Millions

Madrid Metro has spent millions on advanced machines to cover them like shacks

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It was February 14, 2024 when the Community of Madrid confirmed the last investment with which he was going to get married had been committed: 145 ticket vending machines to access the Madrid underground. The deployment came in large numbers. The almost one hundred and a half devices are part of the second phase of the Metro Technological Improvement Planan investment that also includes, for example, the renovation of hundreds of Metro access turnstiles. The investment tries to give a new face to facilities that are beginning to become small after not having received large investments in the last 20 years. Now, line 6 is being modernized, line 11 is being expanded and the stations are receiving new equipment to adapt to the new transport titles. Click on the image to go to the original tweet Equipment that, in the case of these machines, will be deployed in 19 stations. The first ones, boasted the account of X of the Madrid Metrothey arrived this same week. The leap in quality is evident: 42-inch high-definition screens and even the possibility of opening a video call with Metro services to ask for help if any complications arise. Latest technology devices to be distributed at some of the busiest Metro stations in the capital such as those at the airport, Nuevos Ministerios, Feria de Madrid or Príncipe Pío, among others. Very advanced machines with “Metta’s 4.0 technology,”in the words of the company itself. Machines to which Metro de Madrid has had to put a plastic umbrella. And of course, they have unleashed mockery on social networks. 7.7 million euros and a piece of plastic “It’s plastic. Greetings” This has been the answer that the Madrid Metro has given X to a multitude of users who have asked why the company has put uralite umbrellas on its newest and most advanced machines. Despite describing the innovations and advantages of these machines, many users have focused on that plastic appendage that appears at the top of the machine. An appendix that, without a doubt, is reminiscent of the uralite roofs, everything must be said. Indeed, we could continue with the concise answers of how the person behind the social networks of the Madrid Metro has tried to appease the responses to the shabby difficult to explain solution that the company has used to protect its machines. Madrid Metro has defended itself reiterating that this plastic roof has been installed because the station is leaking. Some leaks that, according to the company, are not its responsibility and, therefore, for the moment the machines will be protected with this particular umbrella for as long as necessary. Meanwhile, Madrid Metro users will be able to use “the intelligent keyboard for destination selection” with “natural language recognition capacity” that the devices have. They can establish a video call with the operators if they need telematic help and they can even obtain new transportation tickets to travel. Of course, we recommend that users open the umbrella. There are leaks. Photo | Madrid Metro In Xataka | 1,500 tons in weight, 100 meters long and one objective: excavate Metro Line 11 in Carabanchel

millions of computers will end up in the trash

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On October 14th the end of support for Windows 10. This is bad news from a security point of view because it leaves millions of computers without security updates. There is another reason that makes Microsoft’s decision a terrible idea: the enormous amount of garbage that will be generated. what has happened. Microsoft has ended support for Windows 10 ten years after its launch. It seems like a longer period, the problem is that there are still many people using this version. In addition to the risk to the safety of this equipment, in 404media They highlight the environmental issue. Although not everyone who has a Windows 10 computer is going to throw it away the same day support ends, the decision will cause many to end up renewing their computers for this reason. There is also the particular case of large organizations, such as educational or government centers, that probably have regulations that prevent them from using outdated equipment, so they will have to renew them en masse. Why is it important. When Microsoft decided to end support for Windows 8, the version only had a 4% market share. The problem is that Windows 10 is installed on 43% of devices, which in concrete numbers is 400 million computers. The consumer organization PIRG warns that such a large amount of equipment has never been left unsupported at once and they estimate that it could translate into 800 million tons of electronic waste. E-waste. Electronic waste is a threat to the environment. According to the WHOincorrect disposal of this type of product can release up to 1,000 chemicals, many of them toxic such as lead or mercury. Extending the useful life of electronic devices has become a central issue in the environmental debate, which has prompted the creation of laws such as the right to repair, already in force in the European Union. Half solutions. Microsoft’s solution was for us to pay 30 euros to continue receiving security updates. A few days ago, the company launched a lifeline to users who want to continue using Windows 10 extending security patches for another year, although it had small print. In Europe it is relatively easy to do it, but in the United States it is more complicated because it requires using Windows Backup or use 1,000 program points Microsoft Rewards. The easiest way to secure your computers is to upgrade to Windows 11. The problem is that there are certain technical requirements and many computers do not meet them, although There are methods to install it anyway. Easy targets. There is another problem and that is security. we all remember the Wannacry ransomware disaster in 2017. It impacted numerous companies globally and had its origin in a vulnerability in older versions of Windows, specifically Windows XP and Windows Server 2003. The end of security updates leaves millions of Windows 10 users vulnerable to attacks like this. Image | Wikipedia In Xataka | We are preparing to say goodbye to Windows 10, but part of the US air traffic control still works with floppy disks and Windows 95

Millions of users used the legendary Windows XP key “FCKGW-RHQQ2-YXRKT-8TG6W-2B7Q8”. Now we know its origin

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Many users – and I included myself – almost knew by heart the activation key for Windows XP“FCKGW-RHQQ2-YXRKT-8TG6W-2B7Q8”. With it it was possible to install a valid and official copy of the operating system that Microsoft launched in October 2001, but until now it was not known where that key had come from. Now we know. what has happened. Dave W. Pullmer is a famous engineer and developer who worked his entire career at Microsoft and who, in addition to being in charge of the task manager or ZIP folders, had another task: working on the first version of the Windows Product Activation (WPA) system. Precisely that allowed him to know from the inside what happened with that activation key, and He told that story on Twitter. It was not stolen, but leaked. As Plummer explains, no one hacked Microsoft or its systems to obtain it, nor did they manage to steal it. There was actually a mistake on the part of the development team, and a “disastrous leak” occurred. There were no social networks, but it didn’t matter. That leak ended up going viral and millions of users found out about the trick almost immediately, something surprising considering that conventional social networks did not yet exist. There was no need: a warez (pirated software) group called “devilsOwn” released the key five weeks before the launch of Windows XP, and the key was published on IRC, online forums, Usenet groups, warez websites and especially P2P applications such as eDonkey or KaZaA. How activation keys were calculated. The WPA system generated a key that was based on each user’s hardware: “the identifiers of the CPU, RAM and other components” were taken into account, and were sent to Microsoft along with that activation key to be validated. If errors or suspicious keys were detected, that installation was labeled as pirated. Master key. But FCKGW-RHQQ2-YXRKT-8TG6W-2B7Q8 was a valid volume license key that became part of the “white list” that the key validation system had. If that key was used, the servers assumed that it was an enterprise volume license, and that “there is no need to call home.” Thus, when installing Windows XP, users simply had to answer “Yes” when asked if they had an activation key, they entered the famous key and thus avoided checking it. It was like having a master key. You could even update XP. When using this activation key, the operating system started fully functional and without activating small user warning mechanisms such as watermarks or a 30-day countdown. It was even possible to overcome the controls that were applied to receive updates. Although Microsoft detected and banned activation key, new illegitimate patches and “cracks” appeared who managed to make this activation mechanism persist for years. Now you couldn’t use it. As Plummer explains, you could technically still use it on old Windows XP installation disks if you could find one, but Microsoft’s own servers that handled the validation process were disabled years ago. And even if it wasn’t, the key ended up being part of the blacklist of prohibited activation keys, meaning you couldn’t use it to validate a legitimate copy of Windows XP. Image | Internet Archive In Xataka | Nostalgia does not disappear. So much so that there are people developing a new web browser for Windows XP

Millions in advertising convinced us that bottled water was healthier. Until microplastics arrived

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On many occasions we can associate bottled water as a higher quality option to hydrate ourselves above tap water. But the reality is that the latest scientific analyzes indicate that bottled water is a direct source of exposure to nano and microplastics (NMPs). This means that regular bottled water consumers may be ingesting up to 90,000 additional plastic particles per year compared to those who drink tap water. Something that breaks with the idea that we can reach everyone that bottled water is much healthier as they have always tried to sell us. The invisible enemy. The studypublished in the magazine Journal of Hazardous Materials defines microplastics as particles between 1 micrometer and 5 mm and nanoplastics as those smaller than 1 micrometer. Ultimately, very small particles that are released from plastic bottles throughout their life cycle. How they are released. According to the study, the particles are released not only by the natural degradation of plastic, but also by everyday physical and environmental stressors. For example, the simple act of opening and closing the cap or squeezing the bottle to drink generates friction that ends with the release of particles into the water. Another very common case is leaving the water bottle in the sun for a certain time. Many plastic particles are being released here because the degradation of the packaging is increasing. But in the opposite case, in freezing, we also have this same problem because it has also been shown that it is a factor that increases contamination by microplastics. Size matters. Once these particles are ingested, Its effect will depend on the size it has.. In general, the smaller it is, the more worrying it is for our body, since the more easily it will be able to cross biological barriers. If we talk about particles larger than 150 micrometers, the truth is that we can rest assured because they will directly pass through the digestive tract to the feces. But if they are smaller than 150 micrometers, they will be able to cross the intestinal cavity and enter the lymphatic and circulatory system, being able to reach the organs with particles smaller than 20 micrometers. But the real danger is in particles smaller than 100 nanometers that are considered nanoplastics. In this case, the particles are small enough to reach all organs, including the ability to cross such critical barriers as the blood-brain barrier and the placenta. The dangers. Continued exposure to nano- and microplastics is linked to a number of chronic health problems. This is not acute toxicity, but long-term cumulative damage. Among the main risks that have been identified are respiratory diseases, reproductive products, disruption of the immune system or increased oxidative stress. The challenge. One of the great challenges for researchers is the lack of standardized methods to analyze these plastics. Right now different tests can be found, but they vary in sensitivity and precision, which makes it difficult to reach a common criterion between the different studies in order to have a general image of the big problem before us. Right now, some techniques can detect very small particles, but not their composition, while others do the opposite, which is a very important limitation. But despite these, some studies already point to significant differences between the water brands we find on the market. For example, research cited in the report found that Nestle Pure Life and Bisleri had some of the highest average concentrations of microplastic particles. Regulation. This lack of standardization in studies has contributed to a large “legislative vacuum” in our society. And while there has been legislation on plastic bags, straws or single-use cutlery, water bottles have largely been left out of the regulatory focus. In this way, the author of the study points out that the consumption of water in plastic bottles should be done in emergency situations, but not as a daily practice due to the high consumption of microplastics that we are going to end up ingesting and that would generate a long-term problem. And we have already witnessed precisely how they have appeared microplastics in human testiclesthe breast milkthe blood, archaeological remains or also in the foods we eatlike the vegetables we consume. That is why in the long run we will have to specifically see the impact that prolonged consumption will have through different means, and not just bottled water. Images | Jonathan Cooper In Xataka | From causing diarrhea to making biodegradable plastics: the E. coli bacteria has a new job in Japan

Millions of Spaniards consume benzodiazepines to sleep at night. They do not know that it is an poisoned candy

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On July 13, 2010, two days after Spain won the World Cup in South Africa, a Facebook user He putas the name of a group of that social network a phrase for history as a title of a group of that social network: “I am Spanish, what do you want me to win?” He talked about sports, of course. But if I had to choose a non-sports land to beat almost any other nationality, I would have (sadly) clear: The consumption of benzodiazepines. And if we talk about sleeping medications, I would bet on Lorazepam. A medication … paradoxical. Lorazepam is a benzodiazepine of intermediate action. In general terms, it works in the brain as a specific agonist of most subtypes of the Gabaa receiver. That is what makes it act as anxiolytic, sedative, muscle, anticonvulsive and amnesic. But, generalized (and even if the lormatazepan is better), it is prescribed to sleep. Why does it help to sleep? This medication facilitates Conciliation (helps to fall asleep), increases the total sleep time (in the first shots – therefore, treatments of more than four weeks are not recommended) and reduces night awakenings. It is, as it is easy to see, a resource very helpful to a problem increasingly widespread. And why is it ‘paradogical’? Because those ‘benefits’ have costs. To start, leave hangover. Being an intermediate action drug, it can leave some drowsiness or stunning after awakening. But that is little. The worst thing is that it modifies sleep architecture. In essence, the deep sleep phase and the ReM phase tend to reduce. That makes the sleep more continuous and less repairing. As The Uxoa Olaizola Pharmaceutical“Maybe you sleep, but your brain is not resting.” As if that were not enough, you can create addiction. This is better known and, in fact, it is one of the problems with the benzos. About 10% of the Spanish population has consumed them without a recipe, and 7.2% do so daily. We have a problem and it is quite serious. “75% of Spaniards wake up at least once At night, and 3 out of 10 directly affirm that they suffer from insomnia. “And, eye, the scientific evidence available tells us that we tend to think that we sleep better than we really do. Reality, surely, is much worse. And he will go more; With all its consequences. Lack of sleep is related to immunological problems, Metabolic, Cardiovascular emotional and cognitive; With disorders such as diabetes or of the obesity. Not just that sleeping little causes us to be more tired and irritablebut Raise our stress levels And it makes us Assume more risks And make more wrong. Hopefully not to mistake on this. Image | Shane | Roberto Sorin In Xataka | Science has been trying to find out what is the best time to go to sleep. And it is already close to an answer

Saudi Arabia is not buying EA for video games. He is buying cultural influence in hundreds of millions of homes

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An Arab sovereign background has just closed the greatest leverage purchase operation in history: 55,000 million dollars per electronic arts. Paying a 25% premium (in the normal fork), apparently without haggling (definitely abnormal). Closing the operation in record time. And nobody lifts an eyebrow. Because it is supposed to be “only video games.” But they are not “only video games”: It is the FC 26 Entering every week in the living room of 150 million homes, especially for its younger members. Is THE SIMS Teaching what a family, a career, an aspirational life is. Is Madden Nfl and Battlefield occupying Sunday afternoons and the nights during the Week of Medio Planet. Saudi Arabia has not bought a study but a more powerful cultural distribution channel than any television networkquieter than any advertising campaign, more effective than any Hollywood study. Let’s think about the concrete: In EA Sports FC, every year it is decided which goals to include, what flags appear in the stadiums, what social messages are integrated into the game, what role is granted to women’s football, what attire the fans carry. In the PREMs, it is defined what kind of relationships are possible and which are not, what professional careers are glamorized and which ones lose value, what constitutes “success” in simulated life. In Battlefield, it is chosen what historical conflicts represent, how it is portrayed to the Middle East, what factions are “the good”. These are not technical details. They are editorial decisions that mold the worldview of millions of players They spend hundreds of hours a year in these worlds. And when a company stops quoting in the stock market, those decisions are no longer publicly justified: There are no shareholders asking why certain flags of certain markets were eliminated. Do not explain why references to alcohol, to the game, to sex or certain lifestyles disappear in subsequent updates. There are no analysts questioning why certain conflicts are represented in a certain way. There are no quarterly reports that explain narrative changes. Only gradual, imperceptible adjustments, which normalize certain visions of the world. The Saudi fund has not gone for studies indie experimental or for niche games with political messages. Has gone for the more franchises mainstreamsafe and massive on the planet. The least questionable possible. He Soft Power more invisible that exists: entertainment so normalized that nobody wonders who is behind. He simply plays. And then there is the detail that goes unnoticed: they pay 25% premium on the closing price without blinking. They close in a few months when operations thus usually lengthened years. A traditional investment fund would have dribble each percentage point. I would have asked for more DUE Diligence. He would have negotiated to the last dollar. The Saudi PIF pays the premium and accelerates the closure. Because When your goal is not to maximize the return of the invested but maximize strategic influence, speed matters more than the price. Close before someone realizes what you are really buying. Microsoft has been consolidating the purchase of Blizzard Activision for two years. This goes quickly. Jared Kushner, Trump’s son -in -law, is in this operation, according to the Financial Timesand not by chance. Its background, Affinity Partners, He received 2,000 million from the Saudi Pif after leaving the White House. Now returns the favor: its presence converts a foreign purchase into an operation “led by Americans”, which reduces the scrutiny of the Foreign Investment Committee (CFIUS). While he appears as a consortium architect, the White House will see partners and not threats. It can be replicated that this is only economic diversification, petrodollars looking for return in entertainment. If so, why not buy Netflix, Disney or Spotify? Why specifically the sector where you can shake what millions of teenagers do for thousands of hours a year without appearing propaganda? The amazing thing is not that this happens. Soccer has accustomed us to Saudi laundering. The hallucinating thing is that almost nobody questions it. The best way to exercise power and influence is that it simply seems fun. LOOT Boxes And seasonal passes while nobody wonders who decides what to normalize in those worlds. And when you take out a stock market company (what will happen with EA), you eliminate the quarterly transparency obligation, you no longer have to account for western scrutiny shareholders and you can make subtle adjustments that no one will detect until it is too late. Nothing scandalous. Only small changes in narratives, representations, progression systems that, multiplied by 500 million players for years, move entire cultural needles. That is the perfect conquest. In Xataka | This game has been scheduled by only one person, and there is already talk of him as one of the great Shooters of the year Outstanding image | Xataka

Airlines have invested millions in entertainment. Passengers use it to see an plane icon slowly moving

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In an episode of the mythical Seinfeld seriesElaine is exasperating from her boyfriend Puddy, who passes a whole flight looking fixed to the seat back. That image, a custom joke of the nineties, today makes sense again with a technological nuance: and we do not look at the vacuum, but yes – and I include myself – we can get hypnotized with a point on the screen, the flight map. Of rarity to viral tendency. It is not an isolated mania. In a report by The Washington Post They have portrayed the phenomenon Through the story of Nicole Sunderland, creator of content that divides her time between Washington DC and Phoenix. Sunderland admits that on a 14 -hour flight Catar keeps the map on “all the time”, although the flight assistants try to turn it off. His custom went viral in Tiktok along with dozens of passenger videos They presumed to “endure” without films, without music and without wifi, looking only at the progression of the plane on the digital globe. Others, like Manu, seminated, turned the practice into a public hobbie: while the screens showed the screens showed films and series, she recorded the route map For social networks. The map as king content. Beyond the meme, the numbers suggest that this obsession has mass backup. FlightPath3D, leading flight maps provider in more than 90 airlines, states that 68% of passengers Open the map at some point and that 20% sees it exclusively. On average, users spend 52 minutes in front of the map on backup screens and 18 minutes on synchronized mobile devices. In total, about 400 million passengers used the product last year. The airlines themselves reinforce the idea. Last year, Delta Air Lines launched a new flight map designed for people with low vision. In the statementthe company was categorical: the map is its number one content in Delta Studio, ahead of films, series and games. According to their figures, 45% of customers interact with it on each flight. Also, media specialized in aviation, as paxex.aerothey emphasize that the map is “the most popular content of the IFE (entertainment on board) for a reason”, and that the airlines already experiment with integrating it into other formats: from a persistent side tape on the screen to brief overlays at the end of a movie. Why hook so much? Testimonies point to several keys. For some, the map is a control instrument in the midst of aerial uncertainty: Sunderland, for example, monitors it especially during turbulence to check altitude and speed. For others, it is a light meditation form: seeing slowly advance the plane icon produces calm in an environment saturated with stimuli. “There are map fans,” says Duncan Jackson, president of FlightPath3D. “They love to see where they are, how much is missing, observe the progress of the flight plan. For some it is almost meditative,” duck. An academic study of the University of Lund (Sweden), made in collaboration with Etihad Airwaysreinforces the explanation from the design perspective. In interaction tests with 3D maps prototypes, passengers valued more those interfaces that offered clear signs of navigation and sensation of control, and reported greater orientation with three -dimensional views. Even the choice of command influenced: some users developed better with gyroscope than with tactile controls. In other words: the map experience responds to deep psychological and cognitive needs. Simple map to travel assistant. The fascination is not limited to the luminous point that advances on an ocean. The industry is expanding the concept. FlightPath3D has transformed The map on an interactive platform: now shows previous views of destinations, animated global routes, children’s maps with animals, tourist suggestions and even Uber prices to reach the center once landed. In addition, Cathay Pacific He launched in 2024 “My Journey”an experience that combines an animated journey of the journey with information on services on board and points of interest. For its part, Panasonic Avionics has developed ARCthat integrates data on different plane screens so that the progress of the flight accompanies the passenger even when watching a movie. And in the field of accessibility, Delta has marked a milestone With its high contrast map, extended iconography and suitable palettes for Daltonics, which in the future will incorporate voice narrative with real -time updates. What began as a simple line chart in the eighties has become a sophisticated product that aspires to be inclusive, personalized and profitable for airlines. An obsession with future. The attractiveness of the map is not a passenger fashion. It is explained by the combination of three tendencies: the search for calm in overloaded environments of stimuli, the desire for spatial control and orientation, and the technological evolution of the product itself. In times of excess options – hundred hours of cinema and television in each seat – the map offers something more basic and powerful: the certainty of knowing where we are. As the Washington Post points outfor some travelers looking at the map is as necessary as tieding your belt. And as Delta acknowledgesit is already the star content of your digital offer. Puddy may seem eccentric in Seinfeld, but three decades later, it turns out that he simply advanced to the trend. Image | Freepik Xataka | Ryanair is abandoning small airports in France. There is an unexpected beneficiary: a Spanish airline

Takata mounted millions of potentially mortal airbag. And the family of the first deceased in Spain will go to court

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Juanjo was a neighbor of Benazacón (Seville). He was 44 years old when on August 5, 2023 he suffered an accident on the A-4 road at the height of Dos Hermanas (Seville). The driver died after hitting his Mercedes Vito with a Peugeot 308 who was stopped by a breakdown. But what should be an accident without mortal consequences thanks to the airbag became the opposite. In fact, it was precisely The airbag that ended his lifesince its explosion was uncontrolled, causing “a penetrating wound in the right hemithorax with internal hemorrhage” caused by the expulsion of metal parts that acted as shrapnel when the airbag inflated. That is the conclusion reached by the Forensic Report. Juanjo’s name is fictional but the rest of the story is completely true, as reflected ABC. The newspaper explains that this Sevillian driver circulated exceeding the maximum permitted blood alcohol limits when the clash occurred but that it was a Takata airbag that really ended his life. This person was, in fact, the first deadly victim registered in our country as a direct consequence of these airbags. The airbags of this company should serve to protect the lives of drivers but for years it is known that they are, in fact, a weapon against the passenger itself in case of accident. Now, the driver’s family ensures that a complaint Against Mercedes-Benz, who claims economic compensation for death, after keeping a negotiation route that has not fruitful. Although after this fact Another deceased has also been counted In our country with these Takata airbags involved, that of this Sevillian driver was the first case and the future of the possible complaint can be the case of a new fatal accident. The Takata case In Xataka We have contacted Mercedes to learn about the company’s position before this case but, when writing these lines, we have not obtained an answer. What we do know is that in 2020 The world He collected a review call of up to nine models of Mercedes (each of them with different generations). In the list detailed by the company was not the Mercedes Vito But in the newspaper it was detailed that the company had called for review to the predecessors of class V and this van. The company also has a Web page in which the VIN number can be introduced to check if a concrete unit is affected by a revision call by the defective Airbags of Takata. And it is that the damage that the company did is difficult to calculate. In Spain, tens of thousands of affected cars have been called to review but it is believed that there are more than 12,000 of them who have ignored the passage through the workshop. In France it is estimated that there are 1.7 million cars affected and In the United States It was said that since 2008 almost 30 million of these airbags have been withdrawn in constant call calls. The big problem is that the Takata scandal inluó a good part of the automotive industry. Mercedes is not the only one affected, to mention some there are Japanese companies (Honda, Mazda or Toyota), American (Fod, Chrysler or General Motors) and European (Audi, BMW, Citroën or Volkswagen). To give an example, In 2023 Seat called 300,000 cars to review on the occasion of these defective airbags. These security systems had the problem that, with the passage of time, the gases inside were degraded causing violent explosions that generate shrapnel when exploiting and can seriously damage the driver to the point that he can cause death as in the Sevillian case. This ruling is present in millions of cars that mounted the airbags of this company Between 2008 and 2019 Therefore, it is still common for manufacturers to make review calls with airbag substitutions if necessary. The company, in fact, ended up hosting bankruptcy in the United States in 2017 as a result of the fines and compensation imposed. Photo | Rahul Pugazhendi and Mercedes In Xataka | The DGT wants to generalize the airbag on motorcycles. Your shortcut: make it mandatory to get the card to

But the houses are real and cost millions of dollars

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Jeff Bezos, founder of Amazon and one of the richest people in the world, has expanded his empire Beyond online trade and the subspacial missionsto get a luxurious real estate heritage. The millionaire has acquired exclusive properties in some of the most exclusive areas of the United States, which include from luxurious Tríplex mansions and penthouses in Manhattan, to gigantic ranches in Texas and historical properties in Beverly Hills. An empire of strategic mansions and land Bezos’s richness has allowed him to consolidate a real estate portfolio that includes mansions and large extensions of land. Among its best known properties, what was your main residence in Seatle, located in Medina. Very close to the famous Xanadu 2.0 by Bill Gates. Bezos acquired this property in 1998 for 10 million dollars and expanded it considerably with renovations that exceeded 26 million dollars. This property of almost 21,400 m2, has two houses of 1,914 m2 and 771 m2 respectively. That same year he bought for 49 million dollars the La Haye estate, of 2,229 m2, which bordered his house, expanding in two hectares his property on the banks of Lake Washington. According The published by Business Insiderin total, the millionaire treasures up to eight properties in that area. In addition, the founder of Amazon also has several mansions in the exclusive Beverly Hills. Of all of them highlights the historical Jack Warner Estate Mansion For 165 million dollars in 2020, one of the most expensive purchases made by Bezos according to The Wall Street Journal. It also has four other houses in a private complex that include comforts such as tennis court, golf courses and gardens. Always pending the movements of Wall Street, New York remains a strategic enclave for Bezos, so the millionaire It was good to buy Five Apartments 212 Fifth Avenue, adding a total investment of about 119 million dollars. One of those floors is a tríplex attic for which the millionaire paid 80 million dollars. The expansion to the south: Indian Creek, the shelter of the millionaires In 2023, Bezos announced that He moved to Miami To be closer to the Blue Origin operations base (and incidentally saved some hundreds of millions of dollars in taxes). There he would set his main residence in Indian Creek, also known as Billionaire Bunker for his exclusivity and security. Houses by Jeff Bezos in Billionaire Bunker The founder of Amazon has acquired three properties On this small island of 1.2 million square meters where there are only 41 homes. Its investments in this area total more than 300 million dollars. Two of these mansions are contiguous, so the millionaire has repeated the same play as in Seattle and has demolished both mansions to unite them in a single property. According to published The worldwhile the millionaire built his new residence, moved to a mansion in Miami that bought the daughter of the Spanish businessman Publio Cordón for $ 78 million. The taste for the islands of Jeff Bezos is not limited to Miami. According The published by ABCthe millionaire bought in 2021 a 5.7 -hectare estate on the island of Maui, for which he paid about 78 million dollars. A ranch with astronomical dimensions for Blue Origin Texas is another of the key pieces in the real estate framework of Jeff Bezos. To the south of the state is the Rancho Figure 2, a huge ranch of 66,773 hectares, which not only represents a huge investment in land, but fulfills a strategic function as a test laboratory For Blue Origin. In addition, at some point between 2003 and 2024, Jeff Bezos has accumulated more than 161,875 hectares of rustic land, which makes the founder of Amazon Vigoercero major landownerof the US according to the list that every year elaborates Land Report. Something that, again, the millionaire coincides with Bill Gateswhich occupies the 43rd position of that list. In Xataka | Jeff Bezos is making a mansion in Billionires Bunker: the problem is that they don’t know what to do with their excrements Image | Flickr (IAFASTRO)

For years we were condemned to physical travel agencies. The English Court is investing millions in demonstrating otherwise

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The English Court has renewed 60 of its 430 travel officesand plans to reform another 44. The idea is to implement open spaces, sofas, digital screens, previous appointment and advisors with “emotional connection.” Why is it important. The message to be sent is that the physical store has not died, but only needed a new experience. In perspective. It is the classic play of retail Traditional: redesign the spaces to sell a transformation that between, especially, by the eyes. Along the same line as the changes applied to the low floors – the accesses – of some of its stores, modernizing the bookstore or giving more weight to the section Gourmet. EITHER The premiumization of its supermarkets. What is at stake is the role that a traditional physical agency can play in the Skyscanner era, Google flightsAirbnb and Booking. What is happening. Travel El Corte Inglés is more profitable (More than 100 million euros from Ebitda8% more than a year ago), but loses in volume against its great rival, Ávoris (Barceló Group). To renew your offices is a way to reaffirm as a premium brand and differentiate in a world in which the average customer has become accustomed to organizing their vacations from your mobile. The physical network is reduced to transform. Personalized attention is insisted as an advantage over the digital model. Between the lines. The reform is real estate, but first of all it is a way of sustaining the story: we are not a vestige, we are a luxury; We are not an agency, we are a space of inspiration. From store a Boutique. The passage of time will tell us if this is a real modernization or if it is rather an attempt to keep the physical channel alive. The company has not gone wrong: after years seeing how the environment rewarded its new competitors, the English Court is still alive despite insistent rumors of serious crisis. There is also the doubt of the long -term value of that “human contact” as a differential pillar. He is seductive, but difficult to climb. Yes, but. The new model has a very good press, but with the unknown of whether there is insufficient demand. There are still many clients who continue to go to a physical office, but they are increasingly minority. And those who do it, often look for something very concrete: custom trips, honey moons, large budgets. Can you sustain an entire model so capillary around those profiles? In addition, post-pandemic tourism has recovered, but It has also changed. The traveler has become accustomed to certain flexibility levels, price comparators, online opinions, immediate decisions. All of that has a difficult fit in an agency by appointment. The decision to invest in so many offices sends a message: trips El Corte Inglés remains convinced that there is a place for physical agencies if they become experiences. It is quite possible that it is right, although it is a commitment against the direction in which the future of the sector seems to go. In Xataka | Spain has become a country addicted to something that some years ago enjoyed little prestige: the white brand Outstanding image | El Corte Inglés trips

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