luxury

there are parking lots full of abandoned luxury supercars

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In the middle of the Dubai desert, where luxury and excess seem to be part of the urban landscape, a legion of supercars that cost hundreds of thousands of dollars but now lie silent. they are abandoned as if they were scrap metal. As you can see in some videos On the subject, those machines are in perfect condition, with intact bodies, unburned tires, but their owners they have abandoned them without looking back. The magnitude of the abandonment. According to a recent statement According to Dubai authorities, between January and June 2025 alone, 1,387 abandoned high-end cars were seized. According to published data by Gulf News2023 resulted in 2,053 vehicles confiscated for this reason. In 2018, this figure was exceeded with 3,577 recalls of high-end cars abandoned to the rigors of the desert. In addition, Dubai City Council has issued 6,187 additional recall notices for other cars that it has detected with clear signs of abandonment in parking lots, streets or areas bordering the airport. Paradoxically, behind the abandonment of these supercars that cost real fortunes, there are economic problems. Why is the city council removing them? The Dubai Municipalitythe competent authority in the urban management of the city, has established protocols for the removal of abandoned vehicles: When a car is parked for a long time without a valid license plate, with flat tires or visibly neglected, a notice is placed on the owner and, if he does not act within the period (between 3 and 15 days), the vehicle is towed to the depot. The purpose is twofold. On the one hand, prevent these vehicles from becoming a source of waste, wildlife or vandalism. But, on the other hand, the authorities want to preserve the image of the city as a clean metropolismodern and orderly and having cars in a clear state of abandonment, no matter how Ferrari, Porsche and even Bugatti, does not give a very good impression. Tap on the photo to go to the original message Living in full luxury…even if it is temporary. Have a tax system very lax and permissive with capital has turned Dubai into a very attractive place for big fortunes and expatriates looking to make their financial breakthrough. This means that the country has become a magnet for workers and investors foreigners who settle temporarily your residence in the United Arab Emirates. As and how they counted in Mojogripsome of these investors and new rich come to the country with the intention of living fast and large, but when their stay ends or their investments do not turn out as expected, selling or exporting a supercar may not be viable. In these cases, the most practical (although therefore less painful) is to abandon them in an open field. at the mercy of the implacable desert. The price of the supercar is the least important. Buying a luxury car in Dubai is almost the least of the problems. In this part of the world, the costs of insurance, maintenance, registration and extreme conditions (sand, heat, seasonal use) mean that the simple fact of having a car in perfect condition is already a huge cost. When these expenses exceed what was expected, some owners who begin to suffer financial problems abandon the idea of ​​​​keeping the vehicle, which is why it is not strange to see a Lamborghini, a Ferrari or a Bentley gathering dust in parking lots of the city’s shopping centers. Dream turns into nightmare. The phenomenon of luxury cars being abandoned in vacant lots and parking lots in Dubai is not something new. But it has intensified when there have been major financial shocks: drops in oil prices, falls in the stock market or, as has been happening lately, the economic uncertainty caused by tariffs that the United States imposes or withdraws for no apparent reason. When this scenario occurs, large investments fluctuate with great intensity, turning many into millionaires, but ruining others. Those supercars covered in desert sand are silent testimony to those fluctuations. Debts, loans and legal consequences. When the economic situation becomes complicated, incurring non-payments or delays is the order of the day. However, in the UAE, defaulting on loan payments or issuing bad checks can lead to serious criminal penalties. That is why, for some owners of those supercars, taking that risk is more expensive than abandoning the vehicle and leaving the country. And why don’t they sell the car to pay off their debts? That is one more condition to leave them behind. The second-hand market for these models does not always compensate for the initial investment: finding a buyer, obtaining the required documentation and transferring ownership. can be complicatedespecially when debts and time are against you. In addition, one of the requirements to execute the sale is that the car be free of financial charges or pending fines. This scenario makes it easy for very high-value cars to become wasteland fodder. In Xataka | Sleeping in the most luxurious room in the world comes at a price. Specifically $100,000 and a flight to Dubai Image | Xataka (Nano Banana)

The luxury goods market is dying of success. The reason: there are too many rich people

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According to the latest report According to Intermon Oxfam, the 10 largest fortunes in the world have increased their assets by 698 billion so far in 2025. However, despite the fact that their fortunes are on the rise, the consumption of luxury goods aimed at this type of consumer has only decreased in the last year. Paradoxically, one of the causes of this decrease in sales would be the increase in the number of millionaires that have been created in recent years. The luxury market has hit the brakes. In 2024, the global luxury products market recorded a drop of 2% compared to the previous year, marking the first decline in fifteen years. Prices and sales of goods such as luxury watches, exclusive mansions, art and liquor have stopped growing and, in many cases, have stagnated or reduced. For example, the index Knight Frank’s luxury investment portfolio (KFLII), which takes into account the market value of these luxury consumer products, has increased by 72.6% in the last 10 years. But if we take the percentage of the last two years we see that in 2023 it fell by 6.6%, while in 2024 it fell by 3.3%. That is, to try to alleviate the drop in sales, luxury product brands have lowered their prices. This drop in sales of luxury products has been noticed in groups like LVMHwhich has been experiencing negative numbers in its wine and spirits division since 2023. Has all luxury gone down equally? However, as how they stand out in The Economistnot all luxury has decreased in the same proportion. A look at the Wealth Report 2025 from the consulting firm Knight Frank gives us a clear picture that only a certain type of luxury goods have fallen, while others, much more exclusive and inaccessible They have continued to grow at the same pace. For example, the high end cars have continued to increase their prices at a rate of 1.2%, as have leather bags from exclusive brands, such as those manufactured by Hermès, which have also maintained their upward trend at a rate of 2.8%. Even a market as bullish as real estate has been altered by the turbulence in the luxury market, reducing its growth rate to just 0.7%. Changes in the perception of luxury. If the data says that in 2025 not only have increased the number of millionaires but those that 1% of the population each time it’s richer Why have sales of luxury products decreased? The answer lies in Thorstein Veblen, an economist of the late 19th century, who in his book “The theory of the leisure class“has already defined that real luxury depends on its scarcity and exclusivity. This theory maintains that, if a luxury good is accessible for many peopleit is no longer perceived as exclusive and loses its value. Therefore, as the number of people who, for example, can pay 200 euros for a bottle of wine increases, it is no longer perceived as an exclusive luxury product and its price is devalued. It’s something similar is happening in the industry luxury fashionwhere “more affordable” brands such as Gucci, Burberry recorded drops in sales of between 15 and 30% while the most exclusive and inaccessiblesuch as Louis Vuitton or Christian Dior, suffered more contained falls of around 1.7%. Scarcity is the hand that rocks the luxury market. You can’t go to a Hermès store and buy the last Birkin without further adoin the same way as Ferrari makes you wait its millionaire clients more than two years to drive their car. This is not because of a production problem, but because tight control of the amount of product that is put on the market for it to exist a permanent shortage. This scarcity not only maintains the price in the store, but also keeps it above those that have already been sold, ensuring that their value not only does not go down, but that it increases because of this “exclusivity” caused by scarcity. If it is mainstreamit is no longer luxury. That concept is what is making some supercar manufacturers they are overturning in creating special editions and even editions One-off to take the concept of exclusivity a little further. Reason that explains that, for example, the invoices for some of these supercars double the price of the base car due to the customizations that are applied to them to make them even more exclusive. The new forms of luxury: exclusive experiences. Just as I pointed out a study of Bain & Company at the end of 2024, the luxury customer is moving away from those products that are no longer exclusive, and is now betting on something that does maintain that exclusivity: the luxury experiences. The Economist quote thatFor example, a night at the Le Bristol hotel in Paris costs twice as much today as it did four years ago. Likewise, tickets for the 2026 World Cup final to be played at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, they have doubled their price compared to previous finals, with prices ranging between $2,030 and $6,730, although on the resale market They can exceed $25,000. Something that is also common in top-level events such as the SuperBowl or the NBA finals. In Xataka | There is someone playing a gigantic game of Monopoly with real houses and in front of our eyes: Jeff Bezos Image | Unsplash (Jonathan Francisca)

There are so many people in Madrid that even its surroundings are being touristized with luxury hotels. And that raises suspicions

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Navalagamella is a town of just over 3,000 inhabitants located in the Community of Madrid that has been grabbing headlines for years for a peculiar reason: there, on the southern slope of the Cerro Alarcón reservoirbetween pine forests and holm oaks, a luxury hotel is about to be built with more than 60 roomsrestaurants, sports center and gym, among other services. A complex dedicated to relaxation located less than an hour from Madrid and which arrives preceded by the controversy. His interest, however, transcends Navalagamella. In a place in Madrid… More specifically in the southern slope of the Cerro de Alarcón reservoir, in Navalagamella, near Valdemorillo, a new luxury hotel which has come preceded by controversy. For his defenders It will boost the town’s economy, promoting “quality” tourism and generating more than a hundred jobs. For its detractors, it is an error that will have a negative impact in the environment and raises doubts about how it will affect issues as basic as water supply and treatment or traffic. More than an infographic. The project is not exactly new. In fact takes years talking about the Vivood chain’s plans to set up a large resort in the heart of Madrid’s mountains, less than an hour’s drive from the capital. The novelty, the reason why it has rung againit is because it has begun to take shape. In September the Navalagamella City Council launched a statement to announce the start of works on Cerro de Alarcón and the demolition of the old yacht club. The Newspaper assures In fact, preliminary felling has already been carried out, which will allow work to start at any time. The Consistory has not been the only one to speak out. Shortly after Ecologists in Action raised his voice to underline two other ideas. First to warn that, despite the initial commitment of the promoters to “respect the trees”, oaks, pines and cedars have already been cut down. Second (more serious) to insist that the work has started under a license granted by the City Council in July despite the fact that the appeal for a previous license is still pending in the courts. A “Landscape Hotel”. The project has not only caused people to talk because of the controversy that preceded it. It also stands out for its proposal. The future complex of the Vivood chain moves away from the traditional concept of a vertical hotel and opts for a horizontal construction, made up of small pieces spread across the mountain. EPE speaks specifically 55 bungalows and villas with 66 rooms, as well as restaurants, a sports club and beach clubpier and parking. The idea is to use mineral mortars, treated stone, materials that integrate the buildings into the environment. When announcing the start of the works, the Navalagamella City Council spoke in fact of a “Hotel-Landscape in Cerro de Alarcón”. Vivood already has a similar complex in Benimantell. “We were very clear about our essence: betting on a different luxury, based on disconnection, silence, relaxation… This is what we have been doing in Alicante”, explained in June 2023 to Idealista the CEO and founder of the company, Daniel Mayo. Right or wrong? Significant projects usually arouse as much criticism as they do enthusiasm. And the future luxury hotel in Navalagamella is no exception. For the City Council It will “promote” the region as a “quality tourist destination”, generate employment, promote training in the sector and “contribute significantly to local economic development.” According to the calculations managed, the project will create more than 150 positions. Regarding the legal framework of the works, he insists that the hotel has all the permits, including environmental reports. “It remains to be seen what costs it will have”. Not everyone shares his optimism. On the contrary, Ecologists in Action remember that the complex will be located next to a Special Protection Area for Birds and warns that the works have destroyed trees and threaten to cause an even greater impact. “The hotel will have the possibility of hosting and celebrating mass events, with the consequent noise pollution and its negative effects on the local species,” warns the environmental group, which insists that the project fails to comply with the Habitats Directive and will also cause “inconvenience” for those who already reside in the area. Among other issues, it warns about the demand for water and traffic. Recently EPE visited the region to talk to neighbors who also have doubts about the real impact of the hotel. There is concern that it will end the tranquility that the inhabitants of the residences of Cerro Alarcón or how it will affect neighboring towns. “The most affected road would be the one that connects the town with the urbanization, and it remains to be seen what costs this story will have for the Valdemorillo City Council,” Julia reflectsa neighbor of the area. The backdrop. The Navalagamella project stands out for something else. One of its main attractions is its proximity to Madrid, a city that lives its own tourist boom and offers a potential market with thousands of families eager to have weekend options without having to travel hundreds of kilometers. The future Cerro Alarcón hotel reflects the interest (and enormous potential) aroused by rural Madrid in the mountains and pre-mountains. Also the challenges that this brings for the environment or public services in areas with a now limited population, as is the case in Navalagamella, where they live. 3,100 people. Images | Navalagamella Town Hall Via | The Spanish Newspaper In Xataka | The coast of Huelva has been touristed for decades. Now one of its last virgin areas will become a megaurbanization

Fed up with excessive luxury, social media users turn to normality: creators with everyday lives

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A recent television controversy with the content creator @supaa97 has put on the table a series of issues that are perhaps at the opposite end of the topics we always talk about in reference to the influencers (fortunesluxuries, excesses): can content be created from absolute normality? Is that close to normalizing precariousness? And if it does, is it a problem? The Suyapa case. The controversy started, just as Suyapa says (which is his real name), when he agreed to do an interview for ‘Public Mirror’ to comment a video of your profile in which she told how she lived in a single room with her husband and son, and was classified as a “Poverty Influencer”, along with users who make videos with unboxings of government aid. Suyapa has stated that she is far from that type of content, and although it is true that she lives in very modest conditions in a single room, she earns her living by working as a cleaner and without resorting to aid, so she could not be included in a category of poverty. The appeal of normality. Suyapa makes a type of content closer to normcore (which is still a label created from top to bottom): these types of profiles share ordinary activities (from choosing simple and functional clothing to routines such as making a coffee, taking care of a pet or sharing morning tasks) moving away from the cult of luxury or drama that predominates in other digital spheres. They embrace simplicity and naturalness in both fashion and lifestyle: basic garments, discreet brands, homey environments and a staging that is not aspirational but friendly and accessible. He normcore as a label. This type of content is sometimes, as we say, a reaction to more luxurious and frivolous creators. If it arises spontaneously, because the creator does not ascend the social scale even if he wants to (as happens with Suyapa), or as a voluntary limitation, it is another question where you can talk about posture. That is to say, sometimes normcore is a false normality that arises as a reaction to luxury saturation. A more relaxed visual narrative is artificially sought, where the emotional connection is based on trust, identification and everyday honesty, but sometimes it is also a pose that seeks, paradoxically, to convey an image of coherence and credibility. What did they think it was? What ‘Espejo Público’ alluded to and where it mistakenly included @suyapaa97 was in a different type of phenomenon that we know as “pornomiseria” or “poverty porn”, which has two aspects: on the one hand, influencers on social networks that viralize acts of charity towards people in poverty to monetize these contents through likes, views and donations. One of the best known cases is that of Jimmy Dartswho with more than 12 million followers on TikTok, makes videos with homeless people, testing their honesty or proposing challenges. It is a controversial format that has a large number of ethical implications, even though influencers reward the people they portray with a large amount of money, as detailed this article. Something similar happens with amateur journalists who, under the pretext of portraying poverty and misery, create sensationalist content, a format whose origins date back to the seventies and that again has very complex moral connotations. Yonfluencers: from normality to luxury, and back again. Recentlythe rejection of social media consumers to the exaggerated and elitist display of luxury into which many have fallen influencers has made me think in how the perception we have of this type of content creators has changed. Many of them began as a daily reflection of our lives and as they earned money and followers, they distanced themselves from reality, generating a certain aversion from those who followed them for being a close and identifiable replica. That’s why content creators like Suyapa work, who have to overcome obstacles that are easy to identify with: tightening their belts to make ends meet, juggling time off from work or looking for affordable forms of leisure are some of the problems that the vast majority of people face. In Xataka | The influencer María Pombo defends her right not to read. And by the way, it raises an interesting controversy about habits

the new great vein of the luxury market

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If there are wine lists, if there are sommeliers specialized in liquor, if there are people willing to spend hundreds of euros on bottles of whiskey, vodka or a good Port… Why wouldn’t exactly the same thing happen with water? It may sound strange if we take into account that water is (by definition) a “tasteless” liquid, but for some time it has been encouraging a premium market that already aspires to mobilize more than 56 billion of dollars in just a few years. Curiously (or not) the phenomenon coincides with a complex scenario for alcohol, which suffers a particular crisis among the new generations. Premium water? Exact. Water is by definition (at least for the RAE) a “clear, colorless, odorless and tasteless” liquid, but that does not mean that all waters are identical. In the same way that not all wines, whiskeys, vodkas or beers are. And the proof is that in recent years a powerful, growing and, above all, lucrative premium H2O market has been taking shape. It may not be particularly well-known or as widespread as the wine or beer market, but a quick search comes in to see if it is. in full expansion global. And that Spain does not remain alien to the trend. Is it that obvious? Yes. And no. The demand for premium water is still light years away from that of other drinks, but it has been gaining followers and making its way into the market for some time. Good proof is that in recent days media outlets such as the Americans have dedicated reports to him. The Wall Street Journal and Foxthe British Guardian or the south korean The Chosun Daily. They talk about bottles ranging from 11 to 95 dollars (in reality there are bottles a lot much more expensive), restaurants with extensive H2O menus or sommeliers specializing in water. Are there figures? Yes. As a figure always says more than extensive explanations, it is good to take a look at the study ‘Premium Bottled Water Market’published in February by the Research & Markets platform. It contains some data that gives an idea of ​​the scope and, above all, the projection of the global market for what are considered ‘delicatessen waters’. According to its authors, last year it was close to 36.2 billion dollars and the forecasts call for it to continue growing at a compound annual rate of 7.5% until it exceeds 56 billion in 2030. What’s more, in a report dedicated to the demand for premium waters in the United States, Natasha Dangoor, of The Wall Street Journalexplains that right now there are some restaurants already billing $100,000 annually through the sale of water. Specifically, the business newspaper cites a restaurant in Los Angeles that offers its clientele an extensive menu that includes liquids bottled in places like Australia or Armenia and sold for $11 or $13. Of course the place also offers tap water from Los Angeles at no cost. Is it something widespread? Although the analysis from Research & Markets show a clearly rising market that is still far from other more conventional ones, such as wine, whiskey or beer. According to WSJin the entire United States there are only a dozen restaurants that offer a water menu as such, although experts already predict that this number will probably grow little by little. There are similar premises in Italy, Denmark, the United Kingdom or Spain. In fact Wall Street Journal place here (more specifically in Galicia) the business with the most extensive water menu in the world. The restaurant in question is called O Lar do Leitónis located in Ourense, and for years was already presented as the establishment of its type with the largest supply of water bottles on the entire planet. You don’t have to imagine it. His full menu of H2O can be consulted online. Do you only go to restaurants? At all. The fever for premium waters does not only affect hoteliers. There are also sommeliers, platforms specialized and international competitionslike the one recently held in Atlanta (Georgia, USA), where more than a hundred waters from 35 countries competed for the title of best water. Those responsible for issuing the ruling? Judges capable of appreciating aspects such as the aroma or taste of different types of water, no matter how much the RAE insists on define the liquid as an odorless and tasteless substance. The market has reached a sufficient level of maturity to have already been involved in the occasional scandal capable of crossing borders, such as the one that occurred recently. in France by the popular water brand Perrier. But… Why that boom? The million dollar question. Why this interest in water? What leads someone to spend tens or hundreds of euros on a bottle of an apparently tasteless liquid? That question he had it done not long ago Simon Usborne, a reporter who visited a place in Cheshire (United Kingdom) specialized in water to try different types of liquid and above all evaluate aspects such as nuances of flavor or how the liquids pair with each meal. “I take a sip before I drink. It’s a strange feeling,” Usbourne relates after ordering a 12-pound bottle filled with water collected in the Piedmont region. “It is so soft and smooth that it almost slides, instead of flowing, over my tongue (…). When after a bite of crab I take another sip, the dryness disappears and the water enhances the creaminess of the crab. It works curiously well.” The keyhe points out, is in the minerals, the dissolved solids (TDS)such as sodium, calcium, magnesium and potassium. Their differences explain why nuances are appreciated in the water (a sweet, bitter, acidic flavor…), but above all that there are better or worse options depending on the type of dishes we are going to eat, whether it is more or less heavy. Of course, no adding lemon slices or ice cubes to the glass. Are there more reasons? There is who relates interest … Read more

a million-dollar luxury yacht sank just 200 meters from the dock

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What should have been a day to celebrate ended in disaster off the Turkish coast. A luxury yacht, valued at approximately one million dollars, sank for only 15 minutes after its launch in the Black Sea. The boat disappeared underwater just a few meters from the shore, while the owner and his crew managed to swim to land without major problems and without suffering any damage. The boat simply floated…but just a little. An ephemeral joy The ship called Dolce Ventowas going to be a nautical jewel, but a video that has gone viral due to the paradoxical nature of what happened shows that even the most expensive and luxurious projects can fail unexpectedly.

On the outskirts of Madrid there is a luxury shopping paradise for tourists. And 2025 is going to be its best year

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Las Rozas Village, the luxury sales center located on the outskirts of Madrid, is preparing to close its best year in its 25-year history. In an interview For the CincoDías media, Esteban Liang, business director of the sales center, stated that they will exceed five million customers and will achieve “single-digit sales growth”, a modest figure in appearance but that they consider exceptional compared to a textile sector that stagnated in 2024 and has fallen 1.8% until September. The secret: the international tourismespecially Latin American and American, which already represents 30% of its turnover. New clientele. In just six years, the profile of the buyer in Las Rozas Village has changed radically. China, which in 2019 was the center’s most important source market, has fallen to third place. According to Liang, Mexico and the Middle East have become the new protagonists. Mexican customers lead both in volume and spending, with an average ticket of 690 euros per traveler, the highest of all markets. As Liang tells the outlet, between 2022 and 2024, tax-free sales to customers outside the euro zone doubled, with Mexicans in the lead. Why did the map change?. The manager explains that “there has been an exponential growth of the middle class in China, whose expectations have been frustrated by the economic crisis.” This has caused Chinese consumers to travel within their country or to nearby markets such as Japan, in addition to increasing their preference for local brands. Meanwhile, the massive arrival of luxury hotels from American chains to Madrid has boosted the flow of American travelers, according to Liang. The director remembers that before there were only three large luxury hotels in Madrid and now there are 35, with another ten under construction. The balance that sustains the business. Despite the good moment in tourism, for Liang, the national market continues to be essential and represents 70% of clients. “They are no longer only from Madrid. They also come from Valencia, Valladolid or Málaga thanks to the improvement in railway connections,” says the manager. The diversification strategy has allowed the outlet to maintain growth even in a context of economic cooling in Europe, America and the Middle East, according to the medium counts. The last quarter of the year concentrates up to 35% of annual turnover thanks to key dates such as Halloween, Black Friday and Christmas, where the Spanish consumer takes on special relevance. Renew to continue growing. As explains In the middle, Las Rozas Village has also discovered opportunities in the deseasonalization of Madrid tourism. “Before, in the summer, the capital emptied. For two or three years we have discovered an opportunity to continue growing,” says Liang. In addition, as the manager says, the center has incorporated new brands aimed at generation Z to expand its audience. The center has more than 100 open-air boutiques housing luxury brands. And its outlet has been attracting a whole mass of deep-pocketed tourists for 25 years, knowing how to attract the international public with good discounts. Cover image | L35 Architects In Xataka | More and more cities are stopping the creation of tourist apartments. Alicante has proposed to be its spearhead

The founder of WhatsApp thought he lived in luxury. In reality I was surrounded by fakes and trinkets

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The world of millionaires is full of stories of betrayal, disloyalty and fortune hunters who seek to profit from economic tranquility of the 1% of the population whose pulse is not altered by paying 20,000 euros for a chair. Jan Koum, one of the founders of WhatsApp, has recently been the victim of one of these abuses. The millionaire has demanded to the interior designer who decorated a good part of his mansions and their yachts for scamming him with furniture and other decorative objects, which he passed off as luxury pieces, when in reality they were nothing more than crude imitations at best. They also give millionaires a hard time According what was published by the British Dailymail, The co-founder of WhatsApp is immersed in a legal battle with the French interior designer Remi Tessier, accused of selling him counterfeit luxury products and of applying extra costs on the decoration bills for his mansions and superyachts. The dispute arose when Koum discovered that several pieces he purchased through Tessier were simple imitations that neither had the expected quality of a luxury piece nor the price of a piece of junk. The interior designer’s scam ranged from designer furniture to rugs made by hand by artisans with a centuries-old tradition, who later turned out not to be artisans. According to published data by luxurylaunchesthe complaint details that the millionaire paid extra costs of between 10% and 20% on purchases made through his interior designer. An example would be a luxury chair for which the magnate paid 19,550 euros instead of the 12,400 euros it cost in the store, or the 1,731 euros he paid for a glassware set that actually cost just over 1,000 euros. What is even more serious is that the scam by his interior designer was not limited to adding a bite in his favor, the matter escalated when in charge of decorating the interior of his properties he was billed 642,000 euros for a supposed set of pashmina rugs that were supposedly made by hand. As revealed in the documents attached to the lawsuit, the rugs were be fakes Made with low-cost synthetic materials that did not cost even half of what the millionaire paid for them. The lawsuit also revealed somewhat more complex practices to deceive the millionaire. One of them was to transform prices between dollars and euros to benefit from exchange differences. Bites left and right According to collect he New York PostTessier helped decorate five of the millionaire’s homes, and from his studio in Paris, where he employs 15 people, Tessier decorates the homes and yachts of some of the richest people in the world. Among his billionaire clients are names as Larry Ellison and Ken Griffin, who are suspected of having also applied cost overruns showing a “predatory pattern,” as the lawsuit specifies. However, Tessier not only inflated his customers’ invoices, but also demanded commissions from the distributors who provided them with the products. The lawsuit indicates that the French interior designer convinced the millionaire of Ukrainian origin to buy a Picasso valued at 7.8 million dollars. On this occasion, the painting was authentic, as were the $600,000 that Tessier pocketed in a hidden payment from the gallery that sold it and that was never communicated to the millionaire. Jan Koum, has manifested that this lawsuit is not about personal gain, ensuring that any economic recovery will be donated to charities in France. “It’s about protecting others,” said Orin Snyder, Koum’s attorney in this case. According to the British media. Designer Remi Tessier rejected the accusations of fraud, claiming to have acted with respect towards Koum and reproaching the decision to take the matter to trial. “I reject all allegations against me. I have always treated Jan with the utmost respect and protected his privacy. I am surprised he took this action.” In Xataka | A businessman built a mega mansion without permission: the neighbors have gotten the city council to demolish it Image | Flickr (Hubert Burda Media), Unsplash (Kam Idris)

There is a perfect storm with AI and data centers. And it will cause the DRAM and Nand memories to become a luxury

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A remarkable rebound to the prices of NAND memories (used in SSD units) and the drams of our PCs and laptops is coming. For two years users We have benefited From a time of bonanza in these components, but that ends. And the AI ​​and fever has the fault to create more and more data centers. When the memoirs were cheap. In March 2023 The prices of the NAND and dram memories were falling to lead. The pandemia had caused an extraordinary demand, but once the confinement ended, the situation was invested. The manufacturers had produced too much – waiting for the demand to remain – and found an exaggerated inventory. People no longer wanted so many memory modules or so many SSD units, and prices collapsed. AI changes everything (and this, too). The effects of that imbalance have been extended for two years, but the arrival of Chatgpt caused a Fever by the AI ​​that has ended up causing another fever: that of the data centers. These facilities use thousands of GPUS and these GPUS make use of huge amounts of memory. Above all, HBM memories that Since its creation They were oriented to business applications: they were much more expensive, but also much more powerful. Price evolution of SSD Samsung 980 Pro of 1 TB. In mid -2023 the units raised their lowest price. From there, the price began to rise. Source: Camelcamelcamel. Price increases will go to more. SSD units such as Samsung 980 Pro of 1 TB are a good example of what is happening. In Camelcamelcamel We can see that evolution of prices that marks minimal in mid -2023 and then rise. These units have been replaced by the 990 pro of 1 TB with an evolution less pronounced in the increasestrue (in fact, it is around 100 euros, an interesting price), but everything indicates that this curve will soon follow the tendency of its predecessor. The forecasts of the Trendforce consultant are clear: the DRAM and NAND memories are going to climb a lot and very fast. And the DRAM memories will also go up. The prediction is the same for the DRAM memories market that, for example, are used in the DDR4 and DDR5 memory modules of our PCs and laptops. According to Trendforce In the third quarter of 2025 – which has just begun – we will see a rise of more than 40% in DDR4 memory modules. In the case of GDDR5 memories we will have a break and the climb will reach 8%. Most expensive pcs and gaming. This type of increases especially affects the end users who buy PCs and laptops to work, but also to play. Memory modules for graphics cards will also notice this quarter notably according to Trendforce. The GDDR6 memories will do it up to 33% and the GDDR7 up to 10% according to their estimates. HBM memories to power. Data centers that now all large technological ones are rushing to build need huge amounts of memory, and that is conditioning the balance between supply and demand both in the business market and in the market for end users. In fact, memory manufacturers are increasingly focusing on focusing production on HBM memories – used in AI accelerators – and leaving traditional DRAM and Nand memories. Micron points out that its production of HBM modules for all 2026 It is already soldand SK Hynix seems to be in a similar situation: the demand for these modules is extraordinary. The Raspberry Pi as an example. We are already seeing the consequences of this type of movements. The Raspberry Pi, who had gathered memory modules during the bonanza season, were forced to raise the prices of the new models a few days ago for the shortage of memory. Thus, the Raspberry Pi Compute Module 4 and 5 in their 4 GB variants rose five dollars, and those of 8 GB rose 10 dollars. The company’s own CEO, Eben Upton, explained that “memory costs about 120% more than it cost a year ago.” Why not create more memoirs? The solution seems obvious: if more memories are needed, more factories should be created. However, manufacturers are reluctant to this for several reasons. The first, the enormous cost of these plants, which amounts to tens of billions of dollars. The second, that these factories take years in come to produce. And the third, who do not want there is a “AI bubble” and this explodes would make them meet again with an exaggerated inventory and some factories that they no longer need. Bad matter. Image | Samsung In Xataka | Samsung has its greatest competitor at home. His future with the chips depends on his rivalry with SK Hynix

Bathing in Rome was not a priority. Until the elites of the empire discovered the luxury of the Termas de Trajan

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At present, daily hygiene is (or it should beat least) something we assume with total normality. But in the times of the Republic of Rome, the bathroom was not considered as A priority. The Personal hygiene It consisted of little more than washing your arms once a day and the rest of the body every nine or ten days. At the end of the 1st century, a new trend inspired by classical Greece was gaining importance among the privileged classes of Rome, which began to build spaces dedicated to the pleasures of the bathroom in its lavish villas. The ones were born Balnea that worshiped to the Salutem per Aquam or health through water. Submerging in water bathtubs at different temperature went from being a mere practical requirement to wash, something more playful that fit as a glove with the enjoyment of the patricians and other wealthy class. The challenge: get the greatest and most luxurious hot springs of the empire Marco Vipsanio Agrippa was the first ruler of Rome to which it occurred to build a huge Balneum in the Mars field as a meeting and entertainment place for the citizens of Rome. However, unlike Balneumwhich were deprived, these public water baths will receive the name of Themaereaching Our days like Termas. Agrippa, without knowing it, had started a career with its predecessors in which each new ruler wanted to leave their mark with some larger, more luxurious and most ostentatious hot springs than those of his predecessor. Trajan, as a good Sevillianhe knew the benefits of a good bath to cool off the heats and relax at the end of the day, so he entered the rag in the competition by building an authentic architectural and technological wonder of the ancient world. Ruins of the Termas de Trajan If we could Travel in time to ancient Romewe would meet the sumptuous Trajan Termas. Considered as An architectural wonder delivered to the luxury and well -being of those who visited it. These places offered numerous attractions for the entertainment and health of citizens: saunas, bath pools, Palestras, libraries, porches and gardens decorated with everything luxury of detail. However, although in most cases the cost of the entrance was available to the majority of citizens of Rome, only the wealthiest and powerful could pay all the pleasures and luxury offered by these facilities. The hot springs were inaugurated in the Oppio hill in 109 AD covering the void of public bathrooms left by the fire of the Domus Aureaof Emperor Nero. The Trajan Termas They were a real display of architectural innovation that Integrated the latest in Roman air conditioning technology and opulence in the decorations and mosaics. Mosaic with sandals in hot springs. “Salvom Lavisse”, a bath is good for you In the structure of its construction it was innovated with the development of lighter materials to achieve a equally resistant concretebut much lighter and permissive with heat based on volcanic rock either Tufo Giallo. The wooden structures, which served as fuel for the previous hot springs, were replaced by slender advocated ceilings and large interior spaces. The whole occupied the triple of the surface that its predecessor with some 111,000 square meters of luxury dedicated to body cult. The water supply was guaranteed by a complex aqueduct that brought the water from different sources of the Bracciano lake located 40 km from Rome, and was stored in huge deposits near the theater enclosure with a capacity of eight million liters of water. Trajan thermal complex plant Enjoy a bath in that sumptuous temple dedicated to hygiene and health was A luxurious and relaxing experience. The thermal complex was designed with an impressive architecture and offered a wide range of services and comforts to enjoy. The operation Upon entering, he passed by the NATATIO A large pool with which the first visual contact with the water was had, but that was visited until the end. Before, it should be passed through the APODYTERIA or common dressing rooms. From that point, the visitor passed to the Palestra Fully naked or smeared in essential oils to worship the body exercising the muscles or participating in ball games. Moment that many used to achieve political favors or influences between high society. Columns on which the ground rested. Eustolian house. Cyprus Then, the Thermal circuit It continued through heated rooms with an elaborate system in which the exposure of the sun’s rays was combined through large double windows, and a system of “radiant soil” raised on a series of columns that was heated by the circulation of hot air under the ground, the walls and the vaults. The wealthiest could enjoy massage services with scented oils and ointments and even body hair removal executed by slaves Hot water pools (Caldolarium) and temperate (Tepidarium) were conditioned using the same underground boilers with which the air that acclimatized the entire enclosure was heated. These boilers warmed a large bronze container with inverted turtle shell that came into contact with the base of the bathtub Caldolarium and circulated hot water by convection until The whole pool had the same temperature. Maximum resources optimization, with the same fire air and water heated. The thermal circuit ended with a bathroom in the four cold water pools of the huge central basilica of the Termas de Trajan. In them you could share the bathroom, the conversation (or what arises) with the rest of the hot springs, it was already allowed entry of both men and women. The route ended in the NATATIO who welcomed the visitor. This was one outdoor pool With an approximate depth of one meter, with which the visitor left his luxury and well -being reverie to return to his routine, which Rome did not do in one day. Unfortunately, fate wanted all this wonder of ancient Rome to succumb under a fire. An even greater project emerged from its ashes: the hot springs of Emperor Caracalla … but that is another story. In Xataka … Read more

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