mistakes

making mistakes as an antidote to the cult of productivity

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They say we live in a secular country, but whoever says that has not encountered the productivity gurus or the stationery YouTubers. bullet journal, intermittent fasting, hobonichi roof, cold showers at five in the morning“atomic habits“, journaling until you end up with blisters on your hands… let’s be clear: productivity and growth aspire to function as civil religions. Therefore, perhaps it is time to look for an old-fashioned way out, one inspired by Saint Augustine. The cult of productivity I know that talking about ‘civil religion’ may seem exaggerated, but the truth is that a very specific aspirational narrative has been normalized: one based on self-optimization. And it’s not all those things that I described above (getting up early, diet, metrics, discipline, etc…), it’s that not achieving it has become a ‘moral failure’. If you make a mistake, if you don’t arrive, if you don’t achieve it… it’s because you didn’t make the effort, you didn’t organize yourself, you’re not good enough. An example much discussed in recent days are all those readers who, given the evidence that they are not going to reach their “reading challenge” of the year, decide to discard books that they would like to read and prioritize short books in order to reach the numbers that had been marked. Error has become something we cannot afford. But Augustine did not agree. Louis Comfort Tiffany But, of course, St. Augustine had its moments. One of the most brilliant people of the late Roman Empire, Augustine of Hippo was a ‘pearl‘ in his youth and early maturity. But it quickly became one of Christianity’s sharpest swords. That, translated, means that he did not agree with many. He has not only written some of the greatest works of universal literaturebut he worked to destroy (theologically, philosophically and literally) Manichaeans, Donatists and Pelagians. That war changed Western thinking, but I don’t think anyone imagined it would be essential to defending ourselves from the productivity gurus. Saint Augustine vs productivity gurus “If I’m wrong, I exist” (“If I fail, add“), wrote the saint of Hippo in book That is, the idea that a mistake is not only a stigma: it is a piece of information, a learning, a reminder that we are human, but we are on the way. We could say that error is also productive (and there are people who defend it); but that’s not the point. The point is that, against what Byung-Chul calls the “performance society” (compared to the self-demand that is sold as freedom, but leads to self-exploitation), compared to the spiritual turn of your trusted technobro, there is an even deeper dimension: the right to be and be without the chains that bind us to the productive system. In a world that asks for “performance” and “utility” to have personal value, Augustine exposes that ancient Christian tradition that says that the ontological value of the person does not depend on anything; that even in the worst of failure, we are worth exactly the same. Because, pay attention to the fact, when Agustín talks about existing he is not just talking about existing. It talks about doing it, about knowing that you exist and about loving those two realities as a non-productivist theory of self. Image | Xataka In Xataka | The Catholic Church changed the psychology of Europe. Unintentionally, it sparked an era of technological innovation

Do not make mistakes with the Treasury when collecting it

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Statistically, the probability of touching you The Christmas Jackpot is 0.001%. However, has touched you and, suddenly, everyone has a plan for your money. The joy is real, but so are the doubts. How much money really reaches your account, what silly mistakes can turn into a prize in a problem and, above all, what you should do with that money to avoid the “lottery effect” and in five years you will be left without money and with more debt than you have now. No joke, many lottery winners they have ended up ruined. To avoid any scares, we have consulted with Aitor Fernández, head of the tax area of TaxDownto tell us how to avoid surprises with the lottery. A prize clean of dust and straw. In the case of the Christmas Lottery, the key tax rule is the “special tax” that the Treasury applies, in which the first 40,000 euros are exempt from taxation, and a 20% withholding is applied to the rest. “You do not receive the 400,000 euros of the first prize, but you directly receive 328,000 euros because the bank already applies the withholding on account of taxes,” says Aitor Fernández. “Only those prizes lower than 40,000 euros, which is the exemption limit.” “The positive part is that you don’t have to do anything to the Treasury, you will receive the net amount.” Of the 400,000 euros, the first 40,000 are exempt, so 20% is applied to the remaining 360,000 euros. This implies a withholding of about 72,000 euros in taxes. Therefore, the bank will give you a total amount of 328,000 euros when collecting the first prize. The calculation is the same for second and third prizes. The fourth and fifth prizes are tax free because its amount is less than the 40,000 euros established by the Treasury. The tenth is shared, not the taxes. A custom almost as deep-rooted as the Christmas Lottery is share the tenths with co-workers, friends or family. However, when it comes to collecting it, a decisive factor must be taken into account: who collects the prize. The temptation is for the person who has the ticket to go to the nearest bank to deposit their tenth and then distribute it among the rest of the group. This is the biggest mistake. As the tax expert highlights, “if a single person collects and then distributes, the Treasury can interpret it as a donation, so it is advisable to record the participants and percentages from the moment of collection.” In this way, the bank itself distributes the prize and withholds its share of taxes from each participant. Otherwise, the Treasury could demand from the person who collects it the payment of Inheritance and Donation Tax, especially taxable when it comes to donations when there is no relationship. Is it awarded? I buy it from you. From Gestha warn to the winners of the main Christmas Jackpot prizes that people may appear interested in buying the winning tenth for an amount greater than the prize itself. It looks like a double stroke of luckbut in reality it is the prelude to possible problems for the winner, both with the Treasury and with Justice. This is a fraud that involves an unjustified increase in assets (when you win the lottery there is evidence of its origin), so it is no longer governed by the same “special tax” of lottery prizes, but rather by the maximum of the autonomous community of residence. Furthermore, he would incur a crime of money launderingwhich would also have problems with the law for it. As Fernández highlights, “it is neither free money nor fiscally innocuous.”​ A very distributed Gordo…in Finland. There are more and more Spanish workers who They emigrate to other countries to workeither tourists coming to Spain and participate in the Lottery tradition with friends or family from Spain. How are these prizes taxed for non-residents? The AEAT classifies lottery prizes for non-residents by linking them to the same special tax that applies to residents. That is to say, in principle, nothing changes and from the outset the same withholding is applied as to any resident. However, Aitor lands it “when you are going to collect, this person has to identify himself and the tax is 20 percent. The impact is the same. Where it gets complicated is later, since here the double taxation agreements and there we will have to see in each country”, because the country of residence can require to declare income or request a refund of what was paid in Spain, and even adjust the taxation by requesting a refund of part of the amount paid in Spain and pay tax on a percentage in the country of residence. Tips to avoid going bankrupt: use common sense. According to a study of the Universitat Oberta de Catalunya, only 49% of the adult population has financial knowledge, so finding yourself overnight with more than 320,000 euros in your current account “can lead to making illogical and irrational decisions regarding businesses or very expensive purchases,” says Mireia Cabero, professor of Psychology and Educational Sciences Studies at the UOC. In this scenario, the TaxDown expert recommends using common sense and, above all, forget about the rush. “We no longer have to pay taxes again for the prize we have received for having it in the bank. Without doing anything, that money will not be taxed again, unless we already have a lot of assets and we have to declare the Wealth Tax. Normally winning the lottery is not going to get you into the Wealth Tax”, so he recommends letting that money “rest” until you have a plan of what to do with it. In addition to staying calm, Fernández recommends “let a few days pass, get advice, learn a little about the investment options that exist, see what to do with this money and what investments we are comfortable with and always reserve something so as not to put all our eggs … Read more

We are more outraged by their mistakes than by humans.

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The death of Kit Kat, a beloved stray cat in the Mission district of San Francisco, has unleashed a wave of outrage against Waymo. The feline was hit by a self-driving taxi on October 27, generating a debate that goes far beyond an accident with an animal. And poor Kit Kat is not to blame for anything, but the event shows how we judge the errors of machines very differently compared to those of humans. A double standard. According to local data, human drivers killed 43 people in San Francisco last year, including 24 pedestrians. As the NYT reflects in your articlelocal authorities estimate that hundreds of animals are killed by vehicles each year in the city. However, none of those cases have generated the level of media attention, makeshift sanctuaries or political debates that the death of a single cat at the hands of a Waymo has provoked. Reactions. “Waymo? No way. I’m terrified of those things,” declared to the New York Times Margarita Lara, a waitress at the bar where the feline used to walk. Outside Randa’s Market, where the animal lived, a memorial was erected with flowers, photos and a drawing of the feline with a halo. “Save a cat. Don’t use Waymo!” read one sign. Just like assures The media, City Supervisor Jackie Fielder, who represents the Mission district, presented a resolution so that residents can decide by vote whether to allow autonomous cars to circulate in their area. “A human driver can be considered responsible, he can get off, apologize,” Fielder argued to the American media. Figures. Waymo does not deny the incident. The company recognized that the cat “jumped under the vehicle as it started” and sent his condolences. However, the firm defends its data, ensuring that its vehicles register 91% fewer serious accidents compared to human drivers who travel the same distances in the same cities, according to a study peer reviewed and published in the specialized journal Traffic Injury Prevention. San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie defended the technology, commenting that “Waymo is incredibly safe. It’s safer than you or me driving.” claimed in an interview. Click on the image to go to the post The paradox of technological innovation. As we said at the beginning of this article, the event has generated a debate beyond the unfortunate accident: it reflects a fundamental tension when adopting disruptive technologies. And each failure of an autonomous system receives a hundred times more media bashing than a hundred equivalent human failures. In this sense, when a human driver hits an animal, it is an individual tragedy that rarely goes beyond the neighborhood. When a robot does it, it becomes a symbol of uncontrolled technological advancement, even though statistics prove otherwise. San Francisco Animal Control Agency reported to the New York Times that in just one week it had the bodies of 12 cats hit by conventional vehicles in its facilities. An autonomous future. Waymo now operates a fleet of 1,000 vehicles in the San Francisco Bay area and has announced expansions to highways and airports. What two years ago were small technological showcases has become a tourist attraction and the preferred option of many people. A survey by the political group Grow SF showed that citizen support for Waymo jumped from 44% in September 2023 to 67% last July. Perhaps the death of Kit Kat has generated detractors, but it is a technological innovation that is increasingly convincing on the streets. Next year will have its litmus test in Europein a much stricter regulatory framework, so it remains to be seen how things progress. Cover image | Waymo and Daniel Zeidan In Xataka | In case the electric car was not enough, Europe is missing another train: that of autonomous cars

Quantum computers will change the world when they don’t make mistakes. This milestone is closer thanks to quantum gravity

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Some experts believe that all the effort that is being carried out in the field of Quantum computing Not anywhere. One of the members of the scientific community more critical of quantum computers is the Israeli mathematician Gil KalaiProfessor at Yale University. According to this researcher, the increase in the number of states of quantum systems and their complexity will cause them to end up behaving like classical computers, so the superiority of the former will end up evaporating. However, the absence of unanimous support by the scientific community should not tarnish the notable effort and advances that many research groups are doing, some of them in Spanish institutions such as the CSIC and others integrated into the structure of companies that have very bulky resources, such as IBM, Google or Intel, among others. In fact, as expected, the latter defend that the long -awaited error correction will reach quantum computers and will allow them to face a much broader fan of problems than that of current prototypes. Terra Quantum bets on quantum severity to correct errors The main problem facing quantum computers in the field of error correction is noise, understood as the disturbances that can alter the internal state of the cubits and introduce calculation errors. The strategy for which many of the research groups that are involved in the development of quantum computers are opting for monitoring the operations carried out by the cubits to identify real -time errors and correct them. The problem is that from a practical point of view this strategy is very challenging. QMM technology reduces errors by up to 35% in current quantum processors Logical cubits represent a way to overcome the difficulty of the use of hardware or physical cubits, which are extremely noise sensitive, and, therefore, prone to make mistakes. Each logical cubit is constructed abstractly on several physical or hardware cubits, so that a single logical cubit encodes a single cubit of quantum information, but with redundancy. It is precisely this redundancy that allows to detect and correct the errors that are present in the physical cubits. The error correction strategy proposed by the researchers of the Swiss Terra Quantum company is not an alternative to the solutions in which we have just inquired; It is a complement. In fact, as explained in the article they have published in Advanced Quantum Technologiesits QMM technology (Quantum Memory Matrix) Reduce errors by up to 35% in current quantum processors. And, in addition, it reaches 94% fidelity using ten times less cubits than conventional methods. An important note: Terra Quantum’s scientific article has been reviewed by pairs. Terra Quantum has tested its QMM technology in IBM superconductor processors, and works. It only requires adding a quantum circuit that does not alter the architecture of the processor, although it is very ingenious. In fact, its operation is inspired by A principle of quantum gravity which maintains that the space-time continuum can be described as a network of me memory cells. It is a complicated idea, it is true, but the really important thing is that we know that this theoretical concept is the one that has inspired Terra Quantum scientists the design of their quantum circuit of errors suppression. Anyway, this innovation joins the effort that IBM, the MIT and other organizations are making to invite us to tie the future of quantum computers with a very reasonable optimism. Image | IBM More information | Advanced Quantum Technologies In Xataka | Bitcoin encryption and other cryptocurrencies will fall. And those responsible will be quantum computers

Samsung is mired in the deepest crisis in its history. You no longer have room to make more mistakes

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2025 is being a crucial year for Samsung. A year in which his future is being played. This reflection of Han Jong-Hee, co-director general of the company, Express clearly At what time is The largest company in South Korea: “First of all, I sincerely apologize for the fact that the performance of our actions You have not fulfilled your expectations. In the last year our company has not correctly responded to the semiconductor market for artificial intelligence (AI), which quickly evolves. “ A very important idea follows from Jong-Hee’s words: The competitiveness of its subsidiary Specialized in the manufacture of integrated circuits is essential for Samsung. Even so, the problems are being presented from several fronts. “Our technological advantage has been compromised in all our businesses. It is difficult status quo instead of generating disruptive changes “, Pray an internal statement Written by Jay Y. Lee, the president of the company. In this Samsung scenario you need your best chip manufacturing technology, 2 Nm lithographyBe a success. At the moment we know that at least two companies, the Japanese chip designer for the preferred networks (PFN) and a South Korean company specialized in the design of neuronal processing units (NPU), are very interested in their 2 Nm integration technology. And, as we tell you earlier this week, has reached an agreement with Tesla to make chips for a value of 16,500 million dollars in its Texas plant (USA). There is no doubt that the confidence of these companies is an oxygen ball for Samsung, but in all likelihood it will not be enough to relieve the stress to which it is currently subjected. The loss of leadership in the memories market has further injured Samsung Samsung has led for more than three decades the dram memory chips industry, but the AI boom has triggered something that just two or three years ago would have seemed unthinkable: now it is SK Hynix the manufacturer of integrated memory circuits that LEADS THE HBM Chips Market so much (High Bandwidth Memory) like that of the DRAM memories. The latter are those used by most of the devices with which we are familiar, such as computers or mobile phones. SK Hynix controls 70% of the Integrated HBM MEMORY Circuits market However, HBM memories are those that are integrated into those hardware solutions in which it is necessary to prioritize maximum performance, such as GPUs for Ia. In recent months Samsung has led the manufacturing market for integrated dram memory circuits with An approximate 40% quotawhile SK Hynix defended A very worthy 29%. Behind both was Micron Technology, with 26% approximately. During the first quarter of 2025 these figures have varied in a very important way. In fact, Now the leader is SK Hynix. This last company controls no less than 70% of the market of integrated HBM memory circuits, so its leadership in this sector is overwhelming. In fact, SK Hynix is the Nvidia supplier if we stick to its GPU for ia. On the other hand, this last company was erected during the first quarter of 2025 as the leading manufacturer of DRAM memories with A 36% quota. Samsung now occupies the second position With 34%. And Micron Technology follows them closely with 30%. Behind them, Chinese manufacturers of Yangtze Memory Technologies Co. (YMTC) and Changxin Memory Technologies (CXMT) During the next years SK Hynix will maintain its leadership in HBM memories, although it will lose a part of its quota due to the saturation of the hardware market for AI and the growth of competition. Samsung, meanwhile, about 25% will be stabilized market share. And finally, Micron will be the only one of these three companies that will grow up to 20% market share. These figures are just a forecast elaborated by analysts from SCMPbut they allow us to get a quite accurate idea about how this market of the semiconductor industry will evolve. Image | Xataka In Xataka | This is the chips war: a former SK Hynix employee is suspected to deliver stolen technology to Huawei In Xataka | Samsung tries

School digitalization was full of mistakes, the same ones we are committing when undoing it

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Madrid has decided to turn off the screens. And, as we have learned, the community of the community prepare a decree to prohibit Individual use in computer, tablets or mobile class more than half a million students from around 2,000 community and primary education centers of the community. That is, the intention of the Community of Madrid is to expand the veto to the smartphones that are in force to all digital devices. “Back to essence.” Those have been the words of Miguel Ángel García Martínregional government spokesman: “What is limited is individual use, it is not allowed in the classrooms of the Community of Madrid (…) We intend to return to the essence of books, notebooks, dictates, the care of spelling, calligraphy, and all that will be compatible with which Madrid students have those digital skills so necessary.” “There are many countries that once gave the way of introducing digital devices, and are reversing what we could call the essence of traditional education, adapted, yes, to today’s time,” explained (although without giving more details of how training will be articulated in the different digital competences that marks the curriculum). One step further. It is true that the decision of the Community of Madrid, at least apparently, is a step beyond The recommendations approved by the State School Board A year ago (and focused on the use of mobiles). And, indeed, it is something that connects with the general opinion state that has promoted prohibitions of digital devices in dozens of countries and regions around the world. However, that does not mean that everyone is in favor. While there is no lack of stands in favor of the measure (“the digitalization of the classrooms has been a carafal error that we will be recovering years”), neither are concerted schools lack rejecting the idea and calling her from ‘radical’. Changes! Changes? If we look at the content of the decisions it is impossible to deny that, indeed, the decision of the Community of Madrid is a change for many schools. However, if we look at more structural issues we will see more continuities than innovations. Above all, in something that Catherine L’Ecyer said in the worldthat we legislate following fashions and opinion states. It is true that it was not prudent when it comes to demanding solid evidence before implementing the use of tablets in the classroom. As true as we are now withdrawing them without having a strongly founded action plan. A scientific debate that does not end. For each report like that of the National Institute of Public Health of Quebec (“The results from recent scientific data suggest that digital devices in the classroom, used for personal or educational purposes, in the best case do not bet any benefit to learning and in the worst case they have a negative effect”) we find one as This Swedish research (“Mobile prohibitions have no impact on” school “performance). In this context, and beyond the concrete debate, it must be remembered that the true consensus is that The measures that really improve The academic performance and emotional well -being of students are others. The screens are still cosmetic measures, “while those that They could contribute To improve the mental health of our teenagers continue in some drawer. “ How to face the future. One of the historical complaints of the educational system is that the legislation does not stop giving bands: it is not only that the new laws arrive with problems, but does not give time to evaluate its effects before the next government changed them again. It happened with pedagogical approaches, With bilingualism. And is happening with the problem of digitalization of classrooms. For this reason, what begins to be unplayable is to look for ways to introduce changes guided by available evidence. Image | 야스민 ㄹㅁㅅ | Kelly Sikkema In Xataka | There are parents against prohibiting the use of mobile in schools. And science is right

Spanish: 7 of the most common mistakes we commit when it comes to speaking and writing

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Image source, Daniel Arce/BBC Mundo Article information Author, Drafting Author’s title, There is festivalcartagena@bbcmundo January 27, 2025 If you receive such a message you can have several things for insurance, such as who writes it has confidence with you and belongs to the millennial generation. The phrase, which was originally part of a meme with a funny flame with chuecos eyes, is possibly the first with obvious errors that went viral. And it is more or less clear that, who writes it, knows that there are several spelling fouls – “Hello, what are you doing?” It would be the right phrase. But there are other grammatical errors that are also viral, only that they have sneaked in our day to day without being part of a meme. We talk to Mónica Helguera, better known in networks such as “La Profe Mónica”, a graduate in Castilian language and who is dedicated to the creation of educational content today With her we saw some of the most common mistakes we committed in Spanish, both when writing and speaking. 1. The verb to have If we could make a ranking of beaten and vilified verbs by the Spanish speakers, the verb would have won the first prize. It is one of the most used and, perhaps that is why, with which greater mistakes are made. “This verb has a very complex situation. It can function as the main and as an auxiliary and, at the same time, it can even accompany two verbs at the same time.” This, without a doubt, can generate a lot of confusion. In the first place, having, as auxiliary verb, is used to form compound times. To do this, all the simple ways of having are combined with the participle finished in -or of the verb that is being combined: he has bought, we wanted, he had come. Here comes one of the first errors, which is to use the form we have, archaic, to form the first person of the plural. ❌ We have seen your brother. ✅ We have seen your brother. Image source, Daniel Arce/BBC Mundo Its other use, as the main verb is, at the same time, impersonal. That is, it is a verb that is generally used in the third person of singular and, in this case, denotes the presence or existence of something, as in the phrase “there is bread.” In this case, errors are trying to make a concordance between the verb and the subject that has no place. “It is complex to think that a verb cannot pluralize, being that accompanies a plural subject, but in this case, it is a mistake,” says Helguera. ❌ There were several girls. ✅ There were several girls. Recently another meme became viral and, in some cases, the verb has appeared with this error: ❌ When I am a millionaire, I will say nothing, but there will be signs. ✅ When I am a millionaire, I will say nothing, but there will be signs. With the impersonal use of the verb having in the present there are also errors in the way of writing it. They have seen “ay”, “hai” or “there” where “there are”. A classic phrase that is usually taught to differentiate how it sounds about how it is written is as follows: There is a man who says Oh! There – adverb of place. There are – the impersonal form of the verb to have present. Oh! – Interjection to express many and different spirits, from pain to joy. The fourth of errors with this verb is perhaps the most curious and quite repeated and is born by confusion in pronunciation. Let’s see. In this case, the auxiliary verb is confused in infinitive, having, with the sequence constituted by the preposition and the verbal infinitive see. 2. Homófonas words What are homophones? Well, they are pronounced the same, but they are written differently. And here are great confusion that lead to errors, for example: The confusion between AS/has/beam .. and yes, here we have an example that includes the verb having. Have you looked for that AS of football? Look for it. Do what I tell you. Has – form corresponding to the second person of the singular of the present of indicative of the verb to have. AS – One of the cards of the deck or a person who stands out remarkably. Do – imperative form corresponding to the pronoun you of the verb make. “Especially in the difference between you and do, I always try to explain it in the simplest way for people to understand. And I usually do it by asking people to look at the participle. If there is a word that follows that ‘you have ‘or’ do ‘and it is observed that it ends in ado, gone, to, so and cho (as in erased, eaten, broken, printed and said), it will tell me that the previous word is (you have slept, you eaten , you have broken, you have printed, you said), “says Mónica Helguera. Another way to distinguish between you and do is see that the latter indicates an order. Other words that usually confuse because they sound the same are going, berry and fence. Go to the fence to collect berries. Go – third person of the imperative of the verb go. Valla – Cercado or Wall. Bayas – a type of fruit. Image source, Daniel Arce/BBC Mundo Another example of homophones are there, be there, find and aya. Find this detail: there, next to the tree, which is a beech, there are children with their aya. Find – Second person of the singular of the present of the verb find, which means finding. There – demonstrative adverb that place. Hay – a type of tree. Aya – person in charge of caring for children. Another problem with the homophones are those that go with V with B, both sounds that less and less Spanish -speaking people distinguish themselves by pronouncing … Read more

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