Today's threads (a thread)
Inside: How to fix the UK housing crisis; and more!
Archived at: pluralistic.net/2025/10/13/cas…
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Today's threads (a thread)
Inside: How to fix the UK housing crisis; and more!
Archived at: pluralistic.net/2025/10/13/cas…
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Cory Doctorow
in reply to Cory Doctorow • • •I'm on a tour with my new book *Enshittification*!
Catch me next in #Chicago, #LosAngeles and #Calgary!
Full schedule with dates and links at:
pluralistic.net/tour
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Pluralistic: Announcing the Enshittification tour (30 Sep 2025) – Pluralistic: Daily links from Cory Doctorow
pluralistic.netCory Doctorow
in reply to Cory Doctorow • • •Sensitive content
How to fix the UK housing crisis: Reconverting homes to human rights, rather than assets.
mamot.fr/@pluralistic/11536729…
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Cory Doctorow
2025-10-13 14:21:07
Cory Doctorow
in reply to Cory Doctorow • • •Sensitive content
Hey look at this
* Mass Organizing Call with Naomi Klein & Anjali Appadurai act.lewisforleader.ca/organize…
* How close are we to solid state batteries for electric vehicles? arstechnica.com/cars/2025/10/h…
* The Fluke That Brought Us The Discreet Eliminators Series horrortree.com/the-fluke-that-…
* Q Timex 1975 SSQ Digital Reissue timex.com/products/q-timex-197…
* The App Store Was Always Authoritarian infrequently.org/2025/10/the-a…
* The first evidence of a take-off in solar in Africa ember-energy.org/latest-insigh…
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The App Store Was Always Authoritarian
Alex RussellCory Doctorow
in reply to Cory Doctorow • • •Sensitive content
#20yrsago TV on the Internet versus IPTV web.archive.org/web/2005101309…
#20yrsago Privacy and access-control in America’s theme-parks archive.epic.org/privacy/theme…
#20yrsago Why hotel WiFi sucks web.archive.org/web/2009091714…
#20yrsago Vet’s obit: “send acerbic letters to Republicans” legacy.com/us/obituaries/chica…
#15yrsago Canon’s printer/photocopier blocks jobs based on keywords itnews.com.au/news/canon-block…
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Canon blocks copy jobs by keyword
iTnewsCory Doctorow
in reply to Cory Doctorow • • •Sensitive content
#15yrsago Tom Waits and Preservation Hall Jazz Band release limited-edition 78RPM record and matching limited edition record-player tomwaits.com/news/article/108/…
#15yrsago Koster’s “Fundamentals of Game Design” raphkoster.com/2010/10/12/the-…
#15yrsago Pratchett’s I Shall Wear Midnight, sentimental and fun book about a witch among enemies memex.craphound.com/2010/10/12…
#15yrsago Depressing million-dollar London homes oobject.com/category/depressin…
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depressing million dollar london property – oobject
oobjectCory Doctorow
in reply to Cory Doctorow • • •Sensitive content
#15yrsago Library of Congress: Copyright is killing sound archiving osnews.com/story/23888/us-libr…
#15yrsago Irish High Court strikes down “3 strikes” copyright rule web.archive.org/web/2010101208…
#15yrsago Rise Again: would you rather be killed by zombies or Blackwater mercs? memex.craphound.com/2010/10/11…
#10yrsago Funny because it’s true: “Tories to build thousands of affordable second homes” thedailymash.co.uk/politics/po…
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Tories to build thousands of affordable second homes
The Daily MashCory Doctorow
in reply to Cory Doctorow • • •Sensitive content
#10yrsago Facebook UK made £105M in 2014, paid £35M in bonuses, and will pay £4,327 in tax theguardian.com/global/2015/oc…
#10yrsago Economics research considered unreplicable federalreserve.gov/econresdata…
#10yrsago The hockey-stick from hell: US incarceration per 100,000 people, 1890-today vox.com/2015/10/11/9497161/inc…
#10yrsago Read: Austin Grossman’s moving text-adventure story “The Fresh Prince of Gamma World” wired.com/2015/10/excerpt-fres…
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One chart that puts mass incarceration in historical context
Dara Lind (Vox)Cory Doctorow
in reply to Cory Doctorow • • •Sensitive content
#5yrsago The herd immunity conspiracy pluralistic.net/2020/10/12/red…
#5yrsago Attack Surface in Wired pluralistic.net/2020/10/12/red…
#5yrsago Basic income works pluralistic.net/2020/10/11/mea…
#5yrsago Hong Kong's ghost protest posters pluralistic.net/2020/10/11/mea…
#1yrago Lina Khan's future is the future of the Democratic Party – and America pluralistic.net/2024/10/11/dem…
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Pluralistic: 12 Oct 2020 – Pluralistic: Daily links from Cory Doctorow
pluralistic.netCory Doctorow
in reply to Cory Doctorow • • •Sensitive content
Saturday's threads: The curious, intertwined history of climate and digital rights activism; and more!
mamot.fr/@pluralistic/11535528…
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Cory Doctorow
2025-10-11 11:26:00
Cory Doctorow
in reply to Cory Doctorow • • •Sensitive content
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:
us.macmillan.com/books/9781250…
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My latest nonfiction book is "Enshittification: Why Everything Suddenly Got Worse and What to Do About It," from MCD/Farrar, Straus and Giroux:
us.macmillan.com/books/9780374…
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Book details - Macmillan Publishers
MacmillanCory Doctorow
in reply to Cory Doctorow • • •Sensitive content
Upcoming appearances:
* #Chicago: How Platforms Die with Rick Perlstein (University Club), Oct 14
eventbrite.com/e/how-platforms…
* #LosAngeles: Enshittification with David Dayen (Diesel), Oct 16
dieselbookstore.com/event/2025…
* #Calgary: Literary Death Match (Calgary Wordfest), Oct 17
wordfest.com/2025/imaginarium/…
* #Calgary: Big Tech’s Betrayal—and How to Break Free! (Calgary Wordfest), Oct 18
wordfest.com/2025/imaginarium/…
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How Platforms Die with Cory Doctorow
EventbriteCory Doctorow
in reply to Cory Doctorow • • •Sensitive content
Upcoming appearances (cont'd):
* #SanFrancisco: Enshittification at Public Works with Jenny Odell (The Booksmith), Oct 20
app.gopassage.com/events/docto…
* #PDX: Enshittification at Powell's, Oct 21
powells.com/events/cory-doctor…
* #Seattle: Enshittification and the Rot Economy, with Ed Zitron (Clarion West), Oct 22
clarionwest.org/event/2025-dee…
* #Vancouver: Enshittification with David Moscrop (Vancouver Writers Festival), Oct 23
showpass.com/2025-festival-39/
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Enshittification and the Rot Economy: A Deep Dives Conversation with Cory Doctorow and Ed Zitron
Marnee Chua (Clarion West)Cory Doctorow
in reply to Cory Doctorow • • •Sensitive content
Upcoming appearances (cont'd):
* #Montreal: Montreal Attention Forum keynote, Oct 24
attentionconferences.com/confe…
* #Montreal: Enshittification at Librarie Drawn and Quarterly, Oct 24
mtl.drawnandquarterly.com/even…
* #Ottawa: Enshittification (Ottawa Writers Festival), Oct 25
writersfestival.org/events/fal…
* #Toronto: Enshittification with Dan Werb (Type Books), Oct 27
instagram.com/p/DO81_1VDngu/?i…
* #Barcelona: Conferencia EUROPEA 4D (Virtual), Oct 28
4d.cat/es/conferencia/
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Cory Doctorow launches Enshittification | Librairie Drawn & Quarterly
mtl.drawnandquarterly.comCory Doctorow
in reply to Cory Doctorow • • •Sensitive content
Upcoming appearances (cont'd):
* #Miami: Enshittification at Books & Books, Nov 5
eventbrite.com/e/an-evening-wi…
* #Miami: Cloudfest, Nov 6
cloudfest.com/usa/
* #Burbank: Burbank Book Festival, Nov 8
burbankbookfestival.com/
* #Lisbon: A post-American, enshittification-resistant internet, with Rabble (Web Summit), Nov 12
websummit.com/sessions/lis25/9…
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An Evening with Cory Doctorow
EventbriteCory Doctorow
in reply to Cory Doctorow • • •Sensitive content
Upcoming appearances (cont'd):
* #Cardiff: Hay Festival After Hours, Nov 13
hayfestival.com/c-203-hay-fest…
* #London: Enshittification with Sarah Wynn-Williams and Chris Morris, Nov 15
barbican.org.uk/whats-on/2025/…
* #Seattle: Neuroscience, AI and Society (University of Washington), Dec 4
compneuro.washington.edu/news-…
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Hay Festival After Hours
Hay FestivalCory Doctorow
in reply to Cory Doctorow • • •Sensitive content
Recent appearances:
* Enshittification (Computer Says Maybe)
csm.transistor.fm/episodes/got…
* Enshittification (Democracy Now!)
democracynow.org/2025/10/10/co…
* Enshittification with Lina Khan (Brooklyn Public Library)
youtube.com/watch?v=NCX5Yst64H…
* Enshittification with Adam Conover (Factually)
youtube.com/watch?v=P1EKQidRoo…
* Enshittification (Everyday Anarchism)
everydayanarchism.com/168-ensh…
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168. Enshittification -- Cory Doctorow
Graham W Culbertson (Everyday Anarchism)Cory Doctorow
in reply to Cory Doctorow • • •Sensitive content
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Pluralistic: How to fix the UK housing crisis (13 Oct 2025) – Pluralistic: Daily links from Cory Doctorow
pluralistic.netCory Doctorow
in reply to Cory Doctorow • • •Sensitive content
I'm on a tour with my new book *Enshittification*!
Catch me next in #Chicago, #LosAngeles and #Calgary!
Full schedule with dates and links at:
pluralistic.net/tour
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Pluralistic: Announcing the Enshittification tour (30 Sep 2025) – Pluralistic: Daily links from Cory Doctorow
pluralistic.netMtnTyme
in reply to Cory Doctorow • • •Sensitive content
Cory Doctorow
in reply to MtnTyme • • •Sensitive content
Cy
in reply to Cory Doctorow • • •
... show moreoh boy here we go
oh boy here we go
Cy
Unknown parent • • •His solution does sorta address the fundamental problem of usury. Ostensibly the "Affordable Housing Authority" would issue interest free mortgages. Whether that's enough to fix the crisis about the goddamn wealthy elites who'd just change the law back to requiring interest, I couldn't say.
The PILL does seem kind of odd though, not really a generally applicable solution. Could drive rents even higher, as the wealthy elites demand high mortgages.
CC: @pluralistic@mamot.fr
Dima Pasechnik 🇺🇦 🇳🇱
Unknown parent • • •Dima Pasechnik 🇺🇦 🇳🇱
Unknown parent • • •@GhostOnTheHalfShell I've seen housing in the USSR, lived there for its last 28 years of USSR.
I don't think meaningful non-commercial housing is viable ( By the way, Singapore doesn't really have non-commercial housing - their HDB system is a means-tested system of mortgage subsidies, made possible by very cheap, de facto slave, labour provided by overseas temp workers, who do most of construction work.)
Constant struggle to find a livable house in a livable place, that's what it means.
Thus: internal restrictions on movement - no, you won't just come and live in Moscow - unless you were already registered there (e.g. born there) or got hired for a job locals won't want to do, and lived for years in a shared room in an employer's dorm; or somebody in demand like a scientist who then would get housing from the employer or otherwise. And no, local Moscow folks didn't have much wiggling room - unless, oh, capitalist horrors, you're able to fork out a very s
... show more@GhostOnTheHalfShell I've seen housing in the USSR, lived there for its last 28 years of USSR.
I don't think meaningful non-commercial housing is viable ( By the way, Singapore doesn't really have non-commercial housing - their HDB system is a means-tested system of mortgage subsidies, made possible by very cheap, de facto slave, labour provided by overseas temp workers, who do most of construction work.)
Constant struggle to find a livable house in a livable place, that's what it means.
Thus: internal restrictions on movement - no, you won't just come and live in Moscow - unless you were already registered there (e.g. born there) or got hired for a job locals won't want to do, and lived for years in a shared room in an employer's dorm; or somebody in demand like a scientist who then would get housing from the employer or otherwise. And no, local Moscow folks didn't have much wiggling room - unless, oh, capitalist horrors, you're able to fork out a very substantial figure and get a cooperative housing. I grew up, till I turned 8 in 1971, in a 2-room flat, with parents of my dad, in one room, my parents and me in another room; total area of two rooms 27sq.m (about 270 sq.feet) + tiny kitchen, tiny WC, small bathroom.
Then the cooperative flat of my dad's parents got finally built, and they moved us there - and I had a room on my own...
Dima Pasechnik 🇺🇦 🇳🇱
Unknown parent • • •@GhostOnTheHalfShell I further lived in Australia, Netherlands, Germany, Singapore, UK, and am currently based in US. Let me tell a few details on my housing experience (trust me, I have more experience with it than I ever wanted to).
AU: all good, except that my PhD scholarship was below the poverty line (locals got more govt studentship money); I owed the department money for my airfare, and lived for 2 months in my office (hey, why not - it's warm, there was a gym with a pool etc nearby, etc) to save enough to graduate.
NL: an extremely expensive short term lease in Amsterdam, followed by an illegal rental of a state housing, moved to a cheaper city, and at some point it stopped being cheap or even affordable, so basically I was forced to buy
Germany: an extremely expensive small flat in Frankfurt a.M.
Singapore: cheap campus housing provided by the employer, no real complaints.
UK: a year of renting, with landlady so tightfisted that
... show more@GhostOnTheHalfShell I further lived in Australia, Netherlands, Germany, Singapore, UK, and am currently based in US. Let me tell a few details on my housing experience (trust me, I have more experience with it than I ever wanted to).
AU: all good, except that my PhD scholarship was below the poverty line (locals got more govt studentship money); I owed the department money for my airfare, and lived for 2 months in my office (hey, why not - it's warm, there was a gym with a pool etc nearby, etc) to save enough to graduate.
NL: an extremely expensive short term lease in Amsterdam, followed by an illegal rental of a state housing, moved to a cheaper city, and at some point it stopped being cheap or even affordable, so basically I was forced to buy
Germany: an extremely expensive small flat in Frankfurt a.M.
Singapore: cheap campus housing provided by the employer, no real complaints.
UK: a year of renting, with landlady so tightfisted that we were constantly fighting with the gas boiler, and repairs led to a gas leak. Lucky to not have had an explosion. Bought a house with all the savings instead...
US: basically unable to rent anything in the area we wanted, so bought something for cash (one can't get a mortgage while o/seas ...). And then bought finally something meaningful, after selling our UK place.
I skip the adventures of renting out a flat in Rotterdam in COVID times, while based in UK.
It did involve an agent forging my signature on a lease, lawyers, etc etc.
Haxel Hekker
in reply to Cory Doctorow • • •