From physical to virtual cards

Credit cards were created in the 1950s, and with the arrival of smartphones, virtual cards became popular. Let’s review the history of cards and their possibilities.

Sixty years ago the first payment card was introduced and, since that day, the way we shop has changed to adapt to the era of e-commerce, bringing about a radical change in the way we pay. The way we consume is constantly changing, specially with the increase in e-commerce, following the start of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020, as can be seen in the study carried out by Kantar, which states that 3 out of every 4 Spanish households have made purchases online in 2020, and that these households will continue to shop online in 2021. Households that now shop online account for 74.4%, which has increased e-commerce consumers by 8.4% since 2017. As detailed by Kantar in its study, the remaining 26.6% of consumers are older people who commute to buy products themselves, as they prefer a personalised service. And just as the consumption model has changed, so has the payment model. Welcome to the era of virtual cards.

What are virtual cards? 

Virtual cards are more secure cards, and unlike conventional payment cards, they are completely virtual. They are exclusively used for virtual purchases, but with the possibility to be used in physical establishments if you have the card linked to a wallet on your smartphone. The virtual card has a number, an expiry date, and a control number, as Rankia details. The financial website also states that the security controls of virtual cards are very varied. Some banks have a dynamic code that changes with each purchase, while others allow very few purchases to be made, and if there is money left on the card, this money is automatically returned to the account from which the card was recharged. Each customer is free to make a new virtual card whenever they need it, it’s as simple as that.

How was the virtual card born?

Since the world’s first payment card from Diners Club in 1950, the world of payment cards has come a long way, from the arrival of credit cards in Spain in the 1960s to virtual cards, according to Finanzas. A website specialising in finance reminds us that virtual cards were born with the arrival of mobile telephony, with the payment systems known as “wallets”.

How are they regulated?

The European regulation PSD2, the new European regulation on electronic payment services, came into force in September 2018, with the aim of reinforcing security for consumers with e-commerce payment systems. With this regulation, which has been in force for three years now, it can be said that something is changing in the way we make payments. In short, we can say that virtual cards are here to stay as another means of payment.

11Onze is the community fintech of Catalonia. Open an account by downloading the app El Canut for Android or iOS and join the revolution!

Durant la Diada els catalans ens deixem endur pel romanticisme i els ídols de la resistència que van intentar preservar les llibertats. Casanova, Villarroel, Moragues, Carrasclet… però les guerres són una qüestió de diners i cal mirar-les amb fredor i autocrítica. Hi ha una colla de catalans que van optar per fer negoci amb l’invasor, essent així decisius per a la seva victòria.

Toni Mata. Director de continguts i mitjans d’11Onze.

Que les guerres les guanyen els diners és una cosa que se sap des de fa més de 2.400 anys. Ja ho va deixar escrit Tucídides parlant de les guerres del Peloponès. Però quan s’acosta l’11 de setembre els catalans tendim a treure la llista de greuges en lloc de posar-nos a pensar on la vam cagar. El cap del general Moragues exposat durant dotze anys en una gàbia, la brutalitat de la repressió, la resistència de Villarroel, la persistència de Carrasclet, el poble enterrant els traïdors fora muralles perquè “al Fossar de les Moreres no s’hi enterra cap traïdor”… Tot això està molt bé. Però qualsevol país que pretengui ser-ho s’ha de prendre una mica més seriosament a si mateix i deixar-se de romanços. Si l’any 1714 Catalunya va caure va ser perquè es va perdre una guerra i, si es va perdre va ser per molts factors. Un dels que va ser clau és el col·laboracionisme.

Qui es va fer ric amb la victòria de Felip V?

L’avenç de Felip V per Catalunya no hauria estat possible sense que una sèrie de catalans hi contribuïssin prioritzant el benefici econòmic individual per davant del país. Potser aquells ciutadans no tenien consciència de país, però qui sí que la tenia era l’exèrcit borbònic que, tal com explica l’historiador d’11Onze Oriol Garcia en aquest article, va mantenir el 65% de les seves tropes als Països Catalans durant anys per consolidar la invasió.

Efectivament, hi ha catalans que van decidir fer negoci amb els Borbons mentre aquests destruïen el país i les llibertats de tots. I es van fer rics! Es van fer rics subministrant aliments o tota mena de necessitats que tenia l’exèrcit invasor a mesura que avançava. Què hauria passat si aquests subministraments bàsics haguessin quedat tallats a la rereguarda? Felip V hauria pogut mantenir la contesa bèl·lica? Fa de mal dir, però és ben sabut que la flota naval austriacista (que comptava amb el suport català) era capaç de mantenir el subministrament de les seves tropes, però la borbònica no. Depenien del que poguessin comprar a terra ferma.

Per això, a 11Onze hem volgut demanar al nostre historiador que se submergís en els estudis sobre aquesta idea: quins catalans hi van guanyar amb la victòria de Felip V? És a dir, qui el va ajudar i se’n va beneficiar? I el resultat és espaordidor. Prop d’una trentena de famílies catalanes es van fer riques traint el seu propi país. Famílies que van obrir les portes a l’invasor i van ser convenientment recompensades amb contractes públics a partir de 1714. La nova elit catalana es va configurar durant la guerra de Successió. El poble intentava resistir, però alguns apostaven per intentar fer fortuna a costa d’entregar el país a l’enemic. Hem llistat els casos més rellevants, amb noms i cognoms, perquè més de 300 anys després siguem més conscients que mai que alguns catalans van tenir un paper clau en la derrota de Catalunya. 

Trencar la dependència

És el que en podríem anomenar, les paguetes de 1714, fent un símil amb la terminologia actual. La història és reiterativa i és imprescindible conèixer-la per detectar els errors que duen a les desgràcies. És possible defensar Catalunya i que el teu negoci o el de la teva família depengui directament dels ajuts espanyols de l’ICO? O el teu sou? La història diu que no. De la història sabem que és impossible parlar cara a cara o defensar-se d’algú de qui tens una dependència econòmica. I sabem que hi ha catalans capaços de vendre a Déu i a sa mare per un plat de llenties. La consciència nacional estava al segle XVIII (i potser ara?) en un segon terme, per a alguns.

En qualsevol cas, per començar a canviar les coses és ben clar que el primer que hem de fer és dir-nos la veritat. És un compromís que tenim a 11Onze. Per això hem volgut fer aquesta revisió històrica per poder-nos dir clarament: Catalunya no va ser derrotada el 1714 perquè fos abandonada pels anglesos. No tot és culpa d’algú altre. Catalunya va ser venuda per alguns catalans. 

Descobreix les famílies que es van enriquir amb la derrota de 1714 a 11Onze TV.

When Howard Carter opened the tomb of Tutankhamun in November 1922, he was left speechless. Before him lay a treasure that had remained hidden for more than three thousand years: statues, jewellery, ornaments and the iconic funerary mask of the young pharaoh. Time had taken its toll on the wood, textiles and other materials, yet one element seemed to have completely ignored the passing of the centuries. Gold still shone almost exactly as it had on the day Egyptian craftsmen had worked it.

That scene captures the true nature of this metal better than any other. While almost every material we know ages, deteriorates or reacts with its surroundings, gold seems to defy time itself. It is no coincidence that every great civilisation associated it with immortality, power or divinity. Without realising it, they had identified one of the most extraordinary materials found in nature. The king of metals has countless applications, which we will explore throughout this article, and it can also help grow your savings through Or Llavor.

For thousands of years, gold has been associated with wealth. Today, it still occupies a prominent place in the reserves of central banks and in the portfolios of many investors. Yet reducing gold to a financial asset tells only a small part of its story.

Its true uniqueness is scientific.

Gold is one of the very few materials capable of combining near-perfect chemical stability with outstanding electrical conductivity, extraordinary flexibility and remarkable durability, making it indispensable for everything from smartphones to the most sophisticated space telescope ever built.

In other words, nature created a metal so perfectly engineered that, after millennia of technological progress, we still have not found another material capable of replacing it completely.

Gold at a glance

Before understanding why gold is so extraordinary, it is worth getting to know its “id card“.

No other metal combines all these characteristics at the same time. Some conduct electricity more efficiently. Others are lighter or stronger. But only gold achieves such an extraordinary balance.

The metal that seems immune to time

Iron rusts. Copper develops a green patina. Silver tarnishes over the years. Every metal wages a constant battle against its environment. Gold, by contrast, barely takes part in that battle.

Its atoms have such a stable electronic configuration that they react very little with oxygen, moisture or most of the chemical substances found in nature. As a result, a gold jewel buried for centuries can emerge from the ground with an astonishing shine, requiring little more than a simple cleaning.

This exceptional stability is precisely why gold objects have survived the passage of time in such remarkable condition. Many artefacts discovered at archaeological sites are thousands of years old and yet still look much as they did when they were first created.

This characteristic is so unusual that, for centuries, alchemists regarded gold as the perfect metal. They were not entirely wrong.

The liquid that defies the king of metals

Very few substances are capable of attacking gold chemically. The best known is “aqua regia”, a mixture of nitric acid and hydrochloric acid.

Its name is no coincidence. Alchemists called it “royal water” because it was the only known liquid capable of dissolving what they considered to be the king of metals.

The same principle is still used today in laboratories and in certain refining processes.

The metal that can be shaped like no other

If gold’s chemical resistance is remarkable, its physical properties are even more astonishing. Gold is the most malleable metal known. A small ingot can be hammered over and over again until it becomes an almost unimaginably thin sheet. The famous gold leaf, used to decorate altarpieces, domes, sculptures and historic buildings, can be as thin as 0.0001 millimetres. To put that into perspective, it is about one hundred times thinner than a human hair. When artisans apply these sheets to a surface, they are almost literally working with a film of atoms.

Its ductility is equally extraordinary. Just one can be drawn into a continuous wire almost three kilometres long without breaking. This unique combination of flexibility and strength explains why gold has been prized by goldsmiths for more than five thousand years and why it remains so valuable in modern industry.

An almost unbelievable fact

When gold leaf becomes extraordinarily thin, it ceases to be completely opaque. Light begins to pass through it, giving it a faint greenish tint. It is hard to imagine a metal behaving almost like glass, yet gold once again proves that it is a material full of exceptions.

The Colour Only Einstein Could Explain

One question puzzled scientists for centuries. Why is gold yellow? Most metals appear silver or grey because they reflect almost all wavelengths of visible light in much the same way. Gold behaves differently: it absorbs much of the blue light while reflecting yellow and reddish wavelengths more strongly.

Surprisingly, the answer does not lie in classical chemistry. The electrons in gold atoms move at such high speeds that relativistic effects, described by Albert Einstein, come into play. These effects subtly alter the energy levels of the electrons and, consequently, the way the metal interacts with light. Put simply, gold is yellow because of the theory of relativity.

It is one of the very few everyday objects whose colour can only be explained by a theory we usually associate with black holes and distant galaxies.

A mine… inside your drawer

You probably own more gold than you realise. Every smartphone contains tiny amounts of this metal in its microprocessors, connectors and electronic circuits. It is also found in computers, tablets, televisions, game consoles, internet servers and a wide range of modern medical equipment.

The quantity is extremely small—often just a few dozen milligrams per device—but enough to ensure that these electrical contacts continue to function for years without oxidising or losing conductivity.

This has led to a fascinating fact that sounds almost unbelievable: one tonne of recycled mobile phones can contain more gold than one tonne of ore extracted from certain gold mines. That is why experts no longer speak only about underground mining. They also talk about urban mining, the process of recovering valuable metals hidden inside the electronic devices we no longer use. Every forgotten mobile phone lying in a drawer is, in reality, a small reserve of one of the world’s most valuable and useful materials.

From your phone… to the stars

Gold’s unique properties are not only useful here on Earth. They have also proved essential for exploring space. When an astronaut steps outside the International Space Station, they face some of the harshest conditions imaginable. Without Earth’s atmosphere, solar radiation is far more intense, and temperatures can fluctuate by hundreds of degrees within minutes. That is why the visors of space helmets are coated with an ultra-thin layer of gold that is almost invisible. Its purpose is to reflect much of the Sun’s infrared radiation, reducing heat build-up inside the helmet while protecting the astronaut’s eyes from the intense sunlight.

The same principle applies to satellites. Many are equipped with gold-coated components that shield highly sensitive electronic systems. In orbit, the same surface can exceed 120 °C (248 °F) in direct sunlight and drop below -150 °C (-238 °F) when passing into Earth’s shadow. Gold’s ability to reflect heat helps keep these systems operating within safe temperature limits.

One of the most remarkable examples is the James Webb Space Telescope. Its eighteen hexagonal mirrors are coated with a layer of gold only a few hundredths of a micron thick. So thin, in fact, that all the gold used on the telescope weighs less than a golf ball.

The coating was not chosen because of its monetary value, but because gold is the material that reflects infrared radiation most efficiently. Thanks to this property, the James Webb Telescope can observe galaxies that formed only a few hundred million years after the Big Bang.

The metal that lives in harmony with the human body

Few people associate gold with medicine. Yet it is one of the materials most highly valued by researchers and medical device manufacturers. Once again, the key lies in its extraordinary stability.

Gold is biocompatible, meaning it coexists exceptionally well with human tissue. Because it is almost chemically inert, it is highly unlikely to cause inflammation, corrosion or allergic reactions. This is one of the reasons it has been used for decades in applications where long-term reliability is essential. For many years, gold alloys were commonly used in dental crowns and prosthetics. Gold is also found in pacemakers, certain implants and a variety of electronic medical devices designed to remain inside the human body for many years.

But the future looks even more promising. Nanotechnology has opened the door to using gold particles thousands of times smaller than the width of a human hair. These nanoparticles can act as microscopic delivery vehicles, transporting medicines directly to specific cells while reducing unwanted side effects.

Researchers are also investigating their use in early diagnostic systems and innovative treatments for several forms of cancer. It is remarkable to think that the same metal that once adorned the tombs of the pharaohs is now helping shape the future of medicine.

A metal that rarely causes allergies

Many people are allergic to nickel, chromium or other metals commonly found in jewellery and medical implants. High-purity gold, however, has an extremely low incidence of allergic reactions. This is one of its greatest advantages when manufacturing devices intended to remain in contact with the human body for many years.

Gold is so chemically stable that it can even be used in food. The food additive E175 refers to edible gold, which is used to decorate chocolates, desserts, liqueurs, sparkling wines and fine dining creations. It has no flavour and no nutritional value. Its purpose is purely decorative.

What does 18-carat gold actually mean?

One of the most common misconceptions is that carats indicate the quality of a piece of jewellery. In reality, they indicate its purity. The system divides the alloy into twenty-four parts. If all twenty-four parts are gold, it is 24-carat gold. If only eighteen parts are gold and the remainder consists of other metals, it is 18-carat gold.

Pure gold is extraordinarily soft. A wedding ring made from 24-carat gold would scratch very easily. That is why most jewellery is made from 18-carat gold alloys, which retain gold’s characteristic colour while offering much greater durability for everyday wear.

The metal that never disappears

There is one fact that perhaps best captures the uniqueness of gold. Virtually all the gold ever mined throughout human history still exists today. Unlike oil, coal or natural gas, gold is never consumed. It is melted down, recycled and reshaped over and over again without losing any of its properties.

A Roman coin may have been transformed into a medieval chalice. Centuries later, that same chalice could have become a piece of jewellery, then an electronic component and, perhaps one day, part of a satellite. The objects change. The atoms remain exactly the same.

Experts estimate that humanity has mined approximately 216,000 tonnes of gold throughout history. That may sound like an enormous quantity. Yet if all that gold were gathered into a single block, it would form a cube measuring just 22 metres (72 feet) on each side—roughly the height of a seven-storey building.

Every piece of gold ever owned by pharaohs, Roman emperors, medieval kings, central banks and modern industry would fit inside a single building.

Where does all that gold go?

It is striking that only a small proportion ends up in industry. Yet that small fraction is essential for manufacturing computers, satellites, medical equipment, telecommunications systems and countless technologies without which modern life would be unimaginable.

A gift forged before the earth existed

Gold’s story does not begin in a mine. It does not even begin on Earth.

Scientists believe that most of the gold in the universe was created during some of the most violent events known to physics: supernova explosions and, above all, collisions between neutron stars.

When these incredibly dense objects collide, they release colossal amounts of energy capable of creating heavy elements such as gold, platinum and uranium. Those newly formed atoms are scattered through space and, over millions of years, become part of new stars, planets and solar systems. Among that cloud of matter were the atoms that would eventually become part of the Earth. And, much later still, a wedding ring, a microchip, a satellite or a space telescope.

It is an extraordinary thought. The gold atoms we hold between our fingers today are older than our planet. They have survived stellar explosions, the birth of the Solar System, the emergence of life and the entire history of humankind.

Perhaps that is gold’s greatest value. Not because it is rare. Not because it is beautiful. Not even because it serves as a financial safe haven. Gold is unique because it embodies an almost unparalleled combination of properties that nature perfected long before humans ever existed. A metal that continues to shine after thousands of years, enables some of the world’s most advanced technologies and reminds us that even the most ordinary objects can contain a story that began far beyond our own planet.

The next time you look at a piece of gold jewellery, you may no longer see only a precious metal. You may see a fragment of a star that died billions of years ago and, after an unimaginable journey across the cosmos, finally found its way into your hands.

Protecting savings with physical gold has been one of 11Onze’s greatest contributions to its community, and its range of products continues to expand. In today’s environment of market volatility, persistently high inflation and growing distrust in the banking system, gold is once again strengthening its role as a safe-haven asset. Discover Or Llavor at Preciosos 11Onze.

We continue our approach to the history of contemporary women. In this case, we do so by recalling the figure of Carme Karr, who embodied progressive feminism between the 19th and 20th centuries and played a key role in the establishment of universal women’s suffrage.

History has been written by men. For centuries, the male gender has constructed a narrative around its deeds – mainly in the public sphere – and has minimised or ignored women’s contributions.

War, politics, diplomacy or management have built this reality. Therefore, the role given to women has been typically reserved for their gender: wife, mother, daughter, lover… To put it simply, the masculine vision has ended up imposing itself on the feminine reality.

Since ancient times, the sexual differentiation of work has led to a distribution of tasks according to sex, largely driven by biological characteristics. The evolution of societies based on this distinction would end up provoking a differentiated apprenticeship between women and men, which capitalism would transform into resounding inequality.

Voices of protest

At the same time, voices were raised that, through knowledge, ability, and intelligence, would energetically combat gender-based social injustice and express a clear desire to achieve full equality between men and women, even if it cost them their lives.

Catalan society at the beginning of the 20th century did not know how to handle the impact of the appearance of Carme Karr y Alfonsetti (1865-1943) on Barcelona’s intellectual scene. The fact that she was born in a bourgeois, cosmopolitan and European environment – together with her mastery of several languages – gave her a great breadth of vision.

History has recognised her as the country’s first regularly published journalist. She had gained experience on the staff of the magazines ‘Juventud’ and ‘El Adelanto’. But she is most widely known for her work as the head of the magazine ‘Feminal’.

A feminist megaphone

From this megaphone of gender freedom – created and designed for women – Karr would work intensely to elevate the intellect of the female readers who sat down to read at the recently created Biblioteca Popular de la Dona (Women’s Popular Library).

With countless top-level contributors and contributions from all over Europe, ‘Feminal’ acted to vigorously vindicate the role of women in society. The topics it covered were not usually trivial, but highlighted, above all, pervasive issues of common interest. The annals of journalism will remember the written confrontation between Carme Karr and Eugeni d’Ors in their debate on the intellectual capacity of women in tackling such “complex” cultural subjects as poetry, art, and music. No doubt about who got scalded!

It was through her writings that Karr projected a model of womanhood based on modernity and humanism. The key to her ideology hinged, firstly, on the acquisition of a female culture of her own, a basic factor for the progress of society. And then, in obtaining absolute recognition of all their rights.

Culture and feminism, together in public for the first time

It was on Wednesday 6 April 1910 that a woman was allowed to speak in public about culture and feminism for the first time. And it had even more merit to do so in front of an audience that was mainly male and not at all accustomed to listening to women, as was the Atenu Barcelonès at the beginning of the 20th century.

Today’s curiosity evokes the question of how those men must have felt when they heard from the mouth of a woman, and probably for the first time, the importance of normalising the world of women within their patriarchal society.

This discourse is widely remembered as it openly addressed the need to create institutions exclusively for women’s education. These centres of culture for women were to become the fundamental tool that would enable them to acquire the appropriate professional level and thus pave the way to full equality in the workplace.

In addition to the renaissance strategy, it was also necessary to work on the regulation of more gender-specific issues, such as mutual insurance companies to protect them during maternity or the creation of female labour exchanges.

Echoed in Madrid

It was a resounding success. The social impact of the conference was such that it had to be repeated on the following two Wednesdays: 13 and 20 April. But it didn’t stop there. The demands reached Madrid, in a letter sent to the Catalan Solidarity MP Francesc Macià. The future 122nd president of the Generalitat of Catalonia understood that this demand was legitimate and necessary to modernise Catalan society.

This was a turning point for Carme Karr. In the early 1920s, the journalist became an activist, and one of the first actions she undertook in this new phase was to promote the association Acció Femenina, which worked tirelessly to establish universal suffrage for women, among other actions.

The concept of universal women’s suffrage that Carme Karr defended was much closer to the British and American suffragettes than to the National Association of Spanish Women (ANME), which they considered too radical.

The 1929 Barcelona International Exhibition was a perfect megaphone for Catalonia and for Carme Karr to show the world that Catalan society was already modern. Carme Karr was entrusted with the direction of the Women’s Pavilion, the content of which was designed to break down the prejudices of the time about women.

A short-lived breakthrough

The Second Republic brought universal suffrage for women throughout the state. For the first time, women could vote. History had done justice after so many decades of effort and legitimate demands. In this way, conservative feminism, which argued that the social role of women had to focus on two areas: the family and religion, was imposed.

But the victory was short-lived. Carme Karr was deeply affected by the outbreak of the Civil War, the establishment of Franco’s regime, and the outbreak of the Second World War.

For an intelligent, freedom-loving, and absolutely pacifist person, it was difficult for her to understand how a gang of obtuse people were imposing by force, a model of women that forced them to return to their homes and be removed from public life. Seeing decades of effort vanish in an instant pushed her into a depressive abyss.

Thanks to the work of Carme Karr and her contemporaries, universal women’s suffrage became a reality throughout the state. That generation of women worked for the creation of a feminine consciousness that claimed the need to articulate a culture from the feminine self.

11Onze is the community fintech of Catalonia. Open an account by downloading the super app El Canut for Android or iOS and join the revolution!

In 2016, something happened that many experts considered impossible. AlphaGo, a program developed by DeepMind, defeated world champion Lee Sedol in a game of Go, a board game so complex that for decades it had been believed that no computer would ever be capable of mastering it. The surprise was not just the victory itself. Some of the moves made by the machine left even the world’s greatest players bewildered, who described them as creative and unexpected.

That day made it clear that artificial intelligence had entered a new era. Behind that demonstration was a technology that now powers ChatGPT, voice assistants, automatic translators and systems that help detect diseases: deep learning. But what exactly is it, and why is it transforming so many industries at once?

When computers only followed instructions

For much of the history of computing, computers could only do what programmers explicitly told them to do. If we wanted a system to recognise a cat in a photograph, we first had to define the characteristics it should look for: the shape of the ears, the whiskers, the snout or the tail.

This way of programming works very well when the rules are clear, but it falls short when dealing with much more complex problems, such as understanding a conversation, interpreting an X-ray or distinguishing one person from millions of faces.

The first major change came with machine learning. Instead of writing every single instruction, researchers began feeding computers thousands of examples so that they could discover patterns on their own. Even then, however, humans still decided which information was important.

What makes deep learning different?

Deep learning is an evolution of machine learning that removes much of this human intervention. Instead of telling the system what it should look for, it learns by itself which patterns are relevant.

To achieve this, it uses artificial neural networks, structures very loosely inspired by the way the human brain works. These networks are made up of multiple layers of interconnected neurons. The first layers detect very simple elements, such as lines, colours or contrasts. The following layers combine this information to identify more complex shapes, while the final layers are capable of recognising an object, understanding a sentence or predicting a response.

The word deep refers precisely to this succession of layers. The deeper the model, the more complex the patterns it is able to learn.It is this ability to learn automatically what is important that has turned deep learning into the driving force behind modern artificial intelligence.

Learning also means making mistakes

When someone learns a language or plays a musical instrument, they improve through repetition, making mistakes and correcting them. Artificial neural networks work in a similar way.

During training, the model analyses an enormous amount of data, makes a prediction and checks whether it is correct. If it is wrong, it slightly adjusts millions of tiny mathematical parameters that determine how it behaves. This process is repeated millions of times until the error becomes smaller and smaller.

That is why today’s models can recognise voices, translate languages or generate text with remarkable accuracy. Not because they “think” like we do, but because they have learned to identify extraordinarily complex statistical patterns.

The revolution is also about hardware

If this technology has existed since the 1980s, why has it only taken off now?

The answer is not only in the algorithms. It is also in the hardware.

Training a neural network requires executing trillions of mathematical operations. Traditional processors (CPUs) were not designed to handle this type of workload efficiently. GPUs, on the other hand, originally created to render video game graphics, are capable of performing millions of operations simultaneously.

When researchers discovered that these graphics cards were ideal for training neural networks, the development of deep learning accelerated exponentially. Companies such as NVIDIA, which for years had been associated almost exclusively with the gaming industry, became key players in the artificial intelligence revolution.

Without this evolution in hardware, ChatGPT or Gemini would probably still be laboratory projects.

A technology that is already part of our lives

Deep learning is far more present in our daily lives than we might imagine. It unlocks our phones through facial recognition, filters spam emails, detects fraudulent banking transactions, translates texts in real time and helps radiologists identify lesions that might otherwise go unnoticed.

It is also the foundation of the large language models that have popularised generative artificial intelligence. These systems do not search the Internet every time they generate a response. Instead, they use the patterns learned during their training to predict the most likely answer.

The same principle is also being applied to the development of new medicines, scientific research, autonomous driving and even the prediction of weather events.

The future also raises questions

Deep learning has demonstrated extraordinary potential, but it is not without limitations. These models consume vast amounts of energy, require enormous volumes of data and often operate as a “black box”: they deliver highly accurate results, yet even their creators cannot always explain exactly how they reached a particular conclusion.

There is also a strategic issue to consider. Developing the most advanced models requires infrastructures worth billions of euros, concentrating this technological capability in the hands of a very small number of companies. In a world increasingly dependent on artificial intelligence, controlling data, chips and computing power could become just as important as controlling energy or raw materials.

A revolution that is only just beginning

Deep learning is not simply a new computing technique. It is the breakthrough that has enabled machines to move beyond merely following instructions and begin learning from experience. This seemingly subtle difference is transforming entire industries and redefining the relationship between people and technology.

It is still too early to know how far this revolution will go, but one thing seems clear: understanding what deep learning is is no longer just a matter of curiosity for engineers. It is a way of understanding one of the technologies that will shape the future of the economy, science and society.

Protecting savings with physical gold has been one of 11Onze’s greatest contributions to its community, and its range of products continues to expand. In today’s environment of market volatility, persistently high inflation and growing distrust in the banking system, gold is once again strengthening its role as a safe-haven asset. Discover Or Llavor at Preciosos 11Onze.

Tourism is one of the businesses that shows one of the highest capital flow worldwide. As per the report from the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO), in 2019, 1.4 billion of international tourists were recorded and up to between 100 and 120 million of jobs are linked to it.

It is, therefore, a sector with an undeniable weight in the world’s economy, and more particularly, with a direct affectation to practically all the inhabitants in the planet either in an active form as travellers or in a passive one as locals.

The touristic sector asks for regulation and responsibility

Given its importance, since years ago there are more and more organisations, Companies and collective bodies that ask for a sustainable tourism system that can be kept over time and nourish the population. Everything points to the fact that this industry will continue growing during the next years and, therefore, if the current model does not change, the negative impact that it generates will increase at the same rate. We are all currently familiarised with sustainability as a concept and we even have adopted certain daily routines that contribute to respect the environment. An attitude that changes more or less when we travel: we leave lights switched on, recycling, take care of public spaces, using more ecological transport ways, spend the necessary water, using less plastic … actions that we may miss when we are on holidays and which, by themselves, do not generate an impact, although they may mean a higher issue when they are multiplied by 1.4 billion people.

Within this context, and with the urgency to change the touristic model into a more responsible perspective, it pops-up the sustainable tourism concept, understood as the one which “satisfies current needs without compromising the capacity of future generations to satisfy their own needs”, as it is described in the Brundtland report. It will be about then, to minimise the negative impact that tourism is currently generating and to maximise its benefits, mainly from the three big pillars: environmental, sociocultural and economical.

To reduce the environmental impact to preserve future 

Tourism very much depends on the environmental quality to survive and evolve but, paradoxically, this is one of the main activities that it harms. Infrastructures construction like airports and roads, highly polluted transport ways by land, sea and air, creation of equipment and touristic resorts like restaurants, shopping centres, golf fields or sportive areas are examples of the negative impact that it brings to any region. All of this brings also risk to the flora and fauna in the area, which in the past years has worsened the situation of hundreds of species, especially the marine ones, which have not been able to overcome the changes that human pollution has caused in their natural habitat.  

In parallel, it has been thanks to tourism that some natural areas have become protected areas or they are areas with especial care being taken orientated to preserve the space looking forward to the future. This is the positive impact where sustainable tourism should be betting: to achieve the maintenance of care of spaces both natural and urban, by governments’ organisms to favour both, local citizens and future visitors.

Controlling the sociocultural impact and to bet for the diversity wealth

The willingness to often travel comes motivated by the restlessness to know other Countries, together with everything that this implies: culture, language, food and costumes. Diversity within the globalism is foreseen, and this arouses respect, tolerance and knowledge by both parts, but especially from the visitor’s point of view. For sustainable tourism it is essentially this cultural preservation but, amongst everything the respect for it. Guaranteeing a value experience therefore, must mean to guarantee sociocultural wealth.

A non-planned tourism, other than being a nuisance to local inhabitants, can bring miserable consequences on their lives and their quality of life, an issue that some areas of Catalonia have already suffered first-hand in terms of gentrification, this is a disproportionate increase of dwellings’ and plots’ prices that turn into, those being inhabitants, to look for more economically viable alternatives, giving way to those who can invest, a fact that may not have a direct relation to tourism in some cases but which, without doubt, has meant an aggravating item. 

The increase in prices in touristic  is one of the reasons to destabilise local people, forcing them to assume higher prices, well above the standard prices they could find in any other street of the city outside the touristic path. If we look at Barcelona, coronavirus crises forced many restaurants in touristic areas to lower their prices to match those offered in the rest of the city, showing the prices war that tourism business means. Avoiding this through regulation policies could not only protect local citizens but ensuring tourists pay for the right price of the product.

Positive economic impact: investing in people

From and economical point of view, it makes sense that as a business, tourism should bring benefits to the related area, but the challenge is making it in an equitable and sustainable way. It will bring nothing to improve the turnover if this does not bring a positive impact in the welcoming area. This is, to have a true benefit it has to mean an advantage to all implied parties and, if managed in a controlled and efficient way, tourism can have the enormous power of enriching the population through the creation and maintenance of jobs both, direct and indirect. 

On the contrary some multinationals, way away from applying a sustainable tourism system, choose to do the other way around, what is known as “scape”. These are business models where profits are not left in the welcoming Country nor bring any profit to the Country, like in hotels with an all-inclusive regime, where customers do not go away from the resort and, therefore, do not generate a positive impact to the area’s economy. They do create an impact indeed but negative as far as taxes is concerned, since the required infrastructures to welcome tourism are often financed through this business. It will require though to weight the generated impact of tourism against the cost that population  pays for. If there is no balance, then we are presumably facing a non-sustainable system and which will need to be revisited.

Tourism is in the end, our joint responsibility since we have all been involved for some time. There are actions that depend only on the individual responsibility and commitment to bet for a sustainable life model, also when we travel. The other side of the management, and that with a higher impact, belongs to the private and public organisations that will need to plan tourism facing next coming years with a clear motive: a bet for sustainability is a bet for the future.

Do you love to travel? With 11Onze Viatges you can book accommodation at the best price, without stifling the travel industry.

Plan your holiday, pack your bags, and grab a book. Summer is synonymous with disconnection, and reading is the main protagonist. We bring you a book selection for your summer travels.

Recently, a study found that reading makes us more empathetic. With the only condition that it is quality literature, the researchers found that people who read are able to recognize the emotional state of the characters and improve their imagination and mental agility. 

And not only that. It is also popularly said that reading makes us attractive; in fact, it would be like brain gymnastics: it stimulates mental activity and concentration, disconnects us from problems and anxieties, and allows us to travel to new worlds. There are many benefits to reading, and they all explain the importance of encouraging it from an early age. So jot down the titles you can’t miss this summer and start training your brain!

• 21 Lessons for the 21st Century (2018) by Yuval Noah Harari. In this new instalment, the author of Sapiens (2014) and Homo Deus (2016) describes the fundamental lessons for living in this century. With his theories, he invites us to think, drawing scenarios that describe the main current challenges. He reviews social, political, and existential issues, and warns of technological dangers, from a daily point of view that defines the impact of all this on our present and future lives.
•  FakeYou: Fake news y desinformación (2018) by Simona Levi. The phenomenon of fake news questions the health of the media, political parties, governments, or companies. Controlling this often means restricting citizens’ freedom of expression and information. Simona Levi questions this legislation based on violating fundamental rights, in a work that becomes a weapon to fight against manipulation, lying, and falsification.
• The Vegetarian (2017) by Han Kang. It is not about vegetarianism, but the story begins when the protagonist stops eating meat. An individual decision that becomes a social challenge, a symbol of rebellion against what is conventional. About quitting submission and facing the system. A poignant and awkward story that describes what happens when you question what is accepted, and you break the rules, and how far the human capacity goes to carry it out to the last consequences.
• The Grapes of Wrath (1939) by John Steinbeck. It narrates the collapse of the American dream following the Great Depression. A context of economic and financial crisis that leads the protagonist family to emigrate and start a vital search to ensure their jobs, their dignity, and their future. A timeless story where power, equality, and justice are confronted in the United States.
• El hambre (2014) by Martín Caparrós. Wasting food and going hungry are the main concepts that Caparrós reviews in this book that has led him to travel to countries around the world where hunger is the main problem. A book that reviews food from all points of view, from those who speculate to those who need it, to explain and denounce a global issue in which we are all involved.
• The Handmaid’s Tale (1985) by Margaret Atwood. A disturbing dystopia that has become relevant once again. In a totalitarian and theocratic society, women have been reduced to mere instruments of reproduction. Atwood warns of the real danger posed by the loss of hard-won rights. It is a difficult read, but a necessary one.
• The Order of the Day (2017) by Éric Vuillard. Winner of the Goncourt Prize, this short but incisive work narrates the inner workings of economic and political power on the eve of Nazism. With an ironic and lucid style, Vuillard portrays how great historical events are intertwined with the mediocrity of those who make decisions.
• The Invisible Women (2020) by Toni Morrison. A personal choice: any work by Toni Morrison is worthwhile, but The Invisible Women stands out for its depth and sensitivity. The story of African-American women struggling to find their voice, identity, and freedom in a world that ignores them. Poetic and moving.

Some books distract you, others move you, and some change the way you see things. Whatever your summer pace, choose one and let yourself be carried away. You may not change the world this summer, but perhaps a good book will make you see it with new eyes.

11Onze is the community fintech of Catalonia. Open an account by downloading the app El Canut for Android or iOS and join the revolution!

Com ja havia succeït amb la resolució de passats conflictes bèl·lics, la trobada entre els vencedors de la Segona Guerra Mundial a la ciutat alemanya de Potsdam l’estiu de 1945 va tornar a dividir el món en dos blocs. Les grans potències occidentals van posar en pràctica un nou model econòmic que els permetria imposar la seva preeminència per sobre d’altres països.

Dos models polítics, socials i econòmics —en principi antagònics— que durant dècades s’enfrontarien diverses vegades en petits conflictes armats, de baixa intensitat i que esdevindrien la gran palanca de creixement econòmic per al món occidental.

Però la Conferència de Potsdam també va constatar que el capitalisme industrial —iniciat a finals del segle XVIII— era un model econòmic esgotat. Els més de seixanta milions de morts a conseqüència de la Segona Guerra Mundial, obligava les antigues monarquies europees —ara evolucionades a democràcies occidentals— a adoptar formes molt més sibil·lines d’aconseguir els seus objectius econòmics. Per tant, la nova estratègia extractiva havia de ser menys catastròfica i més efectiva. Per aquest motiu, el nou model econòmic que s’anirà desplegant progressivament ja no implicarà haver d’ocupar un territori físicament, sinó que n’hi haurà prou amb controlar les elits locals.  

Amb aquesta nova estratègia, els Estats Units, com a grans vencedors i sustentats per una potent maquinària militar, seran capaços de desplaçar el centre econòmic mundial —d’Europa a Amèrica del Nord— per mitjà de la imposició de la seva moneda, la pressió financera exercida pels seus bancs, i amb la creació d’una dependència tecnològica a escala global. Per tant, la implantació de les seves més que conegudes multinacionals —Amazon, Nike, Coca-Cola, Pepsi, Apple, McDonald, Disney o HP, entre d’altres— els permetrà conquerir directament o indirectament a la quasi totalitat del món. L’entreteniment, principalment el cinema i els grans esdeveniments esportius com els Jocs Olímpics, la Super Bowl o Mundials de Futbol, seran les veritables armes de subjugació mental i material que possibilitaran estendre el somni nord-americà arreu del món.

La pau social, base de la nova eficiència econòmica

Tot va començar la primavera del 1951 a Mont-real, quan representants de diferents agències d’intel·ligència occidentals es van reunir en secret amb professors universitaris de psiquiatria a l’hotel Ritz-Carlton de la ciutat canadenca. Del resultat d’aquella reunió se sap, per documents desclassificats, que l’exèrcit nord-americà va invertir una gran quantitat de diners a la Universitat McGill de Mont-real per a investigar sobre l’aïllament sensorial. 

La investigació va ser iniciada pel Dr. Donald Olding Hebb, qui acabaria abandonant el projecte en adonar-se de la magnitud de la tragèdia, i acabada pel Dr. Donald Ewen Cameron, el qual les portaria fins a un nivell superior. Cameron arribà a experimentar amb un gran nombre de pacients que van ser sotmesos a una multitud de sessions d’electroxocs, combinades amb cures de son i una constant repetició de missatges gravats fins a l’extenuació mental. 

L’estudi va constatar que l’aïllament sensorial no deixa de ser una manera de generar una monotonia extrema que acabava provocant una reducció de la capacitat de pensament crític a través de l’ennuvolament de la ment de l’individu. Per tant, quan una persona no és capaç de raonar… mal assumpte!     

Els resultats de tots aquests experiments permetran a les agències d’intel·ligència occidental dissenyar mecanismes de control sobre la seva pròpia població amb l’objectiu de garantir l’estabilitat social dins les democràcies. En conseqüència, es repetirà fins a l’avorriment la idea de llibertat d’expressió, llibertat de premsa i el dret a la propietat privada, base fonamental del lliure mercat. I a fi de garantir l’eficiència econòmica, es farà de la competència un instrument per a impulsar el creixement econòmic, constant amb la premissa que “si l’empresa del costat té millors productes i més vendes que jo, en conseqüència, hauré de desenvolupar millors idees per a ser millor que la meva competència.” 

I una altra qüestió no menor respecte als estudis sobre l’aïllament sensorial, és que permetran a les agències d’intel·ligència occidentals elaborar manuals d’interrogatori —com el famós manual KUBARK de l’exèrcit dels EUA i de la CIA— els quals es posaran en pràctica contra els dissidents del sistema, tant interns com externs, als postulats occidentals.  

La gestió de la por

L’avenç tecnològic que va suposar la Segona Guerra Mundial portaria la humanitat a sortir a l’espai exterior —a la Lluna i més enllà— però també va suposar el desenvolupament de la bomba atòmica com arma de destrucció global. Aquesta serà emprada com a instrument de pressió política que encara avui persisteix.

Els cinc països principals que fabriquen armes al món — els Estats Units, Anglaterra, França, Rússia i la Xina— són els que tenen a càrrec seu la nostra pau. Fan el negoci de la guerra, però venen la pau, sobretot a través dels mitjans d’informació al servei dels poders hegemònics occidentals que fan un examen de democràcia a cada país. Són grans mitjans de comunicació que confonen la llibertat d’expressió amb la llibertat de pressió i decideixen qui és un dictador o un colpista, que curiosament té el “mal costum” de fer votar a la gent per saber què pensen sobre aquella política o una altra qüestió que els pugui afectar. I aquells mitjans que no segueixen aquestes directrius són clausurats o portats als confins del sistema. Els mitjans mostren una realitat que moltes vegades no existeix a fi de suggestionar-nos, incomunicar-nos i enfrontar-nos entre nosaltres!

La teràpia de xoc econòmic

Com tothom sap, el crac del 1929 a Wall Street va desencadenar la Gran Depressió dels anys trenta. Fins al 1932, uns 5.096 bancs es van declarar en suspensió de pagaments. El seu esfondrament va arrossegar moltes empreses a la fallida, les quals veien com s’acumulaven els estocs de mercaderies, i va comportar un important descens dels preus, especialment en el sector agrari. Finalment, el descens de l’activitat econòmica va provocar un augment desbocat de la desocupació. 

Influenciat per l’economista John M. Keynes, el recentment proclamat president dels Estats Units, F. D. Roosevelt, va posar en marxa un important programa d’ocupació pública perquè la gent pogués tornar a treballar: la política coneguda com a New Deal. Però no serà fins després de la Segona Guerra Mundial quan finalitzarà la depressió, gràcies en gran part a la implantació del famós pla Marshall, el qual generalitzarà el model regulador i intervencionista de Keynes a la majoria dels territoris occidentals.  

Contrari als postulats de Keynes, trobem ja a finals dels anys quaranta del segle XX, un reduït grup d’intel·lectuals —coneguts amb el nom de la Societat Mont Pelerin i dirigits per l’economista austríac Friedrich August von Hayek— els quals estaven convençuts que si els governs deixaven de prestar serveis i de regular els mercats, els problemes de l’economia mundial es resoldrien sols. Un dels seus màxims representants i professor d’economia a la Universitat de Chicago, Milton Friedman, creia que a través d’una teràpia de xoc econòmic impulsaria a les societats a acceptar un capitalisme més pur i desregulat.  

Certament, les tesis de la doctrina del xoc s’han acabat imposant arreu del món en diferents processos. Aquestes mesures radicals han triomfat no tant de la mà de la llibertat i la democràcia, com de la seva imposició gràcies a xocs, crisis i estats d’emergència. Per tant, lluny d’endolcir el paper dels Estats Units a l’hora d’esdevenir un país hegemònic en l’àmbit mundial, la seva capacitat de controlar el món ve donada per les sancions, restriccions, bloquejos, congelacions, confiscacions o la intervenció militar.

I per damunt de tot, ha estat fonamental el paper que ha jugat la creació d’una burocràcia internacional específica, generada estrictament per no dependre de les Nacions Unides i, per tant, per estar exempta de qualsevol control directe que pugui molestar a la comunitat internacional. Aquests organismes supranacionals —Banc Mundial, Organització Mundial del Comerç i Fons Monetari Internacional— han executat mil·limètricament totes aquestes teràpies de xoc econòmic arreu del món, combinant la pressió política amb l’extorsió. I d’exemples no en falten!

Un sistema necessitat de gàngsters econòmics

El 2004, el nord-americà John Perkins —un antic treballador de la consultora americana CHA Consulting, Inc.— va publicar un interessant llibre titulat “Confessions of an Economic Hit Man”, en el qual explica amb tota mena de detalls com va participar en diferents processos de colonització econòmica dels països del Tercer Món, especialment al continent sud-americà, durant els anys vuitanta. 

Perkins, com a economista en cap de CHA Consulting, tenia la tasca d’identificar països amb recursos naturals que interessaven als clients —majoritàriament corporacions— que representava la seva consultora. 

Un cop identificats, la següent fase consistia a enviar un “petit exèrcit de xacals” cap al país en qüestió per a prometre’ls que, amb la venda dels seus recursos, el país assoliria l’estàndard occidental, pel que fa a benestar social i estabilitat econòmica. I finalment, s’obligava el país a sol·licitar un gran préstec —a través del Banc Mundial o altres organitzacions vinculades— justificat davant l’opinió pública com a part de l’acord i pel fet de no disposar ni de la tecnologia ni de la infraestructura necessària per extreure, produir o manufacturar el recurs natural.   

Però aquesta quantitat de diners no arribaven mai al país en qüestió, ja que sortien del Banc Mundial —amb seu a Washington— i es desviaven a un compte a Houston, Texas o San Francisco, on curiosament el titular era una empresa que treballava per a la consultora, i que estava especialitzada en la construcció de la infraestructura necessària per extreure, produir o manufacturar el recurs natural. 

Per tant, els diners servien per a pagar les despeses de les obres —centrals elèctriques, carreteres, parcs industrials, ports— que al final només generaven grans beneficis per a les empreses adjudicatàries. Cert és que, en grau menor, també acabaven enriquint a una minoria local que posseïen les indústries bàsiques o els establiments comercials, però en detriment de la majoria. Per tant, al final del procés tots els recursos econòmics del país destinats a la sanitat, l’educació o altres serveis públics servien per a pagar aquells préstecs. Tal com explica en John Perkins, el fet de conèixer ‘a prioiri’ la incapacitat del país per retornar els préstecs era una part important per executar el pla. 

D’aquesta manera, el sistema ha permès que corporacions occidentals o organismes supranacionals —Banc Mundial, Organització Mundial del Comerç i Fons Monetari Internacional— acabin creant una mena d’imperi paral·lel que controla àmplies zones del planeta: les anomenades “zones d’influència”. És per aquest motiu, que les democràcies occidentals tenen la capacitat de dir a un d’aquests països “influenciats voluntàriament” que si no pot pagar els seus préstecs, sempre pot vendre’s l’explotació dels seus recursos… això sí, sense l’obligació d’un compromís social o mediambiental; o ha de permetre la construcció d’una base militar al seu territori, o ha de votar contra determinats països considerats “enemics” a la següent trobada de les Nacions Unides.

 Quan el president d’un d’aquests països no accepta, la major part de les vegades s’acaba intervenint o enderrocant el govern. El procés s’inicia amb una forta campanya de desprestigi nacional i internacional, es creen notícies falses de tota mena per condicionar l’opinió pública i, al final —en favor de la democràcia—, s’executa el cop d’estat totalment justificat. I si la cosa no surt bé, se l’acabava assassinant. La història contemporània està plena d’exemples: Mossadeq a l’Iran (1953), Ngô Đình Diệm al Vietnam (1955), Lumumba al Congo (1960) o Allende a Xile (1973). I més recentment, les pressions de tota mena que han hagut de suportar en Lula da Silva per frenar la desforestació de l’Amazònia brasilera, Maduro per nacionalitzar el petroli veneçolà o Petro per la descarbonització de l’economia Colombiana.

L’economia de la mort 

El 2009, en plena recessió global, el psicòleg anglès Oliver James va publicar el llibre “The Selfish Capitalist”, el qual conclou que darrere de les malalties mentals de la societat occidental actual, s’hi amaga el capitalisme practicat els darrers cinquanta anys. Simplificant molt, la tesi del llibre exposa com l’economia neoliberal anglosaxona ha empès als individus a voler tenir cada cop més i més cotxes, telèfons mòbils, roba, diners… i tot plegat ha desembocat en una insatisfacció permanent de l’individu. Basant-se en un estudi publicat per l’Organització Mundial de la Salut el 2004, conclou que les malalties mentals afecten quasi un 23% de la població al món anglosaxó i a un 11,5% a la resta dels països europeus, atès que van entrar més tard en la roda neoliberal.  

Per exemple, als Estats Units, el nombre de joves estudiants amb un deute descomunal va en augment, de la mateixa manera que hi ha un nombre brutal de gent endeutada per tractaments sanitaris, per targetes de crèdit o per hipoteques. Per tant, aquest sistema que es va dissenyar per a explotar els països anomenats “en vies de desenvolupament”, ara s’ha girat en contra d’occident. 

Per altra banda, l’economia neoliberal ha buscat maximitzar els beneficis a curt termini sense tenir en compte el cost social i l’impacte mediambiental. I en aquest aspecte, els neoliberals com en Friedman es van equivocar: més enllà del curt termini, cal incrementar els beneficis a llarg termini, d’aquesta manera hi sortirem tots guanyant. Si ens guiem pel propòsit de pagar una taxa de rendiment decent als inversors que inverteixen, podrem començar a canviar el model.Segons el darrer informe de l’Institut Internacional d’Estudis per a la Pau d’Estocolm (SIPRI), la despesa militar mundial total va augmentar un 3,7% en termes reals el 2022, fins a assolir un nou màxim històric de 2,24 bilions de dòlars. Si gran part d’aquests diners es destinessin a pagar a les mateixes empreses que obtenen aquests contractes milionaris, però en comptes de pagar per fabricar míssils, es fes per a recollir tots els plàstics dels oceans, recuperar els medis naturals destruïts, netejar els abocaments de residus dels oceans… el planeta en sortiria guanyant. I en aquest procés, les noves tecnologies ens poden ajudar a fer-ho possible.

La multipolaritat

Aquest sistema ha funcionat mentre els guanyadors han estat els Estats Units, ja que permetia que els seus aliats s’emportessin un tros del pastís amb la condició que recolzessin la seva política internacional o facilitessin l’accés de les seves empreses als seus mercats. Els Estats Units han estat capaços de compartir el pastís amb tots aquells que s’alineessin, però no amb aquells que estiguessin disposats a disputar-li els seus interessos econòmics.   

Arribats aquí, entrem en una nova era on la distribució del poder polític, militar i financer ja no recaurà en un sol país. En poques paraules, el món deixarà de ballar al so d’una sola música. De fet, ja hem començat a ballar al so de la música oriental, sota ritmes de la balalaica, combinada amb una mica de samba, uns tocs d’Indi-pop i una pinzellada de mbaqanga.

11Onze és la fintech comunitària de Catalunya. Obre un compte descarregant l’app El Canut per Android o iOS. Uneix-te a la revolució!

La teoria evolutiva és molt més complexa que una reducció a simples competències individuals. El cas és que, a partir de la teoria de l’evolució de les espècies de Charles Darwin, hom va arribar a la conclusió que les jerarquies socials existents dins les societats contemporànies eren el resultat d’una “selecció natural” o de la “supervivència del més apte”. Tanmateix, la tria selectiva i aplicació de conceptes biològics en un marc social i antropològic poden ser molt lesives per la humanitat.

A finals del segle XIX, el naturalista i filòsof anglès Herbert Spencer va impulsar l’aplicació dels conceptes biològics de la “selecció natural” i de la “supervivència del més fort” al camp de les Ciències Socials. D’aquesta manera, Spencer va inventar el concepte de “darwinisme social”, el qual suposava una aplicació tergiversada i intencionada de la teoria evolutiva de Darwin.

 El concepte va fer molt de furor dins dels cercles acadèmics, com per exemple a l’escola econòmica neoclàssica o marginalista, representada pels economistes Jevons, Menger, Walras, Pareto o Marshall. Aquest corrent de pensament econòmic es va centrar principalment a explicar els comportaments individuals i l’intercanvi de béns i serveis, abandonant els grans temes clàssics referents a la generació de riquesa i la seva distribució, les quals havien ocupat les anàlisis econòmiques des de mitjans del XVII. 

Tanmateix, no és cap casualitat que aquest concepte tingués gran acceptació —sobretot entre l’alta societat europea— donat que va aparèixer just en el moment en què les antigues monarquies europees es transformaven en els moderns Estats actuals, adoptaven el capitalisme com l’únic sistema socioeconòmic i abandonaven el mercantilisme per sempre més. 

 D’aquesta manera, els Estats occidentals —incloent-hi els emergents Estats Units— van començar a donar gran importància a la competència entre individus —entengui’s aquí també entre empreses, territoris o països— dins del sempre defensat lliure mercat i a justificar el perquè existeixen actors forts que veuen augmentar la seva riquesa i el seu poder, en contraposició dels agents considerats dèbils que veuen disminuir la seva riquesa i el seu poder, si és que alguna vegada en van tenir! 

 Per tant, el “darwinisme social” només significaria l’expressió ideal de les relacions materials dominants. Des d’aleshores, el concepte ha esdevingut molt popular entre les societats occidentals, el qual ha estat àmpliament divulgat en els cercles acadèmics i socials, atès que ha proporcionat a les societats occidentals una justificació pseudocientífica de les seves posicions privilegiades arreu del món. A més, ha permès continuar justificant racionalment el seu passat colonitzador d’Amèrica, Àfrica i Àsia. I fins i tot, els ha permès justificar la misogínia.

Naturalment, existeixen altres opcions!

Als antípodes de Spencer trobem al geògraf i zoòleg rus Piotr Kropotkin qui, a finals del XIX, aportarà una mirada totalment oposada al “darwinisme social”. Per a Kropotkin, la cooperació és el factor clau en l’evolució humana, mentre que la competència esdevé una qüestió paral·lela. 

A través del seu llibre “El suport mutu: un factor en l’evolució”, Kropotkin desgrana com la cooperació i l’ajuda recíproca són pràctiques comunes i essencials dins la natura. Si els humans renunciem a la solidaritat i la substituïm per la cobdícia, serà quan apareixerà l’estratificació social, es justificarà l’absolutisme i s’acabarà endolcint el feixisme. Aquest darrer estadi no el va poder observar en Piotr Kropotkin, però, en canvi, sí que ho va poder descriure magníficament en George Orwell en la seva coneguda faula de “La revolta dels animals”. 

D’aquesta manera, només una moral basada en la llibertat, la solidaritat i la justícia podrà superar els nostres instints destructius, els quals també formen part de la naturalesa humana. Per tant, serà de vital importància que la ciència esdevingui el fonament de l’ètica, obligant-la a defugir de qualsevol principi sacralitzador del poder. I també serà important l’estudi constant de les estructures socials, les quals ens permetran produir el coneixement necessari per cobrir les necessitats humanes, base per al desenvolupament d’una societat lliure.

Aquells que pensin que “la llibertat és fer tot allò que un vol”, són ximples! Hegel afirmava que “la llibertat és consciència de la necessitat” i Montesquieu, molt bellament deia que “la llibertat és poder fer allò que hem de fer”. Després hi ha els farsants que diuen que “la llibertat és no tenir límits”. I on troba això? Potser en la geometria on només hi ha el punt i la recta o les corbes regulars. No, la vida és pura exigència amb límits. Una llibertat que no sigui amb responsabilitat és un frau —afirma el filòsof espanyol Antonio Escohotado a la seva obra “Los enemigos del comercio. Una historia moral de la propiedad”.

Per tant, el suport mutu és el terme que descriu la cooperació, la reciprocitat i el treball en equip, el qual comporta o implica un benefici mutu per a les persones que cooperen o que hi estan involucrades. Existeixen infinitat d’exemples de mutualisme dins del regne animal i vegetal, com per exemple el treball col·laboratiu que fan les formigues a l’hora de recollir els aliments per l’hivern; o l’estratègia tan eficaç de les plantes, que aprofiten la interacció amb els insectes i ocells per pol·linitzar. Més de cent setanta mil espècies acaben contribuint al 35 % de la producció global de cultius alimentaris. 

Certament, la natura està plena d’exemples i en Kropotkin aporta infinitat d’arguments per a demostrar que els humans som interdependents. De fet, aquesta és la clau del nostre èxit com a espècie dins l’evolució humana, fins al punt que les primeres societats humanes van practicar aquesta estratègia quan va esdevenir una qüestió de supervivència. 

La idea de l’individu socialment independent és un mite que ha estat àmpliament promogut pels Estats occidentals —sobretot al món anglosaxó— i per les grans corporacions multinacionals, les quals han projectat infinitat de models triomfants d’homes i de dones fets a si mateixos. La clara visualització dels seus triomfs ha permès al sistema modelar-nos a partir del concepte de Spencer. D’alguna manera, s’ha aconseguit convertir-nos en consumidors atomitzats i fàcilment controlables, atès que d’ençà que som petits se’ns educa per esdevenir persones individuals, autosuficients, independents, possessores de propietats o portadores de smartphones que, malgrat que ens faciliten la connexió entre nosaltres, paradoxalment ens aboquen a l’aïllament. Sense saber-ho, duem incrustat el darwinisme social dins dels nostres cervells.

Noves maneres per velles estratègies

Cèlebre és la frase de Voltaire quan diu que “la civilització no suprimeix la barbàrie, sinó que la perfecciona.” Encara que sembli estranya, la frase continua essent actual. L’esclavitud ha existit sempre i sempre existirà, només que el món contemporani ha suavitzat els mètodes. Quins són els dos aspectes que un ésser humà defensaria amb la seva vida? Els seus fills i un lloc on romandre. 

I actualment, quins són els dos mecanismes que ens subjuguen al sistema? Doncs, formar una família i adquirir un habitatge. L’habilitat del sistema rau en el fet que ha estat capaç de crear negocis rendibles al voltant d’aquests dos principis. És per això que s’ha fomentat el desig de la propietat privada i la formació de la família ideal com a entitat de consum, al mateix temps que s’han anat congelant els salaris, s’han apujat els preus dels habitatges i han anat augmentant els costos de la vida per criar els nostres fills. D’aquesta manera, s’ha aconseguit una població de dependents i convençuts per gran part de les seves vides. Aquests són algú que s’endeutarà i se sotmetrà davant d’un treball precari o d’una llei injusta a fi de mantenir aquests estàndards que imposa el sistema. És per això que està a les nostres mans dir prou!

El mutualisme a Catalunya

A Catalunya, existeixen infinitat d’exemples de mutualisme, els quals tenen el seu origen en els gremis i les confraries de l’edat mitjana. Des de finals del segle XIX, les mútues, les cooperatives o les associacions han esdevingut un dels trets distintius de la societat catalana. Només cal veure la recaptació de La Marató de TV3 any rere any! La riquesa del seu teixit associatiu mostra una gran diversitat d’entitats que vertebren el nostre país, que van des d’associacions de lleure i esport, de mútues o asseguradores de salut, de previsió social, a cooperatives agràries, passant per associacions culturals o veïnals fins a arribar a les organitzacions polítiques, les caixes d’estalvi o la banca comunitària.

La banca comunitària se sustenta sobre el principi del mutualisme, el qual es basa en les tendències associatives dels éssers humans per a aconseguir satisfer les seves necessitats a través de la cooperació voluntària i pacífica, l’ajuda mútua i la solidaritat en un model on els productors intercanvien lliurement productes i serveis.

Des del primer moment vam explicar que 11Onze és una fincom. Una plataforma fintech on la comunitat pot educar-se financerament, consumir continguts i accedir a un ventall de productes financers en continu creixement: des del compte d’El Canut pots fer la teva gestió bancària, comprar d’or, criptos i aviat tenir accés a préstecs.

Vols saber quin és el gran secret dels catalans?

11Onze és la fintech comunitària de Catalunya. Obre un compte descarregant l’app El Canut per Android o iOS. Uneix-te a la revolució!

They tried, but they could not whitewash history. The memory of the past has to endure in order to learn from mistakes and not fall into the same traps. The victors were determined to alter historical reality and keep the ‘I’ above the ‘you’. But, winds from the north helped to change the situation and, with will, perseverance, and the courage of many women, they managed to put things in their place. We continue with the historical exercise is giving us on the approach to the History of Contemporary Women.

The establishment of ultra-conservatism within Spanish society – after the Civil War – was only a momentary effervescence lacking in real solutions. The international legitimisation obtained by the regime, which materialised at the end of the 1940s and had unsettled the opposition, did not bring any substantial improvement in terms of economic stability, nor in terms of the structural improvements Spain needed. On the other hand, repression did make it possible to achieve strict control over demands in all areas.

But twenty-five years after the end of the Civil War, Francoism was given a second chance to transform itself. The power offered by the massive influx of foreign capital – under the supervision of the International Monetary Fund – allowed the regime to move from autarky to unprecedented economic growth. It was through the implementation of the famous stabilisation plans initiated in the late 1950s that Spain entered the 20th century.

And to commemorate that event – the end of the war – Francoism launched an extensive propaganda campaign with the sarcastic slogan: “XXV Years of Peace”. The event served to exalt and legitimise the regime internationally as the guarantor of peace, order, progress, and stability. Blinded by “desarrollismo”, the Francoist dictatorship took advantage of the event to spread its extraordinary political oxymoron: organic democracy – now evolved into a parliamentary monarchy – which would allow it to survive for a few more decades. Many more!

Even so, it was still only a facelift on the outside, given that social and political improvements were still to come on the inside. Then, unknowingly – or not – the “economic miracle” favoured the emergence of the consumer society that would contribute to greater mobility of the population, which would give them access to a different type of information. All of this would lead to a progressive loss of influence of the Church – especially in the domestic sphere – and the emergence of new social and sexual habits.

The progressive European model led the regime to evolve

Fashions and customs from Europe brought about a significant change in the mentality of the 1960s generation. In spite of everything, openness – following European canons – forced the regime to accept the return of women to the world of work, which, together with the arrival of foreign tourists and the resurgence of feminism, caused the Francoist model of women – submissive, domestic and Catholic – to gradually crumble.

Nevertheless, Francoism fought this foreign social interference to the very end. From the airwaves, the regime supported the radio programme ‘Consultorio de Elena Francis’, which became an authentic sociological phenomenon for decades. Therefore, the dictatorship – through the ‘Women’s Section’ – used this medium to continue transmitting its ultra-conservative ideology and morals toward women.

The ‘Consultorio de Elena Francis’ recommended that women should be in self-denial, resignation, look the other way, turn a blind eye, be patient, wait for things to change or sacrifice themselves for their children and family. In reality, the background to women’s daily lives was different: single housewives, relegated to the home and housework, sexuality linked to motherhood, homosexuality ignored or rejected, an indissoluble marriage and guilt always attributable to women. Outrageous!

The official discourse pivoted towards “desarrollismo”, the welfare and progress of Spain, and the regime tirelessly sought to leave behind all echoes that would lead to the recovery of the memory of the Civil War. For this reason – and intentionally – the voices of thousands of people who had to cross the border in January 1939 were gradually silenced for decades. Thousands of exiles had been officially rejected by the Dictatorship and forced to become stateless.

“Spaniards, Franco is dead”.

After the death of the dictator, many disturbing questions arose within Spanish society. One of the first was: What had become of the exiles? Montserrat Roig y Fransitorra (1946-1991) answered it.

Montserrat Roig’s work ‘Els catalans als camps nazis‘ (1977) showed a reality hidden by Franco’s regime and unknown to many of the generations born after the 1940s. She gave a face and a voice to the entire generation that had to go into exile because they were at odds with the war’s victors. Roig managed to undo the fear that prevented many of the protagonists of exile and the Holocaust from speaking out. She recovered from anonymity such powerful women with such an intense life as, for example, Neus Català, who gave an account of her life as a resistance fighter in France and her stay in the Nazi concentration camp of Ravensbrück.

The echo of this document of testimony about the life of exiles in Nazi concentration camps was so immense that it brought Roig great notoriety in the society of the late 1970s. A few years later, she would expand the story of the deportees in the third part of his novel ‘L’hora violeta’ (1980). Before working on the forgotten exile, the author – winner of the Sant Jordi Prize for her novel ‘El temps de les cireres’ (1976) – had sought a meaning to life – from Natàlia’s feminine point of view – in late-Francoist Barcelona. For all these reasons, Montserrat Roig would become one of the most widely read and admired writers in contemporary Catalan literature. In fact, her aura still lives on!

From this point onwards, however, Montserrat Roig’s narrative would gradually change, as she experienced a profound disenchantment with the new political reality that was being constructed. On the one hand, her view of the incipient democratic state – what has been defined as the ‘Model Transition’ – led her to have serious problems with censorship and prohibitions with the public body that had contracted her to carry out a series of television interviews. The scandal was so huge that it even reached the Spanish Congress and Senate. On the other hand, the imposition of the Pujolist vision of what Catalonia should be like – which she did not share – led her to focus more on literature, on researching her unique and non-transferable voice. Shortly before her death – of breast cancer, by the way – she published a compilation of articles with the suggestive title ‘Digues que m’estimes encara que sigui mentida’ (Say You Love Me Even If I Lie), in which she reflected on her personal universe – as a woman and a storyteller – and analysed the cultural society in which she lived.

In the essay ‘Digues que m’estimes encara que sigui mentida’, Montserrat Roig talks about literature as an alibi to fix the time that flees inclement. She talks to us about the manipulations of memory and the media. She teaches us to see Barcelona through a window through which the gaze of a woman author looks out in a world dominated by the canons of male creation. And, above all, she confesses a series of reflections that sound terribly close to us, because they explain things to us about the personal geographies and collective homelands that we share.

11Onze is the community fintech of Catalonia. Open an account by downloading the super app El Canut for Android or iOS and join the revolution!