result

China surrounded an enclave with robots. Now they have been given a rifle to shoot at 100 meters, and the result points to an island

by

China has been leaving increasingly explicit clues about how it imagines future conflicts. In 2025, PLA maneuvers included island assault exercises minors using ground robots and unmanned systems, a sign that Beijing is no longer testing only classic amphibious crossings, but scenarios where machines make way before soldiers. Those practices marked a clear direction: Combat automation was no longer a distant theory, but something China was beginning to test on the ground. Now he has amplified it. Drones with rifle. China has made a qualitative leap in the use of combat drones by demonstrating that a UAV armed with a standard assault rifle can be 100% right of his shots against a human target at 100 meters while remaining in hover. The system, developed by a Chinese company together with the PLA special operations academy, fired 20 times and placed half of the hits in a comparable radius. a shot to the heada result that makes it clear that these are no longer experimental platforms but rather precision weapons ready for real environments. Extra ball. It does not seem like a specific experiment or a laboratory demonstration: the team itself has explained that the only “imperfect” shot was due defective ammunitionnot the system, making this test an unmistakable sign of where Chinese combat power is headed. Taiwan and a problem. This progress cannot be understood without the Taiwan backdropone of the most urbanized territories on the planet, where any military operation would require fighting in dense megacities, full of civilians, underground infrastructure and narrow streets that neutralize many traditional advantages. For the PLA, the challenge is not just cross the seabut to dominate neighborhoods, subway stations and residential complexes where human infantry suffer enormous political and military costs. The Chinese response to this dilemma is neither doctrinal nor moral, but technical: dealing with urban warfare as an engineering problem which can be solved by delegating violence to machines capable of moving, identifying targets and shooting without fatigue or fear. A bet. In fact, recalled in The Diplomat that the essay of the armed drone fits into the third major phase of Chinese military modernization, the so-called “intelligentization,” which seeks to replace human decisions with distributed artificial intelligence systems. Having mechanized and digitized its forces, the PLA now aims to delegate key functions (detection, prioritization and attack) to algorithms that operate faster than any human chain of command. In this framework, a drone with a rifle is not a curiosity, but rather an elemental piece of an ecosystem where sensors, weapons and software act in a coordinated manner, reducing the role of the soldier. to a mere initial authorizer or, in the extreme, eliminating him from decision-making altogether. Swarms in alleys. There is much more, because the medium stood out documents and studies linked to Chinese military universities that reveal that the target is not individual drones, but autonomous swarms specifically designed for urban warfare. These systems are designed to operate at low altitudes, inside buildings, indoors and underground, even when communications are degraded or non-existent. Through simple rules and self-organization, swarms They could patrol areastrack people and execute attacks without receiving orders in real time, a solution that the PLA consider ideal to neutralize defenses in cities such as Taipei or Kaohsiung and to eliminate key objectives before external forces can intervene. The gray area of ​​legality. The technological bet is accompanied by a legal position deliberately ambiguous by Beijing on lethal autonomous weapons. As? Defining as unacceptable Only those systems that simultaneously meet a series of very strict criteria, China leaves itself a wide margin to develop weapons capable of killing without direct human supervision, as long as they can be stopped in theory or follow pre-programmed rules. This ambiguity, they say, contrasts with documented risks of AI in combat (identification errors, inability to interpret human intentions, data biases) and makes it easier for research to advance without clear regulatory brakes. The future that is being tested today. In short, the drone that shoot with surgical precision at 100 meters is not an anecdote, but tangible proof of where the Beijing strategy: move the war to the heart of the city and delegate it to machines. There is no doubt that if this model is applied in a conflict such as Taiwan, the combination of autonomous swarms, integrated light weapons and decisions without human intervention could multiply the risk for civilians and reduce the political thresholds for the use of force. From that prism, what is presented today as a technical experiment is, in reality, a most disturbing preview: that of an urban war where the alleys are no longer patrolled by soldiers, but by armed robots that will never ask questions. Image | Heeheemalu In Xataka | The biggest geopolitical risk on the planet is not Greenland. It’s a smaller island with a disturbing neighbor: Taiwan In Xataka | 200 drones in the hands of a single soldier: China is advancing very quickly in a type of war that seemed like science fiction

China has done everything to stop its population bleeding. The result is the lowest birth rate since 1949

by

China has encountered an even more complex challenge than the real estate crisis, the trade war with the US or the future of Taiwan: the babies. As your birth rate deflates (leaving the number of newborns below the number of deaths) the Asian giant is becoming less and less “giant”, a trend that threatens to punish the nation’s economy. Beijing knows it and that is why it takes time deploying measures that seek to boost their demographics. The problem is that, despite his many efforts, he can’t hit the nail on the head. Your latest official data birth rates show a new setback. What has happened? That despite all its efforts, China has not been able to stop its demographic hemorrhage. This is how it reveals the last balance from the National Bureau of Statistics of China (NBS), which shows a scenario similar to that suffered by other nations (inside and outside Asia) shaken by demographic winter: fewer babies, more deaths and general population decline. In short: a country that continues to lose weight little by little and risks complying UN predictionswhich estimates that by 2100 China will have lost more than half of its population, remaining at the size it had in the late 1950s. What does the data say? That in 2025 the authorities counted 7.92 million of births, 17% less than the previous year. The data leaves two other negative readings: the first is that it suggests that the birth rate increase registered in 2024 was punctual and has not been consolidated over time. After that brief rebound (which some associate to the cultural influence of ‘Year of the Dragon’) the Chinese birth rate has resumed the negative curve that it has been drawing for years. The second negative reading is that the decrease in the number of births has in turn reduced the country’s birth rate, leaving it in 5.63 births per 1,000 people. This is a historic low. A fact that has not been seen since (at least) 1949, year of foundation of the People’s Republic of China. It is about the steepest drop birth rate for the last five years. As AP News recallsChinese authorities do not regularly publish their fertility rate, but their last estimate, from 2020, was 1.3 children per woman. Now that indicator would have dropped to 1. The data is far from the “replacement rate” (2.1), essential to keep a country’s population stable. Click on the image to go to the tweet. Are there more figures? Yes. And they are just as bad. Deaths increased, going from 10.93 million registered in 2024 to 11.31 in 2025. The result of this drop in birth rates and increase in deaths was a natural loss of population (the data does not allude to the migratory effect) that brings China even closer to the projections of the United Nations by the end of the century. The NBS balance sheet reflects the loss of some 3.39 million of Chinese, leaving the country’s total population at around 1,405 million. It is the fourth consecutive year in which the country sees its population reduced, which has caused China to no longer be the most populous nation on the planet: from 2023 that honor India boasts itwhich comfortably exceeds the 1.4 billion of people. Why is it important? Birth rate and census are more than just demographic variables. They also influence the future of the country. The size of the population is directly related, for example, to domestic consumption (key piece in the country’s economy) or the health of its workforce. The demographic winter threatens to subject China to the same social pressures as other countries in Asia and the West, only on a much larger scale. Right now the population over 60 years old represents 23%. If nothing changes, in 2035 that strip will add 400 million of people, just like the entire population of the US and Italy combined. The big question is how that will affect their pension system. At the moment the country already has increased the retirement age. How to change it? That is the other reason why the NBS data is so important and has probably fallen like a bucket of cold water on Beijing. It’s not just about fewer babies being born and population being lost, it’s that the Government has been looking for a way to avoid it for some time… without success, at least until now. As far as birth rates are concerned, it seems to have hit the same rock as other neighboring nations that face a similar challenge, like japan either South Korea. What have you tried? Of everything. And without much success. Despite the billions of dollars invested in child care programs, the facilities offered to those considering becoming parents (from subsidies to medical attention) and efforts to form new couplesthe birth rate continues without increasing. And the Chinese authorities have gone to the extreme of go door to door encouraging women to be mothers. The reason? Beyond the influence of ‘one child’ policy (abandoned a decade ago) there are those who point to cultural changes and the high cost that (despite everything) parenthood entails in China. A 2024 report from the YuWan Population Research Institute in fact concluded that China is one of the most expensive places to raise children (especially if we talk about cities), even more than in Japan or the United States in relative terms. The study addressed both direct and opportunity costs. Image | Peijia Li (Unsplash) In Xataka | China knows that its population is going to collapse but it already has a long-term plan to solve it. Of course, thanks to AI

Almost everything is more expensive than ever, but televisions are at rock bottom. It is the result of a “suicide pact”

by

Technology is in an economic shaker. If we consumers have become accustomed to something, it is that, as the years go by, a product drops in price, even if it is updated with better features. It is clear in the console segment: as each generation progressed, the hardware improved and the price fell. That’s over. Buy a PS5 or an Xbox Series in 2026 It is more expensive than when they came out in 2020. But the consoles They are not the only thing that rises: There is more competition than ever in streaming services and they have all agreed to raise prices from time to time. It’s not just technology: dwellingmedical expenses, cars, meal… However, There is something that has collapsed: televisions. Because although there are very expensive models, the price of televisions has fallen more than almost any other consumer product in the last quarter of a century. And we owe it all to something that one of the industry’s leading glass manufacturers named in a curious way. A 25-year suicide pact. Although there is something else in the equation, something much more important. The “suicide pact” and the mother glass You can say in the comments if you have been walking around a large area this Christmas and have been tempted to buy a new 65-inch TV. Not because you need it, but because you saw it at a ridiculous price. For 400 eurosyou can buy one right now. Inch/price, they are much more attractive than the 24 inches that you can put in the kitchen. These prices on huge televisions do not seem to have been affected by the multiple crises we have experienced in recent years. What if that of the chips, then transportation, that of the Ukrainian warthe current RAM… The price of televisions has followed suit and, although the most cutting-edge OLEDs or risky technologies They have very high pricesan LCD TV is very affordable. In Construction Physics They mention a very interesting fact. In a advertisement On Black Friday 2003, a barely 20-inch LCD television in 4:3 format with a resolution of 640 x 480 pixels (laughing) cost $800. In the same ad, 32-inch CRT TVs for $380 or 27-inch TVs for $150. Today, those TVs are gold for playing retro games, by the way. In Xataka already we started having to talk about different technologies of liquid crystal panels. 21 years ago we were already talking about OLEDs when I was content with a small 15-inch TFT screen to play ‘Age of Empires 2’ and ‘Half Life 2’. In the end. But well, I’m going around the bush. In 2022, Mark J. Perry published in AEI the following graph: He shows us in a crude way what he was saying: the price of LCD technology had been plummeting rapidly while other goods and services increased dramatically. It’s funny to me that I don’t see the computer hardware on the list, we’ll see when I update the graph in a few years… He estimated that, since 2000, the price of televisions had fallen 97%. There are others informationbut the conclusion is the same: prices through the floor in a short time. That crash occurred a decade earlier. In a document of Corningone of the largest glass manufacturing companies, noted the following: “LCD technology continues to grow and there are abundant opportunities to expand both the functionality and performance of displays. So the expansion of LCD technology must be a great success story, right?” “FAKE” In the document, it is clarified that for consumers it is great news because they can access better and bigger televisions at a fraction of the price. Even other technologies such as plasma had to be adapted. In the same Black Friday ad from 2003 we see a Daewoo of 42 inches with 480p resolution for $2,300. I remember that a 50-inch Samsung 1,080p arrived at my house for 700 euros in 2007. However, for the manufacturers, it was not as happy a story as it was for the consumer. “The LCD platform looks like a 25-year suicide pact for display manufacturers,” Corning noted in its report. It is a segment “characterized by hypercompetition, excess investment and periodic lack of profitability, but which at the same time requires sustained investment to differentiate a product that has a low return.” They pointed out that, within that chain, glass manufacturers were still able to make considerable profits, although there was increasing pressure. But that price drop is not limited to extreme competition between a few companies. There is something else behind it, and that “something” is the “mother glass.”. Known as “mother glass” in English, it is a main element in the manufacture of LCD panels. It’s a process which is made up of several stages. On the one hand, there is that mother glass, which is a sheet of glass substrate on which other layers are deposited. Broadly speaking: We have the glass plate on which layers of semiconductors are deposited. Using a photolithography process, TFT transistors and pixel electrodes are marked across the entire sheet. It is something that is repeated several times until the active matrix on the mother glass is completed. The next step is to use another mother glass to which RGB color filters and electrodes are applied. Both glasses are well cleaned, aligned and sealed with perimeter glue. It’s like a sandwich. There we would have a mother glass with many screens, and the next step is to cut them to obtain individual modules. The fourth step is to combine those modules or cells with backlight units, the control PCB and the metal casing to have the complete LCD module. It is tested and, when it is ready, it is delivered to the assemblers, who are the ones who already create monitors, televisions, mobile phones or anything with a screen. Here you can see the process: What is the key? That those large sheets of glass have been increasing in size little by … Read more

74% of employees have felt more productive when using AI. Almost half have ended up correcting the result

by

Artificial intelligence is already part of the daily life of the employees of many Spanish companies and helps them complete tasks faster. At least that is what emerges from a recent study by the AI ​​consultancy Workday, in which it is estimated that three out of four workers feel more productive thanks to AI. Behind that data there is a growing adoption of AI tools and a change in perception among professionals. However, this reality also implies a less visible one: part of that time gained you are missing out on reviewingcorrect and fine-tune what AI systems generate. Everyday use of AI in Spain. According to the data collected in the report “Beyond productivity: measuring the real value of AI” prepared by Workday, 74% of workers in Spain indicate they feel more productive thanks to AI, with 28% using it daily or 58% claiming to use it very often during their work week. That frequency of use of AIHowever, it is well below the global average which reflects a daily use of 46%. In any case, the increase in the use of AI translates into an average of time savings of between one and three hours per week for repetitive and administrative tasks, such as writing reports, analyzing or searching for data. ​These data coincide with the photo that the study of Indicators of use of Artificial Intelligence in Spain of 2024 prepared by ONTSI (National Observatory of Technology and Society), although in that case the perception is positive, only 11.4% of Spanish companies with 10 or more employees used AI technologies, which is revealed by a very limited business implementation. In any case, 85% of the users consulted report savings of between 1 and 7 hours per week. ​The problem of constant revisions. Satisfaction with the use of AI has the counterpart that 42% of Spanish workers dedicate up to one hour per week to review, correct or reformulate the result produced by AI, known as what has been called a “hidden tax“which stops part of the benefits. Adolfo Pellicer, Country Manager at Workday confirms that the use of these tools requires review and supervision of the results. “There is a hidden impact of AI at work. The report shows us that almost 40% of the time saved with the use of AI it ends up being lost in correctingreview and redo what the information that AI gives us,” said Pellicer. in statements to Computer World. AI digital natives. The youngest employees, between 25 and 34 years old, account for 46% of the cases with the highest review burden, since they use AI more frequently. 77% of these users verify AI results more rigorously than human-generated work. This generates additional exhaustion in these profiles. In departments such as human resources, 38% of employees need to review AI results due to the high number of errors reported. For its part, in the technical and IT departments, with a 32% increase in the use of AI, the tool has been better integrated, generating better results and content that requires fewer and fewer modifications. ​Training in companies: the pending signature. Although 66% of global leaders cite skills training as a top priority for leveraging AI, only 37% of employees who regularly use it admit to having access to these training programs. According to the report data From ONTSI, in Spain, this disconnection is worsened because 78% of workers demand more digital tools and training to use them, but adoption remains low: only 11.4% of companies with 10 or more employees used AI in 2024. In Xataka | Firing a worker because an AI “does its job” sounds very tempting. China wants to make it inappropriate Image | Unsplash (ThisisEngineering)

Samsung has been gradually shaping its super high-end range for years. And the result is the triumph of the S25 Ultra for another year

by

The verdict of the jury of the Xataka NordVPN Awards 2025 has been clear. In a year where competition has been fierce in the premium segment, with Apple renewing its commitment to iPhone 17 and Chinese brands like Alive or Oppo pushing the limits of photography, there has been a traditional winner: The Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra has won gold in the most coveted category. Prima facie, may seem like a conservative decision. And the Galaxy S25 Ultra is not a disruptive mobile; It doesn’t make a huge leap in performance or photography. However, his victory responds to a reality that we verified during our analysis: a perfect balance. It is not a victory resulting from chance or a specific success, but the culmination of a strategy that the Korean firm began five years ago. While other manufacturers lurched in search of wow effect every twelve months (and even less), Samsung decided that its ‘Ultra’ surname already had a defined identity: the super high-end customer is not looking for experiments—faster charges, sensors with better numbers, higher capacity batteries—but rather certainties. The Galaxy S25 Ultra has not reinvented the wheel, but has made it roll better than anyone else: these are the technical and experience reasons that make it the king of 2025. Something with which I can’t agree more. When the screen matters (and a lot) If you have used a Galaxy S24 Ultrayou know the pain. Those rectangular corners that dug into the palm of the hand were the price to pay for having the largest and most spectacular screen. With the Galaxy S25 Ultra, Samsung has smoothed over that roughness. It’s not just that the corners have been softened: it’s that the phone has lost a few grams. It may seem like a smaller figure on paper, but in the hand, the difference between one and the other is very noticeable. Maintaining the 6.9-inch screen and 5,000 mAh battery while reducing weight (and a little thickness) is the kind of change that justifies the award. Of course, perhaps after saying goodbye to those corners he has lost one of his identifying marks at first glance: now he looks like the rest of his younger brothers. That does not mean that it is at this point that the maturity of the concept is appreciated: it took Samsung years to correct the course from those curved screens, beautiful, but not entirely comfortable. The S25 Ultra is the recognition that usability must come before pretty aesthetics, even in the premium segment. And if that means sacrificing the visual identity of the extinct ‘Note’ in favor of ergonomics, then too. On the other hand, the anti-reflective treatment of its predecessor already seemed like a game changer. This year, it is maintained, and its screen is also improved with more mature brightness management. They are one of those small details that matter: I don’t need 6,000 nits if I have a panel that eliminates reflections and it offers me very pure blacks in broad daylight. This panel does not seek to win on the technical sheet, but on experience. And there is a technical detail that we often overlook but that makes a difference in everyday life: visual fatigue. Although Samsung remains conservative with PWM Dimming (492 Hz vs. 2,000+ Hz for the Chinese competition), the panel calibration and automatic brightness management in One UI have reached an exquisite point. Let’s not forget that we still have a real Quad HD+ resolutionsomething that many rivals they have sacrificed dropping to 1.5K to save battery or increase the refresh rate. Samsung has not made that sacrifice, and it is appreciated. Power without anxiety and mature chambers It was easy for Samsung to deliver high-end performance: the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 has given way to a Snapdragon 8 Elite who plays in another league. Although in synthetic stress tests the mobile can suffer considerable throttling, in real use – editing video or playing demanding titles like ‘Genshin Impact’ – this drop in theoretical performance is imperceptible. Samsung has prioritized system stability over raw benchmark numbers: I confirm that it is the right decision for a productivity device. My biggest fear was that the power of the new chip would eat up the battery, the reality has been the opposite. Getting to the end of the day with half the battery is possible: Samsung has shown that optimization can improve autonomy. Now, it goes without saying that to continue winning our super high-end award, the South Korean will have to join the new trend in batteries: those of silicon-carbon. This year it has not been, but next 2026 forces Samsung to take the leap that other manufacturers are experiencing. And what if it becomes notable: mobile phones with 7,000 mAh batteries and more are flooding the Android market. In the photographic field, this is where the philosophy of refinement is most noticeable. Do you miss a radical change in camera hardware? Sometimes, although if you value consistency more, not so much. The Galaxy S25 Ultra solved the Achilles heel of its predecessor: the ultra wide angle. By raising the resolution to 50 MP with a new sensor, this camera finally does not clash with the rest. Furthermore, the recording in LOG and AI noise removal are quite useful tools for content creators. An aspect in which it approaches the high level of the iPhone in video recording. No, it is not the most exciting camera of the year, but it is one of the few that does not leave you lying around: whatever photo you want to take, it offers very consistent results. Samsung has got the point of its photography. A software to match Finally, part of the prize is also for the Android software: Gone are the days of Touchwiz as well as the first versions of One UI that did not achieve the promised user experience. One UI 7 has turned AI from a curiosity into a complete tool suite; and in … Read more

Years ago someone dreamed of a floating megacity. The result is a 550-meter “terayate” for 60,000 people

by

The ocean is full of infrastructures that once sounded crazy. With his almost 400 meters in length the ship Ever Given would surely sound like science fiction to any 19th century engineer, as would the ability of the Blue Marlin to transport infrastructure the size of an aircraft carrier or the gigantic dimensions of the ship’s engine Emma Maerskwhich at 13.5 meters high and 27 meters long looks more like a mansion than a machine. In naval engineering the limit is your imagination. Or, if the technique still does not allow you to translate the idea into reality, wait long enough. The Italian designer must have thought something similar Pierpaolo Lazzarinifrom the Lazzarini studio, who in 2009 began to think about a crazy idea: building a floating megacitya gigantic structure capable of hosting tens of thousands of people, hotels, commercial spaces, parks and even facilities for aircraft and other smaller vessels in the middle of the ocean. Breaking the mold Not only that. Already starting to dream – Lazzarini must have thought – why not give it the appearance of a terayate, a boat format so large that it surpasses the super, mega or even “gigayacht” categories. And curling the curl a little more: Why not design that mass to look like a sea turtle? It seems crazy, but that’s what came out of the workbench of Lazzarini, a studio that has already made headlines for its designs. dream vehicles, luxury boats, flying devices either architectural proposals floating. Of course, without the caliber of his latest idea. His proposal is called Pangeos and was presented as nothing more nor less than an immense “itinerant floating city”a chelonian-shaped vessel of 550 meters in length and a beam of 610 m at its widest point, measurements that would make it a true titan of the seas, much larger than the Ever Giventhe transatlantic Wonder of the Seas or even the Seawise Giant. “At the moment it’s just a concept, but it’s starting to become more than just computer animation,” Lazzarini recognizedwhich launched an online dossier with images and videos. In an attempt to go further, in 2023 its promoters promoted an NFT crowdfunding to sell “virtual spaces”. All in all, it does not seem that Pangeos will become a reality in the short term. The studio estimates that shaping its project would cost around 8 billion dollars and the work that would last about eight years. Once finished it would become “the largest floating structure ever built”, with 60,000 accommodations. Its hull will be divided into 30,000 floating cells. Its wings are designed to get energy of the resistance and the waves that break against the hull and along its roof there would be solar panels that would supply it with energy. The vessel, with a draft of approximately 30 meters, would be capable of moving at a speed of five knots. Building a record structure requires record resources. Not only because of the enormous amount of funds and work that Pangeos would need. Giving it shape will require a huge shipyard—”tera shipyard,” he points out—in which they have also thought. The idea is to have a facility with a dock that can be flooded to allow it to float once the yacht is finished. The structure designed by the studio would 650 meters wide by 600 long and would have its own access to the sea. As for where, those responsible have opted for Saudi Arabia, a location located about two kilometers from the King Abdullah Harbor. Although Pangeos is fascinating and its structure seems straight out of a science fiction movie, it is not the first floating community project. Long before Lazzari, other studios embarked on the adventure of designing their own traveling cities. One of the most recent is the MV Narrativean exclusive residential ship of 229 meters in length and 547 “residences-cabins”. The crown of the projects, however, goes to another structure worthy of the most fertile imaginations: the enormous Freedom Shipa boat designed for 100,000 passengers. Norman Nixon launched the proposal in the 90s, but so far he has not managed to put his impressive infographics into practice. They all share the same basic ingredient: ambition and imagination. Images | Lazzarini Design Studio In Xataka | This is Freedom Ship, the megaship designed to become a floating city with 100,000 passengers *An earlier version of this article was published in November 2022

A university used an AI to hunt down students who used AI. The result was a predictable disaster

by

What has happened? They count in Futurism that in 2024, the Australian Catholic University accused about 6,000 students of academic misconduct. At least 90% of cases were related to the use of AI for cheating. What is striking is that the university itself used an AI to issue these accusations, many of which were erroneous. Why it is important. It is one more example that AI is not yet reliable. We see it constantly with wrong results and hallucinations. The Australian university is not the only one that has relied on AI to accuse its students, it is a practice quite common and there have been others similar cases. The reality is that AI text detectors are also AI and, at least for now, They are imperfect. Turnitin. It is a plagiarism detection software whose first version was released in 1997 and is widely used in universities and educational centers. In 2023 he added a tool to detect texts created with AI and it is the one they used at the Australian Catholic University. The company itself says in its usage guide that the AI ​​detector is not always accurate and should not be used as the sole source when accusing a student. However, according to ABC Australiathe university used it as the only evidence when issuing his records for misconduct. The university version. Allegations regarding AI use included AI-generated works, fabricated references (hallucinations), and the use of AI tools to cite and translate content. The university says at least a quarter of all allegations were dropped after an investigation. They also rejected those in which the only proof was the AI ​​itself and in March of this year they stopped using that software. The dilemma. The emergence of AI tools poses challenges in the educational sector. Hay voices that advocate its banwhile others They defend integration and encourage good practices. UNESCO published a guide to the use of generative AI in education in which they establish rules and obligations, such as privacy protection, age limits and an approach that guarantees ethical and safe use of these tools. Image | Turnitin In Xataka | A teacher corrected a final exam done with ChatGPT, but another AI evaluated it differently and exposed the dilemma

Someone has answered the question “how would Mario Kart be in real life.” And the result is hilarious, of course

by

A frantic race with futuristic vehicles in natural environments, while ‘Firestarter’ of Prodigy sounds. The cars turn in the most closed curves, pass over demolished drivers, fall into a vacuum, everything is meticulously recorded in the dozens of cameras that accompany the players. It looks like a new version of ‘The death race of the year 2000’, but no: it is a circuit of Karts without engine built in Vietnam and whose savagery are viralizing in networks the devotees of the tube and the moraton. The southern paradisiac of Vietnam. This attraction, located in the amusement park Cao Nguyen Hoais in Da Lat, capital of the province of Lam Dong, south of Vietnam, which is also one of the main destinations of the country due to its fresh climate and its abundance of tourist attractions. The Truc Lam monastery, the palace of King Bao Dai, Lake Xuan Huong or the Prenn Cascade are some of them, but none like this Demential Motor Karts Circuit: They move through the natural inclination of the journey, and drivers only have a rudimentary flying (in one of the videos you can see how it is triggered from the car frame) and brakes that do not seem to work too well. Supercamorristas. The comparison with ‘Mario Kart‘It is obvious: although we do not see emphasis on the shape of a giant mushroom, the color of the vehicles and the Strangely paradisiac environment Remember the carefree barulos from the Nintendo franchise. It is an environment that remains drama to frantic races. The speed, yes, depends a lot on the risk that is sought: there are more rest races, and others that, with an important initial impulse, can provide all the sensation of being assisted by the popular nitro. More than karts. It is not the only attraction we can enjoy in Cao Nguyen Hoa. Among other possibilities to spend the day in the park we also have a giant swing of those who leave the user suspended to the edge of a cliff, gardens and an infinite pool. Admission costs about 100,000 Vnd, just less than four euros. Enjoy with the misfortunes of others. The comic power of the tube videos is clear since the silent cinema categorized the tartazos, the slippers and the mass persecutions as canonical within the international humor. Phenomena like ‘Jackass‘Or, in Spain,’ First Videos’, were analog predecessors of one of the categories of most consumed videos on the Internet: the FAILSto the point that their definition went to common language. The brain likes. There is multiple theories They explain why we like to see a career that, instead of running placidly, is full of blows and accidents, especially if they develop in a comedy environment and where no one is injured, which provides a Innection of cathartic effect. And of course, we must not forget the traditional Schadenfreudewhat the Germans say, enjoy the misfortunes of small -scale. The awkwardness of others, which best way to take oxygen in day to day mediocrity. In Xataka | We have just attended the first F1 race of autonomous cars. We cannot explain the result: you have to see it

Not being Audi. And it is giving it a result

by

Audi is no longer Audi. At least in China, although Some point out that his new design language of the interiors also does not meet what we have traditionally known in the Germans here in Europe. Anyway, the truth is that the company has undertaken a new course in the Asian country. Last April, my partner Javier Lacort He already had a first contact With the new Audi E5 Sportback in the Shanghai Motor Show where he saw that Audi that is not Audi. The first track is obvious, with four hoops that have been replaced by the four letters that form the word Audi. Javier Lacort wrote then: “The first thing one perceives is breakup. Metaphorical, and Physics: the stand From the brand at the fair it was split in two, with its different logos. He is no longer audi adapting to China. Is Audi delegating your identity to survive in the market that holds a good part of its global results account “ Why does an electric car have less autonomy than the announcing First results What has resulted from this hug to the electric car and the Chinese car by and for China has been positive for the company. They point out in Carnewschina that the brand has achieved more than 10,000 reservations in the first half hour since orders from the Audi E5 Sportback were opened. Of course, they are not the 200,000 reservations in three minutes that accumulated the Xiaomi Yu7. Nor the 7,000 reservations that he got the Xiaomi Su7 Ultra In 10 minutes (they expected to sell 10,000 versions of this type in the first year). But the figures are good. Especially if we consider that the future of European companies in China is being especially bad In recent years. He problem It was especially serious for Audi to which 40% of sales around the world They came from China. But European manufacturers have been razed by Chinese rivals In the blow of screens and software. Some fireworks inside the car that in Europe They have not been able to read or understand. As an emergency measure, Audi announced last November A strategic turn in its approach to China. So, Gernot Döllner, CEO of Audi, was already giving some details of what we could expect to see: “Chinese premium clients have different expectations: they are younger than in the rest of the world and more technology fond of technology. They expect a leading connectivity, as well as automated driving and, more importantly, an exciting and unmistakable experience in an interior that is familiar and surprising at the same time.” To quench Chinese wishes, Audi reached an agreement with SAIC, a Chinese state company with which Volkswagen has a close relationship From your association to be able to manufacture in the country. Thus, the visual image of this car developed between Chinese and Europeans already completely changes the image we have of Ingolstadt in Europe. The front light game created with 942 LEDs and around 2,000 small triangular elements that offer dynamic animations is striking. Inside there is a panel that goes until 59 inches, moved by a Snapdragon 8295 chip of Qualcomm. This is formed by various screens. The plant is 27 inches and has 4K resolution. And the equipment is not far behind: ventilated and heated seats, a huge solar roof, 360º cameras, adaptive suspension or 18 -speakers Bose sound system. 27 sensors must be added (including lidar, radar and ultrasonic sensors) moved by a Nvidia Orin-X Chip that allow selecting semi -autonomous driving modes in city and highway. China Momenta It is also part of the project for this last task. All from 235,900 Chinese yuan (28,000 euros) with 76.2 kWh battery and 295 hp rear engine. The most expensive option is the one that mounts a battery of 100 kWh and double engine to generate up to 776 hp of power. This latest version is priced at 319,900 yuan (37,970 euros). That is, this Audi E5 Sportback has almost nothing Audi. And yet, everything indicates that that is why it is reaping good results in China. It is not at the level of brands such as Xiaomi in its reception but seeing the results of European manufacturers, it cannot be said that they have not made the right decision. Photos | Audi In Xataka | The Audi TT has died victim of Europe and consumers. This is our love letter

Microsoft 365 will have cheaper versions worldwide. It is the result of the antitrust pressure of the European Commission

by

Soon, many Microsoft Office customers worldwide can access cheaper subscriptions. It is not a promotion or isolated commercial gesture, but the result of years of Brussels. Microsoft has accepted change your strategy to close an antitrust investigation I could cost him expensive. With this agreement, the company dodges a possible fine and the European Commission reinforces its image as guardian of the rules that govern the digital market. The European Commission confirmed that Microsoft must maintain versions of Office 365 and Microsoft 365 without Teamsyour communication tool, at a clearly lower price compared to the editions that include it. These conditions will be in force for at least seven years and will be complemented with interoperability and data portability commitments for a decade. The American company has indicated that it will implement changes globally. Microsoft undertakes to lower prices and open its ecosystem The origin of this pulse dates back to July 2020, When Slack denounced Microsoft to the European Commission For packaging Teams within Office, claiming that it made it difficult for users to choose alternatives. Three years later, Brussels opened a formal investigation To evaluate whether this practice was abuse of dominant position in the collaborative software market. The case focused on the impact of Teams integration on competitors such as Slack and other business communication platforms. To reduce the pressure, Microsoft began taking action before a resolution arrived. In October 2023 he disaggregated Teams of his suites for commercial clients in the European and Switzerland Economic Space, with lower prices for those who chose not to include the tool. In April 2024 he extended this policy to the rest of the world, withdrawing for new business clients the traditional editions with Teams and introducing “without teams” plans along with an independent license. These steps sought to show good regulatory will and simplify the catalog for multinational companies, but did not suffice to close the file. With the agreement announced this month, the measures become mandatory and more ambitious. Microsoft must guarantee a significant price difference and allow customers to migrate to versions without teams without penalties. It should be noted that to benefit from these sales, organizations must hire the new plans or make the change to renew subscriptions; There will be no automatic discounts for those who maintain current contracts. It also undertakes to facilitate that rival services integrate Office applications into their platforms and that users export Teams data to other tools, reducing change barriers. This valued the measure, Teresa Ribera, executive vice president of the European Commission for the clean, fair and competitive transition: “With today’s decision, we make binding for seven years or more Microsoft’s commitments to end their linking practices that could be preventing their competitors effectively competing with Teams. Therefore, today’s decision opens the competition in this crucial market and guarantees that companies can freely choose the communication and collaboration product that best suits their needs.” Microsoft published concrete examples of prices that will enter vigor in November this year: In Enterprise plans, the difference will be up to 8 euros per user per month; In the Business Standard and Premium plans, it will be around 3 euros. Of course, domestic users and students will not see changes: their subscriptions of Microsoft 365 Personal or family did not include payment teams and are not affected by the new framework. In any case, this episode arrives at a time where the commission has intensified its scrutiny about large technological in recent years, with multimillionaire sanctions to companies such as Google, which recently imposed a fine of 2,950 million euros. However, Brussels face a diplomatic challenge: the US president Donald Trump has criticized these measuresthreatening to activate section 301 of the Commerce Law as a response. Images | Ed Hardie | Microsoft In Xataka | The EU has put Apple against the strings: none of its options guarantees that its devices remain the same

Log In

Forgot password?

Forgot password?

Enter your account data and we will send you a link to reset your password.

Your password reset link appears to be invalid or expired.

Log in

Privacy Policy

Add to Collection

No Collections

Here you'll find all collections you've created before.