Cory DoctorowToday's threads (a thread)
Inside: Even if you're paying for the product, you're still the product; and more!
Archived at: https://pluralistic.net/2022/11/14/luxury-surveillance/
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On Wed (Nov 16), I'm in DC to receive the Arthur C Clarke Award:
https://www.clarkefoundation.org/2022-awards-event/
On Nov 17, I'm doing a webinar for Library Futures:
https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_Q6p4qpFVRi6BFLsawaCgdA
On Nov 18, I'm in Baltimore at the Peale Museum:
https://www.thepeale.org/event/book-talk-chokepoint-capitalism/
On Nov 19, I'm at Sky Live in London:
https://news.sky.com/bigideaslive
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Hey #DC! There's gonna be a *very special* invite-only book party for "Chokepoint Capitalism" on Thu (Nov 17); it's going to be a gathering of a lot of DC trustbuster types and while it's not *technically* a public event, there are a limited number of free spaces that the organizers have asked me to distribute on a first come/first serve basis. If you'd like to come and you're free on the night of the 17th, email [email protected] and I'll get you an invite!
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Even if you're paying for the product, you're still the product: Incentives matter, but impunity matters more.
https://mamot.fr/@pluralistic/109340820820401618
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Cory Doctorow (@[email protected])
Attached: 1 image There's something oddly comforting about the idea that "if you're not paying for the product, you're the product," namely, the corollary: "If you can afford to pay for a product, you won't be the product." But it's bullshit. Companies don't make you the product because you don't pay - they make you the product because you can't stop them. 1/
Hey look at this
* Universal Benefits Cost Less Than Means-Tested Benefits https://www.peoplespolicyproject.org/2022/11/11/universal-benefits-cost-less-than-means-tested-benefits/ (h/t Naked Capitalism)
* Peasants storm the castle: Medieval Times workers in Buena Park vote 27 to 18 to unionize https://www.latimes.com/business/story/2022-11-10/medieval-times-workers-in-buena-park-vote-27-18-to-unionize (h/t Naked Capitalism)
* Crypto nerd Sam Bankman-Fried, who just lost $16 billion, “would never read a book.” https://lithub.com/crypto-nerd-sam-bankman-fried-who-just-lost-16-billion-would-never-read-a-book/ (h/t Naked Capitalism)
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#20yrsago HG Wells, ripoff artist https://www.salon.com/2002/11/07/mckillip/
#15yrsago Kremlin uses software piracy laws to shut down dissident media outlets https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/11/13/AR2007111302070_pf.html
#15yrsago 1.8 million pages of US federal case law to go online for free https://public.resource.org/case_law_announcement.html
#15yrsago Japanese “melody roads” play tunes as you drive over them https://www.theguardian.com/world/2007/nov/13/japan.gadgets
#15yrsago Rewired: Post-Cyberpunk Anthology shows how sf has changed since the Mirroshades era https://memex.craphound.com/2007/11/14/rewired-post-cyberpunk-anthology-shows-how-sf-has-changed-since-the-mirroshades-era/
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#15yrsago I Want Sandy – perfect productivity email bot is free and public https://web.archive.org/web/20071114041755/http://www.iwantsandy.com/
#10yrago Gerrymandering in North Carolina: win https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2012/11/republicans-gerrymandering-house-representatives-election-chart/
#10yrsago Campaign to opt out of pornoscanners & video TSA checkpoints at Thanksgiving https://web.archive.org/web/20121117015505/https://www.digitaljournal.com/article/336517
#10yrsago World’s oldest hacker radio show under threat https://web.archive.org/web/20121116063758/https://www.2600.com/news/view/article/12291
#5yrsago Step-by-step guide to locking down your Facebook account https://www.wired.com/story/how-to-lock-down-facebook-privacy-settings/
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#5yrsago What it takes to actually stop a determined, vengeful cyberstalker https://www.wired.com/story/how-one-womans-digital-life-was-weaponized-against-her/
#5yrsago Verizon is finally killing Compuserve Forums https://www.fastcompany.com/40495831/compuserves-forums-which-still-exist-are-finally-shutting-down
#5yrsago Congressional Republican candor: everyone hates our tax plan except the CEOs we depend on for campaign millions https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2017/11/the-gop-has-done-the-impossible-make-tax-cuts-unpopular.html
#1yrago Vizio makes more money spying on people who buy TVs than it does on TVs themselves https://pluralistic.net/2021/11/14/still-the-product/#vizio
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Yesterday's threads: The Framework is the most exciting laptop I've ever broken; and more!
https://mamot.fr/@pluralistic/109336338702670323
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Cory Doctorow's linkblog (@[email protected])
Attached: 1 image Today's threads (a thread) Inside: The Framework is the most exciting laptop I've ever broken; and more! Archived at: https://pluralistic.net/2022/11/13/graceful-failure/ #Pluralistic 1/
My latest book is Chokepoint Capitalism (with Rebecca Giblin), nonfiction about monopoly and fairness in creative labor markets.
https://chokepointcapitalism.com
Signed copies available from Book Soup:
https://www.booksoup.com/book/9780807007068
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(no title)
a book about why creative labor markets are rigged - and how to unrig them Competition is supposed to be fundamental to capitalism. Over the last four decades though, greedy robber barons have worked out how to lock in customers and suppliers, eliminate competitors, and shake down everyone for more than their fair share. This…
My latest novel is Attack Surface, a sequel to my bestselling Little Brother books, now in paperback, wherever books are sold.
Signed copies at Dark Delicacies:
https://www.darkdel.com/store/p1840/Cory_Doctorow_-__Attack_Surface_HB_%26_TPB.html#/
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My ebooks and audiobooks (from Tor Books, Head of Zeus, McSweeneys, Beacon and others) are for sale all over the net, but I sell 'em too, and when you buy 'em from me, I earn twice as much and you get books with no DRM and no license "agreements."
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Upcoming appearances:
* Arthur C Clarke Award (DC), Nov 16
https://www.clarkefoundation.org/2022-awards-event/
* Library Futures Webinar, Nov 17
https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_Q6p4qpFVRi6BFLsawaCgdA
* Chokepoint Capitalism at the Peale Museum (Baltimore), Nov 18:
https://www.thepeale.org/event/book-talk-chokepoint-capitalism/
* Big Ideas Live (London), Nov 19
https://news.sky.com/bigideaslive
* Conversation with Tim Wu, Informed/Knight Foundation (Miami), Nov 30:
https://informed22.interkinnect.com/
* Australian Digital Alliance Copyright Forum (Canberra), Feb 17:
https://digital.org.au/2022/11/08/doctorow-giblin-first-speaker-announcement-ada-forum-2023/
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Recent appearances:
* How big tech traps consumers and shafts creators (Irish Times)
https://shows.acast.com/inside-politics-2/episodes/how-big-tech-traps-consumers-and-shafts-creators
* Copyright Waffle
https://soundcloud.com/user-243274189/copyright-waffle-episode-21-cory-doctorow
* Surviving Apocalyptic Economics (Team Human)
https://www.teamhuman.fm/episodes/surviving-apocalyptic-economics-doctorow-giblin
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How big tech traps consumers and shafts creators | Inside Politics
Chokepoint Capitalism authors Cory Doctorow and Rebecca Giblin
You can also follow these posts as a daily blog at pluralistic.net: no ads, trackers, or data-collection!
Here's today's edition: https://pluralistic.net/2022/11/14/luxury-surveillance/
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If you're a Medium subscriber, you can read these essays - as well as previews of upcoming magazine columns and early exclusives on doctorow.medium.com.
My latest Medium column is "They Want to Kill Libraries"
https://doctorow.medium.com/they-want-to-kill-libraries-ec045c06097e
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If you prefer a newsletter, subscribe to the plura-list, which is also ad- and tracker-free, and is utterly unadorned save a single daily emoji. Today's is "🏋🏿". Suggestions solicited for future emojis!
Subscribe here: https://pluralistic.net/plura-list
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Today's top sources: Slashdot (https://slashdot.org/).
eof/
Gay Dave - Find Me On Grindr!@pluralistic Cory come on Conspiracy Bingo!
Martin 🟠🌤️@pluralistic I've not read any of your books yet although they've been on my reading list for some time. Time to put that right. Which one would you recommend I start with? I like dystopia and anti/post-capitalism stuff 😎
@pluralistic Thank you - now bought and looking forward to starting it tonight 😎
Colin@pluralistic I've never heard of that brand before but your write-up and their website have made me sign up for their newsletter. Unfortunately I've just bought a new laptop a few months ago or I might have tried one of these instead. Thanks
Simon Needham 🌈pqbd 🏥@pluralistic I have wanted to build a laptop ever since reading Little Brother, think this would be the closest that my technical skills will allow.
@san In most of my threads toots after the first one are unlisted; you've misunderstood how "unlisting" works (unlisted toots are hidden only for nonfollowers on the same instance, not followers). As noted in my bio, I post long threads from this account and there are many ways to get my essays if you don't like my Mastodon style - RSS, a newsletter, Medium, Tumblr, a blog, etc. I recommend unfollowing me here and subscribing to one of those if that's your preference. Links at pluralistic.net.
theJuggler@pluralistic Was super excited to read this post. Had fallen off following the Framework team after their early announcements and am super excited to see how far the project has come!! Can't wait to get my hands on one of these!
Will Ross@pluralistic "Universal Benefits Cost Less Than Means-Tested Benefits https://www.peoplespolicyproject.org/2022/11/11/universal-benefits-cost-less-than-means-tested-benefits/ (h/t Naked Capitalism)": of course the benefit and taxation systems need to be viewed together.
But the proposed solution depends on payroll taxes being the main lever to reduce inequality. But this surrenders the struggle to tax the truly wealthy fairly.
And does high taxation (and it would need to be MUCH higher) depress incentives to create wealth?
John Shirley@pluralistic
And on the 20th I presume you'll be jetlagged and exhausted! Congratulations on the Arthur C Clarke Award, much deserved.
And on the 20th I presume you'll be jetlagged and exhausted! Congratulations on the Arthur C Clarke Award, much deserved.
@JohnShirley2023 Yes, very! Thanks, John!
Audiowanderer@pluralistic 
perfect companion to my tea this morning. The future is not going to be a boot on a human face after all, instead it will be a phone against the face of everyone stealing data and setting our behavior though the hack of that data. That’s in fact our present but it’s not evenly distributed yet
perfect companion to my tea this morning. The future is not going to be a boot on a human face after all, instead it will be a phone against the face of everyone stealing data and setting our behavior though the hack of that data. That’s in fact our present but it’s not evenly distributed yet
John Goerzen@pluralistic Cory Doctorow has some good thoughts here "even if you're paying for the product, you're still the product" and especially one of many recent debunkings of the "#Apple is good for #privacy" myth. https://pluralistic.net/2022/11/14/luxury-surveillance/
ArneBab@jgoerzen Here’s some more — old writings of mine about the "Apple helps Free Software"-myth: http://www.draketo.de/licht/politik/leserbriefe-und-kommentare/apple-helps-free-software-myth @pluralistic
The “Apple helps free software” myth | Zwillingssterns Weltenwald | 1w6
Mo, 03/12/2012 - 20:35 — Draketo → Comment to “apple supports a number of opensource projects. Webkit and CUPS come to mind”. Apple supports a number of copyleft projects, because they have to. They chose to profit from the work other people released as copyleft, and so they are obliged to release their improvements. Webkit Webkit is an especially good example... 1w6
@jgoerzen I guess someone will have to write a debunking of the "Microsoft helps Free Software"-myth soon …
Embrace with Github, VS-Code, and Edge.
Extend with Typescript.
Cast your bets when the Extinguish-phase starts.
If you bet on "soon": you’re too optimistic. It already started. Type erasure in the browser would force all browsers except Edge to fight a battle of attrition against changes in Typescript: https://youtu.be/3QEoJRjxnxQ?t=2996
Keynote: Why web tech is like this - Steve Sanderson
Kevin Dalley@jgoerzen
In otherwise excellent post @pluralistic misused corollary when he means inverse
Corollary can be deduced from original statement
This is inverse, which cannot be deduced. Truth of original says nothing about truth of inverse
Original
"If it is raining, then I wear my coat"
Inverse is
"If it is not raining, then I don't wear my coat."
Inverse is not guaranteed to be true. In this case, definitely not true.
#logic
Dark Sage Torunka 
@jgoerzen @pluralistic The "#Apple is good for #privacy" myth alone has probably inspired countless Apple stans to shout at me how running UTM and AltStore on my iPad was so absolutely awful that I should buy an Android before Facebook gets the idea to let people just sideload their IPA.
Like, I get it, paying protection fees to the Mafia also keeps the Yakuza away, but we're still just funneling money into two different gangs.
Related note: people thinking Epic Games is a hero of decentralization because Tim Sweeney sued Apple.
Tim isn't angry that you can't sideload, he's angry that he's not big enough to run his own protection racket / games console. Remember that he's suing Google - not to unlock Android phones, but because he couldn't get Epic Games Store preloaded onto officially-blessed Android and nobody wanted to sideload it.
Gentleman Geek 🎩@jgoerzen @pluralistic when I read threads like this the first thing I wonder about is what as a consumer you can do. Are we basically left to swear off modern convenience like smart homes and cloud syncing since all the companies that offer them violate privacy all the time?
@gentlemangeek @pluralistic Let me push back on the all smart homes/cloud syncing options "violate privacy all the time." I personally use services that don't.
For #syncing, there's #Syncthing (doesn't even need a server), #Nextcloud (you can self-host or pick a cheap, ethical host), etc.
For smart homes and #HomeAutomation, use #HomeAssistant with #ZWave or #ZigBee and you get a better feature set than the commercial options and complete control.
@gentlemangeek @pluralistic 2/ I personally use the options mentioned here and can say they are fantastic. Non-techies in my life use both Syncthing and Nextcloud also. HomeAssistant ships OS images for multiple platforms so is only slightly more difficult than proprietary stuff. Still pretty easy though.
@gentlemangeek @pluralistic 3/ To put a more fine point on it, I think what's needed is not swearing off conveniences, but seeking out alternatives that may be excellent but aren't as well-known.
Incidentally, some of the projects I mentioned are here on Mastodon! See: @nextcloud @homeassistant
@jgoerzen @pluralistic @nextcloud @homeassistant
Thanks John, I appreciate the info.
@gentlemangeek @pluralistic @nextcloud @homeassistant Anytime! I really enjoy these sorts of topics so feel free to tag me for advice anytime.
@jgoerzen @gentlemangeek @pluralistic Don't forget Resilio Sync. Synthing is fantastic for a folder, but resilio's selective sync is fantastic for large sprawling projects.
@jgoerzen @gentlemangeek @pluralistic I think you could also say that Netflix/Hulu/Disney/etc.. are a violate privacy all the time service as well. Which is why I prefer Plex or Jellyfin. I'm really getting tired of the non-stop monetization of every aspect of human existence.
@zaddymagic @gentlemangeek @pluralistic Thanks for the tip. I haven't tried #ResilioSync since it's not #OpenSource and #syncthing and #NNCP meet my needs. Syncthing does have a way to exclude files by pattern as well: https://docs.syncthing.net/users/ignoring.html
@jgoerzen @gentlemangeek @pluralistic I think syncthing fits for personal use. I'm trying to do things in film production where you have four people doing different tasks in one cohesive folder, so Resilio really fills that roll without giving your data to the cloud. If syncthing did selective sync via the gui I'd switch in a heartbeat. I can't expect a freelancer to comment out the folders or files they don't want!
@zaddymagic @gentlemangeek @pluralistic Gotcha. Thanks for mentioning that. The Syncthing GUI does have a place to set ignore patterns, but the ignore patterns you set are basically the ones you'd put in the text file, one per line. So that is probably not, I'm guessing, what you're after.