While I focus on Technology, Innovation, and Publishing, because I have a platform, I also flag items that I think are important and try to include a bunch of resources & opportunities. I’d love to hear what you think of this newsletter.

Important Items

Appeals court embraces abortion-pill limits, sets up Supreme Court review

RT @RBraceySherman This is absolutely maddening and there’s no medical reason for this decision. They’re mad that people are bypassing doctors and the government to take abortion pills on their own. They’re justifying criminalizing all who use it, send it, and share it.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2023/08/16/abortion-pill-mifepristone-court-ruling-appeal/

Floridians have to sign up again if they want to vote by mail in next election

Millions of Florida voters voted by mail in 2022, but all of their ballot requests were wiped out at the beginning of the year thanks to a new law signed by Gov. Ron DeSantis.

https://www.orlandosentinel.com/2023/08/17/floridians-have-to-sign-up-again-if-they-want-to-vote-by-mail-in-next-election/

Additional 184K Georgia voter registrations put on path to cancellation

Georgia election officials are preparing to designate nearly 184,000 voters who haven’t participated in elections in over five years as “inactive,” meaning their registrations could be canceled. MT @GeorgiaDemocrat ATTENTION GEORGIA VOTERS: Check your voter registration by going to http://mvp.sos.ga.gov to make sure you are still registered to vote.

https://www.ajc.com/politics/184k-georgia-voters-notified-they-could-be-designated-as-inactive/RTRGBRBBK5FX3BBV3BEECTGTSE/

All 6 Arkansas school districts call state ed department’s bluff, keep AP African American Studies on the books

https://arktimes.com/arkansas-blog/2023/08/17/school-districts-call-state-ed-departments-bluff-keep-ap-african-american-studies-on-the-books

House GOP trio introduces bill repealing DC Home Rule Act

Repealing the DC Home Rule Act would remove the DC mayor and council, granting all governing authority in the District to Congress.

https://thehill.com/homenews/house/4154360-house-gop-trio-introduces-bill-repealing-dc-home-rule-act/

Newest “anti-woke” tantrum: Right-wingers don’t think kids of different races can be friends

A bizarre racist outburst at a Texas school board isn’t an isolated event — it’s part of a national pattern. A school trustee said a child was traumatized by a poster showing different colored children holding hands and had to switch classrooms. Another trustee claims race-mixing is in some way a “violation of the law.” The two women are part of “Mama Bears Rising,” a secretive far-right group fueling the book-banning mania.

https://www.yahoo.com/news/newest-anti-woke-tantrum-wingers-100001810.html

International Chess Org: Trans Women Have “No Right To Participate” In Women’s Chess

International Chess Federation, FIDE, has released new guidelines targeting transgender players. The guidelines would strip trans men’s titles, and potentially bar trans women from playing. Via @ErinInTheMorn

https://www.erininthemorning.com/p/international-chess-org-trans-women

Female leaders in advertising are more important than ever

RT @GenderAvenger “We want women in the top jobs where they can have the most significant systemic impact.” Women comprise around 70% of advertising positions but only 37% when looking at C-Suite roles specifically.

https://www.harpersbazaar.com/uk/people-parties/bazaar-at-work/a44705256/female-leaders-in-advertising/

Hollywood’s Diversity Progress Remains Sluggish, USC Study Says

Meanwhile, MT @michellemanafy according to Deloitte, compared with the national average, Black, Latinx, and LGBTQ+ audiences a level of media adoption that must not be ignored.

https://www.thewrap.com/hollywood-diversity-progress-usc-study/

Scientists call for Brits to wear masks again due to startling new Covid variant

https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/scientists-call-mask-up-again-30712694

NYC bans TikTok on city-owned devices

The ban goes into effect immediately.

https://www.theverge.com/2023/8/16/23834579/nyc-tiktok-ban-new-york-china-surveillance-spy

Innovation

America’s Bridges, Factories and Highways Are in Dire Need of Repairs. Bring in the Robots.

How robots equipped with cameras, sensors, AI, and lasers are helping spot and repair problems with bridges, ships, and other critical infrastructure in the US

https://www.wsj.com/tech/inspection-robots-infrastructure-ebb4172c?mod=djemalertNEWS

Technology

AI-Created Art Isn’t Copyrightable, Judge Says in Ruling That Could Give Hollywood Studios Pause

A district court judge upheld a US Copyright Office finding that artwork created by AI isn’t eligible for copyright protection because it lacks human authorship

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/business-news/ai-works-not-copyrightable-studios-1235570316/

AI Report: “Any media company banking on legal intervention to protect copyright might be disappointed”

Ultimately companies will have to adopt a wait and see approach, and may be best served by working together to engage with tech companies rather than hoping for legal action that forces them to offer attribution.”

https://whatsnewinpublishing.com/ai-report-any-media-company-banking-on-legal-intervention-to-protect-copyright-might-be-disappointed/

Revealed: The Authors Whose Pirated Books Are Powering Generative AI

Generative-AI models by Meta and others have been trained on a secret trove of more than 170,000 books to gain their power. In a new analysis, Alex Reisner uncovers the authors whose work has been fed into popular AI programs: Stephen King, Zadie Smith, and Michael Pollan are among thousands of writers whose copyrighted works are being used to train large language models.

https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2023/08/books3-ai-meta-llama-pirated-books/675063/

Report: Potential NYT lawsuit could force OpenAI to wipe ChatGPT and start over

MT @michellemanafy It appears that the Times may be preparing to sue OpenAI over copyright. The result, experts speculate, could be devastating to OpenAI, including the destruction of ChatGPT’s dataset and fines up to $150,000 per infringing piece of content.

https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2023/08/report-potential-nyt-lawsuit-could-force-openai-to-wipe-chatgpt-and-start-over/

“Not a replacement of journalists in any way”: AP clarifies standards around generative AI

“The central role of the AP journalist — gathering, evaluating and ordering facts into news stories, video, photography and audio for our members and customers — will not change.”

https://www.niemanlab.org/2023/08/not-a-replacement-of-journalists-in-any-way-ap-clarifies-standards-around-generative-ai/

Google, Universal Music in talks for deal on AI ‘deepfakes’

https://www.reuters.com/technology/google-universal-music-talks-deal-ai-deepfakes-ft-2023-08-08/

AI is coming for your audiobooks. You’re right to be worried.

HT @JulieBlattberg Apple and Google want ‘Madison’ and ‘Archie’ to read to you. Major publishers are hiring A-list celebs for the same job. Who will win?

https://www.washingtonpost.com/books/2023/08/17/audiobooks-artificial-intelligence/

AI Causes Real Harm. Let’s Focus on That over the End-of-Humanity Hype

Wrongful arrests, an expanding surveillance dragnet, defamation and deep-fake pornography are all actually existing dangers of AI. Beneath the hype from many AI firms, their technology already enables routine discrimination in housing, criminal justice and health care, as well as the spread of hate speech and misinformation in non-English languages. Already, algorithmic management programs subject workers to run-of-the-mill wage theft, and these programs are becoming more prevalent.

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/we-need-to-focus-on-ais-real-harms-not-imaginary-existential-risks/

Apple is already using its chatbot for internal work

The company’s chatbot reportedly helps its employees work, and Apple GPT may be considering using it to help with customer support.

https://www.theverge.com/2023/7/23/23804825/apple-gpt-chatbot-apple-care-siri-chatgpt

Automating creativity

Per @emollick, there is now strong evidence that AI can help make us more innovative.

https://www.oneusefulthing.org/p/automating-creativity

If you’ve ever wanted to be in ‘Hamilton,’ you can now do so — on Roblox

The landmark Broadway musical “Hamilton” has landed on Roblox, turning the innovative stage show into an immersive online environment for a new generation.

https://apnews.com/article/hamilton-musical-roblox-6e2b53b3128ccf73924648d33a622334

Amazon will reportedly charge sellers an extra fee for shipping their own products

The 2 percent fee doesn’t come at a particularly good time for Amazon, as reports suggest that the Federal Trade Commission is currently preparing an antitrust lawsuit against the giant. It also adds to the between 8 and 15 percent commission that Amazon already takes from orders placed on the platform.

https://www.theverge.com/2023/8/16/23834653/amazon-seller-fees-shipping-fulfillment

Amazon Restarts Shipping Unit That Competes With UPS and FedEx

Amazon restarts Amazon Shipping, its UPS and FedEx competitor that handles packages from other websites, after pausing the US service earlier in the pandemic

https://www.wsj.com/business/logistics/amazon-restarts-shipping-unit-that-competes-with-ups-and-fedex-dbdeb3aa?mod=followamazon

X apparently added 5-second delay for links to sites Musk doesn’t like

https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2023/08/x-apparently-added-5-second-delay-for-links-to-sites-musk-doesnt-like/

Adobe’s Co-Founder John Warnock Dies at 82

John Warnock, who co-founded Adobe in 1982 with Charles Geschke and served as the company’s CEO until 2000, died on August 19 at age 82

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-08-20/adobe-s-co-founder-john-warnock-dies-at-82

Media & Publishing

Booksellers Want Justice Department to Investigate Amazon

HT @publishingtrend

https://bookriot.com/booksellers-want-justice-department-to-investigate-amazon/

Judge blocks Internet Archive from sharing copyrighted books

HT @publishingtrend

https://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/wireStory/judge-blocks-internet-archive-sharing-copyrighted-books-102290385

What Remedies Do Authors Have When Fraudulent Work Appears on Amazon?

Per @JaneFriedman Authors ultimately need Amazon’s cooperation to remove fraudulent titles, yet its current systems fall short.

https://hotsheetpub.com/2023/08/imho-what-remedies-do-authors-have-when-fraudulent-work-appears-on-amazon/

The Gamification of Reading Is Changing How We Approach Books

HT @NoetheMatt Every year, participation in Goodreads’ reading challenge climbs. Four million people pledged to read a certain number of books in 2018, with an average goal of 61 titles. About 16 percent met theirs. In 2022, almost 7 million people spent their year reading with a number in mind. Incorporating metrics-based incentives is classic gamification.

https://www.shondaland.com/inspire/books/a44567428/the-gamification-of-reading-is-changing-how-we-approach-books/

5-Hour Energy Founder to Buy Majority Stake in Sports Illustrated Publisher

Simplify Inventions agrees to buy a ~65% stake in Sports Illustrated-owner Arena Group; the deal includes a $50M investment and a five-year $60M ad commitment.

https://www.wsj.com/articles/5-hour-energy-founder-to-buy-majority-stake-in-sports-illustrated-publisher-dbe625cd?mod=djemalertNEWS

Why publishers are investing in non-news verticals to grow revenue

How The New York Times, New York Magazine, The Sun, The Independent, and other publishers are using non-news verticals to grow revenue, traffic, and subscribers

https://pressgazette.co.uk/publishers/news-publishers-investing-in-non-news-verticals/

ArabLit Opens a New Monthly Newsletter for Rights Professionals

MT @ChristaAngelios Incl: – Trending topics in the Arabic literary world – Arabic KidLit & award-winning novels – Lit agents/scouts working in the Arab world – Portraits of translators & Arabic-language publishers – Where to find translation & publishing grants – Events

https://publishingperspectives.com/2023/05/arablit-opens-a-new-monthly-newsletter-for-rights-professionals/

9 in 10 LGBTQ journalists face abuse and harassment, report finds

RT @michellemanafy In a survey of 40 British LGBTQ journalists published by Birmingham City University, 86% of respondents said they receive abuse and harassment, and 62% of those do not report it internally, citing a lack of support from their employers

https://www.journalism.co.uk/news/9-in-10-lgbtq-journalists-face-abuse-and-harassment-report-finds/s2/a1061967/

A raid on a Kansas newspaper likely broke the law, experts say. But which one?

https://apnews.com/article/kansas-newspaper-raid-marion-county-record-bead3f49d323c784d40154067141dc7c

All Fort Worth (TX) ISD school libraries closed while district reexamines books on shelves

This all comes on the heels of a school board decision to remove three books. Meanwhile, per @FReadomFighters: HB900 1) it requires vendors NOT librarians to rate books 2) it doesn’t require that until April 1, 2024 ⁩ 3) SBOE to approve standards by Jan 1.

MT @veronikellymars The fifth largest school district in Texas is denying access to libraries to all while they assess the materials. Sit with that. 86,000+ students have no library access right now, thanks to the f*cking legislature.

https://www.fox4news.com/news/fort-worth-isd-reassigns-person-in-charge-of-approving-school-library-books

Iowa School District used artificial intelligence software to review books for sexual content

Books are now being pulled from the shelves of Mason City schools’ libraries in order to comply with newly enacted state legislation that Gov. Kim Reynolds says will protect children from damaging and obscene material.

https://www.thegazette.com/k/19-books-pulled-from-mason-city-school-libraries/

Hamilton East (Indiana) library president, who pushed book review policy, is removed from board

https://www.indystar.com/story/news/local/hamilton-county/education/2023/08/15/hamilton-east-library-board-president-laura-alerding-removed-noblesville-school-board/70598807007/

The Book Banners Who’ve Launched Their Own Library Association

From @veronikellymars. Meanwhile, the Texas State Library just left the ALA (as well as Montana).

https://stackedthoughts.substack.com/p/the-book-banners-whove-launched-their

Banned Book Resources

An updated website for banned book resources from Penguin Random House #teamPRH

https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/banned-books/

We Need Diverse Books Announces Books Save Lives Grantees

MT @diversebooks Announcing the inaugural BooksSaveLives grantees! These five schools—all located in states where book bans are the most pervasive—will receive up to $5000 to buy diverse titles for their students. Read more about them here

https://diversebooks.org/blog-we-need-diverse-books-announces-books-save-lives-grantees/

Be prepared to vote in all elections, including for library and school board

MT @UABookBans With elections approaching, now is the time to get informed: the right to read is on the ballot. Use our UniteAgainstBookBans Voting Checklist to learn about your school & library board candidates & find out where they stand on the right to read

https://uniteagainstbookbans.org/vote/

Resources & Opportunities

A Journey in Podcast Producing

Interested in producing a podcast? Come get a behind-the-curtain look at podcast production w @goldaarthur 9/20 noon ET. Free for @WMG_NYC members, $15 for non-members. All proceeds from this event support the Women’s Media Group Educational Foundation.

https://www.womensmediagroup.org/event-5385280

Books for Maui Auction

https://www.32auctions.com/BooksforMaui

New York Book Forum In-Person Events

RT @brigidblack Free NY Book Forum party 9/13 and “A Lapse in Literacy: How We Fight Back” at Scholastic 9/20.

https://newyorkbookforum.org/event-calendar/

Sunday Business Sermon: Negotiating Book Contracts

https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_ynH50X_-SPmKrBBTnJ2Kkg?t=1692465165114#/registration

Shop Black-owned and/or -managed Bookstores during #MarginsBookselling Month

https://findmarginsbookstores.thewordfordiversity.org

Call for Brooklyn Book Festival Volunteers

MT @BKBF Calling all book lovers! We’re looking for Volunteers for this year’s Children’s Day (Sep 30) and Festival Day (Oct 1) in downtown Brooklyn. Must be 18+ and attend one of five mandatory virtual trainings. Apply at the link by September 1st, 2023:

https://airtable.com/shr9NuxYUC9CLFUxw

Markets and Jobs for Writers

Via @erikadreifus Each week, Practicing Writing shares no-fee, paying markets for writers of fiction, poetry, and creative nonfiction: competitions, contests, and calls for submissions.

https://www.erikadreifus.com/2023/08/markets-and-jobs-for-writers-133/

Latinx Kidlit Book Festival

Free, streaming live Latinx Kidlit Book Festival – Join from your classroom, library or home for FESTIVAL FRIDAYS starting September 22nd through October 13th! Meet your favorite Latinx creators of picture books, middle grade and young adult novels, poetry, comic books and graphic novels!

https://www.latinxkidlitbookfestival.com

Publishing Panels for AAPI writers

http://www.kundiman.org/publishing-panels

Creative Catalyst – AAPI Civic Engagement Fund

MT @aapifund Call for proposals to the Creative Catalyst Program 🎆 We will be funding up to $30K each to independent artists to produce work on the themes of Solidarity, Belonging, and Voting Together. Deadline 9/12.

https://aapifund.org/creativecatalyst/

Fresh Voices Fellowship

RT @epiphanylit Submissions NOW OPEN for our 2024 FRESH VOICES FELLOWSHIP! One BIPOC emerging writer (with no creative writing degree) will have the opportunity to work with Epiphany’s team in both selecting work for publication, and in having close editorial attention given to their own work.

https://epiphanyzine.com/features/submissions-fresh-voices-fellowship

2024-2025 Cullman Center Fellowship

MT @CullmanNYPL ATTENTION WRITERS OF ALL GENRES, ACADEMICS, VISUAL ARTISTS, TRANSLATORS There are still 6 weeks to apply for a 2024-25 Cullman Center Fellowship at the New York Public Library! Fellows receive an $85,000 stipend, the use of an office with a computer, and full access to NYPL’s physical and electronic resources. Deadline to apply is Friday, September 28th, 2023. SPREAD THE WORD!

https://www.nypl.org/help/about-nypl/fellowships-institutes/center-for-scholars-and-writers

Muslim Storytellers: A Crash Course in Children’s Book Publishing

https://www.highlightsfoundation.org/workshop/muslim-storytellers-a-crash-course-in-childrens-book-publishing/

WIPO’s ABC International Excellence Award

MT @WIPO Closing September 1: Nominations for WIPO’s Accessible Books Consortium International Excellence Award 2023🏆 The award recognizes publishers and initiatives improving access to books for persons who are blind or print-disabled Make a nomination

https://www.accessiblebooksconsortium.org/w/news/2023/wipo-accessible-books-consortium-international-excellence-award-2023-call-for-nominations