Cory Doctorow NONCONSENSUAL BLUE TICK Profile picture
Nov 21, 2022 41 tweets 37 min read Read on X
Today's Twitter threads (a Twitter thread).

Inside: Universities secretly sold their students to online casinos; and more!

Archived at: pluralistic.net/2022/11/21/rah…

#Pluralistic 1/ A gaudy casino floor. In th...
My publisher @torbooks and @goodreads are drawing for a giveaway of advance copies of my next novel, "Red Team Blues," a Silicon Valley forensic accounting thriller about a cryptocurrency heist - If you're in the US or Canada, enter here to win a copy:

goodreads.com/giveaway/show/… 2/ Image
Tomorrow (11/22), I'm hosting a @CalBookClub event with Kim Stanley Robinson where we'll be discussing his 1998 novel "The Gold Coast":

altaonline.com/california-boo… 3/
Universities secretly sold their students to online casinos: It's varsity-level corruption.

4/ Image
Hey look at this

* Watch an @iFixit employee shoot a battery with a nailgun to teach us safety theverge.com/2022/11/18/234…

* Twitter Is Going Great twitterisgoinggreat.com (h/t @BoingBoing)

* "AOC" Handmade Moments/John Craigie (h/t Cindy Cohn) 5/ Image
#20yrsago BBC’s new site learns from you memex.craphound.com/2002/11/20/bbc…

#20yrsago Turducken: chicken-in-duck-in-turkey nytimes.com/2002/11/20/din…

#20yrsago The DMCA and the Mac web.archive.org/web/2002120419… 6/ Image
#20yrsago Ten Commandments judge Roy Moore overruled by Supreme Court salon.com/2005/06/28/ten…

#15yrsago Open Rights Groups – the first two years openrightsgroup.org/blog/open-righ…

#15yrsago Engraved Victorian tentacle-horrors from Dan Hillier danhillier.com 7/ Image
#15yrsago Disney lawyers enstupidize ride with dumb legal disclaimer flickr.com/photos/unsuper…

#15yrsago UK tax authorities repeatedly lose 25m peoples' tax records theguardian.com/politics/2007/… 8/ Image
#15yrsago Sardine in Outer Space: Cheerful anarchist comix for kids memex.craphound.com/2007/11/20/sar…

#15yrsago Time’s Joe Klein gets everything wrong in column about NSA domestic spying wired.com/2007/11/times-… 9/ Image
#10yrsago Five reasons to opt out of TSA pornoscanners this weekend huffpost.com/entry/5-reason…

#10yrsago Creationist fifth grade science textbook used in Louisiana public school buzzfeednews.com/article/andrew… 10/ Image
#10yrsago Toronto Mayor Rob Ford demonstrates his governance style memex.craphound.com/2012/11/21/tor…

#10yrsago Beyond the public debt: making a wider case for openness theguardian.com/technology/201… 11/ Image
#10yrsago US publishers sabotage treaty on the rights of people with print disabilities eff.org/deeplinks/2012…

#10yrsago Buyer beware: Nintendo nukes $400 worth of downloaded content during DRM-fail migration to Wii U arstechnica.com/gaming/2012/11… 12/ Image
#10yrsago Bibliomat: a vending machine for random rare and antiquarian books (with satisfying clunk) vimeo.com/53679084

#10yrsago Cowardice: Gutless House Republicans retract copyright paper in less than 24 hours techdirt.com/2012/11/17/tha… 13/ Image
#10yrsago Artist arrested at Oakland airport for wearing ornate watch cbsnews.com/news/man-with-…

#10yrsago Absurd licensing terms imposed on public domain works by libraries and museums papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cf… 14/ Image
#10yrsago Solitaire.exe: a real deck of cards based on Windows 98 Solitaire evan-roth.com/work/solitaire…

#5yrsago After a Freedom of Information lawsuit, the White House visitor logs are now available online as a free searchable database projects.propublica.org/graphics/wh-co… 15/ Image
#5yrsago The stairs in a viral sensation public library in China run with blood, and its “books” are just sheets of aluminum screened with pictures of spines yahoo.com/news/chinas-fu… 16/ Image
#5yrsago The FCC will move to kill net neutrality over Thanksgiving and it thinks that we’ll all be too busy eating and shopping to notice techdirt.com/2017/11/21/fcc… 17/ Image
#5yrsago Paul Ryan imagines “Cindy,” a hypothetical beneficiary of his tax plan, doesn’t realize she and her child are starving to death shadowproof.com/2017/11/20/pau… 18/ Image
#5yrsago Trump’s Oklahoma campaign manager, who once introduced an anti-immigrant law to “stop sex trafficking of children,” admits to trafficking young boy for sex americanindependent.com/trump-campaign… 19/ Image
#5yrsago Wall Street and Trump are about to kill the CFPB, the only government agency that effectively polices bank scams, crimes and frauds theintercept.com/2017/11/18/wal… 20/ Image
#5yrsago Candid Wall Street barons worry that GOP tax plan will lead to literal euthanasia of the rentier vanityfair.com/news/2017/11/w… 21/
#5yrsago The Trump-funding, democracy-denying, Gawker-destroying Peter Thiel is finally no longer involved with Y Combinator buzzfeednews.com/article/ryanma… 22/ Image
#5yrsago Scientist puts his dog on the editorial boards of seven predatory journals as proof of their negligence perthnow.com.au/news/wa/the-pe… 23/ Image
#5yrsago Puerto Rico, abandoned by Trump and facing disaster capitalism looting by big business, turns to socialist and anarchist collectives to rebuild nybooks.com/online/2017/11… 24/ Image
#5yrsago America’s private health-care is rationed, but socialized medicine is luxury medicine jacobin.com/2017/11/single…

#5yrsago How technology’s built in “engagement maximization” destroys mental health in the Trump age, and what to do about it memex.craphound.com/2017/11/20/how… 25/ Image
#5yrsago After Roy Moore threatens to sue AL.com, the publisher puts him on notice to preserve all documents for their countersuit

#1yrago Inflation or price-gouging?: Big business loves inflation talk pluralistic.net/2021/11/20/qui… 26/ Image
#1yrago Harvard is full of rich, white low-achievers pluralistic.net/2021/11/18/bip…

#1yrago This is your Congress on drugs: Corruption kills pluralistic.net/2021/11/18/bip…

#1yrago Teamsters transformed pluralistic.net/2021/11/19/hof… 27/ Image
Thursday's threads: Private equity health-care monopolies are on a profitable killing spree; and more!

28/  Image: Rae Allen (modified...
My latest book is Chokepoint Capitalism (with @rgibli), nonfiction about monopoly and fairness in creative labor markets.

chokepointcapitalism.com

Signed copies available from @BookSoup:

booksoup.com/book/978080700… 29/
My latest novel is Attack Surface, a sequel to my bestselling Little Brother books, now in paperback, wherever books are sold.

Signed copies at @DarkDel:

darkdel.com/store/p1840/Co… 30/
My ebooks and audiobooks (from @torbooks, @HoZ_Books, @mcsweeneys, @BeaconPressBks et al) are for sale all over the net, but I sell 'em too, and when you buy 'em from me, I earn twice as much and you get books with no DRM and no license "agreements."

craphound.com/shop/ 31/ Image
Upcoming appearances:

* Kim Stanley Robinson's Gold Coast (@CalBookClub), Nov 22
altaonline.com/california-boo…

* Conversation with @superwuster, #Informed22/@knightfdn (Miami), 11/30:
informed22.interkinnect.com 32/ Image
Upcoming appearances (cont'd):

* Library Learning Experience/@ALALibrary (New Orleans), 1/27-30
2023.alaliblearnx.org/cory-doctorow

* @Aus_Digital Copyright Forum (Canberra), 2/17:
digital.org.au/2022/11/08/doc… 33/ Image
Upcoming appearances (cont'd):

* Antitrust, Regulation and the Political Economy (Brussels), Mar 2:
brusselsconference.com/registration 34/ Image
Recent appearances:

* @teamhumanshow interview
teamhuman.fm/episodes/229-c…

* How big tech traps consumers and shafts creators (@IrishTimes)
shows.acast.com/inside-politic…

* Copyright Waffle (@UKCopyrightLit)
soundcloud.com/user-243274189… 35/ Image
You can also follow these posts as a daily blog at pluralistic.net: no ads, trackers, or data-collection!

Here's today's edition: pluralistic.net/2022/11/21/rah… 36/
If you're a @Medium subscriber, you can read these essays - as well as previews of upcoming magazine columns and early exclusives on doctorow.medium.com. 37/
My latest @Medium column is "Anything That Can’t Go On Forever Will Eventually Stop: Ticketmaster and Ideas Lying Around"

doctorow.medium.com/anything-that-… 38/
If you prefer a newsletter, subscribe to the plura-list, which is also ad- and tracker-free, and is utterly unadorned save a single daily emoji. Today's is "🧟". Suggestions solicited for future emojis!

Subscribe here: pluralistic.net/plura-list 39/
Are you trying to wean yourself off Big Tech? Follow these threads on the #fediverse at @pluralistic@mamot.fr.

Here's today's edition: mamot.fr/@pluralistic/1… 40/
Today's top sources: @jstruan (superpunch.net). 41/ Image

• • •

Missing some Tweet in this thread? You can try to force a refresh
 

Keep Current with Cory Doctorow NONCONSENSUAL BLUE TICK

Cory Doctorow NONCONSENSUAL BLUE TICK Profile picture

Stay in touch and get notified when new unrolls are available from this author!

Read all threads

This Thread may be Removed Anytime!

PDF

Twitter may remove this content at anytime! Save it as PDF for later use!

Try unrolling a thread yourself!

how to unroll video
  1. Follow @ThreadReaderApp to mention us!

  2. From a Twitter thread mention us with a keyword "unroll"
@threadreaderapp unroll

Practice here first or read more on our help page!

More from @doctorow

Apr 18
It's damned hard to prove an antitrust case: so often, the prosecution has to prove that the company *intended* to crush competition, and/or that they raised prices or reduced quality because they knew they didn't have to fear competitors.

1/ A naked, sexless pull-string talking doll with a speaker grille set into its chest. It has the head of Mark Zuckerberg's metaverse avatar, and a pull string extending from its back. A hand - again, from a Zuckerberg metaverse avatar - is pulling back the string. The doll towers over a courtroom.
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:

pluralistic.net/2025/04/18/cha…

2/
It's a lot easier to prove *what* a corporation did than it is to prove *why* they did it. What am I, a mind-reader? But imagine for a second that the corporation in the dock is a global multinational.

3/
Read 64 tweets
Apr 15
A lawsuit filed in February accuses Tesla of remotely altering odometer values on failure-prone cars, in a bid to push these lemons beyond the 50,000 mile warranty limit:



1/ thestreet.com/automotive/tes…A scene out of an 11th century tome on demon-summoning called 'Compendium rarissimum totius Artis Magicae sistematisatae per celeberrimos Artis hujus Magistros. Anno 1057. Noli me tangere.' It depicts a demon tormenting two unlucky would-be demon-summoners who have dug up a grave in a graveyard. One summoner is held aloft by his hair, screaming; the other screams from inside the grave he is digging up. The scene has been altered to remove the demon's prominent, urinating penis, to add in a Tesla supercharger, and a red Tesla Model S nosing into the scene.   Image: Steve Jurvetson (modified)...
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:

pluralistic.net/2025/04/15/mus…

2/
The suit was filed by a California driver who bought a used Tesla with 36,772 miles on it. The car's suspension kept failing, necessitating multiple servicings.

3/
Read 62 tweets
Apr 12
A jury has ordered Blue Cross of Louisiana to pay $421m to a hospital specializing in a much sought-after type of breast reconstruction, primarily for cancer survivors.

1/ A 19th century medical illustration of a topless woman whose left breast has been consumed by a tumor. She is being menaced by an engraved illustration of a looming skeleton, who raises one hand as if to strike her. Behind them is a faded and distressed Blue Cross logo.
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:

pluralistic.net/2025/04/12/pre…

2/
The insurer "preapproved" surgeries for thousands of patients, but then held back 92% of the payments it owed, with CEO Steven Udvarhelyi insisting that "authorization never says we’re going to pay you":



3/documentcloud.org/documents/2588…
Read 34 tweets
Apr 11
It's been more than a decade in the making, but Facebook - or, if you prefer, Meta - is going on trial for antitrust violations, with the highest possible stakes and the worst possible evidence (for Facebook).

1/ A Gilded Age courtroom scene depicting a judge high atop the bench wagging a disapproving finger at an expensively dressed figure in the foreground. The foreground character has lost his top hat, which sits on the floor, as he roots through a breifcase on the defendant's table. The foreground figure's head has been replaced with the head of Mark Zuckerberg's metaverse avatar. The figure's right hand has been replaced with a Facebook 'thumbs up' icon. Hanging from the judge's bench like an unfurled scroll is a sheet of paper; the contents of this sheet have been replaced with the first page ...
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:

pluralistic.net/2025/04/11/it-…

2/
The Big Tech On Trial blog was started to follow the Google antitrust case, the biggest antitrust case of the century, which was barely noticed by most of the press.

3/
Read 80 tweets
Apr 10
It's hard to remember now, but for more than three years under Biden, it was possible to read the headlines and feel your government was taking big, decisive action to tame the corporate behemoths that rip you off, maim you on the job, and undermine our democracy.

1/ A massive Earth Day demonstration in 1970, with a speaker in the foreground, his back to the camera, standing at a podium. The image has been modified: the speaker has been tinted green, the audience has been tinted red. Between the speaker and the audience marches a gleeful skeleton, pounding on a snare drum with drumsticks made of human femur-bones. The skeleton wears a top-hat. It is haloed in flaring light.  Image: umseas (modified) https://www.flickr.com/photos/snre/34605145761/  CC BY 2.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/deed.en
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:

pluralistic.net/2025/04/10/sol…

2/
Antitrust surge under Biden was remarkable: a sustained, organized, effective policy to support the interests of the majority of people against the interests of a cohort of ultra-wealthy wreckers and looters. According to political science, that surge is impossible.

3/
Read 66 tweets
Apr 2
It's not that the Republicans and the Democrats are the same...obviously. But for decades - since Clinton - the Dems have sided with neoliberal economics, just like their Republican counterparts.

1/ The ruins of the Temple of Jupiter, taken in the late 18th century, overlooking a stretch Lebanon. It has been emblazoned with the 1970s-era logo for the University of Chicago Graduate School of Business. Before it stands a figure taken from an early 1900s illustrated bible, depicting a Hebrew priest making an offering to the golden calf at the foot of Mt Sinai. The priest's head has been replaced with the head of Milton Friedman. The calf has been adorned with a golden top-hat and a radiating halo of white light.
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:

pluralistic.net/2025/04/02/me-…

2/
So the major differences between the two related to overt discrimination, to the exclusion of the economic policies that immiserated working people, with the worst effects landing on racial minorities, women, and gender minorities.

3/
Read 78 tweets

Did Thread Reader help you today?

Support us! We are indie developers!


This site is made by just two indie developers on a laptop doing marketing, support and development! Read more about the story.

Become a Premium Member ($3/month or $30/year) and get exclusive features!

Become Premium

Don't want to be a Premium member but still want to support us?

Make a small donation by buying us coffee ($5) or help with server cost ($10)

Donate via Paypal

Or Donate anonymously using crypto!

Ethereum

0xfe58350B80634f60Fa6Dc149a72b4DFbc17D341E copy

Bitcoin

3ATGMxNzCUFzxpMCHL5sWSt4DVtS8UqXpi copy

Thank you for your support!

Follow Us!

:(