Today at Lidl (and half price) simple wireless headphones that are ideal for this summer

Walking into Lidl is, most days, finding a good deal on some type of device. Today’s is ideal for those people who are looking for good, pretty and cheap wireless headphoneswhether as an all-terrain option for traveling or for sports. These are these Anker Soundcore, reduced right now to half price: they go for 19.99 euros. Anker Soundcore Headphones The price could vary. We earn commission from these links Whether you don’t get this offer or prefer an alternative, you also have discounts on Xiaomi Redmi Buds 8 Lite. They are very economical headphones with good autonomy and active noise cancellation that are coming out right now. 19 euros. Wireless headphones for less than 20 euros at Lidl These Anker Soundcore are very simple headphones and ideal for the tightest budgets. They are perfect for less demanding users who simply want wireless headphones without spending too muchwhether for traveling, for sports or even if you want “spare” ones. What we can highlight most about these wireless headphones It is, without a doubt, its autonomy. They offer up to 10 hours of playback per charge, which we can increase to 30 hours if we add the battery in the case. Furthermore, the manufacturer promises Up to 2 hours of autonomy with a quick charge of 10 minuteswhich is ideal if you forget to charge them before leaving home. To all of the above we can add a simple design that makes them comfortable and a light case that has a carrying strap. They also have two integrated microphones for making calls and an AI system to reduce outside noise during calls. Besides, We can download an app on our mobile to configure the sound and use a function that will make them emit a loud beep in case we lose them. ⚡ IN SUMMARY: Anker Soundcore offer ✅ THE BEST They don’t reach 20 euros: They are very cheap headphones, ideal for tight budgets or for users who are not at all demanding when listening to music. Very good battery life: Including the case, the battery of the headphones reaches up to 30 hours. And they have fast charging. ❌ THE WORST Without active noise cancellation: They do not have ANC, something that we will notice especially in noisy environments. 💡 BUY IT IF… You are looking for very cheap headphones and you want them to have plenty of autonomy. ⛔ DON’T BUY IT IF… Do you prefer an option that has active noise cancellation or do you prefer that it offers a higher level of sound. You may also be interested Soundcore P20i Wireless Bluetooth Headphones by Anker, 10mm drivers with Big Bass, Bluetooth 5.3 Headphones, 30H Playback, IPX5, 2 microphones for clear calls with AI, Custom EQ The price could vary. We earn commission from these links CMF by Nothing Buds Pro 2 Wireless Headphones with HiFi Sound, 50 dB Hybrid Active Noise Cancellation, 6 HD Microphones and Spatial Audio Effect, 2025 – Light Gray The price could vary. We earn commission from these links Some of the links in this article are affiliated and may provide a benefit to Xataka. In case of non-availability, offers may vary. Images | Lidl, Anker In Xataka | Best truly wireless earbuds (TWS) with noise cancellation. Which one to buy and seven recommended models In Xataka | Best wireless over-ear headphones. Which one to buy and five recommended models

The plan to stop the melting of the Arctic is so simple that it sounds crazy: freeze it again

Global warming does not affect everyone the same way. Without going any further, Europe is the continent that most is warming according to the World Meteorological Organizationbut there is another place where the heat has turned the turbo: the Arctic. The North Pole heats up four times faster than the global average. Additionally, sea ice is at historic lows since records began 125 years ago. Faced with this climate emergency, a research team has come up with something so logical that it is surprising for its apparent simplicity: is there a lack of ice? Well, we manufacture more artificially. So they have left the laboratory and gone to the field to see if it is possible. The idea. The company Real Ice, in collaboration with the University of Cambridge, drills into sea ice in the dead of winter and pumps seawater onto its frozen surface. The water, when exposed to that extreme cold, freezes immediately and adds an extra layer of ice. Now that they have the base mechanism, Real Ice is adapting pumps used on skating rinks or oil platforms to power them with renewable energy. According to The GuardianIn a recent test, the team pumped 50,000 tons of water onto 1.5-meter-thick ice at -40ºC and managed to increase its thickness by 0.50 meters. Why is it important. Although emissions reduction is the only long-term sustainable solution, while it arrives it is necessary to explore techniques to save time because the Arctic melting is a problem with chain consequences that affect different scales: At the local level it poses a threat to Inuit ways of life and fauna such as the polar bear or the walrus, in addition to destabilizing the ecosystem. At a global level, it can alter weather patterns. Sea ice is a kind of planetary air conditioner: its white surface reflects solar radiation, something that the dark ocean does not do (albedo feedback). That extra warming of the Arctic is also related to a wavier, slower jet stream which can lengthen and promote heat waves or floods. Furthermore, the thaw goes hand in hand with the thaw of the permafrostwhich releases methane and further accelerates warming. Context. This project is part of the program RASI (Re-thickening Arctic Sea Ice), a public – private initiative in which the University of Cambridge and two private companies, Real Ice and Arctic Reflections, carry out research that combines rigorous scientific models with real experimentation in the Arctic. As a curiosity, it is not the only proposal: there are others more controversial that propose dispersing sulfate aerosols in the stratosphere to reflect sunlight. In detail. The first study in the last 2024/2025 campaign has confirmed that the test areas ended the winter up to 32 centimeters thicker than the control areas. According to the study, this difference is similar to what the Arctic has lost in the last 50 years. Furthermore, at the end of the winter campaign they observed that this new ice remained whiter and brighter during the melting season, so it seemed to melt more slowly, improving the albedo. Yes, but. On paper it looks very good, but the scientific community has its doubts. An analysis of several of these proposals published in the journal Frontiers in Science concluded that they did not successfully overcome the criteria of feasibility, cost, governance and environmental risk. The underlying criticism is that it could give the false sensation that there is a technical shortcut that relaxes the pressure to reduce emissions. On the other hand, a test in a specific area is one thing and the price of scaling this technique to the entire Arctic is another. In Xataka | Living 1,300 kilometers from the North Pole: a Catalan tells of his experience in the northernmost city in the world In Xataka | There is a corner of Spain where global warming is wreaking havoc: the Pyrenees are becoming “Mediterraneanized” Cover | Annie Spratt and Jan Antonin Kolar

living a happy and successful life comes down to three simple tips

If only to survive the management of one of the largest technology companies in the worldBill Gates had to learn some productivity tricks to optimize your time as much as possible and prevent work from ruining your personal life. As Bill Gates himself has recognized on occasionhas been acquiring these habits to live a happier life throughout your career based on mistakes or receiving advice from your friends. With the publication of his latest autobiographical book ‘Source code: My beginnings’Gates has once again reflected on these same principles. The question is more important than the solution. One of the keys to problem solving is having the right answers, but much more important for Bill Gates is asking the right questions to find the right answers. In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, the millionaire published on his website some thoughts on how to find the solution. “Since I was a teenager, I’ve approached every big new problem the same way: starting with two questions. I used this technique at Microsoft and still use it today. I ask these questions literally every week about Covid-19.” According to Gates, two of the first questions we should ask ourselves are: Who has dealt with this problem well before? And what can we learn from them? Reinventing the wheel. In summary, what Bill Gates suggests is that it is not necessary to reinvent the wheel again and again, when someone has already found the solution to that problem. The best thing is to find a “wheel” that can adapt to your case and apply it. That approach does not require unlimited creativity, intelligence, or resources. It is simply about observe and learn in someone else’s head. Control time. Gates recognizes that time control, especially in the early years of Microsoft, was not his strong suit, and that is why he spent long working days programming and developing the brand’s first products. Until one day, his friend and investment magnate Warren Buffett: “The difference between successful people and really successful people is that really successful people say no to almost everything.” In one intervention on the Charlie Ross showboth millionaires talked about the topic. Empty diaries. Bill Gates reflected on the veteran investor’s admirable command of time: “The fact that he is so careful with time, he has days when there is nothing on (his agenda)… sitting and thinking can be a priority much older. It is not an indicator of your seriousness that you have occupied every minute of your schedule.” This point is key since if you really want to achieve your goal, it is not enough to fill your work agenda. That will keep you so busy that it may prevent you from getting what you really want. So set priorities and say ‘no’ to the rest. Patience is the key to motivation. When Bill Gates founded Microsoft, he was barely a twenty-something with no knowledge about business or even notions of how to manage the company’s employees, so tended to be a somewhat toxic boss that with A look at the Microsoft office parking lot I could tell which employees were working and which had gone home. Over time, he realized that prioritizing results over always controlling what each employee did at all times was a better option both for his relationship with his staff and for his personal life. “Patience is a key element of success,” he said on one occasion. Learning lessons. Gates admits that this lesson was difficult to learn, but believes the key is to persistently work to put yourself in a good position and simply wait for the opportunity to arrive so you don’t miss it. This has also helped him improve his relationship with his employees. He discovered that by showing patience and trust towards them and their talent, improved their personal motivation and they wanted to do their best so as not to disappoint that person who had trusted them. In the end, both results and relationships benefited from the change in attitude. A version of this article was published in February 2025 Image | Lukasz Kobus In Xataka | “In five years they will have to pay taxes”: Bill Gates has pointed out the elephant in the room of AI and humanoids In Xataka | Bill Gates has been talking about AI for years. Now he thinks we are making the same mistake as with the arrival of computers

More and more people are going to concerts with AirPods in their ears. The reason is simple: they function as a stopper

For some time now, it has not been a completely strange image to see someone at festivals or concerts with AirPods. You’re not listening to Spotify (that would be weird, frankly), but using them as earplugs to muffle the noise. The trend has spread to such an extent that Apple now has an official name and has cataloged the trend with technical documentation. But… do they really work? Since when? On October 28, 2024, along with the first wave of Apple Intelligence, iOS 18.1 arrived. In that updatethe AirPods Pro 2 received three new functions: hearing test, OTC hearing aid mode with FDA authorization and the one that interests us: Active Hearing Protection. Apple had been presenting it for months in keynotesbut finally, with the software came the legitimization of the company that they had been observing the behavior of users at concerts for some time. How it works. Apple’s official documentation Sets three levels of protection depending on which mode is active. Transparency, which lets you hear the stage through the microphones, attenuates between 11 and 15 decibels. Adaptive mode, which mixes Cancellation and Transparency depending on the environment, raises that figure to between 25 and 29 dB. Pure Active Noise Cancellation averages 27 dB according to eardrum measurements from 2023, although the attenuation is not linear: at low frequencies there are notable improvements compared to the first generation; At mid and high frequencies, performance varies with the physical fit of the headphone. No more than 85. And there is an even more specific mode: the algorithm in Adaptive Transparency (an activatable mode within Transparency) detects the 85 dB threshold and compresses everything above it. In a room at 110 dB (usual level at rock concerts or electronic festivals), that means reducing the peaks to around 82-85 dB. The subjective result described by media such as TechRadarwho tested them in a room with 114.7 dB peak, is that the sound is comfortable and with good nuances for bass and percussion. On the AirPods Pro 3, released in September 2025, the dynamic range even improves. Of course, if the volume consistently exceeds 110-115 dB, even with 25-29 dB of attenuation, the user is exposed to hearing fatigue after ten minutes using AirPods Pro 2 in adaptive mode. That is to say: AirPods reduce damage and are a better option than going to the concert without anything. But they are a worse option than a calibrated hi-fi plug. The fashion of the plug at concerts. According to Loop manufacturer datathe main users of hi-fi earplugs at concerts are young people millennials and Gen Z. Videos with tags like “hot girls wear earplugs to raves“, and the earplugs appear in lists of “rave essentials” as a meme. Hearing protection is no longer a thing for older people or sound engineers, and is now a hallmark of festival identity. In fact, it is Loop itself, founded in Belgium in 2016, that has pushed this change. Their Experience models reduce 17 dB with flat attenuation, which means that the tonal signature of the concert is maintained: everything sounds the same but at a lower volume. The comparisons point Because Loop lags behind specialty brands like EarPeace or Alpine in pure attenuation quality, but the difference is negligible to the non-music user. Design, as with Airpods, plays an important role in its success. Of course, the difference is that people already have the Apple device for other purposes. Why Airpods are not earplugs. The most relevant technical difference between a hi-fi earplug and AirPods is not in the number of decibels, but in how the sound reaches the ear. A plug like Loop or Alpine attenuates acoustically: the physical material absorbs sound energy before it reaches the ear canal. AirPods, on the other hand, capture external sound with microphones, process it digitally and reproduce it modified through the headphones’ speakers, so there is a dependence on the battery and the physical fit in the ear, just as Apple itself warns. In Xataka | Gen Z has become so disengaged from addiction that it is holding daytime raves with coffee and sound healing.

A single programmer, simple mechanics, crappy graphics and Paint interface. And he has earned ten million in a week

Characters that are generic puppets, aseptic to the point of being experimental, elements in the sets that seem to come from a free library for programming learners, an interface that has completely renounced any hint of design or usability and that seems to come from a ‘Paint’ type application… ‘Meccha Chameleon’ has, however, almost ten million dollars earned in one week on Steamand the only reason is not its extremely low price. The milestones. On June 9, Japanese developer lemorion_1224 launched the game on Steam at a price of only $4.99. Today it has sold more than two million units, that is, it has earned about ten million dollars. Discounting the 30% that Valve keeps, the developer has made 6.9 million in less than a week. And it’s all the work of this solo programmer, in approximately two months. How to play. The central mechanic of ‘Meccha Chameleon’ is simple: at the beginning of each round, some players hide and others look for them. The difference with other hide-and-seek games is that hiders can paint themselves to blend in with their surroundings, like chameleons do (sometimes with hilarious results that content creators are fond of). exploiting thoroughly). The more elaborate the camouflage, the harder the player will be to detect. That is, the ability to replicate the pattern of a wallpaper or a painting comes into play. Those less skilled with the brush have another option: look for dark corners of the map where uniform camouflage is sufficient. The precedent. The game collects ideas from ‘Prop Hunt’, a mode that was born in the mythical and highly cult ‘Garry’s Mod’, and that was later incorporated into franchises such as ‘Call of Duty’. The mechanics are the same: some players start as hunters, the chameleons hide, and those who are discovered go to the opposite side. An option can be activated with which those hidden whistle from time to time to give clues about their position. What is original about this new iteration of the idea is the layer of paint that allows for more effective camouflage. But… who is Lemorion_1224? Certainly not a newcomer. This developer had been experimenting for years with hiding mechanics within ‘Fortnite Creative’, the development platform integrated into ‘Fortnite’ that allows you to publish your own modes and accumulate players at no cost. Among these There is a game where players hide by making themselves extremely thin and another where they disguise themselves as NPCs. Lemorion_1224 has also experimented with mechanics inspired by ‘Dead by Daylight’ and ‘Peak’. ‘Meccha Chameleon’ is, therefore, the distillate of several years of testing. Friendslop it. Meccha Chameleon belongs to what in recent years has been called “friendslop”: cheap games, with a very simple, even tacky, visual finish, designed to be played in a group and shared on social networks. That is, games like ‘Peak’, ‘Lethal Company’ or ‘REPO’. The common denominator is the price (below six dollars in most cases), the viral potential and an approach that can be explained in thirty seconds. But to say that ‘Meccha Chameleon’ is part of a viral trend is to understate it: it had a peak of 200,000 simultaneous playerssomething that many AAAs never achieve. ‘Meccha Chameleon’ is another of the very triumphant successes of the medium that reminds us that issues such as graphics or technical neatness are completely accessory aspects to generate fun. In Xataka | This game has been programmed by only one person, and it is already being talked about as one of the great shooters of the year

The biggest mystery of the World Cup is why all the boots are pink: the answer is very simple to understand

When the referee started a Spain-Curaçao match that should have been a mere formality, nine of Spain’s eleven players were wearing pink boots. Yesterday, as Harry Kane appeared to skate across the Dallas turf, ten of England’s eleven players were wearing pink boots. Shortly after, whoever had the courage to stay to watch the Ghana-Panama game at dawn will have seen that eleven of the eleven Panama players were wearing pink boots. The original and striking become the most standard decision possible. When Mateo Kovacic jumped onto the field to try to build a retaining wall for Kane’s England, a short shot was enough to catch our attention: the boots were black. Complete. What was once the norm has become a countercultural exercise. The feeling of “here we have someone who knows everything.” Without expecting it, Mateo Kovacic became the player who stood out the most on the entire field. In Xataka "It’s a golden cage, the World Cup is being hijacked": Hydration breaks have turned football into a new sport From original to irrelevance The issue of boots in this 2026 World Cup reminds me of wooden bow ties. For some reason still unknown, there was a day when the wooden bow tie became fashionable. At a wedding, a friend showed up with one. Evidently, it was the center of attention at that time when one seems to be facing a fashion show before the first beers begin to flow. At the next wedding the scene was repeated with another protagonist. A couple of years later, up to four people coincided at the event with one of these wooden bow ties. It’s not that the percentage was very high but it was clear that something had broken. The one who thought looked in the mirror before leaving the house to reaffirm that today he was the different one, he had fallen into the trap. He was no longer unique. Not at all. You could almost read the sarcasm in those of us who were witnessing the collapse of a fashion that should never have achieved that status. When Alfonso Pérez Muñoz appeared with white bootsin the late 90s, caused a stir. It was Joma, a Spanish brand, that dared. In a few years, the world’s greatest figures were already combining the classic black with red or blue touches in the mythical and precious Zinedine Zidane’s Adidas Predator. The norm was blown up with the Nike Total 90. The silver and blue of Luis Figo, the white and gold of Wayne Ronney and even the silver and dark gray of Lionel Messi who debuted at FC Barcelona, ​​before moving to Adidas. In the 2000s, almost all schemes regarding the use of color in boots were broken. All that was left was to wear one boot of each color. Spoiler: was also done. In Xataka In Spain-Cape Verde, a small town in Galicia had its heart broken in half: Burela That is why it has attracted so much attention that almost all the World Cup players wear pink boots. Alejandro Mendo, specialist in soccer fashion and creator of the substack Pieces of Fabriccollects the premises of why pink has become the new black. In this thread of X realize that Nike, Adidas or Puma (and even the Skechers that Harry Kane wears) are pink because the marketing message suggests that footballers feel more encouraged and confident in themselves if they wear bright colors that reinforce their personality. But, above all, point to the simple: studies show that the color that looks best on the screen over the green of the grass is pink. Simply put, the companies that dress the players have realized which color stands out the most. And along the way, fashion has become the standard. The pink boot is the new wooden bow tie. Click on the image to go to the original tweet In BBC They point out that it is a mixture of what Alejandro Mendo commented and market studies. They explain that sports brands, like any fashion company, request reports up to two seasons in advance from their trusted consultants to know “what will be worn” in a specific season. And they have all fallen into a pink with a similar tone. Brands like Puma have played to add nuancesas gradients with other colors such as yellow or blue that, in addition, They are independent for each boot (Puma was the first to propose this). Adidas has also played with similar formulas, adding touches of white on the rear. In both cases, from afar the feeling is that we are looking at the same old pink boots. The most curious thing is that this standardization around pink has helped define the campaign of the most special boots since some players stand out from the others for the simple fact of wearing footwear that should be less striking on camera. Click on the image to go to the original tweet We have already talked about Mateo Kovacic but a much rarer case is that of Michael Olise. The France striker has built a story very far from the stereotype of a footballer. A free verse that, in fact, He doesn’t even have a signed sponsorship contract.simply choose boots based on your personal preferences for comfort and your team’s attire. At the moment, we have been able to see him wearing pristine black Nikes. Wear black bootsIn this case, it helps create an image of a differential player that the brands themselves continue to promote. Lionel Messi wears Adidas Último Tango that are reserved exclusively for hima tribute from the German firm to which, we assume, will be the Argentine’s last presence in a World Cup. Of course, Messi doesn’t wear pink boots either and his combination of white and blue shines especially brightly in a tide of bright colors. In Xataka Sneakers have become delicate luxury products, so they have generated a new business: laundry laundries. "sneakers" It is an old strategy among these companies. … Read more

A beach in Sardinia has banned umbrellas for people between 10 and 65 years old. The reason is simple: fire

Summer yes, summer too, dermatologists they insist on the importance of protecting ourselves from the sun’s rays with creams, caps and umbrellas. In Molentis Pointone of the beaches most popular of Sardinia, the bathers they will have to conform however with the first two tools. If they want to plant an umbrella in the sand they will have to meet a series of requirements, beyond paying the 10 euros it costs to access the cove: the parasols will only be available to families with children or people who have already turned 65 years old. The rest have to burn. What has happened? Villasimìus is a commune of Cagliari, in the Italian region of Sardinia, where slightly less than 4,000 people. Despite this, it has been making headlines for days in the media throughout Italy and the rest of Europe, including headlines within the scope of Guardian, cnn either The Telegraph. The reason is not so much the spectacular nature of its beaches and its attractiveness at the gates of summer (which too), but rather the effects of that pull: faced with the avalanche of visitors, the local authorities have decided prohibit that the majority of bathers use umbrellas on the sandy beach. No umbrellas? More or less. Which have decided in Villasimìus is that the majority of the population cannot bring their own umbrellas to Punta Molentis. This privilege is restricted to only two groups: families with children under 10 years old and adults over 65. The large group between 10 and 65 years old that remains in the middle will have to make do with protecting themselves from the sun of the Sardinian coast with caps and a good sunscreen. Not only that. In a statement Posted on its official website, the commune of Villasimìus details other measures that bathers must take into account: the number of vehicles and people that can be simultaneously in the area is limited, as is the influx of bathers arriving by boat. The rules also include time guidelines and a warning: those who go to the beach should know that there is an “environmental ticket” of 10 euros for those who travel by car. If you go by boat the fee remains at 5 euros. But… Why? The authorities insist on the need to protect the natural environment and remember the serious forest fire that the region experienced last summer, when dozens of tourists had to flee in boats. The flames spread so quickly that they burned cars stationed in the area, they blocked land escape routes and caused serious environmental damage, environmentalists warn. “The Punta Molentis ecosystem is one of the most valuable in our territory, but also one of the most fragile. The forest fires of 2025 and exceptional weather phenomena have reduced the capacity of the dunes and put habitats and biodiversity to the test,” warns the commune. “It is necessary to limit the human impact and ensure the protection of heritage for future generations.” Part of the rules disclosed by the Villasimìus authorities. What do people think? The Government argues that it wants to protect the environment and preserve the natural wealth of the beach. Neither one nor the other seems to have convinced bathers, who were quick to use irony to question the ban on umbrellas. “How wonderful, a beautiful day at the beach and 20 hours in the emergency room for burns. I think they’ve tried this ordinance before and it went wrong,” comments sarcastically a user on networks. At stake would not only be the environmental wealth of the coast. A spokesperson for the Villasimìus town council assured this week to CNN that behind the veto of the parasols there are also security reasons: they want to reduce their number to prevent situations like those of 2025 from being repeated. “It is fundamentally because of that fire and the difficulties we had in evacuating the beach due to the large number of umbrellas installed that the city council has established this rule,” recognize from the Italian commune, who remember that in that area there are no paid ‘beach clubs’, so “people place umbrellas next to each other, blocking access, causing risks and obstructing the view of the sea.” The Telegraph precise that in the bathing area you can rent parasols. Does it only happen in Sardinia? Villasimìus’s decision has attracted attention because it is unorthodox, but the truth is that the use of umbrellas (and other beach equipment) on the sandy beaches has not only generated controversy there. In Italy the ‘beach clubs’ have generated debate after, according to Altronconsumo calculationsthe rental of sun loungers and umbrellas has skyrocketed by 24% in just five years. Beyond Italy, in Greece they have just expand your list of “virgin” sandbanks where the rental of umbrellas is prohibited. Here, in Spain, the use of furniture on the beaches (and that includes everything from parasols to tents and windbreaks) also has generated debate the last years. Images | Heather Cowper (Flickr) and Villasimius SRL In Xataka | It is increasingly common to find jellyfish on Mediterranean beaches before summer. And it’s a bad sign

A simple router is a machine capable of identifying humans with almost 100% accuracy. Or so these researchers say

Using WiFi networks as a technology to track people is a twist in the script that not all of us saw coming. He Karlsruher Institute for Technologyone of the strongest research institutions in Germany, assures close to 100% accuracy when recognizing people without any type of camera and using it. What exactly happened. The KIT (Karlsruhe Institute of Technology) team published a paper with a promising headline: “Ordinary WiFi can identify people with almost perfect accuracy”. And this is achieved thanks to something that routers have been doing for recent years: beamforming feedback information. How the hell does this work?. To understand what it is about beamforming You must first understand how the devices emit signals. routers. In their first generations, routers emitted in all directions, just like a light bulb emits light in that way. With the most modern versions of WiFi, the way the signal is transmitted has improved. Routers began to concentrate the signal towards where the receiving device is, like a flashlight instead of a light bulb. Beanformig. That is called beamformingto form a concentrated beam and received by another device. But to aim well, the router needs to know where to point, and it is the connected devices themselves—your cell phone, your laptop—that send that information to the router continuously. Basically, they are constantly telling the router “hey, I’m here.” That message is the BFI, beamforming feedback information. And what is this for?. Now you know that your router sends information to your gadgets and that your gadgets send information to the router. When the devices send information to the router, they describe how the signal arrives, and interference along the way is recorded. Among them, human beings. Our body partially absorbs WiFi waves, reflects them, deflects them and alters how they reach the mobile phone or router. The researchers used that signal data to train models of artificial intelligencein order to detect patterns that would allow humans to be detected. They fed the system with thousands of examples associated with different people until the model learned to detect those wave changes associated with human presence. The system is not capable of visually recognizing anything in the environment, but it manages to have information about when a human is present in the environment. The caution. According to the researchers, “this technology turns each router into a potential means of surveillance.” “If you regularly pass by a café that operates a WiFi network, you could be identified there without realizing it and be recognized later, for example, by public authorities or companies.” The reality? It would be necessary for cybercriminals to develop a system identical or similar to that of the KIT to achieve a human video surveillance system through WiFi signals. The nuance. Under laboratory conditions, with 197 participants and in controlled environments, the system was close to 100% accuracy. But in the real world, it would be necessary to train a new model with data from hundreds of people in different spaces. The model is not a ready-to-deploy technology or a real threat – nor is it intended to be applied – but the research reveals how simple a priori data sets can be trained as a surveillance tool. In Xataka | There is a booming job in the era of artificial intelligence: cybersecurity expert

The Nothing Phone (4a) Pro wants to be different in the mid-range. We have tried it on the street and not everything is so simple

If you are thinking of buying a mid-range mobile phone and are looking for something different, with personality and that design point that sets it apart from the rest, the Nothing Phone (4a) Pro It may have easily slipped onto your list. It is no coincidence: its proposal plays precisely in that field, that of offering something recognizable in an increasingly homogeneous segment. The question, as always, is whether this difference is accompanied by a good day-to-day experience. This is where our usual approach comes in. While Ivan Linares has been in charge of analyze the device in depth, Ana Boria has taken it one step further: it has been taken out of the controlled environment for a real test. The result is the latest video from Xataka’s YouTube channelwhere he tests the terminal in everyday situations and draws conclusions with context. Let’s get to it. When the cell phone takes to the streets: a real test in Lisbon The chosen scenario is not coincidental. Lisbon serves as a perfect test bed for evaluate a mobile phone in real conditions: outdoor photos, intensive use during the day, navigation, content consumption… This is where a device stops being a technical sheet and starts to show what it is made of. And in this case, as usually happens in the mid-range, there are lights and shadows. In the performance section, the approach is clear from the beginning. We are not looking at the latest Qualcomm processor, but that does not imply a bad experience. The Snapdragon 7 Gen 4 complies with solvency in daily use, something that Ana sums up bluntly: “I have not noticed any type of problem or performance, fluidity or anything.” A statement that points directly to what matters most in this range: stability and consistency. The software is another point that makes the difference. Nothing OS 4.1 is committed to a clean experience, without unnecessary additions, and that is noticeable from the first power on. “You don’t know how much pleasure it gave me to turn on the phone for the first time and not see anything at all. no bloodwarenot a single social media advertising app that I wouldn’t be interested in being there.” In a market where bloated software is still common, this approach carries weight. When we move to the camera, the analysis becomes more nuanced. The main sensor offers solid results, especially in favorable conditions, with “photos with adequate sharpness” and where “in general the white balance is correct.” It is not a revolution, but it is a reliable foundation. Of course, there is also room for improvement in certain scenarios, something that Ana hints at during the video. Beyond the camera, there are two elements that define the experience: battery and screen. They are the ones that accompany the user throughout the day and those that, ultimately, determine whether the mobile phone convinces or not. In the video they are put to real use that allows us to better understand how far the device goes in this area. And, of course, there is the most recognizable element of the phone. The rear with Glyph Matrix is ​​not only an aesthetic issue, it also introduces a customization component that is unusual in this segment. “There are different types of light designs to assign to different applications, but you can even upload images to create custom designs.” It is, in a way, the materialization of that initial idea: to offer something different. The complete analysis of the Nothing Phone (4a) Pro It is now available on the Xataka YouTube channel. If you want to understand how it behaves beyond the technical sheet and keep Ana’s final assessment, it is worth watching it calmly. Remember that you can also leave us your comments both on this article and on the video. Images | Xataka In Xataka | Poco X8 Pro Max, analysis: one of the largest batteries on the market arrives with a SoC that also has a lot to say

More and more Spanish bars refuse to let you pay at the table. Its objective is very simple: greater rotation

“To pay, at the cashier.” It doesn’t matter if you live in the very center of Madrid, the most touristy area of ​​Barcelona, ​​next to Malagueta, in Vigo or a remote town in Bierzo, it is most likely that at some point in the last few months you have heard that phrase when you ask a waiter to please charge you. To pay for the coffee you just had, you must get up and go to the checkout yourself. Or what is the same, you do not have the option of being charged at the table. It seems like a minor issue, but this decision is not accidental: it responds to a logic that seeks to speed up the rotation in the premises and get the most out of them. “Excuse me, can I have the bill?” In Spain there are some 87,000 restaurants and food stalls, almost 163,400 drinking establishments and 270,200 “food and beverage services”, according to INE datawhich gives a pretty clear idea about how we live in Spain: we like (a lot) to go out for coffees, beers and tapas. Therefore, no matter what region you live in, chances are that in recent months you have sat at a table in a bar or restaurant. And that’s also why you’ve probably noticed that it’s becoming more and more common that when you want to pay and ask for the bill, answer the same: “To pay, at the cashier.” Unraveling the mystery. The question is obvious. Why the hell are they asking us to pay at the cashier? Are we not hindering the passage of other customers like this? Does it have any advantages over the option of paying the bill directly at the table? The mystery was cleared up a few months ago Jairosanbor, a tiktoker that usually publishes on his account videos related to the world of hospitality. And the answer is quite simple: although several factors come into play, everything is limited to a simple question of rotation in the premises. In other words, make a business profitable and get the most out of it. Time and agility. The logic is simple. If the customer receives the bill at their table, pays and the waiter charges them, even having to return to the bar to get change, a process is lengthened that could be simplified if the payment is made at the cashier. It may be a matter of minutes, but over the course of an entire day, a week, a month or a year (even more) that time can translate into higher turnover. More rotation. More clients. Higher income. “A little trick”. “What you get is that the customer gets up without any problem and leaves you the table free so that someone else can automatically sit down. If you had him here waiting for you to bring him the bill, charge him, he leaves and comes, in the end more time is wasted,” comments Jairposanbor in his TikTok video, of just 30 sure. “It’s a little trick for the rotation.” Personnel issue? The “little trick”, as the hotelier defines it, may seem simple, but it has given rise to a good number of articles about the themein the pressand some debate in the comments of the video. There are those who relate it, for example, to the greater or lesser availability of waiters in the establishment. “Another trick: add more staff and if the customer leaves happy that they don’t have to wait, they’ll probably come back,” comment a user. Another adds that charging cash may increase turnover and profitability of the establishment, but it can have a negative effect: it places more workload on the employee behind the bar. Cash vs card. They would come into play more keys. For example, although it is increasingly common for restaurants or cafes to allow payment by card, especially in large chains, in those cases in which the business only accepts cash, the “collection at the counter” rule simplifies the process quite a bit. No picking up cashround trips between the bar and the table to look for change or for the money to ultimately pass through several hands within the business. Useful, not infallible. Of course the tactic can be useful, but it is by no means infallible. First because, as some users also comment on TikTok, there are customers who do not like being sent to the bar to pay for their drinks. Second, because rotation is not 100% guaranteed either. As another remembers tiktokerthe trick fails when there is more than one person at the table, only one gets up to pay and then returns to his seat to continue chatting. A sector in change. César Sánchez-Ballesterospresident of the Tourism and Hospitality Federation of the province of Pontevedra, Feproturprovides some extra keys. Tricks like the one shared by Jairoposanbor seek greater optimization, but that is not the only way that hoteliers follow to achieve it. For years the group has opted for new strategies, such as online reservations, letters with QR codeapps that allow you to make orders and pay… Until reaching extreme examples such as experiments of McDonald’s in the US, with stores where there is hardly any interaction with staff. Of orders, payments… and personnel. “We see more and more examples of optimization,” comments Sánchez-Ballesteros, who remembers in any case that the client always has the last word, as has been made clear in the comments of TikTok: he is the one who decides what compensates him, what practices he considers good, what bothers him or the services he is not willing to give up. Against this backdrop, there is another factor that conditions work in restaurants and bars: the shortage of qualified personnel, which further reinforces the urgency that businesses have when it comes to polishing internal processes. It’s nothing new. For years the hospitality industry has been pointing out on a recurring basis the shortage of professionals, a deficit that becomes especially visible in times of … Read more

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