#note: mike will be creating content for amazon in the future

[thehauntingsource]

The Fall of the House of Usher description:

[Mike Flanagan’s final series for Netflix] might be his most ambitious horror-drama series yet. Netflix has released the first photos of The Fall of the House of Usher, inspired by the collective works of Edgar Allan Poe. The eight-episode limited series will premiere on the streaming platform on Oct. 12.

It evokes Knives Out but with a sinister twist. "Ruthless siblings Roderick and Madeline Usher have built Fortunato Pharmaceuticals into an empire of wealth, privilege, and power," reads an official plot description, which provides the first legitimate details on the new story at hand. "But past secrets come to light when the heirs to the Usher dynasty start dying at the hands of a mysterious woman from their youth."

Full Entertainment Weekly article here [x]

[abcnewspr]

ABC News Announces New Roles Within ABC News Live, ABC Audio and ABC News Long Form

ABC News Live Senior Executive Producer Justin Dial announced David Hatcher as Executive Producer for live morning programming; ABC Audio Vice President and General Manager Stacia Philips Deshishku announced Eric Johnson as Director and Executive Producer of Podcast Programming; and ABC News Long Form Senior Vice President Beth Hoppe announced Mike Kelley as Vice President, Platforms. See their notes to staff below:

David Hatcher

Team, 

I’m excited to share with you that David Hatcher starts with ABC News Live today as Executive Producer and will be responsible for building out and overseeing our morning news programming block, including breaking news, weekdays from 6am-12pm ET. 

This role is a return for David to the Disney/ABC family. He began his New York journalism career at WABC, where he produced Eyewitness News This Morning from 5:30am to 7:00 am Monday to Friday in the mid-90s. 

David joins us from BuzzFeed. He spent the last year as Executive Producer of their morning news show AM2DM on Twitter. He is a creative visionary who understands the morning audience’s news consumption across all age groups, demographics and platforms. 

With over 30 years of experience in television news and entertainment, David held leadership roles at WCBS and WNBC during coverage of some of the nation’s biggest breaking news stories including 9/11, the tragic mass shooting at Sandy Hook, Superstorm Sandy – for which his work helped win local and national Emmy awards and a Murrow award - and the terrorist bombing attacks in New Jersey and in Manhattan in 2016. While Assistant News Director at WBZ in Boston, David was part of the team that took the station’s 11pm show to number 1 for the first time in 15 years. 

David has an unequivocal passion for storytelling and a distinct eye for streaming news programming, which will be a huge advantage as we grow. I’m excited to see what he and the team he builds will create in the coming months.

Please join me in welcoming David to ABC News Live.

Justin

Eric Johnson

Team,

I am excited to announce that Eric Johnson will join ABC Audio as the new Director and Executive Producer of Podcast Programming beginning mid-March. 

Eric is an award-winning producer with a knack for storytelling who’s touched nearly every part of ABC News over his 13 year career here. His strong relationships throughout the news division, coupled with his impressive experience in long form and news programming, will make him a great asset to our flourishing podcast division. In his new role Eric will build on the success of our existing podcasts and help design a fresh powerhouse podcast network. He will strategically gather and organize podcast ideas and harness the talent, resources and storytelling ability available across ABC News and Walt Disney Television.

Most recently Eric served as Senior Broadcast Producer at Good Morning America, where he was a vital part of the first hour leadership team. Since Eric joined ABC News he’s traveled the globe – from the Amazon jungle, to the slums of Caracas and the refugee camps in Jordan – to tell some of the most important, adventurous and enterprising stories of our time working with 20/20, ABC News Digital, GMA and Nightline. He won a duPont Award as co-producer of Diane Sawyer’s critically acclaimed interview with Caitlyn Jenner and multiple Emmy Awards for projects including his role as senior producer of ABC News’ Town Hall “The President and the People: Race in America.” Eric’s work also extends outside ABC’s walls. He co-produced the PBS documentary “Return to the Wild” and was senior producer for “Shining a Light: Conversations on Race in America,” produced in conjunction with A&E Networks.

Each day I see how hard our incredibly talented podcast teams work as they build our growing podcast roster. Over the years we’ve had great success creating award-winning, smart programming, including The Dropout, Start Here, Ten Percent Happier, Truth and Lies: Jeffrey Epstein, Have You Seen This Man? and much more. Eric will help us continue to expand and evolve as we forge into the future. I can’t wait to see what’s next.

Please join me in congratulating Eric and welcoming him to the ABC Audio family.

Stacia

Mike Kelley

Team,

I am pleased to announce today that Mike Kelley is joining us in ABC News Long Form as Vice President, Platforms. Reporting to me and working closely with Roxanna Sherwood, Mike will be responsible for the business strategy of our long form documentaries and docu-series that we will distribute to partners in the Disney television and streaming ecosystem.

Mike joins us from ITV Studios Global Distribution, where he was Senior Vice President of Sales, Americas. He led the team responsible for the sale of ITV content produced outside of the United States to buyers in the U.S., Canada and Latin America. Mike was also responsible for partnering with broadcasters, cable channels and streaming on-demand platforms to co-produce or acquire scripted and factual series and specials including World on Fire, Gold Digger, Brassic and The War of the Worlds.  

Prior to ITV Mike spent a decade at PBS, where he held executive level positions in programming, business affairs and content operations. He led the development and execution of a content strategy that produced multiple consecutive years of growth in ratings and on digital platforms, taking PBS from the 12th most watched network in America to the 5th. He also led the Business Affairs team that was responsible for negotiating all content deals across prime time and kids programming. During Mike’s tenure PBS launched new series and specials including The Great British Baking Show, Mercy Street, Finding Your Roots with Skip Gates, We’ll Meet Again with Ann Curry, No Passport Required and Call the Midwife.

Mike is a multi-talented media executive with an impeccable track record, and I’m excited to have him bolster the Long Form group’s business and content distribution strategy.

Please join me in giving a warm welcome to Mike.

Beth 

[theonyxpath]

Pirates of Pugmire art by Pat Loboyko

Pirates of Pugmire, which as of my writing this, has 16 days to go and is just under 75% funded! Thank you to everyone who has back, shared, and commented so far, and I’m so excited to help bring all the new pirate rules to the Realms of Pugmire, including ship battles, bird and lizard characters, new callings, firearms, and treasure! We’d really like to get this traditionally printed and in stores, so if you would, too, or just to see manuscript previews, head over to the Kickstarter at http://kck.st/2EoRkyp, yar! But who is writing this, you ask? (We’re going to pretend like you asked. And by “we” I mean “I.”) It is I, Dixie Cochran! Yes, that’s right, I’ve taken over the blog this week while Rich and the rest of the gang who attended UK Games Expo are on their way back from England (or in Matthew’s case, back to elsewhere in England). I’m sure Rich will provide a full account when he returns next week, but until then, here’s a report from Matthew, along with some photographs he kindly sent along.

“The team of Rich, Eddy, Matt, Matthew, Klara, John, Steffie, and Chris had a fantastic time at the UK Games Expo this year, where we ran a demo table, ran over a dozen games at the Hilton, and sold product from Leisure Games to great effect! It was Onyx Path’s first time having a booth at a British convention, and the sheer number of people who thanked us for coming or showed a keen interest in our games (Pugmire, Scion, and Prince’s Gambit were standouts) was staggering.”

L to R: Matt McElroy, Rich Thomas, Chris Allen, Klara Herbøl, Steffie de Vaan, Eddy Webb, and John Burke play Prince’s Gambit! The Sabbat wins!

“We organized our very first Chronicles of Darkness tournament at the Expo, with players from each game of Vampire (run by Klara Herbøl), Werewolf (run by Chris Allen), Promethean (run by John Burke), Changeling (ran by Steffie de Vaan), and Geist (ran by Chris Handley) went on to participate in an Antarctic session of the Contagion Chronicle (run by Matthew Dawkins)! The final winner was Michael, who played his changeling from Steffie’s game, and won a prestige copy of Demon: The Descent. The tournament concept was so good we’ll aim to do something similar next year.”

Matthew and the players of the final game of the Chronicles of Darkness tournament, Stephen, Chris, Sophie, Michael, and Andrew! Congratulations, Michael!

“All in all, we had a superb time. It was great to meet freelancers who haven’t made it out to Gen Con before, the business meetings we held were fruitful, and everyone had a lot of fun. Here’s to the next one!”

The Onyx Path crew at UKGE: Matthew, Klara, Eddy, John, Steffie, Chris, Matt, and Rich! No wonder it’s been so quiet around the office this week. Wait, I work from home…

Eddy welcomes folks to the Onyx Path booth at UKGE! Look how excited he is! “You’re all good dogs!” he seems to say

Dixie again! Isn’t it just like Matthew to interrupt me on my very first blog entry here? I feel like I’m sensing a pattern. For real, though, it looks like everyone had a great time at UKGE, and I hope it’s a convention to which we return in the future! (See how I said “we” there? Maybe I’ll come next year! Who knows? I got so much done while they were gone, though…) For those of you who aren’t as familiar with me, let me actually provide a bit of my history with the company. In 2015 or so, I was chatting with Rose Bailey, just catching up, and I mentioned that though I’d gone to school intending to pursue a career in copy editing, I was having trouble finding a way into the field (at the time, I was mostly focused on fiction and comic books). She subsequently tried me out on the Demon Translation Guide and from there I moved on to supplements and eventually cores. I’d been playing White Wolf/Onyx Path games since about 1999, but for some reason hadn’t considered the RPG industry as a career path until it fell into my lap. Now, several million words edited later (I’ve lost count, but it has to be over three million at this point), I ended up stepping into a version of Rose’s former position when she left to focus on her personal projects. I’m the in-house developer for Chronicles of Darkness and Exalted, so I make sure those lines are doing what they need to, and I still edit quite a bit of our books myself, though I outsource a lot of the smaller supplements and a few core books to other editors, depending on my current workload. In addition, as many/most of you know, I’m one of the three hosts of the Onyx Pathcast, along with Eddy and Matthew, which I enjoy immensely.

It’s been a really great 16 months or so working for Onyx Path, and I look forward to doing even more in the future! Let me know in the comments if there’s anything you’d like to hear about or anyone you’d like to hear from on an upcoming Pathcast episode!

The classic Shén pantheon from Scion: Hero!

Anyway, if I seem to be stalling before I get to the actual Monday Meeting notes, it’s because we didn’t actually have a true meeting this week, what with half the staff still traveling. I have updates and teasers, as usual, but as to what we talked about in the meeting? There wasn’t a lot. (Mostly I asked Mike to give me art, which he did! Thanks, Mike!)

Now that UKGE is past, I’m looking forward to seeing everyone at PAXU, though of course bits of our team here and there will be at other conventions throughout the summer. Say hi if you see one of us!

To reiterate a couple of teasers from Rich from last week, we’ll be announcing a new developer for Scarred Lands and the projects they are overseeing once everyone gets back. Plus, on the Scarred Lands Community Content site, the Slarecian Vault, the beginning of July marks the start of a phenomenal linked adventure series you will not want to miss! Also, June 13th we’ll be starting a little treat for everyone that leads into the aforementioned July event. (Psst, it’s one we get a lot of questions about.)

The modern Shén pantheon from Scion: Hero!

One last tease before we get on to blurbs and updates, for something else that is coming soon…oh? What’s this?

Oh, sorry, that just fell out of my email, but hopefully it will help people create

Many Worlds, One Path!

(Did I do that right?)

BLURBS!

Kickstarter!

Our Pirates of Pugmire Kickstarter is nearly 75% funded, so swing over to our ship and check it out!

Pirates of Pugmire is a chronicle sourcebook for both Pugmire and Monarchies of Mau. It’s usable in either game, or as part of a joint experience. Some highlights include: * Two new species for players to enjoy: lizards and birds * Six new callings, including two for dogs and two for cats * Rules for building, sailing, and sinking ships * A trove of new allies, enemies, and treasures * Information on Waterdog Port and Port Matthew * “Going on the Account,” a chronicle of three new adventures, taking characters from 1st through 6th level

You can also hear Eddy discuss the writing and design of Pirates of Pugmire on the Onyx Pathcast on your favorite podcatcher, or here on : https://onyxpathcast.podbean.com/)

ONYX PATH MEDIA

Onyx Pathcast art by Michael Gaydos

This Friday’s Onyx Pathcast is an update straight from UK Games Expo!: https://onyxpathcast.podbean.com/

And Here’s More Media About Our Worlds:

Beanduck Productions’ crew has been playing Exalted! They’re on session 13 of Full Party, but the rest of the sessions are on YouTube if you want to catch up! There are hours of Exalted goodness there.

Garblag Games is still playing Scion! They’re on episode 9!

The ever-wonderful Saving Throw Show is also playing Scion! (So much Godly goodness!)

Twin Cities by Night just released Chapter 1 of their new Chronicles of Darkness game!

Occultists Anonymous’ Mage: The Awakening chronicle delves into magic-crafting territories with the following episodes:

Episode 17: We Got Our Scryes on You – The cabal establishes surveillance on the Predator Kings alpha and begins to track him. https://youtu.be/GP3500xZ41s

Episode 18: Preparing For War – With a scrying spell established, the cabal creates support spells and curses the alpha every way they can think of. https://youtu.be/-8uetChnfEM

Meanwhile, Red Moon Roleplaying has just concluded their Scarred Lands actual play run by Matthew, over on www.redmoonroleplaying.com! Stay tuned to their channels, as soon they’ll be participating in a V5 Chicago by Night chronicle!

It would be remiss of us not to link you again to the fantastic Pirates of Pugmire story Travis Legge ran for us, both parts of which are available on our channel! Here’s episode one: https://youtu.be/fU9y3tl77GM

Darker Days Radio interviewed a bunch of Onyx Pathers and Matt Timm from Modiphius at the UK Games Expo, the recording of which is here: http://podcast.darker-days.org/e/109-darker-days-radio-live-at-ukge/

And Roll the Role recently concluded an excellent Trinity actual play that can still be viewed on their Twitch channel here! https://twitch.tv/rolltherole/profile?desktop-redirect=offline_channel

Please check any of these out and let us know if you find or produce any actual plays of our games!

ELECTRONIC GAMING

As we find ways to enable our community to more easily play our games, the Onyx Dice Rolling App is now live! Our dev team has been doing updates since we launched based on the excellent use-case comments by our community, and this thing is awesome! (Seriously, you need to roll 100 dice for Exalted? This app has you covered.)

ON AMAZON AND BARNES & NOBLE:

You can now read our fiction from the comfort and convenience of your Kindle (from Amazon) and Nook (from Barnes & Noble).

If you enjoy these or any other of our books, please help us by writing reviews on the site of the sales venue from which you bought it. Reviews really, really help us get folks interested in our amazing fiction!

Our selection includes these fiction books:

OUR SALES PARTNERS:

We’re working with Studio2 to get Pugmire and Monarchies of Mau out into stores, as well as to individuals through their online store. You can pick up the traditionally printed main book, the screen, and the official Pugmire dice through our friends there! https://studio2publishing.com/search?q=pugmire

We’ve added Prince’s Gambit to our Studio2 catalog: https://studio2publishing.com/products/prince-s-gambit-card-game

Now, we’ve added Changeling: The Lost 2nd Edition products to Studio2‘s store! See them here: https://studio2publishing.com/collections/all-products/changeling-the-lost

Scarred Lands (Pathfinder) books are also on sale at Studio2, and they have the 5e version, supplements, and dice as well!: https://studio2publishing.com/collections/scarred-lands

Looking for our Deluxe or Prestige Edition books? Try this link! http://www.indiepressrevolution.com/xcart/Onyx-Path-Publishing/

And you can now order Pugmire, Monarchies of Mau, Cavaliers of Mars, and Changeling: The Lost 2e at the same link!

On Sale This Week!

This Wednesday, we’re releasing print versions of both Origin and Hero for Scion Second Edition on DriveThruRPG and in stores!

CONVENTIONS!

Gen Con: August 1st – 4th Save Against Fear: October 12th – 14th GameHoleCon: October 31st – November 3rd We’ll also be back at PAX Unplugged later this year!

And now, the new project status updates!

DEVELOPMENT STATUS FROM EDDY WEBB, COMPILED FOR THE FIRST TIME BY DIXIE COCHRAN (projects in bold have changed status since last week):

First Draft (The first phase of a project that is about the work being done by writers, not dev prep)

M20 Victorian Mage (Mage: the Ascension 20th Anniversary Edition)

Geist2e Fiction Anthology (Geist: The Sin-Eaters 2nd Edition)

Exalted Essay Collection (Exalted)

Scion: Demigod (Scion 2nd Edition)

Trinity Continuum Jumpstart (Trinity Continuum Core)

Wraith20 Fiction Anthology (Wraith: The Oblivion 20th Anniversary Edition)

One Foot in the Grave Jumpstart (Geist: The Sin-Eaters 2e)

Dragon-Blooded Novella #2 (Exalted 3rd Edition)

Exigents (Exalted 3rd Edition)

Terra Firma (Trinity Continuum: Aeon) Titanomachy (Scion 2nd Edition)

Crucible of Legends (Exalted 3rd Edition)

Many-Faced Strangers – Lunars Companion (Exalted 3rd Edition)

Redlines

Monsters of the Deep (They Came From Beneath the Sea!)

Tales of Aquatic Terror (They Came From Beneath the Sea!)

Scion: Dragon (Scion 2nd Edition)

Kith and Kin (Changeling: The Lost 2e)

Masks of the Mythos (Scion 2nd Edition)

Second Draft?

Tales of Good Dogs – Pugmire Fiction Anthology (Pugmire)

Dragon-Blooded Novella #1 (Exalted 3rd Edition)

Across the Eight Directions (Exalted 3rd Edition)

TC: Aeon Ready-Made Characters (Trinity Continuum: Aeon)

Mummy: The Curse 2nd Edition core rulebook (Mummy: The Curse 2nd Edition)

City of the Towered Tombs (Cavaliers of Mars)

TC: Aeon Jumpstart (Trinity Continuum: Aeon)

Legendlore core book (Legendlore)

Development?

WoD Ghost Hunters (World of Darkness)

Oak, Ash, and Thorn: Changeling: The Lost 2nd Companion (Changeling: The Lost 2nd)

M20 The Technocracy Reloaded (Mage: the Ascension 20th Anniversary Edition)

Creatures of the World Bestiary (Scion 2nd Edition)

Heirs to the Shogunate (Exalted 3rd Edition)

Scion Companion: Mysteries of the World (Scion 2nd Edition)

Deviant: The Renegades (Deviant: The Renegades)

Chicago Folio/Dossier (Vampire: The Masquerade 5th Edition)

Let the Streets Run Red (Vampire: The Masquerade 5th Edition)

Cults of the Blood Gods (Vampire: The Masquerade 5th Edition)

Heroic Land Dwellers (They Came From Beneath the Sea!)

DR:E Threat Guide (Dystopia Rising: Evolution)

DR:E Jumpstart (Dystopia Rising: Evolution)

Manuscript Approval

Trinity Continuum: Aberrant core (Trinity Continuum: Aberrant)

Pirates of Pugmire (Realms of Pugmire)

Hunter: The Vigil 2e core (Hunter: The Vigil 2nd Edition)

Editing

Memento Mori: the GtSE 2e Companion (Geist: The Sin-Eaters 2nd Edition)

Night Horrors: Nameless and Accursed (Mage: the Awakening Second Edition)

Spilled Blood (Vampire: The Requiem 2nd Edition)

Lunars: Fangs at the Gate (Exalted 3rd Edition)

Post-Editing Development

M20 Book of the Fallen (Mage: the Ascension 20th Anniversary Edition)

V5 Chicago By Night (Vampire: The Masquerade)V5 Chicago By Night Screen (Vampire: The Masquerade)

CofD Contagion Chronicle (Chronicles of Darkness)

Witch-Queen of the Shadowed Citadel (Cavaliers of Mars)

Distant Worlds (Trinity Continuum: Aeon)

Scion Ready-Made Characters (Scion 2nd Edition)

Blood Sea: The Crimson Abyss (Scarred Lands)

Dark Eras 2 (Chronicles of Darkness)

Indexing

Trinity Aeon

ART DIRECTION FROM MIRTHFUL MIKE!

In Art Direction

Contagion Chronicle

Scion Ready-Made Characters – Art is in.

Dark Eras 2

M20 Book of the Fallen – Drew’s finals in

VtR Spilled Blood

Trinity Continuum Aeon: Distant Worlds

Trinity Continuum Aberrant – Sketches

Hunter: The Vigil 2e

Ex3 Lunars

They Came From Beneath the Sea

Ex3 Monthly Stuff

In Layout

V5: Chicago

Trinity Core 

CoM – Witch Queen of the Shadowed Citadel 

Proofing

WtF Shunned by the Moon

Signs of Sorcery – At WW for approval

DR: E

Scion Jumpstart

Aeon Aexpansion

C20 Cup of Dreams

Ex 3 Monthlies – At WW for approval

At Press

Dragon Blooded – Deluxe Printing

Dragon-Blooded Cloth Map – at press

Dragon-Blooded Wallpapers – Going out to backers

Dragon-Blooded Screen – Printing

The Realm – Gathering errata

Trinity Core Screen – Printing

TC Aeon Screen – Printing

Tales of Excellent Cats

C20 Player’s Guide – Gathering Errata

Adventures for Curious Cats

Geist 2e – Gathering Errata

Book of Oblivion – Out to backers

Trinity: In Media Res

Scion: Hero – Wednesday

Scion Origin – Wednesday

Today’s This Month’s Reason to Celebrate!

It’s Pride Month! This year marks the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall riots, so let’s remember Marsha P. Johnson, Sylvia Rivera, Brenda Howard, and all the other activists throughout the years who made Pride possible. Happy Pride to all our LGBTQI+ fans and freelancers, and I hope any celebrations you attend are amazing!

[comixology]

ComiXology Originals Debuts Exclusive Creator-Owned Titles with Innovative Release Strategies

Free to Read for Members of Amazon Prime, Kindle Unlimited, and comiXology Unlimited

Exclusively Available for Purchase on Kindle and comiXology

Premier Digital Comic Service Offers Industry Firsts:

Titles Available in Print via Amazon's Print-on-Demand

All issues of a 5-Part Comic Book Series Available Today for Binge Reading

Twitch Livestream Viewing Parties with Exclusive Giveawaysat All Amazon Pop-Up Kiosks andAmazon Books Retail Locations

June 1st, 2018 – New York, NY – ComiXology announced today it is releasing creator-owned comic books and graphic novels for the first time as part of its comiXology Originalsprogram. The premiere digital comics service announced four new comiXology Originals titles – spanning fantasy, sci-fi, horror, and superhero genres – via a livestreaming event on Twitch.  Readers can dive into the debut titles through a variety of ways: they are free to read for members of Amazon Prime, Kindle Unlimited, and comiXology Unlimited and are also available for purchase on Kindle and comiXology.

The new comiXology Original releases include: Savage Game created byNFL player Ryan Kalil, written by Shawn Kittelsen, and art by Chris B. Murray;Superfreaks fromwritersElsa Charretier and Pierrick Colinet, with newcomer artist MargauxSaltel;Elephantmen 2261: The Death of Shortyfrom writer Richard Starkings, and artists Axel Medellin and Boo Cook; Ask For Mercyfrom writer Starkings and newcomer artist Abigail Jill Harding.

The debuts feature a host of industry firsts, including:

·      All issues of theSuperfreaksseries are available to read now – perfect for binge reading

·      In addition to digital, Savage Gameis available in print exclusively through Amazon.com via Print-on-Demand

·      Collections of Elephantmenand Ask for Mercywill also be available in print via Print-on-Demand, with future comiXology Originals trade collections and graphic novels also available in print

·      Savage Gamesees noted cover and fine artist Chris B. Murray’s interior art debutSuperfreaksartist MargauxSaltel also makes her series debut

·      Ask For Mercyartist Abigail Jill Harding makes her series debut

“We’re proud to offer these creator-owned titles where creators keep their IP rights and are motivated to bring their A-game to the benefit of readers everywhere,” said Chip Mosher, comiXology’s Head of Content. “Helping bring these incredible titles to fans lets us experiment with different release strategies like a binge-style drop of a whole series, high quality print-on-demand, and day-and-date inclusion in Prime Reading, Kindle Unlimited and comiXology Unlimited.”

The new comiXology Originals titles were announced today in tandem with a livestream event on Twitch, hosted by noted esports personality Marcus "djWHEAT" Graham. During the livestream, which was screened at viewing parties at Amazon Books retail locations and Amazon Pop-Up kiosks across the United States, comiXology unveiled its “Always Original” ad campaign that spotlights the characters featured in today’s new releases. Customers attending the viewing parties were offered free print copies of the Savage Gamegraphic novel on a first come, first served basis.

The company also teased the next wave of comiXology Original titles to be released in the coming months, announcing an impressive list of creators, including: Tyler Crook, Benjamin Dewey, Kristian Donaldson, Alti Firmansyah, Sam Humphries, Megan Kearney, Kel McDonald, Hope Nicholson, Mike Norton, MK Reed, Mark Sable, Tim Seeley, C. Spike Trotman, Jen Vaughn, and Magdalene Visaggio.  More details on upcoming releases will be unveiled during Comic-Con International San Diego 2018.

Information on the today’s comiXology Originals debuts can be found below:

Savage Game

Created by Ryan Kalil, written by Shawn Kittelsen, with art by Chris B. Murray

From NFL player Ryan Kalil and his company Strange Turn comes an original 60-page sci-fi graphic novel that is high tech version of The Island of Dr. Moreau. What happens when a rogue titan of Silicon Valley creates his own island nation with no laws to hold him back? You get the Savage Game, where audiences watch genetically modified hybrid creatures fight to the death in a fantastic gladiator-style battle. But Conner Bowen isn’t having it. He’s on a quest to stop his mad father and the Savage Game. But is it too late?

·      Original 60pg Graphic Novel– $4.99 on Kindle and comiXology

·      Free to read for members of Amazon Prime, Kindle Unlimited and comiXology Unlimited

·      Available in print for $6.99 as a Print-on-Demand graphic novel exclusively on Amazon.com

“Working on Savage Gamehas been a labor of love for everyone and I am really thrilled that it's finally coming out with comiXology Originals and via Amazon’s Print-on-Demand,” said Savage Gamecreator Ryan Kalil. “I am very excited for the reader response and for the future of Savage Game.”

Superfreaks

Written by Elsa Charretier and Pierrick Colinet with art by Margaux Saltel

An all-new 5-issue superhero mystery debuting digitally in its entirety – a thrilling story perfect for binge reading - with art by rising star Margaux Saltel. All the world’s superheroes have disappeared overnight, and it’s up to their untrained, largely overlooked teenage sidekicks to find out what happened – while dealing with the biggest crisis Earth has ever known -- much to the public’s displeasure. Can they save the day?

·      5-issue series – all issues available to binge read now

·      Issue are $2.99 each on Kindle and comiXology

·      Free to read for members of Amazon Prime, Kindle Unlimited and comiXology Unlimited

“Not only am I ecstatic about Superfreaksbeing released today, but doubly so having the entire series being available all at once,” said Superfreakswriter Elsa Charretier. “Readers will experience all the cliffhangers we intended as storytellers, while binge reading the entire series the same day it's released. And when the world’s superheroes have disappeared overnight, you don't want to wait to see what's happened."

Elephantmen 2261: The Death of Shorty

Written by Richard Starkings with art by Axel Medellin and Boo Cook

The iconic Elephantmendebuts asacomiXology Originals title with issue 1 ofElephantmen 2261: The Death of Shorty, a 5-issue monthly mini-series.Described by J.J. Abrams as “An Awesome and Unexpected Story. You Must Check it out!” and lauded by Andy Serkis as “Bold, mythic and heartbreakingly cool, Starkings’ universe is a breed apart!”, Elephantmen 2261: The Death of Shorty, is the next adventure of the pulp science fiction series Elephantmen, which debuted nearly 15 years and 80 issues ago from Image Comics.This all-new story is a whodunit that draws our heroes, Hip Flask and Jack Farrell, into the curious death of an Elephantman known to his friends as “Shorty”.

·      5-issue miniseries – issues will be available monthly – $2.99 per issue on Kindle and comiXology

·      Free to read for members of Amazon Prime, Kindle Unlimited and comiXology Unlimited

·      Print collected edition will be available via Print-on-Demand exclusively on Amazon.com

“Once I realized Elephantmen sold more digitally than in print, I suggested to my friends at comiXology that we create a brand new Elephantmen series exclusively for digital readers,” says Elephantmencreator Richard Starkings. “And yet – for those who’d rather hold a print version – you’ll still be able to order a Print-on-Demand paperback collection as soon as it’s complete!  I’ve seen what Amazon can do with Print-on-Demand and it's absolutely unbelievable!”

Ask For Mercy

Written by Richard Starkings with art by Abigail Jill Harding

An action-packed and artistically stunning dark fantasy story from Elephantmencreator, Richard Starkings and breakout talent, Abigail Jill Harding.Ask For Mercyis a World War II fantasy horror story in the tradition of John Carpenter’sThe Thingand Sandman. Mercy is snatched from her own place and time to join a team of Monster Hunters who are actually Monsters themselves,and together they have to take on a Pantheon of Hideous Creatures summoned to our world by Nazi evil!

·       6-issue series – issues will be available every 6 weeks – $2.99 per issue on Kindle and comiXology

·       Free to read for members of Amazon Prime, Kindle Unlimited and comiXology Unlimited

·       Print collected edition will be available via Print-on-Demand on Amazon.com

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About comiXology

ComiXology, an Amazon.com, Inc. subsidiary (NASDAQ:AMZN), is a revolutionary, cloud-based digital comics service. With content from over 125 publishers as well as thousands of independent creators from around the world, comiXology provides an unrivaled library of comic books, graphic novels, manga and bandes dessinées. The company’s first-in-class innovations include the exclusive Guided View technology which provides an immersive and cinematic reading experience and a new monthly subscription service. ComiXology is based in New York City, with operations in Seattle and Los Angeles. For more information, visitcomixology.comand follow the company onTwitter,FacebookandTumblr.

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[orbemnews]

Zwirner May Disrupt Art Gallery Model With Click-to-Buy Business The art world is only just beginning to address the questions raised by the pandemic, such as: Are in-person art fairs a thing of the past and virtual viewing rooms the future? Will museums maintain no-touch ticketing and auction houses continue global online salesrooms? One mega-gallerist, David Zwirner, has decided to double down on what he took away from the last year: the need for a click-to-buy marketplace to sell original works of art. As a result, Zwirner has created Platform, a website that debuts Thursday and which each month will offer 100 works presented by about 12 independent galleries around the world with prices ranging from $2,500 to $50,000. “We learned there is a real place in the art world for e-commerce,” Zwirner said in a recent telephone interview. “There is an audience out there we did not know existed. They don’t go to galleries necessarily and they don’t really go to art fairs. They look at things online.” He noted that the audience was “almost all millennials,” who discover art through Instagram and word of mouth. “The art world has never catered to them,” Zwirner added. “They can graduate into a much broader participant.” Zwirner presented an earlier pilot of Platform last year, and several of the participating galleries are returning for the new iteration, including Bridget Donahue and Night Gallery. Among the new partners are Bortolami, Charles Moffett, and Jessica Silverman. The artists that Platform is presenting initially include Kenny Rivero, Jane Dickson and Jibade-Khalil Huffman. To be sure, websites like Artsy and Artnet have been selling art online for some time. And last year, Sotheby’s started Gallery Network, an online, buy-now marketplace for works valued up to $150,000. But for a blue-chip behemoth like Zwirner, the Platform venture represents a significant departure from the traditional in-person gallery model. The additional information provided about the works of art is more extensive, and in many cases artists are making work for the site. “Everybody is trying to figure out this new landscape, which relies so much on digital content and selling material without actually seeing it in person,” Moffett said. “We’ve tried a number of different platforms and have been less than satisfied with the results. Obviously the David Zwirner brand is one that is very well respected and my artists liked the idea that they would be presenting on the Zwirner platform, so we figured, why not give this a shot?” Skeptics will say that Zwirner is just trying to garner publicity and generate good will with a paternalistic, Robin Hood move that ultimately gives his own gallery 20 percent of every sale on Platform. And some in the art world worry that Platform is merely a farm team for Zwirner — a way to develop emerging artists, woo them from smaller galleries, and harvest information about those galleries’ clientele. “I wouldn’t be interested in doing something like that — it’s a little bit of a wolf in sheep’s clothing,” said the dealer Larry Gagosian. “My advice to smaller galleries would be preserve your own identity and brand — even if you can’t do it at the level of a large gallery, work within your means and don’t hand over your artists and client lists to somebody who might take advantage of it at some point.” Zwirner said he is looking to collaborate with smaller galleries, not supplant or exploit them, pointing, for example to the gallery’s recent addition of the Romanian-born sculptor Andra Ursuta, who will continue to show with Ramiken Crucible, and to Harold Ancart, who continues to work with a smaller gallery, Clearing. Lucas Zwirner, the son of the dealer, who led the creation of Platform, pointed out that the mega-gallery is investing in material on the site that gives the artists greater visibility, including interviews and videos. “We’re not just taking art and selling it,” he said. “We’re helping grow careers and promote artists.” Moffett said the click-to-buy aspect was a little unsettling, replacing the “inquire” button, which initiates a conversation with the gallery. “I take a lot of pride in placing all of my artists’ work carefully, and the idea that we’re putting these artists’ work out there in the world for anybody to buy is a little bit stressful,” he said. “If I had a preference, it would be the ‘inquire’ button, but I think taking a leap of faith is worth it.” Indeed, where dealers typically take great pains to place works of art with prominent museums or reputable collectors, Platform allows anyone but felons to purchase. But that democratization, David Zwirner said — as well as the transparency of posted prices, compared to the usual gallery opacity around what things cost — is integral to the new business. “We’re not sitting there and saying, ‘You get to buy it and you don’t,’” Zwirner said. “It’s first come, first served.” David Kusin, an economist in Dallas who tracks the art market, commended Platform’s “use of 21st-century technology” for buying and selling art, and suggested Zwirner could use the venture to collect valuable art price data. Mike Steib, the chief executive of Artsy, said he welcomed Platform into the arena: “Anything we can do that makes buying art as accessible as buying cars, jewelry or luxury goods is great.” Platform is staffed by a team of 10 young gallerists — in addition to his son, it includes Zwirner’s daughter, Marlene — who bring different backgrounds to the venture. Bettina Huang, for example, Platform’s general manager, has held leadership roles at e-commerce companies like Fab.com and the Amazon subsidiary Quidsi. Silverman, who just opened a new space in San Francisco, said the two artists she will feature are Clare Rojas and Catherine Wagner. “I’m interested in experiments,” the dealer said of Platform — “who might come to the work who we don’t know.” James Fuentes, a Manhattan gallerist who participated in a pilot of Platform during the pandemic, said that the experience proved to be “a huge boost for us in a very difficult time,” and that the online space is “less hierarchical.” Several artists on Platform said they were excited about the possibility of greater exposure. “Even a year ago it would have been unimaginable for a dealer like Zwirner to invite an artist like me to participate in this,” said Lily Stockman, who shows with Moffett. Tunji Adeniyi-Jones, who shows with the Nicelle Beauchene Gallery, said Platform enabled someone like himself, recently out of art school, to have access to Zwirner’s network “without having to meet any of the rigorous intense expectations of a gallery of that caliber.” While 72 percent of Platform’s first round of artworks are $10,000 and under, Zwirner said he expected the price point to increase. His gallery last June sold Jeff Koons’s “Balloon Venus Lespugue (Red) (2013-19)” for $8 million, and in the last 12 months has sold over $100 million worth of art online. What particularly fueled the dealer’s interest in the venture, he said, was his experience with the gallery’s fund-raiser, “Artists for Biden,” in which more than $2.5 million worth of art by Koons, Kehinde Wiley and Carmen Herrera, among others, sold through a “buy now” option. He added that 40 Koons prints of an inflatable American flag, priced at $10,000 each, sold out in seven minutes. “Those are new kinds of numbers for a gallery,” said Lucas Zwirner, who added that “over 90 percent of buyers were new to the gallery.” The venture is meant to cultivate a new breed of art buyer, one who may feel more comfortable making a decision for themselves, with less interest in the hand holding that dealers often provide. “I don’t have time to go to every young emerging gallery,” said Dorian Grinspan, a New York City collector. “It’s exciting to have a place where you have a more curated showing of what’s around the market.” (While the smaller galleries propose the artworks for Platform, the Zwirner specialists may weigh in.) The mechanics of the site have been their own challenge. Zwirner Gallery is partnering with the fine-art shipping company Dietl International, using a custom-built system that provides shipping quotes at checkout. The customer covers shipping costs and galleries get paid when the work ships, avoiding the invoices, packing and transport bills that can be a burden. David Zwirner said he has spent “hundreds of thousands of dollars” making sure the website is high quality, efficacious and handsome. His commitment to the new online venture inevitably raises questions about his plan for a new $50 million gallery in Chelsea, which has been delayed by the pandemic. “It creates a golden opportunity for me to think about what I really want,” he said. “I’m no longer as sure as I was four years ago.” Zwirner said he also likes the idea of a business like Platform saving his gallery — and the smaller ones collaborating with him — the steep costs of multiple art fairs every year. “We will never go back to the old way of working,” the dealer said. “We’ve encountered a much larger art world than we thought existed. If it proves to be a robust primary market, the sky’s the limit.” Source link Orbem News #Art #Business #ClicktoBuy #Disrupt #gallery #Model #Zwirner

[stoweboyd]

Looking Back: Reviewing 2017 Predictions

Here’s the recap of last year’s predictions. See this year’s predictions, here.

Below, the prediction indented, my comments follow. Bolding is from the original post:

1. Work chat will continue to dominate the market for enterprise ‘collaboration’, and AI-based ‘team members’ with deep learning skill sets will become commonplace, building on chatbot models of interaction but assuming larger roles in project management, development, marketing, and HR. Slack is acquired by Amazon for $35 billion, and loosely integrated into AWS.

Got the first part right.  Many, many bots are in use, so kinda good on that. Slack was NOT acquired by Amazon or anyone else in 2017.

2. The hottest business trend of 2017 will be AI-based ‘driverless management’, displacing Holocracy and other management ‘business operating systems’ fads. AI will play a significantly larger role in areas that human cognitive biases are most problematic, like hiring and promotion, decision support, and ensuring diversity, equality, and well-being in the workplace. (Daemon (via Daniel Saurez) meets the workplace.) Several unknown start-ups will lead this new exploding sector.

I was just too early with this, although the driverless management trend is heating up.

3. Following Trump’s proposed withdrawal of US supporting NATO troops in the Baltics and Eastern Europe, Vladimir Putin’s Russia will occupy some part of the Baltics, like the Latgale region of Latvia, which is ~40% ethnic Russian. Mike Pence resigns as Vice President following major disagreements with Trump on the Baltics and NATO. Trump nominates Elaine Chao as Vice President, his Secretary of Transportation, and she is appointed in October, the first woman and first Asian American to serve in that role.

This move by Putin didn’t happen, but joint military exercises in Belarus involved as many as 100,000 Russian troops. Russia rejects Ukrainian assertions that most of the troops were left in place.

4. North Korea will fire a rocket that hits Kodiak Island in Alaska, although it carries only a conventional warhead. Kim Jong-un says the rocket was supposed to have crashed in the ocean before landfall, but many believe it was on track to hit Anchorage.

This has not happened, but the degree of staging up to a new war state with North Korea has been fairly terrifying. NK can now hit all continental US with nuclear warheads, experts agree.

5. Trump raises massive trade barriers to Chinese goods, sparking a trade war that damages both countries’ economies. This is in part because of an inability to get China to – in effect – take control of North Korea, but also as part of an attempt by US and European companies to make China’s markets more open: a second Opium War.

Trump’s trade war has been minimized by the conventional GOP buffer zone around him now. Score that a miss.

6. Britain begins that actual process of Brexit in mid 2017, leading Scotland to a referendum in favor of leaving the UK and applying to the EU for membership.

Yes, they did start the process.

7. The US Congress will pass legislation in early 2017 to repeal Obamacare, but defers any implementation until 2018 at the earliest, because they can’t agree on how it will be replaced or by what approach. Trump proposes a single payer system as a companion to a radical restructuring of the tax code, as he had hinted in his campaign, and falls into open discord with the establishment wing of the GOP.

Trump and company were unable to repeal ACA, but they did sneak a repeal of the individual mandate into the tax cut bill, so I’d say that a mixed result.

8. Driverless car fleets are rolled out by various car companies (Ford, Chrysler, Tesla, etc.) and car hailing platforms (Uber, Lyft, etc.). Car ownership in major urban areas continues to decline, and many municipalities create partnerships with fleet owners to augment conventional mass transportation solutions. The value of New York City taxi medallions drops over 75%.

A little early on the rollout of car fleets, but it’s coming soon. We’ve only seen small pilots in 2017. But the taxi medallions fell like a rock in 2017.

9. Amazon will buy Snapchat, and announce a new take on augmented reality glasses, picking up where Google dropped the ball years ago. Building on the success of Alexa-based Echo devices, Kindle, Fire TV, Amazon Prime, and the growing popularity of Snapchat, Amazon Eyes are the hit of Christmas 2017, with over 50 million ordered in November and December.

Amazon did announce Echo-enabled glasses are coming, but they haven’t shipped them in 2017. Snapchat has not been acquired.

10. The war in Syria comes to a Korean War-like end, with a partition of the country into various regions, and a unceasing belligerence on all parts. It is clearly a shadow war between factions backed by the West, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Turkey, and Russia. The stalemate here is a reflection of the reappraisal of loyalties and goals of the shadow players, more than the aims of the Syrian government and the insurgents. Bashar al-Assad rules a rump state of western Syrian, with much of the rest of ‘Syria’ in shambles.

Looks like the end state accelerated faster than I imagined, because of close work between Russia and US to crush ISIS, along with the complicity of Iran.

11. Hillary Clinton files for divorce from Bill Clinton in March 2017, and assumes the role of president of Harvard University, two weeks later.

Didn’t happen.

12. Marine Le Pen loses an unexpectedly close run-off with François Fillon, but the close election pulled Fillon and his Republicans farther right than in recent decades.

Emmanuel Macron didn’t even have a political party at the start of 2017, so that was a real surprise. The collapse of the conventional parties is the real story, and Le Pen did get to a direct election for the presidency, and lost, which is part of my prediction.

13. Oprah announces that she intends to run for President in the next election.

Still possible?

14. Angela Merkel narrowly wins reelection, after wide-spread controversy of scandals uncovered by leaks generally attributed to Putin’s brigade of hackers.

A few scandals, but mostly growing concerns about immigration and the direction for Europe: this one I got right.

15. Barack Obama joins Andreessen Horowitz as a partner, and leads a round funding AdjectiveNoun (fictitious, note), one of the most promising ‘driverless management’ startups. He also comes out in support of Oprah Winfrey’s candidacy.

Obama seems content to take it easy, and hasn’t decided what to do aside from writing some books.

16. Microsoft acquires Salesforce for $75 billion. Marc Benioff leaves to run philanthropy (amid discussions of political ambitions).

Didn’t happen, but still could.

17. Apple acquires Tesla for $75 billion. Tim Cook announces retirement, Elon Musk becomes CEO.

Now that the iPhone X is starting to look like a dud, this might become more realistic. But it didn’t happen.

18. Despite inaction by the US Federal Government, and chaos in the EPA and Energy Department, CO2 levels continue to fall worldwide. Environmental groups suggest that we may have turned the corner on energy in 2017, because solar is now cheaper than other energy sources in most places in the world. However, global temperatures continues to rise, and many models show that it might take 1000 years to reduce global temperatures.

Alas, we hit record levels of CO2 in the atmosphere in 2017. But solar is falling in price, leading to more coal power plants to close.

19. California and San Francisco, with support from Uber, Lyft, Airbnb, and other platform companies, announced a project to convert increasingly unneeded parking lots to small ‘park villages’ with dense, micro-apartment developments, for low-income and homeless residents. Trump-sponsored infrastructure funds are directed to US micro-building factories and a new California Construction Corps, which is strongly supported by both Democrats and Republicans. The state’s program is seen as a blueprint for the rest of the country.

This was far too hopeful. None of this has happened, and Trump -- despite his infrastructure mumbo-jumbo -- is cutting funding that might be used for projects like ‘park villages’.

20. Michael Bloomberg announces plans to create a third ‘Pragmatist’ party, based on economic conservatism and social liberalism, and rapidly attracts a large minority of GOP and Democratic legislators in Washington who have been whipsawed by the 2016 elections, and by the growing discord in both major parties over the future of their platforms. Some project that the Pragmatists could gain as many as 30% of the seats in the House, and as many as 10 governorships in coming years. Bloomberg announces his plans to run for President.

It may be more reasonable to imagine Steven Bannon starting an independent run for the White House. But at this point it doesn’t seem that Bloomberg is planning a run.

On the whole, I did fairly badly, really. None of my acquisitions came together, North Korea didn’t bomb us, the Clintons didn’t divorce, CO2 levels continue to rise. And of course, astride the year like Godzilla was Trump, and I made very few predictions about him, and those I did were really off. I don’t think we realized how bizarroland it was going to get.

Even though my results were lousy, I am taking another run at it, in Some Predictions, 2018. 

[theonyxpath]

…It’s got me Upside-Down!

And this Fae creature here is definitely upside-down because she’s saying “Shhh”, when she should be saying: “Tell All Your Friends about the Changeling: The Lost 2nd Edition Kickstarter!”. All those folks in the fancy suits could be pledging!

Yes, I’m being a bit silly here, but we are down to the last few days of this awesome Kickstarter and we want to be sure that everybody who needs to hear about it, has. Because, I guarantee that the very first KS message we get after the KS is over will be from somebody who didn’t hear about it, and who wants to pledge. After Dark Eras 2, I got that kind of message less than one minute after it closed!

We ourselves are getting the word out everywhere we can. In fact, here’s an interview on Darker Days with CtL2 developer Meghan Fitzgerald all about the book, the line, the KS, Dark Eras 2, all sorts of stuff! Because she’s working on all sorts of stuff for us: http://ift.tt/2AHvFhB

So, please do what you can do as well – thanks!

I note down there, way at the end of the blog in the Reason to Celebrate, that this coming week is our last full work week of the year at Onyx Path. We’ll meet as usual next Monday, but then folks are dispersing for the holidays. We’ll be back January 2nd, and we’ll still have something on sale each Wednesday, and backer Updates and all that sort of monthly stuff, we’re just setting all those up in advance.

Of course, our many, many, talented freelance creators will still be creating away, anyway! I used to get tons of freelance art done over the holidays from the regular job, and I’m sure they all will too.

    W20 Changing Ways art by Enzo Lopez

    I did want to touch base on a few projects we’re working on, since they are all “sort of” in a phase but also not quite as outlined in last week’s blog post: http://ift.tt/2AvSDvz

  Scion 2nd:

As we’ve mentioned before, and noted during its Kickstarter, Scion 2nd is kind of a big deal for us. It’s the first of our games powered by the StoryPath System, and also the first to take the hits and subsequent delays as that system was trial-tested. Nasty Neall Raemonn Price would have delivered the books months ago if he had an existing system to lay Scion 2nd‘s elegant mantling of mythological depth over top of. Or even a system just for Scion‘s own use.

But he, more than almost anyone, recognized the importance of getting our “house system” right, and has hammered away at getting it where it needs to be. For the good of Scion 2nd, but also for the Trinity Continuum, They Came From Beneath the Sea!, and [whoops, almost wrote that out] uh, other games in the future.

Now, though, we have added Fast Eddy Webb in as our StoryPath System guru, and right now he is reading through Scion: Hero‘s final text and I’m reading through the final, final Scion: Origin text before it goes to editing. Which is why I mention this, because our progress reports don’t really show all the effort, the added talents, the half-stages, the reviews and rewrites, that go into making one of our books.

The Trinity Continuum:

Speaking of massive efforts, and you’re going to hear more about this with the new year and our Trinity Continuum Kickstarter, but if Scion 2nd was the trailblazer for our system, then the TC has been the test case that proves that it is flexible and robust enough to power the game-play of a very different universe. Not that rebooting a classic game line is ever easy, but Ian Watson, John Snead, Danielle Lauzon, and all the Trinity Continuum creative teams, have done amazing work with taking the best parts of the original games and then adding our new system as it was being finalized. As above, Eddy is also reading through the text right now with an eye towards making sure the setting and system work hand-in-hand.

We’re not expecting huge problems with any of the text, but we’re also not going to go live with the Kickstarter until it gets our stamps of approval.

    Beast Players Guide art by Brian LeBlanc

      Signs of Sorcery:

As I have mentioned, pretty much all year and I hope that I’m not boring you all with this refrain, we’ve been re-configuring our “corporate” efforts to provide more support to our delightful freelance developers. Rollickin’ Rose Bailey has been working with Dapper Dave Brookshaw to help him with his projects after some unexpectedly crappy real life events. Rose helped Dave bring on an additional developer for Deviant: The Renegades to help bring this very different Chronicles of Darkness core line to the writing stage, and that provided some needed creative and logistic space that opened up for Dave the chance to concentrate on Mage: The Awakening 2nd again.

Which led to Dave and Rose now currently reviewing the text for Signs of Sorcery, and it sounds like they are really happy with most of it and have a battle plan for resolving any other bits that might need reworking.

Mage 20th:

We had several strategy sessions with Satyr Phil Brucato, and we agreed to push several of the M20 Kickstarter Stretch Goal projects forward while he concentrated on Book of the Fallen, and Gods and Monsters. Hence, the M20 Art of Mage book that was released a month or so ago, and the M20 Cookbook coming out this week.

Of course, these aren’t books that go deep into the Mage setting, or provide new rules, but we see the value in providing these sorts of M20 “lifestyle” projects, that can enhance someone’s enjoyment of M20 beyond sitting down and playing. There are fascinating insights into the creative process as well as all the art in the artbook, and the recipes in the cookbook are those actually used and tested by Satyr Phil and his creative team. (They look pretty good to me!)

While Rose has been mainly focusing on helping our Chronicles of Darkness, and Exalted 3rd, creative teams, Eddy Webb’s new full-time position also includes doing a similar thing for our other game lines, including the World of Darkness games, and in this case, M20. Eddy is working with Satyr Phil to dovetail M20‘s creative process into Onyx Path‘s production process, and so you see the beginning of M20 Technocracy Reloaded‘s writing process getting started, while Eddy’s also helping Phil with finalizing the text for Gods and Monsters and Book of the Fallen.

(And just to be clear, both of the developers and their creative teams for our two Mage lines are absolutely amazing and talented creators, and very little of what Onyx Path offers as help is content-based. We are mostly assisting with the logistics of dealing with the challenge of creating these projects (no small thing in itself) in the manner we as a publisher require to actually generate these books, while dealing with their real-life challenges. Like I’ve pointed out since Onyx Path started almost 6 years ago, we’re human beings doing the work we love, but it ain’t easy and we want to help our creators create, even when life starts throwing curveballs.)

(And to be even clearer, I’m mentioning these specific projects/lines because folks have commented on their concerns, and quite rightly, as the weeks and months go by. They are examples of our efforts, but not all of our efforts. Both Rose, and now Eddy as well, are working with all of our freelance creators and teams one way or the other in some capacity, and of course, Mirthful Mike is in a constant buzz of communication with our artists and designers, encouraging them on.)

  They Came From Beneath The Sea!:

No problems here. Things are actually going really well, although I will say that even a developer who has worked on other books like Matthew Dawkins can be amazed at how different creating and developing a new game-line can be. He tells me. But I do want to point out that this game is really weird and different, even for us. Check out this first blog post: http://ift.tt/2ygON3d I mean, what’s the deal with the clowns?

As should be obvious from our selection of projects above:

Many Worlds. One Path.

  BLURBS!

KICKSTARTER:

We’re into the measurement of hours now for our KS campaign!

Our story so far: We funded in about a day, and have already blown through 18 Stretch Goals! The goals include four novellas: Autumn, Winter, Spring, and Summer, an art budget increase, a CtL2 Jumpstart, a new virtual CtL2 dice set added to the Onyx Path Dice App, three new sections for the Kith and Kin book that we’re calling the Book of Kiths, the first sections for the CtL2 Companion: Entitlements, Freeholds, and Courts, we added another 4 PDFs to our CtL 1st Edition PDF reward, and we’re headed rapidly towards adding another section, Shields, to the Kith and Kin book. With many more Stretch Goal rewards to come!

We’ve also revealed excerpts with notes from the developers, and ALL of the book text has been shown to backers so far.

Come along now as we hit the final days of this year and this Kickstarter!

Next, our Trinity Continuum Kickstarter will start in early January!

  ON SALE NOW:

As we try and find ways to enable our community to more easily play our games, the Onyx Dice Rolling App is now live! Our dev team has been doing updates since we launched based on the excellent use-case comments by our community, and this thing is both rolling and rocking! Right now, they’re working on implementing multi-dice and die previews in the store, after adding in a lot of requested upgrades and tweaks, which is going along nicely but is a ton of work. Here are the links for the Apple and Android versions:

http://ift.tt/2zjnD0c

http://ift.tt/2hhT5Fk

Three different screenshots, above.

(The Solar Anima special Dice)

    ON AMAZON AND BARNES & NOBLE:

We’re delighted to announce the opening of our ebook stores on Amazon and Barnes & Noble! You can now read our fiction from the comfort and convenience of your Kindle (from Amazon) and Nook (from Barnes & Noble). Our initial selection includes these fiction anthologies:

Vampire: The Masquerade: The Endless Ages Anthology (Kindle, Nook)

Werewolf: The Apocalypse: Rites of Renown: When Will You Rage II (Kindle, Nook)

Mage: The Ascension: Truth Beyond Paradox (Kindle, Nook)

Chronicles of Darkness: The God-Machine Chronicle Anthology (Kindle, Nook)

Mummy: The Curse: Curse of the Blue Nile (Kindle, Nook)

Beast: The Primordial: The Primordial Feast Anthology (Kindle, Nook)

  And here are six more fiction books:

Vampire: The Masquerade: Of Predators and Prey: The Hunters Hunted II Anthology (Kindle, Nook)

Werewolf: The Apocalypse: The Poison Tree (Kindle, Nook)

Werewolf: The Apocalypse: Songs of the Sun and Moon: Tales of the Changing Breeds (Kindle, Nook)

Vampire: The Requiem: The Strix Chronicle Anthology (Kindle, Nook)

Werewolf: The Forsaken: The Idigam Chronicle Anthology (Kindle, Nook)

Mage: The Awakening: The Fallen World Chronicle Anthology (Kindle, Nook)

  Andand six more more:

Vampire: The Masquerade: The Beast Within Anthology (Kindle, Nook)

Werewolf: The Apocalypse: W20 Cookbook (Kindle, Nook)

Exalted: Tales from the Age of Sorrows (Kindle, Nook)

Chronicles of Darkness: Tales of the Dark Eras (Kindle, Nook)

Promethean: The Created: The Firestorm Chronicle Anthology (Kindle, Nook)

Demon: The Descent: Demon: Interface (Kindle, Nook)

  And even more books are now on Amazon and the Nook store!:

Scarred Lands: Death in the Walled Warren (Kindle, Nook)

V20 Dark Ages: Cainite Conspiracies (Kindle, Nook)

Chronicles of Darkness: Strangeness in the Proportion (Kindle, Nook)

Vampire: The Requiem: Silent Knife (Kindle, Nook)

Mummy: The Curse: Dawn of Heresies (Kindle, Nook)

    OUR SALES PARTNERS:

We’re working with Studio2 to get Pugmire out into stores, as well as to individuals through their online store. You can pick up the traditionally printed main book, the Screen, and the official Pugmire dice through our friends there!

http://ift.tt/2w0aaEW

    Looking for our Deluxe or Prestige Edition books? Here’s the link to the press release we put out about how Onyx Path is now selling through Indie Press Revolution: http://ift.tt/1ZlTT6z

You can now order wave 2 of our Deluxe and Prestige print overrun books, including Deluxe Mage 20th Anniversary, and Deluxe V20 Dark Ages! And Screens…so many Screens!

And you can now order Pugmire: the book, the screen, and the dice! http://ift.tt/1pOsnTb

    DRIVETHRURPG.COM:

  Arriving at DTRPG.com this Wednesday, and soon to your tables: The M20 Mage Cookbook!

Food is Life 

We are what we eat. As mages throughout history have realized, the foods that sustain our bodies sustain enlightenment as well. Such foods become extensions of the people and cultures that create them. Now Brother Oliver Lyon, Knight Templar and a humble baker’s son, travels around the world hunting the Fallen and gathering fine recipes along the way.

Enchanting Recipes 

From Mandarin lion’s heads to alchemical booze, Brother Oliver’s collection of delicious recipes spans the cultural realms of Mage’s human world. Among these many culinary concoctions, you’ll find:

Lobster Bisque

Angel Torte

Chicken Nanban

Corn Fufu

Beef Wellingtons

Battenburg Cake

Cannibal Stew, and so much more

Feed Your Body, Feed Your Soul 

The M20 Mage Cookbook is a non-canon but tasty culinary perspective on the world of Mage: The Ascension

        The world of Pugmire comes alive in this full cast audio drama experience “Thank You, Darcy Cat” available now on DTRPG.com! http://ift.tt/2ygOPbl

The police dogs have called Alistair Afghan to discuss the crimes of his valet, Darcy Cat. But this misunderstanding leads to the discovery of a deadly secret deep in the heart of Pugmire society. Will Alistair and Darcy be able to save Pugmire from this threat?

Created by Audioblivious Productions in conjunction with Pugsteady. Check out Audioblivious at http://ift.tt/2jPsQ61!

    We unveil Vampire: The Requiem 2e‘s Half-Damned as an Advance PDF on DTRPG.com!

http://ift.tt/2imeGt5

I love her, she’s family, but I don’t love what she is.

– Antonio Ramírez, dhampir

This book includes: 

• An exploration of what it means to be one of the Half-Damned, dhampir, revenants or ghouls.

• Mechanics for creating Half-Damned characters.

• Information for creating and running chronicles using the various Half-Damned character types, both with vampires and alone.

• Information on Half-Damned antagonists for vampire chronicles.

      Legacy of Lies, the V20 Dark Ages Jumpstart, goes undead in PDF and physical book PoD versions on DTRPG:

http://ift.tt/2k981ql

TWO PRINCES. BITTER RIVALS. AND A COTERIE CAUGHT BETWEEN THEM. 

Marcus Verus, the vampiric Prince of Chester, secretly prepares to go into torpor. Should his plans be made public, the Prince knows the wolves — both real and imagined — would launch an attack, threatening all within his domain.

That’s where you come in.

Legacy of Lies includes:

Basic rules for players and Storytellers

Introduction to the Vampire: The Masquerade Dark Ages setting

Introductory adventure

Characters for players and Storytellers

      Appearing on DriveThruRPG is the Advance PDF for Arms of the Chosen for Exalted 3rd Edition! http://ift.tt/2A0ga4f

Take up the panoply of legendary heroes and lost ages, and awaken the world-shaking might of their Evocations. Before the dawn of time, the Exalted wielded god-metal blades to cast down the makers of the universe. In an ancient epoch of forgotten glories, Creation’s greatest artificers forged unimaginable wonders and miracle-machines.

Now, in the Age of Sorrows, kingdoms go to war over potent artifacts, scavenger princes risk everything to uncover relics of the past, and the Exalted forge great arms and armor on the anvil of legend. These treasures are yours to master.

Discover the mystical power of the five magical materials and the secrets of creating your own Evocations. Wield weapons of fabled might and don the armor of mythic heroes, making their puissance your own. Claim Creation’s wonders: the miraculous tools of the Chosen, living automatons, flying machines, hearthstones, and more. And unleash the mighty warstriders, titanic god-engines of conquest and devastation, to once more shake Creation with their footfalls.

          What dark secrets do the eldest vampires hold? Find out in Thousand Years of Night for Vampire: The Requiem! PDF and physical book PoD versions available on DriveThruRPG.com. http://ift.tt/2sV8lZR

You may think that with a multitude of people coming, going, dying and running away, we’d be tired, done, or ready to give up. Instead, I find myself restless, looking for the next thing.  There’s always a next thing, and I for one am not yet ready to die.

– Elder Kincaid, Daeva Crone

This book includes:

• Detailed instructions on creating elder vampires, including how to base chronicles around them

• A look into the lives of elders, how they spend their nights, who they work with, and why including their roles in both their clans and covenants

• New Devotions, Merits, and Rituals for elder vampires

• The kinds of creatures that pose a threat to elder vampires, including Inamorata, Lamia, Sons of Phobos, a new elder conspiracy, and more!

      Is a life of running and hiding a life worth living? We say yes. There’s always something between the running and the hiding, and those moments of grace make it all worthwhile.

The Huntsmen Chronicle Anthology is a perfect companion piece to Changeling: The Lost, 2nd Edition. These stories spin tales of the Lost, of those abducted and enslaved by fairies. Those who escaped, but whose captors will stop at nothing to find them. These fairies summon forth the Huntsmen, primordial hunters who understand nothing but pursuit and capture. The Huntsmen are unstoppable monsters, and the Lost can only look to each other for respite, rare comfort, and rarer trust.

The Hedge has parted and you can get the Advance PDF of The Huntsmen Chronicle Fiction Anthology for Changeling: The Lost 2nd Edition at DTRPG.com! http://ift.tt/2z4uZnU

          A Land Where Legends Walk

Drawing enthusiastically on Greek mythology, the revised and re-imagined Scarred Lands nonetheless retains its place as a modern fantasy RPG setting. This is a world shaped by gods and monsters, and only the greatest of heroes can expect to be counted among them. The most populous continent of Scarn, Ghelspad, plays host to vast unexplored regions, hides unsolved riddles from ancient cultures, and taunts adventures with the promise of undiscovered riches hidden among the ruins of older civilizations.

Yet the myths of the Scarred Lands are relatively recent events. The effects of the Titanswar still ripple through the world, and the heroines and villains of many of these stories are part of living memory, if not still living.

The Award-Winning Fantasy Setting Returns

Scarred Lands has been a favorite fantasy setting since the release of the Creature Collection for the d20 System in 2000. In subsequent years, over 40 titles were published for Scarred Lands, making it one of the most fully supported fantasy RPG settings ever and the premiere product line of Sword & Sorcery Studios.

Available in both 5th Edition and Pathfinder compatible versions! PDF and PoD formats available NOW!

http://ift.tt/2fEO9YJ

http://ift.tt/2fELqyx

      CONVENTIONS!

Planning ahead for 2018, we’re heading back to Midwinter Game Convention in Milwaukee, January 11-14, where we’re going to be bringing a big crew of many of your favorite Onyx Path designers and we’ll be running demos and making some special announcements at the show!  http://midwintergamingconvention.com

    And now, the new project status updates!

DEVELOPMENT STATUS FROM ROLLICKING ROSE (projects in bold have changed status since last week):

First Draft (The first phase of a project that is about the work being done by writers, not dev prep)

M20 Gods and Monsters (Mage: the Ascension 20th Anniversary Edition)

M20 Book of the Fallen (Mage: the Ascension 20th Anniversary Edition)

C20 Novel (Jackie Cassada) (Changeling: the Dreaming 20th Anniversary Edition)

Deviant: The Renegades (Deviant: The Renegades)

CofD Contagion Chronicle (Chronicles of Darkness)

Guide to the Night (Vampire: The Requiem 2nd Edition)

M20 The Technocracy Reloaded (Mage: the Ascension 20th Anniversary Edition) – see note above.

  Redlines

They Came From Beneath the Sea! Rulebook (TCFBtS!) – see note above.

  Second Draft

WoD Ghost Hunters (World of Darkness)

Tales of Good Dogs – Pugmire Fiction Anthology (Pugmire)

Exalted 3rd Novel by Matt Forbeck (Exalted 3rd Edition)

Monarchies of Mau (Monarchies of Mau)

Hunter: the Vigil 2e core (Hunter: the Vigil 2nd Edition)

  Development

Signs of Sorcery (Mage: the Awakening Second Edition) – see note above.

SL Ring of Spiragos (Pathfinder – Scarred Lands 2nd Edition)

Ring of Spiragos (5e – Scarred Lands 2nd Edition)

Scion: Origin (Scion 2nd Edition) – see note above.

Scion: Hero (Scion 2nd Edition) – ditto.

Trinity Continuum Core Rulebook (The Trinity Continuum) – ditto for me, too.

Trinity Continuum: Aeon Rulebook (The Trinity Continuum) – splunge! and see note above.

GtS Geist 2e core (Geist: the Sin-Eaters Second Edition)

Night Horrors: The Tormented (Promethean: The Created 2nd Edition)

  WW Manuscript Approval:

  Editing:

Ex Novel 2 (Aaron Rosenberg) (Exalted 3rd Edition)

Pan’s Guide for New Pioneers (Pugmire)

Kithbook Boggans (Changeling: the Dreaming 20th Anniversary Edition)

The Realm (Exalted 3rd Edition)

  Post-Editing Development:

Changeling: the Lost 2nd Edition, featuring the Huntsmen Chronicle (Changeling: the Lost 2nd Edition)

Dragon-Blooded (Exalted 3rd Edition)

  Indexing:

    ART DIRECTION FROM MIRTHFUL MIKE:

In Art Direction

Cavaliers of Mars – New art getting assigned.

Ex3 Monthly Stuff

Scion Origins

Ring of Spiragos – Got Rich’s cover in.

Changeling: the Lost 2

Trinity Continuum – Gonna ping artists this week to get updates…

Ex3 Dragon Blooded – Sketches are coming in left and right…

Pugmire – Pan’s Explorer’s Guide (or whatever) – Syme is doing the splats.

Boggans – Reviewing art notes and figuring out the art buy.

  Marketing Stuff

  In Layout

Pugmire/Scarred Lands Community Content – working on the logo.

Book of Freeholds – With Mark

DtD Enemy Action – With Josh

Pugmire Fetch Quest – Playtesting samples uploading to order in time for MidWinter.

Pugmire – Vinsen’s Tomb – Notes are out. Need to input the changes on the first proof

Wraith 20 Screen 

  Proofing

Wraith 20 – Final layout proof to WW.

W20 Changing Ways – Second proof.

Beast PG

  At Press

Beckett Screen – Shipped to shipper.

Scarred Land PGs & Wise and the Wicked PF & 5e – To fulfillment shipper. PDF and PoD physical book versions on sale at DTRPG.

Changeling: the Dreaming 20th Anniversary Edition (Changeling: the Dreaming 20th Anniversary Edition) – Deluxe Edition cover and Screen in the works. Waiting for Deluxe cover and the Screen proofs.

Prince’s Gambit – At WW for approval.

M20 Cookbook – On sale on Wednesday on DTRPG.com. See note above!

CtL Huntsmen Chronicle Anthology  – Layout waiting for errata.

V20 Beckett’s Jyhad Diary– PoD proofs ordered.

C20 Ready Made Characters – Errata fixing.

Ex 3 Arms of the Chosen – Errata fixing.

Pugmire Artisan Cards – PoD proofs ordered.

Pugmire Shepherd Cards – PoD proofs ordered.

Pentex Indoctrination Manual – Ended Backer PDF errata gathering.

VtR Half Damned – Out and errata gathering.

  TODAY’S REASON TO CELEBRATE: This is our last full work week for Onyx Path, this year!

[bigyack-com]

DealBook: Is This the Next Leader of the Fed?

Good morning. Fears about the spread of the coronavirus whacked stock futures this morning — and led to the cancellation of Mobile World Congress. More on that below. (Was this email forwarded to you? Sign up here.)

The race to be the next Fed chair is getting interesting

Judy Shelton, who has been nominated to the central bank’s board of governors, is scheduled to testify before the Senate today.She is a contentious choice for the job, Jeanna Smialek of the NYT notes:• Ms. Shelton has questioned whether America needs the Fed at all.• She favors pegging the value of the dollar to something like gold, an idea the U.S. abandoned decades ago.• She’s seen as open to bending her ideological positions to please President Trump, eroding the Fed’s political independence.But she appears to be moving into a prime position to become the next Fed chair if Mr. Trump wins re-election, Ms. Smialek adds. The president has openly derided the current chairman, Jay Powell, and could well pick someone more in tune with him ideologically when Mr. Powell’s term is up in 2022. Washington speculation had focused on a different candidate for Fed chair: Kevin Warsh, who was on the central bank’s board during the financial crisis. Mr. Trump has praised Mr. Warsh before, but some wonder whether a strong performance by Ms. Shelton today would give her the inside track.____________________________Today’s DealBook Briefing was written by Andrew Ross Sorkin in New York and Michael J. de la Merced and Jason Karaian in London.____________________________

Is ‘Beyond Petroleum’ for real this time?

BP announced yesterday that it plans to be carbon-neutral by 2050, an ambitious target for one of the world’s biggest energy companies. What that actually means, however, is up for interpretation.The oil giant’s proposal is its latest climate-minded initiative, with a twist. Not only is the company seeking to reduce its own carbon emissions, it said, but it also wants to offset the emissions from use of the oil and gas that it produces.The proposal is more complicated than it looks. It has to do with the “scope” of emissions targeted by the plan: The bulk of pollution created by BP’s products are generated when customers burn the fuels, which are called Scope 3 emissions. BP’s net-zero pledge covers only its more direct operations, although the company plans to reduce Scope 3 emissions significantly.

U.K. regulators investigate Barclays C.E.O.’s ties to Epstein

Barclays disclosed this morning that British financial regulators have opened an investigation into ties between its chief, Jes Staley, and the late financier Jeffrey Epstein.The context: The two men had known each other since at least 1999, when Mr. Staley led JPMorgan Chase’s private bank, where Mr. Epstein was a client. The financier had helped funnel dozens of wealthy clients to Mr. Staley, and the two men stayed in touch even after Mr. Epstein was accused of sexually abusing scores of women.Mr. Staley has the backing of the Barclays board, for now. The bank said he had been “sufficiently transparent” about the nature of his ties to Mr. Epstein, and the C.E.O. said that he hadn’t had any contact with the disgraced financier since taking up his post in December 2015.

Mobile World Congress was canceled. Does anybody care?

Mobile World Congress, the annual jamboree for the telecom industry in Barcelona, was canceled yesterday over fears about the coronavirus outbreak. It raises an interesting question: Do these kinds of conferences matter?Last year, MWC drew around 110,000 attendees (including 7,900 C.E.O.s) from 200 countries. Cancellation of this month’s edition was inevitable, after major exhibitors like Nokia, Ericsson and Amazon pulled out over the past week or so.This presents a natural experiment in the value of industry events, seen by some as essential for networking and deal making and by others as price-gouging junkets. Thousands of meetings that would’ve taken place at MWC this year now won’t happen, which could have knock-on effects later in the year. (Or not.)The view from a veteran: We spoke with Ben Wood, a telecom analyst at CCS Insight in London who would have made his 23rd consecutive appearance at MWC this year.• For the companies that blow huge portions of their marketing budgets on MWC, “if you find that you can cope without going, and the costs associated with it, you may choose to deploy your resources in different ways,” he told DealBook.• That’s harder for small companies that rely on “serendipitous moments” with big buyers or potential partners wandering the halls of events like MWC, he added.No touching. In the meantime, conference etiquette will change. The organizers of a big tech event in Amsterdam now underway praised attendees for “safe greeting practices such as fist or elbow bumps.” Generally speaking, it must be said, handshakes are incredibly unhygienic.

Credit Suisse’s chief leaves on a defiant, awkward note

Tidjane Thiam delivered his final earnings call as the Swiss bank’s chief this morning, after being pressured to resign amid controversy over a spying scandal.He presented the growth in net income of 69 percent as the result of his changes in the structure and strategy at the company. “We’ve built something of quality, the numbers are coming through,” he said at a press conference.There was a notable moment of reflection on his uneasy tenure at the bank, notes the NYT’s Amie Tsang, who was listening in on the call. “There are differences within Switzerland in how people feel about me,” Mr. Thiam said. “Every second I’ve done the best I could. I am who I am, I cannot change who I am.”

How Marc Benioff sold Trump the trillion-tree idea

President Trump has openly dismissed climate change activists as “prophets of doom.” But Marc Benioff of Salesforce managed to win him over on one particular environmental initiative, Lisa Friedman of the NYT writes.Mr. Benioff pitched Jared Kushner, a top White House adviser and Mr. Trump’s son-in-law, about the initiative to plant one trillion trees to help offset carbon emissions. The idea eventually — and unexpectedly — wound its way into Mr. Trump’s speech to the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, last month.“Trees are the ultimate bipartisan issue,” Mr. Benioff told the NYT. “Everyone is pro-tree.”There are two lessons to draw from this:• Successfully lobbying Mr. Trump is an unconventional process that involves back-channeling with trusted advisers.• The idea of one trillion trees appears to have taken hold with the president because, as Ms. Friedman notes, “it was practically sacrifice-free.”

Jeff Bezos’ latest takeover: David Geffen’s L.A. mansion

The Amazon chief has continued his real estate splurge with two new acquisitions, according to Katy McLaughlin and Katherine Clarke of the WSJ:• David Geffen’s palatial Los Angeles home, which Mr. Bezos bought for $165 million — setting a record for the city in the process.• A plot of undeveloped land in the L.A. area, purchased from the estate of the Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen.They follow Mr. Bezos’ $80 million purchase of the top four floors of a Manhattan apartment building last year, reportedly with the goal of turning them into a gigantic pied-à-terre.It’s a windfall for Mr. Geffen, who bought the L.A. mansion — the former estate of the movie mogul Jack Warner — for $47.5 million in 1990.

The speed read

Deals• The parent company of T-Mobile reportedly wants to renegotiate the price of its takeover of Sprint. (FT)• The venture capital firm Battery Ventures has raised $2 billion for its two latest funds, which will focus on investments in enterprise software companies. (Bloomberg)• Meet the Korean hedge fund that scored big by backing “Parasite,” the movie that won the Academy Award for best picture. (Bloomberg)Politics and policy• Moderate Democratic leaders are slowly warming up to Mike Bloomberg as Senator Bernie Sanders becomes the front-runner in the party’s presidential race. (NYT)• Larry Ellison of Oracle is doing a rare thing in Silicon Valley: hosting a fund-raiser for President Trump. (Recode)• The Education Department is reportedly investigating Harvard and Yale over their sources of foreign funding. (WSJ)Tech• The Justice Department’s antitrust chief, Makan Delrahim, has reportedly said in private conversations that he expects a criminal antitrust case in Silicon Valley in the next few months. (Hollywood Reporter)• Read up on Mark Zuckerberg’s approach to crisis management. (Wired)• Britain plans to give its media regulator additional oversight over internet content. (NYT)• Huawei of China is said to be in talks to fund research into 5G wireless technology at the London School of Economics — for £105,000, or $136,000. (FT)Best of the rest• Massachusetts’ attorney general sued Juul yesterday, accusing the vaping company of buying ads on youth-focused websites to target young nonsmokers. (NYT)• The coronavirus outbreak cost Bernard Arnault his title of world’s richest man. (Fortune)• Charlie Munger on the world today: “There’s too much wretched excess.” (CNBC)Thanks for reading! We’ll see you tomorrow.We’d love your feedback. Please email thoughts and suggestions to business@nytimes.com. Read the full article

[seotipsandtricks-me]

At the end of Anti-Sell, there’s a ‘Further Reading’ section, recommending a bunch of books that the reader can check out beyond mine. And even though it might seem like a really lazy rather ingenious copy/paste job from the book (), I thought it made a lot of sense to share it on here, too. Throughout the book I’ve mentioned numerous books and resources that can help you on your Anti-Selling journey. Here’s a list, with a bit more info about each of them, plus a few more for good measure. A quick note: None of these authors paid me a fee to be included, nor do I get a commission if you buy any of them. I recommend these books 100% wholeheartedly – because I actually really like them.* ReWork by Jason Fried & David Heinemeier Hansson ReWork is probably my favourite business self-help book of all time, and a big influence on Anti-Sell. Why? Because ReWork is also quite rebellious in nature: it goes against the grain of traditional business advice but makes excellent recommendations in spite of that. It was recommended to me by a client (thank you Scott of TestLodge!) and on the first listen (I bought the audiobook), I fell in love with it. While listening to it in the car, I used to scream “YES!!!” after sentences I agreed with – which happened a lot. And probably sounded weird if I had my car window open. But there we go. Some of its takeaways include: Other people’s failures are other people’s failures, not yours. So when people talk about the survival rate of freelancers, small businesses and startups, just remember: if other people fail, that doesn’t mean you will too. Plans should be called “guesses.” I remember freaking out when I had to put together a business ‘plan’ for some funding that I was seeking in the early days of freelancing (if I remember correctly, it was funding to cover my first year’s membership at my coworking space). How do I know how my business is going to do next year or the year after that? And that’s precisely the point. Call them guesses. To quote the book: “Start referring to your business plans as business guesses, your financial plans as financial guesses, and your strategic plans as strategic guesses. Now you can stop worrying about them as much.” Everything you do is marketing. This ties in very closely to the message of the book you are currently reading. Marketing isn’t defined by adverts and promotional materials – it’s literally everything you do. Every. Single. Thing. You. Do. Every email you send is marketing. Every invoice you send is marketing. Just because you’ve won a client, it doesn’t mean that the marketing stops there for them. Every action you take can leave an impression on someone – good or bad. I could go on and on, but I’ll stop there (not-in-the-book note: I actually wrote about my biggest takeaways from ReWork – including the above points plus more – on this very blog a few years ago: here’s the link). If Anti-Sell has resonated with you, and you haven’t yet read ReWork, pick up a copy. I’m sure it will resonate with you as well. While writing this book, Fried and DHH released a new book: It Doesn’t Have to Be Crazy at Work, which – as you can probably guess from its title – addresses the sensitive subject of work-life balance. It’s worth checking out as well. > Buy ReWork on Amazon The Pumpkin Plan by Mike Michalowicz The Pumpkin Plan is a special book to me. Whether you’re just starting out, or you’ve been running a small business for a while and you’ve hit a rut, there are some great tips in it. As mentioned in earlier chapters of the book, it has advice on: How to go niche when it comes to targeting clients. Creating your own Assessment Chart, which can be used to score clients on certain criteria, in order to help you to detect which clients are the best-fit for you (not-in-the-book note: I’ve blogged about the Assessment Chart over on State of Digital). Tactics for cutting bad-fit clients in a way that won’t cause any animosity, fallout or professional embarrassment. Mike also has another good book called Profit First, where he recommends paying yourself first before paying bills, whereas typically we do the opposite (we pay our bills and then keep what’s left over as profit, however big or small that amount may be), so it’s worth checking out what he has to say on that as well. > Buy The Pumpkin Plan on Amazon To Sell Is Human by Daniel H. Pink “We’re all in sales now.” In Chapter 2 of the book, I touched upon the phenomenon of the ‘‘typical’ salesperson, citing the movie Glengarry Glen Ross as a classic example. To Sell Is Human further investigates this somewhat old-fashioned stereotype, suggesting that salespeople of this nature are near-enough a thing of the past. If anything, we’re all in sales – especially these days. While we still have ‘obvious’ types of sales, such as the process of asking a client to give you money in order to provide a service in return, we might also conduct certain tasks or habits that may not seem like sales but totally fall under that category. In a broader sense, sales is the process of asking someone to part with their time, money or resource somehow, in order to get something back that benefits you. So in other words, sales is essentially the process of moving or persuading someone to take action. When Daniel conducted a survey asking people if they work in sales, he found that while one in nine people considered themselves a salesperson in the traditional sense, when it came to ‘non-sales selling’ or moving/persuading others, the ratio was much higher. If Chapters 2 and 3 piqued your interest especially, and you’re interested in learning more about how sales has ‘shifted’ in its meaning and behaviour in the last few decades, then To Sell Is Human is worth taking a look at. A lot of what Daniel covers is backed up by psychological studies, and the book even includes selling tactics such as mimicry, the best style of positive self-talk, and in which order you should appear if you’re part of a series of agency pitches and you want the best chance to succeed. It’s an interesting read. > Buy To Sell Is Human on Amazon Start With Why by Simon Sinek “People don’t buy what you do, they buy why you do it.” Simon Sinek’s TED talk covering this topic is the third most popular TED talk of all time, having been viewed more than 40 million times on the TED website. In Start With Why he explains that most people in business talk about what they do, before saying how they do it, then lastly say why they do what they do. He then goes on to argue that the most inspirational people and businesses – think Apple, Martin Luther King Jr. and the Wright Brothers – start with why they do what they do, and then talk about the how and the what, i.e. the reverse of the usual order. Effectively communicating the “why” part of your core marketing message can make a huge difference on how you are perceived by others. > Buy Start With Why on Amazon Youtility by Jay Baer “Smart marketing is about help, not hype” – this is the core message of Youtility. The book starts off with Jay using a real-life example of a swimming pool installation business coming close to going under as a result of the 2008 economic downturn. In an attempt to drum-up more business, the owner started writing blog posts that answered frequently asked questions and also covered issues and problems that his customers often had to deal with. He literally sat down and wrote blog content covering every single possible question someone might ask him. Over time, his website became a go-to source for all help on swimming pool purchasing decisions, with some arguing that its popularity has made it the world’s favourite go-to source on the subject. His efforts led to more customers for the business, and he also found that it led to better educated, easier-to-sell-to and therefore easier-to-convert customers. The rest of the book explains how you can utilise Youtility – in the same way as the swimming pool business – and why it’s the best way to market yourself now and in the future. > Buy Youtility on Amazon The Highly Sensitive Person by Dr Elaine Aron and Making Work Work for the Highly Sensitive Person by Dr Barrie Jaeger I only necessarily recommend these books to people who resonated with the relevant subsection of Chapter 6 of the book. When I first discovered that I was an HSP (a Highly Sensitive Person), it was life-changing – not only because I felt like a freak growing up and thought that I was the only person who felt this way (these books revealed that this is far from the reality), but because Dr Jaeger’s book has a chapter in it that recommends self-employment as a viable career option for HSPs. And now I can confirm that he was right. > Buy The Highly Sensitive Person on Amazon > Buy Making Work Work for the Highly Sensitive Person on Amazon When compiling this list, I realised something really sucky: it’s a very white male list, with only one woman author included. So if you can recommend any sales or freelancing books written by women and/or minorities then please do let me know, as I would love to read them. You can contact me at SEOno.co.uk/contact, tweet me at @steviephil, or leave a comment below. * Ok, so while nobody paid/pays me to be included in this list, and they’ve all been included because I genuinely recommend them, each of the Amazon links in this post is an affiliate link, so I make a teeny-tiny commission if you do end up buying through them. That’s fair enough, right? I thought I’d best be honest and upfront about it just in case it were to cause confusion. Cheers!

[meghanhalpin]

Week 2 Lecture Notes ixd303

Pre Content.

So far things have been kept open but we need brief! If it’s a digital environment and all online, what number do we have to cap it at before it doesn’t feel like a class any more? At what point do you stop having a personal connection with the lecturer? My personal thoughts are 30 or less. Even though my memory for names/faces is great lol.

Consider different backgrounds and cultures. Class is super white.

We’re designing the education focused user experience of today and tomorrow. We’re building a UX school!!! One that is digital first. Think of Monzo vs Ulster Bank. One is an add on, one is scrap the bank concept completely and work digitally.

"A big hairy audacious goal.” A strategic business statement, similar to a vision statement, which is created to focus an organisation on a single medium to long term organisation wide goal which is audacious. Likely to be externally questionable, but not internally regarded as impossible. Re-build everything from the ground up. How would we build empathy? If we were to imagine the possibilities, what would we create?

BHAG Examples

JFK: The Moon (and Back)

Microsoft: A computer on every desk and in every home.

SpaceX: colonising Mars

What might that look like?

A website (probably, certainly for marketing)

An app (likely but what does it to)

Instagram/Twitter (gram might be better as it’s a visual medium and has wider appeal)

Other channels..? (Amazon Echo etc)

What, how, why who?What kind of content? Identifying and mapping the content is a part of the challenge. (The benchmarking will give you an idea.) The News but a weekly podcast. Module content. Tweets of the day. Module/class recommendations.

How might educators of the future deliver the content that they have created?

Audio; Podcasts. Audio quiz.

Video; Library, Livestreams. More interactive, more immersive.

Books; physical? Blogs? Medium etc Micro-content. Design/strategy problem.

Quizzes etc

This goes beyond designing an interface, we’re trying to design a system.

The Adjacent Possible - Steven JohnsonChris calls it parallel processing. Look at something else unrelated and bringing that thinking into the problem you’re working on. (Take a look at Soundcloud.) Comments on podcasts make it more interactive.

“Let’s design a weather app is boring.” CM Feb 2019

Design as a Job by Mike Monteiro. Concept, Mike is on the podcast, says something controversial, it’s trending suddenly BOOM. Curated, personalised curriculum. “For You” section would result in my curriculum being different to the person next to me. Personally tailored for you by algorithms.

Why would learners choose this UX School? What are the benefits that it offers and how will you communicate those benefits? Use testimonials, share those with potential students. Why? To get a new job. Give them some motivation or inspiration to join up.

Who is your target market? Young/old. Wealthy/Poor. How are you communicating your educational offering to them? Why not BOTH?

Claire Sutcliffe and CodeClub. 10-15 years old. What if we set up a UX Club. Free, because we think more people should be shaping the digital future. Don’t automatically assume that money is involved.

User personas

Need to focus on developing these

Need a clear picture of your user and, importantly, their goals. Eg old people wanting to learn vs young people looking for jobs.

This will focus your design.

AI and your future…Adding value - strategy - that’s hardStrategy or something

AI turning wireframes into digital mockups and prototype code. Cool but it will put people out of jobs. The nuts and bolts work, labour intensive work is going to be done by machines. At the moment it’s being increasingly outsourced. But computers haven’t cracked human strategy just yet. Quantitive research okay, qualitative? Not so much.

Devs Build/test - ship

Managers - Devs Initiate - build/test - ship

Managers - devs - Qa - designers - back to devs Initiate -   build - test - look and feel - ship

Managers - Designers - Devs - QA Mandate - Spec  - Code  - Product Initiate - design - build - test - ship

Designers are at the start right the way through. They now have a seat at the table. We have CDOs now!!! Part of the vision and strategy of the company. Design is being seen as a huge driver for the profitability of the company.

Design led companies

Facebook

Apple

Instagram

Twitter

Mailchimp

Adobe

InVision

Uber

Slack

Atlassian

Abstract

Think about your future as someone who has a seat at the table. Someone who drives the strategy. Strategy, vision, leadership. Kind of like architects of the digital landscape. Leads the process.

Establish goals before you start anything. What is your goal? What do you hope to achieve by doing this? What does success look like for this project?

What does success look like for your idea?

Servicedesigntools.org

UX School headlines, notable grads etc. Visualise your success! Wired. A list apart etc.

Create one of these (solo)

Brand Name

Logo/Marque

Strapline

Lo-fi will do for now. We need to start mapping out our ideas!

http://bit.ly/ddmockup

Look at InVision’s Design Defined

Brand ideas; Expo Something with owls Wisdom

Research shapes the outcomes

Building a library of education focused content

We’re planning ahead

We have a big hairy audacious goal.

The strategy is the research. Benchmarking is a job. (NN/g pay $45k)

[73techdemo]

MOST UNUSUAL FOOTWEAR YOU WOULD LIKE TO BUY

1. Kangoo Jumps

"Kangoo Jumps". The shoes you see on the screen are considered by some as an innovative breakthrough in the field of aerobics and fitness. The fact is that "Kangoo Jumps" use not only help burn calories and tone the body but also allow you to turn exercise into an exciting and fun game. While walking and jumping in "Kangoo Jumps", many muscle groups work. A definite advantage is that no practice or special physical training is required to walk in these shoes. Anyone can spend time with benefit and pleasure with the help of them. Interestingly, the special design reduces loads on the joints, ligaments and spine eliminates in pain. Interestingly, these shows are paid on the market a long time ago in the 1990's but still enjoyed great popularity in certain circles. Initially, they were designed to facilitate the training of runners to reduce the impact on the choice. The shear is way one and a half kilograms. You can buy them at a price between 80$ to 200$ dollars depending on the medal.

amzn_assoc_tracking_id = "iam02a-20"; amzn_assoc_ad_mode = "manual"; amzn_assoc_ad_type = "smart"; amzn_assoc_marketplace = "amazon"; amzn_assoc_region = "US"; amzn_assoc_design = "enhanced_links"; amzn_assoc_asins = "B006J1S3QW"; amzn_assoc_placement = "adunit"; amzn_assoc_linkid = "3a90c653510b73ac0300e0bc6d493050";

2. Digits Sole Smart Shoe

"Digits Souls Smart Shoe". We are fortunate to live in a time when almost every day more and more new developments appear on the market designed to simplify life and improve it. We can definitely call the Digit's all smart shoe "The shoes of the future" as they have a lot of important functions. Anyone who has six hundred dollars to buy them can safely forget about tying their laces. The shoes are equipped with a mechanism that automatically squeezes the material to fit the boot optimally. In size, there are a large number of senses which not only analyze the activity and amount of calories burned but also take into account pro-nation, suppuration, correct posture and even fatigue. All this information will allow you to better control your health and prevent injuries. This is an ultra light and high quality shoe suitable for any time of the year. At sub-zero temperatures, you can turn on the heating system. Once every few weeks you need to charge them. But this process doesn't take more than 90 minutes.

3. Shift Wear Sneakers

"Shift Wear Sneakers". Shoes are the elements of our clothing that allows us to express our individuality. The manufacturers of these sneakers known as "Shift Wear", claim that their shoes will allow everyone to express themselves regardless of their preferences. The fact is that each boots has an integrated screen on the side on which using a special mobile application. You can project to any image including moving images. According to the developer, even videos can be shown on the surface of the shoe. The mobile application is connected to the worldwide network allowing you to share a unique and personalized image on your shoes as well as using designs from other shift wear owners. A notable feature of the screen is it's flexible design. Although it displays an image in HD quality. It cannot be broken if you try to fold the shoe. The shoe uses electricity to project the image that the energy produced by walking is used to recharge them. The main charge is wireless. To start charging the shoes, you just need to place them on a special platform that comes with them. It's worth noting the shift where sneakers are compatible with WiFi and Bluetooth connection. The company has developed several models of shoes all of which differ slightly from each other.

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4. Orphe Smart

"Orphe Smart". These are unique shoes that do not have any analogs. They differ from other shoes for the technical content. Designed to provide a fundamentally new experience when walking or dancing. Nearly hundreds of individually controlled LED's are mounted on the sole. Their color is configured by special mobile application. Which can be downloaded after purchase. All you need to do to connect is to put on your shoes and touch the ground with your toe a couple of times. The application will allow you to choose a combination of colors from those proposed or even create your own. There are really many LED's which can relate in a different order and at different speeds. This means that you can customize them in the most unique way so that no one else has exactly the same shoe's. A notable feature is that the movement can be converted into music. A certain melody is assigned to the lake movement and can be changed. Every time the user takes a step, the smartphone plays the specified sound. So with the help of a pair of similar slippers, you can create an improvised orchestra. The office smart will appeal to dancers, in particular, allowing them to create special effects for the stage. You can buy these amazing shoes for 450$ dollars.

amzn_assoc_tracking_id = "iam02a-20"; amzn_assoc_ad_mode = "manual"; amzn_assoc_ad_type = "smart"; amzn_assoc_marketplace = "amazon"; amzn_assoc_region = "US"; amzn_assoc_design = "enhanced_links"; amzn_assoc_asins = "B01LEUVFKS"; amzn_assoc_placement = "adunit"; amzn_assoc_linkid = "0df67f9f2f1c9388c33ca70d5bdecef8";

5. Power Lace

"Power Lace". The creators of these shoes you see think that our world is getting better every day. The more advanced appliances, more advanced houses, automobiles. But for some reasons, few people are engaged with the production of advanced shoes. Most of their lives people spend in footwear and it's time to improve that teeth. That's how "Power Lace" slippers were bought. Outside they're virtually no different from any other sports shoe. The secret of uniqueness lies in the technical content. These are shoes that fit optimally to the leg. The wearer doesn't need to bend down and bend constantly to correct the position of the laces. "Power Lace" is equipped with an innovative system that independently adjust the shoes under the foot. All you have to do to naviti your shoelaces again is to just adjust their position when you put these shoes on for the first time. From now on when the slippers are on your feet, they will fit perfectly to them. When the shoe is not on the foot, the laces are loosened so that inserting the foot is as easy and convenient as for example in house slippers. We have already said that "Power Laces" are simple and discreet designed. But this is definitely an advantage. Because not everyone needs fantastic shoes with a futuristic look.

6. Nike Hyperadapt 1.0

"Nike Hyperadapt 1.0". A few years ago Mike showed off it's first sport shoes with an electronic adjustment system. It provides a perfect few position for the foot. In total, the development took 10 years. When you open the box, you'll see that the kit includes a few charger. It connects directly to the boot. This can hardly be considered a disadvantage as the shoes must be loaded approximately once every two weeks. At any convenient time, you can find out the load of the used night hyper-adapt 1.0 pair. To do this press any button and then pay attention to the color the sensor last blinked with. Blue indicates the load is full. The light will flash in the middle if the load is approximately half. And when the shoe needs to be charged, the light turns red. Interestingly, the slippers automatically adjust as soon as the foot is placed inside and the heel touches the insult. You only need to adjust your shoes for the first time and then they'll remember the position you chose and return to it each time you wear them. The developers of "Nike Hyper-adapt 1.0" state that this is just the first step in creating an ultra comfortable and print or shoe. The cost of these sneakers is around 720$ dollars.

amzn_assoc_tracking_id = "iam02a-20"; amzn_assoc_ad_mode = "manual"; amzn_assoc_ad_type = "smart"; amzn_assoc_marketplace = "amazon"; amzn_assoc_region = "US"; amzn_assoc_design = "enhanced_links"; amzn_assoc_asins = "B071JPPBNR"; amzn_assoc_placement = "adunit"; amzn_assoc_linkid = "5415598651c01b8dba6ab064caa434b5";

https://youtu.be/0hJm-eKdg98

http://bit.ly/2RbHpiY

[yasbxxgie]

A month after my "'Underground' Might Be Finished at WGN" piece, leaving fans wondering what the the future of the beloved series held, the network has now officially announced its cancellation. Peter Kern, President and CEO Tribune Media (parent company of WGN America), said the following in a statement released this afternoon: "As WGN America evolves and broadens the scope and scale of its portfolio of series, we recently announced that resources will be reallocated to a new strategy to increase our relevance within the rapidly changing television landscape. This move is designed to deliver additional value for our advertising and distribution partners and offer viewers more original content across our air. Despite 'Underground' being a terrific and important series, it no longer fits with our new direction and we have reached the difficult decision not to renew it for a third season. We are tremendously proud of this landmark series that captured the zeitgeist and made an impact on television in a way never before seen on the medium. We thank the incomparable creators Misha Green and Joe Pokaski and the great John Legend, along with the talented creative team and cast who brought the unsung American heroes of the Underground Railroad to life. We are grateful to the loyal fans of ‘Underground’ and our partners at Sony Pictures Television. It is our hope that this remarkable show finds another home and continues its stories of courage, determination and freedom.” The move comes after Sinclair Broadcast's acquisition of Tribune Media in a deal valued at $3.9 billion, announced earlier this month. And with the purchase, it was expected that the network's new owners would likely have other plans for the properties they just bought. What happens with "Underground" now in terms of whether it will indeed find a new home, is still to be determined. As I suggested in a previous post, the most suitable network for it is probably OWN thanks to its primarily African American female target demo - a similar audience that "Underground" draws, although not exclusively. Although with several original scripted series already on its schedule ("Queen Sugar," "Greenleaf" and 4 Tyler Perry-branded shows) OWN may not be able to afford "Underground." I should note that 2 of its current Tyler Perry series will be ending after the next season, and a new Tyler Perry series will be added. But I don't think that changes the network's financial outlook much. However, I'm not an OWN executive, and aren't privy to any inside information so it wouldn't at all surprise me if OWN is already making a play for "Underground." SVOD platforms like Netflix, Hulu and Amazon would certainly make good homes for the series. As for black TV networks like BET and TV One, I'm not sure they can afford it. But for now, it's all guesswork and speculation, so until we hear something official, "Underground" may be done for good. “Underground” tells the story of revolutionaries of the Underground Railroad who use their ingenuity, power and perseverance to attempt the greatest escape in history despite the dire consequences that awaited them on the other side. Set in a desperate and dangerous time, the provocative and compelling series focuses on a group of courageous men and women who band together for the fight of their lives—for their families, their future and their freedom. The second season of WGN America’s 10-episode Underground Railroad thriller continues the characters’ unremitting struggle for freedom within a divided America on the brink of civil war, each side vying to enact their own justice. The celebrated cast for "Underground" includes: Jurnee Smollett-Bell as Rosalee, Aldis Hodge as Noah, Jessica de Gouw as Elizabeth Hawkes, Alano Miller as Cato, Christopher Meloni as August Pullman, Amirah Vann as Ernestine and Marc Blucas as John Hawkes. Season two newcomers include Aisha Hinds in the pioneering role of Harriet Tubman, as well as Jasika Nicole as Georgia, DeWanda Wise as Clara, Bokeem Woodbine as Daniel, Michael Trotter as Biographer, Jesse Luken as Smoke, Sadie Stratton as Patty Cannon, Robert Christopher Riley as Hicks and singer-songwriter John Legend as renowned abolitionist Frederick Douglass. From Sony Pictures Television, “Underground” is created and written by Misha Green and Joe Pokaski, who serve as Executive Producers alongside director Anthony Hemingway; Akiva Goldsman of Weed Road Pictures; Tory Tunnell and Joby Harold of Safehouse Pictures; John Legend, Mike Jackson and Ty Stiklorius of Get Lifted Film Co; and Mark Taylor. [t]

[comiccrusaders]

ComiXology Originals Debuts Exclusive Creator-Owned Titles with Innovative Release Strategies 

Free to Read Today for Members of Amazon Prime, Kindle Unlimited, and comiXology Unlimited Exclusively Available for Purchase Today on Kindle and comiXology 

Premier Digital Comic Service Offers Industry Firsts: Titles Available in Print via Amazon’s Print-on-Demand

All issues of a 5-Part Comic Book Series Available Today for Binge Reading

Twitch Livestream Viewing Parties with Exclusive Giveaways at All Amazon Pop-Up Kiosks and Amazon Books Retail Locations

ComiXology announced today it is releasing creator-owned comic books and graphic novels for the first time as part of its comiXology Originals program. The premiere digital comics service announced four new comiXology Originals titles – spanning fantasy, sci-fi, horror, and superhero genres – via a livestreaming event on Twitch.  Today readers can dive into the debut titles through a variety of ways: they are free to read for members of Amazon Prime, Kindle Unlimited, and comiXology Unlimited and are also available for purchase on Kindle and comiXology.

The new comiXology Original releases include: Savage Game created by NFL player Ryan Kalil, written by Shawn Kittelsen, and art by Chris B. Murray; Superfreaks from writers Elsa Charretier and Pierrick Colinet, with newcomer artist Margaux Saltel; Elephantmen 2261: The Death of Shorty from writer Richard Starkings, and artists Axel Medellin and Boo Cook; Ask For Mercy from writer Starkings and newcomer artist Abigail Jill Harding.

 The debuts feature a host of industry firsts, including:

All issues of the Superfreaks series are available to read now – perfect for binge reading

In addition to digital, Savage Game is available in print exclusively through Amazon.com via Print-on-Demand

Collections of Elephantmen and Ask for Mercy will also be available in print via Print-on-Demand, with future comiXology Originals trade collections and graphic novels also available in print

Savage Game sees noted cover and fine artist Chris B. Murray’s interior art debut

Superfreaks artist Margaux Saltel also makes her series debut

Ask For Mercy artist Abigail Jill Harding makes her series debut

“We’re proud to offer these creator-owned titles where creators keep their IP rights and are motivated to bring their A-game to the benefit of readers everywhere,” said Chip Mosher, comiXology’s Head of Content. “Helping bring these incredible titles to fans lets us experiment with different release strategies like a binge-style drop of a whole series, high quality print-on-demand, and day-and-date inclusion in Prime Reading, Kindle Unlimited and comiXology Unlimited.”

The new comiXology Originals titles were announced today in tandem with a livestream event on Twitch, hosted by noted esports personality Marcus “djWHEAT” Graham. During the livestream, which was screened at viewing parties at Amazon Books retail locations and Amazon Pop-Up kiosks across the United States, comiXology unveiled its “Always Original” ad campaign that spotlights the characters featured in today’s new releases. Customers attending the viewing parties were offered free print copies of the Savage Game graphic novel on a first come, first served basis.

The company also teased the next wave of comiXology Original titles to be released in the coming months, announcing an impressive list of creators, including: Tyler Crook, Kristian Donaldson, Alti Firmansyah, Sam Humphries, Megan Kearney, Kel McDonald, Hope Nicholson, Mike Norton, MK Reed, Mark Sable, Tim Seeley, C. Spike Trotman, Jen Vaughn, and Magdalene Visaggio.  More details on upcoming releases will be unveiled during Comic-Con International San Diego 2018.

Information on today’s comiXology Originals debuts can be found below:

Savage Game

Created by Ryan Kalil, written by Shawn Kittelsen, with art by Chris B. Murray 

From NFL player Ryan Kalil and his company Strange Turn comes an original 60-page sci-fi graphic novel that is a high tech version of The Island of Dr. Moreau. What happens when a rogue titan of Silicon Valley creates his own island nation with no laws to hold him back? You get the Savage Game, where audiences watch genetically modified hybrid creatures fight to the death in a fantastic gladiator-style battle. But Conner Bowen isn’t having it. He’s on a quest to stop his mad father and the Savage Game. But is it too late?

Original 60pg Graphic Novel – $4.99 on Kindle and comiXology

Free to read for members of Amazon Prime, Kindle Unlimited and comiXology Unlimited

Available in print for $6.99 as a Print-on-Demand graphic novel exclusively on Amazon.com

“Working on Savage Game has been a labor of love for everyone and I am really thrilled that it’s finally coming out with comiXology Originals and via Amazon’s Print-on-Demand,” said Savage Game creator Ryan Kalil. “I am very excited for the reader response and for the future of Savage Game.”

Superfreaks

Written by Elsa Charretier and Pierrick Colinet with art by Margaux Saltel 

An all-new 5-issue superhero mystery debuting digitally in its entirety – a thrilling story perfect for binge reading – with art by rising star Margaux Saltel. All the world’s superheroes have disappeared overnight, and it’s up to their untrained, largely overlooked teenage sidekicks to find out what happened – while dealing with the biggest crisis Earth has ever known — much to the public’s displeasure. Can they save the day?

5-issue series – all issues available to binge read now

Issue are $2.99 each on Kindle and comiXology

Free to read for members of Amazon Prime, Kindle Unlimited and comiXology Unlimited

“Not only am I ecstatic about Superfreaks being released today, but doubly so having the entire series being available all at once,” said Superfreaks writer Elsa Charretier. “Readers will experience all the cliffhangers we intended as storytellers, while binge reading the entire series the same day it’s released. And when the world’s superheroes have disappeared overnight, you don’t want to wait to see what’s happened.”

 Elephantmen 2261: The Death of Shorty

Written by Richard Starkings with art by Axel Medellin and Boo Cook

  The iconic Elephantmen debuts as a comiXology Originals title with issue 1 of Elephantmen 2261: The Death of Shorty, a 5-issue monthly mini-series. Described by J.J. Abrams as “An Awesome and Unexpected Story. You Must Check it out!” and lauded by Andy Serkis as “Bold, mythic and heartbreakingly cool, Starkings’ universe is a breed apart!”, Elephantmen 2261: The Death of Shorty, is the next adventure of the pulp science fiction series Elephantmen, which debuted nearly 15 years and 80 issues ago from Image Comics. This all-new story is a whodunit that draws our heroes, Hip Flask and Jack Farrell, into the curious death of an Elephantman known to his friends as “Shorty”.

5-issue miniseries – issues will be available monthly – $2.99 per issue on Kindle and comiXology

Free to read for members of Amazon Prime, Kindle Unlimited and comiXology Unlimited

Print collected edition will be available via Print-on-Demand exclusively on Amazon.com

“Once I realized Elephantmen sold more digitally than in print, I suggested to my friends at comiXology that we create a brand new Elephantmen series exclusively for digital readers,” says Elephantmen creator Richard Starkings. “And yet – for those who’d rather hold a print version – you’ll still be able to order a Print-on-Demand paperback collection as soon as it’s complete!  I’ve seen what Amazon can do with Print-on-Demand and it’s absolutely unbelievable!”

 Ask For Mercy

Written by Richard Starkings with art by Abigail Jill Harding An action-packed and artistically stunning dark fantasy story from Elephantmen creator, Richard Starkings and breakout talent, Abigail Jill Harding. Ask For Mercy is a World War II fantasy horror story in the tradition of John Carpenter’s The Thing and Sandman. Mercy is snatched from her own place and time to join a team of Monster Hunters who are actually Monsters themselves, and together they have to take on a Pantheon of Hideous Creatures summoned to our world by Nazi evil!

6-issue series – issues will be available monthly – $2.99 per issue on Kindle and comiXology

Free to read for members of Amazon Prime, Kindle Unlimited and comiXology Unlimited

Print collected edition will be available via Print-on-Demand on Amazon.com

Customers can enjoy today’s releases on a variety of Amazon’s membership services. Prime Reading offers Amazon Prime members a rotating selection of over a thousand top Kindle books, magazines, short works, comic books, children’s books, and more – all at no additional cost. Kindle Unlimited offers over 1 million titles, thousands of audiobooks, and select current issues of popular magazines for just $9.99 a month with a 30-day free trial at amazon.com/kindleunlimited. ComiXology Unlimited now offers over 15,000 comics, graphic novels and manga for just $5.99 a month with a 30-day free trial at comixology.com/unlimited. All titles are also available as individual purchases on Kindle and comiXology.

To learn more about Amazon Pop-Up and Amazon Books retail locations near you, as well as hours, visit www.amazon.com/popup or www.amazon.com/amazonbooks.

For more updates on comiXology Originals, check out http://comixologyoriginals.com and follow comiXology on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

About comiXology

ComiXology, an Amazon.com, Inc. subsidiary (NASDAQ:AMZN), is a revolutionary, cloud-based digital comics service. With content from over 125 publishers as well as thousands of independent creators from around the world, comiXology provides an unrivaled library of comic books, graphic novels, manga and bandes dessinées. The company’s first-in-class innovations include the exclusive Guided View technology which provides an immersive and cinematic reading experience and a new monthly subscription service. ComiXology is based in New York City, with operations in Seattle and Los Angeles. For more information, visit comixology.com and follow the company on Twitter, Facebook and Tumblr.

About Amazon

Amazon is guided by four principles: customer obsession rather than competitor focus, passion for invention, commitment to operational excellence, and long-term thinking. Customer reviews, 1-Click shopping, personalized recommendations, Prime, Fulfillment by Amazon, AWS, Kindle Direct Publishing, Kindle, Fire tablets, Fire TV, Amazon Echo, and Alexa are some of the products and services pioneered by Amazon. For more information, visit www.amazon.com/about and follow @AmazonNews.

ComiXology Debuts Exclusive Creator-Owned Titles ComiXology Originals Debuts Exclusive Creator-Owned Titles with Innovative Release Strategies  Free to Read Today for Members of Amazon Prime, Kindle Unlimited, and comiXology Unlimited 

[savetopnow]

2018-03-19 21 TECH now

TECH

Ars Techica

The station wagon is alive and well: Driving the Buick Regal TourX

Hyper-efficient gas engines, next-gen wind turbines, and more early-stage wonders

Ether plunges after SEC says “dozens” of ICO investigations underway

Unstable climate forced early humans to be more social and creative

People’s Republic of Desire film review: Yes, Black Mirror is already here

Buzzfeed Tech

Facebook Is Suspending Cambridge Analytica, The Data Company That Worked For Trump's Campaign

Anti-Immigrant Ads Aimed At Tech Workers Are Running On Public Transit

Uber Is Being Challenged For Trying To Send a Sexual Assault Lawsuit to Arbitration

The Trump Administration Is Accusing Russia Of Trying To Hack The US Power Grid

After Parkland, Companies Are Selling Uncertified Bulletproof Backpacks

CNet

New flexible computer chips could rewire an AI near you - CNET

Top 5 spring-cleaning tech tips video - CNET

Facebook probes employee's ties to Cambridge Analytica - CNET

Facebook suspends whistleblower's account after report - CNET

Facebook, Cambridge Analytica and Trump: What you need to know - CNET

Clean Technica

2018 CleanTechnica Car of the Year Finalists — Vote Today!

MSNBC Analyst Bombs In Trump Solar Tariffs Comment

Evolution of the Tesla Supercharger Network

Superfast Charging Heats Up In Poland — GreenWay Lands Locations For Stations

Residential EV Charging — Top Brands, Home Solar, Renters vs Owners, & More (#CleanTechnica Report)

Hacker News

Show HN: Noderize, create Node apps in 30 seconds

Level 3 technician's misstep causes largest telephone outage ever reported

Illegal content embedded in the blockchain [pdf]

Breaking trillion rows per second barrier

How today's billionaires plan to improve the world

Mashable

John Oliver has made Mike Pence's rabbit the star of a gay children's book

This tweet is the most incredibly accurate description of British weather

This dog did himself a scare after snoring so loudly he woke himself up

Kid's heartwarming note to his dad has a spectacularly no-nonsense twist ending

John McEnroe earns 10 times more than Martina Navratilova for Wimbledon commentating

Motherboard

These Canadians Are Building the First Commercial Electric Snowmobile

An Australian Cyborg Was Fined for Using His Hand to Pay for the Train

'Tomb Raider' Sucks Because It Messed With the 'Indiana Jones' Formula

The Last Rites of Quotient Lorenzo-Lochbaum

The City That Banned Bitcoin Mining

New York Times Technology

Adrián Lamo, Hacker Who Reported Chelsea Manning to the F.B.I., Dies at 37

FedEx Follows Amazon Into the Robotic Future

Bits: Kevin’s Week in Tech: Theranos, Fraud and the Failure to Fail

Kelp Farms and Mammoth Windmills Are Just Two of the Government’s Long-Shot Energy Bets

Hashtag Open House

Recode

Kara Swisher tweet-trolled The Mooch and all we got was this terrific 90-minute Recode Decode podcast

The online mattress industry promised a more honest shopping experience. We may have gotten the opposite instead.

Here’s how Facebook allowed Cambridge Analytica to get data for 50 million users

Here are the New York Times and Observer stories that pushed Facebook to suspend Trump’s data analytics company

CNN’s Christiane Amanpour needed a break — so she traveled the world, talking about sex

Reddit Technology

Philips Lighting introduces LiFi: broadband data through light

Apple is developing own MicroLED screens: Bloomberg

Aubrey de Grey: Treating ageing as a curable disease

Internet Wins, And The Need To Appreciate What We've Got Before It's Gone

Terrestrial Energy on track to commercial molten salt reactor competitive with natural gas

Reuters Technology

EU lawmakers to investigate alleged misuse of Facebook users' data

More shoppers want customer service from gadgets over humans: study

Amazon tracks repeat shoppers for line-free Seattle store - and there are many

Online furniture retailer Home24 trims losses as it eyes listing​

Alibaba doubles Lazada investment to $4 billion in aggressive Southeast Asian expansion

Slashdot

Mapping Apps Like Waze, Google Maps, and Apple Maps May Make Traffic Conditions Worse in Some Areas, New Research Suggests

Are Research Papers Less Accurate and Truthful Than in the Past?

About a Quarter of US Adults Say They Are 'Almost Constantly' Online

New Study Which Made 90 Adults Play 'GTA' or 'The Sims 3' For At least 30 Mins Every Day For 2 Months Finds 'No Significant Changes' in Their Behavior

Once Written Off for Dead, the Aral Sea Is Now Full of Life

TechCrunch

Uber said to be negotiating sale of self-driving tech to Toyota

SearchInk rebrands as omni:us, aims its hand-writing reading AI at insurance industry

VentureFriends, the Athens-based VC, outs new €45M fund

Alibaba doubles down on Lazada with fresh $2B investment and new CEO

Andrew Yang is running for President to save America from the robots

The Next Web

This startup wants to fight the crypto energy crisis by turning waste into electricity

Google will start earning even more money from your shopping searches

Apple is reportedly developing its own MicroLED displays for upcoming wearables

How advertisers can stay afloat after net neutrality is gone

Invest $15 in your future and get working as an Android developer now

The Verge

Japan reveals a ‘Supreme’ version of its bullet train

webOS ready to move beyond TVs, says LG

Apple using secret US facility to develop MicroLED screens for Apple Watch

The US Navy’s newest submarine comes with an Xbox controller

A free anthology collects stories from 2017’s new sci-fi and fantasy writers

WSJ Tech

Don't Call It a Car: China Tech Giants Want to Sell 'Mobile Living Spaces'

The Battery Boost We've Been Waiting for Is Getting Close

Facebook Ignites Debate Over Third-Party Access to User Data

Alibaba Bets Another $2 Billion on Southeast Asia

Grubhub Expands Pact With Yelp, Aiming for Cheaper Deliveries

Wired

The Universe Is Basically a Hippie’s Pipe Dream

Raise Your Glasses

Don’t Do Drugs and Watch ‘Annihilation’

‘Dr. Strangelove’ Is Basically a Documentary

Total Clips

[mastcomm]

Is This the Next Leader of the Fed?

Good morning. Fears about the spread of the coronavirus whacked stock futures this morning — and led to the cancellation of Mobile World Congress. More on that below. (Want this in your inbox each morning? Sign up here.)

The race to be the next Fed chair is getting interesting

Judy Shelton, who has been nominated to the central bank’s board of governors, is scheduled to testify before the Senate today.

She is a contentious choice for the job, Jeanna Smialek of the NYT notes:

• Ms. Shelton has questioned whether America needs the Fed at all.

• She favors pegging the value of the dollar to something like gold, an idea the U.S. abandoned decades ago.

• She’s seen as open to bending her ideological positions to please President Trump, eroding the Fed’s political independence.

But she appears to be moving into a prime position to become the next Fed chair if Mr. Trump wins re-election, Ms. Smialek adds. The president has openly derided the current chairman, Jay Powell, and could well pick someone more in tune with him ideologically when Mr. Powell’s term is up in 2022.

Washington speculation had focused on a different candidate for Fed chair: Kevin Warsh, who was on the central bank’s board during the financial crisis. Mr. Trump has praised Mr. Warsh before, but some wonder whether a strong performance by Ms. Shelton today would give her the inside track.

Is ‘Beyond Petroleum’ for real this time?

BP announced yesterday that it plans to be carbon-neutral by 2050, an ambitious target for one of the world’s biggest energy companies. What that actually means, however, is up for interpretation.

The oil giant’s proposal is its latest climate-minded initiative, with a twist. Not only is the company seeking to reduce its own carbon emissions, it said, but it also wants to offset the emissions from use of the oil and gas that it produces.

The proposal is more complicated than it looks. It has to do with the “scope” of emissions targeted by the plan: The bulk of pollution created by BP’s products are generated when customers burn the fuels, which are called Scope 3 emissions. BP’s net-zero pledge covers only its more direct operations, although the company plans to reduce Scope 3 emissions significantly.

U.K. regulators investigate Barclays C.E.O.’s ties to Epstein

Barclays disclosed this morning that British financial regulators have opened an investigation into ties between its chief, Jes Staley, and the late financier Jeffrey Epstein.

The context: The two men had known each other since at least 1999, when Mr. Staley led JPMorgan Chase’s private bank, where Mr. Epstein was a client. The financier had helped funnel dozens of wealthy clients to Mr. Staley, and the two men stayed in touch even after Mr. Epstein was accused of sexually abusing scores of women.

Mr. Staley has the backing of the Barclays board, for now. The bank said he had been “sufficiently transparent” about the nature of his ties to Mr. Epstein, and the C.E.O. said that he hadn’t had any contact with the disgraced financier since taking up his post in December 2015.

Mobile World Congress was canceled. Does anybody care?

Mobile World Congress, the annual jamboree for the telecom industry in Barcelona, was canceled yesterday over fears about the coronavirus outbreak. It raises an interesting question: Do these kinds of conferences matter?

Last year, MWC drew around 110,000 attendees (including 7,900 C.E.O.s) from 200 countries. Cancellation of this month’s edition was inevitable, after major exhibitors like Nokia, Ericsson and Amazon pulled out over the past week or so.

This presents a natural experiment in the value of industry events, seen by some as essential for networking and deal making and by others as price-gouging junkets. Thousands of meetings that would’ve taken place at MWC this year now won’t happen, which could have knock-on effects later in the year. (Or not.)

The view from a veteran: We spoke with Ben Wood, a telecom analyst at CCS Insight in London who would have made his 23rd consecutive appearance at MWC this year.

• For the companies that blow huge portions of their marketing budgets on MWC, “if you find that you can cope without going, and the costs associated with it, you may choose to deploy your resources in different ways,” he told DealBook.

• That’s harder for small companies that rely on “serendipitous moments” with big buyers or potential partners wandering the halls of events like MWC, he added.

No touching. In the meantime, conference etiquette will change. The organizers of a big tech event in Amsterdam now underway praised attendees for “safe greeting practices such as fist or elbow bumps.” Generally speaking, it must be said, handshakes are incredibly unhygienic.

Credit Suisse’s chief leaves on a defiant, awkward note

Tidjane Thiam delivered his final earnings call as the Swiss bank’s chief this morning, after being pressured to resign amid controversy over a spying scandal.

He presented the growth in net income of 69 percent as the result of his changes in the structure and strategy at the company. “We’ve built something of quality, the numbers are coming through,” he said at a press conference.

There was a notable moment of reflection on his uneasy tenure at the bank, notes the NYT’s Amie Tsang, who was listening in on the call. “There are differences within Switzerland in how people feel about me,” Mr. Thiam said. “Every second I’ve done the best I could. I am who I am, I cannot change who I am.”

How Marc Benioff sold Trump the trillion-tree idea

President Trump has openly dismissed climate change activists as “prophets of doom.” But Marc Benioff of Salesforce managed to win him over on one particular environmental initiative, Lisa Friedman of the NYT writes.

Mr. Benioff pitched Jared Kushner, a top White House adviser and Mr. Trump’s son-in-law, about the initiative to plant one trillion trees to help offset carbon emissions. The idea eventually — and unexpectedly — wound its way into Mr. Trump’s speech to the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, last month.

“Trees are the ultimate bipartisan issue,” Mr. Benioff told the NYT. “Everyone is pro-tree.”

There are two lessons to draw from this:

• Successfully lobbying Mr. Trump is an unconventional process that involves back-channeling with trusted advisers.

• The idea of one trillion trees appears to have taken hold with the president because, as Ms. Friedman notes, “it was practically sacrifice-free.”

Jeff Bezos’ latest takeover: David Geffen’s L.A. mansion

The Amazon chief has continued his real estate splurge with two new acquisitions, according to Katy McLaughlin and Katherine Clarke of the WSJ:

• David Geffen’s palatial Los Angeles home, which Mr. Bezos bought for $165 million — setting a record for the city in the process.

• A plot of undeveloped land in the L.A. area, purchased from the estate of the Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen.

They follow Mr. Bezos’ $80 million purchase of the top four floors of a Manhattan apartment building last year, reportedly with the goal of turning them into a gigantic pied-à-terre.

It’s a windfall for Mr. Geffen, who bought the L.A. mansion — the former estate of the movie mogul Jack Warner — for $47.5 million in 1990.

The speed read

Deals

• The parent company of T-Mobile reportedly wants to renegotiate the price of its takeover of Sprint. (FT)

• The venture capital firm Battery Ventures has raised $2 billion for its two latest funds, which will focus on investments in enterprise software companies. (Bloomberg)

• Meet the Korean hedge fund that scored big by backing “Parasite,” the movie that won the Academy Award for best picture. (Bloomberg)

Politics and policy

• Moderate Democratic leaders are slowly warming up to Mike Bloomberg as Senator Bernie Sanders becomes the front-runner in the party’s presidential race. (NYT)

• Larry Ellison of Oracle is doing a rare thing in Silicon Valley: hosting a fund-raiser for President Trump. (Recode)

• The Education Department is reportedly investigating Harvard and Yale over their sources of foreign funding. (WSJ)

Tech

• The Justice Department’s antitrust chief, Makan Delrahim, has reportedly said in private conversations that he expects a criminal antitrust case in Silicon Valley in the next few months. (Hollywood Reporter)

• Read up on Mark Zuckerberg’s approach to crisis management. (Wired)

• Britain plans to give its media regulator additional oversight over internet content. (NYT)

• Huawei of China is said to be in talks to fund research into 5G wireless technology at the London School of Economics — for £105,000, or $136,000. (FT)

Best of the rest

• Massachusetts’ attorney general sued Juul yesterday, accusing the vaping company of buying ads on youth-focused websites to target young nonsmokers. (NYT)

• The coronavirus outbreak cost Bernard Arnault his title of world’s richest man. (Fortune)

• Charlie Munger on the world today: “There’s too much wretched excess.” (CNBC)

We’d love your feedback. Please email thoughts and suggestions to business@nytimes.com.

from WordPress https://mastcomm.com/business/is-this-the-next-leader-of-the-fed-2/

[toomanysinks]

Transportation Weekly: Amazon’s secret acquisition and all the AV feels

Welcome to Transportation Weekly; I’m your host Kirsten Korosec, senior transportation reporter at TechCrunch. I cover all the ways people and goods move from Point A to Point B — today and in the future — whether it’s by bike, bus, scooter, car, train, truck, robotaxi or rocket. Sure, let’s include hyperloop and eVTOLs, or air taxis, too.

Yup, another transportation newsletter. But I promise this one will be different. Here’s how.

Newsletters can be great mediums for curated news — a place that rounds up all the important articles a reader might have missed in any given week. We want to do a bit more.

We’re doubling down on the analysis and adding a heaping scoop of original reporting and well, scoops. You can expect Q&As with the most interesting people in transportation, insider tips, and data from that white paper you didn’t have time to read. This isn’t a lone effort either. TechCrunch senior reporter Megan Rose Dickey, who has been writing about micro mobility since before the scooter boom times of 2017, will be weighing in each week in our “Tiny But Mighty Mobility” section below. Follow her @meganrosedickey.

Consider this a soft launch. There might be content you like or something you hate. Feel free to reach out to me at kirsten.korosec@techcrunch.com to share those thoughts, opinions, or tips.

Eventually, we’ll have a way for readers to sign up and have Transportation Weekly delivered each week via email. For now, follow me on Twitter @kirstenkorosec to ensure you see it each week.

Now, let’s get to the good stuff.

ONM …

There are OEMs in the automotive world. And here, (wait for it) there are ONMs — original news manufacturers.

This is where investigative reporting, enterprise pieces and analysis on transportation will live.

We promised scoops in Transportation Weekly and here is one. If you don’t know journalist Mark Harris, you should. He’s an intrepid gumshoeing reporter who TechCrunch has been lucky enough to hire as a freelancer. Follow him @meharris.

Amazon quietly acquired robotics company Dispatch to build Scout

Remember way back in January when Amazon introduced Scout, their autonomous delivery bot? There was speculation at the time that Amazon had bought the Estonian-based company Starship Technologies. Harris did some investigating and discovered some of the intellectual property and technology behind Scout likely came from a small San Francisco startup called Dispatch that Amazon stealthily acquired in 2017.

It’s time to stop thinking about Amazon as just an e-commerce company. It’s a gigantic logistics company, probably the biggest on the planet, with a keen interest — and the cash to pursue those interests — in automation. Think beyond Scout. In fact, wander on down this post to the deal of the week.

Dig In

Each week, transportation weekly will spend a little extra time on an approach, policy, tech or the people behind it in our ‘Dig In” section. We’ll run the occasional column here, too.

This week features a conversation with Dmitri Dolgov, the CTO and VP of engineering at Waymo, the former Google self-driving project that spun out to become a business under Alphabet.

Ten years ago, right around now, about a dozen engineers started working on Project Chauffeur, which would turn into the Google self-driving project and eventually become an official company called Waymo. Along the way, the project would give rise to a number of high-profile engineers who would go on to create their own companies. It’s a list that includes Aurora co-founder Chris Urmson, Argo AI co-founder Bryan Salesky and Anthony Levandowski, who helped launch Otto and more recently Pronto.ai.

What might be less known is that many of those in the original dozen are still at Waymo, including Dolgov, Andrew Chatham, Dirk Haehnel, Nathaniel Fairfield and Mike Montemerlo.

Dolgov and I talked about the early days, challenges and what’s next. A couple of things that stood out during our chat.

There is a huge difference between having a prototype that can do something once or twice or four times versus building a product that people can start using in their daily lives. And it is, especially in this field, very easy to make progress on these kinds of one-off challenges.

Dolgov’s take on how engineers viewed the potential of the project 10 years ago …

I also use our cars every day to get around, this is how I got to work today. This is how I run errands around here in Mountain View and Palo Alto.

A little bird …

We hear a lot. But we’re not selfish. Let’s share. An early investor, or investors, in Bird appear to be selling some of their shares in the scooter company, per a tip backed up by data over at secondary trading platform EquityZen. That’s not crazy considering the company is valued at $2 billion-ish. Seed investors should take some money off the table once a company reaches that valuation.

We’ve heard that David Sacks at Craft Ventures hasn’t sold a single Bird share. We hear Tusk Ventures hasn’t sold, either. That leaves a few others, including Goldcrest Capital, which was the lone seed investor, and then Series A participants Lead Edge Capital, M13, and Valor Equity Partners.

Got a tip or overheard something in the world of transportation? Email me or send a direct message to @kirstenkorosec.

While you’re over at Twitter, check out this cheeky account @SDElevator. We can’t guarantee how much of the content is actually “overheard” and how much is manufactured for the laughs, but it’s a fun account to peruse from time to time.

“Is this really the state of VC today?” https://t.co/GmPhv3FN6q

— SelfDrivingElevator (@SDElevator) February 7, 2019

Another new entrant to the mobility parody genre is @HeardinMobilty.

Deal of the week

There’s so much to choose from this week, but Aurora’s more than $530 million Series B funding round announced Thursday morning is the winner.

The upshot? It’s not just that Aurora is now valued at more than $2.5 billion. The primary investors in the round — Sequoia as lead and “significant” investments from Amazon and T. Rowe Price — suggests Aurora’s full self-driving stack is headed for other uses beyond shuttling people around in autonomous vehicles. Perhaps delivery is next.

And believe it or not, the type of investor in this round tells me that we can expect another capital raise. Yes, Aurora has lots of runway now as well as three publicly named customers. But investors like Sequoia, which led the round and whose partner Carl Eschenbach is joining Aurora’s board, T. Rowe Price and Amazon along with repeaters like Index Ventures (general partner Mike Volpi is also on the board) have patience, access to cash and long-term strategic thinking. Expect more from them.

Other deals that got our attention this week:

Lime raises $310 million

Self-driving truck startup Ike raises $52 million

Tesla’s acquisition of Maxwell Technologies for $218 million

Online car retail platform BrumBrum raises $23 million led by Accel

Car subscription service Cluno raises $28 million led by Valar Ventures, the firm founded by Peter Thiel

Snapshot

Speaking of deals and Tesla … the automaker’s $218 million acquisition this month of Maxwell Technologies got me thinking about companies it has targeted in the past.

So, we went ahead and built a handy chart to provide a snapshot view of some of Tesla’s noteworthy acquisitions. 

One note: Tesla CEO Elon Musk tweeted in 2018 that the company had acquired trucking carrier companies to help improve its delivery logistics. We’ve dug in and have yet to land on the company, or companies, Tesla acquired.

The deals that got away are just as interesting. That list includes a reported $325 million offer to buy Simbol Materials, the startup that was extracting small amounts of lithium near the Salton Sea east of San Diego.

Tiny but mighty mobility

Between Lime’s $310 million Series D round and the seemingly never-ending battle to operate electric scooters in San Francisco, it’s clear that micro mobility is not so micro.

Lime, a shared electric scooter and bikeshare startup, has now raised north of $800 million in total funding, surpassing key competitor Bird’s total funding of $415 million. Thanks to this week’s round of funding, Lime’s micromobility business is now worth $2.4 billion.

Lime currently operates its bikes and scooters in more than 100 cities worldwide. Over in San Francisco, however, Lime has yet to deploy any of its modes of transportation. Since last March, there’s been an ongoing battle among scooter operators to deploy their services in the city. The city ultimately selected Skip and Scoot for the pilot programs, leaving the likes of Lime, Uber’s JUMP and Spin to appeal the decision.

A neutral hearing officer has since determined SF’s process for determining scooter operators was fair, but the silver lining for the likes of JUMP, Spin and most likely, Lime, is that the city may open up its pilot program to allow additional operators beginning in April.

Notable reads

Two recent studies got my attention.

The first is from Bike Pittsburgh, an advocacy group and partner of Uber, that published the findings from its latest AV survey based on responses from local residents. The last time they conducted a similar survey was in 2017.

The takeaway: people there, who are among the most exposed to autonomous vehicles due to all the AV testing on public roads, are getting used to it. A bit more than 48 percent of respondents said they approve of public AV testing in Pittsburgh, down slightly from 49 percent approval rating in 2017. 

21.21% somewhat approve

11.62% neutral

10.73% somewhat disapprove

8.73% disapprove

One standout result was surrounding responses about the fatal accident in Tempe, Arizona involving a self-driving Uber that struck and killed pedestrian Elaine Herzberg in March 2018. Survey participants were asked “As a pedestrian or a bicyclist how did this change event and it’s outcome change your opinion about sharing the road with AVs?”

Some 60 percent of respondents claimed no change in their opinion, with another 37 percent claiming that it negatively changed their opinion. Nearly 3 percent claimed their opinion changed positively toward the technology.

Bike Pittsburgh noted that the survey elicited passionate open-ended responses. 

“The incident did not turn too many people off of AV technology in general,” according to Bike Pittsburgh. “Rather it did lead to a growing distrust of the companies themselves, specifically with Uber and how they handled the fatality.”

The other study, Securing the Modern Vehicle: A Study of Automotive Industry Cybersecurity Practices, was released by Synopsys, Inc.and SAE International.

The results, based on a survey of global automotive manufacturers and suppliers conducted by Ponemon Institute, doesn’t assuage my concerns. If anything, it puts me on alert.

84% of automotive professionals have concerns that their organizations’ cybersecurity practices are not keeping pace with evolving technologies

30% of organizations don’t have an established cybersecurity program or team

63% test less than half of the automotive technology they develop for security vulnerabilities.

Testing and deployments

Pilots, pilots everywhere. A couple of interesting mobility pilots and deployments stand out.

Optimus Ride, the Boston-based MIT spinoff, has made a deal with Brookfield Properties to provide rides in its small self-driving vehicles at Halley Rise – a new $1.4 billion mixed-use development in Virginia. 

This is an example of where we see self-driving vehicles headed — for now. Small deployments that are narrowly focused in geography with a predictable customer base are the emerging trend of 2019. Expect more of them.

And there’s a reason why, these are the kinds of pilots that will deliver the data needed to improve their technology, as well as test out business models —gotta figure out how to money with AVs eventually — hone in fleet operational efficiency, placate existing investors while attracting new ones, and recruit talent.

Another deployment in the more conventional ride-hailing side of mobility is with Beat, the startup that has focused its efforts on Latin America.

Beat was founded by Nikos Drandakis in 2011 initially as Taxibeat. The startup acquired by Daimler’s mytaxi in February 2017 and Drandakis still runs the show. The company was focused on Europe but shifted to Latin America, and it’s made all the difference. (Beat is still available in Athens, Greece.) Beat has launched in Lima, Peru, Santiago, Chile and Bogota, Colombia and now boasts 200,000 registered drivers. 

Now it’s moving into Mexico, where more competitors exist. The company just started registering and screening drivers in Mexico City as it prepares to offer rides for passengers this month. 

TechCrunch spoke at length with Drandakis. Look out for a deeper dive soon.

Until next week, nos vemos.

source https://techcrunch.com/2019/02/08/transportation-weekly-amazons-secret-acquisition-and-all-the-av-feels/