As with the printing press and the dotcom boom, initial frenzy and speculation obscures the lasting legacy of new technologies“Innovation,” wrote the economist William Janeway in his seminal book Doing Capitalism in the Innovation Economy, “begins with discovery and culminates in speculation.” That just about sums up 2023. The discovery was AI (as represented by ChatGPT), and the speculative bubble is what we have now, in which huge public corporations launch products that are known to “hallucinate” (yes, that’s now a technical term relating to large language models), and spend money like it’s going out of fashion on the kit needed to make even bigger ones. As I write, I see a report that next year Microsoft plans to buy 150,000 Nvidia chips – at $30,000 (£24,000) a pop. It’s a kind of madness. But when looked at it through the Janeway lens, ’twas ever thus.“The innovations that have repeatedly transformed the architecture of the market economy,” he writes, “from canals to the internet, have required massive investments to construct networks whose value in use could not be imagined at the outset of deployment.” Or, to put it more crudely, what we retrospectively regard as examples of technological progress have mostly come about through outbreaks of irrational exuberance that involved colossal waste, bankrupted investors and caused social turmoil. Bubbles, in other words. In recent times, think of the dotcom boom of the late 1990s. Or in earlier times, of the US railway... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'
[ The Guardian | 2023-12-30 16:00:37 UTC ]
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Amazon's Kindles make it easier to access all your favorite books. They're on sale right now. Continue reading at Wired
[ Wired | 2023-11-27 08:00:30 UTC ]
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'Prophet Song,' Irish author Paul Lynch's fifth novel, is a study in contemporary literary intensity, winning the Booker Prize for Fiction. The post Ireland’s Paul Lynch Wins the 2023 Booker Prize for Fiction appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2023-11-26 22:00:45 UTC ]
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The Irish novelist has won the 2023 Booker Prize for his latest, which our reviewer calls a "slow-burning dystopian novel" about an Irish family "shattered by the rise of a radical right-wing party." Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-11-26 05:00:00 UTC ]
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Reading is the best hobby, and Kindles make it easier to access all your favorite books. Continue reading at Wired
[ Wired | 2023-11-25 09:00:00 UTC ]
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Black Friday 2023 is finally upon us, and even though the sales seemed to start a little earlier this year, most of the deals are still going strong. Plus, we're seeing a few brand new deals that went live early this morning. We at Engadget care most about consumer... Continue reading at Engadget
[ Engadget | 2023-11-25 00:10:35 UTC ]
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Black Friday 2023 is finally upon us, so if you're just getting started on your holiday shopping, you're in luck. Even though we've seen Black Friday deals populate the internet over the past couple of weeks, there remain plenty to be had today. Many of the deals we've... Continue reading at Engadget
[ Engadget | 2023-11-24 15:32:10 UTC ]
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Black Friday 2023 is finally here, and if you're just getting around to your holiday shopping, there are a ton of great deals to be had across the internet. Black Friday may still technically be one day, but we've been seeing solid early Black Friday deals throughout the... Continue reading at Engadget
[ Engadget | 2023-11-24 14:12:44 UTC ]
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Reading is the best hobby, and Kindles make it easier to access all your favorite books. Continue reading at Wired
[ Wired | 2023-11-24 07:27:35 UTC ]
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Rebecca Yarros re-ups with Montlake for two more standalone contemporary romances, Putnam buys three novels from Southern gothic horror author Andy Davidson, and more. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-11-24 05:00:00 UTC ]
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We've still got a few hours before Black Friday begins in earnest, but the deals are already here. Really, Black Friday deals have been here for the entire month of November. As has been the case for a few years in a row, most retailers including Amazon, Target, Best Buy... Continue reading at Engadget
[ Engadget | 2023-11-23 21:00:15 UTC ]
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Project Gutenberg's AI audiobook project is yet another instance of AI encroaching on the book industry. But how do the audiobooks sound? Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2023-11-22 11:36:00 UTC ]
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Our Children’s Starred Reviews Annual features nearly 400 reviews of exceptional books for young readers, a selection of interviews with some of today’s top authors and illustrators, our 50 Best Books of 2023, and a cover by Vashti Harrison. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-11-22 05:00:00 UTC ]
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The best science fiction and fantasy book deals of the day, curated by Book Riot. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2023-11-20 17:10:43 UTC ]
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To what extent copyright law applies to generative AI tools is a legal gray area -- and cause for concern among companies using these tools for commercial purposes. Continue reading at Digiday
[ Digiday | 2023-11-20 05:01:00 UTC ]
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Pan-Universal Galactic Worldwide, a new publisher of books, comics, games, and other media from Wildstorm cofounder and longtime comics veteran John Nee, is getting ready for a 2024 debut after four years of preparations. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-11-20 05:00:00 UTC ]
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During News Corp’s and IAC’s latest earnings calls, the publishers reiterated their anger toward generative AI companies scraping their content without permission or payment — and what they think the next steps will be. Continue reading at Digiday
[ Digiday | 2023-11-17 05:01:00 UTC ]
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BookTok sensation Rebecca Yarros has the #1 book in the country with 'Iron Flame,' sequel to 'Fourth Wing,' which appears twice on our top 10 list. Plus Christopher Paolini returns to the world of Eragon with 'Murtagh,' and Ali Hazelwood makes a foray into YA with 'Check & Mate.' Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-11-17 05:00:00 UTC ]
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Ballantine signs Norah O’Donnell to write a “female-focused retelling of American history,” Jamaica Kincaid sells a book about her garden in Vermont to Timber Press, and more. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-11-17 05:00:00 UTC ]
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ALA names an interim executive director; New York City libraries curb services after a mid-year budget cut; Moms for Liberty goes after Scholastic Book Fairs; and the Pew Research Center finds people are increasingly turning to such social media sites as TikTok for news. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-11-17 05:00:00 UTC ]
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Our annual industry survey reveals a modest median pay increase and minor improvements in workforce diversity across trade book publishers. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-11-17 05:00:00 UTC ]
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