This Is The Way The World Ends, Not With A Bang But With A Banger

@powerburial

The core of Star Trek is optimism about the future, and this is why one of the quiet, ongoing themes of every show is adults spending their free time engaging in table top games, pretend play, sports, music, art, and other hobbies. No matter what crazy space conflict or reality-warping improbability they've gotten wrapped up in, someone is still running around, pretending they're robin hood. Someone is painting a sunset. A pair of friends are playing cards. A group has formed a chamber ensemble. This is utopia.

Ochrolechia

Hollywood is the single best example of mature labor power in America

This afternoon (May 6), I’ll be in Berkeley at the Bay Area Bookfest for a 3:30PM event with Glynn Washington for my book Red Team Blues; tomorrow (May 7), it’s an 11AM event with Wendy Liu for my book Chokepoint Capitalism.

Weds (May 10), I’m in Vancouver for a keynote at the Open Source Summit and a book event at Heritage Hall and Thu (May 11), I’m in Calgary for Wordfest.

The Writers Guild is on strike. Hollywood is closed for business. The union’s bargaining documents reveal a cartel of studios that refused to negotiate on a single position. This could go on for a long-ass time:

https://www.wga.org/uploadedfiles/members/member_info/contract-2023/WGA_proposals.pdf

If you’d like an essay-formatted version of this post to read or share, here’s a link to it on pluralistic.net, my surveillance-free, ad-free, tracker-free blog:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/05/06/people-are-not-disposable/#union-strong

Keep reading

Some ways to honor Terry Pratchett on his death day, march 12th

Strive to understand people you perceive as different from you

Tell a truly outrageous pun

Eat a bacon sandwich

Stand up against an oppressive authority (up to and including punching them)

Sing a bawdy song including wizard’s staffs and/or hedgehogs

Consider the importance of Angels

Demand a free but responsible press

Forge a sword out of a meteorite. If you do not have one on hand, store-bought is fine

Take responsibility for your actions, be they good or bad or neither

Recognize there is injustice in the world, but refuse to accept it

Look Up

If you have the hattitude, doff a nice-looking chapeau of some kind

Make time for the things that matter

Live.

can't stop listening to this

The facts for March 20, 2023