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While I focus on Technology, Innovation, and Publishing, because I have a platform, I also flag items that I think are important, which you might have missed, and try to include a bunch of resources & opportunities. I’d love to hear what you think of this newsletter.
Important Items
Fight over Texas anti-abortion transport bans reaches biggest battlegrounds yet
Commissioners in Lubbock County voted Mon. to outlaw the act of transporting another person along their roads for an abortion. 6 TX cities/counties have passed bans, out of 9 that have considered them
Montana licenses PragerU for classrooms, watchdog weary of ‘extremist’ content
Montana joins Florida & Oklahoma in licensing far-right network PragerU’s curriculum for its public schools.
Psychologists have figured out why you can’t stop eating that candy bar. Smokers may relate
https://www.fastcompany.com/90971553/food-addiction-ultra-processed-cigarettes-alcohol-yale-bmj
Innovation
Explainer: why have quantum dots won the 2023 Nobel prize?
The 2023 Nobel prize in chemistry was awarded to 3 scientists for discovery of quantum dots which are tiny nanometer size semiconducting material. They bridge the gap between matter at atomic & molecular scale & bulk matter, and have application in biotech, solar cells & medical devices.
Solar-powered off-road car finishes 620-mile test drive across north Africa
The Stella Terra is believed to be the world’s first off-road solar-powered car and has a range of well over 400 miles – if it’s sunny.
Technology
What AI can and can’t do — and what that means for marketers
80% of advertisers are already using at least one AI-powered Search ads product. And research shows that AI-powered Video Reach campaign mixes on YouTube earned an average return on ad spend 3.7X higher than manually optimized campaigns. However, while AI is a powerful engine, it still needs you in the driver’s seat to make it work.
Why Read Books When You Can Use Chatbots to Talk to Them Instead?
https://www.wired.com/story/why-read-books-when-you-can-use-chatbots-to-talk-to-them-instead/
Google on their AI: “If you are challenged on copyright grounds, we will assume responsibility for the potential legal risks involved.”
Google: 3 new ways to check images and sources online
https://blog.google/products/search/google-search-new-fact-checking-features/
Artists may make AI firms pay a high price for their software’s ‘creativity’
HT @jafurtado Computer-generated art seemed magical at first, but it works by ‘scraping’ the creations of real people. Now they’re angry, and have the tools to fight back
Google Image Search Will Now Show a Photo’s History. Can It Spot Fakes?
https://www.wired.com/story/google-about-this-image-misinformation/
How ‘AI watermarking’ system pushed by Microsoft and Adobe will and won’t work
ICYMI Check for ‘cr’ bubble in pictures if your app supports it, or look in the metadata if it hasn’t been stripped, or…
https://www.theregister.com/2023/10/15/microsoft_adobe_ai_watermark/
This new data poisoning tool lets artists fight back against generative AI
A new tool lets artists add invisible changes to the pixels in their art before they upload it online so that if it’s scraped into an AI training set, it can cause the resulting model to break in chaotic and unpredictable ways.
https://www.technologyreview.com/2023/10/23/1082189/data-poisoning-artists-fight-generative-ai/
Artists Allege Meta’s AI Data Deletion Request Process Is a ‘Fake PR Stunt’
https://www.wired.com/story/meta-artificial-intelligence-data-deletion/
Bloomsbury chief warns of AI threat to publishing
MT @DCNorg The chief executive of Bloomsbury Publishing has warned of the threat of artificial intelligence to the publishing industry, saying tech groups are already using the work of authors to train generative AI programs.
https://www.ft.com/content/66c76cbb-a42c-4d4f-bfbf-4ab90f020c78
Why I let an AI chatbot train on my book
HT @publishingtrend The battle over how large language models can use published works is just beginning. Copyright law isn’t ready.
FCC greenlights superfast Wi-Fi tethering for AR and VR headsets
The European Central Bank starts preparation for digital euro in multi-year project
41 states sue Meta, claiming Instagram, Facebook are addictive, harm kids
The UK’s Controversial Online Safety Act Is Now Law
https://www.wired.com/story/the-uks-controversial-online-safety-act-is-now-law/
Cardi B, Niall Horan, Anitta & Charlie Puth to Perform at TikTok in the Mix Event
Twitter’s Recommendation Algorithm is Being Manipulated via Mass Blocks by Right Wing Bots
The bots mass follow right-wing accounts and stay, increasing those accounts’ reputation scores. But the same bots follow left-wing accounts and then mass unfollow – apparently on the same day – permanently damaging the reach of those accounts.
https://github.com/twitter/the-algorithm/issues/1386
Amazon’s AI-Powered Van Inspections Give It a Powerful New Data Feed
Amazon delivery drivers at hundreds of sites around the world will be asked to drive through camera-studded archways that log every dent, scratch, or damaged tire.
https://www.wired.com/story/amazons-ai-van-inspections-powerful-data-feed/
Publishing & Media
US literary agents question the business model’s viability, but some are missing the bigger picture
The biennial report from the Association of American Literary Agents (AALA) paints a bleak picture of American’s literary agents working long hours and struggling to pay the bills, while worrying for their future and questioning the viability of the commission model.
The Ultimate Guide to Crafting an Irresistible Book Pitch
Barnes & Noble Sets Itself Free
As the bookstore chain mounts a comeback, it’s breaking a cardinal rule of corporate branding and store design: consistency.
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/10/17/style/barnes-noble-redesign.html
New York City’s VITAL Program Puts Libraries at the Center of School Communities
VITAL—which stands for Vital, Instructional, Transformative, Accessible, Learning—provides a one-time grant of up to $50K to existing public school libraries to not only revitalize their space but to create a sustainable model for the library to become an essential resource for their school.
Whose Voices Get to be Heard in Publishing?
Via @KathMSchmidt
https://kathleenschmidt.substack.com/p/whose-voices-get-to-be-heard-in-publishing
‘I Don’t Get to Opt-In to Be Black’: A Scholastic Author Speaks Out
ICYMI Author Tanisia Moore tells Rolling Stone that school book bans allow racist ideology to skate by
Scholastic Apologizes, Will Discontinue Optional Set of Diverse Titles at Book Fairs
While this seems to be good news, Scholastic backtracked again with more couched language, saying “As we reconsider how to make our Book Fairs available to all kids, we will keep in mind the needs of our educators facing local content restrictions and the children we serve.”
Major textbook publishers withdraw from Oklahoma as fight over content worsens
Blackhawk School Board (PA) passes policy to ban books within district
Under new guidelines in Blackhawk schools (PA), any material that a person in the district finds objectionable to their “values or fundamental religious beliefs” can be removed from the district’s resources & all content deemed to not be “neutral”
Philadelphia students navigate school without access to school libraries
Explore The Tribune’s database of books banned in Utah schools
Across Utah’s biggest school districts, 262 books have been banned, per The Salt Lake Tribune’s survey of the titles banned across 17 of the state’s largest school districts since a new 2022 law on books challenges took effect.
https://www.sltrib.com/news/education/2023/10/23/explore-our-database-books-banned/
Those for, against Kitty-Corn book statue argue their case at Abilene (TX) city council meeting
A North County (CA) school district quietly pulled books, shut down libraries after a parent complained. Its policy dictates otherwise.
Escondido schools in California quietly removed books and shut down the libraries after a parental complaint. The books were This Book Is Gay and Looking for Alaska
Alabama: “State Library Director Nancy Pack Concedes to [Governor Kay] Ivey, Dissolves State Board Membership with American Library Association
What books can kids borrow at the library? New rules coming in Hillsborough (FL).
HT @veronikellymars New library cards in Hillsborough County, Florida, public libraries will let parents decide how to restrict access for 30,000 kids. And the same library dropped its affiliation with the American Library Association.
In Miami-Dade (FL) schools, parent permission a must for students who want to attend book fairs
U.S. Book Challenges Update: October 27 Edition
Our latest report on book bans and challenges happening across the U.S. includes news on attempts to remove books from school libraries—including works by Toni Morrison and Kurt Vonnegut—in Utah, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, and Michigan.
https://ilovelibraries.org/article/u-s-book-challenges-update-october-27-edition/
They May Not Be The Most Targeted, But They’re Still Banned
There are 86% of books you likely don’t hear about when it comes to the books being banned. Via @veronikellymars
https://literaryactivism.substack.com/p/they-may-not-be-the-most-targeted
New PEN America Report: U.S. Prisons Ban Staggering Numbers of Books
Florida leads the 28 states that collect information on censored titles with 22,825 banned, followed by Texas with 10,265 titles and Kansas with 7,699 titles up to 2021, the latest data available. Of these 28 states that record titles banned in prisons, a cookbook, Prison Ramen, which is a collection of recipes for ramen noodles (some contributed by anonymous prisoners and others from recognized figures such as Shia LaBeouf), is most frequently banned (19 states).
https://pen.org/press-release/new-pen-america-report-u-s-prisons-ban-staggering-numbers-of-books/
School board election candidates endorsed by Moms for Liberty
It’s very important to vote, even in your local elections. From @veronikellymars “Here is everyone being supported in the various school book elections (Nov. 7) by Moms for Liberty.” So you know to vote against the book banners.
https://substack.com/profile/215606-kelly-jensen/note/c-42517177
All The Public Libraries Offering Free Access to Banned Books: A Comprehensive Guide
https://bookriot.com/public-libraries-offering-free-access-to-banned-books/
Queer Liberation Library
https://www.queerliberationlibrary.org
Resources & Opportunities
Disability in Publishing: A WMG Power Hour Event
Did you know that *one out of every four* adults in the U.S. live with a disability? Join us for a virtual pay-what-you-wish program on Disability in Publishing and Media: A Women’s Media Group Power Hour w authors, screenwriters, journalists, bookstore owners, marketers, and activists with disabilities. Learn from some of the most influential voices in the disability community & celebrate their contributions to the world of publishing and media. 11/14 12-1pm ET. Please sign up today and help us spread the word about this pay-what-you-wish program!
https://www.womensmediagroup.org/event-5466833
Book Banning In The U.S. And The Positive Impact Of Diverse Books: What New Data Tells Us
Webcast: Native Storytelling in Children’s Books with Angeline Boulley, Cynthia Leitich Smith, and Debbie Reese
2024 LxP Writers Mentorship Program
RT @LatinxinPub Applications for the 2024 Writers Mentorship program is now live! Deadline to apply is 11/6.
https://airtable.com/app7KBjrq3cL2b1v8/shrUEw99qHZZ40Qnu
LatinX Voices: An In-Community Retreat
https://www.highlightsfoundation.org/workshop/latinx-voices-an-in-community-retreat/
PRH, WNDB Launch Freedom of Expression Award
Call for Nominations 2024 Working Mothers of the Year in Media, Marketing, & Tech
MT @SheRunsItOrg It’s time for our annual salute to the women who raise businesses while also raising children. The She Runs It Working Mothers of the Year Awards honor those outstanding, multitasking moms who work in marketing, media & tech.
https://sherunsit.org/news-and-insights/2023/09/open-2024-working-mothers-of-the-year/
Latina Voices Against Domestic Violence
MT @marcelalandres Virtual event: Latina Voices Against Domestic Violence, 11/2, 3pm EST, co-hosted by Latinas Represent and Esperanza United.
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZwof-ugpj8pGtR7xhaCn6C0HS0W-Vf05tTw#/registration
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