Pluralistic: 11 Aug 2020

Today's links

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

Yahoo is a deadbeat billionaire zombie: Altaba owes the IRS $12.9b, won't even pay $1b.
The politicization of K-pop stans: Understanding a powerful, diverse, complicated fandom.
This day in history: 2005, 2010, 2015, 2019
Colophon: Recent publications, upcoming appearances, current writing projects, current reading

Trump wants to dismantle the OTF: Replacing open, auditable tech freedom tools with closed, untrustable ones.
Algonuts: A bottomless, mutated machine learning Peanuts strip.
Trump's covid "test-tubes" are contaminated miniature soda bottles: The Art of the Deal.
Avia, c'est mort: France kills a catastrophic "anti-terror" censorship law.
Austerity in disrepute: Vast majority of Americans favor continued or expanded unemployment benefits.
Microsoft criticizes Apple's monopolism: They're the experts, after all.
This day in history: 2019
Colophon: Recent publications, upcoming appearances, current writing projects, current reading

Cyberpunk conference call for papers: Inescapable cyberpunk futures bleeding into the interstices of our present.
Lockdown CO2 and structural roots of the climate emergency: You can't personally recycle your way out of climate change.
The Making of Prince of Persia: A halcyon moment of forgiving slack in the tech industry.
This day in history: 2005, 2010, 2019
Colophon: Recent publications, upcoming appearances, current writing projects, current reading

Cigna claims to be rolling in dough and on the verge of bankruptcy: We need a bailout/Invest in our company!
Bayesian reasoning and covid-19: The mathematics of uncertainty.
Talking Radicalized with the CBC: Moving the discussion from Facebook to the open web.
Founder of AI surveillance company was a Nazi who helped shoot up a synagogue: Banjo's Damien Patton pleaded guilty but the court records spelled his name wrong.
NSO Group employee used Pegasus cyberweapon to stalk a woman: He broke into a UAE intelligence agency's office.
British Library releases 1.9m images: But they're asserting copyright over them.
Kevin Kelly's unsolicited advice: Always demand a deadline.
Medical debt collection during the pandemic: Garnisheeing a nurse's paycheck is a bad look for a hospital.
Legendary troubleshooting stories: The delightful perversity of complex systems.
How monopolism crashed the US food supply: The curse of bigness.
This day in history: 2005, 2010, 2015, 2019
Colophon: Recent publications, upcoming appearances, current writing projects, current reading

Solnit on the revelations of crisis: Pandemic speeds up processes that were too slow to notice.
Nurse suspended for distributing crowdfunded PPE: Shame on Newark Beth Israel Medical Center.
Cleveland Plain Dealer executed by union-busting owners: Firing health reporters during a pandemic.
Monster-themed covid pinup PSAs: By Alejandra Oviedo.
The Onion on Wisconsin's election: We need strategic Onion reserves for all our calamities.
NSO Group says Facebook tried to buy its malware: NSO is worse than Facebook, but it's a close-run thing.
How to pay for covid: Unearthing Keynes's "How to Pay for the War."
Smart lock hemorrhages user data: And it broadcasts its unlock code over Bluetooth.
TSA wanted to inspect 16 year old trans girl's genitals: Jon Corbett is on the case.
Roger Fuckebythenavele vs Bannatyne Manuscript: Black Plague-era f-bomb eclipsed by 14th century frottage artist.
Rube Goldberg feeding device: Now that's physical comedy.
Public domain Zoom backgrounds: Fantastic backdrops for an absurd moment.
This day in history: 2010, 2019
Colophon: Recent publications, upcoming appearances, current writing projects, current reading

Obesity and unsaturated fats: Blaming unsaturated fats for obesity is very plausible, but likely wrong, alas.
The satiety index: Which foods cause or satisfy cravings?
Sensor Tower's VPNs and adblockers spied on users: Like sneaking laxative into Immodium.
Twitter's new Terms of Service help academics: Good bots welcome.
Italy's "I Stay in the House" law: The comprehensive quarantine plan.
Scam-buster hacks into a scam-factory: He gets their CCTVs, recordings of their calls, transaction data, Whatsapp chats, and more. Delicious.
Postmortem: the catastrophic EU Copyright Directive. Testimony from yesterday's Senate hearing.
Podcast: A Lever Without a Fulcrum Is Just a Stick: My latest Locus column, on how copyright failed artists and enriched corporations.
This day in history: 2010, 2015, 2019
Colophon: Recent publications, current writing projects, upcoming appearances, current reading

A brokered convention will produce a powerless presidency: Transformative change requires a movement, not a plan.
What the Siege of Gondor teaches us about medieval warfare: 40,000 riveting words from Roman military historian Bret Deveraux.
ICE's risk assessment algorithm only ever recommends detention: NYCLU suing to force them to admit what we've all figured out.
Probing China's Covid-19 censorship: Outstanding work from Citizen Lab.
America is uniquely at risk from coronavirus: 77 million un- and underinsured people.
This day in history:
Colophon: Recent publications, current writing projects, upcoming appearances, current reading

How finfluencers destroyed the housing and lives of thousands of people: The real estate speculator bezzle has a very ugly third act.
Hey look at this: Delights to delectate.
This day in history: 2004, 2009, 2014, 2019, 2024
Upcoming appearances: Where to find me.
Recent appearances: Where I've been.
Latest books: You keep readin' em, I'll keep writin' 'em.
Upcoming books: Like I said, I'll keep writin' 'em.
Colophon: All the rest.

Electrons, not molecules: Renewables don't generate above-average returns for Exxon's shareholders.
Hey look at this: Delights to delectate.
This day in history: 2009, 2014, 2019, 2023
Upcoming appearances: Where to find me.
Recent appearances: Podcasts, events and more.
Latest books: You keep readin' em, I'll keep writin' 'em.
Upcoming books: Like I said, I'll keep writin' 'em.
Colophon: All the rest.