Mark Carney will be hoping to achieve solid support during his first overseas trip as prime minister.

The videos I had to watch about t-bar ski lifts while drawing this page. I could feel my life ebbing away. But boy, I came away “informed”.

The post To touch the void appeared first on Bad Machinery.

Artist Kristin Moore’s first solo exhibition at Austin’s Dimmitt Contemporary pays homage to the wistful landscapes of two of Texas’ largest cities. A Houston native, Moore found early inspiration in the city’s art museums, recalling that “art came easy to me.” At 18, she moved to Austin to attend St. Edward’s University, initially considering a history major before fully committing to art. The program encouraged her to explore various mediums, participate in the East Austin Studio Tour, and immerse herself in the local gallery scene.

After graduating, Moore moved to Los Angeles to pursue a graduate degree but frequently returned to Austin, either by plane or on long road trips during breaks. “I saw the world through an airplane window or through my trusty 4Runner, which I still have today,” she says. As the landscapes shifted from the “edginess” of Southern California to the “cleansing energy” of Marfa, always a stop on her trips, Moore found herself longing for the familiar sights of homes. “In LA, there wasn’t queso or kolaches, and I started to realize how much of our sense of place is tied to signage along the highways,” she says, recalling the nostalgia sparked by a Whataburger or Buc-ee’s sign in the distance.

During this time, Moore also researched Ed Ruscha extensively, particularly his early work with signage before he became a full-time artist. “His Route 66 series resonated with me and sparked the idea to create my own series focused on signage and landscapes, reflecting my two homes,” Moore says. Over the last seven or eight years, Moore’s works have evolved in both scale and color but maintain a precise and cinematic approach, with beautiful Texas scenes dotted with familiar landmarks.

This show was a chance for her to get back to her roots, and she knew that including spots like H-E-B — whose parking lots she watched many Texas sunsets from — Shipley’s Donuts, Enchanted Rock, and Top Notch Burgers would be important. “I wanted to connect to those specific points of interest, and I’m lucky that people seem to resonate with and connect with it. I have a personal connection, but my viewers and collectors can go on their own journeys,” she says.

Moore’s collection oscillates between reality and the idealized memory of a place as she draws inspiration from film, admiring how framing, palette, and atmosphere convey a particular narrative. She also uses photographs as blueprints for her paintings.

One of her favorite pieces in the show is Marfa Crescent Moon, which she says must be seen in person to fully appreciate its intrigue. “There’s a luminescence to it, like the Marfa lights that have been appearing since the 1800s. It’s the most meditative thing. What are they? It’s okay that we don’t know. I like that mystery,” she says. 

Moore always begins with the sky, using acrylic paint for its fast-drying properties. “I have a mad scientist process,” she says. “I use water to layer, and each sky has four or five layers of color to create a hazy ombré effect. The landscape and final details always come last.”

For example, in her Austin Bats painting, the bats were the last element added, requiring careful attention. “Start to finish, a piece can take anywhere from eight to 12 weeks. For a big show, I’ll spend at least six months to a year working on pieces collectively. It’s a lot of work and energy.”

Home State is a relatable exhibition that serves as a reminder of the places Texans have grown up with, grown to love, and hope to keep as part of their collective memories for years to come. 

 

Home State is on view at Dimmitt Contemporary Art through March 29.

The post Kristin Moore’s “Home State” is a Love Letter to Texas appeared first on Glasstire.

Austin’s City Council has passed a new resolution in response to community outcry about the lack of support for artists who were commissioned to create works in the soon-to-be-demolished convention center. Despite the resolution, which adjusts the City’s policies to better support artists in the future, artists and community members are still scrutinizing the City’s decisions and actions around public art.

Earlier this month, Glasstire reported on the City’s decision to deaccession four public art pieces currently in the Austin Convention Center. Following the deaccession, the City noted that it would be the artists’ responsibility to remove the artworks prior to demolition. However, the associated costs could be tens of thousands of dollars. While Margo Sawyer noted the removal of her work would cost approximately $16,000, Dr. John Yancey’s piece has been estimated at $70,000.

The resolution, which was Item 29 on the March 6, 2025, meeting agenda, was drafted and brought to Council by Councilmember Zohaib “Zo” Qadri, who had previously stated he was committed to “explore solutions to address the challenges” faced by the artists. A press release by Councilmember Qadri noted, “Item 29 begins the process of strengthening our City’s approach to Art in Public Places with the use of funds for creation, maintenance, conservation, deaccession and re-installation of art, along with adjusting our approach to public art on private property or public-private partnerships.”

Despite the resolution, during the council meeting, community members spoke out. Zenobia Joseph, an Army veteran, community advocate, and educational consultant, called for the Mayor to make this new ordinance retroactive, as in its current state, it does not directly address the artists whose works were recently deaccessioned. 

Bill Bunch, an environmental attorney, remarked, “Y’all should be doing triple backflips to save [the artwork]… meanwhile you can find $17.7 million for art in the new $3 billion facility that was awarded to artists in a private process… most of those artists aren’t even local artists.”

Glasstire reached out to the City regarding the claims that nonlocal artists are being prioritized in the public art program, Art in Public Places (AIPP). A spokesperson noted the ten artists  approved for contracts during the December 12, 2024 City Council meeting are all considered local, which is “defined as residing within the seven counties that make up the Austin metropolitan area (i.e., Bastrop, Blanco, Burnet, Caldwell, Hays, Travis, and Williamson Counties).” 

The selected artists are: Aaron Michalovic, Alejandra Almuella, Carmen Rangel, Dave McClinton, Dawn Okoro, Deborah Roberts, Diego Miro-Rivera, Jenaro Goode, Rex Hamilton, and Tsz Kam. Each of the artists note in their bios on their websites or via social media that they are based in Austin.

Glasstire also reached out to the City regarding the artists selected for the public art commissions at the Austin-Bergstorm International Airport. A spokesperson explained that the airport call for public art is being rolled out in three phases. Phase I, which had three opportunities, was open to national artists; Phase II, which has 6 to 8 opportunities, was specifically a Texas open call; and Phase III, which has 9 to 22 opportunities, is an Austin open call. While three nonlocal artists are being considered for Phase I, and artists are still being interviewed for Phase II, the Austin open call was launched on Friday, February 28 with a deadline of March 31.

Despite these efforts, there is still frustration regarding the City’s refusal to assist with covering costs related to the deinstallation of the deaccessioned works that are currently in the Convention Center. 

Regarding the newly passed ordinance, Ms. Sawyer told Glasstire, “It addresses future projects, but doesn’t relate to our projects or predicament… It assuages the guilt of the City Council and hopefully helps artists in the future. It doesn’t solve the problem at all, but it’s a step in the right direction.”

Mr. Yancey told Glasstire that is his currently seeking legal representation, as the contracts he and Damien Priour signed in 1995 have language that states the City would notify artists of plans to dispose of the artwork and the artist would be given the opportunity to recover the piece “at no cost to the Artist except for an obligation of the Artist to indemnify and reimburse the City for the amount by which the cost to the City of such recover exceed the costs to the City of the proposed destruction.”

The post Austin Public Art Remains Under Scrutiny Despite Newly Passed Resolution appeared first on Glasstire.

Click here to go see the bonus panel!

Hovertext:
It's surprising how many situations where 'muddle through' is a better strategy than rationality.

Today's News:

The former Houston mayor’s funeral drew more than 1,000 mourners on Saturday, including 20 of his congressional colleagues from both political parties.

WASHINGTON D.C. – Following last month’s decision to end security protection for several members of his previous administration, President Donald Trump has surprised supporters and detractors alike after removing security for Eric. “Removing the security detail from John Bolton was shocking enough,” MSNBC’s Chris Hayes stated, “Especially considering that he faces numerous credible death threats […]

The post Trump removes security detail from Eric appeared first on The Beaverton.

At least 20 people have died after tornadoes and severe storms tore through central and southern states.

Ronin Warriors was this anime that was on in Japan in the late 80’s / early 90’s and in the late 90’s here in the states. I loved it’s aggressively 80’s anime style. And so now, let’s rank the Ronin Warriors!

5. Sage

I don’t know what to say about Sage. I don’t particularly like his armor and I really don’t know much about him as a character. Also he looks a bit like an ex.

4. Cye

I like Cye’s Armor of the Torrent with the water theme and trident weapon, but I don’t quite like Cye as a character. There’s one part in Gaiden where he’s criticizing Kento on his clothing, but dude is wearing plaid pants! What an ass.

I’m watching Legend of the Inferno Armor right now, and Cye is being whiny right now. I’m sure he’ll be alright past episode 3, but still.

3. Rowen

Honestly: in the earlier series I used to get Rowen and Cye mixed up. But I think as the series progressed, Rowen really became a character on his own. Armor-wise, I love the Strata armor with it’s cool bow. Rowen as a character seems to have a pretty good style … sometimes a bit aggressively 80’s anime.

2. Ryo

On the one hand, Ryo is kinda your typical anime hero from the 80’s – rides the motorcycle and all. But I think looking back on the series now, that kinda makes him cooler. Like: it’s this snapshot of the anime style at that time.

I don’t think we get as much of a backstory with Ryo as we do with Kento. I do like that Ryo is quick to temper like Kento and that both Ryo and Kento are both usually butting heads.

1. Kento

I love Kento! There is a bigness to him – both physically and emotionally. I love his unpredictability and his just raw emotion. Such a goof. I feel like through the series Kento probably grew the most of the warriors. Maybe that’s just me projecting? Kento is probably the strongest of the warriors outside of Ryo in the Inferno Armor. I love that his armor has an asymmetricalness to it, with one horn bigger than the other. Also: this guy loves to eat!

Honorable Mention: Anubis

I always likes Anubis’ style after he started working for the Ancient One. He had the cool staff with the rings. Still managed to be a jackass, but was like a cool jackass.

Honorable Mention: OG Mia

The very first episode of the American Dub of Ronin Warriors, the voice actress played Mia just a little more gruff than she wound up being. Like: this lady isn’t going to take any of your shit. I kinda understand softening it … Ronin Warriors got targeted as a kids show. But I miss gruff Mia and I wonder how gruff Mia is in the original Japanese.

And some more random photos …

The economist and political newcomer takes office just days after being elected Liberal leader.

The storms hit Missouri, Kansas, Texas and Oklahoma, whipping up fires and overturning trucks.

In the past, I have noted that teams have used physical objects as a reminder or used them as an honor, or as a form of shame.

I recently learned that this tradition exists in Microsoft outside the software development world. At least in one part of the Finance department, they had a hat that had the word “Hat” printed on it. If you said something totally obvious in a meeting, you had to wear “the hat”.

The post What an insightful observation, you get to wear “the hat” appeared first on The Old New Thing.

See Part Three now! https://go.nebula.tv/philosophytube
Support the show on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/PhilosophyTube

BIBLIOGRAPHY:

- Christa Davis Acampora, “On Sovereignty and Overhumanity,” in International Studies in Philosophy
- Liv Agar, “A Brief Definition of Wokeness”
- Liv Agar, “J.D. Vance Being Weird and the Male Loneliness Epidemic”
- Pierre Andre-Taguieff, “The Traditional Paradigm - Horror of Modernity and Antiliberalism: Nietzsche in Reactionary Rhetoric,” in Why We Are Not Nietzscheans
- Frithjof Bergmann, “Nietzsche’s Critique of Morality,” in Reading Nietzsche
- Debrah Bergoffen, “Oedipal Dramas,” in Why Nietzsche Still?
- Wendy Brown, “Nietzsche For Politics,” in Why Nietzsche Still
- Katelyn Burns, “The Republican Retreat from Governance”
- Judith Butler, “Circuits of Bad Conscience,” in Why Nietzsche Still?
- André Comte-Sponville, “The Brute, the Sophist, and the Aesthete: “Art in the Service of Illusion,”” in Why We Are Not Nietzscheans
- Arthur Danto, “Some Remarks on The Genealogy of Morals,” in Reading Nietzsche
- Liza Featherstone, “Liberals Are Giving Up on America,” in Jacobin
- Nolan Gertz, Nihilism
- Robert Houlb, Nietzsche’s Jewish Problem
- Bernd Magnus, “The Use and Abuse of “The Will To Power”,” in Reading Nietzsche
- Salar Mohandesi, “Faith, or the Stories We Tell”
- Jeffrey Nealon, “Performing Resentment,” in Why Nietzsche Still?
- Friedrich Nietzsche, On the Genealogy of Morals
- David Owen and Aaron Ridley, “Dramatis Personae,” in Why Nietzsche Still?
- David Owen, Nietzsche’s Genealogy of Morality
- Alan Schrift, “Introduction,” in Why Nietzsche Still?
- Alan Schrift, “Nietzsche's Contest,” in Why Nietzsche Still?
- Rebecca Stringer, “A Nietzschean Breed,” in Why Nietzsche Still?
- Robert Solomon, “Introduction,” in Reading Nietzsche
- Daniel Steinmetz-Jenkins, “Wendy Brown: A Conversation on Our “Nihilistic” Age,” in The Nation

MUSIC:

Danse Macabre - No Violin by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Source: http://freepd.com/Classical/Danse%20Macabre%20-%20No%20Violin
Artist: http://incompetech.com/

What True Self, Feels Bogus, Let's Watch Jason X by Chris Zabriskie is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Source: http://chriszabriskie.com/reappear/
Artist: http://chriszabriskie.com/

CGI Snake by Chris Zabriskie is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Source: http://chriszabriskie.com/divider/
Artist: http://chriszabriskie.com/

#selfimprovement #philosophy #maga

Yum Yum better late than never. Musical production (and 3d rendering) on this bad boy done by the indestructible Louie Zong

Listen to the full song on spotify https://open.spotify.com/track/2PGt92cYAmvQjjX7JPND4Q?si=6517e2085b4d4acb

Today's links

• Amazon annihilates Alexa privacy settings, turns on continuous, nonconsensual audio uploading: "The instrument (the telescreen, it was called) could be dimmed, but there was no way of shutting it off completely."
• 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.

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Amazon annihilates Alexa privacy settings, turns on continuous, nonconsensual audio uploading (permalink)

Even by Amazon standards, this is extraordinarily sleazy: starting March 28, each Amazon Echo device will cease processing audio on-device and instead upload all the audio it captures to Amazon's cloud for processing, even if you have previously opted out of cloud-based processing:

https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2025/03/everything-you-say-to-your-echo-will-be-sent-to-amazon-starting-on-march-28/

It's easy to flap your hands at this bit of thievery and say, "surveillance capitalists gonna surveillance capitalism," which would confine this fuckery to the realm of ideology (that is, "Amazon is ripping you off because they have bad ideas"). But that would be wrong. What's going on here is a material phenomenon, grounded in specific policy choices and by unpacking the material basis for this absolutely unforgivable move, we can understand how we got here – and where we should go next.

Start with Amazon's excuse for destroying your privacy: they want to do AI processing on the audio Alexa captures, and that is too computationally intensive for on-device processing. But that only raises another question: why does Amazon want to do this AI processing, even for customers who are happy with their Echo as-is, at the risk of infuriating and alienating millions of customers?

For Big Tech companies, AI is part of a "growth story" – a narrative about how these companies that have already saturated their markets will still continue to grow. It's hard to overstate how dominant Amazon is: they are the leading cloud provider, the most important retailer, and the majority of US households already subscribe to Prime. This may sound like a good place to be, but for Amazon, it's actually very dangerous.

Amazon has a sky-high price/earnings ratio – about triple the ratio of other retailers, like Target. That scorching P/E ratio reflects a belief by investors that Amazon will continue growing. Companies with very high p/e ratios have an unbeatable advantage relative to mature competitors – they can buy things with their stock, rather than paying cash for them. If Amazon wants to hire a key person, or acquire a key company, it can pad its offer with its extremely high-value, growing stock. Being able to buy things with stock instead of money is a powerful advantage, because money is scarce and exogenous (Amazon must acquire money from someone else, like a customer), while new Amazon stock can be conjured into existence by typing zeroes into a spreadsheet:

https://pluralistic.net/2025/03/06/privacy-last/#exceptionally-american

But the downside here is that every growth stock eventually stops growing. For Amazon to double its US Prime subscriber base, it will have to establish a breeding program to produce tens of millions of new Americans, raising them to maturity, getting them gainful employment, and then getting them to sign up for Prime. Almost by definition, a dominant firm ceases to be a growing firm, and lives with the constant threat of a stock revaluation as investors belief in future growth crumbles and they punch the "sell" button, hoping to liquidate their now-overvalued stock ahead of everyone else.

For Big Tech companies, a growth story isn't an ideological commitment to cancer-like continuous expansion. It's a practical, material phenomenon, driven by the need to maintain investor confidence that there are still worlds for the company to conquer.

That's where "AI" comes in. The hype around AI serves an important material need for tech companies. By lumping an incoherent set of poorly understood technologies together into a hot buzzword, tech companies can bamboozle investors into thinking that there's plenty of growth in their future.

OK, so that's the material need that this asshole tactic satisfies. Next, let's look at the technical dimension of this rug-pull.

How is it possible for Amazon to modify your Echo after you bought it? After all, you own your Echo. It is your property. Every first year law student learns this 18th century definition of property, from Sir William Blackstone:

That sole and despotic dominion which one man claims and exercises over the external things of the world, in total exclusion of the right of any other individual in the universe.

If the Echo is your property, how come Amazon gets to break it? Because we passed a law that lets them. Section 1201 of 1998's Digital Millennium Copyright Act makes it a felony to "bypass an access control" for a copyrighted work:

https://pluralistic.net/2024/05/24/record-scratch/#autoenshittification

That means that once Amazon reaches over the air to stir up the guts of your Echo, no one is allowed to give you a tool that will let you get inside your Echo and change the software back. Sure, it's your property, but exercising sole and despotic dominion over it requires breaking the digital lock that controls access to the firmware, and that's a felony punishable by a five-year prison sentence and a $500,000 fine for a first offense.

The Echo is an internet-connected device that treats its owner as an adversary and is designed to facilitate over-the-air updates by the manufacturer that are adverse to the interests of the owner. Giving a manufacturer the power to downgrade a device after you've bought it, in a way you can't roll back or defend against is an invitation to run the playbook of the Darth Vader MBA, in which the manufacturer replies to your outraged squawks with "I am altering the deal. Pray I don't alter it any further":

https://pluralistic.net/2023/10/26/hit-with-a-brick/#graceful-failure

The ability to remotely, unilaterally alter how a device or service works is called "twiddling" and it is a key factor in enshittification. By "twiddling" the knobs and dials that control the prices, costs, search rankings, recommendations, and core features of products and services, tech firms can play a high-speed shell-game that shifts value away from customers and suppliers and toward the firm and its executives:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/02/19/twiddler/

But how can this be legal? You bought an Echo and explicitly went into its settings to disable remote monitoring of the sounds in your home, and now Amazon – without your permission, against your express wishes – is going to start sending recordings from inside your house to its offices. Isn't that against the law?

Well, you'd think so, but US consumer privacy law is unbelievably backwards. Congress hasn't passed a consumer privacy law since 1988, when the Video Privacy Protection Act banned video store clerks from disclosing which VHS cassettes you brought home. That is the last technological privacy threat that Congress has given any consideration to:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/12/06/privacy-first/#but-not-just-privacy

This privacy vacuum has been filled up with surveillance on an unimaginable scale. Scumbag data-brokers you've never heard of openly boast about having dossiers on 91% of adult internet users, detailing who we are, what we watch, what we read, who we live with, who we follow on social media, what we buy online and offline, where we buy, when we buy, and why we buy:

https://gizmodo.com/data-broker-brags-about-having-highly-detailed-personal-information-on-nearly-all-internet-users-2000575762

To a first approximation, every kind of privacy violation is legal, because the concentrated commercial surveillance industry spends millions lobbying against privacy laws, and those millions are a bargain, because they make billions off the data they harvest with impunity.

Regulatory capture is a function of monopoly. Highly concentrated sectors don't need to engage in "wasteful competition," which leaves them with gigantic profits to spend on lobbying, which is extraordinarily effective, because a sector that is dominated by a handful of firms can easily arrive at a common negotiating position and speak with one voice to the government:

https://pluralistic.net/2022/06/05/regulatory-capture/

Starting with the Carter administration, and accelerating through every subsequent administration except Biden's, America has adopted an explicitly pro-monopoly policy, called the "consumer welfare" antitrust theory. 40 years later, our economy is riddled with monopolies:

https://pluralistic.net/2024/01/17/monopolies-produce-billionaires/#inequality-corruption-climate-poverty-sweatshops

Every part of this Echo privacy massacre is downstream of that policy choice: "growth stock" narratives about AI, twiddling, DMCA 1201, the Darth Vader MBA, the end of legal privacy protections. These are material things, not ideological ones. They exist to make a very, very small number of people very, very rich.

Your Echo is your property, you paid for it. You paid for the product and you are still the product:

https://pluralistic.net/2022/11/14/luxury-surveillance/#liar-liar

Now, Amazon says that the recordings your Echo will send to its data-centers will be deleted as soon as it's been processed by the AI servers. Amazon's made these claims before, and they were lies. Amazon eventually had to admit that its employees and a menagerie of overseas contractors were secretly given millions of recordings to listen to and make notes on:

https://archive.is/TD90k

And sometimes, Amazon just sent these recordings to random people on the internet:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2018/12/20/amazon-alexa-user-receives-audio-recordings-stranger-through-human-error/

Fool me once, etc. I will bet you a testicle* that Amazon will eventually have to admit that the recordings it harvests to feed its AI are also being retained and listened to by employees, contractors, and, possibly, randos on the internet.

*Not one of mine

(Image: Stock Catalog/https://www.quotecatalog.com, Sam Howzit; CC BY 2.0; modified)

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Hey look at this (permalink)

• How Eric Adams Has Backed a Secretive NYPD Unit Ridden With Abuses https://www.propublica.org/article/eric-adams-nypd-community-response-team-police-nyc-misconduct-transparency

• Waybackify-WP https://www.jwz.org/hacks/#waybackify-wp

• Toronto's new landlords https://www.westendphoenix.com/stories/torontos-new-landlords (h/t Metafilter)

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Object permanence (permalink)

#20yrsago ETECH Notes: Feral Robotics and Some Other Quacking, Shaking, Bubbling Robots https://craphound.com/etech05-feral.txt

#20yrsago ETECH Notes: Folksonomy, or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Mess https://craphound.com/etech2005-folksonomy.txt

#20yrsago My talk from ETECH: All Complex Ecosystems Have Parasites https://craphound.com/complexecosystems.txt

#20yrsago Apple steals iTunes customers’ paid-for rights to stream https://memex.craphound.com/2005/03/16/apple-steals-itunes-customers-paid-for-rights-to-stream/

#15yrsago Tim Bray on the iPhone vision https://www.tbray.org/ongoing/When/201x/2010/03/15/Joining-Google

#15yrsago London restaurant serves WWII rationing cuisine https://web.archive.org/web/20100315142846/http://www.timeout.com/london/restaurants/venue/2:26733/kitchen-front

#15yrsago Microbes on keyboards can be used to identify typists https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.1000162107

#10yrsago Jeb Bush sold patronage and favors to his top political donors https://apnews.com/events-united-states-presidential-election-abeefccf71df4010bed132abb141efc8

#10yrsago Sending Terry Pratchett home with HTTP headers http://www.gnuterrypratchett.com

#10yrsago Constituent silenced by spammer-turned-UK Tory party chairman was telling the truth https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2015/mar/15/grant-shapps-admits-he-had-second-job-as-millioniare-web-marketer-while-mp

#5yrsago Italian hospitals fix their ventilators with 3D printed parts https://pluralistic.net/2020/03/16/tiktoks-secrets/#3dp-breathfree

#5yrsago Trump wants a US-only vaccine https://pluralistic.net/2020/03/16/tiktoks-secrets/#americavirus

#5yrsago How to pull your business out of China https://pluralistic.net/2020/03/15/denominators-matter/#strategic-withdrawal

#5yrsago Covered Dish https://pluralistic.net/2020/03/15/denominators-matter/#covereddish

#5yrsago Things to do with kids during lockdowns https://pluralistic.net/2020/03/15/denominators-matter/#family-time

#5yrsago Euroleaks: exposing the secret workings of the Eurogroup https://pluralistic.net/2020/03/15/denominators-matter/#euroleaks

#5yrsago The CIA's information security is really terrible https://pluralistic.net/2020/03/15/denominators-matter/#vault7

#5yrsago The Onion is there for us https://pluralistic.net/2020/03/15/denominators-matter/#ha-ha-only-serious

#5yrsago Chelsea Manning's supporters pay off her $256,000 fine in a day https://pluralistic.net/2020/03/15/denominators-matter/#chelsea-free

#5yrsago HRDAG analyzes the best covid-19 studies https://pluralistic.net/2020/03/15/denominators-matter/#denominators-matter

#1yrago Wellness surveillance makes workers unwell https://pluralistic.net/2024/03/15/wellness-taylorism/#sick-of-spying

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Upcoming appearances (permalink)

• Europa Park: Cloudfest, Mar 18
  https://cloudfest.link/

• San Diego: Picks and Shovels at Mysterious Galaxy, Mar 24
  https://www.mystgalaxy.com/32425Doctorow

• Virtual: Picks and Shovels at Imagine! Belfast, Mar 24
  https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/cory-doctorow-in-conversation-with-alan-meban-tickets-1106421399189

• Chicago: Picks and Shovels with Peter Sagal, Apr 2
  https://exileinbookville.com/events/44853

• Chicago: ABA Techshow, Apr 3
  https://www.techshow.com/

• Bloomington: Picks and Shovels at Morgenstern, Apr 4
  https://morgensternbooks.com/event/2025-04-04/author-event-cory-doctorow

• Pittsburgh: Picks and Shovels at White Whale Books, May 15
  https://whitewhalebookstore.com/events/20250515

• Pittsburgh: PyCon, May 16
  https://us.pycon.org/2025/schedule/

• PDX: Teardown 2025, Jun 20-22
  https://www.crowdsupply.com/teardown/portland-2025

• PDX: Picks and Shovels at Barnes and Noble, Jun 20
  https://stores.barnesandnoble.com/event/9780062183697-0

• New Orleans: DeepSouthCon63, Oct 10-12, 2025
  http://www.contraflowscifi.org/

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Recent appearances (permalink)

• Organized Money
  https://audio.buzzsprout.com/6f5ly01qcx6ijokbvoamr794ht81

• Did Nothing Wrong
  https://www.didnothingwrongpod.com/p/episode-168-cory-doctorow

• CBC Bookends
  https://www.cbc.ca/books/bookends/cory-doctorow-writes-science-fiction-to-come-to-terms-with-his-tech-anxiety-1.7477457

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Latest books (permalink)

• • Picks and Shovels: a sequel to "Red Team Blues," about the heroic era of the PC, Tor Books (US), Head of Zeus (UK), February 2025 (https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250865908/picksandshovels).
• The Bezzle: a sequel to "Red Team Blues," about prison-tech and other grifts, Tor Books (US), Head of Zeus (UK), February 2024 (the-bezzle.org). Signed, personalized copies at Dark Delicacies (https://www.darkdel.com/store/p3062/Available_Feb_20th%3A_The_Bezzle_HB.html#/).

• "The Lost Cause:" a solarpunk novel of hope in the climate emergency, Tor Books (US), Head of Zeus (UK), November 2023 (http://lost-cause.org). Signed, personalized copies at Dark Delicacies (https://www.darkdel.com/store/p3007/Pre-Order_Signed_Copies%3A_The_Lost_Cause_HB.html#/)

• "The Internet Con": A nonfiction book about interoperability and Big Tech (Verso) September 2023 (http://seizethemeansofcomputation.org). Signed copies at Book Soup (https://www.booksoup.com/book/9781804291245).

• "Red Team Blues": "A grabby, compulsive thriller that will leave you knowing more about how the world works than you did before." Tor Books http://redteamblues.com. Signed copies at Dark Delicacies (US): and Forbidden Planet (UK): https://forbiddenplanet.com/385004-red-team-blues-signed-edition-hardcover/.

• "Chokepoint Capitalism: How to Beat Big Tech, Tame Big Content, and Get Artists Paid, with Rebecca Giblin", on how to unrig the markets for creative labor, Beacon Press/Scribe 2022 https://chokepointcapitalism.com

• "Attack Surface": The third Little Brother novel, a standalone technothriller for adults. The Washington Post called it "a political cyberthriller, vigorous, bold and savvy about the limits of revolution and resistance." Order signed, personalized copies from Dark Delicacies https://www.darkdel.com/store/p1840/Available_Now%3A_Attack_Surface.html

• "How to Destroy Surveillance Capitalism": an anti-monopoly pamphlet analyzing the true harms of surveillance capitalism and proposing a solution. https://onezero.medium.com/how-to-destroy-surveillance-capitalism-8135e6744d59?sk=f6cd10e54e20a07d4c6d0f3ac011af6b) (signed copies: https://www.darkdel.com/store/p2024/Available_Now%3A__How_to_Destroy_Surveillance_Capitalism.html)

• "Little Brother/Homeland": A reissue omnibus edition with a new introduction by Edward Snowden: https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250774583; personalized/signed copies here: https://www.darkdel.com/store/p1750/July%3A__Little_Brother_%26_Homeland.html

• "Poesy the Monster Slayer" a picture book about monsters, bedtime, gender, and kicking ass. Order here: https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781626723627. Get a personalized, signed copy here: https://www.darkdel.com/store/p2682/Corey_Doctorow%3A_Poesy_the_Monster_Slayer_HB.html#/.

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Upcoming books (permalink)

• Enshittification: Why Everything Suddenly Got Worse and What to Do About It, Farrar, Straus, Giroux, October 7 2025
  https://us.macmillan.com/books/9780374619329/enshittification/

• Unauthorized Bread: a middle-grades graphic novel adapted from my novella about refugees, toasters and DRM, FirstSecond, 2026

• Enshittification, Why Everything Suddenly Got Worse and What to Do About It (the graphic novel), Firstsecond, 2026

• The Memex Method, Farrar, Straus, Giroux, 2026

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Colophon (permalink)

Today's top sources:

Currently writing:

• Enshittification: a nonfiction book about platform decay for Farrar, Straus, Giroux. Status: second pass edit underway (readaloud)

• A Little Brother short story about DIY insulin PLANNING

• Picks and Shovels, a Martin Hench noir thriller about the heroic era of the PC. FORTHCOMING TOR BOOKS FEB 2025

Latest podcast: With Great Power Came No Responsibility: How Enshittification Conquered the 21st Century and How We Can Overthrow It https://craphound.com/news/2025/02/26/with-great-power-came-no-responsibility-how-enshittification-conquered-the-21st-century-and-how-we-can-overthrow-it/

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This work – excluding any serialized fiction – is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. That means you can use it any way you like, including commercially, provided that you attribute it to me, Cory Doctorow, and include a link to pluralistic.net.

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Quotations and images are not included in this license; they are included either under a limitation or exception to copyright, or on the basis of a separate license. Please exercise caution.

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"When life gives you SARS, you make sarsaparilla" -Joey "Accordion Guy" DeVilla

ISSN: 3066-764X

The Texas universities are among dozens accused of violating the law by partnering with a group that had sought to increase diversity in graduate programs.

The Army-run cemetery said it is working to follow Trump's orders on ending diversity while restoring information.

The administration of President Donald Trump is seeking to eliminate diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs across the country.

We’re off to a fairly volatile start to spring in Texas, and the risks are not really coming via thunderstorms but rather via wildfire risk. For the third time in less than 2 weeks, there is a “critical” wildfire risk in Texas (as well as Oklahoma) today. This means the threat of wildfires is about as bad as it gets for some of these areas.

Not all of Texas is included in this risk, but much of the western half of the state, as well as North Texas into Oklahoma are there. The combination of dry ground, expanding drought, low humidity, and strong winds will make for a dangerous wildfire risk in those parts of the southern Plains.

Wind gusts of 40 to 80 mph are likely this morning and afternoon, especially in the Texas Panhandle, the Caprock, perhaps the Hill Country and North Texas to the west of Dallas-Fort Worth through Wichita Falls and up into parts of Oklahoma. In fact, winds have already gusted to 81 mph in Amarillo and 83 mph in Lubbock today. Those winds will be hospitable to rapid fire spread should something get started, hence the concern. Additionally, winds that strong will be capable of producing some non-thunderstorm wind damage on their own west of I-35.

Additional fire risks will follow in the days ahead, including tomorrow, Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday, especially in west Texas and eastern New Mexico.

How did we get here?

Texas has been in and drought as it often is, but in recent years it sure feels like we’ve been “in” drought more than out of it. Since the start of 2025, Texas has struggled mightily in the rainfall department. With the exception of the Piney Woods and parts of Southeast Texas near Houston, it has been a very, very dry start to the year.

Lubbock, Midland, and El Paso are all having top 15 driest starts to a year, with El Paso seeing less than a tenth of an inch of rainfall so far in 2025. Wichita Falls, Abilene, and San Angelo are all having very dry starts to a year, though not historically so. This has allowed for expansion of drought since the beginning of year, with the beginning stages of a rapid onset drought in the last 10 days or so.

The recent bump in windy, dry storms has helped accelerate this process. According to an early March forecast update from the National Interagency Fire Center, “Confidence is increasing in a high impact spring fire season across the southern Great Plains. The expected weather pattern and its impacts to the fire environment are of major concern, and at least weekly high-end wind events are plausible through March and April.”

What’s to come?

It would appear that after this weekend’s event, we have another one (albeit less intense) coming around midweek next week, followed by perhaps another one next weekend. In fact, the 8 to 14 day hazard outlook from NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center suggests worsening drought over the next 2 weeks in west Texas and New Mexico.

The next two weeks suggest near to below average precipitation in Texas, New Mexico, and Oklahoma as well, with some areas likely to remain quite dry. This is not uncommon in a La Niña event, even one that’s winding down. But this is a rather significant event for a generally minor La Niña. Perhaps things can alleviate some later this spring or by summer. Otherwise, it could be a long, painfully hot, problematic summer in the southern Plains.

A Memphis man was recently grazed by a bullet in his home after his 1-year-old pit bull, Oreo, got his paw stuck in the trigger guard of a gun, causing it to fire. What do you think?

The post Tennessee Man Shot By Dog appeared first on The Onion.

The post Chuck Schumer Helps Pull Democrats Back From Brink Of Courage appeared first on The Onion.

WASHINGTON—In the wake of a growing outbreak that has sickened hundreds and killed two in West Texas and New Mexico, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. claimed Friday that measles could be cured with a good concealer. “If you contract measles or suspect you have contracted measles, I recommend immediately applying a high-quality, full-coverage liquid or cream color corrector to affected areas,” said Kennedy, who added that HHS was rushing to distribute facial cleanser, foundation, and 10-ounce tubes of L’Oréal Infallible to pharmacies in the region. “Our nation’s top infectious disease doctors recommend anyone who has been exposed to measles immediately use a ring light to assess their skin, apply a dab of 24-hour concealer, and then smooth with a brush or Beautyblender makeup sponge. The truth is, if Americans just had proper access to lightweight cosmetic products capable of hiding blemishes, eliminating uneven skin tone, and highlighting natural complexion, measles could be eradicated.” At press time, Kennedy had released a makeup tutorial where he demonstrated how to apply concealer manufactured by his wife Cheryl Hines’ makeup company for extra measles protection.

The post RFK Jr. Claims Measles Can Be Cured With A Good Concealer appeared first on The Onion.

WASHINGTON—Failing to receive the reaction he anticipated from audience members, JD Vance was booed at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts while playing a French horn solo, sources confirmed Friday. The stage curtains reportedly rose to reveal the vice president, an amateur horn player, standing by himself behind a music stand, a sight that elicited gasps and murmurs from those in attendance. According to sources, the crowd began booing and jeering Vance within the first 15 seconds of his performance of Franz Strauss’s Horn Concerto, Op. 8, causing the vice president to quickly lose his confidence and begin playing cracked and flat notes. Several reports indicated that the vice president attempted to make eye contact with his wife, second lady Usha Vance, who sat in the box tier, but she only looked away and stared down at her hands. At press time, Vance was said to have dropped his French horn to the floor and run off the stage in tears, knocking over the music stand in the process.

The post JD Vance’s French Horn Solo Booed At Kennedy Center appeared first on The Onion.

Astronomers have discovered over 100 additional moons orbiting Saturn, bringing the gas giant’s total to 274. What do you think?

The post 128 New Moons Found Orbiting Saturn appeared first on The Onion.

During the great TikTok moral panic of 2022-2025 we noted repeatedly how it was very weird for the public, press, and lawmakers to singularly hyperventilate about the privacy and propaganda impacts of one specific Chinese-owned app while just completely refusing to do anything about the much broader problems that TikTok (and a thousand other companies) exploit every day.

The U.S. is awash in propaganda we do absolutely nothing about. And our corrupt refusal to pass a basic internet-era privacy law (or regulate data brokers) has resulted in a vast, largely unregulated, hyper-surveillance market for your every thought, browsing habit, or movement. Data that’s then routinely sold to any number of random nitwits, including right wing extremists and foreign intelligence services.

We were told repeatedly for years that TikTok posed some kind of very unique threat, even though that threat was not at all unique, and created by the government’s corrupt failure to protect consumer privacy.

The latest case in point: Pokémon Go owner Niantic is selling the game (and all of its collected data) to a company created by the Saudi Arabian government. According to the fine folks at 404 Media, the companies have made numerous blog posts about the acquisition, without any of them talking about what happens to the reams of sensitive location data the company has collected for years:

“Scopely, Niantic, and Savvy Games have collectively published six separate blog posts about the $3.85 billion deal, none of which specifically address what is happening with the location data of Pokémon Go’s 100 million players and none of which address how location data collected in the future will be handled under Scopely and its Saudi Arabian owners.”

Pokémon Go involves you wandering around in an augmented reality to real world places to combat virtual monsters, so it’s a little more detailed in the granular movement data it collects than many games. That data is now squarely in the hands of the Saudi Arabian government, which can then exploit this vast data repository in any way it wants without much in the way of oversight.

Like most data broker adjacent operations the companies involved are convoluted by design to minimize accountability and transparency. 404 Media notes how part of the $3.85 billion deal will involve Niantic spinning off its growing AI mapping business. The deal also involves transfer of  Campfire and Wayfarer, two related tools that can also track Pokémon Go player movement in granular detail:

“What is happening here, then, is that an already very complicated and vast location data ecosystem that was previously controlled by only one American company (Niantic) has now become a far more complicated location data ecosystem controlled by an “American” company that is wholly owned by a Saudi Arabian conglomerate whose largest shareholder is the Saudi Arabian government.”

The U.S. refuses to pass a real privacy law for several reasons. One, we’re a corrupt embarrassment of country that routinely prioritizes making money over everything, including public safety, consumer privacy, and national security. Two, our government realizes a privacy law might prevent them from being able to buy U.S. consumer data; an easy end around for getting pesky warrants.

The Saudi Arabian government having easy and direct access to Americans’ sensitive data is every bit as bad as the Chinese government having proxy access to Americans’ sensitive data. And every bit as bad as the countless apps on your phones that are monetizing your movement and choices in granular detail with zero meaningful oversight during surging U.S. authoritarianism.

Yet curiously I’m going to bet the Pokémon Go purchase sees little of the mass hyperventilation that was reserved for TikTok. I’m going to bet guys like Trump FCC Brendan Carr, who was on TV pretty much every week screaming about the privacy ramifications of TikTok, won’t have much to say about Pokémon Go now being owned by the Saudi Arabian government.

Corruption generally means our outrage on this sort of thing is highly selective and phony. TikTok primarily became an exceptional target of ire because Facebook lobbyists wanted to eliminate a competitor, not because our corrupt Congress genuinely and uncharacteristically developed a sudden backbone on consumer privacy.

Of course, much like U.S. privacy law proposals, our big noisy stink about TikTok ultimately resulted in no action either. And now that the United States has elected a used car salesman as king, the hope of privacy laws — or competent regulators consistently protecting consumer interests — seems further away than ever.

We’re truly building something monstrous, and absolutely begging for a privacy scandal that makes the parade of weekly privacy scandals we’re intimately familiar with seem utterly adorable in comparison.

In brief: Wildfire risk increases across Texas today and tomorrow as a dry, windy storm system impacts the state. After gusty winds and some fire risk locally on Saturday, things settle down for a few days. We discuss drought, heat, and what’s ahead today.

Big, hot, dry Texas

Houston officially hit 90 degrees yesterday for the first time in 2025. This is our earliest first 90 degree day since 1996, when we did it on February 22nd and the 5th earliest first 90 degree day on record. So yes, it’s quite early for this. The date of our first 90 degree day has been slowly moving forward over the years. It used to typically be in early to mid-May through the late 20th century, and now it’s usually in late April.

With the exception of the Matagorda Bay region, most of Greater Houston is not currently in drought this March. However, much of Texas is in drought, with that percentage hovering just above half the state. Areas of extreme and exceptional drought are expanding thanks to a year that has brought most of Texas below average rainfall, in some cases far, far below average.

Lately, we’ve begun seeing Plains storms with minimal moisture in Texas and strong winds. This combination continues to dry out soils across the state, which will lead to more drought and periodic potential dust storms across the state as well. It is also allowing for a ramp up in high wildfire risk days.

While we don’t need to worry much about wildfires in Houston proper right now because of our relative abundance of moisture this year compared to the rest of Texas, it is possible, if not likely that we will continue to see relatively frequent wildfire risk across the state and up into Oklahoma in the weeks ahead.

We can predict that your next question will be “what does this mean for summer?” And the answer is that it’s too soon to connect what we are seeing now with summer, or at least too soon to connect them closely. Could this mean a hotter and drier summer than usual? Maybe. But it’s not anything I’d be going to Vegas and betting on just yet. For the rest of spring, however, this drying and warming trend is a bit troubling for those hoping we could avoid drought expansion. Something to continue watching.

Today

While the wildfire risk is extreme to our west, here in Houston it will be breezy and at least a little humid today. Wildfire risk begins to ramp up as you go into and west of College Station where Red Flag Warnings begin. The risk is highest in Hill Country, the Permian, Caprock, Panhandle, and North Texas into Oklahoma. We should see decreasing clouds today with temperatures popping back into the mid-80s, if not upper-80s in spots.

If you’re headed to see Journey tonight at the Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo, you’re in luck, as the weather will embrace you with open arms. Temperatures will ease back into and through the 70s, leading to a comfortable exit in the evening. Breezy conditions on Friday afternoon should settle down after sunset. No rain is expected.

Saturday

The cold front gets here around or just after sunrise on Saturday. I don’t want to entirely rule out a passing downpour or thunderstorm, but that currently looks to stay well to our north and east. Any rain or storms would be quick before exiting. We should then open up to sunshine after some lingering clouds. Severe weather risks on Saturday are quite significant to our east in eastern Louisiana and Mississippi, so if you’re returning from the eastern Gulf Coast as spring break ends, just keep that in mind on Saturday afternoon.

Winds will begin gusting around midday Saturday, not too dissimilar to what we saw early last week, with gusts perhaps as high as 40 or 45 mph possible by Saturday afternoon. Those winds will die off after sunset. In addition to the gusty winds, humidity levels will plummet, with dewpoints possibly dropping into the teens. It will be desert-like air with highs around 80 degrees.

Wildfire risk may be a bit higher closer to Houston on Saturday due to the winds and low humidity. While our soil moisture is in better shape than it is to our west, that fire risk is definitely not zero on Saturday afternoon and the aforementioned combination of wind and humidity may lead to a Red Flag Warning perhaps up to I-45. Conditions will improve after sunset.

Sunday and Monday

The rest of the weekend into Monday looks great. There should be ample sunshine and a bit less wind with highs in the 70s and lows generally in the 50s.

Rest of next week

Expect a warm up back into the 80s for the middle of next week ahead of a storm system in the Wednesday or Thursday timeframe. This one looks a bit weaker and farther north than this weekend’s system, so while we may turn breezy and have a chance of a shower or storm, the weather from that storm will probably be a little less crazy across Texas and the South. Still, we may need to discuss wildfire risk in parts of Texas next week yet again.

They say a picture is worth a thousand words; maybe a thousand years from now, these pictures will be worth a few words. Right now, they hold far less value as they depict something that any Houstonian driving by has become accustomed to. A massive retail store sits on its own at a major interchange. However, it wasn’t meant to be this way. This Bass Pro Shop is the crown jewel of a multi-decade plan ...

I know many Americans are fearful about the state of democracy, but let me be the first educator to say: Don’t worry. We teachers are almost finished with the liberal brainwashing of our nation’s children. Right now, every public school student in America awaits our instructions for a coordinated leftist insurrection, which we’ll deliver just as soon as we get this beef jerky out of the pencil sharpener.

Yeah, it’s teriyaki-flavored, which seems a bit stickier than the flamin’ jalapeño from last week, but really, it’s not a problem. Utter complicity is at hand—the cafeteria will simply remove beef jerky from the à la carte line, just like they removed string cheese, carrots, and other pencil-shaped foodstuffs last semester, and we’ll be back on track with the master plan:

• sharpen pencils
• command brainwashed scholastic mob to compose and unleash millions of pro-DEI op-eds upon the billionaire-owned media
• enjoy transgender communism

Once we find a fine-bristled brush for the really crusty bits, nothing will stand between us and victory. Nothing!

Well, other than some extra pencils. Fourth period flushed the January donations down the toilet, and the ones we picked up at the dollar store last week turned out to be made of asbestos. But again, don’t worry. Nearly 50 percent of all students remember to bring pencils to class, and the rest are making do with crayon nubs they find wedged in the carpet. It’s fine. Is a manifesto any less radical in burnt sienna? What about in sentence fragments? Because the kids aren’t super into subjects and predicates right now. Or “you’re” versus “your.” Or putting their names on their papers instead of “Skibidi Toilet.”

No matter. The brainwashing will fix all that, and if not, a little human sacrifice will probably push us over the finish line. Don’t look so alarmed. We do it every August. How else would we come to possess such god-like powers, such astonishing wealth, such political dominance, if not by annually driving a 2005 Honda Civic into the maw of an active volcano? It’s not our fault the gods prefer imports and PE teachers; mesh shorts are sacred to the ancient ones.

Look, the point is that we are the great and terrible educational lobby. Pay no attention to the child vaping in the seventh-grade bathroom, and definitely don’t look at the girls taking photos of the assistant principal, which they will stitch together later to make it look like he’s hitting the griddy. Submit! Kneel before your merciless telepathic overlords. And check out our Amazon wishlist if you get a chance. We’re low on green Jolly Ranchers and pencils.