call

call it productivity and brag about the system

by

three years ago I wrote here that spending years trying productivity apps, running like a headless chicken from Todoist to Things and from Craft to Notion, had been a rather unproductive search. I maintain it, but at that moment I had not seen version 2.0 of the problem yet. The one that no longer has to do with apps. There is a scene that is repeated in the spaces where we addicts to productivity (or the false sense of productivity) go. YouTube channels, newslettersX accounts with hundreds of thousands of followers: someone shows their “system”. It can be a Notion very well structured with relational databases, or a Obsidian with interconnected knowledge graphs. The morning routine with a weekly, monthly and quarterly review block. The labels, the priorities with their little flags, the active and latent projects, the someday / maybe. Everything documented, everything perfect. And when you see that you think “this person doesn’t have time to do anything.” It is not a joke but an observation. The most sophisticated productivity system is, in most cases, the most reliable proof that its owner has stopped producing.. I’m guilty too. Because building and maintaining that system requires exactly the kind of sustained attention, cognitive energy, and hours on screen that the system is supposed to free up to do important things. Here’s the catch GTDhe second brain and the entire philosophy of personal productivity have tended unintentionally, or perhaps wanting to: They have made managing work look like work. And looking like work, it gives the satisfaction of work done. Dopamine from task completion without having completed any actual task. Rearranging Obsidian notes for two hours feels like work. It is not. The phenomenon has a technical name that no one uses because it sounds too honest: structured procrastination. Doing things that are legitimate and even useful, but that are not the right thing to do. In its most innocent version, it is tidying up your desk before you start writing. In its 2026 version, it’s spending the afternoon building the perfect idea capture flow instead of having none. AI has multiplied this tenfold. Now the system can be more complex, more automated, more impressive. You can have one agent that classifies your notes, another that summarizes your readings, another that generates the weekly report of everything you have captured. He second brain It has become something like a brain of its own, with its own processes, its own maintenance needs, its own technical debt. And you, meanwhile, feeding it. In the end this shows us an uncomfortable truth: that most of us prefer preparing to do things rather than doing them. The perfect system is a permanent promise of future performance that indefinitely postpones the demands of the present. There is always a reason not to start yet: the system is not ready, a field is missing in the database, the capture flow needs to be revised. Let’s see if there is a better icon for this page. This is not new, of course. Seneca wrote 2,000 years ago that busyness and living are different things. But before procrastination had a bad conscience. You knew you were avoiding something. Now you can avoid it with impeccable productivity, with a label system and weekly review, without anyone, starting with yourself, being able to point the finger at you. Are you working. It is seen. I have a Notion to prove it. Real work, the one that matters, the one that costs, has a characteristic that productivity systems cannot simulate: produces something that did not exist before. Not a neater database or a more refined capture flow. Something that, when finished, justifies the time you have not dedicated to organizing yourself. That something is getting rarer and rarer. And our systems, increasingly more perfect and aesthetic. In Xataka | I’ve tried the Plaud NotePin S: the wearable AI recorder that’s not for everyone, but it’s perfect for some Featured image | Isaac Smith

OpenAI thought putting an erotic mode on ChatGPT was a good idea. His wellness advisors call him “a sexy suicide coach”

by

Treat adults like adults. This is how Sam Altman announced OpenAI’s decision to allow a “adult mode” on ChatGPT to have erotic conversations. It makes economic sense since it will be a paid function, but the doubts from an ethical point of view are also there. In fact, it has been the company’s own wellness team that has been against this product, causing its launch to be delayed. Internal opposition. In an exclusive Wall Street Journalsay that earlier this year, OpenAI consulted with its board of wellness experts about ChatGPT’s adult mode and the response was unanimous: it’s a terrible idea. At a meeting, experts warned that these types of interactions with AI can foster emotional dependency, especially among younger users. One of the committee members brought up the topic of teenagers who committed suicide, allegedly encouraged by ChatGPTand said it would be like launching a “sexy suicide coach.” Demolishing. Risks. People are already forming emotional bonds with AI chatbotsif we add sexual content to the one that has the most users in the world, it is, to say the least, delicate. According to internal documents reviewed by the Wall Street Journal, the wellness council’s experts identified several problems, such as the risk of compulsive use, a tendency toward extreme content, and the displacement of real romantic relationships in favor of virtual ones. Age verification. Is the crucial step that ensures that such a tool does not end up in the hands of minor users. The problem OpenAI has is that its verification system fails more than a fairground shotgun. According to internal sources, the system failed to identify 12% of the time. It may seem like a relatively low figure, but in practice we are talking about millions of teenagers accessing this function. What OpenAI says. The company wants us to be able to ‘sext’ with ChatGPT, but with certain limits. An OpenAI spokesperson says they will block harmful content – such as sexual and child-related abuse -, will integrate safeguards such as reminding users to have relationships in the real world, and will also avoid encouraging exclusive relationships. Another measure involves monitoring the long-term effect that this adult mode has on users. Adult mode will be exclusively text and will not allow the creation of images or videos. Regarding age verification, the spokesperson states that the performance is similar to that of other industry proposals and that “they will never be totally infallible.” It was planned for the first quarter, but now that it has been postponed there is no date for its launch. Background. OpenAI already has a history of accusations related to harmful effects on mental health. One of the most famous cases It was Adam Raine’sa teenager who shared his suicidal ideations with ChatGPT. When his parents discovered the conversations, They sued OpenAI. And he hasn’t been the only one. There is several legal proceedings underway for similar cases and there have also been cases where ChatGPT has been accused of encourage delusional thoughts and cause psychotic breaks. Saying that AI is solely responsible is simplify a much more complex realitybut it is no less true that OpenAI has taken steps to make its chatbot more secure for minors and has been shown committed to taking care of the mental health of its users. That is, they recognize that the problem exists. The question now is how launching a version of the same chatbot that has sex with users fits into this discourse. In Xataka | “I can’t stop”: the addiction to talking to AI is already here and there are even support groups to quit it Image | Cottonbro studio, Pexels

call the US or be the last with an endangered fighter jet

by

There was a time when Spain decided that it did not need the large aircraft carriers of the superpowers to have combat aviation at sea. So he opted for a bold solutionalmost experimental, that fit its geography, its naval ambition and its resources, and that would end up becoming a sign of identity for decades. Since then, that unique aircraft has been linked to the Navy in such a profound way that it is difficult to understand its history separately. And now you are faced with a dilemma. Pioneer in stoppage time. Yes, for approximately half a century, the Spanish Navy built a singular identity in Europe by operating fixed-wing fighters from the sea without the need for large aircraft carriers, relying on the Harrier as a central tool of deterrence, projection and expeditionary support. That strategic advantage, which made Spain an international reference since the seventies and allowed it to operate in real scenarios like the Balkansnow comes to a critical point: the aircraft that made it possible enters its final phase of useful life just when the rest of the operators leave the platform and the technological and doctrinal environment of naval air combat has completely changed. The isolation of the Spanish Harrier. To understand it, two facts are fundamental: the imminent withdrawal of the AV-8B Harrier of the United States Marine Corps and the italian transition towards the F-35B, movements that leave Spain on track to become the last world operator of the model. This scenario is not only symbolic, but deeply practical: it means being left alone with a logistics chain that is shutting down, with production stopped for more than two decades and with a growing dependence on one-off agreements, cannibalization of cells and increasingly scarce spare parts. Extra ball. Although the Navy hopes to extend operations until 2032 through agreements with the United States and management extremely careful of the fleet, the truth is that with each passing year reduces safety marginsincreases risks and increases the cost of a capacity that no longer has a medium-term future. Harrier of the Spanish Navy The technological abyss in front of the network. Beyond sustainment, the dilemma is operational. Of course, the Harrier is still a valid aircraft for certain missions, but it belongs to another era of air combatone where information was concentrated in the cockpit and survival depended largely on the pilot and limited sensors. In front of him we have to talk again about an “old acquaintance”, because the F-35B represents a qualitative leap that does not allow comparisons gradual: it is not just a fighter, but an intelligence node capable of detecting, merging and distributing information in real time to ships, aircraft and allies. For a ship like the Juan Carlos Ithis difference marks the border between conditioning the adversary or limiting oneself to reacting with increasingly exposed means. The problem, in this case, is already we have commented: Spain, a priori, does not seem willing to do so. FCAS and the lack of enthusiasm. Also it we count last week. The FCAS program often appears in the debate as a lifeline industrial and European politics, but it does not solve the problem embarked Spanish not even in its most optimistic scenarios. If we ignore that at this moment the project is more outside than insideit is a system designed for air superiority from land bases, without STOVL design nor compatibility with ships like the Juan Carlos I. In fact, turning it into a naval solution would require building a conventional aircraft carrier, redesign doctrines, assume colossal investments and wait decades. In real terms, FCAS does not replace the Harrier or avoid the vacuum that will open if decisions are not made in the short term. The F-35B and realism. In 2026, the F-35B is not a perfect or cheap option, but it does aim to be the only existing platform capable of directly replacing the Harrier and keeping the Spanish embarked fixed wing alive. With more than a thousand operational units and a growing community of naval operators, it offers continuity, interoperability and a military relevance that the Harrier can no longer guarantee alone. From that prism and although Spain it doesn’t seem For the work, giving up this fighter does not mean saving so much as accepting a decade or perhaps more without an embarked combat aircraft, which in the long run could degrade the Juan Carlos I to a helicopter and drone ship with limited capabilities in the face of an increasingly disputed environment. Maybe not, but that idea flies over if there is no replacement for the Harrier. A strategic dilemma. Thus, the underlying or “nuclear” problem is not choosing between airplanes, but rather deciding What role do you want to play? Spain in the naval and expeditionary field. Keeping the Harriers to the limit without a clear relief leads to a loss of capacity hardly reversible, while recovering that aptitude in the future would require much higher costs and efforts. Meanwhile, the clock is ticking, partners are moving forward, and the Navy is faced with a decision that will define its relevance operational for decades: that of continuing to be an actor with an embarked fixed wing or accepting, through inaction, the silent end of one of its most emblematic capabilities. Image | sagesolar, David Fierro Iglesias In Xataka | France and Germany have agreed to give Spain the worst news: one in which the F-35 and its “button” are the winners In Xataka | Spain agreed with Germany and France to bypass the US. And it will end with a fleet of F-35s because of a French name

five cell phones for less than 60 euros that only serve to call and send messages

by

Yesterday the news broke: the Government wants to prohibit that minors under 16 years of age have access to social networks. The proposal, which still has to go through Congress, would put in check what is probably the greatest use that this group gives to their cell phones. Will they then still want to have a smartphone? Regardless of whether this new regulation succeeds or at what age do we want to give him his first cell phonethere opens an alternative with a type of telephone that It still has a lot of use in 2026: what is known as ‘dumbphone’. Our selection of ‘dumbphones’, at a glance Samsung C5320 by 59.99 eurosa clamshell phone from the Korean manufacturer. SPC Wild by 58.69 eurosSpanish mobile available in various colors and with camera. Nokia 106 by 18.99 eurosthe most economical option. Pusokei Mini Flip Phone by 36.28 euroswith a different design from the others and space for three SIMs. SPC Stella 2 by 29.39 euroswith charging base and three speed dial buttons. A phone from the past for the people of now A ‘dumbphone’ is what is known as a phone without internet and usually has a classic design. Not all, but that usually means having a physical keyboard and a very minimalist designsometimes like those flip phones from 20 years ago. Since they are easy to use and very basic, we tend to attribute them to older people. However, they gain strength in different contexts. We have already explained the first of them above: the new regulation announced yesterday by Pedro Sánchez. We don’t know how far it will go, but It could be extended to applications like WhatsApp or Telegram for its social component. That makes this type of phone ideal for the little ones to have. a direct means of communication with their parents without having to have a smartphone or another source of distraction. But there is more. A smartphone is a double-edged sword. Yes, it is very useful because it can be used for everything. In return, we also run the risk of getting lost between applications, social networks and that tendency to scroll infinite in which we can fall easier than it seems. There the ‘dumbphone’ also shines as telephones that they make this ‘digital detox’ easier that It has been so fashionable for a few years now.. Of course, all this does not mean that, as we say, They are also perfect for the elderly. Older people tend to have it easier with physical keyboards and simple devices that get to the point. In addition, these phones have a very high autonomy of several days, ideal so that you do not have to worry so much about charging them. Some ‘dumbphone’ options for less than 60 euros Samsung C5320 A Samsung ‘dumphone’ with a clamshell design and a very old-fashioned look. Its screen is 2.4 inches and its battery is disassembled, something that will soon we will see again on smartphones. Its charging connector is micro USB and it has a 3.5 millimeter jack port for headphones. We have it available on AliExpress for 59.99 euros. The price could vary. We earn commission from these links SPC Wild With several colors available (some of them very striking), this SPC Wild is very interesting for the little ones. It also has a clamshell format and a battery that promises to offer seven days of autonomy. In addition, it has extra functions such as a flashlight or even a basic camera. Costs 58.69 euros. SPC Wild – Basic 4G Phone for Digital Disconnection and First Secure Connection | Camera, Double Screen, SOS Button and 7 Day Battery | Turquoise The price could vary. We earn commission from these links Nokia 106 This Nokia 106 will bring a smile to those of us who are already of a certain age. It is a very simple phone that does what it wants: offering calls and messages for very little (it only costs 18.99 euros). Of course, despite its price, it has dual SIM, FM radio and even the occasional game. Like the Samsung, it has a Micro USB port for charging. Nokia 106 for All Operators 4GB Dual SIM 2018 Dark Gray with LED Flashlight – FM Radio – Big Button Phone The price could vary. We earn commission from these links Pusokei Mini Flip Phone Less known than the previous ones is this Mini Flip Phone from Pusokei. This also has a dual SIM slot and even has space for a microSD. Its screen is small, but in color and it even includes a basic camera which is fine for children. What differentiates it most from the others is its design, without a doubt. Available for 36.28 euros. PUSOKEI Mini Flip Phone, 2G Flip Cell Phone with 1.77 Screen, HD Rear Camera, 16GB Memory, Large Buttons, 3 Card Slots, 1000MAh, for Children, People The price could vary. We earn commission from these links SPC Stella 2 The last one is also from the SPC brand, although this time it is the Stella 2 model. This is very ideal for older people due to the typography of the keys, although it is equally suitable for anyone. It has three quick access buttons that we can program to dial quickly. It comes with a charging base, which is a plus. Costs 29.39 euros. SPC Stella 2 – Flip Mobile Phone for Seniors, Large Buttons and Keys, Easy to Use, Remote Configuration, SOS Button, USB-C, 3 Direct Memories, Charging Base, Black The price could vary. We earn commission from these links Some of the links in this article are affiliated and may provide a benefit to Xataka. In case of non-availability, offers may vary. Images | Samsung, SPC, Nokia, Pusokei In Xataka | The best mobile phones, we have tested them and here are their analyzes In Xataka | The best quality-price mobiles. Their analyzes and videos are here

Taking an important call in a traffic jam is the order of the day. In 1990, a company in Barcelona already offered this service

by

Nowadays, as soon as we have some down time, we turn to our mobile: either to scroll infinitely on Instagram or to catch up on email. Although what defined the basis of today’s smartphones was the first iPhone in 2007, the professional point began before, with the blackberry 5810 and your email in 2002 or we can even go back to Nokia 9000 ’96, which introduced the keyboard and its business approach. The late 90s were the beginning of turning the mobile phone into an everyday object. I’m driving and I need a call now. Of course, back in the 90s, carrying a cell phone in the car and answering a work call was unthinkable. Or not, because someone thought of it an exclusive telephone service for drivers in Barcelona pre-Olympic Games. The target audience was those people who were so busy that they could not afford to be disconnected while traveling through the congested business areas of the city. The operation. As they narrate on the Catalan regional television 3Cat, if in the middle of a traffic jam you were lucky enough to find one of those people in white overalls on a scooter, with a fanny pack and the phone stuffed in a shoulder bag, you could ask them. A uniform as characteristic as the backpacks of today’s delivery drivers, but much less common: at that time there were only five workers moving through the busiest traffic points in Barcelona, ​​although they wanted to increase it to 25. If you are standing, they leave you the headset. And if you move, they lend you the device and follow you until you complete the call. The price of the service was 25 pesetas and the minimum call price is 300 pesetas. Because? To begin with, because in 1990 if you wanted to call on the street what there was were booths and analog technology, in Spain specifically MoviLine: the first mobile operator to deploy the original 1G network, owned by Telefónica. And if we talk about devices, the mythical Motorola MicroTAC It was a status symbol for executives. A symbol measuring 23 centimeters and weighing 350 grams. Yes, there were some mobile phones, but they were heavy, with very long antennas and batteries that barely lasted a couple of hours in conversation. On the other hand, having a phone installed in the car was expensive and niche. But the business was not just the telephone, but mobility and time. As businessman Josep Marí says, his idea was “to create the need to find a mobile phone to be able to call to work, home or wherever.” Ahead of his time. This “Automatic Mobile Telephony” service was ahead of its time in that it had a vision of a future need, but faced a market that was not yet ready. As the 90s progressed, telephone technology became more refined and democratized. 1995 brought GSM to the Spanish state on the one hand and, on the other, the liberalization of the telecommunications market, which inaugurated airtel. The operators began to directly control distribution and technical service with franchises and distributors, leaving little room for local independent companies. Scooters before the scooter craze. And if the service itself is surprising, so is the means of transportation: a scooter with a gasoline engine, more specifically the Sport model. of the Go-Ped brand, but quite similar in design and concept to the electric ones that swarm our streets today. His virtue was exactly the same: moving quickly and agilely through the density of Barcelona’s traffic to be able to get in front of the client. In Xataka | This glorious imaginary version of the Galaxy Fold from the 90s is one of those gems that can only be found on the internet In Xataka | A story of pioneers: they already flirted, argued and liked on the party lines of the 90s Cover | 3Cat via Marc Vidal edited with Gemini

30,000 lightning strikes, orange warnings and severe events: don’t call it ‘squall line’, call it ‘new normal’

by

During the early morning and early hours of this Wednesday, November 5, the arrival of a cold front to the Peninsula has caused a very active squall line throughout the southwest. And, in this case, saying “very active” is not an exaggeration: the images that they come to us from Portugal they are incredible and at the moment, he is heading to Extremadura and Western Andalusia. The interesting thing is that we no longer talk about meteorological information, we begin to enter the field of Okay, but what is a squall line? This is an organized storm system that, often ahead of a cold front, forms in a line. Due to its structure, this phenomenon causes strong and destructive winds, torrential rains, hail and lightning. In addition, they are characterized by advancing very quickly and being able to cause significant damage. In Xataka The "tropicalization" of the atmosphere is going to change Spain and not exactly for the better And so it has been. Portugal’s Civil Protection recorded more than 150 nighttime incidents and, as the Portuguese press explainedit is not just the problems caused by the rain and wind; is that tens of thousands of electric shocks have been recorded. About 30,000 in a few hours. Given this, AEMET activated orange noticesin Galicia, Extremadura and Andalusia. In addition, 122 Extremadura is prepared for rains of 5–20 l/m² in very short periods of time. It’s not a lot of water, but in these circumstances it can cause a lot of problems. Aren’t we talking about autumn showers? No, we are not talking about loose showers: it is an organized convection capable of producing severe gusts, hail and wet blowouts. They are formations that trigger the risk on urban areas, electrical networks and mobility. It’s another episode of “This is not just an Atlantic storm” that has been with us for weeks now. It is true that November is a typical month for hallways in the southwest; but the data suggests that we are facing something more. {“videoId”:”x89b35l”,”autoplay”:false,”title”:”PROFESSIONAL STORM CHASERS_ this is their daily life”, “tag”:””, “duration”:”400″} What is really happening? In technical terms, we are talking about the arrival of an Atlantic trough and cold front with sufficient shear to organize convection and force a quasi-linear system. Ambient humidity does the rest and that is the key. As we said a few days agothat area of ​​the peninsula is prone to low convergences that, with adequate shear and sufficient humidity,They organize convectively very easily. As connections with the Gulf of Mexico (the famous ‘rivers of moisture’) become more common and, with them, the available humidity grows: these systems will become more frequent and more intense. It is the same as occurs in the Mediterranean with DANAs: It doesn’t matter if climate change causes more or not, the amount of “available fuel” makes any spark turn into a fire. Meteorologically speaking, of course. Image | Carlos Virazón (function() { window._JS_MODULES = window._JS_MODULES || {}; var headElement = document.getElementsByTagName(‘head’)(0); if (_JS_MODULES.instagram) { var instagramScript = document.createElement(‘script’); instagramScript.src=”https://platform.instagram.com/en_US/embeds.js”; instagramScript.async = true; instagramScript.defer = true; headElement.appendChild(instagramScript); – The news 30,000 lightning strikes, orange warnings and severe events: don’t call it ‘squall line’, call it ‘new normal’ was originally published in Xataka by Javier Jimenez .

call the only ship that has been repairing them for more than a decade

by

That an underwater cable breaks (or someone cut it) can happen anywhere. There is amazing ships dedicated to deployment and repair of this critical infrastructure in our hyperconnected world. However, when it happens in Africa there is only one ship that can answer the call at any time. Is called Leon Thevenin and has been in operation for more than forty years. The ship. As they say in Rest of WorldIn the world there are 62 cable repair ships that are always available, but in Africa there is only one. The Léon Thévenin is part of the fleet of Orange Marinea subsidiary of the French operator Orange, and for thirteen years has been in charge of all repairs from Ghana to Madagascar. It is 107 meters long and the crew that operates it is 60 people. It also features a remote submarine and a small work boat. According to the official ship record, It is capable of making repairs in extreme weather conditions, in both deep and shallow water. African cables. In this map We can see that the continent is surrounded by countless cables that provide connections to both its inhabitants and data centers and ground stations. Among the most notable is the ‘Peace Cable’ connecting Singapore to Kenyathe West African cable system and the Alphabet Equiano that go from Portugal to South Africa. The cable also stands out 2Africa which with its 45,000 kilometers is the longest in the world; It connects from the United Kingdom, goes all the way around the African continent and ends in India. And there are many more. Accidents. Cables deteriorate, they can also be damaged after storms or if a ship drops anchor and drags it. Many times the cuts are intentional, but they usually occur in other places in increased geopolitical tension like Taiwan either the baltic sea. In March 2024, much of the west and center of the continent was left without connection due to simultaneous failures in several cables. The Léon Thévenin was in charge of returning connectivity to millions of people. It has not been the only case. In recent years the ship has been having a lot of work because the Congo Canyona huge underwater canyon that extends 280 kilometers into the Atlantic, is suffering many landslides that have affected several cables. A great responsibility. It is estimated that 99% of the world’s internet traffic travels over submarine cables. If a cable breaks, it can leave millions of people without connectivity. Furthermore, in the age of AI, connectivity is even more important because it connects the infrastructure that makes it work. The price to pay for the Léon Thévenin crew is spending very little time with his family. Sometimes they rest for a month, the problem is that if a breakage occurs they are the only ones who answer the call. Image | Wikipedia In Xataka | The submarine cables belonged to the teleoperators, and now the big technology companies are controlling them

Whether we can call vegetable burgers “burgers” (and they look like they will last for years)

by

Can a food that is does not contain meat? Is a tofu sausage really a “sausage”? When a manufacturer keeps those old terms in its new products, is it misleading consumers or is it making it easier for itself? The debate comes from afar (from very far away), but seems to be clear for the current European Chamber, exit from the polls in 2024: Plant-based food is one thing and the terms associated with meat are another, so it’s best to separate them. What is not so clear is that it can settle the discussion. Words (and something else). Europe’s food industry has been involved in a debate that has little to do with the raising of livestock, the regulation of agriculture, the competition of other markets or the health of consumers. His main obsession is words. Literally. If an oat drink can be called “milk”, tofu “sausages” must be presented as such or a vegan “burger” is not more of a “vegetable disc”. It may seem like a bureaucratic issue, but there is something more at stake than language: the right to label new products with old labels that are also clearly recognizable by consumers. And that’s gold when it comes to competing in supermarkets. Hence the debate on denominations (far from ceasing) has just written a new and important chapter in Strasbourg. 355 vs 247. What the European Parliament has done is to support with 355 votes in favor (against 247 against and 30 abstentions) an initiative that proposes prohibiting terms such as “hamburger”, “schnitzel”, “steak” or “sausage” from being used on foods that do not contain any meat. In other words, those words (well recognized by customers after decades of use) remain out of the reach of new companies dedicated to marketing food. plant based. “A steak, a schnitzel or a sausage are products of our livestock, not laboratory art or plant products. We need transparency and clarity for the consumer, as well as recognition of the work of our farmers,” claim the MEP Celine Imartauthor of the amendment to community legislation. Imart represents France, the country that clearer is insisting on change, and is also part of the Group of the European People’s Party (EPP). If the proposal has achieved the endorsement of Strasbourg, it is precisely because of the support it has received from the right after the pressure exerted by the livestock and agricultural sectors. In front he met the rejection of the left and the Greens. And now what? That the initiative has received the endorsement of the European Parliament does not mean that the packages advertising hamburgers based on tofu and seitan will disappear, nuggets vegetables or tofu sausages. For this, it is necessary for the proposal to obtain the endorsement of the European Commission and the governments of the 27 countries of the community club. It will now be up to the Commission and the Council to negotiate the measure and (if applicable) approve the initiative and translate it into law. It won’t be easy. And not only because of the rejection of other political formations. The European People’s Party itself does not have a firm position on the matter, as its leader in the European Parliament, the German, has made clear. Manfred Weberwho before the vote acknowledged that he does not believe it is a priority issue. “Consumers are not stupid when they go to the supermarket to buy,” he stressed. The fact that new plant-based foods have to do without terms like “burger” or “steak” has also raised the opposition from large companies in the sector, such as Aldi and Lidl. In September a group of companies including both German chains, Burger King, Green Force and the sausage producer Rügenwalder Múhle (among others) launched an open letter in which they warn that the legislative change “goes against the objective of achieving a resilient and diversified food supply”, “weakens” the rights of customers and “harms companies”. “The proposal results in making it more difficult for consumers to make informed decisions. Familiar terms are practical aids that allow them to make conscious purchasing decisions,” concludes the letter. Click on the image to go to the tweet. (Much) more than a vote. That does not mean that the European Parliament’s vote is a dead letter. At the very least, it reveals that the debate is still very much alive in the European institutions, where it has already accumulated a long legislative history with frustrated attempts, extensive discussions and measures that have come to fruition. Among the last ones is the decision adopted by the Court of Justice of the EU in 2017 on the use of dairy terms for plant-based products, such as soy or oat drinks. The agency concluded that only products of animal origin could use terms such as “milk,” “butter” or “yogurt.” Better “vegetable discs”? Since then the debate around the use of terms associated with meat has continued to rage over the EU. Five years ago the European Parliament already discussed a similar initiative within the framework of the CAP reform, which led the sector to fear that vegetable sausages or hamburgers would have to be renamed “vegetable tubes or discs“. The change of denominations it didn’t go ahead in the House, but its defenders have never thrown in the towel. In 2024 European justice had to speak out against France’s decision to ban words like “steak” on plant foods, and this spring the issue arose during a review of the regulation. Common Organization of Markets. What will happen from now on? For now, Imart and his supporters have achieved a significant victory in Strasbourg, largely driven by the endorsement of a European Parliament. more heeled to the right than five years ago. Curiously, the measure seems to generate more concern in institutional offices and companies than on the street, where the use of the terms does not keep people up at night. This is revealed by a survey carried out five years ago by the European … Read more

Microsoft believed that the purchase of Activision was a round business. A year later I lost 300 million for ‘Call of Duty’

by

The clients of Game Pass They are still trying to recover from the impressive 50% rise of the Ultimate mode rate in the service. A spectacular climb that moves Microsoft’s proposal away from that buffet Economic games of all kinds That once it was, and that he has his clients since then circling a single question: why? And although Microsoft has not yet made anything clear, there are some issues that already have an answer. 300 million. Game Pass had rare He arrived at the service on day onesomething only possible thanks to the purchase of activation by Microsoft. However, it was still extraordinary: ‘Call of Duty’ was, thanks to that acquisition, The most valuable property that Xbox had in its portfolio. And now it was available for all Game Pass users without additional cost. According to Bloombergthe experiment cost Microsoft 300 million dollars. Internal affairs. This movement is the last and most striking of this type that Xbox has given, determined to drown its rivals with strategies that meant a high cost in sales. Bloomberg states That, as seven anonymous informants have told the environment, getting as powerful as powerful as’Forza Horizon 5‘ either ‘Halo infinite‘Internal fractures already supposed due to the important sales that were lost by placing these games available to all Game Pass subscribers. According to The Vergethe discussion about ‘Black Ops 6’ was even greater, and it was not for less. In An interview with Windows CentralBobby Kotick, an Activision Ex-Cecement, already claimed that due to having spent his career in Los Angeles, he had seen with disgust how “large media companies had transferred their contents to these subscription streaming services, which had negatively affected business results.” The story was repeated. It was clear. Ign counted at the time That the movement triggered the subscriptions to Game Pass, as expected, and the ‘Cod’ itself went up: 23% more than the previous delivery, ‘Modern Warfare 3’. But there is an important nuance: 82% of those sales were in PlayStation, in opposition to Xbox and PC. Yes, subscriptions had risen, as expected, but not enough: just 16%. According to The calculations that Kotaku doesto compensate for the 300 million copies of the game that Activision (and therefore, Microsoft) did not sell, it would have needed an impossible: 15 million new monthly subscribers to Game Pass (or 1.25 per year). Drink for pain. Again, according to Kotaku calculations, the remarkable price increase in the Ultimate rate relieves these numbers for Microsoft: it would need 10 million new subscribers to compensate for those losses. Something that, without a doubt, is far from the possibilities of the service, but we get an idea of ​​to what extent the climb was an urgent need for Microsoft. Bloomberg states that Microsoft Amy Hood’s CFO has asked the division of games to find more ways to raise benefits, so new increases are not ruled out at all, inclusion of advertising or limitations in the characteristics of the Tiers cheaper to encourage subscribers to pass to Ultimate. A purchase at all. Everything summarizes well in the statements of the specialized analyst Joost Van Dreunen: “Game Pass has not provided the explosive growth that Microsoft anticipated in the post-Compra of Activision era, and they have realized that their structural costs do not align with their pricing model.” That is, Microsoft foresaw a notable impulse of subscriptions thanks to blows to the table such as the arrival of ‘Black Ops 6’, and it has not been so. Crisis policy is approaching in Microsoft (which, by the way, states that He does not leave his plans to continue in the hardware business) and, without a doubt, it will have an impact on our pocket. In Xataka | The portable Xbox is finally a reality. The only unimportant detail is that it is not exactly an xbox

Call of Duty announces a film, with which he will make a leap to the void, going beyond the children’s audience of other adaptations

by

It was clear: after the successes of ‘A Minecraft movie‘ either ‘Super Mario Bros.: The movie‘We were going to see new video game adaptations. AND ‘Call of Duty‘It was one of the undisputed franchises to receive a version on the big screen. Although his announcement also involves a distancing from other projects: a more adult series, with more serious themes, and that opens new ways for what could be the next great Hollywood reef. Paramount points. The renewed Paramount, now under Skydance’s wings, is the one that will be responsible for producing this adaptation of the Activision saga, which will appear in the movie’s credits as an advisor to everything that comes out on the screen. It is a turn that is not surprising coming from the producer: one of her last great hits in cinema was’Top Gun: Maverick‘, so it has all the meaning that wants to continue exploiting the war aesthetics with a franchise settled in the past. It is not the first time that Paramount tries, however: in 2018 he already tried to put an adaptation of ‘Call of Duty’ standing with the director of ‘Sicario 2’, Stefano Sollina, on board. A lifelong fan. On this adaptation, David Ellison, CEO of Paramount, said in statements that Deadline collects “As a fan of ‘Call of Duty’ of a lifetime, this is a dream come true. From the first allied campaigns in the original ‘Call of Duty’, going through ‘Modern Warfare’ and ‘Black Ops’, I have spent countless hours playing this franchise.” And makes the inevitable comparison: “We are addressing this film with the same discipline and the same unwavering commitment to excellence that guided our work in ‘Top Gun: Maverick’, making sure that it meets the exceptionally high standards that this franchise and its fans deserve.” Good new times. Today the times in which adapting a video game were almost synonymous with guaranteed failure (at least artistic) seem. The huge software sales promoted adaptations, but gave rise to fiascos such as ‘Super Mario Bros.’ or ‘Street Fighter’ (today claimed as cult films, and both with new versions that – at least in the case of Mario – have cleaned the image of the franchises). Recall that for a while, the one who was considered a nefarious director, Uwe Boll, insisted on adapting a video game after another. Not everything is terrible. Despite the bad reputation of adaptations, we have had good films from the beginning: the first ‘Mortal Kombat’ is a great version and The ‘Resident Evil’ sagawith its ups and downs, it is full of humor, imagination and springs (and The despised 2021 adaptation It was great). ‘Silent Hill’ is remembered for its powerful macabra imagery and Lara Croft’s versions … well, they have not aged at all well but they are esteemed adventure films, and the 2018 version was very defensible. But none of that prepared us for the dump at the box office that would hit films such as those mentioned, to which successes such as ‘Sonic The Hedgehog’, ‘Uncharted’ or Pokémon movies, which we forget about them and although there is an anime through them are added, video games are part of their DNA. Adult cinema. All of them, however, have something in common: they are films oriented to children or, at most, to the family member. ‘Call of Duty’ is, therefore, a risk to which the sequelae of ‘Sonic’ are alien, for example. Paradoxically, franchise players are young and even There is an important group that is between 11 and 20. Paramount, however, may not want to escape the possibility of attracting spectators in a broader range of ages, with a more serious and violent film. If you get even more the arch of the spectators, you can have a real triumph on your hands. Header | Activision In Xataka | An urbanization was deserted in Valencia after the real estate bubble. Some geniuses have made it ‘Call of Duty’

Log In

Forgot password?

Forgot password?

Enter your account data and we will send you a link to reset your password.

Your password reset link appears to be invalid or expired.

Log in

Privacy Policy

Add to Collection

No Collections

Here you'll find all collections you've created before.