outyou won’t be able to filter them even if someone tries to trick you. It assumes that an attacker could trick the model, and focuses on preventing this trick from resulting in the leak of sensitive data. This mode does not eliminate prompt injectionsbut rather the channels through which these injections can cause you to send data to an attacker. For example, ChatGPT will continue reading in a PDF the hidden order to send your clients’ personal data to a certain address. However, without access to external pages, you simply will not be able to comply with that order. Lockdown Mode disables six key capabilities of artificial intelligence. They are the following: Web browsing with live web access: ChatGPT will only be able to access cached content on the web. This makes search results outdated and limited, but also prevents data from being transmitted to an attacker. Image Support: ChatGPT responses may not include images. Advanced research: This function is disabled. Agent mode: This feature is also disabled so that ChatGPT cannot take actions on your behalf. Canvas networks: Users cannot approve code generated in canvas to access the Internet. File download: ChatGPT will not be able to download files for analysis. If you upload a file you will be able to work on it manually, but you will not be able to download them from the internet. ChatGPT will answer your questions and help you with the text based on the knowledge it has been trained with, but you will no longer be able to connect to the internet or interact with external systems while you have this mode activated. One thing you should be careful with is that applications can interact with the Internet when you activate this mode, including MCPs and connectors. This poses an added risk that you must take into account if you link these elements. Who can use Lock Mode From June 2026 Any user can use Lock Mode. It was initially aimed only at users of ChatGPT Enterprise, Edu, ChatGPT for Healthcare and ChatGPT for Teachers, but now anyone can use it. How to activate ChatGPT Lock Mode To activate ChatGPT blocking mode you have to enter its settings on the web or mobile app. Once inside go to the section Securityand in it activate the option Lock mode that appears in the section Advanced security. This will open a window informing you of all the things you will no longer be able to do when you activate it. On this screen, simply press the button Activate to confirm the action. In Xataka Basics | Free courses ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Copilot: 53 courses to get started or take advantage of the main artificial intelligences

Russia is the great missing person in the AI race. He has neither chips nor talent, and his great ally only gives him the leftovers

June 8, 2026 by usatoday24

What’s happening with AI in Russia? The artificial intelligence race has as absolute protagonists to the US and China, and it’s surprising that a power like Russia does not seem to be advancing in this type of field. The truth is that he is doing it, but his situation in this area is worrying. Russia does have AI models. Although they are hardly talked about, there are several AI models that are developed by Russian companies and that, above all, are totally oriented towards their citizens. The country does not have access to Western models such as ChatGPT or Claude, but it does have access to these alternatives: GigaChat: is probably the most advanced Russian model. It is developed by the financial institution Sberbank, and It is available via web although to use it it is necessary to have an account in said entity. Yandex Alice: the company that has already offered a search engine in the image and likeness of Google for years also has its own artificial intelligence model, called Alice AI. It is possible to use from its official website in both English and Russian (Spanish is not supported) like a traditional chatbot. MTS AI – one of the largest telecom operators in Russia also has its own model, MTS AImore aimed at companies and developers with its Cotype models that recently support the ability to create agents for enterprise applications. behind. The veto of chips and advanced technology from the US has been one of the factors that has caused these models to be clearly behind the latest frontier models from companies such as OpenAI or Anthropic. He proves it launched three months ago from GigaChat-3.1-Ultra-702B, an open weights model derived from DeepSeek 702B A36B. In the published benchmarks, the performance of this model is at the level of DeepSeek v3 (launched in December 2024) or Qwen3-235B (launched in April 2025). This model is for example available at Hugging Face. China is your natural ally. China and Russia have long maintained a geopolitical alliance that has an impact in various areas. The curious thing is that in this case that impact is being felt less than one would expect. Russian AI models are based on Chinese open models, but at the moment it seems that These are somewhat old versions which they later adapt to Russian. And as happens with Chinese models, which censor certain topics, Russian models apply that same filtering to avoid sensitive issues. Without chips there is no AI. The big problem Russia faces is the same one China faces, but amplified. They don’t have access to advanced Nvidia chips to train their models, so they have looked Shortcuts to bypass trade restrictions and be able to develop those models. Russia, get in line. Sberbank, for example, is trying to get access to Chinese AI chips like the Huawei Ascend 950 for your projects, but there are two problems here. The first is that these chips are aimed at model inference, not their training. The second, that at the moment those who have priority access to these chips are the Chinese companies themselves, which are reserving large quantities for their future projects. ByteDance, Tencent or Alibaba have placed important orders that leave Russia in a complicated situation. Russian chips in the (distant) future. These problems of access to specialized chips could be solved if Russia manages to boost its semiconductor industry. Baikal Electronics has been working on alternatives to x86 chips from Intel and AMD for some time, but also promise develop AI chips in 2029 or 2030. Once again, commercial and technological vetoes mean that in both scenarios the company’s proposals cannot compete with the latest advances of its Western competitors, at least for now. Industrial and military use. Russian LLM developments not only try to present an option for Russian citizens, but also for military applications. The war with Ukraine has actually revealed how Russia is using the well-known AI miniPCs Nvidia Jetson for its Shahed missiles. Russia has it very difficult. The current situation in Russia makes it difficult for the country to present notable alternatives to the most advanced AI models of the US or China (or even Europe). The war with Ukraine also caused an exodus of talent and Russian engineers, although companies like Sber have tried to boost campaigns to attract talent in the university environment. All of this adds to Russia’s difficult access to the most advanced hardware and software and its dependence on an ally like China that is prioritizing its own AI companies. In Xataka | Russia already has its own multi-core CPUs for AI. What it doesn’t have yet is the most important thing: its GPU

Ukraine has turned military bridges into impossible targets. Russia just responded with a Frankenstein on wheels

June 8, 2026 by usatoday24

In World War II, six soldiers could carry parts by hand of a Bailey bridge and build a passage for tanks in a matter of hours. Eight decades later, the real challenge is no longer building the bridge: it is making it survive long enough to enter service. River crossings are a nightmare. Crossing a river has always been one of the most delicate operations for any army. Crossing points are predictable, vehicles must be concentrated in a small space, and engineers need time to deploy bridges or pontoons. In Ukraine, however, the problem has become a new dimension. Drones constantly monitor roads, accesses and banks, detecting any preparation for a crossing long before it occurs. This means that forces attempting to cross a river can be attacked even before reaching the water. What for decades was a complex engineering operation has been transformed into a race against time under permanent surveillance. A problem since the start of the war. Russian difficulties in crossing rivers they are not new. One of the most remembered episodes occurred in May 2022, when a Russian tactical group was practically destroyed during an attempt to cross the Siverski Donets. More than three years later, the problem remains unresolved. They remembered in Forbes That even relatively modest obstacles like the Vovcha River can slow down entire operations because the challenge is no longer just overcoming the water, but surviving the deployment process. Every bridge, every pontoon and every engineering vehicle automatically becomes a priority target for Ukrainian drones, artillery and other precision strike systems. The strange “Frankenstein”. Thus a scene has taken place that has remained recorded on video by Ukrainian forces. It happened when one of the most peculiar vehicles seen in the war appeared. A Russian unit built an improvised system using military truck chassis, probably Ural or KamAZ, transformed into a kind of articulated pontoon. The structure was made up of a drive section and a large adapted trailer, creating a set long enough to cross narrow sections of the river. Its appearance was so rudimentary and strange that Ukrainian observers compared it to a creation straight out of a Mad Max movie and they baptized as a four-wheeled “Frankenstein”. More than a visual curiosity, the vehicle reflected the need to find alternative solutions to a problem for which conventional means seem increasingly less effective. A mission observed from start to finish. The broadcast images by the Ukrainian Wolfhound unit show the complete route of the vehicle towards its objective. The group advanced at high speed through Vovchansk in an obvious attempt to reduce the time of exposure to possible attacks. During the trip, the trailer repeatedly left the road, knocked down an electrical pole and activated several mines without being disabled. Even so he managed to reach the river bank. However, Ukrainian air surveillance had followed their every move. As the soldiers began to deploy the system and the forward section began entering the water, several attack drones They destroyed the vehicle before he could complete his mission. A deeper problem. The most striking thing about the episode is that Russia has specialized teams capable of carrying out this type of operations. Systems such as launchable bridges MTU-72 or the PMP pontoons They were designed precisely to allow the passage of troops and armor through rivers much larger than the Vovcha. For a unit to resort to a such an improvised solution suggests that these means were not available in that sector or that the losses accumulated during the war have reduced their presence on the front line. It also reflects an industrial reality: the current priority is on producing tanks, armored vehicles, drones, ammunition and artillery, while engineering equipment receives much less attention and replenishment. Modern warfare forces us to reinvent everything. He “Frankenstein” by Vovchansk fits into an increasingly visible trend within the Russian military. In recent years, protected armored vehicles have appeared with anti-drone cagesvehicles covered with netsmodified robots for new features and all types of adaptations carried out directly by combat units. The speed at which threats evolve often outpaces militaries’ ability to develop and deploy new solutions. Although the makeshift pontoon was destroyed, its existence is revealing. It demonstrates the extent to which drones have disrupted a military task as basic as crossing a river, and how soldiers are attempting to fill the gap between battlefield needs and the ability of military machinery to respond with ingenuity, recycled parts, and emergency solutions. Image | x In Xataka | Russia’s enemy in Ukraine is basically an AI. So you’re painting your tanks CAPTCHA color In Xataka | Thousands of elderly Ukrainians are isolated at the front. An army of drones is coming to your rescue

So you can get a Nintendo Switch 2 from AliExpress!

June 8, 2026 by usatoday24

A raffle is coming, no, a great raffle. The eighth exclusive giveaway for subscribers of Xataka Xtra It is neither more nor less than a nintendo switch 2Nintendo’s latest console. Valued at 459 euros, the Switch 2 is great now that summer is approaching and we have more free time to indulge in a big way. The draw is reserved for subscribers of Xataka Xtraour community with exclusive advantages. If you are already a member you can go to the next paragraph, because you already know how it works. If you are not yet part of All the information can be found at this link. How to participate in the giveaway for a Nintendo Switch 2 Participating in this great giveaway is as easy as being part of Xataka Xtraaccess your member area and check the box that appears in red in the image below. When you have done so, you will participate in this draw and in all those to come, which are not few. Make sure you check that box to automatically participate in the exclusive Xataka Xtra draws | Image: Xataka If you are already part of Xataka Xtra and have participated in previous draws you don’t have to do anything. You will automatically participate in the draw. As a summary and for the dates to be clear, here is a summary: Requirements: be a Xataka Xtra subscriber and resident in Spain (Peninsula, Balearic Islands, Canary Islands, Ceuta and Melilla) Start of the draw: Monday, June 8, 2026. End of the draw: Friday, June 19, 2026, at 9:00. Winner selection and resolution: Friday, June 19, 2026. How will the winner be chosen? From Xataka we will choose a random subscriber and two substitutes. If the winner does not respond within the period stipulated in the legal bases of each draw, the winner will go to the first substitute and, if this does not happen either, to the second. Winning a giveaway does not prevent you from winning in the following ones. You can find the legal bases at this link. Regarding the prize, the nintendo switch 2 needs few introductions. The new Nintendo console, which is available on AliExpress for 435 euros In the summer offers, it allows you to move Nintendo Switch games, titles such as Cyberpunk 2077 and the future Call of Dutyand other wonders like Pokopia, Mario Kart World either Donkey Kong Bananza. It is a machine that feels objectively superior in each and every one of the sections compared to the previous generation. It is a great prize to enjoy the summer in a big way, whether by making the most of the games single player like sharing the Joy-Con. Best of luck to everyone! In Xataka | Subscribe to Xataka Xtra

Waymo’s ambitious plan to turn its batteries into gigantic solar powerbanks

June 8, 2026 by usatoday24

The electric car industry has been grappling with an elephant in the room for years: what to do with the millions of battery packs that, while no longer useful to power a vehicle, still retain enormous energy capacity. Now, the answer could come with autonomous driving. Waymo has formalized a strategic agreement with the company B2U Storage Solutions to give a “second life” to the spent batteries of their robotaxis, preventing them from ending up directly in recycling plants to convert them into gigantic solar energy storage systems. The paradox of the robotaxi. To understand why this movement is so relevant, you have to understand how an autonomous car ages. As detailed Wall Street Journalthe life of a robotaxi is nothing like that of a private car. While our personal vehicles spend most of the day parked, Waymo vehicles operate as high-use shared assets. In statements to the financial newspaper, Adam Lenz, director of sustainability at Waymo, explained that this high utilization causes its cars to accumulate kilometers at a dizzying rate, forcing the batteries to be removed from commercial service much earlier than usual. According to data from Geotaba consumer electric car loses just 2.3% of battery capacity per year, retaining more than 81% after eight years of use. Robotaxis, however, suffer much more rapid degradation. But just because a battery no longer offers the range needed to safely carry passengers doesn’t mean it’s dead. The new business model seeks to squeeze the residual value of these batteries to use them in stationary applications, avoiding waste and taking advantage of critical materials that have already been manufactured. “Energy sponges.” When Waymo vehicles can no longer perform, B2U removes the batteries, tests their performance, and packages them in large metal cabinets about 2.7 meters high, similar to small shipping containers. Each of these containers houses dozens of units. From there, they function as true “energy sponges” for the electrical grid. During the day, when there is plenty of sun or wind and prices are low, the system absorbs and stores that electricity. It then injects that energy back into the grid during nighttime demand peaks, just when solar production drops. The economic and energy impact is notable. Freeman Hall, CEO of B2U, details that each reused battery can add between $8,000 and $10,000 in electrical value. Additionally, a single storage container has enough capacity to supply an average home for up to three months. Although Waymo has not specified an exact number of units, the goal in the long term it is to deploy “hundreds of megawatt-hours” of capacity, concentrating initial efforts in California and Texas, two states with great dependence and growth in renewable energy. The figures of an unstoppable fleet. As detailed Ars TechnicaWaymo currently operates about 4,000 vehicles, mainly consisting of Jaguar I-Pace with 90 kWh batteries, to which are being added the new “Ojai” models from the Chinese manufacturer Zeekr, equipped with 93 kWh batteries. This fleet makes about 500,000 trips a week, a rate that will only grow: the Wall Street Journal cites Morgan Stanley estimate which predicts that autonomous journeys in the US will go from 15 million in 2025 to 36 million at the end of this year. However, Waymo’s purely “green” narrative has its chiaroscuros, and the specialized press does not ignore them. Ars Technica Enter critical and necessary information: Although the company assures that its electric fleet avoids 530 tons of CO2 every half a million trips, its recent landing in Austin (Texas) together with Uber raised blisters. There, they used mobile generators from the company L-Charge powered by natural gas to recharge the robotaxis, which generated neighborhood complaints about noise and highlighted the logistical difficulties of operating electric vehicles without adequate charging infrastructure. On the other hand, companies like Redwood Materials (backed by Waymo’s own parent company, Alphabet) are also launching their own second-life storage divisions. All this occurs in a context of absolute record: in the first quarter of 2026, the US installed 9.7 GWh of stationary storage, an increase of 32% year-on-year. Beyond the green posturing. In short, this agreement seals a perfect urban circularity. As Adam Lenz reflectsthe same batteries that today transport passengers through their streets, tomorrow will be supporting the local electrical networks of those same communities. However, behind the obvious environmental benefit is a movement of pure business strategy: this is not just green philanthropy. Waymo depends on the electrical grids of the cities where it operates to be stable and robust to be able to keep its fleets operational 24/7. In the age of mass automation, shoring up the electrical grid with batteries from your own retired cars is no longer just an ecological medal; It is a strict necessity of business survival. Image | Daniel Ramirez Xataka | A man ordered a Waymo to go to the airport. When he got there he ran into a problem: the trunk wouldn’t open.

First he tied up Samsung, now SK Hynix. At the RAM crisis party, Nvidia has secured the cake

June 8, 2026 by usatoday24

In any group of friends, there is one person who always tries to get along with everyone. In the technology world, that person is Nvidia. The American giant that until not so long ago was the one who dominated the conversation in the field of video game hardware, now it is synonymous with artificial intelligence. Nvidia is shaping the sector with billion-dollar investmentsbut also with its hardware. The H200 and the Blackwell B200 are the most coveted chips in the sectorwhich leads to everyone wants that platform and, therefore, Nvidia is one of the whales that is drinking the global stock of RAM. For Vera Rubin, their new platform, they need much more memory and, after reaching an agreement to ensure the best available that Samsung makesthey have achieved another with the other leg of the global RAM market: SK Hynix. And this is about data centersbut also eye-catching RTX Spark chiprobotics, accelerating development times and how consumers have years left to continue suffering with the supply of chips. Nvidia, SK Hynix and the deal to manufacture everything Jensen Huang, CEO of Nvidia, is traveling through Seoul. This time his objective was not to visit the new Samsung facilities (relations with Samsung They are already more than consolidated), but to secure the other South Korean (and world) memory chip giant: SK Hynix. During their visit, the two CEOs staged a multi-year agreement by which Nvidia will have priority access to the most refined memory coming out of the SK Hynix foundry. Because Nvidia already warned in January that this year it would need all the silicon possible, and seeing the roadmap it is something that is perfectly understood. As we say, they are immersed in the Vera Rubin AI platform for the training and inference of artificial intelligence models; have just presented the RTX Spark chips in response to Apple Silicon and Qualcomm chips for computers Windows ARM and then there’s another leg that we don’t talk about as much, but that they are pushing hard and that also requires a lot of memory chips: the Jetson Thor robotics platform. In it releasethe two state that this is an agreement to speed up development times on this hardware for AI. This is something that requires long development cycles, but also a lot of money to sustain the global demand for memory due to data centers for AI. This deal goes there. “AI factories are the drivers of the next industrial revolution, and advanced memory is essential to their performance” – Jensen Huang Because it is not so much about ensuring high bandwidth memory (something that Nvidia already had to be the great whale of the sector), but to improve the infrastructure so that the new generations arrive at the pace that the development of AI requires. In fact, Chey Tae-won, CEO of SK Group, highlights the same thing: “together we are co-developing the next generation of memory for AI factories, applying AI to semiconductor design and manufacturing.” That is to say, It is not a simple question of supply (which also, since 60-70% of SK Hynix’s HBM4 memory goes to Nvidia’s Vera Rubin), but to apply AI tools (which Nvidia has) for the design and manufacturing of semiconductors with the aforementioned objective of shortening times. This objective is something that is being pursued worldwide, and the company itself SK Hynix together with Samsung collaborate in a megacenter in the United States to streamline all these processes. As a result of this agreement, it is very possible that SK Hynix get its goal of setting up a fully autonomous semiconductor factory by 2030 (something that, again, share with Samsung). Now, what about the goal of those we want a RAM stick or one Steam Deck that doesn’t hit price increases of 300 euros at once? Well, unfortunately, we are going to continue eating this situation of debauchery when it comes to building AI platforms and gigantic data centers. During his visit, Huang himself commented that he expects the global shortage to last for years because the entire supply chain of this new industry depends on these chips and that demand is very high. In their wordsit is something that “will persist for several years”. They are not new statements either, since Huang gave about seven or eight years to the unbridled investment. And more important than all this, Nvidia, right now, has the four chip giants eating from his hand. SK Hynix and Samsung with memory and their factories for new generation memory. TSMC has turned Nvidia into your client A. And ASML that is what manufactures machines to make advanced chips It is the one that supplies those tools to the three mentioned. In Xataka | China already has a GPU that competes with Nvidia’s RTX 3060. The bad thing is that it arrives five years late and worse

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