Hitting the Books: Meet Richard Akrwright, the world's first tech titan

You didn't actually believe all those founder's myths about tech billionaires like Bezos, Jobs and Musk pulling themselves up by their bootstraps from some suburban American garage, did you? In reality, our corporate kings have been running the same playbook since the 18th century when Lancashire's own Richard Arkwright wrote it. Arkwright is credited with developing a means of forming cotton fully into thread — technically he didn't actually invent or design the machine, but developed the overarching system in which it could be run at scale — and spinning that success into financial fortune. Never mind the fact that his 24-hour production lines were operated by boys as young as seven pulling 13-hour shifts. In Blood in the Machine: The Origins of the Rebellion Against Big Tech — one of the best books I've read this year — LA Times tech reporter Brian Merchant lays bare the inhumane cost of capitalism wrought by the industrial revolution and celebrates the workers who stood against those first tides of automation: the Luddites. Hachette Book GroupExcerpted from Blood in the Machine: The Origins of the Rebellion Against Big Tech by Brian Merchant. Published by Hachette Book Group. Copyright © 2023 by Brian Merchant. All rights reserved.The first tech titans were not building global information networks or commercial space rockets. They were making yarn and cloth. A lot of yarn, and a lot of cloth. Like our modern-day titans, they started out as entrepreneurs. But until... Continue reading at 'Engadget'

[ Engadget | 2023-09-10 14:30:56 UTC ]
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Books exploring friendship and the natural world longlisted for 2021 Klaus Flugge Prize

The Klaus Flugge Prize, awarded to the "most promising and exciting newcomer" in children’s picture book illustration, has longlisted 20 books from illustrators whose debuts span friendship, love, family, the natural world and tales of daring. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2021-02-11 05:20:34 UTC ]
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Meet the book club that’s helping to quickly vaccinate its town

The Fabulous Ladies Book Club has shown that immunization efforts aren’t just about getting shots into arms. Continue reading at The Washington Post

[ The Washington Post | 2021-01-26 12:00:00 UTC ]
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Girl A: Abigail Dean on her shocking debut novel that's taking the book world by storm

Has this Google lawyer written the book of the year? The part-time author talks about the inspiration for her thriller about siblings who flee abusive parents and their ‘house of horror’Abigail Dean was about to turn 30 when she suddenly realised that her job as a lawyer was using up all the... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2021-01-25 06:00:07 UTC ]
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Amazon Hit with E-book Price Fixing Suit

The law firm that successfully sued Apple and five major publishers for colluding to fix e-book prices in 2011 has filed a class action against Amazon, accusing the company of colluding with the Big Five publishers to eliminate price competition from the e-book market. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2021-01-14 05:00:00 UTC ]
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Industry Notes: Italian Bookstores Stay Open, Guadalajara Named World Book Capital

Italy's bookstores are allowed to operate amid COVID-19 restrictions, and Guadalajara becomes UNESCO's World Book Capital for 2022. The post Industry Notes: Italian Bookstores Stay Open, Guadalajara Named World Book Capital appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2020-11-04 20:25:38 UTC ]
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How the Literary World Reinvented the Book Festival in Real Time

As the literary world moved online in 2020, a central question for many organizations was how to manage the annual festivals that gather thousands of readers from around the world. Here, the directors of five festivals—Sara Ortiz of the Believer Festival, Lissette Mendez of the Miami Book Fair,... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2020-11-03 09:57:24 UTC ]
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Hitting the Books: Widespread DNA testing could intensify American racism

In the modern digital media landscape, we are not the customers — or even the audience — we are the product. Every time we log on, our personal data including where we go, what we search for, who we interact with and what we buy is scraped, siphoned,... Continue reading at Engadget

[ Engadget | 2020-10-24 15:00:11 UTC ]
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Hitting the Books: The latest 'Little Brother' is a stark cybersecurity thriller

Back in 2008, New York Times best-selling author and Boing Boing alum, Cory Doctorow introduced Markus “w1n5t0n” Yallow to the world in the original Little Brother (which you can still read for free right here). The story follows the talented teenage... Continue reading at Engadget

[ Engadget | 2020-10-17 15:30:50 UTC ]
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S&S to publish Richard Jones picture books

Simon & Schuster Children's has acquired two picture books from author and illustrator Richard Jones. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2020-10-14 00:40:26 UTC ]
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Walker Books secures world rights to DiCamillo and Blackall's first collaboration

Candlewick Press, a US imprint of the Walker Book Group, has acquired global rights to The Beatryce Prophecy, the first collaboration from author Kate DiCamillo and illustrator Sophie Blackall. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2020-09-18 00:15:20 UTC ]
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'The end of an innocent world': An oral history of the first National Book Festival, which debuted three days before 9/11

Ahead of the 20th National Book Festival, Laura Bush, Scott Turow, Michael Beschloss and others look back at the event’s storied beginning. Continue reading at The Washington Post

[ The Washington Post | 2020-09-15 12:00:00 UTC ]
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Sharjah World Book Capital Leads Beirut Library Restoration Aid

As Beirut struggles to move forward, the Sheikha Bodour Al Qasimi and Sharjah's World Book Capital program step in to help libraries. The post Sharjah World Book Capital Leads Beirut Library Restoration Aid appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2020-09-14 18:40:21 UTC ]
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Richard Osman to write two more Thursday Murder Club books for Viking

Richard Osman, whose first novel The Thursday Murder Club this week becomes the fastest selling adult crime debut since records began, has signed a deal with Viking for two more books in the series. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2020-09-07 19:31:57 UTC ]
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Burton returns to Richard & Judy's Book Club for autumn selection

Richard & Judy's Autumn Book Club features returning novelist Jessie Burton, alongside two debut writers, in the six-strong line-up. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2020-09-03 08:14:36 UTC ]
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S&S acquires Pope Francis' 'inspiring' guidance for Covid-hit world

Simon & Schuster is to publish Let Us Dream from Pope Francis in December. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2020-09-02 17:32:34 UTC ]
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Perfect Reading T-Shirts for the Book Fandom World

Your closet is asking you to add these reading t-shirts to it and up your book lover status. Continue reading at Book Riot

[ Book Riot | 2020-09-02 10:33:00 UTC ]
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Ethan Hawke is now a book critic, thereby completing his Literary World Bingo Card.

Congratulations to Ethan Hawke, star of my favorite film (Gattaca) and arguably the most bookish man in Hollywood, who has, with today’s inclusion in the (web) pages of the New York Times Book Review, completed his Literary World Bingo Card! What is the Literary World Bingo Card you ask? Well,... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2020-09-01 18:45:05 UTC ]
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Meet 'Sparkella': Channing Tatum Wrote A Children's Book About Dad-Daughter Love

"The One and Only Sparkella" is dedicated to the actor's daughter, Everly, "who loves sparkly, rainbow-y things." Continue reading at HuffPost

[ HuffPost | 2020-09-01 00:28:27 UTC ]
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Literary world overwhelmed by 600 books to be published on one day

Hundreds of titles will flood the market because of Covid. It’s bad news for minority authors, says former Booker prize judgeOver the summer, novelist and screenwriter David Nicholls has been something of a hero. With a humorous nod to the less glamorous aspects of publishing life – hastily... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2020-08-16 07:29:05 UTC ]
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