Innovation
The next act for messenger RNA could be bigger than covid vaccines — www.technologyreview.com
Since every vaccine would use the same nanoparticle carrier, they could be rapidly reprogrammed, as if they were software. Because mRNA is an information molecule, differences between COVID, Zika, & flu vaccines is only the order of the nucleotides.
A ‘pop-up’ airport for electric aircraft could transform the way we think about urban travel — www.cnbc.com
Air One (concept by Urban Air Port ) is a pop-up airport & charging hub that would be used by eVTOL electric vertical take-off & landing aircraft delivery drones & air taxis.
Sim Daltonism, an intuitive app that simulates color blindness — flowingdata.com
HT @nycmedialab Mac and iOS developer Michel Fortin came up with an elegant solution for developers checking if their apps are accessible to people with color blindness. Just drag the Sim Daltonism window over any part of the screen to “visualize colors as they are perceived with various types of color blindness.”
Facebook’s new app Bars will let you rap over premade beats — www.theverge.com
Facebook’s New Product Experimentation group has created an app called Bars, which will let users rap over “professionally produced” beats and then share them in the app.
Google Maps will now let you pay for public transportation and parking through its app — www.theverge.com
HT @neilperkin Google Maps is adding a new feature that allows customers to pay for parking or purchase subway or bus tickets directly from the app.
Meet Ruth, the Nestlé® Toll House® Cookie Coach — cookiecoach.tollhouse.com
RT @neilperkin Crikey. Nestle have created a spooky AI ‘Cookie Coach’ to help you bake the perfect chocolate chip cookie. Not sure whether to be impressed or horrified. (HT @PatsMc)
‘National Geographic’ Offers Augmented Reality Show From Mars
HT @Tech4Pub
Technology
Spotify debuts new tools for creators to make interactive podcasts — www.axios.com
Spotify is partnering with WordPress to turn written content directly into podcasts. #Spotify
Spotify announces beta launch of audience development tool for artists, self-serve ‘Marquee’ ads and opening up Canvas visual looping tool to all — techcrunch.com
Spotify to launch Spotify Audience Network, an audio ad marketplace— techcrunch.com
Spotify is launching a new podcast ad network called *Spotify Audience Network* that allows advertisers to buy ads across original, exclusive and independent podcasts on and off Spotify’s platform. Also ad-supported music.
Spotify to test paid podcast subscriptions this spring via new Anchor feature
This spring, Spotify to begin beta testing a new feature in its Anchor podcast creation tool that will allow U.S. creators to publish paid podcast content aimed at their “most dedicated fans.”
Twitter announces paid Super Follows to let you charge for tweets — www.theverge.com
Twitter is launching a paid followers feature called Super Followers and a Facebook Groups-like feature called Communities.
How Chess.com built a streaming empire — www.protocol.com
RT @michellemanafy Twitch users watched 18.3 million hours of chess content in January, nearly as much as they consumed throughout 2019. Last week, chess even surpassed League of Legends, Fortnite and Valorant as the most-watched gaming category.
Citibank just got a $500 million lesson in the importance of UI design— arstechnica.com
Citibank was trying to make $7.8M in interest payments. It sent $900M instead.
Facebook users in Australia can again share news links — www.nbcnews.com
Facebook says it will restore the ability of Australian users to share links to news articles following a new deal with the local government.
Facebook says it will pay $1B over 3 years to news industry — apnews.com
Facebook, following in Google’s footsteps, says it plans to invest $1 billion to “support the news industry” over the next three years.
Facebook and Google could lose bargaining power under upcoming U.S. bill to help news outlets
Bipartisan members of Congress plan to introduce a bill in coming weeks to make it easier for smaller news organizations to negotiate with Big Tech platforms, said Rep. Ken Buck, the top Republican on the House Judiciary Committee’s antitrust panel. #Facebook #Google
Microsoft to Seek Pay for News Media in Europe
Publishing
Rizzoli New York Opens ‘Store Within a Store’ in B&N’s Fifth Avenue Flagship
The Women of Wikipedia Are Writing Themselves Into History — www.glamour.com
About 90% of the people who write Wikipedia are men. A brilliant team of women is making sure that we have a place in the sprawling online library.
Resources & Opportunities
Black Creatives Revisions Workshop
MT @Center4Fiction Black writers with completed manuscripts: Apps are now open for the @diversebooks and @penguinrandom Black Creatives Revisions Workshop! This is an opportunity to work with a faculty of esteemed Black authors to revise and polish your novel. #teamPRH
Adobe Creative Residency
RT @paultrani Applications for the Adobe Creative Residency is open! You have a month!
Emerging Writer’s Contest
RT @sangeeta_editor Emerging writers: Apply for this @pshares contest by May 15. “One winner in each genre per year will receive $2,000 and publication in the literary journal. We consider authors ‘emerging’ if they haven’t published or self-published a book.” Submissions read anonymously #amwriting
Emerging Voices Fellowship — PEN America — pen.org
MT @WhitingFdn Applications are now open for @PENamerica’s 2021 Emerging Voices Fellowship, for early-career writers who are traditionally underrepresented in publishing. Apply now through March 17
WI Institute for Creative Writing Fellowships
MT @bichminhnguyen WI Institute for Creative Writing Fellowships (5 available) provide a chance to write and teach creative writing within a supportive community. Apply by March 1 (writing sample, cv, and names of references, not letters). Fiction and poetry.
Latinx Crime Fiction Reading Group
RT @LatinxinPub .@Center4Fiction is hosting an online reading group titled Latinx Crime Fiction! The 4-session book discussion group will be led by @richie_narvaez. The group will meet on Mondays at 7 pm, beginning on March 29. If interested, email latinosinpub@gmail.com for a 10% discount.
Announcing the MIT Technology Review Covid Inequality Fellowships— www.technologyreview.com
RT @michellemanafy Announcing the MIT Technology Review Covid Inequality Fellowships: supporting journalism focused on the skewed consequences of covid-19 — and how to change things.