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Mercadona and the rest of the supermarkets spend tons of paper on receipts that no one reads. Now they want to change it

February 1, 2026 by usatoday24

You go to the supermarket, you buy a couple of things (just enough for dinner), you go to the checkout, they give you the ticket, you put it in your pocket and you leave with the bag in the direction of the parking lot. Pure routine. Our daily bread. If the employer’s retail achieves its objective, there is one element of that scene, however, that will change radically. Which? That ticket that you will end up throwing away without even reading it. What has happened? Every year supermarkets print millions and millions of strips of paper in which in many cases only a handful of articles appear, so they end up in the garbage can without anyone having even looked at them. It is a waste, a waste of resources. For chains like Dia, Lidl or Mercadona, but also for the environment. So Asedas (Spanish Association of Distributors, Self-Service and Supermarkets) has had an idea: they want us to start printing receipts only when the customer requests it. What do they want? The news I advanced it on thursday theEconomist. Asedas has proposed to the Government that it slightly tweak the regulations that regulate tickets so that they are no longer printed systematically. That does not mean that they are no longer issued or that the customer no longer has a receipt that clarifies what they have purchased and how much they have been charged. The change would focus on support. The idea, clarifies Ignacio García, head of Asedas, is “that the ticket continues to be generated electronically for control purposes, but that it is printed on paper at the consumer’s request.” That is, the user can request the physical or digital ticket. Right now, remember theEconomistthe regulations provide that supers deliver the receipt in two ways: either in paper or digital format. What’s happening? Since not all clients are in favor of handing over their data (including email) to the chains, in the end they have no choice but to print it. Not only that. The employer’s data They show that many of the times we go to the supermarket we buy only a handful of items, so the receipts show small transactions, for low amounts that we do not even review. Result: those papers end up in the trash as they are printed. It is not even strange for the customer to reject them when the cashier offers them to them. Is it that serious? “Our companies have been confirming for years that, in about a third of operations, the ticket is abandoned at the checkout line,” confirm Garcia. It is not surprising if we take into account the data on the shopping basket managed by Asedas. According to their estimates, 30% of the operations registered in supermarkets respond to almost urgent visits, during which we take home at most four products and spend less than 10 euros. In 60% of cases, purchases involve between five and 25 products with average tickets of between 10 and 50 euros. Only the remaining 10% actually respond to large purchases. In practice, the fact that all operations end up reflected in a receipt means that the supers generate about 5 billion tickets that require the use of almost 4,500 tons of paper and a million-dollar expense. Is it important? Beyond the millions of receipts that are printed each year and the cost that this entails in tons of paper and euros, Asedas’ proposal is interesting for at least two reasons. To start with who throws it. Asedas presume to be “the first food distribution business organization in Spain” and cover 19,200 retail stores and 495 wholesalers. Between your partners Companies such as Mercadona, Lidl, Aldi or Dia appear. Another key is that its idea is in line with what is already done in other European countries. For example, in 2023 France said goodbye to the generation of tickets by default precisely because of the amount of paper it consumed. That doesn’t mean they no longer exist, but they must be requested. In the Netherlands, Switzerland and Sweden there have also been changes related to the generation of receipts. In Spain itself, some large chains they take time moving towards the digital ticket. Images | Xataka Mobile and Wikipedia In Xataka | There was a time not too long ago when the future of supermarkets seemed like Amazon Go. Now Amazon Go is dead

Two scientists tried to publish a paper on why we get belly button lint. And that’s where his problems began

January 8, 2026 by usatoday24

In 2005, writer Mark Leyner and doctor Billy Goldberg published ‘Why do men have nipples?‘, a hilarious popular science book in which they answered very crazy questions: from the reason why hair comes out of our ears to the physiological reasons why asparagus perfumes our pee. However, they were not able to answer a key question: where did the fluff of the navel? Four years later, Georg Steinhauser wanted share your answer with the world. According to him, navel lint was mainly related to abdominal hair. According to him, the hair collected the fibers from the clothing and directed them to the navel. He did experiments for three years removing breasts to see the differences! But no one wanted to publish it. Nobody? No! A magazine populated by irreducible mad scientists still resists, as always, the most basic control practices of contemporary scientific publication. Welcome to the world of ‘Medical Hypothesis‘. Against the “gentrification” of science In recent years, “evidence-based” things They have enjoyed unprecedented fame. From politics to medicine, thousands of professionals have turned to science in search of solutions to respond to the problems of an increasingly complex society. However, all that glittered was not gold: again and again We have once again reflected on one of the blind spots of the approachthat science is, by nature, conservative. Not in a political sense, but in an epistemological sense. That is, we know better what we have; but when what we have doesn’t work, it’s a problem. A problem because, without resources to investigate new optionsare forced to implement interventions that do not work, leaving many professionals with their hands tied. For good reasons, yes. But with his hands tied. It is not strange, of course, that there are people who want more diversity. This is the case of ‘Medical Hypotheses‘, the most WTF science magazine of the last 40 years. ‘Medical Hypotheses’ was founded by the physiologist David Horrobin who directed it until his death in 2003. Horrobin, who was already himself a controversial figure (the British Medical Journal defined as one of the greatest “snake oil salesmen of his time”), made a magazine in his image and likeness. Fun, refreshing and dangerous In theory, the idea was to build a respectable forum to debate unconventional ideas unconstrained by current scientific publishing standards as a way to boost the diversity threatened by academic monoculture. ‘Medical hypotheses’ wanted to be a place to bring intuitions, extravagant ideas and crazy theories. In a world like the scientific one full of certainties and phrases in the present indicative, Horrobin’s magazine was all the y-sis and conditionals. That makes it a profound magazine. fun and refreshingbut it also does a bomb box. You can also read a study that relates heels with schizophrenia that one about the similarities between people with Down syndrome and Asians. These days, without going any further, a study is circulating in tabloids around the world about If we can abandon ourselves so much that we end up dying due to pure psychology. For years, the world was a party in ‘Medical Hypotheses’. In the first issues, pioneers from some of the most developing fields of the time wrote. But its main asset is also its main problem. It is a magazine that requires a very skilled editor to be able to navigate controversial terrain without publishing malicious and even dangerous work. The end of the party When Horrobin died in 2003, he was replaced by Bruce G. Charlton. Horrobin had written down that he was the only person he truly trusted to continue his work. At the end of 2009, an article in which he stated that “there was no evidence that HIV caused AIDS” was published in the magazine. The party was over. The paper had been rejected in all research area publications until it ended up in ‘Medical Hypotheses’. He scandal It was capital and Elsevier, owner and publisher of the magazine, fired Charlton a few months later. Furthermore, in an attempt to contain the damage, Elsevier introduced a review system halfway between the original system and the peer review of traditional publications. That clearly went against the magazine’s reason for being and Hundreds of researchers protested against the decision. ‘Medical Hypotheses’ is, in some ways, a symbol of the risky, indomitable and (often) reckless science that we still need, but it no longer plays a central role in public debate. Today, the preprints (and the repositories that store these open drafts — with arXiv.org at the head) fulfill that function. A function that, despite making our lives difficult, is best never missed. In Xataka | This frog is so photogenic that it is now on the verge of extinction In Xataka | Spain turns in the opposite direction to the rest of Europe. It is part of a geological plan: close the Mediterranean Image | Pexels

We send fewer and fewer paper letters. So Denmark Post has said goodbye to the service after 400 years

December 26, 2025 by usatoday24

“Denmark is the canary in the mine.” The comment is by Marvin Ryder, researcher at the McMaster University (Canada), and what he talks about is not about markets, finances or geopolitics, but about something that has been part of the daily lives of a large part of the world’s population for centuries: the mail. The postal operator PostNord has decided that on Tuesday, December 30 will send his last letter in Denmark. In fact, it has been removing its characteristic red mailboxes from the streets for months and Monday the 29th will be the last day it accepts certified envelopes. From now on he wants to focus on sending packages, something that makes a lot of sense in view of his results. The question, how Ryder slidesis whether the end of postal mail will be limited to Denmark or will reach more countries. Goodbye letters, goodbye mailboxes. End of cycle in Denmark. The once powerful Danish postal service has decided to adapt to the times and say goodbye to postal mail. It’s not exactly new (the announcement did it months ago), but the effects of the measure will begin to be felt now, with the turn of the year: in 2026 the operator PostNord will stop collecting and delivering letters in Denmark. In fact the company takes time preparing the ground for change: in June it began to withdraw its 1,500 mailboxes from the streets, on the 18th it stopped accepting letters and on the 29th it will collect the last certified envelopes with acknowledgment of receipt. One day later, New Year’s Eve, PostNord will deliver its last envelopes. Chart on letter sending (in millions) from PostNord Danmark. A key figure: 90%. PostNord, a Nordic operator founded in 2009 from the merger of Denmark’s Post Danmarck and Sweden’s Posten AB, has been very clear about its motives. Stop sending letters in Denmark because its users have stopped doing so. Only in the last 25 years has its flow been reduced more than 90% without the demand showing signs of having hit rock bottom. If in 2000 they were distributed more than 1.4 billion of letters, in 2024 they did not reach 200 million. This collapse has coincided with the increase in online commercewhich is precisely where the operator has decided to focus its efforts. From now on in Denmark it will focus exclusively on the parcel service. “We are forced to adapt to the new situation and take the next step to build a strong PosNord for the future,” claims. It makes sense considering that the MitID system already allows Danes to receive all their official notifications digitally, the option chosen by the vast majority of the population. Only 5% of adults has renounced that possibility. Will there be no more letters? Yes. And no. PostNord has decided to turn the page 400 years of postal history (the service operates from the 17th centuryin times of Christian IV), but that does not mean that paper envelopes will no longer be sent. Danes will be able to continue sending letters to each other through Daoa courier firm that is already operational and is now preparing for a considerable increase in activity: if its estimates do not fail, it will go from 30 million letters in 2025 to 80 million in 2026. Of course, the service will be somewhat different for citizens: whoever wants to send a letter will have to go to one of their locations to deliver it or pay extra if they want it to be picked up at home. Question of obligations. In the statement in which it advanced its plans PostNord made it clear that its decision comes preceded by a change at a legal level that, in practice, frees its hands. “Our responsibility for the universal postal service in Denmark was extinguished with the Postal Law which came into force on January 1, 2024, except for mail for the visually impaired, small islands and international mail during a transition period,” clarify. Things will be different in Sweden, where PostNord will continue to operate a mail system “self-financed and profitable” and assuming the postal service. “Difficult decision”. Breaking a tradition that dates back to the 17th century is not easy. And this has been recognized by PostNord, which talks about “a difficult decision” and an “important step” designed to be strengthened in the future. For now, his goodbye has served to unleash collecting fever for his mailboxes: the operator put 1,000 units on sale for between 270 and 200 euros (depending on their state of conservation) and sold out of stock. in just a few hours. It is estimated that its network is made up of about 1,500 mailboxes and in January they will be auctioned another 200. Beyond Denmark. Where PostNord’s movements are probably also followed with interest is in the Post Offices. Although there are signs which suggest that Generation Z is reconnecting with the pleasure of sending written letters, the truth is that postal mail is also going through slow times in Spain. The National Markets Commission calculate that in ten years the exchange of letters has plummeted by 64%, which has forced Correos to try new (and multiple) avenues of business. Parcel shipping is increasing, moving at “record levels”, but precisely for this reason it is a sector with fierce competition in which it is not easy to gain a foothold. In Denmark, the readjustment of the postal service will be accompanied by a snip of staff, with the loss of 1,500 jobs. Images | News Ãresund – Johan Wessman (Flickr) and PostNord In Xataka | Correos wants to be a bank in 2025. It is an eye-catching plan in the face of the continuous closure of bank branches

Cover letters were a treasure for recruiters, until AI turned them into wet paper

November 5, 2025 by usatoday24

AI promised to speed up the processes of staff recruitmentbut after a period of intensive use of AI by both companies and candidates, it has been shown that It’s more broken than ever. Further proof of this degradation are cover letters which, although before the arrival of AI models were a clear differentiating factor, are currently worthless, as a study by Princeton University and Dartmouth College has shown. Cover letters made a difference. The study ‘Making Talk Cheap: generative AI and Labor Market Signaling‘ carried out by Princeton researchers analyzed more than 2.7 million proposals on the Freelancer.com platform before and after the implementation of the LLM text generation models to create these cover letters. Their conclusion is that, before using AI, attach a well-written and to show interest and knowledge of the position and the company to which one was applying, considerably increased the hiring options because the recruiters perceived that this was a very capable candidate. Now they are wet paper. However, as the use of AI tools to generate these cover letters has spread, the appreciation of quality has improved so that candidates in the top 20% of writing skills were 19% less likely to be hired, while those in the lowest 20% increased their chances by 14%. In other words, employers stopped associating a well-written letter with a competent candidate. This has meant that the differentiating factor that a well-written cover letter previously provided has disappeared, reducing the curve of possibilities between the best-trained candidates and those who are not so well-trained. Letters submitted before the LLM models had a better chance of being hired than those post-LLM AI makes hiring more difficult. The effect observed in cover letters has been extended to other areas of personnel selection, since AI distorts real capabilities of the candidates. It is true that its use increases the perception of quality of the candidates, but as the average quality of the group increased, companies began to trust less in the information provided by the applications. He study ‘Does AI devalue communication? Theory and evidence of entrepreneurship and contracting at a global level’ carried out by researchers at Columbia University and Yeshiva, found a similar pattern in selection and entrepreneurship processes: access to AI reduced the accuracy with which recruiters identified the best profiles to fill a given vacancy by between 4% and 9%. If everything is good, nothing is good. For decades, a letter well tailored to the offer served as proof of interest and commitment on the part of candidates. In labor economics, this is known as “signalling”: the candidate conveys their effort through the quality of the text. Generative models have thrown that signal to the ground. The meta-analysis ‘The role of artificial intelligence in personnel selection’ concluded that the automation of selection processes with AI is eroding the traditional signals of merit that were transmitted through cover letters, emails or applications received by the hiring and human resources departments. In that sense, while it is true that AI has democratized competition in the job search, it has also made genuine talent less visible. Who is behind the algorithm? The current degradation of those “clues” that allowed recruiters to locate the best talent, forces us to look for new ways to evaluate candidates. As and as they pointed From the technological employment platform Manfred, the use of AI has multiplied the number of applications, but the perceived quality has not improved at the same pace. For this reason, many companies are choosing to implement more practical tests and face-to-face interviews in their selection processes. That is, eliminate from the equation the presence of AI for the last stage of the selection process. The unknown of this practice is knowing how much talent has succumbed to AI resume filtering prior to that first face-to-face interview. In Xataka | Jeff Bezos assures that there is a type of employee who can never be replaced by an AI: inventors Image | Unsplash (Vitaly Gariev)

Cover letters were a treasure for recruiters, until AI turned them into wet paper

November 5, 2025 by usatoday24

go back to pencil and paper

October 14, 2025 by usatoday24

We take for granted the conveniences of the digital age: instant messaging, online shopping, the databases that power millions of businesses. Everything flows until something breaks and the routine stops. In companies, this failure can have devastating effects. Jaguar Land Rover verified itwhich suffered a cyber attack that paralyzed its production lines. Now the scenario is repeated in Japan, where Asahi, the giant that controls about 40% of the beer market, has had to stop its activity and resort to the most basic: handwritten orders, paper documents and faxes that ring again. The incident broke out at the end of September, when an attack by ransomware left inoperative Asahi’s ordering and shipping systems in Japan. In a few hours, the company had to suspend activity in most of its factories and completely reorganize its logistics. The country’s supermarkets and convenience chains, including 7-Eleven and FamilyMart, warned of possible stock shortages. Although production began to resume on a limited basis, the brewer admitted that it could not guarantee timelines for returning to normality. When a cyberattack turns off screens and forces you to return to paper The systems that allow Asahi to process orders, coordinate deliveries and communicate with distributors were out of service following the attack. Although factories could continue producingthe company was forced to stop activity because it could not manage a single shipping order. The measure was part of the containment protocol, which included blocking servers and suspending incoming mail from abroad. In a few hours, the largest brewer in the country went from total automation to an almost complete stoppage. Faced with the digital blockade, Asahi activated an emergency plan based on manual procedures. Orders were written down by hand, delivery notes were printed and shipping confirmations were communicated by fax, as they were decades ago. The goal was simple: keep the product flowing, even if it was limited. The brewery thus managed to partially reactivate its distribution network, while preparing the reopening of its call center. It was a slow and laborious response, but it allowed the first batches of beer to leave the factories again. Little by little, Asahi began to commission its factories. The six brewing centers in the country returned to limited production, starting with the Asahi Super Dry line. Some soft drink and food plants were also reactivated, although at a slower pace. The company specified that its production was still far from normal and that containment measures were still in force. The attack affected only Asahi’s domestic operations. The company clarified that its subsidiaries in Europe and the United Kingdom continued to operate without incidents. The Japanese side, which contributes around 50% of its global incomewas the only one hit. Although the geographical scope was limited, the economic and logistical effect within the country was notable. A group called Qilin sand claimed responsibility for the cyberattack. We are talking about an organization that operates under a “ransomware as a service” model and that has already been involved in attacks on large companies. Asahi did not confirm that version or detail the type of intrusion. In any case, The Japanese Government maintains an investigation open to clarify what happened. Asahi is keeping its recovery plan underway, focused on gradually restoring ordering and shipping systems. As we say, the immediate priority is normalize production and fully reopen its customer service center. Starting in mid-October, the company hopes to increase the pace of distribution and recover part of the catalog affected by delays. It has not yet set a date for full restoration, but it assures that security measures will be reinforced before returning to one hundred percent operation. Images | Asahi (1, 2) | freepik In Xataka | How often should we change ALL our passwords according to three cybersecurity experts

More than 200,000 books for 11 euros a year. It is ‘The Free Books Club’ of Valencia, a paradise for printed paper devotees

September 7, 2025 by usatoday24

In a city like Valencia, not precisely lacking second -hand librariesa project has been born that goes beyond the mere business with volumes that have already lived one or more readings. It’s about ‘The Free Books Club ‘, a mixture of bookstore, paper trace, social club and NGOs Bibliophile that, in exchange for a minimum fee, allows its partners to take all the books they want. Its responsible is Rafael Soriano, who transmits an enthusiasm for reading perfectly In line with the philosophy of the premises: “All books are jewelry, some need a little mime and that is the goal of the club: save the books, pass them from good hands to others and in that way, among all, to have an immense library of people who want to continue keeping the books.” All books They deserve be read (As Rafael says, “a book can be a brick, but if you find a page, a paragraph, a text that tells you something, is already a good book”) and therefore preserved. That is why the Free Books Club ‘has an affordable partner share, 11 euros a year, which allows you to take all the books that are desired (To donate it is not even necessary to be a partner), return them or keep them if desired. The intention of the club is that no book is discarded, and of course, that leads to problems. The main one is that Rafael stopped counting the specimens in the premises when he reached 200,000, and the lack of space has forced him to stop classifying, archiving, listing and even restore those volumes they need. In the original place there are no more volumes, which has led them to resort to “partners who have some space at home, a garage, a small warehouse. When someone requests a large rescue, let’s say ten, twelve, fourteen boxes of books, in the premises of Valencia they do not fit.” The project has thus became a completely collaborative idea: the website centralizes the calls for help in search of space, and They estimate that right now they will be around 300,000 “saved” booksas Rafael likes to say. There are future and expansion plans although at the moment the relief comes from projects as another open club in Padrón (A Coruña) with similar operation. An agreement with emails has also been reached so that the partners can exchange books directly without going through the Valencia premises, again with the website as a meeting point. Although Rafael’s ambition goes further, and would like to see premises like his in other provinces, and “that the partners can take a book in Valencia, leave it in Cáceres, take one in Cáceres and leave it in Barcelona.” Computer to Guardian de Books Rafael Soriano started his career as a computer programmer: “I started computer studies before there were computer faculties. In the year 85 I started from 88 I dedicated myself to programming for different clients. In the end the fort of my programming was the management of bars and restaurants. “Later he made the leap to the other side of the screen:” For having met the sector, I was as manager of a bar-restaurant for a year, with thirty-so many employees on the beach. “ After dedicating almost ten years he transferred him and stayed “a little in limbo: I am not yet retired, but I don’t want to be at home, even if I have some resources to endure.” And in this way the club was born: “A little like Hobby, a little as a refuge.” And near the sea, “because I like to swim, see dawn swimming.” A completely born project of devotion to the printed page and has set in something more than a bookstore: A home for old books that serves as a transit in search of new houses. Or as Rafael says, “it is an alchemy workshop, that is, everything that is there is paper, it is an piled paper, but in the right hands it becomes gold.” In Xataka | Before he died, this man left a list of everything he had read in his life: 3,599 books of all kinds that you can now consult

It seemed that the pocket notebook was irreplaceable. remarkable paper pro move begins to demonstrate that it is not

September 5, 2025 by usatoday24

We all have that moment: an idea appears in the middle of a meeting and, when taking out the mobile to point it, it vanishes between notifications. The lifelong notebook always had an advantage: it kept you focused. Now, a new generation of digital notebooks wants to bring that feeling back. Remarkable Paper Pro Move It is presented as An electronic sheet with paper touch, pocket size and tools that do not interrupt your concentration. Of course, the experience has a price: its bet is high, as the cost of accessing it. The objective of this device is not to replace the laptop or compete with a tablet: you can concentrate on what matters. Its size always takes it on top and remove the Stylus in seconds to write ideas at any time. The long -term battery and integrated reading light make it useful both in journeys and in meetings. It is a digital notebook that seeks to return fluency to daily work, avoiding the noise generated by messaging or mail applications. It is an attractive, but also limited proposal, designed for a very specific audience that will take advantage of it. The essentials of Paper Pro Move With dimensions of 195.6 x 107.8 x 6.5 mm and just 230 grams of weight, Paper Pro Move feels more like a notebook than as an electronic device. Your cYou have anodized aluminum And textured glass reinforces that sense of care and robust object, while integrated sensors allow the screen to turn on or off when opening and closing its case. It is designed to accompany without occupying space and to write about it is as natural as opening a notebook. The device incorporates a 7.3 -inch color electronic ink screen, with a resolution of 264 pixels per inch. Its Canvas color panel, based on and Ink Gallery 3, seeks to replicate the texture and contrast of physical paper. Adjustable lighting allows you to read and write in any environment, with a system that reduces visual fatigue and avoids blue light. In addition, Palma’s rejection allows you to support the hand to write without errors, reinforcing the feeling of using a traditional notebook, even outdoors. Its Canvas Color Panel, based on and Ink Gallery 3, seeks to replicate the texture and contrast of physical paper Among its functions include the conversion of writing to text, the possibility of selecting and reorganizing content, and the use of layers to manage different versions of the same work. Has templates adapted to different usesfrom task lists to monthly planners, in addition to tools to draw perfect lines and figures. Documents can be recorded directly and export in formats such as PDF, PNG or SVG. These capabilities make Paper Pro Move a notebook that is not exhausted, where the content is always editable and available for reuse. Beyond the device, remarkable offers a system designed to centralize ideas. Its official applications give access to notes and files from computer or telephone, and Connect expands these capacities with cloud storage without limits and new tools. Among them include the function of sharing screen in real time, direct shipping of notes to Slack and methods to plan projects. Compatibility with services such as Drive, OneDrive and Dropbox completes an ecosystem that aims to maintain all ordered and accessible information, without resorting to external solutions. The combination of autonomy and fast charge is key in this device. It can be kept active up to two weeks with normal use and reaches 90% load in less than 45 minutes, allowing it to resume it quickly. The processor Cortex-A55 of double core and the 2 GB of RAM They are enough to move the system and manage files without problems. Its 64 GB of internal storage avoid always depending on the cloud, while the USB-C port and the Dual Wi-Fi connectivity extend their integration possibilities. The security section includes encryption on the device and in the cloud, multifactor authentication, safe start and blockade after periods of inactivity. It is also possible to establish an access code to protect information. The use of recycled materials and energetically cleaner processes reinforces its sustainability approach, seeking that these types of devices can be kept operational for years without generating more waste. Paper Pro Move is accompanied by a Stylus who marks much of his identity. The Marker, available in standard version or Plus, is magnetically adheres to the device and allows the screen to be turned on instantly. Your stroke seeks to emulate that of a penwith spare tips that provide paper sensation to textured glass. The package includes the device, six points, the pencil and a USB-C cable, while the official covers Book Folio complete the set. The experience focuses on offering precision and naturalness without adding complexity to daily use. And it is time to talk about numbers. The Paper Pro move part of the 479 euroswith the Stylus included in the package, something important to point out because it does not always happen on other devices. To put it in context, tablets such as iPad A16 wave Galaxy Tab S10 Lite They are 399 euros and offer a completely different approach: applications, games, social networks and entertainment. Remarkable’s bet is on another way. Its price reflects a specialized device, designed to write, read and organize ideas without distractions, although that implies giving up the versatility of a conventional tablet. Images | Remarkable In Xataka | I have used the remarkable Paper Pro for two weeks. It is incredibly limited … and that is its greatest success

To play Dungoons & Dragons you just needed ball, paper and dice. Now a course of 2,000 dollars wants to teach you better

August 3, 2025 by usatoday24

To direct a game of Dungoons & Dragons, the legendary role -playing gamejust a dice, a paper and a pencil. Okay, you need to know basic rules, but essentially traditional role -playing games are a lot of friends using their imagination to develop stories. the D & D Dungeon Master University It is willing to end that: one thousand euros for an accelerated and official role of role in a luxury environment and surrounded by experts in the field. It is not an eccentricity: it is the last sample of the tendency to become the luxury experiences of the simplest hobbys. What is this university. A luxury retreat that teaches you all the secrets of the role of role games. There are subjects such as skill development, campaign creation, world construction and professional development. It will take place at the Oglethorpe University of Atlanta. The courses will be on January 2 and 3 of next year, although students who are from January 1 to 4 are asked (a bit complicated dates, if they ask us). As for prices, they range from $ 995 to 2,250, which includes private meetings and games with teachers and other advantages (such as an exclusive jacket). But who are these people. The event is organized by the people of D&D in A A A A, organizers of immersive retirement events that they offer Dungeons & Dragons experiences within real castles (All officially and in collaboration with the owners of the brand). For four days, players of all levels play the role in marathons that arrive at 24 hours and with all the comforts (food, accommodation) inspired by the game. Of course, there are parallel activities (workshops, miniatures, Escape Roomsarchery …) to foster the community, in what becomes a kind of thematic cruise, but dry. Make community. In principle it seems an eccentric luxury, but it is only another way to create new physical ties in hobbies. As he counted This great article about The Verge Comic-Con, Sharing our hobbies is an extremely healthy attitude and the Dungeon Master University and his older sister, D&D in A Castle, are ways of promoting them. Increasingly, conventions, courses and encounters are ways of prolonging our leisure and free time, and there are even websites, such as Meetup, Classbento in the United Kingdom or Fancoons in the US that are responsible for listing and announcing these types of activities. Hobby is a luxury. But beyond conventions and encounters, there is another trend behind these wealthy role -playing courses: to convert simple, traditionally cheap and accessible activities for everyone, in luxury artifacts. Reading clubs are transformed into part of the activities of select clubs at 2500 euros of fee per year; embroidery is the opportunity to make a Exotic and luxury trip which includes workshops and talks about technique; The paint is carried in the calls Art Holidays, where natural can be painted in exquisite landscapes; And something similar happens with photography, to extremes such as expeditions Capture Earth To photograph wildlife. The meaning of luxury. Luxury experiences They have always been there to corroborate social status or to fantasize with what is no more than A couple of days a yearbut this trend goes one step further: it converts our more conventional hobbies into unique experiences. One more step in the transformation of our life into a showcase, including such little distinguished activity (until now) How to play role. In Xataka | Paper, pencil and a messaging app: this is all you need to play ‘Dungoons & Dragons’ and other role -playing games

Every time someone tells me that his mobile is slow, I know where to look: the “paper” of WhatsApp

July 16, 2025 by usatoday24

WhatsApp’s storage is something problematic for a long time. So much that, over time, those responsible have had to develop different forms of release conversations spacevideos, photos and audios on our smartphones. Today they are enormous help, because I have proven that unless we install giant games or we love to carry a good videos library in 4K, the greatest enemy of our mobile is the WhatsApp download folder. Every time someone tells me that his mobile is slower, the first thing I do is look at how much free space he has. And bingo: WhatsApp is usually The biggest glutton in iOS and Android. WhatsApp tricks and tips to hide you to the fullest and maintain your privacy WhatsApp vs Storage, a not solved historical conflict. WhatsApp problems with the space occupied by their files come from the time when the iPhone had 8 GB and it was normal for Android to use internal storage and microSD cards. “That is the solution, more storage,” we thought. But no, unlike Companies like Samsung and its ‘hacks’WhatsApp never allowed their files to move to secondary memory, so releasing memory was generally deleting files or moving them. In the latter case, however, they stopped appearing linked to our conversations. That storage devourer called WhatsApp. A full mobile, a slow mobile. As the storage is filled, the performance of a low device. It is so in telephony, in tablets, in classical computer science or on televisions. An operating system and its applications need a minimum space to execute reading and writing operations. When the storage is almost full, modern systems try to release space by erasing caches and other temporal files, but where there is not, it cannot be taken out. In computers it was also important to have free space for the use of virtual memory, but with the Virtual RAM extension which include many manufacturers, the problem is also aggravated in mobiles. The recommendation: Disable this function That neither Google itself advises to use, because it wears the memory. In 2025 there are good solutions. Unlike what happened in its beginnings, today WhatsApp does have Good solutions to free space. Before looking at a capture like the superior, it meant frustrating and deleting video by video, photo by photo. Today, after detecting that a mobile is so full, the first thing I do and advise is, inside WhatsApp, go to ‘Settings – Storage and Data – Storage Administration’. Once we have selected the files to erase, the right appears down to the right. There we will find ourselves A complete menu where the application informs us how much space is occupying and how it distributes it. First, it shows, without ordering, files of more than 5 GB. Entering is a great filter to find some large attachment that will quickly help free space. It is also very useful the ‘forwarded of many times’ section, as it is very common for us to get the same video forwarded from different groups, and WhatsApp duplicates them. If we scroll, we will reach the space occupied by the conversations of our individual groups, chats or channels. By selecting each of them, we will see which files occupy more by order, and we can make a quick selection and delete, from the paper icon to which the red arrow of the upper image points. Get to reach this point. Deciding what to delete can be exhausting, no matter how easy the WhatsApp assistant is given to us. So it is best to avoid a situation in which WhatsApp ‘eats’ 32 GB, as in catches. How to achieve it? WhatsApp itself gives us the advice: ‘Activates temporary messages’. If we do it in our groups or chats, the messages will be deleted after 24 hours, 7 or 90 days, according to us. The occupied space will also be released after that time. If we want everything to still not be deleted automatically, but we want to better manage space, in ‘storage and data’ we can also Disable file automatic downloadchoosing according to file type if we want nothing to be downloaded automatically (which would be the ideal option for WhatsApps full of photos of groups that we do not consult), or only in Wi -Fi or Wi -Fi and mobile data. In ‘Settings – Storage and Data – Automatic file download’ we find the option to choose which files we want to be downloaded automatically. If we select ‘never’ we will totally control what our space is invaded and what not. On the iPhone, personally, too unleash the option ‘Save in photos’ that we find in ‘adjustments – chats’. I do it because that function makes all WhatsApp photos also go to the reel of iOS, which doubles them without any use for me. Other people, yes, choose to activate it for backup apps such as Icloud or Google Photos keep everything in the cloud. This WhatsApp option in iOS avoids duplicate files on the reel. If the deactive, the photos will continue to be on WhatsApp equally. More radical solutions. That WhatsApp storage can become a problem is not something invented. Personally, I have come to deal with mobiles that had 70 GB occupied by WhatsApp. When he has come to occupy so much, and we do not mean goodbye to everything, there is a magnificent more radical option such as ‘Export Chat’, which generates, if we want, a file compressed with all our conversation (in flat text) and all our files. In each of our conversations and chats we can export the historical content, choosing to save files or only the text. The pity is that there is no import option. It works very fast, so in seconds we can have the file in our memory, ready to be sent to a PC where we can have all the text, audios, videos and other files in the group. The background problem. WhatsApp is eaten a lot of storage, it’s true. But the real … Read more

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