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Japan has been charging a 0% tariff on foreign cars for half a century. It will be very difficult for you to find one on the street.

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Japan is a fascinating country, one of those that is difficult to understand from the point of view of a Westerner. Perhaps because we ourselves have turned our backs on Asian culture during our years of teaching or because, simply, they have historical and cultural particularities that are difficult for us to assimilate. What is certain is that the Japanese have deep roots in the consumption of local products. It must be taken into account that Japanese society is deeply nationalisticperhaps because it is surrounded by other countries where this feeling is also deeply rooted, such as China or the Koreas, which has caused continuous tensions in the area. After the Second World Warthe United States financed the recovery of Japan, with the clear objective of putting a geopolitical plug on the communism that threatened from China and Korea. A movement that could have diluted this nationalist sentiment. Little by little, the country grew and in the 70s it managed to diversify its industry and, at the same time, apply technical innovations that placed it at the global forefront in many sectors. Taking advantage of the weakness of the yen against the dollar, they decided to put all their efforts into export as much of your products as possible. Those exports flooded the world economy with products. One of the most significant were cars. In its technical innovations, the country prioritized the efficiency of its engines, key to flooding the market when the oil crisis. Compared to American and European cars, The Japanese were cheaper and consumed less. It was at that moment that the industry completely exploded and Japan decided to make a decision: it lifted tariffs on foreign cars. Come and see Japanese politicians must have thought something like this in 1978. In order to be more competitive in foreign markets, the country lifted all tariffs for those who wanted to import a car into their country. That is, any foreign brand could sell its cars in Japan without paying a single extra euro. In Japan they should not have any fear of what was going to happen. Its industry was so powerful and the cultural factors were so determining that foreign vehicles have not fully penetrated the market. For testing, In 2016 the European Union lifted the 10% tariff with which it taxed Japanese cars. The 3% that Japanese manufacturers paid for producing in Europe but using Japanese parts was also raised. In exchange, the European Union found the door open to sell other products, such as cheese or wine. So, the European Union came from buying 575,000 cars from Japan worth 9,000 million euros while we only sold them 279,000 vehicles worth 7,300 million euros, they collected in The World. From here we can get two readings. The European Union, a specialist in car exports, had only placed 279,000 cars in Japan in a market in which Almost five million units were sold in 2016. Of the 12 best-selling brands that year in the country, only one (Mercedes in tenth position) was foreign. And none of the 30 best-selling cars in the country were foreign. The cars that the European Union managed to place in Japan were high-priced vehicles. The average unit cost Japan more than 26,000 euros while those purchased by the European Union cost less than 16,000 euros. That is to say, it was difficult for Europe (and very difficult) to compete by volume. When Japan opened its doors to the world, it had to be aware of the country’s particularities. Tough emissions and space regulations have made cars disappear from the center of large cities. Since the 60s is applied in the country Shako Shomeishothe obligation to have a space where you can park your car to have the right to buy a car. In a country that is concentrated in cities, the limitation is decisive. Furthermore, the Japanese customer fully trusts their companies and finds it difficult to open up to new technologies. The reception of the hybrid car compared to any other technology (and the resistance of the Japanese firms themselves to the electric car) is a good example of this. To this we must add that, due to price, the large generalists cannot compete since local vehicles are much cheaper, taking advantage of the fact that production within the country is more competitive. The value of the yen, lower than the dollar, euro or pound, allows them to obtain large amounts of money for the development and manufacturing of a product that allows them to lower prices in their local market. On the contrary, foreign companies that have to sell there face a cut market due to emissions regulations, the barrier of space regulations and that they have the obligation to change the production of the car since when driving on the left they need to position the controls on the opposite side. An added cost that creates another obstacle. The result is that we Europeans and Americans end up offering Japan cars that are not interesting. In Japan, minivans and cars are a religion. kei carcontained on the outside and with a very large interior space. A type of car that has disappeared in Europe while in Japan the Toyota Sienta, the Nissan Note and the Honda Freed occupied the places of third, fourth and fifth best-selling car in the country. And you can continue down the list of 20 best-selling cars in Japan in 2025. You won’t find a single one that is foreign. And, by the way, 13 of them are from Toyota. Photo | toyota In Xataka | Akio Toyoda, president of Toyota, on the electric: “I cannot limit myself to seeking profitability or carbon neutrality. We love cars” A version of this article was published in April 2025

In 1993, no one could find the supposed red ninja from ‘Mortal Kombat’. There was a reason: it didn’t exist yet

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There was a time when the secrets of video games came in arcade machines, magazines, and conversations from someone who swore they had seen something impossible. Around the first ‘Mortal Kombat‘, that something impossible had the shape of a red ninja and a strange name: Ermac. The game had already shown that it could hide characters, so many players continued to look at the screen with the suspicion that there was another fighter waiting to be found. The clue that fueled that search was not born as a character, but as a technical entry within the game itself. Ed Boon, co-creator of ‘Mortal Kombat’, explained that During the development of the first game, the software had sections of code that, in theory, it was never supposed to reach. If that happened, the system incremented an error counter that the team could review on an internal audit screen. To shorten that record, Boon wrote an assembly macro called ERMAC, short for Error Macro. A rumor too good not to end up being true The detail that changed everything was where that counter appeared. Boon explained that the ERMACS number was listed right after the record of times the players had fought Reptile, who was a hidden character in the first ‘Mortal Kombat’. The association was almost inevitable: if Reptile existed and was counted there, Ermac could seem like another secret of the same type. For a player looking at that screen without knowing the code behind it, the name didn’t sound like an internal tool, but like someone. From there, the gap was filled by the collective imagination. Boon summed it up quite clearly long ago in X: rumors about Ermac became legend and some players insisted that they had actually faced him. The important precision is right after, because the co-creator of ‘Mortal Kombat’ cut the story with a short sentence: “They didn’t do it :)”. There was no hidden red ninja in the first game, but rather a misreading that had found the perfect ecosystem to grow. Ermac in ‘Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3’ The most revealing part is not only in the code, but in the trace left by the conversation. Alleged clue linked to Electronic Gaming Monthly dates back to 1993and the rumor continued to appear in forums long after: Mortal Kombat Online discussed it in threads from 2003 and later years. Boon recalled that in ‘Mortal Kombat II’ Reptile stopped being just a hidden fighter and became part of the playable roster, while the game added three other secret characters: Smoke, Jade and Noob Saibot. It was a clear sign that ‘Mortal Kombat’ was still playing with the idea of ​​the hidden, even if Ermac wasn’t there yet. For some players, that was enough to keep the search open a little longer. Ermac in ‘Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3’ The twist came in 1995, when ‘Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3’ finally turned Ermac into a real fighter. Boon explained it as part of a broader decision: for ‘Mortal Kombat 3’ they began to transform some myths into elements of the game, starting with the Animalities, the animal endings of the saga, and in ‘Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3’, the expanded version of 1995, they ended up adding Ermac to the roster. The character that many had searched for ahead of time now appeared as the red ninja that the community had already imagined, but with an important difference: this time he did exist. Ermac in ‘Mortal Kombat 1’ From there, Ermac stopped depending on rumor and began to have a life of his own within the saga. Boon recalled that, over the years, the character appeared in several ‘Mortal Kombat’ games and ended up accumulating history, background and a place within the lore. This evolution does not erase its origin, rather it makes it more peculiar: first it was an internal abbreviation, then an interpretation of the players and finally a fighter with an identity. Few characters summarize the relationship between error, community and canon so well. The last turn of the story came with ‘Mortal Kombat 1‘, the installment developed by NetherRealm Studios and published by Warner Bros. Games in September 2023 as a reboot of the saga. Boon brought back Ermac’s origin at the time because the character was about to arrive in the game’s roster as downloadable content. It also served as the perfect context to present a fighter who had started as an error counter and continued to function, decades later, as a claimant. Images | YouTube Capture (Torne) | In Xataka | Independent analysts agree: “The Steam Machine is an expensive curiosity, not a gaming device for the masses”

If you find airplane seats uncomfortable, wait until you see the first ones: they were wicker chairs

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As an eternal user of economy class when traveling by plane, my small pleasures are limited to trying to get rid of the damn middle seat in favor of being able to stretch my foot in the aisle or see the sky from the window, in addition to having at least one armrest unit of my own. As for the seats, what can I tell you: bearable for a flight of a couple of hours, but it becomes uphill if the flight is longer. And hey, not that bad, it could be worse: I might have to travel standing or sit in a wicker chair. Standing is something in the future, but no matter how incredible the wicker chairs in the cabin of an airplane may seem, it’s a reality. A few years ago someone posted a photo on Twitter that claimed to be of an Imperial Airways plane in 1936 that, more than an aircraft, looked like the living room of your great-aunt Paqui’s house: red carpet on the floor, wicker seats and, of course, no sign of a seat belt. Scopes verified the photo, but not the date (the same cockpit appears in British Airways archives dating back to the 1920s), making the image a faithful representation of what it was like to take a flight in commercial aviation at the time. Soaring through the skies in a wicker chair. In 1919 the first airline companies were born and among the list There are some mythical ones that continue to fly today like the Dutch one KLM either Avianca in America. That year the Lawson Airliner It flew through the skies as the first passenger plane and the seat chosen for passengers to travel seated were wicker chairs, according to Air Charter Service USAmore specifically 26 units. PJ Wilcynski, a Boeing historical researcher who reviewed the company’s archives, confirmed to Travel+Leisure magazine that wicker chairs bolted to the floor were the beginnings of passenger seats. But the wicker chairs were something ephemeral. As commercial aviation took off, the aeronautical industry sought more efficient and safer materials. First, in the late 1920s, with padded and leather-covered wicker chairs. As explains PJ Wilcynski“Leather was very popular because it allowed the seats to be cleaned easily, due to all the soot from airports and the dusty runways where planes landed in those early days.” Why wicker. At that time, the main design criterion For an airplane seat it was that they had the lowest possible weight to maximize the useful load, something decisive given the limited thrust of those engines. Functionality and lightness above all, we will talk about resistance to potential impacts another day. The choice was as innovative as that original Lawson: they were light seats and surprisingly comfortable by the standards of the time. The wicker seat was short-lived. In the 1930s, the Aluminum Company of America created a passenger seat made of a light metal: aluminum. And until now: most airplane seats have an aluminum frame. By the end of that decade, aluminum tube structures were widespread on airline aircraft of the time. With the change, comfort elements such as cushions and covers gained weight and velvet covers and thick seat belts arrived. In 1936, rubber-covered foam seats became the standard, with the legendary airliner Douglas DC-3. In 1952 the first commercial reclining seats arrived. However, according to PJ Wilcynski The real paradigm shift in seats to convert them into the experience we live today came with the Boeing 747, back in 1970: “the multiplex system was introduced, with the function of calling the operator and activating the reading light. It was also the system that provided the audio for the movies being watched, through pneumatic tubes connected to the armrest.” A before and after in security. Traveling on a plane on a structure as flimsy as wicker and without a seat belt does not seem like the safest thing in the world. However, safety criteria have (fortunately) evolved tremendously: in the early years the seats had to withstand a force of 6g, but in the 1950s that requirement rose to 9g. Currently the list of criteria is long: airplane seats must meet a fire resistance test 12 seconds and withstand a force of 16gIn addition to being light, they incorporate foam suitable as a float and offer enough resistance for all types of passengers. In Xataka | In the 1960s planes were going so fast that someone promised trips to the Moon. And people bought them In Xataka | Rise and fall of the Havilland Comet, the first commercial airliner with jet engines that went from innovation to tragedy Cover | Twitter and Mohammad Arrahmanur

We continue to find explanations for the fertility crisis in the most unexpected places, such as dog allergies.

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A 29-year-old Lithuanian woman was desperate before her problems conceiving. After trying it naturally without any results, she and her partner went to an assisted reproduction clinic, where she underwent two in vitro fertilization (IVF). Both failed. Anatomical and biochemical tests showed that, apparently, she should have no problems getting pregnant. But I couldn’t do it. After going through many specialists, an allergist found the key. The woman was allergic to her partner’s semen. And perhaps also that of any human being. Many allergies. According to a case report published in 2024 According to some of the doctors who treated her, the woman had a long history of asthma and allergies. He had long been allergic to mold, dust and cats. However, a series of more recent tests had also pointed to sensitivity to mites, pollen from various plants and some proteins from insects and dogs. What stood out above all was his allergy to the protein allergen 5 of Canis familiaris (Chan f 5). It is a protein that is in dog dander and urine and is responsible for a good part of the allergies to these pets. But there is something else. It turns out that in human semen there are proteins that look very similar to Can f 5. The woman acknowledged that after having unprotected sex, she often experienced symptoms like sneezing and a stuffy nose, so it all added up. Possibly, her body was reacting to some proteins in the semen, preventing her from getting pregnant. The definitive test. After reaching this suspicion, her allergist decided to subject her to a new test. In it, he was exposed in a controlled manner to his partner’s semen, with a clearly positive result. She was allergic to human seminal plasma. That is, the liquid part of the semen. This is rare, but not exceptional. There are 80 known cases worldwide and it is true that they can be related to infertility. The causes of infertility. Allergies are, broadly speaking, wrong reactions of the immune system. It confuses completely harmless proteins, such as some in dog dander, with pathogens, and reacts to them as if they were potentially harmful bacteria, for example. This reaction generates great inflammation; which, in this case, could also affect the reproductive organs, preventing pregnancy. Although there is something that doesn’t add up. IVF treatments consist of putting eggs and sperm in contact in the laboratory to obtain the embryo, which is then transferred to the mother. Therefore, she is not in contact with the semen, but with the already formed embryo. Despite this loose bangs, the doctors decided to try some of the usual treatments. Woman used to sneeze after having sex The treatment. Generally, these allergies are treated like any other: with gradual exposure to increasing concentrations of the allergen, which in this case would be your partner’s semen. The problem is that this treatment is not available in Lithuania. For this reason, women were prescribed antihistamines so that he could take them just before having sex. This way, you would avoid an exaggerated reaction of your body to the proteins in semen. There was no happy ending. Unfortunately, when the woman went for a check-up three years later, she still did not get pregnant. In addition, she had begun to experience new symptoms with sexual intercourse, such as burning in the vagina, inflammation of the eyelids, and watery eyes. The case report ends here. So far, the patient had not managed to put an end to her infertility. Maybe there are other reasons. The study does not mention whether your partner underwent fertility tests, although it is part of the routine in assisted reproduction clinics. They should have been done. Maybe there was something else and that’s why she didn’t get pregnant with IVF either. No further studies have been published, so we don’t know if he later succeeded. What is clear is that these allergies should be considered as a possibility in cases of infertility of unknown cause. It’s strange, but we see that it’s not impossible. Image | Magnificent In Xataka | It’s that time of year in Japan where everyone wears a mask. Blame it on World War II

The plan to find extraterrestrial life in 2040 involves a swarm of spaceships working as a team

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We want to find planets with life beyond the Earthbut let’s be honest: we don’t have the best instruments to achieve it. The space telescopes we have today are not sufficiently capable of taking precise photographs of exoplanets and, in the process, analyzing possible biosignatures in their atmosphere. The James Webb Space Telescope, possibly the most powerful today, has made some progressbut it still falls short. Therefore, a team of scientists from the WM Keck Institute for the Study of Space has proposed a curious solution: send a swarm of telescopes to study the cosmos with a magnifying glass that we have not been able to use until now. The requirements. There are two main problems why exoplanets are so difficult to analyze. The first is that they are very close to their star, which is usually millions to billions of times brighter than they are. The second is that they are very small, so telescopes large enough to take images with adequate resolution are needed. That is precisely the main handicap of James Webb. It lacks size. And the truth is that it would be difficult to make a telescope so large as to achieve the desired resolution. One cannot be, but several small ones can. The proposal of these astronomers It is to launch a swarm of many small ships that concentrate and send light to a kind of mother ship. This is what carries out the optical tricks necessary to block the light from the main star and, in the process, analyze the planet’s thermal signature with more precision. What is this thermal signature? To solve the starlight problem, coronagraphs can be used. These are instruments that block the star’s light, generating something similar to an eclipse. Thus, only the light reflected from the exoplanet can be measured. It will be the mission of the Habitable Worlds Observatory (HWO)a large telescope that NASA will launch in the 2040s as a successor to Hubble, since it works in ultraviolet and visible light. The point is that, rather than the reflected light, it would be ideal to measure the direct light that exoplanets thermally emit. This is done by measuring in the mid-infrared. The James Webb is capable of doing it; but, as we have already seen, it is too small. That’s where the swarm named Large Interferometer for Exoplanets (LIFE) comes into play. Being a swarm of small ships, it acts like a very large ship. Biosignatures. Something good about measuring in the mid-infrared is that you can also detect emissions derived from substances associated with life, such as ozone, methane, water, carbon dioxide or phosphine. That means LIFE can not only take a more accurate photo of exoplanets. You can also check if they are alive. The name fits like a glove. Fallen soldiers and teamwork. NASA’s Terrestrial Planet Locator Interferometer and ESA’s Darwin mission followed a similar concept to LIFE. However, they have ended up being abandoned after encountering one technical obstacle after another. On the other hand, LIFE engineers hope to be able to advance as technology does, so as not to stop at any time. If all goes well, it is expected to be launched in the 2040s, just like the HWO. The objective is for both to work as a team, since one works in the mid-infrared and the other in the visible and ultraviolet. Even if they analyze the same thing, they do it using different methods, so one will be able to eliminate the other’s false positives. They are the team perfect. Images | Magnific/NASA In Xataka | TRAPPIST-1 was the most promising solar system to search for life. Now our joy is in a well

This is one of the best ways to quickly find your suitcase at the airport

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We may have the idea of ​​placing some tape, sticker or distinctive seal on the suitcase so that it can be recognized and located when we go plane tripbut it is not the most recommended. In fact, airport employees advise against it. Because? Basically these stickers, tapes, rubber bands or keychains can cover the stickers provided by airports to identify each suitcase with its respective user. If these stickers are covered, suitcases can get lost. But then, how can we find or locate the suitcase quickly? Nowadays there are accessories that are quite useful for these situations, and the locators They are the most interesting. They allow you to have the suitcase located without having to put a sticker on it. In addition, there are many sizes and formats. Let’s review some of the most interesting ones. AirTag 2 by 27.99 eurosa locator for iPhone users. Xiaomi Tag by 12.31 eurosone of the best AirTag alternatives for iPhone and Android phones. Motorola Tag by 24.90 eurosa locator for Android with the same format as the AirTag. Ugreen FineTrack Slim Smart Finder by 23.99 eurosa locator for Android with a card design. Samsung Galaxy SmartTag 2 by 19 eurosa locator for Samsung mobile phones. Ugreen FineTrack Slim Smart Finder The price could vary. We earn commission from these links AirTag 2 He AirTag 2 (27.99 euros) is the locator par excellence for Apple devices. This second generation has improved in search precisionoffers a fairly loud sound to locate it and works with a CR2032 battery, so as soon as it runs out it can be easily replaced. The price could vary. We earn commission from these links Xiaomi Tag He Xiaomi Tag (12.31 euros) is one of the best alternatives to the AirTag 2, although in this case works with both iPhone and Android phones. It also works with a CR2032 battery, its autonomy is up to one year and thanks to its design it can be attached to a keychain. The price could vary. We earn commission from these links Motorola Tag If we find the design of the AirTag 2 attractive, but we have an Android mobile, the Motorola Tag (24.90 euros) is one of the best options currently. It includes a physical button with which you can take photographs from your mobile phone and has ultra-wide band (UWB), although it is not compatible with all mobile phones. The price could vary. We earn commission from these links Ugreen FineTrack Slim Smart Finder There are also locators that have very different designs from Apple, and Ugreen is the best brand to talk about it. Among the many models in its catalogue, the FineTrack Slim Smart Finder (23.99 euros) stands out for its card-shaped design, so being quite flat it can be stored in many places. It is water and dust resistant, its battery lasts up to five years and it works only with Android. Ugreen FineTrack Slim Smart Finder The price could vary. We earn commission from these links Samsung Galaxy SmartTag 2 Lastly, we also have the Samsung Galaxy SmartTag 2 (19 euros), a locator compatible with pinpoint search (UWB), although Only works with Samsung phones. It includes a physical button to control the home automation system and includes a hole to hang it on a keychain. Samsung Galaxy SmartTag 2 The price could vary. We earn commission from these links Some of the links in this article are affiliated and may provide a benefit to Xataka. In case of non-availability, offers may vary. Images | Dimitri Karastelev in Unsplash and rawpixel in Magnificent (header), Apple, Xiaomi, Motorola, Ugreen, Samsung In Xataka | Buying guide for GPS locators: tips and recommendations to get it right and seven models from 30 euros In Xataka | Six gadgets that I never thought I would need and that have improved my daily life by 1000%

The United Kingdom is experiencing a new invasion. The problem is that they are octopuses and they are devouring everything they can find.

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When explorer John Cabot returned from Newfoundland in 1497, assured who had found seas so full of fish that they could captured with simple baskets weighted with stones. That abundance seemed inexhaustible, but more than five centuries later, British waters are once again starring in a story of marine overpopulation, although with very different protagonists. An unexpected invasion. For decades, encountering a common octopus off the coast of south-west England was a rare event for even the most experienced divers. However, in just a few years the situation has changed. radically. What started as a striking increase of sightings has become the largest population explosion of octopuses recorded in at least 75 years. The animals have colonized extensive areas of the British coast, expanding from Devon and Cornwall to Wales, Dorset, Sussex and even Scotland, becoming one of the most surprising marine phenomena that the United Kingdom has experienced in recent times. Perfect weather and conditions. Scientists believe that this expansion is the result of several factors that have coincided at the same time. The juvenile octopuses probably arrived from breeding areas around the English Channel and northern France, but the real difference has been the progressive warming of British waters. Mild winters and warmer breeding seasons have allowed them to survive in much greater numbers and, more importantly, to begin to reproduce successfully in UK waters. The appearance of juvenile specimens confirms that they are no longer simply occasional visitors, but rather a population capable of completing their entire life cycle on these coasts. The big losers. The massive arrival of octopuses is having devastating consequences for part of the traditional fishing. These animals are extraordinarily efficient predators and consume huge quantities of seafood every day. Fishermen began finding empty traps, missing lobsters and ruined catches. In some areas, those who depended on crustacean fishing have seen plummets in between 70% and 100% of their catches. In fact, some businesses have closed and some owners have even sold their boats. The researchers they calculate that octopuses are consuming tons of seafood daily, altering a food chain that had been functioning relatively stable for decades. The same plague that ruins some enriches others. The paradox is that the crisis has also generated an economic opportunity unexpected. Where lobsters and crabs were once caught, octopuses now abound. Many fishermen have quickly adapted their gear and have begun to catch them to supply a growing demand in European markets. The result has been spectacular. Brixham recently sold more than 100 tons of octopus in a single day, generating more than half a million pounds in sales. Some professionals claim that they are obtaining income several times higher than what they achieved with traditional fishing, causing a real fever to catch octopuses along the coast. A reorganized ecosystem. The phenomenon goes far beyond the fishing economy. Octopuses are profoundly altering the relationships between species. While they consume large quantities of crustaceans and mollusks, they have also become food for seals, conger eels and Risso’s dolphins. The researchers describe the situation as a complete reconfiguration of the marine ecosystem, a process in which each change triggers new ones. The feeling among scientists is that British waters are going through a period of ecological transition in which the rules that seemed established for generations are no longer valid. The big difference from previous invasions. Although similar population explosions were already recorded at the beginning of the 20th century, in the 1930s and 1950s, researchers believe that this time the situation can be different. In previous episodes, the octopuses ended up disappearing when conditions changed again. Now, however, winters cold enough to drastically reduce their populations have been going on for more than a decade without production. Evidence of local reproduction and the presence of young specimens suggest that octopuses may have ceased to be occasional visitors and become permanent inhabitants of British coasts. Preparing for a new reality. The magnitude of the phenomenon is already forcing the authorities to react. In Cornwall, for example, they study emergency restrictions to limit the number of boats dedicated to capturing octopuses for fear of excessive exploitation of a population that, paradoxically, seemed inexhaustible just a few months ago. Meanwhile, scientists, fishermen and resource managers are trying to understand what this transformation really means. The big lesson is that ocean warming not only changes temperatures or currents, but can change them completely. who dominates an ecosystem. And on British shores, the new protagonists seem to be animals that until very recently were a rarity and that are now devouring everything in their path. Careful, Galicia. Image | prilfishPixabay In Xataka | We knew that octopuses were very intelligent. But not to the point of having a “brain” in each arm In Xataka | The most intimate secret of octopuses: their ‘loving arm’ not only fertilizes, it also tastes the female

Oppo Find X9 Ultra vs Vivo X300 Ultra, two titans in photography with many differences in their cameras

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What do you base on when buying a mobile phone? Many people do it prioritizing the photographic section and currently there are proposals as attractive as the Oppo Find X9 Ultra or the Vivo X300 Ultra. But… which is better? In this article we are going to put them face to face to clarify some doubts. Oppo Find X9 Ultra (with photo kit) The price could vary. We earn commission from these links Vivo X300 Ultra (with photo kit) The price could vary. We earn commission from these links The differences between the Oppo Find X9 Ultra and the Vivo X300 Ultra Camera settings To be clear from the beginning, we are going to review the camera configuration on both phones. Although it is not the big claim, we will also mention the front camera in case it is important to you. Oppo Find X9 Ultra 50 MP front camera; f/2.4. Rear camera module: 200 MP main sensor, f/1.5. 200 MP 3x telephoto, f/2.2. 50 MP 10x telephoto, f/3.5. 50 MP wide angle, f/2.0, 123º FOV. Vivo X300 Ultra 50 MP front camera, f/2.45. Rear camera module: 200 MP main sensor, f/1.85. 200 MP telephoto, f/2.67. 50 MP wide angle, f/2.0, FOV 123.4º. main sensor Both the Oppo Find X9 Ultra and the Vivo X300 Ultra have a 200 megapixel (MP) sensor. Is it a good number? Of course, since it represents the information that the camera can capture in a photo. If it is larger, as is the case, the sharpness will be better and it will be less blurry when enlarged. In any case, the Vivo’s main sensor offers a 35mm equivalent focal length (instead of the typical 23-24mm wide angle), while the Oppo does use a more angular focal length. In both cases we also find a fairly large main sensor with a size of 1/1.12 inches. The size has a lot to do with the ambient light it is able to collect. In other words, imagine that the sensors are like windows, the larger they are, the more light they will let in. In practice, it improves image quality in difficult conditions, generating a more natural background blur, which is usually known as the bokeh. The opening is different in both cases. The Oppo Find X9 Ultra opts for an aperture of f/1.5 while the Vivo And this… what does it mean? The smaller the f/number, the larger the actual aperture of the lens: f/1.5 lets in more light than f/1.85. Oppo’s mobile is physically capable of capturing more light, making it ideal for taking photos in dark environments. Finally, optical stabilization (OIS) is present in both phones. OIS is a system that physically compensates for hand movements by moving the sensor or the optical elements of the lens. Zoom and Telephoto The Oppo Find X9 Ultra incorporates a system with two telephoto lenseswhich means that it has two lenses capable of capturing images at a great distance. And it does so without resorting to a digital system that usually achieves worse results. The first 200 MP telephoto lens includes three magnifications (3x) and f/2.2 aperture, thus offering good quality in, for example, objects or people that are not excessively far away. The second telephoto lens is 50 MP and includes 10x magnification (x10) with f/3.5 aperture, so its use is aimed at very distant distances. In addition, its aperture is smaller (less light enters), which can affect poorly lit scenes. Instead, the Vivo X300 Ultra comes with a single 200 MP telephoto lens with 3.7x magnification (3.7x) and f/2.67 aperture. This means that its sensor offers very good quality at medium distances, especially in less illuminated environments. In addition, it should be added that this mobile phone has ZEISS certification, a technology that corrects color and reduces flare to generate more realistic photographs. The ultra wide angle camera Both the Oppo Find X9 Ultra and the Vivo X300 Ultra use a sensor 50 MP ultra wide angle with f/2.0 aperture. The difference between the two is minimal: 123° versus 123.4°, which in practice is imperceptible. What might it be interesting for? For photos with landscapes in the background. Other sensors Although they may seem the least relevant, it is worth mentioning that both phones come with an additional sensor. 3.2 MP monochrome sensor with f/2.4 aperture for the Oppo Find X9 Ultra, a camera that helps better capture contrasts and shadows. Additional 5 MP sensor with f/2.0 aperture for the Vivo X300 Ultra, a camera that helps to have better focus. The accessories Both phones are compatible with their respective photographic accessories. Oppo Find Vivo Additionally, it includes a grip and a tripod adapter. In summary: In any case, we are faced with two very good mobile phones in their photographic section. We are going to comment on the key points of each mobile phone without taking into account its accessories, which are optional. 👉 Choose Oppo Find X9 Ultra if: You are looking for the best main sensor. It is one of the cameras with the smallest aperture (f/1.5) currently, which offers very good results in darker environments. You are looking to take daytime photographs with high lighting using the telephoto lens with higher magnifications, since it far exceeds (x10) the Vivo X300 Ultra (3.7x). 👉 Choose Vivo X300 Ultra if: You are looking for the clean result that the ZEISS lens offers. You are looking to take photographs at a great distance, capturing the lighting well at sunset. Technical sheet with the main differences between the Oppo Find X9 Ultra and the Vivo X300 Ultra oppo find x9 ultra vivo x300 ultra SCREEN 6.82-inch AMOLED panel QHD+ resolution 144Hz frequency HBM brightness of 1,800 nits 3,600 nits peak 6.82 inch AMOLED QHD+ resolution (3,168 x 1,440 pixels) Refresh rate: 144 Hz 510 DPI Format: 19.8:9 Screen/front ratio: 94.49% HBM brightness: 1,800 nits Local maximum brightness: 4,500 nits PROCESSOR Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 RAM 12GB 16GB LPDDR5x … Read more

the trick to find the best pack and what to do if it doesn’t appear

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We are going to tell you a trick to be able to see the entire 2026 World Cup in the cheapest way possible. And we are going to explain it to you clearly and without deceiving you, because although it is about paying a pack of 7.99 euros, then you have to activate an additional pack. In short, we are going to guide you so that ALL the matches of the ENTIRE World Cup they cost you 56 euros. It is expensive, but it is the cheapest offer you will find. Of course, it is a trick that you have to pay attention to, because If you make a mistake you can end up paying an additional 28 euros for not canceling it on time. Where can you watch the world cup? As we have explained to you when we told you where you can watch the 2026 World Cupyou could see that you basically only have four alternatives to watch the championship. On RTVE you will only be able to see part of the matches, although all of the Spanish National Team matches are included. But if you want to see them all, you will have to go to Movistar Plus+ with its football or Orange packages. These two payment alternatives are very expensive, and require either extra packages or phone rates with them… or even both. The fourth alternative is DAZN, a service that you can contract without belonging to any operator. But this service has several plans, and here comes the mess where you have to clarify. The cheapest option you can opt for The cheapest alternative to watch the World Cup It costs 28 euros per month. To do so, you will have to resort to a specific plan and include the World Cup package. DAZN has a series of 5 subscriptions with different content, and you can include the World Cup in any of them for 20 euros per month, except for its premium plan with practically everything for 26 euros per month, which is really 45 euros if you want to pay month by month and only use it for the World Cup. The trick is in hire the Made in USA pack and add the World Cup package. By contracting the plan individually month by month you only have to pay 7.99 euros. To this you will have to add the 19.99 euros for the World Cup. This pack has very little content, you will only be able to watch the NBA, NFL, NASCAR races and other American competitions. But if you are only interested in the World Cup, you can manually add this pack with the 104 matches. The World Cup lasts 39 days, from June 11 to July 19, 2026, so the total price will be 56 euros to be able to see ALL the games. To access the Made in USA pack you can enter in this link. But here comes the important thing, because you have to remember to cancel the pack in time so that you are not charged for an extra month. DAZN requires a 30-day notice to unsubscribemeaning that you will have to cancel as soon as you pay the second month so that they do not charge you for the next one. ‘Made in USA’ plan without permanence The price could vary. We earn commission from these links Be very careful, because there are pages that tell you about watching the World Cup for 7.99 euros per month, when the truth is that watching the World Cup matches requires adding the extra pack. What to do if you can’t find the Made in USA pack The fact that many of us are talking about this pack can mean that sometimes you click on the link and it does not appear, and you do not see it on the DAZN website either. If this happens to you, try entering with the browser’s incognito modeand subscribe from it.

It is increasingly common to find jellyfish on Mediterranean beaches before summer. And it’s a bad sign

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Last weekend and the one before that I tried to swim at the beach. However, upon seeing a few jellyfish I ended up deciding to spend time reading in the sand. The worst of the afternoon was not that. I found more annoying a few teenagers playing soccer a few meters from my towel. Jellyfish, after all, are in their habitat. But it is true that I had never seen in my entire life jellyfish in the month of May. I did some research and discovered that in recent years their arrival in the Mediterranean at this point in spring has become more and more frequent. They are even starting to appear in other waters in which they are not normally so abundant. Logically, the first thought that came to mind was that is related to global warming. The temperature of the Mediterranean has risen at a dizzying rate in recent years. However, I had the feeling that there must be something more. After all, the water has been warming for many years, but this boom in jellyfish populations (known as bloom, by the way) seems more recent to me. To answer my questions, I have contacted Jose Carlos Báez, Chief Program Researcher at the Spanish Institute of Oceanography, CSIC. As I feared, warming water plays a role, but there are even more factors that affect this uncontrolled proliferation that is becoming more and more noticeable. Three phases to give rise to adult jellyfish Although there are small variations between some species and others, in general the reproductive cycle of jellyfish consists of three phases. On the one hand there are the larvae, which float in the water until they find a place to cling to on the seabed. When they achieve this, they move on to the polyp phase, which can last up to a year. When conditions are favorable, the polyp fragments, releasing the ephyras, which are small immature jellyfish that, over time, become the adult jellyfish. The transition from polyp to jellyfish It is known as strobilation and depends on factors such as the temperature of the water, the oxygen dissolved in it or the availability of food. Jellyfish are only released into the water if they are going to be able to live in it. The surface temperature of the water is a determining factor. In fact, it has been observed that with an increase of 1.7°C The rate of asexual reproduction in the polyps of some species is accelerated by 20%. Therefore, strobilation normally occurs at the beginning of summer. It may vary between species. In some it occurs at the end of spring, but it is more common for it to take place from June onwards. According to José Carlos Báez, this is causing “a dilation of the reproductive period“, so we are seeing more generations of jellyfish in a single season. They arrive earlier and leave later. Not everything is going to be global warming The massive proliferations that we are seeing with increasing frequency on beaches are known as blooms. As we have seen, global warming is causing us to start seeing jellyfish earlier and stop seeing them later, but it does not seem to be the cause of the blooms. “It is difficult to affirm with complete certainty that the total biomass of jellyfish in the Mediterranean has increased due to climate change, mainly because we do not have sufficiently long and homogeneous historical series that allow us to compare the current situation with that of past decades,” says Báez. “However, there is evidence that jellyfish blooms, as well as the arrival of large swarms in coastal areas, appear to be increasingly frequent and prolonged.” The problem of overfishing “In a healthy ecosystem, teleost fish eat especially zooplankton, in which ephyras are found,” explains Báez. Among those fish that ephyras eat, sardines stand out, for example. On the other hand, adult jellyfish are typically preyed upon by turtles, but also by large fish such as tunas, to which tuna belongs. All of this, taken together, helps keep jellyfish populations more or less stable. Because of overfishingthere are fewer and fewer predators for jellyfish. There are, for example, fewer sardines being eaten in their ephyra phase and fewer tuna eating adult jellyfish. If we add to all this that more generations of jellyfish are born in a season due to warming water, we have the perfect cocktail for the appearance of blooms. The whiting that bites its tail (pun intended) In 2022, José Carlos Báez’s team published a study in which another less known relationship was described between the populations of jellyfish and sardines or anchovies. We have already seen that fish feed on the zooplankton in which ephyras are found, so they can help regulate jellyfish populations. However, what happens next is not so well known. Adult jellyfish can also feed on the eggs of sardines and anchovies. Therefore, if there are too many jellyfish, they can deplete the sardine population, so there will be fewer of these adult fish to continue feeding on the ephyras. As a result, there are even more jellyfish and we start again. The balance between one predator and another is broken and clearly leans towards the proliferation of jellyfish. Furthermore, in that study a relationship was also found between the proliferation of jellyfish and the decrease in weight of adult sardines. And, in turn, adult jellyfish also feed on zooplankton, which is why they compete with sardines and anchovies for food. If there are many, they do not allow them to feed properly. Not everything is jellyfish in the gelatinization of water With the proliferation of jellyfish, something known as water gelatinization is occurring. Logically, these animals, with their gelatinous appearance, have a great influence. But they are not the only ones who favor that aspect. Other gelatinous animals also proliferate, such as ctenophores. In addition, the water looks cloudier due to excess algae. This is because great eutrophication is occurring in the Mediterranean. … Read more

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