Pluralistic: Better to beg forgiveness (31 Jul 2026)

Today's links

Better to beg forgiveness: Don't ring the doorbell at the house of no unless you absolutely must.
Hey look at this: Delights to delectate.
Object permanence: RIP Poul Anderson; P2P at PC Forum; Waitress handed her own stolen ID by carded diner; PDX bans fixies; Digital Economy Bill was a stitch up; NZ copyright disconnection flowchart; Fry v Widdicombe on Catholic Church; Moxie Marlinspike profile; V&A bans sketching; Gernsback's intro to the first Amazing Stories; "Simplicity."
Upcoming appearances: Edinburgh, Sydney, Melbourne, Brighton, London, South Bend.
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.

A year in illustration (2024): Call me immodest, but I really think I've upped my game.
Hey look at this: Delights to delectate.
This day in history: 2009, 2014, 2009, 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.

Penguin Random House, AI, and writers' rights: "You can't train an AI with our books" isn't the same thing as "We won't train an AI with YOUR book."
Hey look at this: Delights to delectate.
This day in history: 2009, 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.

Copyright takedowns are a cautionary tale that few are heeding: If you can't post a law school symposium on fair use…
Hey look at this: Delights to delectate.
This day in history: 2009, 2014, 2019
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.

A year in illustration, 2023 edition: I amuse myself, at least.
Hey look at this: Delights to delectate.
This day in history: 2013, 2018, 2022
Colophon: Recent publications, upcoming/recent appearances, current writing projects, current reading

Good riddance to the Open Gaming License: Hasbro accidentally gives us more freedom.
John Deere's repair fake-out: So many strings attached.
Hey look at this: Delights to delectate.
This day in history: 2003, 2013, 2018
Colophon: Recent publications, upcoming/recent appearances, current writing projects, current reading

Explaining UK Fair Dealing with Simpsons clips: An update to the classic "Fair(y) Use."
Woody Guthrie, Songs and Art * Words and Wisdom: 332 pages of inspiration, joy and fascinating tales of a true American hero.
This day in history: 2002, 2007, 2012, 2017, 2021
Colophon: Recent publications, upcoming/recent appearances, current writing projects, current reading

Games Workshop declares war on its customers (again): Terms of service banning fan art launch alongside a new transmedia subscription service.
This day in history: 2006, 2011, 2016, 2020
Colophon: Recent publications, upcoming/recent appearances, current writing projects, current reading

Youtube, fair use, competition, and the death of the artist: Meet the new boss, same as the old boss.
Carbon offsets are bullshit: And the "Nature" "Conservancy" is neither.
Outgoing Facebookers blast the company: "Embarrassing to work here."
This day in history: 2005, 2015, 2019
Colophon: Recent publications, upcoming/recent appearances, current writing projects, current reading

Amazon's Monopoly Tollbooth: Quantifying the market-power abuses of Amazon's platform.
Thomas Hawk's Talking Heads: Judy's in the bedroom inventing situations.
Orwell prize winner trapped in orwellian nightmare: Jessica Johnson's predicament puts the "kafkaesque" in "orwellian."
Spikey: Infering key geometry from the sound of lock-entry.
Hedge fund won't return Citi's accidental $175m deposit: No backsies.
Yale admin: "Prepare for death": It's not quite "boola boola."
Austerity breeds Nazis: Analyzing Weimar election data.
This day in history: 2005, 2015, 2019
Colophon: Recent publications, upcoming appearances, current writing projects, current reading