Technology • Innovation • Publishing — Issue #85
By: Kathy Sandler
Tags: NYC, Business, Technology, Innovation, Publishing

By Kathy Sandler • Issue #85 • View online

Innovation

A new implant for blind people jacks directly into the brain Totally sounds like science fiction! Researchers have successfully bypassed the eyes with a brain implant that allows rudimentary vision. www.technologyreview.com • Share

Amazon primed to change the fashion industry in new TV series Watch this space: Amazon combines TV w global shopping Next month, Amazon is launching its first global series that combines unscripted programming with its retail store. Contestants on the new reality show, “Making the Cut,” compete each episode to win a fashion competition by designing a winning dress and shortly after each episode airs, Amazon Prime customers will get to immediately order those dresses on Amazon.com. #retail #fashion #ecommerce www.latimes.com • Share

Amazon reportedly wants to turn your hand into a credit card While Amazon’s plan is in the early stages, the company has reportedly begun working with Visa on testing out the terminals, and has discussed the project with Mastercard, JPMorgan Chase, Wells Fargo and Synchrony Financial. www.cnbc.com • Share

Amazon Transcribe can now automatically redact personally identifiable data Amazon Transcribe can now automatically redact personally identifiable information, such as names, social security numbers, and credit card credentials. venturebeat.com • Share

KFC turned its receipts and menus into napkins so customers can eat with their hands more easily ‘Napkinized’ campaign will roll out in 87 restaurants across the UAE and Lebanon adage.com • Share

YC just published a 70-page Series A guide so founders don’t tank their own prospects Some good advice here for startups. techcrunch.com • Share

BlitzFail: How Not to Go Off the Rails And more good advice for startups. medium.com • Share

Technology

Google adds new image license metadata for licensable image label HT @BISG Good news for photographers and people who care about intellectual property via @sengineland #copyright #photography searchengineland.com • Share

Smithsonian Releases 2.8 Million Images Into Public Domain The launch of a new open access platform ushers in a new era of accessibility for the Institution www.smithsonianmag.com • Share

Amazon Go’s Newest Cashierless Store Expands Into Groceries It promises low prices — and, of course, no lines. www.adweek.com • Share

How to Advertise on TikTok: Marketers Chase Billions of Views A recent Chipotle advertising campaign promoting burritos saw its hashtag generate 3.9 billion views on TikTok. That’s a surprising metric given that TikTok has been downloaded only about 145 million times in the U.S. #TikTok #advertising www.bloomberg.com • Share

Should Robots Have a Face? ICYMI People don’t trust the robots stocking shelves, so companies are putting googly eyes on them and having robot birthday parties www.nytimes.com • Share

Google Maps could be an $11 billion ad juggernaut by 2023, and brands including Dunkin’ and Walgreens are already buying in myemail.constantcontact.com • Share

Facebook offers to pay users for their voice recordings Makers of smart speakers have faced criticism for sharing data without consent (but they’re only offering $5). arstechnica.com • Share

LinkedIn is testing Snapchat-like stories because that’s the world we live in now LinkedIn is testing adding stories to its app (just like Instagram and Snapchat), in an effort to offer more “casual” business conversations. www.theverge.com • Share

How kids are using devices now RT @mscharlies curious what the kids are up to these days — and what devices they are using? @kidscreen has you covered (think: TV reigns supreme, console gaming gaining on tablets) kidscreen.com • Share

Microsoft’s Office app that replaces Word, Excel, and PowerPoint hits general availability Microsoft has launched Office for Android and iOS in general availability venturebeat.com • Share

Microsoft kills all third-party skills as it refocuses Cortana for the enterprise Microsoft announced that it will kill off all third-party skills and integrations as it refocuses Cortana, its virtual assistant, for the enterprise. venturebeat.com • Share

Publishing

Simon & Schuster US and Macmillan US pull out of London Book Fair The US teams of Simon & Schuster and Macmillan will not be attending the London Book Fair this year after health and safety fears following the coronavirus outbreak and many other publishers tell their employees it’s optional. www.thebookseller.com • Share

Digital publishing finally makes money, with reports of profits Digital publishing is doing something it hasn’t done en masse since the dawn of the Internet: make money. Business Insider, Vox, The Information, Axios + Politico all turned profits in 2019. The Athletic, BuzzFeed + Vice say they will this yr www.axios.com • Share

That Digital Textbook? Your College Has Billed You for It ICYMI With “Inclusive Access” Now At Hundreds of Colleges, Explaining That Means Students Are Billed for Digital Textbooks Unless They Figure Out How to Opt Out www.nytimes.com • Share

Condé Nast Agrees to End the Use of NDAs Across the Entire Company The move came amid pressure from New Yorker staffers to eliminate the controversial practice, which the magazine had famously exposed in its reporting on Harvey Weinstein. www.thedailybeast.com • Share

The Costco Connection is America’s fourth biggest magazine Costco Magazine Becomes One of America’s Biggest Titles — Costco relies on a surprising perk to engage its executive members and keep them hooked on a $120-a-year subscription. #magazines #retail www.cnn.com • Share

‘Good Housekeeping’ Sees 1200% Spike in Ecommerce Revenue #magazines #ecommerce www.mediapost.com • Share

8 Things Publishers Need to Remember When Monetizing Content RT @DeadTreeEdition #Publishing QOTD via @pubexec: “”Put up a paywall” is not a strategy — it’s just a tactic.” Seems obvious, but common sense ain’t so common. www.pubexec.com • Share

Nickelodeon, Time Launch ‘Kid of The Year’ Awards Time Magazine created a franchise out of its annual “Person of the Year” issue. Now it hopes to do something similar for the younger set. variety.com • Share

How to Respond If Someone Steals Your eBook Online via @thdigitalreader #ebooks #piracy #amwriting the-digital-reader.com • Share

About two-thirds of Americans feel worn out by the amount of news RT @BoSacks Americans’ news fatigue isn’t going away — about two-thirds still feel worn out www.pewresearch.org • Share

Tennessee Becomes Next State Seeking Public Library Oversight, Censorship Tennessee “parental oversight committee” bill would censor public library programs, materials. bookriot.com • Share

Picture books on prescription Doctors are now recommending books for mental health and wellbeing, and this program is extending its reach to younger readers. www.theguardian.com • Share

The Benefits of Reading a Book Over Breakfast Waffles! Oatmeal! Toast! Cereal! Fruit salad! Eggs! Breakfast is without a doubt the best meal of the day for reading. Here’s why. bookriot.com • Share

A Billion-Dollar Scandal Turns the ‘King of Manuscripts’ Into the ‘Madoff of France’ ICYMI Accused of orchestrating a literary Ponzi scheme, Gérard Lhéritier prepares his defense as his breathtaking collection is auctioned off. www.nytimes.com • Share

Business

Podcast Creation Offered by Staples’ New Community Spaces I think this is really smart -> Podcast producers are being invited by Staples to produce their shows at its new in-store recording studios. It’s part of new workspaces called Staples Connect. #podcasting via @DigitalTrends www.digitaltrends.com • Share

Women Are Promoted in Entertainment Industry, But Not to the Top Women hold only about one-fourth of the top jobs in media and entertainment. Their progress up the corporate ladder starts to slow as they near the top www.bloomberg.com • Share

Causes & Opportunities

Latinx in Publishing Debuts Writers Mentorship Program Literary nonprofit Latinx in Publishing has launched a new initiative, the Writers Mentorship Program, which is aimed at providing unpublished and/or unagented writers who identify as Latinx with professional mentorship opportunities. www.publishersweekly.com • Share

[margins.] : the conference A two-day conference where writers from the margins gather ourselves together. minoritiesinpublishing.tumblr.com • Share

NYC

Celebrate Women’s History Events With the NYPL Movie screenings, author talks, poetry readings, a Women’s Jazz Festival, a Jeopardy competition and much more. www.nypl.org • Share

By Kathy Sandler

The latest in technology, innovation, and publishing curated by Kathy Sandler.

I work at Penguin Random House. Opinions expressed are my own.

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