sky

Mexico touches the sky with a new and elegant skyscraper of 484 meters and 99 floors. It will be the highest in all of Latin America

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For decades, it seemed that “the sky is the limit” applied to architecture was a maxim that only Asia and the Middle East reached. In fact, in recent times the world has witnessed a frantic race to see who has the biggest (skyscraper) between Dubai and Saudi Arabia. But there are some notable exceptions like the one that is about to premiere in Monterrey: the Tower Risea skyscraper that will not only be the tallest in the Central American country, but will also lead the skies of all of Latin America. If we open the range to the entire continent, it is only overshadowed by the mythical One World Trade Center in New York. The project. The Rise Tower is a mixed-use skyscraper that is being built in Monterrey (Nuevo León). It will have a height of 484 meters, of which 408 make up 96 residential floors and the remaining 76 make up the architectural spire that crowns the structure. More specifically, it will house residences, offices, a hotel, commerce and leisure facilities in a single structure, as is usual in skyscrapers of these characteristics, thus turning it into a city within a building. It will be located in the Obispado neighborhood, on Constitución Avenue in front of the Santa Catarina River, in one of the densest and most representative urban corridors of the city. The project is in charge by Nest and Ancore Group, has been designed by the Ancore architecture team and Mexican architect Esteban Ramos. Pozas Design Group and Next are responsible for its luxurious interior. Rise Tower layout diagram. Rise Why is it important. The Rise Tower will surpass the Torres Obispadowhich is also in Monterrey and is still the tallest skyscraper in the country. But once completed, it will officially be the tallest building in Latin America, a title that gives Mexico symbolic and technical leadership in the urban and architectural sector. Without going any further, it also moves the Great Santiago Tower in Chile. The building also positions Mexico in the world leagues of vertical architecture, a race dominated by Asia and the Middle East. For Mexico it is also a demonstration that the region can conceive, finance and execute projects at the scale of the world’s large urban centers and at the metropolitan scale, it can function as an engine for the repopulation of the urban center that favors investments in infrastructure. Context. Monterrey has been consolidating itself as the laboratory of vertical urbanism in Mexico for two decades. Without going any further, the construction of the Obispado Towers in 2020 had already surpassed the 300-meter barrier that defines it as “supertall.” The Rise Tower itself has been evolving since its first plans, when he aimed “only” 350 meters. The project is part of the trend of mixed-use supertalls that began to emerge in Asia and the Middle East since the 2000s and is now beginning to materialize in Latin America. Monterrey is in an area with wind and seismic activitywhich adds a layer of technical complexity to any potential design. In figures. Some numerical data of this stratospheric construction: 484 meters high: 408 habitable meters and 76 meters from the spire It will be the 13th tallest skyscraper in the world 35 levels of offices, 22 floors of apartments, 10 levels of luxury hotel 4,300 square meters of green areas and 8,000 square meters of leisure spaces. In detail. The tower has a rectilinear shape with a reinforced structural core and a perimeter framing system designed to withstand lateral loadssomething essential given that Monterrey is in a region where there is seismic activity and a lot of wind. The building envelope consists of a modular aluminum and glass curtain wall system, an aesthetically striking and effective combination for thermal control and management of dynamic wind pressures at high altitude. The concept of the façade is quite reminiscent of the architecture of mid-20th century skyscrapers. Points out The Civil Engineer The initial sketches suggested a more robust metallic aesthetic inspired by the historic Torre Latinoamericana in Mexico City (the grandfather of Mexican skyscrapers, built in 1956), but with the progress of construction, a greater presence of glass has become evident. In terms of sustainability, the project already has LEED Silver, Green Globes, Building EQ and Well certifications from the International Well Building Institute. For when? Construction began in 2023 and by March of this year the Rise Tower exceeded 306 meters and reached the 52nd floor, but there are still 170 meters left. The construction pace is high and in accordance with the governor’s statements from Nuevo León, Samuel García Sepúlveda, the inauguration is projected for the summer of 2026, before the FIFA World Cup. Nevertheless, other specialized sources They suggest that it will be delayed until the end of 2026 or even 2027. In Xataka | If the question is whether a skyscraper can be erased without demolishing it, Paris has the answer: yes, in exchange for a fortune In Xataka | Cancun has a huge bottleneck in its tourist area: Mexico is going to solve it with a megabridge Cover | Chorizowithegg and Rise Tower

China was the power that launched drones. Now he has realized his danger with a decision: close the sky to them

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Exactly 10 years ago an unprecedented event occurred. A small drone landed without authorization in the White House garden after its operator loses control. It didn’t have explosives or sophisticated cameras, but it was enough to activate a complete security protocol and put the authorities on alert for hours. That apparently trivial incident was an announcement to sailors. The drone empire closes its sky. It remains a paradox that China, the great dominatrix of the global drone market with millions of devices in circulation and leading companies like DJI, be the same power that has started to drastically restrict its use within its borders. Yes, I counted a few days ago the new york times that the new rules require register each device with real identity, link it to personal data and transmit real-time flight information to the government. Flying without authorization can lead to fines, confiscations and even prison sentences, and in cities like Beijing the ban is almost total, to the point of preventing the sale or entry of drones into the capital. Total control of airspace. Thus, the regulatory tightening It has turned what was once a recreational or professional activity into a terrain full of obstacles. In practice, much of the urban space is left out of use, with permits having to be requested in advance and rarely granted. In fact, users throughout the country have denounced interrogations, sanctions and confiscations even on flights that they consider legal, while some claim to receive calls from the police as soon as they turn on their devices. The result is a paralyzing effect: the sky is still full of drones in theory, but in practice fewer and fewer take off. Security, fear and Ukraine and Iran. Behind this shift is an easy-to-understand key factor: modern warfare. has shown that drones are no longer toys, but combat actors of first order. Recent conflicts have made it clear that even cheap models can monitor, attack or alter critical infrastructuresomething that especially worries Beijing in terms of internal security. The possibility of these devices being used against sensitive infrastructure or even political leaders has accelerated a response that seeks to eliminate any margin for improvisation in the air. The economics of low altitude. Paradoxically, the Times said that the tightening comes just when China wants to expand the commercial use of drones in what it calls “low altitude economy”. The objective is to turn them into key tools for logistics, agriculture, industrial inspection or light transportation. But to achieve this, the government considers it essential to first impose absolute control of airspace, like someone reorganizing a city before opening it to mass traffic. The problem: that this previous order is suffocating the ecosystem that it aims to promote. The final dilemma. If you like, the result is a contradiction that is difficult to resolve in Beijing: the nation that raised and built the global drone industry is limiting its use by the danger they perceive to the point of stopping innovation, business and adoption. Companies see sales fall, the second-hand market grows and entrepreneurs abandon projects due to the impossibility of operating. Meanwhile, some experts warn of another unexpected consequence: restricting access too much may prevent training future operators, just when the world is heading towards wars and economies where knowing how to handle a drone will be a strategic skill. Image | Infinity 0 In Xataka | China just showed the world what comes after the combat drone: 96 drones with a science fiction launch 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 closed a huge chunk of sky for 40 days. And all we know is that space is bigger than Taiwan

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In aviation, advisories restricting the use of airspace usually last just a few days and are linked to very specific operations, while areas without altitude limits are reserved on rare occasions due to its impact on air traffic. In strategic regions of the planet, any prolonged alteration in these patterns is often interpreted as more than a simple technical measure. It just happened in China. An unprecedented air closure. China has closed for 40 days (from March 27 to May 6) a huge maritime airspace without offering any clear explanation, delimiting areas through aeronautical warnings which are normally used for short exercises but in this case they are unusually prolonged. To give us an idea, the extension of that space exceeds the size of Taiwan, which makes the measure difficult to fit within operational normality. The official silence and the scale of the movement suggest a deliberate decision that goes beyond simple air traffic management. What these notices really mean. The NOTAM (Notice to Air Missions) are designed to warn of risks or temporary restrictions, but their usual use is far from the current scenario, since they usually last a few days and are linked to specific, clearly identified maneuvers. Therefore, the combination of an extraordinary duration and the absence of explanations points more to a position of sustained activity more than a specific exercise. A priori, this implies that airspace control is being used as an active tool within a broader strategy. A key space on the regional board. counted the wall street journal A few hours ago, the affected areas extended from the Yellow Sea to the East China Sea, covering areas in front of South Korea and Japan and being located in strategic corridors for any military operation in the region. Although they are far from Taiwan (several hundred km), their location does not seem coincidental and fits with scenarios where the air route control would be decisive. The scale of the reserved area reinforces the idea that this is not a limited trial, but something with deeper operational implications. Signs in the midst of a tense context. The closure also coincides with a moment of high tension in the Indo-Pacific, with military movements in Japan, pressure about Taiwan and diplomatic activity relevant in parallel. Not only that. It also occurs after a striking pause on Chinese military flights near Taiwan, followed of its resumptionsuggesting a recalibration of activity. In this context, the measure can be interpreted as a way to send strategic messages without the need for explicit statements. Ambiguity as a strategy. In short, and although there are precedents for similar airspace reservations, they had never been so long nor so widewhich marks a clear difference compared to previous practices. If you like, this ambiguity also allows China to maintain operational flexibility, test scenarios and, ultimately, generate uncertainty among its rivals without publicly committing. The result is a signal that is difficult to interpret, one that, possibly or precisely because of this, multiply your impact strategic. Image | LG Images In Xataka | In silence, China is making giant strides in a race that until now it was not leading: space. In Xataka | The US opted for the quality of the F-35 rather than quantity. China opted for the opposite and it is already a problem

A half-ton metal ring fell from the sky in Kenya. More than a year later we still don’t know where it came from

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For years we have talked about the space debris as a distant problemalmost abstract, that occurs far above our heads. We know that, from time to time, some debris from launches or satellites re-enter the atmosphere, although we almost always perceive it as something remote. Until it isn’t. What happened at the end of 2024 In a Kenyan village it was precisely that: the moment when a technical discussion became a tangible fact. A metal object of large dimensions fell from the sky without warning. On December 30, 2024, in the rural area of ​​Mukuku, the object was left lying on the ground after the impact, with dimensions that soon caught the attention of technicians: around 2.5 meters in diameter and an estimated weight of about 500 kilograms. The intervention was quick. Police cordoned off the area and an inter-agency team, led by the Kenya Space Agency (KSA), recovered the remains for analysis. From that point, a complex question arose: what exactly was that piece and where did it come from? Open investigation, official promises and a mystery that remains unsolved Just 48 hours after collecting the remains, the Kenya Space Agency offered a first explanation. In its statement of January 1, 2025the agency indicated that, according to preliminary evaluations, the piece corresponded to a fragment of a space object, specifically a launch vehicle separation ring. It was a relevant conclusion, but partial. The agency did not link the object to any specific rocket and described the incident as isolated, while announcing the opening of an investigation under international legal frameworks that regulate activities in space. The statement from the Kenya Space Agency (click to see the original publication in X) As the days progressed, the case began to generate interpretations beyond the official statements. Some local media, including Nation Africa, They pointed out that the Government of Kenya would have initiated a compensation claim addressed to India, suggesting that the object could be linked to a specific mission. The reaction of the Kenya Space Agency was immediate. On January 3, 2025, The agency denied that information and he was clear in his message: “The alleged compensation claim presented by the Government of Kenya is false and should be ignored.” In that same update, he also stressed that the investigation was still ongoing. With the official investigation without a specific attribution, the case began to attract the attention of independent analysts. One of the most detailed was that of the astrodynamicist Marco Langbroek, from the Technical University of Delft, who explored the possibility that the fragment corresponded to an adapter SYLDA from an Ariane release 2008. Their analysis suggested that the location and timing of impact were compatible with re-entry of that particular object, but also made clear that this was not a conclusive identification. In fact, in a later update of its analysis, it included doubts attributed to Arianespace engineers about that hypothesis, considering that the dimensions did not fit. On paper, the case was not closed in those first days. The KSA assured on January 1, 2025 that its experts would analyze the piece, identify the owner and keep the public informed about next steps. Weeks later, Nation Africa collected Furthermore, the investigation was at an advanced stage and, once concluded, the case would be transferred to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to hold the owner of the object accountable. However, when following the public trail of that promise, there is no new data. A subsequent resolution on Mukuku does not appear on the agency’s official communications page, so more than a year later there is no official and definitive attribution of the fragment. There is also no new information in local media. If we look at the case with perspective, Mukuku leaves us two clear readings. The first is that space debris is no longer just an orbital phenomenon, but also an issue that, under certain circumstances, can have an impact on the surface. The second has to do with the limits of this type of research. Even when an object of these characteristics reaches land and activates international mechanismsa clear public conclusion is not always reached. We know how the agency described the piece in its preliminary evaluations and we know the main hypotheses that attempted to identify it, but no origin has been officially confirmed. And that void, more than a year later, is still open. Images | KSA In Xataka | Artemis II has a toilet that evacuates the astronauts’ urine into space. The problem is that it has frozen

If the US attacks Iran with drones, it will be in for a surprise. Russia shielded its sky with an explosive weapon: Verba

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It we count last week. In the Middle East, crises rarely erupt overnight. First pieces move away from the spotlight, discreet commitments are signed and deployments multiply that seem routine. Only later, when everything falls into place, do you understand that the board had been preparing for something bigger for weeks. Now we know that Washington has not been the only one that has prepared. Agreement sealed in the shadows. counted this morning in an exclusive the financial times that Iran and Russia signed a secret contract of almost 500 million euros for delivery of 500 lVerba portable spears and 2,500 9M336 missiles. It would be Tehran’s most significant move to rebuild air defenses devastated after the 12 day war against Israel. The Iranian request came just days after its integrated network was seriously degraded by Israeli and American attacks, which allowed enemy aircraft to operate with superiority over large areas of the country. The agreement provides deliveries until 2029although the media explained that there are indications of early shipments, and it is complemented with night vision devices and other equipment that points to a phased but urgent reconstruction. What are Verba and why do they matter. The Verba system is a portable guided missile infrared designed to shoot down drones, cruise missiles and low-level aircraft such as helicopters, operated by small mobile teams that can deploy dispersed defenses without depending on fixed radars vulnerable to bombing. These are not heavy strategic systems like lthe S-300 or S-400but rather a flexible tactical layer that complicates helicopter operations and low-level flights. Its adoption is rapid, requires less integration and allows Iran to reinforce critical points at a relatively acceptable cost for Moscow, which can supply them without weakening substantially its own defense against Ukraine. Verba missile carrier A military alliance despite sanctions. Apparently the contract was negotiated between Rosoboronexport and the Iranian Ministry of Defense, with intermediaries already sanctioned by Washington, in a context of growing cooperation that includes Iranian drones employed by Russia in Ukraine and a bilateral treaty signed in 2025. Moscow thus demonstrates that it has no intention of abiding by Western sanctions or the arms embargo reactivated by European powers, while Tehran tries rebuild the relationship following the perception that Russia did not come to their aid during the latest conflict with Israel. The flow of cargo flights and the reception of attack helicopters Mi-28 reinforce the image of a active and sustained military association. The largest deployment since 2003. It we count last week. The agreement emerges in parallel to a massive accumulation of American air and naval power in the Middle East, with dozens of F-35, F-15 and A-10 fighters deployed at bases such as Muwaffaq Salti in Jordan and Prince Sultan in Saudi Arabia, in addition to two aircraft carrier groups led by the USS Abraham Lincoln and the USS Gerald R. Ford. In total, about 40,000 troops and a fleet comparable to the one before the 2003 invasion of Iraq support Donald Trump’s threats to impose a nuclear ultimatum on Tehran. Iran, for its part, warns that it would respond by attacking US bases in the region if hit. A reinforcement that changes the risk calculation. The new systems They will not turn Iran into a conventional rival comparable to the United States or Israel, of course, nor will they prevent sustained air campaigns if these are executed with technological superiority. However, they can raise cost and risk of specific operations, especially helicopter raids or low-altitude attacks, and prolong a possible conflict by making initial phases of aerial suppression difficult. In an environment where each shootdown would have a disproportionate political and strategic impact, the mere presence of hundreds of mobile launchers introduces a tactical deterrence variable. A preparation race. What does seem quite clear is that the combination Iranian rearmament and American deployment draws a scenario of maximum tension in which diplomacy and force advance in parallel. Tehran seeks to buy time, rebuild defensive layers and negotiate from a less vulnerable position. Washington tries to pressure with a demonstration of power without recent precedents in the region. What happens in the coming weeks will not only determine whether there is an attack or an agreement, but also whether the Russian-Iranian alliance is consolidated as a military axis capable of openly challenging the sanctions regime and reconfiguring the strategic balance of the Middle East. Image | ТАСС In Xataka | It is so small that it can barely be seen from space, but this secret island is the main problem for the US to attack Iran In Xataka | If the most advanced US nuclear aircraft carrier maintains its speed it will reach its destination on Sunday: a bad omen for Iran

now everyone wants to fill the sky

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Launching the first commercial satellites, Telstar-1 and Telstar-2, cost almost $400,000 per kilogram in the 1960s. Today it costs about $6,500 per kilogram if you use the program Falcon 9 of SpaceX to send cargo, according to data from the Kfund venture capital fund. The drastic reduction in costs has enabled organizations and companies to send more and more satellites per year and, consequently, the Earth’s orbit to become saturated at an unprecedented rate. filling the sky. What was once the exclusive territory of governments and large corporations is now within the reach of startups with modest budgets. FOSSA Systems, a Spanish company, has deployed more than 20 satellites with less than 10 million euros in total financing, according to Kfund. In Spain, the number of objects launched into space has more than tripled between 2021 and 2024, going from 21 to 69 payloads. At a global level, the change is even more dramatic, because while it previously took decades to deploy entire constellations, now this is achieved in a matter of months. Changes. The drop in prices is mainly due to a series of converging factors. On the one hand rocket reuse that they have perfected since SpaceX. In addition, there is now a satellite standardization (from giant, customized machines to modular microsatellites), while also taking advantage of economies of scale. Everything indicates that the cost per kilogram would continue to trend downward, and the next jump could come from StarshipSpaceX’s heavy-lift rocket that promises to reduce costs even further. More satellites, also more problems. This democratization has been a complicated scenario. Now the barrier to entry for sending objects into space is much lower than before, so the risk of launching satellites without centralized coordination also increases. A while ago we also talked about the risk of collisionwhich has accelerated in recent years due to the massification of low Earth orbit. Among the consequences we find space junk that grows exponentially (each collision generates fragments that can cause new collisions), interference between communication frequencies, and a growing orbital militarization difficult to monitor. Insufficient legal frameworks. Outer space operates under international treaties designed since the Cold War, when only two powers had orbital access capacity. Today, with hundreds of private and state operators, these legal frameworks are insufficient. For this reason, the limitations on how many satellites an operator can launch, where they should be located or where they end up at the end of their useful life are issues that They are not managed by any global authority. The result is a kind of orbital “tragedy of the commons” in which everyone benefits from cheap access, but no one fully bears the costs of this massive traffic. Fragmentation. “The world is continually changing, in some places faster than before,” points out Silviu Pirvu, Chairman and CTO of Optimal Cities, to the firm Kfund. Space infrastructure serves us more than ever to respond to crises, manage risks or make decisions in real time, although the control and governance landscape of this same infrastructure is difficult. Meanwhile, Europe is trying to gain sovereignty with initiatives such as IRIS² to reduce dependence on non-European suppliers, but regulatory fragmentation persists. The long-term risks. The scientific community has been warning for years about the Kessler syndrome: a scenario in which the density of objects in low orbit reaches a critical point where cascading collisions make the use of certain orbits unfeasible for generations. Although we are far from that extreme, each year that passes without effective regulation brings us closer to that reality. The European Space Agency esteem that there are already more than 36,000 objects larger than 10 centimeters in orbit, most of them junk. Regulate a common good. There are several questions on the table, but perhaps the most interesting would be to know how a global common good is regulated when there are commercial and strategic incentives that push in the opposite direction. Although there are numerous spatial monitoring systems, such as the SSA (Space Situational Awareness) of the ESA, this capability is not a solution to the underlying problem of setting limits. Cover image | THAT In Xataka | The Challenger explosion: 40 years of the accident that forever changed the course of NASA and space exploration

They live glued to an app looking at the sky as if it were 1939

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Greenland had been installed for decades in a feeling of security, as if its geography and distance protected it from everything, and that certainty was has suddenly broken: in a matter of days the population has gone from joking that “nothing ever happens there” to talking seriously about evacuation, preventive flight to Denmark, or what will happen to their children if one day they wake up being “Americans”. Live in fear. counted on an extensive report the Guardian that these days on the island we are grappling with a question: how do we survive psychologically when a military threat stops being a movie and becomes a concrete possibility. The impact is not only political: insomnia, anxiety, daily nervousness, questions that are not answered with speeches but with emergency plansand the feeling that no one is prepared for something they have never experienced, because Greenland has no historical memory of modern invasions and its public life was built precisely on the idea that the world was far away. Look at the sky like in 1939. The British media recalled the parallelism. The most powerful image of this moment is civil surveillance become routine: inhabitants of Nuuk following flights on applications, observing the port and the sky as if waiting for a storm that has not yet struck, interpreting every movement as an omen, getting scared by a plane transport that takes off from a nearby base and fearing that it is the beginning of “the inevitable.” That wait has something from 1939 not because of the exact military comparison, but because of the emotional climate: the certainty that we are entering a dangerous time, the impression that prior guarantees They are no longer useful, and the feeling that the coup (if it comes) will not be diplomatic. In this tension, the telephone becomes a domestic radar and life becomes tiny. The threat of “necessity”. The key to fear is not just that there is strategic interests in the Arctic, but the language coming from Washington sounds like appropriation and force: the idea that Greenland is “necessary” for American security, even if it is part of the kingdom of Denmark, shifts the debate from the political to the existential. When a power speaks like this, the smaller population automatically feels powerless, and that feeling repeats. At that point, even the hope that everything remains rhetoric no longer calms its inhabitants, because the recent precedent of harsh interventions feeds the idea that the unthinkable is no longer impossible, just a matter of time. The Thule base in the United States Diplomacy to the limit. The encounters that youtook place in Washington They offer momentary relief because they suggest dialogue, but what remains is a cold feeling: the fundamental disagreement and, at its core, the American position have not been resolved. hasn’t changed. The presence of top-level figures adds gravity and uncertainty, because it is not perceived as an exchange between allies, but as an asymmetric negotiation where one party feels they can “afford” to impose conditions. Even when the tone first becomes somewhat conciliatory (Trump vaguely promising that “something will come out”), the underlying message remains disturbing: options are not ruled out, Denmark’s inability to deal with Russia or China is insisted on, and the idea that American control would be the solution is maintained, which for Greenlanders sounds less like protection and more to substitution. The European military turn. The great visible change has come in the last few hours, when Europe has begun to put troops in Greenland: France, Sweden, Germany and Norway have announced sending military personnel on a reconnaissance mission in Nuuk, and Denmark frames it as part of an effort to explore security options in an Arctic increasingly disputed by Russia and China. It is a movement that, by itself, is already historic in terms of atmosphere: Greenland goes from being a remote territory with a discreet military presence to becoming a Allied deployment scenario and a narrative of “reinforcement” that is normally associated with “hot” borders, not with an ice capital where public life breathed calm. People notice the change in the most basic: more flights, more ships, more uniforms, more signs that something is moving beneath the surface. The exceptional within NATO/EU. What is striking is not only the shipping itself, but what it represents: the idea of ​​deploying European forces in a territory linked to NATO and the EU sphere as a preventive response to a political crisis with the United States is something that break the script usual of the alliance, where military reinforcement is intended against external threats, not to manage the risk of an internal struggle. Although it is presented as recognition and training before Russia and China, the social perception is another: This happens because there is a specific threat and because time seems to speed up. In other words, the deployment suggests that Europe is trying to convert the symbology in deterrence: demonstrate presence, unity and material reality on the ground so that the discussion stops being just a game of statements. Fear of another colonization. Furthermore, beneath geopolitics lies a deeper wound: the memory of Danish colonization and the fear of repeating the pattern with another “owner.” For part of the Inuit population, the idea of ​​“another colonization” is not a metaphor, it is rather a real ghostand that is why fear is not expressed only in terms of sovereignty or resources, but also human: what will happen to studies, rights or daily life or identity. The crisis, paradoxically, also activates a reinforcement indigenous identitya more marked cultural separation with respect to Denmark and a visceral rejection to be treated as an interchangeable object in a global conversation where Greenland appears as a “prize” mineral and strategic position. A disturbing conclusion. Deep down, what emerges is an uncomfortable truth that the population perceive clearly: in a world where we are seeing invasions, wars and border changes, “international legality” not enough as an emotional shield, and that is why … Read more

When the sky throws lightning, but the rain never reaches the ground

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These are not your feelings: this summer’s storms have been more brutal and destructive than ever. AND AEMET data says so. But to understand it well, we have to go one step further: we have to understand what is perhaps one of the key elements of the current enormous problem, dry storms. What are dry storms Luis Marina a storm It is, in essence, a crash, an impact, a violent ‘argument’ between two air masses with different temperatures and pressures. The warm, humid air rises quickly and this generates atmospheric disturbances accompanied by electrical discharges (lightning and thunder), strong winds and precipitation of rain, snow or hail. However, sometimes, even though the storm does contain moisture in the upper levels of the atmosphere, it’s not raining. There are lightning bolts, there are angry winds, there are clouds of great vertical development; but there is no precipitation that reaches the ground. We call that dry storm. Characteristics of dry storms As we said, the main characteristic of this type of storm is electrical activity (lightning and thunder) without significant precipitation on the surface. However, explaining the process and its characteristics is a little more complicated: It’s not that it doesn’t rain, it’s that the precipitation evaporates before hitting the ground. This occurs because these droplets pass through a layer of very warm and dry air. It is what is known, in technical terms, ‘virga’. For obvious reasons, it usually forms in arid, desert environments or during extreme heat waves. If the air in contact with the ground is exceptionally dry, the probability of evaporation in the fall increases. None of this has to do with its electrical activity, which is a lot. If these types of storms attract attention for something, it is the amount of thunder and lightning that develop. And if they are worrying for anything, it is because of the downward gusts of wind (caused by this rain evaporation process) that very dangerously increase the risk of fires. How a dry storm forms In reality, there is nothing strange about dry storms. They are, for all intents and purposes, normal storms. The “strange” thing is what happens on the ground: high temperatures and low humidity that favor the evaporation of rain. This simplifies things because the process is identical to that of any conventional thunderstorm: unstable air, sufficient humidity at high and mid levels, and a rising mechanism (intense heat, in this case). Everything else, including precipitation generation, is very similar. Relationship between dry storms and fires Max Larochelle Let’s not beat around the bush: the relationship between dry storms and wildfires is direct and dangerous. In fact, these types of storms are one of the main causes (unintentional) of fires. What’s more, due to the meteorological conditions that characterize them (dryness, heat, etc…), these types of events also facilitate the rapid spread of fire. You don’t have to be very imaginative: electrical activity without precipitation, low humidity, very high temperatures and strong (and gusty) winds are the perfect recipe for a macrofire. How to detect a dry storm A dry storm can be sensed by the presence of electrical activity without significant rain on land. But, as with almost everything in meteorology, to have an overview you need lightning detectors, weather radars (especially Doppler) and satellites. Consequences of dry storms David Moum The main consequences of this type of storm are also the most dangerous: fires. Its structural characteristics entail a high risk of forest fire (the combination of intense electrical activity and lack of rain) and, if that were not enough, promote the rapid spread of fire. Not in vain, the atmospheric conditions associated with dry storms (high temperatures, low relative humidity and strong gusts of wind) create a favorable environment for an incipient fire to spread at high speed and become uncontrollable. The main consequence of dry storms is, in short, to verify again and again that we do not have enough capacity for stop today’s fires. Image | NICOLA In Xataka | What are sixth generation fires: the megafires that create their own weather

OpenAI has purchased a software called Sky. And the loser in this equation is Apple

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OpenAI has bought Skyan AI application for macOS that had not even been released on the market. Behind them are Ari Weinstein and Conrad Kramer, the creators of Workflow, the automation app that Apple bought in 2017 and became Shortcuts. Why is it important. Three people with years of experience within Apple, a deep knowledge of macOS, and a unique understanding of automation have decided it was better to build outside than inside. And OpenAI has just signed them to integrate ChatGPT precisely into Apple’s operating system. The context. Sky promised to be exactly what Siri should be by 2025: An AI that floats above your desk. Who understands what you do. That sees the context of your screen. And that executes complex actions with a simple instruction in natural language. The vision of AI-assisted computing taken to the maximum. The founders of Software Applications Incorporatedthe company behind Sky, spent years within Apple after purchasing Workflow in 2017. They left in August 2023. 26 months later, OpenAI buys them. The entire cycle has lasted less than two years. That’s speed. That’s what happens when you have a clear vision and there aren’t a hundred committees holding you back. What has happened. Kim Beverettthe third co-founder, also came from Apple. Almost ten years working on Safari, WebKit, privacy, Messages, Mail, FaceTime, SharePlay. They are product people. People who understand macOS better than almost anyone on the planet. And this is not just any startup. It’s a startup founded by people who know the ins and outs of macOS intimately, who know exactly what it can do and how to do it. And they decided that it was better to do it outside of Apple than inside. Between the lines. OpenAI does not buy Sky for the technology. Buy Sky for the talent. The twelve team members join OpenAI to, according to ChatGPT’s vice president, accelerate “deep integration with macOS.” Apple trained these people, gave them access to their systems. Now OpenAI is going to use that knowledge to build exactly what Apple should be building. Apple has been promising for months that Siri is going to improve, that Apple Intelligence It’s the future. But beyond hardware increasingly specialized in local modelswe’ve only seen delays and a fairly muted value proposition so far. Meanwhile… OpenAI has launched Atlasyour browser with deep ChatGPT integration. Now buy Sky to bring that integration to all macOS. With people who know exactly how the innards of the system work. Apple is being outplayed on its own turf. And it’s not just Sky. Jony Ive, the most important designer in Apple’s history, left in 2019. Now work with OpenAI on an AI device. With financing from SoftBank. With Sam Altman directly involved. The alarm signal. Apple has a cultural problem: it is too slow. Too cautious. Privacy is an important differentiator, but it may cost you to be left off the generative AI map. The talent that Apple trained is leaving because it can’t build what it wants inside. At least not with the desired speed. Sky will at some point arrive as an OpenAI product or as an integration into ChatGPT desktop app. But it will also be a symbol of what can be done with deep knowledge, clear vision and freedom to execute without twenty layers of approval. And now what. Apple needs speed. You need ambition. You need to be willing to take risks. Because talent doesn’t wait. And AI does not forgive slowness. In Xataka | OpenAI is already a binary bet: either get AGI, or everything blows up Featured image | OpenAI

China’s sky has just given us another track of its air ambition. A plane so radical that costs to guess its function

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In the month of June Some images In the sky of China they went viral. The future furtive hunt for the nation appeared on the scene, The J-36and did it clearly leaving behind the clues and indications of a technical ambition rather than remarkable. Now, a month later, another figure has just appeared thundering the sky of Beijing. But this time it seems something else. A new device without a tail. Yeah, Recent images They have revealed the existence of a new furtive combat apparatus in the test phase in China, whose Design without tail You have aroused doubts about whether it is a man -generated manned plane or an advanced combat drone with functions From “Loyal Wingman”. Although it is not clear if the aircraft has a cabin, the model presents features of a design of great sizepossibly manned, with wide fuselage and significant fuel capacity and internal armament. The absence of cola vertical surfaces, the wings in configuration with a “W” -shaped escape edge and the integration of twin air inputs suggest an effort by Maximize rankiness. The double wheel front landing train and the data probe in the Morro point to an early test of tests, but also to a considerable weight design, even suitable for aircraft carrier operations. Odds. The fact that the device shows similar characteristics TO CHENGDU J-36but in a seemingly more compact format, it has led to speculate that it could be a direct competitor of the SHENYANG J-XDS/J-50as part of the struggle between the two main aeronautical houses of China. This hypothesis makes sense if it is considered that The J-36due to its size and conception, it does not compete in the same segment as the J-XDs. A derivative smaller, bimotor And optimized as more traditional mission hunting, would fit in Chengdu plans to diversify its range and rival Shenyang. The possibility that it is an optimized design is also considered For aircraft carrier or of a sixth generation hunt in medium version, although the scale of the device cannot be determined with the available images. Another image of the new device The alternative of a drone. Another interpretation indicates that this model could be one of several Chinese projects inspired by the American program of Collaborative combat aircraft (CCA). In that case, it would not be a manned plane but A high performance UCAV With advanced autonomy, designed both to operate together with manned fighters and for independent long -range missions. Experts like Andreas Rupprecht They have identified Similarities and differences with other designs “without a tail” detected recently, which reinforces the idea that China simultaneously develops multiple prototypes of furtive drones, informally known as “tea cups”in contrast to the manned fighters nicknamed “teapots”. The diversity of configurations (from Deltas modified to diamond wings and mixed configurations) suggests that the country experiments with several solutions before consolidating an operational fleet. Tests and indications. Plus: The revelation of this new plane coincides with satellite images taken in Yangfangnear Beijing, where at least five different designs of CCA drones were identified in preparation for the September 3 parade, on the occasion of the 80th anniversary of the victory over Japan in World War II. Among them you can see models 9 to 12 meters long, some without tail and others with more traditional configurations, partially camouflaged under canvases. The same base also houses Balistic and UCAVS missile launches already known, such as the GJ-11 Sharp Swordwhich reinforces the idea that the parade will publicly exhibit the new generation of unmanned combat systems. In parallel, another large fuselage appeared in Shenyang’s plantwith a modified Delta design, which adds more unknowns about the different ongoing programs. China vs.euu. It We have counted. The accelerated rhythm of the Chinese military aerospace industry It is undeniableand this new plane (whether or not manned) demonstrates Beijing’s ability to generate Strategic surprise In a recurring way. In this field, the comparison with Washington is inevitable: the American Air Force currently develops The YFQ-42a of General Atomics and YFQ-44a de Andurilwith flights planned for next year and with an approach based on iterative design and deployment cycles. China seems to be emulating this modelmultiplying prototypes and moving rapidly in autonomy, AI and swarm capabilities. The biplaza fighters J-20s They have been profiled as drone swarm controllers, while early alert planes KJ-500 either H-6 bombers They are intended to become key nodes of this manned-nokened collaborative network. The strategic importance. Although it is not yet known with certainty if the new plane is a sixth generation hunting or An advanced UCAVthe truth is that China is developing a Range of platforms ranging from disposable drones to long -range pools. If it is confirmed that it is an unmanned plane, the model could constitute a more powerful and autonomous version than The GJ-11with the ability to accompany To the futures H-20, J-36 and H-6 in Missions of great action radius. If instead it was a new manned fighter, industrial rivalry would be consolidated Between Shenyang and Chengdu and would reinforce China’s jump towards a diversified fleet of sixth generation. In both cases, the message is clear: Beijing accelerate your advance In air combat technologies and seeks to reduce the gap with the West, positioning itself as a power capable of combining furtive aviation, AI and collaborative operations in a single air war ecosystem of the future. Image | X In Xataka | China seems to be molding a huge poaching plane called J-36. This image is emerging as proof of its ambition In Xataka | A number has revealed what was a secret until now: China already has its “invisible hunt” ready for action, and double

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