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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Mass Merchants Feel the Love from 'Cursed Child'

Mass merchandisers accounted for 33% of the first week sales of 'Harry Potter and the Cursed Child: Parts 1 & 2,' according to Nielsen BookScan. The uptick was a much needed boost for the embattled retail channel. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2016-08-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
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This Week's Bestsellers: August 15, 2016

In its debut week, print units sales for the #1 book in the country, ‘Harry Potter and the Cursed Child: Parts 1 and 2,’ are more than double those for the next 99 books combined. Plus Colson Whitehead’s ’The Underground Railroad' gets the Oprah nod and the #3 slot in Hardcover Fiction, the... Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2016-08-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
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iBooks Bestsellers: 'Cursed Child' Duels with Patterson and Moriarty

Shocking no one, 'Harry Potter and the Cursed Child: Parts 1 and 2'​ stays #1 more than a week after its much-ballyhooed release. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2016-08-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Cursed Child racks up biggest single-week sales since Deathly Hallows

J K Rowling and Jack Thorne’s Harry Potter and the Cursed Child (Little, Brown) has become the fourth fastest-selling title of all time, with 847,886 copies worth £8.76m shifted through Nielsen BookScan's Total Consumer Market last week, making it 2016's biggest selling title of the year in just... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2016-08-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Explosive sales for newest 'Harry Potter' tale: 2 million and counting

Harry Potter's appeal continues, with huge sales numbers coming out from the release of 'Harry Potter and the Cursed Child,' a book version of the script used in the West End play. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor

[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2016-08-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Twenty years of Harry Potter marked with year-long campaign

Bloomsbury is set to celebrate 20 years of Harry Potter with a year-long campaign, including special anniversary publishing and new projects with key partners. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2016-08-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
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NBCUniversal strikes deal for 'Harry Potter' films, theme park extras

NBCUniversal is continuing under the spell of “Harry Potter,” striking an exclusive deal with Warner Bros. to bring films of the juggernaut franchise to two NBCUniversal cable channels. The agreement, announced Monday, extends the relationship between the two media companies by conveying... Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2016-08-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Harry Potter's 20th birthday to be marked with British Library show

Twenty years after the publication of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, 2017 show promises ‘a journey to the heart’ of JK Rowling’s storiesIdeally positioned in King’s Cross, just a stone’s throw from the mythical beginning of the journey to Hogwarts on Platform 9 3/4, the British... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2016-08-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
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In the US, UK, and Canada, Harry’s on Another Roll With ‘Cursed Child’

North American sales of 'Harry Potter and the Cursed Child' top 2 million copies, UK sales blow past records, all within days of Rowling's new release. The post In the US, UK, and Canada, Harry’s on Another Roll With ‘Cursed Child’ appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2016-08-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The Audio Book Club Meets the Cursed Child

To listen to the Audio Book Club discussion of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, click the arrow on the player below. Continue reading at Slate

[ Slate | 2016-08-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Cursed Child playscript sells 680,000 in UK in three days

The Harry Potter and the Cursed Child playscript has sold 680,000 print copies in the UK in its first three days of sale – making it the fastest-selling book in a decade. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2016-08-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Explosive sales for latest 'Harry Potter' tale: 2 million and counting

Harry Potter's appeal continues, with huge sales numbers coming out from the release of 'Harry Potter and the Cursed Child,' a book version of the script used in the West End play. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor

[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2016-08-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is fastest-selling UK book this decade

The script for Harry Potter and the Cursed Child becomes the fastest-selling book in the UK this decade. Continue reading at BBC News

[ BBC News | 2016-08-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
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What J.K. Rowling said about Harry Potter post-'Cursed Child'

Rowling spoke about her plans for Harry Potter following the premiere of the play 'Harry Potter and the Cursed Child,' which depicts Harry and his family years after the events of the original books and films. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor

[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2016-08-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
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'Cursed Child' Sales Top Two Million

Scholastic estimated Wednesday morning that 'Harry Potter and the Cursed Child Parts One and Two' sold more than two million copies in North American in its first two days of sales. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2016-08-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
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iBooks Bestsellers: Potter Sells Like Lightning

The Boy Who Lived returns to the iBooks Bestseller list as the Book That Sold, J.K. Rowling's 'Harry Potter and the Cursed Child Parts One and Two,' rides the broomstick of public fervor to #1. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2016-08-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Midnight Parties for 'Harry Potter and the Cursed Child'

The new Harry Potter went on sale last Saturday night, and bookstores across the country celebrated with midnight parties. Here we present a sampling of photos from those festivities. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2016-08-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Harry Potter is now 'done' says J K Rowling

J K Rowling has told fans that Harry Potter is “done” after the release of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child playscript last weekend. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2016-08-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
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First day sales of Cursed Child 'incredible'

Sales of the Harry Potter and the Cursed Child playscript (Little, Brown) have been “incredible” according to Waterstones, while Foyles deemed it “the fastest-selling book we’ve ever sold” after fans flocked to midnight openings around the country. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2016-08-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Sales Propel Latest Potter Book In Face of Mixed Reviews

In spite of tepid critical reaction to 'Harry Potter and the Cursed Child: Parts One and Two,' which became available to the public at precisely 12:01 a.m. on July 31, the book seems to have hit its high sales performance expectations. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2016-08-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
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