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China wants to lay a cable from Chile to Hong Kong. And in the process, it has put Chile in a storm against the US

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Next March 11, Chile will have a new president. Gabriel Boric will no longer be in charge of the country and José Antonio Kast will land in the presidential chair. And he arrives just to take care of a morrocotudo mess: the submarine cable that China is deploying from Valparaíso to Hong Kong. And, evidently, the United States does not like this situation one bit. To the point that he considers it dangerous for his safety. In short. On February 20, the United States revoked the visas of three Chilean officials. The reason? Concern about an underwater cable that will connect Chile and Hong Kong. It’s not so much the cable, but who is ‘pulling’ it: China. As they point out in Mercopressit was the outgoing president who managed the agreement to deploy this cable through a concession decree signed on January 27, which allowed the company China Mobile to install, operate and exploit the cable. 48 hours later, that act was annulled citing “technical errors” and the Boric Administration commented that the project was in the evaluation process. The United States, however, wasted no time and banned the visas of the Minister of Transportation and Telecommunications, the Undersecretary of Telecommunications, and the Chief of Staff of Subtel (Chile’s Undersecretary of Telecommunications). The storm it had just started. political war. Marco Rubio is the Secretary of State of the United States and accused Chilean officials for having “knowingly directed, authorized, financed and supported activities that compromise critical telecommunications infrastructure.” You may be wondering what the United States cares about what Chile does, but Rubio continued by pointing out that this decision “undermines regional security in our hemisphere.” “Which hemisphere” is not the question, but what is happening now. Because Chile has responded that the accusation is “absolutely false” and describes the United States measure as “unilateral,” also pointing out that it is something that goes against Chile’s sovereignty. China has not stood by and, through its embassy in Santiago de Chile, accused the United States of acting in a hegemonic manner, ignoring Chile’s sovereignty to carry out these projects in its territory. If you look closely, the cables from the American continent pass through the US except for Google’s Halaihai, at least directly Cross-fire. Brandon Judd is the US ambassador to Chile and has sided with his government… going a little further in the accusations. Affirms which had already warned the Chilean authorities of what would happen, describing the agreement with China as an intrusion into Chilean telecommunications systems carried out by “malicious foreign actors.” And, as we said, it will be next March 11 when the new president will take office with a pending task: solving a monumental ballot. From the Foreign Relations Department of the incoming president, it has already been saying that “everything possible will be done to ensure that foreign policy allows for the best possible relations with all countries.” A 0º, neither cold nor hot. Influence. Leaving domestic and foreign politics aside, the cable is known as Chile-China Express and is estimated to measure almost 20,000 kilometers. It will link the Chilean city of Concón and reach Hong Kong. The budget is about 500 million dollars and its importance seems key because it would represent the first transpacific data route that would completely avoid routing through North America. From China Mobile it is pointed out that this cable will allow establish Chile as “the central node of the computing power network between China and Latin America.” Now we begin to understand what it is that “undermines regional security in our hemisphere” to which Marco Rubio referred. If completed, it will be a cable deployed by China and in which the United States will have no say, but which reaches the American continent. And we say that it is an important ballot for the new president because the United States injects a lot of money into Chile, being its main foreign investor, but China is the main trading partner of the country. A cable is going to put Kast between a rock and a hard place. Not only in telecommunications. In the background, we have a United States that is looking at the wolf’s ears. In recent months, and at an accelerated pace, China has been moving its chips. It has done this in developing countries on the African continent through energy deals, infrastructure construction, agreements to mine strategic elements and expand its automobile market. But he is also doing it in America. When the United States turned its back on Mexico with tariffs, China was there to offer to open factories. He is carrying out energy projects on American soil, he has interest in some of the strategic ports of the continent and is rolling out infrastructure, such as a railway line that, if completed, will link South America from east to west. The cable between Hong Kong and Chile is just one more piece of a puzzle that Beijing is weaving, which has already torn off with the works. And Washington only sees one thing: the wolf at the doors. In Xataka | The first great Atlantic submarine cable that connected us to the internet says goodbye for a simple reason: it was too expensive to repair it

where the hell to put a garbage can

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Madrid has discovered that there is something even more delicate than the ‘tazo’ of garbage: where the hell to install a garbage canton. The Consistory takes years planning one of these facilities in Montecarmelo, a residential area in the north of the city, but has encountered radical (and belligerent) opposition from its neighbors. The problem is not so much the complex itself but what dimensions it will have, what functions it will perform and how it will affect the daily life of the neighborhood. The controversy is served. What has happened? May Montecarmelo has declared war to the garbage canton that the Madrid City Council wants to install there. That is indisputable. What is more difficult is to gauge the scope of the project. For the Consistory it is about a “small” installationwhich will include changing rooms, offices and a small warehouse for machinery. Nothing else. Things change if we ask the residents of the area. They talk more about a “megacanton” of around 10,000 square meters that will turn the life of the neighborhood upside down. Is it something new? No. The issue has been on the table for several years now. In fact it can go back at least until 2023when the residents of Montecarmelo already took to the streets to show their rejection of the canton. At that time (election year) the work they came to a standstill both in Montecarmelo and in other districts of the capital in which new cantons were proposed, but the project was never ruled out. He was not spared from controversy either. The neighbors have brought your claims to Brussels (the European Parliament has agreed to investigate) and a few days ago some 8,000 people took to the streets, called by the No To Canton Platformto show his rejection. Why is it so controversial? Because the neighbors are convinced that the canton will be a “industrial installation” incompatible with the daily life of an urbanized area. Residents warn that the “megacantón” (10,000 m2) will be located between homes and three schools and that it will have a negative impact on the daily life of the neighborhood. Specifically, they warn of the dangers posed by the handling of solvents and the storage of flammable products, the bad odors, the noise that the facilities will cause and the movement of trucks that will be generated. According to your calculationsthe canton will add a flow of 117 vehicles (80 of them trucks) to an area already overwhelmed during school hours. What are they based on? The group assures that their fears have been confirmed by the environmental memory published at the end of last year, a document that, they insist, shows that it will be “a heavy industrial installation.” “The document contradicts more than two years of official political discourse,” censorship the Regional Federation of Neighborhood Associations of Madrid (Fravm). The entity warns that, beyond its “extraordinary dimensions”, the project will integrate an urgent cleaning service (Selur) in the “heart” of a residential neighborhood, between homes, schools and “destroying” a green area. Would it cause so much inconvenience? “The report describes machinery and processes typical of a large-scale mechanical workshop. It mentions truck lifts, hydraulic presses, welding equipment, electronic diagnosis, parts washing, oil changes and other dangerous and polluting liquids… Nothing to do with what the mayor and (the delegate of Urban Planning, Environment and Mobility Borja) Carabante say,” warn from the neighborhood group. What’s more, the document recognizes that the canton could generate up to 106.5 dB, well above the recommended (and permitted) limits in inhabited areas. This is what Fravm maintains, who compare it with the noise of a plane taking off. What does the City Council say? It considerably reduces the impact that the complex will have. And they defend their necessity. So claimed it a few days ago Borja Carabante, who insisted on talking about a “small canton” of garbage. “The neighbors told us to reduce the installation to a minimum, we have done so by only installing changing rooms, some small administrative offices and a small warehouse for them to have the carts,” says the municipal leader who recognizes that, although 10,000 m2 have been fenced, that will not be the final size of the canton. “It will certainly have less than half that area.” What is the problem then? “The neighbors have gone further because it is no longer that they just want a canton with changing rooms and a small warehouse, it is that they no longer want the canton not only in the neighborhood, practically in the district,” Carabante assures. “We cannot assume that because we are building 15 cantons throughout the city without in any of them we have had the controversies, the complaints, the claims that we are having in Montecarmelo.” Is it so controversial? That the Montecarmelo project has generated so much controversy is explained by several factors, beyond the surface (and scope) of the infrastructure. To begin with, the controversy goes back years. Furthermore, it does not occur in just any neighborhood. Montecarmelo is located in the district of Fuencarral-El Pardo, an important fishing ground of PP votes in 2023, which has given even more interest to protests aimed at a popular Government. The issue has not taken long to become politicized, with pronouncements of the different municipal parties and institutions such as the Ombudsman. As if the above were not enough, the residents of Montercarmelo have not hesitated to use all the resources at their disposal to stop the project. And that happens both by going out into the streets, organizing mass demonstrationssuch as taking their case to the courts or the European Parliament, which has committed to investigate the canton project. Among the residents there is also no shortage of those who relate the project to the Madrid Nuevo Norte residential development. Images | FRAVM 1 and 2 In Xataka | In the midst of the housing crisis, more and more people do something in Madrid: donate their house … Read more

Razer has had a crazy idea and that is to put AI cameras in headphones. I have tried them and they have given me something to think about.

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Project Motoko. I like to think it’s a reference to Motoko Kusanagi, the protagonist of ‘Ghost in the Shell‘, but in any case, that is the name given to Razer’s new concept. Indeed, they are headphones with two cameras and artificial intelligence whose proposal is quite interesting: what if, instead of smart glassesShould we wear smart headphones? The company has taken advantage of the MWC 2026 that took place these days in Barcelona to show them and I have had the opportunity to get my hands on them at the Qualcomm stand (we will see why later). At the moment, the prototype, because that’s what it is, a prototype, has certain rough edges to iron out, but I really liked the underlying idea. Let’s go in parts. Project Motoko by Razer | Image: Xataka The background idea. As is obvious in the photos, I wear glasses. Normal glasses, although prescription ones. If I wanted to use connected glasses I would have to change my glasses and buy a frame, which is not cheap, in addition to prescription lenses. Well, like me, half of the world’s population. That is to say, smart glasses have a small penetration problem: They have to convince glasses wearers to change their glasses. They have to convince those who don’t wear glasses to wear glasses. Razer’s idea. It may be easier to convince the user to use smart headphones instead of glasses. These devices are agnostic about whether people see better or worse and, in reality, they can offer a similar and even better experience in certain aspects, because being larger they can offer more autonomy and power. Currently, the Meta Ray-Ban 2 They move in the eight-hour range, for example. This is what the Project Motoko prototype looks like | Image: Xataka The trade-off, of course, is wearing big headphones all day. They are less concealed and you are not going to wear them at important moments in your life (or yes, we listen but we do not judge). Be that as it may, the glasses have an advantage there, but that does not make Razer’s proposal make any less sense and may even have a fit not in gaming or in everyday life, but in terms of accessibility. What is this about?. Project Motoko are over-ear headphones (quite comfortable, I must add) with two 12-megapixel wide-angle cameras at eye level, one on each side, and several far- and near-field microphones. It’s like having a pair of eyes connected to AI that see what we see. The experience will obviously vary depending on whether we are paid or free users of chatbots. Instead of using proprietary AI, the device can connect to all platforms, namely Grok, ChatGPT, Google Gemini, and even Perplexity. Part of the process is done in the cloud, but thanks to an undetermined (for now) Qualcomm chip, there will also be local processing capabilities for certain commands. The cameras are at eye level | Image: Xataka The operation is simple. You look at something, say a restaurant menu; You ask the AI ​​something out loud and it answers you. During the demo we asked the headset if an ingredient on a table was suitable for lactose intolerant people, and even what we could make with the objects in our inventory in ‘Minecraft’, and it responded without problems. It also recognized buildings, places and text, translating a Japanese menu and giving us recommendations based on our preferences. The prototype is still missing, but it works, it works. Razer is still ironing out some connectivity and interaction issues, but the company is positive that they will release it at some point. They are not clear when, but the product is moving in the right direction, as explained by Razer. Detail of the position of the camera and microphones | Image: Xataka The rough edges. The demo had some flaws, such as the headphones were not capable of recording live video and did not capture the image if we did not ask them to, let me explain. To generate a recipe with the ingredients on a table, you had to expressly tell it to take a photo and then the command. That is not natural language. It is not natural to say “take a photo and tell me yes”, but a normal interaction would be “hey, what can I do with this?” The idea is that we invoke the AI ​​using a button located on the headphones, so it would make sense that, in a final product, when you press that button the headphones begin to record the live image. Not a static one, but a video feed like Gemini Live does. And in that sense, the warning for third parties that they are being recorded with the headphones is not defined at the moment either. A white light turns on in Meta’s glasses when you record, for example. In any case, it doesn’t seem like something that can’t be fixed via software for a final product. The release date is not confirmed, nor is the price. Project Motoko | Image: Xataka Maybe the chicha is not in everyday life. Although it is tempting to think of a companion product for everyday use, especially if you work with headphones or usually wear them on the street (not my case), where I think Project Motoko could have a huge impact is in two areas: video generation to train humanoid robots and accessibility. On the one hand, headphones capture what we see (more, in fact, as they have a greater field of vision), so by recording how a manual industrial process is carried out, the necessary resources could be generated to train machine learning algorithms focused on robots. After all, an AI learns by watching the same action thousands, millions of times, but for that to be possible it has to have videos, many very specific videos which, of course, are not abundant. On the other hand, people with vision problems have a powerful ally in … Read more

Iran has put the price of oil at stake by attacking it with drones

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The world stage is Monday, a Monday marked by Iran bombing by the United States and Israel last Saturday. Iran has not sat idly byresponding with something it has already used in the past: suicide drones to attack bases of the allies of the aggressor countries. They have attacked Dubaibut also Saudi Arabia, causing the closure of one of the key refineries globally: Ras Tanura. And the result is -another- earthquake in the world market. In short. A few hours ago, Saudi Arabia and Aramco (the oil company) made the decision to stop production at the refinery Ras Tanura. The decision came when Saudi defenses intercepted several remains of Iranian drones. They did not impact, but their remains have caused some fires within the storage facilities of the power plant. Ras Tanura. We are talking about some of the largest refineries in the world, with an estimated capacity of about 550,000 barrels per day. Its closure implies that the export operations associated with the complex stop, which is addition to the closure of other energy infrastructures in the region, such as gas infrastructure in Israel and Kurdistan. As pointed out Bloombergthe problem is that Ras Tanura is one of the key refineries in the transportation fuel segment, specifically diesel, and not only have operations stopped, but very close is one of Aramco’s largest export terminals for refined products. This is the Strait of Hormuz, with dozens of ships waiting Hormuz. Uncertainty and military operations are once again causing the Strait of Hormuz to become abuzz. Hormuz is, after Malacca, the second largest oil corridor in the worldand a disturbance in normal functioning causes the entire chain to wobble. Uncertainty is causing a monumental bottleneck with ships stopped on both sides of the strait, waits that do not know when they will end, rescheduling, diversions to other ports and, ultimately, chaos in oil transportation. Impact. And you can already guess how the market is responding. Crude oil is one of the economic thermometers today, and the initial reaction has been as expected: a strong rise in prices. The barrel has risen around 10% in some markets after learning of the closure of the refinery, but it is already estimated that they could rise more than 20% if the situation continues and the strait closes. How much? Well, it is currently around $80, more than $100, according to some analysts, and it depends on how long the situation lasts that we begin to see how this price increase affects the fuel market. Vital. It is not the first time that refineries in the area have been attacked. They have become essential enclaves in the country’s economy, but also in global geopolitics. As pointed out Reuterssuch an attack is not just another military action, “it marks a significant escalation in violence.” It implies that Iran has the Gulf’s energy infrastructure in its sights because it knows its importance to the economy of the entire globe. And, evidently, an attack on its plants could cause Saudi Arabia and its Gulf neighbors to join the US and Israeli military operations against Iran. Now, Iran has also been ‘touched’ by that basic infrastructure for its economy. The country is the third largest producer in OPEC and on February 28, explosions were reported on the island of Kharg, where process 90% of Iran’s crude oil exports. In the end, it is one more example of the domino effect and the fragile nature of the supply chain for a basic good. It’s just a part of a perfect storm whose consequences are far from reaching their ceiling. Images | MarineTrafficUS Army, VALGO In xataka | Europe believed it had won the gas war against Russia. Now it faces a much more uncomfortable reality: its dependence on the United States.

Italy has convinced Olympic nutritionists to put cheese in every risotto

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Brazilian snowboarder Pat Burgener has summed up better than anyone the paradigm shift that separates the Winter Olympic Games in Beijing 2022 and those in Milano Cortina 2026. In a video that has gone viral, it contrasts two scenes: in one, the Swiss Nicolas Huber stoically endures the endless nasal tests in the Chinese health bubble; In the other, Burgener appears enthusiastically tasting Italian food in the Olympic village. He’s not the only one. Austrians Stefan Rettenegger, Johannes Lamparter and Thomas Rettenegger have documented on social networks how they unapologetically enjoy local cuisine and even Italian-style naps. The contrast is total. The restrictive and purely clinical environment of four years ago has given way to an authentic Mediterranean feast. And at the epicenter of this culinary revolution in the Olympic villages, there is an undisputed protagonist that crowns each pasta or risotto dish: mountains of grated cheese. Far from being a simple gastronomic whim, the decision to replace the classic synthetic energy bars with portions of cheese wrapped in Olympic logos, or to snack muffins rich in proteins baked with this dairy, responds to a calculated nutritional and commercial strategy, As detailed in a report in The New York Times. If Italian food had an athlete competing in these Winter Games, it would undoubtedly be cheese Grana Padano. This cured dairy, often considered Parmigiano-Reggiano’s less expensive sibling, has literally colonized the event. The strategy goes far beyond putting cheese wedges on Olympic buffets. The intention of Mirella Parmeggiani, marketing manager of the consortium that manages its production, is to position this food, which Benedictine monks began to make in the 12th century, as a true “ally in the healthy diet of sports enthusiasts.” To achieve this, the Organizing Committee of the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games has signed an official collaboration agreement with the Grana Padano Consortium. The organization considers this entity a firm “ambassador of Italian taste throughout the world” and highlights that they share fundamental principles of sport such as commitment, passion and generosity. But the agreement also has a geopolitical dimension. Italy will reach a record of 70 billion dollars in 2025 in agri-food exports. And the DOP (Protected Designation of Origin) system of the European Union protects more than 850 Italian products under strict standards of origin and elaboration. In the case of Grana Padano, the milk must come from specific regions in northern Italy and the cheese must mature for at least nine months. In fact, only in 2024 were exported 2,685,541 Grana Padano wheels to international markets The message is clear: cheese is protein, but it is also national identity and gastronomic diplomacy. Marketing genius or real nutrition? Seeing this display of gastronomic diplomacy, it is inevitable to ask: are we facing simple marketing genius or is there a real scientific basis that justifies the constant presence of cheese in high-performance Olympic menus? From a nutritional point of view, Grana Padano provides approximately 33 grams of protein per 100 grams of product, without carbohydrates or sugars and with a high concentration of calcium and vitamin B12. Sports nutritionist Saúl Sánchez points out that parmesan and Grana Padano They are placed among the cheeses with greater protein density – 32 grams per 100 grams in the case of Grana Padano – and maintains that its saturated fats should not be demonized in the context of a varied diet. From the sports fieldswimmer Gemma Mengual has described cheese as a “superfood” for elite athletes, while karate fighter Damián Quintero highlights its usefulness both before and after training. The technical explanation usually focuses on casein, a slowly digestible protein that progressively releases amino acids, contributing to prolonged muscle recovery. In the Nutrimi Forumone of the main scientific meetings on nutrition in Italy, Dr. Maria Letizia Petroni defended the approach Food Firstwhich prioritizes natural foods over the systematic use of isolated supplements. In that context, he mentioned cured cheese as a rich source of leucine and proteins of high biological value useful in post-workout recovery strategies. The milky labyrinth and the “protective matrix” The success of cheese in sports clashes, paradoxically, with the controversial scientific debate on the consumption of liquid milk in adulthood, what many experts already call the “dairy labyrinth.” While some studies associate a high consumption of full-fat dairy products with certain metabolic problems, cheese is saved from this screening thanks to the so-called “dairy matrix”. Modern science has discovered that the saturated fat in cheese does not behave in the body the same as that of an ultra-processed product. The bacteria, vitamins and polar lipids produced during maturation alter the way the body absorbs these fats, mitigating inflammation. In addition, it solves the big problem with milk: lactose. While in countries like Spain lactose intolerance affects around 30% of the population, the long fermentation process of Grana Padano (often more than 24 months) makes it a natural product lactose free and highly digestible for athletes around the world. The evidence, under the papers One of the studies most cited in this conversation was published in 2024 in the Journal of Exercise Science & Fitness. He tested 35 untrained young men during four weeks of strength training combined with cheese supplementation. Participants who consumed a dose equivalent to 13.4 grams of protein from cheese three times a week showed improvements in body composition and reductions in total and LDL cholesterol compared to the lower dose group. However, it is worth clarifying: the study was not carried out on elite athletes, the sample was small and no significant additional improvements in strength were observed compared to training alone. The authors themselves pointed out the need for broader research. In the field of aging, a systematic review published in Nutrition Research observed that dairy protein may help increase lean body mass in older adults. It also found small benefits associated with vitamin D in functional tests. However, the results were not consistent in all the trials analyzed. In other words, there are interesting … Read more

Mexico needs the Mayan Train to work. And they are so desperate that they have put it in military hands

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There are many ambitious trains, but like the Mayan Train there are not as many. And it’s not because this train stands out for its speedby go through impossible tunnels either for luxurybut because few trains in the world must support a load as heavy as this one: being the backbone of the tourism in Mexico. Born with tremendous ambition, he started his engines with promises of wealth. AND is crashing resoundingly. So much so that Mexico has completed the transfer of control of the train to the Secretariat of National Defense. Army, to manage. FONATUR Tren Maya was the organization attached to the Ministry of Tourism that, since 2018was responsible for leading and managing the project. However, things did not work out, the plans were not fulfilled and, already in September 2023, when Obrador saw the arrival of the deadline to launch the train, he began to take steps for the Secretariat of National Defense to take control. After a series of steps, and as we read in Chroniclerit was at the end of 2025 when the process was finalized for Tourism to stop operating the train and Defense to take charge of it. Goals. The program has the following goals: Consolidate responsible transportation with the environment and society. Offer a safe and innovative transportation system. Ensure profitability through efficient management. That last point sounds like an ax to the previous management, but they are going to have a difficult time. Indifference. It was a few weeks ago when, in an article published by El País, the figure was revealed: the Mayan Train moved 5% of the expected demand. Neither tourists nor locals seem to have the slightest interest in a vehicle that was born to unite the different regions of the Yucatan Peninsula. Just because, It is the tourist jewel of Mexicobut also a tremendously unequal region in which Chichén Itzá brings together the majority of archaeological tourism, to the detriment of the others. And it seems that the train is not solving this. The report states that, during the first year, it transported about 3,200 passengers daily. Do we contextualize? The forecasts were for 74,000 passengers per day. Billionaire failure. It is a hard blow for a project that was already born on the wrong foot. It was the most ambitious project of the previous president, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, one without private or foreign capital, 100% Mexican, which caused headaches practically from the beginning. Obrador took advantage of that public investment, but from an initial budget My dear between 120,000 and 150,000 million Mexican pesos -about 7,400 million euros-, it ended up costing more than 500,000 million pesos -about 24,500 million euros- for 1,500 kilometers of roads. Current itinerary Expansion. The change in management is not symbolic: a series of actions have been proposed to expand services. On the one hand, passing under military control implies that seeks to operate with greater security for passengers, especially in areas where conflicts with drug traffickers are a problem. Greater professionalization of management is also sought through an administration under military command, but in the background there is an expansion plan. The aim is to transport cargo such as food for isolated indigenous communities or medical goods. Also that the train serves as a humanitarian corridor in the face of misfortunes, and for this they will create more than 3,000 additional kilometerswith an extension to Puerto Progreso. Will anything change? It’s the million dollar question. On the one hand, the Sheinbaum Government has made it clear on more than one occasion that they want the railway to be the backbone of the country not only for the transportation of people, but also as a freight corridor. The goal By 2030, four million passengers per year and 4.7 million goods per year will be moved thanks to the integration with the Interoceanic Corridor of the Isthmus of Thuantepec. Come on, turn the train into something that can compete against the Panama Canal. But of course, it can become a way to move goods, but we have to see if passengers use it to move. In statements to El País, it is more profitable for locals, and it is also more practical, to get around by bus. And tourists usually arrive in Yucatán with already established itineraries that do not require train services. And, on the other hand, there are the controversies associated with the military and the construction sections that they were in charge of in the past. Sections 5, 6 and 7 were commissioned directly to SEDENA, and there are not few cases of environmental violations, social conflictsviolation of human rights against indigenous Mayan communities and extra costs associated with those sections under military control. Images | Mayan Train, ProtoplasmaKid In Xataka | Urban transportation in Mexico City hangs by a thread. Literally: they will have the longest cable car in the world

How technology hacked psychology so we can’t put down our cell phones

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You’ve spent two hours, three, in an impossible position looking at your cell phone in the middle of a kind of trance. A notification made you unlock it and after jumping from one application to another for a few minutes, you fell into the black hole of the scroll infinite. You could hardly say what you have seen or if you have enjoyed any of the dozens of videos that have passed you by. What perverse mechanism has been capable of hijack your attention for hours? The first thing you have to know is that not even rats escape this spell. In the 1940s, a psychologist named BF Skinner tried to find out how our brain’s reward system works by studying the reactions of laboratory rats with an experiment: the animals learned that if they pressed a lever, they got food. Easy, but it gets complicated. The most interesting part of the experiment, known as skinner boxand the one that can most be compared to the time drain that social networks are is the following part: Skinner stopped rewarding the rats every time they pressed the lever and started giving them food sometimes and sometimes not. Was this enough to discourage them? Far from it: they had tried the benefits of intermittent reinforcement. The logic of intermittent reinforcement For rats, the possibility of food was enough, just as you have only received interesting notifications a few times out of the many times you look at your cell phone, or only one of the publications you have compulsively consumed has satisfied your curiosity. Intermittent reinforcement is a psychological pattern that is characterized because rewards are given unpredictably, so that it creates a hook and strong attachment. “The mechanisms behind social networks are the same as those of slot machines,” David Ezpeleta, neurologist and vice president of the Spanish Society of Neurology, explains to Xataka. He intermittent booster It is also a vice of toxic human relationships, where affection, attention, and validation are marketed. In the case at hand, both the rats with the food and you with the likes, DMsor finding something you want to buy, get a hit of dopamine, a neurotransmitter that is released in pleasure-related situations, when the random reward finally appears. “They are short-duration, high-intensity stimuli with the possibility of reward. For every ten times we look at the networks, perhaps we only receive a reward on one. And that possibility is more addictive than a sure reward ten times,” he points out. The first thing we do when we wake up, the last thing we do before going to sleep. (Unsplash) “Technologies are capable of doing anything to keep you reading headlines, clicking links, adding favorites, commenting posts, retweeting articles, looking for the perfect GIF to answer a hater“, writes Marta Peirano in The enemy knows the system (Debate). The text is from 2019, and although some behaviors may have changed since then (who answers with GIFs anymore?) and neither TikTok nor the reels still dominated our attention, the mechanisms that go behind our hitch They are the same since Skinner. There are more and more people who have a profile on some platform and use them for more activities. They are a source of socialization, entertainment and information: 49% of Spaniards between 16 and 30 years old say inform of what happens through social networks, especially Instagram, according to the latest Eurobarometer youth survey. Don’t leave the platform It is precisely this platform that has grown the most in Spain in the last year, followed by Tik Tok. The oldest ones like X (Twitter) and Facebook are in decline although the latter is still the second most used (after Instagram), according to a report from the CNMC. Algorithms are the heart of this design. They are a set of hypercomplex, changing and opaque mathematical operations that decide what you see. They are not neutral or “objective”: they are machine learning systems that select and prioritize content that maximizes user interaction. That is, the algorithm observes what you devote the most attention to, and repeats that pattern to show you more of the same. Social media algorithms have the ability to modify ideas, behavior patterns and, in some cases, contribute to the radicalization of thought, the polarization and to conflict: visceral reactions (anger, fear, indignation) generate more clicks, shares and comments than other types of content. A study published in the journal Science shows that small changes in what is prioritized in a feed can accelerate feelings of political polarization in a very short time, evidencing how the technology behind the algorithm not only organizes content, but also shapes attitudes and emotions. And what purpose does your anger serve them? Regardless of whether or not there is a black hand behind it that wants to direct our attention and our time to a certain focus, the main function of this machinery is to keep you within the current application. Don’t feel the need to consult a website, specialists or an encyclopedia: attention time is the economic value that is sold to advertisers. Can we talk about addiction? Another phenomenon that greatly encourages time to slip away between applications is the so-called Fear of Missing Out (FoMO), whereby it seems that if we do not see everything that happens we feel that we are not part of the conversation, generating problems such as anxiety and giving rise to a continuous and compulsive connection, driving dependence on device platforms. But can we talk about addiction to social networks? For Ezpeleta, “you can talk about addiction when you need the stimulus and, when you withdraw it, anxiety appears.” And at least two important elements are needed: opportunity and habituation. (Unsplash) Each of these apps that fight for your time have something in common: they are on the same device, one that you use to wake up and that is the last thing you look at before going to sleep. For many people it is also a work tool, … Read more

Galicia has proposed to put an end to the “zamburiñas fraud” once and for all. So he’s already issuing fines

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The Spanish proverb warns about not being given a “cat in a hare”, but the most common deception when we talk about Spanish gastronomy of the 21st century is that they serve you a plate of volandeiras or Pacific scallops as if they were exclusive (and much more expensive) Galician zamburiñas. To an untrained eye the three bilvaves (volandeiras, scallops and scallops) are more or less similar to each other. The problem is that they are not the same and mixing their names violates regulations, represents unfair competition and (most seriously) deceives the client. That’s why in Galicia they have said enough. What has happened? That the Galician authorities they have gotten tired that in the community’s restaurants and bars they play with names, selling as “zamburiñas” dishes that actually contain two other species: volandeiras or Pacific scallops. It’s not just about passing off one thing as another. It is that, beyond the fact that the three are similar bivalves, their consideration it’s not the same. They do not match their prices. Nor its origin. Nor is its flavor exactly the same. Volandeiras and zamburiñas are shellfished in Galician banks (although with certain differences) and are usually sold fresh. The Pacific scallop is normally a frozen product that comes from aquaculture and arrives from Peru and Chile. Photos showing the exterior and interior of the right valve. Image A) corresponds to the “Mimachlamys varia” (zamburiña); B with Argopecten Purpuratus (Pacific scallop) and C with Aequipecten Opercularis (volandeira). And what have they done? Basically what the Galician authorities have done is investigate Yes, when a customer orders a portion of seafood in a bar in A Coruña, Vilagarcía, Ourense, Lugo… or any other Galician town, they are being served what they have ordered and not another product of more or less similar appearance. It’s not exactly something new. In September the local press has already advanced that the Xunta was carrying out an inspection campaign and that during the control they had found bars in which the menus advertised scallops when in reality what was served on the table were scallops or (sometimes) volandeiras. Has it stayed there? No. And that is the great news. The Voice just revealed that the controls carried out by the Resource Inspection and Control Service (SICOR) and Consumer Affairs officials have not been mere slaps on the wrist. They have also resulted in sanctions and fines. To be more precise, the newspaper speaks of the processing of just over 100 disciplinary proceedings since last summer for the use of incorrect commercial names: 53 to hospitality businesses in the province of A Coruña, 46 from Pontevedra, 14 from Lugo and 6 from Ourense. Among the ‘hunted’ there are not only bars, taverns and restaurants. There are also a few intermediaries. How much did it cost you? The Voice appointment at least one case in which the hotelier received a fine of 300 euros for advertising volandeiras and then serving scallops. The Xunta claims that before resorting to fines, a campaign was launched to remind professionals that they cannot mix terms and that a “deterrent effect” was even perceived, with hoteliers correcting their letters. Not even that has prevented there from being a hundred businesses with files. What is the problem? Basically, passing off one seafood as another (mixing commercial names) “violates traceability standards and can mislead the consumer,” the Xunta specifies. Not only does it confuse data related to traceability, but it goes against sales regulations and represents unfair competition against businesses that do respect the regulations. In fact, the problem is not limited to the zamburiñas alone. Are there more cases? That’s how it is. The majority of the files processed in Galicia are related to scallops, scallops and volanderias, but the inspectors also hunted down infractions that affect other merchandise. For example, passing off octopuses and barnacles as Galician seafood when in reality it comes from Moroccan waters. Agents also found cases in the food chain where farmed salmon and turbot were sold as wild. The Department of the Sea assures that there is no specific campaign and that the files are the result of “ordinary control work.” Regarding the sanctions, since these are minor infractions, the fines can reach 300 euros, although they remain at half (150 euros) if the offender meets certain requirements. Is there that much difference? Yes. Although in the hospitality industry we usually talk about “zamburiñas” in general, that word is reserved for a very specific species: Mimachlamys variaa sought-after bivalve appreciated for its flavor. The ‘Pesca de Galicia’ platform detailed on Monday the 26th that the kilo was priced in the markets at an average of 13.4 eurosfar above the volandeira (Aequipecten opercularis), which is also collected in Galicia, although it is more abundant. Things change when we talk about the Pacific scallop (Argopecten purpuratus), which is usually the result of aquaculture, is frozen and arrives from the coasts of Peru and Chile. The problem is that all three (scallops, scallops and scallops) are relatively similar, at least if you don’t have a trained eye. If the characteristics of their shells are known, it is easier to identify them. Does it only happen in Galicia? In 2020, a team from the University of Oviedo carried out a study which proved two things. First, the frequency with which the word Zamburiña is used “incorrectly” to refer to other species. Second, that “there exists widespread fraud in its commercialization in Asturias”. Your data is certainly compelling. After analyzing 148 different samples, they found that in 49% of the cases (73) the seafood was incorrectly labeled, presenting other bivalves, usually volandeiras, as scallops. How common is it? To complete their analysis, researchers from the University of Oviedo went to 20 restaurants and ordered dishes that were identified on the menu as “zamburiñas.” They were left wanting to taste them. “In 100% of the cases the species offered was the Pacific scallop,” reveals. The organization remembers that although there may not … Read more

There are people obsessed with consuming magnesium as a supplement when the best way is to put it in your diet

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We live in the era of biological optimization, where The strange thing without a doubt is not taking dietary supplements from the supermarket such as magnesium, collagen, calcium, various vitamins… Magnesium in particular is sold as an almost magical way of sleep betterreduce anxiety and recover muscle. But the truth is that we are forgetting the most important thing: We have all this in food. The reminder. With so many food supplements (which often do not come cheap), sometimes we forget that we have these nutrients in the supermarket in different presentations. This is something in which Doctor Federica AmatiChief Nutritionist at ZOE Science & Nutrition, has put its finger on the sore spot of the supplement industry: For the vast majority of the population, there are plenty of pills and no food. Why magnesium matters. There is an obsession with taking this mineral, and the reality is that it makes sense because its functions are critical for our body to function correctly. Its fundamental role in many metabolic reactions of the body makes it essential for human survival, since without magnesium we would literally be extinct. And it is no wonder, because beyond being used to prevent cramps, it has important functions in energy production, DNA synthesis, metabolic control such as glucose levels, and also structural function by allowing bone to develop. Given its importance, the consumer logic seems simple: “If it’s so important, the more you take, the better”. But this is where science has to put the brakes on because a large amount does not always equal better performance. The best foods. One of the positions that we can have on the table right now is that magnesium supplements (and even others) are not necessary, unless it is known that there is a deficit. All this because it has a big problem: they are isolated. The problem with supplements is that they are isolated. NIH Office of Dietary Supplements (ODS) emphasizes that the food matrix It is irreplaceable. When you get magnesium from an almond or spinach, you’re not just ingesting the mineral, you’re getting fiber, phytochemicals, and other micronutrients that work together and that no pill can fully replicate. The daily doses. The official recommendations today indicate that the minimum levels of magnesium They are not unattainablesince for adult men between 400 and 420 mg per day are needed, while for women between 310 to 320 mg per day is sufficient. Low figures mean that they cannot be easily achieved with food by adjusting the shopping list without going to the pharmacy. Where can it be found. If the goal is to reach 400 mg daily, the strategy is not to look for supplemented foods, but to go back to the basics. In this case, science points because the food where we have the greatest amount of magnesium are seeds and nuts, where we find almonds, cashews and especially pumpkin and chia seeds. But in addition, it should also be noted that green leafy vegetables such as spinach or chard have chlorophyll in their composition, which also acts as a highly coveted magnesium reserve. All this without forgetting legumes and whole grains. Who needs supplements. Logically, they have a site, but it is by no means a universal recommendation for everyone who may have their requirements met with the diet. According to the ODS, there are different groups of people who may require this supplementation (under medical supervision). These are the following: Gastrointestinal disease such as celiac disease where nutrient absorption is compromised. Type 2 diabetes, since its pathophysiology causes a decrease in magnesium. Chronic alcohol consumption. Elderly people where absorption is naturally decreased. In these specific cases, the evidence indicates that supplementation can help improve parameters such as sleep quality or anxiety, but because they have an absorption problem. A previous visit to the doctor. Before starting supplementation of any type, it is best to go to your primary care doctor to verify in a blood test the nutritional deficiencies that you want to counteract. And our body does not store these minerals, meaning that anything taken in excess has no effect whatsoever. In Xataka | Which dietary supplements really work and which don’t, in a great graph

ChatGPT urgently needs its users to start paying money. Solution: put ads on them

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It was inevitable. OpenAI has confirmed that is going to start testing ads on ChatGPT. The test will begin in the United States with users of free plans, those who have ChatGPT Plus, Pro or Enterprise are exempt for the moment. It is a movement that marks the beginning of a reality that was seen coming: The user experience of free AIs is about to get worse. All for the AGI. Through your X profileOpenAI has shared what those ads will look like and is striking in the heading of its “advertising principles.” Here they say their mission is “to ensure that AGI benefits all of humanity; our pursuit of publicity always supports that mission and makes AI more accessible.” how he jokes Pedro Domingos in Xit seems that the AGI was actually “Ad-Generated Income”, that is, “Income generated by advertising.” Where I said I say…. The AGI is becoming the excuse for everything. To find the true reasons behind this decision, it is enough to look at OpenAI numbers. Or also we can go back to 2024when Sam Altman said that ads on ChatGPT are “the last resort for our business model.” Saying that everything is part of a plan for the benefit of humanity is better than admitting that the AI ​​race is very expensive and OpenAI desperately needs to monetize its AI. This sounds familiar to us. The situation is quite reminiscent of the case of Netflix, which In 2020 he flatly refused to advertising, stating that it was a way to “exploit users” to two years later launch your plan with ads. Since then the streaming experience began to deteriorate and everything indicates that we are at the beginning of exactly the same thing happening with AI. Advertising as punishment. Before, ads were a way to generate income. Today they also function as a pressure tool to push users to pay a subscription. This is what we find on YouTube or Spotify, where the bombardment of ads is constant, repetitive and very intrusive. We pay to end the torture. Objective: subscriptions. ChatGPT has 1.8 billion users, but the reality is that only 5% are subscribed to one of their payment plans. How to increase this figure? If we don’t subscribe ourselves, maybe a few ads will convince us. OpenAI has been the first, but there are also rumors that Google will integrate ads into Gemini. The AI ​​party does not pay for itself, it is a matter of time. There is a loophole. If the big chatbots turn their free versions into a minefield of ads, we will always have the option of use local models such as DeepSeek, Mistral, Llama or ChatGPT itself. Here we get rid of token limits, queues and also ads. The bad part is that the performance is usually lower than the cloud and it also has fewer integrations. Time will tell if they end up being a better alternative. Image | OpenAI In Xataka | Generative AI opens its gap between those who focus on it locally and those who focus on the cloud. There is room for both

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