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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The Silent Book Club, a global meet-up for introverts, now connects them remotely

A book club for people who don't like book clubs, founded in 2012 in San Francisco and now boasting six chapters in L.A. County, has moved online. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2020-04-10 14:00:07 UTC ]
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Here are the winners of the Sheikh Zayed Book Awards, one of the Arab world’s major literary prizes.

The Sheikh Zayed Book Awards, among the most esteemed and lucrative literary prizes in the Arab world, recognized winners across seven categories today. This year marks the 14th edition of the awards, each of which comes with a cash prize of $204,000. These awards acknowledge literary and... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2020-04-08 15:14:35 UTC ]
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UK's World Book Night celebrations to go ahead online

 The Reading Agency has confirmed the UK's World Book Night celebrations will go ahead on 23rd April, but will be modified due to Covid-19. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2020-04-02 06:54:47 UTC ]
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Shipping Delays Hit Books, Other Products, at Amazon

The surge at Amazon for such items as household staples and health and medical goods has resulted in extended shipping times for other products, including books. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2020-03-24 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Clare Pooley | 'It is a book about the importance of community in a world where we are more connected than ever but more lonely than ever'

The sought-after first novel by former blogger Clare Pooley exposes the need for connection in the age of social media Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2020-03-20 07:25:26 UTC ]
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World Book Day smashes Share a Million Stories target

World Book Day smashed its Share a Million Stories target within 24 hours of the event, with 1,218,230 stories shared by Friday 9th March. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2020-03-11 08:50:21 UTC ]
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Coronavirus-hit Italy sees 25% drop in book sales

According to the Italian Publishers Association (AIE), Italy's book market fell 25% last week, with those areas worst-hit by the coronavirus—such as Lombardy, Veneto and Emilia—seeing drops of 50% and above. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2020-03-05 21:19:43 UTC ]
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The UK’s 2020 World Book Day: ‘Reading in Sharp Decline’

Armed with new and disturbing survey information about youth reading from the National Literary Trust, this year's UK World Book Day hands out book tokens. The post The UK’s 2020 World Book Day: ‘Reading in Sharp Decline’ appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2020-03-05 15:46:41 UTC ]
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Boris Johnson joins schoolchildren for Downing Street World Book Day celebration

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[ The Bookseller | 2020-03-04 18:40:51 UTC ]
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Mirror Books to publish 'remarkable' World War Two memoir

Mirror Books will publish new memoir about the only living sisters to have signed the Official Secrets Act during the Second World War.  Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2020-03-04 12:36:25 UTC ]
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Wimbledon BookFest cancels World Book Day event over local coronavirus case

Wimbledon BookFest has been forced to cancel its World Book Day event featuring authors Sita Brachmachari, Konnie Huq and Karyn Parsons, because of a local coronavirus case.  Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2020-03-04 10:24:07 UTC ]
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World Book Day 2020: Duchess of Cornwall, Cowell and O'Leary lead celebrations

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[ The Bookseller | 2020-03-04 07:51:05 UTC ]
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World Book Day's Supertato smashes into the top spot

Sue Hendra and Paul Linnet’s World Book Day title Supertato: Books are Rubbish (Simon & Schuster Children's) has racked up a 671% increase in sales week on week, selling 26,884 copies in the week leading up to 5th March. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2020-03-03 11:15:11 UTC ]
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Coronavirus: Milan’s Stefano Mauri to World Book Fairs and Festivals: Postpone

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[ Publishing Perspectives | 2020-03-02 18:15:43 UTC ]
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Beano launches special comic for World Book Day

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[ The Bookseller | 2020-02-26 07:46:04 UTC ]
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Richard & Judy Book Club features Gregory, Lefteri and Gayle

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[ The Bookseller | 2020-02-19 12:29:23 UTC ]
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Book-ish closes for day after Storm Dennis hits

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[ The Bookseller | 2020-02-18 10:27:11 UTC ]
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Titan Books snaps up video essayist Lindsay Ellis' début novel

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[ The Bookseller | 2020-01-12 17:08:56 UTC ]
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Sheikh Zayed Book Award’s World Outreach Prompts Seven Translations

The Sheikh Zayed Book Award’s international outreach and activities in 2019 have resulted in new rights deals for some of its winning titles. The post Sheikh Zayed Book Award’s World Outreach Prompts Seven Translations appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2019-12-18 07:30:21 UTC ]
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Sharjah World Book Capital Program Backs Kenyan Library Restoration

Backing 'the journey of a historic cultural icon' in Nairobi, the Sharjah World Book Capital program announces support for the McMillan Library restoration. The post Sharjah World Book Capital Program Backs Kenyan Library Restoration appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2019-12-17 13:10:22 UTC ]
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