QAnon founder may have been identified thanks to machine learning

With help from machine learning software, computer scientists may have unmasked the identity of Q, the founder of the QAnon movement. In a sprawling report published on Saturday, The New York Times shared the findings of two independent teams of forensic linguists who claim they’ve identified Paul Furber, a South African software developer who was one of the first to draw attention to the conspiracy theory, as the original writer behind Q. They say Arizona congressional candidate Ron Watkins also wrote under the pseudonym, first by collaborating with Furber and then later taking over the account when it eventually moved to post on his father’s 8chan message board.The two teams of Swiss and French researchers used different methodologies to come to the same conclusion. The Swiss one, made up of two researchers from startup OrphAnalytics, used software to break down Q’s missives into patterns of three-character sequences. They then tracked how often those sequences repeated. The French team, meanwhile, trained an AI to look for patterns in Q’s writing. Both techniques broadly fall under an approach known as stylometry that looks to analyze writing in a way that is measurable, consistent and replicable. To avoid the possibility of confusing their respective programs, the teams limited their analysis to social media posts. Among all the other possible authors they put through the test, they say the writing of Furber and Watkins stood out the most for how similar it was that... Continue reading at 'Engadget'

[ Engadget | 2022-02-19 20:56:18 UTC ]

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Harry Potter and Tom Kerridge fuel Bloomsbury's record revenue

Publisher hits £161.5m takings, driven by Potter sales and Lose Weight for GoodThe evergreen Harry Potter franchise and the popularity of TV chef Tom Kerridge’s Lose Weight for Good has driven book publisher Bloomsbury’s revenue to the highest level in its 32-year history.Bloomsbury Publishing... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2018-05-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Harry Potter's magic: Documentary looks at 20 years since the boy who lived revived magic

In the 20 years since Harry Potter And The Philosopher's Stone – the first novel in JK Rowling's global publishing phenomenon – was released, the bespectacled boy wizard has achieved many, many revolutionary things. Most importantly, he has transformed children's passion for reading – and... Continue reading at Stuff

[ Stuff | 2018-01-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Bloomsbury reveals new Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

Bloomsbury will release a ‘house edition’ of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, the second book in the Harry Potter series, in June. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2018-01-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Librarians Scrambling to Meet Demand for 'Fire and Fury'

Overwhelming demand for the book has generated wait lists that rival such all-time bestsellers as 'Harry Potter' and 'Fifty Shades of Gray.' Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2018-01-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Bestselling books of 2017: the top 100

While women dominate the charts, it’s been the year of the comeback kings: Philip Pullman, Jamie Oliver, Margaret Atwood …Last year JK Rowling reclaimed the No 1 spot in the bestseller charts by returning from mundane reality to the Potterverse (with the Harry Potter and the Cursed Child... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2017-12-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Thursday's TV highlights: 'Can’t Stop, Won’t Stop: A Bad Boy Story' and more

SERIES Movie Night With Karlie Kloss The supermodel and her celebrity guests watch flicks, play games and gab in this new series. First up, 2002’s “Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets.” 6:30 p.m. Freeform The Perfect Suspect The debut installment of this true-crime series tells the tale of... Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2017-12-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Soft July for Trade Sales

Sales in the children’s/young adult segment fell 36.8% in July, compared to same period a year ago, according to figures release by the AAP. The decline is due, in large part, to the fact that July 2017 did not see a hit like July 2016, when 'Harry Potter and the Cursed Child' was dominating... Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2017-11-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Warner to launch Harry Potter version of Pokemon Go

Niantic Labs, the creator of free-to-download augmented reality game Pokemon Go, is to launch a new game based on Harry Potter in conjunction with Warner Bros. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2017-11-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The magic that inspired Harry Potter on display at the British Library

Magic is in the air at the British Library here — specifically the magical world of one of the most famous characters in modern literature, Harry Potter. “Harry Potter: A History of Magic,” a recently opened exhibition spotlighting rare books and artifacts that detail traditions of folklore and... Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2017-10-31 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Bringing the magic of Harry Potter to life

Acting children's editor and Harry Potter fan Caroline Carpenter gives her verdict on the British Library's new Harry Potter exhibition. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2017-10-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
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With No Potter, Sales Plunged at Scholastic in Q1

A 52% decline in Scholastic's children’s book publishing group was blamed on the absence of a major bestseller. In fiscal 2017, the publisher's sales were driven by 'Harry Potter and the Cursed Child,' which was released during the first quarter of last year. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2017-09-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
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With No Harry Potter Bump, July 2017 Bookstore Sales Slipped 1.9%

While July sales last year were mightily padded by the release of 'Harry Potter and the Cursed Child,' which came out July 31, 2016, July 2017 saw no such blockbuster. Thanks in large part to this, July 2017 sales were down 1.9%, compared to the same time last year. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2017-09-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
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BBC programme will mark BL Harry Potter exhibition

The BBC will celebrate the 20th anniversary of Harry Potter with “rarely seen documents from J K Rowling’s archives, revealing her magical inspirations” in the run up to the British Library’s exhibition next month. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2017-09-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
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A 'Hamilton' backlash? Why none of that matters with this history-making tour

Jumping on bandwagons is my least favorite activity. Don't force me to tell you all the must-see movies I've skipped ("Forrest Gump" is all you'll get out of me), the No. 1 best-sellers I've bypassed (I discovered the world of "Harry Potter" only after it became a play) or the platinum records... Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2017-08-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Global Publishing Leaders 2017: Oxford University Press

Oxford University Press (OUP), a department of the University of Oxford, dates back to the earliest days of printing. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2017-08-25 00:00:00 UTC ]
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'Harry Potter' screenings break Durham Book Festival records

The screenings of "Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone" at Durham Cathedral has broken all of the city’s book festival records with 1,500 tickets selling out in one day. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2017-08-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Books Suffer from Potter Curse, Sales Tumble 17%

Unit sales of print books in the week ended Aug. 6, 2017, were down 17% from the similar week in 2016 at outlets that report to NPD BookScan. The decline was due entirely to the release last year at this time of J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, which sold about 2.5 million... Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2017-08-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Potter playscript pips rivals to the post

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child (Sphere) has bewitched the UK Official Top 50 for a second week, holding the number one spot with 23,711 copies sold, according to Nielsen BookScan’s Total Consumer Market. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2017-08-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
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JK Rowling's return to Harry Potter makes her world's richest author in 2017

As her wizarding world returns to the stage and screen, Rowling’s $95m pushes James Patterson into second place with $87mJK Rowling will need to reserve a particularly large vault at Gringotts bank after a bumper year for the Harry Potter novelist magicked her back to the No 1 spot on Forbes’... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2017-08-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Rowling conjures up 79th number one with Cursed Child paperback

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child (Little, Brown) has Wingardium Levoisa’d straight into the UK Official Top 50 number one spot. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2017-08-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
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