While we were looking at gasoline, the Iran crisis has skyrocketed the price of asphalt. And the roads of half the world are already suffering from it

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A few months ago we published in Xataka an article with the following title: Spanish roads have a problem in 2026: repairing a kilometer of asphalt is more expensive than ever. It was February 26, 2026. In it we analyzed the problem that Spain had encountered. Our roads, prepared for a hot and dry climate (especially in the southern half) had suffered very intense days of almost constant rain. It didn’t take long for the holes to appear and neither did the complaints in the media and social networks about the supposed poor condition of the roads. Trying to understand if this is really the case or not and why it is estimated that the State needs to invest some of 13,000 million euros to fix themwe looked to see if it had become more expensive the price of asphalt in recent years. Something that, indeed, was reflected in the aforementioned article. But this, as we said, was published on February 26. Two days later, on February 28, we woke up to the news that the Government of the United States and Israel had launched a joint bombing offensive against Iran. The rest, we already know. Crisis in oil supplya battle for open and close the Hormuz canal and fuel increases for passenger cars and airplanes. But there is something that has also risen. And that something is called asphalt. More expensive than ever (now yes) And in less than three months, which seem to have lasted a lifetime, the headline has become outdated. At the end of last month, Asefma (Spanish Association of Asphalt Mixture Manufacturers) already warned that the price of asphalt was skyrocketing. According to this association, in March alone the average price of asphalt had risen 8.2%. Nothing compared to April, when it did so by 49.3%. He overrun of the final product is due, above all, to the increase in the price of bitumen that acts as a binder for asphalt and is where the increase in the price of oil has the most impact. Asefma has come to consider that the increase in the price of asphalt was putting at risk the viability of the signed contracts or even whether they will be fulfilled or completed if the works have already begun. The truth is that, beyond the possible pressure measures of the employers’ association that defends the interests of its associates, the price of asphalt has skyrocketed inside and outside our country. To understand why asphalt has become more expensive you have to understand what makes it up. The pavement of our roads is made up of dirt and stones that are compacted. They serve as a base but also cushion the weight placed on them to delay the breaking of the asphalt. This asphalt is a bituminous mixture that uses bitumen of different intensity depending on where the road is going to be built. Those that resist heat better tend to be less flexible and those that drain better tend to be more flexible. Therefore, the latter They can melt when temperatures are very high. All components have been affected by the increase in the price of oil. To begin with, the earth and stones have to be transported by heavy vehicles with very high diesel consumption, precisely the fuel that has become most expensive. The same thing happens with the refinement of bitumen or asphalt (what we ultimately step on). If energy costs rise, the price of this product rises. But, in addition, the price of bitumen is closely linked to the price of oil. This product is made from the densest oil in the barrel, the least usable in energy terms and the most expensive to convert into fuel. This product is what is refined to obtain bitumen and, with bombs falling on Iran and the subsequent response on neighboring countries, the production and export of raw materials It has been very diminished, obviously. The American company Victory Paving figure in an increase of between 2 and 3% in the price of asphalt for every 10 dollars that a barrel of oil rises. They also argue that the shortage is greater because the rise in energy costs has an impact on a drop in the production of refineries and these usually prioritize the production of diesel and gasoline over asphalt refining because the fuels are more profitable. Richard Hudock, president of Derry Construction Co., pointed out to the American media who had never suffered a crisis so serious in the 42 years that they had been working, ensuring that the impact of the price of oil on the raw materials and fuel to be able to operate their vehicles put their job at risk this summer. In Argus They point out that the situation in Africa is no better. They point out that the bitumen that reaches countries like South Africa has become almost exclusively dependent on trade with Greece and Türkiye, once the Middle East tap has been closed. This has caused the price of each freighter to triple. If the price of asphalt has grown in the United States, South Africa and Spain, doubts have also grown about what to do in these cases. In the first of these countries It has been proposed to delay the patching of certain streets or highways. But this can cause the problem to worsen and, even if the price of oil falls again in the future, the damage will be deeper and the investment to be made would have to be larger. And the problem is that in the United States, the United Kingdom and Spain we face the same problem. The winters In all of these countries it has been very cold or very rainy, so the condition of the asphalt has been compromised. In BBC They report that the United Kingdom had already increased the budget to repair its roads but that the increase in the price of oil has put this item in check. The result, as … Read more

The super Niño of 1877 wiped out 4% of the world’s population. The one that is already beginning to form promises to be worse, but what does that mean in 2027?

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In the last week, El Niño has become suddenly real. Media like Washington Post, BBC or countless media in Spanish have begun to compare what is coming to us with El superNiño of 1877, the event that “wiped out 4% of the world’s population.” And, stated this way, it is no wonder; The story is simple: “a Child Godzilla is coming and no one knows if we are ready.” That is why it is important to know what exactly we are talking about and if, in short, “we are all going to die.” How serious is the matter? As we said a few days ago, between March and May the reliability of ENSO forecasts is usually worse than normal (because the equatorial Pacific anomalies go through their transition phase). That makes everyone go with “lead feet”; but the data is worrying. Ben Noll of the Washington Post broadcast on May 8 that the North American Multi-Model Ensemble projected “the strongest El Niño on record” between October 2026 and January 2027, with a peak of +3.1 °C in November. They are big words. Above all, because the ECMWF is along the same lines. In the words of Diego Restrepo, “El Niño is rapidly intensifying, and now 8 out of 10 models point to a super event and four project the strongest one on record.” And this looks like 1877? That is Noll’s thesis and it has been repeated a lot in recent days. However, the comparison is misleading. First, because, although the models are pointing to a historical ENSO, they are still models. That is, we still have no idea what is going to happen. And, to be strict, until the models recover their full potential in June, we will not know well. Second because, as argued by Kimberley Reid, from the University of Melbournethe intensity measured in the central Pacific does not translate linearly into impacts. Taking into account everything that has changed in this century and a half at a climate level, the impacts may be completely different. And thirdly because El Niño of 1877 was not the cause of that catastrophe. Yes, it is true that he set the conditions for it to occur but, as noted Mike Davis in “Late Victorian Holocausts”what killed throughout that quarter of a century were colonial policies. And what happened in 1877? A strange combination between a superNiño, the Indian Dipole and a tremendously warm North Atlantic between the years 1876–78 caused a global drought. The problem is that, in a world governed by imperialism, grain exports did not stop and, as local resilience mechanisms had been dismantled, a famine occurred that killed some 50 million people. But the consensus is clear: no matter how intense El Niño was, it caused the problem of its management. And that, although it may not seem like it, is good news. A few years ago the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) published a report with a clear warning: “climate-related disasters” have increased since the 1970s. Specifically, they have multiplied by five over the last five decades. According to their calculations, in the 1980s, 1,400 incidents were recorded – their tables include extreme weather, climate and water phenomena – and in the 1990s, just over 2,200. In the first decade of the 21st century, 3,500 were reached and during the last decade, which spans from 2010 to 2019, it was close to 3,200. Curiously, this increase in the number of disasters has coincided with a decrease in the number of victims. The WMO data is clearalso: from more than 50,000 deaths in the 1970s (incidents basically related to climate and water are taken into account) it went to less than 20,000 in 2010. From an average of 170 a day in the 70s and 80s, it dropped in the 90s to less than a hundred a day and to 40 at the beginning of the 21st century. What will happen? As Restrepo also points out“despite having more information and knowledge, today we have warmer oceans, much more vulnerable ecosystems and collapsing biodiversity. This could generate impacts on health and risks for food, water and energy security.” However, we are more prepared and more importantly we have time to prepare. The ball is in our court. Image | Ben Noll In Xataka | There are more and more extreme weather events. In return, they are leaving fewer victims than ever

Now you can enjoy an exclusive 15% discount on your travel insurance with Intermundial

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Your subscription to Xataka Xtra It is, from now on, a little more complete. If a few days ago we announced the exclusive advantages in the Samsung online store and the 99,999 credits for AI in Magnific (formerly Freepik), today we present you a new advantage that, it must be said, could not come at a better time. From today, all Xataka Xtra members can enjoy an exclusive 15% discount on Intermundial travel insurance. But there is more, because exceptionally and during the first two months the discount will not be 15%, but 20%. If you are planning a trip abroad and want to do it with extra security, you just have to access your subscriber area. There you will find this new advantage and the instructions to take advantage of it. Travel safer (and at a better price) Image | Taryn Elliott Interworld has been offering travel insurance for 30 years. Each year it insures more than 5.7 million people, manages more than 64,000 claims and assistance and has more than 6,000 distribution points. Additionally, as a curious fact, it is the insurance provider for Civitatis. If you usually travel and like tours, it will probably sound familiar to you. Travel insurance does two things: peace of mind and coverage in case of need. A visit to the doctor in depending on what countries and under what conditions can involve an enormous outlay. A visit to the emergency room in the United States, for example, can cost around $2,000. Let’s not talk about repatriation, which I hope no one will ever have to experience, but it is an expense of up to six figures that is not covered by the embassy or the consulate, but by the user. Travel insurance like those provided by Intermundial covers all these situations, in addition to protecting us against theft or loss of luggage, delays, missed connections, cancellations or overbooking, etc. With Xataka Xtrathat peace of mind comes out a little cheaper and, for that matter, here is a real case. An example of insurance for a three-week trip to Japan | Image: Xataka In October, yours truly goes on a honeymoon to Japan for 21 days. Totaltravel insurance, which covers up to five million euros in medical expenses, 350 euros for delays in the delivery of luggage and up to 2,500 for damage, theft or loss, to name a few figures, would cost under normal conditions 163.26 euros, that is, 81.63 euros per person. With the exclusive discount of Xataka Xtrawhich in these first two months is 20%, its price drops to 130.61 euros, or what is the same, 65.31 euros. That’s 33 euros that we can now spend on sushi or, better yet, on a 30-centimeter figure of Satoru Gojo. Join Xataka Xtra and save The Xataka Xtra subscription includes this and many other exclusive benefits, from a Discord server for subscribers to a direct line with editors through El Consultorio, a monthly meeting with the editors of the house, exclusive giveaways and a growing list of discounts and advantages on digital services. You can join from just 30 euros per year and take advantage of this discount, in addition to all those already available and everything that is to come: In Xataka | Subscribe to Xataka Xtra

It already has permission to sell its H200 GPU to 10 Chinese companies

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Alibaba, Tencent, ByteDance and JD.com are four of the ten Chinese companies that already have access to the GPU for artificial intelligence (AI) NVIDIA H200. According to Reutersthe US Department of Commerce, which is the institution that grants or denies export licenses, has authorized at least ten Chinese companies and several distributors, including Lenovo and Foxconn, to acquire Nvidia’s second most powerful AI chip. This news comes almost two months after the US Government confirmed which was going to allow the company led by Jensen Huang to deliver its H200 chip to its Chinese customers. Nvidia announced in mid-March during its annual developer conference that the US and Chinese Administrations had unlocked the sale of this GPU in the nation led by Xi Jinping. However, so far not a single delivery has been made. In practice, the blockade continues despite the March announcement. In all likelihood this is why Jensen Huang has joined the White House delegation participating in a summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping this week. Nvidia is caught between the opposing interests of the US and China, and Huang is going to try to recover a market, the Chinese one, valued at 50 billion dollars in 2026 and which has come to represent 13% of its income. Now the problem is the Chinese Government Earlier this May, Jensen Huang confirmed that he is currently Its market share in China is 0%. Nvidia has not sold its AI chips in this country for several months because US regulations require Chinese buyers to demonstrate that they have implemented sufficient security procedures and that they will not use the GPUs for military purposes. In addition, Nvidia must also certify that it has sufficient inventory in the US. And all this bureaucracy is not being resolved quickly at all. Currently the greatest reluctance to sell Nvidia chips in China comes from Beijing However, currently the greatest reluctance to sell Nvidia chips in China comes from Beijing. The Chinese Government wants to promote developing your own GPUs for AI at any price, which in October 2024 led him to send a recommendation to Chinese AI companies in which he asked them to use chips produced in China as much as possible. Ten months later this recommendation became a requirement. And the Chinese Government is already forcing state-owned data centers throughout the country to use at least 50% Chinese integrated circuits in their servers. The Administration led by Xi Jinping has made this decision because it can afford it. And it is that It already has three very clear alternatives to Nvidia: Cambricon Technologies, Huawei and Moore Threads. On the other hand, in the US there is also a pressure group that opposes the sale of advanced US AI chips in China. Chris McGuire, senior fellow on China and emerging technologies at the Council on Foreign Relations, holds that “any deal that allows Nvidia to sell more chips to China means fewer Nvidia chips for US companies and a minor US advantage over China in AI“. Besides, McGuire argues that “it is surprising that President Trump continues to allow himself to be convinced to put Nvidia’s interests before those of America.” Image | Nvidia More information | Reuters In Xataka | The US remains committed to stopping China. Now it has targeted the second largest Chinese chip manufacturer

Dubai has come to the same conclusion as Russia. To protect your oil from drones there is something better than missiles: giant cages

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In World War II, the British discovered something disconcerting when analyzing the German bombings on its industrial cities: many times it was not necessary to completely destroy a refinery or factory to paralyze it for weeks. It was enough to hit some few vulnerable points to cause fires, disruptions and a disproportionate economic effect. Eight decades later, that same logic once again dominates another war, only now the weapon that attempts to find those weak points fits in an operator’s backpack and costs a fraction of an anti-aircraft missile. Dubai is located in Ukraine. For years, the United Arab Emirates built its security around a very specific idea: cutting-edge technology, advanced anti-aircraft systems and one of the most sophisticated defensive architectures in the Middle East were enough to protect the country’s energy heart. The war with Iran has begun dismantle that trust. After enduring hundreds of missiles and more than 2,200 Iranian drones, Dubai and Abu Dhabi have reached an uncomfortable conclusion that Russia learned before in Ukraine: in the face of cheap, numerous and persistent drones, it is sometimes more effective to raise huge metal structures over oil deposits than spending multimillion-dollar interceptors trying to destroy every threat in the air. The images that appeared near Dubai International Airport show precisely that: those gigantic “cope cages” surrounding fuel tanks, a scene that until recently seemed exclusive to Russian refineries attacked by Ukrainian drones, or in the films of George Miller. The cheap drone war. The problem facing the Emirates has less to do with the individual sophistication of each drone than with the economic logic of the conflict. Iran has demonstrated that it can launch massive waves of Shahed-136-type UAVs and other relatively cheap attack munitions against extremely expensive infrastructure and difficult to replace. Even when air defenses work, the economic drain It’s starting to be absurd: Shooting down low-cost drones using advanced interceptor missiles turns defense into a financially unsustainable battle. That’s where these appear giant metal cages. They are not designed to stop ballistic missiles or complex attacks, but to create a physical separation that reduces the damage of suicide drones or improvised munitions before reaching fuel depots, pipelines or critical facilities. A brutally simple solution, and precisely for this reason it is beginning to spread. Russia led the way. Because what the Emirates is doing now has been going on for years. happening in Russia. Since Ukraine began hitting refineries, oil depots and military bases with long-range drones, Moscow began to cover facilities strategic with nets, metal mesh and improvised structures. What was initially derided as a desperate solution ended up evolving in a defensive system relatively common around vulnerable assets. The logic is simple: an FPV drone or a Shahed does not need to completely destroy a facility to cause a huge problem, it is enough a precise impact on a tank, a pipe or a critical point to cause fires, interruptions and million-dollar costs. The Emirates, despite having practically unlimited resources compared to Russia, is discovering exactly the same structural vulnerability. The difference is that now these cages appear next to the most futuristic skyscrapers and financial centers in the Gulf. Oil as a strategic objective. Iran has focused a good part of its attacks precisely on the Emirati energy heart. Facilities such as the Fujairah oil port or the Habshan gas plant have suffered damage that will take months to fully repair. That explains why the country has accelerated visible defensive measures even after the partial ceasefire between Washington and Tehran. Because the threat has not disappeared. In fact, one of the most disturbing aspects of the conflict is that the attacks continued even after the truce announcements, reinforcing the feeling that any critical infrastructure can become a target again with very little notice. In this context, protecting refineries and warehouses no longer depends only on radars or anti-missile batteries, it also implies physically harden facilities, assume partial impacts and prevent a relatively cheap drone from causing a national energy disaster. The Pentagon changes its mentality. The expansion of these improvised defenses also reflects a broader doctrinal shift within of the US military itself. For years, many officials in Washington considered inefficient invest large amounts of money in physically shielding bases, hangars or critical facilities from cheap drones. Ukraine, Russia and now the Middle East are completely changing that perception. Shortly before the war between Iran and the United States broke out, the Pentagon published new guidelines precisely recommending networks, cables and other passive physical defenses to protect strategic infrastructures. The reasoning is beginning to be difficult to ignore: in an era of massive and cheap dronesthe survival of multi-million dollar facilities may depend less on futuristic systems and more on simple, ugly and gigantic industrial solutions. Dubai, probably one of the most recognizable symbols of global technological modernity, has just assumed exactly that reality. Image | x In Xataka | Every time the US takes stock of Iran’s arsenal and capabilities, it realizes something: it has destroyed very little. In Xataka | Suddenly, a military outpost sprouted up in the Iraq desert: it was Israel in its bombing campaign of Iran

put an Android computer on your table

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The presentation of the new Googlebooks It left many of us wanting more. Above all, more information, because although the company revealed its intentions with these “Premium Chromebooks”, what it did not explain is what operating system would govern them. Everything seems to indicate, however, that here Google will go all out on an operating system that was born to conquer the mobile but now wants to also conquer the desktop: Android. Android comes out of your pocket. For a decade, Google’s strategy has been two-fold: ChromeOS for lightweight, affordable laptops, and Android for everything else. Both operating systems have been getting closer for some time, and in June 2024 the Chromium developers they already explained that “ChromeOS will soon be built with large portions of the Android stack.” We are facing a merger that was silent but now seems to have its own name. Aluminum OS. Curiously, Google did not mention this project even once, but everything indicates that Googlebooks could be governed by this evolution of ChromeOS that will be called Aluminum OS. Those responsible for Google have already indicated that they hoped to launch it in 2026 and everything suggests that it will be just to accompany those laptops. From desktop mode to something else. Although Google takes years fiddling with the idea from desktop mode, it has only been now that has finally offered it on some Pixel family devices officially. One can connect the mobile phone to a monitor using a USB-C cable, and then also connect a keyboard and mouse to the mobile phone via Bluetooth, and start using that desktop mode as if you were working on a conventional PC… more or less. “Stretched” apps. What we have in that desktop mode is an Android experience adapted to the big screen, and that is noticeable from the first moment, for better and for worse. Although the applications work and being able to use them with a mouse and keyboard is very attractive, others seem like “stuffed apps” that don’t fit too well with a conventional desktop environment. What Google intends here is to solve precisely that problem and so that we do not miss the traditional versions of Photoshop or Excel. The danger here is that the “Google PC” will remain a toy for browsing the web, which is something that Chromebooks with ChromeOS could already do. It is reasonable to think that the current Android desktop mode is basically what we will see on Googlebooks. Gemini like glue. Competing with Windows, macOS or Linux with these options may not be enough, so Google keeps the card for its artificial intelligence platform. Gemini Intelligenceits new AI platform to automate mobile processes, also seems like a good way to enhance this operating system, but we will have to see if the implementation is really useful or not. What is proposed is striking: an operating system in which icons are no longer too relevant, because AI will anticipate our needs and do things for us in the operating system without us barely having to use a mouse or keyboard. Samsung DeX has already shown the way. The South Korean company has been betting on its own desktop mode with DeX. That function is still present on their phones, but it has remained a second-tier feature that users can take advantage of but that has never had the ambition of making us stop using Windows or macOS. But of course: Samsung does not sell laptops with DeX (at the moment), and Google intends to do exactly that to offer a total alternative to the traditional Windows or macOS laptop. Can we do it all with an Android laptop? Maybe not everything—we’re thinking about gaming, and Googlebooks won’t be for that—but most of what we currently do. The problem is not being able to do it, it is whether changing a Windows or a macOS for a desktop operating system based on Android will provide something truly different. That is the challenge, and although Android has its strengths (such as a huge app catalog), pure “desktop apps” are not its forte. But the moment is right. Especially considering that Windows is in low hours after that obsession that has made Microsoft I flooded it with AI. The company seems want to correct that problem that so many criticisms has generated, but there are many users disenchanted with an operating system. That gives a unique opportunity to its rivals, and for now Apple has already taken advantage of it. with the Macbook Neo. If Google’s execution is good, Googlebooks could indeed present an alternative. Image | Pepu Ricca (Xataka Android) In Xataka | France wants to “become independent” from Windows and embrace Linux: Extremadura has a lesson to transmit

Europe and China are at risk in the race for the first gravitational wave observatory in space

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Terrestrial gravitational wave detectors, such as the famous LIGO, have made very interesting discoveries in the last decade. However, there is a great consensus that it would be very useful to detect this cosmic phenomenon directly from space. For this reason, some space agencies are already getting to work to launch their own projects. One of them is the Taiji mission, of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, with which, in fact, a great step forward has just been taken. Everything ready for Taiji 2. The Taiji mission consists of three phases. The first was already launched in 2019. For the second, a piece called the full-function interferometer optical core had to be tested. The tests carried out on Earth have gone perfectlyso it is considered that the second phase could be launched as soon as possible. In fact, its launch It was initially scheduled in 2024but it has been suffering delays. Luckily, it seems that now all the pieces are ready. Three ships in total. The Taiji mission is made up of three ships, strategically placed in space millions of kilometers away. They will all be connected to each other through laser interferometry, so that slight changes in these distances that could be associated with gravitational waves can be detected. The first phase of the mission, in which the interferometry system was analyzed, was launched in 2019. It is expected to send the second part as soon as possible, in which the first two ships will be put into space. As for the third, in principle the established calendar places its launch in the 2030s. Better in space than on Earth. Gravitational waves are waves produced in space-time as a result of a catastrophic event. These types of events could be, for example, the merger of neutron stars or the collision of black holes. When this occurs, space-time experiences a disturbance similar to that produced when a stone is thrown into a pond. Those are gravitational waves. The terrestrial observatories, like LIGOthey can detect them, but they have a small limitation. And there could be confusion with seismic noise and other terrestrial interference. In space, that problem disappears. Taiji to the rescue. According to the tests that have been carried out on Earth and the analyzes of the interferometry system that have already been carried out in space with Taiji-1, this mission is capable of greatly reducing interference. Furthermore, the optical core that has just been tested is capable of detecting disturbances on the order of picometers. That is, on Earth you can discern displacements equivalent to one ten-thousandth of the diameter of a human hair. Although those distances would change under spatial conditions, it is still highly accurate. Therefore, it is expected to detect even gravitational waves caused by intermediate mass black holes. Other similar missions. The European Space Agency It also has its own mission aimed at detecting gravitational waves in space. This is LISAa project with which it is planned to do something similar: launch three ships connected by laser interferometry into space. In this case, the launch of all ships is scheduled for 2035, so China could have some advantage. Of course, until the complete triangle is in space, the mission cannot be considered completed. Perhaps Europe will be able to overtake the Asian country. Image | NOIRLab In Xataka | What happens if you fall into a black hole, explained simply in an overwhelming NASA simulation

why the great battle of mobile cameras is in size and not in megapixels

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How difficult can it be? know if the camera of one mobile phone is better than that of another. An example as a riddle, let’s see if you can see, at a glance, which camera is better. They are the two main cameras of two different phones: 50 megapixel sensor with f/1.7 aperture and one-inch size. 3.2 µm pixels and OIS stabilization. 200 megapixel sensor with f/1.7 aperture and 1/1.4 inch size. 0.56 µm pixels and OIS stabilization. Since a large number always attracts attention, a first glance could tell us that the camera with 200 megapixels is better than the one with 50 megapixels. Is that so? Well, not in this case, since the top camera (which corresponds to a Xiaomi 17 Ultra) It’s much better than the one below (from a Redmi Note 15 Pro+). That is something we could know from the size of the sensor and the pixels, which is exactly what we are going to explain in this article. A camera with more megapixels is not necessarily better Cameras are increasingly a claim by manufacturers when it comes to selling mobile phones. This is nothing new, since we have been seeing different races between them for years: first they were to offer more megapixels and then, to have a greater number of cameras. As we have seen in the example above, even cheap phones already have sensors with 200 megapixels. But, Does that mean the camera is better? In order to answer this question, we are going to explain what a megapixel is. A megapixel (also called ‘MP’ or ‘mpx’ on mobile devices) is equivalent to one million pixels and is an element that is not used to measure the quality of a sensor or an image, but its resolution. In short, the higher the number of megapixels, the larger the image size will be. This is very useful because it allows you to take large photographs and later make a digital crop to have an enlarged image. It is a very interesting solution for mobile phones that do not have a telephoto sensor (like the iPhone 17efor example), but it is not a factor that will determine the quality of the photograph. I understand this, now let’s talk about a key concept in photography: light. The more light a camera captures, the better the image quality and the less noise it will have. This is where pixel size comes in: the larger they are, the more light they are able to collect. What’s happening? That you cannot fit a huge number of megapixels into a small sensor because, in that case, each pixel receives less light. That is exactly the opposite of what we are looking for in photography, but it is a problem that is diluted if the sensor is larger. Why is sensor size so important? If the camera sensor is larger, the pixel and megapixel size will be larger. so they will capture more light. In fact, this is another detail that we can see in the example cameras that we used at the beginning of the article, since they tell us the size of their pixels measured in micrometers (or µm). The larger these are, the more light they will capture. Precisely based on this, manufacturers use a technique called ‘Pixel Binning’. Explained very simply, it is a process by which pixels join adjacent ones, thus forming larger pixels (and therefore, capable of capturing more light). There the number of megapixels (and therefore the resolution) is reduced in exchange for gaining more light. At this point, the question may arise in our mind as to why manufacturers don’t introduce larger sensors in phones. The answer, if we ignore the cost of these, is that you not only have to mount them: they have to be placed on the mobile so that it can take advantage of them 100%. And that takes up a lot of space on a device that seeks to be (relatively) thin. And where is the size of a sensor most noticeable? Well when we go to take a photo and there is little light. These large sensors offer more natural results at night and when lighting is poor, all without the need for overly aggressive software processing. It also performs very well with the contrast between dark and brightly lit areas, in addition to achieving a natural blur effect without having to resort to Portrait mode (or what is usually called ‘bokeh). How can I find out the size of a camera sensor? Sensor size is expressed in inches, usually as a fraction: for example, 1/1.95″. The smaller that fraction (closer to 1), the larger the sensor. A 1/1.3″ sensor is larger than a 1/1.95″ sensor. Megapixels are easy to sell because they are a large number and easy to compare in a store. Sensor size is harder to communicate, harder to manufacture, and harder to make profitable in the mid-range. That’s why manufacturers highlight it when they have it and omit it when they don’t.. Now you know which column to look at. Two mobile phones with one-inch sensors In recent months we have been seeing mobile phones with very good photographic sections and the vast majority of them (if not all) have one-inch sensors. It is true that we have mobile phones with an outstanding photographic section that barely have a sensor like this, like the Vivo X300 Ultra (main camera sensor measures 1/1.12 inch), he Vivo X300 Pro (1/1.28 inch) or the OPPO X9 Ultra (also 1/1.12 inch). There are many aspects that come into play when talking about mobile photography. and not all of them are physical (the processor and software also have a lot to say). Now, we have two good examples with one-inch sensors that we are going to see right below. Xiaomi 17 Ultra We have used it as an example because the Xiaomi 17 Ultra is one of the best cameras we have seen on mobile phones … Read more

Renfe makes its position in the workshop war clear to Iryo and the CNMC

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The Iryo-Renfe soap opera continues. Every day that passes we have a new chapter, a new exchange of statements, new figures on the table. And with each passing day, Iryo continues to find the door to the workshops closed. Although the CNMC obliges them, Renfe is clear: “they have no obligation.” The (pen)last chapter. It is the one that brings us the response from Renfe. And it is that, to questions from Xatakathe company tells us that the obligation imposed by the CNMC to open its workshops to Iryo has a “disproportionate impact” and there is a “technical impossibility.” The company assures that “adapting the workshops to the regime that the CNMC wants to impose” would take them a year. For now, the company has kept the Italian company’s workshops closed. And although Renfe clearly feels harmed, the company assures us that “we are studying how to do it (open the workshops) to carry out the CNMC’s decision, as it could not be otherwise.” Heavy or light. That’s the question. And since the liberalization of Spanish roads began, Renfe already knew that it would have to leave its workshops to Ouigo and Iryo to carry out light maintenance work. That is, routine checks of little significance. The problem is that these “light maintenance” operations are not clearly specified even in the Directive 2012/34/EU nor in the standard EN 15380-4:2021. This friction is what has led Renfe to deny passage to Iryo since it considers that in the proposed operations part of the train must be dismantled and that falls into the category of heavy maintenance. It must be remembered that Renfe already encountered this problem a few months ago. The Spanish company reported that Ouigo was carrying out heavy maintenance work at its facilities and that it had not previously reported this. Something that was proven, according to the company itself, by documents provided by the French company. The CNMC, on that occasion, also sided with Ouigo, forcing Renfe to lend its facilities for unforeseen interventions. Is it that big of a deal? Well, obviously, the versions differ here. No, it’s not that big a deal: Iryo is clear that the operations to be carried out in the Renfe workshops would not involve many problems. They assure that they would only occupy 7% of the infrastructure and that, since maintenance is scheduled weeks in advance, it is all a matter of organization. Yes, of course it is a big deal: Renfe, on the contrary, assures that these maintenance tasks seriously affect its schedule. They say that space is already operating at almost full capacity, that the impact of Iryo would be 10% of the infrastructure and that it would force them to withdraw 1.2 million seats from the offer because there would be no room to maintain their own trains. More than one million of these seats correspond to the lines in which it is handled as a Public Service Obligation (OSP) and this would result in a drop of 60 million euros in income. The CNMC is clear. The problem for Renfe is that the CNMC is clear about it and is on Iryo’s side. The regulator has already received a complaint that Renfe did not allow the Italian company to enter its workshops and issued a resolution forcing Renfe. This resolution was appealed before the National Court, which has decided to force Renfe to make way for Iryo in their workshops as a precautionary measure but with the notice that it will study the case in particular. The sticking point is that Iryo would need to send its trains to Rome for scheduled maintenance. That would force them, they say, to stop providing service with the trains involved for two months, a compelling reason for the CNMC despite the fact that In France Iryo was forced to take its trains to Italy despite the cessation of activity and despite the fact that the company announced that I would set up some workshops in Spain for these cases but nothing is known about them. Those are the cards that, for the moment, are on the table. Photo | Sergioorozco96 and Renfe In Xataka | There is a fight between the railway operators to get the best drivers and Renfe is winning it

that people install one in the garden

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Data centers have become the new cell towers: no one wants to live near one, not even if they offer money to build one. There are compelling reasons, such as pollution or what electricity bill prices skyrocket. In this context, a San Francisco startup has had an idea that can be crazy or genius: convert people’s homes into data centers. The idea. SPAN is a San Francisco startup that sells home electrical solutions, such as smart electrical panels or vehicle chargers. His new idea is called XFRAa “distributed data center solution” that installs an NVIDIA GPU node directly into homes. That is, instead of having a giant building full of GPUs, they distribute them in small panels throughout entire neighborhoods. These nodes, which have a design reminiscent of a larger air conditioner, contain 16 NVIDIA RTX PRO 600 Blackwell GPUs, 3TB of memory, and liquid cooling. In statements to Ars Technicathe company’s vice president said that “Data centers are noisy, unsightly and often drive up local electricity bills. This is quiet, discreet and makes energy more affordable for the provider and the community.” Image: SPAN Everyone wins. According to SPAN, their solution is a win-win for both hyperscalers and owners. AI companies are able to increase their capacity more immediately, avoiding the long lead times of large data centers. Meanwhile, owners who install one of these nodes will have discounts and even not pay anything for their electricity and internet bill. Electricity increases are one of the arguments of those who reject data centers, so this may increase their attractiveness for owners. Qlanes of the future. SPAN already has a pilot program underway to test its invention in 100 homes this year. The intention is to begin installing XFRA nodes in newly built homes, although they also consider the option of installing them in existing homes, in addition to offering more powerful nodes for commercial clients. The company’s plans are to install 80,000 XFRA nodes throughout the United States, which would achieve 1 gigawatt of distributed power at a much lower construction cost. Of course, it would not serve to replace traditional data centers used to train AI models, but this computing capacity would be oriented towards other uses such as inference, cloud gaming or content streaming. Context. The AI ​​boom requires a lot of computing power and companies started to build mega data centers like there is no tomorrow. They soon realized the problem: there is no power for so many chips. What has followed is an electrical network that does not support so many data centersthe skyrocketing electricity billthe technologies using nuclear energy and one strong opposition from the community. All of this is making building and launching a data center a process that can take years, That is if they don’t end up being cancelled. Maybe it’s not so far-fetched. The energy problem has led technology companies to consider take data centers to spacewhere energy is unlimited, or submerge them in the sea to cool them. The options are on the table, although there are already those who warn that They are a chimera and we still do not have the necessary technology. In this sense, the idea of ​​SPAN is presented as a much more realistic option, although seeing the rejection that data centers are arousing among citizens, it is not clear that it will be well received. Image | Xataka, with ChatGPT In Xataka | Quietly, Aragón is becoming a data center “powerhouse”: now it has taken a crucial step

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