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Spain was the first globalization, not Portugal. The article forgets to mention two key elements:

1) The Manila galeon[1], the first trading route connecting Europe, America and Asia. This was the first trully global trade route (Portugual never established a trans-Pacific route).

2) The Real de a Ocho[2], the first global currency, used virtually everywhere including the US until the modern dollar replaced it in 1857. It still lives through the $ symbol, representing the Pillars of Hercules and the "Plus Ultra" script [3].

It also downplays the role of Spain in the first circumnavigation. Sure, Magellan was born in Portugal, but he sailed for the Spanish Crown. The expedition was financed by Spain, sailed Spanish ships and finished its trip commanded by a Spanish sailor (Juan Sebastián Elcano).

Finally, it is worth mentioning that the Spanish was not an empire of mere territorial possession, it was a civilization. Spain has currently 50 sites inscribed as UNESCO World Heritage [4], and from the ~150 sites in the Americas, ~50 were built by Spain. These includes entire cities, universities, hospitals, infrastructure, defenses and more [5].

[1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UGRn5qCAXBI

[2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spanish_dollar

[3] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plus_ultra

[4] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_World_Heritage_Sites_i...

[5] https://greatbritainandtheusatheirtruehistory.quora.com/33-c...


As a history enjoyer I have actually heard of this:

> The Black Legend (Spanish: leyenda negra) or the Spanish Black Legend (Spanish: leyenda negra española) is a purported historiographical tendency which consists of anti-Spanish and anti-Catholic propaganda

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Legend


I'll be honest, that sounds like either propaganda itself or someone's victim complex.

>This was the first trully global trade route (Portugual never established a trans-Pacific route).

You're saying because Portugal traded with Asia through the wrong ocean, it wasn't global? Seems like an odd metric.


No, I'm sayng that Portugal never closed the circuit that led to a global trade route. They built a line between Europe and Asia, but Asia and America remained economically disconnected. It was that loop that Spain closed that enabled a global economy.

There was nothing in the Americas as trade partners, in the meanwhile Portugal was trading with Africa, India and Asia (including Japan) in regular routes. Your point is moot.

This is true. Tordesillas meant that trans-Pacific trade was not realistic for Portugal.

Don’t forget the Dutch who were the first to have colonies in North and South America, Africa and Asia.

Spain didn't exist back then

Establishing when did Spain become Spain is complicated, but a commonly agreed date is 1480, following the Cortes of Toledo: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Council_of_Castile

...more than 160 years after the portuguese navy was founded, and 20 years after Henry the Navigator was dead. Still not as big of a gap as those 19th century references that you linked to reply to a post about 15th century events

I'm not sure what the organizative reform of Spain has to do with the founding date of Spain and Portugal's navies. In any case, the Spanish Armada is the result of joining the Castilian and Aragonese navies, both dating from the early XIII century: https://armada.defensa.gob.es/ArmadaPortal/page/Portal/Armad...

RLHF: Reinforcement learning from human feedback - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reinforcement_learning_from_hu...


What ammuses me is that the little Korg Volcas synced up in the demo can be found really cheaply if you look around. They were low cost units to begin with and are now old enough to be considered classic equipment so there are loads on the market.

The Volca Drum being used is excellent at making all kinds or resonant, spriny noises with its wave guide effects if that's what you're looking for. It's a very distinct, unique sounding little box.

Volcas in general are an affordable way to get started with electronic music making. Cheap enough and easy enough to sell if you change your mind.

(I still really want a Phase 8 though :P )


Coming next year: A Behringer knockoff that's just as good for $250.


ah the savings possible when somebody else does all the original work and RnD


“just as good” with every single corner cut ;)


Not too bad, considering the space it sits in.

Another "physical modeling synthesizer" which I've been looking at for the last few weeks (https://www.ericasynths.lv/steampipe-3153/) goes for €990, which is more or less the same as the phase8, when you consider the currency difference.

Edit: Actually, seems phase8 will be slightly cheaper, my local (Spain) shops seems to sell it for around €950.


I really love the Steampipe and its approach to synthesis, its a lot of fun:

https://www.reddit.com/r/synthesizers/comments/1j7hgoo/makin...

Erica synths makes really solid hardware too.


Phase8 isn't physical modeling, though. It's actually electroacoustic, like a Rhodes.


Find an English pub that needs you.


Not true, it also covers pubs in Wales


Yeah, I have NO clue what this site is even about.


It is a "use it or lose it" style campaign by the looks of it.

Lots of Pubs in the UK are closing down in recent years. Pubs have traditionally been a big part of socialising in the UK. I don't drink anymore so I don't bother unless I am having a pub lunch on a Friday.


Can't you drink non-alcoholic beverage? If the point is socialising, alcohol is not a requirement.

I know a lot of bars in my area also are places to play board games nowadays.


> Can't you drink non-alcoholic beverage? If the point is socialising, alcohol is not a requirement.

It kinda is though depending on who you go to the bar with.

I went to the bar to get fucked up, a lot of my career I've worked in toxic workplaces, so have stressful day and work and then hit the bar.

Most of my mates at the time were heavy drinkers. We are talking about people that would have 6 beers and the bar and have a bottle of Rioja when they get home. Some of these dudes have turned out to be scumbags.

Once I stopped drinking, I never spoke to them again. Not once. So these people weren't my real friends.

> I know a lot of bars in my area also are places to play board games nowadays.

TBH, when I see people playing board games other than like Chess or Draughts as adults (and there are not children present), I just find it embarrassing like it is like some child day care. I appreciate it is a "me" problem, but I can't stand it.


¡Feliz Navidad!


> I’m not even going to bother explaining what an agent is.

Does anyone actually know what exactly an agent is?


Yes, and the post says what it is about 100 words later. It's an LLM running in a loop that can access tool calls.


From the official site: https://www.yangwangauto.com/en/car/u9-xtreme

- 6:59.127 Lap Time - The first lap record on the Nürburgring

- 496.22 km/h - The Fastest Car on the Planet

- 1200v - World's first series-production model with ultra-high-voltage platform

- Over 3000 HP - Global horsepower record for production cars

- 30000 rpm - Global fastest motor rpm - 4 motors


There is an organization doing this in Spain, Adopta un Abuelo: https://www.eib.org/en/stories/isolation-elderly

https://adoptaunabuelo.org


That's awesome, and fitting, since my daughter has an Abuela. :-)


I can highly recommend the book Practical SDR if you want to learn about SDR: https://nostarch.com/practical-sdr


Honest question: what kind of problem does this solve?


It solves a problem for Stripe : potentially evading some incoming regulations in payments in the UK/EU (and U.S probably).

Regulations in payments tend to be very technical, and inserting some crypto/distributed plausible deniability in the mix could get them 5 more years of delay (until the next generation of regulations). It will depend on how those regulations take shape in the coming months.


Second line of the page:

> Stablecoins enable instant, borderless, programmable transactions, but current blockchain infrastructure isn’t designed for them: existing systems are either fully general or trading-focused. Tempo is a blockchain designed and built for real-world payments.

What is different in the details, no idea.


Once you take into account AML and KYC laws, which will obviously be enforced should this gain any sort of adoption. What will be different in practice?


The US is working on a law that may exempt crypto from AML/KYC because "innovation". If that passes there will be a rush to blockchain everything.


I don’t see that happening, mostly because it wouldn’t benefit Trump in any way. He’s already free to (crypto) grift as much as he wants, he doesn’t need looser AML laws. Probably going to go the way of the strategic BTC reserve.


cheap fees, cross border payment without relying on legacy platforms like visa and mastercard. Also the added benefit of programmability


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