Pluralistic: In praise of vultures (06 May 2026)

Today's links

In praise of vultures: They screw you because they can.
Hey look at this: Delights to delectate.
Object permanence: Linus v MSFT; Argentina v MSFT; Danny Hillis on theme parks v games; Smartfilter v Distributed Boing Boing; Rental laptops filled with spyware; Torture didn't help capture bin Laden; Massively parallel Apple //e; Stephen Harper v election law; John Deere v Iowa cartoonist; Qualia.
Upcoming appearances: Guelph, Barcelona, Berlin, Hay-on-Wye, London, NYC, Edinburgh.
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.

Meta's new top EU regulator is contractually prohibited from saying mean things about Meta: It's one thing to hire an ex-Meta lobbyist, another entirely if she's signed a non-disparagement contract.
Hey look at this: Delights to delectate.
Object permanence: Custom M&M restrictions; Vacuum-bag dust houses; Winner-Take-All Politics; Pre-mutated products; Disney World on strike; "Ship Breaker"; TSA patdowns a "homosexual agenda"; RÄT.
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.

Shake Shack wants you to shit yourself to death: The bifurcation of justice is always and ever a prelude to fascism.
Hey look at this: Delights to delectate.
Object permanence: CCTV botnets; CEOs and random chance; Foxconn v Trump.
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.

By all means, tread on those people: We know you love freedom, we just wish you'd share.
Hey look at this: Delights to delectate.
Object permanence: The right to bear cameras; GOP wants slavery for undocumented migrants; Telepresence Nazi-punching.
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.

Bluesky creates the world's weirdest, hardest-to-understand binding arbitration clause: What, and I cannot stress this enough, the FUCK does this mean?!
Hey look at this: Delights to delectate.
Object permanence: No-fly babies; Stephen Harper's Red Dawn; DHS pre-crime.
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.

Iranian brickwork, arbitrated pillows, smothered comics, and aerogel desalination: Also: bricked exercise gear, Air Canada luggage mystery, and praise for *Enshittification*.
Object permanence: Unix War on Terror; Massive PVR; NIST meth lab; Georgia calls Carl Malamud a terrorist; Private equity destroys value; Facebook's poor morale; Surveillance pricing; NYC after Craigslist; D&D existentialism; Mexico vs US copyright; AI's productivity theater
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.

When Facebook came for your battery, feudal security failed: A tale of whistleblowers, security through obscurity, and binding arbitration.
Hey look at this: Delights to delectate.
This day in history: 2003, 2013, 2018, 2022
Colophon: Recent publications, upcoming/recent appearances, current writing projects, current reading