lights

Japan is the only country in the world where the green traffic lights are blue. And the reason is called “aoshingō”

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Red, amber and green. The three colors of traffic lights around the world. All over the world? No, some particular Japanese traffic lights resist today and forever… the Vienna Convention on Traffic Signs and Signals to which more than 50 States are adhered. Although there are curious absences in it, such as those of the United States or, of course, Japan. This regulatory framework was signed for the first time in 1968promoted by the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations. The text reviewed previous regulations with the aim of homogenizing traffic in as many countries as possible. The last review, in fact, is from 2003 and it addressed the modernization of some signs or the priority rules on roundabouts. The intention is that what we understand in Spain as a Stop is also the same in France or Germany. And so it is, in fact, because all of Europe subscribes to said text. But the most striking absences, such as that of Japan, give rise to curious anecdotes. Like finding traffic lights where the priority of passage is not granted with green, it is applied when the light turns blue. Blue, I love you blue And if you travel to Japan and plan to drive, there is one detail that you should not overlook (beyond the fact that you drive on the left, remember): the green light on some traffic lights is blue. Or turquoise, more accurately. The origin must be found in the language itself. The Japanese did not have a specific word to refer to green. To mention it they referred to the word “Ao”. The problem is that “Ao” It refers to a wide spectrum of colors and among them, as you can imagine, blue or greenish blue or turquoise. Some sources suggest that the word “Midori”, which refers specifically to the color green, became popular during World War II for a purely practical matter when it comes to differentiating both colors. However, a good part of society continued to refer to green as “Ao” and, in fact, it continues to be part of words that are applied exclusively to define green objects, such as aoshingō…which is actually the official word for the green traffic light even though it doesn’t specifically mean green. In 1960, Japan signed its own Traffic Law where this term was collected to talk about the traffic light. This law is, therefore, prior to the aforementioned Vienna Convention and remained intact until 1973 when a ministerial order ended up specifying that the traffic light It had to be as blue as possible within the greenas a compromise measure between maintaining the traffic lights that were already installed and approaching international conventions. The result is that the oldest traffic lights have a more intense blue and the most modern ones have a green tone with slight blue nuances that can remind us of turquoise. However, they are not exactly green because the term “Ao” works, as we said, for both blue and green. Photo | Yuya Sekiguchi and Derch In Xataka | Japan needs solutions to its great demographic drama. He is looking for them on a bus

What kind of lights can interfere with the signal, and how to solve it

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Let’s tell you How the lamps can interfere with the wifi of your home, because when you have problems It will not always be the router’s fault. The WIFI of your home can have problems, either because of its location or by The interference of the neighborssometimes you can give problems, and tricks to expand the Wi -Fi signal wave 30 centimeters rule They are not always enough. That is why we are going to tell you why a lamp or bulb can hinder the signal of your wifi, and What types of lighting They are the ones that cause these failures. Thus, you can have a list of usual suspects. Then, we will tell you some tips to prevent these interference from being given. What lamps hinder the wifi There are lighting systems that emit electromagnetic radiation. Not all, but when they do it happens at certain frequencies, and these can interfere with the Wifi signals affecting the quality of the connection. This happens with several specific types of lighting, which are the following: Compact fluorescent lights or CFL: They emit microwave ranges radiation, causing interference in the Wi -Fi signal. Especially when they are near the router or the device that the signal receives. Tube fluorescent: Those lights such as offices or shopping centers, which can also be in domestic kitchens. Its marketing has been prohibited, but if you still have one, they also generate interference due to their electromagnetic radiation. Low quality LED: Although good quality LED lights do not usually give problems, when the quality is low they can emit electromagnetic interference that affects the WiFi. It can also happen with good, but it is not so common, hence it is worth investing in recognized brands. Halogen lamps: They are already unusual, but they can also generate electromagnetic interference. Lamps and lights with metal structures: As with the walls of the walls, this metal can cause signal interference when they are close to the router. What can you do to solve it We have already told you the types of bulbs and lighting that can cause interference in your home. However, There are methods to reduce interference caused by them following some tips. First of all, Place the router away from the light sourcesespecially if they are halogen, fluorescent lamps, or any of the types of bulb or lighting that we have told you above. Whenever possible is recommended Use the 5 GHz band In your Wi -Fi router when it is compatible, or also in your mobiles. Sometimes you can choose between that or 2.4 GHz because your router generates two wifis. This 5 GHz SFNO band less susceptible to interference. In the event that you think the lights are affecting you and you cannot make changes in the router position or the receptors, you can use signal repeaters, Mesh networkssome PLC or wifi repeater and similar. In Xataka Basics | How to amplify the wifi signal: guide with all the ways you have to do

We all know that green is to advance traffic lights. Less Japan, defending that green is actually blue

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A long time ago We count A fascinating story that had the traffic lights and China as protagonists. It turns out that Beijing tried to change the color of these key traffic devices because use red to “stop” It was “anti -communist”. Of colors and traffic lights also goes the following story. In Japan they have no problem with red, but with green. The blue traffic light paradox. In most of the world the traffic signal that invites us to advance is unequivocally green, but in Japan that same light It’s called blue And, in some cases, it even seems bluish in the eyes of those who visit the country. This peculiarity He has baffled to generations of foreigners, but for the Japanese it is a convention as natural as saying that the sky is blue. The explanation is not found in lamp technology or in an arbitrary decision of the road authorities, but in a Cultural and linguistic background that sinks its roots in centuries of history. The linguistic origins of “year”. In ancient Japanese, they only existed Four basic words To designate colors: red, white, black and blue. The term AO served to name a much broader spectrum of shades than we associated with blue today, including what we consider green and cyan. This linguistic heritage lasted until the Heian periodwhen the Midori word to specifically refer to vegetation and the vitality of green color. However, the force of custom kept alive The use of AO In situations where, for other languages, green nuance is evident. Thus, it is not strange that a Japanese speaks of blue apples, mountains or blue vegetables, although in the eyes of anyone they are green. The conflict. When Japan introduced traffic lights in the 1930s, the progress light was described as green, following the global convention. But in 1960, with the entry into force of the Road Traffic Lawthe term AO Shingō, the “blue signal” was officially adopted. The clash with international standards was exacerbated after Vienna Convention of 1968which set the green as the reference color. Japan did not ratify that treaty, and with it the right to continue using its own denomination was reserved. In 1973, to reconcile customary and external demands, the government decided that the lights should be of a green With a bluish enough nuance As if I could continue to be called Ao. The result was a curious balance: greenish appearance traffic lights, but culturally blue. Beyond the signals. The persistence of AO It is not limited to traffic lights. Common expressions such as aoringo to designate the green apple, Aonori for the green algae that is sprinkled on dishes such as the okonomiyaki, or Aoba for the young leaves of the trees, show how blue overlaps green in the Japanese tongue. In addition, AO acquired a symbolic value associated withor new and the immature. To say that a person is AOI means that it is still inexperienced, a metaphor equivalent to that in Spanish or English we express calling someone “green.” This crossing of meanings reveals how the language not only names colors, but also organizes cultural perceptions and associations around them. Convention turned into identity. Today, although Japanese traffic lights are in green practice, they continue being called blue by millions of people who have inherited a particular way of seeing and describing the world. What for a foreigner is a rarity or confusion, for a Japanese is a tradition that does not need justification. If you want, the tongue has been imposedwork visual perceptionand the result is an example of how cultural conventions can challenge international standards and become part of national identity. Thus, Japan’s blue traffic light recalls that the way we name things influences how we understand them, and that even a traffic light can tell a story of centuries of history, language and custom. Image | Redoxkun In Xataka | That Japan has 100,000 people over 100 years explains a problem: they are running out of drivers, literally In Xataka | If the question is why there are so many Japanese with umbrella on the street, the answer is simple: for more than the sun

Sam Altman is building an empire with Openai. One with some lights and with many shadows

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Sam Altman is a master of empathy. He listens to you as if you were the most interesting person in the world, learn what he needs about you and his speech fits what you want. And so convince you. It is one of the first conclusions that Karen Hao arrives in her new book ‘Empire of ai’. In it we are narrated OpenAI origins and its evolution Thanks to hundreds of interviews with employees and former employees of the company, in addition to those made to professionals from other companies in the artificial intelligence industry. Altman is loved or hated, there is no middle ground We actually know the story – in Xataka We have been Speaking of Openai – but what Hao proposes to us is a visit to what happens behind the scenes, contributing many details that help us understand the past, present and perhaps the future of the company. Many of those details focus on the figure of Sam Altman, which does not go especially well stopped. Brilliant as a seller of apparently impossible projects, Altman is sparse in words in his communications with other colleagues. Write emails with a single word, “Meet”to arrange appointments, and sometimes use a simple “?” Because who writes less seems to win the game. Of that Jeff Bezos knows a lot. That, of course, when I wrote something, because according to Hao Altman leaves almost nothing written. Everything is verbal, something that allowed him to argue after people did not remember well what he had talked to him. The opinions of those who talk about him in the book are significant. One of them commented that “it is so attentive. But partly uses it to find out how to influence you in different ways.” Others commented how Altman avoids expressing negative emotions and also confrontation. He dodged the word “no” in conversations with other people. “Others began to see him as someone diabolically capable of beating situations in his favor.” Ilya Sutskever, one of the co -founders who came after her differences with him, left A disturbing statement: “I don’t think Sam is the right person to be the one who has your finger on the AGI button.” OpenAi lives his own ‘Game of Thrones’ Paul Graham, his mentor in Yc Combinator, left two citations that leave a clear idea of ​​what Sam Altman is like. In the first commented that “you could throw in parachute to an island full of cannibals, return in five years and he would be the king.” In the second reinforced That vision of his protégé: “Sam is extremely good when it comes to becoming someone with power.” It is something that Hao often mentions in the book and that makes it clear that Altman does very well one thing: win the battles for power. There are two clear examples, also known. The first, when managed to snatch Musk The direction of Openai at the beginning of that unique adventure. The second, when After his scandalous dismissal He returned more force than ever as the almighty CEO of OpenAi. Those two moments in the history of this company are actually reflecting what happens in any empire: the view seen is usually impeccable, great, powerful. The hidden face is full of internal conflicts and wars, battles for power, and rivalries and differences of criteria that end badly. In all these battles an Altman was imposed again and again that according to Hao used a singular tactic: he changed his speech according to the interlocutor. What he had told A was often what he had told B. The problem arose when A and B were talking about what Altman had told both of them. That also happened with Openai’s original vision. Created as a laboratory for the development of a beneficial for the world, The approach would change soon. To share knowledge and details about its models, the company became a secretism bunker. Seeking to be the AI ​​monopoly Like Oppenheimer, Altman Believe That “technology occurs because it is possible”, and like others before him – including one of his mentors and friends, Peter Thiel – his goal (such as his competitors, of course) is clear according to Hao: What he wants is to create an AI monopoly. We have seen that with the evolution of their models, increasingly powerful, and that They were there to earn money. That was the vision that has ended up winning. The other, to try to develop a safe and “aligned with the objectives of the human race” has been in the background. In fact Hao reflects it well in the book. If Openai is leading the AI ​​career today it is not only for having been the first to launch a chatbot like Chatgpt, but for its apparently disproportionate climbing. He has invested more than anyone from the beginning. To start, to capture talent. When the project began to create OpenAi Ilya Sutskever, I worked in Google Brain and was already considered a superlla of this segment. The rest of the founding members were offered a salary of $ 175,000 and shares of YC Combinator or Spacex. But Sutskever was offered almost two million dollars annuallybut Google counteroffierted on a bid whose final figure is not known. What is known is that Sutskever ended up abandoning Google to sign for Openai –And then leave it-. In 2016 of the 11 million that Openai spent, seven were for salaries. Initially the company “did not really know what I was doing,” explains Hao: few of the things they worked worked, and those who did it “seemed little original or something someone had already done.” There were more ambitious bets. It is demonstrated by the famous demo of that kind of “GPT 2.5” that made Bill Gates in April 2019. Until then those who investigated the development of foundational models of AI did so training those models with a few dozen gpus. Darío Amodei – who ended up leaving Openai to co -confound … Read more

A retiree and his children have stolen millions of dollars to Ford in office material. Indeed, lights, caps and bumper

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Although in February this year Audi closed its Brussels plant After 75 years in operation, the road was not simple. In the middle of the workers’ protests, someone had an idea: take the keys of 200 cars, put them in a box and remove them from the factory. Clean, simple and with 200 kidnapped cars whose unit value was around 100,000 euros. As simple as keep a box under the jacket and go through the door. More complicated seems to steal the entire engine of a car. This is what was discovered A few months ago in India. For five years, up to 900 Kia combustion engines were stolen from their plants and has not been clear to what extent some worker of the company itself is involved. However, and although large, one can understand that engines from a factory have been steal if they manage to partially disassemble. But how can one take a car cap? And a bumper? This is what they wonder in Ford where a retiree and two children, company workers, have committed a “billionaire” robbery for more than two years. Hello, dad, I bring you a bumper The information, which comes from Detroit Free Pressa police note echoed in which it was confirmed that four people have been arrested for the theft of pieces of different Ford assembly chains that later sold on Ebay. Among those arrested is a former Ford employee but the identity of any of them has not been revealed so far. The pieces were stolen from three Ford plants, one in Deabane, another on a mounting plant in Michigan and one last in Flat Rock. In Motorpasion and The Drive They point out that three of these four men were family. One of them was a retired father and the other two were his children who had contact with a Ford employee. The extracted pieces were taken to stores where they accumulated for sale. A robbery that, according to the local police, is encrypted in “multimillionaire”. And it is that the four employees would have been subtracting and selling pieces for more than two years. The most curious thing is that it is not small or easy to hide pieces. Among the products found were car headlights but also Bumper and Capóslarge pieces therefore. An agent pointed to Fox That the stores where the pieces were stored were covered to the roof. The investigation is analyzing how these pieces could be taken out of the plant without attracting attention from other employees and will have to discover how they were eliminated from the inventory so as not to attract attention since all the pieces in a mounting plant usually have some type of code that identifies each piece. In addition, from the police they point out that they are still looking for new indications that take them to ships or warehouses where the suspects could save the pieces, taking into account the volume of them and the economic damage that it seems to have caused. Photo | Ford In Xataka | The “Sowing Method” alerted by the Civil Guard: this is the new scam popular in the great parking lots

Without traffic lights for the blackout, Spain lived a real libertarian experiment of mobility. And it went quite well

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And at 12:32 p.m. on April 28, 2025, Spain went black. We knew almost immediately when connections with our partners were cut of work. Computers with the Black screentrains stopped in the tunnels, frozen elevators between plants and on the street … on the street a normal life. More or less. Because beyond the tails in the Mercadona and the children running and shouting through the courtyard of school at abnormally late hours, traffic more or less flowed. No available trainsthe passengers jumped to shot traffic. In private cars, in public buses and making horsetop. More or less, at greater or lesser speed, Traffic continued flowing. Yes, we have seen that in the center of the big cities such as Madrid or Barcelona, ​​the main roads soon getting stuck. But it is also true that traffic worked with relative calm there in many other parts. It was the confirmation that traffic can flow if we put a little all on our part. And it is the confirmation of why there are those who design cross -free crossings. Traffic lights in Granada on April 28, 2025 during the national blackout A little please On March 17, 1926, almost 100 years ago, Madrid installed the first traffic light in Spain. He arrived to make “a more rational use of private cars and generally favor that of public transport, in addition to making citizen coexistence more pleasant and contributing to a greater and safer use of the street for pedestrians”, as read on municipal sides of the time. Who was going to tell us that almost a century later, the radio would concatenate connections by Spanish cities in which the return of the light to the traffic lights of the street was celebrated. It was enough to hit the ear to the transistor to feel some relief in the voice of the reporters who finally pointed out that the light had returned to the traffic lights. With the traffic lights it seemed to return normality. That red light that prohibits the passage to whoever crosses my path and leaves me free. That amber light that warns me of danger but It seems that it only shouts that accelerates. But what if normality remained without traffic lights? It is what happened in most of the country. Without lights to regulate traffic, cordiality, negotiation was imposed and we did not have to regret serious incidents. The supposed anarchy never became such and putting all on our part took control of the streets. “We install traffic lights to promote fluidity and increase speed, against negotiation and In many cases we do the opposite“The words were expressed by Román Torre, a member of the XIXONÉS OF MOBILITY and author of various articles related to mobility in cities. On your tweetreferred to a crossing in which it is observed how vehicles circulate with total fluidity. Of course, it is not a crossing with the volume of traffic that we can find in the North Zone of Madrid which, everything is said, It usually stuck with and without traffic lights. And, in fact, the tower itself indicates at the end of the thread that it is a solution “that is not worth all sites.” Click on the image to go to the original tweet However, the video does show that on many occasions the fluidity of the traffic is guaranteed without traffic lights. And, the best thing is that it is not only guaranteed, it is also a safer solution. If there are no lights, the driver is obliged to reduce the speed when approaching a crossing because he does not have the traffic light safety network guaranteeing a free track. At lower speed, a possible clash is more unlikely, it would have lower consequences and, in addition, the possibility of an outrage are reduced. The DGT contemplates How to act at intersections without priority of passage But just watch a video recorded yesterday to check how the negotiation It is imposed to give way to each car little by little, Without slowing traffic. It is something that has been studied and applied in the Netherlands. An example is that of Alexanderplein in the center of Amsterdam. There, after various studiesit was decided to eliminate traffic lights and found that despite living cyclists and trams, traffic fluidity is better than without the lights that supposedly manage traffic. The secret is to observe the rest of the traffic agents. Something similar is what is applied in Groningen where the maximum has applied for years “All green” for cyclists at 29 intersections of the city. Fully closing traffic to cars for a few seconds, it was found that if bicycles are allowed to circulate total freedom (a similar experience to do it without traffic lights) traffic is more fluid. One of the reasons is undoubtedly low speed that circulates that facilitates making decisions in very little space and, therefore, fluidity when taking one or another way. That controlled chaos is possible thanks to the fact that we move “As we would behave if we were pedestrians”, In Ford words. The company presented some time ago a solution to take advantage of communication between vehicles to eliminate traffic lights and, with them, unnecessary waiting. Without lights regulating traffic, ensures that autonomous cars They can move with total tranquility Because they reduce speed when they reach intersections and movements are safer. The point is that what humans live yesterday. Torre explains in Migijón That the absence of lights causes drivers to take the initiative when crossing the intersection instead of “obeying” the green or red light. This prevents trumpeting with a stop, an acceleration and a new detention on the next street. Obviously, without traffic lights, the car stops but applying some negotiation between drivers, the arrests are much shorter as it can be seen in their videos. Much of the secret is in that reduction in speed when approaching the intersection. No traffic light, the driver must circulate more slowly and … Read more

The intense rains of March have filled the reservoirs of Spain with water. Good news for the Light’s Invoice

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In recent weeks, in Spain it has rained so much that the swamps of the peninsular center are so full that they will have to unwind. A news that will directly influence the electricity bill, but for good. With which we never count. When we talk about generation and renewable capacity, the two sources that come to mind are usually solar and wind. However, there are more renewables that provide energy to the electrical system such as hydroelectric plants. This year, in addition, the rains have arrived as a gift because wind energy has failed in its contribution, which has made the hydroelectric take more prominence. How will it affect our light bill? In this situation of incessant rainfall throughout the Spanish territory, which also will lengthen throughout the month of Marchhydroelectric plants have already generated more than 9,000 GWh, which represents a 18.4% of energy mix. In addition, the generation and storage capacity of hydroelectric plants He has reached The 5,599 MW, which represents 20.65% of the total system structure. This contribution is very important to see in the coming months a decrease in light prices. The rain, an ally. This phenomenon will help lengthen the low price period, which is important for homes and companies that fear the increase in rates. Compared to the previous years, and taking into account that this year wind energy He has been failing In their contribution, the rains have become great allies. It can warm up. If we talk about hydroelectric plants, we have to talk about their storage of energy: swamps. Currently, reservoirs in Spain are in Very good situation thanks to the stormwith a generation capacity of 60.90%. In other words, reservoirs have A large amount of energy storedaccording to Miteco data we would be talking about a Total capacity of more than 17,000 MW. To see it with data, the reservoirs have increased their volume by 296 HM³ (1.7% more). In the case of the Alcántara reservoir, One of the great batteries of Tajohas accumulated 257 hm³ of water in a week, which is equivalent to 454 GWh of electricity. Conflict of interest. Although there is an increase in hydroelectric generation due to rains, there is a problem with the Reservoir management. Hydroelectric plants have an economic interest in maximizing their production, which can lead them to make decisions about water unworthy. These cases have even occurred when water reserves should have been used for another use, such as Agricultural irrigation. It will remain to see how companies They store and release water. Forecasts In these days of intense rain and with the arrival of spring we will have to add the thaw of the mountains, so the reservoirs are expected to continue filling. This situation will ensure an even greater hydroelectric production capacity in the coming weeks, prolonging the low price phase. Hopefully enough to be extended, while in the European Commission they solve the issue of Down 5% to VAT In the light invoice. Image | Iberdrola Xataka | We do not have even half a month and Aemet is already registering unpublished records in places like Huelva: the most rainy March

There is a roundabout collapsing access to Granada. The City Council wants to fix it by putting the traffic lights

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Spain is A country of roundabouts. And although they are born to relieve traffic circulation, it is common manage to generate the opposite effect. This is the case of the roundabout that joins the highway of the GR-30 Circunvalación with Fernando de los Ríos Avenue, in Granada. A quite complex point of union between key points of the city such as the highway itself, the Nevada shopping center, the hospitals area and several of the most inhabited peoples of the city. This point, located in the municipality of Armilla, will be the second in Spain to incorporate traffic lights with artificial intelligence. Its objective is clear: replace the work of the Local Police for hours. The Rotunda del Chaos. Imagine a roundabout that joins the main highway of your city with the most busy shopping center of it, the university access zone, one of the main hospitals (not only of the city of Granada, but of the surrounding villages), and the main towns of the city. Insured chaos. This roundabout, located at the foot of the GR-30 highway, is famous for the amount of traffic jams that are generated at peak hours, from morning to the afternoon. It is usual to find local police officers regulating traffic at critical moments of the day, but now the City of Armilla wants to go one step further. Traffic lights with AI. The mayor of the town of Armilla, Loli Cañavate, explains to Granadahoy That the implementation of traffic lights with artificial intelligence is scheduled to replace the work of these mobility agents during tips. How will it work. The traffic light system will allow them Adapt in real time to vehicle flow. How will they do it? First, several traffic lights will be installed at the different access points to the roundabout. A total of five tickets distributed in the GR-30 descent, the departure of the Albán Park area, the departure of Fernando de los Ríos Avenue in the Granada direction, the departure from the Health Technology Park and the departure of Fernando de los Ríos Avenue Direction Armilla. The traffic camera system will collect updated information about traffic, and this data will be used so that traffic lights can regulate the circulation opening and closing the tickets to the roundabout according to the congestion zones. A little step towards the inevitable. The case of Granada is particular, since this roundabout will end up in a underground process to completely avoid this decongestion. However, the implementation of smart traffic lights begins to gain more and more strength. Neighboring countries, such as Germany, They started with pilot tests More than two years ago. The result? An improvement between 10 and 15% in the fluidity of traffic, with a scheduled improvement margin up to 30%. Without going as far, in cities like Córdoba There are already traffic lights with artificial intelligencealthough in this case with a system aimed at that pedestrians with reduced mobility can cross more easily. Specifically, if the traffic light detects that we have mobility problems, it is open for a longer time. In Xataka | Spanish traffic lights are more dangerous than the rest for a peculiarity. And the DGT knows Image | Eliobed Suárez

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