measured

Saudi Arabia already knows the real price of Neom and it is not measured in billions, but in barrels of oil at $90

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Saudi Arabia is mired in a paradox that revolves around barrels of oil. Years ago the kingdom launched an ambitious program to reduce its dependence on ‘black gold’, a key element in its accounts and public treasury. Under the name of ‘Vision 2030’ basically proposed to diversify its economy with a rosary of projects which included large urban developments such as Oxagon, Trojena or the famous The Line. The problem is that the swings in the price of crude oil (the same one from which he wants to get away) is complicating the things. So much so that the kingdom has already been forced to moderate its expectations. What has happened? We told you a few days ago: Saudi Arabia has had to rethink the Neom megaprojects, the program with which the kingdom wants to promote works such as Trojena or The Line, a futuristic city 170 km long, 500 m high and 200 meters wide built from scratch in the middle of the desert. According to Financial TimesNeom’s president, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, is now considering a “much smaller” scale. In fact, there is already talk of a drastic cut in The Line and changes also in Trojena. Is it a novelty? Half. Despite the efforts of Saudi Arabia for showing how the works were progressing, the international press has been warning for some time the difficulties (technical, but especially financial) that the kingdom has encountered to carry out its projects. own FT posted a few months ago a report in which he talked about how Neom’s dream is “unraveling.” His last article It goes further however and helps to understand the context. The cuts come after Neom officials commissioned an audit of the project. And although its final conclusions are not yet known, they seem to be strong enough that there are already architects working on the redesign of The Line. Their goal: to turn it into a “modest” project that can take advantage of the infrastructure built in recent years. There is talk of a change in concept, of a Neom that (without giving up the diversification of the Saudi economy) stops focusing on the “cities of the future” to focus on something much more concrete: data centers. The kingdom insists in any case that Neom is a bet that “aims to span generations” and its discourse (at least the public) is far from being defeatist. What is the problem? Beyond the scale and enormous ambition of the projects (only The Line involves building a 170 km city), Riyadh has encountered a perfect storm. Not even her years of waste (or precisely because of them) have prevented her from being forced to rethink some milestones in her initial schedule. The clearest example Trojena leaves it. There, in its ambitious ski resort, the 2029 edition of the Winter Games was going to be held. A few days ago, however, the Asian Olympic Council and its Saudi counterpart announced that the appointment will have to be postponed indefinitely. Financial Times remember that in the medium term the kingdom also has important commitments that will require it to step on the accelerator. The first will arrive with the international fair Expo 2030. The second, with the 2034 World Cup. Click on the image to go to the tweet. And what does the oil look like? If something they usually repeat analysts trying to explain the development of Vision 2030 (and more specifically Neom) is how the price of crude oil is influencing it. The reason is very simple. Although the financing of Vision 2030 does not fall directly into the budget of Saudi Arabia, its implementation does depend on large projects funded by the State. And it receives a large part of its income through oil. Saudi Arabia is the main exporter of crude oil on the planet, which explains that in 2024 this will represent 60% of public income. In general, oil and natural gas accounted for more than 20% of its entire GDP that year. A few months ago Arab Gulg States Institute (AGSI) I remembered that the weight of the oil business in the Government’s tax revenue is today much lower than a decade ago, when it reached 88%, but it has still accounted for close to 63% in recent years. Not only that. Its technicians recognize that the health of Aramco (the Saudi national oil company) is “vital for the health” of the public coffers and the country. Why is it important? By a simple rule of three. The implementation of Vision 2030 depends largely on the Saudi kingdom and its PIF (the Public Investment Fund), sovereign in nature and chaired by Mohammed bin Salman. And the money they receive is closely linked to the progress of the global oil business. In April of last year, in a complicated context, marked by fear of the trade war and differences within OPEC, Reuters warned of how the fall in the price of crude oil would be reflected in Aramco’s dividends… and these, in turn, in the money that would enter the coffers of the Government and the PIF. “The Government and the PIF will receive 32 billion dollars and 6 billion dollars less, respectively,” collected the chronicle signed by Yousef Saba. Already at that time there were experts who pointed out that this snip would take its toll on some of the projects that the kingdom had in its hands. “Saudi Arabia is likely to depend on debt financing and will have to delay or reduce some planned contract awards,” insisted Karen Young of Columbia University, recalling the nation’s deficit. Is there more? Yes. A key fact that in recent months have slipped several analysts and in which affected these days Brad Setser, CFR researcher, following the latest news about Neom and The Line. It is not just a matter of the price of oil rising or falling in the market, it is that Saudi Arabia needs the barrel of Brent to remain at certain … Read more

I have measured the CO2 of my office for weeks. And now religiously vento every hour and a half

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I’ve spent a few weeks trying The Netatmo Meteorological Station In my office, a ten -square -meter cubicle where the workday passed. August in Valencia is brutal: 35 degrees and 75% moisture at noon are normal values. But what I really wanted to verify was not the temperature or moisture. It was the CO2 concentration. The first Monday I started curious. At 8:05 a.m., with an open window and door since Friday, the sensor marked 438 ppm, atmospheric level. I started working. At 9:30 a.m., 455 ppm, minimum increase. Then I closed door and window to simulate winter conditions. Effects of CO2 concentration on the environment. Image: Vobu. At thirty minutes: 802 ppm. An hour later: almost 1,400 ppm. A little later: more than 1,600 ppm. Had already begun to notice That characteristic mental fatigue, that heaviness That a few days blame for fatigue. That inability to do well what you usually do well, mixed with apathy. It is not placebo, there are plenty of studies that support it. As Este de Harvard and Syracuse of 2015: The levels between 1,000 and 2,500 ppm – manner in offices – reduce up to 15% the yield in complex cognitive tasks. In decision -making, Hasdta 23%. I opened the window but not the door. The CO2 dropped from 1,600 to 800 ppm in 25 minutes. The next day, with cross current: same descent in 12 minutes. Half. A difference that did not expect so marked. In a short time, the level returned to 450 ppm. Graph of the Netatmo application during one of the tests: all night with the empty office, beginning of the morning working with everything open. I closed door and window. And when I reached the peak of almost 1,600 ppm, I opened back and window. And the fall was even faster than the climb. Image: Xataka. This shows the Netatmo app interface the CO2 concentration, visually indicating its condition, along with other values. Image: Xataka. Another test. Only opening door or window, the fall is slower than if we open both to create a current. Something we know always, but now we can quantify and assume with greater awareness. Image: Xataka. Netatmo has an error margin of ± 100 ppm up to 1,000 ppm, ± 10% above. It is not laboratory precision, but to understand your home it serves. The important thing is not the exact number but the evolution and its correlation with how you feel. With the passing of the days, varying openings and closures, I began to detect patterns. Ventilating more frequently than usual, sporadic apathy and mental mist. They are directly correlated with air renewal. Which takes me to the next point: The air conditioning. I sensed that I would not improve the concentration of CO2. Indeed: the air moves and cools, but does not renew it. Purifiers would not help except that they have outdoor entrance. They filter particles, do not eliminate gases such as carbon dioxide. When looking at the graph in more detail it is easy to see that by a lot of ventilation and current that there is, a human breathing inevitably increases the concentration of CO2 in the stay, and in a cumulative way. Although within the appropriate values. Around 6:00 h entered a few minutes (climb), I left shortly (low) and then returned to spend the whole morning (go up) until I went to eat (low). As if he had a presence detector. Image: Xataka. Image: Xataka. I brought the netatm to bedroom. Two people sleeping with a closed window and open door: CO2 rose from 450 to 1,100 ppm. Heavy awakening, feeling of not having rested. Next night with open window: maximum 640 ppm. I woke up remarkably clearer. He has convinced me to sleep with open window even in winter. The station measures more: interior/exterior temperature (with the separate module), humidity, barometric pressure, noise. It is expandable with pluviometer and anemometer. Elegant app, indefinite historical, integration Homekit flawless. But living vertically and without garden, for me the real value is in CO2. On the integration with homekit: when CO2 went from 1,100 ppm, this notification reached me in Mac (image) and iPhone. Image: Xataka. And notification on the iPhone. Image: Xataka. I have learned that working with more than 1,000 ppm is to function at 70% cognitive. The problem: do not notice immediately. Like that second cup that you think harmless until you try to add the head account. Now a lot more. Permanently open windows or, when time prevents it, more frequent openings than before. Do you justify 110 euros This learning? If you work in closed spaces, yes. Not for the apparatus, but for the consciousness it generates. He used to ventilate when “noticed the loaded atmosphere.” Now I know that when I notice, I’ve been working badly for an hour. It is the difference between driving with velocimeter or eye. The paradoxical thing is that after three weeks, Netatmo has taught me not to need it. My body has internalized the times and signs. I recognize that very slight ocular heaviness, that subtle friction in words flow. But Without the sensor’s objective data, I would never have developed this sensitivity. It’s like learning to refine an instrument: you first need the fingerboard, then your ear learn to recognize dissonance on its own. Netatmo Wifi Interior Wireless Meteorological Station, with wall, thermometer, hygrometer, soundometer, air quality, compatible with Amazon Alexa, Apple and Google, NWS-AMZ Outstanding image | Xataka In Xataka Science | Can you run out of oxygen if you get into a small room with many people? This device has been assigned to test by Netatmo. You can consult How do we do the reviews in Xataka and Our business relations policy.

We have just measured the longest ray ever registered on Earth: 829 kilometers D

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The rays are huge electrical discharges that in a fraction of second run through the distance between the clouds and the surface of the earth, a distance that can be several kilometers. However, lightning can go to distances a pair of superior magnitude orders. And this is one of those cases. The longest ray. The World Meteorological Organization has confirmed The longest ray observation ever registered. The electric shock toured a distance of 829 kilometers, with a margin of error of about 8 km. To put it in perspective, that is approximately the distance that separates in a straight line Barcelona from Seville. Although the validation by the United Nations Meteorological Office arrived this Thursday, the event occurred almost eight years ago, In October 2017in the United States. The great plains. The ray with its ramifications reached the skies of five states in the central and southern United States. The beginning of his “route” was on the east of the state of Texas, and his end was close to Kansas City, in Missouri. His tour and ramifications also made him pass through the states of Arkansasa, Kansas and Oklahoma. The region of the great plains where lightning was also known as Tornado Alleythe “Alley of Tornados”. This area, the OMM points out, stands out for being one of the areas “with the greatest storm activity known as Mesoescala convective systems”, which also makes it an ideal area for the formation of these “megarrayos.” For 61 km. As explained by the OMM, the new record exceeds 61 km the previous record. That ray also happened in the United States, but later, in April 2020, and reached 768 km, also with a margin of error of 8 km. In both cases, the detection and measurement of these rays was carried out through a method called Maximum Circle Arch. In addition, the OMM emphasizes that the 2017 ray was one of the first events measured with the help of the operational geostationary satellite for the study of the environment of the R (GOES-16) of the NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration). They also explain that this “megary” went unnoticed in a first analysis of the storm, and was not discovered until the review of the data compiled during the stormy episode. Now the details of the analysis carried out by the OMM team have been published In a working document of the Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society. Improving prevention. The study of the rays goes beyond establishing records that feed our curiosity about these violent phenomena. Improving our study tools and knowing these events better is key to reducing the risk they imply in several contexts, from aviation to forest fires. “Rays, although they are a source of astonishment, also constitute a great danger that is charged numerous lives every year worldwide, which makes these phenomena one of the priorities of the international initiative an early warns for all,” pointed in a press release Celeste Saulo, general secretary of the OMM. “This record highlights important issues for public security with respect to electrified clouds, (…) that may have serious repercussions on the aviation sector, as well as cause forest fires.” Carrying the accounts. The OMM is the institution in charge of Register extreme atmospheric events Throughout the world, an archive that has other records protected by great magnitude rays. For examplethe lightest ray registered lasted no less than 17 seconds (17,102 ± 0.002 s, specifically), and was captured in Argentina in June 2020. The direct impact of greater size was recorded in 1975 in Zimbabwe, and cost the lives of 21 people. However, the greatest indirect impact occurred in 1994, in Dronka (Egypt), and resulted in 469 people deceased when causing the fire of oil deposits. In Xataka | Two years ago a cosmic ray hit the earth. No one knows where it came from Image | Pixabay (File image)

Airbus’s last military drone has been designed and manufactured in Spain. Its importance is not measured only in meters of altitude

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Spain has just marked a milestone in the European defense industry. Airbus is over assembly of the first SIRTAPa New Generation Tactical Dron which has been designed and manufactured in the country. It is not just a technical advance: it is a declaration of intentions about the role that is sought to play in the development of strategic technologies. The Sirtap has been assembled at the facilities of Airbus Defense and Space in Getafe. The purchase was formalized by the Ministry of Defense in November 2023, with a request for nine complete systems composed of 27 aircraft and nine control stations on land. It is there where the first prototype has taken shape, and where it is now preparing to start the Test Campaign on Earth. The Spanish set by tactical drones The tests, which will evaluate both the structure and the main components of the system and the software, will be extended during the next months. The goal: to leave it ready for your first flight Before ending 2025at the CEUS DEL INTA trial center, in Huelva. According to Airbus, the new drone has been designed to fly in extreme conditions: it can operate between -40 ° C and 50 ° C, land on unpaid tracks and stay in the air for more than 20 hours in a row. To this is added an operational roof greater than 21,000 feet (6,400 meters), which would make it an ideal platform for long -distance recognition and surveillance missions. What Airbus poses with the Sirtap goes far beyond simple recognition. The drone has been thought of as A modular platform capable of adapt to different missions: You can monitor convoys from the air, act as an armed escort, detect electronic signals, participate in electronic war operations or control borders in hostile environments. It can also be deployed in emergency tasks, such as the search for vessels on the high seas or fire support. One of the most outstanding points of SIRTAP is that it has been designed without components subject to Itar restrictionswhich, according to Airbus, facilitates its export to international markets. This feature, together with its modular architecture, opens the door to future versions adapted to different environments, such as a naval variant or with complete weapons integration. A no less detail is that the system is also designed to interoperate with existing command and control networks. The Sirtap breaks into a segment with Several established actors. Uav like him TACTICAL HERONwith its ability to carry several useful loads simultaneously and operate from semi -sighed clues, or the Bayraktar TB2known for its missions in real combat and more than one million hours of operational flight. We also find al Falco Xplorerwith its autonomy of more than 24 hours and flight roof above 30,000 feet. Given that panorama, Airbus drone proposes a promising combination: Itar restrictions free, modular architecture, interoperability with European systems and operability in extreme conditions. Its focus is not to overcome figures, but to offer an adaptable platform, easily exportable and margin to evolve towards naval or armed versions. He has not yet taken off, but his road map places him as an actor to take into account. Images | Airbus Media Center In Xataka | Otto wants to break molds with the Phantom 3500: Goodbye to the windows for passengers, hello to the immersive screens

We knew that the Spaniards did not shut up or under water. Now a study has measured it: 6.9 seconds

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It has happened to us all. You get into An elevator With four other strangers to climb to the ninth floor of a building and when you go for the second you already feel how a leading silence takes over the cabin, of those who seem to be cut with a knife. Uncomfortable. Annoying. Almost, almost pasty. The same when they introduce you to someone and nobody knows what to say or you just reached a first date. The silent silence. But … does everyone bother equally? A study He has just revealed no. A figure: 6.8 seconds. Yeah You feel uncomfortable When you are surrounded by strangers in a closed and small space and suddenly the silence becomes quiet: you are not alone. A study Prepared by the Online Platform for Language Learning PREPY He has confirmed that this sense of irritation before silence is common, very common. It is so common, in fact, that the vast majority of the 26,700 people from 21 different countries that have surveyed PREPLY in Your study They recognize sharing it. And not just that. Its report concludes that this feeling of restlessness does not take long to generate. On average, it occurs when we have 6.8 seconds without pronouncing or listening to a single word. In the case of the Spaniards they are 6.9. A percentage: 77%. That is the percentage of Spaniards who claim to feel uncomfortable when a conversation dies and no one is able to resume it: 77%almost eight out of ten. There are many, but much less than in other societies even more ‘allergic’ to silence. The palm in that aspect is taken by Brazil, where 85% feel uneasiness to mutism. In Italy they are 75%, in Colombia, 80%, in the US 82%and our French and Portuguese neighbors move between a fork of approximately 70 and 75%. A country: Thailand. The survey De Preply shows that discomfort in the face of prolonged and unwanted silences is a universal feeling. Of course, the key is what we understand by “prolonged silence.” Depending on Culturehabits and customs of each country The span of mutism that we are able to tolerate varies considerably. Two data arrives to check it: in Brazil on average they feel uncomfortable after 5.5 seconds of silence, while in Japan that does not happen until past 8.1. It is not easy PREPLY STUDY It is that our relationship with him is complex. For example, Thailand is the country of the list that to tolerates the most seconds and secondly is also an Asian nation, Japan, with 7.8 seconds. But the third and fourth positions are for European countries: Netherlands, where the brand is 7.4; and Germany (7,3). If we cross the data to 6.2. City Second average before feeling uncomfortable Saragossa 5.79 Valladolid 5.95 Murcia 6.05 Barcelona 6.21 Valencia 6.28 Bilbao 6.29 Palma de Mallorca 6.5 A Coruña 6.55 Las Palmas 6.68 Gijón 6.75 Malaga 6.84 Cordova 6.86 Madrid 7.01 Seville 7.17 Alicante 7.32 Grenade 7.51 Vitoria 7.66 Santa Cruz de Tenerife 8.44 Vigo 8.64 San Sebastián 8.67 A city: San Sebastián. The report is not limited to analyzing countries. It also compares cities. And in the case of Spain it reveals some striking contrasts. According to the data collected by PREPLY, the most tolerant Spaniards to involuntary silences are donostiarras. In San Sebastián they do not feel uncomfortable until past 8.67 seconds, more or less like the vigueses (8,64) and Tenerife (8,44). In the opposite pole are the Zaragozanos, who worry at 5.79 seconds, and the Pucelanos (5.95). A place: the elevators. Not everyone reacts to mutism. And not all places awaken the same sensations. 79% of respondents recognized that the site where they have been found more commonly with pasty and heavy silences are closed spaces, such as elevators. Other situations in which that same sensation abounds are the breakups (73%) and when you maintain a first date with someone (72%). In the list there are other scenarios equally predictable, such as casual talks with strangers, funerals or conflict situations. A situation: the presentations. There is something that seems to be especially uncomfortable: the awkward silences during the Public presentations. 36% of respondents by PREPY recognized that this is the situation in which mutism fear the most, even more than in the first appointments, fights, elevator trips, couple discussions or family gatherings. Where we have more assumed are in the talks with co -workers or when we contact someone online. Images | Baruk Granda In Xataka | This is the most silent room in the world. No one is able to endure an hour in it

MIT has measured for the first time the geometry of electrons in the quantum world

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The paths of quantum physics are inscrutable. In my opinion this appointment of Richard FeynmanNobel Prize in Physics for their contributions to quantum electrodynamics and one of the most admired scientists of the twentieth century, condenses very well The complexity of this discipline: “If you think you understand quantum physics, you don’t really understand quantum physics.” Quantum mechanics study the laws that govern The world of the very smallof the particles, as well as the interactions to which the atomic and subatomic structures are exposed. Most of these rules are radically different from the laws we have become familiar with in the world in which we live. In the macroscopic world. Many physicists have spent the last century trying to understand how known quantum phenomena work, and also striving to identify unknown quantum rules. The problem is that working with the extremely small, with the particles, is very difficult. However, this does not mean that they are not successful. He Mit (Massachusetts Technological Institute) has just been a bit very important. Physicists now better understand the quantum properties of the materials A group of MIT researchers has managed to measure accurately at the quantum level the geometry of electrons in solid materials. Expressed in this way it does not seem much, but it is a very relevant discovery. Until now, physicists had managed to measure the energy and speed acquired by these elementary particles in crystalline materials, but not their geometry at the quantum level. According to Riccardo CominProfessor of Physics at the MIT and leader of this research, “this discovery allows us to understand and manipulate the quantum properties of the materials.” Quantum geometry allows physicists to determine the geometric characteristics of the wave function Before moving forward we are interested in briefly investigating the concept of ‘quantum geometry’ to be able to understand with some precision what we are talking about. Its purpose is to describe the structure of a quantum system such as the forming, for example, by The interaction of electrons In a solid material. In practice this knowledge serves to elaborate a map that describes the probability of finding an electron in a given position. Rigorously this “map” is known as wave function. However, this is not all. Quantum geometry also allows physicists to determine the geometric characteristics of the wave function. This simply means that with this information you can know how precisely the electrons behave in a material and to what extent their properties condition. Quantum geometry helps scientists, in short, to predict the behavior of materials and design new elements or combinations of elements that can be used in aeronautics, Quantum computing or robotics, among many other disciplines. Riccardo Comin assures that “in essence we have done is to develop a plan to obtain completely new information (about the materials) that until now could not be collected.” And Mingu Kang, another of the physicists who have signed the article published in Nature Physics, duck That “this knowledge It can be applied to any type of quantum material“. The technique that these scientists have used to develop their strategy is known as photo emission spectroscopy resolved at an angle. In broad strokes it is an experimental procedure that serves to study the electronic structure of materials in a thorough way and know their fundamental properties. Image | Generated by Xataka with Ia More information | Nature Physics In Xataka | The CERN has an ambitious plan: it wants to demolish the special theory of Einstein’s relativity

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