cool

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”

We have a problem with heat in buildings. A Navarra investigation knows how to cool them without air conditioning

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Every year we repeat the phrase that this has been the year less hot in the coming yearssince it is one of the consequences of climate change. One of the “traditional” ways that we have to refresh in our homes is with an air conditioning system, but poses an economic problem, because the invoices are not paid alone. However, a new Navarro study has managed to find a solution to refrigerate buildings with hardly any energy expenditure. Short. A research team, Formed by Amaia Zuazua Ros from the University of Navarra and Cristina Salazar Castro of the Luredera Technology Center, has developed a project to cool buildings without the need for air conditioning. Under the financing of the Government of Navarra and within the framework of the Navarro R&D System (SINAI)and with the coordination of Aditechthe proposal has sought to boost new passive cooling technologies through modules coated with nanomaterials, designed to eliminate heat from buildings without resorting to electrical systems. The challenge is not less. In the last 30 years, the energy consumption for the cooling of a home is It has tripled. These data, detailed in the International Energy Agency, have highlighted the impact on global electrical demand. For this reason, reducing this consumption without compromising thermal comfort is one of the great challenges of energy efficiency today. The operation. The system is much simpler than it seems. To explain it more easily, the researchers have identified a material that allows to cool the surface of the building, even when exposed to the sun. On the other hand, they have designed a structure to eliminate accumulated heat and thus improve air circulation on the facade by vertical dissipating modules. In addition, they have developed a system to easily adapt to different types of construction. The possibilities. Since the investigation they have detailed that the implementation of these modules in residential and commercial buildings would mean a reduction in energy consumption aimed at refreshing the environment. In addition, in cities with the large amount of solar panels that are being installed and The urban heat island effectthis new system will help mitigate high temperatures from these factors. However, the researchers, who are optimistic, have explained the challenges they have to overcome and how they should observe the long -term application. However, they have added that this technology represents a step forward in the fight against climate change and the design of more sustainable cities. Any other alternative? In the search for sustainable solutions for refrigeration without energy consumption, researchers from different parts of the world are betting on different approaches. An interesting example comes from Indiawhere a system based on recycled clay has been developed. Inspired by botijo ​​technology, this system uses clay cylinders to reduce the ambient temperature by up to 15ºC by evaporation of water, without the need for air conditioning. Image | Aditech and Unspash Xataka | It consumes five times less and does not need gas: it is the French invention that wants to replace the air conditioning

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