early

Having two jobs will have served to collect more pension. There is a fine print: you will not retire early

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Having two jobs is a way to have a better salary, and it also helps you when it comes to having a larger pension. when your working life ends. This helps you both in a present where aspects such as housing increasingly take up more of your salary, but also to have a future with more guarantees. However, there is also a small print that you should take into account, and that is that more hours worked have no influence when counting the days contributed. Come on, it can help you with the amounts in retirement, but not in the dates or times. What does multiple employment influence?. He moonlighting It is when a worker has two or more jobs as an employee, and both are included within the same Social Security regime. In these cases, each company contributes for the salary it pays the worker. Come on, you have several contribution bases for the same period of time. Beyond allowing you to have more money each month by having two or more payers, moonlighting also influences when calculating what you will receive in your future pension. Come on, it serves to have a greater retirement pension, since the contribution bases that you have generated in each company accumulate, and this influences when calculating the regulatory base of the pension. No, having two or more jobs for a couple of years is not going to make you collect a much higher pension, but if you keep these two or more jobs for several years, then it can make a difference. There is a maximum contribution base. However, another thing you should know is that you are not going to add salaries to your contribution base unlimitedly. There is a limit, and currently the maximum contribution base is 5,101.20 euros per month. This means that the bases of your different jobs cannot exceed that limit, it is the maximum. When it comes down to it, what this means is that if you have a job that is already close to that maximum contribution base, adding a second job will not affect what you earn in retirement much in the long term. But if you have a normal job that is much further away from that maximum base, adding a second job can really make a difference. Does not count towards retirement date. No, having more jobs and contributing more does not affect the retirement date nor does it mean that you can retire earlier. Social Security counts the days contributed by calendar dates, by the number of contracts or by the hours worked. Come on, if working 8 hours a day counts the same as working 16 hours, the second hardly makes you contribute two days instead of one. Therefore, if you have several jobs you will earn more money, and when it is time to retire you will have a larger pension. However, no matter how many jobs you have had, you will not be able to retire sooner. Another thing is that when you look when can you retire with the official simulator You see that, thanks to multiple jobs, early retirement suits you well and you decide on another option. But when it comes to what you need to retire, it won’t affect you. Image | Pexels In Xataka | In Spain, those over 65 years of age are working like never before. It’s not passion for work: it’s for retirement age

The cold shower is as useless as the early morning

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In recent years, some of the wellness and productivity gurus seem to have taken it upon themselves to torture their followers with the most inhuman torments. First there was the fashion of getting up at five in the morning to complete an endless ritual. Now, the new trend is to immerse yourself in ice water every morning with the excuse of relieving stress, reducing inflammation and strengthening defenses. Science has already dismantled the supposed benefits of get up at five, and now it’s the turn of the ice water baths. Researchers from the University of South Australia they have not found evidence of the miracles that the gurus attribute to this practice. The influencers from the cold. In recent years, polar baths, also known as cold water immersions, have gained enormous popularity. Elite athletes and professional players like LeBron James soak in baths of ice water after competitions. Even Gwyneth Paltrow dedicated one of the episodes of his series The Goop Lab to show the supposed therapeutic benefits of immersing yourself in icy waters. That trend has become popular reaching all types of people who are just looking for general well-being or simply reducing stress levels. Social networks and influencershave attributed multiple benefits to these baths for physical and mental health. However, science wanted to check whether immersion in ice water is as beneficial as social networks have led us to believe. Bathing is okay, temperature is optional. Researchers at the University of South Australia decided to scientifically evaluate the supposed benefits of soaking in ice water. To do this, they carried out a meta-analysis of 11 global studies, the results of which were published in PLOS One. For the analysis, data from immersions and cold showers with temperatures between 7 and 15 ºC were used for a time range of between 30 seconds and two hours. Although some benefits attributed to this practice were identified in the results, the researchers found that the existing evidence focuses primarily on athletes and not the general population. A study carried out by Coventry University, reveals that, although it is true that baths with cold water increase energy expenditure in the short term by activating fat burning, it produces a rebound effect by increasing appetite, so the supposed benefit is neutralized. Forget the cure for stress. The researchers stated in their report that the effects of immersion in ice water against stress were not as advertised “we found that immersion in cold water could reduce stress levels, but only for about 12 hours after exposure.” That is, there was no evidence that immersion in ice water had an immediate effect on stress levels, nor an appreciable long-term effect. “We noticed that participants who took cold showers of 20, 60 or 90 seconds gave slightly higher quality of life scores. But again, after three months these effects had disappeared,” the researchers explained in their report. What doesn’t keep you awake makes you stronger. The results in improving sleep quality were also not conclusive. The study found links between improvements in sleep quality and cold water immersion, although this conclusion was based on data limited exclusively to men, which calls for more research in various population groups. The researchers did not venture to say that cold water immersion could have a positive effect on the immune system because, although it is true that a 29% reduction in work absences related illnesses among those who took cold showers, there were no significant improvements in the immediate immune response to cold exposure. These data indicate that, although there are potential advantages to exposure to ice water, the effects of this exposure are neither consistent nor long-lasting, calling into question the widespread effectiveness what the gurus attribute to him. The “straining effect” of the cold. Among the most surprising findings the Australian researchers made was the inflammatory response to cold water immersion. Contrary to popular belief, rather than reducing inflammation, ice water baths caused “significant increases in inflammation,” both immediately and an hour later. According to the researchers, this reflects an “acute inflammatory response” of the body to cold stress. In the words of study co-author Ben Singh, “this immediate spike in inflammation is part of an adaptation process similar to muscle damage caused by exercise, which subsequently strengthens the muscles.” That is, like soreness, this adaptive effect can be positive for athletes of high physical performancebut Singh highlighted that it could be harmful for people with pre-existing pathologies. In other words, unless you have just participated in an Olympic event, showering with cold water only will improve your productivity in the sense that it will take less time to shower and you will be able to spend that time to other tasks. The risk of ice baths. A study conducted by researchers at King’s College London on the phenomenon of “autonomous conflict” reveals that exposure to ice water baths can pose a risk even for people without previous pathologies. Research shows that when someone dives into ice water while holding their breath, two opposing reflexes compete to control the heart, which can cause arrhythmias even in healthy people. That risk is reduced as “thermal shock” is reduced, with a cold shower being safer than an ice bath. A version of this article was published in February 2025 In Xataka | In 1947 the Yukon reached -63ºC. So a scientist started listening to conversations five kilometers away. Image | Pexels (Vidar Nordli-Mathisen)

A macro study confirms that early menopause increases the risk of heart attack and stroke

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When we think of the menopausesocial and medical conversation is usually limited to obvious and short-term symptoms, such as hot flashes, mood swings, insomnia or the closure of the fertile period. However, this phase in the life of any woman has implications that go much further in terms of health as it involves a great metabolic and, above all, vascular change. A new vision. Now, the largest international study carried out to date has confirmed a reality by pointing out that when menopause comes early, the risk of suffering a myocardial infarction or stroke increases drastically, remaining stable independent of other traditional risk factors. The magnitude of the study. The research, to reach these conclusions with practically unwavering solidity, has resorted to the PURE-based macro-study, closely following a massive cohort of 111,619 women from 26 different countries, recording their clinical evolution for an average of 14.6 years. And the experts already point out that we are facing a methodological turning point in female cardiology. In figures. The findings evident in this study clearly segment the risk based on the age at which the end of menstruation occurs: When menopause occurs before the age of 40, it is called ‘premature menopause’ and carries between 27% and 30% greater risk of suffering major cardiovascular events such as heart attacks. In the case of a menopause between 40 and 45 years of age, it is called ‘early’ and registers a 14% higher risk of presenting cardiac complications. It is a risk factor. The most robust and worrying data provided by the research is that this increase in cardiovascular risk persists practically unchanged even after the researchers statistically adjusted the models to isolate some classic variables such as high blood pressure, diabetes, smoking or a sedentary lifestyle. This means that early loss of ovarian function is an independent risk factor in itself for these serious problems to occur. Because? The medical explanation behind this phenomenon lies in the abrupt loss of what cardiologists call the “estrogen shield.” It must be kept in mind that during the fertile age, estrogenic hormones exert a fundamental protective role in the circulatory system through various mechanisms, such as keeping cholesterol and triglyceride levels at bay. But estrogens also keep veins and arteries in good condition, promoting vascular relaxation and inhibiting the accumulation of body fat in arterial walls. Additionally, when estrogen levels fall prematurely, the process of forming lipid deposits in the arteries progresses at a much faster rate. The economic gap. One of the most innovative and alarming points of the PURE study is how the geographical context radically alters the impact of early menopause. And its conclusions show how the impact on cardiovascular health is almost double in low-resource countries compared to rich nations. For example, in countries such as Pakistan, Tanzania, Bangladesh, India and Zimbabwe, an overwhelming 43% of postmenopausal women had experienced early menopause. But in rich nations like Canada or Sweden the figure drops to 23%. A nuance. The authors introduce an important warning, since in countries with very precarious economies, chronic malnutrition usually causes what is known as hypothalamic amenorrhea, since the body prioritizes living over maintaining other functions such as reproductive functions. And although this confusion could partially inflate the statistical gap between rich and poor countries, the study clarifies that it does not in any way invalidate the main conclusion of the study: on a global level, without estrogen, the heart suffers. Images | Molly Wichman In Xataka | Nuria Marín, menopause expert: “Women continue to look for answers outside the health system”

The Social Security reform has opened the door to working longer. Early retirement will remain half closed

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Social Security is pushing those who can continue working to delay their retirement as much as possible, but it resists modifying one of the most discussed rules of the system: the penalty in the pension of those who they retire earlyeven when they accumulate more than 40 years listed. The flexible retirement reform contemplated in the Royal Decree 416/2026 will come into force on August 28, launching the Government’s strategy to extend working life of workers and contain pension spending. What changes with the reform. The new flexible retirement regulation seeks to encourage more people to extend your working life as much as possible voluntarily and can make part of their pension compatible with a salary, something that current regulations did not allow. The idea is not to force anyone to continue working beyond the legal retirement age, but rather offer more incentives so that those who can and want to do so, keep working. The person who is already retired, instead of stopping working completely, can do so part-time. In exchange, they will receive a salary for their work and a supplement to the proportional part of the pension. In this way, someone retired can obtain a higher income while still active, and will receive 100% of their pension again when they stop working. That is, if someone retired receive a pension of 1,000 euros, and for working 32 hours a week (80% of a full day) they will pay you a salary of 1,000 euros, your pension will be cut in that proportion, but the sum of salary (1,000 euros) and pension (200 euros) will provide you with greater monthly income. The current regulations force you to choose between working or receiving the pension. Put obstacles to early retirement. The demographic pyramid in Spain, in which there are fewer and fewer young people to maintain the pension system and a longer life expectancy, has forced successive governments to take measures to maximize working life of employees to continue contributing. This has led to the extension of the retirement age, which has been progressively delayed since 2011 to go from 65 to 67 years in 2027. The other measure approved in the pension reform of 2024 to discourage early retirement is to apply some reducing coefficients to the retirement pension, so that the more you anticipate retirement, the less pension you receive in return. Contribute 40 years without reward. One of the problems posed by the application of reducing coefficients is that those workers who already exceed the maximum limit of years of contributions necessary to access ordinary retirement at age 65 (38 years and six months or more by 2027), will not be able to retire early. without penalizing themand end up getting paid a lower pension than other workers with fewer years of contributions. This group has already organized under the association Asjubi40 and different political groups with representation in Congress have carried out proposals to eliminate this grievance to workers with long contribution periods when they want to advance their retirements. As and how he published The Independentvoluntary early retirees bear an average reduction coefficient of 11.36% and receive an average pension of 2,002.58 euros per month, after retiring at an average age of 63 years and two months. In the case of involuntary early retirement, the average reduction rises to 18.9%, the average pension stands at 2,100.42 euros per month and the average retirement age drops to 61 years and ten months. The unaffordable cost of stopping working. The reason given by the Government for not eliminating these reducing coefficients It’s simple: removing those penalties would be expensive. The Executive estimates an additional cost of 3,358 million euros per year for Social Security if the reducing coefficients are eliminated for those who retire early after having contributed 40 years or more. Of that figure, 1,345 million would correspond to voluntary early retirement, and 2,013 million would correspond to those retired involuntarily, that is, those who have been affected by ERE, business closures, force majeure or other cases considered by the General Law of Social Security. Social Security cannot assume it. Although Spain is registering record numbers in terms of number of members. It closed 2025 with a budget deficit of 5.58 billion euros. Once again, we are facing a record to be treated of the smallest deficit of the last 14 years, as as highlighted The Confidential. But it is a deficit, after all. However, the incorporation of contributions such as the Intergenerational Equity Mechanism (MEI), has contributedIn 2026 alone, 1,162.23 million euros will be added to the Social Security Reserve Fund, which reached a total amount of 15,267 million euros last March. In Xataka | From the “Great Resignation” to the “Great Early Retirement”: the labor market loses the experience of those over 55 years of age Image | Pexels (Joaquin Carfagna)

Mythos has struck fear into governments around the world. That’s why Spain wants “early access” to see what happens

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Spain wants to have access to Claude Mythos Preview, the AI ​​model it is making shake the world. The vice president and Minister of Economy, Carlos Body, has made clear that the European Union needs “early access” to Mythos to be able to assess what vulnerabilities European financial systems have. For the minister, “Europe cannot be a second-class region.” Bad news: today, at least for the most powerful AI startups on the planet, it is. There is not only fear in the banking sector. Although the alarm was initially raised by the financial sector, the Spanish Government warns that Mythos’ ability to find “back doors” affects practically all economic sectors. We are talking about threats that extend to critical infrastructure and essential elements for the functioning of any modern country. Anthropic itself has already made its fears clear: they did not want to launch the model publicly to prevent it from falling into the wrong hands. The AI ​​Act is a problem. The European AI Law was widely celebrated among Eurolegislators for being the world’s first major regulation about this technology. In reality, it has become clear that it has been a shot in the foot for EU countries, which have often seen how the most advanced AI models could not be used on our borders because they could violate this regulation or others. like DMA/DSA. This regulation forces companies to comply with strict requirements if they want to deploy especially advanced models, considered “high risk.” And Mythos is just that, so the AI ​​Act is precisely what would prevent it from being used in Europe. So they want to delay its application. Euroofficials have realized their mistake, and are now trying to buy time because technology moves (much) faster than bureaucracy. Their proposal is simple: delay until December 2027 the application of these obligations for “high risk” models like Mythos. In this way, this model could operate in Europe without having to go through these strict controls for another year and a half. Milestone or marketing maneuver? While the Eurogroup and the ECB analyze the risks with those responsible for financial supervision, in El Mundo quote to a group of critical voices who suggest that Anthropic’s maneuver could be a distraction strategy. The thesis is simple: the company has a clear computing capacity problem, and is not able to satisfy demand. Their solution: argue that Mythos is too powerful to avoid having to release it publicly, which would cause an avalanche of petitions. Coordination. Body added that in this case it is important that the request for “early access” is coordinated and comes from the EU as a block: “We Member States cannot each go on our own in an uncoordinated manner to try to access this software to this model. We need the umbrella of the Commission and a coordinated approach.” AI as a geopolitical weapon. What this has shown is that little by little access to advanced AI models is becoming a geopolitical weapon that is straining relations between Washington and Brussels. Anthropic is expanding access to Mythos to some institutions for example in the United Kingdoma traditional ally of the US. However, trade relations with Europe they are still complicatedespecially after the tariffs with which the Trump administration wanted to change the rules of the game. In Xataka | The bad news is that the EU loses out in the tariff pact with the US. The good thing is that Spain comes out relatively unscathed

The new EU border system is leaving people without flights. Ryanair has a solution: close check-in early

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From 10 November, Ryanair check-in counters They will close one hour before of the scheduled departure, instead of the 40 minutes that is now allowed. The change implies that the traveler will have to coordinate the time better and go a little more in advance. All, according to the company, in order to avoid problems at security and passport controls. What exactly changes. Until now, Ryanair travelers who wanted to deliver their luggage at the airport had a limit of 40 minutes prior to the departure of their flight. With the new rule, that margin is extended to 60 minutes. In other words: you will have to arrive at the airport earlier and arrange your suitcase more in advance. The measure will apply to all airports where the Irish airline operates. Why does he do it? According to the company itselfthe goal is to reduce the number of passengers who miss their flight due to getting stuck in security or passport control queues. By bringing forward the closing of the counters, travelers with checked luggage would have more time to go through those checkpoints before boarding begins. Dara Brady, chief marketing officer at Ryanair, counted in the press release that the change is especially relevant “during peak periods, when some of these lines at the airport can be longer.” Milan was the best example. Queues at checkpoints are the common enemy that can cause us to end up missing our flight. And the last few weeks have been especially busy around it, because hundreds of passengers missed their flights due to Europe’s new Entry and Exit System (EES). This is the European Union’s new digital border control that forces non-EU citizens (including British citizens after Brexit) to register their biometric data, such as fingerprint and facial recognition, every time they cross a border in the Schengen area. The system was supposed to be fully operational on April 10, but it seems that no one thought that the system would end up being so chaotic. According to reported BBC, on April 16, a Ryanair flight from Bergamo airport in Milan left for Manchester, leaving behind a group of travelers who had been stuck in the border queue for an hour and a half without moving forward. That same day, another airline flight between Tenerife South and East Midlands also left many passengers on the ground. Mplus self-check-in kiosks. The measure comes accompanied by an expansion of self-check-in luggage kiosks, which will be available before October in more than 95% of the airports in its network. These terminals work integrated with the Ryanair application and allow the passenger to check in the suitcase and print the label without going through the traditional counter. The airline claims this will speed up the process and reduce waits. Who it affects and who it doesn’t. According to account airline, this change only affects 20% of Ryanair passengers who check baggage. The remaining 80%, who travel only with hand luggage, will not notice any difference. For this reason, if you travel with Ryanair and plan to check in a suitcase starting in November, take this margin into account and calculate that you will have to arrive a little earlier for your flights. Cover image | Marty Sakin In Xataka | The airlines had been warning for weeks and the consequences are already here: Volotea will charge 14 euros more for the Hormuz crisis

an “early summer” arrives in April

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In April 2023, an anomalous warm episode broke absolute records from across the southwest. The thermometers marked 38.8 degrees in Córdoba, 37.4 in Morón and 36.9 in Seville. It seemed like an isolated event, something related to the El Niño event that was about to begin that May. But not. Summer arrives this weekend in much of the country. What does AEMET say? According to the agency“temperatures are expected to be noticeably higher than normal for this time of year, especially the maximum temperatures that will be more typical of early summer.” And no, it is not an exaggeration: according to ECMWF data, a large part of the southwest of the peninsula and the Ebro valley will be in the 99% percentile compared to the 1991-2020 reference period to date. That is, we are going to experience one of the warmest temperatures ever recorded for April 20 in those areas. The first heat wave of the year? No, the temperatures will not reach that high. It must be remembered that, from a technical point of viewthermometers should read temperatures that would be high for July and August for three days in a row. Obviously, although the weekend is going to be very hot for the month of April, we are not going to reach those extremes. However, that does not mean that it is not dangerous. It is well documented that the first warm events of the year are the ones with the greatest risk because they usually catch us off guard. It is true that 30 degrees will be more uncomfortable than dangerous for most citizens; But it is good for the most vulnerable to pay attention. Spring is not what it used to be. Not even a year as strange as this one is free from this type of phenomenon. And that’s driving farmers across the country crazy: If a couple of weeks ago the frosts crushed the cropsthis Saturday the heat will do its thing. Just when the grain heads, the stone fruit set and the late flowering of the olive tree occurs in the south. January 2026 has given us many reasons for optimism, but it is very difficult to face the future without seeing all the meteorological setbacks that lie ahead. Image | BenBaso | Xataka In Xataka | AEMET has just made it official: Spain faces its first risky heat wave of the year this weekend

Early indications point to data theft and the extent is unclear

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If you live in the European Union or work with its institutions, it is very likely that at some point you have gone through europa.euthe portal that concentrates a good part of the digital presence of the European Commission and acts as a gateway to multiple services. This digital ecosystem is the one that has been at the center of a cyberattack detected on March 24, but now communicated by the Commission itself. What the executive body has detailed is the basic framework of the incident and the first measures adopted. The attack affected the cloud infrastructure that supports its presence on the aforementioned website and was contained without interrupting the availability of the websites. Mitigation measures were activated to protect services and data, and ongoing investigation preliminarily suggests that data may have been exfiltrated. What is known about the attack and what remains unclear The most delicate point is precisely what is not yet known. The European Commission has not specified which platforms or sections within europa.eu have been involved or which categories of data have been affected. With the investigation still underway, the scenario moves into the realm of unknowns, without clear delineation of impact nor of the possible services achieved within its digital infrastructure. In this context of uncertainty, the Commission has taken a further step in its response: to begin notifying entities in the Union that could have been affected by the incident. The institution has not detailed which organizations are part of that group or to what extent they could be involved. This is a preventive measure based on the first indications. Screenshot of the Spanish version of europa.eu The logical question is what this means for those who use these services in their daily lives. Within the europa.eu ecosystem there are services that may involve processing user data, such as alert subscriptions or engagement processeswhich opens the door to possible exposure if the attack has reached those environments. The scenario, at this point, combines certainties and unknowns in equal parts. There is official confirmation of the attack and some of its initial consequences, but the real impact remains undefined publicly. We have to wait to find out the details of the incident. Images | Carl Campbell | Screenshot In Xataka | How often should we change ALL our passwords according to three cybersecurity experts

Esperanza Gracia had an early morning horoscope for 30 years. His reign ends because the predictions are already in other places

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Esperanza Gracia has announced the closure of its nighttime space in Telecinco alleging lack of hearing. The underlying reason for this cancellation is not precisely the decline of astrology, a phenomenon that is enjoying its best health in decades, but the collapse of the model that supported it: linear television in the early hours of the morning. Goodbye, Hope. Last Sunday, Esperanza Gracia sat down on the set of ‘Fiesta’ to announce that her very long journey presenting ‘El Horóscopo de Esperanza Gracia’ in the early hours of the channel was ending. Thirty years that were ending for a reason that the presenter made very clear in the interview: “At 2:30 in the morning, the older people who saw me are no longer there, neither is the next generation because they see other things, and the millennials and the Z see me from another side. So I have no audience whatsoever.” Reference astrologer. Funny He spent about seven years on TVE before joining Telecinco alongside María Teresa Campos: first in ‘Día a día’ and then in ‘De Sunday to Sunday’, with Belinda Washington. His own program started in 1999 and has been on the air for 27 years (which adds up to 30 in total with the network), becoming one of the longest-running programs on Spanish television. His question “Is there something that worries you, torments you or disturbs you?” became a pop catchphrase, one that she herself admitted “everyone started copying.” Astrology is not dying, it is moving to mobile. Just because Gracia leaves television does not mean that her audience has stopped consuming astrology. He simply does it somewhere else. On TikTok, the hashtag #astrology accumulates 4.5 million videoswith Generation Z as the main driving force. Gracia herself had already colonized that terrain: several of her videos on TikTok have more than a million views and on YouTube he has 78,000 subscribers with an average of 30,000 views per video. The same television format, the weekly ranking of signs, works vertically and in thirty seconds. There is business. The astrology app market reflects this migration with figures that are striking for an often ignored, but very profitable sector. Co-Star, the American app that combines NASA data with personalized astrological readings, went from 7.5 million users in 2020 to 30 million in 2023 The global market for this type of applications was valued around 3 billion dollars in 2024 and projects to reach 9,000 million in 2030, with an estimated annual growth of 20%. What does Gen Z like? The boom does not respond to a return to superstition. Generation Z consumes astrology with a different frame than previous generations: not as a prediction of the future but as a tool for introspection. A survey from February 2024 Among more than two thousand American adults, it was detected that 70% believe in astrology and that 85% have positive or neutral feelings towards it. 61% consider it a source of comfort in times of uncertainty. On the same date, another study reported that 63% of users belonging to Generation Z stated that astrology has had a positive impact on their professional decisions. As they explained, astrological content “does not need to be searched, it appears in the feed.” Like a fixed program on TV at 2:30 in the morning. Heirs of late-night television. For decades, the dawn of Spanish television was the Comanche territory of cathodic low cost: teleshopping, old movies, calling contests, tarots and moorings, contacts, jazz-pop groups. They accompanied insomniacs and night shift workers. This function has ended up being absorbed by Netflix, YouTube and TikTok itself, available without a grill and without time restrictions. Times change, Geminis with an ascendant in Capricorn continue. In Xataka | Horoscopes and other lies: why reading the horoscope (sometimes) makes us feel better

In 1982 Seiko created a watch for making calls and watching television. His only problem was arriving too early

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History is full of devices that were ahead of their time. I am not referring to literary or cinematographic machines like the tablet by Kubrick or the multiple predictions from Verne, but to other devices that were put on sale decades ago and now we realize that they are very similar to some of the latest gadgets on the market. One of these inventions was Seiko TV Watch. In its day this rarity was considered and recognized as the smallest television in the worldand even made appearances in some movies, but today no one can miss its striking resemblance to current smart watches, and in a way we could say that we are facing a distant relative. The history of this device began in 1972, but the first step was not taken by Seiko but by another North American company called Hamilton. They were the creators of Press P1the first digital wrist watch in history. The Japanese they acquired to Americans, and they embarked on their own path into the digital age by launching their first watch of this type in 1973. At that time it was said that society was moving towards a revolution in visual information, and to join it with its new range of watches the japanese company started to work on the research and development of liquid crystal panels (LCD) with active matrix that were capable of reproducing moving images. Over the following years, these efforts helped their watches become increasingly smaller and thinner, with higher component density and more energy efficient. They were also implementing new functions such as stopwatches and calculators. After three years of development and hundreds of millions of yen invested, the summer of 1982 Seiko advertisement in Tokyo a new watch. It was about TV Watchthe first to finally allow us to watch television on our wrist. This was Seiko’s TV Watch A watch that you can watch television on. Today this concept seems simple, but back then being able to carry it out was a little more complicated. The TV Watch was made up of three different elements that had to be connected together for it to work. The result was a science fiction product, yes, but a little uncomfortable to wear. On the one hand we had the clock, but we had to connect it to a radio and television receiver the size of a walkman. We also needed headphones, and these also had to be connected to the signal receiver. And how could you carry so much cable with you in a fairly comfortable way? Well, very simple, pay attention to this drawing that appeared in your manual. As you can see, the trick was to put the receiver cable under the sleeve to connect it to the watch. But in case we didn’t want to complicate our lives, the TV Watch also had a function to listen only to the audio of television broadcasts. The watch itself had dimensions of 40 x 49 x 10 millimeters and a weight of 80 grams, and all its magic was concentrated in its innovative 1.2-inch white and blue LCD screen with a resolution of 32k pixels and 10 shades of gray. I also had a second smallest screen in which we could see the time, set the alarm and use the stopwatch as with any other digital watch. During the presentation of the device, its creators had to give certain explanations about how they had achieved such ingenuity. They said their new panels controlled the molecular arrangement of liquid crystal within an electric field, and that this made it possible to create miniature images with very low power consumption. Especially when compared to the cathode ray tubes of conventional televisions. The receiver measured 74.5 x 125 x 19 millimeters and weighed 140 grams. This made it too big to carry in a back pocket, but perfect for the inside jacket pocket. Its battery consisted of two AA batteries that gave it a range of five hours, and it tuned both FM radio and television on VHF & UHF channels. What could have been and was not The TV Watch arrived on the Japanese market in December 1982 with a single DXA001 model that cost 108,000 yen, although a second, cheaper DXA002 model was later released. The difference between the two was that the second included a hearing aid instead of headphones, and its price dropped to 98,000 yen. In exchange, these two models today would be worth around 600 and 500 euros respectively. The presentation of the device managed to generate a lot of interest, and the watch made front pages of newspapers and headlines on television. It was considered an innovative product for allowing us access a large amount of information in real timeand it attracted so much attention that a year later it also ended up reaching the US market. Errr, okay? During its launch in Japan, Seiko managed to sell 2,200 units, and the president of the company’s North American subsidiary said that the reception from the American media had been so good that he believed he could sell all the ones they manufactured. This optimism translated into the production of between 15,000 and 20,000 units ready for export. But not everyone saw the TV Watch as an invention destined to revolutionize the market. In fact, it is known that at Sony they came to say that their laboratories had the capacity to develop a similar product, but that They didn’t think there was a big enough market. for this type of devices. In the end it turns out that they were right, and the watch did not end up becoming a successful product. In the TV Watch curriculum we find several dates indicated. In 1982 he won the Nikkei Award for Superior Quality Products and Services, and a year later he made an appearance in Octopussythe new James Bond movie. The watch culminated its career in 1984 by entering the Guinness Book of Records as … Read more

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