die

Spain is letting the lisp die in Andalusia without knowing that the /θ/ sound is a global rarity that we are losing

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In recent days, the University of Granada has presented a macroatlas with almost half a million audios that shows how the way of speaking of Andalusians has changed. The research is very interesting for many reasons, but today I want to focus on something specific: the slow, but inexorable agony of lisp. What is lisp. While the distinction between ‘s”https://www.xataka.com/”z’ and seseo gains ground in the south, lisping is losing speakers in the only place where lisping is used. It is a sociological question, yes: researchers are clear that stigma is the main force against this phonetic subsystem. But there is something else Because, in reality, what we are seeing is not just the death of the lisp, it is the end of the sound (θ) itself: one of the most unknown oddities of the Spanish language. A Spanish oddity? Although it is not something that is often explained much, the ‘c’ sound (/θ/) is relatively rare in the world — only in 43 of 566 languages ​​(7.6%) in the world. WALS sampling appears and only in 4% of the counts in typological databases (UPSID: 3.99%; PHOIBLE: ~4%). That is, very few living languages ​​have that sound among their phonetic repertoires. To give us an idea, the phoneme of the ñ (ɲ), quintessence of Spanish, appears in 35% of the world’s languages. But… what about the ‘c’? The usual explanation Why (θ)/(ð) are less frequent and why they are disappearing is simple: they are “soft” fricatives; That is, they are less strident sounds than (s)/(z) and, therefore, have less perceptual salience. This is what makes them tend to be lost or transformed easily over time. That does not mean that the Spaniard of the future is going to be sesante; but there is a high probability that it is sesante. The heritage of a language in the trash. It is clear that it cannot be argued from a philological point of view that the disappearance of (θ) is a bad thing. The Earth turns, languages ​​change. But it is striking that in a society in which historical heritage continues to be “valued”, the progressive loss of a sound does not set off alarm bells. And that it does so because we are not capable of accepting the diversity of our own language, normalizing it and defending it in the public sphere, is perhaps worse. Image | Wiebrig Krakau (Modified) In Xataka | “The most serious attack since there is memory”: Pérez-Reverte has started a crusade against the RAE from within the RAE

You are more likely to die on your birthday than the other 364 days of the year.

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Every year we blow out the candles to celebrate that we have circled the sun again; that we are still alive. For most, it is an early and joyful date, but the statistic hides a disturbing reality: the probability of dying is significantly higher on our birthday. The birthday effect. This is the name of this curious statistical phenomenon. It has been observed that mortality increases on the date of the birthday and also in the days close to it, both before and after. Although there are no figures at a global level, numerous studies have been carried out in different populations and in all of them an increase in deaths has been seen on these dates. Because? Studies. The birthday effect has been studied in different populations such as the United Kingdom, Switzerland, the United States, Ukraine, Russia and Japan. With more than 40 years of data, Switzerland has one of the largest studios about this phenomenon and the conclusion is devastating: there is an excess of deaths of 13.8% on birthdays. In the United States, data on more than 25 million deaths were verified and an excess mortality of 6.8% was detected on birthdays and nearby days. The most striking case is that of kyivwith an excess of deaths of 44.4%, although the sample was smaller (just over 100,000 deaths in a ten-year period). Differences by gender. One of the first studies that was done on this phenomenon was in California in 1992 and detected a curious difference between genders: men died more in the week before their birthday and women in the week after. Other studies, such as the one we mentioned from kyiv, have also seen a difference between genders, but focused on quantity: 44.4% of male deaths and 36.2% of female deaths. Age and seasonality. Other relevant patterns have been identified. In the United Statesexcess mortality exceeded 25% in the 20 to 29 year old group. Another revealing fact is the peak deaths on 21st birthdaywhich is just the legal drinking age. There are also times of the year where this effect is clearermainly the month of January. The causes. The main cause is related to typical risk activities in celebrations, mainly the consumption of alcohol and drugs that leads to overdoses or traffic accidents. It is also common for this date to generate an effect known as “birthday depression”a state associated with loneliness, trauma or fear of finitude, which increases suicide rates. In Japan, The risk of suicide increases by 50% on the birthday. Also has been studied in Hungarywhere the risk is 40% higher. Physiological and psychological theories. There are studies that have attempted to relate this excess mortality to physiological causessuggesting the existence of annual biological rhythms that could modulate the risk of death throughout the year. Others point to psychological or psychosomatic reasons: from seriously ill people who “hold on” until their birthday or deaths generated by their own awareness of mortality and the stress that this causes. Image | Imants Kaziļuns in Unsplash In Xataka | The great statistical hoax of life expectancy: it does not mean that in the past we lived less

Social networks began to die in 2022 and nobody realized. The new nightmare is that they resurge

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Social networks were wonderful until they stopped being. Very soon they became not only a problem almost addictionbut also of health. Anxiety levels shot And they were made frequent the Sexting cases either Bullying Through these platforms. The funny thing is that while all that happened and we thought that its use was increasingly worrying, something happened. People began to stop using them (both). Social networks had their peak in 2022. An ambitious study conducted By Financial Times He recently revealed the current state of social networks. More than 250,000 adults in more than 50 countries talked about their online habits, and in that data it is clear that the apogee of social networks occurred in 2022. Since then there has been a turning point. Especially for a specific sector of the population. Young people get tired of Facebook. Among the different demographic sectors, there is an especially striking one: young people between 16 and 24 are the ones who are most clearly reducing the time they spend on these platforms. At the end of 2024 they passed average two hours and 20 minutes a day in them, 10% less than what happened in 2022. It is the population segment that is more quickly falling, although the change is clear in the rest of the ages. Other parallel studies, such as Made in Sweden Between 2022 and 2024, he pointed to Clear falls too especially among the youngest. The time we spent on social networks did not stop increasing until 2022. Then the trend changed. Source: Financial Times. The era “zero posts” arrives. Social networks were a day to tell our lives, but From a while to this part the trend is another: “zero posts”. Users publish much less than before, instead of that user community that shared their reflections, the normal thing is now to find an endless commercial showcase. According to recent studies, a third of Spanish Internet users have abandoned some social network in the last year. Robotic consumption. The study data published in FT confirms that phenomenon. According to their conclusions, less and fewer people use social networks to maintain contact with their friends, and that kind of use experience has been decreasing since 2014. instead of what has been seen is that the users of these platforms go to them with the explicit intention of filling holes of time that are empty. Or what is the same: when they get bored consume content, but they don’t share it. Use ceases to be reflective and interactive to be passive, more “robotic”, ironically. The shitting of social networks. The writer Cory Doctorow The term coined long ago “Enshittification“ (“shit”) to talk about how platforms become worse for users. At present, social networks have little social and are dedicated to trying to maximize the time that users are trapped in them. Algorithms have taken control And they immerse us in an echo chamber from which it is difficult to leave. The “Ai Slop” arrives. Before the decline – at least, in time of use – of social networks, the option seems clear: take advantage of the content generated by AI. All to a greater or lesser extent have begun to integrate it progressively, but two new wedges are now added to traditional social networks: Meta Vibes y Openai Sora They are absolutely focused on content generated by AI. It is another era in which interaction and social participation fade and Doomscrolling He seizes more than ever from the user experience. The “AI Slop”the “junk content” generated by AI, begins to flood that experience. And it seems that tactic works. The study, however, gives a worrying fact: the time that Americans spend social networks are growing. It is the only region where it does, because in Europe and Asia-Pacific that consumption is falling slightly from the 2022 peaks. It remains to be seen if those new social networks They end up compensating that fall of the time that users spend on “traditional” social networks. Image | Pexels In Xataka | The exhausted society: how “existential tiredness” has become the great industry of the West

Windows 10 was going to die next month. Microsoft has just thrown a lifeguard to all who wanted to continue using it

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The end of official support for Windows 10 security updates It is near. However, if your intention is not to update Windows 11, either because you do not have a PC compatible with its strict requirements, or because you simply do not want, Microsoft offers A series of options To US and European users to obtain one more year of completely free security updates. Under these lines we tell you what options you have. Deadline for a few weeks. Microsoft had set on October 14 as the final final of the security updates for Windows 10, which meant that from that date there would be no more free security patches. This left the more than 650 million world users who continue to use this operating system in a delicate situation, having to update Windows 11 or run out of security updates. In Europe we win. Microsoft has enabled its domestic users two paths to get free updates. In Europe, Simply logged in With a Microsoft account to access updates for another year. After the pressure of multiple agencies in Europe, the company has confirmed that users of the European Economic Space will be able to enjoy an additional year of free security updates for Windows 10. In the United States, not so much luck. In the United States, The options you had announced are maintained. In this case, users will have two ways to stay in Windows 10 for one more year with free security updates. On the one hand, they can upload their profiles to the Microsoft cloud and make a backup through the app Windows Backupor redeem 1,000 points of the program Microsoft Rewards. Users who are selected for the extended security updates program (ESU) will find a notice through Windows Update and can thus select the option that best suits them. You can also pay. The other option is to pay $ 30 for an additional year. In the case of companies, the ESU program offers up to three years More updates, being more expensive than the previous one to keep the device in this operating system. In fact, in Windows 10, this program is the first time it is offered to users, being something exclusively oriented to companies so far. At the moment, domestic users will only have free updates up to one year if they choose any of the options described. The pressure that has led to this change. The decision has not emerged from nothing. European consumer organizations have actively pressed against the end of support. The French halte a l’Obsolescence Programee launched A petition asking for free updates until 2030, while the German consumer federation warned in May that Microsoft’s decision “worries consumers and limits their ability to make free purchase decisions.” From the Euroconsumers group, an organization dedicated to the protection of the European consumer, we can see A letter of response from the organization where they confirm that Microsoft has approved the users of the European Union to be able to obtain free security updates for another year in Windows 10 without having to do anything more than logging with a Microsoft account in the system. Incompatible hardware. Many users find that their teams do not meet the technical requirements of Windows 11, either by The TPM 2.0 chip mandatory, or by Specific instructions of processor that are indispensable for the operation of Windows 11. The good thing is that the first thing can be raffled, but the second does not. This leaves them in the position of having to buy a new computer or risk using a system without safety updates. The free extension gives them a one -year respite to evaluate their options. Other alternatives. However, there are also other third -party methods, such as the one that offers 0patchwho undertake to offer free security updates for Windows 10 to 2030. In addition, users can also explore alternative options such as Windows LTSC or try some Linux dystro (maybe it’s time). What comes later. This measure is temporary and strategic, since Microsoft gains time for more users to voluntarily migrate to Windows 11 while avoiding criticism for abandoning millions of people. After this year of grace, in theory there will be no more free security updates for Windows 10 users. But who knows, Microsoft is changing again in the face of so much pressure. We’ll see. In Xataka | Microsoft is already thinking about how the computers of 2030 will be and has come to a conclusion: playing is overvalued

While giving us mobiles with better cameras, more power and a flood of AI, I just want them not to die in summer

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In recent years we have seen huge advances in smartphones cameras, in His brilliant screenshis fast charge, Your powerand what they manage to do thanks to the progress that artificial intelligence has brought to the sector (now, not when it began to promote itself eight years ago). And yet, in a summer as hot as we are happening, what I miss most is being able to take advantage of all those functions. Because as temperatures are taking place since May in Andalusia, the reality is that I can’t. The problem. When the heat arrives, the girls fall in love and Solar panels have a fatal. It is also the worst enemy of modern smartphone, whose current functioning completely modifies. With high ambient temperature, smartphone begin to suffer thermal strangulation or Thermal Throttling. It is a technique that reduces the performance of the device so that it does not continue to warm up. What do we notice? In which everything is slow, getting to cause Lagand slowdown accused even in high -end mobiles that do not suffer with normal ambient temperatures even when we demand a lot. It is also common for smartphones to begin to deactivate functions that require greater consumption and therefore heating, such as high rates of soda (90 Hz, 120 Hz 0 more), fast charge or high brightness on the screens. The latter is especially unfortunate, because it is on sunny summer days (when we have more hours of sunshine) when we need the record shine peaks that manufacturers promote with each recent launch. The situation on extreme heat days. The last great heat of these weeks has been the perfect example of how smartphones suffer. In an encounter with friends in the field where there were smartphones of several major brands, the smartphones became unusable in the hottest hours. Fully attenuated and impossible screens to see the sun, abysmal performance, extremely hot bodies and worrying warnings of two types: impossibility of continuing to load to protect the battery, and complete smartphones blockages with a temperature warning as The one Apple details on its website. The first caused that we had to wait until sunset to load the smartphones (with the consequent complete download of several of them for hours) every day. The second, even losing calls: c on the very hot mobile, a relative called me, and the call was abruptly cut by showing a notice like the next. The situation is also improvable with more moderate temperatures. A heat wave in Andalusia is an exceptional situation and that is not lived in countless territories. However, in May, I was at an outdoor wedding about 25 degrees of temperature and decided to take photos and videos with an iPhone 16 Pro and a Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra. The iPhone responded with Throttling, strongly attenuating the screen and slowing down any interaction with the interface. The Ultra Galaxy S25 responded something better, without being slow but also presenting little shine in its panel. The situation was paradoxical: I was using two of the smartphone with the best camera in the market, but I could barely record and take pictures, for the slowness with which they worked and because I almost did not see what I was shooting. Not because of the reflexes of the sun, but because of the little maximum shine of the screens once the terminals felt some heat. Another similar situation, changing camera for GPS, is what is lived in cars in summer: the mobile attenuates its screen and there are cases in which it costs to see the navigation interface, especially if at the same time we are carrying the terminal. And it is not trivial, we load them using the GPS because the consumption shoots and on a long trip the battery does not endure. Keys to protect them from heat. The solutions we have as users are, unfortunately, limited. But There are things we can do. For example, minimize its use in the sun. In summer, as we pointed out, it will be difficult, but there will be multiple situations in which we can place ourselves in the shade. Or what is easier: always leave the mobile in the shade, instead of at very hot points from a place in the sun, on the beach or in the car. They are not few occasions in which I have remembered acquaintances that his mobile would be burning because they had forgotten the sun. We can reduce camera use, especially when necessary. Sometimes, doing tourism, we tend to leave the screen on with the camera in use, preparing for a shot that sometimes does not arrive. It is in those situations when the terminal turns off until we have a shot to shoot can save a lot of heat. House and car tricks. My maximum advice is to use the terminal as GPS subject with a support for air conditioning ventilation grilles, so that it will be cool. It will load at normal speed and work as a browser without major problem. It is a advice that applies even if we use something like Carplay or Android Auto, as the vehicle will continue to resort to the terminal GPS, with the consequent heating. At home, two other tips that I have put into practice: use Cooling with integrated fan or even Cold accumulators covered with a trap that also greatly reduces the temperature of the smartphone when they come into contact with them. Thus they are trying to mitigate the problem. Manufacturers lead a lifetime fighting heat. The problem is that, at the same time, they are integrating components that, although they are more efficient than in previous generations, also have higher final consumption, especially when we think that more and more cameras, more bright screens and chips capable of Move AAA games (although The best is pulling streaming). He Xiaomi 15 Ultrafor example, he convinced us for how his cooling system with Steam camera three -dimensional manages to tame the Snapdragon … Read more

Machu Picchu has become a world tourist destination. Now face the unwanted consequence: die of success

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Machu Picchu is one of the most popular icons in Peru, one of its greatest heritage treasures and a powerful magnet for tourists who only during the first two months of 2025 attracted more than 191,000 visitorsalmost 17% more than in 2024. For that reason, the Inca citadel of Cusco faces the same threat that looms over other large international destinations, such as Mount Fujithe monumental areas of Rome, Venice and Florence either The pyramids of Guiza, in Egypt, to cite only a handful of examples: tourist saturation. So They just warned The Peruvian authorities, who have launched a notice to navigators: the “tourist overload” of the Inca city threatens its conservation. What happened? That the Would control general Of the Republic, an autonomous body responsible for ensuring the assets and resources of Peru, has just made a warning to the country’s ministry of culture: Machu Picchu is suffering a “tourist overload.” The problem has been detected both in the old citadel and in the Inca road network (Qhapaq Ñan), he Road System of the Incas. After verifying the influx of visitors, the general control has come to the conclusion that there is an excess of tourists that puts “at risk” the conservation of both points and affects their “structure and ecosystem.” And if that message had not been clear enough, warns: To extend, that situation could lead to Machu Picchu ending in the World Heritage List in Danger of UNESCO, a risk that he already faced A few years ago. What is the problem? The Peruvian agency provides concrete data to support its complaints. Between April 17 and 30 of this year its operators detected “an overload” of 2,505 people on the upper terrace of the Inca city (Route 1-B). And it was not an isolated case. In May they estimate that this saturation will reach 1,546 users. What does that mean? That authorized maximum aguoros are repeatedly overcome in the protected space. “Although the sustainable access limit to said AES area of ​​450 people per day in regular or low season, the sale of tickets for daily income from 549 to 789 users was evidenced. And while in high season the limit is 490 people, access tickets of between 495 and 639 users were sold.” The key, They need From the control, although the state platform for the sale of tickets is respected the capacity of the upper terrace of the LlaqtaVisitors arrive on the road network. Is there more data? Yes. The agency has also detected a considerable “overload” of 836 visitors, on Route 5 of the Inca road network between April 17 and 30. In May the data will amount to 1,490. “Although the permitted capacity is 250 people per day, the sale of tickets for the entry of 300 users between tourists, guides and support personnel was evidence insist From the entity. In the case of the Route Route designedanother of the great tourist claims in the region, saturation reached 1,368 visitors during the last 13 days of April and set 1,248 people in May. The control even speaks of “errors in the sales platform” that “make it difficult to plan the number of visitors.” Why is it a worrying? Because that excess tourists can take its toll to the deposits. “These situations do not guarantee the conservation of the areas because the constant transit of visitors could cause the erosion of the soil in areas with pronounced slopes and nearby areas, as well as the compaction of the land due warns The entity. Something similar would happen on the route, where the technicians consider that the “overload” endangers the residential and ceremonial area for the wear of the stone. Is it something new? Yes. And no. The touch of attention of the control of the Ministry of Culture of Peru is new, but as it is responsible for remembering the body itself in Your official statement It is not the first time that the preservation of Machu Picchu generates debate. In 2017, UNESCO He examined the situation of the Inca citadel to decide whether or not to include it in the world heritage list. The problem, explained at that time from UNESCO, was not so much the state in which the sanctuary was, as the management of the “long -term” environment. “The difficulties are in the control of tourist flow in the area”, warned. E that occasion the Unesco chose not to register To Machu Picchu on his list, but he would control it, he remembers that this option could be on the table again. Is it a real risk? I would control it like this seems to believe it. In fact, he recalls that at the UNESCO World Heritage Committee meeting held in July last year in New Delhi, the state of the Inca deposit was approached. “Concern about the state of conservation of the historical sanctuary was expressed in relation to several aspects, including the high number of daily visitors that has generated pressure on the structures and the natural environment of the site.” The truth is that Peru It has moved token so that his great tourist claim does not die of success. At the beginning of this year the authorities of Cusco and the headquarters of the Archaeological Park of Machu Picchu They announced that would reinforce the safety and control in access to the citadel after a field guard be convicted of accepting bribes to pass to tourists skipping the rules. To avoid repeating episodes thus Cusco promised to reinforce inspections by the police and install cameras. Machu Picchu is one of Peru’s great claims: only during the first two months of 2025 attracted More than 191,000 peoplepromoting national tourism to record figures. Images | Eddie Kiszka (UNSPLASH) and Shashi Bellamkonda (Flickr) In Xataka | For decades the families adapted their vacations to travel with children. Today sends another priority: pets

The latest creation of the productivity guru is not a new method, but a clock that counts the days that are missing to die

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A little over a year ago, in Xataka We talk about ‘second brain‘, that concept popularized by the productivity guru Tiago Forte. His latest novelty is not another book or other method, but A tool as simple as disturbing: Death Clocka calculator that predicts with mathematical precision the date of your death based on 17 custom variables. The calculator tells you, after answering some questions about your life habits, the exact day in which you are expected to die. And although it sounds a bit macabre and childish, the idea makes sense. Obviously, it is not an exact prediction or intends to be. It is rather a Mori memento digitala modern way of practicing that old philosophical exercise of contemplating our mortality to live better. The application simply translates your habits into a longevity estimate: changes from “sedentary” to “intense daily exercise” and you will see how a decade of life instantly wants. A numerical visualization of how our daily decisions accumulate over time. The first questions of the questionnaire. Click on the image to go directly to the application. Image: Death Clock. And a technological curiosity: Forte does not know how to program, so he built the entire application in a few hours by resorting to the VIBECODING With ia. He basically told a programming assistant what he wanted and this was creating the code for him. What really matters is how your perspective changes knowing that you have already exhausted, for example, 40% of your life. Suddenly, that meeting that could have been resolved with an emailthat mediocre series that you are seeing by inertia or that project that you carry postponing for years take a completely different weight. It’s not about being morbid or depressed thinking about the end. Not even giving more importance than what it simply puts figures to what we should intuit. Simply becoming aware of our finitude helps us to filter the noise and focus on what we really want to do with the limited time we have. It forces us to ask ourselves if this is what I want to spend one of the days I have left. And maybe there is the key to productivity. Not to do more things, but to do the right ones. Those that really matter. In Xataka | The “Johari Window”: understand how others see us unlock a good part of our potential Outstanding image | Xataka with Mockuuuups Studio

Plants have become the new pets. So much that we even bury them in the garden when they die

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If you watch a video about how decorate your work spacesurely a plant appears. Also in offices, restaurants or stores: they are everywhere. But for many, they are no longer just a decorative element. The plants have become more close: they have become A new pet. Moreover, there are people who see them like their “girls.” And the reason is that we are developing a very deep relationship with them. The new pets. I have grown surrounded by plants and yet they never caught my attention. I did not understand the interest that people had to take care of something that did nothing. They do not move the tail when you return home, do not accompany you to the bathroom at your most intimate time and do not scratch you when you tried to make a caress. Little by little I have changed to look like and, now, I love them. I also feel very identified with this meme: It is not new. Now, interior plants have been with us since ancient Egypt, remains in Pompeii reveal than the Pompeyans They took care of Interior plants But something change with the Covid-19 pandemic. Perhaps because he cannot leave the home so much for a few weeks or for other reasons, it seems that we begin to develop a special relationship with indoor plants. All advantages. There are studies that talk about this, precisely, how interior plants help us connect with nature. He also has investigated On the improvement of air quality and a series of emotional benefits, such as stress reduction or its properties when creating a quiet environment at home. But beyond all this, there is the fact that they are living beings that need Our careit is satisfactory to see them grow and develop and, above all, do not require attention as demanding as those that Yes, pets may need. If we go on a trip, do not leave them to anyone, they do not need to go out to do their things on a rainy day, they do not dirty the home, they do not make noise and, ultimately, they are easy to take care of. It is also possible that we simply have allergy to animals hair or do not let us have a pet on a rental floor, and they are all perfect scenarios for an interior plant. Deeper connection of what it seems. Let’s go back to that we are forming a link with plants. The conversation He has published a study which was performed in Australia during the aforementioned pandemia. In total, the researchers surveyed 115 adults (69% women, 30% men and 1% non -binary) between 18 and 69 years and found a curious scenario. The majority had an average of 15 interior plants (one had 500, and I have not sneaked into a zero) and the most interesting thing is that the relationship between them and the plants varied considerably. The study identifies four “commitment.” Are the following: Committed – The majority of adults, 42%. They take care of their plants, like and enjoy them. They are satisfied to see them grow, but the relationship is practical and that growth is the reward. Limited commitment – 23% of respondents value having plants, but have no emotional attachment. They are simply part of the decoration. Highly connected – We go with the opposite poles. In this category, 14% of respondents said they maintain a deep emotional bond with plants, coming to consider them as part of the family. Not only do they take care of them, but they care intensely about their health, they seek how to take care of them in the best possible way and join a spiral of sadness and guilt if a dies. Even if only one sheet is broken. In the study they point out that sometimes they carry out symbolic burials in the garden. No relationship – (Here I could have been a few years ago). 12% of respondents said they don’t pay attention to them and that if they have them, they have been given them. There is 9% left to reach 100%, but their answers were not valid and were not included in the study. And the market shows it. In Reddit there is a lot Of threads in which people show their indoor plants, comment on their care and boast of “collections”, but something interesting is that in many comments they point out that they began that collection following the Covid-19 pandemic. Thinking about it, I think it was also at that time when my mentality began to change, and this is something that the market is noticing. Money. In the last five years, it is estimated that the global interior plants market has experienced remarkable growth, with an annual rate of 5% from the pandemic. The total market value was about $ 19.4 billion in 2023 and wait that reaches 30,000 million for 2032 with a growth sustained in all regions. In fact, these last years have been launched many intelligent elements so that whoever wants plants, but not a responsibility, can have them at home. We talk about Home automation systems With mobile connection and even Intelligent potssome with very striking designs Thanks to screens that give “life” to the plant. And there are also memes, many, many memes on this matter. Plants ‘Pet Friendly’. Now, if we already have four -legged friends at home and we are thinking of starting in the world of plants, there is some vital importance, literally: the plants we choose should be suitable for dogs and cats. There are many plants that are not toxic, but many others areand in different degrees: from some irritation to much more severe problems. The good thing is that there is a lot of information and, although It is not the most reliable in the worldwe can always ask for advice from Chatgpt When we are in the nursery, even sending a photo of the plant To analyze it … Read more

After decades of success, the restaurant day menu faces its great crisis and a dilemma: reinvent or die

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A few weeks ago the veteran articulist David Sharrock published in The Times A wide report about Madrid gastronomy. So far not surprising. That in Spain we enjoy a good kitchen, with large dishes, chefs, restaurants and ingredients is no surprise. The funny thing is that in his analysis Sharrock does not talk about that. The focus focused on another symbol of homeland cuisine, one that passes through low hours and faces the complex challenge of adapting to the 21st century: THE DAY MENU. Sharrock warns that the lifelong menu is “threatened by modern life.” And he is not the only one who thinks like that. A figure: four million. The menu of the day is an institution in the bars of Spain. And for several reasons. The first, its long tradition, which can be traced at least 60 years agowhen in the time of Fraga Iribarne as Minister of Information the Francoist Government established that a good part of the food stores offered a menu at a fixed price. The goal: to enhance tourism. The second key that demonstrates to what extent the formula of the daily menu has penetrated in Spanish gastronomy is its level of implementation. The Spain hospitality association estimates that some are dispatched every day four million throughout the country, which leads to its general secretary, Emilio Gallego, to claim your acceptance. “The menu of the day remains a spectacular success formula,” he says. A price: € 14. Hospitality in Spain has not only calculated how many menus are served daily in the country’s restaurants. At the end of last year he published A report in which goes beyond and analyzes its prices, profitability and the differences between regions. Your main conclusion? That at least in 2024 the average cost of the menu of the day in Spain was around 14 euros, although there are cities in which this figure is quite higher. In Bilbao, for example, the average was 15.5 and Barcelona in 15.1, although there are those who clarify that it results today “Almost impossible” Find a menu in the center of Barcelona for less than 16 euros. Are all strengths? No. The menu perhaps enjoy a long tradition and is rooted in the hospitality of Spain, but on its horizon they appear clouds. And one of them (and the most important) is found in its price. Although its rates increased by 19.5% between 2016 and 2024 (which in practice translates into 11.7 to 14 euros), hospitality in Spain remember that this accumulated increase remains below the general CPI (23.4%) and is much lower than that of food and beverages or the one that In your day They reached certain key products in kitchens, such as olive oil. Between 2023 and 2024 the menus did rise above the general price index, but despite that rebound, of 80 cents on average, the collective recalls that there are many hoteliers to which it is difficult for their businesses to give benefits. To be more precise, They cite a study which reveals that 42.3% of entrepreneurs claim to have experienced a “loss of profitability” during the last year, especially due to the increase in salary costs, food and supplies. At the end of 2024 almost a third of the restaurants (32.5%) admitted that their menus had not increased that year. “Totally in danger”. The hospitality data of Spain give a track of the first great challenge facing the menus for their survival: profitability. To succeed, a menu of the day must offer a range of attractive dishes and a certain variety, but it must also convince in another crucial aspect: the price. The key is how to fit that list (high quality, variety and low price) and at the same time the business gets more than cover costs. A few months ago a hotelman from Vigo I recognized to The country That, despite the fact that his bar was small and that he takes care of almost everything, so that his offer is “viable” needs to sell at least 40 daily menus at a price of 15 euros. “Below that figure, it will only serve to cover costs.” “It is totally in danger, and fortunately, because it is not a sustainable model for the hotelier,” Point to the same newspaper Paco Cruz, The Food Manager, speaking precisely about the state of health of the menus. In his opinion, the formula is profitable basically in certain businesses, with a good flow of clients and experience. The AI, to the rescue. “The customer of the menu of the day wants first five, five seconds and variety every day. But what do you do with what is left over? If everyone asks for the same, what about the dishes that are not requested? The losses are brutal and that is unsustainable from any point of view: economic, ethical and environmental,” Add Cruz. The challenge is so complex that there are those who have already sought help in AI, as Fusion was checked in Madridwhere chef Eneko Atxa and physicist Eneko Axpe presented a tool designed to design attractive menus … and above all profitable. Objective: efficiency. “Inflation is almost 40%. The diner says they are charging me more, 19.5, but the hotelier has a hard time doing 39.2 more,” recalled During the ATXA presentation before adding to that price increase the increase in rentals and energy. The objective of the delight tool is precisely to look for “an orderly efficiency” in the menu, maximize the benefit and seek maximum efficiency in the number of chefs, customers and purchase. “The menu is an immaterial good in our culture and one of the challenges and problems facing hoteliers and diners,” Axpe points out. Cost of costs (and something else). Although inflation and imbalance between the rise in prices and salaries is one of the great challenges of the menu of the day, it is not the only one. As Sharrock points out in Your chronicle of The Times The format … Read more

If Nvidia lived only from PC GPUs, she would be about to die of success. And US tariffs don’t help

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During the last weeks take a family graphics card GeForce RTX 50 Nvidia without falling into the hands of speculators is a real odyssey. At the time I am writing this article the only solution of this family that is easy to find at a price close to the recommended By nvidia is the GeForce RTX 5070. As is understandable, this situation generates frustration among the players who have decided to get one of these graphics cards, as you have noticed in the comments of our articles. To understand what is happening, we are interested in taking a look at “the photograph” of the PC graphics card market. According to the consultant Jon Pedie Research During the last 2024 quarter, more than 78 million GPUs were distributed for PC, which represents a 6.2% growth compared to the third quarter of last year. Nvidia leads this market with a quota of 65%, while Intel and AMD are formed with 16% and 18% respectively. This is our starting point. Difficult times arrive for the PC graphics card market This statement of Jon Pediethe head of the consultant who I have mentioned a few lines above, describes very precisely what the current situation is: “Nvidia, with the highest market share, had difficulty satisfying the demand. And as a result of its size and influence, it prevented the GPU market Tariffs will include profits for the majority, even for everyone, for 2025 “. TSMC is responsible for producing these chips for Jensen Huang’s company Nvidia has not officially revealed how many GPUs belonging to the GeForce RTX 50 family has delivered to graphics card assemblies, but it is evident that not necessary to meet demand. The Taiwanese manufacturer of semiconductors TSMC is responsible to produce these chips for the company of Jensen Huang, but it is important that we do not overlook that it not only manufactures the GPUs for Nvidia games; also produces its chips for artificial intelligence (AI). And the production capacity of TSMC is limited. From one thing we can be sure: in the current circumstances the GPU market for AI is a priority for Nvidia. After all, it is Its greatest source of income. The Jon Peddie Research report expects that from 2024 to 2028 the general market of the GPUs will be contracted annually, and in 2030 only 15% of the computers will have a dedicated graphics card. In these circumstances it seems reasonable to assume that Nvidia and AMD will pay more and more attention to their chips for AI, and perhaps a little less to their GPU for games. Anyway, there is another fact in Jon Peddie’s statement that is worth not overlooking: The tariffs which is deploying the administration led by Donald Trump. At the moment TSMC produces Nvidia chips in Taiwan. Perhaps in the medium term diverts the manufacture of these integrated circuits to Your new US plantsbut for the moment neither Nvidia, nor AMD, nor any other client who buys TSMC his chips produced in Taiwan will be fought from the tariffs. And in these circumstances, as Peddie states, the profits of these companies will be affected. If prices do not raise their benefits will be reduced. And if they are presumably submitted less, so their earnings will also resent. More information | Jon Pedie Research In Xataka | The Singapore government has revealed which companies are involved in the delivery of GPU from Nvidia A Deepseek

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