Mel Hopkins

Blockchain Technology may cause the next disruption in book-selling and "Put Authors At Center of Publishing Universe". Blockchain, the underpinnings of the bitcoin launched in 2009, "is a decentralized ledger of all transactions across a peer-to-peer network. Using this technology, participants can confirm transactions without a central authority. Potential applications include fund transfers, settling trades, voting and many other uses. " Source: PwC (see the infographic) As we all know, one of the centralized authorities in bookselling is an online retail store, namely Amazon. With blockchain technology, books will contain smart contracts between the author and publisher. Also spelled out in the block, will be subsidiary rights, payment etc, essentially cutting out the middlemen (maybe even bowker's isbn too! But I digress. From Publisher's weekly: So how would blockchain work for books? Basically, a digital book created in the blockchain holds both the text, and also all the terms of a book’s contract—referred to as a “smart contract”—including but not limited to commercial terms of sale (and even resale), author credit and other information. The Alliance of Indepedent Authors (ALLi) has published a white paper on blockchain for books. When a user purchases a blockchain book, the transaction is direct between author and reader—no middleman, like Amazon. The reader gets the text within an app. The text cannot be tampered with or transferred outside of the contract terms coded therein. And the author is paid immediately, with payments divvied up according to the smart contract—for example, the contract might call for 10% of the book's price to go the author’s publisher. And yes, payments are made in cryptocurrency directly to the authors “digital wallet.” By the way, this isn't years away; it is happening now with one of the first books launched in April at the London Book Fair. Also from Publisher's Weekly: Josef Marc, CEO of upstart blockchain publisher Publica, announced that the company had just gone live in the Google Play Store with author Sukhi Jutla’s Escape The Cubicle: Quit The Job You Hate. Without getting too technical, Publica offers the service to authors to crowdfund their publications through ICO (initial coin offerings). So who knows, maybe , @Troy will use a blockchain platform to publish authors and create AALBC tokens too? Decentralization is putting the power back into the hands of the people. For the times they are a-changin'.

Sorry? No, Thank you for sharing and getting "carried away" !!! This is awesome @Damani Congratulations!

Yep! Got up early and walked the canine late so I could see the ceremony! It was beautiful and they appear to be truly in love!

This sentiment is similar to what Kanye said about slavery being a choice -

Exactly, why I chose not to talk about the video! I did watch it once on twitter out of curiosity . I wanted to know what all the fuss was about - Once I saw it, I thought nothing to see here move along. It wasn't sharing anything that I didn't already know. Further, I'm not impressed by Donald Glover's work. @Pioneer1 's discussion of the video allowed me to revisit the role of art - but the video, meh. @Troy Maybe at the Black Pack Party 2018 but shoot up black books . Then in perfect "Coyote Ugly" style, dance on the bar top. Next send it to the Coretta Scott King Awards committee members and also have someone post it to twitter and facebook with the hashtag #readingblack.com

The irony of this article dated May 7, 2018 appearing here as a post is that I believe it was inspired by awesomelyluvvie article - dated April 17, 2018 - Still, It drives home the point that unless a black woman's feelings are echoed by a woman of non-color - then those words are just another "fart in the blizzard." Further, tears of woman of non-color are assigned as the attributes of all women especially black women. And if we don't cry at the drop of a hat then we are labeled Angry black women. Or we're not women at all, or rather we're acting like "men"...because we don't act weak. When in reality women are not weak at all - but women of non-color just play men that way. Now, they've joined the me-too movement to kick men out of their offices all the while playing victim but getting the corner offices in the process. All I got to say is "well-played women of non-color; well-played.

@Pioneer1 You did it again ! I really don't want to give childish gambino this much credit - but he deserves it. He got you talking about him... and I joined in. I didn't want to talk about his provocative video because I suspected that is exactly what he wanted me (meaning us, the masses) to do just ; but here I am. smh (:-) Now I have to admit that is what art does. It doesn't seek to change minds - but it does force you to open your mind and ponder it. You can only disagree with it once you consider it . We may never know what he wants - but we are talking about it. And unlike a politician who tells us what to think about; we have consider how to think about the spectacle. * * * By the way, yes David Hogg, Parkland survivor got Ingraham to apologize when he ran a campaign on twitter. He has almost 800K followers and he inspired his followers to boycott her advertisers...Needless to say it went viral and was quite was effective. Do these teens have that kind of power? Not yet but they're getting the support. But remember the blacklivesmatter group have also been effective with their campaigns. Their support has been in the form of millions of dollars in donation and people power. In fact, they've been so effective that white folks use blacklivesmatter as their avatars on twitter. Just recently one of those white women - forced that white woman who called the cops on the black folks barbecuing in oakland's park - to stand down - then another white woman stepped in and pretty much chased her out of the park and to the police. But I digress. Anyway, the teens I mentioned were also on CNN Van Jones' show and they gave promising numbers on how many teens they've been able to reach. I can't say if they're responsible for the decrease in gun deaths in Chicago but at least there is a decrease "Chicago sees drop in killings and shootings for 13 consecutive months" "Shootings dipped 17% and murders dropped 25% compared to March 2017, figures show. Year-to-date, murders dipped 22% and shootings dropped 25% compared to the same period in 2017, Chicago police said. Chicago Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson said the city still has a long way to go to curb gun violence despite the steady progress."

Thanks @Delano I've already acknowledged that perspective. "Although I understand your mentioning that 45* didn't dance an Irish jig to get his message but rather he articulated his message clearly to his base,

I'm not the right person to ask though. I read a lot more nonfiction, than fiction. And when I read fiction it's sci-fi, horror and fantasy. I'd love to hear from those who who read literature. They may have an example of a strong mom character.

@Pioneer1 In Chicago, these students belong to the Peace Warrior program at North Lawndale, which trains students to be nonviolence peer leaders. And the Parkland Florida teens (pictured with Emma) reached out to them because they wanted to join forces since their organization (peace warrior program) had been around since 2015 , if not earlier like 2012. According to reports, a month before the Parkland shooting these students Alex King, D'Angelo McDade began another group Good Kids Mad City - (probably taken from the Kendrick Lamar Album of the same name) to stop the violence in Chicago. By the way, Pulitzer Prize winning emcee Kendrick Lamar would be a more accurate entertainer to reference. He speaks to the pathology of inner city living. Childish Gambino (Donald Glover) is an entertainer - he's not even social activist nor claims to be one. He talks about twitter activism in an old article and being label a white rapper. Although both Donald Glover and 45* are both entertainers; when 45* ran for the presidency he ran as politician not an entertainer ... Although I understand your mentioning that 45* didn't dance an Irish jig to get his message but rather he articulated his message clearly to his base, he wasn't working on The Apprentice or running a Miss Universe contest. He was a candidate. Childish Gambino isn't running for office - he appears in a provocative video to sell records. It's a bit of a stretch to compare Glover, an entertainer to a then candidate now President of the United States. Teen social activists Alex King and D'Angelo McCade and a whole host of young people are working to make the world a safer place - Including 11-year-old Naomi Wadler (see below). For these young people, it's real life not entertainment. https://nowthisnews.com/videos/her/naomi-wadler-speaks-at-the-women-in-the-world-summit https://theoutline.com/post/3887/fighters-good-kids-mad-city-chicago?zd=1&zi=tuhzoe5r https://hiphopdx.com/news/id.30218/title.childish-gambino-blasts-twitter-activists-says-he-wants-to-be-white# http://cct.org/2015/11/a-student-warrior-whose-purpose-is-peace/ https://www.teenvogue.com/story/alex-king-dangelo-mccade-march-for-our-lives-washington-dc-speeches

@richardmurray , In all the fiction, I've read I don't have a nomination for a "best mother" If I go by memory , then most of the mothers have been largely forgettable. However, I felt comforted by mother-figure in The Shack by William P. Young

@Troy and for some corporations this is absolutely their modus operandi! This is exactly why I look for businesses that have sustainable development at its core.

@Kalexander2 According to Anari Sengbe in this talk, the internet of things (IoT) allows the devices to mine bitcoins for others and earn a fee for the transaction. In short, your refrigerator, thermostat or any device in your home can become a virtual "Check Cashing Place" except its mining bitcoins or any other cryptocurrencies.

@Troy Yep. Google has gone commercial and eCommerce - happy. I just noticed that yesterday when I was looking for a aphorism about fishing poles. All I could find on the first couple of pages were places to buy fishing poles. Net Neutrality sunsets in June - so I guess google changed their algorithm to feature the sites that will be accessible. It looks like it will be old-fashioned marketing of websites again - if people know about your website - they will have actively choose to visit it - and hope it will load properly

Did Iran claim responsibility for the airstrike?

Yes, this is a very old aphorism. I've read one about fishing poles to fisherwomen/men. But do we still find value in tools today? Also, do you think wealthy people are “careful”? Let's unpack this sage advice using the top 25 wealthiest people in the world. (1) Jeff Bezos–sells tools, provides a virtual and real location for tools and storage for information. (2) Bill Gates – makes and sells tools (3) Warren Buffet buys companies that sell tools, transportation and shelter & tools protection (4) Bernard Arnault sells luxury tools and goods (5) Mark Zuckerberg’s product is people and sells their attention Mark Zuckerberg provides the tools, but his company, Facebook’s product is people and he sells their attention. Allegedly, he doesn't even sell personal information, he sells access to those who’d like to get in front of specific eyes. In this case, is attention the shovel/fishing pole? I'm not sure. Also, MZ allows those who want access to determine the value of those eyes. Although this tends to be my blind spot, most of these people on the list "sell shovels/fishing poles", some sell "fish” but there are a few gold-miners /fisherwomen/men here too. But all those businesses have one thing in common – they earn and require currency. Now bitcoin is cryptocurrency, and its value is in the exchange. I don’t know if the goal is to get rich quick from using bitcoin but rather allowing those who use it, determine its value. It’s practically an egalitarian currency that’s in use nearly worldwide. So, I guess the key to predict who will profit from the proverbial gold rush is the one provides the platform for trading. Currently, heavily regulated financial institutions are the ones who profit. But now we have the Winklevoss Twins who were awarded a patent for ETP (exchange-traded products (ETPs) using cryptocurrencies) –(See Vanguard ETF) Then on a smaller scale we have Anari Sengbe's website OWO where gaming and purchasing products at a discount using cryptocurrency gives the platform its value. We still have bitcoin miners (With Bitcoin, miners use special software to solve math problems and are issued a certain number of bitcoins in exchange) AND cryptocurrency platforms just might be the new “shovels or fishing poles" in this digital economy. Edit: to change but to AND. According to Anari Sengbe in this talk, the internet of things (IoT) allows the devices to mine bitcoins for others and earn a fee for the transaction. In short your refrigerator, thermostat or any device in your home can become a virtual "Check Cashing Place" except its mining bitcoins or any other cryptocurrencies. I don't think the Black community can afford to be ignorant of cryptocurrencies. We're already 10 years behind.

As long as black women need to get their hair "did", and black men need to get lined up, we will always come together in the "Shop" or around kitchen tables to share the latest news. No matter how many social networks like Myspace, Facebook and Twitter spring up they will never replace Low tech media such as The Barbershop,The Beauty Salon & Kitchentalk. On this video, Software and Mobile App developer Anari Sengbe, illustrates this point when after his days of disrupting Silicon Valley, he returns to the village to talk about cryptocurrency. I've been following this tech guru since he came up with the GoVote app that would allow volunteers to wait in line for others who couldn’t afford the long wait time to vote I was updating ads on my blog and I came across a story I "pressed" on him last year. As you can tell, from the name of this blog, I look for interesting "characters" and so I followed up with him on LinkedIn to find out the latest. Earlier this year, Anari Sengbe launched OWO (Yoruba-English translation: Money). OWO.world is a digital platform that has a suite of applications from social to gaming with a twist that allows users and developers to earn/exchange cryptocurrency. I'm working my way up the learning curve to understand this digital currency, but I like the questions these brothers ask because when you teach you learn. And Sengbe is able to answer these bitcoin questions in a way that s easy to understand. By the way, Gaming is included in the Trillion-dollar Media & Entertainment industry but I don't think the government did an assessment that includes bitcoin mining. My head is spinning trying to make sense of all this but you only get old when you stop learning.

Never in my wildest dreams (and yes I have wild ones) would I think a short observation would spur such a nourishing conversation! Thank you @richardmurray, @Troy and @Kalexander2 for you evocative perspectives!

@Troy Special Sales! Before Academic Marketing and Sales at Penguin USA - I worked in Special Sales G.P. Putnam's Sons... As a Special Sales Assistant, it was my job to do most of the customer service work for special sales and institutional accounts - such as catalogs, library appearances, specialty accounts and stores such as those that would appear at a yacht club etc. I learned how to sell books in nontraditional ways such as those looking for premium incentive products and of course retail stores that would also sell books on the side... You know, like those psychic tellers - who have spell books for sale .. All this to say, yes, it's a profitable business model for this type of selling... And you already have 2 coveted accounts. I remember Barbara O'Shea, my former boss, got so happy when she would land an account like a large book club - or McDonald's, who wanted to put one of our children's books in every happy meal. G.P Putnam had so many imprints, we had a book for every type of lifestyle. Anyway, she was quoted in the New York Times article talking about her role as President of a non-trade sales at Penguin. (Yes she also started at G.P Putnam's Sons) . This is also an excellent article for an overview on special sales. Oh! does this replace the google tag manager?

@richardmurray ... OMG!!! this is true of everything we create. Understanding the creator reveals the creator.. I knew this to be true of my writing ... to read me is to know my heart - (good bad or indifferent). BUT now looking from your perspective I'd say this is true of what we consume. @Kalexander2., "It's not that I have something to hide. It's that I have nothing I want you to see." ~ANON (Netflix) @Kalexander2 If I understand this premise correctly, if the state is receiving the money - then why aren't officials distributing the HUD funds based on needs - rather than using the cash to integrate communities. One challenge, however, is to make sure millionaires such as Fox News Sean Hannity don't get the HUD money and then fix up buildings in areas - and charge exorbitant amount of rent for each apartment. https://www.11alive.com/article/news/sean-hannity-under-fire-for-allegedly-using-hud-money-to-help-buy-housing-property-in-georgia/85-548596246

Heh, Heh , Heh

@richardmurray , interesting perspective and one that makes a lot of sense - especially with the history of humans seeking to control each other.

@Pioneer1 wow - just wow. I was coming back to this board to commend you on your perspective about information really boils down to whom we trust. I had to look at my own behavior and preferences, and you're correct. If I don't know something from experience - I go to the source I trust the most. I realized this is especially true in our current political climate. Especially with 45* doing his best to undermine the information sources that most Americans trust... I was like wow - Pioneer showed me my blindspot... (applause) AND THEN you had to go and write something like this... SMH (shaking my head)... welp.

The Cooking Gene by Culinary Historian Michael W. Twitty is The 2018 James Beard Award (non-cookbook) winner. As much as I can't stand awards I have to give them a second look now because without hearing that Twitty won the award I would not have heard of this book - which I now absolutely must have on my bookshelf. I love to cook but I especially love to cook the foods that are indigenous to my family. Anyway, I found this interview from Mr. Twitty and African Ancestry's co-founder Dr. Gina Paige and it too is delightful!!!