I am enjoying the hell out of "Picks and Shovels" by @pluralistic and I bet you will, too (full disclosure: I have been grokking computers since the early 1980s, which makes so much of the book's geeky name-dropping resonate with me; and my absolute lack of any knowledge of accounting does not detract from the enjoyment).
The ’fair use’ legal defence used by Meta and Anthropic last week against separate allegations of copyright infringement for training AI tools on published books won’t work in UK courts, according to the Publishers Association and Society of Authors.
Starred listening to Picks and Shovels by @pluralistic last night while crafting with my wife. We usually also fall asleep to a book and she asked me to not play it while we drifted off, because if I did she would not be able to, it is that good. Wil Wheaton is great, as always.
The decision to strip chapters from books that had already won the approval of the state’s Republican-controlled board of education represents an escalation in how local school boards run by ideological conservatives influence what children learn. propublica.org/article/texas-c…
The first two volumes of Victor Hugo's epic historical novel Les Misérables appear in Brussels, followed on April 3 by Paris publication, with the remaining volumes on May 15. The first English-language translations, by Charles Edwin Wilbour, are published in New York on June 7, and by Frederic Charles Lascelles Wraxall, in London in October.
I just finished reading @pluralistic's latest book "picks & shovels". I enjoyed it a lot and it's definitely my favorite in the Martin Hench series so far. The connection it draws between the early PC boom in the mid-80s and today's rampant enshittification makes for a very entertaining read.
While reading it, I also often thought of the AMC series "Halt and Catch Fire" which I watched a couple of years ago. Maybe it's time to watch the first season again. #books
The book “sold a staggering 1,000 hardbacks a day in the first three days on sale in the UK, despite Meta’s legal tactics to silence the book’s author”, said Joanna Prior, CEO of publisher Pan Macmillan. “This early success is a triumph against Meta’s attempt to stop the publication of this book.”
Sarah Wynn-Williams’s account of her seven years as a Facebook executive is number one on the New York Times bestseller list and has flown off the shelves in the UK
I want to talk about money.
(Ugh, I know. How crass.)
Specifically, how much money authors make, or more accurately, don’t.
I signed my publishing deal in 2023. My advance was £2,500. That’s it.
Facebook Whistleblower Demands Overturn of Interview Ban - as Her Book Remains a Bestseller - The latest Facebook whistleblower, a former international lawyer, "cannot grant an... - news.slashdot.org/story/25/03/… #books
The latest Facebook whistleblower, a former international lawyer, "cannot grant any of the nearly 100 interview requests she has received from journalists from print and broadcast news outlets in the United States and the United Kingdom," reports the…
In film: @josephinelee writes that these librarians are risking their safety and livelihood to speak up for First Amendment rights, intellectual freedom, and, most of all, for the students who tell them “books have saved them.” texasobserver.org/librarians-m…
You have to love the savage efficiency of the Streisand effect: Sarah Wynn-Williams' Facebook exposé #CarelessPeople skyrocketed to the top of the NYTimes Bestseller List on its debut week. It's the second most purchased book on Amazon (US) as well.
I'm about halfway through the book and I wish I could be in a book club to discuss it. The anecdotes about Facebook's top leaders and their ineptitude / selfishness are so delicious. Fair and fierce attacks, in beautiful prose.
The concept of community and sharing has been lost in our society. Libraries are great because they are for the community. Buy a book for everyone to share. The selfishness is disturbing and shameful.
Thanks to the magic of the Streisand effect, I just heard about #CarelessPeople - a book by former Meta employee Sarah Wynn-Williams.
Apparently the company is FREAKING OUT and seeking legal ways to stop its promotion. I can see why. This article about it in the Times made my jaw drop: web.archive.org/web/2025031022…
![Photograph of Cecilia Payne-Gaposchkin (1900-1979) at Harvard College Observatory Local number: SIA Acc. 90-105 [SIA2009-1326]
Taken during the early to mid-20th century, the image portrays Payne-Gaposchkin in a thoughtful pose, dressed in a modest sweater, with natural light softly illuminating her face. In the background, shelves and filing cabinets filled with papers and scientific documents suggest an academic setting deeply immersed in research and discovery.](https://friendica.hellquist.eu/photo/preview/640/4542214 "Photograph of Cecilia Payne-Gaposchkin (1900-1979) at Harvard College Observatory Local number: SIA Acc. 90-105 [SIA2009-1326]
Taken during the early to mid-20th century, the image portrays Payne-Gaposchkin in a thoughtful pose, dressed in a modest sweater, with natural light softly illuminating her face. In the background, shelves and filing cabinets filled with papers and scientific documents suggest an academic setting deeply immersed in research and discovery.")
