<![CDATA[Today's threads (a thread)]]>Today's threads (a thread)

Inside: There's no such thing as "age verification"; and more!

Archived at: https://pluralistic.net/2026/05/19/shes-dead-of-course/

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]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/topic/bbbb030e-c832-407a-9437-680207d875c0/today-s-threads-a-threadRSS for NodeSun, 31 May 2026 04:05:09 GMTTue, 19 May 2026 08:25:34 GMT60<![CDATA[Reply to Today's threads (a thread) on Tue, 19 May 2026 15:45:25 GMT]]>@pluralistic The ox video is interesting, but idk, I think the vidsmith should be docked brownie points for not citing any sources on a post-Plagiarism-and-You(Tube) platform. Bars like 'feudalism is just a supply chain with a crown' had to be remixed from somewhere

]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://mendeddrum.org/users/brologue/statuses/116602013313084527https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://mendeddrum.org/users/brologue/statuses/116602013313084527Tue, 19 May 2026 15:45:25 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Today's threads (a thread) on Tue, 19 May 2026 12:32:41 GMT]]>@fool @pluralistic Bertrand's birthday would have been yesterday, we could all take a cue from him. What you describe is real but surmountable.

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]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://mastodon.social/users/elgringomexicano/statuses/116601255469897781https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://mastodon.social/users/elgringomexicano/statuses/116601255469897781Tue, 19 May 2026 12:32:41 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Today's threads (a thread) on Tue, 19 May 2026 10:29:20 GMT]]>@pluralistic "Thought leadership" immediately puts me in mind of Mr Wolf from Pulp Fiction. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0110912/characters/nm0000172/?item=qt0447154&ref_=ext_shr_lnk

]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://mastodon.social/ap/users/116175731239673526/statuses/116600770431465103https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://mastodon.social/ap/users/116175731239673526/statuses/116600770431465103Tue, 19 May 2026 10:29:20 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Today's threads (a thread) on Tue, 19 May 2026 09:07:35 GMT]]>@pluralistic Seems like a bitter one today. What a lamentable thing it is to be in the power of those who persist in folly; I suppose we'll never be free of it. But it's important to remember that we can... do... something? Hang on, my instruments are detecting some form of irony here.

]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://brontosin.space/users/fool/statuses/116600448962536468https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://brontosin.space/users/fool/statuses/116600448962536468Tue, 19 May 2026 09:07:35 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Today's threads (a thread) on Tue, 19 May 2026 08:32:57 GMT]]>My next book is *The Reverse Centaur's Guide to Life After AI*, out next month. Pre-order it now, including as a DRM-free audiobook or ebook, at my Kickstarter, and help me continue to prove that DRM-free isn't just the *right* way to reach an audience, it's also the *best* way to reach them:

Just a moment...

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(www.kickstarter.com)

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]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://mamot.fr/users/pluralistic/statuses/116600312782853869https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://mamot.fr/users/pluralistic/statuses/116600312782853869Tue, 19 May 2026 08:32:57 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Today's threads (a thread) on Tue, 19 May 2026 08:32:42 GMT]]>I'm also on Bluesky. Read today's thread there at:

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By Cory Doctorow (GPG 0xBF3D9110957E5F4C) (@doctorow.pluralistic.net)

"Object permanence" is the ability to understand that even if you can't see something, it still exists. Most toddlers acquire a thorough sense of object permanence by the age of two. But when it comes to technopolitics, object permanence eludes even full-grown lawmakers. 1/

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Bluesky Social (bsky.app)

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]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://mamot.fr/users/pluralistic/statuses/116600311829159649https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://mamot.fr/users/pluralistic/statuses/116600311829159649Tue, 19 May 2026 08:32:42 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Today's threads (a thread) on Tue, 19 May 2026 08:32:35 GMT]]>You can follow these posts as a daily blog at pluralistic.net: no ads, trackers, or data-collection!

Here's today's edition: https://pluralistic.net/2026/05/19/shes-dead-of-course/

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]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://mamot.fr/users/pluralistic/statuses/116600311321741488https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://mamot.fr/users/pluralistic/statuses/116600311321741488Tue, 19 May 2026 08:32:35 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Today's threads (a thread) on Tue, 19 May 2026 08:32:24 GMT]]>Recent appearances

* On Enshittification – and what can be done about it (Re:publica)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KhINQgPMVSI

* EFFecting Change: How to Disenshittify the Internet (EFF, with Wendy Liu)
https://archive.org/details/effecting-change-enshittification

* The “Enshittification” of Everything (Bioneers)
https://bioneers.org/cory-doctorow-enshittification-of-everything-zstf2605/

* Enshittification (99% Invisible)
https://99percentinvisible.org/episode/666-enshittification/

* Artificial Intelligence: The Ultimate Disruptor, with Astra Taylor and Yoshua Bengio (CBC Ideas)
https://www.cbc.ca/listen/live-radio/1-23-ideas/clip/16210039-artificial-intelligence-the-ultimate-disruptor

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]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://mamot.fr/users/pluralistic/statuses/116600310636788862https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://mamot.fr/users/pluralistic/statuses/116600310636788862Tue, 19 May 2026 08:32:24 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Today's threads (a thread) on Tue, 19 May 2026 08:32:08 GMT]]>Upcoming appearances (cont'd):

* : The Reverse Centaur's Guide to Life After AI with Jonathan Coulton (The Strand), Jun 24
https://www.strandbooks.com/cory-doctorow-the-reverse-centaur-s-guide-to-life-after-ai.html

* : TBA, Jun 25

* : The Reverse Centaur's Guide to Life After AI with Rick Perlstein (Exile in Bookville), Jun 26
https://exileinbookville.com/events/50628

* International Book Festival with Jimmy Wales, Aug 17
https://www.edbookfest.co.uk/events/the-front-list-cory-doctorow-and-jimmy-wales

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]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://mamot.fr/users/pluralistic/statuses/116600309590918289https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://mamot.fr/users/pluralistic/statuses/116600309590918289Tue, 19 May 2026 08:32:08 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Today's threads (a thread) on Tue, 19 May 2026 08:32:01 GMT]]>Upcoming appearances (cont'd):

* : Facing the Future (Woodneath Library Center), Jun 10
https://www.mymcpl.org/events/119655/facing-future-cory-doctorow

* : The Reverse Centaur's Guide to Life After AI with Brian Merchant (Skylight Books), Jun 19
https://www.skylightbooks.com/event/skylight-cory-doctorow-presents-reverse-centaurs-guide-life-after-ai-w-brian-merchant

* : The Reverse Centaur's Guide to Life After AI with Angie Coiro (Kepler's), Jun 21
https://www.keplers.org/upcoming-events-internal/cory-doctorow-2026

* : TBA, Jun 23

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]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://mamot.fr/users/pluralistic/statuses/116600309095855306https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://mamot.fr/users/pluralistic/statuses/116600309095855306Tue, 19 May 2026 08:32:01 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Today's threads (a thread) on Tue, 19 May 2026 08:31:31 GMT]]>Upcoming appearances:

* : Re:publica, May 18-20
https://re-publica.com/de/news/rp26-sprecher-cory-doctorow

* : Enshittification at Otherland Books, May 18
https://www.otherland-berlin.de/de/event-details/cory-doctorow-in-der-friesenstrasse-23-kreuzberg-praesentiert-von-otherland.html

* : Enshittification at Otherland Books, May 19
https://www.otherland-berlin.de/de/event-details/cory-doctorow.html

* : HowTheLightGetsIn, May 22-25
https://howthelightgetsin.org/festivals/hay/big-ideas-2

* SXSW , Jun 2
https://www.sxswlondon.com/session/how-big-tech-broke-the-internet-b3c4a901

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]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://mamot.fr/users/pluralistic/statuses/116600307147703252https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://mamot.fr/users/pluralistic/statuses/116600307147703252Tue, 19 May 2026 08:31:31 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Today's threads (a thread) on Tue, 19 May 2026 08:30:11 GMT]]>My ebooks and audiobooks (from FSGxMCD, Tor Books, Head of Zeus, McSweeneys, Beacon, Verso and others) are for sale all over the net, but I sell 'em too, and when you buy 'em from me, I earn twice as much and you get books with no DRM and no license "agreements."

https://craphound.com/shop/

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]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://mamot.fr/users/pluralistic/statuses/116600301924892098https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://mamot.fr/users/pluralistic/statuses/116600301924892098Tue, 19 May 2026 08:30:11 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Today's threads (a thread) on Tue, 19 May 2026 08:29:46 GMT]]>My latest novel is "Picks and Shovels," a historical technothriller set in the Weird Era of the PC, about Ponzi schemes, techbros, and the dawn of enshittification:

Just a moment...

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(us.macmillan.com)

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My latest nonfiction book is the internationally bestselling "Enshittification: Why Everything Suddenly Got Worse and What to Do About It," from MCD/Farrar, Straus and Giroux:

Just a moment...

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(us.macmillan.com)

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]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://mamot.fr/users/pluralistic/statuses/116600300288591425https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://mamot.fr/users/pluralistic/statuses/116600300288591425Tue, 19 May 2026 08:29:46 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Today's threads (a thread) on Tue, 19 May 2026 08:29:34 GMT]]>Saturday's threads: Making sense of Trump's unscheduled sudden midair disassembly of the American empire; and more!

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Cory Doctorow (@pluralistic@mamot.fr)

Attached: 1 image Today's threads (a thread) Inside: Making sense of Trump's unscheduled sudden midair disassembly of the American empire; and more! Archived at: https://pluralistic.net/2026/05/16/technopoly/ #Pluralistic 1/

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Mamot - Le Mastodon de La Quadrature du Net (mamot.fr)

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]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://mamot.fr/users/pluralistic/statuses/116600299509577824https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://mamot.fr/users/pluralistic/statuses/116600299509577824Tue, 19 May 2026 08:29:34 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Today's threads (a thread) on Tue, 19 May 2026 08:29:20 GMT]]> Big Pharma's vicious battle against universal covid vaccination https://pluralistic.net/2021/05/15/how-to-rob-a-bank/#roll-the-dice

The S&amp;L crisis perfected finance crime https://pluralistic.net/2021/05/15/how-to-rob-a-bank/#crimogenics

Newsom's California fiber dream https://pluralistic.net/2021/05/15/how-to-rob-a-bank/#fiber-now

The Public Interest Internet https://pluralistic.net/2021/05/17/disgracenote/#enclosure

Paygo, false consciousness and the IRS https://pluralistic.net/2021/05/17/disgracenote/#false-consciousness

Trump's CFPB kills data broker rule https://pluralistic.net/2025/05/15/asshole-to-appetite/#ssn-for-sale

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]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://mamot.fr/users/pluralistic/statuses/116600298598513913https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://mamot.fr/users/pluralistic/statuses/116600298598513913Tue, 19 May 2026 08:29:20 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Today's threads (a thread) on Tue, 19 May 2026 08:29:13 GMT]]> Algorithmic cruelty: when Gmail adds your harasser to your speed-dial https://web.archive.org/web/20160515184025/https://blog.lizdenys.com/2016/05/14/inboxs-accidentally-abusive-algorithm/

Transport for London blames Tube delays on “wrong type of sun” https://web.archive.org/web/20160516133847/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/london-underground-blame-too-much-sunshine-for-tube-delays-a7031986.html

The Intercept begins publishing Snowden docs https://web.archive.org/web/20160516172510/https://theintercept.com/snowden-sidtoday/

A software developer’s version of the CIA’s bureaucratic sabotage manual https://www.antipope.org/charlie/blog-static/2016/05/updating-a-classic.html

Who owns the covid vaccines? https://pluralistic.net/2021/05/16/entrepreneurial-state/#patient-zero-money

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]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://mamot.fr/users/pluralistic/statuses/116600298113351428https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://mamot.fr/users/pluralistic/statuses/116600298113351428Tue, 19 May 2026 08:29:13 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Today's threads (a thread) on Tue, 19 May 2026 08:29:02 GMT]]> Phoenix airport threatens to kick out TSA, hire private (unaccountable) contractors https://www.csmonitor.com/USA/USA-Update/2016/0514/Is-Phoenix-airport-opting-out-of-the-TSA

US Gov’t survey: Half of Americans reluctant to shop online due to privacy &amp; security fears https://www.ntia.gov/federal-register-notice/2016/request-comments-benefits-challenges-and-potential-roles-government-fostering-advancement-internet

Iceland’s Pirate Party to receive millions in election funding https://web.archive.org/web/20160514102817/http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/icelands-pirate-party-secures-more-election-funding-than-all-its-rivals-as-it-continues-to-top-polls-a7027606.html

Nebula Award swept by record number of women writers https://gizmodo.com/women-swept-the-2015-the-nebula-awards-1776706665

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]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://mamot.fr/users/pluralistic/statuses/116600297419483804https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://mamot.fr/users/pluralistic/statuses/116600297419483804Tue, 19 May 2026 08:29:02 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Today's threads (a thread) on Tue, 19 May 2026 08:28:51 GMT]]> Nintendo 3DS license: We’ll brick your device if we don’t like your software choices, you have no privacy, we own your photos https://web.archive.org/web/20110518014329/https://www.pcworld.com/businesscenter/article/227957/nintendo_3ds_targeted_in_antidrm_campaign.html

Copyright trolls Rightscorp are teetering on the verge of bankruptcy https://web.archive.org/web/20160518103417/https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2016/05/anti-piracy-firm-rightscorps-q1-financials-read-like-an-obituary/

Trump campaign cancels interview after overhearing reporter speaking in Spanish https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/adriancarrasquillo/trump-campaign-canceled-a-reporters-interview-after-they-hea#.ul9L3rXy8

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]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://mamot.fr/users/pluralistic/statuses/116600296641393463https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://mamot.fr/users/pluralistic/statuses/116600296641393463Tue, 19 May 2026 08:28:51 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Today's threads (a thread) on Tue, 19 May 2026 08:28:29 GMT]]> Walter Jon Williams uses pirate ebooks to rescue his backlist https://www.walterjonwilliams.net/2011/05/crowdsource-please/

Chicago water boss: if we took the sewage out of the Chicago River, people might swim and drown! https://web.archive.org/web/20110516121105/https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/breaking/chibrknews-official-cleaning-chicago-river-a-waste-of-money-20110513,0,7553787.story

HOWTO Make an office-supply X-Wing Fighter https://www.instructables.com/X-Wing-Fighter-from-Office-Supplies/

Yale opens up image library, starts with 250,000 free images https://web.archive.org/web/20110514111440/https://opac.yale.edu/news/article.aspx?id=8544

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]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://mamot.fr/users/pluralistic/statuses/116600295201639665https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://mamot.fr/users/pluralistic/statuses/116600295201639665Tue, 19 May 2026 08:28:29 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Today's threads (a thread) on Tue, 19 May 2026 08:28:15 GMT]]> Piracy sends “Go the Fuck to Sleep” to #1 on Amazon https://web.archive.org/web/20110516023258/http://www.baycitizen.org/books/story/go-f-sleep-case-viral-pdf/

Serendipity, the net and cities: are we living in bubbles? Do we have to? https://ethanzuckerman.com/2011/05/12/chi-keynote-desperately-seeking-serendipity/

Texas close to banning TSA searches, TSA invents desperate new constitutional interpretations https://tenthamendmentcenter.com/2011/05/14/in-public-statement-tsa-lies-about-the-constitution/

Syrian dissidents use donkeys to smuggle videos to Jordan https://web.archive.org/web/20110518132126/http://www.dbune.com/news/world/6097-donkeys-take-over-from-dsl-as-syria-shuts-down-internet.html

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]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://mamot.fr/users/pluralistic/statuses/116600294312703732https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://mamot.fr/users/pluralistic/statuses/116600294312703732Tue, 19 May 2026 08:28:15 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Today's threads (a thread) on Tue, 19 May 2026 08:27:58 GMT]]> Oz puts out for Hollywood with new copyright law https://web.archive.org/web/20060520192521/https://blogs.smh.com.au/mashup/archives//004567.html

FeedRinse: filters for your RSS and a happier net https://web.archive.org/web/20060915062158/http://www.nyu.edu/classes/siva/archives/003114.html

Flickr goes Gamma https://web.archive.org/web/20081219225627/http://blog.flickr.net/en/2006/05/16/alpha-beta-gamma/

UK copyright reforms sound sane, useful https://web.archive.org/web/20160724041821/https://www.theguardian.com/media/2011/may/17/copyright-law-overhaul-for-uk

Life with Ubuntu and a ThinkPad https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2011/may/17/computing-opensource

Scalzi’s Fuzzy Nation: a masterful, likable reboot of one of the great sf classics https://memex.craphound.com/2011/05/16/scalzis-fuzzy-nation-a-masterful-likable-reboot-of-one-of-the-great-sf-classics/

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]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://mamot.fr/users/pluralistic/statuses/116600293225428285https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://mamot.fr/users/pluralistic/statuses/116600293225428285Tue, 19 May 2026 08:27:58 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Today's threads (a thread) on Tue, 19 May 2026 08:27:31 GMT]]> The Web is 10 https://www.w3.org/Talks/C5_17_May_91.html

Danish birds imitate ringtones https://web.archive.org/web/20010603204210/http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_288774.html?menu

Wired News publishes damning docs from EFF vs AT&amp;T https://web.archive.org/web/20060602044459/http://www.wired.com/news/technology/1,70908-0.html

Canadian privacy commissioners against DRM https://web.archive.org/web/20060530122338/https://www.intellectualprivacy.ca/

How the RIAA’s suit against XM came from Napster, MP3.com and Grokster https://web.archive.org/web/20060524092537/https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/archives/004679.php

Gmail downgraded, no longer cracks PDFs https://web.archive.org/web/20060603055956/https://akira.arts.kuleuven.ac.be/andreas/blog/archives/2006/05/gmail-cripples-drmed-pdf-files-view-as-html-functionality.html

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]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://mamot.fr/users/pluralistic/statuses/116600291397830276https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://mamot.fr/users/pluralistic/statuses/116600291397830276Tue, 19 May 2026 08:27:31 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Today's threads (a thread) on Tue, 19 May 2026 08:27:16 GMT]]> The Hubble Constant is 42 https://web.archive.org/web/20010607103335/http://www.best.com/~sirlou/42.html

The history of weblogs http://www.rebeccablood.net/essays/weblog_history.html

Head-shaver’s FAQ https://web.archive.org/web/20010616023912/http://www.geocities.com/shaverg/

"Sex" in your surname https://web.archive.org/web/20010830005021/http://bissex.net/paul/profanity.gif

Apple announces retail stores https://web.archive.org/web/20010521193320/http://www.apple.com/retail/

ISOC standard for "responsible" spam https://web.archive.org/web/20030923030913/ftp://ftp.rfc-editor.org/in-notes/rfc3098.txt

Anal clenching v depression https://web.archive.org/web/20011201070537/http://members.aol.com/nishigaki3/index.htm?mtbrand=AOL_US

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]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://mamot.fr/users/pluralistic/statuses/116600290454049988https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://mamot.fr/users/pluralistic/statuses/116600290454049988Tue, 19 May 2026 08:27:16 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Today's threads (a thread) on Tue, 19 May 2026 08:26:54 GMT]]>Hey look at this

* November Reign https://theneedlenews.com/2026/05/november-reign/

* The Filipino virtual assistants behind LinkedIn's "thought leadership" content mill https://restofworld.org/2026/virtual-assistant-linkedin-engagement/?utm_source=rss&amp;utm_medium=rss&amp;utm_campaign=feeds

* rip.so https://rip.so/

* On the Media: American Emergency https://www.wnycstudios.org/podcasts/otm/american-emergency-movement-kill-fema

* DMA: The FSFE intervenes against Apple before European Court of Justice for the second time https://fsfe.org/news/2026/news-20260519-01.en.html

* The Ox That's Breaking Your Fantasy Map https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MIqpvpNS5pI

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]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://mamot.fr/users/pluralistic/statuses/116600288984538043https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://mamot.fr/users/pluralistic/statuses/116600288984538043Tue, 19 May 2026 08:26:54 GMT