Pluralistic: No honor among (ad-tech) thieves (25 May 2026)

Today's links

No honor among (ad-tech) thieves: Including "and" and "the."
Hey look at this: Delights to delectate.
Object permanence: Budweiser nunchuks; GOP vote-suppressor voted illegally; Airbnb enshittifies; Oculus enshittifies; Nintendo copyfrauds its fans; Meritocracy to eugenics pipeline; Ultima Online crisis management; SNES cartridge urinal; JJ Abrams x Axanar, "Sex Criminals"; Beating school filters for fun; Orphan works; Japanese ATM heist; How the Sacklers rigged the game.
Upcoming appearances: London, Kansas City, LA, Menlo Park, Toronto, 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.

Elon Musk's Blue Tick scam: The EU bans giant teddybears.
Hey look at this: Delights to delectate.
Object permanence: Denver bomb squad vs 8" toy robot; Iceland's atheist religion; Largest strike in human history; Ad-tech is a bubble; Battery rationality; Pasta carpet; "With a Little Help"; Crooked Timber on Pikett; Tiki-mug menorah; China vs Big Data-backstabbing.
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.

Google steers Americans looking for health care into "junk insurance" : An enshittified search monopolist meets the worst health care system imaginable.
Hey look at this: Delights to delectate.
Object permanence: Disaster fantasies; "Sea to Sea"; Veronica Belmont on surviving memeification; Email carcinization.
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.

Tesla accused of hacking odometers to weasel out of warranty repairs: The most demon-haunted cars on the road.
Hey look at this: Delights to delectate.
Object permanence: 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.

The largest campaign finance violation in US history: The "greater fools" election.
Hey look at this: Delights to delectate.
This day in history: 2004, 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.

Brinkwhump Linkdump: A varied mixture for the weekend.
This day in history: 2009, 2014, 2019
Colophon: Recent publications, upcoming/recent appearances, current writing projects, current reading

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

How I got scammed: And why AI will make it worse.
Hey look at this: Delights to delectate.
This day in history: 2004, 2009, 2014, 2019, 2023
Colophon: Recent publications, upcoming/recent appearances, current writing projects, current reading

I assure you, an AI didn't write a terrible "George Carlin" routine: The Mechanical Turk would like to have a word with all of us.
Hey look at this: Delights to delectate.
This day in history: 2004, 2009, 2014, 2019, 2023
Colophon: Recent publications, upcoming/recent appearances, current writing projects, current reading