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The reactive the great debate on universal basic income. And the question is whether it is feasible to create it: Crossover 1×23

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One hears about Universal basic rent and inevitably thinks that It’s money that gives you free. The idea goes far beyond that, but one thing is true: with the rise of AI and the potential revolution of robotics, the debate about this option is more rising than ever. And precisely this 1×23 crossover is dedicated to talking about universal basic income, its origins and what it means. And to do so are Jaume Lahoz and Carlos Santa Engracia, presenters of Crossover, and a server, Javier Pastor, to dissect the theme. The truth is that we are increasingly facing a future in which AI and automation can help Create ultraproductive companies. In that scenario it is likely that the impact for employment and society will be enormous, and that is where a Universal basic rent You can raise a solution to that “mass and forced unemployment.” In the episode we talk in addition to the Pilot experiments That there has been in various countries, and also how Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, is especially interested in this area through its controversial Worldcoin project. Like everything, in the idea that projects universal basic income there are clear advantages and of course also risks. Will we become a society Like the one painted ‘wall-e’? ¿We will all gorditos And without moving from a chair that levita and takes us everywhere? Phew. On YouTube | Crossover

Tether is the great cover of the world of crypts. Aspires to value 500,000 million for doing something simplistic: save foreign money

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Tether Holdings SA is the company responsible for issuing and controlling the most important stablcoin in the world – also called “Tether” (USDT) -. And those responsible are in negotiations with investors for lift up to 20,000 million dollars. If that round becomes effective, Tether would become a company with an assessment of 500,000 million dollars, and the question is obvious: how can a company be worth so much that nobody has heard? What is Tether (USDT). Launched in 2014, Tether is a cryptocurrency With its own block chain. It is designed to facilitate the use of Fiat currencies (such as the dollar or the euro) digital. Tether is specifically A stablecoina cryptocurrency whose value is strongly linked to the US dollar, which makes its volatility virtually nil. One would think that it is much more interesting to operate with Bitcoins or Ethereum, but care: Tether is a giant for a much simpler reason than it seems. As big as Netflix. If this investment round is confirmed, Tether would be at the level of companies such as Netflix, the 18th company for market capitalization According to Companies Market Cap. Unlike other technological companies focused on future innovation, Tether is a company whose business model is strongly tied to current cash flow. Sources close to negotiations talk that this investment round could be “significantly lower”, so the estimated assessment could be much lower. Interest gains. This is Tether’s main source of income. For each USDT token, the company keeps an equivalent amount in reservations, and does so largely in assets that generate interest, such as US Treasury Bonds. Its current market value is 173,000 million dollars, and thanks to that you can invest those huge reserves and obtain mass profits. In fact Tether is currently one of the great debt holders of the United States government. Extraordinary benefit margin. The CEO of Tether, Paolo Ardoino, He has affirmed Recently the company has a 99%benefit margin. That means that their COESTE operations are incredibly low compared to their income. Tether Holdings Sa is an efficient money to make money. The reference stable. Its success is also based on having become the most popular stablcoin in the cryptodivsis market. Thus, while the current market assessment of Tether S of 173,000 million dollars, the following stablecoin in relevance is USDC, with an assessment of 74,000 million, less than half. But. Although the company has a privileged position and an apparently promising future, Tether He had problems in the past that also threaten their projection. Thus, in 2021 He had to pay A fine of 41 million dollars for a lawsuit for misrepresenting its reserves. The company has also been criticized for the opacity of its reserves: although it publishes quarterly reports, these are not audited by any of the Big Four (such as PWC or Deloitte), but by less recognized signatures. Regulation. The true Damocles sword for Tether is the regulatory tensions. That has left her out of the US market for years, but the company has moved a card hiring a former White House official and it seems that there is now a clear and favorable approach Bajo Trump. However, the US continues Approve laws that will force Tether to restructure its model to access that market. In Xataka | In 2011 a group of investors bought 80,000 bitcoins. They have been sold by 17,000,000% more expensive

The first flight will be in 2026 and points to its next great plane

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A wing that changes in full flight and a manufacturer who wants to reimagine the aviation of short and medium radio. Airbus prepares to test in real conditions a concept that has been maturing time in its research programs. It is not a laboratory exercise: the company has marked 2026 As a date for the first take -off of its demonstrator, an aircraft that will serve to explore if this technology can be transferred to the single corridor aircraft. The challenge is ambitious: lay the foundations of what will be the great heir of the A320. For the manufacturer, the X-Wing is a piece within a much larger technological puzzle. The company works In disruptive engines, recyclable materials and smart platforms, and needs to decide which combinations offer more advantages. The wing capable of modifying its form is emerging as the ideal candidate to demonstrate savings in consumption and improvements in flight behavior. More than an isolated prototype, it is a test bank conceived to contrast theoretical models with data obtained in real operations. A flying laboratory to test the wing that is transformed into the air The aeronautical builder decided to transform a citation VII into a flying laboratory. The aircraft, usually used in executive aviation, received a large -scale compound that mimics, on a reduced scale, that of a future commercial plane. To join both elements, specific transition boxes were designed, which in addition to guaranteeing structural resistance provides space for fuel and the landing system. This solution allowed to overcome the limitations of a fuselage not manufactured by Airbus and let off The demonstrator. The demonstrator’s key is how the wing adapts to flight conditions. To prevent greater size from implying more weight, engineers incorporated a semi -eelastic hinge in the tips, capable of freeing themselves in situations of intense turbulence and thus reduce structural loads. At the same time, the back of the wing includes three flaps with small tabulators that can move independently and quickly. With this combination, the profile of the wing changes, optimizing support and reducing drag in each flight phase. The European company wanted the demonstrator to reflect the philosophy of its line aircraft and replaced the conventional system of controls for a Fly-By-Wire complete. All surfaces, from ailerons to rear stabilizers, are governed by electric actuators linked to control computers. The device will be handled remotely from land, without the need for crew on board, which opens margin for more demanding tests. Before flying, the X-Wing must overcome a battery of tests on land. The European manufacturer plans structural vibration tests and alar load during this year, steps necessary to validate the design. Airbus has asked the French Civil Aviation Authority (DGAC) for the flight permit, which will allow to operate from Cazauxf, south of Bordeaux. The calendar provides shooting on the second quarter of 2026 and a first takeoff in the middle of the year, with expected flights over the Vizcaya Gulf. Prototype in a Cessna Citation VII Beyond the Ala, the Airbus roadmap includes New Generation Energy Systems and Energy Systems. Among them stands out the Open Fan, developed with CFM, which seeks an efficiency improvement of two digits and will be validated in flight with an A380 before the end of the decade. The aeronautical builder also bets on expanding the use of fuels sustainable up to 100% and for introducing hybrid architectures. The latter will use electricity in on -board tasks and further reduce the emissions of each journey. Innovation is not limited to the wing or engine: It also reaches materials. Airbus is testing advanced thermoplastic compounds that promise to lighten the structure and, at the same time, make it more sustainable. In the face of current compounds, these can be recycled more easily and allow more agile manufacturing cycles. The MFFD project has served as a test bank, showing that it is possible to reduce weight without increasing costs. The Filton plant, in the United Kingdom, has become one of the nerve centers of this transformation. The future plane will not be built only with more efficient wings or different motors, it will also depend on a common digital system that provides new capacities. The European company works on connected platforms capable DE Update in real timeintegrate applications and anticipate faults with predictive maintenance. Automation also will have a growing role in assistance to the pilot and in land operations. The X-Wing is, in this sense, an initial piece of a greater puzzle: demonstrate which technologies are mature and which ones should wait before making the commercial leap. Images | Airbus In Xataka | Airlines have invested millions in entertainment. Passengers use it to see an plane icon slowly moving

We knew that coffee was good for health, but now we have discovered that it is a great ally of our microbiota

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For years, coffee has not been too well considered. It depends on the place and the historical momentbut the culprit was not so much coffee itself … as caffeine. Although the evidence has managed to deny them, there is still A lot of myths about caffeine and its effects. But something that is also making clear research is beneficial effect of coffee on the body. It depends on the type of tan, of course. And one of the studies More recent links coffee with the intestinal microbiota. Directly, it favors the Bacteria growth in our body. And it is something that fulfills a vital function. The community Microbial of coffee. As we say, different studies on coffee allow you to have discovered your beneficial effects on cardiovascular diseasesthe diabetes or your Effect on the kidneys. In parallel, a relationship between coffee intake had been observed with the increase of certain intestinal bacteria, but the studies were on a small scale. Now, in Nature Microbiology he has Posted a study in which the genomic sequence of the intestinal microorganisms of more than 22,000 people in the United Kingdom and the United States was investigated. They have discovered that coffee drinkers had a different microbiota, with intestinal bacteria such as Lawsonibacter asaccharolyticus Eight times more abundant in the microbiota of coffee drinkers than in those who do not ingest this food. And what does that imply. It is not limited to that bacteria, since increases in irmicutes, actinobacteria, actinobacteria were also observed, PREVETELLA, Faecalibacterium and Bifidobacterium, All of them linked to beneficial metabolic effects, such as greater production of short chain fatty acids. What this means is that, thanks to its polyphenols and the soluble fiber it contains, coffee produces some Prebiotic effects that have a direct influence on beneficial bacterial growth. Before I said that it is something that fulfills a vital function, and in this case it is not an exaggeration. Intestinal microbiome bacteria They fulfill functions such as facilitating digestion, strengthening the immune system, regulating inflammation or protecting against pathogens and diseases. Very direct effects of this includes the production of vitamins and enzymes that are not obtained from food, facilitating Digestion of compounds as fiber and starch or Immune system regulation to distinguish between harmful and benign organisms. Four cups. Tim Spector is one of the experts who has supervised the article and, as my colleagues from Straight to the palatethe amount of optimal coffee would be between two and four cups a day. It all depends on the organism of each one and tolerance, but something interesting is that we not only obtain those benefits for the microbiota, but also a a large amount of fiber. Specifically, 1.5 grams of fiber for each cup of Filtrated coffee (There are many ways to prepare it, but filtered or infused is one of those that allows to extract more nutrients), and it is an amount similar to what would be obtained when eating a tangerine And the caffeine, what. And this of the tolerance that each one has to coffee is important because there is a “Limit” in the amount of caffeine That we can take up to be in the healthy segment, but it depends a lot on each person. The good thing is that these positive effects on microbiota have been reported both in the ‘normal’ coffee and in the decaffeinated. If milk is addedIn addition, the amount of polyphenols may slightly decrease, but the balance is still positive. What should not be added is sugarsince there we would be doing more bad than good. But if decaffeinated coffee is consumed, you should have an eye on how the process has been performed. Not all decaffeinated coffees are the same because there are several ways to eliminate (which is not completely eliminated, but is considerably reduced) caffeine, and Not all are equally healthy. To the point that some methods They are under the radar of organizations such as the US FDA. Image | Justin Bhalla In Xataka | There are more and more studies that link coffee with living more. And it is very easy to put the leg when preparing that ‘philosopher’ coffee

‘Borderlands 4’ has been the great launch of September. Also an example of what is wrong in the current video game

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The last quarter of the year is not just a IMPORTANT MOMENT IN TECHNOLOGY: In the video game market, it also represents a crucial moment. Titles like ‘Ghost of Yotei‘ either ‘Metroid 4‘They will come out over the next few months, but the one that has just arrived is one of the bombings of the last layers of 2025:’ Borderlands 4 ‘. The analysis reflects that it is a hilarious gamebut also something that players are not missing: it is the example of what is wrong in the current megap production industry. And in this story the director of the game is being considered as the villain when we should look beyond: to technology and optimization. We are going to review. The situation. ‘Borderlands 4’ was launched last week and the reception by the players was good. It is a continuous, really fun title that, in addition, looks spectacular thanks to the artistic style so characteristic and that the engine Unreal Engine 5 (Stay with this name) Allows you to offer. The Steam review system is quite broken, but it is a thermometer of both the quality of the players and, at first, the reactions were mostly positive. All that has changed to ‘varied’, which implies that there is more bad than good. The problem is not the game itself: even those who put a bad review admit that it is a ‘borderlands’ and is hilarious. Here the problem is optimization of the game, especially on PC. Players complain that specs Minimum and recommended offered by developers -Gearbox- do not add up to the experience they are having with teams that reach those specifications or that exceed them. A negative A positive, but also talking about performance Randy Pitchford. It is the name of the director of Gearbox and one of the heads after the success of ‘Borderlands’. Also One of the most controversial characters of the industry due both to your actions as to his most recent statements about the price of video games with that “True fans will find a way to pay them”. It is a guy who does not usually go unnoticed and that uses his social networks to ‘chop’ with any user, and with the wave of criticism of his game, he has not lost the opportunity to get into a couple of gardens. There are countless encounters these days between Randy and users and the problem is that he is doing it from Twitter X. This direct communication between managers and public is a fixed double weapon because it gives the sensation of closeness, but for somewhat large companies have communication teams: so that what is happening does not happen. If we take a look at some Steam reviews, many are reflecting the discontent with the game for those words of Randy. Among the messages of the manager, have Those who encourage a refund to ask if you do not agree with the performance (something that, after two hours plays cannot be done), to “accept the reality of the relationship between the hardware of your PC and the software they want to reproduce”, “”program your own engine and we will be your customers ”and another Comments series that a good part of the community has been taken as a “Randy is calling us poor to those who do not have a RTX 5090” The reaction. And what, unfortunately, happens so much in the world of video games: people who pass from the line. A sample is the following message that Pitchford himself shared In X after receiving it by mail: “You are a damn idiot. If you think that the” Premium “games exist or that there are” premium “players, you are a damn delayed. You are the closest that a white man can become a ‘n -r’ -a racial insult, basically. This type of messages, more own ‘Gamergaters’ than from someone civilized, is a sad reality in certain forums and Randy himself commented that he had “caused harm.” And there are already developers who have shown support to the CEO of Gearbox for the situation. Another one with Unreal Engine 5. Seen all this context, we go with what directly affects the game: the engine on which it is developed. When Unreal Engine 5 was presented, the latest version of the Epic Games engine, We all stay with our mouths open. The demo in PS5 It was impressive and promised a lot. The problem is when the games began to arrive. That a game uses Unreal Engine 5 usually involves bulky requirements to make it work, mediocre yields –even in consoles– In many cases and a series of failures that prevent players from enjoying it as a launch as they should. And it is a problem because the engine greatly facilitates the development of video games, so he is tempting for studies, but there are already those who, when he sees the EU5 logo, starts to tremble for how the title will work on his machine. Balls out. It has passed with more recent examples, such as’Metal Gear Solid Delta‘, or the remake of’The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion‘, and Tim Sweeney, CEO of Epic Games, He swept home A few weeks ago, stating that the engine is good, but that studies should start with optimization tasks at an earlier phase of development, and not crossing the task just at the end. The big background problem. As much as it is, and Returning to ‘Borderlands 4’, it is evident that there is a problem. Digital Foundry is an expert medium in the technical analysis of video games, the performance being one of the parameters that measure. From the middle they affirm that there are decisions that do not understand, such as limiting cinematics in real time to 30 fps, the overload that seems to occur when there are many enemies on the screen, the ‘level of detail’, or Lod ‘so aggressive or the pop-in that occurs walking around the world. And that on the … Read more

The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold7 receives its first great offer

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Folding mobiles are curious at least. They are really practical to use them in various ways, but it is undeniable that on many occasions they are very prohibitive for the prices to which they come to the market. He Samsung Galaxy Z fold7 It is no exception, and although it is still quite expensive, if you thought to buy it now you can do it by paying less: the English Court has launched its first offer in the 256 GB version of Samsung’s mobile – the first offer in general was that of 1 TB, during the prime day – and has left it for 1,792.65 euros instead of 2,109 euros, which is its official price. Samsung Galaxy Z Fold7 (256 GB) The price could vary. We obtain commission for these links Samsung’s best folding, now cheaper He Samsung Galaxy Z fold7 It is the best Fold that Samsung has launched to date, and is also one of the most different with respect to past generations. A key point of this specific model is its design: Now it is thinner (8.9 mm folded and 4.2 mm deployed)higher and wider, something that is appreciated for comfort issues. As usual, Samsung’s mobile comes with two screens: it incorporates a internal screen folding dynamic amoled 2x of 8 inches (qxga+) and also comes with a External screen 6.5 -inch Dynamic Amoled (FHD+). Both panels offer an adaptive refreshment rate of 120 Hz. Internally comes with the best: processor Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy together with, in this case, 12 GB of RAM and 256 GB of internal storage. Your software comes with Android 16 (One UI 8) and, as we usually see in the brand, you will support for seven years. Another of the greatest changes in this generation has to do with the photographic section. The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold7 mounts a couple of front cameras (internal screen and external screen) of 10 MP each. But, in addition, it also incorporates a rear camera module that is composed of a 200 MP main sensoran ultra -angular sensor of 12 MP and a 10 MP teleobjective. You may also be interested in these accessories Samsung Galaxy – Official carbon case for galaxy z fold7, black color The price could vary. We obtain commission for these links Samsung Galaxy Watch8 Classic 46mm, Bluetooth, Hybrid Correa, Smartwatch with rotating bevel design, 3 -year guarantee 3 years + 1 year extra, black (Spanish version) The price could vary. We obtain commission for these links Some of the links of this article are affiliated and can report a benefit to Xataka. In case of non -availability, offers may vary. Images | Amparo BabyloniSamsung In Xataka | Best folding mobiles in 2025. Which to buy in Spain and recommended models In Xataka | Best Samsung mobiles: which buy and recommended models based on budget, tastes and quality price

The great technological technological ones give the teleworking, but the data tell a different story: it has doubled

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In recent months, the great US technological ones They have hardened your policies return to your offices and Eliminating teleworking optionswhile They bet for the accelerated development of AI. However, the Spanish labor market does not follow the same trend with respect to teleworking. The data collected for the report ‘V Telework radiography in Spain September 2025‘ Prepared by Infojobs, they reveal that although it is true that the percentages have fallen with respect to the records from 2020 to 2022, the teleworking has remained stable at levels that double those recorded before 2020. Teleworking in Spain. While in Silicon Valley the headlines proliferate on the end of teleworking, In Spain, work flexibility takes a different path. The data collected by the Infojobs Employment Portal indicate that Spain has maintained sustained growth in terms of Teleworking adoption. 25% of workers currently perform their activity with some remote work formula or in hybrid format. The Last data Of 2024 of the Active Population Survey, they point out that 7.8% of the total active population worked at least half of its weekly day from home, compared to 7.6% who claimed to do it occasionally. In absolute figures, this represents a total of 3.2 million people, placing the percentage of teleworking in Spain around 15.4% of the total employed people working remote. This figure is well above 6% registered in 2019 by the INE, or of 8.3% that was recorded just before pandemic. Source: Infojobs Hybrid work: the balance between flexibility and availability. One of the keys to Teleworking success In Spain it is in its Evolution towards hybrid formatsin which face -to -face days with teleworking days. According to the Infojobs report, 44% of those who telework do so using this hybrid model with between one and four days of remote work. 24% telework two days per week, while 21% of employees who claim teleworking maintain 100% remote activity. The availability of options It has been varying In recent years and, at present, 46% of companies offer some remote work format. Of that group, only 11% of the companies maintain a 100% remote model, marking a decrease with respect to the 12% registered in 2024, but compensated for this fall with more employment offers with hybrid work, which rises from 33% to 35% in just one year. Source: Infojobs Leading sectors on teleworking. While many sectors have experienced an increase in the number of Job offers with teleworkingthe commercial and sales sector leads both in number of workers who exercise remotely and in the volume of new vacancies (39,184 published offers). In the opposite pole, the sectors with less remote work offers are the pharmacist (283 vacancies) and graphic design and arts (499 offers). As for the weight of teleworking by sectors, the sector that most remote employment offers has published is that of computer science and telecommunications (68%) followed closely by legal (58%) and finance (52%). That is, seven out of ten programmers, computer engineers or people, work under some remote work model. According to the study, the sectors with the lowest incidence of teleworking are those inevitably face -to -face, such as tourism and restoration, artisans and trades or health and health, which record values ​​below 1%. Who and where he works remotely. Among the most demanded profiles with teleworking options are, as indicated by sectoral data, IT analysts, Backend and Border developers, ICT consultants and fullstack engineers. All of them with teleworking options between 75 and 90% of the published offers. From the geographical point of view, a curious phenomenon happens and the concentration of teleworking is based on the nature of the predominant industry in that area, instead of allowing disintegration throughout the national territory. This phenomenon is due to hybrid work that, although it allows you to reduce displacements to the office, maintains anchoring with the territory by reducing the chances of workers to move to live outside the community in which the company for which they work for. The greatest proportion focuses in Madrid (40%), followed by Catalonia (19%) and Andalusia (11%), areas with strong presence of technological, commercial and financial companies. In Xataka | Working from anywhere was Teleworking: Not notifying these location changes can make you fire you Image | Unspash (Rodeo Project Management Software)

The ‘Great Chinese Firewall’ is no longer just from China. Now it is sold as a digital repression platform to other countries

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A mass filtration of 500 GB of data in the form of more than 100,000 documents has exposed a disturbing initiative. A startup called Geedge Networks is selling to governments around the world censorship systems modeled from “China Great Firewall“. There are at least three countries that are already applying restrictive measures similar to those of the Chinese government. What happened. The leaked documents By interseclab They reveal how one of the investors in Geedge Networks is Fang Binxing, one of the “Parents” of the “Great Cortaygos of China”. Researchers have discovered that the startup markets an advanced surveillance platform that includes hardware for data centers and Software for local officials. Intercepting everything. The central component of that platform is the so -called “Tiangou Secure Gateway” (TSG), a tool that acts as a gateway and that is installed in the data centers to process the Internet traffic of an entire country. All these data scan when this component is passed, and from there it is filtered and can be blocked so that it does not reach its destination. If the traffic is not encrypted, you can intercept and collect passwords and email addresses. If it is, it makes use of deep inspection systems of packages and automatic learning to detect and block tools that avoid these censorship systems, especially VPN. Three countries already have their own “Great Firewall”. A consortium formed by media and human rights organizations (such as Amnesty International) identified that this platform is active in Kazakhstan, Pakistan, Ethiopia and Myanmar. In Geedge Networks they have published job offers for engineers willing to travel to countries such as Malaysia, Bahrain, Algeria and India, and are also hiring Spanish and French translators, which makes it clear that the startup is developing an important expansion strategy. TSG control panel capture for Myanmar showing real -time traffic categorized in total bandwidth and active connections. Source: Interseclab. An example of control: Myanmar. In a filtered capture the TSG control panel for Myanmar And it looks how the system was monitoring 81.6 million Internet connections simultaneously. In February 2024, Geedge hardware equipment had been installed in 26 data centers and 13 ISPS of Myanmar. There, 281 popular VPN tools were identified and the blockade of 54 of them was prioritized, including Expressvpn or Signal. Growing suspicions. Although researchers warn that documents are not a definitive proof that this system is causing specific blockages, Geeedge’s records show strong correlations with certain important events of the past. In Ethiopia for example the TSG system changed passive monitoring mode to “active detention” of traffic just a few days before a remarkable internet blackout that It occurred in February 2023. There are other cases in which connectivity problems in these countries have coincided with events registered in TSG in filtered documents. And incidentally, new Digitgal repression techniques in China. Among the leaked documents are also spoken of an active project in the Xingiang region, in China. There the startup has collaborated with Chinese research institutions to test a distributed firewall model instead of using a centralized one. There are also alarming experimental functions such as the ability to create relationships between users, group individuals according to applications that use or triangular the location of users through mobile base stations. And the dreaded punctuation systems. There is also a prototype in which a kind of Score for the reputation of each userand that would apply individually. Each user would have a base score and to increase it would have to add personal data such as their national identification, data that allow facial recognition or employment details. If this score does not exceed a certain limit – or decreased due to the use of a VPN detected and prohibited, for example – the Internet access would be denied to the citizen. Government malware. Another of the threats posed by this system is Geedge’s ability to Inject malware In user traffic. An operator could identify which website visit a user and, if it does not use a safe protocol (HTTPS), could inject malware directly into that connection. The researchers explain that although these experimental options are being tested in China, once the technology is mature, any foreign client can request those same functions on their platform to update it and have it available. Image | Ran Liwen In Xataka | The ‘China Great Firewall’ becomes even harder and blocks all TLS 1.3 traffic with ESNI to avoid aisos to prohibited destinations

The most detailed gravitational waves in history have just confirmed the great prediction of Stephen Hawking

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After ten years Perfecting the detection of gravitational wavesLigo sensors achieved such a precise observation which has allowed physicists to confirm one of Stephen Hawking’s most famous predictions: the black holes area theorem. Ten years. A decade has passed since the scientists of the Ligo Observatory The universe listened for the first time in a completely new way: by detecting gravitational waves. On September 14, 2015, wrinkles in spacetime tissue Predicts by Albert Einstein a century earlier inaugurated a new era in astronomy. What was then an almost imperceptible cosmic whisper, today has become a symphony that sensors can clearly hear. And on the tenth anniversary of that milestone, the Ligo-Virgo-Kagra (LVK) collaboration has captured the most clear gravitational wave signal to date. GW250114. Detected on January 14, 2025, physicists believe that these gravitational waves were caused by the collision and subsequent fusion of two black holes to about 1.3 billion light years from the earth. Interestingly, the event is almost a twin that ended using Ligo’s physicists the 2017 Nobel PrizeGW150914. In both cases, it was two black holes with masses between 30 and 40 times that of our sun. But there is an abysmal difference: the signal quality. An unprecedented sharpness. Thanks to a decade of technological improvements and advances in quantum engineering, Ligo detectors are now almost four times more sensitive. While the first signal had a signal/noise ratio of 26, that of GW250114 has a 80. “We can hear it high and clear, and that allows us Physical Review Letters. This sharpness has been key to unraveling the secrets that were hidden in the vibrations of the black hole resulting from the merger. Hawking theorem. In 1971, Stephen Hawking proposed that the total area of ​​the event horizon of a black hole can never be reduced. It can increase or remain the same, but never shrink. This, which is known as the Hawking area theorem, is analogous to the second law of thermodynamics, which says that the entropy (the disorder) of an isolated system always increases. Therefore, the area of ​​a black hole is a measure of its entropy. Trying it is complicated. When two black holes merge, part of their mass becomes an enormous amount of energy in the form of gravitational waves (the famous E = mc²). In addition, the new black hole can turn much faster, and a larger turn implies a minor area for the same dough. Does the increase in mass compensate for these losses so that the final area is always greater? The analysis of GW250114 has been settled by the matter bluntly. Hawking was right. In this case, the two initial black holes had a combined area of ​​about 240,000 square kilometers. After the merger, the new black hole, with a mass of about 63 times that of the sun, it had an area of ​​400,000 square kilometers. If in 2021 a first test with the 2015 signal showed a 95%confidence, the new data raises that certainty to 99,999%. As Kip Thorne recalls, one of Ligo’s parents and Hawking personal friend, the British physicist called him right after the first detection in 2015 to ask if they could try his theorem. Hawking died in 2018but today his theory has been verified in a way that would have left him very satisfied. Einstein too. Thanks to this new signal, scientists have been able to analyze the moment just after the merger in which the new black hole vibrates like a newly hit bell before stabilizing. The frequencies and speed with which these tones are attenuated. It is the most solid test to the date that black holes are seemingly simple objects that can be completely described with only three properties: mass, spin and electric charge. All other information of the material that formed them is lost. But each detection of gravitational waves is one more piece in the puzzle of the cosmos. And as GW250114 demonstrates, to understand them we travel on the shoulders of giants such as Einstein and Hawking. Image | Aurore Simonnet (SSU/edeon)/LVK/URI In Xataka | Everything to know about gravitational waves: what they are, where are they and why we will not stop talking about them

The submarine cables were from the teleoperators, and now the great technological ones are controlling them

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Submarine cables They transport 95% of data traffic between continents. They hold Ten billion dollars daily in financial transactions, according to figures collected by Telegeographyand feed from streaming to artificial intelligence networks. And yet, its control no longer belongs to the great traditional teleoperators: it has largely passed to technological giants such as Google, Meta, Microsoft and Amazon. A deep transformation that raises questions about dependence, digital sovereignty and resilience to geopolitical risks. For more than a century, the submarine cables were a matter of consortiums of public operators and large telecos. Installing them cost hundreds of millions of dollars, And it was common to distribute the risk among several actors in exchange for assigning fiber pairs to each participant. Recent examples, as the 2Africa cable, promoted by goalThey follow this model. However, in just a decade, this balance has jumped through the air. Today, Google, Meta, Microsoft and Amazon They control or manage approximately half of the world underwater bandwidth. Between 2019 and 2023, They financed about 25% of activated cable systems, according to Carnegie Endowment. Globally, The construction of about 60 new submarine cables until 2027 is expected, as indicated by the latest telegeography mapwhich gives an idea of ​​the magnitude of the change of cycle in the control of critical internet infrastructure. How technology took over the underwater routes The qualitative leap is not only in participation: also in full property. Google has in full cables such as Curie (USA-Chile), Dunant (USA-France), Grace Hopper (USA-Spanish-Spanish Reino) and Equiano (Portugal-Nigeria-Sudaphrica). Goal, meanwhile, He has planned Waterworth: A cable of just over 40,000 km that will connect USA directly with important markets of the southern hemisphere, including points in Latin America, Africa, the Middle East and Asia-Pacific, deliberately avoiding risk areas such as the Red Sea and the Sea of ​​Southern China. The case of 2Africa, although still based on consortium, also reflects the evolution: here, goal participates significantly as a key partner of the consortium with several operators. Europe is the continent with more mooring cables on the planet, according to the Carnegie Endowment. Two thirds of its external connectivity depend on submarine cableswhich underlines your high strategic exposure. Besides, Much of the European traffic is stored in data centers located in the US, as analyzed by the ITIFincreasing its technological dependence. Faced with this panorama, Europe has some strategic assets, such as Alcatel Submarine Networks (ASN), World leader in kilometers of cable installed between 2020 and 2024and Orange Marine, which operates one of the largest installation and repair fleets. Paris and Rome have already launched movements to protect Asn and Sparkle as “sovereign industrial champions.” The threat to cables It is no longer just accidental. Russia has intensified its underwater patrols around strategic nodes, and in 2025 China presented a ship capable of cutting cables at 4,000 meters deep, according to the South China Morning Postincreasing its asymmetric pressure capacity on critical routes. In addition, the lack of response capacity complicates the scenario: There are barely 80 ships around the world dedicated to laying and cable repair, according to the Carnegie Endowmentand Europe lacks specialized breaking, necessary to operate in Arctic regions or in marine ice conditions, where new strategic connectivity routes are being explored. The underwater critical infrastructure also faces a fragmented legal framework. Several European countries have not even ratified the 1884 convention cablewhich hinders the Persecution of sabotage acts. Meanwhile, installation and repair permits in Europe They have doubled in duration in the last decadecomplicating the response to incidents. To correct it, the EU and the NATO have created joint initiatives, such as the Critical Unclea Infrastructure Coordination Cell and a Task Force Industrial. However, some analysts insist that Without a drastic increase in resources, Europe will remain at a disadvantage. Towards a more fragmented and dependent Internet The massive entry of great technological responds to a clear logic: Control the physical layer of the Internet allows them to reduce costsimprove efficiency and guarantee alternative routes to crises. For traditional telecos, the dilemma is clear: collaborate or be displaced. Some operators continue to play a relevant role, although adapting to an ecosystem with a strong presence of the great technological giants. In the near future, Intercontinental traffic is expected to double every two years5G driven, cloud distributed e artificial intelligence. Alternative routes are being explored, such as polar corridors, which would significantly reduce Europe-Asia latency. In parallel, fears of a physical “splinternet” grow: cable networks segmented by political alliances, with Europe discussing between its historical openness and the need to protect His strategic interests, as Oxford analysts point out. Although we usually imagine the cloud as an intangible space, the reality is that much rest on a complex physical infrastructure. And that infrastructure, more and more, is controlled by US multinationals. For Europe, the challenge is not just building more cables: it is to ensure that the next generation of the Internet does not depend mostly on foreign actors. Images | Goal | Screen capture In Xataka | Digital serendipia is in danger of extinction. Internet understands us too well

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