fault

Data centers consume a lot of water, but it is probably less than we thought. It’s a book’s fault

by

We can criticize the AI ​​boom for many reasons, but there is one that deeply affected society: the environmental impact, more specifically water consumption of each interaction with the AI, necessary to be able to cool the servers. The problem is realbut everything indicates that it has been magnified and the origin would be a miscalculation in a popular book. the book. It is ‘Empire of AI’ written by Karen Hao and which we already talked about in Xataka. After interviewing hundreds of former employees and people close to the company, the author constructs a detailed and highly critical account of OpenAI, more specifically its CEO Sam Altman. Among the criticisms of this ‘AI empire’, Hao mentions the excessive water consumption of AI, going so far as to state that a data center would consume 1,000 times more water than a city of 88,000 inhabitants. The criticism. Andy Masley tells it in his newsletter The Weird Turn Pro. According to their calculations, in reality 22% of what the city consumes or 3% of the entire municipal system. Furthermore, Masley states that the book confuses water extraction (temporary withdrawal that is returned to the network) with real consumption. The calculation error. The author herself has responded to the article de Masley citing the email he sent to the Municipal Drinking Water and Sewage Service of Chile (SMAPA), from whom he requested information on the total water consumption of Cerrillos and Maipu, the towns he used to make the consumption comparison. The problem is that Hao requested the amount in liters, but they responded without specifying the units and everything indicates that they were actually cubic meters, hence the large discrepancy. The author has consulted again with the SMAPA to clarify this information. It seems that, indeed, there is an error. Estimates. How much water AI consumes has been a recurring question in recent years. In September 2024, a study published by Washington Post He calculated that, to generate a 100-word text with ChatGPT, 519 milliliters of water were needed. The calculation was made taking into account the total annual consumption of data centers and the type of cooling used. It’s truly outrageous. What companies say. AI companies are not very transparent regarding the water and energy consumption of their data centers. The big technology companies give the total annual consumption data in their sustainability reports. We know that a large part of the consumption goes to data centers, but it is not possible to know the real consumption of each search. Google has been the only one that has published specific energy and water consumption data from its AI. According to the company, the water consumption for each Gemini consultation was 0.26 milliliters, or in other words, about five drops of water. We cannot extrapolate this data to all data centers or all companies, but it does seem that previous estimates are quite exaggerated. Water controversy. All of this doesn’t mean there isn’t a problem with water and AI. In fact, the Cerrillos data center where the alleged calculation error is It was never built because the Chilean justice system paralyzed it. due to the climatic impact it was going to have, especially in the context of drought in which the region found itself. Data centers need a lot of water, so much so that initiatives are emerging to cool them submerging them in the ocean. The other problem. Water is just one of the problems data centers face, energy demand poses an even greater challenge. In 2024, Data centers already accounted for 4% of total electricity consumption in the United States and in the surroundings of some of these beasts the electricity bill has risen 267% in recent years. Big tech is already warning: there is no power for so many chips and they are being raised since create nuclear power plants until take their data centers to space. Image | Google In Xataka | What is happening in the US is a warning for Spain: data centers driving up electricity bills in homes

If when you think of a farm you visualize a red building with white corners, it’s the Swedes’ fault.

by

5040-Y80R. That is the approximate designation according to the Natural Color System chart for color ‘red falu‘. It is a registered trademark and It goes beyond being a simple color: implies that a very specific pigment comes into play in its production that gives it that reddish tone and has transcended to the point of being part of the identity of an entire country thanks to its properties. That country is Sweden, and it all started as a waste product from a copper mine. By-product. Dalarna is a region located in the heart of Sweden, and it is home to the Falun Great Copper Mountain. The Vikings They were already exploiting this mine in 850, but the history of color dates back to the 16th century. It was then that they discovered that one of the mining byproducts could be turned into a useful pigment. Leaf From the production of copper they obtained what they called Falu rödfärgor “red mulch,” and was basically a unique mixture of over 20 different minerals. The reddish color was thanks to iron oxide, silica, zinc and copper itself. They started to mix it up with water, but also with other elements such as oils, tar or rye flour, and they discovered that they could obtain a paint with very interesting properties. better than paint. This red mulch mixed with the appropriate ingredients not only gave color to the wood, primary raw material in Sweden for both ships and infrastructure, but also acted especially well as a material protector. It was like an insulating layer, a shield that protected against the elementsprolonging its useful life, making repairs less frequent and, in addition, it was cheaper than importing wood treatments from other countries. The industry soon exploded. HE esteem that, by mid-1760, production was about 25 tons, but by 1930, that annual production exceeded 2,000 tons. Status. Now, it wasn’t cheap. Everyone wanted to paint their house that copper red color, but it turns out that it was a luxury reserved for the highest classes. When the pigment was discovered, and perhaps motivated only by its color, King John III ordered paint the ceilings of his palace with ‘falu red’, imitating the copper of the ceilings of other European palaces. Since then, those with the most power who could get hold of the pigment began to paint their houses. However, as production began to scale and gain traction, the product became cheaper and more people were able to access it, painting, if not all of their houses, the façade that faced the roads (which was what everyone passing by could see). Swedish edges of the 19th century contributed to popularize the image of the red houses of Sweden, immortalizing the idea of ​​rural life in red houses with white corners. One of Carl Larsson’s works The color of a nation. The color 5040-Y80R became the symbol of Sweden to the point that migrants who sought better luck in North America after the dissolution of the norwegian swedish union In 1905 they began to build their farms using this color. The image that many of us have of the red farm was created there. And it became so important to Swedish popular culture that there is a saying that symbolizes that simple life and harmonious in contact with the earth: den röda stugan och potatislandet (the red house and the potato garden). Today, the ‘Falu rödfärg’ is not as vital as it was years ago if we talk about production. The same has descended a lot because there is greater competition and synthetic products for paint the facadesbut it is still an example of “banal nationalism”, a symbol that exists without the need for flags and anthems, since its mere presence evokes belonging. Images| Xauxa Håkan Svensson, FrDr, HCa, Wigulf~commonswiki In Xataka | The world’s technology industry practically depends on a single road: the one that leads to the Spruce Prine mine

your next cell phone will be more expensive. It’s the AI’s fault

by

“Prices are going to rise next year,” says Ma Zhiyu, Xiaomi’s marketing director. The reason is that there are components whose price is sky-high, and is expected to continue increasing. We talk about the NAND and DRAM memories, whose cost has skyrocketed due to the huge demand caused by AI data centers. Frightening. This is how Ma Zhiyu has described the storage prices expected for next year, as stated in IThome. The manager took to Weibo to comment on his impressions about the cost projections for next year. According to a recent report by Korea Economic DailySamsung and SK Hynix notified their customers that they would apply increases of up to 30% in NAND and DRAM memories in the fourth quarter of the year. Figures. According to the Taiwanese CTEE mediumthe price of DRAM memories has increased by 171% year-on-year, more than increases in the price of gold. Demand driven by AI boom, especially in DDR5 memory modules. To put it in context, a 16GB DDR5 module used to cost between $7 and $8, but since September it costs $13. As for NAND memories for SSDs and servers, the increase is estimated at 50%. Mobile phones too. The most affected products are those that require more memory, such as PCs and laptops, but Ma warns that it will affect any device that uses memory. This increase will also have an impact on mobile phones, especially those that have more storage such as the 512GB or 1TB versions. More memory, more expensive. In a post on Weibo, Sun Cun, product director at Redmiresponded to users who complained that they couldn’t afford the 12+512GB version. “We cannot change the trend of the global supply chain. Prices are going to rise next year,” he said. Furthermore, recently they announced a discount 300 yuan on the 512GB version of the Redmi K90 and warned that it could be the last chance to get such an offer. The bottomless pit of AI. The AI ​​race is about computing power, which means building many data centersand these data centers need many componentsincluding GPUs which, in turn, require enormous amounts of memory. The result: shortages, customers lining up to get memories and sky-high prices. It will get worse. The worst thing is that this has just begun, or so some experts predict. Tom’s Hardware publishes the statements of Chen Libai, CEO of ADATA, who believes that in 2026 the shortage will be even greater. It will still take a while to see the impact in stores and it will gradually spread, but it is a matter of time before the domino effect reaches us. If you are thinking of buying SSD, expanding the memory of your PC or changing your mobile phone, perhaps it is time to do so. Image | Samsung, Xataka In Xataka | Xiaomi 15 Ultra, analysis: a crazy night between a mobile phone and a compact camera

Printers have been a terrible product for 30 years. The fault is Nash’s balance

by

Let’s go back to 1949. A young mathematician named John Nash Find an original idea for your thesis at Princeton University. Game theory already existed thanks to the previous works (1944) by John Von Neumann and Oskar Morgenstern, but the von Neumann model focused on zero -sum games (one player wins, the other loses). Nash had a spark of genius in proposing that in any game there should be at least one point where no player could improve his situation by changing his strategy unilaterally. Formalized that idea in a short two -page article (‘Equilibrium Points in N-Person Games‘) In January 1950, and with it revolutionized history. Including printers. Is the printer the worst technological product in history? And is that the printers is an almost manual example to apply the call Nash balance. These types of products have been following – at least, to a large extent – the economic model of the machin and blades: you sell cheap the first, but face the second. Consumers know that when we buy an ink printer, the price will be economical, almost ridiculous. But we also have assumed that ink and cartridges for those printers will be very expensive. And if they are not, what will end up being is Ink subscription… either to the printers themselves. Not only that: in the last 30-40 years we have seen how printers have become-probably- The worst technological product in history. It is no longer only that printers can get stuck or work erratically. The real problem is terrifying form in which manufacturers have protected their business, preventing in all possible ways that users can for example use Compatible cartridges and tonniers of third parties. Nash’s balance explains very well why manufacturers do what they do. Imagine two great manufacturers such as HP and Canon with two options: Expensive and blocked cartridges (current model) Cheap and open cartridges (which allow competition and lower prices) Given this situation, HP and Canon managers know that three types of market situations can be found: If both keep expensive and blocked cartridges: they earn a lot If one “opens” its cartridges and lowers prices and the other remains closed: the one that opens loses income and the one that is still closed earns more … or the opposite. Whatever happens, one will end up winning a lot and the other losing a lot. If both open: there is strong competition again, but both win less Given that scenario, manufacturers make an inevitable business decision: they close their cartridge technology and sell it face Because that’s what gives more benefits to everyone. Nash’s balance is fully fulfilled here: it describes a stable point for each player (company) but does not ensure that the result is the best for the whole. Collectively and from the social point of view, the optimal would be to open the technology and lower prices: companies would earn less, but the market would be larger and fair. Reality, as we know, is very different. But maybe that reality can change. We need a “Tesla printer” The printer user has therefore 30 years constant bleeding which translates into an exaggerated expense in cartridges and also in an erosion of time and productivity. What has happened with printers is something extraordinary: We have normalized that printers are almost more a problem than a solution. The Open Printer, a striking printer project “Open Source” and is based on the use of HP cartridges but accepts compatible third -party cartridges. Source: The Open Printer. And that is why we have a panorama in which there is a great opportunity for a revolution in the printers market. This segment is hungry for an ethical disruptive: the manufacturer who abandons the current Nash balance can change everything here. It is a mature field in which an innovative based on transparency and reliability could not only capture the market, but even redefine it. What the market needs is a kind of “Tesla printer”. And we refer to a printer that causes in this segment what Tesla managed to provoke in the car industry: a machine that has a great design, a reliable operation and that is also designed to last. But above all, that offers an alternative to current printers and their dictatorial philosophy with cartridges. Here are some projects underway. The project The Open Printerfrom the Parisian startup Open Tooks, is intended as A repair ink printer, Open Sourceand that focuses its operation on reparable cartridges. Its creators claim that this printer is created “with standard mechanical components and with modular parts”, which theoretically simplifies its assembly, modification and repair. Source: The Open Printer. In fact, the Open Printer works with a small Raspberry Pi W plate as an operations center. There are no proprietary firmware or cartridges with DRM. It is designed to use HP63 cartridges (HP 302 in Europe) both in black and in color but they serve both those of HP and third parties. And not only can you print on AAR or A4 folios, but even in 27 mm paper rolls. There are no details about its price or availability for the moment, but the idea will not be launched directly, and will first be launched as a collective financing project. We know for previous failures (and frauds) that such financing models It has its risksbut in this case that option seems reasonable and we only have to wait for the best of the project. That may not be the only launch in this regard, and in fact There is an even more interesting rumor. Frameworkthe company that has conquered us with its repairable laptops, seems to be considering the idea of ​​creating its own printer (modular and repairable? We expect that!). This is how at least a recent message indicates in X in which they commented on how “one of you must have sabotaged the office printer and has forced us to manufacture one. It is not possible that HP is selling printers that broken.” … Read more

Thousands of people have been drinking apple vinegar for years before eating to lose weight. The fault has an erroneous study

by

A couple of months ago, the last viral trend of social networks was taken on an empty stomach in the morning recently raised: the “morning sucks.” There were all kinds: apple vinegar, of grass Or even A tablespoon coconut oil. Everyone promises the same: flat bellies, express detox and accelerated metabolism. Under the appearance of natural remedy, the illusion of a quick solution was really sold. In particular, apple vinegar stands out as the biggest protagonist, since a study endorsed it, but it was a misinterpretation. The origin of the myth. We have always heard that phrase of “speaking people understand”, although quite simplistic it is that misunderstandings are the order of the day and in science they are usually given. To get to the origin of that study, the tracking takes you to a study published in BMJ Nutrition, Prevention & Health. This research became popular to ensure that apple vinegar helped lose weight. However, According to Sciencedailythat study has been retracted after detecting inconsistencies in data and serious errors in statistical analysis. In science, a retraction is an exceptional mechanism: it means recognizing that the results are not reliable and, therefore, that the study should no longer be cited as evidence. It is a guarantee of self -correction, but it is late when the finding has already traveled media and viral videos. The viralization of myth. The networks did the rest. Under hashtags like #guthealth or #morningritual, vinegar It settled In morning routines with other “shots” that promise express benefits: ginger, turmeric, teas detox. As we detail in Xatakathis phenomenon is understood in the framework of the culture of immediacy: we live at a time when rapid and visible results are sought. A morning drink fits perfectly with that promise of instant change. The problem is that neither vinegar nor any of these mixtures fulfill what they promise. And in some cases They can have adverse effects: Excessive consumption of fasting vinegar can irritate the stomach and esophagus, damage tooth enamel and cause digestive discomfort. More studies. Beyond the retracting study, there are research that has analyzed the effect of vinegar on metabolic health, although scientific evidence remains low. A systematic review, Posted in Pubmed Central in 2021evaluated clinical trials on this product. According to this work, vinegar can have modest effects on the reduction of blood glucose and total cholesterol. But the same review warns: there is no solid evidence that it causes clinically relevant weight losses. In other words: vinegar is not a burning, much less a magical solution to lose weight. The mirage of detox. The rise of these “morning shots” also relies on the language of the detox. However, experts Remember that Detoxification does not work like this: the body already has organs such as the liver and the kidneys that fulfill that function continuously. Chupitos do not “clean” the organism, but they do perpetuate the idea that there are miraculous shortcuts to compensate for excesses. An even greater paradigm. The history of apple vinegar is, in the background, a lesson on how health myths are built in the digital age. A study with methodological errors, amplified on social networks, became a global ritual. And although today we know that there was no evidence behind, the practice was already installed in millions of morning routines. The lesson is clear: easy solutions are rarely, and health is not built with shortcuts. Image | Freepik and Pexels Xataka | There are people taking a “sucking” apple vinegar in the morning. Science has an opinion about it

“The Clio will never be electric.” And the fault has a whole classic

by

Just a few days ago we moved to a ship on the outskirts of Paris to learn about the new Renault Clio. In a small advance before officially showing it in public during the IAA Mobility of Münichthe French confessed to us all the details of one of the most urban proposals of the brand. So we already knew that the new Renault Clio I would only have a pure combustion engine, one that works with natural gas and a 160 hp hybrid And ridiculous consumption that, of course, is the great star of the range. As we said in the article in which we described our sensations with the new model, which we will lead later, there are two powerful reasons to include this propeller. The first is that with him they get CO2 emissions to be below 93.6 g/km of CO2 that, In 2027, they will make the difference between good and evil. The second is that, before an expected price increase in the model, Renault has chosen to deliver an engine to the height that justifies that (very likely) increasing. “It will never be electric” Renault’s presentation has been welcomed among the public as one would expect. Those who show a greater rejection of the electric car congratulate that a car with combustion engine, low and, although small consumption, is available, the promise of taking you anywhere with solvency if we attend to its 160 hp. On the contrary, there is no lack of who claims an electric version among those who are more prone to the electricity jump. Fabrice Cambolive, new Renault CEO (brand) that has taken the reins in the middle of a general restructuring after Luca de Meo’s departure as general head of the Renault group, has been clear about this movement: “The Renault Clio is not an electric model or will ever be. It is a hybrid model that responds to other needs, including it, “said Cambolive to L’Automobile. In the words collected by the French media, the French brand’s CEO explains that this electricity place is occupied by the Renault R5 and that the captur and the Renault R4 They play a very similar role for those who prefer a SUV option. They are “four segment B cars that we have decided to place in a complementary way (…) have positions, designs, profits and a mixture of completely different customers,” says Cambolive. In his answers, the Renault CEO also suggests that if Renault goes with lead feet before the electric car instead of following messages that talk about this technology as the only one in the future is because the electric market in Europe “is still in its beginnings.” Other reasons must be taken into account. The Renault Clio has been created on a platform designed to host a combustion engine and powerful hybridization, while the Renault 5 has been designed, directly, on a designed platform From scratch to house a completely electric car. Therefore, it is very likely that transforming the clio into an electric and the Renault 5 into one of combustion worse both cars. In general, electric cars mounted on platforms for combustion vehicles have worked badly because their autonomies and load powers have always been more limited than the electric created from scratch. This latest version of the CLIO has been mounted on the CMF-B platform that already mounted the outgoing generation, which allows the French manufacturer for enormous cost savings. What anticipates Cambolive is that if the plans are maintained as expected, the Renault Clio will end up discontinued or, in the best case, on a last platform with plug -in hybridization. Keep in mind that from 2027 the average emissions of the manufacturers They cannot exceed 93.6 gr/km of CO2 If you don’t want to stick to huge fines. This version manages to be below but in 2030 that limit wants to reduce by half, pressing the brands so that the vast majority of their sales are electric or highly electrified, With just space For combustion engines. Photo | Renault In Xataka | When Renault wanted to test his Renault 4, he did something most reasonable: torture him with three million kilometers

Science explains why coriander knows you soap (and the fault belongs to your genes)

by

For many it is a touch of indispensable citrus freshness in tacos, guacamoles and curris. For others, it is a culinary abomination that It ruins any dish with a disgusting soap flavormetal or even insects. The coriander is undoubtedly one of the most polarizing herbs in the world, an ingredient that does not admit average terms and has generated much frustration. It is not a matter of taste. For years, science has investigated this phenomenon and the answer is clear: if the coriander knows you soap, it is not being a fussy: The fault, in large part, has your DNA. The “soap gene” exposed. The key piece of this genetic puzzle found it An association study at a genomic scale (GWAS) published in the magazine Flavour. Researchers analyzed the DNA of almost 30,000 people and found a direct connection between the perception of coriander soap and a specific genetic variant. The main suspect is a unique nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) known as RS72921001. This small change in the genetic code is found on chromosome 11, just in the middle of a group of olfactory receptor genes. And one of them, called OR6A2, is the perfect candidate to explain the mystery. Because? The OR6A2 gene encodes a receiver in our nose that is especially sensitive to aldehydeschemical compounds that are key components in the aroma of coriander. Interestingly, these same aldehydes are also a byproduct of the soap manufacturing process and are secreted by certain insects as a defense mechanism. In essence, people with this genetic variant have a kind of “antenna” superpotent for the aldehydes of the coriander. While a person without this variant perceives a fresh and herbal aroma, someone with the variable of the O6A2 gene receives an overwhelming sign that his brain interprets with the taste of soap. A more complex genetic cocktail. Although the O6A2 gene is the protagonist, the story does not end there. Another study conducted with twins by the Monell Chemical Sensa Center, and published in Chemical Sensaadd more nuances to the equation. This investigation not only confirmed that coriander aversion has a strong hereditary component – stating the inheritability of taste for coriander in 52% – but also identified other genes involved. Specifically, there have been three genes that have identified in this genetic combo. The first one is TRPA1 which is known for detecting spicy substances, the second is GNAT3 which is crucial for the transduction of signs of taste in the language. The last is the TAS2R50 That is a receptor of bitter taste. This suggests that, for some people, the rejection of coriander is not only due to a soap smell, but to a complete sensory experience that may include bitter notes and a sense of unpleasant itching or flavor. The geography of flavor. Genetics is closely linked to offspring, and coriander aversion is no exception. Statistics demonstrate a fascinating global division, as revealed by a study by the University of Toronto. The prevalence of coriander aversion change dramatically between different ethnocultural groupsaccording to these proportions: Oriental Asians: 21% Caucasics: 17% Afro -descendants: 14% South Asians: 7% Hispanics: 4% Middle East: 3% These percentages make a lot of sense. These data are not casual. Populations with less aversion are those in whose kitchensh It has been a pillar for centuries, such as Mexican, India, Thai or the Middle East. This raises an interesting evolutionary question: was the kitchen of these regions adapted to a population that genetically enjoyed coriander, or constant exposure for generations helped overcome an initial aversion? The answer is probably a mixture of both. How to learn to love coriander. While your DNA predisposes you to hate the coriander, it is not necessarily a judgment of life. Inheritability, although significant, is not 100%, which means that environmental factors and exposure play an important role. Experts suggest that it is possible to “train” the brain to accept, and even enjoy the coriander. Some of the tricks they give is to crust the coriander in the form of pesto or sauce so that the soapy aldehydes are diluted. But you can also bet on introducing it little by little and mixing it with other powerful flavors so that the palate can get used to it. Images | Lindsay Moe In Xataka | We have finally discovered the sixth flavor. The only problem is that if you are not a fly you will not be able to enjoy it

The fault is of tradition and acrylamides

by

If we turn around the hallway breakfast Of any supermarket, we see multitude of coffee varieties. It is the second most consumed drink in the world and many do for health reasonsbut sUS properties vary depending on whether we drink natural coffee or the enemy of lovers of the Specialty coffee: he Torrefacto. It is the typical coffee of the Spanish bar, but curiously in Europe is vetoed by its low quality, the null historical roots and the most serious: health motifs. It is not Spanish thing. Although this is the “Spanish coffee”, really the first record of something similar to torrefact comes from Cuba. The miners roasted coffee with sugar to extend its conservation during the long periods of underground work. The current torrefact we owe it to an Extremadura named José Gómez Tejedor, founder of The star cafes that, on a trip at the end of the 19th century through the Caribbean, He learned technique and patented In 1901. Until 1921, only coffees the star could exploit the technique of the roasting. And it is a process that consists of toasting coffee and, during the process, add sucrose or glucose syrup –Sugar, ultimately– With a proportion of up to 15 kg of sugar per 100 of coffee. It is a barbarity (and being so bitter, you have to add more sugar to take it, curiously). But very Spanish. This method was consolidated in Spain thanks to the fact that coffee was maintained in better conditions for a longer time. Consumption at the beginning of the 20th century would not be as massive as it is today and the sugar film allowed longer conservation. In Portugal it also gained popularity, but the explosion, and that consideration of the roasting as “Spanish coffee” occurred in the Civil war. During and after the conflict, due to the shortage of coffee, the need to keep it and maintain its economic performance, that toasted with sugar became The default form of toasting coffee in the Iberian Peninsula. That is, due to precariousness, the torrefact was consolidated, but when things could change due to better economic conditions and more efficient conservation methods, it was so rooted in the market that remained. Acrylamide. The problem is no longer so much taste (which, he hears, for tastes, colors), but the consequences of doing so. In the title process, it is generated A chemical compound called acrylamide Due to Maillard’s reaction between sugars and amino acids when they undergo high temperatures. Torrefacto, due to that greater amount of sugar, can contain more acrylamide, surpassing the Natural chopped coffees. Agencies such as IARC or EFSA have cataloged the compound as “probable human carcinogen” and a European reference limit at acrylamide levels of about 400 μg/kg for roasted coffee and 850 μg/kg for snapshot. The problem is that it is estimated that, while the Natural Tugue Café has about 180 μg/kg, the torrefact goes to 800 μg/kg. European counterpart. There are no solid epidemiological studies that demonstrate an oncological risk in humans due to coffee consumption with high doses of acrylamide, but yes There is evidence In animal experiments. The European Regulation EU 2017/2158 It forces producers to minimize acrylamide by controlling the gut parameters, but really that in Europe it is not consummated by torrefact is not because it is prohibited or because it is toxic, but because it is not a coffee that has any roots in countries outside Portugal or Spain. Torrefacto is seen as something of lower quality, has been marginalized by industry and, although there are Exceptions As a type of Belgian coffee to which 3% of sugar is added, it is still an amount lower than that of the Spanish royal. And beyond acrylamide, the real problem of torrefact for someone who consumes a lot of coffee is the amount of sugar. Green grains up to the left and different degrees of turse And in Italy? If you have ever traveled to Italy or if you have bought Italian coffee in grain and you have appreciated that Its color is so dark Like the one we can find in the torrefacto cafes or mixture of Spain, it does not mean that they also consume Torrefacto. In the labeling you read something like ‘Torrefazione’, but it would be a false friend, since it is a word that simply means “tums.” Sugar is not used in its title process, but a natural tabs are performed. And that dark color is due to the fact that, traditionally, the Italian tums is very intense, so the grains are darker than those we find in other European countries, but the sugar we find in those grains is naturally present in Café itself. Mix Blend. And how do I see this in the super? Easily, most supermarket coffee and large surfaces (in addition to what they serve in bars and restaurants, is roosted. When we are going to buy it, we can see terms such as 100% Arabica (which marks only the Variety of coffee), but be royal. Also the term mixing, which is basically a mixture between natural giant and torrefact coffee in usual percentages 50/50, 70/30 or 80/20. Mix, in Spain, is a mixture of both. Then we have the term ‘mixture’ applied in a specialty coffee context, where ‘blend’ is also used. The big difference is that in these ‘blend’, the mixture is made between coffees of different origins, but all of natural gut. Drink what you like. I have not bought torrefact coffee years, but it is something that usually consumes in some cafes and restaurants because they continue to put. And, although I notice it very much (I can not drink a torrefact alone, unlike a natural coffee, for example), the conclusion of all this is that, as long as they do not expressly prohibit it, it will remain something important in the Spanish tradition, despite the boom of specialty coffee shops. The real taste of coffee is being masked and it is … Read more

An unpleasant fault in the ISS bath forces astronauts to extreme precautions

by

Living in space is full of challenges. One of the most earthly is the frequency with which the toilets of the International Space Station are spoiled. A ghost threat. Japanese astronaut Takuya Onishi told on social networks that his weekend had been crowded by “a strange damage in the bathroom just before Saturday lunch.” In a somewhat cryptic way, Onishi reported That, after the incident, he had been “living with fear of the ghost threat, an invisible threat” that his followers soon interpreted as an unpleasant olfactory experience. Extreme precautions. Finally, Saturday’s breakdown in one of the toilets of the International Space Station has persisted this week, forcing astronauts to take drastic measures, such as giving up coffee. “The bathroom worked badly before yesterday,” explains Onishi in his X profile. “I had to spend yesterday without even taking a cup of coffee,” he laments. For a “coffee lover”, like He describes himselfthe measure reflects the seriousness with which the crew of expedition 73 are living the breakdown. The nth fault of the WC. On Wednesday, NASA astronaut Nicole Aunapu Mann “did an emergency maintenance in the afternoon, so I could enjoy a quiet morning again,” Onishi account. But the ghost threat persists. The bathrooms of the American segment of the Space Station have been for weeks, if not months, giving war. Without going any further, on July 15, Onishi himself He spent two hours replacing the “toilet pump separator”, a key piece that centrifuges urine and air. A Russian eschatological roulette. In May, the problems were even more evident. After change a defective pump Together with his NASA partner Jonny Kim, Takuya Onishi compared the use of the bathroom with “playing Russian roulette.” On another occasion, the breakdowns light was turned on at dawn. “Not to wake up others, I secretly contacted Houston and took care of the situation,” The Japanese astronaut commented. With humor, he added that the six times that the fault light had lit, he had been present in five. From the mission control they replied: “You are the chosen one.” A complicated engineering. The International Space Station has four toilets: two in the Russian segment (in the Zvezdá and Nauka modules) and two in the US segment (the WHC and The modern UWMSboth in the Tranquility module). These systems are engineering wonders that use air suction instead of water. While Urine is recycled through a processor complex To turn it into drinking water, solid waste is collected in bags inside hermetic containers. The containers are stored and, finally, are discarded in load ships designed to burn in the atmospheresuch as American Cygnus or Russian progress. Why do they fail so much. He New UWMS toilet He has given many problems since his installation, but he is not the only one who fails. In recent years there has been From water leaks In the urine pretreatment system until Simultaneous breakdowns in all toilets. Each failure requires that astronauts, who are also the plumbers of the station, dedicate time and effort to complex repairs in small spaces. Onishi’s story, a veteran astronaut in his second long -term stay, is a reminder that life in orbit mixes scientific experiments in microgravity with much more mundane challenges. For now, thanks to an emergency repair, normality and coffee have returned to the International Space Station. Images | NASA, JAXA In Xataka | In the 90s they experienced with living outside the earth and, indeed, we would all be dead except cockroaches

We are on our way to beat all temperature records in a month of June. The fault is of a “jam” in the atmosphere

by

Heat is still installed in peninsular Spain. This week a Dana It seems aimed To give us a brief respite but experts anticipate that, as on previous occasions, this will be brief. An exceptional June. There is a week left for the month of June and experts anticipate the possibility of confirming as the hottest in the historical series. All that despite the appearance of tormentous episodes (some of enough intensity) interspersed between extreme heat days. For now the most warm June record The 2017 holds it. That year, the average temperature of the first month of the summer was 24.1 Celsius, three degrees above the average for the period 1981-2010 and 0.1º above the previous record, registered in 2003. That June 2017 was also slightly more humid than it is common for this month, with 3% more rainfall than the average of the period between 1981 and 2010. A stagnant circulation. According to Experts explain As the physicist, disseminator and researcher at Aemet JJ German, the situation could go worse after this week’s truce. An “stuck” atmospheric circulation would be, at least in part, responsible for this month of June anomalous and hot. The situation, if it changes, will be worse. According to German, during the next few days “Subtropical Anticyclonic Dorsal” capable of reaching in itself record levels on the Iberian Peninsula. Meanwhile, under the influence of a Dana. This seems to suggest that the thermal relief caused by the proximity of a Dana will be only temporary. Despite this, the presence of this depression in height implies that we must prepare again for the arrival of instability and rainfall. During the next few days, they will be in force various yellow warnings issued by the State Meteorology Agency (AEMET) to alert the risk derived from these storms. These notices will coexist with those emitted to warn of heat, will concentrate on the north, especially in the northwestern quadrant of the Peninsula. In Your forecastthe agency talks about storms and “locally strong” storms in the northern third, with hail and gusts “very strong”. The situation will affect particularly, says Aemet, north of the plateau, Cantabrian mountain range, Pyrenees and the north of the Iberian system. The risks of a warm summer. Last week, Aemet published its spring analysis and its forecasts for summer. In its presentation, the agency indicated that the first had stood out for high rainfall, while summer could stand out for warmer temperatures. The succession of a wet spring and a summer of heat implies certain health risks: the appearance of some insect pests have put the health authorities alert to the possibility of the appearance of potential vectors of diseases, such as the Tigre mosquito. The hot warm summers also tend to imply a greater risk of fire, although in this case, the rainfall of recent months could play in our favor. In Xataka | We do not know anything about El Niño at this point of the year. That is a meteorological mystery … and good news Image | ECMWF

Log In

Forgot password?

Forgot password?

Enter your account data and we will send you a link to reset your password.

Your password reset link appears to be invalid or expired.

Log in

Privacy Policy

Add to Collection

No Collections

Here you'll find all collections you've created before.