Pluralistic: 30 Jul 2020

Today's links

Mexico's new copyright vs cybersecurity: Trump's copyright law makes Mexico's devices unauditable attack surfaces for the world's cyber-arms-dealers.
Google destroys yet more smart-glasses: Glassholes love company.
Solar heroin: Afghan solar adoption, the heroin market, and the future of energy and agriculture.
Why sweat smells: Go home, staphylococcus hominis, you're drunk (on Cys-Gly-3M3SH).
Interop to the rescue: The role for interoperability in addressing tech's competition crisis.
This day in history: 2019
Colophon: Recent publications, upcoming appearances, current writing projects, current reading

Break 'Em Up: Zephyr Teachout's trustbusting program for the 21st century.
Unauthorized Meat: Mellow Sous Vide journeys to the Internet of Shit.
Let's force Big Tech to interoperate: Here's why…and how.
No consequences for police violence at BLM actions: Propublica followed up on viral videos showing gross misconduct and found…crickets.
The Internet Archive defends online libraries: First filings from the Hachette lawsuit.
Bitcoin is not a socialist's ally: Yanis Varoufakis responds to Ben Arc.
Where "software" comes from: "In October, 1953, I coined the word 'software.'"
This day in history: 2005, 2015, 2019
Colophon: Recent publications, upcoming appearances, current writing projects, current reading

Afterland: Lauren Beukes's regrettably brilliantly timed plague novel.
Mexican copyright crushes free speech: Trump's trade deal takes away Mexicans' fundamental rights.
Audible Exclusives: Monopolists gonna monopolize.
Snowden's Little Brother intro: The Age of Mass Surveillance Will Not Last Forever.
Police "unions" are not unions: They're protection rackets.
Quick, inaccurate, cheap covid tests: Frequency vs accuracy.
Swarov.se: Once you see it…
This day in history: 2005, 2010, 2019
Colophon: Recent publications, upcoming appearances, current writing projects, current reading

Constitution Illustrated: R Sikoryak's amazing chameleon take on the US Constitution.
My HOPE 2020 talk: Trying out my "grand unified theory."
Replace the police: 10 steps to improve safety by reducing dependence on police.
NYPD disciplinary records: Propublica has the receipts.
New podcast episode: Part 11 of "Someone Comes to Town, Someone Leaves Town."
Finger-mounted crossbows: For your cuke-slaying needs.
This day in history: 2010, 2015
Colophon: Recent publications, upcoming appearances, current writing projects, current reading

Green Growth: TANSTAAFL is the spectre haunting the world.
Lovely video review for Poesy the Monster Slayer: Thanks, Kend!
This day in history: 2005, 2010, 2019
Colophon: Recent publications, upcoming appearances, current writing projects, current reading

US copyright is a disaster for Mexico: USMCA contra derechos humanos.
Do Androids Dream of Electric Cars: My event with James Wilt on Aug 4.
Central London property prices tank: Failed Airbnb rentiers flood the market.
401(k)s are a scam: Buy Alpo futures instead.
This day in history: 2010, 2019
Colophon: Recent publications, upcoming appearances, current writing projects, current reading

Facebook's morale problem: Facebookers worry that they're destroying civilization.
My HOPE keynote this Sat: We Used to Have Cake, Now We've Barely Got Icing.
Changes coming to UK's feudal "leaseholds": Britain's rentier class loses, a little.
Konstantine Anthony for Burbank City Council: All politics are local.
Private equity doesn't create value, it destroys it: Wealth accumulation doesn't signify value-creation.
Mass market book sales surge: But it's just trading one monopolist for another.
This day in history: 2005, 2010, 2015, 2019
Colophon: Recent publications, upcoming appearances, current writing projects, current reading

Canadian judge invalidates Safe Third Country Agreement: Asylum seekers are not safe in America.
Supreme Court poised to destroy machine learning security research: Why the CFAA should be narrowly interpreted.
Where Will Everyone Go: Modelling the climate emergency's migration emergency.
BLM footage censored by copyright bots: Background music makes it impossible to post human rights violations to social media.
This day in history: 2005, 2015, 2019
Colophon: Recent publications, upcoming appearances, current writing projects, current reading

Ukrainian steampunk masks: The gorgeous work of Dmitriy and Aleksandra Bragin.
OTF spared (for now): Trump's administrative incompetence saves the US Agency for Global Media from becoming Global Breitbart.
Insurers are secret, powerful police reformers: Money talks, bullshit walks.
Ohio GOP leadership arrested for racketeering: Largest corruption scandal in Ohio history.
Little Brother as a role-playing game: Notes from the Fiction & RPG Podcast.
Anti-facial recognition tool: Fawkes will alter your images in ways that are invisible to humans but confounding for algorithms.
Kentucky AG sues top GOP donors: Kentucky's Republican lawmaker is the best kind of class-traitor.
This day in history: 2010, 2015, 2019
Colophon: Recent publications, upcoming appearances, current writing projects, current reading

Judge won't release Black learning-disabled kid jailed for missing homework: Mary Ellen Brennan is up for re-election in 2020.
Podcast: Part 10 of Someone Comes to Town, Someone Leaves Town: "A glorious book unlike any book you’ve ever read" -Gene Wolfe.
Christopher Brown's Failed State: I'm helping him launch an outstanding and timely novel on Aug 12.
The Loneliness of the Long-Distance Cartoonist: Comparison is the thief of joy.
Luxury homes to be washed away: Australian plutes voted for climate deniers and now they're about to literally fall off a cliff.
As We May Think: Danny O'Brien on the past future of news.
Trump's spent a billion on re-election: Biden spent $165m.
This day in history: 2015, 2019
Colophon: Recent publications, upcoming appearances, current writing projects, current reading