Pluralistic: 19 Apr 2020

Today's links

80% of the stimulus tax break will go to 43,000 people: $195B over ten years.
Gilead, the remdesivir welfare queens: Big Pharma socializes its costs, privatizes its gains
Poor countries denied covid aid: The G20 has offered $150B; they need $2.5T
This day in history: 2005, 2010, 2015, 2019
Colophon: Recent publications, upcoming appearances, current writing projects, current reading

Continue reading "Pluralistic: 19 Apr 2020"

Pluralistic: 18 Apr 2020

Today's links

Rural swing-state voters' social media show growing disapproval for Trump: Putting his literal signature on covid response makes it hard to argue it's not his fault.
The Rent and Mortgage Cancellation Act: Ilhan Omar's bill to protect renters and mortgage payers during and after the crisis.
Garbage Math: XKCD on the mathematics of uncertainty
ICANN pauses selloff of .ORG registry: The GOP billionaires behind Ethos capital have to wait a while longer.
Delivery services are gouging restaurants to death: Call the restaurant, order your meal, and pick it up.
Post-collapse maker utopia sim: Not quite Walkaway, but interesting nevertheless.
This day in history: 2015, 2019
Colophon: Recent publications, upcoming appearances, current writing projects, current reading

Continue reading "Pluralistic: 18 Apr 2020"

Pluralistic: 17 Apr 2020

Today's links

Wenceslaus Hollar's Pack of Knaves: "Count yourself lucky that you are not cooped up with this lot."
Charlie Stross on how we'll screw up the "re-opening": Helicopter money or collapse.
Ellen DeGeneres's union crew takes paycuts while Ellen records from home with non-union contractors: Unlike Jon Oliver, Jimmy Kimmel, Samantha Bee, and Desus and Mero.
Health insurance industry in rosy good health: Billions in stock buybacks, 60% paycuts for doctors.
DoJ to convicted fraudsters: keep your money!: Settlement payments suspended until at least June.
Reflections on fictional pandemics during a real one: Naomi Kritzer on the prophetic meaning of 2015's "So Much Cooking."
Coop pandemic masks: Sold at cost, including Randotti skulls.
This day in history: 2015, 2019
Colophon: Recent publications, upcoming appearances, current writing projects, current reading

Continue reading "Pluralistic: 17 Apr 2020"

Pluralistic: 16 Apr 2020

Today's links

Plutocrats firehose money on primary challenger to AOC: Michelle Caruso-Cabrera, a former Reagan Republican who wants to dismantle Social Security and Medicare
FCC will spend $9B to improve broadband…without an accurate broadband map: Reality's left-wing bias makes accurate data the enemy of conservativism.
Buddhist monk covers western pop songs: He's like a male, solo version of Shonen Knife.
Apple hunters recover ten "lost" varieties from forgotten farms: The Lost Apple Society needs help.
Finding the Money: A fabulous new documentary on Modern Monetary Theory
Evangelical pastor denied quarantine, now he wants your stimulus check: Tony Spell's death-cult has a business-model.
Zombie movies teach us all the wrong lessons for pandemic: Not only would a zombie plague be easy to contain, but people don't turn into monsters during crises.
Building a "web of books": What would a federated alternative to Goodreads look like?
The Facebook Political Ad Collector: Exposing targeted advertising's fraud and conspiracy
This day in history: 2005, 2010, 2015, 2019
Colophon: Recent publications, upcoming appearances, current writing projects, current reading

Continue reading "Pluralistic: 16 Apr 2020"

Pluralistic: 15 Apr 2020

Today's links

Jailbreak for CPAP machine reveals hidden ventilator functionality: A $700 CPAP becomes a limited BIPAP through a software patch.
State treasurers demand ventilator manufacturers publish manuals: Colorado, Pennsylvania, Illinois, Delaware, and Rhode Island want the Right to Repair.
Ten graphic novels for kids, teens and adults in lockdown: My picks for True North Comics.
One person is in charge of oversight for $2.2T in stimulus: Bharat Ramamurti is the sole member of the Congressional Oversight Commission.
Universities want to infect students’ laptops with undetectable rootkits: Invigilation tools + shared laptops + overstretched IT departments = Bad, bad news.
I Void Warranties for a Living: Name-your-price stickers.
2600 Magazine hit hard by pandemic: Bail 'em out by buying the current ish as a download.
This day in history: 2005, 2010, 2015, 2019
Colophon: Recent publications, upcoming appearances, current writing projects, current reading

Continue reading "Pluralistic: 15 Apr 2020"

Pluralistic: 14 Apr 2020

Today's links

Podcast swap with Wil Wheaton: Wil and I read each others' work in our podcasts this week.
Corona-denying pastor dies of coronavirus: Governments who depend on the religious right have a conflict of interest.
Ticketmaster ends refunds for canceled events: Ever wonder what "terms subject to change without notice" really means?
Amazon fires tech workers for their warehouse worker solidarity: Threatened for speaking out on climate, fired for speaking out on warehouse conditions.
Southern states in for worst of coronavirus impact: The white gerontocracy has engineered a perfect pandemic storm.
Abolish Silicon Valley: Wendy Liu's new memoir is a case-study from the tech worker uprising.
I'm doing Podapalooza! It's a pay-what-you-can onlin podcast festival with proceeds to Give Directly.
This day in history: 2005, 2010, 2015
Colophon: Recent publications, upcoming appearances, current writing projects, current reading

Continue reading "Pluralistic: 14 Apr 2020"

Pluralistic: 13 Apr 2020

Today's links

I'm teaching a teen writing class: "Stories are Super Weird. Here’s Why They Work."
Trump will deliver killing blow to the USPS: The murder's been underway since 2006.
Fighting the EU Copyright Directive in court: Former MEP Julia Reda has a new gig doing impact litigation.
Virginia's election-day holiday: They also eliminated Lee-Jackson Day.
Quantifying Boris Johnson's body-count: Ireland makes for a natural experiment.
This day in history: 2005, 2010, 2015
Colophon: Recent publications, upcoming appearances, current writing projects, current reading

Continue reading "Pluralistic: 13 Apr 2020"

Pluralistic: 12 Apr 2020

Today's links

LA begins randomized covid testing: Is distancing working?
Trump and the Rapture Right: The end of the world is a feature, not a bug.
Foxconn's potemkin "Innovation Centers": Empty promises and empty buildings.
The power of collaborative note-taking: From WIPO meetings to videoconferences.
AMC is going bankrupt: Maybe allowing them to buy all their competitors was a bad idea?
This day in history: 2005, 2010, 2019
Colophon: Recent publications, upcoming appearances, current writing projects, current reading

Continue reading "Pluralistic: 12 Apr 2020"

Pluralistic: 11 Apr 2020

Today's links

PE companies that looted healthcare want billions in bailouts: Plute socialism.
Automating arbitration claims: Fairshake recreates class action suits in arbitration form.
Non-secret votes vs e-voting: Don't use it for elections, but maybe for elected officials.
RNC plans ex-cop/military voter intimidation squad: Rebooting the "Ballot Security Task Force."
"Job creators" are job annihilators: Bailout for me, not thee.
Snowden warns of permanent pandemic surveillance: The new normal ain't pretty.
RIP MAD's Mort Drucker: One of "the usual gang of idiots."
This day in history: 2005, 2019
Colophon: Recent publications, upcoming appearances, current writing projects, current reading

Continue reading "Pluralistic: 11 Apr 2020"

Pluralistic: 10 Apr 2020

Today's links

Problems with Pepp-Pt: Privacy-preserving contact tracing is really hard.
Disney publishes an official Dole Whip recipe: Orange whip? Orange whip? Three orange whips.
Reset Everything: Crisis means crossroads.
Usage stats from the National Emergency Library: Most of the checkouts are of books more than a decade old and last less than 30 minutes.
RPG hagaddah: The Role-Player, what does he say?
Managing UI claim surges: Hundreds of phone calls, day after day, without ever reaching a person.
Realtime wildcat strike map: Coronavirus is leverage for low-waged workers.
501 Developer Manifesto: Free time over free snacks.
Privacy Redirect: Nitter > Twitter.
This day in history: 2005, 2010, 2015, 2019
Colophon: Recent publications, upcoming appearances, current writing projects, current reading

Continue reading "Pluralistic: 10 Apr 2020"