Nostr notes by Cory Doctorow

518 words on “Once Is Enemy Action,” a science fiction novel ...

2026-10-27T12:14:04Z

518 words on “Once Is Enemy Action,” a science fiction novel about the origins of modern technofascism. (30331 words total) #dailywords

Refreshing to see on a room-service menu. ...

2026-10-27T10:02:28Z

Refreshing to see on a room-service menu.

Today's threads (a thread) Inside: History is something you ...

2026-10-27T09:25:08Z

Today's threads (a thread)

Inside: History is something you do; and more!

Archived at: https://pluralistic.net/2026/10/27/tied-to-the-tracks/

#Pluralistic

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Prediction is hard. Especially about the future. That Yogi Berra ...

2026-10-27T09:13:25Z

Prediction is hard. Especially about the future. That Yogi Berra gem proves you don't have to be an sf writer to get irritated with people insisting that you must know what's going to happen, but (as a sf writer), I can tell you that this is one of our main occupational hazards.

--

If you'd like an essay-formatted version of this thread to read or share, here's a link to it on pluralistic.net, my surveillance-free, ad-free, tracker-free blog:

https://pluralistic.net/2026/10/27/tied-to-the-tracks/#parlay-flat

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530 words on “Once Is Enemy Action,” a science fiction novel ...

2026-10-26T18:29:17Z

530 words on “Once Is Enemy Action,” a science fiction novel about the origins of modern technofascism. (29813 words total) #dailywords

Today's threads (a thread) Inside: Sovereign citizens, but ...

2026-10-26T16:00:45Z

Today's threads (a thread)

Inside: Sovereign citizens, but for news; and more!

Archived at: https://pluralistic.net/2026/10/26/abandon-hope/

#Pluralistic

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When it comes to terrible web practices, it takes a lot to shock ...

2026-10-26T15:49:12Z

When it comes to terrible web practices, it takes a lot to shock me. I literally wrote the book on the subject. Last night, I encountered a piece of fuckery and I can't get it out of my head, because it's such a perfect storm of outrageous conduct and institutional decay.

--

If you'd like an essay-formatted version of this thread to read or share, here's a link to it on pluralistic.net, my surveillance-free, ad-free, tracker-free blog:

https://pluralistic.net/2026/10/26/abandon-hope/#all-ye-who-enter-here

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Well this is eleventy-million kinds of Fucked Up. LA Times (who ...

2026-10-25T20:17:56Z

Well this is eleventy-million kinds of Fucked Up. LA Times (who once contracted with me as a freelance reviewer and whom I struggled to get paid by) asserts that *merely reading its website* constitutes a permanent waiver of your right to sue it under *any circumstances*. This means that freelancers like me who read the website would lose the right to sue the company if we got stiffed. #consenttheater #bindingarbitration #dickovers

This analyst's report from Apollo about AI uses the term ...

2026-10-25T11:30:15Z

This analyst's report from Apollo about AI uses the term "S&P 493" to refer to the "S&P 500 minus the Mag 7" - because if you take out the AI companies, the S&P 500 is tanking. https://www.apollo.com/wealth/insights-news/insights/daily-spark/no-signs-of-ai-payoff-outside-the-tech-sector

547 words on “Once Is Enemy Action,” a science fiction novel ...

2026-10-24T20:52:29Z

547 words on “Once Is Enemy Action,” a science fiction novel about the origins of modern technofascism. (29282 words total) #dailywords

Today's threads (a thread) Inside: Critique and writing; and ...

2026-10-23T20:58:42Z

Today's threads (a thread)

Inside: Critique and writing; and more!

Archived at: https://pluralistic.net/2026/10/23/better-to-give/

#Pluralistic

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Through my writing life, nothing improved my writing more than ...

2026-10-23T20:46:30Z

Through my writing life, nothing improved my writing more than participation in peer-based workshops: where a group of writers at about the same stage in their artistic development gather to read one another's work and offer feedback specifically aimed at improving each other's stories.

--

If you'd like an essay-formatted version of this thread to read or share, here's a link to it on pluralistic.net, my surveillance-free, ad-free, tracker-free blog:

https://pluralistic.net/2026/10/23/better-to-give/#than-to-receive

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550 words on “Once Is Enemy Action,” a science fiction novel ...

2026-10-22T16:07:12Z

550 words on “Once Is Enemy Action,” a science fiction novel about the origins of modern technofascism. (28730 words total) #dailywords

536 words on “Once Is Enemy Action,” a science fiction novel ...

2026-10-21T22:07:05Z

536 words on “Once Is Enemy Action,” a science fiction novel about the origins of modern technofascism. (28185 words total) #dailywords

Enshittification is particularly galling because (in theory, at ...

2026-10-21T20:08:23Z

Enshittification is particularly galling because (in theory, at least), digital technology should be *really* hard to enshittify.

--

If you'd like an essay-formatted version of this thread to read or share, here's a link to it on pluralistic.net, my surveillance-free, ad-free, tracker-free blog:

https://pluralistic.net/2026/10/21/brittle-individualism/#gnireenigne

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533 words on “Once Is Enemy Action,” a science fiction novel ...

2026-10-20T21:02:42Z

533 words on “Once Is Enemy Action,” a science fiction novel about the origins of modern technofascism. (27469 words total) #dailywords

Today's threads (a thread) Inside: The death of history's ...

2026-10-20T17:34:49Z

Today's threads (a thread)

Inside: The death of history's most successful publisher; and more!

Archived at: https://pluralistic.net/2026/10/20/main-character-syndrome/

#Pluralistic

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I published my first story in 1988, when I was 17 years old. ...

2026-10-20T17:26:25Z

I published my first story in 1988, when I was 17 years old. Today, at 55, I've published more than 30 books, with three more coming in the next year or so. In the intervening years, I've spent a lot of time thinking and talking about publishing.

--

If you'd like an essay-formatted version of this thread to read or share, here's a link to it on pluralistic.net, my surveillance-free, ad-free, tracker-free blog:

https://pluralistic.net/2026/10/20/main-character-syndrome/#scroogled

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514 words on “Once Is Enemy Action,” a science fiction novel ...

2026-10-19T18:30:30Z

514 words on “Once Is Enemy Action,” a science fiction novel about the origins of modern technofascism. (27116 words total) #dailywords

Today's threads (a thread) Inside: The technopolitics of ...

2026-10-19T07:53:02Z

Today's threads (a thread)

Inside: The technopolitics of ad-tech; and more!

Archived at: https://pluralistic.net/2026/10/19/spying-v-context/

#Pluralistic

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"Technopolitics" are the politics embedded in technology. ...

2026-10-19T07:30:03Z

"Technopolitics" are the politics embedded in technology. The Ur-text of technopolitics is "Do Artifacts Have Politics?" by the rock critic turned scholar Langdon Winner:

https://faculty.cc.gatech.edu/~beki/cs4001/Winner.pdf

--

If you'd like an essay-formatted version of this thread to read or share, here's a link to it on pluralistic.net, my surveillance-free, ad-free, tracker-free blog:

https://pluralistic.net/2026/10/19/spying-v-context/#unattributed

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Today's threads (a thread) Inside: Israeli ad-tech company ...

2026-10-17T11:00:45Z

Today's threads (a thread)

Inside: Israeli ad-tech company was a delivery system for "mercenary spyware"; and more!

Archived at: https://pluralistic.net/2026/10/17/mercenary-spyware/

#Pluralistic

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More than half of all internet users have installed an ...

2026-10-17T10:49:09Z

More than half of all internet users have installed an ad-blocker; Doc Searls calls it the largest consumer boycott in history.

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If you'd like an essay-formatted version of this thread to read or share, here's a link to it on pluralistic.net, my surveillance-free, ad-free, tracker-free blog:

https://pluralistic.net/2026/10/17/mercenary-spyware/#discover-tech

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563 words on “Once Is Enemy Action,” a science fiction novel ...

2026-10-16T11:05:35Z

563 words on “Once Is Enemy Action,” a science fiction novel about the origins of modern technofascism. (26602 words total) #dailywords

Today's threads (a thread) Inside: Load-bearing; and more! ...

2026-10-16T07:15:54Z

Today's threads (a thread)

Inside: Load-bearing; and more!

Archived at: https://pluralistic.net/2026/10/16/sovereign-it/

#Pluralistic

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You find the weirdest stuff in your walls. Our house was built in ...

2026-10-16T06:45:50Z

You find the weirdest stuff in your walls. Our house was built in 1949 and we're its third owner, and I have *no idea* what those other people were doing, but at one point someone installed a junction box full of live, bare wires that they filled with crumpled newspaper (!); and don't get me started on the decision not to put vapor barriers in the kitchen windows.

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503 words on “Once Is Enemy Action,” a science fiction novel ...

2026-10-15T12:45:04Z

503 words on “Once Is Enemy Action,” a science fiction novel about the origins of modern technofascism. (26039 words total) #dailywords

Today's threads (a thread) Inside: Expedia amazoned hotel ...

2026-10-15T11:18:57Z

Today's threads (a thread)

Inside: Expedia amazoned hotel rooms; and more!

Archived at: https://pluralistic.net/2026/10/15/enshittipedia/

#Pluralistic

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No matter where you shop, you're getting screwed by Amazon. ...

2026-10-15T11:06:18Z

No matter where you shop, you're getting screwed by Amazon. Amazon has found a way to make everything you buy - at Target, at a mom-and-pop shop, even direct from the manufacturer - more expensive. And they're not the only one: Expedia's done the same thing, but for hotel rooms.

--

If you'd like an essay-formatted version of this thread to read or share, here's a link to it on pluralistic.net, my surveillance-free, ad-free, tracker-free blog:

https://pluralistic.net/2026/10/15/enshittipedia/#most-favored-nation

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"(1) There is a second much broader set of activities that do ...

2026-10-15T05:25:38Z

"(1) There is a second much broader set of activities that do not lend themselves well to automation under AI as we have it today, and (2) it would be regrettable if, under a set of technical, economic, and intellectual confusions, the field of AI devoted itself to a misguided and unsuccessful effort to accomplish (1)...

1/2

"Autonomous systems are presented to students as a kind of ...

2026-10-15T05:21:42Z

"Autonomous systems are presented to students as a kind of aesthetic ideal. An 'end to end' system is a triumph. Requiring human supervision is a defect, and even the way human involvement is generally discussed – e.g. “human in the loop” – often presents the human as a temporary inconvenience. Peter Thiel refers to this in 'Zero to One' as 'the ideology of computer science.'"

-Steering AI Beyond Automation, Gabriel Unger and Arvind Narayanan

https://www.normaltech.ai/p/steering-ai-beyond-automation

"There are a set of technical reasons that make automation ...

2026-10-15T05:20:07Z

"There are a set of technical reasons that make automation more attractive to researchers. Autonomous models/agents lend themselves to very clean benchmarks. How well did the model do the task? The loss function, the performance measure, the comparisons between models, can all be elegant, much more so than some messy evaluation of how a human-AI team collaboratively performed in some real-world setting."

-Steering AI Beyond Automation, Gabriel Unger and Arvind Narayanan
https://www.normaltech.ai/p/steering-ai-beyond-automation

"Efforts for industrial AI deployment, under the automation ...

2026-10-15T05:18:34Z

"Efforts for industrial AI deployment, under the automation agenda, increasingly promise to deliver highly capable agents that are simultaneously cheap to deploy (not requiring task-specific development or configuration), reliable, and genuinely autonomous. These goals are in direct tension with each other, to the point of imposing a trilemma – (1) completely autonomous, (2) reliable in high-stakes settings, (3) truly general purpose – pick two."

1/2

"One of the many problems with this “automate and ...

2026-10-15T05:16:23Z

"One of the many problems with this “automate and compensate” bargain is that it is wildly outside the recognizable political economy of the US today. Since the 1980s, income inequality has increased dramatically, and the American elite did not respond with generous new political programs of welfare expansion.

"Most AI benchmarks today test how good a model is at ...

2026-10-15T05:13:13Z

"Most AI benchmarks today test how good a model is at completing a task on its own, not on how well a model collaborates with a human. (This is likely part of the reason for the gap between benchmark performance and real-world usefulness)."

-Steering AI Beyond Automation, Gabriel Unger and Arvind Narayanan

https://www.normaltech.ai/p/steering-ai-beyond-automation

508 words on “Once Is Enemy Action,” a science fiction novel ...

2026-10-14T11:24:40Z

508 words on “Once Is Enemy Action,” a science fiction novel about the origins of modern technofascism. (25536 words total) #dailywords

British friends: firstdirect have locked me out of my account ...

2026-10-14T06:08:24Z

British friends: firstdirect have locked me out of my account because I use an open version of Android (Graphene), and, per the guy on the phone, "open source is not secure." Any suggestions for a UK bank that uses sensible security (e.g. authenticator app)?

500 words on “Once Is Enemy Action,” a science fiction novel ...

2026-10-13T13:57:08Z

500 words on “Once Is Enemy Action,” a science fiction novel about the origins of modern technofascism. (25028 words total) #dailywords

Today's threads (a thread) Inside: Bundestrojaner; and more! ...

2026-10-13T12:18:49Z

Today's threads (a thread)

Inside: Bundestrojaner; and more!

Archived at: https://pluralistic.net/2026/10/13/petards-r-us/

#Pluralistic

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Every morning, I revisit my blog headlines from this date, going ...

2026-10-13T11:53:55Z

Every morning, I revisit my blog headlines from this date, going back 25 years, 20 years, 15 years, 10 years, 5 years, and one year. I publish the most interesting ones in a section of my newsletter that I call "object permanence," and I think it's the most useful part of my day.

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If you'd like an essay-formatted version of this thread to read or share, here's a link to it on pluralistic.net, my surveillance-free, ad-free, tracker-free blog:

https://pluralistic.net/2026/10/13/petards-r-us/#nobus

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Today's threads (a thread) Inside: How labor rights rescued ...

2026-10-12T12:00:07Z

Today's threads (a thread)

Inside: How labor rights rescued Ultima from a monopolist; and more!

Archived at: https://pluralistic.net/2026/10/12/termination-of-transfer/

#Pluralistic

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If you work in media, you've doubtless had a lifetime of ...

2026-10-12T11:46:17Z

If you work in media, you've doubtless had a lifetime of encouragement to treat copyright as your source of economic protection, and you've been told that this protection arises copyright as a property right - specifically, it's a subspecies of "intellectual property":

https://locusmag.com/feature/cory-doctorow-ip/

--

If you'd like an essay-formatted version of this thread to read or share, here's a link to it on pluralistic.net, my surveillance-free, ad-free, tracker-free blog:

https://pluralistic.net/2026/10/12/termination-of-transfer/#lord-british

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Nostr event nevent1qqszum4w8ywz2x7ydfzut5wz9vxzxnxd9f9a3h9v9mk7emed4je3hqszyqsc2md0snpwfeg99y8tyh3sswc9gkuvq04f0wycxyghelcflt0s6pa3vzd

2026-10-11T16:33:42Z

If you are on an escalator or moving walkway in an airport and ...

2026-10-10T20:37:20Z

If you are on an escalator or moving walkway in an airport and you are standing on the left (or worse, in the middle), you are a bad person and you should feel bad about yourself. You are, by definition, in a place where many other people are in a giant fucking hurry. Come on. We live in a society, dickhead.

562 words on “Once Is Enemy Action,” a science fiction novel ...

2026-10-09T22:50:50Z

562 words on “Once Is Enemy Action,” a science fiction novel about the origins of modern technofascism. (24528 words total) #dailywords

Today's threads (a thread) Inside: Thwarted; and more! ...

2026-10-09T20:03:01Z

Today's threads (a thread)

Inside: Thwarted; and more!

Archived at: https://pluralistic.net/2026/10/09/impunitism/

#Pluralistic

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There are many ways in which every billionaire is a policy ...

2026-10-09T19:50:45Z

There are many ways in which every billionaire is a policy failure, but the most corrosive and destructive way in which billionaires are policy failures is this: billionaires, despite being unelected and unaccountable, possess the power to control - and ruin - millions of peoples' lives.

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If you'd like an essay-formatted version of this thread to read or share, here's a link to it on pluralistic.net, my surveillance-free, ad-free, tracker-free blog:

https://pluralistic.net/2026/10/09/impunitism/#rats-eating-my-face

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Hey, UK people: anyone have contact with either the UK bank ...

2026-10-08T14:54:43Z

Hey, UK people: anyone have contact with either the UK bank Onefamily, or a UK financial ombudsman? We opened a savings account with them 18 years ago for our daughter's education and now they will not release the funds to her US bank account because they require specific paperwork that NO US bank is capable of producing. It's been months and we're running out of options.

537 words on “Once Is Enemy Action,” a science fiction novel ...

2026-10-08T10:18:57Z

537 words on “Once Is Enemy Action,” a science fiction novel about the origins of modern technofascism. (23966 words total) #dailywords

506 words on “Once Is Enemy Action,” a science fiction novel ...

2026-10-07T20:46:34Z

506 words on “Once Is Enemy Action,” a science fiction novel about the origins of modern technofascism. (23420 words total) #dailywords

Today's threads (a thread) Inside: Disloyalty; and more! ...

2026-10-07T14:08:41Z

Today's threads (a thread)

Inside: Disloyalty; and more!

Archived at: https://pluralistic.net/2026/10/07/gouged/

#Pluralistic

Up until very recently indeed, airlines were the only businesses ...

2026-10-07T14:00:49Z

Up until very recently indeed, airlines were the only businesses that I dealt with regularly that practiced "price discrimination," charging different customers different prices for the same seats.

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If you'd like an essay-formatted version of this thread to read or share, here's a link to it on pluralistic.net, my surveillance-free, ad-free, tracker-free blog:

https://pluralistic.net/2026/10/07/gouged/#aeropain

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529 words on “Once Is Enemy Action,” a science fiction novel ...

2026-10-06T19:18:02Z

529 words on “Once Is Enemy Action,” a science fiction novel about the origins of modern technofascism. (22924 words total) #dailywords

Life goal unlocked ...

2026-10-06T18:37:13Z

Life goal unlocked

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nJ5V3pk6PEA&t=1220s

Today's threads (a thread) Inside: Swapping money for ...

2026-10-06T13:25:55Z

Today's threads (a thread)

Inside: Swapping money for expertise; and more!

Archived at: https://pluralistic.net/2026/10/06/nonfungible/

#Pluralistic

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Since the mid-1950s, we have changed the thing that "AI" ...

2026-10-06T13:01:29Z

Since the mid-1950s, we have changed the thing that "AI" refers to every 5-10 years. The current thing we're calling "AI" is about a decade old, and all this label-switching leads to a lack of clarity as to what (this) "AI" is.

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If you'd like an essay-formatted version of this thread to read or share, here's a link to it on pluralistic.net, my surveillance-free, ad-free, tracker-free blog:

https://pluralistic.net/2026/10/06/nonfungible/#theory-free

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Well, this is cute. I looked up an #AirCanada flight in Firefox ...

2026-10-06T10:13:25Z

Well, this is cute. I looked up an #AirCanada flight in Firefox and then pasted the URL into a Chromium window where I was logged into my Aeroplan Super-Elite account. Air Canada added $300 to the flight price when I tried to load it from a logged-in browser. Hell of a customer loyalty perk!

I bought the ticket in my non-logged-in window, then added my FF number to it.

513 words on “Once Is Enemy Action,” a science fiction novel ...

2026-10-06T00:25:21Z

513 words on “Once Is Enemy Action,” a science fiction novel about the origins of modern technofascism. (22395 words total) #dailywords

Today's threads (a thread) Inside: Scrutinzed; and more! ...

2026-10-05T19:07:40Z

Today's threads (a thread)

Inside: Scrutinzed; and more!

Archived at: https://pluralistic.net/2026/10/05/pervert-glasses/

#Pluralistic

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We're repeatedly told that the killer app for pervert glasses ...

2026-10-05T18:59:04Z

We're repeatedly told that the killer app for pervert glasses - Meta's AI-enabled camera glasses and their imitators - is that they will remind you of someone's name and spare you the social awkwardness of not recognizing them.

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If you'd like an essay-formatted version of this thread to read or share, here's a link to it on pluralistic.net, my surveillance-free, ad-free, tracker-free blog:

https://pluralistic.net/2026/10/05/pervert-glasses/#authentic-self

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The AI-generated "I'm a really nice person doing good ...

2026-10-03T14:41:14Z

The AI-generated "I'm a really nice person doing good things and I'm writing to you to ask for cash" emails are now coming at the rate of dozens per day.

Today's threads (a thread) Inside: Economic probabilities for ...

2026-10-03T12:25:44Z

Today's threads (a thread)

Inside: Economic probabilities for our grandchildren; and more!

Archived at: https://pluralistic.net/2026/10/03/full-employment/

#Pluralistic

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The post-war "peace dividend" owed its existence to three ...

2026-10-03T12:13:13Z

The post-war "peace dividend" owed its existence to three factors: industrial capacity, political freedom and pent-up demand.

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If you'd like an essay-formatted version of this thread to read or share, here's a link to it on pluralistic.net, my surveillance-free, ad-free, tracker-free blog:

https://pluralistic.net/2026/10/03/full-employment/#make-sarsaparilla

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504 words on “Once Is Enemy Action,” a science fiction novel ...

2026-10-02T16:43:04Z

504 words on “Once Is Enemy Action,” a science fiction novel about the origins of modern technofascism. (21882 words total) #dailywords

"Email Interview" (n): A process by which a stranger ...

2026-10-02T15:13:14Z

"Email Interview" (n): A process by which a stranger commissions you to write several short essays on subjects of their choosing, for free, which then runs under their byline.

606 words on “Once Is Enemy Action,” a science fiction novel ...

2026-10-01T19:09:14Z

606 words on “Once Is Enemy Action,” a science fiction novel about the origins of modern technofascism. (21378 words total) #dailywords

The part of the flight back to London that's just four hours ...

2026-10-01T18:34:53Z

The part of the flight back to London that's just four hours of this.

Today's threads (a thread) Inside: Voting is to politics as ...

2026-10-01T17:36:20Z

Today's threads (a thread)

Inside: Voting is to politics as shopping is to boycotts; and more!

Archived at: https://pluralistic.net/2026/10/01/data-centers/

#Pluralistic

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Here's a funny thing about the right to vote: it wasn't ...

2026-10-01T17:25:58Z

Here's a funny thing about the right to vote: it wasn't won by voting.

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If you'd like an essay-formatted version of this thread to read or share, here's a link to it on pluralistic.net, my surveillance-free, ad-free, tracker-free blog:

https://pluralistic.net/2026/10/01/data-centers/#now-make-me-do-it

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509 words on “Once Is Enemy Action,” a science fiction novel ...

2026-09-30T13:11:08Z

509 words on “Once Is Enemy Action,” a science fiction novel about the origins of modern technofascism. (20770 words total) #dailywords

516 words on “Once Is Enemy Action,” a science fiction novel ...

2026-09-29T18:10:12Z

516 words on “Once Is Enemy Action,” a science fiction novel about the origins of modern technofascism. (202258 words total) #dailywords

Today's threads (a thread) Inside: Lindsay Owens's ...

2026-09-29T13:56:44Z

Today's threads (a thread)

Inside: Lindsay Owens's "Gouged"; and more!

Archived at: https://pluralistic.net/2026/09/29/algorithmic-wage-theft/

#Pluralistic

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Lindsay Owens is the executive director of Groundwork ...

2026-09-29T13:43:43Z

Lindsay Owens is the executive director of Groundwork Collaborative, who have done some of the most important work on surveillance pricing (using computers to spy on you to rip you off) and algorithmic wage discrimination (using computers to spy on you and steal your wages).

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If you'd like an essay-formatted version of this thread to read or share, here's a link to it on pluralistic.net, my surveillance-free, ad-free, tracker-free blog:

https://pluralistic.net/2026/09/29/algorithmic-wage-theft/#algorithmic-price-gouging

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Today's threads (a thread) Inside: Priceful; and more! ...

2026-09-28T19:45:35Z

Today's threads (a thread)

Inside: Priceful; and more!

Archived at: https://pluralistic.net/2026/09/28/cost-of-everything/

#Pluralistic

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Digital rights activists have long railed at the use of the term ...

2026-09-28T19:21:49Z

Digital rights activists have long railed at the use of the term "IP," criticizing it for being deceptively imprecise and also rhetorically dishonest. I get where these objections are coming from, but I think they're misguided.

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If you'd like an essay-formatted version of this thread to read or share, here's a link to it on pluralistic.net, my surveillance-free, ad-free, tracker-free blog:

https://pluralistic.net/2026/09/28/cost-of-everything/#value-of-nothing

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Today's threads (a thread) Inside: Itch scratching; and more! ...

2026-09-25T21:33:18Z

Today's threads (a thread)

Inside: Itch scratching; and more!

Archived at: https://pluralistic.net/2026/09/25/other-people/

#Pluralistic

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A maddening itch between your shoulder blades feels so good ...

2026-09-25T19:02:22Z

A maddening itch between your shoulder blades feels *so good* when you scratch it, and *even better* when someone else scratches it, and better still if that person hits the right spot because they love you and they've done this for you so often and attentively, they know *exactly* which spot to hit.

--

If you'd like an essay-formatted version of this thread to read or share, here's a link to it on pluralistic.net, my surveillance-free, ad-free, tracker-free blog:

https://pluralistic.net/2026/09/25/other-people/#right-there

1/

525 words on “Once Is Enemy Action,” a science fiction novel ...

2026-09-25T18:55:50Z

525 words on “Once Is Enemy Action,” a science fiction novel about the origins of modern technofascism. (19747 words total) #dailywords

"Reading these reviews is like watching John Henry race the ...

2026-09-24T19:39:03Z

"Reading these reviews is like watching John Henry race the steam drill, except the steam drill in this case is just another regular hammer that John Henry also has to operate, and at the end of it John Henry is like 'well, it felt kind of efficient using two hammers but I’m not sure what the point was.'"

-Rusty Foster, Today in Tabs
https://www.todayintabs.com/p/meta-s-new-a-i-agent-for-losers

511 words on “Once Is Enemy Action,” a science fiction novel ...

2026-09-24T14:29:01Z

511 words on “Once Is Enemy Action,” a science fiction novel about the origins of modern technofascism. (19222 words total) #dailywords

548 words on “Once Is Enemy Action,” a science fiction novel ...

2026-09-23T14:27:44Z

548 words on “Once Is Enemy Action,” a science fiction novel about the origins of modern technofascism. (18711 words total) #dailywords

607 words on “Once Is Enemy Action,” a science fiction novel ...

2026-09-22T09:56:54Z

607 words on “Once Is Enemy Action,” a science fiction novel about the origins of modern technofascism. (18163 words total) #dailywords

Today's threads (a thread) Inside: Bonta sold us out to ...

2026-09-22T08:33:44Z

Today's threads (a thread)

Inside: Bonta sold us out to Trump's oligarchs; and more!

Archived at: https://pluralistic.net/2026/09/22/happy-chudmas/

#Pluralistic

1/

Well, fuck. California AG Bonta just surrendered to the ...

2026-09-22T08:20:50Z

Well, *fuck*. California AG Bonta just surrendered to the Trump-aligned Ellison billionaires who want to take over and destroy Warners, merging it with the chudded out husk they've made of Paramount, leaving these two useless assholes to control Warners, Paramount and Tiktok:

https://www.reuters.com/legal/litigation/paramount-settles-with-california-other-states-clearing-major-hurdle-warner-bros-2026-09-21/

-

If you'd like an essay-formatted version of this thread to read or share, here's a link to it on pluralistic.net, my surveillance-free, ad-free, tracker-free blog:

https://pluralistic.net/2026/09/22/happy-chudmas/#baloney-in-our-slacks

1/

One of the less remarked-upon aspects of being an atheist is how ...

2026-09-21T11:25:52Z

One of the less remarked-upon aspects of being an atheist is how it changes the way you see a sunset. If you believe in an omnipresent God, then sunsets are one of God's intentional creations, which means that the beautiful colors refracting through the darkling sky were *chosen* to produce the effect.

-

If you'd like an essay-formatted version of this thread to read or share, here's a link to it on pluralistic.net, my surveillance-free, ad-free, tracker-free blog:

https://pluralistic.net/2026/09/21/sunsetting/#oh-mr-sun-sun-mr-golden-sun-please-shine-down-on-me

1/

Today's threads (a thread) Inside: Inefficiency is bad, ...

2026-09-11T15:10:16Z

Today's threads (a thread)

Inside: Inefficiency is bad, actually; and more!

Archived at: https://pluralistic.net/2026/09/11/mazzucato-thought/

#Pluralistic

1/

The most reliable way to lose in politics is letting your ...

2026-09-11T15:01:07Z

The most reliable way to lose in politics is letting your adversary set terms. For example, if you're an artist and you let your boss define the fight over AI, he'll make it all about "IP" (not labor) and ask you to help secure a victory that will make him richer and you poorer:

https://pluralistic.net/2026/09/02/scrape-scrope-scrap/
--

If you'd like an essay-formatted version of this thread to read/share, here's a link to it on pluralistic.net, my surveillance-free, ad-free, tracker-free blog:

https://pluralistic.net/2026/09/11/mazzucato-thought/#defining-the-debate

1/

Creating an AI agent and asking it to email strangers on your ...

2026-09-11T08:20:57Z

Creating an AI agent and asking it to email strangers on your behalf is like forcing strangers to watch you masturbate.

Incompetently.

@nprofile…mxja Hope you enjoy it!

2026-09-11T07:46:58Z

In reply to nevent1q…tyg9
_________________________

nprofile1qy2hwumn8ghj7un9d3shjtnyd968gmewwp6kyqpqy8z8r9tsqluxwd4y0hq9zvdu5ujynas8wk62lctjsgnumlkdrqrsz3mxja (nprofile…mxja) Hope you enjoy it!

510 words on “Once Is Enemy Action,” a science fiction novel ...

2026-09-09T14:57:53Z

510 words on “Once Is Enemy Action,” a science fiction novel about the origins of modern technofascism. (13916 words total) #dailywords

Today's threads (a thread) Inside: Anti-vax/anti-trust; and ...

2026-09-09T11:00:43Z

Today's threads (a thread)

Inside: Anti-vax/anti-trust; and more!

Archived at: https://pluralistic.net/2026/09/09/when-it-dont-rain/

#Pluralistic

1/

As once-extinct diseases sweep through America, sickening, ...

2026-09-09T10:32:51Z

As once-extinct diseases sweep through America, sickening, maiming and killing, the wild lunacy of anti-vax superstition grows ever more difficult to excuse.

--

If you'd like an essay-formatted version of this thread to read or share, here's a link to it on pluralistic.net, my surveillance-free, ad-free, tracker-free blog:

https://pluralistic.net/2026/09/08/when-it-dont-rain/#the-roof-dont-leak

1/

Today's threads (a thread) Inside: How corporate America ...

2026-09-07T05:36:59Z

Today's threads (a thread)

Inside: How corporate America built a better Roach Motel; and more!

Archived at: https://pluralistic.net/2026/09/07/hotels-california/

#Pluralistic

1/

"If economists wished to study the horse, they wouldn’t go ...

2026-09-07T05:31:32Z

"If economists wished to study the horse, they wouldn’t go and look at horses. They'd sit in their studies and say to themselves, 'What would I do if I were a horse?'" -Ely Devons

--

If you'd like an essay-formatted version of this thread to read or share, here's a link to it on pluralistic.net, my surveillance-free, ad-free, tracker-free blog:

https://pluralistic.net/2026/09/07/hotels-california#the-eagles-were-optimists

1/

Today's threads (a thread) Inside: Google skates; and more! ...

2026-09-05T08:53:54Z

Today's threads (a thread)

Inside: Google skates; and more!

Archived at: https://pluralistic.net/2026/09/05/divorce-court/

#Pluralistic

1/

Rome wasn't overthrown in a day. Oligarchies are stubborn, ...

2026-09-05T08:11:58Z

Rome wasn't overthrown in a day. Oligarchies are stubborn, and by the time they've established and entrenched themselves, they have resources, power blocs and even mercenaries they can deploy to repel would-be dethroners.

--

If you'd like an essay-formatted version of this thread to read or share, here's a link to it on pluralistic.net, my surveillance-free, ad-free, tracker-free blog:

https://pluralistic.net/2026/09/05/divorce-court/#irreconcilable-conflicts-of-interest

1/

513 words on “Once Is Enemy Action,” a science fiction novel ...

2026-09-03T10:52:40Z

513 words on “Once Is Enemy Action,” a science fiction novel about the origins of modern technofascism. (11893 words total) #dailywords

Today's threads (a thread) Inside: Preparing for a post-Trump ...

2026-09-03T09:03:14Z

Today's threads (a thread)

Inside: Preparing for a post-Trump internet; and more!

Archived at: https://pluralistic.net/2026/09/03/broken-arrows/

#Pluralistic

1/

What if post-Trump America is even worse? -- If you'd like ...

2026-09-03T08:46:24Z

What if post-Trump America is even *worse*?

--

If you'd like an essay-formatted version of this thread to read or share, here's a link to it on pluralistic.net, my surveillance-free, ad-free, tracker-free blog:

https://pluralistic.net/2026/09/03/broken-arrows/#things-get-worse

1/

Just your regular reminder that #WellsFargo is a garbage ...

2026-08-28T16:45:56Z

Just your regular reminder that #WellsFargo is a garbage institution. Our one-branch credit union doesn't have a SWIFT number and my daughter needed one to receive the funds from her (UK) educational savings account, so she opened a Wells account. Dealing with them has been incredibly frustrating, and the manager of her branch just refused to produce a letter with her account info and wire instructions for the UK bank and slammed the phone down on me.

Nostr notes by Cory Doctorow

518 words on “Once Is Enemy Action,” a science fiction novel ...

Refreshing to see on a room-service menu. ...

Today's threads (a thread) Inside: History is something you ...

Prediction is hard. Especially about the future. That Yogi Berra ...

530 words on “Once Is Enemy Action,” a science fiction novel ...

Today's threads (a thread) Inside: Sovereign citizens, but ...

When it comes to terrible web practices, it takes a lot to shock ...

Well this is eleventy-million kinds of Fucked Up. LA Times (who ...

This analyst's report from Apollo about AI uses the term ...

547 words on “Once Is Enemy Action,” a science fiction novel ...

Today's threads (a thread) Inside: Critique and writing; and ...

Through my writing life, nothing improved my writing more than ...

550 words on “Once Is Enemy Action,” a science fiction novel ...

536 words on “Once Is Enemy Action,” a science fiction novel ...

Enshittification is particularly galling because (in theory, at ...

533 words on “Once Is Enemy Action,” a science fiction novel ...

Today's threads (a thread) Inside: The death of history's ...

I published my first story in 1988, when I was 17 years old. ...

514 words on “Once Is Enemy Action,” a science fiction novel ...

Today's threads (a thread) Inside: The technopolitics of ...

"Technopolitics" are the politics embedded in technology. ...

Today's threads (a thread) Inside: Israeli ad-tech company ...

More than half of all internet users have installed an ...

563 words on “Once Is Enemy Action,” a science fiction novel ...

Today's threads (a thread) Inside: Load-bearing; and more! ...

You find the weirdest stuff in your walls. Our house was built in ...

503 words on “Once Is Enemy Action,” a science fiction novel ...

Today's threads (a thread) Inside: Expedia amazoned hotel ...

No matter where you shop, you're getting screwed by Amazon. ...

"(1) There is a second much broader set of activities that do ...

"Autonomous systems are presented to students as a kind of ...

"There are a set of technical reasons that make automation ...

"Efforts for industrial AI deployment, under the automation ...

"One of the many problems with this “automate and ...

"Most AI benchmarks today test how good a model is at ...

508 words on “Once Is Enemy Action,” a science fiction novel ...

British friends: firstdirect have locked me out of my account ...

500 words on “Once Is Enemy Action,” a science fiction novel ...

Today's threads (a thread) Inside: Bundestrojaner; and more! ...

Every morning, I revisit my blog headlines from this date, going ...

Today's threads (a thread) Inside: How labor rights rescued ...

If you work in media, you've doubtless had a lifetime of ...

Nostr event nevent1qqszum4w8ywz2x7ydfzut5wz9vxzxnxd9f9a3h9v9mk7emed4je3hqszyqsc2md0snpwfeg99y8tyh3sswc9gkuvq04f0wycxyghelcflt0s6pa3vzd

If you are on an escalator or moving walkway in an airport and ...

562 words on “Once Is Enemy Action,” a science fiction novel ...

Today's threads (a thread) Inside: Thwarted; and more! ...

There are many ways in which every billionaire is a policy ...

Hey, UK people: anyone have contact with either the UK bank ...

537 words on “Once Is Enemy Action,” a science fiction novel ...

506 words on “Once Is Enemy Action,” a science fiction novel ...

Today's threads (a thread) Inside: Disloyalty; and more! ...

Up until very recently indeed, airlines were the only businesses ...

529 words on “Once Is Enemy Action,” a science fiction novel ...

Life goal unlocked ...

Today's threads (a thread) Inside: Swapping money for ...

Since the mid-1950s, we have changed the thing that "AI" ...

Well, this is cute. I looked up an #AirCanada flight in Firefox ...

513 words on “Once Is Enemy Action,” a science fiction novel ...

Today's threads (a thread) Inside: Scrutinzed; and more! ...

We're repeatedly told that the killer app for pervert glasses ...

The AI-generated "I'm a really nice person doing good ...

Today's threads (a thread) Inside: Economic probabilities for ...

The post-war "peace dividend" owed its existence to three ...

504 words on “Once Is Enemy Action,” a science fiction novel ...

"Email Interview" (n): A process by which a stranger ...

606 words on “Once Is Enemy Action,” a science fiction novel ...

The part of the flight back to London that's just four hours ...

Today's threads (a thread) Inside: Voting is to politics as ...

Here's a funny thing about the right to vote: it wasn't ...

509 words on “Once Is Enemy Action,” a science fiction novel ...

516 words on “Once Is Enemy Action,” a science fiction novel ...

Today's threads (a thread) Inside: Lindsay Owens's ...

Lindsay Owens is the executive director of Groundwork ...

Today's threads (a thread) Inside: Priceful; and more! ...

Digital rights activists have long railed at the use of the term ...

Today's threads (a thread) Inside: Itch scratching; and more! ...

A maddening itch between your shoulder blades feels *so good* ...

525 words on “Once Is Enemy Action,” a science fiction novel ...

"Reading these reviews is like watching John Henry race the ...

A maddening itch between your shoulder blades feels so good ...

Well, fuck. California AG Bonta just surrendered to the ...

What if post-Trump America is even worse? -- If you'd like ...