Today'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/

#Pluralistic

1/

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

2/

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!

3/

Even if you're paying for the product, you're still the product: Incentives matter, but impunity matters more.

https://mamot.fr/@pluralistic/109340820820401618

4/

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/

Mamot - Le Mastodon de La Quadrature du Net

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)

5/

Universal Benefits Cost Less Than Means-Tested Benefits

The biggest welfare state controversy is driven by accounting games.

People's Policy Project

#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/

6/

"The Spinster and the Prophet" by A.B. McKillop

In the 1920s, judges ridiculed a Canadian woman who said H.G. Wells plagiarized her book, but a modern scholar finds her case convincing.

Salon
Sandy — your personal email assistant

#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

8/

Yesterday's threads: The Framework is the most exciting laptop I've ever broken; and more!

https://mamot.fr/@pluralistic/109336338702670323

9/

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/

La Quadrature du Net - Mastodon - Media Fédéré

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

10/

(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#/

11/

Attack Surface HB & TPB

Signed by Cory Doctorow

Dark Delicacies

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."

https://craphound.com/shop/

12/

Shop | Cory Doctorow's craphound.com

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/

13/

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/

15/

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

16/

They Want to Kill Libraries - Cory Doctorow - Medium

In August, a small group of vocal, angry Idahoans targeted the Boundary County Library, demanding that the library purge 300 books on a list of “inappropriate” materials that circulates widely among…

Medium

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

17/

Plura-list Info Page

Today's top sources: Slashdot (https://slashdot.org/).

eof/

Slashdot: News for nerds, stuff that matters, & software

Slashdot: News for nerds, stuff that matters. Timely news source for technology related news and B2B software reviews & comparisons.

@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 😎
@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
@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.
@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!