thought

We thought we were facing a “historical” oil harvest. Farmers now foresee a reality bath

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Olive oil is going through convulsive times. The drought lived some crops back put many crops against the strings and fired the prices of this cornerstone of our kitchen. Last year the arrival of the rains allowed some normalization, without moving from some modest results. And now, uncertainty does not disappear. Like the last, “in the best case.” The Olivar sector has issued a statement to lower expectations Regarding the following oil harvest. They did it after a meeting of members of the union of small farmers and ranchers (UPA) in which representatives of the olive grove of all the autonomous communities were able to discuss the situation of this harvest. Farmers estimate that oil production will give us between 1.2 and 1.4 million tons of the product. According to Indicates the UPAthese figures would imply a harvest similar to the last “at best.” According to Data from the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Foodlast year there were 855,577 tons of olive oil, which would have to add 112,973 tons of olive pomace oil and 407,400 tons of table olive. According to The most recent estimates From the Ministry for this year, the expected production for this year would be at 1,415 million tons of pomace oil, plus 126,000 tons of olive pomace oil and 533.012 tons of table olive. Different communities, different impacts. In the eye of this hurricane are the Andalusian producers. “The current situation in the main autonomous producer community, Andalusia, leads us to think that the euphoria that reigned among the great market operators about a historical harvest is collapsing,” They point in a press release From the UPA. According to the estimates of the organization, the Andalusian harvest could give between 950,000 and 1,150,000 tons, while the Castilian-Manchega would be around 125,000 tons and in Extremadura the production would be about 80,000 tons. The rest of CC.AA. would contribute around 12,000 tons to this year’s harvest. Heat, pests and productive capacity. The data seem to validate the fears that A few weeks ago He highlighted the sector. As indicated then, there were several factors that invited to reduce optimism regarding the coming harvest. The first of them, the meteorology: the premature arrival of heat at the end of May implied a problem for the olive grove in full flowering. Meteorological conditions have affected different olive groves differently, but intense and advanced summer could be a determining factor in this year’s harvest. To the meteorology we must add the appearance of certain pests, such as prays (Prays Oleae), also the so -called olive moth; or that of milkweed (Euphyllura Olivina). To this must be added the olive grove, the fact that the plant tends to not be able to produce in full performance for two consecutive years. Waiting for September. It is still soon to know reliably the evolution of the harvest since There is still one of the key points that the olive groves throughout the year. The first of these stages occurs in spring and is the flowering of the olive tree, which usually occurs between April and May; The second, which we still have ahead, is the maturation of the fruit. To know how the olive grove this stage, we still have to wait until September. For now we do not know what the meteorology will hold for a month seen, although The predictions Aemet does not invite optimism. Medium-term predictions indicate a warmer and more dry August than normal, while quarterly forecasts also indicate a trimester August-October by pulling warm and dry. There will be so much to wait to see the evolution of the crop. In Xataka | More and more giants get into the Andalusian field and in the olive oil industry. The last: Pepsico Image | Royber99

Spain thought its position regarding the closure of nuclear. That has just changed

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The debate on a possible extension of nuclear plants has returned to the scene and has turned on the media focus. The electricity insists on lengthening their operation beyond the expected, but the executive denies that formal negotiations are being maintained and refers to the conditions that already set as essential. A letter and three conditions. Iberdrola and Endesa sent a joint letter to the government will make more or less a month. In it, they proposed to reopen the debate on the progressive closure of the nuclear park – which contemplates the shutdown of the Seven reactors between 2027 and 2035– With the argument that maintaining operational some centrals would reduce the cost of electricity for consumers. According to the countrythe Government responded by another letter signed by the Ecological Transition Minister, Sara Aagesen, opening to assess the proposal under three immovable conditions: that there is no additional cost for citizens, that the security of the supply is guaranteed and that the plants comply with the standards of the Nuclear Safety Council. So far they “dialogue.” According to eldiario.esthe government considers the letter of electricity as a declaration of intentions, not a formal request. In addition, Naturgy and EDP – also minority owners of some plants – did not sign the document, which leaves Iberdrola and Endesa alone. The debate intensifies. The situation is complex for a primary reason that is not technical, but the economic viability of nuclear. As the confidential explainedelectricity consider that operating with the current fiscal charge is unfeasible if the market price does not exceed € 65-70/MWh. In contrast, projected prices are around € 55/MWh by 2030. In this context, the Endesa CEO, José Bogas, raises the government a fiscal reduction, especially autonomic taxes (such as the one already eliminated in the Valencian Community) and the Enresa rate, which finances the dismantling of the centrals and waste management. However, according to the miteco, this fiscal reduction would involve damage to citizens, and therefore clashes frontally with their red lines. Almaraz, the first thermometer. The immediate focus is at the Almaraz nuclear power plant (Cáceres), whose first reactor must close in November 2027 and the second in October 2028. Iberdrola, Endesa and Naturgy – his three owners – have not yet met to approve the necessary investments that would allow their operation beyond those dates. The meeting scheduled for June has not been held, and sector sources admit that it will not occur before September. Meanwhile, companies prepare a new proposal that, According to El Confidencialcould be presented after summer at a meeting not yet confirmed with Minister Aagesen. The plan would be to offer a tax reduction in exchange for prolonging the activity of some centrals until 2030. However, the Ministry insists: if the conditions do not change, there will be no negotiation. A hot topic in Congress. The debate is more than served from the political field. On the one hand, the Popular Party preparing one Law proposition to extend the life of nuclear. The proposal would have the support of several regional governments of the PP – as Extremadura and Community Valencian – and the parliamentary support of Junts and ERC, which have shown flexibility in Congress in relation to the revision of the nuclear calendar. However, the government has reaffirmed its position. As El Confidencial recalledPresident Pedro Sánchez was bluntly in Congress last May, accusing PP and Vox of acting as “amateur lobists” of the electric. “If companies want to keep the centrals open, they pay them, not the citizens,” he settled. Facing an ambivalent European framework. In addition, the legal position of nuclear energy in the EU adds complexity, since European regulations do not consider nuclear energy as a renewable source. This is established by Directive 2018/2001 (Red II), a vision that has also adopted Spanish legislation. However, in 2022, the European Commission took a partial turn by including this technology, under certain conditions, In the so -called “green taxonomy”next to the natural gas. This classification allows certain nuclear investments to be labeled as sustainable from the climate point of view. As Miguel Huarte expanded has indicatedthis places the nuclear in a normative gray area: it is not renewable, but free of emission in its operation. And while France or Belgium have already chosen to extend their atomic parks, Spain maintains the opposite course. Accelerating another route. At the same time, the miteco has processed this July 31 a new Royal Decree by urgent route to reinforce the electrical system. As you have indicated in a press releaseit is a technical standard that does not directly address the nuclear calendar, but it does signal to a reinforcement of the electrical system by means of supervision, electrification of the demand and promotion of energy storage. Among other measures, the proposal increases the technical control of Electricity and CNMC, promotes renewable hybridization with storage systems and limits speculation on connection points. Although the text does not mention the nuclear, it reinforces the idea that the government bet remains clear: moving towards a 100% renewable mix. A door ajar. The crossing of cards between electric and government has served more to draw red lines than to open doors. What is played, beyond the kilowatt, is the country’s energy model: one where renewables are implacable and nuclear tries to scratch time under the promise of stability. But as well He has pointed the newspaper.Without a formal proposal and without an explicit resignation to tax privileges, electricity will continue to wait at the gates of a ministry that, for now, remains firm: either they meet the conditions, or the closing calendar will continue its course. The future of Almaraz – and perhaps that of the entire nuclear park – will be decided, if, after summer. And with many more letters even to play. Image | Foronuclear Xataka | Spain was supposed to have a “antiapagones” plan. It has encountered an insurmountable obstacle: politics

We thought that there would be no going back in the supremacy of AI. Then some kids arrived and an impossible test

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There is a place in the world where some of the young brains meet every year brighter on the planet. Not everyone goes for the medal: some just want to solve six problems that could despair more than one doctorate. It is the International Mathematics Olympiad (IMO), a competition that demands a highly capable mind. Until now, it was a land reserved for humans. But this year, two of the most advanced artificial intelligence models – developed by Google Deepmind and Openai – decided to enter the board. They achieved the unthinkable: A gold score. Even so, something unexpected happened. A handful of students managed to overcome them. And that has revived an inevitable question: will this be the last time someone achieves it? Machines gain ground. Until now, no artificial intelligence model had reached that brand in the IMO. Deepmind had stayed at a single point in 2024 with 28/42 points. This year everything changed. His new AI – an unpublished version of Gemini Deep Think– Solved five of the six problems in natural language and within the official limit of 4 hours and 30 minutes. Openai’s prototype matched the feat: 35/42 points. Gold, finally, is also a matter of machines. Even so, both of them were blank in problem 6: 0 points. {“videoid”: “x8jpy2b”, “Autoplay”: fals, “title”: “What is behind it like chatgpt, dall-e or midjourney? | artificial intelligence”, “tag”: “Webedia-prod”, “Duration”: “1173”} They made history, but they did not win. The results sheets revealed that 26 human students exceeded the two AI. Alexander Wang, a young American, reaped his third consecutive gold with 37 points. But the brightest were read Deng and Hengye Zhang, from China, who signed perfection: 42 of 42, including the dreaded problem 6 that the machines did not solve. Problem 6 raised a 2025 × 2025 boxes. A agreement with Aops onlinein general, the task was to place rectangles – of any size, always aligned to the grid and without overlapping – so that each row and each column has exactly a free box. The question was how many rectangles are needed to get it. NATIONAL RESULTS. With 231 points, China recovered the first position of the medallero – United States obtained 216 and South Korea 203—, According to official results. His six representatives hung the gold; Two of them reached 42 points. The rest added between 35 and 40. As SCMP points outamong them is Qiming Xu, who achieved 36 points competing with cerebral palsy. Above, the Chinese team that led the medal. Below, the American team that was second Rival or tool? Research teams insist that they do not seek to replace students. Thang Luong, leader of the Deepmind project, assures the Wall Street Journal that Its model can be “a new calculator for the next generation of mathematicians.” The reality is that the qualitative leap is enormous: to need days of computation and formal language in 2024, to generate legible evidence in hours. That improvement raises a new scenario for schools and competitions. The last human victory? Alexander Wang believes that in 2026 the AI will already resolve the six exercises; Qiao Zhang sees it to fifty percent; And Thang Luong himself believes this could be the last IMO with human advantage. Not everyone is convinced. Former Midralist Junehyuk Jung – a researcher at Deepmind – argues that problems such as 6 will remain out of reach of the models “at least for a decade.” In Xataka Jensen Huang, CEO of Nvidia: "I have created more billionaires in my management team than any other CEO in the world" For now, teenagers leave with more than a medal: the certainty that, for the moment, human intelligence still resists. 2026 will say if that margin disappears or if they bend the pulse to the machines with pencil, paper and an idea that no one had planned. Images | Google | Dave Michael In Xataka |Anthropic has seen that their users do not stop using the 200 euros plan a month of their AI. They had to stop their feet (Function () {Window._js_modules = Window._js_modules || {}; var headelement = document.getelegsbytagname (‘head’) (0); if (_js_modules.instagram) {var instagramscript = Document.Createlement (‘script’); }}) (); – The news We thought that there would be no going back in the supremacy of AI. Then some kids arrived and an impossible test It was originally posted in Xataka by Javier Marquez .

We thought that the law against the so -called spam had not served at all. But we already have the first fine of 5,000 euros

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Facing telephone spam is complicated, it seems even impossible. Nor the Robinson list nor the Call filters They manage to eradicate them completely. In 2023 we thought we were close to the arrival of The antispam lawbut hopes were diluted today We continue to receive commercial calls. It has taken two years, but something could happen: already They have fined the first company to make unwanted calls. The case. It happened in July 2023, only one month after the law entered into force. The Digital Marketing company Adverbis Spain SL made a call to an individual, who was also registered in the Robinson list. So far as normal, except that this person decided to report him to the Spanish Agency for Data Protection that, two years later, has sanctioned the company with 5,000 euros. Notice a spammers. Although we have talked about Other telephone spam finesthis is the first that applies after the entry into force of the new law. For two years the feeling that the law had not served at all was installed among users and it seems that spammers also, since Calls increased shortly after. It has taken a long time, but this fine feels an important precedent and could be the change we had waiting. The law. The known as antispam law establishes that companies cannot make commercial calls without prior consent And it establishes fines that could reach two million euros, depending on the size of the company that commits the infraction. In the case of Adverbis Spain, it is a small company, so the fine is much lower, but if the offender is a larger operator can find a sanction of many more figures. How to report. We have already seen that, although they take, denounce the AEPD works. Yes too You receive commercial calls and want to reporton your website you have a section called “Receipt advertising phone calls” Where can you do it. You have to take screenshots in which the phone is seen from which they call us and record the call as proof. Image | Mikhail Nilov, Pexels In Xataka | Spam calls are a problem for everyone and Apple knows. Its solution with iOS 26 has been stopping braking

I thought I had a problem with the ABS of my car, but it caught me in surprise to see that it was something completely unexpected: rats

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The ABS light flashing on the dashboard is never a good sign. Almost none Witter of the dashboard It is, but when the engine witness also adds, you start imagining four -digit figures in the workshop budget. The funny thing is that when I took my car to fix it, I discovered something that I never imagined what would happen: The rats ended up biting several cables Internal of my car. The initial diagnosis. When I arrived at the workshop with the warning lights on, the mechanic, after an inspection of the car, assured me that I could change everything The ABS system. A new one for my Seat Ibiza TDI 1.9 of 2005 can be a rather important expense, one of those expenses that you think if you better pass it, since it is dangerously approaches the price through which I could sell the car today. The price of the second -hand and scrapping ABS system, the thing changes. One can lead normally if the ABS does not work, but it is a risk for security, since it compromises the emergency braking and we do not have that help that the car gives us at critical moments, allowing our brakes to end up blocking. The real problem. After almost a week in the workshop and a more detailed inspection, the mechanic discovered the authentic cause of the failure: the ABS system cables and some that communicate with the engine They had been bitten. It was not a normal wear or component failure, but the rats had been roying the car cables. For a rat, gnawing cables and objects that are in its path is their day to day, since their teeth do not stop growing throughout their lives and need some means to polish their teeth. What a pity they had to run into my car. Unexpected, but in a way, relieved. What seemed like a serious problem with the brake system and the emergency light of the engine was solved with a cable repair. The joke came out for about 120 euros. A considerable relief compared to the complete change of the ABS that initially the mechanic had raised. From the workshop they repaired the damaged cables and the dashboard warning indicators were turned off. The background problem. Now the real challenge is not in the car, but in the garage. It is a private garage under a floors building where several vehicles park. Days before I had already seen a rat that was shot from under my car to a hole that is right next to my parking space. From the workshop they recommended preventive measures such as spraying in the vain motor or placing camphor balls, especially useful when the car remains a long time stopped. Of course, this should be done with the car standing and cold. I bought the spray as a temporary measure until they finished solving the hole in the garage. And now what. The priority is to cover the garage hole where the rats access, since the alternative remedies will be of little if the problem persists right next where I appear. Fortunately, it seems that garage insurance will cover the workshop spending, which good news for that part. In addition, we are already mobilizing the community to solve the problem of rats. I could have changed their garage directly, although things are not currently to make this decision lightly. We will see what everything is left. Cover image | Michael Fusert and Svetozar Cenisev In Xataka | The best -selling cars in 2024 and 2025 in Spain

You thought they interrupted just by annoying. Psychology has discovered that it is more complex than that

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We all know someone at work or in the social sphere that, while Another person is talkingkeep interrupting or trying to monopolize the conversation. If you don’t know anyone like that, it is the same that this person is you. Although these interruptions are annoying for both those who are talking and for those who listen to it, they are not always the product of a lack of respect or bad education. Numerous psychological studies have studied this phenomenon and discovered that these interruptions may be influenced by psychological, social and even cultural factors. Conversation shifts and interruptions Conversation shifts are essential for verbal communication flows in an orderly and respectful way. When someone interrupts, there is a break in that flow that can negatively affect the group dynamics. According to a study published in the Journal of Nonverbal Behavior By researchers From the University of Rochester (New York), the people who interrupted conversations were considered as less sociable and more assertive than those who did not interrupt. They were also perceived as more dominant, which did not always win the sympathies of the rest of the group. The rupture of the shift system during conversation can generate frustration or feeling of injustice, since an imbalance is perceived in the exposure of ideas. According to collected The New York Times“For many of us, it can be perceived as a degrading and condescending attitude,” said Maria Venetis, associate professor of communication at Rutgers University According to an investigation From the University of Neuchâtel (Switzerland), not all interruptions respond to an act of bad education but are the result of a narcissistic personality or a demonstration of power and, as noted scientific evidencewomen tend to be interrupted more frequently. A study from George Washington University he put a figure: he discovered that the men interrupt 33% more women than other men. In the workplace, for example, interruptions are usually related to Hierarchies and power relations. Thus, the interruption can be a control or Authority statementmore than a simple lack of courtesy. On the other hand, the group’s cultural factors also influence the frequency and meaning of interruptions. An investigation of the Pablo de Olavide University of Seville reveals that, in some cultures, the superposition of shifts and the interruptions signs of enthusiasm and participation are considered In communication, such and as he points out The psychologist Barbara Fredrickson, while in others they are interpreted as disrespect that dilutes the rhythm of communication. What was I going to tell you …? Not all interruptions have to do with power or culture. According to a Published article by the American Psychology Association Some interruptions originate from difficulties in attention, neurodivergencia or due to Anxiety features of who interrupts. According to The essay Of the psychologists and humanists Carl Rogers and Richard Farson, “active listening requires that we understand, from the point of view of the speaker, exactly what is communicating to us.” This form of listening does not focus on responding or judging immediately, but on precisely understanding both the content as the feelings of the interlocutorand show him that he has been understood. People with paintings Attention Deficit Disorder (ADHD or ADHD) or with anxiety, they may have difficulty Keep this active listening And they go to the preparation phase of their speech. That is to say, answer before your interlocutor ends Your exhibition. According to research of psychologist Russell Barkley, an expert on ADHD and ADHD, people with this disorder usually have control of the weakest verbal impulses and problems with working memory and metacognition. “They can interrupt and not remember to wait for their turn because they do not trust themselves to remember what they want to say later,” for that reason, they tend to interrupt during the conversations. Taking into account that, according to Facilitated data By Francisco Montañés, head of psychiatry at the Alcorcón Foundation Hospital and coordinator of the Group of Special Interest in Attention/Hyperactivity Deficit Disorder (GEITDAH), “97% of adults with ADHD are not diagnosed.” Which means that, in all likelihood, those partners or friends who interrupt so much can be among that percentage of non -diagnosed population. Or that or that really They are not interested in what you tell them. In Xataka | Some neuroscientists believe they have found the trick to solve the most complicated problems: take a nap Image | Unspash (Yura Timoshenko), Pexels (Fauxels)

We thought that interstellar travelers were impossible to find current technology. Three have already been discovered

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Less than a decade ago, the idea of ​​detecting an object of another solar system through our neighborhood was science fiction material. Astronomers were clear that they existed, but believed that our chances of detecting them They were practically null due to the limitations of current technology. In 2017, everything changed. First appeared 1i/ʻoumuamua. An object that baffled astronomers. Not only because it was the first interstellar object discovered in our solar system, but because its nature was and remains a mystery. With A strange formas elongated as a cigar or flat as an album, and a size of just 100 or 200 meters, it happened fleetingly leaving more questions than answers. Was it a comet, an asteroid or something completely new? The debate continues while moving away from us. Then 2i/Borisov was discovered. When we still wondered if we would see something similar in our lives, the answer came alone. In 2019, astronomers They detected a second object of another star system That was unequivocally a kite, somewhat larger than its predecessor (about 400-500 meters) and with a very different trajectory. Borisov confirmed that ‘Oumuamua had not been an anomaly. Interstellar visitors were real and we are able to find them. And to confirm it, 3I/Atlas arrives. On July 1, 2025, the Telescopes of the Atlas Network in Chile detected the third known interstellar object. After confirming your hyperbolic trajectory, He was officially baptized as 3i/Atlas. It is a real giant compared to the previous two, and marks a before and after in the study of these bodies. Like Borisov, it shows a clear comment activity, with a comma and a tail that lengthens as it approaches the sun. Therefore, it is a kite. But it is much bigger. Although the measurements are refining, initial estimates place their diameter between 5 and 20 kilometers. A colossal size that makes it much easier to study. A giant who will pass through Mars. 3i/Atlas is incredibly fast. It moves at an exhaust speed of about 58-60 km/s with respect to the Sun. much faster than ‘oumuamua (26 km/s) and Borisov (32 km/s). His career is also unique. It will reach its closest point to the Sun (its perihelium) on October 29, passing between the orbits of Mars and the Earth. Although at that time our planet will be on the other side of the sun, which will prevent its direct observation, it will be only 31.4 million kilometers from Mars on October 3. This opens a fascinating opportunity: that some of the probes that orbit the red planet, such as the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, can capture images of the interstellar traveler. Three important findings. Each of these objects is a time capsule from another solar system. All planets, asteroids and comets of our system share a common origin, but these visitors are authentic outsiders. They contain clues about the formation and composition of worlds that orbit other stars. Studying them is like receiving a geological sample from a corner of the galaxy that would take millennia to visit. Until now, we could only observe his fleeting step. But this is about to change. ESA is already preparing THE MISSION INTERPECTORwhose launch is scheduled for 2029. The idea is ingenious: the probe will not have a predefined objective, but will “park” at a point in Lagrange (L2) waiting for a pristine kite of a long period or, with some lucky, a new interstellar visitor to be within its reach. It would be the first rapid response mission to intercept one of these mysterious objects. In less than ten years we have not known if they existed to actively plan how to send a ship to touch them. With new generation observatories such as Vera Rubin, which is expected to find dozens of them in the next decade, we are entering a new era of astronomy. The universe sometimes brings us its secrets at home. Image | The interstellar comet 3i/Atlas (ESA) In Xataka | There is a single opportunity in 11,000 years of reaching the planet Sedna. Some Italians want to use this nuclear engine

This is how Perplexity’s browser bets on the ‘fluidity of thought’

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We open dozens of eyelashes when we need to compare a price, read the news, send an email and consult the time you are going to do this week. Browsers are useful, yes, but not always friendly. You have to look for, read, copy, hit, go back, cross data, remember where we came from. Often, when we managed to do what we wanted, we no longer know how we got there. Perplexity wants to change all that. Your new browser, Comet, He has just left the incubator With a different proposal: less clicks, less eyelashes and more thought aloud. A different proposal. At first glance, Comet does not impose. It looks like any modern browser: an upper bar with tabs, navigation buttons, fast access to open a new page and a clean design. On the left side, yes, a fixed panel appears where his assistant of AI lives. Can remember to COPILOTbut what promises is something else. Comet In one of the examples shown by Perplexity herself, the user has a map of London. He asks the assistant, in natural language, to generate a walking route to visit the five main tourist places. Comet interprets the order, select the initial location – the Torre de London – and begins to build the point by point by point, directly on the map. Chrome That, that until now we did with clicks and more clicks, the browser executes it as if he knew what he has to do. And it is not limited to maps. He is also able to summarize a Reddit love, find a specific video or cross information between open tabs. All without the need to change window or install accessories. Wants to “think” like us. What Perplexity proposes with Comet goes beyond conversational search. Its commitment is to convert navigation into a kind of continuous mental flow, where tasks are chained by natural language orders. If we want me to summarize a text, it does. If we need to compare a product with similar ones, too. If we ask you to find something we read days ago, remember it. Everything happens without leaving the browser. It is as if each tab knew what we need and commissioned on their own. In one of the shared examples, you are asked to buy a forgotten product or write an email from the information present on the screen. Less noise, better decisions. Perplexity insists that Comet’s base is not only artificial intelligence, but precision. It presents it as a browser designed to answer well, not just fast. That is not limited to generating text, but provides reliable, verifiable, useful information. Because, According to the companymany of the decisions we make – especially what to read, what to buy, in what to invest or how to interpret a technology – depend on the quality of the answers we receive. Curiosity as an engine. Perplexity not only seeks to commit questions, but understand how we ask them. What interests us, how we think, at what moments we usually deviate. The idea is that the browser learn from our cognitive style to offer a more refined experience. Comet It works like this: we can highlight any text fragment and ask for an explanation on the march. It is also possible to explore related concepts without abandoning what we were reading. Ask for counterarguments, cross references, nuances. The problem, of course, is that every tool that adapts to us needs to know us very well. And that opens another conversation: that of privacy, tracking and limits of a browser that intends to think with us. Comet is already underway. Comet is now availablealthough not for everyone. Access has begun limitedly for subscribers of Perplexity Max (200 dollars a month), and will be expanded by invitation throughout the summer. Is it a threat to Chrome? What will happen when Google Integre ia browser? We will know it over time. Images | Perplexity In Xataka | Tim Cook’s right hand retires after 27 years in Apple. It does so in full crisis of the company

This city of China is the world epicenter of rare earths. The problem is that nobody thought of its inhabitants

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To get an idea to what extent It has control Of those precious minerals that form the set of rare earths, the greatest enemy that China has is not outside its borders. It is such a monopolization in the sector that the danger has in “house” through of the smugglers. And of all enclaves, one stands out greatly as an epicenter of the entire heart. His name is Baotou, and everything that shines for the surrounding inhabitants is not gold. A normal city in appearance. Baotouan industrial core of 2.7 million inhabitants on the border with the Gobi desert, seems to the naked eye a second category Chinese city like so many others: shopping centers with western chains, local restaurants overflowing and children playing late. However, a short journey to the outskirts is enough to discover His true nature: A landscape dominated by factories, smoking chimneys and an environmental legacy forged by one of the most strategic and persecuted sectors of the planet. The heart of rare earths. Yes, the enclave houses More than 80% of the Rare reserves of China. Since in the 30s they were discovered in the nearby Mining District of Bayan Obo elements such as Cerio, Lantano or Samario, its exploitation has turned the city on a chain axis on global supply on industries such as electronics, automotive and defense. We have counted before: During the 90s, China increased its production by 450%, while other countries, such as the United States, They closed their mines. This concentration made Beijin the almost exclusive supplier of these critical metals, and today, in the midst of the commercial war with Washington, its control has been transformed In diplomatic weapon. Economy vs Human Cost. The problem? The Guardian told that mineral wealth has favored the economic development of Baotou, whose GDP per capita It widely exceeds the national average. However, prosperity has Your reverse: Processing plants generate toxic (often radioactive) waste that are discharged into huge artificial rafts. The most infamous, the Weikuang dam, for years was the largest landfill of rare earth waste on the planet, without adequate coating and directly close to the Yellow River. In fact, official reports have confirmed that these activities caused a 87% decrease of ammoniacal nitrogen in a tributary between 2020 and 2024, although accumulated ravages remain visible. Yin mountains on the outskirts Cancer and poison. For example, numerous studies They have documented devastating consequences in the health of nearby communities: from bone malformations to a “Epidemic” of cancer. Exposure to these elements, capable of crossing the blood brain barrier, has been associated with motor and sensory disabilities, as well as alterations in fetal neurological development. Not just that. 2020 investigations revealed that the dust of the streets contains concentrations so high that the children of Baotou and surroundings are exposed to dangerous levels Just to breathe. Daily particle ingestion rates in mining areas far exceed the limits considered safe. A washing … halfway. Given the growing international criticism, China has tried to clean its image. In 2022, state media announced that Weikuang’s dam had been transformed into an urban wetland, now supposed paradise of migratory birds. The reality? Explained the medium British that when arriving at the place, what one is located is a concrete wall that hides a dry and desolate lodazal. Behind, ruins of ancient “villages of cancer” and oxidized industrial structures extend. New homes built for displaced are practically empty, and foreign journalists are It usually blocks actively to prevent them from talking to residents. Rural sacrifice. So things, Baotou exemplifies an uncomfortable truth: the China domain In the rare earth market it has been possible not only for its geological reserves, but for a political decision where rural communities have been allowed to support Toxic costs of a globalized economic boom. It is not an exempt problem from China, of course, the same thing happens in other sectors such as AI and its data centers (we recently counted it with the Elon Musk Supercomputer). Be that as it may, and although there are less polluting technologies to process these metals, they are rarely used: its implementation would make the low costs that have cemented the Chinese position. If you want, in a context of growing international pressure and commercial sanctions, the extractive model It reveals both the fragility of environmental balance and the rawness of contemporary geostrategic priorities. Image | 柏尔莫华, 天王星 In Xataka | The key to China’s success with rare earths are not the rare earths: it is the magnet In Xataka | China’s domain of rare earths has nothing to do with geography: it is born from 39 university programs

We thought that Japan’s tourist boom was an opportunity for AI. It has become an unexpected remedy

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Japan is one of those countries that one thinks knowing without having stepped on it. For his millenary temples, For their trains that exceed 300 km/hfor its technology and for its robots. That is why it does not strange that Millions of people Make the bags every year to travel their cities, their mountains and even its less known rural areas. What is surprising is this: how AI begins to break through where, until now, only human talent was accepted. The paradox is as Japanese as its culture: a country where hospitality is deeply valued, and, at the same time, where those who can practice it are scarce. Because if something has revealed the tourist tsunami that Japan is receiving is that the lack of bilingual guides has become a serious problem. It is not new. Many retired during the difficult years that the sector was going through during the pandemic, others changed from sector. But now the situation squeezes, and the country begins to respond. Where before there was a guide with smile, now there is an app with ia The scarcity of guides is not an anecdote. It is a reality that begins to leave a mark on the experience of thousands of travelers. As Nikkei Asia collectsJapan had something more than 46,000 bilingual guides. The figure included both licensed professionals and certified by local governments, and even people with sufficient knowledge and to perform that role. Four years later, the figure had fallen almost 20%. In 2023 there were about 37,700. The trend is still down. The reasons are understood quickly. The pandemia devastated the tourist calendars, froze reservations and left thousands of guides Freelance No stable income. Many looked for another way. Some retired. And although years have passed since those times, what has remained is an aging template: about 60 % of licensed guides are over 60 years old. If we talk about the official exam, in 2024 only 380 people approved it. The agencies notice it. Some recognize that they have had to Cancel or reprogram tours Because, simply, there was no one available to attend them. Before, when their workforce was at the limit, they could resort to independent professionals. Now, not that. And although Since 2018 Japan allows Make payment tours without the need for the official license, a good part of tourists and agencies continue to prefer authorized guides, with knowledge, accreditations and, above all, trust. Today, in places like Okinawa, there are tourists who prefer the robotic voice of applications such as the operator Cerulean Blue before running out of tour. The system detects its location by means of the mobile GPS, shows real -time information with augmented reality and active audioguías as the visitor advances. That gesture, almost imperceptible, says much of the present … and perhaps also of the future. Because AI still does not improvise jokesHe does not feel pride when talking about his city, he does not respond with a smile. But when the guide does not arrive, technology seems to be ready to respond. And the most interesting thing is that tourism is not an isolated case. What is happening with the guides is part of a broader pattern that begins to be noticed strongly in Japan. In agriculture, for example, Companies are using Apps based on AI capable of identifying plants diseases with just one photo. In schools, English teachers do not supply, so some already use virtual assistants who talk with students. In public administration, municipalities Like Yokosuka They have started using Chatgpt To summarize meetings and write documents. According to calculations of the Consistory itself, the time saving is counted in thousands of hours a year. All this responds to the same structural problem: the lack of hands. Japan is a technological power, yes. But it is also a country that is aging and has a very low birth rate. Images | Micah Camper | Angel | Geoff Oliver In Xataka | Japan has realized that to welcome 60 million tourists, something lacks: workers in the hotels

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