Oh, the sheer poetry of “Commercial Surveillance and Data Security Rulemaking.” — The biggest fallacy in the online privacy is that there is a difference between “state surveillance” and “commercial surveillance.” Bizarrely, it’s a fallacy that is widely held by both government snoops and Big Tech snoops. Many’s the time I’ve spoken to a DC audience about privacy, only to have an…

2007, 2012, 2017. — #15yrsago Epcot’s secret meeting rooms https://web.archive.org/web/20071025054350/https://thedisneyblog.com/tdb/2007/08/the-secret-room.html #10yrsago Time wars: our finite lives frittered away in the precarious world of automation https://web.archive.org/web/20120813051220/https://www.gonzocircus.com/xtrpgs/incubate-special-exclusive-essay-time-wars-by-mark-fisher/ #10yrsago Mitt Romney’s tax bill under Paul Ryan’s budget? 0.82% (Your taxes will probably go up, though) https://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2012/08/mitt-romney-would-pay-082-percent-in-taxes-under-paul-ryans-plan/261027/…

Who the fuck are the “American Prosperity Alliance?” — The “American Prosperity Alliance” does not exist, except as an anonymously controlled bank account that has paid for the production and dissemination of a slick ad that spreads the falsehood that the Democrats have cut $300b from Medicare: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-xCep6NvbhE Let me repeat: this is a lie. What “American Prosperity Alliance”…

2012, 2017, 2021. — #10yrsago Beck’s new album is sheet-music only https://www.mcsweeneys.net/pages/song-reader #10yrsago WIPO’s Broadcasting Treaty is back: a treaty to end the public domain, fair use and Creative Commons https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2012/08/negotiations-2014-wipo-broadcasting-treaty-are-back #10yrsago Pussy Riot’s closing statement https://olenskae.tumblr.com/post/29137327674/yekaterina-samutsevich-closing-statement-at-the

2002, 2007, 2012, 2017, 2021. — #20yrsago Ed Felten’s new “Freedom to Tinker” blog https://freedom-to-tinker.com/ #20yrsago CEA regrets the DMCA but fails to oppose DMCA successor https://web.archive.org/web/20020805010423/http://news.com.com/2100-1023-947729.html #15yrsago French kid who translated Potter 7 faces charges https://memex.craphound.com/2007/08/10/french-kid-who-translated-potter-7-faces-charges/

Rescuing contracts from sprawling garbage legalese novellas masquerading as “agreements.” — Every time I click through one of those garbage legalese novellas you’re expected to say “I Agree” to before doing something totally normal and inconsequential, I’m reminded of the legendary Lenny Bruce bit “Eat, Sleep and Crap.” http://cellar.org/showthread.php?t=24181 In this bit, all civilization begins with agreements:

2002, 2007, 2012, 2017, 2021. — #20yrsago Get Your Exx On https://web.archive.org/web/20020813140423/http://www.mnftiu.cc/mnftiu.cc/war13.html #15yrsago Alice in Sunderland: the weirdest graphic novel I’ve ever enjoyed https://memex.craphound.com/2007/08/09/alice-in-sunderland-the-weirdest-graphic-novel-ive-ever-enjoyed/ #15yrsago CBC blogging policy isn’t their policy https://web.archive.org/web/20071017093732/http://www.insidethecbc.com/blogrules2

On the joys of writing to find your people, rather than pleasing a hypothetical audience. — This week on my podcast, I read “So You’ve Decided to Unfollow Me,” my Medium describing the joys of writing to attract the audience of people who want to read what you want to write. https://doctorow.medium.com/so-youve-decided-to-unfollow-me-7452c96b4772 I’ve been blogging for more than 20 years, but I’ve been writing for publication…

2002, 2012, 2017, 2021. — #20yrsago Internet Radio tax created to kill small webcasters and eliminate competition https://web.archive.org/web/20020802201718/http://www.kurthanson.com/archive/news/062402/index.asp #20yrsago Webcams and life in the panopticon http://www.drive-thru.org/#85305317 #10yrsago Doonesbury has a new protagonist https://web.archive.org/web/20120802160523/https://thinkprogress.org/alyssa/2012/07/31/609031/doonesbury/