Technology • Innovation • Publishing — Issue #212

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Important Information

Stock Trades Reported by Nearly a Fifth of Congress Show Possible Conflicts— www.nytimes.com 
A New York Times analysis found that 97 lawmakers or their family members bought or sold financial assets over a three-year span in industries that could be affected by their legislative committee work.

‘A Lesson in Discrimination’: A Toxic Sea Level Rise Crisis Threatens West Oakland

www.kqed.org 
Pollution in West Oakland is a result of the legacy of racism in housing, economic and other policies over decades.

Trump administration siphoned almost $4 million from 9/11 first responders fund — www.marketwatch.com

The Treasury Department has withheld money for firefighters treated by the FDNY World Trade Center Health Program, the New York Daily News reports.

Google Search Is Quietly Damaging Democracy

www.wired.com

A series of incremental changes over the years has transformed the tool from an explorative search function to one that is ripe for deception. If you’re using Google to “do your own research,” you’re vulnerable to the same misinformation and propaganda that pollutes social media discourse.

How Russian Trolls Helped Keep the Women’s March Out of Lock Step — www.nytimes.com 
As American feminists came together in 2017 to protest Donald Trump, Russia’s disinformation machine set about deepening the divides among them.

Man who sent bomb and mass shooting threats to Merriam-Webster over gender-inclusive entries pleads guilty

abcnews.go.com 
A man upset about Merriam-Webster dictionary’s update to their definitions of gender pronouns and adjectives has pleaded guilty to making bomb threats against the company

Diverse Faces Are Not The Same As Diverse Voices

rishad.substack.com

Ensuring a diversity of faces is a necessary but insufficient step. Not only do companies need diff faces around the table, but they also need diversity in thinking. We need to ensure that every person in a firm & around the table has a voice. By @rishad

Innovation

Celebrating new ways of reducing CO2 — www.bbc.com

HT @JulieBlattberg With the ‘de-printer’ specially coated sheets of paper can be used 10 times over.

Uber Eats and Nuro sign a 10-year deal to do robot food delivery in California and Texas — www.theverge.com 
Uber and Nuro signed a 10-year deal to use robot delivery pods to deliver food and other items in two cities: Mountain View and Houston.

Apple patents a Flexible Light Guide System that could be integrated into flexible materials like a fabric Apple Watch Band or VR Glove — www.patentlyapple.com

Inside iHeartMedia’s Roblox plans as it enters the metaverse — adage.com

iHeartMedia Expands Metaverse Footprint with the Launch of iHeartLand on Roblox, Where Everyone Can Be a Music Tycoon

Andreessen Horowitz wants to fix NFT copyright with its “Can’t Be Evil” license

www.theverge.com 
Venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz (a16z) has introduced a Creative Commons-influenced system called the Can’t Be Evil license for NFTs.

Technology

How brands are using NFTs — a continually updated list — adage.com

RT @adage Starbucks formally announced its Web3 loyalty program, which it had been teasing for months. Dubbed “Odyssey,” the program allows Starbucks Rewards members to participate in activities including interactive games and quizzes that reward players with NFTs.

Google, Meta fined $71.8M for violating privacy law in South Korea

techcrunch.com

South Korea has hit Google and Meta with a fine of ~$71.8 million after finding they violated the country’s privacy law, South Korean authorities said.

Have AI image generators assimilated your art? New tool lets you check — arstechnica.com 
New search engine combs through harvested images used to train Stable Diffusion, others.

Adobe snaps up Figma for $20B, taking out one of its biggest rivals in digital design

techcrunch.com

Publishing & Media

The Ultimate Guide to Overcoming Self-Publishing Overwhelm — selfpublishingadvice.org 
Being an indie author is a lot of work. Overcoming overwhelm is not only important but vital for your ability to continue writing.

Brandon Sanderson does another kickstarter, raising $2m in 5 days for figurine collectibles related to his books — www.brandonsanderson.com

Business Musings: How We Use Kickstarter — Kristine Kathryn Rusch

kriswrites.com

HT @craicer Author @KristineRusch talks about Kickstarter and how you can structure it for your own author career. She has a free course for authors if you want to learn more about it.

Submit an Event | Banned Books Week — bannedbooksweek.org

RT @BannedBooksWeek Are you hosting a public #BannedBooksWeek event or display? Help others find out about it by adding it to our free events calendar! https://bannedbooksweek.org/events/community/add/

A Lot More Censorship Is Coming to a School Near You

www.thedailybeast.com

If you thought “Don’t Say Gay,” book bans, and prohibitions on teaching “divisive” parts of American history were bad — you ain’t seen nothing yet

How the New FL Education Laws are Impacting School Libraries

www.youtube.com

RT @FLFreedomRead We hope #BannedBooksWeek will bring more awareness to this era of censorship. For those new to the fight for the freedom to read here in FL, we put together a video to catch you up on the new #EdScare laws & special interest groups responsible.

In 2022, a New Urgency for Banned Books Week — www.publishersweekly.com 
Forty years after Banned Books Week was launched in 1982 to raise awareness about censorship, the issue has taken on new importance for booksellers across the country, who increasingly find themselves on the front lines, alongside librarians, in defending people’s freedom to read.

Students Are Back in School With Less to Read — insidesources.com

MT @UABookBans “No one has the right to dictate what books other people’s children are allowed to read.” Read the joint op-ed from @ALALibrary’s Lessa Kanani’opua Pelayo-Lozada and @NCTE’s Valerie Kinloch #UniteAgainstBookBans #BannedBooks

Facing a Book Ban or Censorship Legislation? How can we help? — www.everylibrary.org

RT @EveryLibrary If you’re facing a book ban or challenge, we’d love to give you the pro-bono tools you need to fight back.

-sophisticated digital tools

-largest library supporter network in the industry

-PR and communications

-direct funding

-consulting

Public libraries are essential. Don’t let those who oppose inclusive values target them.

chicago.suntimes.com 
There are some who would rather do away with libraries and the freedom of public space altogether. We now see this happening in Downers Grove where a drag queen bingo event was canceled due to threats of violence.

Authors of most banned books in the U.S. speak up: ‘We can’t take these freedoms for granted’ — www.usatoday.com

HT @thejossgroup We spoke with the authors of the most-banned books in the US. Their experiences varied, but their mission was the same: to keep telling their stories.

Attempts to Ban Books Are Accelerating and Becoming More Divisive — www.nytimes.com 
To mark Banned Books Week, the American Library Association released a report on the rise in censorship efforts: In 2022, there have been attempts to restrict access to 1,651 titles.

These are the top books Black teachers request for their classrooms

afro.com

MT @PENamerica Over the last four school years, these are the most requested books by Black teachers through @DonorsChoose:

However, all five of these books have been met with bans from libraries and classrooms, and some are still pending

Katy ISD teacher ‘decimated’ class library, removing every YA book to avoid controversy, parent says

www.houstonchronicle.com

RT @veronikellymars This is what is meant by the chilling effect. A Katy ISD teacher just removed *all* of the YA books from their classroom.

Missouri students, librarians and bookstores mobilize to fight against latest book ban efforts — www.kcur.org 
A new Missouri law banning “explicit sexual material” on school property went into effect Aug. 24, prompting books to be removed from classrooms and libraries. The Missouri Association of School Librarians pointed to a potential exemption “if considered artistic or informational in nature.”

Students resist banned books with a book club — www.axios.com

A student group in Texas is launching a book club in response to the “senseless book bans and invasion of student privacy.” The first book will be “Gender Queer: A Memoir” by Maia Kobabe.

7+ actions you can take for Banned Books Week

bookriot.com

How Librarians Can Counter Lies from Book Banners — bookriot.com

There’s No Time to Despair over Book Bans — Just to Fight Them

www.publishersweekly.com 
Christopher M. Finan, executive director of the National Coalition Against Censorship, urges all to keep up the fight for the freedom to read.

Penguin Young Reader Book Censorship Resources — sites.prh.com

Action items that Penguin Young Readers is taking along with some resources for gatekeepers on what to do when a book is challenged in their community, along with tips they can give parents/caregivers in their community. #teamPRH

Tech media charges back to the future

www.axios.com

HT @michellemanafy Tech news outfits aim to reclaim the direct relationship between publication and reader.

Publishers: How to optimize subscription conversion rates on mobile

whatsnewinpublishing.com

HT @paulkbiba There are significantly more visits to content sites on mobiles, but very few conversions.

Twitter starts rolling out podcasts to Blue subscribers — www.engadget.com

Twitter has begun rolling out its redesigned Spaces tab. #podcasting

Wattpad Brings Some of the Biggest Names in Webnovels to Podcasts on Spotify

www.businesswire.com 
Wattpad, the global entertainment company and leading webnovel platform will launch a series of podcasts created by popular Wattpad authors exclusivel

Paramount Considers Discontinuing Showtime Streaming Service, Merging With Paramount+

www.wsj.com 
Move would bring together two of entertainment company’s offerings in a crowded sector

Music Publishers, Streaming Services Avoid Another Battle Royale by Setting Royalty Rates for Next Four Years (15.35% from 2023–2027) — variety.com

#music #Royalties

Resources & Opportunities

Read Banned Books with The New York Public Library — www.nypl.org

Stand with NYPL for the right to read freely! NYPL is dedicated to the free and open access of information and knowledge — a mission that is directly opposed to censorship. Join us as we mark this year’s Banned Books Week, September 18–24, with book lists, giveaways, programs, and more, that highlight voices and stories threatened by censorship. Plus, we’re shining a spotlight on the works and legacy of author and activist Toni Morrison — a lifelong friend of the Library and champion for freedom of expression. #BannedBooksWeek

Banned Books Week Events from PEN America

pen.org

Wherever you may be, there’s a #PenAcrossAmerica event you can attend — in-person or virtually. #FreeTheBooks

Free virtual event: The Emancipator and GLAAD Present: An LGBTQ Banned Books Week Virtual Event

www.eventbrite.com

Celebrate Hispanic & Latinx Heritage Month at NYPL — www.nypl.org 
Join the Library in honoring the cultures and contributions of people with ancestors from Latin America and Spain. From September 15 to October 15 — and all year round — celebrate Latinx and Hispanic literature, storytelling, and cultures with multilingual programs, resources, storytimes for kids, and more! Plus, explore recommended reading for all ages, featuring monolingual and bilingual titles.

Knopf to Celebrate the Life of Joan Didion at a Public Service on 9/21 — global.penguinrandomhouse.com

#teamPRH

BKBF BookEnd Panel: Latinx Authors ARE breaking into Publishing Industry

www.eventbrite.com

MT @LatinxinPub Don’t miss Latinx in Publishing’s Brooklyn Book Festival Bookend panel on September 29th at 7pm! #BKBF #BrooklynBookFestival#PRIDA #artspaceps109 #latinx

WSJ Women In: Leadership Lessons

womenin.wsj.com

Attn. @WMG_NYC Members — Don’t forget your free ticket to this online WSJevent on 9/29, at 12–2 pm ET.

PageBreak’s Program Outlines: ‘Many Different Voices’

publishingperspectives.com

The new PageBreak conference in San Francisco names more speakers to explore innovation in book publishing on October 27 and 28. @PageBreakConf

43rd Edition of the Toronto Int’l Festival of Authors

festivalofauthors.ca

MT @PenguinRandomCA On September 27th at 4:30PM EST, join us for The Freedom to Write and to Read: Standing with Salman Rushdie. Free event registration is now open at http://festivalofauthors.ca, and the event will also be featured in an upcoming special national broadcast on @TheCurrentCBC#teamPRH

Free in-person and virtual Womens CoLab Summit — womenscolab2022fallsummit.sched.com

Compliments of Verizon & Luminary, our Women’s CoLab Fall Summit in-person tickets are now FREE!

Free event: Careers in Comedy: Breaking into the Funny Business 10/3 6:30–8pm ET at Macaulay Honors College, 35 West 67th St

www.eventbrite.com

WMG Members: Be A Mentor to a WMG Scholar

docs.google.com

@WMG_NYC members: We’re expanding our Mentor program to be year-round and to include any of our WMG Scholars. Sign up today!

diversebooks.org

RT @diversebooks Apply for a 2023 WNDB Mentorship! We have four mentorships for picture book creators with @AnikaDenise@fangmous@kaokaliayang, & @jtbigelow. Diverse creators, here’s a chance to hone your craft and learn about the industry!

Vision 2022 Latinx Writing Fellowship — The Nation Fund for Independent Journalism

thenationfund.org

The application deadline for the Vision 2022 Latinx Writing Fellowship with The Nation Fund for Independent Journalism is September 23rd.

ALA scholarship applications now open

americanlibrariesmagazine.org

The American Library Association (ALA) has opened applications for more than $300,000 in scholarships available to students who are studying in library science or school library media programs at the master’s degree level. Scholarships range from $2,500 to $8,000 per student per year.

Mentee Application for NPPA Mentorship Program

docs.google.com

RT @NPPA Take your visual storytelling to a new level! The @NPPAmentorship program is accepting mentee applications to work w/photogs in Univ Comms & Mrktng & visual storytellers from publications such as USA TODAY, NY Times, SF Chronicle, Houston Chronicle, etc.

Misty Copeland Creates Program to Bring More Diversity to Ballet — www.nytimes.com

American Ballet Theater dancer Misty Copeland announced she was starting a free, 12-week program in New York City that she hopes will bring in a new generation of dancers, especially Black and Latino children, who are underrepresented in ballet.

Space Camp Scholarships

www.spacecamp.com

RT @SpaceCampUSA Are you ready for Space Camp 2023? Students can now apply for a scholarship to fund their experience! Apply now at https://spacecamp.com/scholarships

NYC COVID-19 and Flu Vaccine Finder

vaccinefinder.nyc.gov

RT @MarkLevineNYC Ways to get the updated covid booster in NYC:

* 550+ pharmacies. Search here: https://vaccinefinder.nyc.gov

* Via home visit (for 65+ or homebound). To sign up: http://nyc.gov/homebound

* Public hospitals (walkins 7:30am-4pm M-F): Bellevue, Elmhr, Jacobi, Kings, Lincln, Qns, Vandrblt

At-Home COVID-19 Tests Available at All Open NYPL Locations

www.nypl.org 
The City’s Test & Trace Corps will supply a limited number of at-home tests to all open NYPL locations.

Public Service Loan Forgiveness — www.whitehouse.gov

If you have worked in public service (federal, state, local, tribal government or a non-profit organization) for 10 years or more (even if not consecutively), you may be eligible to have all your student debt canceled. Apply by October 31. Visit http://PSLF.gov.

Get Free Internet

www.whitehouse.gov

Thanks to the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, millions of families can get up to $30 per month off their internet bills, and a one-time $100 discount off a laptop, tablet, or computer. Learn more and apply at http://GetInternet.gov.