cool

We have been drinking beer on the beach all our lives to cool off. Science warns of great danger to our body

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On any summer afternoon, the beaches and terraces are filled with people seeking refuge from the high temperatures, and the instinct of the vast majority is to order a cold beer. This classic drink in Spain gives a false sensation of immediate coolness and temporary relief, but here the question we must ask ourselves is: is it really useful to drink it to alleviate the sensation of heat? A myth. Given this classic scene, science suggests that it is a bad idea to have a beer to quench thirst, since alcohol causes exactly the opposite by triggering a response that dehydrates us. And this is explained by a fundamental hormone called vasopressin or antidiuretic hormone. As its name indicates, its function is to retain water in the kidneys when the body needs it because it is dehydrated, and alcohol suppresses it almost immediately. And it is something proven, since studies show that ethanol blocks the release of vasopressinpointing out that after ingesting alcohol, an acute drop in this hormone is observed in the bloodstream. This causes the kidneys to stop reabsorbing fluids and begin to expel water at a rapid rate to promote the production of urine and, therefore, the loss of fluids. an experiment key here demonstrated that the subjects studied lost up to 0.9 kg of water weight in just two hours. That is, for every beer you drink to “hydrate” your body expels more liquid than it consumes. And this is a context of heat and high sweating; It is a one-way ticket to a state of dehydration if you do not also drink water. The broken thermostat. The second big problem with drinking alcohol in the sun is thermal. Alcohol is a powerful vasodilator and this means that it widens the blood vessels, bringing more blood to the surface of the skin, which produces that typical facial flushing and sudden feeling of heat when we drink. And although at first the breeze on the skin may make us feel cooler, we are actually compromising our ability to regulate internal temperature. A model published in International Journal of Legal Medicine demonstrated that drinking alcohol before facing a high temperature environment drastically worsens the body’s response. Alcohol literally “hacks” the brain nuclei responsible for thermoregulation, activating abnormal responses of the body to heat. Water is the best. Drinking a cold beer has logically become socially rooted in our society, but when you are thirsty and have been sweating for a long time, it is best to hydrate with water first. And this also confirms that there is no alcohol that is “safe” from a medical point of view. Non-alcoholic beer can be an option since, since it is composed mainly of water and lacks alcohol, it does not have an effect on our antidiuretic hormone. Images | Nicolas Postiglioni In Xataka | Generation Z is reinventing the way they drink alcohol, but there is something that remains untouched: the stigma of teetotalling

What science says about the “trick” of two crossed fans to cool the house: it works, but with limits

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With heat waves hitting the thermometers, the desperation to cool the house without increasing the electricity bill leads us to look for any shortcut. And although the new air conditioners have shown that they have a low daily costthe reality is that many people prefer to opt for the classic fan and there are ways to optimize its operation. An idea. Something that has become popular in recent days is the possibility of using two fanshaving each in opposite windows. Under this premise, the idea is that one of them brings in air from the street and the other manages to get it out to ensure that the house in the end is as cold as possible within their possibilities. It has support. What is proposed here is to take to the extreme a concept that has been used for a long time in the architectural world to ensure that homes, passively, can acclimatize. And, according to the design standards and manuals of entities such as the IDAE, uwell-designed cross ventilation can reduce the interior temperature by up to 5°C. The two-fan technique falls into the category of hybrid or assisted ventilation. As detailed by platforms specialized in architecture such as ArchDaily or the technical area of ​​Tinsa, it is not enough to open windows at random. For there to be flow, a pressure difference must exist. The idea. By placing one fan pointing inward on the coldest façade, which is normally the north one or the one facing a shady patio, and another pointing outward on the opposite façade, we are mechanically forcing that pressure differential. The goal here is for the cool air to push the stagnant hot air mass out the opposite window. Although yes, for this flow to accelerate and be more efficient, the opening through which the air leaves should be more open than the one through which it enters. It’s proven. A thesis from the Piloto University of Colombia wanted analyze the effectiveness of this ventilation methodand it was seen that this system showed a significant reduction in thermal load in a hot-humid climate. Although here it is important to highlight that the thermal insulation of the home or building is very important, logically, to maintain an adequate temperature. It has small print. Logically, these two fans cannot work miracles, and if the outside temperature exceeds 30 degrees and especially if the relative humidity is high, cross ventilation loses all its effectiveness. Far from cooling, here there would be thermal energy in the home and forcing the entry of air at 35 °C with a fan is the equivalent of turning on a giant hair dryer. The best hour. Here the official recommendations point out that cross, forced or natural ventilation is a strategy that should be left for the first thing in the morning or at night. when the temperature is considerably lower. For the “two fans trick” to work and achieve that promised 5°C drop in the structure of the house, you must apply it only when the outside temperature drops below the inside temperature. This is called “selective ventilation” since during those hours, the mechanical technique of the two fans will sweep away the heat accumulated on the walls and ceilings during the day. Images | Delaney Van In Xataka | We have been trying to optimize cooling for centuries. My grandfather from Toledo solved the heat with the simplest invention: a door split in two

The heat changes your mood. An Egyptian understood this 40 years ago and designed a town that “sweated” to cool down

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The heat doesn’t just make you sweat: it also changes the way you behave. think, sleep and even relate. For decades we have responded to that problem by filling houses air conditioning. However, long before that was the solution, an Egyptian architect came to a very different conclusion: if heat alters our well-being, perhaps the first thing to change is not the machine, but the building. Thus was born an architecture that seemed to “sweat” to stay cool. The “great” discovery. The life of Hassan Fathy changed in 1941 during a visit to a small Nubian village in the Upper Nile. There he found something that modern architecture had forgotten: houses built with mud that seemed to emerge from the landscape itself and maintained a pleasant temperature even under the scorching Egyptian sun. While the rest of the world associated progress with concrete, steel and glass, Fathy began to wonder why those humble buildings managed to coexist with the climate. far better than modern buildings. Heat is a psychological problem. Fathy understood something that today science relates to heat waves: an uncomfortable home not only consumes more energy, it also affects to rest, to humor and the quality of life. His obsession was never to build spectacular buildings, but rather spaces where the air itself will work in favor of those who lived inside. To achieve recovered centuries of forgotten knowledge: interior patios, narrow streets, lattices, thick adobe walls and systems capable of moving air naturally without the need for engines. Hassan Fathy Buildings that seem to sweat. One of the most striking elements of his designs were wind catchers and evaporative cooling systems. In some buildings he carefully oriented the homes with respect to the sun and the prevailing winds to guide the air inside. In others it made that current pass on wet coal or wet surfaces, causing cooling by evaporation very similar to human sweat. Just as our body uses water to dissipate heat, Fathy’s architecture used mud, humidity and circulation of air to reduce the interior temperature without wasting electricity. Roof and dome of the Kourna Mosque seen from the minaret The modern takes another path. While Fathy advocated mud, adobe and local solutions, much of the Middle East began to copy western models designed for very different climates. From Baghdad to Benghazi, large concrete blocks, wide avenues and glass facades appeared that eliminated shadow and trapped heat. For Fathy that was a misconception: It made no sense to build buildings that first generated a thermal problem and then solved it by installing air conditioning. New Gourna City The best example: an entire city. This is how we arrive at what was his great laboratory: New Gournaa town built near Luxor during the 1940s to relocate hundreds of families. There he applied all your ideas: adobe houses, private patios, winding streets, Nubian vaults, wind collectors and spaces designed according to the path of the sun during the year. Its objective was not only to make housing cheaper for the poorest, but to demonstrate that it was possible to build entire communities. adapted to the climate and not the other way around. New Gourna The problem was never the architecture. Nueva Gourna ended up becoming one of the great paradoxes of the 20th century. Many neighbors covered the wind collectors, closed the patios and replaced the adobe vaults with reinforced concrete because that seemed “more modern” to them. The result was exactly the opposite what they were looking for: homes that are hotter in summer, colder in winter and much more dependent on mechanical systems. Fathy had anticipated it years before: when prosperity comes, the poor tend to imitate the houses of the rich, even if those houses perform worse in their own climate. The New Gourna Mosque The man who was ahead of his time. While his colleagues were building Western-inspired glass skyscrapers, Fathy was seen in Egypt as little less than like an eccentric determined to return the country to the past. However, outside its borders it began to gain recognition as a pioneer of sustainable architecture and received some of the profession’s highest international awards. As time goes by, your ideas they ended up influencing in universities, international organizations and entire generations of architects interested in bioclimatic construction. The answers from 80 years ago. Today, with cities increasingly hit by heat waves, many of the solutions that good Hassan Fathy defended are once again in the spotlight. the center of the debate architectural. Natural materials, passive ventilation, patios, lattices or wind collectors reappear in projects that seek reduce energy consumption without giving up comfort. Even UNESCO works to restore part of New Gourna and preserve its legacy. Not because it represents a historical curiosity, but because it contains a surprisingly current idea: perhaps the most intelligent building is not the one that incorporates the most technology, but the one that makes the heat never comes to become an enemy. Image | Nasrollah koohkanDimitri Papadimos, Marc Ryckaert, Marc Ryckaert In Xataka | In 1970 Japan built homes of the future where each capsule would be replaceable. Half a century later he discovered that no one knew how to repair them In Xataka | The incredible story of the tallest building on the planet that ended up becoming the largest swimming pool in the Soviet Union

“leaving it to cool on the counter is a bad idea”

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The potato omelet that didn’t fit in the refrigerator; the tupperware of rice that we left to warm up and spent the entire afternoon on the counter; the platter full of barbecue things that was on the table throughout the meal. Spain has a problem with storing food properly in the refrigerator and summer increases it exponentially. And that’s why, in recent days, the idea has been circulating on the internet that a simple rule can solve everything: “put away cooked food within two hours,” they tell us. But the problem is not that: the problem has never been in ‘if’ you cool it, but in ‘how’ you do it. The two hour rule. Let’s start here: this rule is basically the international consensus of the WHO, the FDA, the EFSA and the AESAN for decades. That is, there is no new study, report, or regulatory change that motivates the ‘revival’ of the rule. What there is is heat. And that’s important: because when the environment exceeds 30-32 °C, the safe window is reduces by half. And at that time, of course, we have to consider that vacations broaden exposure to “danger zone” for that mixture of ‘preparing food in advance’ and transporting it in ‘tuppers’. The data is clear: in 2023, Spain notified 818 foodborne outbreakswith 10,125 cases, 414 hospitalizations and 13 deaths. Between 2018 and 2022, we accumulate 27,637 cases. between the 31% occur at home and, as we will see, inadequate refrigeration is the first contributing factor. Because? This is why I say: poor refrigeration, food prepared too early and cooled slowly. In other words, the problem is “letting things cool down”: to the extent that the “danger zone” is between 4 and 60 degrees; The sooner you get the food below 4, the better. “But hey, just reheating it is enough, right?” It is true that reheating well helps, it works against vegetative cells; not against toxins already formed that withstand the heat. The case of rice is well known: he Bacillus cereus It disappears with heat, but its spores survive cooking and, at room temperature, produce a toxin that is very difficult to eliminate. And what do we do? What they say the OCU and the CDC It’s simple: divide into shallow containers and refrigerate while hot, “as soon as it stops burning.” And, above all, have common sense. Image | Kevin Wang In Xataka | What’s really happening with white rice (and to what extent we should care)

“If it’s hot, turn it off and wait for it to cool. You can get serious burns.”

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Heat. It’s hot. It’s really hot. And our car notices it. Because when the temperature rises, we go to the beach, the town or the mountains and we load the car, our car notices it. First because we demand more from him than we ask of him the rest of the year. Secondly, because adverse weather conditions must be added to these demands, with very extreme temperatures. The combo is perfect for turning our car into a small oven that heats up and heats up until it reaches, metaphorically, boiling. And when that happens, a red light comes on on the instrument panel and it is best that we get out of the car. In that case, these are the precautions to take. The best, prevent “With the arrival of heat, various components of the car can suffer if they are not checked in time. The engine requires special attention, since high temperatures can cause it to overheat if the cooling system is not in good condition,” explains Francisco Javier Fuentes, mechanic and trainer at Midas. Sources point out that with the arrival of high temperatures, it is common for them to suffer brakes, battery and tires But he is clear that the main reason for breakdown is engine overheating and that to achieve this, the most important thing is to check the components carefully before leaving: “it is key to check the coolant level.” And with the increase in temperatures, having coolant in poor condition or a small undetected leak can trigger almost certain overheating of our engine. The signs, he explains, are clear: “If we observe that the engine temperature increases abnormally, a fault warning light appears, we hear strange noises or notice irregular behavior, we must stop in a safe place and evaluate the situation.” But here lies an important part of how we should act. If we are on a road open to traffic and we have had to stop on the shoulder, the DGT is clear: reflective vest, beacon and we just have to get out of the car If there is a safe and remote place. Otherwise we will have to fasten our seat belts and wait inside for assistance. If, on the other hand, we have been able to stop at a gas station, Midas believes that our best ally is patience and, without rushing, seeing what can be done: “In case of overheating, I never recommend opening the coolant tank while the engine is hot, as there is a risk of serious burns. The best thing to do is to turn off the engine, wait for it to cool and request assistance if necessary.” And it must be taken into account that the coolant works because the water in the car works at a very high temperature (above 100 degrees), especially if the car has overheated due to a breakdown. Opening the tank when it is hot to check its level can cause it to evaporate quickly and cause serious burns. Juan José Ebenezer, mechanical expert and content creator, explains in one of his videos how the system works. It points out that the coolant tank acts in a similar way to that of a pressure cooker. To prevent water from evaporating when it exceeds the 100 degreespressure is applied and if there is excess, the car itself decompresses downwards in a controlled manner. When the driver removes the tank cap, it decompresses, the water begins to boil because it is at more than 100 degrees and it is very likely that it will be expelled upwards, releasing a pressurized jet of water that can cause serious injuries. Photo | Jamie Street and windy In Xataka | The problem is not that the car’s air conditioning breaks down more in summer. The problem is that we don’t look at it the rest of the year.

The secret weapon to cool cities is exactly the one that Spain uses the least: trees

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Madrid is not only one of the five cities with the most trees and green areas in Europe according to the European Environment Agency, but the FAO has been doing it for six years recognizing it as “Tree City of the World”. And yet, it is at the bottom of the continent in ‘useful cup’ (with only 9.4%). It has many trees, but they are useless. And that, far from being a Madrid curiosity, is the best possible summary of the great Spanish problem with urban trees. What happens to the trees? The short explanation is that they are the cheapest cooling tool available. It’s not a secret. However, the lesson we need to learn is not a crude “we need more trees.” That is what explains the ‘contradiction’ of Madrid. We need more trees, yes. But we need trees of the right species, covering the right layers, planted where they are needed and provide more, and well watered. That is, we need a comprehensive plan that stops seeing trees as inconveniences and begins to see them as opportunities. How do we know all this? The work of Mohammad A. Rahman, Senior Lecturer in Urban Horticulture at the University of Melbourne It is very useful to study how they really work the trees. The results are contradictory, but very interesting. According to their work, for example, the trees in Melbourne (a city with a temperate climate) reduce the radiant heat absorbed by pedestrians by up to 18 degrees compared to an open street with the same characteristics. In the cold climate of Munich, layered vegetation (the combination of trees, shrubs and ground cover) reduces heat stress in summer by up to 8 degrees. In Hong Kong, on the other hand, where the climate is subtropical and humid, dense vegetation increases the humidity of the environment and limits cooling. That is why researchers are beginning to agree that, even maximizing the use of trees, it is difficult for trees cut more than 20% of future urban warming. But be careful, 20% is a lot. Above all, because Spain has a lot to do. According to ISGlobalthe Spanish cities are at the bottom in canopy coverage on urban land: 5.5% in Seville, 8.4% in Barcelona or 9.4% in Madrid compared to 33.3% in Berlin or 23.3% in Frankfurt. To give us an idea, the average of the 93 cities was 11% and only Athens (with 3%) was below Seville. We need to take this seriously. Historically, Spain has bad care of its urban trees. And that “evil” can be summarized in very few words (“few resources, bad management and political decisions isolated from any current technical knowledge”), but it has a very difficult solution. Fundamentally because all this evidence translates into “planting more trees is cheap and saves lives”; but its implementation systematically fails. Image | Ch Photography In Xataka | In Spain, cutting down urban trees seems like a national sport. These Swiss have just proven it wrong

I have seen the future of cars in Beijing and yes, it is electric (and very cool)

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I remember when I was in Dubai and I attended GITEXthe largest technology fair in the world with its 230,000 square meters of stands spread across several pavilions. That seemed absolutely unbearable to me, even having two or three days to visit it relatively calmly. It was something absolutely insane. Three years later I woke up not in Dubai, but in Beijing. And if the 230,000 square meters of GITEX were overwhelming, the 380,000 square meters of the Beijing Motor Showthe 1,451 cars on display, the 181 new cars, the 71 concept cars and the 200 press conferences are, directly, mission impossible. Chery Hall | Image: Xataka I would need a week to tour the two pavilions that shape this event, but I have only had a few hours. Not that I needed much more. Not only because 99% of the cars I have seen here will not arrive in Spain, that too, but because just take a look around the stands of Chery, Xiaomi, BYD, Geely, Changan, Nio, Xpeng and company to discover that the future of the automobile does not have a European sealbut a Chinese flag that is displayed with pride. AION i60 | Image: Xataka The clearest sign that something is changing and that the sector is evolving is expectation. I have attended countless technology events, from CES to IFA to MWC or GITEX. It had been years, many years, without seeing lines to enter a stand, to take photos of the latest product launched by a company. Here, well, this was the press conference of the Chery Group. Moments before the Chery press conference | Image: Xataka While consumer technology has become a commodity, as everyone has a cell phone, a laptop, a watch and headphones, the cars are transitioning. Talking about cars is, perhaps, an understatement, because what Beijing is teaching me is that the car is passing to be a gadget. It is no longer just a matter of consumption, finishes and bodywork. Here talking about a car means talking about connectivity, charging powers, ecosystem, infotainment. While technology is currently going through a period of relative stagnation, reducing innovation to incremental improvements in specific aspects, the driving force is quite the opposite. The sector is experiencing one of its best moments in terms of variety, capacity and technology. Jetour G700 | Image: Xataka The gasoline, or rather, the electricity that drives this evolution has a Chinese seal. I wonder, now that I see firsthand the power of companies like BYD, Chery, Nio and company, If no one thought of this when manufacturers sold their long-term capacity for short-term profits. Did no one think that China, which requires a partnership with a local partner and the transfer of intellectual property in exchange for being able to sell in its huge country, was going to hit the table one day? That, at some point, I would want to stop manufacturing for others to take what you have learned, improve it, optimize it and sell it herself? Arcfox S5, the premium range from Beijing’s BAIC | Image: Xataka Sure, outsourcing molding, part production, and engineering kept prices low and increased competitiveness in the past, but now the tables have turned. Now it is the Chinese brand that also accumulates years of expertise competing in a ultra aggressive market and electrified like the premises, which is capable of vertically integrating and controlling the entire manufacturing process, from the batteries to the last screw, and if it does not do so, it surely has a nearby company capable of providing every last cable. Because that is a huge competitive advantage.: If Europe or the United States wants a Chinese part, they have to wait for it to be shipped and it arrives. Days, at least. Those finishes? 🤤 | Image: Xataka If a Chinese brand needs it, I probably just have to cross the sidewalk or drive a few minutes to the manufacturer’s headquarters. That capacity, that good work, I see clearly as I walk through the infinite halls in the Hall. I see a BYD that fills an entire Hall 3 with its brands, showing off a 1,000 HP roadster like the Denza Z. Its finish has little to envy of any European car, although I doubt it will reach Europe. Denza Z | Image: Xataka Denza Z | Image: Xataka Denza Z | Image: Xataka I also see a spectacular supercar from their Fangchengbao brand capable of making anyone’s jaw drop. Anyway, what to say | Image: Xataka At his side, a Denza Z9 GT and a Fangchengbao frozen at -33 degrees serve the brand to boast of fast charging in extreme conditionsnailing to the millimeter the promise that the car, frozen, is fully charged in 9 minutes. I can think of few more risky demos. Yes, it’s frozen | Image: Xataka That is a live image of frozen car interior screen | Image: Xataka Then there is this car, also BYD, with a My Little Pony theme that I leave here for haha. Yes, it’s hair | Image: Xataka The tires, please | Image: Xataka Without words | Image: Xataka In the Chery hall, which has had the most crowded conference I have seen in years, the company’s executives explain their international vocation and their plans to continue extending their tentacles. And I must say that it is even dizzying. When a Chinese executive makes a presentation in English, it is not for pleasure. It is a declaration of intentions like the top of a pine tree. Chery has introduced the Omoda 4, the Lepas L6 EV and the Tiggo V (which can be transformed into a pick-up, convertible and SUV and which we will see here as an Omoda, Jaecoo or Ebro). The signature, furthermore, intends to bring its Lepas brands (more elegant cut) and Exeed (which will be Exlantix and will be sold as a premium brand) to Spain. Omoda 4 | Image: Xataka Lepas L6 EV | Image: Xataka Tiggo V … Read more

This cool 3D map of light pollution turns cities into mountains of light

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This 2026 is the year that opens a fantastic period to enjoy astronomical milestones, since the first of the three eclipses planned between 2026 and 2028: it will be next August 12, it will be a historic event in these latitudes (it has been more than a century since the Iberian Peninsula has witnessed a total solar eclipse) and not everyone will be able to see it: It will only be total in a strip. Being in the right place at the right time is only the first step: the next thing to be able to enjoy both the solar eclipse and any astronomical event, or simply to be able to see the stars well and distinguish constellations is total darkness. Or at least, try to be in a place free of light pollution. Getting away from the big cities is the first step as they tend to be the main sources of light, but not the only one: there are many infrastructures that can spoil the experience. Our recommendation if you plan to see the solar eclipse is that you do not leave it to improvisation and be clear about where to go to enjoy it better and here in addition to the map of the National Geological Institute To follow it, it is worth having on hand a good light pollution map. Where the solar eclipse will be seen: areas where it will be total and areas where it will be partial. IGN But does a light bulb next to you bother you so much to see the sky?? Yes, essentially because it is never usually just a light bulb. In fact, it’s not even just too much light. An example: when you approach a city with your car and it is getting dark or it is night, you can see a glow of the sky (skyglow) fruit of the rebound of light against dust particles, humidity and aerosols in the atmosphere, returning as a luminous veil that destroys astronomical observation. The underlying problem is the increase in the brightness of the sky: a star or a nebula does not compete against darkness, but against that background. If the background is brighter, the contrast drops (excepting the distances, it is like cheap TVs with bad backlighting scheme). The heavens are measured by the Bortle scalewhich goes from 1 to 9 where a class 1 sky is the darkest possible, practically a miracle in continental Europe (most medium-sized cities are around 7 – 9). With a class 9 sky you can barely see the brightest stars and the moon. Where not to see the solar eclipse of August 2026 And it does not only affect large cities (in Madrid it can be seen from quite a few kilometers away), but also industrial areas and ports. In these cases, it is also usually permanent lighting without any control. Also the road networks. A picture is worth a thousand words: the map by cartographer and geospatial developer Jacob Wasilkowski and Petrichor Studio called Earth at Night. Earth at night. JWasilGeo & Petrichor Studio This map combines several sources: night light data comes from NASA (Suomi-NPP satellite, VIIRS sensor) and background satellite mapping is provided by Earthstar Geographics along with other commercial providers integrated into Esri’s World Imagery service. The technological infrastructure to render it in 3D is also from Esri, a Californian company specialized in GIS software. Wasilkowski is the one who has put it all together to convert luminosity into topography. Simply put: It has converted the luminosity of NASA’s nighttime images into elevation, so that cities are mountains. The bigger the city, generally the bigger and higher the mountain will be. Note that there are areas, such as northern Italy or the German border with Belgium, that are real garlands. In the Iberian Peninsula, the Mediterranean coast, the Portuguese coast and a point in the middle of everything stand out: Madrid. These are the areas to escape from if we want to see the sky well. Earth at night. JWasilGeo & Petrichor Studio And just the opposite, the valleys are the most interesting areas to observe the eclipse or any other astronomical milestone: they are the dark areas. Although its controls are intuitive, you have options to switch to the satellite layer, you can zoom, pan and rotate. The map is a few years old now, but for those of us who like to observe the sky it is a good idea to always have it at hand. Furthermore, when this map was launched a decade ago it had a great impact on the cartographic community, winning the award GOLD from the KANTAR Information is Beautiful Awards 2019 in the category “Maps, Places and Spaces”, under the name “Earth at Night, Mountains of Light”. And why not say it: it is evocative. After all, it uses real light captured from space to re-sculpt the Earth, letting it be human activity that defines its topography. In Xataka | Solar eclipses visible in Spain: these are the three astronomical events of 2026, 2027 and 2028 In Xataka | Half of Spain waits expectantly for the historic eclipse of August 2026. The authorities are already thinking about the problems Cover | JWasilGeo & Petrichor Studio

The most cool film producer of the moment faces a dilemma: either Milmillonaria or reject the AI

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A24, the producer who has turned the artistic horror (which for a time has been called detailed ‘high terror‘) and the experimental drama in box office phenomena is found in a Existential crossroads. Or accept the millions of risk capital companies or stay faithful to the principles that have made it a rarity within Hollywood: A producer with ethical and aesthetic principles. Humble origins. Daniel Katz, David Fenkel and John Hodges founded A24 in 2012 with just 20 million dollars. Twelve years later, they were Hollywood envy: they had a brand valued at 3.5 billion dollarsthat transcended production work to become almost a cultural movement. While Hollywood embarked on an exploitation of repetitive franchises, they opted for authors such as Ari Aster, the Sadfie or Barry Jenkins brothers, who gave them their first successes: ‘Hereditary’ and ‘Midsommar’, ‘Uncut Gems’ or ‘Moonlight’. The total turnaround. His first films made A24 prestige and money win, but the real bombing came with ‘All at once everywhere‘, an existential tragicomedy with time trips of 2022, with a modest budget of 15 million dollars and that raised 140 worldwide, and He took seven Oscarsmany of them of the main ones. A24 was in the spotlight, with a cult of the brand that was not born in a marketing agency, but completely organic. In Xataka A face washing for the academy: how A24 has made Aura cinema "Indi triumphs in the Oscars But with success (we talk about an ambitious multimedia plan that has led A24 to organize immersive experiences OA Relauncar classic exhibition rooms), the problems also arrived: those 3.5 billion value demand constant growth, international expansion, and of course, processes optimization. Money calls money (already problems). A24 did not want to become a Lionsgate, acquired by Warner. Or worse: a blumhouse, an indie terror icon that since it was acquired by Universal was immersed in The same dynamics of Majors of billing a franchise after another. It is inevitable: no matter how much production conglomerates guarantee creative independence to their studies, decisions go to the committees, obsessed with process optimization. And that is where capital funds enter and, hand in hand, the threat of AI. Enter Thrive Capital. Specifically, who appeared was Joshua Kushner with his Thrive Capital Fundoffering offering 75 million dollars without the creative limitations that the money from corporations usually brings. There would be no pressures to make franchises or any other obligation, and his history corroborated it: Thrive had financed Instagram before purchase of Facebook, for example. The small print, yes, is unnegotiable: Thrive Capital is One of the largest investors in OpenAIhundreds of millions have been left in chatgpt. And in that sense, Thrive does not hide their letters: they are an openly pro-one background and believe that this technology will transform the content of the coming years. And although Thrive at the moment does not press to A24, it seems clear that he will do so in the future if the producer resists incorporating the AI ​​into her processes. {“Videid”: “X86AO51”, “Autoplay”: True, “Title”: “‘Everything Everywhere All At Once’, Trailer”, “Tag”: “Eventhing Everywhere All at Once”, “Duration”: “162”} The controversy of ‘everything at once everywhere’. The arrival of tools that use artificial intelligence to Hollywood is absolutely unstoppable. And in fact, a pair of background within A24 raised flirting with AI who found themselves with some rejection of a sector of their audience. On the one hand, ‘everything at once everywhere’ He used Runway AI To create special effects: the use was minimal, but it caught the attention for the usually “artisanal” character of A24 cinema. The controversy was accentuated when it was learned that some ‘Civil War’ posters had been designed with AI. An essential dilemma. Before A24 several routes are now opened, which will undoubtedly determine something even more important than their income: Your identity. You can try to normalize the use of AI and gradually incorporate it into your processes as already do Majors that delegate issues as part of marketing, advances and others to AI. Or they can become the last resistance to AI if their investors allow it: they would align with some of the most prestigious directors of their team, such as Robert Eggers or Ari Aster, whose long and traditional documentation processes and creation of films such as ‘La Witch’ or ‘The Lighthouse’ become essential identity elements for A24. He Growth between unexpected and uncontrolled A24 She has turned the producer into a balancer between the indie, the traditional, and the hug to the latest Hollywood production trends. Perhaps the story you have left to live at A24 is the last bastion of a way of understanding cinema that is increasingly part of the past. In Xataka | An AI has created the script of a film that precisely speaks of creativity in the cinema. A room refuses to release it (Function () {Window._js_modules = Window._js_modules || {}; var headelement = document.getelegsbytagname (‘head’) (0); if (_js_modules.instagram) {var instagramscript = Document.Createlement (‘script’); }}) (); – The news The most cool film producer of the moment faces a dilemma: either Milmillonaria or reject the AI It was originally posted in Xataka by John Tones .

What’s behind the fever to cool food so that it fattens less

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Something is changing in the kitchens, and I’m not talking about The arrival of the Cosori. Rather, those small, apparently insignificant decisions, which take shape between common foods. It is no longer enough to choose between integral or white rice, between mother’s bread or industrial slices. Now, the debate moves to temperature: have you cooled rice? Have you saved that pizza to reheat tomorrow? What looks like a more domestic mania is, in fact, part of a silent revolution driven from social networks and backed – at least in part – by science: that of resistant starch. From networks to the large intestine. The story begins in social networks and other corners of the influencer universe. They appear Videos cooling and overheating rice bowls and even ensuring that a pizza involved in the fridge becomes “healthy”. Everything is summarized in a promise: less glucose, less calories, more health. Resistant starch? Let’s enter into matter so that it can be understood well. The starch It is a chain of molecules of glucose that some plants store as a source of energy. There are different ways of organizing those chains, and according to their structure – more or less accessible to our digestive enzymes – the body may digest it or not. When foods rich in starch are cooked (such as pasta, potatoes or rice), heat causes a process called gelatinization: chains are messy and become more digestible. But if they get cooled later, part of those chains are reorganized in a new, more compact and difficult to break for our enzymes. That process is called retrogradation, and the resulting product is resistant starch. This “reborn” starch reaches the large intestine without being absorbed. There it is fermented by the microbiota, producing beneficial compounds such as butyrate, a fundamental fatty acid for intestinal health, According to the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO). Butirate not only feeds the intestine cells, it also protects the mucosa and can help prevent diseases such as colon cancer. Is it really beneficial? Science partially supports enthusiasm. According to Cleveland Clinicresistant starch behaves similar to fiber: it helps maintain intestinal health, improves the composition of the microbiota and helps to regulate blood glucose. You have to differentiate in four types: Type 1: Present in legumes, whole grains and seeds. Its cell structure makes it inaccessible during digestion. Type 2: It is found in raw foods such as green banana or potato without cooking. Type 3: It is the one that forms when cooking and then cooling foods rich in starch (such as rice, pasta, bread or potato). Type 4: It is a chemically modified starch, present in processed products. According to A meta -analysis cited in Scientedirectthese effects are more notable in types 1 and 2 of resistant starch (those present naturally in green legumes and bananas). Type 3, which is formed by cooling cooked foods, also seems to have benefits, although somewhat more modest. It is not the philosopher’s diet. From Cleveland Clinic They have explained That resistant starch acts similarly to the fiber: it improves the microbiota, it can help regulate blood sugar and have positive effects on the immune system. However, There is no solid evidence that alone it helps to lose weight or reduce appetite, although it may have a light satious effect. There may be risks. The part that does not always appear in the networks of networks is that cooling foods such as rice or potato can have microbiological risks if it is not done correctly. Specifically, the Bacillus cereus, a bacterium that survives cooking and produces toxins in food that spend a lot of time at room temperature after being cooked. In a report from El País They have warned that the heating and cooling cycles – just those promoted to generate resistant starch – are perfect for this bacteria to activate. Basic recommendations: Cools food in less than an hour. Store it in the fridge and consume it at 24-48 hours. Reheat only once already high temperature. Never leave it several hours at room temperature. In search of a balance. Is it worth eating more resistant starch? Science says yes, especially when it comes from integral foods, legumes, firm bananas or well -manipulated tubers. It has effects similar to fiber, helps microbiota and can be part of healthy eating. Will you magically convert a pizza into salad? No. like We have explained in this mediumthe real effect on health is minimal if it is not accompanied by a context of healthy habits. The total diet and your lifestyle continue to weigh much more than a cycle of cold and heat on a plate of rice. It may not be a revolution, but a track of where part of the current interest in food moves: look for more fiber, more microbiota, more glycemic control … and less ultrazúcar disguised. The resistant starch, by itself, will not convert ultraprocessed dishes into healthy or to replace a balanced diet, but can add – like so many other small decisions – to a more conscious way to eat. Image | Unspash Xataka | The spicy is proof that we can fight heat with “fire”

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