Amazon Go and Amazon Fresh stores seemed like the future of commerce. Now they all close

Amazon has announced the definitive closure of its 57 Amazon Fresh stores and its 15 Amazon Go establishmentsending a decade of experiments to reinvent physical shopping. Fresh They were classic supermarkets, but with technological touches. Go They were stores without cashiers where you entered, took products and left: sensors and cameras charged you automatically. The only staff was the replacement staff. Why is it important. This is Amazon’s most visible failure in its attempt to move its e-commerce dominance to the physical world. A company that has made a success of selling everything online has not been able to sell basic products in physical stores while being profitable. The context. Go opened in 2018, Fresh in 2020. Both represented the futuristic vision of retail: cutting-edge technology, extreme automation and a clear obsession with eliminating friction. Amazon has admitted that it “has not created a distinctive customer experience with the right economic model.” An elegant way of saying that they have not found enough clients willing to pay the extra cost of all that innovation. Yes, but. Amazon is not abandoning the food sector. Now it’s going to convert some locations into Whole Foods, the chain he bought in 2017. Whole Foods has more than 550 stores, has grown 40% in sales and will open one hundred new stores. In addition, Amazon is also already delivering food at home in 5,000 cities in the United States. Between the lines. These closures say a lot about the impressive technology that these stores had: not even it can compensate for a mediocre proposal. Amazon Go eliminated queues, but perhaps that did not solve much if its real competitors did not have a problem there. Of course, “Just Walk Out” technology now operates in 360 third-party stores and more than 40 Amazon fulfillment centers. As is often the case, innovation survives where it makes economic sense. The failure of Go and Fresh was seen coming for a long time. The pattern. History repeats itself. Amazon has closed physical bookstores, stores pop-up and now also these concepts. Each closing tells the same story: mastering online does not make you a good offline seller. Especially if you aim for profitability. Bezos built his empire by eliminating intermediaries and friction at Amazon, but the physical supermarket has friction for a few reasons: people want to touch the fruit, compare products, decide on the fly… Human behavior cannot always be improved by algorithmic efficiency. Go deeper. The failure contrasts with that of other technological giants that in one way or another have managed to dominate the retail. Apple dominates its stores because it sells an experience, not just its products. And Tesla controls its points of sale because the electric car requires a certain evangelization. Amazon tried to apply its e-commerce formula (full automation, speed, elimination of staff) to a business that simply has other dynamics. A supermarket is not a logistics warehouse. And not even an entire Amazon, with all its resources, can impose its vision of the future if the customer does not buy it. In Xataka | I have decided to become independent from all US technology and embrace European technology. This is how I’m getting it Featured image | Simon Bak

The big problem of green hydrogen is the dependence of fresh water. We have found the solution in the sewers

In the great darking puzzle, Green hydrogen points ways to become one of the most important pieces. Has become one of the Great bets of the European Union For the Energy transitionbut although renewable energies such as solar or wind are used to produce it, it has a big problem: Consume a huge amount of fresh water. Some researchers want to stop this problem using something we produce in industrial quantities. Sewage. The water problem. Talking about clean energy implies looking at some initial point of the process to realize that there is still an ecological footprint. Electric cars do not emit, but make their batteries yesFor example. Something similar happens with green hydrogen. Solar or wind energy is which is used to perform the electrolysis process With which hydrogen is generated to use as a source of energy, but as we said, a lot of water is consumed, a resource that is increasingly scarce For millions of people. That is why we are investigating alternative ways to generate green hydrogen without those huge amounts of fresh water. For example, using seawaterbut there is a type of fresh water that had not been considered for the process and that has now entered the equation. Trash Treasury in wastewater. These waters contain a series of pollutants that, according to logic, would make it difficult to Electrolysis process. They have nickel, platinum, chromium and other metals that, until now, had to be extracted from water in an expensive purification process before using that water in electrolysis. However, a team from the School of Sciences of the Australian Rmit has found a way to take advantage of these metals to accelerate the production of green hydrogen. In electrolysis, electrodes are a key component because it is the one that facilitates the reaction that separates water in its base components: hydrogen and oxygen. To do this, an anode is used (where water breaks down releasing oxygen and electrons) and a cathode (protons earn electrons and form hydrogen molecules). In the anode and cathode metals such as nickel, platinum or iride are used as those found in wastewater, and what they have done from the RMIT is … take advantage of them. The invention. To do this, the electrode is manufactured with an absorbent carbon surface that attracts those metals present in wastewater, as if it were a magnet. When they “catch them”, form catalysts that conduct electricity and start that task of dividing water into its components. Nasir Mahmood is one of the researchers and, as we read in Miragenewsexplains the reaction as follows: “The catalyst accelerates a chemical reaction without consumed in the process, allowing metals to interact with other elements present in wastewater and enhancing the necessary electrochemical reactions to divide water into oxygen and hydrogen. And, beyond the theory, the team devised a device that managed They expose in ACSa stability of 95%. This pilot device, connected to a small solar plate, is the one you can see in the image that opens this article. And the waters look at everything … except purified water. Potential. Now, it is not as easy as taking the wastewater and using it directly. The team Confirm which used wastewater that had been subjected to some treatment to eliminate solid waste, organic matter and other nutrients. Not metals, yes. The water used for the experiment comes from agricultural waste, which opens another door to the circular economy of the materials. HE esteem that more than 80% of wastewater return to the planet without any treatment (although other sources They point at 50%), but if we started using a part to produce green hydrogen, we would be reducing that percentage, giving a breath to areas with drought problems and allowing to inject energy into those areas without affecting their Drinking water deposits. In developing countries it would have great potential. An upcoming step is to try more types of wastewater, since not all have the same amount of metals in their composition, and as professor Nicky Eshtiaghi, another of the authors of the study, comments, the plan now is to look for partners to climb technology and find commercial applications. Images | Rmit, Hightail Xataka | In Peru, a company has had an idea to take wind energy directly to your home: turbines as a lay way

Balatro has been the last great breath of fresh air in the independent video game industry. This is its history

At the end of 2021 a developer with alias “LOCTHUNK“He dedicated his three weeks of vacation to create a multiplayer card game that was based on the poker but went further and created as a Roguelike video game. He called it Balatroand after a year and a half of development he published a first beta version in Steam. Its creation began to call the attention of some increasingly important youtubers, and the snowball was getting bigger and bigger. So much so that in its final launch, on February 20, 2024, Balatro sold 50,000 copies in two hours. At the end of the localshunk day he had sold 119,000 copies of his game in Steam, with total revenues of more than one million dollars. Balatro’s popularity is still exceptional, although its launch was not exempt from problems. The European ages rating system, Pegi, described it as a game not suitable for children under 18. LOCTHUNK He complained of the unfair of that qualification: your card game It does not include bets Or transactions with real money, and finally got the qualification to be Pegi 12, that is, suitable for children aged 12 years old. Since its definitive launch, Balatro has made history. He was nominated for Goty 2024 (Game of the Year), in addition to winning several awards in the independent video game category. By January 2025 I already exceeded the Five million units soldFor example. The game, which was initially available on PC and consoles, ended up appearing for iOS and Android in September 2024. And in all that time, something surprising: Locothunk has managed to maintain its anonymitysomething he confessed had been a success for him. Maybe one day we know its true identity, but what is clear is that Balatro has ended up being a phenomenon within an industry little accustomed to the success of small independent productions. In Xataka | The most addictive game of recent times is ‘Balatro’: construction of decks disguised as a poker and with millionaire sales

A Japanese restaurant has brought its obsession with fresh fish to the extreme: it allows you to fish yourself

Visiting Japan is immersing yourself in a country where the traditional and modern coexist in harmony. Its big cities combine futuristic skyscrapers and streets full of neon lights with millenary temples that have resisted the passage of time. In any walk through its streets, it is inevitable to find restaurants where fish is the absolute protagonist. And it’s no accident: in Japan, Fish has been a pillar of its gastronomy for centuries. Here, the menu is not requested, fishing. If you think you’ve seen everything about freshness, Japan always has more to offer. There are restaurants where chefs personally select the best fish on the market every day, but what if instead of waiting for them to serve you, is you who fish it? In Osaka, about five hours from the center of Tokyo, there is a place where the menu is not chosen, it is captured at the time. Our protagonist bears the name of “ジャンボ釣船つり吉”, which could be translated into Spanish as “Great Tsurikichi fishing ship.” As we can see in Google Maps screen capture, it is far from the bustle of the great avenues of the Asian city, and is immediately distinguished by its facade decorated with a fishing boat and posters with large Japanese characters that tell us what we will find inside. As explained on your websitewhen crossing the restaurant door the first thing will be to check the letter and choose the fish we want. Once decided, the staff will give us the right equipment, be it a fishing cane or a salabre, and will guide us to the fishing area. In that pond, where fish swim outside of their destiny, true experience begins. They assure that it is an apt challenge for all ages. After fishing, it is time to enjoy food in one of the four rooms available. We can choose between Tatami type seats in a ship -shaped area or, if we prefer something more conventional, tables with western -style chairs. Now, suppose we are ready to live this experience. How much will it cost us? It is time to take a look at the letter and calculate the budget. How much does this experience cost? When planning the expense, the first thing we should consider is that the price is based on the entire fish that we catch. Thus, a red kissing costs 3,124 yen (about 19.50 euros), a sole has a price of 2,840 yen (approximately 18 euros) and a listing juris rises to 4,980 yen (around 31 euros). Once the piece fish, we must choose how we want to prepare it to us, which is an additional cost. For example, a frying with Ponzu adds 300 yen (about 1.90 euros) to the final price. In addition, if we want to accompany our dish with seafood, we must take into account that they do not have a fixed price. In this case, the staff will weigh and inform us of the cost before preparing them. Marketing, Tourism and Gastronomy. It is no secret that Japanese gastronomy is rich and diverse, with fish and rice as fundamental pillars for centuries. However, many of the dishes that we consider today representative of Japan, and that have crossed borders, are not the result of a centenary tradition, but of relatively recent adaptations. Without going any further, until the 1990s, no one in Japan ate sushi with raw salmon. It was a marketing campaign that made it a standard, more than an entrenched custom. But tourists continue to come in mass in Japan in search of a unique experience. And there is no doubt that the country has much to offer, especially in the gastronomic field. However, not everything is good news, neither for the premises nor for those who visit it. An ingredient as essential as rice suffered a remarkable crisis: in full tourist boom, The shortage shot prices and led some restaurants to pay anything to stock up. When what matters is the show. Eating typical dishes in Japan has its charm, but restaurants have found ways to go further, especially when the goal is to attract tourists willing to spend on experiences. The possibility of fishing your own food in a place set as a ship is not only a gastronomic option, but a claim designed to turn dinner into a show that seduces both visitors and premises. {“Videid”: “X8D7XNV”, “Autoplay”: False, “Title”: “Tricks to travel cheaper- Drinking tea is something that can be done anywhere in the world, But attending a tea ceremony is another story. In Japan, this ritual has become an attraction for tourists looking for more than a simple infusion. The experience is not limited to drinking tea, but extends for hours, with different varieties and meals included. Something that originally had a deep cultural significance is now also sold as an experience for the visitor wanting to spend. But the show does not end there. If tea is not enough, there are always more options to live Japan in a big way: geisha shows perfectly choreographed for the tourist, high exhibitions where tradition and show intermingle, and the Bunraku puppet theater, a cultural element that continues to find its place in a country where more and more things become attractions for the photo. A HAND FOR MOUNT FUJI. To promote other forms of tourism in Japan could be one of the keys to decongest Mount Fuji, a place that for centuries was a symbol of spirituality and personal improvement, but today dealt with massification and its consequences. What was previously an intimate journey has become a crowded tour of hikers, with tails on the top and an environment that is increasingly feeling the weight of uncontrolled tourism. In Xataka Japan has put a spicy in Spain in a peculiar way: with a "Madrid Osaka" In a town of 93 inhabitants To mitigate the impact, The government has begun to take action: daily visitor limits have been established and an online reservation system has been … Read more

The glaciers are the great forgotten fresh water reserve of the planet. And we are running out of it

According to estimates From the United States Geological Service (USGS), glaciers, along with the permanent ice layer and snow, house more than 24 million cubic kilometers of water. This represents 1.74% of the total water on the planet, but also 68.7% of fresh water. The risk of losing these reservations is growing. 273,000 million tons. A new study in which the European Space Agency (That) has revealed the rhythm at which the glaciers of our planet have been losing water since 2000. The figures are not hopeful: our glaciers have lost 273,000 million tons of water per year on average. “To put this in perspective, the 273,000 million tons lost annually represent what the world’s population consumes in 30 years, assuming (a consumption of) three liters per person and day,” Indicate in a press release Michael Zemp. Another way of seeing it in perspective is to take into account that the glaciers of this planet, according to the agency itself, contained approximately 121.73 billion tons of ice. During the last decades the glaciers have seen a 5% drop in their volume. In crescendo. The team has also warned that the rhythm at which we lose ice has been growing throughout the study period. The study covered the period between 2000 and 2023 and was divided into two subperiods: 2000–2011 and 2012–2023. Comparing both periods the team found an acceleration in the rhythm at which glaciers lose water: in the second period the loss of ice was 36% greater than in the first. The geographical context also matters. If we previously indicated that, globally, the glaciers had lost 5% of their volume, regional losses are among 2% observed in the Antarctic and Subantarctic Islands, and 39% loss of volume observed in Central Europe. The image shows diversity in the portion of lost glaciers in different regions. ESA/Planetary Visions GLAMBIE. The investigation has been carried out within the framework of the Glambie project (Glacier Mass Balance Intercomparison Exercise), An initiative of the WGMS (World Glacier Monitoring Service) of the University of Zurich in collaboration with the University of Edinburgh and the Earthwave company dedicated to estimate the global ice mass lost by the glaciers. The initiative generated a temporary series for the study period (2000-2023) combining data from different sources. Among them they used satellite observations of the Aster instrument aboard the American Mission Terra and ICESAT-2also from NASA; in combination with data obtained from European and Euro -Eastern Missions Grace, Tandem-X and Cryosat. The details of the study have been published In an article In the magazine Nature. It is not just sea level. This loss of ice has a well -known plenty of involvement: the nearly 6.55 billion tons of disappeared water from the glaciers have ended melted in the sea, which, according to equipment estimates, has contributed to the increase in the level of the waters in about 18 millimeters, about 0.75 mm per year. However, although the increase in sea level is often the “visible face” of climate change, the problem goes further. And it is that glaciers are an important water reserve. Its thaw contributes significantly to the flow of many rivers. This is the case of the Ebro, which feeds on the glaciers of the Pyrenees in addition to the thaw of mountains in the Cantabrian mountain range and the Iberian system. “Glaciers are a vital source of fresh water, especially in local communities in Central Asia and the central Andes, where glaciers dominate runoff during warm and dry stations,” also explains in the press release Inés Dussaillant, co -author of the study. In Xataka | The fresh water from the planet disappears, something that can also be perceived from space Image | The glaciers of the Chugach mountains, in Alaska. Copernicus Sentinel-2

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