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Technology • Innovation • Publishing - Issue #149

Technology • Innovation • Publishing - Issue #149
By Kathy Sandler • Issue #149 • View online
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Innovation
Machine learning is a powerful form of artificial intelligence that is affecting every industry. Here’s what you need to know about its potential and limitations and how it’s being used.
mitsloan.mit.edu  •  Share
WuDao 2.0 Natural Language Processing #NLP model, by #AI researchers in China, had 1.75 trillion parameters, topping similar model by Google & OpenAI. It’s being used to simulate conversational speech, write poems, understand pictures & generate recipes.
venturebeat.com  •  Share
The Viewer Certification Program enables 3D viewers across the industry to demonstrate that they can accurately and consistently display 3D products, clearing the way for reliable 3D and AR-powered shopping across multiple platforms and devices.
venturebeat.com  •  Share
Interesting: SketchAR allowing artists to create NFTs directly from app.The artwork will have to be created directly in SketchAR app in order to prove the artist is legitimate rights holder. Would @Adobe ever do this? Or too hard to actually prove rights?
techcrunch.com  •  Share
Nike now holds patent for blockchain-based sneakers called ‘CryptoKicks’
Nike now holds patent for blockchain-based sneakers called ‘CryptoKicks’
The US Patent Office has today issued sportswear brand Nike’s patent for its blockchain-compatible sneakers dubbed “CrpytoKicks.”
thenextweb.com  •  Share
The auction house has created a digital replica of its London headquarters on New Bond Street #metaverse
www.theartnewspaper.com  •  Share
Decentraland, a virtual land asset typically sold as a non-fungible token (NFT) real estate, has fetched north of $913K.
www.coinspeaker.com  •  Share
The inventor of the World Wide Web is taking advantage of the latest of the internet’s creations by auctioning off his original code and donating the proceeds to charity. The NFT will include the original browser, a letter, and more.
www.theverge.com  •  Share
An NFT of Jay-Z’s first album has sparked a record label lawsuit
An NFT of Jay-Z’s first album has sparked a record label lawsuit
Roc-A-Fella Records, the label co-founded by hip-hop mogul Jay-Z, has sued co-founder Damon Dash for allegedly trying to auction a non-fungible token version of Jay-Z’s 1996 album Reasonable Doubt. #NFTs
www.theverge.com  •  Share
Technology
Platforms, bundling and kill zones
RT @benedictevans What does it mean when Google, Microsoft or Apple turn your whole company into a feature? When do we let a tech giant build and when do we call the anti-trust lawyers? And what does that mean for Spotify, Yelp or printing in landscape?
www.ben-evans.com  •  Share
An interesting take on tech bubbles, and why they’re not all bad - they could be useful indicators
future.a16z.com  •  Share
A deep dive on the API-First Ecosystem with Shopify, Stripe, Twilio, and more.
www.notboring.co  •  Share
MT @SleepwellCap A Discover Weekly of podcasts coming soon? Maybe, or something along those lines. No one else has solved podcast/audio discovery, one of the biggest challenges the industry is currently facing and whoever does will provide and capture a lot of value.
newsroom.spotify.com  •  Share
Apple Podcasts’ in-app subscriptions are now live
Apple Podcasts’ in-app subscriptions are now live in over 170 countries. The feature allows people to pay for podcast content from within the app.
www.theverge.com  •  Share
Facebook is launching podcasts and live audio streams in the U.S. on Monday to keep users engaged on its platform and to compete with emerging rivals .
apnews.com  •  Share
Facebook says it will update its community standards to be clearer about how it handles satirical content, following a recommendation from its Oversight Board, which found the platform was wrong to remove a user’s comment.
www.theverge.com  •  Share
Google to change global advertising practices in landmark antitrust deal, after France’s 220M Euro fine settlement #Google #advertising
www.reuters.com  •  Share
MT @iron_emu To state the obvious, an EU antitrust investigation of Google’s lucrative digital advertising business would be a big deal. Google made $147 billion in revenue from online ads last year, more than any other company in the world.
www.reuters.com  •  Share
How Mail Protection Privacy will force the email economy to adapt
www.platformer.news  •  Share
Apple announced a new feature that will let users share the data from their Health app directly with their doctor through the electronic medical record.
www.theverge.com  •  Share
Facebook offers 'extra cash' for creators who stream more
Facebook will offer extra cash to creators who stream more and hit certain bonus targets. Creators can also now earn commissions directly from shopping posts on Instagram #Instagram #CreatorEconomy
www.engadget.com  •  Share
“When we do introduce a revenue share, it will be less than the 30% that Apple and others take,” Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg wrote.
www.cnbc.com  •  Share
Facebook is setting its sight on the creator economy, hoping to allow millions of people to make a living off its family of apps.
www.cnbc.com  •  Share
Messenger adds Venmo-like QR codes for person-to-person payments in the US
This spring, Facebook confirmed it was testing Venmo-like QR codes for person-to-person payments inside its app in the U.S. Now it’s launching publicly to all U.S. users, allowing anyone to send or request money through Facebook Pay — even if they’re not Facebook friends.
techcrunch.com  •  Share
SurveyMonkey Rebrands As Momentive To Fuel Its Growing Enterprise Business
SurveyMonkey Rebrands As Momentive To Fuel Its Growing Enterprise Business
The company announced plans to relaunch under the new name Momentive, which will become both the parent company and the brand for SurveyMonkey’s growing enterprise business.
www.forbes.com  •  Share
Users are seven times more likely to buy a product they saved, according to Pinterest, so they’re launching a new feature to encourage shopping.
digiday.com  •  Share
With meeting times and stress levels on the rise, Microsoft is introducing well-being features in Teams, designed to help you cool your mind and relax at work.
www.digitaltrends.com  •  Share
Amazon Literary Partnership Expands Grantee List to 80 This Year
Amazon Literary Partnership Expands Grantee List to 80 This Year
In 2021, the Amazon Literary Partnership is giving 80 grants totaling more than $1 million to literary organizations in the United States.
publishingperspectives.com  •  Share
RT @ShelfAwareness “Amazon’s founder didn’t want hourly workers to stick around for long, viewing ‘a large, disgruntled’ work force as a threat”…. “Company data showed that most employees became less eager over time and Mr. Bezos believed that people were inherently lazy.”
www.nytimes.com  •  Share
Following on their 16-month investigation into the digital marketplace and the “unregulated power wielded by Amazon, Apple, Facebook, and Google,” the House Judiciary committee introduced five bills that would break up and significant restrict and constrain those tech giants.
lunch.publishersmarketplace.com  •  Share
MT @wirecutter Amazon’s new free service, Sidewalk, will be automatically enabled on many Echo smart speakers, smart displays, and some Ring devices today. If you’re concerned about your privacy and security, you can turn Sidewalk off. Here’s what you need to know.
www.nytimes.com  •  Share
Researchers find Google serves nearly half of all ad traffic on fake news sites
MT @justinhendrix Researchers find Google serves nearly half of all ad traffic on fake news sites - and Amazon is the top retailer advertising on low credibility sites.
techpolicy.press  •  Share
Publishing & Media
Facing regulatory and political pressure, Facebook and Alphabet Inc’s Google in recent years committed a combined $600 million to support news outlets globally - many of them local or regional enterprises foundering in a digital age.
www.reuters.com  •  Share
Kanopy is a digital streaming platform for libraries and Overdrive bought them
Kanopy is a digital streaming platform for libraries and Overdrive bought them
Overdrive has announced that they are going to acquire Kanopy, which is a streaming media company that provides educational content to libraries. Kanopy has 30,000 videos of highly curated films and are used by millions of students and library patrons and is available on all major web, mobile and TV platforms.
goodereader.com  •  Share
New York is now the second state to pass a bill that would ensure public libraries the right to license and lend e-books that are available to consumers in the state.
www.publishersweekly.com  •  Share
MT @JaneFriedman After reading @ashleigh_renard‘s post today, I finally have a grasp on what viable and meaningful book marketing means on TikTok for the average author (and thankfully it doesn’t require singing, dancing, or crying) #bookmarketing
www.janefriedman.com  •  Share
Hachette unveils free event series for publishing hopefuls
Hachette unveils free event series for publishing hopefuls
Hachette UK is launching a series of free virtual events, “Opening the Book”, later this month, aiming to demystify publishing.
www.thebookseller.com  •  Share
Falling sales blamed as 20 jobs axed in final chapter for history of printing in the city, which stretches back to the earliest days of book publishing
amp.theguardian.com  •  Share
Sick of Netflix? May I Suggest a Good Book Instead
Sick of Netflix? May I Suggest a Good Book Instead
ICYMI Reading has picked up thanks to lockdowns and isolation. Publishers and parents are hoping the habit sticks.
www.bloomberg.com  •  Share
From Juneteenth until Independence Day, Getting Word: Black Literature for Black Liberation is running a collective fundraiser to benefit a group of Black literary and arts organizations.
www.shelf-awareness.com  •  Share
Lupin vs. Herlock Sholmès: The French Sherlock Holmes rip-off is real, spectacular.
Lupin vs. Herlock Sholmès: The French Sherlock Holmes rip-off is real, spectacular.
That book in Lupin Part 2? It’s real, and it’s spectacular. A tale of copyright law, public domain, and capers.
slate.com  •  Share
MT @BISG Do you work in publishing & have less than 5 yrs of experience? @PubWest would appreciate your input to help craft programming for their “Back to School” Fall Digital Boot Camp. Please take this short 5-question survey! #publishing #earlycareer
www.surveymonkey.com  •  Share
Media Ad Revenue To Surge 22% In 2021, GroupM Predicts, As Digital Revival Exceeds Prior Forecasts
Media Ad Revenue To Surge 22% In 2021, GroupM Predicts, As Digital Revival Exceeds Prior Forecasts
Excluding political spending, top media firm GroupM says it expects 22% growth in media ad revenue in 2021 compared with 2019 levels.
deadline.com  •  Share
Venture firm Andreessen Horowitz is launching its media property, called Future.
techcrunch.com  •  Share
In 2018, BuzzFeed CEO Jonah Peretti issued a cri de coeur to the digital media industry, telling his fellow moguls that all of them, BuzzFeed included, needed to start merging so they could more effectively stand up to Google and Facebook, the internet’s advertising powerhouses.
www.theinformation.com  •  Share
Shopify is rolling out a service that will let publishers link to network merchants in exchange for a cut of transaction revenue
www.techradar.com  •  Share
BuzzFeed this summer will pay up to $10,000 per post for user-contributed quizzes, lists or other content – if it’s clicky enough.
variety.com  •  Share
United Airlines is the last airline among the big four U.S. airlines to publish an in-flight magazine for passengers.
www.usatoday.com  •  Share
Everything to Know About Media’s Beauty Business Play
Everything to Know About Media’s Beauty Business Play
Allure magazine is preparing to unveil its first physical retail store in New York City’s SoHo neighborhood this summer.
wwd.com  •  Share
Condé Nast agreed to a minimum salary of $60,000 by April 2023, the union said. The deal also covers workers at Ars Technica and Pitchfork.
www.nytimes.com  •  Share
Zoop is a new crowdfunding platform designed to fund comics and other pop culture projects and offers a suite of support services to help organizers run and fulfill their campaigns.
www.publishersweekly.com  •  Share
RT @perlberg Substack has also made Pro offers to fiction writers, although those efforts are nascent. But authors are experimenting — @mstiefvater publishes short stories behind her paywall, and @novelleist will soon serialize a novel
www.businessinsider.com  •  Share
Eight companies, including Comcast, Charter, Altice, and Dish, have created Go Addressable, a consortium to simplify and scale the fragmented TV ad market.
www.wsj.com  •  Share
Netflix Opens an Online Shop to Hawk Items From Popular Shows
Netflix Opens an Online Shop to Hawk Items From Popular Shows
Netflix Inc. is branching into toys, games and clothing based on its popular shows, looking to mine popular characters for added revenue much like Walt Disney Co.
www.bloomberg.com  •  Share
Despite all the hype, nobody has quite figured out how to hook the next generation of viewers on local streaming content.
www.bloomberg.com  •  Share
HoH: Building The Next Great Sports Franchise
RT @zoescaman Super smart. ‘House of Highlights believes the answer to winning Gen-Z & Millennial appointment viewing is through live, action-dense, high-stake competitions with creators & influencers serving as athletes.’
huddleup.substack.com  •  Share
MT @TVGrimReaper Interesting info on the potential economics of direct to consumer regional sports. Sinclair hopes to charge $23/mo to local subscribers for their RSNs.
nypost.com  •  Share
An investor group led by Hicks Equity Partners, a firm with links to the Republican National Committee and the Trumps, is snapping up cable channels in a bid to create a family-friendly TV empire.
news.bloomberglaw.com  •  Share
Resources & Opportunities
MT @vanjchan Dismayed but unsurprised to learn that many POC writers don’t know about the writing conference circuit that happens in the summer. I myself only learned about them last year, and thru literal constant searching on Twitter. So here’s a nonexhaustive guide to stuff I applied to.
twitter.com  •  Share
MT @libbytheflores A new an excellent prize for writers ($5000.00) to help U.S.-based writers complete substantive literary works—such as poetry books, short story collections, novels, and translations—or to help launch these works.
www.granumfoundation.org  •  Share
NYC Authors Can Apply for $5,000 Grants
NYC Authors Can Apply for $5,000 Grants
RT @GothamGhosts Apply for one of City Artists Corp’s 3,000 available grants! In response to the pandemic’s negative impact on New York City, the Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment is offering $5,000 grants to artists who were impacted by COVID-19.
www.authorsguild.org  •  Share
MT @leannalakeram Interested in #journalismjobs with @NatGeo? Our editorial team is seeking an Editor, Travel Digital Media!
jobs.disneycareers.com  •  Share
MT @RKGyllenhaal Exciting opportunity for emerging writers! Want to become the author of a Quirk-generated idea? Well you’re in luck, because I’m holding auditions to write an adult mystery/thriller novel about multi-level marketing schemes.
www.quirkbooks.com  •  Share
Build A Racially Equitable Collection
RT @kishizuka A one-day, online workshop for teachers and librarians will precede the 11th National Conference of African American Librarians - July 27. Co-produced by @sljournal and @BCALA_Inc #NCAAL
www.slj.com  •  Share
Asian American Writers' Workshop
RT @aaww We’ve a legendary line-up for Page Turner, the Publishing Conference on Saturday, June 26th. Book your tix ($15)
aaww.org  •  Share
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Kathy Sandler

The latest in technology, innovation, and publishing curated by Kathy Sandler.
I work at Penguin Random House. Opinions expressed are my own.

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