Pluralistic: Lindsay Owens's "Gouged" (29 Sep 2026)

Today's links

Lindsay Owens's "Gouged": The end of a fair price and what that means for your wallet.
Hey look at this: Delights to delectate.
Object permanence: Doonesbury on 9/11; Suspicious Looking Device; Elephant-shit paper; The Onion x TSA liquid rules; Borders goodbye letter; Voting machines suck; EFF v DRM; Matt Furie on the hijacking of Pepe; Austerity v last steam-loom; Facebook x "disinformation" criticism.
Upcoming appearances: Boston, Brighton, Virtual, South Bend, Hudson, Calgary, Winnipeg, Paris, OVancouver, Victoria, Ottawa, Kilkenny, Montreal.
Recent appearances: Where I've been.
Latest books: You keep readin' em, I'll keep writin' 'em.
Upcoming books: Like I said, I'll keep writin' 'em.
Colophon: All the rest.

What's a "gig work minimum wage": The important rate is what you're paid when you're waiting for a job.
Hey look at this: Delights to delectate.
Object permanence: MBA phrenology; Sony's DRM CEO is out; Midwestern Tahrir; Reverse Centaurs and AI.
Upcoming appearances: Where to find me.
Recent appearances: Where I've been.
Latest books: You keep readin' em, I'll keep writin' 'em.
Upcoming books: Like I said, I'll keep writin' 'em.
Colophon: All the rest.

The cod-Marxism of personalized pricing: From each to their ability, to each according to their need?
Picks and Shovels Chapter One (Part 3): DEFINITELY not a pyramid scheme.
Hey look at this: Delights to delectate.
This day in history: 2005, 2010, 2015, 2020, 2024.
Upcoming appearances: Where to find me.
Recent appearances: Where I've been.
Latest books: You keep readin' em, I'll keep writin' 'em.
Upcoming books: Like I said, I'll keep writin' 'em.
Colophon: All the rest.

Nurses whose shitty boss is a shitty app: "Uber for nurses" is even worse than it sounds.
Hey look at this: Delights to delectate.
This day in history: 2014, 2019, 2023
Upcoming appearances: Where to find me.
Recent appearances: Where I've been.
Latest books: You keep readin' em, I'll keep writin' 'em.
Upcoming books: Like I said, I'll keep writin' 'em.
Colophon: All the rest.

Dinkclump Linkdump: A rare, out-of-cycle linkdump.
The Bezzle excerpt (Part VI): The thrilling conclusion!
This day in history: 2009, 2014, 2019
Colophon: Recent publications, upcoming/recent appearances, current writing projects, current reading

The majority of censorship is self-censorship: …But the majority of self-censorship is intentionally cultivated by an outside power.
The Bezzle excerpt (Part V): Keep your hands at 10 and 2.
Hey look at this: Delights to delectate.
This day in history: 2009, 2014, 2019, 2023
Colophon: Recent publications, upcoming/recent appearances, current writing projects, current reading

Google reneged on the monopolistic bargain: A search monopolist should never do a layoff, buyback or dividend for so long as it's enshittifying.
The Bezzle excerpt (Part IV): LA Sheriff's Deputies are the most violent gangs in LA.
Hey look at this: Delights to delectate.
This day in history: 2009, 2014, 2019, 2023
Colophon: Recent publications, upcoming/recent appearances, current writing projects, current reading

Pluralistic is four: Reflections on four years of Memex Method, Phase II.
The Bezzle excerpt (Part III): In which Steve Soul lawyers up.
Hey look at this: Delights to delectate.
This day in history: 2004, 2009, 2014, 2019, 2023
Colophon: Recent publications, upcoming/recent appearances, current writing projects, current reading

Middlemen without enshittification: Not every author can be a DIY author.
The Bezzle excerpt (Part II): Let's learn about copyright termination!
Hey look at this: Delights to delectate.
This day in history: 2004, 2009, 2014, 2019
Colophon: Recent publications, upcoming/recent appearances, current writing projects, current reading

An excerpt from The Bezzle: A George Clinton/Leonard Cohen-inspired royalty-theft caper.
Hey look at this: Delights to delectate.
This day in history: 2004, 2009, 2014, 2019, 2023
Colophon: Recent publications, upcoming/recent appearances, current writing projects, current reading