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5 days ago | 
xatakaon.com | Miguel Jorge |Karen Alfaro
In May, residents of the small community surrounding the SpaceX headquarters in Boca Chica, in southeastern Texas, held a historic vote. The majority supported forming the city of Starbase, effectively making Tesla CEO Elon Musk’s company the de facto owner of the enclave with unprecedented autonomy. So, the letter that just arrived surprised the residents. An urban experiment.
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6 days ago | 
xatakaon.com | Javier Márquez |Karen Alfaro
In submarine warfare, silence is survival. The quieter a vessel, the harder it is to detect with sonar. While AI systems are reshaping modern naval strategy, reducing acoustic signatures remains a top priority. Now, a Chinese research team says it has made a significant leap in submarine stealth technology.
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1 week ago | 
xatakaon.com | Javier Pastor |Karen Alfaro
We’d all love to have had a teacher like Mr. Keating, played by Robin Williams in Dead Poets Society. He made his students climb on their desks to see things from a distinct perspective and taught them that the most critical lesson in life is summed up in the words carpe diem (seize the day). Very few teachers come close to that ideal, but all of them—good or bad—face the same future as other professions: replacement by an AI system. A 24/7 teacher.
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1 week ago | 
xatakaon.com | Javier Pastor |Karen Alfaro
On May 20, Google launched Gemini 2.5 Pro and Gemini 2.5 Flash in preview. These new AI models are the company’s most advanced yet, and Google backed its announcement with several comparative charts and tables to prove it. The data showed that both models outperformed competitors in reasoning and traditional performance metrics such as math and programming benchmarks. But Google also highlighted another standout feature: the price of Gemini 2.5 Flash.
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1 week ago | 
xatakaon.com | Miguel Jorge |Karen Alfaro
“Touristification” has reached the most remote corners of the planet. Beyond idyllic beaches, adventurers now venture into areas such as Afghanistan, Iraq, and Albania. Hordes eager for new experiences have even targeted Antarctica. Few could have imagined that swimming with orcas would become a “must.” Dancing with cetaceans.
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1 week ago | 
xatakaon.com | Alejandro Alcolea |Karen Alfaro
Japan is a country of contrasts. On one hand, vending machines selling used underwear, exploitative work conditions, and extreme surveillance have become normalized. On the other, Japanese society values cleanliness and a strict code of conduct that discourages rule-breaking. So, what would you do if you were on a highway, the toll system went down, and the barrier was raised? In Japan, thousands chose to do what they believed was right: pay anyway. In short.
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1 week ago | 
xatakaon.com | Miguel Jorge |Karen Alfaro
In Ukraine, capturing enemy artillery has become like opening a box of surprises. Last November, a Parody drone revealed the extent of U.S. involvement in the conflict without a physical presence. A few weeks ago, Ukraine’s interception of a Russian cruise missile shocked observers because “allied” countries had manufactured it. Most recently, the capture of a Shahed drone carried a surprising hidden message. The air war is intensifying.
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1 week ago | 
xatakaon.com | Ruben Andres |Karen Alfaro
Japan’s aging population is forcing profound changes in work culture to improve conditions and boost productivity without exhausting employees. Japanese workers have long had to choose between a social life and a successful career. The data suggests the former is winning.
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1 week ago | 
xatakaon.com | Javier Pastor |Karen Alfaro
In a scene from 2001: A Space Odyssey, one of the characters, Dave, tries to return to the main ship. He communicates with HAL 9000 and orders it to open the access hatch. “I’m sorry, Dave. I’m afraid I can’t do that,” the computer says, refusing. This scene is the climax of Stanley Kubrick’s 1968 film, which showed audiences a particular dystopia: The self-preservation capacity of AI systems and how this capacity causes machines to stop following human orders.
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1 week ago | 
xatakaon.com | Matías S. Zavia |Karen Alfaro
The International Astronomical Union has officially added 2017 OF201 to its catalog of minor planets. Though technically a trans-Neptunian object, it’s likely to be reclassified as a dwarf planet soon. And it’s not just any frozen rock—it’s one of the most remote and enigmatic objects ever detected in our solar system. Meet the newcomer. 2017 OF201 orbits far beyond Neptune, deep in the solar system’s outermost frontier.
