Category: Musings

AI and Intellectual Property Theft

AI and Intellectual Property Theft

AI and Intellectual Property Theft In case you’ve missed the headlines, it turns out that Meta’s generative AI program was trained on Books3, a vast dataset of books, many of them pirated. It seems probable that other generative AI chatbots, such as OpenAI’s ChatGPT, were as well. (NOTE: Link goes… Read more »

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Why You Should Preorder Books

Why You Should Preorder Books

Why you should preorder books: It’s like giving Future You a present! You preorder the book now, in whatever format you want. Then you forget about it, and when the book arrives on your doorstep or in your ereader or audiobook account, it’s a lovely surprise. And who doesn’t love… Read more »

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Racism must stop

Racism must stop

This is usually just a book blog… but the times are not usual, and I can not in conscience ignore what is going on. To be silent is to be complicit. Therefore, I must address it. The news last week and this has been horrifying and sobering. The killing of… Read more »

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How To Support Your Local Bookstore in a Pandemic

How To Support Your Local Bookstore in a Pandemic

Concerns about the novel coronavirus continue to spread. We’ve seen China, Italy and other countries impose widespread quarantines and lockdowns in an effort to contain the new coronavirus. In the US and elsewhere, schools and universities are closing, events are being cancelled, and people are cancelling travel plans and skipping… Read more »

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The RWA debacle

The RWA debacle

The romance world is up in arms over RWA’s secretive (and inappropriate) handling of ethics complaints against Courtney Milan. The complaints were lodged by several author/editors whom Milan had called out for racism. RWA responded by Requesting that Milan resign from her position as chair of the Ethics Committee, rather… Read more »

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POC actors in “white” roles? Whyever not?

POC actors in “white” roles? Whyever not?

This week saw exciting casting announcements for two projects I’ve been looking forward to: Disney’s live-action Little Mermaid remake, and the adaptation of Julia Quinn’s Bridgerton series. Both shows cast Black actors* in lead roles: 19-year-old Halle Bailey (of R&B duo Chloe x Halle) as Ariel, and a number of actors in… Read more »

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Fact and fiction: Never the twain shall meet? — Part 2

Fact and fiction: Never the twain shall meet? — Part 2

Nonfiction November is hosted by Katie at Doing Dewey, Julie at Julz Reads, Sarah at Sarah’s Bookshelves, and Kim at Sophisticated Dorkiness, and Rennie at What’s Nonfiction?  Last week’s topic is Reads Like Fiction and is hosted by Rennie at What’s Nonfiction? Nonfiction books often get praised for how they stack up to fiction. Does it matter to… Read more »

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