Today's links

Villainry revealed by Monty Python Latin: "Bravus" means "crooked," not "brave."
This day in history: 2010, 2015
Colophon: Recent publications, upcoming appearances, current writing projects, current reading

Villainry revealed by Monty Python Latin (permalink)

Adani is an Australian mining company that is so corrupt and brutal that it's a wonder that it's not a Canadian mining company.

Its signature initiative is a massive coalmine on stolen Aboriginal land in Queensland.

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/carmichael-coalmine

The mine, and its associated railroad and port, are a toxic mix of long-term (CO2) and immediate (reef-killing dredging) environmental consequences. It's so bad that Australia's major insurers will not write a policy for the project:

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/jun/12/adani-mine-three-major-insurers-to-have-no-further-involvement-in-coal-project

The company's response to its critics has been predictably brutal as well, from hiring private investigators to follow activists' children around:

https://www.theguardian.com/business/2020/oct/28/private-investigator-hired-by-adani-secretly-photographed-activists-family

to seeking the power to execute no-knock search-warrants on activists' homes:

https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2020/aug/27/adani-fails-to-win-court-order-to-conduct-surprise-search-of-environmental-activists-home

All of this evil fuckery has given Adani a bad rep, so it did the natural thing: hired a branding agency to come up with a new name for the company.

That name is "Bravus." Apparently, they thought this was Latin for "brave." It's actually Latin for "crooked," "deformed" or "assassin."

(The word they were looking for is "fortis")

https://www.theguardian.com/business/2020/nov/05/crooked-not-courageous-adani-renames-australian-group-bravus-mistaking-it-for-brave

While it's obvious that the company came up with the name through "Monty Python Latin" ("Biggus Dickus"), they claim it's a mashup of "Brave" and "Us," with the "Us" signifying the company's inclusivity and its loyalty to aUStralia.

Yeah, right.

This day in history (permalink)

#10yrsago Staircase storage: vertical shelving unit is its own stepladder http://www.dannykuo.com/staircase.html

#5yrsago It was once socially acceptable and surprisingly affordable to send children by parcel post http://www.centralfloridastampclub.org/pages/pics3/022015insa.pdf

Colophon (permalink)

Today's top sources: Super Punch (https://www.superpunch.net/).

Currently writing: My next novel, "The Lost Cause," a post-GND novel about truth and reconciliation. Friday's progress: 525 words (79380 total).

Currently reading: The Ministry for the Future, Kim Stanley Robinson

Latest podcast: Someone Comes to Town, Someone Leaves Town (part 21) https://craphound.com/podcast/2020/11/01/someone-comes-to-town-someone-leaves-town-part-21/

Upcoming appearances:

How to Fix the Internet/Reboot 2020, Nov 9, https://www.rebootconference.org/day-two
Cyberterrorists, Post-Apocalyptic Landscapes, and Were-Pomeranians/Texas Book Festival, Nov 12, https://www.texasbookfestival.org/events/cyberterrorists-post-apocalyptic-landscapes-and-were-pomeranians-new-in-speculative-fiction/
Let's Talk About Influence/Designthinkers, Nov 16, https://www.designthinkers.com/week-2/strategy-lets-talk-about-influence
Shaping the Digital Future Summit/Kaspersky, Nov 17, details TBD
Misinformation and Disinformation in Science Fiction and Fantasy/LITA, Nov 17, details TBD
Keynote, Data Natives, Nov 18, https://datanatives.io/tickets/
Keynote, Cologne Futures, Nov 20, details TBD
Keynote, Cybersummit 2020, Nov 26 https://www.cybera.ca/cyber-summit-2020/
Beaverbrook Lecture: How to Destroy Surveillance Capitalism, Nov 30, https://www.mcgill.ca/maxbellschool/channels/event/2020-beaverbrook-annual-lecture-part-ii-cory-doctorow-325538
Keynote, NISO Plus, Feb 22-25, https://niso.plus/cory-doctorow-to-keynote-at-niso-plus-2021/

Recent appearances:

Author Stories Podcast
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yxSPZn8EGTE
The Gould Standard:
https://www.glenngould.ca/thegouldstandard/#cory-doctorow
Attack Surface: A Reckoning
https://draxfiles.com/2020/10/26/show-278-attack-surface-a-reckoning/

Latest book:

"Attack Surface": The third Little Brother novel, a standalone technothriller for adults. The Washington Post called it "a political cyberthriller, vigorous, bold and savvy about the limits of revolution and resistance." Order signed, personalized copies from Dark Delicacies

"How to Destroy Surveillance Capitalism": an anti-monopoly pamphlet analyzing the true harms of surveillance capitalism and proposing a solution. https://onezero.medium.com/how-to-destroy-surveillance-capitalism-8135e6744d59
"Little Brother/Homeland": A reissue omnibus edition with a new introduction by Edward Snowden: https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250774583; personalized/signed copies here: https://www.darkdel.com/store/p1750/July%3A__Little_Brother_%26_Homeland.html
"Poesy the Monster Slayer" a picture book about monsters, bedtime, gender, and kicking ass. Order here: https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781626723627. Get a personalized, signed copy here: https://www.darkdel.com/store/p1562/_Poesy_the_Monster_Slayer.html.

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