Pluralistic: 24 Apr 2020

Today's links

Save Forbidden Planet NYC: Keep NYC weird.
Which guillotine is right for you: Current Affairs's guide for the perplexed.
A labradoodle breeder is in charge of America's vaccines: An actual labradoodle could do a better job.
"Inject disinfectant" vs both sides-ism: We report, you decide.
US healthcare fails insured people too: A laundry list of gaps and errors.
Masks work: Lasers reveal your revolting, spittle-flecked utterances.
US telcoms sector isn't doing better than Europe's: Net Neutrality's murderers want you to believe they saved the American internet.
Amazon uses its sellers' data to figure out which products to clone: And they lied to Congress about it.
Facebook let advertisers target "pseudoscience" and "conspiracy": Son of "jew-haters."
Security expert conned out of $10,000: If you think you're too smart to get phished…
California Adventure, Minecraft edition: New maps for the Imagineering Fun server.
This day in history: 2010, 2015, 2019
Colophon: Recent publications, upcoming appearances, current writing projects, current reading

Web-wide copyright filters would be a disaster: No filternet. Not before, and especially not now.
Apartment buildings didn't cause the pandemic: The problem with slums is slumlords, not buildings.
Unmasking the registrants of the "reopen" websites: Koch Network, grifters, GOP orgs and musketfuckers.
Covid burns through Charter Cable employees: The company forced its workers to go to the office, denied PPE to field techs.
Disney heiress slams top execs' compensation: Abigail Disney wants the C-suite to zero out their bonuses
This day in history: 2005, 2010, 2015, 2019
Colophon: Recent publications, upcoming appearances, current writing projects, current reading

Wenceslaus Hollar's Pack of Knaves: "Count yourself lucky that you are not cooped up with this lot."
Charlie Stross on how we'll screw up the "re-opening": Helicopter money or collapse.
Ellen DeGeneres's union crew takes paycuts while Ellen records from home with non-union contractors: Unlike Jon Oliver, Jimmy Kimmel, Samantha Bee, and Desus and Mero.
Health insurance industry in rosy good health: Billions in stock buybacks, 60% paycuts for doctors.
DoJ to convicted fraudsters: keep your money!: Settlement payments suspended until at least June.
Reflections on fictional pandemics during a real one: Naomi Kritzer on the prophetic meaning of 2015's "So Much Cooking."
Coop pandemic masks: Sold at cost, including Randotti skulls.
This day in history: 2015, 2019
Colophon: Recent publications, upcoming appearances, current writing projects, current reading

Problems with Pepp-Pt: Privacy-preserving contact tracing is really hard.
Disney publishes an official Dole Whip recipe: Orange whip? Orange whip? Three orange whips.
Reset Everything: Crisis means crossroads.
Usage stats from the National Emergency Library: Most of the checkouts are of books more than a decade old and last less than 30 minutes.
RPG hagaddah: The Role-Player, what does he say?
Managing UI claim surges: Hundreds of phone calls, day after day, without ever reaching a person.
Realtime wildcat strike map: Coronavirus is leverage for low-waged workers.
501 Developer Manifesto: Free time over free snacks.
Privacy Redirect: Nitter > Twitter.
This day in history: 2005, 2010, 2015, 2019
Colophon: Recent publications, upcoming appearances, current writing projects, current reading

Neighbors treated to socially isolated buildingside screening: Scott Duggan treated his terrace to "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes."
Philips quadruples ventilator costs: They reneged on their HHS deal and will get $646.7m for their trouble.
Kansas GOP nukes ban on large Easter gatherings: What's wrong with Kansas?
Kickpunch's Disney comics/horror movie mashups: Daniel Björk's terrifying poster children for fair use.
Plastic-eating enzyme: Leaf-branch compost cutinase to the rescue.
Cold brew coffee chemistry: Making the black stuff reproducible.
Tails adds Secureboot support: Evil chambermaids, beware!
Crisis makes heroes of IT workers: When Sysadmins Ruled the Earth.
Automating fake PDF signatures: Make it look like you printed, signed and scanned.
Pocket Art Director: Your high-handed boss in D20 form.
This day in history: 2019
Colophon: Recent publications, upcoming appearances, current writing projects, current reading

Masque of the Red Death: Macmillan Audio gave me permission to share the audiobook of my end-of-the-world novella.
When Sysadmins Ruled the Earth: A new podcast audiobook of my 2005 end-of-the-world story.
Ada Palmer on historical and modern censorship: Part of EFF's Speaking Freely project.
Glitch workers unionize: First-ever tech union formed without management opposition.
Women of Imagineering: A 384-page illustrated chronicle of the role women play in Disney theme-park design.
Tachyon celebrates 30 years of sff publishing with a Humble Bundle: DRM-free and benefits EFF.
Honest Government Ads, Covid-19 edition: Political satire is really hard, but The Juice makes it look easy.
TSA lifts liquid bans, telcos lift data caps: Almost as though there was no reason for them in the first place.
CBC postpones Canada Reads debates: But you can read a ton of the nominated books online for free.
Star Wars firepits: 750lbs of flaming backyard steel.
This day in history: 2005, 2015, 2019
Colophon: Recent publications, current writing projects, upcoming appearances, current reading