The proof that Facebook is broken is obvious from its very modus operandi | John Naughton

Despite employing a small army of contractors to monitor posts, it’s clear the company is no longer fit for purposeWay back in the 1950s, a pioneering British cybernetician, W Ross Ashby, proposed a fundamental law of dynamic systems. In his book An Introduction to Cybernetics, he formulated his law of requisite variety, which defines “the minimum number of states necessary for a controller to control a system of a given number of states”. In plain English, it boils down to this: for a system to be viable, it has to be able to absorb or cope with the complexity of its environment. And there are basically only two ways of achieving viability in those terms: either the system manages to control (or reduce) the variety of its environment, or it has to increase its internal capacity (its “variety”) to match what is being thrown at it from the environment.Sounds abstruse, I know, but it has a contemporary resonance. Specifically, it provides a way of understanding some of the current internal turmoil in Facebook as it grapples with the problem of keeping unacceptable, hateful or psychotic content off its platform. Two weeks ago, the New York Times was leaked 1,400 pages from the rulebooks that the company’s moderators are trying to follow as they police the stuff that flows through its servers. According to the paper, the leak came from an employee who said he “feared that the company was exercising too much power, with too little oversight – and making too many mistakes”.... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'

[ The Guardian | 2019-01-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
News tagged with: #plain english

Other Publishing stories related to: 'The proof that Facebook is broken is obvious from its very modus operandi | John Naughton'

‘The Selected Letters of John Berryman’ is an intimate portrait of the celebrated, tortured poet

Berryman, who won a Pulitzer and a National Book Award, struggled with addiction and despair that also fueled his work. Continue reading at The Washington Post

[ The Washington Post | 2020-10-22 14:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #selected letters #intimate portrait

Bluebird swipes guide to online dating from ex-Facebook psychiatrist

Bluebird has swiped a guide to online dating and text communication from Facebook's former in-house psychiatrist Dr Mimi Winsberg. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2020-10-21 23:03:38 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #online dating

Aleksandar Hemon has been awarded the 2020 John Dos Passos Prize for Literature.

Today, Longwood University announced that Aleksander Hemon has been named the winner of the 2020 John Dos Passos Prize for Literature. The prize is Longwood University’s premier literary award—the largest literary award of any Virginia college or university; it aims to honor “an underappreciated... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2020-10-13 17:31:47 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #longwood university #aleksandar hemon #aleksander hemon #virginia college #original commentary #american themes #literary hub #literary award

John Murray reveals forthcoming books podcast with Stig Abell

Journalist Stig Abell is launching a literary podcast with John Murray—"Stig Abell’s Guide to Reading"—designed to tie in with the publication of his forthcoming book Things I Learned on the 6.28: A Guide to Daily Reading. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2020-10-13 01:11:40 UTC ]
More news stories like this |

Former CIA director John Brennan takes on Trump, and doesn’t hold back

His memoir recounts his suspicions on Russia and has intriguing comments on Joe Biden. Continue reading at The Washington Post

[ The Washington Post | 2020-10-09 12:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #hold back #memoir recounts #joe biden #memoir

Tana French’s ‘The Searcher’ nods to John Ford’s famous Western with the story of a loner on the hunt for a lost teen

An American ex-cop looking to start over in the Irish countryside ends up uncovering a bog’s worth of secrets. Continue reading at The Washington Post

[ The Washington Post | 2020-10-05 15:08:57 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #tana french

John Steinbeck and biographer William Souder make a perfect pair

“Mad at the World” captures Steinbeck in the kind of nuanced and unshowy prose that suits its subject. Continue reading at The Washington Post

[ The Washington Post | 2020-10-01 12:33:21 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #john steinbeck

Hamilton buys Bannister debut for John Murray Press

John Murray Press will publish Ilona Bannister's debut novel When I Ran Away on its Two Roads imprint. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2020-09-28 10:28:24 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #debut novel

John Murray acquires debut set in all-girls boarding school

John Murray has acquired Emily Layden's debut novel All Girls, already optioned by HBO, exploring assault, consent and "what it means to be a young female in today’s world". Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2020-09-24 22:43:02 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #john murray

White House 'pressured official to say John Bolton book was security risk'

Ex-National Security Council official claims she was pressured her to say manuscript contained sensitive information after her department had cleared itA former National Security Council official who while working there reviewed John Bolton’s memoir for classified information before publication,... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2020-09-24 15:10:36 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #white house #classified information #memoir

Macmillan: Don Weisberg To Succeed John Sargent as CEO; Susan Winslow Leads Learning

John Sargent departs as CEO of Macmillan on January 1, 2021 because of 'disagreements regarding the direction of Macmillan,' says Stefan von Holtzbrinck. The post Macmillan: Don Weisberg To Succeed John Sargent as CEO; Susan Winslow Leads Learning appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2020-09-17 15:16:05 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #post macmillan #don weisberg #macmillan

Panel Mania: My Broken Mariko by Waka Hirako

In Waka Hirako’s 'My Broken Mariko,' Tomoyo, a young professional woman, is shocked to learn that Mariko, her closest friend, has committed suicide. But Tomoyo also knows Mariko’s father has abused her since she was a child. In this 8-page excerpt, Tomoyo decides to she avenge the unnecessary... Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2020-09-16 04:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #closest friend #abusive father #committed suicide #8-page excerpt

Yale snaps up biography of artist John Craxton

Yale University Press will publish the first biography of British artist John Craxton (1922–2009) in spring 2021.  Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2020-09-07 02:19:52 UTC ]
More news stories like this |

Praising the life of John Lewis, and skipping the complexities

Jon Meacham highlights the late civil rights leader’s determination and decency. Continue reading at The Washington Post

[ The Washington Post | 2020-08-28 12:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #john lewis

Profile Books joins Facebook boycott

Independent publisher Profile Books, including imprints Serpent’s Tail, Viper Books and Souvenir Press, has joined the global Facebook advertising boycott led by by the advocacy group Stop Hate for Profit, withdrawing all Facebook and Instagram advertising with immediate effect. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2020-08-04 21:25:31 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #souvenir press #independent publisher

‘The Standardization of Demoralization Procedures’ is a story that John le Carré might have written for ‘The Twilight Zone’

Jennifer Hofmann’s debut novel follows a Stasi agent trying to make sense of his past. Continue reading at The Washington Post

[ The Washington Post | 2020-08-04 12:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #twilight zone #make sense #debut novel

DoJ Is Going After John Bolton's Royalties—and His Advance

The government was unable to stop publication of former U.S. National Security Adviser John Bolton's bestselling book 'The Room Where it Happened,' but in filings last week, the DoJ is asking a federal court to seize the author's royalties—including his reported $2 million advance. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2020-08-03 04:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #john bolton #stop publication #federal court #bestselling book

John Blake scoops Stark's student cookbook debut

John Blake Publishing has scooped the debut cookbook from Chris Stark, a BBC Radio 1 and 5 Live DJ who co-hosts the hit "That Peter Crouch Podcast". Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2020-07-30 12:39:19 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #debut cookbook #cookbook

JKP, Sheldon and John Murray roll out video series to promote mental wellbeing

Mental health experts published by Jessica Kingsley Publishers, Sheldon Press and John Murray Learning are participating in a new weekly online video series offering free mental health support, an initiative devised for the "tough times" many are experiencing during the pandemic. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2020-07-29 07:05:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #video series #tough times