Innovation
Google’s ‘Look to Speak’ app designed to improve communicative capabilities of non-verbal people — lifehacker.com
Technology
Researchers find race, gender, and style biases in art-generating AI systems — venturebeat.com
AI tools, apps, and platforms that generate artwork exhibit social and cultural bias, according to a new study. #AI
The New York Times brings its crossword to AR — www.engadget.com
You’ll find the NYT’s new Shattered Crosswords game through the Effects tab of its Instagram account. #AR
Yes, the KFConsole Is Real and It’s Spectacular — collider.com
Gaming console that warms chicken — a fun marketing stunt/collector’s item? #marketing
Citroen’s Cute Little Ami Could Be The First Mass Market Electric Car — www.forbes.com
Citroen’s Ami (designed for urban living) has 5.5 kWh battery, range of 43 miles & costing only $7300 (or $25/month lease!) which could help make it the first mass market electric car. Top speed 28mph, but in the city might be enough?
How Niantic evolved Pokémon GO for the year no one could go anywhere — techcrunch.com
Analysts estimate that 2020 was Pokémon GO’s highest-earning year yet.
How the chaos of 2020 will shape the next decade, according to 8 design experts — www.fastcompany.com
HT @nycmedialab
CES 2021 will have 1,000 virtual exhibits, 150,000 visitors, and 100 programming hours — venturebeat.com
The biggest tech trade show typically takes place in Las Vegas each January, but this year it’s going digital.
Platforms, bundling and kill zones
www.ben-evans.com
What does it mean when Google, Microsoft or Apple turn your whole company into a feature? When do we let a tech giant build and when do we call the anti-trust lawyers? And what does that mean for Spotify, Yelp or printing in landscape?
Amazon Location — Add Maps and Location Awareness to Your Applications — aws.amazon.com
RT @benedictevans Amazon has been building maps for a long time to support delivery (1/2 of US deliveries are now on its own trucks) + now, following the AWS playbook, it’s created an API to let other companies integrate this, as an alternative to Google.
Amazon launches Amazon Pharmacy, a delivery service for prescription medications — techcrunch.com
ICYMI
Apple Granted Patent Supporting Further Development Of Search Technology
Twitter’s Amazon Deal Drives Home Cloud Giants’ Strengths — www.thestreet.com
HT @benedictevans Twitter will move from its own data centers to AWS and to Amazon’s ARM processor platform #Twitter #AWS #CloudComputing
Amazon, Twitch Score Highest Viewing For Streaming NFL Game — 4.8M ‘Average Minute’ Viewers
New reading platform will turn pages with eye-tracking — goodereader.com
Eye-tracking technology is used to turn a page in Millie’s Library, a South Korean e-book service provider. The feature relies on the front camera to track the reader’s eyes. This way, the software will know when the reader has finished reading the page. Via @goodereader
Publishing & Media
“Demand for audio shows no signs of slowing down”: Strategies publishers are using to maximize its potential — whatsnewinpublishing.com
Amazon Acquires Podcast Studio Wondery — variety.com
Amazon announced that it inked a deal to acquire Wondery, a four-year-old podcast creator and producer.
Luxe Brands Expected to Spur an Audio Ad ‘Gold Rush’ in 2021 at The New York Times — www.adweek.com
In memoriam: A round-up of the media companies we lost in 2020 — digiday.com
The global pandemic threw an unexpected wrench into the business plans of #media companies, and for the unlucky, caused them to shut their doors — or shut down their websites — completely. Among them: Man Repeller, Great Big Story, The Correspondent, Quibi
List Compilation of BIPOC 2021 Book Releases — Jennifer N. Baker — www.jennifernbaker.com
RT @jbakernyc #ICYMI, following up on my thread from 12/23 on #BIPOC Book Releases I have compiled surveys/lists, so far dedicated to 2021 releases by/include #WritersofColor. I’ll continue to update this as more info becomes available.
With BookExpo/BookCon gone, Edelweiss Virtual BookFest scheduled for June 8–9, 2021
Resources & Opportunities
Free Virtual New_ Public Festival 1/12/21
Jan 12 Free New_Public Festival w Katherine Maher (CEO, Wikimedia Foundation), Cory Doctorow (Advisor, EFF), Deb Roy (Dir., MIT Media Lab), Rasmus Nielsen (Dir., Reuters), Tristan Harris (Founder, Center for Humane Tech).
You Are A Writer: A Career & Craft Workshop Series — pen.org
MT @PENamerica Launch into 2021 with PEN America’s free You Are A Writer online workshop series! Participants will learn the business of books, the ins & outs of literary representation, how to prep writing for submission & building platforms for audiences.
The Word x Bookouture: Feedback Open Call — www.thewordfordiversity.org
RT @wordisdiversity We’re partnering w/ @bookouture on this opportunity for #authors from the #margins to give #editorial #feedback to #writers from #underrepresented backgrounds Jan 20-Feb 20! #publishing #editor #books#amwriting #amquerying Thanks, #Bookouture!
SCBWI-Wisconsin 2021 Spring Studio Scholarships — wisconsin.scbwi.org
MT @AprilFPowers Thanks to a generous donation from @TiffanyDiahann, @SCBWIWisconsin offers 10 equity & inclusion scholarships to their Spring Studio event May 1. The scholarship application period is open. #scbwi
Make a Way Book Award
MT @AmericanEdit Hello @PocPub, we are seeking submissions for nonfiction book-length essays about changing the United States for the better. Winner of the MAKE A WAY Book Award receives $700, publication, and more.
Tow Center Call for Research Applications — towcenter.submittable.com
.@TowCenter For Digital Journalism: Call For Research Applications (Focus on Automated Journalism, Data, Audience Engagement; submit by Jan 11.