Pluralistic: 20 May 2020

Today's links

Hackers on Planet Earth, in the cloud: HOPE will not be cancelled.
Climate and machine learning: Machine learning is roasting the planet.
Seeking Fitbit owners' stories: Help EFF explain why the Google takeover is wrong.
Software secrecy: Code is (bad) law.
Grocer won't show employees results from mandatory temp-checks: Coronavirus theater, class war edition.
Bill Clinton sings "Baby Got Back": Speech synthesis is just sublimely weird.
Webinar on Controlled Digital Lending and the pandemic: Talking about the Internet Archive, this Friday.
Google vows no custom AI for oil and gas: Reversing its 2018 position, which was garbage.
Re-positive coronavirus cases are not infectious: Finally, we catch a break.
Ifixit's medtech repair manual trove is full to bursting: Right to Repair, pandemic edition.
This day in history: 2005, 2010, 2015, 2019
Colophon: Recent publications, upcoming appearances, current writing projects, current reading

Continue reading "Pluralistic: 20 May 2020"

Pluralistic: 01 Apr 2020

Today's links

Wood-metal worry beads: Chris Bathgate's latest, "The Woody."
Overly descriptive color palettes: Handpicked from the Colorschemez bot.
American Prospect high-school essay contest: An antidote to the Ayn Rand Institute contest.
Snowden's Box: The logistics of leaking are a mix of tradecraft and philosophy.
Alteon cuts covid-fighters' pay: $20k paycuts for docs fighting covid-19.
Tiktok Kremlinology: Systematically exploring Tiktok's algorithm.
American employment exceptionalism: Why the US is losing jobs much faster than other countries.
Solar as a beneficial fad: How good ideas spread.
This day in history: 2015, 2010, 2019
Colophon: Recent publications, upcoming appearances, current writing projects, current reading

Continue reading "Pluralistic: 01 Apr 2020"

Pluralistic: 06 Mar 2020

Today's links

The most beautiful RPG dice I've ever seen: And you can also make your own.
The king of Dutch climate denial was secretly in Shell's pay: Frits Böttcher was a packrat, and his papers detail exactly how he was paid to sow climate doubt. He was very good at it.
American Catholic officials helped priests who preyed on children escape to Mexico: At least 51 "credibly accused" priests left the US and took up positions abroad.
A grifty AI company conned the state of Utah into giving access to everything: Banjo claims it will predict and head off terrorist attacks, mass shootings, and child abductions without invading anyone's privacy.
Clearview AI says it only lets cops use its facial recognition tool but it's lying: Investors, cronies and pals got to literally use it as a party trick.
South Korea's beating covid-19 with free testing: Testing is part of the free national health system, and 140,000 tests have been administered.
The web is unusably beshitted with terrible ad-tech: "No, I don't want great articles."
For $3, a robolawyer will automatically force data brokers to delete you and sue the ones who don't: Donotpay meets the CCPA, it's like peanut butter and chocolate.
This day in history: 2005, 2015, 2019
Colophon: Recent publications, current writing projects, upcoming appearances, current reading

Continue reading "Pluralistic: 06 Mar 2020"

Pluralistic: 03 Mar 2020

Today's links

EFF's Surveillance Self-Defense guide for students: Privacy is a team sport.
Oregon's Dems have a supermajority, but the GOP won't show up for work: White nationalism is how plutes get turkeys to vote for Christmas.
A Lever Without a Fulcrum Is Just a Stick: How to design a copyright to protect artists, not corporations.
Facebook neutered "Download Your Data": "Your data" doesn't include a list of ad-tech companies that also hold your data.
The EU's new copyright filters violate the GDPR: We told you so.
Recycling spy agencies' malware for fun and profit: NOBUS is, and always has been, an idiotic idea.
Japanese condiment company releases "sliced mayo": Comes in four flavors!
Department of the Interior climate docs include junk science: Trump's man on the inside, sabotaging our future.
This day in history: 2005, 2010, 2015, 2019
Colophon: Recent publications, current writing projects, upcoming appearances, current reading

Continue reading "Pluralistic: 03 Mar 2020"

By reading this website, you agree, on behalf of your employer, to release me from all obligations and waivers arising from any and all NON-NEGOTIATED agreements, licenses, terms-of-service, shrinkwrap, clickwrap, browsewrap, confidentiality, non-disclosure, non-compete and acceptable use policies ("BOGUS AGREEMENTS") that I have entered into with your employer, its partners, licensors, agents and assigns, in perpetuity, without prejudice to my ongoing rights and privileges. You further represent that you have the authority to release me from any BOGUS AGREEMENTS on behalf of your employer.