crowdfunding

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I tried to write a novel in a month and now I have a publishing offer

Tim Dempsey

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Back in December 2015, I wrote a fairly waffling account of my attempt to write 50,000 words in 30 days for National Novel Writing Month.

You can read the whole thing here if you want, but the TL;DR version is this: I had very little sleep, drank far too much tea, and all-in-all felt like I had aged about 10 years in the process. But in the end I just about managed it.

After reaching the 50,000 word target, I had three main aims: 1) actually finish the book, 2) have a stab at getting it published, and 3) somehow become best friends with Stephen King and/or J.K. Rowling, who are pretty much my literary heroes and the subject of at least 80% of the articles I write for Mashable. Read more…

More about Uk, Books, Crowdfunding, Jk Rowling, and Stephen King

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Kickstarting gorgeous, illustrated slipcased classics with art from Pope, Shimuzu and Sienkiewicz

Tim Dempsey

Zachary Zmith writes, “A Kickstarter is funding beautifully-designed and illustrated editions of classic stories, with illustrations from Paul Pope, Yuko Shimizu and Bill Sienkiewicz. They have already met their initial goal to fund a version of Algernon Blackwood’s ‘The Willows’ with art by Paul Pope. If they reach $100k, Bill Sienkiewicz will illustrate H.G. Wells’ vivisection classic.”
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New Internationalist magazine turns to crowdfunding to secure independence

Tim Dempsey

 There can be little doubt that journalism and media is under a bit of an onslaught at the moment. The desire to deliver independent, trustworthy news runs deep, but can often be at odds with pressures from owners and advertisers. To that end, 44-year-old magazine New Internationalist is turning to its readers in a “community share offer” in a bid for sustained independence. Read More

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Kickstarting a car-hacking tool that lets you take control of your own vehicle

Tim Dempsey

The fully-funded Macchina project on Kickstarter is an Arduino-based, “open, versatile” gadget that bypasses the DRM in your car’s network, allowing you to configure it to work the way you want it to, so you can customize your car in all kinds of cool ways.
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Bots_alive kit imbues toy robots with charming, lifelike AI

Tim Dempsey

bots_alive There will be no shortage at Toy Fair next month of robots and gadgets promising artificial intelligence — and generally falling short. But a more modest approach from an actual AI researcher has produced a clever and accessible way to create lifelike behavior through a simple and elegant modification of a popular existing robot. Read More

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SF District Attorney lawsuit against Lily may have prompted refund

Tim Dempsey

lily_hand_d After raking in tens of millions in preorders and venture capital, the drone maker Lily — if it can really be called that — is shutting down. But its problems won’t end there: San Francisco’s District Attorney filed a lawsuit today alleging false advertising and unfair business practices by the company. Read More

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