Pluralistic: Lindsay Owens's "Gouged" (29 Sep 2026)

Today's links

Lindsay Owens's "Gouged": The end of a fair price and what that means for your wallet.
Hey look at this: Delights to delectate.
Object permanence: Doonesbury on 9/11; Suspicious Looking Device; Elephant-shit paper; The Onion x TSA liquid rules; Borders goodbye letter; Voting machines suck; EFF v DRM; Matt Furie on the hijacking of Pepe; Austerity v last steam-loom; Facebook x "disinformation" criticism.
Upcoming appearances: Boston, Brighton, Virtual, South Bend, Hudson, Calgary, Winnipeg, Paris, OVancouver, Victoria, Ottawa, Kilkenny, Montreal.
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.

Your boss wants to use surveillance data to cut your wages: Tech rights are labor rights (again).
Hey look at this: Delights to delectate.
Object permanence: Arthur C Clarke v Buddhist monks (x DST); Bomb squad v life-size Mario power-ups; Panama Papers; Chinese antitrust; Consumerism v New Jim Crow; Absurd English spelling; Save Netflix! David Cameron's dad v Panama Papers; Trick photos with a giant coin; End-stage capitalism.
Upcoming appearances: Toronto, Montreal, Toronto, San Francisco, London, Berlin, NYC, Hay-on-Wye, London.
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.

"Flexible labor" is a euphemism for "derisking capital": It's a zero-sum game.
Hey look at this: Delights to delectate.
Object permanence: Corrupt CDs; 10,000 wax cylinders; EU wants copyright on links; Sony rootkit; Humbling math-papers; Chelsea Manning on Aaron Swartz; "Boundless Realms."
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.

Rage Against the (Algorithmic Management) Machine: What unions could (must!) do about app-based work.
Hey look at this: Delights to delectate.
Object permanence: Dieselgate for everything; Roca Labs stops gagging, Adventures of a Dwergish Girl; the Batmobile is a copyrighted character.
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.

The cod-Marxism of personalized pricing: From each to their ability, to each according to their need?
Picks and Shovels Chapter One (Part 3): DEFINITELY not a pyramid scheme.
Hey look at this: Delights to delectate.
This day in history: 2005, 2010, 2015, 2020, 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.

Nurses whose shitty boss is a shitty app: "Uber for nurses" is even worse than it sounds.
Hey look at this: Delights to delectate.
This day in history: 2014, 2019, 2023
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.

Lies, damned lies, and Uber: Uber wants to pay its Toronto drivers $2.50/hour (eh).
Hey look at this: Delights to delectate.
This day in history: 2009, 2014, 2019
Colophon: Recent publications, upcoming/recent appearances, current writing projects, current reading

No, Uber's (still) not profitable: A relentless, world-leading innovator in ever-sweatier balance sheet tricks, accounting gimmicks and hopium.
Hey look at this: Delights to delectate.
This day in history: 2013, 2018
Colophon: Recent publications, upcoming/recent appearances, current writing projects, current reading

When the app turns you into a robo-scab: The implacable, inarguable tactics of disciplinary technology.
Hey look at this: Delights to delectate.
This day in history: 2003, 2008, 2013, 2018, 2022
Colophon: Recent publications, upcoming/recent appearances, current writing projects, current reading

Gig apps trap reverse centaurs in wage-stealing Skinner boxes: Twiddled to death through algorithmic wage discrimination.
Hey look at this: Delights to delectate.
This day in history: 2008, 2018, 2022
Colophon: Recent publications, upcoming/recent appearances, current writing projects, current reading