crazy

The US bans Chinese drones and turns DJI into the new Huawei. It’s an absolutely crazy idea.

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The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) of the United States has decided ban all drones and critical components of these vehicles that have been manufactured in foreign countries. In addition to this, he has vetoed any team of communication and video surveillance from the largest Chinese manufacturers, and there is one name above all others: DJI. It’s another shot in the foot for the Trump administration. what has happened. Does almost a decade that some government officials in the US were asking for a veto on drones manufactured by Chinese companies, and that veto is now official. The FCC decision It will prevent this body from authorizing drones or critical drone components, something that is essential to be able to import them into the United States. The measure clearly affects DJI, which becomes the new Huaweialthough there is another firm, Autel, that will also be greatly impacted by the decision. Both come to form part of the so-called “covered list”. The reason is the usual one: to protect national security. It only affects (for now) future drones. The existing drones They will not be affected for the moment by the veto and their users will be able to continue using them. Stores that had models in their inventory and warehouses will be able to sell them normally, as the FCC’s action focuses specifically on future models. Thus, the decision is not retroactive, but that could change in the future and affect many models. What DJI says. Those responsible for DJI indicate in The Wall Street Journal that the company is prepared to be audited and highlights that independent analyzes have indicated that its products are completely safe. “DJI’s data security concerns are not based on evidence and instead reflect protectionism, contrary to the principles of an open market.” Drone pilots cry out to the sky. There are nearly half a million certified drone pilots in the United States, and in this segment between 70 and 90% of commercial drones used by local governments and hobbyists come from DJI. The measure therefore has an enormous impact on this entire industry in the United States. Many of these pilots are collecting drones and components to mitigate the impact of the measure. bad future. Greg Reverdiau, co-founder of the Pilot Institute in Arizona, conducted a survey in which 8,000 pilots participated. 43% indicated that the veto would be “extremely negative” and “potentially a cause of business closure”, and nearly 85% said they could stay in business for up to two years due to the prospect of not being able to access future DJI equipment and components. As this expert said, “People don’t buy DJI drones because it’s Chinese, they buy it because it’s available, very affordable, and capable.” DJI has no competition. And less, American. Eric Ebert, owner of a construction firm and user of these drones, explained the problem. “I’m American through and through. I drive a Chebrolet truck. But American drones can’t compete.” Ebert has a team of seven drone pilots who monitor wind turbine and solar panel installations. These weeks they have not stopped hoarding DJI drones and components “knowing what was going to come our way in 2026.” Protectionism…One of the companies that will benefit from the measure is Brinc Drones, a Seattle firm that sells them to more than 700 state agencies. Blake Resnick, its founder, explained that “it is impossible to compete with DJI unless you are subsidized by the state.” …and rear doors. In November XTI Aerospace, which makes helicopters, acquired a DJI distributor called Drone Nerds and also Anzu Robotics, which makes drones by licensing technology from DJI. As part of the agreement, the drone component manufacturing firm Unusual Machines invested 25 million. Guess who is a shareholder and board member of Unusual Machines: Donald Trump Jr, President Trump’s son. Image | jonas In Xataka | China conquered us with its cheap drones. Now the price of their pieces is skyrocketing for a reason that is not coincidental.

Columbus introduced the pineapple to Europe in 1496. 200 years later the English went crazy

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When the gun is drawn it is to shoot, the one who takes it out to show it is a parguela. That always made me more amused than necessary. phrase of one of Callejeros’ ‘caughts’ on public roads, and I always associated it with what we buy for status. If we are what we have, we show what we have to demonstrate our position. And in 17th century England, what the richest people took out for a walk to show off their power was… a pineapple. The Blackberry phones back in the dayto the just like watchesjewelry, cars or yachts, are status symbols. They are elements that we use to show the social level in which we find ourselves. Up to a Labubu would go into this example, and if these symbols have something in common, it is that they are expensive. In the case of the pineapple, the fruit was introduced to Europe in 1496 with a single specimen of a pineapple. And this exotic fruit did not hit hard in Spain, but in an England that experienced a real “piñamania”. From the pineapple fever… It was on his second transatlantic voyage when the explorer in the service of the Spanish crown returned with the pineapple. In the Guadeloupe island He found the fruit and took back to Spain a large quantity of this “pina de Indes”, or fruit of the “pine of the Indians”. He offered it to the Catholic Monarchs and it seems that… they liked it. So much so that, according to the historian Peter Martyr d’Anghierathe king “preferred it over everything else.” It was what was needed for the subjects will embrace the fruit with open arms. It is a mystery how and when pineapple was introduced to England, but it is believed that, in the mid-17th century, Charles II of England held a feast at which pineapple was the exotic dish. And more important than its flavor, was that the pineapple, being unknown in the Old Continent, was not associated with any cultural reference. If the apple was the forbidden fruit, the pineapple was a blank canvas. In an article by BBC We can read how Lauren O’Hagan, from the School of English, Communication and Philosophy at Cardiff University, explains that this allowed the pineapple to be given a mythical quality: it was the symbolic manifestation of the divine right of the king. There it is nothing, but it is still easy to identify thanks to the “crown” of the pineapple and the golden color of the exterior and, above all, the interior. This earned him the nickname “King Pine,” and the royals wasted no time in doing what they did best: turning something unattainable to the people into something more than separated them from the plebs. King Charles II commissioned a portrait of himself being entertained with a pineapple, the ornamentation of palaces and mansions began to adopt the pineapple as a structural ornament. Drawings, tapestries, more paintings, tableware, furniture ornamentation, medals and… this: Dunmore Pineapple It was exotic, but there was also an interest in starting to cultivate it in Europe, and that was possible in the mid-17th century. Heated greenhouses They allowed us to replicate the tropical climate (more or less) to start growing pineapples. And you would think that the more pineapples on the market, the lower their value will be, right? Well, the opposite happened. Since these greenhouses were very expensive, and growing the first pineapples was not an easy task, the fruit was seen as a investment. It took years to flower in a very expensive facility and, furthermore, it was possible that a large part of the harvest was lost for different reasons. There were more, yes, but since the upper classes were the only ones who could afford a pineapple and were aware of its value… they were not going to eat it. And thus began the climax of this story: pineapple rental. The wealthiest, who could spend 80 pounds on one (tight to inflation, between 12,000 and 16,000 pounds), they were not going to eat a piece of fruit worth 20,000 euros, so they used it as ornamentation. Since they last several days without going overboard, they organized events in which they had the pine cones as if they were vases (or LEGO figures), clearly visible to the guests. When it started to get soft, they ate it. And what did those who had money, but couldn’t afford a pineapple, do? Rent it. This is how a parallel business emerged. to satisfy that demand. Shark mentality of those businessmen who thought about the business of renting pineapples to the wealthy classes, but not much. It was considered shameful to be caught leaving a pineapple rental store (it would be admitting social defeat), and the absurdity reached limits like seeing people walking around holding a pineapple. The equivalent of going out into the street with a ‘Luisvi‘ bragging about ‘Luisvi’. But soon the gentrifiers’ worst nightmare would occur: globalization. …to the democratization of the pineapple The progress In transportation, with steamships that began to make more frequent trips between Great Britain and the colonies where pineapples grew wild, pineapples began to be stored in warehouses, along with other goods. Soon, the pineapple invaded the market, and if before only the upper classes could afford a pineapple, now the working class could also delight in its flavor. O’Hagan recounts that “at the time, the pineapple-eating working class was used as a visual metaphor for the problem of progress in satirical prints.” If everyone could eat pineapple, It wasn’t special anymore.. Suddenly, the image of pineapple as a prohibitive fruit fell away, like “I liked Nirvana before it became mainstream.” They were sold in carts on the streets, even cheaper than potatoes, and when a way was devised to fit a pineapple in a can, the fruit definitively lost its appeal for the wealthiest. There was only one thing left to remember that glorious past: art, tableware … Read more

China has unveiled its most mysterious vessel to date. And then the theories have begun, some very crazy

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Just two weeks ago China completed that plan for world domination that had staged at the end of summer through a military parade unparalleled. And he did it showing the Type 076 In its first tests, an unprecedented technological leap in the Chinese naval industry as it is an amphibious assault ship with electric propulsion and electromagnetic catapults. It turns out that there was a “one more thing”. Challenging the known. Yes, the appearance of a mysterious black trimaran in what appears to be the Huangpu shipyard has revealed for the first time the complete silhouette of a ship that China had been hiding for months under tarps and that until now was only known by satellite analysis. Its lines combine features typical of a surface ship with unmistakably underwater elements, giving shape to a hybrid design about 64 meters in length, designed to operate both in exposed navigation and in submersible mode, an architecture that radically expands the possibilities of stealth, range and survival against adversary sensors. Theories. They counted the TWZ analysts that the presence of a type propellant pump-jetvisible in the new imagereinforces the impression that acoustic discretion and efficiency have been prioritized during long journeys, while its sail with depth markings, snorkel or mast points to long immersion cycles and a behavior closer to that of a light submarine than to that of a simple unmanned surface vehicle. With or without humans. That has been the big question since the image was made public: the question of whether the ship operates with a crew or if it belongs to the new generation hybrid USV/UUV that China has begun to deploy in recent years. Its design, without a classic superstructure and with a minimal sail, supports the possibility of a vehicle capable of ssubmerge almost completelywhich would place it in an intermediate category between a semi-submersible drone and a small displacement submarine. The presence of draft marks on the sail and other areas of the hull suggests that total immersion is contemplated, and that the ship is somewhat more sophisticated than the semi-submersibles used in surveillance or infiltration operations. If it is confirmed that it is an unmanned system (or with a minimum crew) we would be faced with a notable jump in Chinese naval doctrine, which has been experimenting for years with distributed fleets of autonomous platforms capable of operating far from bases and with less political risk. Render seen in nets of the boat More hypotheses. One of the stronger theories maintains that this trimaran represents the Chinese evolution of the naval arsenal concept: a stealthy, difficult-to-detect, unmanned or reduced-crew vessel loaded with land-attack or anti-ship missiles that could surface, launch its salvo, and disappear again beneath the waves. In times of sensor proliferation, anti-satellite warfare and constant surveillance, such a platform would expand the Chinese navy’s depth of fire without exposing more valuable frigates or destroyers. Although the available image does not show a VLS system that confirms this function, the internal volume of the ship and its profile fit with the unofficial renders that have been circulating for years on a possible semi-submersible prototype capable of hiding its thermal and radar signal. If China were testing this concept, it would try to replicate the logic the United States explored decades ago: a “floating arsenal” that provides fire mass without compromising manned vessels. Unofficial render appeared on networks before the leaked image The drone mothership option. Another interpretation with increasing weight is that of a drone mothershipboth air and sea, an idea that would fit with the tactical revolution seen in the Black Sea, where Ukraine has shown the devastating potential of swarms launched from small platforms. In this case, the interior of the trimaran could house VTOL drones or ramp launchers for long-range loitering munitions similar to the Shahed, expanding China’s ability to saturate defenses or conduct remote attacks without compromising manned aircraft. The absence of a flight deck Conventional does not rule out this function: an internal catapult system or inclined launchers could be adapted without the need for an open hangar. This approach would make the ship a force multiplier within a distributed combat architecture that the PLAN has been cultivating for yearsdrawing inspiration from both the American model and recent lessons from the war in Ukraine. Secret missions. A third possibility is that it is a platform designed for special operationscapable of infiltrating equipment into archipelagos, reefs or highly monitored coastal areas without the acoustic and thermal signal of a conventional submarine. The ability to surface surf long distances and then submerge to conceal aligns with special forces doctrines that privilege silent penetration and discreet exfiltration. Similar vessels have been developed by the United States (like the Sealion) and for other navies operating in densely monitored environments. China, with its growing interest for projecting power in the South China Sea and the Taiwan Straitwould have a clear incentive to test vehicles capable of moving between islets and shallow waters where a standard submarine would be impractical. A test bench. It cannot be ruled out, however, that this trimaran is above all a prototype intended to experiment with technologies that will end up being integrated into other platforms. The recent history of the PLAN is full of test ships and experimental structures used to validate sensors, thrusters, stealth helmets or autonomous systems before scaling up production. Ambiguity is part of the message: by showing a ship of indeterminate purpose, China introduces uncertainty in adversary planning, forcing the United States, Japan and Australia to contemplate a whole collection of potential threats without being able to rule out any. In that sense, the opacity, reinforced by its black paint and the absence of official details, is part of the strategic game. A symptom. Be that as it may, for now there is only one certainty: the discovery of the image It does not dispel the mystery, but rather expands it. The ship represents a deliberate experiment with concepts that are redefining 21st … Read more

In a financial carom, Google has stood up to NVIDIA, leaving an unexpected winner in the crazy AI race: Larry Page

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NVIDIA promised them very happy being the best-positioned AI chip manufacturer. At least it was until Google has started making chips. This new scenario has excited investors, who have rushed to buy Alphabet shares, making your price goes up up to 6.3% from one day to the next, and accumulating an advance of more than 75% since its August price. This increase in the value of Google’s parent company has also coincided with a dip in Oracle’s valuation, which has caused chaos on the podium of the world’s largest fortunes. according to Forbes. What AI gives you, AI takes away. A few months ago, Larry Ellison, founder of Oracle rose as the second largest fortune in the world, overtaking Mark Zuckerberg. His fortune reached 291.6 billion thanks to the good growth prospects posed by the construction of the data centers for AI. In fact, the Oracle founder’s fortune grew so much that he was close enough to the unattainable Elon Musk as to threaten its position on that list. Just as AI raised Larry Ellison to become the world’s second-largest fortune, AI he has taken that place away to hand it over to Larry Page, who reaches that position with a fortune of 261.5 billion dollars. Google rises, Oracle falls. He Google stock rally contrasts with the downturn suffered by the main architect of the cloud infrastructure in which AI lives, leaving up to 6.79% of its price in recent days. This decline has meant that Ellison’s fortune, with a strong influence of Oracle on its income balance, has suffered, falling to $256.7 billion, being displaced to third position. That same stock market momentum of Google has taken another founding partner, Sergei Brin, to fourth position, with a fortune of 242.4 billion dollars, while Alphabet shares brought the company closer to a market capitalization of almost 4 billion dollars. Mark Zuckerberg and Jeff Bezos didn’t even see it coming. The most pronounced falls in recent months have been those of Jeff Bezos and, above all, Mark Zuckerberg, who, accustomed to remaining in the Top 3 of the greatest fortunes, fall to fifth and sixth position in the ranking of Forbes. The decline in Mark Zuckerberg’s fortune is especially striking, due to the poor performance of Meta shares in recent weeks. Interestingly, Meta shares have broken their downward trend following Google’s announcement to get into the semiconductor business for AI and the rumors that Zuckerberg could change NVIDIA processors for the Tensor Processing Unit manufactured by Alphabet. Larry Page and Sergei Brin: same company, different fortunes. Although Page and Brin co-founded Google and share control of the company through their shares, both millionaires do not own exactly the same number of shares, and that detail makes a big difference in their assets. According to public statements of Alphabet before the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), between the two magnates they concentrate 87.9% of Alphabet’s class B shares, which grant 10 votes per title. However, the figures show that Page has just over 389 million shares, while Brin account with some 362.7 million of these shares, which makes Page the main beneficiary of the rally in the shares of the company they founded. Brin has been more generous with science. The key to this gap is that Sergei Brin has been much more active than Page in donating and selling part of his stake in Alphabet, and that has reduced his share package over time. Brin has been targeting large volumes of Alphabet and Tesla shares to research donations of treatment against Parkinson’s disease, bipolar disorder or autism, after being discovered a genetic mutation which made him prone to developing that disease. In Xataka | Larry Page and Sergey Brin founded Google and became millionaires. Now they are dedicated to collecting gigantic airplanes Image | Flickr (Fortune Global Forum, TED Conference)

The crazy story of the Galician woman who registered El Sol before a notary, sold plots online and then took eBay to court

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To the French monarch Louis XIV he was known as the sun kingthus, with a capital letter and all its absolutist pomp. Strictly speaking, that title, however, belongs to another person, and it is not even the priest king. Cuahtemocgreat governor of the Aztecs, nor the Egyptian emperor Amenhotep III. If there is a lady and sovereign of the Star King—or at least that is what she maintains—that is Angeles Durana Galician who one fine day in 2010 decided to do something that no one else had done in thousands of years of human history: she left her house in Salvaterra do Miño, in the Vigo region, and stood in the office of a notary to draw up an official record that she, and no one else but her, declared herself the legitimate and authentic owner of the sun. When the good notary heard her, he couldn’t help but laugh, but he had no choice but to consult with his professional association and, in fact, sign a record of what that lady said. Since then, the story of Ángeles Durán has taken on delirious overtones, worthy of a good astro-legal thriller.I solicited. I, owner of the Sun This is how Ángeles Durán has proclaimed herself, a Galician who in 2010 surprised the world by proclaiming herself the owner of the Sun. And no, we are not speaking figuratively. The news advanced it in its day The Voice of Galiciawhich recounted how Durán went to a notary in a neighboring town, in the Vigo region, to draw up a record that she was the legitimate owner of the axis of the Solar System. If that became news—and it did, so much so in fact that it jumped to foreign media— it was not so much because of the occurrence itself as because of the result. Durán left the office with a document that he later did not hesitate to use. pose for the cameras. “I am the owner of the Sun, a star of spectral type G2, which is located in the center of the solar system, located at an average distance from the Earth of approximately 149,600,000 kilometers…”, proclaims the minutes of statements with the notary’s seal. The Galician newspaper explains that the official made him laugh upon hearing Durán’s claims, but he still consulted with his school and ended up attesting that the woman in front of him declared herself the legitimate possessor of the Sun. Since then many things have been said about Durán: that he is lawyer and psychologistwho at that time served as judicial expert and even, as published The Voice in 2022, who lives in Italy and is focused on preparing a book about the British royal family. One of the latest news that is known about her is that she is dedicated to composing “spicy and erotic songs” and who has released an album. What there is no doubt is that Durán dedicated time and effort to planning her strategy to proclaim herself the owner of the Sun. Whether more or less correct, the undeniable thing is that her request was based on a legal argument that she raised at the time and still maintained in 2019. before the cameras of Cuatro. Going back to Roman law The Galician law basically rested on two legs: a legal vacuum and a legal figure that dates back to Roman law. The first is related to the international agreement that establishes that no country can appropriate the planets. The key for Durán is in that nuance: that it affects the states would not imply, he maintains, that it extends to individuals. The second key is the usucapionwhich allows you to gain real rights to those elements that have been enjoyed for a certain time. And Durán had decades benefiting daily from the Sun’s rays. Like the other almost 8,000 million people who reside on this wide planet, true, but no one else had thought to raise it like this in a notary office. The law is made, the trap is made. At least that’s what Durán thought. “I have not bought the Sun because no one has sold it to me. What I have done is a deed for what is called usucapion,” I insisted in 2019 during an interview in which he assured that this figure can be used “by electromagnetic apprehension.” The truth is that Durán has not been the first to do something similar. Decades ago an American businessman, Dennis Hopeclaimed that he had found a legal loophole that allowed him to claim sovereignty of the Moon. His argument was very similar to that of the Galician: Hope was based on an old law from the 19th century, of the American pioneers, and that the Outer Space Treaty It does not affect individuals. The most curious thing is that the Sun is not the only property that Durán has claimed, although it is certainly the one that takes the cake in size, implications and impact. The Galician has made other equally curious visits to the General Registry of Intellectual Property. The World and The Country They have echoed how he came to record Tarzan’s cry or “the longest score in the world”, 24,000 million measures and related to telephony. “Every time you dial a number, notes are ringing and no one has recorded them,” explained in 2010: “If you mark 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, you are making a few measures and all the possible combinations, all of them, I have registered in my name.” A little plot in the sun… Durán was not satisfied with proclaiming herself the owner of the Astro Rey. He decided to go one step further, cutting up the vast expanse of the star and selling plots on eBay. On the first day he managed to market nearly a hundred stellar plots. According to explained in his day10,000 solar portions were offered, each accompanied by its respective certificate. For one euro, anyone could get a piece of star. … Read more

One-minute episodes, crazy plots and millions of views: welcome to the age of l

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It was clear that with the inability to maintain attention for too long in a single point, a phenomenon like that of the microdramasfictions in ultra-brief pills with continuous twists and suspense situations, would end up triumphing. Now, after sweeping Asia, they reach the United States and Europe. And they are willing to turn the durations of fictions upside down in streaming. What are they? An audiovisual format that consists of mini-soap operas or short series designed for consumption on mobile devices. Generally, each episode lasts between 60 and 90 seconds, although it can reach up to ten, and the series have between 20 and 100 episodes, accumulating a total duration similar to a feature film. This accelerated narrative is filmed in vertical format, and structured to hook the viewer with shocking hooks in the first seconds, conflicts that evolve quickly and cliffhangers that invite you to watch the next episode without interruptions. Hurry, hurry. Production is ultra-fast and low-cost, with seasons that can be recorded in less than two weeks, allowing for great proliferation of titles. Narratively, microdramas rely on highly addictive stories, inherited from soap operas, with recurring themes such as secret romances with billionaires, revenge, marriages of convenience, even forays into romance and delirious vampire romances… and all condensed with frequent emotional rewards and very little expenditure on sets, editing, soundtrack and technical displays. In Xataka The new fever in China is mobile series with one-minute episodes. And they prepare their landing outside Asia Where was he born? This format originated in China, where they are known as wei duan ju either duanjudriven by the massive emergence into the market of smartphones and the rise of short video platforms such as Douyin and Kuaishouespecially during the pandemic. Since then, the format has expanded globally, adapting to the audiovisual consumption habits of generation Z and millennials, who prefer short, vertical content for quick consumption on social networks. Where to see them. The main platforms to watch microdramas are YouTube, TikTok and Instagram. According to a study by Ampere Analysis, YouTube It is the leading platform, with 44% of microdrama viewers consuming this content there, where creators monetize directly. TikTok and Instagram are often used to promote them with teasers and teasers that direct users to paid apps like DramaBox, ReelShort either CandyJarTVwhere they can watch the complete series, often under a freemium model (free initial episodes and payment to continue). In these there is already an abundance of non-Asian series: a look at ReelShort allows us to understand the appeal of these products, openly oriented towards the female audience, and with categories that do not hide an exploitative point, almost an emotional fetish: ‘Hidden Identity’, ‘Taboo Relationship’, ‘Babies and Pregnancies’, ‘Love at First Sight’, ‘Vampires and Werewolves’, and of course an immense remnant of products from Asia. And now, in the United States. Alan Mruvka, founder of E! Entertainment Television, plans to launch Verza TVthe first American platform dedicated exclusively to microdramas, which is expected to arrive in mid-November 2025. This pioneering initiative will follow a financing model similar to that common in China: users can watch up to five free episodes of any title, and to access the rest they must pay $4.99. Verza TV’s catalog will include dramas inspired by TikTok trends, reality shows in micro format, interviews and information about celebrities (something Mruvka knows a lot about thanks to his experience with E! Entertainment) and new microdramas based on those that have been successful in Asia. The figures. The global microdrama market is estimated to reach 2025 a projected value of $11 billiona figure that almost doubles the income of FAST channels (free, linear and with ads), which shows the rapid growth of the format. China dominates this market overwhelmingly, contributing close to 83% of global income thanks to its massive domestic production and consumption. A juicy business, quick and easy to produce, and which may soon find a new audience eager for strong and, above all, fast emotions. Photo of Becca Tapert in Unsplash In Xataka | The great Chinese revolution of recent decades is not technological or economic: it is that of Christianity (function() { window._JS_MODULES = window._JS_MODULES || {}; var headElement = document.getElementsByTagName(‘head’)(0); if (_JS_MODULES.instagram) { var instagramScript = document.createElement(‘script’); instagramScript.src=”https://platform.instagram.com/en_US/embeds.js”; instagramScript.async = true; instagramScript.defer = true; headElement.appendChild(instagramScript); – The news One-minute episodes, crazy plots and millions of views: welcome to the age of l was originally published in Xataka by John Tones .

A crazy theory that relates them to a devil of Mesopotamia

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Labubu have been news. Throughout the last months these unmistakable jaly -eyes and smile Aviesa have monopolized headlines for their Commercial pullhis millionaire billinghave driven The youngest fortune from China or the success they have had between Rihanna or the K-Pop star Smooth. What had not happened so far is that they talk about them by an twisted Theory of conspiracy that relates its origin to Pazuzua former devil. As crazy as true. Diabolic Labubus? Sounds crazy, but a quick search arrives in X, Tiktok, Instagram either Reddit To find a surprisingly broad amount of messages, videos and photographs that in one way or another relate the tonguzes Labubu with Pazuzua diabolical deity of Mesopotamia. Part of that content can have a Cariz more or less ironicbut in others pieces (in which even people appear burning dolls) it is difficult to believe that it is only comedy. Labubu, remember, are figures created in 2015 by the Hongkon artist Kasing Lung that (thanks to an effective mixture of design, marketing and above all virality) have managed to become A (almost) Milmillonario business. The second, PazuzuIt is a diabolical deity that hurts its roots in ancient Mesopotamia. Their Representations They can vary, but it is usually shown with a fierce face, jumps, fangs, claws, wings, horns and a scorpion tail. Click on the image to go to Tweet. What exactly do they say? Those who have echoed the conspiracy theory of Pazuzu say that the former Mesopotamian devil has inspired the Labubus. Not all tweets/photos/videos are equal, but the phenomenon is better bought if some of its most viral publications are analyzed. A clear example leaves the account @Cservativeogwith about 300,000 followers in X. A week ago those responsible uploaded a video in which you can see a man burning a labubu with a flamethrower next to the message “Labubu Dolls Are Demonic. Save Yourself, Save Your Kids, Save Your Country”. In the same tweet it was reported that a “group of Christians” is convinced that the dolls are the “Pazuzu Encarnación” and has proposed to gather $ 150,000 to buy and destroy stuffed animals. They even include A link to the campaign of Crowdfundingthat for the moment has gathered a minimum amount: 25 dollars. The message They have shared it personalities such as conservative J. Mannarino. Are there more examples? Yes. Enough. Wallmotivates (113,000 followers) leave Another sample Eloquent on Instagram. In June he published a message in which a Labubu with Pazuzu is compared and a fragment of a chapter of the Simpsons is included in which the Mesopotamian duablo is mentioned. “Do not buy this demonic toy for your children or for yourself!” He warns. In networks you can also find a handful of Videos of people burning Figures Is it only in networks? No. of the networks has jumped to the media. In recent weeks they have echoed the web conspiracy theory as Live Science, NDTV, Huffpost, Times of India or the Hongkonés South China Morning Post. And that to quote just some examples. Snopes, a page specialized in data verification, wanted to go further and in July A broad article in which he wonders if, indeed, Lung was inspired in Pazuzu for his designs. The Snopes team failed to contact the artist, but remember that there is not a single test that suggests that Lung was based on Mesopotamian mythology to shape his characters. On the contrary, the only source of inspiration recognized By the illustrator are the fairy tales of northern Europe and Scandinavia that he read when as a child he had to move from his native Hong-Kong to the Netherlands. No reference to Devils of the ancient Mesopotamian religion. Are there more clues? Yes. Lung created Labubu in 2015 as part of the series “The Monsters”but its enormous commercial success is also largely due to the company that sells the stuffed animals: Pop Mart. On its website The company confirms that Lung was based on the worlds of fairies and elves for its designs and insists that Labubu will be raised as harmless creatures. “Despite being playful and naughty, also optimistic and kind,” claims The company. Again, no reference to Mesopotamian demonic mythology. Ironically and despite the representation of Pazuzu in modern popular culture (there are A reference For example in ‘The Exorcist’, William P. Blatty’s famous novel) Some sources They slide that in their time it was considered a protective creature that served to scare other hell of households. @Dominga.Cantuarias The context is this: Labubus are one fashionable stuffed animals and have come out in the news, Tiktok etc and there is a theory that they are inspired by the devil Pazuzu and that attract bad energies ♬ original Som – ★ Is it something new? Yes. And no. It is new to associate with Labubu with ancient demonic deities. What is no longer so much is that more or less serious conspiracy theories circulate that find alleged diabolical echoes on dolls, songs, drawings … fashionable. Before the Labubu already went through something similar Hello Kitty, Pokemon or even the song of ‘Aserejé’, the famous success of the early 2000s in which Some saw Satanic resonances. Whether or not they were diabolical, it is more than questionable, what they all shared (just like Labubu now) is a overwhelming commercial success. In Xataka | China has spent more than twenty years copying what the West created. Now Louis Vuitton is copying what China creates Images | PROZEPINK (Flickr) and X

‘Eriksholm’ is a game with 93% of positive criticism in Steam and crazy graphics. And yet it has crashed

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Doing video games is not easy. Not only is it a complex development that does not end when the game arrives in Steam, but having an operational and functional video game is only part of the film. It is useless to have a good idea, good production values and eager if the title does not reach who has to get: the players. And if not, tell them to ‘Eriksholm: The Stolen Dream‘. Eriksholm. This is the first title of the Swedish study River End Games (although its creative director comes from says). Roughlyit is a narrative video game with isometric perspective and stealth as the main protagonist. There are no skill trees, level ups or such things to which current games have accustomed us. We control a character and we have to travel the city of Eriksholm without seeing us. Could it be said that it is a puzzle game that is resolved stealth? It could be said. Eriksholm: The Stolen Dream | Valve Altísimos production values. The Swedish study can boast of having done a sensational job in terms of graphics. ‘Eriksholm’ has some of the most spectacular kinematics and facial captures that we have seen for a long time, an outstanding visual quality and amazing animations. This, which is a delight for the eyes, surely plays against the title for a simple reason: the investment. The general norm is that having such powerful graphics is synonymous with having made a strong investment. Investment that in triple A games with great studies can be profitable at the same time, but ‘Erikslhom’ is not precisely that. It is the first game of a new studio and, in addition, it is very niche: it has an isometric perspective type RTS, it is based on stealth, it is short (like 12 hours, more or less), it is barely rejugable and costs 40 euros in Steam. Eriksholm: The Stolen Dream | Valve But I loved it. That is the worst drink. Despite its disastrous release in terms of figures, the game has reaped excellent criticism. In Steam, he has 363 reviews, the majority very positive, and the specialized press has put it through the clouds. That is something that many indies cannot say. The negative criticisms, on the other hand, agree that the narrative falls from the second section of the game, which can be repetitive and that, above all, it takes a long time to start. Be that as it may, despite the reception of the press and most users, ‘Eriksholm’ has not managed to overcome The 500 simultaneous players on the day of its launch. At the time these lines are written there are 106 people playing in Steam, to which the console and Epic Games players should be added. Eriksholm: The Stolen Dream | Valve In the background. Erikslhom’s case puts a very raw reality on the table: the world of video games is voracious. Video games are increasingly expensive to produce and Its price, therefore, is also higher. The budget to buy them, however, has not grown at the same rate and the amount that can be dedicated to experimenting and trying new things is very limited. And what does that translate? In which the player is sure, betting on the great franchises he knows and that, generally, propose games that are a well (‘Call of Duty’, ‘EA Sports FC’, etc.). Despite the overwhelming rhythm of video game launches, the reality is that Steam’s average player Just play four different video games a year. Cover image | Eriksholm: The Stolen Dream in Steam In Xataka | The milling of a programmer made a fateful mistake of this classic video game into a congratulation message

Nothing’s CEO wants to conquer the mobile market with crazy designs. He has told us his very complex plan to achieve it

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Carl Pei is one of the CEO that gives off the most in the technology industry. You saw a cowboy and basic shirt, they warn me that it is shy and, after a few minutes of interview, we end up smiling, commenting that “the vibes” are the future, and remembering the old days of Cyanogenmod out of formalities. Those who have been in El Cotarro to know Carl from that Old OnePlus who only sold his phones by invitation. With Nothing, the approach is different. A London company with the focus on design and with a clear slogan: “Make Tech Fun Again”. Looking up Nothing began with a Phone (1) that attacked the mid -range. He continued with a Phone (2) that took a specifications and, in 2025, attacks the market with a mobile of 799 euros with a high range. I can’t help wanting to know why. Carl explains that for Nothing, both the Phone (1) like him Phone (2) They were flagships. It sounds like a statement Marketinianbut it is not: “For a company, a flagship is the best mobile you can do.” For the first time, they believe they are at an engineering point in which they can compete with the best in the market, a point where they are finally ready. Sailing a high range is risky, and throwing it being oriented to a concrete niche, it is even more. Nothing is not in volume, it is not desperate to launch product and points directly to “the most creative users.” All this sounds very good, but it is worth asking if A company can be profitable and sustainable living as “creative users”. “We are focused on new generations of consumption. We focus on people who are interested in technology, design and creativity. Our consumer is much younger than the average consumer, it is around 26 years.” Does the strategy work? Yes. Carl tells me that they have folded the volume of business, exceeding one billion dollars in the accumulated sales. He knows that they have been focusing on software for years, but they intend to double software investment to be even more attractive. They also have an important investment behind, in which investors take a direct role in the decisions made by the company. “Sometimes it is uncomfortable, because they give their opinion in front of the rest of the members of our table. But I think it is really important to find ways to keep us connected with this base, especially when the company grows. It is difficult to hear uncomfortable truths when you have that type of structure, we always know what people want us.” The present Carl Pei during the presentation of Nothing Phone (3) and the Nothing Earphone (1). Image | Xataka With Nothing Phone (3) comes the whopping seven years of security updates and five software. Maybe it’s time for Get out of stopping a mobile per year if mobiles are getting older and more. Or maybe not. “On average, people renew phone every three years. So there will always be someone thinking about the following. But we are also seeing a trend of people who want to keep their device for a longer time. That is why we want to give even longer support.” The phone also lands with an integration of quite discreet. Essential Search Essential Space Minor translation functions Is enough to compete, taking into account that There are already those who integrate the AI Even in the most basic apps of the system (telephone, keyboard, camera …)? Carl is clear that Nothing’s approach is cautious, because they see “a lot of hype” in the market. It drops that, even if they have launched these functions, “the Roadmap is long, there will be updates and updates.” But, beyond promising that in the future AI will be more complete, it is not afraid to admit that it agrees. “This is almost like a hygiene factor, right? We have to take care of that basic part, but that is not what excites us most. What really excites us is how we apply this new technology to redefine the way people use products, especially in the software part. But yes, that basic work is necessary. You have to do it. The market is doing it and I think we can do much more.” Image | Xataka To close the block, I ask Carl for something practically inevitable: How are geopolitical tensions between the United States and China livingand if your supply chain is being affected. The Nothing Phone box (3) shows a clear “Made in China”, so there is nothing to hide. Here he tells us that most of their products are manufactured in India, and some of them in China. Apart from this, he affirms that they are in the process to start producing in other parts of the world. It does not seem too worried, and the reason is simple. “Being a startup, we can be quite agile and reagents, whatever happens.” The future of smartphone Nothing Phone (3). Image | Xataka A question that I like to ask the main responsible for Tech companies is how they look in the future. And being, honest, the answers are usually little concrete. It is something completely normal: neither should get wet with compromised statements or, really, it is easy to predict with where today’s technology is going. But Carl is a Jugónand it is clear that the future of the smartphone goes through a single app capable of controlling everything. That agriculture that we have spent so much speaking throughout 2025. The key is that, When everything is … what will be the reason to decide between one device or another? It clarifies that it is still distant, and that no one would buy a phone without apps today. The key will be on the path that is to achieve it, a path to combine and melt all software and hardware. “I think Essential Search is a good example. … Read more

China has resurrected the most crazy plane of the USSR. The Ekranoplano returns to life, and the big question is why

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In 2020 he went viral A video Through a drone that was recording images of a beach in the Caspian Sea. Suddenly, the clip showed one of the greatest fantasies of Soviet aviation: An ekranoplano Varado, a unique piece of the so -called Cold War as “marine monster” that never occurred in mass due to its costs (and benefits). Five years later, a nation has resurrected the idea of ​​the great hybrid between plane and ship: China. Emerging silhouette. Yes, because for the first time, they have emerged Complete images of the new soil effect vehicle (Wig) Chinese, an aircraft capable of flying at low altitude on aquatic surfaces using the so -called “air mattress efficiency.” The device was initially identified by the naval analyst Hi Suttonand its presence in the Bahai Sea, northwest of the Yellow Sea, has not gone unnoticed. In the first photographs, part of its structure remained hidden, but the new shots have revealed Your full silhouetteconfirming its configuration as a large ekranoplane with a hidravion helmet. Amazing design. Its development, unknown so far in the Chinese aeronautical inventory, keeps a certain resemblance to The AG600the amphibious hydroavion that China develops For rescue, refueling and logistics missions in the disputed sea of ​​southern China. The appearance of this vehicle feeds the growing global trend to revitalize the soil effect platforms, technology that, as we said at the beginning, the Soviet Union He thoroughly explored during The cold war but that never became popular outside its experimental margins. Between the shadow and the radar. The operational principle of these aircraft is simple and shocking: fly to a very low height On water it allows to take advantage of a dense layer of compressed air that increases support and reduces resistance. In addition, when staying below the terrestrial radar horizon, these vehicles are more difficult to detect and track. Unlike ships, they are not vulnerable to mines or submarines, and although they are not suitable for highly answered combat areas, they could effectively operate in coastal or semi-permissive scenarios. Its possible utility, let’s put the assumption of a war between China and the United States, would be significant, especially considering that China would fight in its own geographical environment immediate. The EkranoPlano would serve as a logistics platform to bring supplies to remote coastal areas, evacuate personnel or even fulfill anti -submarine war and limited maritime control functions, thanks to its ability to quickly insert itself into remote areas and return without the need for port infrastructure. Propulsion, design and doubts. One of the great unknowns posed by this new vehicle is its propulsion system. The available images, although of low resolution, show a kind of Large rear tobares that have raised speculations about whether it is an aircraft with reaction engines, with propellers not yet installed or, even, with an unpublished hybrid-electric system. The NACELLES They present air tickets at the top that could point towards a bimotor design With turboreactor propulsionbut the presence of possible axes or pointed structures on the front suggest that it could be equipped with great thrust propellers to install. Nothing is confirmed. The current versions of this device They could be prototypes Technological demonstration, subscales aimed at informing future developments, or operational models in a stealth test phase. The possibility of using latest generation composite materials to reduce weight, improve aerodynamics and decrease radar signature reinforces the hypothesis of a modern and highly specialized design. New mobility paradigm. Plus: The profile of the new Chinese EkranoPlano shows clear similarities with The Liberty Lifterthe great American project for a Heavy load wig. Both share a conception based on high efficiency platforms to operate on vast oceanic extensions without depending on aerodromes, tracks or ports. The Chinese apparatus presents a V -tail, a typical staging fuselage of hydroAvions, stabilizing floats at the ends of the wings and in the center of the helmet, and a large side door that makes it suitable for transport personnel or materials. Its nose, stylized and aerodynamically integrated, also suggests special attention to functional design. This set of characteristics reinforces the theory that China could be developing a versatile and tactical platform to operate in Coastal environments playedespecially in the context of a sea of ​​increasingly militarized southern China. What will come. The public appearance of Now called “Monster of the Bohai Sea”, as the first naval analysts have baptized it, opens the door to intensive monitoring by experts and Western agencies. As lighter images arise and possibly videos of their first tests in the open sea, the analysis will be refined and the evaluation of its potential will pass from the speculative to the doctrinal. For now, its single existence implies that China, like other powers, is seriously investing in asymmetric capacities that Challenge the limitations traditional logistics. This EkranoPlano is not yet a strategic threat by itself, but represents a clear symbol of Beijing’s technological and military ambition: fast, stealthy mobility, close to its coasts and out of the immediate reach of conventional western detection or deterrence tools. Image | Wikimedia Commons, x In Xataka | The EkranoPlano is the gigantic Russian plane that was designed to “float” on the sea and that precisely for that reason failed In Xataka | China has converted salmon breeding into a high seas into an engineering feat. This latest generation ship shows it

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