time

Maybe it’s time we stopped answering “maybe” to calendar invites

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Science has just demonstrated something that we all intuited but no one wanted to admit: when you respond “maybe” to an invitation, You are not being polite. You are being selfish. A study published in Science Direct and brought by Causes and Chances explains that hosts prefer a firm “no” to an ambiguous “maybe.” The reason is simple: the “maybe” forces them to plan for two simultaneous scenarios: Should I reserve a table for five or six? Should I buy food for eight or nine? Do I leave time for questions from twelve people or eighteen? That uncertainty is not courtesy. It is a burden that we transfer to others. Those who answer “maybe” operate under a systematic illusion: They think they are showing interest, that their indecision is better than rejection. But the data shows the opposite: Hosts feel more respected with a “no” than with a “maybe.” There’s something telling here: we confuse keeping our options open with being thoughtful, when in fact we are exporting our own indecision as a problemoblivious ma. We transfer our problem (I’m afraid of sounding rude, I don’t want to have to choose yet) to the other (how the hell am I going to plan the event if there are 10 yeses and 24 maybes). The study identifies a classic case of motivated reasoning here: We answer “maybe” because it suits us (we reserve the freedom to decide later). And then we rationalize that selfish decision as if it were what the other person prefers. It is such a common self-deception that we don’t even notice it. We project our preferences over othersand thus we save ourselves the discomfort of recognizing that we are prioritizing our flexibility over your planning. The practical implication is clear: if you’re going to answer “maybe,” it better be because you really need time to figure something out, not because you want to wait to see if something better comes along. Not because it’s hard for you to say no. The “maybe” has a cost that is paid by whoever sends the invitation. The next time we get a calendar invitation, we should ask ourselves if we are being thoughtful or just covering our backs. The answer probably makes us uncomfortable. In Xataka | This is how I use the calendar to organize my entire life Featured image | Xataka with Mockuuups Studio

BYD has built a megafactory in record time. And it’s not just a car factory: it’s a city

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The chinese automotive industry has one goal: flood the west with their cars. BYD is one of the companies that, while wanting to take over the national market, wants a good slice of the international pie. For this you have as many employees as a small countryand to carry out its vision it has the most beastly car factory you can imagine. This is the Zhengzhou plant, and more than a factory, it is a city. Gigafactory? Best Uberfactory. Everything that surrounds the Zhengzhou plant It is imposing. Starting with the times, BYD and the Henan government they signed the project in September 2021, in just one month the works began and less than two years later the factory began production. His ability It is imposing and, already in its first operational phase in April 2023, it demonstrated that it could have a ability 400,000 vehicles annually. Not only did they get it up and running in record time: its dimensions are also impressive. The plant is estimated to have an area of ​​10.68 square kilometers in factories alone, but when the project comes to completion, it will occupy about 130 km². Context. Ten times more than Tesla Gigafactory in Nevadawith its 12 km², and larger than the area of ​​the city of San Francisco (it is approximately 120 km²). It is not unusual for large technology companies to have “cities” under their control and, without leaving China, Huawei has a similar campus (and another that copy different European cities). But BYD is overwhelming. More than cars. The factory is a “living” project of which four phases have been completed so far. The first two have focused on the production of cars, but as we said, we are talking about a factory that goes beyond vehicles. The third phase launched a plant for the battery manufacturing and the fourth has the necessary facilities for the production of semiconductors. They are underway new phases to expand production to two million vehicles annually and it is estimated that the facility generates a complete vehicle every 50 seconds. Technology. This is achieved thanks to an automation rate of 98%, one of the highest in the automotive industry worldwide. For example, the welding process is carried out with 91% robot labor and there are hundreds of them operating in other sectors, such as assembly or logistics. It is not due to a lack of human work, since the factory currently employs about 60,000 people, 90% of them coming from Zhengzhou or its surroundings and there are plans to reach up to 200,000 employees in 2026. Imagine all of Salamanca working in the same factory. Independent Republic of BYD. That is why we are not just talking about a factory: it also has housing and everything necessary is being built to make it a full-fledged city. Apart from housing blocks for employees, the megafactory has canteens, commercial areas, recreational facilities such as soccer fields and other areas for playing sports, as well as an internal transportation system. It also has additional facilities to carry out tests on their vehicles, such as a 1,758 meter circuit with nine curves, sand dunes to carry out off-road tests, a 70 meter pool (this is where you can see the Yangwang U8 in action) and multifunctional areas to carry out braking, acceleration and other more specific tests, such as autonomous parking. Apart from testing, it is like an amusement park for those who want to see the benefits of the brand’s EV cars. International connection. In the end, it is a mix between ambition and space (something that is abundant in China), which gives rise to a city focused on a single task: producing new energy cars with which China is setting the standard globally. In addition, it is an economic engine for the region and such a strategic element that, in 2024, Zhengzhou inaugurated the International Land Port with a one kilometer railway line to the BYD base. In this way, BYD can produce cars and instantly send them by train to the international market. It is also easier to load them into RO-RO boats with capacity for reach Europe in three or four weeks. Such is the importance of Zhengzhou for the company that its seventh ship car carrier was named after the city. Images | BYD In Xataka | Volkswagen is determined to copy China to make its electric cars attractive in Europe: put a gasoline engine in them

The “best mechanic in Spain” says that leaving the car parked for a long time causes “irreversible damage.” It’s not as terrible as it seems

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Any object that uses mechanical components is something that should be used from time to time. Although we are talking about cars here, it is not exclusive to cars. If you have one bicyclesome automatic watch either photo cameras old, it is something that you most likely have in mind. And the thing is that, with the passage of time, the liquids dry out or become stuck and the components can begin to suffer from corrosion. That’s exactly what happens to a car. When a vehicle is not movingthe moving parts lose lubrication and the liquids always remain in the same places. It is also easier for corrosion to appear. In short, it is the same case as the previous ones. With the difference that a car is an object that usually weighs between one and two tons and is designed to move at high speeds on the road, leaving aside its maintenance clearly puts our health and that of the rest of the drivers we meet on the road at risk. But what should we fear and what can we not worry about? For the best mechanic in Spain in 2023, the problem is obvious: “irreversible damage may occur.” a long, long time In 2023, Javier Sendín, from Talleres Cardiocar de Salamanca, was chosen as best mechanic of Spain for The Official Workshop Community. This award delivered annually and over the years it has brought together more than a thousand participants. The winner is chosen after online tests in which theoretical questions are presented and, phase by phase, it ends up deciding who is the best in Spain. In The Vanguard They have contacted Sendín to ask him about some risks that we should not overlook when maintaining our car. Whoever was the best mechanic in Spain has remembered the importance of not forgetting of a vehicle because we cannot expect that after a long time without starting, the car will be in perfect condition. “Although it may not seem like it (leaving the car still for weeks), this can be harmful. Components such as the suspension are affected, since the silentblocks and other rubber pieces tend to dry out or warp when left in the same position for weeks or months. It is also very negative for the battery, both in thermal vehicles and, especially, in hybrids and electric vehicles (…) there is a risk of irreversible damage.” What “the best mechanic in Spain 2023” claims is undoubted. The question is how much time has to pass for the damage to be especially noticeable. The truth is that if a car remains stationary for a few weeks, the damage is still minor. For example, it is not good for tires spend a lot of time supporting the weight of the car in the same position as deformities may arise. Despite this, in less than a month you will not notice substantial changes. Of course, keep an eye on its pressure so that when you get going again everything is in the best state. The battery is the other problem that can appear when the car has not moved for a long time. Especially if its useful life is already on its last legs, it is not a good idea to leave the car stationary for a long time. Yes indeed, if only a few weeks passthe worst that can happen is that the battery is completely discharged. However, if the battery is in good condition, may take more than two months to download. If we contemplate this happening, a good idea is to unplug the battery completely. So, when should we start paying real attention to our car? The American Automobile Association recommends that we put more emphasis on car care when they pass more than 45 days immobile. In that case, you should try to keep the car indoors and in a dry place. In this way, the car is more protected from corrosion and components that suffer from changes in temperature and humidity, such as tires, are more protected. Among the advice given from RACE There is checking the levels of the car’s fluids: brakes, coolant or oil. And with the passage of time, part of them may evaporate or have dried out in some specific points. Keep in mind, however, that again we are talking about months with the car stopped and not a few weeks. In that case, do not force the mechanics excessively when putting the car back into operation since we will not be risking any breakage. In fact, it is estimated that until after three months Since the car came to a complete stop, the components will not start to cause real problems. That is why possible damage from having the car stopped is not the most common case. Yes indeed, from the RACC They also recommend paying close attention to gasoline. First of all, we should not rush the tank to the maximum since impurities always remain at the bottom of it and it is easier for them to end up damaging a component such as the spark plugs. But if the car has been stopped for a long time it is not good to leave it loaded with fuel either. Over time, it loses properties. If we have a classic car that we use a few times a year, it is best to leave some gasoline in the tank but renew it shortly after we get going. You don’t have to use up the tank but you also don’t have to leave the car forgotten with a full tank. We talked, once again, about leaving the car sitting for months. Photo | Felix Neudecker and Sten Rademaker In Xataka | The “one minute rule” or how to always keep your car ready and avoid breakdowns worth 3,000 euros

For the first time in history there are mosquitoes in Iceland. And it was assumed that they couldn’t get there

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Iceland is being invaded. Not just for touristsbut because of something perhaps more undesirable: insects that had never been seen on the island. For the first time in their history, at least since records have been kept, Icelanders have encountered one of the bugs most undesirable and hated for all of us who have to sleep with the windows open in summer: mosquitoes. They have been few, but they can represent the advance of a full-fledged colonization. Unwanted guests. Bjorn Hjaltason is an amateur entomologist who was hunting for insects last week when he found something strange. On the wine-soaked rope he uses to catch moths and being able to observe it, three insects fell that have nothing to do with moths. They were mosquitoes, specifically two females and a male, but at first, Hjaltason described them as “some strange flies.” And as they count in BBCthe event was such that the local media opened with the news. Because yes, it is more serious than it may seem (and not because of the bites). Shelter. Iceland has remained one of the world’s mosquito-free bastions, one of only two mosquito-free havens. The other is Antarctica, and the reason is that these insects they don’t handle the cold well. Being cold-blooded, they need environmental heat to carry out their activity. When air temperatures are around 10º, their metabolism slows down so much that they become dysfunctional. Not only can they not fly, but they also cannot reproduce. In warmer climates, this is the time when they enter a kind of hibernation, looking for shelters in which to weather the storm until the heat returns. In Iceland it was not necessary because the average temperature was below 10º. BUT. Climate changethere is no more. Records from the Reykjavík observatory show that in the last 30 years there has been a gradual increase of temperatures, with average values ​​that have past from 2.4º to 4.1º. The average temperature has increased by 0.5º in the last decade, almost double of the planet average and there are areas that have broken all records. They are also occurring extreme episodeslike the 26.6º that in Córdoba would be pleasant and to go out with a jacket in the morning, but that in May of this year must have felt like real hell in Egilsstaoir. There were episodes like this before, but reports indicate that these events that were anomalies are becoming more common. You have to wait. Mosquitoes, of course, are at ease with those temperatures, but the big question is where they came from. Hjaltason found them in Kjós and speculates that they may have come on a freighter that landed at Grundartangi. The two cities are in western Iceland and the insect enthusiast points out that unusual ‘bugs’ usually come in those freighters. Another entomologist, Matthías Alfreodsson, to whom Hjaltason sent the mosquitoes confirmed that, although they belonged to a species that tolerates low temperatures somewhat better –Culiseta annulata-, they should not be in Iceland and we will have to wait until spring to check if the species has really established itself on the island. But Hjaltason is clear that if three of them went directly to his garden, “there will probably be more.” I feel sorry for you, fellow Icelanders. Images | Enzo Guidi In Xataka | The Japanese method to get rid of mosquitoes at home during the summer: katori senko

setting a time in Spain will always leave losers

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The week started with Pedro Sánchez announcing that “the Government of Spain will propose to the EU to end the seasonal time change”. Immediately afterwards, the marmorena got involved. And not because the idea does not have popular support: when in 2018 the European Commission held his famous public consultation On the subject, 8 out of 10 people were in favor of ending it. The problem is another and much more thorny: what schedule do we stick with? The experts are clear about it. In fact, the consensus between specialists from the SES (Spanish Sleep Society) and many other international companies It’s surprising: science is with winter time. It is the time that (on paper) ensures better alignment with natural light, limits “social jet lag” and appears to consistently yield better health and safety results. “Winter time makes it easier to have more hours of sleep and a more natural awakening that coincides with dawn. If there were a permanent summer time, in the winter months there would be a lack of light in the morning and in the summer months an excess of light at night, a situation that imbalances the internal clock and can cause poor performance and vulnerability to certain diseases,” explained the SES in its public positioning. Martín Olalla, the great Spanish expert on these topics and a historical opponent of the elimination of change of seasonal time, often insists that the evidence makes it clear that the benefit is very limited. However, when choosing one of them, the winter one wins. And then everything becomes strange. Because, although no one says it explicitly, in the popular imagination “permanent schedule” is associated with an “eternal pseudo-summer” full of long afternoons to comfortably enjoy the little leisure that day-to-day life leaves us. But let’s face it, that’s not going to happen. Daylight saving time has problems. The main one is that enjoying “long afternoons” throughout the year condemns the west of the peninsula to sunrises around ten in the morning. For landing it in a specific way. In A Coruña, in the middle of the winter solstice, dawn at 10:03 in the morning and it would get dark at 17:01. Something that is, clearly, unfeasible. A zero sum game. In the end, the seasonal time change is a compromise solution that tries to adjust the civil time to the variability of the days. It is probably a bad solution, but it helps mitigate the problems that would arise when opting for either of the other two schedules in a stable manner. After all, with winter time Galicia, Asturias, Extremadura and western Andalusia would win; while they would lose the Mediterranean and the Balearic Islands. We would avoid very late sunrises in winter and we would improve sleep, health and the morning security. The problem is that you kill the afternoons, which is the only socially attractive thing about making a permanent schedule. And that “game” is not only regional. It is also economical. There are economic sectors such as tourism or hospitality, that prefer bright afternoons; but there are many others, such as school or industry, that prefer earlier sunrises. Sometimes, phrases like “the time zone or time that corresponds to us” give the impression that the schedule is something ‘natural’: that the clock is neutral and all we have to do is adapt to it. But not. Nothing is neutral: opting for daylight saving time, winter time or daylight saving time is deeply political. Something that, whether we like it or not, prioritizes some over others. It’s not a problem, what we have now does too. The problem is another. It is walking towards the abolition of the time change without being aware of it and, above all, without being prepared for it: thinking that abolishing the time change will end all our chronoproblems is ‘magical thinking’. It will create others and, for the first time in more than a hundred years, we will not be able to blame it on the seasonal time change. Image | Moncloa | Jon Tyson In Xataka | The war that ended at two different times: the time change has been giving Spaniards headaches for almost a century

When is it and what day do we go to winter time?

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Let’s tell you when is the next time change with which we are going to switch to winter time in 2025. Like every year, with the arrival of autumn it is time to change the time again in a large part of Europe. And as always on these dates, we will tell you the exact day on which you have to set the clock forward or back. In this article we are going to tell you the date of the time change and what the change is exactly like. We will also tell you What you need to know about changing the time on your deviceswhich fortunately is little because almost everyone is going to do it alone. When do we go to winter time? The time change with which we are going to switch to winter time in 2025 will be in the early hours of Saturday, October 25 to Sunday, October 26. As always, the change is made on a weekend so that it is as least disruptive as possible to our work day. As happens when we jump to winter time, on Saturday we will have one more hour at night. When it is 3 in the morning we will go again at 2 in peninsular time. Come on, we’ll save an hour, to sleep, to party, or whatever we want. Another consequence of this change is that It will dawn and dusk one hour earlier. This will take us fully into the winter atmosphere, since the afternoons will be darker as dusk falls earlier. Time change and your devices If your device is connected to the Internet, it will only change the timesince it will detect the change automatically and apply it at the operating system level. Come on, you don’t have to do anything on your phone, your car, your tablet or your smart speaker or TV, they will all change the time on their own. However, some unconnected devices may need manual switching of hour. Not all, because many will have the change configured in their operating system, but those with greater simplicity such as ovens, microwaves, air conditioners and others, these will not change the time and you will have to do it. In short, if you are a person who has an alarm clock programmed on your mobile, you will not have to worry about anything. But if you have the typical luminous clock without an internet connection on the nightstand in your room, then don’t forget to change the time when you wake up on Sunday. In Xataka Basics | Hidden Apple Watch gestures: How to choose what it does when you clench your fists or pinch the watch

For the first time in many months, there is a chance to see a truly strange event: real rain

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This story begins with a pinch of hope. In recent days, the main meteorological models were beginning to agree: the interaction of a deep trough and a subtropical low that would generate a fairly active front. In other words, for the first time in a long time, real rain could make its way to Spain. Not even Danasnor summer storms: real water. The problem? That, actually, that They were just a handful of exits. deterministic and considering that autumn has always been (and will be increasingly) infernally difficult to model, that was very little. It doesn’t mean, of course, that it won’t rain. It’s going to rain, but the doubts are enormous. Although, as the cards are dealt, it all starts to make sense. But what is going to happen? According to AEMETFrom Monday to Wednesday, the rain will be concentrated in the northwest of the peninsula. However, only in Galicia will it be persistent and there will be significant accumulations. On Thursday the situation will become more “democratic” and the rains will reach a good part of the northwest, the center of the Peninsula and the Pyrenees. The wind can be very strong. However, real rain (as “real” as it can be in this situation) in the center will have to wait until Friday. Beyond Friday everything becomes more diffuse, some rain is expected in the interior, in the south and in the Balearic Islands. And, almost certainly, a small drop in temperatures followed by another rebound. One that will leave us better than we were, yes; but with temperatures above normal. And then? In reality, everything seems to indicate that these meteorological skirmishes will be little. And, given this, many experts already they begin to put their hopes in December. That’s bad, yes. It is true that the country’s reservoirs they are much better not just last year, but the average of the last ten years. But this “water cushion” will not last forever and, although we tend to forget, autumn is a particularly important season for reserves. “in general terms, autumn usually registers higher accumulations than winter in our country as a whole”, said Yurima Celdrán. If we lose it, we will be facing the next drought with one hand tied behind our back. And going to December to wait for a ‘miracle’ is not positive at all. Image | ECMWF In Xataka | The Mayan idea with which this researcher wants to revolutionize the way we treat drinking water: artificial gardens

the center that controls the time

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Few infrastructures are as invisible as time, but its precision underpins much of the modern world. In China, that pulse is marked a scientific center in Xi’an that adjusts everything from bank clocks to defense systems. Now, that same center has become the epicenter of a serious accusation: the Chinese Government claims to have detected evidence of an intrusion by the US National Security Agency (NSA, the body that together with the CIA leads US intelligence operations) into its network, directed against the system that maintains the country’s official time. The center that tells the time of China. The National Time Service Center (NTSC) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences is much more than a laboratory: it is the reference that generates, maintains and transmits the official time of the country. From its network of stations and atomic clocks, communication, banking, energy, transportation and even defense systems are synchronized. In addition, it participates in the calculation of Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) and maintains a deviation of less than five nanoseconds from it, which places it among the four most precise timekeeping centers in the world. A prolonged offensive in three phases. According to information released by CGM (via CGTN)the operation attributed to the US National Security Agency began in March 2022, when a vulnerability in the messaging service of a foreign phone was exploited to access the devices of several NTSC employees. Starting in April 2023, using stolen credentials, attackers penetrated internal systems. Between August 2023 and June 2024, activity intensified with sustained attacks against the organization’s most sensitive networks. According to the researchthe operation was not limited to a specific entry. After violating the messaging application of a foreign smartphone, the attackers would have taken control of the mobile phones of several employees and extracted passwords and authentication data. That information was used to maintain remote access to NTSC servers without being detected. Chinese authorities define the intrusion as “planned, structured and constantly escalating,” a description that points to a sustained campaign rather than an isolated incident. Objective: High precision timing system. The official story focuses on a highly sensitive target: the NTSC precision ground timing system, identified in the communications as “high-precision ground-based timing system.” According to CMG, the intruders attempted not only to gather information, but also to insert offensive capabilities that could render that infrastructure useless, with the possibility of “paralyzing or destroying” its operation. Attributed methods and camouflage. They also point out that the offensive was not limited to rudimentary techniques: they say it deployed a new platform with 42 specialized cyber weapons and advanced camouflage methods. The attackers used VPS located in multiple regions to hide their origin, used fake certificates to gain trust in networks, and bypassed antivirus systems while applying strong encryption to eliminate records of the intrusion. Command and control infrastructure included VPS in EuropeUnited States and Asia. When time becomes a strategic objective. Beijing maintains that the NTSC defenses managed to stop the offensive before the national timekeeping was altered. But the attempt, authorities emphasize, demonstrates that an apparently technical system can become a strategic objective. The possibility of manipulating the measurement of time—even marginally—opens a scenario of unpredictable consequences. The case has revived concern about the security of invisible infrastructures, those that are not seen, but support the functioning of the country. The Ministry of Security claimed to have gathered “conclusive evidence” of the attack, after which he helped the NTSC cut the chains of intrusion and reinforce its systems. According to China Media Group, the intervention made it possible to eliminate potential risks and restore the integrity of the network. The authorities assured that the incident served to update defense mechanisms and strengthen supervision of critical infrastructures. No technical details were provided on the measures adopted or on cooperation with other state agencies. Between the official story and the lack of response. For now, the attack remains in the realm of accusations. China claims to have gathered evidence of an NSA operation, while the United States has not responded. Without external verification, the true magnitude of the incident is difficult to measure. The episode illustrates, in any case, how security and temporal precision have become part of the board where global technological tensions are resolved. Images | National Time Service Center (NTSC) (1, 2) | Xataka with Gemini 2.5 In Xataka | Unitree wants to conquer robotics in China and is making a move: it has just announced its most capable robot. Now the only thing missing is that there is demand

It is an invaluable source for generative AI and at the same time it is what is killing it

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Wikipedia wants to be the last human bastion against AI-generated content. The Wikimedia Foundation removed AI-generated summaries after several cases of hallucinations and the complaint of their editors. It’s not Wikipedia’s only problem with AI, it’s also wreaking havoc on its traffic. What is happening. In a article published on the foundation’s blogproduct manager Marshall Miller details the current situation in Wikipedia traffic. The foundation estimates that there has been an 8% drop in human traffic between May and August 2025. They attribute this to the use of generative AI as a source of information, such as the chatbots themselves or initiatives such as the Google AI Overview that respond to the user without having to click on a link. Why is it important. It poses a risk to the continuity of Wikipedia because people are obtaining the information that its volunteers produce, but without going through the web and without adding visits. It is the same as What’s happening in the media with Google’s AI briefingsalthough the main difference is that the media lives off advertising and Wikipedia lives off donations from individuals. Miller sees it clearly: “With fewer visits to Wikipedia, fewer volunteers will be able to develop and enrich the content, and fewer individual donors will be able to support this work.” A crisis that comes from afar. Wikipedia losing traffic has been in the news for a long time. In 2020 they had a massive drop: They lost 3 billion organic traffic visits and the culprit was Google. The appearance of direct response modules that displayed information directly on the results page, causing many people to not click. Correction. In May of this year, Wikipedia detected an unusual increase in traffic from Brazil. At first they classified the traffic as human, but later they verified that they were bots designed to imitate human behavior. This led them to update their bot detection mechanism and, with the new updated data, they saw that there had been an 8% drop in human traffic. The irony. In the era of generative AI, sites like Wikipedia are an invaluable source of information. It is where the chatbots and Google’s own search draw from to give us those answers, but at the same time they are harming it and not only because of the drop in traffic, the bots and scrapers also have an impact on the operation and represent a noticeable load on the servers. Solutions. The Wikipedia Foundation proposes responsible use by users to seek original sources and highlight the importance of human-created content. It sounds almost like a plea and the truth is that the outlook does not look too good. In the case of AI Overview, the media have warned about the consequences and there are even groups that They have sued Google. There are clues that Google could be raising licensing agreements with large media groupsbut for the moment it has not materialized and its results with AI continue to work as the first day (they have even launched the AI mode). Image | Wikipedia In Xataka | A Wikipedia editor spent years pretending to be Russian Red. He was actually an Indian scammer

Madrid riders have been using municipal bikes for some time despite it being prohibited. The City Council is tired

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When it was released, more than a decadeBicimad was proposed as a public transport service with shared bikes. His idea was very simple: make it easier (and cheaper) for Madrid residents to get around the city by bike. Over time, its network of vehicles and stations has expanded, but it has also attracted a new type of user: riders interested in their benefits and low cost who rent them, skipping the regulation. Now the City Council has said enough. What has happened? That Madrid has grown tired of the riders use during your deliveries Bicimada public bicycle rental service. The message has been conveyed with crystal clear the delegate of Urban Planning, Environment and Mobility of the City Council, Borja Carabante, who recalled that the system was designed to be used by individuals (such as neighbors or tourists) not so that economic benefit could be taken from it, a possibility clearly banned in its regulations. Is the problem that serious? Yes. And no. The Municipal Transport Company (EMT) recognize that he is not aware that the riders are making “massive use” of Bicimad, although it has detected “some cases.” Much clearer has been Carabante, who assures that it is a practice that “we all see” on the street and seems to be getting worse. In fact, the City Council speaks of “an increase”. What does the regulations say? The issue is not so much that the practice is more or less widespread as that it completely fails to comply with the bases (and spirit) that regulate the service. In its chapter XI the document that sets the conditions of use slips several ideas, including one that closes the doors to riders and other delivery people. “The bicycle will be used exclusively for the transportation of users, and cannot transport other people, animals or merchandise,” collect the text. “Nor can the bicycle, nor the stations, be used for commercial purposes.” Why do they use them then? For its advantages. Bicimad offers more than 7,700 bikes and 630 stations spread across 21 districts of the capital. Those who use the service can enjoy electric bikes with a 250W central motor and 70 kilometers of autonomy for a fee of only 10 euros monthly. The service offers free, unlimited rides of up to 30 minutes. After that time, the second 30-minute fraction costs 0.5 and the subsequent three euros. In addition, its users are insured. A rider Anyone who wanted to buy a similar urban bike to deliver orders would have to pay hundreds of eurosat least. This without taking into account the wear and tear of the vehicle and another of the great advantages of Bicimad: the station network and charging points. Those responsible they calculate The service currently has 450,000 monthly users who make journeys that, on average, last just over 15 minutes. What does the City Council want to do? For now he has made it clear that he is aware that the riders They are misusing bikes and he is not willing to turn a blind eye. How he will respond and how far he is willing to go in his endeavor is another matter. The City Council has stated that it will look for a way to “disincentivize” delivery drivers from taking advantage of Bicimad and to do so, one of the options on the table is to apply extra rates to them. “We will have to see if there is some type of specific rate for this type of activity and we are analyzing possible alternatives so that it does not occur,” Carabante specifiedwho recognizes that what has sparked the interest of riders and has caused the use of Bicimad to increase among the group (according to the data managed by the City Council) it is precisely the “low rates” that the service applies, which “makes its use attractive” by the delivery people. Are you considering anything else? Yeah. Increase controls at street level. The City Council of the capital has recognized The World He plans to pay more attention to who rents the bikes to get a more precise idea of ​​the problem. “To assess whether any measure must be taken to avoid this type of use, the EMTE will soon begin a surveillance campaign to monitor these activities,” keep it up. “According to these results, actions will be applied to discourage use for commercial activities.” They won’t have it easy. The riders They use the same cards as the rest of the users and to confirm that they are using the service for commercial purposes, the police would have to stop them. Hence, for example, at the moment the improper use of bicycles is not being penalized either. The problem is not entirely new, but the City Council seems determined to put an end to a custom that, as the delegate alertsharms individuals who want to use public bicycles. Images | Bicimad In Xataka | There are no more 20 euro tickets: the trains between Madrid and Barcelona have become very expensive again for a reason

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