Forget Zuckerberg – the tech giants don’t have to own the future | John Harris

Facebook, Google and Apple make the headlines, but there are many inspiring startups to dissipate the sense of techno-dreadA quarter of a century ago, the Canadian author Douglas Coupland published his third novel. Microserfs was the tale of a group of young Microsoft employees who decide to exit the realm of Bill Gates in Washington state and chase a dream of their own in California places that, back then, sounded like the epitome of futuristic magic: Palo Alto, Menlo Park. As well as prescient flashes of the world to come – “Beware of the corporate invasion of private memory,” warned one of its protagonists – what always stuck with me was its air of techno-optimism, perfectly crystallised right at the end, when the central character’s mother has a stroke and is rescued from silence by a set-up attached to an Apple Macintosh. She communicates via such staccato sentences as “I am here”, and “I feel U”; the novel’s closing pages capture her and her family marvelling at the fact that she has become “part woman/part machine, emanating blue Macintosh light”.The book was published in 1995, when computers suddenly offered an ever-expanding window on to the world. Many of us had no doubt that the leap from old to new represented nothing but progress. By the start of this decade social media platforms were being hailed as a means of individual and collective emancipation. But where has this faith in the future gone? Related: The rise of technology in care: how will it affect... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'

[ The Guardian | 2018-12-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
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An army of Prince Harries is intimidating shoppers.

The portrait is stern, defiant, of bountiful hairline. Shot by Ramona Rosales for the cover of Prince Harry’s memoir Spare, it planted a flag in the golden Californian soil and hung a shark-tooth necklace around the decrepit institution it set out to eviscerate. Tiled in your local Barnes &... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2023-03-03 15:21:13 UTC ]
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Face to Face: Why Houston was key to building ad tech business Direct Digital Holdings

The founders of this Houston digital media company focus on an underserved market. Continue reading at Silicon Valley Business Journal

[ Silicon Valley Business Journal | 2023-02-27 20:46:59 UTC ]
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Literary giants have thoughts on the new edits to Roald Dahl’s works.

The news has rumbled through Giant Country that Puffin has been editing out words like “fat,” “crazy,” and “ugly” from new editions of Roald Dahl’s works. The Daily Telegraph reported that some of the changes achieved a more gender-neutral feel—boys and girls have become “children,” mothers and... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2023-02-21 15:13:52 UTC ]
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Hogwarts Legacy's game mechanics reflect the gender essentialism at the heart of Harry Potter

The new Harry Potter game, Hogwarts Legacy, has generated a lot of controversy, which is reflected within the gameplay itself. Continue reading at The Conversation

[ The Conversation | 2023-02-15 04:01:53 UTC ]
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Apple's AirPods Pro drop back to $199, plus the rest of the week's best tech deals

We've been keeping tabs on the best TV deals ahead of this weekend's Super Bowl, but there are plenty of noteworthy tech deals going on for those who aren't looking to overhaul their living room. Apple's AirPods Pro, for instance, are back down to an all-time low of $199, while Amazon is running... Continue reading at Engadget

[ Engadget | 2023-02-10 16:29:46 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #pay extra #256gb ssd #$20 higher #roughly $40 #follow @engadgetdeals #kindle


If You Loved Prince Harry's 'Spare,' Here Are Some Equally Juicy Celeb Memoirs

Luckily for us, the celebrity memoir genre is rife with tantalizingly tales from stars past and present. Continue reading at HuffPost

[ HuffPost | 2023-02-09 10:45:21 UTC ]
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NBCU Courts Smaller, Performance-Focused Advertisers at One23 Ad-Tech Event

NBCUniversal is launching Peacock Ad Manager to all advertisers in 2023 in an effort to court small businesses and performance marketers, the publisher announced today at One23, its ad-tech-focused showcase for advertisers. "We're really democratizing access to television for performance... Continue reading at AdWeek

[ AdWeek | 2023-02-08 20:00:00 UTC ]
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Sonos gear is on sale ahead of the Super Bowl, plus the rest of this week's best tech deals

Even if you won't be watching the Super Bowl, you can still take advantage of the sales brands are running on home theater equipment ahead of the game. Sonos, which rarely offers discounts, just announced deals on some of their soundbars and smart speakers. TVs from Samsung are on sale too. This... Continue reading at Engadget

[ Engadget | 2023-02-03 17:15:02 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #quest pro #buying advice #$100 cheaper #usual $100 #follow @engadgetdeals #kindle


Skip Hogwarts Legacy and watch some Harry Potter-style D&D instead

Hogwarts Legacy comes out next week. It is, bar none, the biggest video game to ever use the ever-popular Harry Potter license. A Dragon Age-style open-world RPG, made by Warner Bros. Games and Avalanche Software (recently of the scuttled Disney Infinity), it’s kind of a huge deal. The... Continue reading at PC World

[ PC World | 2023-02-03 15:30:00 UTC ]
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Understanding American Entrepreneurship: Spotlight on Howard Wolk and John Landry

With Launchpad Republic, the authors make a strong case for the importance of American entrepreneurship. (Sponsored) Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-02-03 05:00:00 UTC ]
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Exclusive: The makers of a Harry Potter smart wand claim Warner Bros. took their IP

The co-founder of Kano says that a new Harry Potter wand includes his technology; Warner Bros. disputes the claim. In 2018, Warner Bros. made waves when it announced a partnership with Kano, a U.K. kid-friendly coding firm, to release a Harry Potter coding wand that brought the magical world of... Continue reading at Fast Company

[ Fast Company | 2023-01-27 14:02:23 UTC ]
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Carolina De Robertis has won the 2022 John Dos Passos Prize.

On Wednesday, the 41st John Dos Passos Prize was awarded to Uruguayan American writer Carolina De Robertis (The President and the Frog; Cantoras; The Gods of Tango) by Longwood University. The Dos Passos Prize is the oldest literary award given by a Virginia college or university, and every year... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2023-01-26 14:54:21 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #longwood university #virginia college #year honors #american writer #literary award


10 of the Weirdest Moments From Prince Harry’s Memoir

These ten moments from SPARE are among the weirdest in this bestselling and highly anticipated memoir from Prince Harry. Continue reading at Book Riot

[ Book Riot | 2023-01-25 11:39:00 UTC ]
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Prince Harry Memoir Led 1.2% Rise in Print Book Sales Last Week

Prince Harry's 'Spare' sold more than 195,000 copies in its second week on sale, helping to lift print book sales 1.2% last week over 2022. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-01-25 05:00:00 UTC ]
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“Phenomenal” woman Meena Harris makes the leap from t-shirt branding to book publishing

Phenomenal Media, a company launched by Kamala Harris’ niece that celebrates underrepresented women, is debuting a new partnership with Hachette Books. In 2016, Meena Harris started designing statement t-shirts that quite literally made a statement. Her most famous one read “Phenomenal Woman,”... Continue reading at Fast Company

[ Fast Company | 2023-01-24 08:00:00 UTC ]
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‘Didn’t read it, will not read it’: Harry and Meghan of little interest to Montecito neighbours

The world’s fastest-selling memoir is merely an episode in a soap opera in the Sussexes’ adopted Californian hometownOn the day Prince Harry’s controversial, headline-grabbing memoir Spare officially became the fastest-selling non-fiction book in history, the bookstore in his adoptive hometown... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2023-01-21 14:25:09 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #soap opera #santa barbara #bookstore #non-fiction book #memoir


Steep discounts reign supreme for Prince Harry's mega-marketed memoir Spare

Publishing experts say the highly discounted product launches for mega-marketed books like Spare are an entrenched method big booksellers use to get people into stores, especially in an era where online competition is only a click away. ... Continue reading at CBC

[ CBC | 2023-01-21 09:00:00 UTC ]
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Amazon's Fire tablets are up to 43 percent off, plus the rest of the week's best tech deals

This week, Apple announced and set the release date for the new MacBook Pros and both Amazon and Best Buy rushed to offer a slight discount on pre orders. Amazon also knocked a hefty 40 percent off many of their Fire Tablets, including the new Fire HD 8. Bose's QC II earbuds are back down to... Continue reading at Engadget

[ Engadget | 2023-01-20 17:15:19 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #buying advice #follow @engadgetdeals #kindle


Prince Harry Ruled Book Sales Last Week

'Spare,' the memoir by Prince Harry, sold nearly 630,000 print copies in its first week on sale at outlets that report to NPD BookScan. Even with that huge debut, total sales rose only 1.4% last week over the week ended January 15, 2022. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-01-19 05:00:00 UTC ]
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The last satirical novel from a tech-world alum? It's got a bug

Josh Riedel's debut novel 'Please Report Your Bug Here' tries to be both a sendup of circa-2010 Silicon Valley and a futuristic sci-fi cautionary tale. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2023-01-18 14:30:20 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #debut novel