Pluralistic: 31 Oct 2020

Today's links

The Americans: Love letters from voluntary exiles.
D2020: Roll for initiative.
Shanghai's walking building: Five stories' worth of ambulatory primary school.
This day in history: 2005, 2015
Colophon: Recent publications, upcoming appearances, current writing projects, current reading

Facebook threatens ad-transparency group: Ad Observatory gets the Power Ventures treatment.
The madness of elite varsity sports: WWI by another means.
Bob Dylan sings a EULA: You've already made a legally binding commitment to watch this.
This day in history: 2010, 2015, 2019
Colophon: Recent publications, upcoming appearances, current writing projects, current reading

Happy World Standards Day or not: A multi-gauge muddle to top all multi-gauge muddles.
Progressives demand ban on corporate execs in government: Change we can actually believe in.
This day in history: 2005, 2010
Colophon: Recent publications, upcoming appearances, current writing projects, current reading

Pandemic shock doctrine vs internet freedom: Freedom House's 2020 report is grim reading.
What happened in Florida: Surrender, Bush v Gore style.
Prop 22 is a scam: Propping up a Ponzi with a Proposition.
How to spreadsheet: All the hard-won lessons in one convenient ruleset.
The Ministry of the Future: Eliot Peper interviews Kim Stanley Robinson.
This day in history: 2010, 2019
Colophon: Recent publications, upcoming appearances, current writing projects, current reading

Hong Kong's ghost protest posters: "I Can Still Hear You."
Basic income works: Some thoughts on whether it should be "universal."
Sign thief turns newspaper thief: Hiassenish caper with Iowa characteristics.
Attack Surface in The Observer: "This will all be so great if we don't screw it up."
This day in history: 2005, 2010, 2015, 2019
Colophon: Recent publications, upcoming appearances, current writing projects, current reading

Inaudible: Let's make "Audible exclusive" mean "for sale everywhere EXCEPT Audible."
The rise and rise of one of NYPD's dirtiest cops: Violent, racist repeat-offender Christopher McCormack, promoted to the top brass.
Georgia voter suppression, quantified: Greg Palast counted all 313,242 receipts.
Kids' smart-watches unsafe at any speed: Still a garbage-fire.
This day in history: 2005, 2015, 2019
Colophon: Recent publications, upcoming appearances, current writing projects, current reading

Facebook's foreseeable election consequences: Incompetence AND malice?
David Graeber on Spectre TV: Rest in power, David.
This day in history: 2005, 2019
Colophon: Recent publications, upcoming appearances, current writing projects, current reading

Amazon drivers hide phones in trees: Chickenizing the workforce.
Russia didn't hack Michigan: The voter data is just public records.
Chevron's dirty tricks against environmental lawyer: Steven Donziger caught them doing genocide, now HE'S under arrest.
Amazon's weird, terrible Flex: Spying on their chickenized workforce.
How to report on vote-by-mail: A recipe from Propublica.
This day in history: 2005, 2010
Colophon: Recent publications, upcoming appearances, current writing projects, current reading

Grace is cleared: The homeschool-to-prison pipeline is closed…for now.
Mexico's terrible copyright is in trouble: Hasta la victoria siempre.
Failed State: Chris Brown's outstanding new ecopocalyptic cyberpunk legal thriller.
Marvel's $0.10 mini-comics: Gashapon funnies from 1966.
Sorting machines snatched from post offices: Administrative incompetence vs textualism?
Payday lenders are CFPB's pandemic aid: When the watchdogs switch sides.
Trump's Solicitor General says bribery is legal: Rule 48a applies even if the judge sees the prosecutor accept a bribe in the courtroom.
RSS WTF: An explainer for the newly awakened.
This day in history: 2015, 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