Latins dominates Spotify, Life in Argentina: A Story of Inflation and Survival, Your photos are Online Now.
New Year, New News here in the Chapulina Verde board for you.
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❤️ Cosas que nos encantan | ❤️ Things We Love
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Latins dominates Spotify
12 Latin artists made it to the Top 50 Most-Streamed Artists globally.
Image source: Univisión
The King
Bad Bunny has done it again, reclaiming his spot as the most-streamed Latin artist worldwide. His album "Un Verano Sin Ti" is still winning hearts, landing alongside "Nadie Sabe Lo Que Va A Pasar Mañana" in the Top 5 Global Latin Albums. And wait, there's more! His collaboration with Feid on "Perro Negro" became one of the year's biggest hits, proving that when Latin artists team up, their power is unstoppable.
Mexico: The New Standar
Peso Pluma kept climbing the charts, securing his spot as the #2 most-streamed Latin artist worldwide. His albums "ÉXODO" and "GÉNESIS" were unstoppable, landing in the Top 5 Global Latin Albums, and his hit collab with Karol G, "QLONA," was one of the year's most played tracks. This massive success shines a spotlight on the rise of Música Mexicana, which has become the most-streamed Latin genre in the U.S., leading in 26 states, and the third most popular Latin genre globally.
Xavi also made history for Música Mexicana, becoming the first artist of Mexican descent to top Spotify's Daily Top Songs Global chart with "La Diabla," now the top Música Mexicana track of 2024 worldwide
Legends Continues Going Wild
Latin music's influence transcends time, rooted in a rich legacy that continues to shape the present and inspire the future. This year, 13 Latin tracks joined Spotify's Billions Club, including timeless gems like Plan B's "Es Un Secreto" and Daddy Yankee's legendary "Gasolina," which marked its 20th anniversary. These classics aren't just relics of the past—they're enduring testaments to Latin music's power to captivate across generations, lighting the path for new hits to follow.
Women Breaking All The Rules
Karol G held her crown as the most-streamed female Latin artist for the fifth year in a row. Her album "Mañana Será Bonito" claimed the top spot on the Global Latin Albums chart, delivering smash hits like "Si Antes Te Hubiera Conocido" and "QLONA." Her ongoing success highlights the growing global recognition and celebration of women in Latin music.
Your Photos Are Online Now.
Apple Enabled Landmark Recognition in Photos Without Clear Consent
The feature, called Enhanced Visual Search, was highlighted last week by software developer Jeff Johnson. In two write-ups, he raised concerns about Apple's lack of transparency regarding the technology, which is thought to have been introduced with iOS 18.1 and macOS 15.1 on October 28, 2024.
When Did It Start To Operate?
Apple outlined the technology in a technical paper released on October 24, 2024, coinciding with the debut of Enhanced Visual Search. A local AI model scans photos for landmarks, generating an encrypted vector embedding to preserve privacy. Using homomorphic encryption, the data can be analyzed remotely without revealing its content, with input and output remaining encrypted throughout the process.
Things to Consider
Apple has started automatically processing photos with a local machine-learning algorithm that visually analyzes image details (without using location data) to identify potential landmarks. The algorithm generates a value representing a possible landmark, which is then compared against an index of values on Apple servers to label landmarks or places found in the image.
In simpler terms: You take a photo, your device identifies a potential landmark locally, encrypts that information securely, and sends it to a remote server for analysis. The server matches it to a database of landmarks and sends back the result, still encrypted, which only your device can decrypt.
If the process works as intended, with no leaks or vulnerabilities, Apple cannot access your photo's content, the data, or the labels being looked up.
Apple Says it’s Okay
Apple claims its use of homomorphic encryption and differential privacy protects user data. However, developer Michael Tsai raised concerns, stating that the feature isn't opt-in and metadata may upload before users can disable it, even if they’ve opted out of iCloud photo uploads. He argues it’s less private than Apple's abandoned CSAM scanning plan, as it affects non-iCloud photos and uploads all photo data.
Matthew Green from Johns Hopkins voiced frustration over discovering the feature was enabled without warning. Apple has not responded to inquiries, and the lack of communication has led to dissatisfaction.
Jeff Johnson also criticized the lack of choice in enabling the service by default.
Life in Argentina: A Story of Inflation and Survival
Argentina needs to say you something
Life in Argentina: A Story of Inflation and Survival
For Argentinians, inflation isn’t just a news headline, it’s part of everyday life. From changing menu prices to thick stacks of cash and black-market currency deals, it’s everywhere. Prices for basic goods and services rise weekly, making it hard to budget or plan ahead.
Even people with decent incomes face the constant challenge of finding the best deals. Visiting multiple supermarkets to compare prices is common, and many restaurants use QR codes or social media to keep up with constantly changing price menus.
The official currency, the peso, can’t be trusted. Its value drops so quickly that people prefer to use U.S. dollars. However, getting those dollars isn’t always easy.
The Dollar Dilemma: What is the "Dólar Blue"?
Argentina has strict controls on U.S. dollars, so people turn to the *dólar blue* — an illegal, but widely accepted, black-market exchange rate. To get this rate, locals exchange pesos for dollars at *cuevas* (underground money dealers) or on Florida Street, where money vendors whisper, "Cambio?" (meaning "exchange").
These transactions happen in hidden offices or back rooms. The process is risky, but most people rely on it to hold onto the value of their money. The *dólar blue* rate is often double the official rate, making it essential for large purchases like cars, homes, or expensive electronics.
The Everyday Struggle
Inflation doesn’t just affect major expenses, it hits people every day.
A cup of coffee at a local café rose from $2.83 to $4.67 in less than a year. A bag of laundry at the laundromat costs double what it did a few months ago. Even rent is unpredictable. Rent can rise twice in one year, a common experience in Argentina, where landlords often demand rent in U.S. dollars to avoid dealing with the unstable peso.
How Did It Get This Bad?
Argentina wasn’t always in this situation. About 100 years ago, it was one of the wealthiest countries in the world. But policies from former president Juan Perón, who nationalized industries and printed money to fund government programs, started the inflation trend.
Since then, successive governments have struggled to control inflation. Printing more money to cover expenses has become a habit, devaluing the peso over time. Today, poverty affects 50% of the population, and everyday life is a balancing act of survival.
Living with Inflation
Argentinians have adapted to this unpredictable economy by finding ways to stretch their money. Some landlords accept *dólar blue* payments, while others use apps to trade bonds for better exchange rates. Local businesses are cautious with price increases, preferring to keep loyal customers rather than risk losing them.
But for those providing services the struggle is more obvious. They take on more work instead of charging more, knowing that their customers are also struggling to make ends meet. Everyone is just trying to survive.
