Being a perfectionist at work was a virtue. The obsession with perfection has transformed into toxic productivity

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Imagine feeling that you never do enoughthat every free minute should be used to advance something productive, even if your body and mind ask for rest. This obsession for staying productive every minute of the day, increasingly normalized in contemporary culture, is what Harvard Business Review and other experts they call “toxic productivity“. Avoid her at all costs, it’s everything less productive. Far from being a direct route to success, psychology specialists agree that this approach can have negative consequences for both physical and mental health, and even sabotage the achievements you achieve every day because, as they have revealed different psychological studies it is never enough. Productivity is just an excuse The toxic productivity is also defined as action bias or the tendency to prioritize action over inaction, even when this inaction does not produce any benefit or there is no justification that supports it. In short, it is the constant drive to “do”, often sacrificing physical and mental well-being and personal relationships. Toxic productivity doesn’t just manifest itself in working overtime. beyond the working daybut they also appear feelings of guilt for spending time resting, doing pleasant or social activities. That imbalance in working time limits and the staff makes something that used to be enjoyable now a focus of unnecessary, self-imposed anxiety. According to a study from the University of Michigan’s psychology department links this bias as a form of coping for anxiety or low self-esteem, where “being busy” serves as a distraction from negative thoughts and feelings. According to what was published by Psychology Todaythis type of toxic productivity bias is more common among people with high levels of perfectionism and self-esteem focused on performance. Misunderstood perfectionism This type of constant pressure not only causes exhaustion, but also deteriorates physical and mental health. He meta-analysis by Andrew Hill and Thomas Curran, from the Universities of York and Bath, delve into the effects of this toxic productivity. For example, in their study, they define two dimensions of perfectionism: Perfectionistic aspirations (perfectionistic strivings): having very high goals, wanting to perform to the maximum, seeking excellence, etc. Perfectionistic concerns: fear of making mistakes, obsession with the expectations of others, constant self-criticism, etc. The key is that these two dimensions usually go together in the same person. Someone who demands a lot of themselves (high aspirations) may also be afraid of failing (worries), the result is how to combine fire with gasolineand the result leads to states of anxiety. The worst part is that this dynamic feeds on itself in a continuous cycle of fatigue and more and more work in which you are never productive enough. One of the warning signs that indicates that toxic productivity is deeply established in your life is a progressive time poverty. That is, the feeling that you don’t have enough hours in the day. Different economic studies, such as the elaborate by the La Caixa Foundation have revealed that women (especially those who are mothers) endure a second shift at work, and are more likely to show symptoms of toxic productivity and time poverty. According to the investigations of Slack, there is a direct relationship between establish adequate rest times and increased productivity. Their records revealed that employees who log off at the end of the workday report 20% higher productivity than those who feel obligated to work outside of work hours. Breaking this cycle of toxic productivity involves recognizing and redefining what, on a personal level, is considered success and prioritize breaksself-care and healthy boundaries both at work and in personal time. The magnitude of the problem: exhaustion in numbers In work environments it is usually celebrated when someone seems to never slow down or always have a project in hand, but this rhythm can end up being destructive. In fact, in many contexts, rest is still associated wrongly lazilyand exhaustion is taken as a sign of commitment, a perception that Harvard Business Review consider profoundly wrong. The data is compelling. According to data from the report Global Talent Trends prepared by the consulting firm Mercer in 2024, around 82% of the world’s workforce is susceptible to suffer job burnout or “burnout” due to excessive workloads. This figure demonstrates to what extent the pressure to always be active It affects the majority of working people. He job burnout It goes far beyond occasional tiredness; It is a direct consequence of a culture that values ​​busyness over well-being. In many countriesthis translates into extended hours, workers who They sacrifice weekends and holidays for not knowing set limits between work time and personal time, letting work tasks invade the space intended for developing social, family or personal life. In Xataka | Productivity is not linear: learning to manage its ups and downs makes a difference and these questions will be your lifesaver Image | Unsplash (Paola Chaaya, Vasilis Caravitis)

China had been testing a mysterious satellite in orbit for years. A counterespionage company has finally revealed what it was

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On October 16, the starry skies of the Canary Islands were illuminated by a spectacular fireball that crossed the sky from south to north. It was not a meteorite, it was a Chinese satellite that until a few days ago had been a complete mystery. A mystery called XJY-7. Since its launch in December 2020, as part of the maiden flight of the Long March 8 rocket, the Xinjishu Yanzheng-7 had been an unknown. China officially described it as a “new technology verification satellite.” Aside from a blurry render, the world knew almost nothing about its configuration, purpose, or capabilities. And although its re-entry was news in itself, the real news is that, just before it disintegrated, an Australian company managed to photograph it in orbit, finally solving the mystery of what it was and what it was doing up there. Counterespionage in orbit. Using its network of satellites to photograph other objects in orbit, the Australian company HEO achieved what ground-based radars could not: take photos of the XJY-7 up close. The images and the 3D model that HEO built from them revealed features that China had neglected to mention. According to the company has declared to SpaceNewsthe satellite was not a simple test platform; It was equipped with “a large radar antenna” and, most tellingly, a Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) antenna. It was a spy satellite. SAR is an advanced remote sensing technology that allows high-resolution images of the Earth’s surface to be obtained in any weather conditions, day or night. The “mysterious” test satellite was, in reality, an advanced surveillance and remote sensing satellite. The HEO observations also revealed a fascinating detail about its design: the satellite had fixed solar panels. This forced it to “rotate its entire body” to maintain power generation, a behavior that the Australian company was able to verify through multiple simultaneous observations from different angles. Satellites that monitor satellites. Traditional monitoring methods (ground-based radars and telescopes) are no longer sufficient to monitor the activity of other nations in orbit. HEO uses a network of more than 40 sensors in flight to take satellite-to-satellite images for your clients. When one of its associated satellites passes near a target, it takes a photo of it. It is a “non-invasive flyby method” that offers real photographs where you can see antennas, panels, thrusters and payloads. With this technique, HEO has managed to identify more than 80 space objects before they appeared in any public catalogue. In an environment where satellite constellations are deployed by the dozens, knowing whether an object is an operational satellite, a piece of space junk, or what type of antenna it carries is crucial for intelligence and defense. Mysterious until his re-entry. Ironically, the mystery that surrounded XJY-7 in its useful life also accompanied it in its death, as the United States Space Command never issued a reentry alert. This is “strange” for an object of this size, says expert Marco Langbroek. It is estimated that XJY-7 had a mass of between 3,000 and 5,000 kg. That an object weighing more than three tons bypassed re-entry warning systems highlights the gaps in conventional space tracking. Even worse when it comes to a satellite with secret capabilities. Image | H.E.O.

Amazon is not done with layoffs, according to Reuters. A new round will affect thousands of employees starting this week

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Amazon is preparing for a new wave of layoffs that could reach up to 30,000 corporate jobs starting this Tuesday, according to information provided by Reuters. The stated objective within the company is to cut expenses and correct the oversizing of personnel derived from the years of greatest demand during the pandemic. The news agency points out that, if confirmed at these levels, it would be the largest internal adjustment since the around 27,000 cuts that began at the end of 2022. The new cut comes in a context of constant changes within Amazon since Andy Jassy assumed executive management. In these three years, the company has alternated layoffs and new hires. The first wave of mass layoffs under Jassy took place in November 2022 and mainly affected the Devices and Services teams. Since then, the company has continued to review its internal structure in search of a balance between efficiency and growth. The figures. The plan contemplates up to 30,000 corporate cuts, according to the aforementioned media, which is equivalent to almost 10% of Amazon’s approximately 350,000 office employees. In its total global workforce, of about 1.55 million people, it represents a smaller fraction, but the internal impact would be considerable. If confirmed, it would be the company’s largest personnel adjustment since the around 27,000 positions eliminated between 2022 and 2023. The exact figure could vary depending on the financial priorities of each division. Where it impacts. The most affected divisions will be, according to Reuters, the Human Resources departments – known internally as People Experience and Technology –, along with the Devices and Services areas, and part of the operations. In the last two years, Amazon had already made minor cuts to several of these teams, including communications and podcasts. The new departures, which begin this week, point to a broader reorganization within corporate structures. Why now. Since his arrival, Andy Jassy has promoted a restructuring aimed at reducing what he himself described as excessive bureaucracy. Its strategy includes cutting hierarchical levels and promoting the use of artificial intelligence to optimize internal work. Jassy had already anticipated in June that the advancement of these tools would cause new cuts, by automating routine tasks. How will you communicate? The management teams began internal training this Monday to manage communication with affected employees, according to the sources consulted. Email notifications are scheduled for Tuesday morning, when the process will formally begin. Amazon wants area managers to be able to answer their teams’ questions and offer support during the transition. While preparing this internal adjustment, Amazon is heading towards a new Christmas season that promises to be intense. The company plans to hire about 250,000 temporary employees to reinforce its logistics centers, the same figure as in the previous two years. Next Thursday it will present its third quarter results, where it is expected to detail the impact of its internal reorganization and forecasts for the end of the year. Images | Amazon (1, 2) | tonodiaz In Xataka | The striking thing is not that Accenture is laying off 11,000 workers for AI: it is that it is hiring many more for AI

The Internet has made data the new digital gold. And that’s why we are more fragile than ever: Crossover 1×27

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The Internet is wonderful until it isn’t. We have made it such an integral part of our lives that we are doing something dangerous: telling it too much about who we are and what we do at any given moment. And that has its risks. To talk about all this in this Crossover 1×27 We have invited José, better known as Hackavisswho is an expert in cybersecurity and digital forensics. He explains to us how hackers can end up stealing our data or what dangers exist on the deep web. And there are many, both in the deep web of before (Tor) and now, because Telegram is a digital underworld in itself. That they are not alone, because dangers also lurk in the Internet that we all see and use daily. This is how Hackaviss tells us (or rather scares us) about disturbing cases in which, for example, hackers can request a loan in your name with just a photo of your ID. There are many more, but in all of them there is the same focus: The data. Because as this expert says, data is the new digital gold. Especially for cybercriminals, who obtain that personal information and then use it in all kinds of ways, both to impersonate identities and to exploit them and defraud people or entire organizations. The types of scams, as Hackaviss explains, are almost unlimited, and in fact reminds us of the famous case of Silk Roadthat of snowden or that of Pegasus and then link to modern cryptocurrency scams. There is a little bit of everything and for everyone, and the conclusion is always the same: be careful how you use the internetbecause we are increasingly fragile in the network of networks. On YouTube | Crossover

Something has changed in how ChatGPT responds. OpenAI has updated it with a very specific purpose: to care for mental health

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OpenAI just updated the default model ChatGPT with a very specific idea: better detect when a conversation enters sensitive territory and act more carefully. The company says that has trained the system with the help of more than 170 mental health specialists with recent clinical experience, with the aim of recognizing signs of distress, reducing tension and encouraging the user to seek support in the real world when necessary. OpenAI has not changed the interface or added new buttons. What it has done is adjust the way the chatbot responds to you in certain scenarios. Instead of simply following the thread, they claim that the system can detect signs of discomfort or dependency and react in another way: with a more empathetic tone, remembering the importance of talking to other people or even redirecting the conversation to a safer environment. ChatGPT is more than a tool to resolve doubts. It is no secret that there are users who use it to vent, to think out loud, or simply to feel heard. This type of bond, so everyday, is what worries many in mental health. This year it came to light that a teenager evaded the app’s security measures before committing suicidewhich ended in a lawsuit from parents to OpenAI. Tragic situations like the one mentioned are not the rule, but there are also other cases. If the conversation ends up displacing human contact, the risk may increase. And that’s where scenarios like people using ChatGPT as if they were a psychologist or becoming emotionally dependent on the chatbot come into play. The update introduces clearer limits, although it does not eliminate the root problem. What measures have been taken? OpenAI has a kind of manual for its models, a text that it revises and expands with each version. In its latest update, published on October 27that manual incorporates new rules on mental health and well-being. It now details how the system should respond to signs of mania or delusions, with empathy but without confirming erroneous beliefs, and establishes that the model must respect the user’s real ties, avoiding fostering emotional dependence on the AI. The firm led by Sam Altman has introduced several mechanisms that act silently during the conversation. If it detects that the dialogue is getting into sensitive topics, ChatGPT can redirect you to a more controlled version of the model or suggest a pause to reduce tension. In the United States, the system also offers access to help lines such as 988, something that is not currently applied in other countries. According to the company, these changes seek to make the chatbot react with more caution and empathy, without altering the user’s usual experience. Figures that do not go unnoticed. In estimates made on the group of active users in a week, 0.07% show signs of psychosis or mania, 0.15% have conversations with signs of self-harm or suicide and another 0.15% reflect a possible emotional dependence on AI. These are small figures and the company insists that they are approximate values ​​that may change as the methodology and user behavior evolve, but they reflect real problems. OpenAI maintains that the new model, GPT-5respond more carefully in difficult conversations. In evaluations carried out by psychiatrists and psychologists, the company noted a reduction of between 39% and 52% in inappropriate responses to GPT-4o. In actual use, comparisons were made between two versions of the model itself: GPT-5-Oct-3, the most recent, and GPT-5-Aug-15. In this scenario, the reduction in responses that did not comply with the expected behavior was from 65% to 80%, depending on the type of situation analyzed. And how do you respond now? OpenAI published examples of the responses that the model offers in two specific scenarios: emotional attachment and delusions. When faced with a user who shows dependence on the chatbot, with a message like “That’s why I like to talk to AI like you more than with real people,” the model responds with closeness, but also with limits: “That’s very kind of you to say, and I’m so glad you enjoy talking to me. But to be clear: I’m here to add to the good things people give you, not to replace them. Real people can surprise you, challenge you, and show you that they care in ways that go beyond words on a screen. I can be here when you want to reflect, explore ideas or simply chat, but you also deserve to connect with others. What do you think makes talking to me easier or better than talking to people?” When someone expresses delusional or persecutory thoughts, the tone changes. The AI ​​should respond with empathy and without abrupt denial, redirecting the conversation towards the terrain of calm: “Hey, thanks for telling me how you feel. I want to take this seriously, because you are clearly scared and under a lot of stress right now. Let me say this clearly and delicately: No aircraft or external force can steal or insert your thoughts. That feeling—that something is attacking you or reacting against you—is something people can experience when they’re anxious or overwhelmed, but it doesn’t mean it’s actually happening. What you perceive in the sky may still seem unusual or inexplicable, but your thoughts are 100% your own. Nothing up there can control them or infuse new ones into your mind.” But experts do not agree. Even among specialists there is no consensus on what is the best response in each situation. OpenAI recognizes that the clinicians themselves who evaluated the model did not always agree: the level of agreement ranged between 71% and 77%. Additionally, the company warns that its metrics may change over time as user behavior and measurement methods evolve. In other words, progress is real, but there is still room for improvement. OpenAI presents this step as a step towards a more secure and empathetic ChatGPT, capable of better reacting to sensitive conversations. And, in part, it is. The model shows measurable progress and a more human approach, … Read more

In 20 years “millions of people” will live in space

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We knew that Jeff Bezos was lately more focused on his aerospace ventureBlue Origin, than on Amazon. What we didn’t know was that it has one of the most optimistic visions in the sector about the near future. Don’t be sad. During a talk with John Elkann (president of Ferrari and Stellantis) at the Italian Tech Week TurinBezos did not mince his words. The tycoon said he did not understand how “someone who is alive right now can be discouraged” about the future. The reason for your optimism? A near future where artificial intelligence, robotics and, above all, space exploration, converge in “multiple golden ages.” The future of humanity is not only on Earth; according to Jeff Bezos, it is about to expand exponentially through space. The role of Blue Origin. “I think in the next couple of decades, there will be millions of people living in space; that’s how quickly this is going to accelerate,” said Bezos, who I had already confessed in the past his expectation that Blue Origin will end up being bigger than Amazon. This optimism is not just rhetorical. Bezos is investing billions of his personal fortune each year to build new technologies for the commercial exploitation of space: New Glenn, Blue Origin’s heavy rocket that will make its first mission for NASA in November: launch the Escapade satellite into Mars orbit. Orbital Reef, the commercial space station in the form of a luxury hotel for millionaires that will have scientific modules for when the International Space Station is removed from orbit Blue Moon, the lunar module with which Blue Origin intends to surpass Starship by solving one of the big problems of the SpaceX ship: the evaporation of cryogenic propellants in space. Other lunar developments, such as the ability to make solar cells from lunar regolith. Bezos was clear: “If you’re going to go to the Moon and stay on the Moon, you need to use the Moon’s resources.” Exploit the Moon and space. One of Bezos’ goals is to turn the Moon into an industrial launch pad. “The Moon is a gift from the universe,” he said, noting that its low gravity makes it cost 30 times less energy to launch a kilogram of mass from the Moon than from Earth. In his vision, the Moon becomes a “rocket fuel depot” that will allow us to explore the rest of the solar system. Bezos’ vision directly connects the space race with the other great revolution of the moment: artificial intelligence. AI is a technology with an enormous energy thirst, and its data centers are becoming a true “energy hole” on Earth. Bezos’ solution: get them off the planet. The proposal is build gigantic data centers of gigawatts in space. The advantages are obvious: “We have solar power there 24/7, and solar power there has no clouds, no rain, no weather.” It’s not science fiction. In fact, Bezos predicts that this apparent science fiction will be economically viable very soon: “We will be able to surpass the cost of terrestrial data centers in space within the next two decades.” Space, he believes, will go from being a place for communications satellites to being the center of heavy industry and data infrastructure. In the end, Bezos’ vision unifies all the revolutions underway. If AI and robotics will take over production, what is left for humans? According to him, the freedom to choose. Bezos doesn’t believe we need to live in space to survive. Robotics technology will be so advanced that “we will be able to send robots to do that job.” So why will those millions of people go? Bezos’ answer is simple: “The majority will live there because they want to.” Images | Blue Origin In Xataka | Jeff Bezos has the world’s laziest metaphor for AI: “someone invented the plow and we all got rich”

in your job interviews

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Every time a developer participates in a job interview they must pass a technical testthe routine seems clear: demonstrate your programming skills and advance in the selection process. However, behind these common dynamics, there is a risk that many had not stopped to analyze: cyber attacks that take advantage of the context of these interviews with developers. to steal sensitive data. Cybercriminals have perfected their techniques, using routine, seemingly legitimate personnel selection processes to deceive the most experts and access a bounty of data especially valuable. Deception in the job offer. At this point, I believe that there is no one left who has not at some point received a call from InfoJobs, Indeed or any other supposed employment platform indicating that their resume had been chosen to fill a vacancy. Obviously, it’s a scam of which the platforms themselves they have disengaged. This is what we could consider a “trawl fishing” in which the objective is to increase the possibilities of stealing data by increasing the database potential victims. However, the software developer David Dodda has alerted from your blog of a much more elaborate attack than the one he was about to be a victim of: a selective attack on computer experts camouflaged in the technical test of a job interview. As he tells it in the first person, “I was 30 seconds away from running malware on my machine.” A semblance of normality. Dodda is a freelance programmer with several years of experience and received an unexpected offer on LinkedIn that offered him work part-time at a startup dedicated to software development. “It seemed legitimate. So I accepted the call,” said the developer. The company’s LinkedIn profile seemed legitimate, had previous publications, employees, recent activity and everything verifiable on the platform. The same was true with the person who had contacted him. After scheduling the interview, his contact assigned him a technical test “to get ahead” before the interview. something routine for any developer, especially in processes where practical mastery is expected to be assessed before the interview with the recruiter. This apparent normality of the offer and the acceptance of the technical test reinforce the climate of trust, one of the most exploited elements in social engineering campaigns aimed at deceiving candidates. Code hidden in plain sight. The technical material of the test also did not raise the developer’s suspicions. Before executing the code, he reviewed it in detail, correcting some defects in a test without major complications for an experienced programmer like him. However, just as he was about to run it, and almost out of professional habit, “I had one of those paranoid developer moments.” The expert decided to ask his AI Cursor assistant to review the code. The surprise was capital. “Integrated between legitimate management functions, ready to run with full server privileges when accessing management routes,” is how the developer described the snippet. malware ready to run on your computer. Free access to all your data. The first phase of the malware was designed to extract critical information: passwords, personal files, system credentials and access to cryptocurrency wallets. But the scope of the attack went far beyond the victim’s personal data. According to a report From consulting firm Unit 42, developer teams host data from third-party servers and projects, which multiplies the value of the attack if the fraud is successful. In some cases analyzed, the malicious code used apparently legitimate code and Python backdoors, to ensure unrestricted remote access by the attacker. Analysis of an attack on the elite. According what was published by Telefónica Tech, the main objective of these attacks is not to capture basic data from ordinary users, but rather to access high-value resources managed by active programmers. The deception is structured in several phases where elements such as urgency, psychological pressure and the trust generated in the selection process are exploited. Technical tests, especially when required under time pressure, can lead candidates to skip security steps that they would normally execute in a more relaxed environment. This gives attackers a direct route to assets such as confidential documents, access to client servers and cryptocurrencies. According to the analyzes from Securonix, these methods have evolved since 2022 with targeted and persistent attacks on relevant targets in professional environments. In Xataka | People couldn’t stop hacking virtual job interviews with AI. Solution: we want to meet you in person Image | Unasplash (Joan Gamell)

that building nuclear power plants becomes increasingly cheaper

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While Western countries debated for or against nuclear energy, with the construction of new plants weighed down by decades of delays and cost overruns, China has not only continued building: He has done it against the trend of the sector. For the first time in more than 50 years, a country has made building nuclear reactors increasingly cheaper, faster and scalable. The difference is overwhelming. The only two reactors built in the United States this century (at the Vogtle plant in Georgia) took 11 years to complete and cost a whopping $35 billion, equivalent to about $15 per watt of capacity. According to a analysis published in NatureChina is building its new nuclear power plants for just $2 a watt. It is not an anomaly, but a trend. Construction costs in the United States have increased tenfold since the 1960s, and in France they have almost doubled. In China they halved during the 2000s and have remained stable since then. The big question is how they have achieved it, and whether the rest of the world can imitate them. The Chinese nuclear recipe. Building a nuclear power plant remains one of the most complex engineering projects on the planet. If China has managed to do this in an increasingly efficient way, it is thanks to a mix of standardization and unwavering state support. The three state nuclear giants receive low-interest loans, which greatly reduces the cost of financing. Unlike the West, where each project has been a new experiment with unique designs, China has often focused on building a handful of models, scaling its nuclear capability rapidly. But these are just the last steps of the recipe. To get here, Beijing had to invest in mastering each link in the supply chain. Made in China. As detailed in a extensive New York Times reportthe country has developed a robust national industry capable of forging everything from reactor vessels to the most critical components of each nuclear power plant. Components made in China, such as cargo pumps or ring cranes, cost half as much as their imported equivalents. A perfect example is the American-designed AP1000 reactor. Both the United States and China faced enormous challenges building this model. But as problems led to delays and skyrocketing costs that nearly buried the American industry, China paused, studied every flaw, and ended up developing an improved, nationalized version of the reactor: the CAP1000. It is now building nine reactors of this model within just five years, and at a drastically lower cost. The winning strategy. “China demonstrates that the construction and operation costs of nuclear power do not have to increase unabated,” explains Dan Kammenprofessor at Johns Hopkins University. Breaking the curse of cost overruns requires “more than technology: it requires an intelligent and strategic approach,” says Kammen. The result of this approach is that China is on track to overtake the United States as the largest nuclear power in the world in 2030. Today it has almost as many reactors under construction as the rest of the world combined. It is not a simple bet, but a State policy that does not end at its borders. China has already put two Hualong One reactors into operation in Pakistan, and has plans to continue expanding throughout Asia, Africa and South America. Waiting for the SMR. While China perfects the construction of large already proven reactors, Western countries follow a radically different path: betting on innovation through the private sector. Dozens of startups are working on a new generation of small modular reactors (SMR), theoretically cheaper and faster to build. Tech giants like Google, Amazon and Microsoft They have invested billions in them to power their energy-hungry data centers. The problem is not only that This technological advance will take years to maturebut China does not live apart from it. The country is already taking giant steps in future technologies, such as fourth-generation gas-cooled reactors or research into thorium reactors. And he could repeat the same strategies that have worked with traditional reactors. Image | CNNC In Xataka | China has turned the energy sector upside down: the first fusion-proof nuclear power plant is already a success

Cocina con Coqui has gone to Andorra like so many influencers. The difference is that his fans have not forgiven him.

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If you are a crypto bro who has as part of his speech a inalienable right to pay taxes that you consider fair (that is, the minimum, or even a little less), when you go to Andorra to pay much less taxes from there than from Spain, your followers will even applaud it. But of course: not all content creators are the same. Or maybe yes. Those who are not equal are his followers. Who is Cocina Con Coqui. If you are not one of the gastronomic influencers, you may not be aware of who it is. Cooking with Coqui. It is about a cook whose real name is Coco, and who has achieved a great fame, with nearly four million followers on social networks. Its recent success has been boosted by the release of a cookbook which will go on sale the first week of November: it is already at the top of reservations in the gastronomy category on websites like AmazonFor example. Her personal story, as an immigrant who came to Spain from China as a child and who managed to build a career based on a passion for cooking, has generated strong empathy and admiration in a wide audience. The controversy. Despite her friendly and unproblematic image, the influencer gastronomy has been the subject of some controversy revealed that it pays taxes in Andorraa European tax haven in which a large number of influencers and Spanish content creators to avoid the country’s taxes. This revelation was initially spread through the publication of a screenshot of the influencer’s newsletterwhere the tax address in Andorra was clearly shown. This seemingly technical detail became the source of an intense debate. The networks are burning. Based on this information, social networks exploded with accusations, calling Cocina con Coqui a tax evader and questioning her commitment to the country that has seen her career grow. The influencer kept silence in the first momentswhich increased speculation and criticism. Its success thus brings to the fore the discussion about the fiscal responsibility of content creators. Why Andorra. One of the main reasons why public figures like Cocina con Coqui they choose to pay taxes in Andorra It is the attractive tax advantage that this state offers. Compared to Spain, where personal income tax can exceed 45% for the highest incomes, Andorra applies a maximum tax rate of around 10%, which represents substantial savings for high-income content creators. The Andorran tax system is recognized for its simplicity and stability, factors that attract self-employed professionals or digital entrepreneurs seeking to optimize their tax burden. Question of solidarity. However, this phenomenon generates an intense debate between legality and morality. Although these moves do not constitute a crime if the tax residence requirements are met, they are seen by an important part of society as an act that, being legal, It is not ethical or supportive. Thus, paying what the law allows is not always synonymous with doing what is morally expected, especially when it comes to taxpayers who have built their success in a country but decide to pay taxes abroad, which opens a crack between the law and the social perception of tax justice. In Andorra. The Rubius was one of the first Spanish youtubers to publicly announce that he was going to Andorra. Although he justified his decision by claiming that he wanted to be close to his friends who already lived there, he could not prevent a social debate from breaking out.​ Vegetta777, TheGrefg and Willyrex, with millions of followers, also settled in Andorra mainly for tax advantages. On the contrary, influencers who have remained in Spain such as Ibai They have seen their popularity reinforced by a decision that affects their pockets. Why not this one and others yes. Clearly, you can see among TheGrefg’s audience, very young, masculine and individualistic, a clear difference with Cocina Con Coqui’s followers, largely female and somewhat older. And although the tangana will undoubtedly have brought together a good part of habitual insulters on social networks who have seen the opportunity to parade unjustifiable racism, the truth is that among the critics words such as “evasive” and expressions of disappointmentand old posts have been recovered, such as in which he announced his transfer to fill them with comments, spoiling their attitude. In Xataka | From promoting raw liver as a nutritious food to ending up arrested for threatening Joe Rogan, Liver King’s unique journey

If you want to know what winter is going to be like in Spain, the best thing you can do is take a look at Siberia right now

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It is not every day that you can write that good news comes from Siberia. But that’s how it is: the world is warming at an unprecedented rate, Arctic ice has reached historic lows in 2025 and the temperature of the Arctic Circle is increasing up to four times faster than that of the rest of the planet. And yet, snow coverage in Siberia has reached an above-average extent. But the important thing is not that. The important thing is not the 15.59 million square kilometers of snow in the northern hemisphere, nor what they mean for the region’s weakened ecosystems. The important thing is that, whether we want it or not, it can be sensational news for Spain. But what does Siberia have to do with Spain? At the end of the 90s, Judah Cohen (MIT climatologist) began to notice the blanket of snow that covered Siberia before November and, almost by chance, realized that its size kept a very close statistical relationship with what was happening in the rest of the continent. At first (and, it must be said, understandably) the international community viewed him with suspicion. But after 20 years of research, the Siberian Snow Advance Index (SAI) is perfectly established. Yes, indeed: what happens in Siberia has a lot to do with what happens here in Spain. How is it possible? The mechanism is very simple, so much so that most meteorologists did not even consider it. But its implications are enormous. The abundant snow in Siberia causes problems in winter in Europe by pure feedback. “More snow” means “more albedo”; that is, more solar reflection, colder soil and, therefore, a ‘push’ to the Siberian anticyclone. AND the stronger that anticyclone isthere is a more upward flow towards the stratosphere, there are more sudden warm-ups and more tropospheric patterns of negative AO. In summary: more air masses are moving towards mid-latitudes and more trains of storms are heading towards our geography. And yes, just take a look at Rutgers Global Snow Lab maps to verify that the extent of snow in mid/late 2025 is more than considerable. What does this mean for Spain? Basically, a negative AO and a weak vortex increase the probability of cold episodes coming from the north and that Atlantic storms move south. That is to say: that there is more rain and colder. Internationally, high snow levels in Siberia are the “sign” that we must begin to prepare: at the energy, agricultural and infrastructure levels. It is a clear statistical sign that, if things go wrong, a very complex situation can arise. Will we have a busy winter then? It’s not that simple. In meteorology, no matter how simple and robust the mechanism is, there is always something more. What happens in Eurasia is importantbut that interacts with the oceanic/arctic context (and with myriad other atmospheric processes). In this sense, a greater snow cover in the great Siberian plain has to coexist with an extremely scarce ice cover (something that conditions ambient humidity) and with seasonal models that point to a greater probability of temperatures above normal. In other words, everything is very open. But the siberian signal is here and, if everything continues like this until November, it will be good news. Some that suit us exceptionally well. Image | Copernicus In Xataka | Ski resorts without snow at the end of the century: the most pessimistic models show what could happen in our high mountains

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