Ron Does Stuff

Butch Dalisay, OpenAI, 400+ years of the UST Publishing House, and Laverne Cox in this week’s edition.

Butch Dalisay named Esquire Philippines’ Icon of the Year

Check out this month’s issue of Esquire Philippines for a feature on writer Butch Dalisay, who they’ve named as their Icon of the Year. To be honest, I’ve only ever met the man once during the launch of Soledad’s Sister back in 2008, I think.

OverDrive sues OpenAI

There have been a number of lawsuits against AI companies over the past few months, with the most prominent ones being the class action suits against Anthropic and Meta. Now there’s another one to add to the list as OverDrive, a worldwide digital distributor of ebooks, audiobooks, online magazines and streaming video titles, has sued OpenAI over its Sora app.

Publishers Weekly reports that OverDrive alleges that OpenAI has committed trademark infringement, unfair competition, and deceptive trade practices because its AI text-to-video generation app Sora is “using a confusingly similar icon, color palette, and visual identity.”

Publishers Weekly points out that OverDrive actually won an initial victory when the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office refused to grant OpenAI a trademark for Sora on the grounds it would cause consumer confusion, but the ruling was reversed and OverDrive has appealed that decision. Let’s see how things progress with this new case.

University of Cambridge shows unease about AI in literary world

The Guardian reports on the gloomy results of the study conducted by the University of Cambridge’s Minderoo Centre for Technology and Democracy, which revealed that 51 percent of the published novelists it surveyed believe that AI is going to replace their work. Even worse, 39 percent of them have reported that their income has fallen because of generative AI. The study also found that romance authors are the most exposed to displacement by AI, followed by thriller and crime novelists.

Sinag 2025: The UST Grand Book Launch

The UST Publishing House will be holding Sinag 2025: The UST Grand Book Launch as it celebrates its 432nd foundation year. Yes, it’s almost half a millennia old.

The launch is going to be held at the Dr. Robert C. Sy Grand Ballroom, 2nd floor, Buenaventura Garcia Paredes, OP (BGPOP) Building, University of Santo Tomas this Tuesday, November 25, from 2 to 4 p.m.

Cover reveal for Laverne Cox’s memoir Transcendent

Check out the cover for Laverne Cox’s memoir Transcendent, which was revealed in People during Trans Day of Remembrance. People also shared the synopsis of the book, which reads:

“Surviving a childhood full of trauma, dealing with depression and working at a drag restaurant in New York City for seven years, Laverne was turning 40 and felt it was time to throw in the towel when it came to being a Hollywood star — then she booked the character of Sophia Burset in Orange is the New Black. Her world changed overnight.

She made history as the first openly transgender person nominated for a Primetime Emmy, starred in a range of high-profile shows, and became the first transgender person to win a Daytime Emmy as executive producer on Laverne Cox Presents: The T Word

A red-carpet fashion icon, podcast host and fearless advocate, she uses her stardom to champion LGBTQ+ rights, whether on Hollywood’s biggest stages, her personal channels or at Supreme Court hearings. And she’s only getting started.

Transcendent is on sale on June 9, 2026 and available now for preorder.