Technology • Innovation • Publishing — Issue #164
Innovation
Images with context. Free.
MT @fgilbane Google AI Blog:Announcing WIT: A Wikipedia-Based Image-Text Dataset via @googleai #AI
Apple Is Working on iPhone Features to Help Detect Depression, Cognitive Decline
ICYMI Apple wants to see if iPhones can help detect depression or tell whether a senior moment is something worse — a capability that would significantly expand its health portfolio via @WSJ #innovation
Amazon’s Astro home robot is like having Alexa on wheels — www.theverge.com
Amazon has announced its long-rumored home robot and it’s called Astro. The Astro is a combination of many of Amazon’s strengths — virtual assistant, AI, robotics, home monitoring — in a single robot that can roam around your home. It’s available through a special invite system for $999.
NFT creators wanted: Ripple Labs is starting a $250 million fund to support them them
Via @technology #NFTs
British Museum to sell NFTs of 200 Hokusai works — including The Great Wave — www.theartnewspaper.com
The institution has partnered with French start-up LaCollection to auction the non-fungible tokens, coinciding with its exhibition of the Japanese artist’s work. #NFTs
Mark Cuban and Coinbase back Eternal, an NFT marketplace for trading Twitch streamer clips
via @techcrunch #NFTs
New trend report: Into the Metaverse
MT @WunThompson Our new report ‘Into the Metaverse’ covers everything brands and agencies need to know about this thriving digital realm — from what the metaverse is, to its implications for brands. #WunThompson #WTMetaverse #Future
How fashion is being brought to the metaverse
HT @benedictevans Vogue on the fashion brands chasing the metaverse and NFTs #fashion #NFTs #metaverse via @VogueBusiness
Bain’s annual tech trends report
WPP Opens Augmented Reality Lab with Snap
Advertising giant WPP and Snap have opened the doors to The AR Lab, a new global partnership aimed at helping brands. Via @Adweek #Snap #Advertising #AR
Technology
Google’s upcoming search redesign may end up pushing more traffic to Google properties like YouTube — www.cnbc.com
Google’s upcoming search redesign may end up pushing more traffic to Google properties like YouTube, adding “visual ideas” to increase #commerce #Google
Soon Your Google Searches Can Combine Text and Images — apple.news
In May, Google execs unveiled experimental new #AI trained with text and images they said would make internet searches more intuitive. Wednesday, Google offered a glimpse into how the tech will change the way people search the web. #Google
Facebook is spending $50 million to ‘responsibly’ build the metaverse
www.theverge.com
Facebook has announced a new $50 million XR Programs and Research Fund, which it says will be invested to help make the metaverse a safe place for everyone in the future with regards to inclusion and privacy.
Facebook is ‘pausing’ work on Instagram kids app after widespread criticism
The news follows damning reports from The Wall Street Journal that suggested Facebook knew how damaging social media could be on children.
How Apple built the iPhone 13’s Cinematic Mode — techcrunch.com
via @techcrunch #Cinematography #photography
AdTech Mess — warzel.substack.com
Look at the #adtech mess in the Martech 5000. It shows all the different vendors in the online advertising ecosystem-each tiny logo is a company. The moment you look at it, it all becomes clear: ‘We have no chance of knowing what’s happening to our data.’
Inside Amazon Flagship Fulfillment Center Where Machines Run the Show
Amazon’s flagship fulfillment center uses automation to send more than 1 million packages a day. What does that mean for human managers? via @BW #Amazon
‘Hey, Disney!’ Amazon and Disney welcome a new era of Alexa-like voice assistants — www.cnet.com
This “magical companion,” as Disney calls it, can bust out w jokes, trivia or sing-alongs. It summons the voices of characters with stories and interactive games-not just with Mickey, but also characters from the stories of Pixar, Star Wars and Marvel.
Amazon’s AI Cameras Are Punishing Drivers for Mistakes They Didn’t Make
There have been lots of stories about Amazon delivery trucks driving too fast and causing accidents. So now Amazon has ML-based cameras in the trucks to try to spot dangerous driving, and drivers are complaining about false positives. #AI via @motherboard
Why the Big Three Can’t Win the Hybrid Multicloud Game
HT @fgilbane Everyone thinks the #cloud is nirvana, but maybe not always the solution
The Cost of Cloud, a Trillion Dollar Paradox — a16z.com
Netflix launches free, first-of-its-kind Android mobile plan in Kenya — www.theverge.com
HT @benedictevans An experiment:Netflix making a 1/4 of its inventory available free on Android in Kenya, as a way to sell paid service. You can do this when you own all rights + have $0 marginal cost (No word on how data costs work, though.) via @Verge
Netflix buys its first game developer, Night School Studio
Twitter for Professionals will begin to roll out this week for businesses and creators — techcrunch.com
HT @BoSacks. Via @techcrunch #Twitter
Clubhouse needs creators, but creators need cash
Clubhouse launched its Creator First program to pay people to create high-quality shows for the platform. However, six creators say they never did receive any sponsorships from the program and are now having to rethink how they use the platform. By @ashleyrcarman.
How To Prepare Your Organization For Transformation In A Post-COVID World
The truth is that lasting change can never be built on any particular technology, program or policy, but rather must focus on shared values and a shared sense of mission. Via @Digitaltonto.
Publishing & Media
CAA to Acquire ICM
lunch.publishersmarketplace.com
Two leading talent agencies will combine, pending regulatory approval, as Creative Artists Agency announced Monday that it will acquire ICM Partners. A release notes, “ICM’s industry-leading books division superbly complements CAA’s content-driven motion pictures, television, and podcasting businesses, in addition to its speakers arm, and other divisions.”
James Patterson Funds $1.5 Million Worth of Scholastic Book Club Books for Low-Income Students — apnews.com
HT @PublishersLunch With a donation of $1.5 million from author James Patterson, Scholastic Book Clubs has launched “The United States of Readers,” a classroom program designed to address literacy inequity.
It’s time to start naming a book’s translator on the cover
France is trying to protect booksellers from Amazon. Is it a decade too late?
HT @publishingtrend French lawmakers are coming to the defense of booksellers who continue to lose business to major retailers like Amazon with a law that would set a fixed minimum delivery rate for books. Via @qz #Amazon #regulation
New French Legislation On Book Shipping Would Force Amazon to Make More Money
lunch.publishersmarketplace.com
Book discounts in France are limited to no more than 5 percent by law and in 2014 they banned free shipping on discounted books. So instead Amazon and others have charged as little as one cent for shipping. Seven years later, the government has decided something must be done.
Faber Offers Personalized Poetry Collections, In Collaboration with Wonderbly
Netflix Confirms Success of Book Streaming — lunch.publishersmarketplace.com
Knights Of gets first public investor as 9 Story acquires stake — www.thebookseller.com
RT @thebookseller Nine Story Media Group has acquired a minority equity stake in @_KnightsOf, becoming the inclusive publisher’s first public investor, gaining exclusive first-look rights to acquire audio-visual, merchandising, theatrical and ancillary rights.
Educational Publishers Obtain Preliminary Injunction Against 60 Illegal Websites that Use Online Ads to Sell Pirated Content
HT @PublishersLunch #ebooks #copyright #piracy
Google News Shh-owcase: Publishers break silence over secret deals behind $1bn scheme
Via:@pressgazette #Google #NewsBusiness
Axel Springer commits to a target of 40% women in top management positions by 2026, raising the current 30% target
With the move, the company says it wants to send a clear message and is also working on measures to improve the visibility and representation of non-binary people. By @jaygavin.
After 125 Years, Hearst Brand House Beautiful Launches Its First Podcast
HT @DCNorg The five-episode Dark House will blend architecture, true crime and humor.
Ozy Media, Once a Darling of Investors, Shuts Down in a Swift Unraveling
Chicago Public Media and the Chicago Sun-Times have signed a letter of intent allowing the nonprofit organization to acquire the paper
Amazon Launches Ad-Based Streaming Service IMDb TV in the U.K.
MT @mediagazer Amazon launches its ad-supported IMDb TV streaming service in the UK, three years after launching in the US. By @kjyossman.
Referral Programs Help Your Fans Market Your Content Business — www.thetilt.com
RT @TheTiltNews Fans should be rewarded for “selling” your content. That’s possible with a referral reward program, says @AnnGynn. #contententrepreneur #creatoreconomy
Resources & Opportunities
FREE Virtual WMG Event 10/20 7–8pm ET
Biases, micro-aggressions, and workplace inequities: how can we heal from these traumas and how do we interrupt the cycle that prevents everyone from excelling? What are the strategies we can use to put painful career disappointments behind, and in doing so, thrive? What are the ways organizations and individuals can take responsibility for driving true change, based on equity and belonging? This event is open to members and non-members. @WMG_NYC
The Design + Accessibility Summit — creativepro.com
MT @CreativePro_com Join us online November 16–19 for The Design + Accessibility Summit, the essential HOW-TO event for design professionals who need to master #accessibility. You’ll learn techniques for building accessible documents with #InDesign, #Acrobat, #PowerPoint, and more.
WNDB Emergency Fund
MT @diversebooks The WNDB Emergency Fund for Diverse Creatives is accepting new applicants! We’ve updated our criteria so that even more diverse creatives can apply for grants (ranging from $500 to 1,000) during this challenging time.
Emergency Funding for Literary Organizations and Publishers
RT @nationalbook The three orgs behind the Literary Arts Emergency Fund — @POETSorg @CLMPorg & @nationalbook — will distribute $4.3M in a second round of funding to nonprofit literary arts orgs & publishers thanks to @MellonFdn. The application will open in November 2021.
#MarginsBookstores — www.thewordfordiversity.org
MT @wordisdiversity OCTOBER= #MarginsBookstores Month! Celebrate all month w/ bookstores, authors, & booksellers+keep an eye on our socials+site so you can join the festivities! THANK YOU to our sponsors! @Bookshop_Org @ChronicleBooks @BincFoundation @librofm @ReesesBookClub
Creative Writing Awards Competition Launches With New Amanda Gorman Award for Poetry — global.penguinrandomhouse.com
#InsidePenguinRandom #teamPRH #poetrylovers
Journalism Creator Summit — lu.ma
RT @NewmarkJPlus We’re excited to announce our Journalism Creator Summit happening on November 10! Join us for a deep dive into revenue and sustainability for journalism creators to advance their niche media ventures and make J doing it!
The museum where language comes to life — planetwordmuseum.org
Did you know that there’s a Planet Word Museum? HT @nybookforum @PlanetWordDC #amreading #amwriting #WordLoversUnite Planet Word is an immersive language experience located at the historic Franklin School in Washington, D.C. Ideal for all ages, Planet Word is a voice-activated museum (the world’s first!), and our interactive galleries and exhibits bring words and language to life in all sorts of fun ways.
NYC COVID-19 and Flu Vaccine Finder
RT @MarkLevineNYC NYC’s covid vaccine finder tool now has a second tab…for flu shots. Its important that everyone get their flu vax this year so we avoid the risk of a “twindemic”. Find a location near you at https://vaccinefinder.nyc.gov
Videos: Musicians Hosting Joyful, DIY Performances On Fire Escapes In Harlem — gothamist.com
The shows have taken the concept of socially-distanced music performances and given it an unforgettable, urban backdrop.
New Venue ‘Brooklyn Made’ Has Created A Dream Oasis For Musicians — gothamist.com
There are tons of amenities for touring groups, including four separate green rooms, an apartment filled with records and a vintage jukebox, outdoor spaces, and a private pool.
