Pluralistic: The mad king's digital killswitch (20 Oct 2025)

Today's links

The mad king's digital killswitch: Every accusation is a confession.
Hey look at this: Delights to delectate.
Object permanence: Use RSS; Lifehackers in the NYT; Banned Verminous Dickens cake; Fake CIA Fox guy; Ferris wheel offices; EFF finds printer snitch-dots; Officer Bubbles sues Youtube; Sued for criticizing Proctorio; Can I sing Happy Birthday? "Under the Poppy"; International Concatenated Order of Hoo-Hoo.
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.

Microsoft, Tear Down That Wall! What the Eurostack is missing.
Hey look at this: Delights to delectate.
Object permanence: Giga pudding; What Technology Wants; Blue Screens of Death; Bernie outperforming Obama; DRM in JPEGs; Dirty words are politically potent; Fury Road 8-bit side-scroller; History of web auth; Prop 22 is a scam.
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.

Apple threatens to stop selling iPhones in the EU: Yeah, right.
Hey look at this: Delights to delectate.
Object permanence: Thomas Ligotti's anhedonic philosophy; Catalan elections; Molly Crabapple's Syria.
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.

Installing Android phones in Blackberry chassis: From e-waste to a better phone.
Hey look at this: Delights to delectate.
Object permanence: Owning "freedom of expression"; Spider-silk thread; Auditing your body's code; RIP EL Doctorow; Little Brother RPG; Unpersoned.
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.

Big Tech and "captive audience venues": The digital equivalent of baseball stadiums and airport concourses.
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.

Social media needs (dumpster) fire exits: No one wants to have a fire, but you need to plan for one anyway.
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.

Canada's ground-breaking, hamstrung repair and interop laws: It's time for the "radical extremists" to have their day.
Hey look at this: Delights to delectate.
This day in history: 2004, 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.

Antiusurpation and the road to disenshittification: We've got the wrong kind of middlemen.
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.