Innovation
How the technology behind ‘Fortnite’ is being used to design IRL buildings
www.fastcompany.com
Real-time visualizations are making their way into the design process, thanks to video game technology.
NOAA triples its supercomputing capacity for improved storm modeling — www.engadget.com
The pair of 12-petaflop General Dynamics systems cost a cool half-billion dollars.
Raspberry Pi announces the Pico W, a $6 microcontroller equipped with Wi-Fi — www.theverge.com
Raspberry Pi has announced a few new versions of its Pico microcontroller, adding support for Wi-Fi, built-in pin connectors, and both of those things combined. The company says it could be used for IoT projects.
FCC authorizes SpaceX to provide mobile Starlink internet service to boats, planes and trucks
www.cnbc.com
The FCC authorized SpaceX to provide Starlink satellite internet to vehicles in motion, a key step for Elon Musk’s company to further expand the service.
Technology
China doubles down on domestic operating systems to cut reliance on Windows, MacOS from the US
Chinese firms have clubbed together to build openKylin: an open platform for a Linux-based operating system to replace Western ones.
Hacker Offers to Sell Chinese Police Database in Potential Breach
A hacker is selling a Shanghai police database that could contain information on one billion Chinese citizens. The data is being offered for 10 Bitcoin, or about $200,000, in what may be one of the largest known breaches of Chinese personal data.
What Chinese media reveals about Shein’s secretive operations
A glimpse into the e-commerce giant’s ruthless efficiency: The heart of the company is a flexible supply chain.
Biden’s Executive Order on abortion shores up data privacy rules
An executive order signed by President Biden places the White House’s weight firmly behind states where access to abortion is guaranteed, urging the FTC and other executive entities to examine and reinforce data protection policies. Without a digital trail to follow, attempts to criminalize private medical activity across borders may prove far more difficult.
Google will auto-delete abortion clinic visits from user location history
Google announced it will automatically delete visits to abortion clinics, domestic violence shelters, weight loss clinics, and other potentially sensitive locations from users’ location histories in the coming weeks. #Google
The Danger of License Plate Readers in Post-Roe America — www.wired.com
RT @profcarroll “It’s a giant, nationwide mass surveillance system. That obviously has serious implications should interstate travel become part of forced-birth enforcement.” (Note how New Hampshire protects license plate #datarights.)
TikTok dropped plans to expand its e-commerce effort in Europe and the US, after its UK foray into shopping struggled
TikTok responds to data privacy concerns raised by Republican senators
HT @DCNorg TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew responded to the concerns of nine Republican senators about data privacy and access to U.S. user data in China.
Publishing & Media
HarperCollins Union Votes to Authorize a Strike
lunch.publishersmarketplace.com
The HarperCollins Union announced that their over 250 members have voted by 99 percent to authorize a strike if the publisher “does not agree to a fair contract.” The union is asking for “higher pay, improved family leave benefits, a greater commitment to diversifying staff, and stronger union protection.”
How BookTok Is Affecting Traditional Publishers
Book acquisition may start to trend toward books that inspire strong emotions in readers — and therefore more organic content on TikTok. Via @JaneFriedman
How Colleen Hoover Became The Queen Of BookTok — www.buzzfeednews.com
HT @miralsattar
Bookstores Respond to Demise of Roe v. Wade — www.publishersweekly.com
Indies across the country responded to the June 24 overturning of Roe v. Wade by setting up special book displays and raising funds for pro-choice organizations. One store raised $40,000 within three days.
With Rising Book Bans, Librarians Have Come Under Attack — www.nytimes.com
RT @xanalter “There were comments about library staff, calling us groomers and pedophiles and saying we needed to be fired.” @Liz_A_Harris and I spoke to librarians around the country about the pressures and attacks they’re facing, as book banning efforts have surged.
Tracking Banned Books
MT @DataInnovation @PENamerica has created a dataset tracking 1,145 books banned or restricted in school classrooms and libraries in the United States from July 2021 to March 2022
George R.R. Martin says next Song of Ice and Fire novel will be ‘quite different’ from Game of Thrones — ew.com
Author George R.R. Martin says ‘The Winds of Winter’ may deviate from some of the plot lines in the final seasons of ‘Game of Thrones.’
Why do ebooks look ugly on Kindle? — blog.bookfunnel.com
RT @inkbitspixels BookFunnel has a really good explainer for why some side-loaded ebooks look bad on the Kindle.
Some Surprising Good News: Bookstores Are Booming and Becoming More Diverse — www.nytimes.com
More than 300 bookstores have opened in the past couple of years — a revival that is meeting a demand for “real recommendations from real people.”
A Visual Tour of 35 Literary Bars and Cafés from Around the World
Publishers, Booksellers Cheer Europe’s Digital Markets Act
HT @paulkbiba
Marcus Rashford Book Club to give away 50,000 books this summer
www.theguardian.com
Initiative led by the footballer will distribute copies of his own children’s adventure book to young readers with little access to reading
IBT Media sues Newsweek CEO, demanding that he return the magazine
IBT Media wants to cancel a 2018 deal in which Newsweek was spun off, saying the transaction was little more than a PR stunt. #magazines
How to continue growing subscribers post-pandemic: Publisher strategies
HT @BoSacks The total market for digital subscriptions will grow to $1.5T by 2025 from the current $650B, according to a report from subscription management solutions provider Lineup.
Supply chain blues: Publishers share insights and a few tips amid supply chain woes
HT @BoSacks Newspapers around the country are scrambling to keep enough rolls of newsprint in stock to make their print runs and they also are closely monitoring ink and printing plate supplies. And, it’s only expected to get worse in Q3 and Q4, several publishers recently told E&P. As they perform a delicate dance to maintain the paper flow, they’re turning to alternative methods and outreach. #SupplyChains #paper
“Publishers who succeed the most have a culture of test and learn”
HT @BoSacks “Subscriber retention starts at the moment of acquisition.”
‘There is a model out there that works’: America’s grassroots local news renaissance
HT @BoSacks This year, the Shawnee Mission Post expects to generate revenues of $650–700,000 from subscriptions and advertising.
Howard University will host a new Disney Storytellers Fund, which will “create opportunities” for students in media.
Resources & Opportunities
PRH Education Grant Supports NCTE’s “This Story Matters” Campaign — global.penguinrandomhouse.com
It includes a database of >600 book rationales to support book challenges. If you know a teacher or librarian — let them know. #TeamPRH #ThisStoryMatters#BannedBooks #censorship
SLJ Picture Book Palooza — www.slj.com
Join us July 14 for our second annual SLJ Picture Book Palooza, an all-day, free virtual celebration of authors and artists dedicated to the visual dance and extraordinary craft of picture books!
Register for nErD Camp 2022 HERE!!
Free, online NerdCampPA 7/15. nErD Camps are FREE professional development sessions for educators and librarians who love books and want to discuss timely topics with the people who create them.
WRITERS FOR DEMOCRATIC ACTION presents the DEMOCRACY BOOK CLUB: Unthinkable: An Afternoon with Jamie Raskin, Alexander Keyssar and Paul Auster — www.crowdcast.io
Writers for Democratic Action presents, as part of #BookTheVote: monthly DEMOCRACY BOOK CLUB, Books & Books’s free virtual event 7/16 at 3:00 pm EDT. Via @WritersforDA
Book The Vote — Writers for Democratic Action
www.writersfordemocraticaction.org
A national drive bringing together readers, writers, booksellers, publishers, and librarians to register voters in advance of the 2022 elections
News Product Kit — newsproduct.org
MT @newsproduct We are thrilled to share that we have added A new guides to NPA’s Product Kit! Learn suggested strategies to conduct product research, using research in product design & development, building your way through stages of product development, and mores
MT @diversebooks Apply for a Walter Grant! We have two $2,000 grants for unpublished trans writers &/or illustrators, incl. but not limited to folks who are trans men, trans women, Two Spirit, third gender, nonbinary, genderqueer, bigender/pangender, genderfluid, & agender.
William Greaves Research and Development Fund — www.firelightmedia.tv
The William Greaves Research & Development Fund targets filmmakers based in the US, Mexico, Brazil, Puerto Rico, & Colombia, w particular interest in those who identify as being of Indigenous and/or of African descent. Grants up to $40K.
Come learn about #BookTok with @WMG_NYC on 7/19 at 6pm ET. $15 for non-members, FREE for members.