enemy

It seemed an impossible enemy, it was actually the brightest antipyretary system in a video game

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Piracy and entertainment are two concepts that They go hand in. In video games, this has meant a kind of race between the cat and the mouse, with the video game companies pulling inventiveness to try to pay players paying for their products. At the moment, Denuo is a very safe tool – that not invulnerable -, but throughout history we have seen most imaginative antipyertería systems. And the most memorable case is that of ‘Serious Sam 3‘. The reason? A giant and implacable scorpion that was looking for you to end with you if it detected that your game was a pirate. And the players accepted the challenge. Aid! It ran 2011 when the Croatian Croteam team (their heads did not break a lot) launched the third installment of its hilarious shooting saga ‘Serious Sam’. At that time, the antipyertorous measures were so rudimentary that the game came out ‘cracking’ within a few hours of the official launch, so many users quickly made a copy. Except in some cases in which mouth to mouth causes peaks of players months or years after the launch of a title, it is usual for forums and social networks to fill out of comments on a newly released game. As a minority, there will always be players commenting on the levels, which seems to them the game and reporting problems. And shortly after the launch of ‘Serious Sam 3’, the players began to complain about something: a Red scorpion that appeared in his departure and prevented them from continuing with the game. Even recently They published Some complaints in Steam. Scorpion. These players described the scorpion as a huge, invincible, very fast entity, that shot incessantly, that it was a sponge of bullets and that did not leave you alone at any time and complained about what they believed was a bug or a programming failure in the game code. The enemy’s pint is quite terrifying, which added to his fire power and the fact that it is invincible … well, it was not a pleasant drink. The little girl is that it was not a bug, but a characteristic of the game. Croteam knew that it was impossible to put doors to the field and that his game was going to be pirated, so he scheduled the game with a special characteristic: if he detected that the copy was a pirate, the invincible scorpion appeared and it was not going to stop until he killed the player. It was impossible for the player to enjoy the game in those conditions. Praise. In the video we left for some paragraphs, we can see an example of how the community took this movement. “Simply, I adore Croteam. They are not the details that the study has added to the game. No, no, no. It is the introduction of an arachnid, immortal and very fast enemy that is part of its antipirable system. And it is the icing on the cake.” That was the description of the shared video just a month after the launch of the title, but in the comments we can see dozens of players who reacted in similar ways. Comments such as “It is the best antipirable system in history”, “The movement of the bug terrifies me”, “Do not annoy, have applied antipiría measures either for once. This is comedy in its purest form” or “This is how the DRM should be. It has no negative effects for legitimate players, but hilarious consequences for pirates” show that the system was not badly received, at all. And, among all praises, only a few commented things like “expect, that pirates have extra difficulty? That is not fair.” And there were those who accepted the challenge. And the ‘Commission’ arrived. Thekotti He is a player who has been going up for years Speedruns to your YouTube channel. It has some absolutely demential and a few years ago raised a video passing in just over half an hour ‘Serious Sam 3’. A time later, he assumed the challenge of Croteam and went up A new Speedrun of the game, this time with a brand of one hour and 14 minutes until the game is completed. Why 45 more minutes if he was already an experienced player? Because he played the version with…. Scorpion. The bug took little to appear, but Thekotti was so fast that the scorpion had to reappear in front of him every two by three. With what has been learned, he tried again, lowering his brand until the time and six minutes. Seeing the video is a show, especially because that terrifying measure is nothing: Mods to activate it in legal copies. Obviously, this is not how most players enjoy the game, but it must be said that this movement by the Croatian study liked it so much that it inspired the Creation of Mods so that players with legitimate copies of the game could introduce the relentless scorpion in their games. I have to comment that I was never interested in the saga, but when I learned about the existence of this, I downloaded the pirate game, I laughed for a while, I checked that the bug was superman and bought the game in the first Steam sales in which it was available. In this case, I can say without fear of being wrong that it is one of the best ideas to discourage piracy, unless a PROPLAYER He gets in his head play your game without care of these measures. In Xataka | ‘Don’t Copy That Floppy’: This was the most ridiculous anti-Co-Copy video of all time

A two -gun shotgun where only one points to the enemy

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Shortly before the World War Ithe name of the commander Cleland Davis, of the United States Navy, began to appear in military circles. The reason: the skill with which he had developed a weapon that would end Keeping your name. That design connected two cannons one after another, with the first targeting loaded with lead and fat bullets of the same weight as the projectile of the other cannon, acting as counterattack. In Ukraine they have remembered their figure. Drones with Davis cannons. In the vicinity of Bajmut, the 2nd Motorized Battalion of the 30.ª Mechanized Brigade of Ukraine has deployed a “novel” Air Defense System: Drones armed with double cannon shotguns able to reduce other enemy drones in full flight. Yes, the design is based on that of Davis, and of this they attest to a videos series disseminated by the unit, where it is observed how these platforms intercept and demolish Russian drones, mainly DJI Maviccommonly used for recognition or bombing missions. These actions are part of one of the greater collections Documented air duels between drones, reflecting the rapid evolution of technological war in the Ukrainian conflict, in this case with a lap to the past. The Davis cannon IGM technology. As we said, the design of these weapons, based on the principle of cannons without setback designed by Cleland Davis in 1910, allows drones to shoot from one end while a second opposite cannon It generates a counterweight that stabilizes the platform by avoiding recoil. Effectiveness lies in the dispersion of pellets More than precision, becoming an ideal solution to tear off commercial drones such as the Mavic and then get them. Apparently, although they lack automatic recharge mechanisms, these units are demonstrating to be a most valuable resource in the air wear war that is fought at low height over Donbás. Improvisation and decentralization. It We have counted in other occasions. The war in Ukraine has led to the greatest advances to date in the Drones development fighting. In the case at hand, innovation is not exclusive to the 2nd Battalion. Other units, such as Ukraine Presidential Brigade and civil organizations such as Lesiaua, have developed similar prototypes since the late 2024. Similarly, Russian manufacturers had already experienced armed drones with cannons, although always simple double direction versions. This dynamic of adaptation and counter-adapt has generated a true improvised arms racefed by Decentralization and flexibility of the Ukrainian drone industrywhere soldiers, volunteers and small businesses design, try and perfect models constantly. Strategies and a question. The use of these platforms not only shows the Ukrainian capacity to develop effective solutions with accessible technology, but also highlights a weakness of the great powers, especially from NATO. While the West has focused its efforts on the development of sophisticated and expensive weapons, Ukraine demonstrates once again than systems relatively simple and low costlike drone mounted shotguns, They can be decisive in asymmetric combat scenarios. A lesson that has generated concern between analysts that warn that technological superiority It does not always guarantee Efficacy against adaptive tactics and ingenious solutions arising directly from the battlefield. Even from World War I. Image | Sandia LabsMotorized Battalion of Ukraine, US National Archives and Records Administration In Xataka | Ukraine is capturing the drones of Russia thanks to an unexpected shield: the fishing networks of a town in Denmark In Xataka | The paradox of the huge drone industry of Ukraine: an advantage against Russia, a problem for its pilots

The greatest enemy of Perovskita’s solar panels is heat. Some researchers have found a solution: titanium

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The commercial viability of Perovskita solar panels is getting closer, thanks to the different solutions over time. However, there is still a big problem to solve to be able to install them, but a team of engineers has managed to solve using titanium. Short. Researchers from the Technological Institute of Georgia in the United States They have achieved That Perovskita’s solar cells are more stable and support high temperatures. The solution was to incorporate titanium into one of the layers. The problem. The incorporation of Perovskita panels to the market has been a challenge because they do not last long when they are exposed to high temperatures. The reason is in one of its internal layers, known as the hollow transport layer (HTL), which allows the movement of electricity within it. This layer, usually made of a material called spiro-feet, begins to crystallize and lose efficiency when the temperature exceeds 70ºC. The solution. The technique used In research is steam phase infiltration (VPI). In this process, the solar cell is exposed to a titanium gas in a low vacuum environment. This allows titanium oxide/hydroxide (Tiox) to integrate into the HTL layer of the solar cell. In this way, titanium acts as a thermal stabilizer, preventing it from crystallizing and ensuring that panel efficiency is not degraded by heat. As a result, solar cells have preserved more than 80% of their original efficiency after 200 hours of 75ºC tests. An alternative to silicon. The study of the study to continue working the Perovskita panels and not those of silicon has been for several reasons. On the one hand, a cost of costs and energy consumption because silicon cells are much more expensive than those of Perovskita. On the other hand, the study has been conducted with financing from the Office of Solar Energy Technologies of the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy of the United States Energy Department, so alternatives have been sought for do not depend on Chinain a context of Tariff war. More solutions for Perovskitas. The American study is not the only one who is looking for alternatives in this line. An investigation in the United Kingdom has managed to go one step further developing a method that makes solar cells more resistant to external factors such as humidity, heat and physical wear. Forecasts Until now the technology developed by the American engineers group is in patent. Commercial implementation will be pending if researchers manage to find partners and the future of Solar energy in the United States. Image | Georgia Tech Xataka | How a new study has achieved cheaper Perovskita solar panels and more efficiently by capturing light on both sides

In 1956, the US published two maps that showed the contamination of atomic bombs. And they were key to spying on the enemy

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On July 16, 1945, it was a historic day: in Alamogordo, in the New Mexico desert, the First nuclear detonation in history. The Trinity test was a success that led to the development of the ‘Little Boy’ and ‘Fat Man’ bombs that, a few days later, They launched on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Before the test, the scientists bet on the results, with some bets that pointed to the destruction of the State of New Mexico, the ignition of the atmosphere and even the incineration of the planet. Obviously, that did not happen, but what did happen is that Each nuclear launch He sent a large number of particles to the atmosphere. And two maps published in 1956 reflected the consequences of these releases. Nuclear tests. Although the world was horrified by what happened in the two Japanese cities when the United States decided launch the only two nuclear bombs Used in combat so far, the powers continued to test the limits of the newly discovered technology. Thus, from the United States they continued with launches in Pacific Islands. Russia also quickly began to develop its nuclear program, with tests such as the ”Tsar pump‘That had about 3,000 times the power of the launched in Hiroshima. These launches by both countries were a muscle sample in full cold war, as well as a deterrent tool. ‘IVY Mike‘. One of the US test releases was that of ‘Mike‘, a bomb launched on November 1, 1952 that vaporized an island, leaving a crater of almost two kilometers and 50 meters deep. It was the first detonation of a hydrogen pump, causing a 3.3 -kilometer radio fire at the time of the explosion, with a fungus -shaped cloud that stabilized 41 kilometers high. Lookout Mountain studies immortalized the moment, adding later sound, since they recorded it without it. The rays were not part of the postproduction, but appeared just after the detonation: Disaster. The consequences for the Eneetak atolón in which it was launched were tremendous. The expansive waves devastated the vegetation not only of the objective island, Elaugelab, but of the closest. In addition, it caused a radioactive rain and ships almost 60 kilometers away saw how pieces of radioactive corals fell on the helmet. The area had remained seriously contaminated And, as we can see in these satellite images, Elfelab simply disappeared. THE ATOLON BEFORE AND AFTER IVI MIKE Atmospheric movement. With the rise of these tests, a team of researchers from the United States Meteorological Service published in the journal Science two maps that immortalized a historical fact: the trip of the radioactive particles around the globe. Declassified in 1956, the first one shows the global and relatively rapid atmospheric diffusion of radioactive particles. The explosion has a very clear starting point, but as soon as the particles enter the atmosphere, they continue their expansion through the rest of the globe thanks to the air currents. Radioactive particle dispersion. It was a very simple map, more than anything visual, but the second was much more explicit. It was a map of isoline Particles even to American and Canadian soil. In Europe, these radioactive particles had been largely diluted. Observation networks. It was not the first time that the movement of pollution had been studied, but it was somewhat reserved for great events, such as Krakatoa volcano explosion in 1883. With these maps, researchers wanted to demonstrate that, with the right tools, it was already easy to track volatile tracers in the atmosphere. And Ivy Mike’s were a good excuse to study. Researcher Sebastian Grevsmühl published the study A few years ago and comments that, apart from satisfying scientific curiosity, maps had a more pragmatic utility. On the one hand, they helped build the idea of ​​the world’s contamination on a global scale thanks to atmospheric movements, developing that everything has consequences. On the other, they were a tool that the nuclear powers had to monitor enemy atomic activities. Nuclear espionage. With these tools, Russian and American researchers could know if the opposite had detonated a nuclear artifact … even if he had not done it public, but also if they were using nuclear reactors or producing plutonium. So much so that, in 1949, the United States sought to determine the progress of the German nuclear bomb measuring Xenon-133 in the air. To do this, they used B-29 bombers and 24 land stations distributed by the planet to collect air samples that would determine if they were developing something. This is how, thanks to the collaboration with the British army, they discovered that, in 1949, the Soviet Union had successfully carried out a first nuclear test. Over the years, the tools evolved to cross radiological, seismic and sonic data that allowed to determine both the presence of radioactive elements and enemy nuclear bombs … and estimate their power. And much of that began with works like the one led to the two previous maps. Images | Sebastian V. Grevsmühl, Mit Press In Xataka | The amazing story of the man who survived the two atomic bombs of Hiroshima and Nagasaki

Japan’s biggest enemy has left a $90 billion bill in the nation’s pocket: climate change

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Few things are more accurate in understanding a problem that affects everyone than appeal to the stomach. In March of last year, Japan woke up to news that made more than one person raise their eyebrows. Wasabi was experiencing a “bittersweet” moment (curry rice tooin fact). The reasons stemmed, first of all, from international demand due to the success of the nation’s cuisine. However, there is not enough wasabi on the planet to satisfy everyone, and part of the blame lay with a usual suspect that threatens many of the planet’s crops: climate change. The last bill of the nation is an announcement to sailors. The economic catastrophe of climate change. Japan, a country with a long history of natural disasters, faces an unprecedented increase in the costs derived from climate change. Despite its recognized expertise in risk management and disaster resilience, the country continues to suffer some of the highest economic losses on the planet. To give us an idea, according to a report from the International Chamber of Commercebetween 2014 and 2023, Japan accumulated Climate-related losses totaling a whopping $90.8 billiona figure only surpassed by the United States, China and India, nations considerably larger in population and territory. Not only that. The projected future costs are even more alarming. An analysis conducted last December estimates that if current global climate policies continue, Japan will face damages worth a total of 952 trillion yen (about $6 trillion) until 2050a figure that far exceeds the nominal value of its current economy, estimated at 591.9 billion yenaccording to the Cabinet Office. The problem of not being able to stop it. As we said, Japan’s disaster history is extensive, with devastating events like the Noto earthquake in 2023, Typhoon Hagibis in 2019 either the earthquake and tsunami that occurred in March 2011. In this regard, recent warnings about a possible megaquake in the Nankai Trench have further highlighted the constant threat facing the country. In fact, the nation ranks sixth in the Disaster Risk Index of the telecommunications company Intersec, which evaluated the economic and human losses of almost 160 countries between 2000 and 2024. The country registered total economic losses of 2.35 billion dollars and 543 fatalities and/or injuriesadjusted to its population of 124 million. Image of the 2011 Tsunami The “urban” layout, another problem. Furthermore, the pattern that we see in all natural disasters such as those that occurred in l is repeated.The Los Angeles fireseither DANA in Valencia: Inhabited areas in disaster-prone areas. In the case of Japan, the combination of its extensive coastline, the high concentration of assets in densely populated urban areas and the scarcity of natural resources make it a highly vulnerable enclave to large-scale disasters. Despite these risks, Japan has managed to mitigate the loss of life by advanced risk management strategiesas early warning systemsresilient infrastructure and emergency response plans. However, the economic costs continue to increase exponentially. The price of inaction: it is urgent to take action. They told in Japan Times A week ago, the impact of climate change is also increasing the frequency and intensity of extreme weather events in the country, such as floods, typhoons and forest fires. In this regard, a study by the International Chamber of Commerce analyzed almost 4,000 extreme events that occurred between 2014 and 2023, concluding that Global economic losses amounted to 2 trillion dollars. Japan was among the most affected countries, with economic costs higher than those of Germany (although below those of India). The impact in Japan. Economic losses resulting from natural disasters amounted to 320 billion dollars worldwide last yearof which only 140 billion were insuredaccording to the report from the insurer Munich Re. This figure represents the fifth largest loss since 1980 and is significantly higher than the averages of recent decades. In Japanese terms, it is expected that Climate change will reduce the nation’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) by almost 10% annually if more ambitious policies are not adopted to mitigate its effects. In fact, an economic model from the Asian Investors Group on Climate Change estimates that Total economic losses until 2050 will reach 970 trillion yenwhich is equivalent to the loss of hundreds of thousands of yen per Japanese household annually. By then, projections indicate that Japan will be more affected than the United States and Europe. Initiatives and adaptation. It is possibly the big question facing Japan and the entire planet, what can we do to mitigate disasters or adapt? In that sense and despite the gloomy perspectives of the studies, the Times emphasized that Japan has the potential to lead the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions through development of innovative technologiessuch as advanced batteries and offshore wind energy. According to a recent report, if the country adopts a net-zero emissions scenario by 2050, the economy could benefit from a boost of 13.6 trillion yen annuallyplus savings of 40 trillion yen per year compared to current climate policies. In addition, Japan has also taken a leading role in funding international initiatives to help vulnerable countries. For example, has contributed $10 million to the United Nations Loss and Damage Fundaimed at mitigating the impact of climate change in developing nations. Insurance and the Japanese pocket. It is the last leg of that global enemy, one that directly affects the nation’s pocketbook. Japanese households are already experiencing the impact of climate change through increased insurance premiums. In October 2024, the country’s four main insurers increased fire insurance rates by an average of 10%marking the fourth increase since 2019. Furthermore, Japan’s General Insurance Tariff Organization has explicitly linked these increases to the increasing risk of disasters induced by climate change. Additionally, and according to climate campaign group Insure Our Future, climate change-related disasters accounted for more than $600 billion in insured losses between 2002 and 2022. Data and more data, figures and more figures, which only highlight the urgency of more effective climate action to avoid or mitigate greater economic and social impacts of a common enemy. Image | 岩手県宮古市, … Read more

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