fiction

In 48 hours the Gaza conflict will take a 360 degree turn. And some options were science fiction just a few days ago

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Trump, accompanied by Netanyahu, has presented An ambitious plan of peace that seeks to end almost two years of war in Gaza, releasing Israeli hostages and opening a reconstruction process under international supervision. Its scheme demands the surrender of Hamas, the total disarmament and its political exclusion, offering in return the release of about 2,000 Palestinian prisoners and the massive entry of humanitarian aid. TO Your ultimatum He has hours left for the conflict of a 360 degree turn. An unexpected plan. Unlike previous proposals that were limited to partial truces, the one now intends a definitive cessation of hostilities, with a period of just 72 hours (now about 48) so that Hamas delivers all captives. Israel would keep troops in A safety corridor Within Gaza and in damping areas, but it would commit to partial replication, while a Palestinian Technical Committee Under the tutelage of A “Board of Peace” chaired by Trump and with Tony Blair in a prominent role. The project, prepared in consultations with Israel, Qatar, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, has been qualified by the White House as the most realistic route to close the war and redraw the future of the strip. The concessions to Netanyahu. Netanyahu achieved, to a large extent, Impose your conditions: Hamas would be out of any future administration, the Palestinian authority would only have a hypothetical role subject to drastic reforms, and the creation of a Palestinian state would be deferred to an indefinite horizon. If you want, for the Israeli prime minister, internationally cornered after European recognitions of a Palestinian State and after the Boicot in the United Nationsit was a kind of Rare Diplomatic Victoria: together with Trump he was able to show that he still controls the times and that Washington supports his “total victory” strategy. The right. However, this same position opens cracks within Israel, where the radical right accuses the government of Claudicar by accepting a plan with Symbolic concessions to the Palestinian cause and with the introduction of foreign forces in Gaza. Smotrich and Ben-Gvir They have warned that could demolish the coalition if the agreement becomes a definitive peace that freezes the military offensive, which predicts political turbulence that Netanyahu tries to dodge with procedure maneuvers, such as avoiding taking the entire plan to the vote of the security cabinet. The pressure on Hamas. For Hamas, The proposal is lethal In political terms: he would mean the end of his domain in Gaza after almost two decades, the disarmament of his brigades and the delivery of his last hostages without guarantees of future influence. Even so, the group faces an unpublished pressure: Türkiye, Qatar and Egypt have expressed support for the plan and warn that Hamas’s time runs out. Many analysts They point that the direction of the militia seeks a “decent landing” that saves part of its paintings and avoid total annihilation, but any acceptance of the agreement would mean cross the red lines He has always proclaimed, especially the maintenance of his armed arm. In that context, Trump launched that public ultimatum: “Three or four days” to answer, accompanied by the threat that Hamas will “pay in hell” if he rejects the offer. The dilemma for Islamist leaders is clear: giving and surviving politically in exile or resisting and risking that Israel resumes an even more devastating offensive. The Arab mediators. In this case, Arab countries have gone from rhetoric to direct involvement. Saudi Arabia, Emirates, Egypt, Jordan and Qatar have transmitted to Washington and Israel A list of conditions: No to the annexation of Gaza, not to the forced displacement of Palestinians, not to new settlements, and yes to a horizon of Palestinian self -determination. Although Trump’s plan does not fully satisfy these demands, he has incorporated concessions as the mention of a possible “credible route towards Palestinian self -determination” if the Palestinian authority undertakes reforms. The paradox is that the authority itself, weakened and discredited, has Backed the plan With enthusiasm, accepting to review your textbooks, eliminate payments to prisoners and open to international scrutiny in order not to be excluded. For Arab states, the priority is close the war frontcontain humanitarian drift and keep the prospects for the solution of two states alive, even in a rhetorical framework. Internal risks in Israel. We said it before, the agreement threatens to fracture The Israeli coalition. While the centrist opposition supports him as a realistic basis to recover hostages and stop the war, the ultra -nationalist parties perceive it as an inadmissible assignment. The fear of Smotrich and Ben-Gvir is that to accept international forces and a Palestinian administration, even if it is technocratic, EROSIONE ISRAELI CONTROL and leave the door open to a future Palestinian state. Netanyahu tries to keep the Delicate balance: Present the agreement as a triumph in Washington and before the international community, but reassuring its right -wing base ensuring that Israel will retain military presence in Gaza and will never allow a sovereign Palestinian state. This double discourse reflects the fragility of your government, increasingly dependent on maintaining the security narrative against external demands. Trump’s disappointment. The change in tone of Trump himself to Israel does not cease to be striking. In private And in recent statements, the US president has shown An unusual anger with Netanyahu for unilateral attacks that have put the mediation of Washington, such as the bombardment in Doha against Hamas leaders when a fire was discussed. Trump se Feel disappointed So consider a lack of reciprocity: while he has sustained Israel in the international arena, Netanyahu has acted so that weakens the strategy North American diplomatic. This disenchantment, also applicable To the “Russian friend” In the Ukraine War, explains the Plan turnwhich is no longer just a blank check for Israel, but a frame with commitments and deadlines, in which it is even mentioned, even if it is vaguely, the perspective of a Palestinian state. Gaza under international administration. Thus, things, the plan also opens the … Read more

China has just told the world the place it wants to occupy. And he has done it with a parade of weapons that seem like science fiction

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During September 3, Beijing has become the stage of one of the Chinese military parades more elaborate that are remembered, commemorating the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II. An event that China has used to Promote nationalism through a parade where to show the world the place he wants to occupy. And according to the artillery that has seen the lightThere are no limits. Artillery as support. As we said, the imposing military parade in Beijing was conceived as An unequivocal message: Xi Jinping’s vision of a new world order with China in the center has a warlike vanguard apparatus that begins to be at the height, and even ahead, of its rivals. Among the protagonists highlighted the new intercontinental ballistic missile DF-61successor of DF-41together with missiles with hypersonic plankers capable of exceeding the speed of sound five times and complicating any antimile defense. The demonstration included a broad Drones repertoire (aerial, terrestrial and submarines) with functions ranging from direct combat to logistics, some designed to act as “faithful squires” of Chinese furtive fighters, consolidating the EPL’s commitment to the Autonomous War. DF-61 Directed energy weapons. Beyond the missiles, the true revolution was on the exhibition of Laser and energy weapons directed, in naval and land versions, capable of neutralizing sensory and drones enemy at ridiculous costs compared to conventional ammunition. If these systems are deployed in number, such as They hinted Official sources could suppose an unprecedented challenge for any force that tries to stop Chinese military movements in their region of influence. This technological turn, supported by an enormous industrial capacity, points to a strategy where the quantity and sophistication They combine to cement China’s strategic ascent. Set of laser weapons during the military parade Two versions. They appeared Two laser systems Air defense: a large one, intended for its installation in warships, and another mounted on an eight -wheeled vehicle, capable of hosting the necessary electrical power to overcome the limitations of previous versions. These systems, which do not depend on kinetic projectiles but on Electromagnetic energy To destroy objectives through heat, electrical interference or sensor blindness, they mark a turning point in the anti -aircraft and anti -anton defense. In front of them, high -power microwave systems (also in development) offer the ability to neutralize whole swarms of drones with simultaneous bursts. The logistics and economic advantage is evident: each shot costs a fraction of a missile and does not require transporting heavy ammunition, only energy. Submarine drone AJX002 The debut of underwater drones. China also showed for the first time Two submarine vehicles not large -sized (Xluuv), consolidating their leadership in a field where at least five different programs in the test phase already operate. One of the exhibited models, identified as AJX002measures between 18 and 20 meters long with a reduced diameter of up to 1.5 meters, while the second shares length but is considerably wider, between 2 and 3 meters, and carries two masts. Although their specific missions have not been revealed, analysts consider carry torpedoes or mineseither fulfill recognition functions in prolonged and high autonomy operations. With this presentation, the Chinese Navy confirms its intention to integrate underwater platforms Autonomous on a large scaleexpanding the unmanned war options in a domain traditionally reserved for conventional submarines. Some of the hypersonic missiles shown The YJ-17: hypersonic and “nuclear.” Among the most strategic revelations The YJ-17 wasa missile that combines the naval denomination of the YJ family with the technological inheritance of DF-17the first medium -range ballistic missile with a hypersonic planner (HGV) developed by China. If the DF-17 already demonstrated extreme precision in tests (capable of impacting a few meters from its target after performing evasive maneuvers), the YJ-17 supposes the adaptation of that system For vertical pitchers of warships. Although it is believed that it can carry conventional eyelets, its nuclear capacity cannot be ruled out, which reinforces its deterrent value. Non -manned wing aircraft of the Plaaf. Two different configurations were seen but no designation details have been provided The industrial muscle as an advantage. No doubt, the parade was also proof of the volume of production that China can sustain. According to analysts Like Malcolm Davisthe country demonstrates the ability to develop, manufacture and deploy faster and higher advanced systems than the West. In other words: it is a reminder that, while in World War II the American industry inclined the global balance, today is Beijing who You can manufacture in mass Military teams with efficiency that Washington can hardly match. The CSIS data They confirm this trend: Chinese military expenditure has multiplied by thirteen in 30 years and already exceeds its immediate neighbors, quintupllica that of Japan and septuming that of South Korea. Anti-Enlambre Training (MENGSHI Laser “OW5-A10”, “PLB-625” cannon of 6 x 25 mm, 30 mm cannon, “Mini dome CUAV FK-3000”, Laser HMV3 “OW5-A50”) The naval dimension. Already We count yesterday. The biggest difference with the United States is perceived in the sea: by 2030, the Chinese Navy could have a 48% more ships of war that the American, which revives the historical maxim that the largest fleet usually imposes itself. While in the West it is confident that technological superiority, such as drone swarms with artificial intelligence, maintain balance, the parade showed that China already has Advanced autonomous systems in active duty and in operational quantities. In addition, the introduction of laser defenses against drones and missiles reinforces Beijing’s narrative about an “intelligent war”, where autonomy and systems network dominate the battlefield. JY-17 The Arsenal per sea. The YJ-17 did not appear alone: ​​it was accompanied by anti-man- YJ-15, YJ-19 and YJ-20all conceived to be deployed from the largest surface fleet in the world, composed of destroyers and frigates with vertical pitchers. Here the strategic message seems clear: the American aircraft carriers, the cornerstone of Washington’s naval power in the Pacific, could be vulnerable at any point in the region before a coordinated rain Hypersonic missiles and cruise released from multiple platforms. With … Read more

The failure of this science fiction film ended the career of a classic director and closed a study in a week

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The arrival of computer animated cinema is not only cemented in great successes such as’Toy Story‘ and The advent of Pixar. They also came into play, at the time, box office failures such as ‘Titan AE’, an ambitious animated science fiction film whose resounding failure ended the race of the great Don Bluth, closed Fox’s animation department forever and meant one of the last nails in the coffin of traditional animation. From actors to drawings. 25 years ago recent Space Opera With real actors. The script had circulated through Hollywood for years without finding financing, until Fox Animation Studios decided to turn it into an animated film in 1997. Don Bluth and Gary Goldman were responsible for the commission, after successes such as ‘In search of the enchanted valley’ or ‘Anastasia’. What was I going. The film combined quite daring concepts of science fiction, especially within the animated cinema of the time, but with a more familiar style: in the year 3028, Drej aliens destroy the earth, forcing humanity to wander through space as refugees. Cale Tucker, separated from his father during evacuation, grows aimlessly until he discovers that he carries the map to find the Titan ship, capable of leading them to a new planet. Cale starts a search pursued by the Drej. Money hole. To start, Fox gave them 55 million dollars, but 30 vanished before startingin preproduction. Fox executives did not want in any case the film to pass 80 million dollars of budget, so they had to make the rest of the film with 50 million (which finally became 60). These budgetary restrictions He prevented them from capturing his initial vision of the film and 300 people from the Fox animation department were stalls on the street. Lower the quality. These mass layoffs forced Bluth and Goldman to take part in the animation to external studies, such as Povde Group, reality studios and Blue Sky. This led to one of the big problems of the film: the own identity fdalta to which they brought the multiple hands and studies involved, the mixture of traditional animation and CGI and the tone of the film, very adult sometimes, very childish on other occasions. The promotion of the film, somewhat erratic, participated in this doubtful tone, and finished certifying the failure. Batacazo at the box office. The film raised only 36.7 million worldwide, and According to an executivelosses 100 million for Fox. The disaster was such that only ten days after the premiere, Fox Animation definitely closed its doors, and the then executive director of Fox, Bill Mechanic, left his position a few weeks later. Goodbye, Don Bluth. Undoubtedly, the great loss for the cinema was the definitive folder to Don Bluth’s career, which as Goldman has not re -directed a film. He tried in the new century, especially, by way of Crowdfundingpretending to stand a movie based on the video game ‘Dragon’s Lair’ that never sets. But above all, ‘Titan AE’ was one of the last failures that condemned the traditional animation: the successes of Pixar and DreamWorks and the progressive collection of the Disney films precipitated a change of paradigm towards the CGI. Time has turned ‘Titan AE’ into a cult film, but in its day it literally supposed the end of an era. In Xataka | The figures suggest that the domain of blockbusters in Hollywood is not over. In fact, it will go worse

The war enters the field of science fiction. Ukraine has captured Russian soldiers without humans: the robots did it

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In the last hours two unpublished facts have been known in the Ukraine War. The first of all occurred a few hours after Trump announced the Partial resumption of sending weapons to kyiv and criticize hard To Putin. Then Russia launched The biggest attack with long -range drones from the beginning of the war. The second goes directly to History booksbecause Ukraine has stopped Russian troops only through machines. Drones and robots on the front line. In an unparalleled event in modern military history, the 3rd separate assault brigade of Ukraine managed to capture Russian soldiers Without using infantry human, using exclusively aerial drones and terrestrial robotic platforms. The operation, announced on July 9 by official Ukrainian sources, represents a unprecedented milestone In the evolution of automated combat, marking the first time enemy soldiers surrender directly to unmanned systems. According to The statement of the brigade, the terrestrial drones were the immediate receptors of the surrender, an event that until now belonged to the science fiction and that has now materialized in the context of the war in Ukraine. Asymmetric technology and war. The operation took place in the Járkov region, northeast of the country, an area high intensity on the front from the beginning of the large -scale invasion by Russia. The Ukrainian unit deployed FPV drones and robotic platforms Kamikaze -type terrestrial to assault Russian fortifications that had resisted previous attacks from other units. These tools, developed as part of a national strategy to reduce human casualties and adapt to a saturated artillery and surveillance war theater, allowed Ukrainian forces to execute an offensive Without exposing directly to your soldiers. According to Brigade’s storythe drones destroyed several Russian positions, and as a terrestrial robot approached a partially damaged shelter, the Russian soldiers entrenched there chose to surrender, without there being human presence in the immediate vicinity. An automated capture. After the surrender, the prisoners were guided outside the fighting zone by The same drones Ukrainians, in a sequence more typical of fantastic literature that demonstrates not only the offensive capacity of these systems, but also their effectiveness to operate complex tasks such as custody and remote control of enemy movements rendered. Subsequently, the Russian soldiers were taken in custody by Ukrainian forces. The success of this maneuver, they tell, not only allowed capture without direct physical contact, but also facilitated the taking of the fortifications previously defended, as well as the control of a adjacent forest line of considerable tactical value. New military paradigm. No doubt, the episode not only shows the degree of sophistication achieved in Ukraine in the matter of Automated warbut also raises fundamental questions about the future of land combat. The Rendary against drones Terrestres is a radical turn in the psychological dynamics of the battlefield: the soldiers, in this case Russians, did not face visible, human enemies, but to silent machines that approached relentlessly, having destroyed all previous defenses. This type of deployment, which mixes destructive capacity with occupation and control functions, anticipates a new paradigm where direct human interaction could become exceptional even in capture operations. Russia attack in Ukraine An unprecedented offensive. But as we said, if the capture of Russian soldiers was a historical fact of modern wars, Russia’s attack It is not precedents From the beginning of the invasion. On one night that could redefine the limits of the unmanned air war, Russia unleashed the greatest drone attack, launching 728 Shahed drones (including lures) and 13 missiles, including feared Kinzhalagainst 741 objectives throughout the country. The epicenter of the attack was the city of Lutsk, in the Ukrainian northwest, a few kilometers From the border with Polandwhich caused the Polish and NATO Air Forces to be deployed in maximum alert. According to kyivmost of the projectiles were intercepted, especially thanks to electronic warfare systems, although hypersonic missiles managed to cause unspecified damage. War in the front and in court. While the sky becomes a network of autonomous swarms, the situation on land remains marked by intense fighting No significant advances. Russian troops They continue to press In Sumy, Járkov, Luhansk and Donetsk, although reports indicate that Ukraine has contained attacks on most of those fronts. In parallel, a Russian soldier belonging to a criminal battalion He denounced publicly Inhuman conditions and the lack of gunner support, describing suicidal assaults in improvised vehicles and without air backup. On the legal level, the European Court of Human Rights ruled that Russia has systematically violated human rights Since 2014including extrajudicial executions, torture, forced deportation of children and forced labor. The Kremlin, on the other hand, dismissed the ruling as “null and without effect.” Plans. They counted the Twz analysts that kyiv, anticipating a large -scale response, would be preparing a thousand drones long range against Russian objectives, including areas near Moscow. In addition, the Ukrainian Secret Service arrested Two Chinese citizens accused of trying to spy technologies of the Neptune missileused in the Moskva’s sinking and now adapted for long -range terrestrial attacks. On land, the proliferation of unmanned land vehicles, such as New UGV “Snail” Or improvised models with wheels made of mines, shows that automation not only dominates the heavens, but also advances on the mud and steel of the front. The war in Ukraine, ultimately, thus enters a phase every time More hybrid and technological of the traditional forms of combat. The contest, that already It had been a pioneer In use massive drones Of recognition and attack, another threshold has crossed, this time historical and unimaginable does not so much: the surrender of soldiers against machines. Image | Arx Robotics, Ukraine’s 3rd Separate Assault Brigade, Emergency Service of Ukraine In Xataka | The production of Russian drones was so huge that Ukraine has opened them looking for clues. The surprise is China In Xataka | We were accustomed to seeing strange things in Ukraine, but this is different: ships and bombers with no one behind the wheel

This literary science fiction utopia advocates the disappearance of millionaires. And Musk, Bezos and Zuckerberg love

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The saga of ‘the culture’ of Iain M. Banks is one of the series of Science fiction books most important and influential of the history of gender. And among his fans are names as notorious of the Tech sector as Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg either Jeff Bezos. What is still curious: the message and background of the saga are in one direction, it could be said, diametrically opposite to the businesses led by these billionaires. So … why do you like so much? The culture of ‘culture’. The saga consists of no less than ten books, the first of them written in 1987 and the last in 2012. In them there is a society in which the pan-human (similar to us in appearance, but without being completely clear what relationship they keep with humanity) coexist with artificial intelligences, having overcome any problem of scarcity of the past. All citizens can careless work: technology takes care of everything. Until death is a problem of the past: diseases have been left behind, and minds can move from one body to another when bodies do not give more. Below the work. ‘Culture ‘is one of the most clearly positioned science fiction works in political terms, already a difference from conservative thought classics such as’ the rebel rebellion’ of Ayn Rand Or allegations of white supremacism not very camouflaged such as ‘The landing’ or ‘Turner’s newspapers’, leans towards the socialist utopia, more in the line of other classications such as ‘Iron heel’ by Jack London. In the Society of ‘Culture’ goals are reached Socialist theory: Post-scarce society, abolition of money and private property, radical equality, voluntary work, collective management, absence of coercive laws, personal freedom … an authentic utopia. Stones to the roof itself. And since there are no inequalities for economic reasons, the same concept of oligarchs is aberrant. Banks hated the idea that a lot of money will concentrate on a few hands. As he exposed This article in Voxthe solution to antisocial behavior in ‘culture’ is not the legal punishment, but to make the offender a social out of theory, cancellation. Something against what they have manifested openly These billionaires. And well, then there is the subject of the genre completely fluid in this utopian society: the rigid genres are completely overcome. And we already know how little they like Musk, Bezos either Zuckerberg LGTBI ideas. What do you see? It is clear What do they like about ‘the culture’ then: The fascinating vision of technology as a solution to all problems. From facilitating the most daily tasks to overcome in space battles, everything is mediated by artificial technology and intelligences. Of course, for Banks technology is not an end in itself, but a tool in search of a more just and equitable society. And without millionaires. But it is easy for these oligarchs of technology to skip that part, because the comfortable is to get carried away by the sissured show that also proposes ‘culture’ (which are adventure novels, not thesis). Of course, it should be noted that there are voices, such as The journalist Max Readwho affirm that perhaps Musk, Bezos or Zuckerberg have not completely misunderstood ‘culture’. Especially if we compare it with the findings of the other utopia par excellence of science fiction, ‘the dispossessed’ of Ursula K. Leguinis of dyes closest to anarchism. Possessing utopias. As technology is more complex, the bridges of understanding between science fiction and innovation are more constant. Science fiction has helped us to imagine the future and carry it out, and therefore the technological elites of Silicon Valley have reinterpreted utopias as inspiration, and even sometimes as Brandingas Musk did Putting Space X ship namesinspiring Neuralink’s own concept and defining itself as an “utopian anarchist of those described by Iain M. Banks.” He is not the only one who appropriates the saga: Bezos will adapt the first book of ‘La Cultura’ In Prime Video. And Zuckerberg promoted the saga in your reading club In 2015. However, this possession of the ideas of Banks or other utopias as a generator of imaginary and technological concepts has very obvious inconveniences when it goes from socialist utopia to business narrative. The critical sense of literary works is diluted and enters a paradox: that of the technocratic utopia. Banks is not here to meet her, but something tells us that he would have produced chills. In Xataka | The groundbreaking world of Chinese science fiction: this is the literature from which ‘the problem of the three bodies “has come out”

Google has just announced the closest to the holographic science fiction: Project Beam

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Videollamar have been useful for years. A solution that works, although with obvious limitations. See and hear the other person is fine, but the Sensation of real closeness It is still far away. Google has been trying to solve that problem for some time, and now has decided to take a more determined step to get it. That step is called Beam. It is the new name of a technology that we already knew as Project Starline, an experimental proposal that sought to recreate the experience of a three -dimensional face -to -face conversation, and that we had the opportunity to try last year. Now, that idea evolves in the form of a platform. Beam was born as a communications system designed to integrate into real environments, supported by the infrastructure of Google Cloud and enhanced with advanced artificial intelligence models. A conversation with volume, not only with image. Google Beam’s key is in its volumetric video model. A IA -based system that transforms a 2D video signal into a realistic three -dimensional representation, visible from any angle. When combined with a type screen Light Fielda sense of depth is achieved that allows to maintain visual contact, interpret expressions and generate more natural communication. According to Google, this helps generate trust and understanding as if the conversation were face -to -face. The objective declared by the company is to create more significant connections between people, wherever they are. To achieve this, Beam relies on two fundamental pillars: the reliability and scalability of Google Cloud, and his experience accumulated in artificial intelligence (AI). Everything designed to integrate without friction in existing workflows. Real -time translation without giving up naturalness. Beam not only focuses on the image. It also wants to facilitate understanding. One of the most striking functions is real -time voice translation, now available today in Google Meet. It allows to maintain a fluid conversation between people who speak different languages, retaining the tone, cadence and expressions of each interlocutor. The result is a more natural conversation, where technology is perceived less and connection between people, more. For Google, this functionality is just the beginning. His long -term vision is clear: to ensure that anyone, anywhere in the world, can be seen and understood with total clarity. Beam arrives at work. At the moment, Beam points to the professional environment. Google has announced an agreement with HP to launch the first compatible devices, which will reach selected customers this year. It should be noted that it does not work with any configuration. These devices will have several cameras to capture the subject from different angles. In addition, the company is collaborating with companies such as Zoom, Diversified and AVI-SPL to integrate this technology into different corporate environments. Great organizations have already shown interest, including Deloitte, Salesforce, Citadel, Nec, Hackensack Meridian Health, Duolingo and Recruit. From Deloitte, for example, they emphasize that Beam is not only a technological advance, but a way of rethinking how we connect in the digital age. A clear promise. Be there without being. This is Beam’s central idea. It is not just a technical improvement, but an evolution in the way of communicating. Beam wants to talk to someone at a distance does not feel like a video call, but as a face -to -face conversation. Images | GOOLGE In Xataka | Google has put a price on the future of AI: $ 250 per month

Less science fiction is being written than ever, and the fault does not have the lack of ideas or the lack of readers

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Literary science fiction interests less than ever. Devoured by subgenres of fantasy with more popular pull, such as Romantasythe books that were previously guaranteed Best-Sellers are now only oddities, samples of a genre that is disappearing from libraries. Why has a genre that has been so popular now languishes? What has changed since a couple of decades ago was the king of the mambo of fantasy? Sales fall. In an article on reading habits, The Washington Post revealed A singular fact: only 12% of readers are interested in science fiction. The figures accompany that fall, to the point that in what we have been in, if we analyze the sales figures in the United States which provides publishers weeklyonly a gender book has sneaked into the top 10 of each year: ‘Ballad of singing birds and snakes’, very significantly the sequel to one of the great successes of the previous decade, ‘The Games of Hunger’. The power of Young adult. The science fiction had never sold as much as in the previous two decades, and all thanks to the dystopic and youth variants of the genre: 12 books sneaked into the best-sellers lists of the Decade of 10 and in the first ten years of the centurywith sagas such as ‘The Hunger Games’, ‘Divergent’, ‘The Host’ and ‘A Time Fold’. There was also space for adult science fiction, no doubt pushed by this receptive state for the genre, especially works of big names such as Stephen King or Michael Crichton. And now, al Romantasy. What makes all the meaning: simply the same readers who augated youth dystopias are now interested in genres such as light fantasy and Romantasy… And that is what occupies the highest positions. In the last two years, books and sagas of the genre such as ‘Alas de Blood’, ‘A court of roses and thorns’ or ‘blood and ash’ have almost totally dominated (especially the 2023 and 2024) lists. Authors such as Rebecca Yarros or Sarah J. Maas repeat, year after year, with a frequency that was only available to the aforementioned King or Crichton. Media avalanche. This change in interest within the fantastic genre of readers who propel sales is the most immediate reason for the descent of science fiction in sales lists, but there are other more endemic causes, not so apparent. One of them is the media ecosystem: The public’s taste for science fiction stories is satisfied with films and series, faster and less demanding to consume. As contradictory that may seem, the absolute relevance of fantasy and science fiction in the mainstream audiovisual has played against books: Who wants to read science fiction sagas if In the cinema it has it embodied more spectacularly? The dystopia is here. From a more sociological perspective, interest in science fiction may have dissipated because reality has advanced to any fiction. It is a recurring bitter joke to talk about how reality has exceeded before planned Future pessimistsas those presented at ‘Blade Runner’ or ‘The maid’s story‘. With the Truncated future sensation That it occurs to generation Z, it is normal for the romantic escapism of ‘blood wings’ to be preferable to reminders that ‘1984’ has come true by advancing on the right and without caught the irony. Creative crisis. To all this is added the creative crisis that crosses current culture and the fantastic genre in particular. Most of the productions that They triumph at the box office and in the book sales They are sequelae or belong to franchises. Science fiction has always been a genre that has fed on risk, innovation and new ideas and with this panorama, it is normal to be stagnant. A classic like Orson Scott Card (‘Ender’s game’) in an article entitled ‘Are we facing the end of science fiction?‘: It is said that “all the really good stories that were possible within science fiction have been written.” Is there salvation? Orson Scott Card himself details in that article that a possible problem of gender is that science gives rise to less narrative formats, such as space trips or stellar wars. Now science focuses more on “theoretical, or sub-psychopic, or trans-cosmic” aspects. But in those sections where authors such interesting and renovating such as Greg Egan arise, Liu Cixin either Ted Chiangperhaps away from the tastes of the general public, but more than trained to make the genre remain alive. And perhaps that is the key: what else does it give whether or not you enter the supervent lists, while the genre continues to innovate Header | Daniel in Unspash In Xataka | The 25 best science fiction books

‘The Eternaluta’ is a masterpiece of science fiction. But the story of its creator gives him an absolutely unique background

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Netflix’s new science fiction series, ‘El Eternalauta’, has a very emotional story for comic fans: not only is it based on a legendary cartoon whose adaptation to cinema and television has been frustrated on countless occasions, but its creator owns a biography that makes its humanistic background, but tragic. This is the story of ‘The Eternaluta’ and its creator, Héctor Germán Oesterheld. The production that opens Netflix is ​​an Argentine series, such as the original comic, and has the prominence of an international fame actor like Ricardo Darín. It has occurred under the supervision of one of Oesterheld’s grandchildren and is the end point of a long list of attempts to adapt a comic that in Argentina has an extraordinary fame. Hence the prestige of the directors who tried to adapt it on previous occasions. In 1998, he assumed the Adolfo Aristarain project (‘A place in the world’, ‘Martín (Hache)’) among other directors such as Gustavo Mosquera (which ended, yes, embarking on a long journey to stand up a biopic of Oesterheld, which has not yet curdled). The project was frustrated due to lack of financing. In 2008 the possible adaptation was reactivated, in a film that would direct Lucrecia Martel (‘The Holy Girl’). Martel distanced himself from the project due to conflicts with the Oesterheld family and the adaptation was canceled. Finally, Netflix began the production of its ‘eternalauta’ in 2020although the filming was interrupted by the pandemic. THE IMPORTANCE OF ‘THE ETERNAUTA’ With a very modern point of view, the story of Oesterheld, drawn in its first phase, in 1958, by a superb Francisco Solano López, tells an extraterrestrial invasion that begins when a mysterious lethal snow on contact with the skin annihilates most of the human beings. The offensive will increase with the appearance of insectoid beings, cascarudes, servants of higher intelligences that will unleash a mixture of intrigue and action where we will have even walks through parallel dimensions. Cascarudos are not the last border of the alien invasion: the protagonist and an impromptu land resistance group will face an alien disturbing who has numerous fingers around the hand (which wins his appeal of hand), and that It is only the servant of even superior and unknown aliens. It would be said that Oesterheld senses an alien presence in the way of Lovecraft, with entities for those who do not assume the slightest threat, but nods them at our level and injects them very understandable intentions. This stage is published in Spain By comic planet. ‘The Eternaluta’ Illustrated by Solano López The adventures of ‘The Eternaluta’ would not end there. A decade later, in 1969, and with Radicalized Oesterheld in his political commitment, the author would script By Penguin). It essentially tells the same story, but with explanations for the invasion much more politicized. Later, in 1976, an official sequel would arrive, set in a desolate and apocalyptic future, a consequence of the ravages we saw in the first installment. I would draw her again Solano López. After her, with missing Oesterheld, we would see multiple sequelae, often with the participation of the original cartoonist. But … What does ‘the Eternaluta’ have to have become an absolute classic of the Argentine comic? When Oesterheld did not know what his destiny would be, the first ‘eternauta’ can be read as a local version of ‘The War of the Worlds’, but with bulls references to the policy of the moment: In 1955 Perón had been expelled from the Argentine government in a coup d’etat led by military. This first version of history is more humanistic than politics, and as Roberto Bartual details In your newsletter on comics And he launches the message that “there are good and bad on all sides”, allowing even demonstrating some compassion for the villains. It has all the meaning that this white and harmless version is the one that takes the Netflix series as a reference. ‘The Eternaluta’ Illustrated by Breccia However, the authentic combative content of ‘The Eternaluta’ would come in the second version that Oesterheld would re-guide and illustrate Breccia: in it, invading aliens have reached a pact with foreign powers. In the 1969 version, the villain of history is imperialism that a few years later would cause coups in Chile in 1973, and later again in Argentina, in 1979. The humans of this version of ‘El Eternalauta’ are the countries of Latin America fighting for their independence. And there is more. The sequel ‘El Eternalauta II’, again with Solano López to the drawings, tells how men and women live in caves to escape the invasion. It is impossible not to think about the authentic oesterheld, which This second part of ‘The Eternaluta’ ended in hiding. The end of the story is absolutely bleak and turns the iconic eternal, with his diver glasses to protect himself from lethal snow, an anti-authoritarian resistance symbol. Even much later, in the demonstrations against the Financial Corralito at the beginning of this century, posters were seen with the images of the Eternaluta remembering their rebel spirit and, above all, denouncing the leaders of any sign that betray their own. ‘El Eternalauta II’, illustrated by Solano López Oesterheld’s fate The radicalization of the creator of ‘The Eternaluta’ would start shortly after the publication of the first version of the story: Oesterheld would begin to fill their stories of criticisms of capitalism and colonialism, reaching a script to political sign as clear as a biography of Che in 1968, before his collaboration with Breco. In the seventies he would join the Montoneros (the second part of ‘El Eternalauta’ ended in hiding, dictating the scripts he later received Solano López, exiled in Spain), and the last thing that was learned of him is that he was arrested in 1977 by the military dictatorship. It was last seen in a clandestine detention center, and as happened with so many other Argentines, from that moment to be part of the list of arrested and missingvictim of Argentine state terrorism. … Read more

When reality overwhelms, we seek to understand it in fiction

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The first thing that many Spaniards did as they recovered the electric current was to look for series and films related to blackouts. If possible, of Spanish or European nationality. In addition to robbing us in An extraordinary phenomenon That has just happened, there is a psychological explanation for this act: fiction comforts us and explains reality. Above all, that part of the reality that we do not understand or that we are great. ‘Broady’ goes from that. In 2022 Movistar Plus+ premiered ‘blackout’a miniseries of five self -conclusive episodes led by Rodrigo Sorogoyen, Raúl Arévalo, Isa Campo, Alberto Rodríguez and Isaki Lacuesta. It started from a catastrophic event (a solar storm causes a global blackout, leaving society without electricity or telecommunications) to reflect, in each episode, a human phase in the face of the crisis: denial, emergency, confrontation, survival and balance. The series, realistic, is one of the main search trends the day after the blackout. People want to see a fiction that tells him what would have happened if the events had been even more serious. It is not the only one. Of course, there are more series on blackouts. In ‘Leave the world behind’ (Netflix), two families have to manage a mysterious blackout after a cyber attack. The French ‘The collapse‘He did not give many reasons for the collapse of society, showing the despair that emerges when the basic vital conditions disappear. The recent ‘zero’ (Netflix) blames a cyber attack on a global blackout and describes the consequent government response. Also a cyber attack is responsible for the disaster in ‘Blackout’, which leaves central Europe without electricity. Each with their tone and style, all of them agree to portray and explain an inconceivable situation. Explain the inexplicable. The narratives help us to understand what exceeds the boundaries of the rational: it is a catastrophe of such magnitude that it exceeds with great domestic space, be they transcendental questions that question the existence of, for example, an ultraterrene life. Those stories, whether religions, urban myths, rumors or, simply, films, help us put limits and tie by the plausible and the rational what we do not understand. That is why we approach series as ‘Blackout’: they help us understand what happened in days like yesterday. Beyond the blackouts. Of course, this phenomenon goes far beyond yesterday’s blackouts. A few days ago we talked about how ‘Conclave’ was reset With all the honors in cinemas, time to accompany the funeral of the Pope: a film explains us better than any documentary (because the emotion of fictions implies) the intestine weaves of the Vatican to succeed the deceased. And if we are going further back there is no more remember successes like ‘Contagion ‘during pandemic: A 2011 film that became suddenly relevant when it demonstrated an absolutely hechizing fortune teller (and reflexive). The Simpsons predicted it. Of course The Simpsons predicted what happened Yesterday, in an episode in which a mass blackout forced people to return to traditional forms of life. This mechanics of using the legendary animation series To explain everything Not only does it have a logical and material explanation (many years of stories, sharp satire of the present, acute and very observant scripts), but to connect with what we said above: we have a natural tendency to seek significant patterns and connections between facts, even when they are the result of chance. These patterns are marked by narratives, series and movies. It sounds to me. The familiarity of the fictitious It allows us to explain reality, and that is why the day after a collapse of the entire electrical system of a country (which is said soon, because we have not stopped to think about it), we go to series and movies that help us digest it with plots and subtramas, with characters with which we identify and with turns that we have already seen in dozens of occasions. When we immerse ourselves in fiction, neural networks are activated similar to when we live real experiencesand we integrate them into our own memories (although distinguishing them as fiction). And that helps us overcome them and turn page. Until next catastrophe. Header | Movistar Plus+ In Xataka | While almost all Spain immersed in chaos, a place continued to function normally: Mercadona

The highest grossing science fiction film without being a saga

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It makes sense that the name of Christopher Nolan comes up when we talk about one of the few films that approach the one billion collection and that are not part of a saga, because in this case Nolan himself is the franchise. We approach his films looking for the author’s brand he guarantees, and that is another way to franchise his works. In any case, this’Origin‘(What can you see in Netflix, Movistar Plus+ and Max) It is a box office milestone. It is not, yes, the highest grossing film in history that does not belong to a franchise, because that honor must be attributed before her to ‘Titanic’, ‘Barbie‘(which should be discussed whether part of a franchise or not),’ Bohemian Rhapsody ‘U’Oppenheimer‘, of Nolan himself. But ‘origin’ is The only one of them that can be considered to belong to the science fiction genre in its purest form. In it we will meet an expert in “steal”, during sleep, secrets of the subconscious of others. Because of this occupation he has had to give up a normal life: but he has a plan for this to change. Through a process known as “inception”, it will implement an idea in someone’s subconscious instead of subtracting it. The plan is complicated when within its labyrinthine plan someone appears who is able to predict all its movements. ‘Origin’ is one of Nolan’s most notorious films, among other things because it is not part of a previous work, as with the much more popular trilogy of the dark gentleman. Your way of visualizing dreams, Although not entirely original, it has been very influential And it is practically impossible to portray in the cinema the dream world without paying the thematic and visual (and sound, very important in the film) that Nolan settled. A classic moden that is worth reviewing … and not only for its extraordinary box office. Header | Warner In Xataka | Christopher Nolan explained to us the end of ‘origin’ with a purpose: prepare for the ‘Oppenheimer’

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