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The only advantage Apple could have in AI was its private cloud. It has been copied by the person we least expected

November 16, 2025 by usatoday24

Google has presented Private AI Compute, its cloud infrastructure specially designed so that our conversations remain totally private and cannot be accessed by anyone else. Not even Google. Why is it important. The deployment that Google has announced will allow users of models like Gemini to use them without fear that their sensitive data – finances, health, private conversations – could end up being rescued and accessed by third parties. Idea copied from Apple. This type of infrastructure is an adaptation of the platform that Apple presented more than a year agoPrivate Cloud Compute, and that precisely focused on protecting those conversations by using the company’s future AI models. There are some differences, and for example Apple makes use of a concept of “verifiable transparency” that allows external researchers to audit security and privacy at any time cryptographically. At Google they use third-party verification, which is somewhat more limited as it is not open to the public to verify the running software. Tranquility as a sales argument. AI models are becoming more useful and also more personal and proactive, and that means that we also end up using them with data that may be more personal and sensitive to help us with a very specific question. Beyond ZDR. The problem is that when using the models everything we ask and they answer you can see —and even deduce—. There are ZDR (Zero Data Retention) modes in enterprise accounts from some AI providers, but having a cloud that “privatizes” those conversations is especially promising when it comes to being able to talk about everything with AI without restrictions. no fear of that data coming out of there. How this “privatization cloud” works. Those responsible for Google they explain that Private AI Compute is a “secure, fortified space for processing your data that keeps your data isolated and private to you.” The system uses several layers involving its TPUs and its Titanium Intelligence Enclaves (TIE) security chips. Our devices connect to that secure cloud environment through encryption and a cryptographic security mechanism called “remote attestation” that verifies the identity and integrity of that hardware environment to which we connect. Google also offers a detailed technical report on the operation of this infrastructure. Similar to running local models. The result is theoretically that for the user everything runs “locally” in terms of privacy. Features such as translation or audio summaries that Google offers in its services run directly on our devices: there is no data that travels to the cloud. The best of both worlds. The problem is that local AI models have limited performance, and Private AI Compute will allow you to have the best of both worlds: the power of the best AI models—which run in gigantic data centers—and the privacy guarantee of Google’s Private AI Compute. A surprising twist. This type of infrastructure means that these conversations are completely protected and that not even Google can access them. It’s a surprising turn of events, especially since for the last 25 years Google has made a living by collecting our data to apply it to its advertising model. This type of option goes in just the opposite direction, and it only remains to be seen how it will market such capability. Strategic approach. Curiously, this announcement comes days after we learned that the new version of Siri with AI It will be powered—at least, initially—by Gemini, Google’s AI model. Both companies have had a multimillion-dollar agreement for years to make Google the default search engine in Safari on iPhones and Macs, and now that alliance is apparently reinforced with the use of Google’s AI model to power the future version of Siri. In Xataka | The key to making the iPhone competitive in AI was right next door: imitating what Android had already done

Revolut plans to make the generational leap in Spain: assault private banking

November 12, 2025 by usatoday24

Revolut is looking for private banking professionals in Spain to build its high net worth division from scratch. The project is in the initial phase, but talks have already begun, according to Expansion. It is the first serious move by the British neobank in a segment traditionally reserved for traditional banking. Why is it important. The bank intends to compete with the leaders of this sector, Santander and CaixaBankwho control more than 35% of the large fortune market in Spain. It is not a minor battle: Santander manages 195,000 million in assets of patrimonial clients. CaixaBank exceeds 181,000 million. Revolut wants to convince these customers to abandon decades of banking relationships for a mobile app. The context. Interest rates have normalized in Europe and banks need to compensate with fees for what they lose in margins. Private banking is the perfect business: High profitability. Less price sensitive customers. Lasting relationships. That is why everyone wants to enter or grow in this segment. Revolut is late to the banquet, but if anyone can offer a different menu, it’s them. Between the lines. Until now, Revolut has been the bank of millennials and generation Z. Young people who exchange currencies to travel, invest in cryptocurrencies, value the absence of commissions and digital agility. Now he wants to manage his parents’ assets. It is a logical but complex leap: going from being the youth alternative to becoming the custodian of consolidated family fortunes. Yes, but. There is another less obvious reading. Millennials who have been with Revolut for a decade are getting older and accumulating wealth. Entrepreneurs who have sold companies. Professionals with consolidated careers. Investors who have multiplied capital. Revolut is not only looking for new customers, it also aims to retain those it already has before they leave for traditional banking when they need more sophisticated services. The strategic turn. Revolut founder Nik Storonsky He’s been anticipating this move for a year.. He presented it as a natural evolution: many bank clients already have high balances and need more than just a well-stocked checking account. But the reality is more pressing: Revolut needs to diversify revenue beyond transactional products (currency exchange, cards, accounts). Their model has worked for the average customer. Now look for the high value one because that’s where the real margin is. The threat. Revolut’s bet is not only technological, it is generational. The bank believes that new fortunes value agility and innovation more than dealing with a manager in a VIP office. It also relies on its young client base to mature with them, creating a natural transition into private banking. And now what. Dates, minimum equity requirements, a list of specific services to be offered by Revolut in private banking… Everything is yet to be defined. It also remains to be known whether the bank will replicate its model from other markets or adapt the offer to Spanish particularities. And, above all, it remains to be seen if it manages to sign top-level professionals willing to work in a technologically powerful brand, but without a history of large assets. In Xataka | Neobanks break 25% market share in Spain. Traditional banking is losing young customers Featured image | Revolut

Work absenteeism in ITV workshops has skyrocketed in some autonomous communities. The solution: private detectives

November 12, 2025 by usatoday24

The public company SITVAL, in charge of managing technical inspections of vehicles in the Valencian Community, has put out to tender a contract of 140,000 euros to hire detective agencies to investigate possible unjustified absences, incompatible activities or fraudulent situations among its staff. Just like inform from El Español, the measure seeks to tackle an absenteeism problem that has skyrocketed since the ITVs went under public management in February 2023. The underlying problem. Since Ximo Puig’s Government reverted service to the public sector, work absenteeism in Valencian stations has skyrocketed to between 16% and 18% on average, according to share the middle. The figure doubles the regional average for absenteeism in the community, which stands at 6.4%, and is well above the national 7%. The result is a collapsed service with waits exceeding eight weeks for heavy vehicles, according to the Valencian Federation of Transport and Logistics Entrepreneurs (FVET). What will the detectives do? The contract, published On October 27 on the Public Sector Contracting Platform, it commissioned the agencies to observe, monitor and prepare documentary and audiovisual reports on SITVAL personnel. Just like share El Español, detectives must collect truthful information about possible unjustified absences and, if necessary, appear before administrative or judicial bodies to ratify their reports. The contract is divided into three lots, one for each Valencian province, with an execution period of two years. It is not an isolated case. The Valencian Generalitat is not the first administration that uses private investigation services to control absenteeism in public ITVs. The Government of Andalusia launched a similar service in August of last year, divided into two lots for the western and eastern areas of the community. Consequences. The middle emphasize That the reversal of the service, which occurred three months before the 2023 regional elections, has generated an unexpected effect: the massive relocation of inspections. According to data Officially, in 2024 a total of 291,662 vehicles chose to pass the ITV in other autonomous communities such as Murcia, Castilla-La Mancha or Tarragona, which means less income compared to the 2,332,087 inspections that were carried out in 2022. Qresion in it transportation sector. The situation has led the Valencian Federation of Transport and Logistics Entrepreneurs (FVET) to announce the departure of its presidentCarlos Prades, from the board of directors of SITVAL at the end of October. “We pay more than in other communities for a less efficient, slower service that generates uncertainty,” denounced Prades, who added that “Valencian stations are no longer a real option for many companies.” The figures don’t add up. Puig’s Government justified the transition to public management arguing that it could generate up to 40 million euros per year in operating income for the Generalitat, compared to the 7 million euros paid by private concessionaires together. Although it seems that the forecasts have not taken into account the impact of absenteeism, the drop in inspections carried out or additional costs such as this investigation services contract. Cover image | FVET In Xataka | Yes, there is a way to check if the V-16 beacon is working correctly. And you are not going to alert the DGT or the emergencies about it.

that of private detectives investigating them

November 5, 2025 by usatoday24

In recent years, work absenteeism has ceased to be just an indicator in statistical reports and has become a serious labor problem because of the dimensions it has reached. In turn, this increase in the number of workers who, for justified reasons or not, they do not go to their workplace has caused a collateral effect: massive hiring of private detectives to investigate possible fraud in medical leave. According to industry sourcesSince the pandemic, the number of assignments from companies and medical societies has grown exponentially to account for almost 80% of the investigative work of private detectives. Work absenteeism and its meaning. Work absenteeism occurs when an employee does not show up for work Whether this absence is justified or not. However, this concept is increasingly being used as a synonym for absenteeism due to temporary disability (medical leave), something that is not correct because there is an important nuance. Medical leave is a justified absence due to temporary disability by medical prescription from a Social Security doctor, while not showing up at work without justified cause is a decision made by the employee unilaterally. The difference between one reason and another is obvious. The figures are worrying. According to data from the ReportAbsenteeism from work in the second quarter of 2025′ prepared by Randstad, warn that total absenteeism in Spain has caused the loss of 7% of agreed working hours. However, if that figure is broken down between justified and unjustified, we find that the absences due to temporary disability (medical leave) account for 5.5% of those hours. Therefore, the unjustified ones affect 1.5% of the agreed hours. Taking into account that according to the EPA the number of employed people amounted to 22.27 million contributors, the data from the Randstad study indicate that, on average, 1,558,809 people did not go to their workplace daily, of which, 1,224,778 people did not go to work be on medical leave and, therefore, for a justified medical reason. Total work absenteeism and absenteeism due to temporary disability. Source: Randstad How long does a medical leave last in Spain? It is true that it is a doctor who grants medical leave to a patient. However, the doctor It does not decide how long that leave lasts.. This calculation is estimated from a Social Security database in which factors such as the patient’s profession, age or pathology are taken into account. According to data from ‘Absenteeism Barometer for the first half of 2025′prepared by Mutua Navarra, the average number of sick days in 2025 is 31.07 days. Leaves of less than 15 days accounted for almost 73% of the total number of registered absences (representing 8.9% of the total days not worked) while those leaving for 12 months accounted for 1.85% (32.5% of the total days not worked). That is, the vast majority of absences for medical reasons They are 15 days or less. As they point out the authors According to the Mutua Navarra report, “the problem of absenteeism is not so much due to the number of people who do not go to work, but rather to the excessive duration of sick leave”, something that the worker cannot control since it is a Social Security doctor who determines whether medical recovery has occurred. Detective boom. Given the increase in times and cases of sick leave, companies have taken measures to avoid fraud, and since 2021, the hiring of private detectives to investigate their workers has skyrocketed. Jordi Briñoldirector of Brininvest Detectivesconfirms that “currently we can perfectly well be talking about the fact that, in a standard detective office, these requests represent 80% of the requests.” As highlighted from Sentinel Private Detectivescompanies and mutual societies resort to their services when they already have well-founded signs of fraud, some of which originate from “rumors, information, suspicions” from colleagues or by the anomalous extension of medical leave. “It may also be due to the attitude that the employee has maintained prior to that sick leave situation, in which he almost expressed his intentions due to internal friction,” his spokesperson told us, “many times it is almost to confirm the obvious thing that they already have, rather than the fact of investigating it, it is to obtain proof, because the company cannot proceed with a dismissal for the simple fact that a worker is on sick leave.” According to these detective offices, these previous indications already determine that a high number of cases that are investigated end up being proven to be fraud. The cost of these services for a complete investigation ranges between 1,500 and 4,000 euros depending on the case, which means that companies only investigate those cases in which it is evident that fraud is occurring in sick leave. Criticism from the unions. The proliferation of private detectives has not gone unnoticed by unions, which denounce a tendency to criminalize sick employees. Kings Solaz, national secretary of UGT of Catalonia, points out that “we are concerned that sick workers will be criminalized when what companies should do is reinforce prevention and medical care.” According to the union representative, mutual societies and companies dedicate more and more budget to private surveillance than to diagnostic tests to speed up reinstatements, “the real problem is the increase in waiting lists in public health, and that lengthens the times of diagnosis and treatment and therefore medical leaves are lengthened”, distributing responsibilities to both Social Security and medical mutual societies. Solaz criticized the mutual companies that invest part of the public resources assigned to them from the Security to hire detectives, “both workers and companies pay a part of our salaries to have that mutual company for when we have a work accident or an occupational disease. The mutual companies spend it on detectives, but then They don’t hire professionals necessary to do the tests and give you the care you need to return to work. Transparency with fraud. Although it is true that detective offices recognize that the vast majority of the cases they investigate … Read more

After renting swimming pools during the summer, a new business is on the rise in Madrid: private terraces in winter

November 3, 2025 by usatoday24

In a chalet in Boadilla del Monte, a group of friends drinks their wine as the afternoon falls. In the center of Madrid, a couple celebrates a birthday on a stranger’s terrace. In Lavapiés, a group of twenty-somethings toast in a room. In all cases, there is something in common: none of them are owners, but for a few hours they can pretend that they are. Madrid is rented in fragments: swimming pools in summer, terraces in autumn and lounges in winter. The everyday turned into a stage, intimacy turned into a product. Renting all year round. What started as a summer curiosity —renting private pools by the hour— has become a new form of urban leisure. Platforms like Cocopool, Born as the “Airbnb of water”now they also rent interiors for the rest of the year. However, behind this fashion there is something deeper than a simple leisure trend: an attempt to buy a life. aestheticthat ideal of calm, natural light and well-being that we see every day on social networks. From the dip to the shelter. Renting pools by the hour is still very popular and there are more and more platforms where you can choose where to take your next dip. What seemed like a seasonal business has become deseasonalized. In 2022 Cocopool launched as the “Airbnb of swimming pools”. Now, as explained by its CEO Gerard Xalabardéthe company has come up with “new verticals that cover the same needs the rest of the year.” In autumn and spring, users can rent terraces and gardens; in winter, private lounges with fireplace, sofas and equipped kitchen. In Madrid, the company has 15 interior spaces and 62 terraces or gardens, with prices ranging from 15 to 300 euros, depending on size and luxury. The average cost is around 32 euros for interiors and 34 for terraces, according to company data. The wish of a life aesthetic. This boom not only responds to a practical demand, but also to an aesthetic desire. Renting a well-kept terrace or a designer living room is not just about seeking comfort, but —as Xataka Home explains— “engage in an aspirational lifestyle, even if just for a few hours.” What used to materialize in Pinterest photos or TikTok videos is now experienced in the flesh: a garden with garlands, a light wooden table, a blue pool without background noise. According to Trendsthe phenomenon aesthetic It combines nostalgia for bygone eras with an obsession with the visually perfect: a life that seems orderly, beautiful and under control. In parallel, one could speak of “silent luxury” as the new form of exclusivity: minimalism, noble materials, neutral colors and absence of ostentation. In other words, renting a beige living room is not just leisure: it is a little aesthetic therapy to escape, for a few hours, from everyday clutter. “All for hours.” Pool rentals were just the beginning. The logic of sharing has been extended to almost any experience: terraces, gardens, living rooms, naps and even weddings. But beyond business ingenuity, there is a clear drift: the capitalization of any redoubt of private life. The intimate becomes the stage, the everyday becomes the product. Fewer and fewer things escape the logic of express rental. What was once shared among friends is now reserved with a card. What was rest is now sold as an experience. However, there are also those who find in these platforms a practical solution, not a fantasy. aesthetic. In a city where the flats they shrink and houses rarely allow more than six people to gather, renting a terrace or living room for a few hours can be a reasonable—and affordable—way to celebrate a birthday, a family reunion, or a meal with friends. Not everything is posturing: sometimes there is simply a lack of space. Although, in the words of geographer Vicent Molins, “Madrid has become a product.” And economist Juan Torres López warns that this trend “erodes urban ties and deepens inequality,” because it turns coexistence into business. In other words: if everything can be rented, everything can no longer belong to us. A copy of a copy. In just five years, Spain has gone from renting other people’s beds with Airbnb to renting moments of life: a pool, a terrace, a nap or, soon, a wedding. Everything is offered by the hour, everything is measured in experiences. Platforms like Cocopool, HolaPlace or Nap & Go They capitalize on a shared desire: to experience what we see on networks, even if it is for a while. A more orderly, beautiful, more aesthetic. Maybe, as El País warned“the brand grows, but the city gets worse for those who live in it.” Or maybe we’re just learning to put a price—literally—on what used to be free: the feeling of belonging, of having something of your own. Because, in the end, that life that we so long for on screens is nothing more than a copy of another copy. And we, paying to imitate her, are also a little bit. Image | FreePik Xataka | Neither air conditioning nor fan: the best thing to cool off in summer is a swimming pool. On these platforms they are rented by the hour

Interior Spain has been dreaming of having a beach. Now you will have the largest private in Europe in … Guadalajara

October 4, 2025 by usatoday24

Much has rained since ‘The Refrescos’ sang that “there is no beach” in 1989. It is true that communities like Madrid either Castilla-La Mancha have several “beaches” in which they can cool off if parks in full heat wavebut by great, beautiful and refreshing that are those gaps, it seems that more water is needed. And, at a time when We are running out of beaches all over the planetGuadalajara has decided that it will open the largest interior beach in Europe. Alovera Beach. Alovera It is a town located in the Guadalajara countryside that has a population of about 13,500 inhabitants and will soon add to its tourist attractions the largest artificial beach in Europe. At least, They say so Those responsible for the project, the company Crystal Lagoons that has seen how the municipal plenary approved unanimously a transfer agreement for 40 years of land very close to the important Mahou beer factory on the outskirts of the municipality. The plot has about 105,000 square meters and the works are expected to begin at the end of this year to open their “doors” in spring of 2027. It is estimated that about 20 million euros will be invested and about 140 direct jobs will be created. It is a project that began to be developed in 2017, but that after the resource of environmental environment and reactivation after the COVID-19 Pandemiahe has seen green light a few days ago. The “Beach”. Within those more than ten hectares, the Chilean multinational Crystal Lagoons, That he has already built “beaches” of this type in other countries, he wants to create facilities that will consist of: An artificial lagoon of about 20,000 square meters with differentiated areas for bathroom and navigation. A white sand beach of 16,000 square meters. Complementary facilities such as a ‘club’ Ibizan style, aquatic attractions, sports activities and restoration. Parking with 1,000 places. In addition to private investment, the company will pay a fee of ten million euros throughout the 40 years of granting the land to the City Council. Crystal Lagoons technology. If we go around the company’s website, this “Lagoons” technology is mentioned several times. They mention that it is something “proprietary and ecological ”and what they detail is that their methodology is sustainable and profitable: Use 100 times less chemical than a conventional pool (thanks to a system of “”Disinfection pulses”), And 30 times less water than a golf course. It requires only 2% of the energy of traditional filtration systems by using pulses to group the largest particles in an area of the lagoon, collecting them all at once. Minimum water consumption because it works with a closed circuit that is replenished only when there is evaporation. They affirmIn addition, that the cost of maintenance and construction is “very low, even lower than those of a park of the same size” and have a technology to capture rainwater and replace the pools and everything is monitored to maintain the parameters at the levels that they consider optimal. The land where the beach will be built Criticism. However, the project has generated controversies since its announcement in 2017, the environmental impact being the trigger. Ecologists in action critical The project by stating that it was a “nonsense and a waste of drinking water” to build something like that in a dry area that needs tank trucks in summer to satisfy the needs of the neighbors. The estimate is that it will consume more than 30 million liters of drinking water every year and that, to be viable, you will need water from the tributaries of the Tagus. They also have manifested political irregularities when carrying out the agreement. Look at 2027. Despite the voices against, Alovera Beach will begin to lift in the short term and the residents of the municipality will be able to access this artificial beach in the center of the Peninsula that will have direct connection with the A-2 and, therefore, with Madrid and all potential clients. As the multinational assures, Alovera’s will be the largest artificial lagoon of crystalline water in Europe, but it will not be the only one. In Spain they built the Alcazaba Lagoon in Malaga and Santa Rosalia in Murcia, in addition to having your eyes on Seville. There is also interest in expanding in Romania, France, Italy or Poland, thus adding these projects to those of the United States District One of Dubai. So, in the end, Madrid will have close -Otra- beach. Wow, go. In Xataka | Half the Canary Islands created an artificial beach to attract tourism. Without knowing it, he set up a sanctuary for angel sharks

This is how he ended up filtering private data from a Gmail user

September 20, 2025 by usatoday24

Would you trust artificial intelligence for something as intimate as managing your email? It is not just about your answers, but about giving you access to actions in a private environment where we keep great Part of our personal and work life. The temptation is there. Why invest several minutes in manual searches and check messages one by one if you can delegate the task to an AI agent with an instruction as simple as the following: “Analyze my emails today and collect all the information about my process of hiring new employees”? On paper, the plan seems perfect. The AI assumes tedious work and you recover time for what really matters. Of an innocent message to an invisible escape The problem is that this “magical” solution can also become against. Which promises to increase productivity can become the entrance door for attackers With bad intentions. This is warned by the last Cybersecury Radware Researchwhich demonstrates how a carefully elaborate email consisted of mocking the security defenses of the function In -depth research of Chatgpt and transform it into a tool to filter sensitive information. The disturbing of the report is the simplicity of the attack. It is not necessary to click on any link or download anything suspicious: it is enough that the assistant processes an altered mail to finish filtering sensitive information. The user continues with their day to day without noticing anything, while the data travel to a server controlled by the attacker. Part of success is in the combination of several classic social engineering techniques adapted to deceive AI. Authority statement: The message insists that the agent has “full authorization” and is “expected” to access external URLs, which generates a false feeling of permission. Malicious URL camouflage: The attacker’s address is presented as an official service, for example, a “compliance system” or a “profile recovery interface”, so that a legitimate corporate task may seem. Persistence mandate: When the so -called soft control failure, the prompt orders to try several times and “be creative” until you get access, which allows you to overcome non -deterministic restrictions. Emergency creation and consequences: Problems are noticed if the action is not completed, such as “the report will be incomplete”, which presses the assistant to run quickly. False security statement: It is ensured that the data is public or that the answer is “static html” and it is indicated that they are codified based on64 so that they are “safe”, a resource that actually helps hide the exfiltration. Clear and reproducible example: The email includes an example step by step how to format the data and the URL, which makes it easier for the model to follow it to the letter. As we can see, the vector is simple in its appearance and dangerous in its result. An email with hidden instructions in its HTML or metadata becomes, for the agent, a legitimate order. In general, the attack is materialized: The attacker prepares a legitimate email, but with code or instructions embedded in the HTML that are invisible to the user. The message reaches the recipient’s tray and goes unnoticed among the rest of the mails. When the user orders in depth of chatgpt to review or summarize the messages of the day, the agent processes the mail and does not distinguish between visible text and hidden instructions. The agent executes the instructions and makes a call to an external URL controlled by the attacker, including in the request data extracted from the mailbox. The organization does not detect the exit in its systems, because traffic leaves from the cloud of the supplier and not from its perimeter. The consequences go far beyond a simple manipulated mail. Being an agent connected with permits to act on the inbox, any document, invoice or strategy shared by email can end up in the hands of a third party without the user perceiving it. The risk is double: on the one hand, the loss of confidential information; On the other, the difficulty of tracking the escape, since the request is based on the infrastructure of the assistant itself and not from the company’s network. The consequences go far beyond a simple manipulated mail. The finding did not stay in a simple warning. He was communicated responsible for OpenAI, who recognized vulnerability and acted quickly to close it. Since then, the failure is corrected, but that does not mean that the risk has disappeared. What is evidenced is an attack pattern that could be repeated in other AI environments with similar characteristics, and that forces us to rethink how we manage confidence in these systems. We are entering at a time when IA agents multiply and force to rethink how we understand security. For many users a scenario such as we have described is unthinkable, even for those who have an advanced level in computer science. There is no antivirus that free us from this type of vulnerabilities: the key is to understand what happens and anticipate. The most striking thing is that attacks begin to look more like an exercise of persuasion in natural language than to a line of code. Images | Xataka with Gemini 2.5 Pro In Xataka | China has the largest censorship system in the world. Now he has decided to export it and sell it to other countries

For me listening to music was always something private. Spotify’s social functions invaded that shelter but I already took action

August 27, 2025 by usatoday24

The announcement that Spotify users We can send us direct messages It was an immediate reminder for me: the time had come to thoroughly review the privacy in the application. I have always been clear that what I hear and when I hear it belongs exclusively to my personal sphere. With that idea in mind, I decided to take action on the matter. I opened the app and went to Configuration and privacy > Privacy and social. There is the panel that marks what is shared and what is not, so I took the time to go calmly. Private session. It is Spotify’s unknowns Annual Wrapped. It expires automatically at six hours. I did not activate it because I decided to adjust the rest of the options permanently. Reproduction activity. Spotify can transmit your reproduction activity to your followers (which feeds the feed of friends on the desk). If you are listening to a certain song, your followers that are in the desktop app can see it almost in real time. I deactivated it. I do not need my listening from the minute by minute to be exposed. Recently heard artists. As I mentioned, your profile can show a “artists heard recently”. If you don’t want others to see what your last artists or genres were, you can deactivate that option. I prefer that this information does not appear, so I chose to disable it. Public lists vs. private lists. Something that at the time made me a little noise is that when you create a new playlist in Spotify, by default it will be public. This means that any user could access it if he finds the link, and will appear listed in your profile (if the privacy settings allow it). If a playlist contains songs that you prefer not to be visible, you can mark it as “make private”, which totally hides it: no one else can access, not even with the direct link. The private playlists only see them. Even so, there is a useful nuance: in the desktop version you can manually choose which concrete playlists you want to show in your profile. It is a way of maintaining fine control: all private by default, and I only highlight what I decide. Profile visibility. I deactivated followers and following that no one can see who I follow or who follow me. Less noise, less exposure. Messages in Spotify. It should be said that they are not yet active in Europe and that Spotify has begun a progressive deployment in other regions. On a personal level, the idea does not attract me too much: as I said at the beginning, my relationship with the application is that of a musical refuge, not that of a social network. As the company has advanced, the function will have its own privacy controls and can be completely deactivated, something that you will surely receive it. In any case, there will also be complementary measures, such as blocking unwanted users or rejecting message requests. As a complement, out of that menu I checked two more sections: I deactivated personalized advertising and removed the option to share data with Facebook. Thus I limit the crossing of information with third parties and I prevent my account from relating to a social network that I do not need to listen to music. The final experience does not change in the essential: I still search, choose and reproduce as always. What does change is my sense of control. My playlists are not published alone, my activity does not appear in the feed of others, my profile does not show recent artists or monitoring relationships. And if one day I need an extra layer, I know that private session is waiting there. Images | Xataka with Gemini 2.5 Flash | Screen capture In Xataka | Spotify is no longer a music player. It is a “audio netflix” who wants to devour your whole day

We believed that the “road of yellow tiles” was a private cinema. Until some divers descended to the depths

August 17, 2025 by usatoday24

The idea of the yellow tile road was born with the novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum (1900), where a golden path is described that leads to the Emerald city and symbolizes the trip to personal fulfillment and discovery. In the famous adaptation to the 1939 cinema, that path became a visual icon thanks to the pioneering use of Technicolor: the bright yellow contrasted with the intense green of the city and the blue sky, marking the passage of Dorothy from Kansas’s gray routine to a fantasy world. It turns out that in marine depths we had Another way of tile. A geological finding. History dates back to 2022. During the Luʻuaaahikikekumu expeditiona scientific team aboard E/V Nautilus shipwhile exploring the chain of old submarine volcanoes of Liliʻuokalani Ridge, he ran into Rocking formation that remembered the mythical “road of yellow tiles” of the cinema. The curious structure, located at the top of the submarine nootka, within the National Marino Monument Papahānaumokuākeait turned out to be an example of ancient volcanic geology: rock fragments generated by high -energy eruptions, known as hyaloclastitethat have fractured uniformly due to repeated cycles of heating and cooling by successive eruptions. This pattern, similar to the cracked of the surface of a Brownie, has conferred the rock an appearance of perfectly aligned cobblestone. Origins and characteristics. Hialoclastite is formed when hot magma comes into contact with water, fragmenting into vitreous particles and accumulating in the seabed. Over time, these deposits are compacted and cemented, and, in cases like this, exposed to thermal changes that They produce rectilinear fissures. The found sector showed a stretch of “baked scab” dry to touch, An optical effect that surprised the team and generated jokes on the “road to the Atlantis.” The inspection with the nautilus robotic arm allowed to collect samples from Ferromanganésic scabs (rich in iron and manganese oxides) that covered the background, a resource of scientific and industrial interest. Importance of the mission. That was the First systematic exploration Of these submarine mountains, whose main objective is to understand the mysterious discontinuity that presents its alignment in the ocean bed. The finding of “road” joined other unique observations of the expedition, such as the filming of a strange agency nicknamed Headless Chickn Monsterstrengthening the idea that the area houses poorly documented biological and geological phenomena. Beyond the visual anecdote, the identification and study of these formations provides key information about the Submarine eruptive processes and the tectonic evolution of the region, opening the door to new discoveries in one of the most remote and protected areas of the planet. Scientific context. He find It was also framed in an international effort to map and understand the underwater structures that make up the hidden geography of the oceans. The formation of the “path” in Nootka Seamount Not only illustrates how volcanic activity can generate visually striking patterns, but also offers clues about the systems behavior submarine magmatic and its interaction with water in High energy environments. Plus: These studies are essential to improve underwater volcanism models, evaluate potential mineral resources and understand how these geological habitats influence deep marine biodiversity, a field in which each expedition reveals more unknowns than certainties. Image | E/V Nautilus In Xataka | We know more than Mars than the seabed. An expert helps us to understand why it is still an enigma and what mysteries keep In Xataka | The Atlantic has a ‘lost city’ with the key to life on other planets. Now is in danger

Its empire covers 17,000 properties, 38 private jets and a collection of 300 luxury cars

July 24, 2025 by usatoday24

While in Europe The monarchies They still remain They have made it delegating a good part of their power to parliaments, while maintaining a close and austere profilein Asia its evolution has been Just the opposite: greater concentration of power in the figure of the king and an opulence and excess that exceeds the imaginable. Maha Vajiralongkorn, also known as Rama X, is the monarch of Thailand and is considered as The richest king in the world. Its heritage is valued at 43,000 million dollars, including tens of thousands of properties, a huge collection of luxury cars and even several private planes. A unique heritage in the world The figures surrounding King Rama X not only attract attention for its size, but for the ostentation of it that the monarch does without complexes. It is estimated that King Rama X of Thailand has some 17,000 real estate properties Only in Bangkok, which cover from mansions on the banks of a lake in Bavaria where It passes long seasonspalaces and private residences, even urban developments and shopping centers. All his fortune is managed by the Crown Property Bureauan organism equivalent to what would be national heritage in Spain, which manages the assets of the Monarchy of Thailand. In addition to being able to sleep in a different house every day for the rest of his life, the Thai monarch has 38 private jets that he could pilot the military training he received as part of his preparation as a monarch. He put himself at the controls From Boeing 737-800 in which the Thai delegation was traveling and landed without major problems at the unemployment International Airport, considered one of the most dangerous airports in the world for its orography. His collection of cars is not far behind. According to published Autobildyour collection exceeds 300 luxury carsamong which are a Rolls-Royce Phantom from 1960, a Maybach 62, a Mercedes class S AMG, a Mercedes Class V, a Cadillac DTS or a Rolls-Royce Silver Limousine. This opulence is added 52 real barges, decorated with gold bread, which participate in traditional ceremonies in Thai rivers. A rich heir As usual in the monarchy, in addition to the throne, the Thai King inherited a substantial fortune of his father, King Bhumibol Adjusadej, who ruled for more than 70 years and established the basis of the real heritage that his only son enjoyed now. Forbes already included To the late king as The richest monarch in the world In 2008, with a fortune valued at about 35,000 million dollars. After his rise to the throne in 2016, Rama X did not limit himself to living in income, but has invested in numerous real estate projects that have generated new income. These investments include urban developments and shopping centers that have significantly increased their fortune. In addition, the monarch has invested in actions Of the main Thai companies and financial entities, so it has linked part of its fortune to the success of local companies, while increasing their economic and political influence on their commercial strategies. Rama X leads the ranking as the richest monarch in the worldwith a fortune valued at 43,000 million dollars. The Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah of Brunéi, with a fortune 28,000 million. With something more distance, the Fortunas de los Reyes and Emires of the Middle East headed by the Saudi Arabia Monarchyand the ABU DABI EMIRES and Dubai, with fortunes estimated at 18,000 and 14,000 million respectively. In Xataka | A single millionaire spent on his luxury vacation in Mallorca the equivalent of 10,000 tourists: the Emir de Catar Image | Wikimedia Commons (Tris_T7)

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