reading

There is a clandestine movement of Chinese women reading homosexual erotic literature. And China is repressing it

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Until mid -2024, if you lived in China and wanted to read some literature rise in tone, your reference website was Haiter Literature City. Millions of women wrote and read erotic stories with an incentive: they were starring men. However, at the end of last year, mass arrests of those responsible again condemned the genre to ostracism in the country. Although erotic literature has always had space in China, it seems that it is no longer a country for dirty pages. A libidinous history. Chinese erotic literature It is a genus of long historical tradition: already during the period Han (around 200 BC) circulated didactic manuals on sex, but with literary format of dialogue between the emperor and its tutors. This is the oldest erogetic literature, together with specific works in ancient Egypt, Greece and Rome, And it has always been marked by metaphors and poetic codes of great lyricism. China would not stop producing key works of the genre, such as The persecutive ‘Jin Ping Mei’, of the 16th century. The genre has always shone in China when it has used erotic scenes as an excuse to raise critical and satirical issues. Some of that remains in the current and digital incarnations of the genre, which transcend the mere accumulation of sexual acrobatics. Hurricane Danmei. The stories that present romantic relationships between male characters are known under that name. They are works of women and women: the majority of authors and readers of the genre are, which is born with the seventy sleeves (The famous Yaoiwith which so many features share), which arrived in China illegally translated into Taiwan. This generated a scene of young writers who created their own stories, thus modeling a Chinese adapted identity but very influenced by Japan. With the arrival of the Internet the Danmei became mass and came to see even adaptations to the cinema of some works, although with the high erotic voltage completely domesticated. The digital arrives. The Danmei, more prominent genre At the present time of Chinese eroticism, it experienced an unusual impulse with digital platforms, which allowed not only many authors to professionalize, but also a community of readers. After the almost clandestine circulation in forums, Danmei Digital was consecrated on websites as Jinjiang Literature Cityeven standing with all kinds of genres, although very trimmed in its erotic part Since the end of the last decade. Others relevant websites They are lianchenng readmei chinese web, although the most noticeable, without a doubt, is Haiter Literature City. The case of Haitang Literature City. Also known as Flower Market, she was specialized in erotic literature, and more specifically in Danmei, and had the servers located in Taiwan for run from censorship. It didn’t help him. In June 2024, Chinese authorities deployed an operation that affected dozens of websitesbut Especially afower market: They arrested several authors and distributors of material out of the web for continental China, accused of publishing and profiting with obscene and pornographic content. Flower Market kept financial records of Chinese authors, which facilitated things to the authorities. No one went well. On the one hand, it was clear to what extent censorship and Chinese repression did not stop within its borders: There was no space for the authors of erotic literature and queer. But also, it was clear that the first thing for Haitang Literature City was the business: The platform received criticisms for prioritizing their economic interests, delaying the elimination of accounts and promoting content even after arrests, which put the authors at risk. The lack of protection that they suffered was evident. Censorship in China. Although homosexuality was decriminalized in China in 1997, the explicit representation of its relationships remains under strict surveillance, since pornography is prohibited and the definition of “obscenity” is very vague, which allows the authorities to intervene in very diverse cases, almost unpredictable. Periodically, the Erotic Materus Danmei It has been persecuted and forums and stores with material on the topic on the Internet have been closed. Not a few authors have been arrested in this context, although The best known case is Tianyi’sauthor that in 2018 was sentenced to ten years in prison. Debates and future of gender. This prohibition environment, with cases as recent as the closure of Flower Market and the imprisonment of Tianyi, have generated a climate of suspicion and fear. In this way, the Danmei has become a symbol of political resistance, although its content is not explicitly. Outside China, international platforms such as Archive of Our Own have allowed the genre to be increasingly known and Relevant Danmei works editions in countries like Spain. A fever that hides a very complicated political and social situation. Header | Nguyen Dang Hoang Nu in Unspash In Xataka | Bad Sex: The worst erotic scenes of literature

How many books a month are too many books? The debate about reading as another form of extreme consumerism

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The mixture of the need to create constant content and the search for new forms of validation has generated a new controversy in the Tik Tok literary sector. Creators cross accusations with others about the legitimacy of reading without stopping, where is the real enjoyment and if reading more or less determines the real quality as a reader. They have not reached any conclusion, but the question is on the table: how much do you have to read to read good? Readers shock. The booktoker Beautifulone of the most often of the Spanish booktokersfera, with almost 350,000 followers She was accused by another booktoker, Palomo Gamyito erroneously normalize reading dozens of books per month. According to this other Booktoker, this infernal rhythm of readings hides a much more critical reality: we must maintain that rhythm of readings to follow the crazy rhythm of launch of the great publishers, accusing many of the main creators of content about books of being spokesmen at the service of the industry. 11 tricks to dominate Tik tok What this clash hides. Gamyi is, in fact, a booktoker who instead of talking about the Latest novelties of Romantasy and literature Young adultcomments more serious novels, such as ‘The Shadow of the Wind’ or ‘The Conjure of the fools’. In addition, it combines comments from books with videos about your own love for writing. His defense of reading little but “better” also hides an ethical positioning and a claim of gourmet readings above literary fast food. Where everything is kneaded. All this happens in the BookTook digital subculture, an increasingly numerous group of users that recommends and promotes books: from recovery of classics to comments from novelties, going through tricks to read more and/or better. Many observers believe that this current our way of reading has changed and is transforming The customs of generation Z. He Hashtag that Group these users It already adds 200,000 million visualizations, enough to consider a cultural force that conditions the large publishers, who see how gender sales like Romantasy rise when recommending them Booktokers. What have the booktokers have done. Convert the accusations of Palomo Gamyi into a viral issue, of course: it has been put on the table how many books it is reasonable to read a month, all overlooked with tips and humor. It is an issue that was already commenting Since 2024so it is not new, but the video of Palomo Gamyi has brought up what this activity has to follow the editorial rhythm together. That is, a matter of creation of novel content to grow in social networks. Too many books? From this conflict two primary themes come out. The first is whether in Spain they are published Too many books: In 2024 were 89,347according to the Ministry of Culture: an increase of 2.6% compared to the previous year already levels similar to the pre-pondemic years. It is a very high figure and puts us at the head of Europebut it generates problems: a fierce competition for the care of the reader and a very short life for the news. A problem that, perhaps, compulsive readers such as beautifulbooks are helping to prolong. A validation. The other problem of the Booktoker community that hides this conflict is the search for personal validation through quantity, something similar to Likes psychology: A reaffirmation is sought through that acceptance of strangers. The mountains of read books are also a way of generating admiration and envy by a community with which tastes are shared, no matter how much reading is not very repossed and, as Gamyi complaint, does not generate a real reflection on the work, but a mere to pass pages. The discussion has not caused the blood to the river, and most of the booktokers participating in it seem to agree that each one must read what he can (and want). Which does not prevent a long and sinister shadow on such a simple and, beneficial hobby, benefit, such as reading for pleasure. They are also readers. The BookTokers They are not a promotional creation of the industry, but a spontaneous movement born in social networks (they have their equivalents in others, such as Booktubers), and they are a sign that in post-pandemic reality, there is a generalized fever by reading. Microeditorials arise consecrated to the publication of authors and projects outside the great industry, reading clubs They have ceased to be an extravagance For library mice, and books are relief from the saturation of screens we live, even in our leisure times. Conflicts like this are the least, because in the end they refer to the important thing: we like to read. Header | Patrick Tomasso in Unspash In Xataka | There is something in the book by José Breton that has crossed a red line although we have been hooked for years to True Crime Crimes

We have been reading about the danger of arsenic in rice for years. So much that we run the risk of not believing it in the worst possible time

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Arsenic is one of the best known toxic elements. The fact that traces of this element can be found in the rice we consume sounds more alarming than it really is: today only very high consumption of this food could involve health risks. The problem is that this can change in the future. Growing concentrations. A new study has pointed out that the increase in temperatures and carbon dioxide concentrations (CO2) in the atmosphere can favor the absorption of arsenic in rice crops. This would translate into a greater presence of the element in the dishes elaborated from this cereal. A change whose impact could be significant around 2050. This increase in arsenic concentration could especially affect the population in Asia, where rice represents a higher portion of the food consumed. “Our results suggest that this increase in arsenic levels could significantly raise the incidence of heart disease, diabetes, and (cause) other non -carcinogenic effects,” he said In a press release Lewis Ziskka, co -author of the study. The risk of arsenic. Arsenic is considered a heavy metal despite chemically belonging to the semimetal group. He Risk level which implies its presence depends on several factors, for example on the fact of the molecular structure in which it occurs (its organic structures are less dangerous than the inorganic ones). And, of course, it depends on the dose. The risk posed by this element has to do with its accumulation in our body. Its presence can lead to problems in development among the youngest, and in adults it has been related to skin disorders, bladder and cancer of lung. 28 Rice varieties. The team responsible for the study analyzed the effects on the rice of an average increase of 2º Celsius at the temperature and the associated increase of atmospheric CO2. Did it in 28 varieties of this cereal, modeling the evolution of its inorganic arsenic content over 10 years. From there, the team estimated the health impacts that this accumulation could produce in the populations of seven Asian countries around 2050. The result: a drastic increase in cancer cases and especially the cases of bladder cancer. Among the countries studied, China would stand out, which could see more than 13 million new cases of cancer associated with arsenic exposure. The details of the study were published In an article In the magazine The Lancet Planetary Health. Not everything is lost. In its study, the team raises some possible adaptation measures dedicated to reducing the future impacts of this problem. The team suggests hybridar varieties of plants to favor those that absorb less, introduce improvements in soil management in rice fields, and improve food processing practices. They also propose consumer -centered measures: education and minitor, they explain, they could play an important role in reducing the impacts of this growing presence of arsenic. The occasional alerts we receive regarding arsenic levels in rice could make this more difficult, by turning this problem into a “Pedro and the Wolf story”: a non -existent problem that we pay attention today could become a real problem that we ignore in the future. In Xataka | What is really happening with white rice (and to what extent should we worry) Image | Shayan Ghiasvand

In 1995, a reading club began reading James Joyce’s most difficult book. 28 years later it is finally finished

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More than a quarter of a century has taken Gerry Fialka, a Californian experimental filmmaker, in bringing a very ambitious purpose: a reading club of ‘Finnegans Wake‘, James Joyce’s book that is famous not only for his extraordinary literary quality, but for the difficulty involved in his pages. Literary nightmare. ‘Finnegans Wake ‘was published by deliveries from 1924, and was only edited as a book fifteen years later, when its title was also revealed. Since its first edition, the hostility of critics and readers was won by Your difficultywhich sometimes seems to be written in An invented language (in fact, mix words of seventy languages), and with which Joyce seeks to reproduce the way in which memories are ordered and reproducedwith words of multiple meanings and that try to challenge literary conventions at all times. 28 years. From this monumental fuck (‘Finnegans Wake’ is the closest that literature has been to generate a completely new means of expression), Fialka congregated every month in a local library to a group of between ten and thirty people. Your mission: comment in each session two pages of the book. The purpose was so ambitious that they ended up having to reduce it to a single page a month. They began in 1995 and 28 years later, in November 2023, they managed to finish reading full ‘Finnegans Wake’. Why get into this authentic scrub? The Guardian He spoke with Fialka when the reading came to an end, and some of his usual people commented on the appeal they had found in the monumental task. Bruce Woodsis, a 74 -year -old Disney retired animator, says that although “there are 628 pages of things that look like typographic errors,” he has not stopped rereading the novel since his adolescence, and that he finds in it “something of visionary.” Woodsis allowed himself to leave the club for two decades to return to him when he found no other to analyze it so intelligently. At that time, the club had only advanced fifteen chapters. A special club … With such a special purpose and novel, it is clear that we do not talk about a club to use. Fialka himself defines him more as “a Performance Artistic that a reading club “, and also speaks of the club as” a living organism. “The group ended up finding a purpose despite a few initial months of chaos and gallimaties comparable to the sensations that the book itself awakened. The curious thing is that the interpretations of the work themselves are all valid, because Joyce died not long after publishing it: he could not explain it. … for a special book. Sam Slote, One of the greatest experts In Joyce of the world, he affirms that “we must accept that no one will understand it, and that is where the idea of ​​community reading enters.” After all, Joyce himself affirmed that “the demand I make to my reader is that I dedicate all his life to read my works.” Fialka and his people seem to follow their indications, although they are not the only ones: Slote states that there are more than fifty reading groups of ‘Finnegans Wake’ throughout the world. Other clubs. Some of them seem to be trapped in an eternal literary return: the ‘Finnegans Wake’ club of Zurich has read it three times in forty years. One of them lasted eleven. And when they end, they start again, something that the book itself helps: the last sentence is interrupted in the middle and recover on the first page. Of course, Fialka himself, who is already seventy years old, has had no choice but to start again: in November last year they began their second reading of ‘Finnegans Wake’. Header | Unspash In Xataka | I thought I should always read new books, until the rereading showed me what I was losing me

If the question is “what are people reading most around the world”, there is only one answer: Romantasy

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With their colored loins, dream covers and mixture of romance and fantasy, novels Romantasy They are probably bombing you the subconscious in both social networks and in your library visits. What is more complicated is to elucidate exactly what we are talking about and which book or author enters this category, so we will try to shed some light on (sometimes unabarcable) term Romantasy. What do you refer to Romantasy? We would be facing a subgenre either of the fantastic or romance genre that combines those two factors in their books. Within that construction, the fantasy world has to cohabit, yes or yes, with one or more love stories to adhere to this definition. In a good novel Romantasy Or romantic fantasy does not prevail one genre over another, fantasy and romance are at the service of the narrative and enriches the entire plot on which the book or book saga is supported. The possibilities, as is usually the case with romance novels, are endless. Thanks to the multitude of tropes that authors can include, diversity within the romance part is very wide, but without a doubt the one that stands out the most in the best -selling books is a good Enemies to lovers (“Enemies to lovers”). Romantasy It does not refer to something new. Romance and fantasy have always formed a perfect hybrid and have complemented themselves in stories for many years. Diana Gabaldon, the successful writer of the Saga ‘Outlander’ began publishing this romantic history of travel in time in early 1990. If we appeal to the most youthful public we also have the case of the saga ‘Twilight’. Stephanie Meyer’s absolute teenage 160 million copies. At the time of its launch, marketing was not aimed at using a label like Romantasybut the truth is that they adapt perfectly to their requirements. The already omnipresent sales strategy linked to this term is something that we find more or less recently and thanks to social networks, specifically #BookTok. Its origin is not clear or we can place it on a specific date. The editorial Bloomsbury He declares that he coined him to identify the genre of one of the most famous writers of romantic fantasy, Sarah J. Maas. But “Romantasy“It was already published in the Urban Dictionary Since 2008. These different versions do not overshadow the fact that their complete explosion happened from the pandemic and especially, since 2024 on social networks. The queens of Romantasy If there is an absolute queen of romantic fantasy that is Sarah J. Mass with its saga ‘a court of roses and thorns’ (saga limit). The series began to be published in 2015 but undoubtedly its peak, and when the conversation around Romantasy I copied it, it happens from 2021. The author herself acknowledges that Tiktok He has played an essential role in his sales number. Bloomsbury, its editorial, affirms that videos with hashtags related to books have more than 14,000 million of visualizations on the Bytedance platform. Looking made the author the best selling in the United States last year, exceeding the figure of 7.7 million copies And, in turn, the English editions of his work exceed 55 million copies sold worldwide. The key to Maas’s success is the ability to attract followers not only the saga to limit, but to all his previous work and loyalty for upcoming publications. Elucubrations and search for Easter Eggs In all your videos, in pure style Swiftie, They are the order of the day in #BookTok. Sarah J. Maas has triumphed with ‘a court of roses and thorns’, which tells us the story of Feyre and her sisters in the world of FAE, a fantasy place where her loyalties both in war and love will be committed. But the truth is that with this series the foundations for knitting a magical universe that expands to other series of his as ‘crystal throne’ (2012) or ‘Crescent City’ (2020) were laid. With that methodology as planned, and reaching figures as 4.83 million Sales only in books printed in the first half of 2024, it is difficult not to catalog it as absolute queen of the romantic fantasy. But the undisputed success of this subgenre is not only due to Sarah J. Maas. If we review the list of best -selling we also find names such as Rebecca Yarros (Empyre Saga), Callie Hart (Saga alchemia & Fae), Cassandra Clare (shadow hunters saga), Lauren Roberts (Powerless Saga), Jennifer L. Armetrout (blood saga and ashes), Holly Black (Holly Black (Saga of the air) among others. But once again, nothing better than numbers to corroborate the success of Romantasy. Five of the 10 best -selling titles of 2024 were written by Sarah J. Mass and Rebecca Yarrosaccording to the statistics of Publisher’s Weekly in October. In addition, in 2024, romantic books reached 610 million dollars In sales, compared to 454 million in 2023. We talk about 11 million books of this subgenre sold in the first five months of 2024, almost double that in the same period of 2023. Circana, a well -known analysis company, provides that The end of the bubble arrives this same 2025but it seems unlikely that the romantic and especially the Romantasy Stop having that privileged hole that you have been getting in bookstores. A proof of this is the large number of special editions and reissues that we find for the sale of the main titles of this category, with colored and print looms that have begun to be replicated by other authors of different genres. Another fact that makes us doubt that imminent end of leadership we find it with the numbers harvested with ‘Onix wings’ of Rebeca Yarros. The third installment of the empyreo saga, which continues the story of Violet Sorngagail at the Higher School of Basgiath, where candidates live or die in the attempt to become dragon riders, has gone on sale at the end of January 2025 and has sold more than more than 2.7 million of specimens in … Read more

It seemed that iOS was unwavering. Until this malware slipped in App Store and started reading screenshots

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Talk about iOS (usually) to be synonymous with Talk about security. But there is no infallible operating system. In the case of Android, we are quite accustomed to the fact that occasionally Some type of malware in Play Storebut in Apple’s application store this is not common. For the first time, a malware capable of reading screenshots has been found in App Store. Is, According to Kasperskythe first case detected of an app published in APP Store capable of using technology to extract image text using Google technology. The Antivirus company has explained that this malware is part of a campaign that sought to attack users to find cryptographic keys. The severity of the matter comes from the distribution method: applications infected with both iOS and Android. In the case of Android, these apps exceeded 240,000 downloads. These apps were varied and did not follow a thematic pattern. Some were “Chat AI”, other Delivery apps, others of messaging … Some of these applications had thousands of downloads in the Apple application store. What was its operation? In both cases, the same. Apps executed technology OCR of Googlea Google Cloud solution capable of recognizing text automatically. Once we gave apps gallery permits, they were able to look for text in our images and send it to the server. Thus, the attackers were made with cryptocurrency wallet passwords or with phrases and recovery codes of any app. From Kaspersky they affirm that “they cannot confirm with certainty that the infection has been the result of an attack on the supply chain or a deliberate action of developers.” Similarly, they point out that there may still be apps with this malware available in application stores. As we always indicate from Xataka, it is crucial not to give gallery permits to apps in which we do not trust 100%. Image | Xataka In Xataka | How to detect and eliminate malware with MSRT, the hidden Windows 10 and 11 tool

I started reading ‘Cointelligence’ with a lot of skepticism. Its reasonableness makes it an essential book on AI

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If the readings on productivity They are a minefield in which you have to dodge bombs before finding gold, the AI ​​readings are even more so. Most are divided into two large groups: Unbridled techno-optimism. Apocalyptic catastrophism. And that’s if you’re lucky and it’s not a scam to sell you a course. That’s why I celebrate when I find a book like ‘Co-intelligence‘, by Ethan Mollick, who shines for its balance. Cold head. It recognizes the existential risks, but focuses on how to pragmatically leverage AI today. As a Wharton professor specializing in innovation and entrepreneurship, Mollick has been on the front lines of observing and experimenting with AI in education. Its central concept of ‘cointelligence’ –see AI as a co-worker, not as a threat nor as a messianic savior– is quite persuasive. And he gives concrete examples from his classes at Wharton to show how AI can amplify human capabilities instead of replacing them. Perhaps the most valuable is in his ideas about how AI is already transforming education and employment (perhaps in some latitudes more than others). For example, in his analysis of how students already use ChatGPT and how that forces rethink assessments and homework. He also has a very clear vision of how companies should adapt to this panorama: not by banning AI, but by finding ways to integrate it productively. On the B side of the album, the book has some weak points. For example, it tangentially transmits a certain hasteas if it had been written in haste to take advantage of the timing. Some sections, especially those that point to predictions for the future, could have directly been better developed. What I find most problematic is the over-reliance on examples from academia. His experience as a professor is valuable and supports the book, but his case studies focus too much on university professors… and elite students. This greatly limits the applicability of the conclusions to sectors other than academia. and there I missed a somewhat more diverse analysis of use cases in SMEs or other work sectors. It would have greatly strengthened his argument about the universal adaptability of AI. Despite these asterisks, ‘Cointelligence’ is a good contribution to the literature of the early years of generative AI. A good framework to think about AI that does not fall into fear but does not allow itself to be overwhelmed by the train of thought. hype. It is a book that lacks all the answers, but that is not what it intends. Rather it brings us closer to asking ourselves the right questions. It’s already a lot. For anyone looking to understand what position to take in this rise of generative AI, I find this a good read. It is not a perfect book, but at least it offers a calm perspective and nuanced analysis. Surely it’s what we need most at this point in the film. Co-intelligence: Living and working with AI In Xataka | I thought I should always read new books, until rereading showed me what I was missing Featured image | Xataka, Connect

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