[This Week's Books] 'Bitcoin User Guide' and More

Bitcoin User Guide

This covers everything about Bitcoin, including the latest issues related to Bitcoin, its historical and technical background, and stable investment methods. The author emphasizes that understanding Web 3.0, which forms the technical foundation of Bitcoin, is essential. He points out that investing in cryptocurrencies without understanding Web 3.0 is reckless. The author defines Web 3.0 as the next generation of the internet that integrates the value of 'decentralization' into the current web ecosystem along with new technologies such as blockchain. (Written by Baek Hoonjong / Yeouido Bookstore)

Tokyo Metropolitan Sympathy Tower

This is this year’s winner of the Akutagawa Prize, Japan’s most prestigious literary award. The story is set in near-future Tokyo, where criminals are defined as beings deserving sympathy, and a state-of-the-art prison is built in the heart of the city to provide inmates with comfortable living conditions. The author revealed at the Akutagawa Prize award press conference that some sentences in the work were created using generative artificial intelligence (AI), attracting attention. It is known that AI-generated sentences make up less than 2% of the entire work. (Written by Kudan Rie / Translated by Kim Youngju / Munhakdongne)

Normandy X History for Urban Travelers

This introduces the charming French city of Normandy. Normandy was the site of intense conflicts between England and France during the medieval period and also changed the course of World War II through the landing operation. The author presents Normandy as a key link in the long flow of European history. Normandy is also a place where one can feel the traces of numerous artists along with its beautiful scenery. Episodes of various artists who were active around Normandy are also interestingly introduced. (Written by Joo Kyungchul / Humanist)