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GhostOnTheHalfShell
@GhostOnTheHalfShell@masto.ai  ·  activity timestamp 5 days ago

@pluralistic

Is remarkable as well that the people who benefit the most from dollar dominance, which are the US billionaires are blowing up the system that’s responsible largely for their power. They fantasize that they can exit the world and solidify totalitarian control in the process.

I think the world is a little bit larger than what they think it is

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Michael Opalinski
@MichaelOpal@mastodon.social replied  ·  activity timestamp 5 days ago

@pluralistic It's amazing that when I click your articles the site loads almost instantly and I can use reader mode on the browser for a no distraction dark mode reading experience. And then I get sad that virtually no other websites give me that super useful and snappy experience because they've all been so thoroughly enshittified. The internet could be so fast and useful and we've just chosen not to do that.

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Spontaneously Deliberate
@spontaneouslydeliberate@infosec.exchange replied  ·  activity timestamp 5 days ago

@MichaelOpal @pluralistic The crazy thing is it doesn't take great technical knowledge or effort to make a website fast and accessible. Companies invest a lot of money in things that make their websites slower, harder to use, and more buggy. I benefit financially from their proclivity for complexity, but I would change it in a heartbeat if I could.

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spherulitic
@spherulitic@tech.lgbt replied  ·  activity timestamp 4 days ago

@spontaneouslydeliberate @MichaelOpal @pluralistic I am perpetually infuriated that we have so much more CPU, RAM, and bandwidth than 10-15 years ago and the user experience is no better, arguably worse. It's bloated frameworks and spyware all the way down ...

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Sabrina Web :privacypride: 📎
@sabrinaweb71@sociale.network replied  ·  activity timestamp 5 days ago

@MichaelOpal @pluralistic also, his newsletter is one of the very few that show the links as they are, without cloaking them like almost all other newsletters do. I know where I will end, even before clicking

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*sigh*Ber nard
@brnrd@bsd.network replied  ·  activity timestamp 5 days ago

@pluralistic wait, what? SWIFT is US controlled?

I thought it was a consortium of banks, and from what I read https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SWIFT that's what it is.

What have I missed?..

SWIFT - Wikipedia

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GhostOnTheHalfShell
@GhostOnTheHalfShell@masto.ai replied  ·  activity timestamp 5 days ago

@pluralistic

Is remarkable as well that the people who benefit the most from dollar dominance, which are the US billionaires are blowing up the system that’s responsible largely for their power. They fantasize that they can exit the world and solidify totalitarian control in the process.

I think the world is a little bit larger than what they think it is

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Alton Barrett
@barrettaltonh@mastodon.social replied  ·  activity timestamp 4 days ago

Hello
@GhostOnTheHalfShell @pluralistic

#PrimeMover, #ForceTen | ¿Deeper Trends
#SongsBy #Rush

¿An apt metaphor
In ‘The way of the Essenes
Christ’s Hidden Life Remembered
{Historical Fiction/Solar Punk

the author, as I recall, says Caesar failed to anticipate the advent of the Christ when, seeking total sway upon the culture & society, he sought to establish a calendar in his name

#ArtMusic #HoldYourFire #PermanentWaves #Freewill #JacobsLadder #NaturalScience #PowerWindows #MysticRhythms

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Raymond Russell
@raymierussell@mastodon.scot replied  ·  activity timestamp 5 days ago

@GhostOnTheHalfShell @pluralistic
Its the classic argument that also applies to the very wealthy paying a bit more tax. They seem to want to collapse the society which has allowed them to be prosperous.

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GhostOnTheHalfShell
@GhostOnTheHalfShell@masto.ai replied  ·  activity timestamp 5 days ago

@raymierussell @pluralistic

It is very difficult to use the word seem when this is their stated public goal.

They aren't hiding it. They just don't make press releases on the topic, but they do discuss collapsing modern states (US or any nation) in their public fora whether those are conventions or online.

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Nicole Parsons
@Npars01@mstdn.social replied  ·  activity timestamp 4 days ago

@GhostOnTheHalfShell @raymierussell @pluralistic

The Rockbridge shill Chris Buskirk is keen on the subject of a return to aristocracy, despots, & corporate feudalism after the apocalypse.

You know, the world where 99% of the population is on a knife edge of famine, war, & disease.

What's scary about a Trump-controlled financial system is this:

Billionaire donors getting money taken from blue city bank accounts.

https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-features/trump-musk-doge-treasury-take-money-bank-account-1235295232/

https://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/musk-inspires-fema-to-revoke-80-million-intended-for-nyc.html

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/elon-musk-doge-new-york-fema-b2697262.html

The Independent

‘Highway robbery’: NYC comptroller accuses Musk of stealing $80m from city

The Trump administration snatched back from the city’s bank account $80 million appropriated by Congress to help house migrants
Intelligencer

Musk Inspires FEMA to Revoke $80 Million Intended for NYC

The sudden seizure of previously appropriated funds comes after Elon Musk alleged the payment violated one of President Trump’s executive orders.
Rolling Stone

Can Trump Arbitrarily Take Money From Anyone’s Bank Account?

The Trump administration debited $80.5 million from New York City’s bank account, raising alarms about the reliability of the U.S. dollar.
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Cory Doctorow
@pluralistic@mamot.fr replied  ·  activity timestamp 5 days ago

I'll be in #Ottawa on WEDNESDAY (Jan 28) at Perfect Books:

https://www.instagram.com/p/DS2nGiHiNUh/

And in #Toronto with Tim Wu on FRIDAY (Jan 30):

https://nowtoronto.com/event/cory-doctorow-and-tim-wu-enshittification-and-extraction/

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NOW Toronto

Cory Doctorow and Tim Wu: Enshittification and Extraction - NOW Toronto

Back by popular demand, Tim Wu (The Age of Extraction) returns to Hot Docs Cinema for a further exploration of the failed promise of the...
Instagram

Perfect Books on Instagram: "❗BIG ANNOUNCEMENT TIME❗ We are SO excited to present author and activist Cory Doctorow as part of what we are now calling The Perfect Books Lecture Series. This event is presented in partnership with The Other Hill.

We hope you'll us on January 28th 2026 at allsaints as Toronto-born Cory Doctorow gives one of his truly iconic lectures on his most recent book, Enshittification: Why Everything Suddenly Got Worse and What To Do About It, followed by an audience Q&A session and book signing.

Until midnight on December 31st, you can get early bird ticket prices, only $10 — the link is on our bio and on our website 👀

🕝 January 28, 2026. Doors 7:00pm, Event 7:30-8:30pm
📍allsaints event space, 317 Chapel St, Ottawa
🎫 EARLY BIRD TICKETS: $10 — Available until midnight on December 31st!
🎫 General Tickets: $15

Cory Doctorow (craphound.com) is a science fiction author, activist and journalist. He is the author of dozens of books, most recently ENSHITTIFICATION: WHY EVERYTHING SUDDENLY GOT WORSE AND WHAT TO DO ABOUT IT (nonfiction); and the novels PICKS AND SHOVELS and THE BEZZLE (followups to RED TEAM BLUES). Other notable books include the solarpunk novels WALKAWAY and THE LOST CAUSE; the tech policy books THE INTERNET CON and CHOKEPOINT CAPITALISM; and the internationally bestselling YA LITTLE BROTHER series; and the picture book POESY THE MONSTER SLAYER. In 2020, he was inducted into the Canadian Science Fiction and Fantasy Hall of Fame."

Cory Doctorow, renowned science fiction author, activist, and journalist, will present his latest book, Enshittification: Why Everything Suddenly Got Worse and What to Do About It, at The Perfect Books Lecture Series. This event is part of a series presented in partnership with The Other Hill. Attendees will have the chance to engage with Cory in a Q&A session and get their books signed. Secure your spot before January 31st to take advantage of early bird ticket prices.
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Cory Doctorow
@pluralistic@mamot.fr replied  ·  activity timestamp 5 days ago

Trump and the unmighty dollar: "Flipping the table over in a poker game rigged in your favor because you resent having to pretend to play the game at all."

https://mamot.fr/@pluralistic/115961934493687173

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Cory Doctorow
@pluralistic@mamot.fr replied  ·  activity timestamp 5 days ago

Hey look at this

* Kyle Crutcher pottery http://www.brandbeorn.com/Sci-Fi.html

* Avi Lewis endorsed by authors Maté, Doctorow, Martel, Taylor, Aguirre, and Douglas https://bsky.app/profile/avilewis.ca/post/3mcxh2jmd622x

* AI hasn't delivered the profits it was hyped for, says Deloitte https://www.theregister.com/2026/01/21/deloitte_enterprises_adopting_ai_revenue_lift/

* Zack Polanski to hand in NHS contract termination notice to Palantir https://www.thecanary.co/uk/news/2026/01/22/zack-polanski-to-hand-in-nhs-contract-termination-notice-to-palantir/

* MPLS church has delivered more than 12K boxes of groceries to families in hiding https://www.mprnews.org/episode/2026/01/15/minneapolis-church-has-delivered-more-than-12000-boxes-of-groceries-to-families-in-hiding

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Canary

Zack Polanski to hand in NHS contract termination notice to Palantir

Zack Polanski is telling defence surveillance corporation Palantir to 'pack its bags and get the hell out of the NHS'.

Deloitte sees enterprises adopting AI without revenue lift

: Business transformation, but not much remuneration
https://bsky.app
View

Sci-Fi

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Cory Doctorow
@pluralistic@mamot.fr replied  ·  activity timestamp 5 days ago

#20yrsago Universal DRM dystopia https://tarmle.livejournal.com/80182.html

#20yrsago Library’s one-year anniversary of lending video-games https://www.gamingtarget.com/article.php?artid=4941

#20yrsago UK music industry execs can’t talk straight about DRM https://web.archive.org/web/20060203090643/http://rock.thepodcastnetwork.com/2006/01/25/digital-music-the-industry-answers/

#20yrsago BBC report on UK gamers from 6-65 https://web.archive.org/web/20060207060943/http://crystaltips.typepad.com/wonderland/files/bbc_uk_games_research_2005.pdf

#20yrsago Norwegian ombudsman to review iTunes terms of service https://web.archive.org/web/20070208163427/http://forbrukerportalen.no/Artikler/2006/1138119849.71

#20yrsago Google Cache is legal https://web.archive.org/web/20060130212935/https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/archives/004344.php

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The Video Game Librarian: It's The End of the Year As We Know It (And I Feel Fine) Special @ Gaming Target

Burnoff: Part 1 - The Bad Guys Win

Going to the movies is not what it used to be. Security at the studio-owned theatres is heavy, it's not a trip to be taken lightly. But if you want to see the film everyone is talking about without waiting a year for the home release, you have little choice. When you enter the lobby the first thing…
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Cory Doctorow
@pluralistic@mamot.fr replied  ·  activity timestamp 5 days ago

#20yrsago NSA’s licensable patent portfolio https://web.archive.org/web/20060116103440/https://www.nsa.gov/techtrans/techt00002.cfm

#20yrsago Senators figure out the Broadcast Flag, curse it as an abomination! https://web.archive.org/web/20060130212403/https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/archives/004343.php

#20yrsago HOWTO turn a disposable camera into an RFID-killer https://events.ccc.de/congress/2005/wiki/RFID-Zapper(EN)

#20yrsago World of Warcraft: Don’t tell anyone you’re queer https://web.archive.org/web/20060131191638/http://www.innewsweekly.com/innews/?class_code=Ga&article_code=1172

#15yrsago PirateBox: anonymous, stand-alone wireless filesharing node https://web.archive.org/web/20110129205033/http://wiki.daviddarts.com/PirateBox

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PirateBox - David Darts Wiki

EFF: DeepLinks

RFID-Zapper(EN) - 22C3

Technology Profile Fact Sheets

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Cory Doctorow
@pluralistic@mamot.fr replied  ·  activity timestamp 5 days ago

#20yrsago NSA’s licensable patent portfolio https://web.archive.org/web/20060116103440/https://www.nsa.gov/techtrans/techt00002.cfm

#20yrsago Senators figure out the Broadcast Flag, curse it as an abomination! https://web.archive.org/web/20060130212403/https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/archives/004343.php

#20yrsago HOWTO turn a disposable camera into an RFID-killer https://events.ccc.de/congress/2005/wiki/RFID-Zapper(EN)

#20yrsago World of Warcraft: Don’t tell anyone you’re queer https://web.archive.org/web/20060131191638/http://www.innewsweekly.com/innews/?class_code=Ga&article_code=1172

#15yrsago PirateBox: anonymous, stand-alone wireless filesharing node https://web.archive.org/web/20110129205033/http://wiki.daviddarts.com/PirateBox

6/

RFID-Zapper(EN) - 22C3

Technology Profile Fact Sheets

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