world

Satya Nadella made the world love Microsoft again. AI is making people hate it again

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Microsoft wants to turn Windows into an “agent operating system”. That was one of the great advertisements of the Ingnite conferences that were held these days. The proposal involves filling Windows with AI agents so that they are part of the user experience and do things for us. The intention is good. The result is not. what’s happening. Windows celebrates its 40th anniversary in 2025 (and Microsoft, its 50), and it does so with a total commitment to AI that it now wants to transfer to its Windows operating system. At the Microsoft Ignite event, various new features were presented that were precisely aimed at integrating AI agents into the system from the taskbar, but also at supporting the Model Context Protocol, the de facto standard for connecting AI agents with third-party services and applications. The movement is reasonable. Microsoft’s decision is strategically impeccable. AI is everywhere, and what the company intends is for it to be an integral part of its operating system. And by the way, of course, don’t leave its ecosystem to take advantage of it. The intention is good, but Microsoft’s problem is different. You are being tiresome. It is often the case that companies that try to promote their services do so in a particularly tiresome way. Microsoft is certainly known for this, and you only have to remember how it made numerous attempts to force us to upgrade to Windows 10. Then they came similar attempts with the new versions of Windows 11. With AI, it has already shot itself in the foot from time to time, and the best example is Microsoft Recalla striking option that by its design initial ended up being delayed and now it has been completely relegated to the background. Well I install LinuxPavan Davuluri, president of the Windows and devices division, was talking about this integration of AI in Windows a few days ago, but his tweet ended up provoking a string of criticism. One of the first answers indicated that Windows “is evolving into a product that brings people to the Mac and Linux.” Or for that matter, bring back Windows 7. Others went further and they asked that the Windows 7 operating system would return with its “clean user interface, icons, unified control panel, no junk apps, no ads, just a pure, performing operating system.” Microsoft is growing dwarfs. Davuluri ended up closing comments two days later, but yes responded to a tweet from the well-known software engineer Gergely Orosz, who criticized Windows’ erratic strategy and also Microsoft’s commitment to developers. In his response he indicated that “we know that we must continue working on the user experience, both in day-to-day usability and system dialogues inconsistent with the experiences of advanced users.” Be careful with promoting what doesn’t work. The problem with Copilot is that it still has a clearly worse reputation than other AI models despite being entirely based on ChatGPT. At Microsoft they know itbut still They are hiring influencers to promote Copilot to younger consumers. Nadella started well… The arrival of Satya Nadella to Microsoft it was a breath of fresh air. The company was on its way to becoming the new IBMbut its surprising renewal and spirit of openness —GitHub purchaserenovated love for linux— joined the success of reinforcing Azure and turning its cloud platform into a money making machine. threw great projects and thus regained some of the love (and luster) that he had lost in recent years with Ballmer at the helm. …but things are going wrong. However, this (understandable) obsession with AI is contaminating that entire trajectory a bit, and this is evident in the comments and criticisms of users, who do not seem interested in Windows being full of AI even though that could be interesting in the long run. The practical advantages at the moment do not seem to be notable, and forcing them is never a good idea. And in case Nadella reads us, we propose an idea. Let users decide. It’s as simple as that: Microsoft forces things too much by forcing users to accept these system changes without further ado and offering them as options that are activated by default. Users usually don’t like things being changed for the better, and what Microsoft should do is make everything opt-in (and not opt-out). That is to say: offer these options disabled by default, and let the users decide to activate them. If they are really worth it, it is very likely that these options will end up going viral on their own and people will simply enable them. In Xataka | The unexpected return of Windows 7: it reaches almost 10% of the market when Microsoft prepares to retire Windows 10

Japan is the only country in the world where the green traffic lights are blue. And the reason is called “aoshingō”

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Red, amber and green. The three colors of traffic lights around the world. All over the world? No, some particular Japanese traffic lights resist today and forever… the Vienna Convention on Traffic Signs and Signals to which more than 50 States are adhered. Although there are curious absences in it, such as those of the United States or, of course, Japan. This regulatory framework was signed for the first time in 1968promoted by the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations. The text reviewed previous regulations with the aim of homogenizing traffic in as many countries as possible. The last review, in fact, is from 2003 and it addressed the modernization of some signs or the priority rules on roundabouts. The intention is that what we understand in Spain as a Stop is also the same in France or Germany. And so it is, in fact, because all of Europe subscribes to said text. But the most striking absences, such as that of Japan, give rise to curious anecdotes. Like finding traffic lights where the priority of passage is not granted with green, it is applied when the light turns blue. Blue, I love you blue And if you travel to Japan and plan to drive, there is one detail that you should not overlook (beyond the fact that you drive on the left, remember): the green light on some traffic lights is blue. Or turquoise, more accurately. The origin must be found in the language itself. The Japanese did not have a specific word to refer to green. To mention it they referred to the word “Ao”. The problem is that “Ao” It refers to a wide spectrum of colors and among them, as you can imagine, blue or greenish blue or turquoise. Some sources suggest that the word “Midori”, which refers specifically to the color green, became popular during World War II for a purely practical matter when it comes to differentiating both colors. However, a good part of society continued to refer to green as “Ao” and, in fact, it continues to be part of words that are applied exclusively to define green objects, such as aoshingō…which is actually the official word for the green traffic light even though it doesn’t specifically mean green. In 1960, Japan signed its own Traffic Law where this term was collected to talk about the traffic light. This law is, therefore, prior to the aforementioned Vienna Convention and remained intact until 1973 when a ministerial order ended up specifying that the traffic light It had to be as blue as possible within the greenas a compromise measure between maintaining the traffic lights that were already installed and approaching international conventions. The result is that the oldest traffic lights have a more intense blue and the most modern ones have a green tone with slight blue nuances that can remind us of turquoise. However, they are not exactly green because the term “Ao” works, as we said, for both blue and green. Photo | Yuya Sekiguchi and Derch In Xataka | Japan needs solutions to its great demographic drama. He is looking for them on a bus

To enter the best “mental gym” in the world you don’t need a ticket: just language

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Learning languages ​​is something that For many it is essential with the aim of opening up new job opportunities or being able to travel without problems. But beyond practical usefulness, in everyday life it can also be good insurance for our brain in the long term by acting as a barrier against cognitive decline. Analyzing data from more than 86,000 people in 27 European countries, a study published in Nature Aging has put figures on something that neuroscience has been suspecting for many years: speaking several languages ​​not only broadens our mind or allows us to watch series in their original version, but also the brain stays younger. An AI model. Behind the study is an artificial intelligence model designed to estimate the so-called “biobehavioral age.” This means that a patient’s real age will be compared with what their body reflects with the results of their analysis, how their brain works or whether they have diabetes or hypertension. This is not an algorithm that has been created by chance, but has been developed by a European consortium of neuroscientists and measures this gap and classifies those who age slower or faster with a higher biological age. When applying this model, the results were clear: multilingualism acts as a powerful protective factor against the deterioration associated with the passage of time. The more language, the better. For researchers, we are facing a phenomenon that is ‘dose-dependent’, and it is something that has been seen after removing different variables such as socioeconomic context, years of education or migratory patterns. In fact, multilingualism emerged as a “cognitive reserve” factor comparable to regular physical exercise or a healthy diet, both considered pillars of brain health. The bilingual brain: a gym that never closes. Jason Rothman, a neuroscientist at Lancaster University and an expert on bilingualism, describes it as a form of permanent training: “Every time the brain selects one language and suppresses another, attention, memory and executive control networks are activated, the same ones that tend to deteriorate with age.” These networks, which are located in specific areas of the brain, are ultimately responsible for cognitive flexibility and decision making. The more they train, such as alternating languages, the more resilient they will become. There are discrepancies. If we look at other studies carried out in the past, the truth is that people do not always think alike. Numerous large-scale analyzes point to the existence of publication biases such as lack of replicability and, especially, that many advantages attributed to bilingualism are diluted or disappear once other factors such as education or socioeconomic status are carefully controlled. An illustrative example is Lehtonen’s work in 2018which reviewed more than 150 studies and concluded that the benefits in memory, inhibitory control or cognitive flexibility are not systematic or universally replicable, and usually depend on the type of cognitive tasks used, cultural and contextual differences or the profile of bilingual speakers. It’s not a miracle. The message that predominates today among the majority of specialists is one of caution and nuance. Learning several languages ​​can be positive for cognitive development, enhance mental flexibility in certain circumstances or delay symptoms of deterioration in certain profiles, but it is not a “universal vaccine” against brain aging. Education, continued intellectual activity, socioeconomic level, physical exercise and a healthy diet maintain a much higher weight, and often, the benefits attributed to bilingualism reflect these concomitant factors more than a direct effect of speaking several languages. Images | zhendong wang Robina Weermeijer In Xataka | That a teenager begins to ‘hate’ his parents is something that is in his brain, and science has already found the pattern

The most expensive coffee in the world is Panamanian, it costs 850 euros and is served in the only place in the world where it makes sense

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James Hoffman is one of the top authorities in the coffee world. Best barista in the world in 2007 and coffee popularizerwas surprised to try the exclusive Japanese coffee for 315 euros per cup. let it be expensive or cheap It depends on each one, but It’s like roasted coffee next to the new most expensive coffee in the world: 850 euros per cup. And it is served in Dubai, of course. Julith’s coffee. The Al Quoz neighborhood of the Emirati city has a new pilgrimage point for specialty coffee lovers…as long as they have 3,600 dirhams from those of the United Arab Emirates, not those of Morocco. In exchange, about 850 euros for a cup served at Julith Cafe. Serkan Sagsoz He is one of the founders of this cafeteria that consider that the price is more than justified. It is a coffee with notes of “white flowers such as jasmine, also with citrus flavors such as orange and tangerine and a touch of fruits such as apricot and peach”, comment. The barista got 20 kilos of very specific beans named ‘Nest 7‘. It is a Geisha coffee (now we’ll get into that) and the bidding must have been truly crazy: it lasted 12 hours, registered 549 bids and the final price was exorbitant. 604,080 dollars which translates into 30,204 dollars per kilo. Geisha with note. The price of coffee is something that depends on a huge variety of factors: the economy of a city, the coffee shop, the origins of the coffee and the roasting process. It is not the same robusta coffee with uneven roasting than a specialty arabica. Neither does the coffee excreted by a civet. Whether it is justified is another story, but what is clear is that Geisha is one of the kings when it comes to expensive coffees. It is a Panamanian coffee that comes from Hacienda La Esmeralda. We have already talked about this specific coffeewhich has been establishing some of the records in the sector, and the reason why it is so expensive is summarized in that its cultivation is very complicated and production is low. These are the two factors that, added to the fact that the property is located in a enviable location for coffee cultivationthey make the price break ground every auction. Elitism also enters, since the variety has become one of the favorites in barista competitions. It is not unusual for it to win the “Best of Panama” award, but if in other years the kilo was around 10,000, the more than 30,000 that Julith Cafe has paid mark a new record. To contextualize, a “commercial” price that same day reached six euros per kilo. NASA production. El Geisha de La Esmeralda is not a specialty coffee, it is THE specialty coffee right now. This Nido 7, specifically, was harvested in April 2025 and immediately underwent a cold fermentation process for 48 hours. Subsequently, it was dried in a controlled environment to preserve its flavors and roasted, carefully controlling the process so that it was as homogeneous as possible. Limited. As we say, Judith got 20 kilos and they calculate that it is enough for 400 cups. It is not as quick as arriving with the money and drinking the coffee: you have to be prepared for an experience that they have designed and that includes a guided tasting through the entire production process of this coffee. Once the 20 kilos are gone, it’s over, but there are those who won’t have to worry about this: they have reserved some grains for the wealthiest palates. Sagsoz has commented that it would be “an honor to one day prepare a cup for the sheikh mohammed“With whatever you have loose in your pocket that day, you have something to invite. And…Dubai. Beyond the exclusivity of coffee due to everything that surrounds its production, it is evident that the Dubai factor comes into play. Sagsoz himself, whose cafe did not exist until he bought the Nido 7 cargo a few weeks ago, comments that “it was the perfect place for investment” because the Emirates is known for extravagance. They have some of the most ostentatious buildings in the worldhe Burj Khalifathe island for super millionaires, pharaonic works on the drawing tableand all kinds of extremely exclusive experiences. In fact, in September of this year, another coffee shop in the city had set the record for the most expensive coffee in the world by serving a cup of 2,500 dirhams, about 600 euros. With Julith’s 850, that record has disappeared and the reactions have been diverse: from the “It’s Dubai, what are you waiting for?” until opinions which allude to the fact that it is simply another experience for the richest to boast about. What is evident is that, although coffee is gaining a lot of ground in places where it did not have much prominence before –China, for example-, is also consolidating places like Dubai as part of the luxury coffee scene. And it is something that contrasts greatly with the so unfavorable situation of some farmers and the ambition that is leading to expand Geisha farms through illegal deforestation of protected areas. Images | Julia Coffee, Coffee with Joshua In Xataka | Coffee, tea or Coca-Cola: what is the most popular caffeine consumption in the main countries of the world

This is how the trenches from the First World War are preserved today

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The veins of Europe had opened from north to south in 1914. After the outbreak of World War I, both Allied forces and German troops built a sophisticated and unprecedented network of trenches which extended from the coasts of the North Sea to the border with Switzerland. At that time, it was possible to cross the continent from end to end without setting foot on the surface once. One hundred years after the first large-scale modern war, what remains of all that? Bit. But there are still some vestiges that are worth visiting if you want to experience first-hand what the heavy, hellish existence of the soldiers on the Western Front was like. One of the best preserved trenches in Europe is located in Belgium, near the city of Ypres. There, among the still spectral forests of northern Flanders, The trenches on Hill 60 remain almost in their original condition.one of the many strategic fortified points built by British troops throughout their four years of fighting against German troops. A historical vestige. The place is known as Sanctuary Woodthe Sanctuary Forest. Religious reminiscence may make sense today, given that a memorial dedicated to those who fell during the First World War is located here. Between 1914 and 1918, however, Hill 60 was one of the most mundane and earthly, bloody and brutal, places history has known. Ypresdue to its relevant strategic position, was the scene of some of the worst battles of the war. And from these trenches, fierce disputes were fought to gain just a handful of kilometers of front. After the end of the war, farmers in the area recovered the lost land, returning to farming and putting aside the horrible memory of the battle. Not everything, of course: large areas of Belgium and France were constricted inside “the red zone”areas so contaminated by shrapnel and explosives that they were unusable for human life for centuries. Despite this, most of the trenches were dismantled or buried due to renewed farming and livestock activity. Sanctuary Wood It was maintained, however, over the years, and today serves as a living museum of the Great War. They had bunkers to protect soldiers from artillery attacks. (Image: Amanda Slater) Barbed wire was the first line of defense of any trench. (Image: Amanda Slater) Sinuous and complex, the trenches were small, almost underground cities. (Image: Amanda Slater) Mud was another enemy that the soldiers had to deal with almost constantly. In the Belgian plains, low and frequently flooded by rain, mud was everywhere. (Image: Amanda Slater) The trenches could be over two meters high. (Image: Amanda Slater) A conflict that would mark the world as we know it today, and that changed war forever. In Flandersin the north of Belgium, in places like these trenches, the war mutated. From variable fronts we moved to stable fronts, where soldiers lived for months waiting for news from the front. The trenches were unapproachable, but his life was far from peaceful. They were subjected to constant artillery sieges, which undermined morale and were mentally unsettling. One of the most reliable accounts of the time was written by Erich María Remarque, a German author who fought on the front during much of the war. All quiet on the front tells the daily life of soldiers in the trenchoften misunderstood. The soldiers rotated in the different trench lines: they spent a couple of weeks or three on the front line, returned to the rear, where they rested and recovered, and little by little they regained guard or front positions. Its role was cyclical. Meanwhile, they lived in these trenches. They were unhealthy places and subject to constant pressure from artillery, which forced soldiers to crowd into bunkers where rats, canned goods and mud piled up. The constant rains and the destruction of the territory resulting from the loads of artillery They left a muddy, lunatic landscape of demolished trees and small towns reduced to ruins and ashes. The trenches were authentic underground cities. The ones shown in the photos are worse than those the Germans enjoyed. While the British were dirty and poorly built, the German ones were much more comfortable and healthy. The Allied command never thought that the war would last so long, so they never worried about setting them up correctly to accommodate their soldiers. The Germans, however, quickly understood that the front would be static and that the trenches would be key. In Sanctuary Wood, trenches were sandwiched between trees. (Image: Jeremy) Craters are still visible on part of the former western front. (Image: Colorgrind) Another crater caused by heavy German artillery. (Image: Colorgrind) Trenches were often built with poor quality materials. More images of craters. Sanctuary Wood, in the middle of the war. A proof of the immobility of the front: in the battle of the sommeBritish offensive carried out during 1917 on the German northern front, near Ypres and in the heart of Flanders, More than 600,000 allied soldiers died. A gigantic figure for a meager, ridiculous loot: after the operations, the Germans had only retreated nine kilometers. The trenches shown here were easily defendable, and offensives resulted in soldiers running unprotected against large-caliber machine guns that wreaked havoc on enemy lines. Ypres perhaps witnessed the worst fighting. Sanctuary Wood is a perfect example of this. Furthermore, it magnificently illustrates the poor living conditions of the soldiers. An ideal look at the First World War one hundred years after it took place. Image | Image: Jeremy In Xataka | In 1955, the United Kingdom stole the “most isolated” islet in the world from the USSR. Today is a huge headache In Xataka | From horse to tank, from balloon to airplane: this is how the First World War revolutionized the art of killing forever

The world keeps asking for more F-35 fighters, but China has turned off the tap to build them

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He F-35 Lightning IIthe fighter more expensive and complex never built, is going through a critical point in its history. In September 2025, a report of the United States Government Accountability Office (GAO) revealed that all deliveries in 2024 arrived late, accumulating an average of 238 days late. Now, a leak has revealed that delays can multiply, and China plays a fundamental role. The problem of the largest military program. They remembered a few months ago on Insider that the 2024 delays had one main cause: the stagnation of the Technology Refresh 3 technology package (TR-3), an essential hardware and software update on which the block 4 modernizationalready with an extra cost of 6,000 million dollars and five years behind schedule. The paradox was that, despite maintenance failures, deficiencies in availability and costs that already exceed 2 trillion dollars Throughout its service life, the F-35 remains the cornerstone of American and allied air defense. More than 2,500 units remain in the Pentagon’s planning, while the current fleet is barely “operational” half of the time. More money. Lockheed Martin, its prime contractor, continues to receive incentives even for late deliveriesin a program that no longer only faces technical delays, but a much more structural threat: global dependence on its supply chain. A global network. The F-35 is, by definition, a multinational aircraft. Of the more than 1,200 devices manufactured to date, about 42% of its components are produced outside the United States, in an industrial network that involves more than twenty countries. The United Kingdom, the only Tier 1 partner, manufactures in Lancashire the rear fuselages of all the F-35s in the world, as well as their tails, ejection seats and part of the electronic warfare system code. Italy and the Netherlands assemble structures and optical systems, while Australia, Canada, Norway or Denmark provide fuselage sections, wings or specialized electronics. Germany, Japan and Israel also contribute critical parts: from fuel tanks to helmet-mounted visors. This ecosystem, which combines thousands of suppliers under a single oversight, has made the F-35 the largest industrial cooperation project of defense of the planet. The small print. But, despite the geographical dispersion, total control The United States preserves it: the Department of Defense and Lockheed Martin jealously guard it the source codemaintenance keys, stealth algorithms and the ALIS logistics system, without which no country can operate the aircraft independently. Each export includes clauses that maneuvers are prohibited joint with Russian or Chinese systems and allow Washington to supervise every flight, every review and every software update. You hunt like hotcakes. By 2025, Lockheed Martin has opted to reverse the narrative of delays with a figure that reflects both ambition and vulnerability: manufacturing 200 fighters in a single yearone for each working day. In its third quarter earnings call, CEO Jim Taiclet announced that 143 units had already been delivered, with an order book valued at 179 billion dollars, the largest in the company’s history. The boom responds to the global increase in defense spending, with European countries accelerating its rearmament and new buyers (such as Finland or Japan) incorporating the F-35 as the central axis of their fleets. The plane has become a tool deterrence and cohesion between allies, a symbol of interoperability under the umbrella of Washington. But industrial success hides a strategic fragility: the complex network of components of the F-35 depends, directly or indirectly, on materials that almost entirely come from Chinafrom rare earth magnets to elements for critical sensors, servomotors and actuators. Beijing’s silent weapon. Through a Wall Street Journal exclusive We have learned that, while Lockheed Martin celebrated its best year for deliveries, China moved its own parts with surgical precision. Beijing announced the creation of a system of “validated end users” (VEU) to regulate the export of magnets and rare earth metals: essential materials for both F-35 fighters and submarines, drones or electric vehicles. The plan, presented as a measure of trade opening after the tariff truce between Xi Jinping and Donald Trump, in reality aims to exclude any company from the flow of exports. linked to the military complex United States. In other words, the companies that supply the F-35 (from engine manufacturers to aerospace subcontractors) will be blocked, while supplies to civilian industries are prioritized. Strategic deterrence. With this system, Beijing can formally fulfill its promise of liberalize tradewhile suffocating the critical chains of the North American defense sector. The VEU architecture, inspired by the United States’ own export control mechanisms, turns industrial policy into a deterrent instrument strategic. The bottleneck. Chinese control over rare earths (70% of the extraction and more than 90% of the world’s processing) places Washington before a structural dilemma: Your most advanced hunting depends on a monopolized resource by its main geopolitical rival. Although the White House seeks to diversify sources through agreements with countries such as Kazakhstan, Greenland or Ukraine, replacing Chinese capacity will take years. In recent months, Chinese magnet exports to the United States fell 29%which has already begun to affect engine and guidance system manufacturers. If Beijing strictly implements its new system, it would not only slow down F-35 production, but could temporarily interrupt the logistics chain for maintaining fleets already deployed. In that scenario, the program that symbolizes Western technological supremacy would be conditioned by dependence on a strategic enemy. The paradox of a fighter. The F-35 was born as an emblem of interoperability and technological masterybut its evolution shows that military superiority is no longer measured only in radars or missiles, but also in access to mineralschips and advanced materials. As the world’s most expensive plane is assembled from parts manufactured on three continents and with magnets processed in China, its story becomes a metaphor for the 21st century: a war of interdependencies where each fighter that takes off carries within it a dose of global vulnerability. Thus, while Lockheed Martin tries to maintain its record pace of production and the Pentagon reinforces its leadership narrative, the real battlefield is being fought in the mines, laboratories … Read more

It is also one of the largest art collections in the world

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We are used to finding Juan Roig’s fortune in the lists of richest people in Spain. However, it is not so common to find his wife, Hortensia Herrero, on this type of list, who, as a partner and vice president of the main Spanish supermarket chainalso treasures an important heritage, not so much in economic value (that too) but in its artistic value. Specifically, Herrero has been included in the list of 200 biggest collectors internationally according to the prestigious magazine ARTnews. The role of Juan Roig’s wife as a patron of art was not well known despite the fact that she has been investing in works of art of great artistic value for more than a decade. The magazine highlights her status as “a prominent Spanish patron and philanthropist, married to Juan Roig, known for her commitment to the conservation of Valencian cultural heritage.” The beginning of a great passion. Hortensia Herrero has been intensely dedicated to art collecting since 2013. As and how does it count Herrero herself, her interest in art arose after a visit to Dallas to the opening of the exhibition “Sorolla and America” ​​where she met its curator, Javier Molins. It was at that moment when he decided to dedicate time and resources to this hobby, which over the years became a true passion supervised by Molins, who has served as a mentor and expert consultant. Since then, his dedication has been constant, visiting exhibitions and searching for the best works for his collection, which has allowed him to build a high-level selection recognized internationally. Your own art gallery. Since 2023, the co-owner of Mercadona manages the Hortensia Herrero Art Center (CAHH) in Valencia, which is a national reference. The exhibition center is located in the historic Valeriola Palace in Valencia, currently offers 3,500 square meters dedicated to contemporary art and houses more than 100 works by nearly 50 recognized artists, both national and international. “Who was going to tell me that this love of painting, which began at the age of 14, would end up becoming a passion that has led to the construction of this art center, now offered for Valencians and visitors to enjoy,” said the patron. on the web from the center. The project involved an investment of more than 40 million euros and has had the objective of bringing contemporary art closer to Valencians and visitors, stimulating dialogue between historical heritage and modernity. This commitment has allowed him to share a position on the list of the largest collectors of ARTnews alongside world figures such as Bernard Arnault, François Pinault, Jeff Bezos or investors Larry Fink (BlackRock) and Kenneth Griffin. It’s not just “love of art.” Beyond artistic interest, art continues to be one of the most profitable investments for great fortunes. This is confirmed in the report “The Wealth Report” prepared by the consulting firm Knight Frank. During 2023, the price of works of art worldwide increased by 11%, while luxury items such as jewelry rose by 8% and watches by 5%. On the contrary, collector cars fell 6% in their valuation. In the long term, art has experienced a cumulative growth of 105% in the last decade. These data reveal not only the taste and passion of great collectors like Herrero, but also the financial strategy that art represents among the main international investors. In Xataka | Who are the biggest millionaires in Spain: the list of the ten richest people in the country Image | Wikimedia Commons (Jlafuentesanchez)

The two most important weather models in the world are discussing whether Santander is going to freeze next week. And the cold is winning

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Where has all the cold gone? So far this fall (with the sole exception of Siberia), temperatures have been relatively mild on all continents. And it seems that the situation is going to continue like this: it is true that the forecasts speak of a progressive decrease in temperatures in the southeast of Canada, the eastern United States and northern Europe; but no model paints a scenario that is particularly cold (except some very long term prediction). However, all eyes are on the polar vortex. If the models are right, it is very possible that the vortex will experience an unprecedented disturbance in November, leading to an interesting weather period starting in December. “There is no way this is fulfilled.” While November continues with its strange meteorology, the models draw increasingly strange scenarios. At this point in the week, we cannot rule out that on the 18th and 19th we have a more than considerable winter storm with the ‘beast from the east‘looming over Western Europe. In the next few hours we will have a war between models: The American marks a cold entry on Santander, the European said no. Little by little, the two seem to be converging towards a cold scene. It’s too early to say, but in a very few hours the daisy will be shedding its leaves. Anyway, the central issue is that all of this is minute sin. The breaking of the vortex. Except for that event in the middle of next week, autumn will continue to be very warm and mild on almost all continents. However, this could change if sudden stratospheric warming appears. That is, the vortex breaks. Sudden stratospheric warming? To understand it simply, we have to remember that the atmosphere is a kind of “lasagna of air layers” and each of them follows its own logic. That is, they work quite differently and independently. As far as it affects us: the circulation of air in the troposphere (the one closest to the surface) and the circulation in the stratosphere (the layer directly above) are related, yes; But, in general terms, they each do their own thing. During the “sudden stratospheric warming“, a part of the troposphere warms rapidly and, as a consequence, invades the stratosphere, causing a profound alteration of the circulation at high altitude. That is, for a few days, everything turns upside down. And what happens? The most common consequence of this is that the polar vortex weakens and may break down. The polar (arctic) vortex is a current of air that runs from west to east around the north pole and contains cold air at high latitudes. When this current is strong and stable, preventing it from flowing towards places like Spain. If the vortex It destabilizes and its winds lose strength (due to, for example, “sudden warming”), it is relatively common for cold air masses to escape on their way south. What if it doesn’t break? In reality, the vortex does not even need to break. It only needs to move from the Arctic region to lower latitudes. By moving a huge mass of cold air with it, the result is always very similar: an icy cold that can turn any country upside down (even the best prepared ones). And that seems to be what we are going to see. It’s hard to know if it will affect us or not, but there’s no doubt that the late fall weather is getting “interesting.” Image | Meteociel In Xataka | The last hope of winter in Spain is desperate, but increasingly possible: the breaking of the polar vortex

decide how and what the world learns

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In recent weeks we have seen Elon Musk rising as champion of the neutrality of knowledgealthough paradoxically he does so by offering his own vision of history through an AI that only he controls: Grokipedia. Just like they stood out in The SixthMusk’s has not been the only case of a millionaire who has wanted to impose his interests on the interpretation of culture or how it is accessed. For more than three centuries, millionaires have sought to influence in the way the world accesses knowledge, leaving traces that range from the Enlightenment to today’s digital world. Forms and formats change, from printed encyclopedias to artificial intelligence algorithms, but the intention to dominate the narrative persists. Chrétien-Guillaume de Malesherbes and the Encyclopédie In the 18th century, the European political and religious context was restrictive and censorious with respect to knowledge that questioned religious dogma. Chrétien-Guillaume de Malesherbeswas a wealthy and influential French official who, in his role as director of the Royal Librairie, took on the challenge to protect a work that challenged that order: the Encyclopédie of Diderot and d’Alembert. This ambitious project not only compiled human knowledge, but did so from a scientific and rational vision, displacing religious dogma from the center of knowledge. The Encyclopédie became a symbol of the Enlightenment, an ideological statement that sought to liberate the human mind through reason and empiricismgenerating a profound cultural change against the dominant monarchical and ecclesiastical structures. Malesherbes faced censorship and prohibitions, but from his position of influence he defended evidence and science as bases for intellectual emancipation. Encyclopédie of Diderot and d’Alembert This approach not only transformed the way knowledge was understood in Europe, but also established a precedent: access to knowledge could be a tool for freedom and social criticism, very aligned (and even advanced) with the air of freedom that ran through France at the end of the 18th century. The Encyclopédie It was the first major initiative that reflected how knowledge could be a political and cultural weapon, shaped by those who had the influence to protect and disseminate it. Andrew Carnegie and public libraries In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Andrew Carnegie brought the democratization of knowledge to a more tangible and accessible concept: free public libraries. As and how do they count at the BBC, Carnegie was born into a working-class family in Scotland and emigrated to the United States where he amassed an immense fortune thanks to steel industry and demand for steel for railway construction. During his youth, Carnegie faced the reality that many private libraries charged fees that prevented access to the poorest, including himself, which motivated him to invest a good part of his fortune in establishing free libraries. Andrew Carnegie in 1878 However, beyond his apparent philanthropy, Carnegie complained that many workers were not sufficiently trained, so his investment sought to bring that knowledge to the greatest number of people to create an educated and capable workforce. Carnegie financed the construction and equipment of between 2,500 and 3,000 libraries leaving the communities responsible for its maintenance and operation, thus ensuring its sustainability. His vision was for the library to be an open-access community center so that everyone could educate themselves, so that foreigners could learn the language and acquire skills to boost industrial productivity. Bill Gates and Encarta: knowledge in the digital age With the computer boom in the early 90s, Bill Gates envisioned a new way to access knowledge: the multimedia encyclopedia. In 1993, Microsoft launched Encartaa CD-ROM encyclopedia that contained thousands of articles, audios, images and interactive maps accessible from a personal computer. This product represented a radical change with respect to printed books and physical libraries, bringing information closer to homes around the world through technology. But Encarta was not an altruistic work to bring knowledge to users, but rather it set a clear commercial strategy: you needed a PC with Windows to use it, which promoted the influence of Microsoft’s operating system on the consumer. Encarta was presented as an educational, useful and visually attractive tool for a diverse audience, reflecting the transition towards digital knowledge in the emerging Internet era. With this new product, Microsoft took a step back in the free access to knowledge for which Carnegie had fought: to learn with Encarta you had to pay a license between $395 and $22.95, depending on the year. Finally, Wikipedia came to break that economic barrier again by offering free and banishing Encarta. Rupert Murdoch and the media narrative While other models relied on encyclopedic or educational knowledge, Rupert Murdoch built a media empire focused on a more current concept: shaping public perception through ideological narratives. Murdoch, the son of an Australian publisher, expanded his influence by controlling newspapers and television networks such as The Times, The Wall Street Journal and Fox News. His project was neither neutral nor purely informative, but rather a business model based on making the business profitable. opinion and ideological bias. During the 1980s and 1990s, Murdoch built a media structure that made him tremendously rich. Instead of keeping informational neutralityshowed the news according to very defined ideological frameworks, with a focus on the interpretation of facts to influence public opinion. After all, it is another way of offering knowledge according to the point of view of whoever finances the medium. Elon Musk and Grokipedia In the 21st century, information flows in abundance through online channels, but even in this hyperconnected scenario, some millionaires continue to feel the need to show knowledge according to their own prism. As part of his personal offensive against Wikipedia, Elon Musk has launched Grokipedia through his company xAI, presenting it as an alternative “without ideological restrictions or cultural biases” to Wikipedia. Musk accused Wikipedia of having a “woke patina”, that is, a progressive cultural bias, and proposed Grokipedia as a project capable of offering “objective facts” generated by AI. However, Grokipedia has been criticized for reproducing specific political biases and by the lack of transparency in its sources … Read more

Archaeologists have been fascinated by the largest temple in the Mayan world for years. Now we know that it is a map of the cosmos

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Our knowledge about the first Mesoamericans they just widened. And in a big way. A team led by professors from the University of Arizona has published a study with new revelations about Aguada Phoenixa site located east of the state of Tabasco, Mexico, near the border with Guatemala. Said like that, it may not seem like a big deal, but Aguada Fénix is ​​not just any place. When it was discovered, about five years ago, showed up as “the largest and oldest Mayan monument ever discovered.” Now we know that he also had some surprises in store for us. What is Aguada Fénix? To answer that question we have to go back a few years, to 2017, when with the help of lidar technology A team led by two professors from the University of Arizona (UA), Takeshi Inomata and Daniela Triadan, identified an ancient monument that until then had gone unnoticed in the state of Tabasco, very close to Guatemala. The laser beams, capable of passing through tree canopies and revealing three-dimensional shapes, showed nothing more nor less than a monument of more than 1,400 meters long, about 400 wide and between 9 and 15 high. That’s right from the start, because if you go beyond the central platform the set occupies much more spacewith roads and enormous pipelines connected to a nearby lagoon. Why is it important? Because of its reach. And historical relevance. When the archaeologists began to excavate and resorted to radiocarbon dating, they had another surprise: the complex had been built between the years 1000 and 800 BC, which was older than the archaeological site of Ceibalin Guatemala, considered the oldest ceremonial center. Aguada Fénix therefore left a double surprise for the researchers, as confirmed in 2020when announcing the discovery, the University of Arizona itself: not only was previous Ceibal, but stood out in size. In fact, it became the “largest known monument in Mayan history”, far surpassing the pyramids and palaces built during subsequent centuries. And why is it news now? Because researchers have not been content with presenting Aguada Fénix to the world. Over the last few years They have continued investigatingexpanding our knowledge of a complex that actually extends far beyond the central platform and the nine roads initially identified. Thanks to tools such as LIDAR, experts have found out that it extends kilometers further and detected an extensive hydraulic system with channels 35 meters wide and five meters deep with a dam. Have they discovered anything else? Yes. To begin with, Aguada Fénix probably served as a very special ceremonial center, a “cosmogram” that represented the order of the universe as its creators understood it. During the excavations they discovered a cross-shaped well in which they recovered ceremonial artifacts, pieces that offer us “unprecedented information about the first Mayan rituals.” To be more precise, they found jade axes and ornaments showing a crocodile, a bird and a woman giving birth. “It is like a model of the cosmos. They thought that it is ordered according to this cruciform pattern and that this is linked to the order of time,” adds Inomata. Ritual decorations? Not only that. When they reached the bottom of the pit, the researchers located another smaller cruciform structure with a new surprise. There they found mineral pigments, mounds of blue, green and yellow tones that mark cardinal points. “We knew that there are colors linked to directions, and that is important for all Mesoamerican peoples, even the Native American peoples of North America,” comments Inomata. “But we’ve never had pigments arranged this way. This is the first case where we found them associated with each specific direction. It was exciting.” And what were they doing there? Archaeologists believe that the different pigments and other materials were arranged as an offering and then covered with sand and earth. They also verified that radiocarbon dating dates them to around 900-845 BC. With all this data on the table, they do not rule out that people later returned to the monument to perform rituals and deposit objects. Another revealing fact is that the central axis of the Aguada Fénix monument seems to align with the sunrise on two very specific dates: October 17 and February 24, 130 days apart, which suggests to experts that it represented half of the Mesoamerican ritual cycle of 260 days. Inomata remembers that it would not be exceptional. The layout would agree with that of other Mayan sites. Why is it so relevant? Beyond the scope of the site itself, the new findings are relevant for what they tell us about the ancient inhabitants of the region. For a start, remember from the UAdebunks the old theory that Mesoamericans grew gradually and dedicated themselves to building increasingly larger settlements until they reached Tikal in Guatemala or Teotihuacán in central Mexico. Aguada Fénix is ​​long before the heyday of both enclaves, which does not mean that it is “as big or even bigger than them.” “What we are discovering is that there was a ‘big bang’ of construction at the beginning of 1,000 BC that no one really knew about,” reflects Inomata. With the discovery of the state of Tabasco it is confirmed that “from the beginning” there was large-scale planning and construction. Aguada Fénix is ​​so old in fact and anticipates so much of the Mayan apogee (around the 3rd-10th centuries AD) that experts are not sure whether its builders spoke Mayan languages. In any case they do admit “a strong cultural continuity” with later communities. How the hell did they build it? That is another of the most suggestive conclusions of the study that Inmoata and his colleagues have published in Science Advances. In it they slip a curious theory: although it is known that other enclaves, such as Tikal, in Guatemala, were governed by powerful monarchs, in the case of Aguada Fénix there are no indications that speak of powerful rulers with the ability to force their subjects to work. That does not mean … Read more

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