changed

In the E3 of 1995, PlayStation only needed two seconds to destroy Sega. And changed video games forever

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On September 29, 1995, many Spanish buyers were made with a new console, the first of a company known for its camcorders, Walkman, Discman and TVs. 30 years ago, Sony launched the PlayStation In Europe, but before arriving he had already left a victim on the way: Sega with his Saturn. And everything was forged for two seconds in the First E3 in history With one of the oldest trolls of video games: that of “299”. From an audio chip to the PlayStation. Before reaching that point, we go with some context. Sony was not a video game company. In fact, within the Japanese giant, few believed they painted something in that segment. However, there was Ken Kutaragi, PlayStation’s “father”. He was watching his daughter play family, Our neswhen Kutaragi realized the potential of video games. He raised it, but Sony went on the subject. A few years later, Nintendo needed an audio chip for the Supernesand there was Kutaragi, secretly working on the design of the SPC700 which contributed so much to the history of video games and the audio of the Nintendo console. He did not end up fired from Milagro, since his bosses enraged when they found out. But well, little by little they were entering and Kutaragi had to be a heavy championship because he got Sony and Nintendo to collaborate in the development of the CD super nes, or the Nintendo PlayStation that today is a museum piece. Nintendo’s betrayal. The problem? Nintendo did not see with good eyes that a company like Sony won power in the world of video games and, just when the great association was going to make the world known, Nintendo hit a flying: he associated with Philips and gave them five of their franchises to do what they wanted. It was Nintendo’s biggest error. Not only Philips shattered ‘Mario’ and, above all, ‘Zelda’ With tremendously bad games for CD-Ibut it enraged Sony in an unimaginable way. If they were not fully convinced, they were now clear that they should humiliate Nintendo. They got to work and, from that betrayal, the PlayStation was born. Now we had to present it well, and the First E3 in historythat of 1995, was the ideal scenario. … at “299”. Nintendo went with the failure of Virtual Boy under the arm and with rumors of Nintendo 64 (Which had a few years of development), but there was another company that did new: Sega. The other Japanese video game giant would be a stone on the Sony road if things did not do well, and within “doing things well” comes to put an attractive price. It was the first console, I had to work. In fact, both were the ones that had to win the most and lose at the fair because they had already launched in Japan, but the price they would mark for the United States would be key. Sega crossed the puddle with his Saturn and announced that it would cost $ 399 (also 399 pounds in the United Kingdom and 79,990 pesetas in Spain). Sony needed a blow of effect, and that was when this moment happened: THE GREATER TROLLE OF THE VIDEOGUES. What you just saw is well known, but no less shocking 30 years later. After a long speech on the history of the company and about the benefits of both the machine and the CD, a new format at that time, Steve Race, president of Sony América took the stage and, of course, you will imagine that someone like that would rise to give another long monologue. But not. “Two Nine Nine”. 299. And got off the stage. Those two seconds, followed by applause and cheers, were enough for PlayStation to “win” that first E3. Already My partner Rafa Márquez commented in Vidaxtra: The best possible mixture between a troll and a masterful marketing. It was 100 dollars cheaper than Sega Saturn, had the favor of many developers, was a good CD player and there were not only Japanese games, but others very focused on the western public. In addition, it was the fact that everyone was going to highlight, the one who wanted the press and the players. The tip. It was a master play, but although the story has given a good weight when it came to make Sega stumbled, the truth is that Sega itself had made many merits to end as it ended. To start, Saturn was a face, but also very complicated. The 2D games and Arcade conversions were great, but to squeeze the machine you had to develop for the two processors it had. Besides, The launch in stores was disastrous when produced by surprise. It was a complication because the tools are not as simple and accessible as today, but on the other side you had a playstation for which it was much easier to develop, in addition to giving some other advantage in Royalties. And with Saturn, but above all with DreamcastSega lived an internal civil war between the divisions of the United States and Japan. That is, the “299” was a push that accelerated the fall of the company, but that Sega did not need anyone to stagger. History. In the end, the market put each in its place. For less than ten million Sega Saturn, Sony placed more than 100 million of that first playstation. Only ‘Gran Tourism‘He sold more than Saturn herself and, although Nintendo was better with the almost 33 million Nintendo 64 sold, she was late and with cartridges, losing the favor of companies such as Square Enix and many other developers who saw that the CD was a more favorable format. That “speech” of Race is medium history, but also of marketing and one of my favorite moments in these video game presentations. As a curiosity, as we are condemned to repeat history, in 2014 something similar happened with results, again, favorable for Sony. Microsoft announced that its Xbox One It would cost … Read more

Openai has just changed the chatgpt rules with Pulse. Stop waiting questions and start anticipating your daily life

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You get a notification to the mobile. It is not the calendar or mail: it is from Chatgpt. It’s called Pulse and, According to OpenAi“investigate proactively“To give you a personalized summary of the day with thematic cards that you can get quickly or open for more detail. The grace is that you stop waiting for your question and advance with ideas and next steps, learning from your chats and your feedback And, if you decide to connect them, of apps such as the calendar. The result is a Briefing Matinal that tries to fit with your routine before it starts. Pulse arrives as a view and, for now, is only available in the ChatgPT mobile application for payment users in THE PRO PLAN. It does not replace the usual model, but is presented as an addition: the assistant maintains the option to answer on demand questions, but adds a new functionality. With this movement, Openai takes the first step towards an assistant who aspires to be present before even the user invoices it. Of the chatbot that responds to the assistant who advances Every night, the system analyzes recent conversations and interactions history to prepare a set of cards with information selected These cards are presented the next day in the application as a daily summary that can be browsing in seconds or expanding to obtain more context. The content expires at the end of the day unless it is saved in the history of chats. In addition, each card can be opened to request clarifications or following steps, so that the experience is not limited to reading, but connects with the usual conversation. Personalization is built on simple signals. The user can give a thumb up or down, ask that the next summary include a specific topic or modify what is not useful. Pulse collects that information and applies it in the next night cycle. Openai points out that all adjustment history is accessible and reversible: it can be consulted or erased when desired. To reduce risks, each set of cards undergoes safety checks that block problematic recommendations or contents that violate the platform standards. One of the characteristics is in the possibility of COnectar Gmail and Google Calendar. In doing so, press can suggest an agenda scheme for a meeting, remember the purchase of a birthday gift or recommend restaurants based on a scheduled trip. These integrations are deactivated by default and are managed from the configuration. Openai insists that they improve the relevance of suggestions, although they also expand the surface of personal information that the assistant handles. The examples are varied and very everyday. Openai mentions from tips to prepare a quick dinner to reminders linked to a trip or training suggestions for a triathlon. In the Chatgpt Lab, several students commented that the utility of Pulse became evident when they began to guide it with concrete requests. One of them reported that, after talking about how to organize his calendar in Taiwan, the system offered him practical steps to optimize train journeys that would not have looked for himself. Openai has been working on the security of his chatbot for some time. Even so, cybersecurity experts warn that the risk never disappears completely. Radware documented a case in which an altered mail managed to The in -depth research function of chatgpt will filter sensitive data. Vulnerability was already corrected, but the example reminds that integrating personal information into such an assistant increases exposure and demands to keep caution. For now, Pulse is in a view phase and only those who have the Pro subscription in the mobile app. OpenAI warns that not always right: Reminders of already closed projects or little relevant suggestions may appear. The idea is to collect that early use to correct failures and refine the model. If everything progresses as planned, the function will open first to Plus clients and then to the rest, in a progressive deployment. It is a launch that fits a broader strategy: to make Chatgpt become a daily assistant and not only a specific tool. OpenAi seeks to increase the time of use and take a step towards the more personal relationship With the application. The movement also marks distance in front of competitors such as COPILOT of Microsoft or Claude of Anthropic, which until now have prioritized professional or productivity uses. According to Reutersthe company also works on a browser with AI that would reinforce this commitment to accompany the user in more facets of their digital life. Images | OpenAI In Xataka | Microsoft has never been so valuable throughout its history. And he has never been so close to the abyss

We knew that the Dart mission changed Dimorphos’ trajectory. What we did not know is that its form also changed

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At the end of September 2022, the Dart mission (Double Asteroid Redirection Test) It made historyInterestingly, stamping against an asteroid. The milestone was not on the impact itself but on achieving with him slightly divert the trajectory of an asteroid, Dimorphos. The expected and the unexpected. In the almost three years since then, we have been learning New details on the effects of Dart’s impact on Asteroid Dimorphos. Now we know, for example, that Dart not only managed to divert the orbital trajectory of the space rock; He also achieved with his impact to make the asteroid orbit deform significantly What happened. The asteroid, explained the team, initially had an oblate form, that is, flattened in the poles, such as the earth, “the shape of a hamburger.” After the impact, Dimorphos became a rather prolata, elongated in the poles, like a rugby ball. “For the most part, our predictions pre-impact on how Dart would change the way Didymos and her moon (Dimorphos) move in space were correct,” ” explained in a press release Derek Richardson, who led the analysis of the effects of the probe. “But there are some unexpected discoveries that help provide a better image on how asteroids and other small bodies are formed and evolved over time.” Tumbos. According to the team that analyzed these orbital changes, the impact would have made dimorphs pass from a state of equilibrium with its main asteroid Didymos similar to that of our moon with the earth, to an irregular one. That is, dimorphs always gave the same face to Didymos, at least Until Dart arrived. Now the system is out of its alignment, Richardson pointed out. This implies that it can stagger changing orientation, even ending up “tumbos”, rotating chaotically and unpredictable. Asteroid formation. Thanks to studies such as the one conducted by Richardson and the team, we can access new clues about the formation of asteroids. As explained by the team, the impact released small rocks that remained in the orbit of the asteroid system. These contributed to altering the orbital movement in the system, but these changes in the gravitational balance do not seem to have altered the form of didymos. This implies, the team added, that the main asteroid of the system was rigid and firm enough to maintain its form after the formation of its moon dimorphs. The details of the work were Published in an article In the magazine Planetary Science Journal. Hera’s turn. The scientific community now has new eyes on the Didymos system, those of Herathe mission of the European Space Agency (ESA) aimed at monitoring the system and collect new data In situ. If everything continues as planned, Hera will begin in October a trip that will lead her to reach the double asteroid towards the end of 2026. The data compiled by Hera They will allow an even more exhaustive analysis of the impact of the Dart mission. This in turn will be what gives us key clues that allow us to plan missions that protect our planet from the asteroid shock. In Xataka | The European Hera probe has just sent us its first photos for the story: we orbit Mars Image | NASA/JOHNS HOPKINS APL/STEVE GRIBBEN *An earlier version of this article was published in September 2024

Apple will launch a MacBook Pro with a touch screen in 2026, according to Ming Chi Kuo. We believe to know why they have changed their minds

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After thirteen years, refusing flatly, Apple has begun to prepare its first MacBook with a touch screen, according to the leaks that arrive from two fronts: Ming-Chi Kuo He has announced now That the MacBook Pro with OLED screen will arrive at the end of 2026, and will do so with tactile capabilities. Mark Gurman had already anticipated this possibility in Bloomberg Two years ago, although lacking the level of detail that Kuo has given. Why is it important. This change involves the admission that users’ expectations have changed and that Apple is willing to abandon one of its most entrenched dogmas to stay competitive. And above all: for the generational advance. The figures. Kuo has spoken: the MacBook Pro with OLED screen will begin its mass production at the end of 2026, incorporating a tactile screen with technology ON-CELL. This technology integrates tactile sensors directly into the upper panel layer, without the need for a separate touch layer. Gurman had initially speculated with a launch in 2025, but everything indicates that this schedule has moved to 2026, coinciding with the arrival of the OLED screens. It is not clear if the commercialization will also be at the end of 2026, or if the production will begin on that date, so the commercial arrival would be in 2027. The context. The decision does not arise in a vacuum. Apple is at a particular moment in its history: The MAC now generates more income than the iPad, becoming a more profitable business than expected. Meanwhile, the competition has integrated touch screens for years, setting a market expectation that Apple has ignored again and again. Apple has also been preparing the technological land: Since 2018 it began to unify applications between iPad and Mac. In 2020 it allowed iPhone applications to work in their MAC. Also in 2020 it premiered a more appropriate interface for tactile panels with macOS Big Sur. And in 2025, Macos 26 even more uniform interfaces of operating systems. All this has highlighted how strange it is to use an application designed for touch screen on a device that does not admit it. The turn. Steve Jobs was categorical about touch screens on computers: “Tactile surfaces do not want to be vertical,” He said in 2010. “After a prolonged period, your arm wants to fall.” Tim Cook maintained this position for years, comparing in 2012 the combination of tablets and portables with “combine a toaster with a fridge“ Now Apple is about to do exactly that. Between the lines. Jobs’s ergonomic argument was foundation, but the solution is in the complementary use, not on the total prohibition. Tactile tactile screens are not designed to be the primary interaction method, but an occasional complement to trackpad and keyboard to make Scrollpinch or interact with specific elements. On the other hand, at this point there is an entire generation that has grown with touch screens everywhere. For them it is unnatural to meet a screen without that capacity. Yes, but. Apple will gain competitiveness by eliminating frequent criticism and improve coherence between its devices. But it will also lose that clear distinction between products that defended so much. The MAC will be less unique and more complex conceptually. Deepen. If the 2026 Macbook Pro includes touch screen, it is reasonable to expect Apple to update macos to optimize the experience. This could translate into larger interface elements, specific gestures and an even greater convergence with ipados. The question about compatibility with Apple Pencilwhich would be important for creative professionals. The MacBook with a 2026 touch screen will mark the end of an era of conceptual purity in Apple, but also the beginning of an era of greater flexibility. It is not necessarily better or worse, it is different. And after thirteen years of refusing, Apple finally admits that the user sometimes knows what he wants. In Xataka | Outstanding image | Joshua ng

The arrival of the iPhone Air has changed everything. Guide to choose perfect iPhone in Apple’s new family

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Apple has presented new iPhone, four to be exact: iPhone 17, iPhone Air, iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max. Unlike other years, alignment has changed. The novelty is that The Plus model tells us goodbye and the new iPhone Air arrives instead. Let’s see how the iPhone family looks after launch. iPhone 17: The always base model iPhone 17 The dry iPhone. Is the successor of iPhone 16 and maintains the usual spirit: a more content size and double camera. It is the iPhone for those who do not need the triple camera or the most powerful processor. This year the iPhone 17 wins points because its screen finally adds to the 120hz, something that so far away further away from its older brothers. It is made of aluminum and, to protect the screen, it has the new Ceramic Shield 2 which is up to three times more scratch resistant. It arrives in five colors; Black and white for the most traditional and three more casual tones (lavender, green and blue). Its price starts from 959 euros For the 256GB version. iPhone Air: The new class comes wearing Tipazo iPhone Air Is The great novelty This year. After The failure of the ‘mini’ modelsApple tested the opposite: an iPhone ‘plus’ that bet on a much larger screen. The formula has not set and the iPhone Air is the new Apple attempt to sell us a fourth iPhone. As with the macbook air, The iPhone Air claim is thinness. Specifically, it measures 5.6 millimeters thick (with the exception of the camera module, where by the way Apple has managed to put practically the entire hardware) and weighs 165 grams. The iPhone Air is for those who want the most exclusive design, even at the expense of making certain sacrifices. It only has one camera and, although the figures of autonomy are not as disastrous as it was rumored (27 hours of video playback), the fact that Apple announced an external battery specially designed for this model leaves us with enough doubts. Another important factor is that It has no physical sim, So if you decide to go for the new ultradelgated iPhone, It is time to hire an ESIM. The iPhone Air arrives blank, gold, sky blue and black and its price starts from 1,219 euros For the 256GB version. This is 260 euros more expensive than the iPhone 17, but 100 euros cheaper than the iPhone 17 Pro. iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max: For the most demanding iPhone 17 Pro Max and iPhone 17 Pro If you are looking for the best experience, especially at the photographic level, you have to go for a Pro. They have a triple camera that, in addition to the wide angle, also include a teleobjective that reaches 8 increases. They also have the Apple A19 Pro processor with steam camera to avoid and carry Ceramic Shield 2 both in the front and rear. What model choose? It will depend on the size you prefer (6.3 or 6.9 inches) and also the budget. The iPhone 17 Pro Max Cuesta 1,319 euros and the iPhone 17 pro max 1,469 euros In the 256GB versions, that is 150 euros apart. A point to keep in mind is that, in addition to the screen size, the Pro Max also has more battery. iPhone 16 and 16 Plus: last year’s models still have a lot to say iPhone 16 Plus and iPhone 16 As usual, Apple keeps the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus on sale one more year. Although they are models with a year old, they are still two very interesting options For those who want to pay less, whenever he does not mind giving up some novelties. The main and most important is the soda rate. In the new models it is already 120Hz, but on the iPhone 16 it was still 60Hz. They also have the chip last year (Apple A18) and the ultra -angular chamber was still 12 megapixels. The output prices are 859 euros for the iPhone 16 and 959 euros for the iPhone 16 Plus, 100 euros reduction. iPhone 16E: The “Cheap” iPhone iPhone 16E Although he was not part of the presentation of September 9, the iPhone 16E It is still selling on the Apple website so it is part of the family. Is the successor of iPhone se And the first of its kind that bets on a Front without button where the screen is the protagonist. Of course, there is no dynamic island but the Notch Classic of previous models. It makes some concessions such as that it only carries a camera or a smaller screen. Is The iPhone for those looking for the most affordable model. However, with a price of 709 euros For the 128GB, it is not exactly cheap, especially if we compare it with the previous ones, whose price was around 530 euros. Specifications of the entire iPhone family iPhone 17 iPhone Air iPhone 17 Pro IPhone 17 pro max iPhone 16 iPhone 16 Plus iPhone 16E screen 6.3 inches 2,622 x 1,260, 460ppp Brightness up to 3,000 nits Promotion 120Hz True Tone, HDR Dynamic island 6.5 inches 2,736 x 1,260, 460ppp Brightness up to 3,000 nits Promotion 120Hz True Tone, HDR Dynamic island 6.3 inches 2,622 x 1,260, 460ppp Brightness up to 3,000 nits Promotion 120Hz True Tone, HDR Dynamic island 6.9 inches 2,868 x 1,320, 460ppp Brightness up to 3,000 nits Promotion 120Hz True Tone, HDR Dynamic island 6.1 inches 2,556 x 1,179, 460ppp Brillo up to 2,000 nits True Tone, HDR Dynamic island 6.7 inches 2,796 x 1,290, 460ppp Brillo up to 2,000 nits True Tone, HDR Dynamic island 6.1 inches 2,532 x 1,170, 460ppp Brillo up to 1,200 nits True Tone Notch processor Apple A19 Apple A19 Pro Apple A19 Pro Apple A19 Pro Apple A18 Apple A18 Apple A18 storage 256GB 512GB 256GB 512GB 1TB 256GB 512GB 1TB 256GB 512GB 1TB 2 TB 128GB 128GB 256GB … Read more

During centuries Galicia was a thriving land of olive groves with unique varieties in the world. What changed it is still a mystery

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If you think of Galicia, in their landscapes, probably the first thing that comes to mind is your sinuous coastline, your beaches and cliffsserpentant channels such as the Sil River as it passes through the Ribeira Sacra, castrosleafy Atlantic forests, grasslands with cattle … The list is extensive (and diverse), but probably the olive groves are not included, a stamp that usually associates more to the peninsular south. It was not always the case. There are indications that Galicia had an interesting relationship with the cultivation of the olive trees that can go back to the times of Gallaecia. When that link declined and what were the causes of the sunset and that the olive tree does not prosper are issues that still generate debate among experts. Olivos in Galicia? Yes. And its relationship comes from afar, it is rich and has inspired researchers who have identified in Galician lands A wide catalog of unique native olive varieties in the world. The indications are suggestive, although I recognized years ago The historian Lourenzo Fernández during a days held in Pontevedra and focused precisely on the olive trees, shadows are still in that bond. “There is no specific historical, nor bibliographic research that will address the presence of Olivos in Galicia,” explained. Looking at the Roman Gallaecia. The link between Galicia and the olive tree can be traced at least Roman Gallaecia. In the middle of the last century, during an excavation in an area of ​​Vigo that is called precisely Oliveira, archaeologists discovered a Roman deposit which included bricks, bases, a mortar, mills, amphorae … and an oil press, among other vestiges. “It is thought that it could be a villa or factoring by the oleic press found, the only example appeared in Galicia. The possible relationship between the obtaining of oil and the olive tree in Vigo was also pointed out, in ancient times, with the activity that would give name to the place,” Explain The Quiñones de León Museum, where the remains rest, although those responsible recognize that the scarcity of remains of oil and amphorae lamps in the environment can be interpreted as a “lack of consumption.” Leaving its mark. Vigo’s is not the only proof of the interesting historical link between Olivo and Galicia. There are ethnographic studies that show that in the region there are dozens and tens of place names related to olive trees, olive groves, oil and similar references. Years ago at least 70 were counted. The CSIC has also identified about twenty varieties of native olive trees, unique in the world, and there is a record of specimens standing from the 18th century, the oldest in the community that are still alive, according to a analysis done years ago. A “very present” crop in Galicia. The presence of olive trees in Galicia put it in value since The industry itself to the organisms public. “The olive culture was very present in Galicia since the time of the Romans. The primitive settlers ate olives, although they did not know the methods of extraction of the oil. The Romans are those that introduce the knowledge of these methods that are transmitted by the territory. Galicia became one of the conquered territories of which the most oil went out to Rome in the second and second centuries.” They detail From Ribeira Sacra tourism. In the community it is not strange either find References of traditional oil mills in which the fruit was used. “In Galicia there were olive plantations, in some cases, of large dimensions, that if we follow some sources they would have been possible thanks to the introduction of this crop in our land by the Romans,” historian Felipe Aira explained in January An article of The voice of Galicia that he remembers how the Jews and Judeoconvers used the ‘liquid gold’ in their kitchens and at least part of the olive trees were preserved in the properties of the church, even after their decline in Galicia, for their value for the elaboration of the liturgical oils. And the great unknown arises. All The chronicles that tell the link between the Olivos and Galicia end up reaching the same question: what explains that their cultivation ends up losing weight? Why Galicia It ceased to be an olive grove? Or even simpler … Why didn’t they remain expanding until they occupy a relevant weight in the Galician fields? As Lourenzo remembered in 2018, shadows are still and a long way to explore “about the presence of Olivos in Galicia. His story is splashed with legends and inaccuracies, he said recently A chronicle Fiftymil, but is usually pointed to a complex sum of political, economic, demographic reasons and the reality of agricultural farms. Click on the image to go to Tweet. Of the Catholic Monarchs to Count Duke of Olivares. When the history of olive tree is explained in Galicia there are two names that are usually repeated: the first, the Catholic Monarchs; The second, Count Duke of Olivares. An extended theory ensures that the former, Fernando II of Aragon and Isabel I of Castilla, adopted a series of decisions about taxes and reorganization that punished the Galician plantations and favored that olive trees be started in the region. But … why? There are those who say that the purpose was to favor the repopulation and crops of the newly reconquered lands of the Peninsular South. Others argue that in their decision, more political factors would have weighed and that when the Galician olive trees sought to penalize the territory and their aristocracy. The “Doma and castration from Galicia, “said the intellectual of the twentieth century, Alfonso Daniel Rodríguez Castelao about the policies of the Catholic Monarchs. The context is key and was marked by the defeat of Juana la Beltraneja, and therefore of the nobility that supported her in her cause, and the Irmandiños rebellion that developed in Galicia. The shadow of olive groves. The theory is even more extended that if there … Read more

Steve Jobs changed his Mercedes-Benz SL55 AMG of $ 120,000 every six months. And everything was due to registration

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When Steve Jobs was Apple’s CEO he used to drive from Your home in Palo Alto until The company’s headquarters in Cupertino. It was a trip of about 20 minutes that made several times a week with his Mercedes-Benz SL55 AMG. This car, of approximately $ 120,000It was a whim that many technological entrepreneurs from Silicon Valley could afford without blinking. Jobs’s car, however, was special for a reason. Only. Unlike any other SL55 AMG that could be found out there, the one who handled the co -founder of the apple signature had no registration. If walking on the 1 infinite loop campus you met a silver mercedes in one of its parking spaces, that was your vehicle. Now, for a long time it was not clear how Jobs managed to move in a car that apparently contradicted California’s laws. Leasing. How our Applesfera colleagues collectApple’s leader was not doing anything illegal, but had found a way to use a car without registration over time. To get it, it simply changed Mercedes every six months. This was due to the fact that local regulations allowed new cars without identification for about 180 days. The idea was perfect, right? But there are many other interesting details. Do not buy. While Jobs had a lot of money, fortune that these days is using its widow Laurene Powell JobsI didn’t buy a new car every time I needed it. The technological environment Itwire had the opportunity To interview more than a decade ago to Jon Callas, who was CTO of Entrust and had worked on several positions in Apple. Callas said that Jobs had a leasing agreement that allowed him to renew his car for an identical one every year. Obsession. So why did all this the co -founder of Apple? Apparently, to preserve your privacy. Registing can reveal personal information about the vehicle’s owner, so Jobs wanted to avoid this. An interesting note is that, at least between 2006 and 2010, the businessman committed very few infractions. Wired counts that in that period of time he received two citations, both for speeding in Santa Clara. A peculiar guy. Jobs was a very particular visionary. In some aspects of his life he was very rudimentary. For example, he lived practically without furniture at home because none convinced him, Although he had a “secret room” in Pixar to develop his ideas. In certain areas I did not doubt that when He ordered a yach of 120 million dollars whose lines and minimalism remember an Apple product. Images | Mercedes-Benz Ag | Apple | Joe Ravi In Xataka | It is not Steve Jobs, it is Mustafa Suleyman: Microsoft’s CEO that points to the tendency to dress “Jobs style” *An earlier version of this article was published in August 2024

The English Court changed the credit card model. And along the way it has become a Fintech

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In just two years, El Corte Inglés has financed 1,372 million euros in purchases outside its commercial universe, according to reports Expansion. All for allowing you to use your card anywhere in the world. A silent transformation that has made these department stores an unexpected rival for traditional banks and Fintech emerging. Why is it important. With 11.7 million cards in circulation, the chain has converted its loyalty program of the sixties into a powerful financial weapon. Has moved more money than many Fintech that aspire to revolutionize the sector. The transformation. The change arrived in 2022 Thanks to an agreement with Mastercard. For the first time in its history, the card was the surroundings of the department stores to compete with the banks in neutral territory. The strategy is being a success. They maintain traditional advantages (interestless payments up to 60 days in ECI, 30 in other shops) but add functionalities Fintech: mobile application, notifications Pushcontrol of limits and geolocated promotions. The numbers. The total volume of the card reached 3,778 million euros in 2023, adding internal and external purchases. It is far from the 2018 record (4,895 million), but the new modality is growing. 1,372 million financed outside ECI in two years. Only 191 million in modality Revolving (Interest of 19.56% TAE). Free: without issuance or maintenance expenses. 4% bonus in Repsol for future purchases. The play. The English Court already had the largest loyalty clients in Spain. I just needed to open the doors. A much more interesting and advantageous play than the Fintech forced to find users from scratch. Yes, but. His proposal remains conservative. The revolving model barely represents 5% of the business, well below the standards Fintech. They prefer the safe margin of the interestless interest that monetize via cross consumption. The threat. For traditional banks, the English Court represents something worse than a Fintech Disruptive: a competitor with financial muscle, a huge customer base and brand credibility built for decades. Financiera El Corte Inglés, 51% controlled by Santander since 2013is the giant of consumption financing in Spain. In perspective. The chain has achieved what many financial startups only dream of: monetizing an existing user base without burning millions of euros in marketing. Its competitive advantage is not so much the technology and the confidence of 11.7 million Spaniards who already carry their card in the portfolio. In Xataka | Mercadona earns more and more money selling money, no food: the effect of interest rates on their results Outstanding image | Financiera El Corte Inglés

Spain has just changed the fiber optic rules after 25 years. The decision benefits a company: Telefónica

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The National Markets and Competition Commission He has decided to completely free Telefónica of its obligation to share the fiber optic network with other operators. A measure that ends almost three decades of state supervision initiated after the privatization of 1999. Why is it important. Telefónica thus recovers the total autonomy about its infrastructure of 30.8 million houses covered. You can freely decide who your network shares, at what price and under what conditions, without prior regulatory supervision. The context. Since the privatization of Telefónica at the end of the last century, the State imposed the obligation to rent its network to competitors to promote competition. What began with Gigaadsl in 1999 evolved until NEBA in 2012forcing the operator to initially share 100% of its network, reduced to 25% since 2016. What has happened. The CNMC Council approved on July 29 eliminated these restrictions for two key reasons: The Masorange fusion has created a competitor that surpasses Telefónica in number of clients. The broadband market has greater competition with new independent wholesalers and more fiber deployments. In detail. The resolution will enter into force in February 2026, giving six months to the operators that NEBA use to renegotiate agreements or migrate customers to other networks. Telefónica will keep only The framework obligation of renting physical infrastructure such as arches and pipes. And now what. On the one hand, Telefónica will gain commercial agility by not needing prior approval of the CNMC for new offers or technical changes. On the other hand, its competitors will lose the advantage of knowing in advance the strategies of the operator, which until now had to pass the regulatory “replicability” filter. The big question. How will you use this new freedom to compete. The operator can now launch offers without notifying their rivals or waiting for regulatory approval, just when it must present their new strategy – that of The era with Murtra in command– Before ending 2025. Outstanding image | Telefónica In Xataka | 100 years after his birth, Telefónica faces the greatest existential dilemma in its history: what wants to be older

Spain thought its position regarding the closure of nuclear. That has just changed

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The debate on a possible extension of nuclear plants has returned to the scene and has turned on the media focus. The electricity insists on lengthening their operation beyond the expected, but the executive denies that formal negotiations are being maintained and refers to the conditions that already set as essential. A letter and three conditions. Iberdrola and Endesa sent a joint letter to the government will make more or less a month. In it, they proposed to reopen the debate on the progressive closure of the nuclear park – which contemplates the shutdown of the Seven reactors between 2027 and 2035– With the argument that maintaining operational some centrals would reduce the cost of electricity for consumers. According to the countrythe Government responded by another letter signed by the Ecological Transition Minister, Sara Aagesen, opening to assess the proposal under three immovable conditions: that there is no additional cost for citizens, that the security of the supply is guaranteed and that the plants comply with the standards of the Nuclear Safety Council. So far they “dialogue.” According to eldiario.esthe government considers the letter of electricity as a declaration of intentions, not a formal request. In addition, Naturgy and EDP – also minority owners of some plants – did not sign the document, which leaves Iberdrola and Endesa alone. The debate intensifies. The situation is complex for a primary reason that is not technical, but the economic viability of nuclear. As the confidential explainedelectricity consider that operating with the current fiscal charge is unfeasible if the market price does not exceed € 65-70/MWh. In contrast, projected prices are around € 55/MWh by 2030. In this context, the Endesa CEO, José Bogas, raises the government a fiscal reduction, especially autonomic taxes (such as the one already eliminated in the Valencian Community) and the Enresa rate, which finances the dismantling of the centrals and waste management. However, according to the miteco, this fiscal reduction would involve damage to citizens, and therefore clashes frontally with their red lines. Almaraz, the first thermometer. The immediate focus is at the Almaraz nuclear power plant (Cáceres), whose first reactor must close in November 2027 and the second in October 2028. Iberdrola, Endesa and Naturgy – his three owners – have not yet met to approve the necessary investments that would allow their operation beyond those dates. The meeting scheduled for June has not been held, and sector sources admit that it will not occur before September. Meanwhile, companies prepare a new proposal that, According to El Confidencialcould be presented after summer at a meeting not yet confirmed with Minister Aagesen. The plan would be to offer a tax reduction in exchange for prolonging the activity of some centrals until 2030. However, the Ministry insists: if the conditions do not change, there will be no negotiation. A hot topic in Congress. The debate is more than served from the political field. On the one hand, the Popular Party preparing one Law proposition to extend the life of nuclear. The proposal would have the support of several regional governments of the PP – as Extremadura and Community Valencian – and the parliamentary support of Junts and ERC, which have shown flexibility in Congress in relation to the revision of the nuclear calendar. However, the government has reaffirmed its position. As El Confidencial recalledPresident Pedro Sánchez was bluntly in Congress last May, accusing PP and Vox of acting as “amateur lobists” of the electric. “If companies want to keep the centrals open, they pay them, not the citizens,” he settled. Facing an ambivalent European framework. In addition, the legal position of nuclear energy in the EU adds complexity, since European regulations do not consider nuclear energy as a renewable source. This is established by Directive 2018/2001 (Red II), a vision that has also adopted Spanish legislation. However, in 2022, the European Commission took a partial turn by including this technology, under certain conditions, In the so -called “green taxonomy”next to the natural gas. This classification allows certain nuclear investments to be labeled as sustainable from the climate point of view. As Miguel Huarte expanded has indicatedthis places the nuclear in a normative gray area: it is not renewable, but free of emission in its operation. And while France or Belgium have already chosen to extend their atomic parks, Spain maintains the opposite course. Accelerating another route. At the same time, the miteco has processed this July 31 a new Royal Decree by urgent route to reinforce the electrical system. As you have indicated in a press releaseit is a technical standard that does not directly address the nuclear calendar, but it does signal to a reinforcement of the electrical system by means of supervision, electrification of the demand and promotion of energy storage. Among other measures, the proposal increases the technical control of Electricity and CNMC, promotes renewable hybridization with storage systems and limits speculation on connection points. Although the text does not mention the nuclear, it reinforces the idea that the government bet remains clear: moving towards a 100% renewable mix. A door ajar. The crossing of cards between electric and government has served more to draw red lines than to open doors. What is played, beyond the kilowatt, is the country’s energy model: one where renewables are implacable and nuclear tries to scratch time under the promise of stability. But as well He has pointed the newspaper.Without a formal proposal and without an explicit resignation to tax privileges, electricity will continue to wait at the gates of a ministry that, for now, remains firm: either they meet the conditions, or the closing calendar will continue its course. The future of Almaraz – and perhaps that of the entire nuclear park – will be decided, if, after summer. And with many more letters even to play. Image | Foronuclear Xataka | Spain was supposed to have a “antiapagones” plan. It has encountered an insurmountable obstacle: politics

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