"A multidisciplinary team of archaeologists and computer scientists has developed an artificial intelligence that can translate Akkadian almost instantly and unlock the historic record preserved in these 5,000-year-old tablets," thousands of which remain untranslated. - Big Think
This case will “likely rest on whether courts view the use of copyright material in this way as ‘fair use’”, said Lilian Edwards, professor of law, innovation and society at Newcastle University, “or as simple unauthorised copying.” - The Guardian
Patrick Soon-Shiong bought the Union-Tribune and the Los Angeles Times in 2018, promising to invest in the papers the way Jeff Bezos did in The Washington Post. Now, a month after major layoffs in L.A., Soon-Shiong has sold the U-T to Alden Global Capital's MediaNews Group. - Axios
"Overnight, Capote catapulted from a mere darling of the literary world to a full-fledged global celebrity on a par with the likes of rockstars and film legends. The success was all encompassing, but the cost would prove greater than even Capote had realized." - LitHub
"You learn to say 'The woman is sweating' before that most basic greeting, 'Hello.' An incongruously cheerful cartoon asks you to translate 'All men must die, goodbye.' And, of course: 'Ñuhyz zaldrīzesse gevī issi.' ('My dragons are beautiful!')." - The Guardian (UK)
Good thing fines are mostly a thing of the past, eh? "This came back in extremely good condition. ... Someone obviously kept this on a nice bookshelf because it was in such good shape and probably got passed down in the family." - NPR (AP)
With (far) more than 350 dialects of indigenous languages spoken across the United States, and few interpreters, vital information can fall away. "When you convey an idea from an indigenous language to Spanish and then to English, there’s a big risk of losing crucial details." - El País
Or, you might. "The video was posted to TikTok on Sunday and was flooded with supportive comments. ... On Monday, Warner tweeted that the novel became No 1 in Amazon YA sales, and soon after it was No 1 across all book genres." - The Guardian (UK)
An ongoing $200 million renovation of the 1911 landmark has sought to open its doors and world-famous collections to more people — and not just the scholars and authors that have long traipsed through its marble halls — as the demand for public space in a crowded city has soared since the pandemic. - The New York Times
"Libraries in England generate at least £3.4 billion in value a year through services supporting children's literacy, digital inclusion and health, a study has found. Researchers … discovered that the services that a typical branch provides in a year are worth £1 million." - The Guardian
"The Wiener Zeitung, which is owned by the Austrian government but editorially independent, suffered a sharp decrease in revenue after a recent law dropped a requirement for companies to pay to publish changes to the commercial registry in the print edition." (It will continue publishing online.) - AP
Ten years ago, almost half of Ukrainians said Russian was their first language; now, 21% say so (or, at least, admit to it). These days, anger at the language of the war criminals is hardly surprising. Ukraine's government wants to make Ukrainian-ness civic, not linguistic. Can that work? - Prospect (UK)
Goodreads was solid, and then Amazon bought it. Now it's got some major issues. "Former employees said Amazon seemed happy to mine Goodreads for its user-generated data and otherwise let it limp along with limited resources." - Washington Post
Pot, kettle, fine points, and dark and stormy nights - they all came from what was, at the time, original thought and phrasing (but sorry writers; please let the now-worn phrases lie where they originated). - LitHub
Or just the writing of it, says author Yomi Adegoke, author of The List. "You’re like: ‘Oh, I just made this thing up’ and everyone’s, like, reading your subconscious." - The Guardian (UK)
