Pluralistic: 15 Aug 2020

Today's links

AI, 1A and Citizens United: The lawyer behind Citizens United wants to legalize Clearview AI.
James Ball's "The System": My review of a superb new book that surfaces the invisible infrastructure underpinning our digital world.
Canadian SFF Hall of Fame induction: Today at 4PM Pacific.
This day in history: 2005, 2015, 2019
Colophon: Recent publications, upcoming appearances, current writing projects, current reading

The CARES Shock Doctrine: How the Dems and the GOP took care of billionaires and fucked the rest of us.
NYC homeless lose bathroom access: Not a pot to piss in.
NYC Street View, WPA edition: Every municipal building in New York City, 1939-41.
Maidan in Belarus: Riot cops drop their shields and embrace protesters.
This day in history: 2015, 2019
Colophon: Recent publications, upcoming appearances, current writing projects, current reading

My origin story: How I got bitten by a radioactive Judith Merril.
Sudowrite: Robutts stole my jerb.
"Less lethal" is a euphemism, too: Police weapons exist to deny claims to human rights.
Florida sheriff bans masks: Purple shrouds with shiny badges.
This day in history: 2010, 2015, 2019
Colophon: Recent publications, upcoming appearances, current writing projects, current reading

Grace is cleared: The homeschool-to-prison pipeline is closed…for now.
Mexico's terrible copyright is in trouble: Hasta la victoria siempre.
Failed State: Chris Brown's outstanding new ecopocalyptic cyberpunk legal thriller.
Marvel's $0.10 mini-comics: Gashapon funnies from 1966.
Sorting machines snatched from post offices: Administrative incompetence vs textualism?
Payday lenders are CFPB's pandemic aid: When the watchdogs switch sides.
Trump's Solicitor General says bribery is legal: Rule 48a applies even if the judge sees the prosecutor accept a bribe in the courtroom.
RSS WTF: An explainer for the newly awakened.
This day in history: 2015, 2019
Colophon: Recent publications, upcoming appearances, current writing projects, current reading

Terra Nullius: Podcasting my column about "IP," John Locke, genocide and erasure.
How they're killing the post office: The USPS has been under threat for decades, but now it's an existential crisis.
When you hear "intangibles"…: Think "monopolies."
Text-based, cyberpunk MMORPG: CyberCode Online is based on the VSCode interface.
This day in history: 2015, 2019
Colophon: Recent publications, upcoming appearances, current writing projects, current reading

Warren Buffet, monopolist: Monopolized: Life in the Age of Corporate Power.
Uber lost $4b in H1/2020: They're not even making it up in volume anymore.
Dragon's Lair skeleton Dirk pin: Come for Dirk, stay for Leia.
This day in history: 2010, 2015, 2019
Colophon: Recent publications, upcoming appearances, current writing projects, current reading

Commercial real-estate's looming collapse: Highly leveraged REITs and extinction-level events don't mix.
Test-proctoring software worsens systemic bias: Also pedagogically bankrupt and run by corrupt, petty shitheads.
This day in history: 2019
Colophon: Recent publications, upcoming appearances, current writing projects, current reading

Peter Thiel was right: Capitalism is incompatible with democracy.
Google bans anticompetitive vocabularies: But not anticompetitive conduct.
Free the law: The PACER rent is too damned high.
Jailed for pen-testing: Kafka in Iowa.
This day in history: 2010, 2019
Colophon: Recent publications, upcoming appearances, current writing projects, current reading

Satanic Abortions cut through unconstitutional abortion laws: Go ahead, sue to overturn the Religious Freedom Restoration Act.
Restore the Office of Technology Assessment: In the 21st Century, it's no longer OK to not understand technology.
US plummets below Russia and Mexico in global misery index: Tired of Winning.
Novartis's $678m bribery scandal: Epistemological crisis actors.
California DMV's $50m/year data selloff: California lawmakers want to know who's buying.
This day in history: 2010, 2019
Colophon: Recent publications, upcoming appearances, current writing projects, current reading

NY State's promising new antitrust law: Senator Mike Gianaris will let the state step into the federal vacuum.
Ventilation vs covid: Survive winter with DIY HEPA filters plus over-indexed steam heaters.
Writers Guild vanquishes a major agency: ACM folded, WME and CAA next.
NY AG wants to dissolve NRA: "Rampant corruption" is not compatible with tax-charitable status.
Qanon is an ARG (pt II): The other Hon brother weighs in.
This day in history: 2015, 2019
Colophon: Recent publications, upcoming appearances, current writing projects, current reading