Two ICE agents harassed a poll worker on Election Day, demanding she remove social media posts they claimed threatened federal agents.

Paigelynne Gonyea, a poll worker in Syracuse, New York, said she received a phone call Tuesday from two ICE agents asking to meet with her. Not wanting to meet with them alone, she invited them into her workplace. "I've seen the news, especially in Minnesota," she said. "And I didn't want anything to happen to me at all."

The ICE agents arrived with copies of her social media posts and driver's license, and handed her a warning notice alerting her that they were investigating her for allegedly threatening ICE personnel. "They tried to scare me into signing it while I was working," she said. The agents told her to "remove and/or discontinue" the behavior, according to the notice, which Gonyea shared on Instagram. [...]

Ross, who was only placed on three days of administrative leave for shooting Good in the head, chest, and arm, faced virtually no consequences for killing an innocent woman in broad daylight. It appears that federal law enforcement now view pleas for actual justice as some kind of threat. [...]

Gonyea's experience is just the latest example of how far federal law enforcement is willing to go to silence critics of President Donald Trump's mass deportation efforts. Earlier this week in Texas, a man received a 30-year prison sentence for transporting left-wing zines linked to a protest at ICE's Prairieland Detention Facility. Others involved in the protest received sentences of up to 50 years.

Previously, previously, previously, previously, previously, previously, previously.]]> https://cdn.jwz.org/blog/2026/06/jonathan-ross-murdered-renee-good-and-should-be-indicted/feed/ 0 https://www.jwz.org/blog/2026/06/jwz-mixtape-259/ https://www.jwz.org/blog/2026/06/jwz-mixtape-259/#comments Sun, 28 Jun 2026 20:06:24 +0000 https://jwz.org/b/yk83

Please enjoy jwz mixtape 259.

▶︎

As with the Spencer archives, I hope this trend of people unearthing their 36-year-old VHS tapes continues...]]> https://www.jwz.org/blog/2026/06/recent-movies-and-tv-34/ https://www.jwz.org/blog/2026/06/recent-movies-and-tv-34/#comments Fri, 26 Jun 2026 05:02:32 +0000 https://jwz.org/b/yk8y

Previously.]]> https://cdn.jwz.org/blog/2026/06/recent-movies-and-tv-34/feed/ 54 https://www.jwz.org/blog/2026/06/quaint/ https://www.jwz.org/blog/2026/06/quaint/#comments Thu, 25 Jun 2026 18:49:48 +0000 https://jwz.org/b/yk8w Previously, previously, previously, previously.]]> https://cdn.jwz.org/blog/2026/06/quaint/feed/ 10 https://www.jwz.org/blog/2026/06/the-warrior-witches-of-ukraines-resistance/ https://www.jwz.org/blog/2026/06/the-warrior-witches-of-ukraines-resistance/#comments Wed, 24 Jun 2026 03:11:07 +0000 https://jwz.org/b/yk8u An underground intelligence network uses subterfuge and honey traps to direct drone strikes deep inside Russian-occupied territory.

"Serhiy was great at flirting," his commander told me. "Guys in our team started asking him for dating advice." Shortly after Achmad sent that photograph, the coordinates it revealed were struck by a Ukrainian drone. [...]

Any phone purchased inside the occupied territories is useless for resistance work. Devices sold there come preloaded with monitoring software developed by Russian intelligence. That app is called Druge -- Друг -- which means "friend" in Russian.

Druge monitors communications, photographs, and location data, relaying all of it back to Russian intelligence. [...] At checkpoints, Russian soldiers examine every phone. Not having Druge installed is a red flag to them; having an encrypted app, such as Signal, guarantees a phone's owner a trip to the basement. [...]

Few resistance agents have professional training. Most learn on the job. Partisans pass around hard-copy tradecraft manuals to avoid using vulnerable digital channels. Within Kherson's partisan brigade, one of the most sought-after is a Soviet-era handbook describing CIA catfishing tactics in Africa during the Cold War. No online version exists, but a well-worn original circulates among the resistance.

"Your CIA was good at this," Dmytro said. "You bastards knew how to use sex."

Several Ukrainian print shops have developed methods for hiding instruction manuals inside best-selling books. A guard at a Russian checkpoint, thumbing through an artificially tattered paperback, will likely have no idea that some of the pages explain how to kill him.

Previously, previously, previously, previously, previously, previously.]]> https://cdn.jwz.org/blog/2026/06/the-warrior-witches-of-ukraines-resistance/feed/ 4 https://www.jwz.org/blog/2026/06/worst-kirk-2/ https://www.jwz.org/blog/2026/06/worst-kirk-2/#comments Wed, 24 Jun 2026 02:53:37 +0000 https://jwz.org/b/yk8s Millions of Dollars Have Now Been Awarded to People Fired over Charlie Kirk Comments:

All told, at least 600 Americans were fired, suspended, or investigated by their employers (many in academia or public service) in the days following the death of Charlie Kirk, with companies frequently kowtowing to Libs of TikTok-style online pressure campaigns to avoid negative attention, even when their offending employee had posted something truly innocuous. In many cases, people lost their jobs for simply posting quotes from the likes of Donald Trump or Kirk himself. But checking back in now, some 10 months later, many of those people not only succeeded in getting their jobs back -- they've also received hefty settlements following the world's most obvious wrongful termination lawsuits. Millions of dollars have cumulatively been awarded to people fired or even jailed over Charlie Kirk-related comments. [...]

The goal of a mass cancelation campaign is not just to cause the petty loss of a few hundred jobs by way of punishing people for their speech; it's to intimidate everyone else around them into not daring to speak in the future, in order to create the appearance of a culture with no dissent against right-wing domination. [...] MAGA America might consider the court settlements money well spent, if it stops people from the opposite side of the political spectrum from feeling safe in expressing themselves in the future.

Previously, previously, previously.]]> https://cdn.jwz.org/blog/2026/06/worst-kirk-2/feed/ 4 https://www.jwz.org/blog/2026/06/the-vaillancourt-fountain-when-it-was-fully-operational/ https://www.jwz.org/blog/2026/06/the-vaillancourt-fountain-when-it-was-fully-operational/#comments Mon, 22 Jun 2026 00:12:57 +0000 https://jwz.org/b/yk8p

Previously, previously, previously, previously, previously, previously, previously.]]> https://cdn.jwz.org/blog/2026/06/the-vaillancourt-fountain-when-it-was-fully-operational/feed/ 20 https://www.jwz.org/blog/2026/06/priest-removed-as-exorcist-after-his-comments-on-ufos-and-demons/ https://www.jwz.org/blog/2026/06/priest-removed-as-exorcist-after-his-comments-on-ufos-and-demons/#comments Wed, 17 Jun 2026 20:52:18 +0000 https://jwz.org/b/yk8m The archbishop of Washington, D.C. removed an exorcist of the archdiocese after he made public comments suggesting that UFO sightings were the work of demons.

The archbishop said Rossetti's statements "linking UFOs to demonic presence and the Center's recent use of social media gravely undermine the Church's very precise teaching on the devil, demons and exorcism." [...]

Rossetti, who has over 148,000 followers on Instagram, is a prominent psychologist as well as an exorcist. His center has specialized in offering spiritual healing for priests troubled by various difficulties.

Previously, previously, previously, previously, previously, previously, previously, previously, previously, previously, previously, previously.]]> https://cdn.jwz.org/blog/2026/06/priest-removed-as-exorcist-after-his-comments-on-ufos-and-demons/feed/ 14 https://www.jwz.org/blog/2026/06/wifi-bukkake/ https://www.jwz.org/blog/2026/06/wifi-bukkake/#comments Wed, 17 Jun 2026 20:02:07 +0000 https://jwz.org/b/yk8i control an Internet-of-Shit device that can only speak 2.4GHz wifi. I find that I am unable to operate a 2.4GHz network that anything can connect to on any channel because there is too much interference. (Even when my iPad is sitting directly on top of the AP.) 82% interference, 10% TX retries. Let's take a look at where that's coming from...

Oh. It's because literally every car in the garage is doing wifi bukkake, several floors below me, through many feet of concrete.

After spending the past three decades of his life being totally unable and unwilling to engage in any meaningful way with the world around him, James Parker, a local guy who sucks at being a person, told reporters Thursday that he saw huge potential in AI. "While it's still in its early phase, artificial intelligence will one day accomplish things that humans could have never even dreamed of doing," said Parker, who, by all accounts, has never stretched himself to do something he found difficult; has never created anything truly original; and, deep down, has absolutely zero understanding of what makes things good, enjoyable, or rewarding. "Just yesterday, I asked an AI program to write an entire sci-fi novel for me, and [as someone who will die an empty shell of a man who wasted his life doing nothing for the world and, perhaps, should never have been born] I was super impressed. Soon, humans won't need to do anything at all! Awesome." At press time, Parker added that as someone whose contributions to society would almost certainly be measured cumulatively as a net loss, he also saw great potential in the future of the metaverse.

Previously, previously, previously, previously, previously, previously, previously, previously.]]> https://cdn.jwz.org/blog/2026/06/guy-who-sucks-at-being-a-person-sees-huge-potential-in-ai/feed/ 13 https://www.dnalounge.com/backstage/log/2026/06/16.html Tue, 16 Jun 2026 23:58:55 +0000 https://jwz.org/b/yk8c SF Gazetteer, Cydney Hayes: Why do these Castro gay bars have TSA-style face scanners?

The machine Owen encountered is called a Patronscan Guard+, a biometric and personal data collection device made by Servall Data Systems, a surveillance tech company headquartered in Alberta, Canada. Mix is one of at least three bars in the Castro, including Badlands and Toad Hall on 18th Street, that wheel out the Patronscan kiosk each night to collect the personal data of every customer that comes through the door, including names, addresses, genders, and even how they behave inside the bar. [...]

Management from Mix, Badlands, and Toad Hall did not respond to requests for comment about when or why they first started using the surveillance tech in their businesses, so I stopped by Mix last Thursday night to check things out for myself.

Like most private surveillance cameras, the Patronscan kiosk at Mix hides in plain sight. In the dim light of the bar, the black machine is easy to miss. I was also not instructed to face the camera when I handed my ID to the bouncer; when I asked if I would be photographed, the bouncer told me the camera had in fact already taken my picture. They said Mix bouncers are not required to verbally tell each patron that they're being photographed by the Patronscan device. Instead, they rely on a small informational plaque posted to the kiosk below eye level to inform customers what data is being collected and how it will be used.

"It's posted signage," the bouncer shrugged on Thursday, when I suggested tipsy customers might not read the fine print on their way inside. [...]

Owen, however, sees potential for serious privacy risks. In today's political climate, she said, "it's really not great to have lists of gay people."

(Gee, ya think?)

In 2023, Illinois residents filed a class action lawsuit against Patronscan for violating an Illinois biometrics privacy law by collecting biometric data from eventgoers without first obtaining their consent, calling the technology "Orwellian."

In 2019, when the Board of Supervisors banned the use of facial recognition software by city agencies, including the police, the measure was widely supported by locals and inspired similar policies nationwide. That policy does not apply to private businesses like the Castro bars, but the reception at the time signaled widespread distrust toward surveillance tech companies. But now as the technology grows more normalized and a new generation of AI boomers flood San Francisco, the attitude toward Big Brother is shifting in the city.

The morning after we chatted in the Castro, Gonzalez told me over Instagram DM that he was unaware Mix could share patron data with neighboring businesses but did not see a problem with it. "I think it's cute that they share it amongst other bars," he wrote. "It's like a little cybersecurity community."

Oh, how cute!

As George Orwell famously wrote, "If you want a picture of the future, imagine a shrug emoji stamping on a human face -- forever."

This is so much worse than the usual techbro "disruption" of bars that features here so often; it's even worse than the company that tried to sell bars' security cameras back to them.

If you think these photos, videos and dossiers of personally-identifiable information won't be turned over to ICE at the drop of a hat by this Servall Data Systems, you have not been paying attention. ICE, I must remind you, now has a budget exceeding the entire military budgets of all but 15 countries. Bigger than Israel; almost as big as Canada and South Korea.

The Brownshirts will be in the Castro soon enough.]]> https://www.jwz.org/blog/2026/06/callback/ https://www.jwz.org/blog/2026/06/callback/#comments Tue, 16 Jun 2026 23:29:09 +0000 https://jwz.org/b/yk8a

Smartphones are mindlessly seamless by design. Callback is built around a simple research-backed finding: remove features designed to pull you back in, & reintroduce physical friction like a speed bump for the mind.

We turned these principles into a phone you can live with every day. And like any great multi-tool, when you're done using it, you snap it shut -- a deliberate endpoint instead of another invitation to scroll.

Close the phone. Open your life.

Headphone jack; removable battery; microSD; no AI; blocks web browsers and social media. From the FAQ:

• Can the browser or social media blocks be turned off?
No. Callback is built around those blocks. That is the point.

I never became fluent in T9, but now I think I shall.

Previously, previously, previously, previously, previously, previously, previously, previously.]]> https://cdn.jwz.org/blog/2026/06/callback/feed/ 35 https://www.jwz.org/blog/2026/06/judge-rules-blacked-com-can-sue-meta-for-scraping-its-porn/ https://www.jwz.org/blog/2026/06/judge-rules-blacked-com-can-sue-meta-for-scraping-its-porn/#comments Mon, 15 Jun 2026 22:30:39 +0000 https://jwz.org/b/yk8Y The judge found that Meta's attempt to blame the pirating of thousands of Vixen.com and Tushy.com porn videos on rogue employees "strains credulity."

Strike 3 Holding first filed its lawsuit almost a year ago after internal Meta emails revealed in a different lawsuit showed that the company downloaded over 81 terabytes of data by scraping Anna's Archive, a massive open search search engine for torrenting copyrighted material including books, movies, TV shows, and porn. [...]

"For example, IP Ranges A and F torrented the following files on December 15, 2022: 'Teen Sex Sessions 2 (2012),' 'Teen Titans Go to the Movies (2018),' 'Teens Love Tats XXX,' 'TeensLoveAnal.16.09.30.Amara,' 'Teenfidelity Pics,' 'TeensLoveAnal.16.06.10.Casey,' 'Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1987-1996),' 'Teen Mom Girls Night In S02E08,' 'TeenyTaboo.22.12.07.Kiana,' and 'TeenageDelinquents.Maryjane,'" the decision says. "On the same day, a Corporate IP Address was used to torrent 'TeenCurves.22.12.09.Willow.' The connection between these files is plain: The word 'teen' appears in every file name."

The judge said that Meta suggesting that its IP addresses downloading all these files at the same time was the work of different individual Meta employees acting independently "strains credulity."

The judge also explained that whether Meta actually used Strike 3 Holdings' videos to train its AI models is irrelevant because Meta violated Strike 3 Holdings's copyright when it torrented its videos. It illegally downloaded the files and also "seeded" them, meaning they distributed the pirated to other users.

"In sum, Plaintiffs [Strike 3 Holdings] have plausibly alleged that Defendant [Meta] is liable for direct, vicarious, and contributory copyright infringement based on the torrenting of their films," the decision said. "Defendant's motion to dismiss is therefore DENIED."

Some headlines are a gift.

Previously, previously, previously, previously, previously, previously, previously, previously, previously, previously.]]> https://cdn.jwz.org/blog/2026/06/judge-rules-blacked-com-can-sue-meta-for-scraping-its-porn/feed/ 21 https://www.jwz.org/blog/2026/06/hot-2/ https://www.jwz.org/blog/2026/06/hot-2/#comments Sat, 13 Jun 2026 20:15:14 +0000 https://jwz.org/b/yk8W Previously, previously, previously, previously, previously.]]> https://cdn.jwz.org/blog/2026/06/hot-2/feed/ 51 https://www.jwz.org/blog/2026/06/release-the-p-tape/ https://www.jwz.org/blog/2026/06/release-the-p-tape/#comments Sat, 13 Jun 2026 20:11:11 +0000 https://jwz.org/b/yk8U

Previously, previously, previously, previously, previously, previously.]]> https://cdn.jwz.org/blog/2026/06/release-the-p-tape/feed/ 9 https://www.jwz.org/blog/2026/06/433-mhz-remote-from-cron/ https://www.jwz.org/blog/2026/06/433-mhz-remote-from-cron/#comments Sat, 06 Jun 2026 05:07:14 +0000 https://jwz.org/b/yk8S I have a device that pairs with a 433 MHz remote control, and I wish to control it from the command line. What is the simplest way?

I would like, for example, to buy an object that can memorize the remote's codes, and send them in response to an HTTP request.

Solutions that involve Siri, Alexa or services in The Clown will be rejected out of hand. I am also not enthusiastic about being forced to buy in to some massive "home automation" ecosystem. I have only two buttons that I want to press.]]> https://cdn.jwz.org/blog/2026/06/433-mhz-remote-from-cron/feed/ 71 https://www.jwz.org/blog/2026/06/like-gerald-ford-and-george-h-w-bush-i-am-no-stranger-to-plumbing-problems/ https://www.jwz.org/blog/2026/06/like-gerald-ford-and-george-h-w-bush-i-am-no-stranger-to-plumbing-problems/#comments Fri, 05 Jun 2026 23:08:05 +0000 https://jwz.org/b/yk8Q It's Only a $13 Billion Aircraft Carrier, Why Would We Expect the Toilets to Work?

The 600 toilets aboard the USS Gerald Ford, the "most advanced" and most recent aircraft carrier in the U.S. fleet, have represented a near incalculable headache for the Navy during its just finished, nearly unprecedented 11-month deployment, and their constant breakdowns have already become the stuff of military legend. [...]

The previous Nimitz-class supercarrier USS George H.W. Bush had been built with a similar "high tech" vacuum suction system, and it too had a reputation for disastrous breakdowns, rendering every toilet on the entire ship inoperable on several occasions. The system on the Ford likewise has the added bonus of being a new design untested at this scale in the field: The Vacuum Collection, Holding and Transfer (VCHT) system is unique to the new Ford class of aircraft carriers, with this ship being the first of its kind. [...]

It suffered a devastating laundry fire on March 12, 2026 that burned for 30 hours and injured more than 200 sailors, and eventually limped to Crete in disgrace to undergo emergency repairs. Now, it returns to Virginia for more in-depth repairs related to the laundry room fire, and to address the persistent bugaboo that generated headlines during its entire deployment: The fact that hundreds of its toilets were routinely inoperable at any given time.

And when I say "inoperable," I mean "incredibly easy to fuck up." Really, it's difficult to overstate just how fragile the toilet system aboard the USS Gerald Ford has ultimately proven to be, as detailed in a few pieces in NPR that published emails and communications from the ship itself, sourced via the Freedom of Information Act.

"Our sewage system is being mistreated and destroyed by Sailors on a daily basis," complained one hull maintenance technician (HTs), the class of engineering department worker tasked with responding to an endless series of trouble calls. "My HT's are currently working 19 hours a day right now trying to keep up with the demand."

According to NPR, the single most common problem is "a valve at the back of the toilets that can be knocked loose, and cause all of the toilets in one of 10 zones to lose suction." Yes, you're reading that right -- if a sailor happens to sit on the toilet wrong, or bumps into it, it can result in dozens or hundreds of other toilets throughout the ship immediately becoming inoperable. [...]

The hull maintenance techs essentially live in ceaseless toilet repair mode. At one point in March, 2025, the engineering department noted to its chiefs in an email that there had been 205 breakdowns over the course of FOUR DAYS. Has anyone actually successfully relieved themselves on this ship, or do they all just get used to holding it?

Many of the problems, as you might expect, end up being the sort of foolishness you would expect from a crew of thousands who might otherwise be shotgunning beers in a dorm, if they weren't here. Technicians report finding all manner of wrongfully flushed objects blocking the especially narrow vacuum pipes, including T-shirts and "a 4-foot piece of rope," according to an August 2025 complaint.

Previously, previously, previously, previously, previously, previously, previously, previously, previously, previously, previously.]]> https://cdn.jwz.org/blog/2026/06/like-gerald-ford-and-george-h-w-bush-i-am-no-stranger-to-plumbing-problems/feed/ 36 https://www.jwz.org/blog/2026/06/today-in-the-scraperpocalypse/ https://www.jwz.org/blog/2026/06/today-in-the-scraperpocalypse/#comments Fri, 05 Jun 2026 21:14:46 +0000 https://jwz.org/b/yk8O It has become more frequent for someone to contact me saying "I can't access your sites from my phone / cable modem", and on the few occasions when they tell me what their IP is, it turns out that, yup, that IP did some extremely obvious AI scraper bullshit and got shitcanned for a month.

I have no way of knowing how often collateral damage like this happens, since by definition they aren't connecting to my site afterward. But anecdotally, telcos and cable companies seem to have short leases and I seem to be banning a lot of them.

If I don't block these scrapers but merely serve them nonsense, my web site falls over.

I have no idea what to do about this, and it sucks.

(And neither do you.)

(Do not suggest Anubis, because proof of work is fundamentally inflationary, wasteful bullshit that will never work because the attacker can always outspend you.)

(Do not suggest Clownflare because they are Nazis.)

Previously, previously, previously, previously, previously, previously, previously.]]> https://cdn.jwz.org/blog/2026/06/today-in-the-scraperpocalypse/feed/ 107 https://www.jwz.org/blog/2026/06/in-case-you-needed-one-more-reason-to-shake-an-angry-fist-at-bezos/ https://www.jwz.org/blog/2026/06/in-case-you-needed-one-more-reason-to-shake-an-angry-fist-at-bezos/#comments Fri, 05 Jun 2026 05:54:46 +0000 https://jwz.org/b/yk8M Joseph Mallozzi: Stargate cancelled, for the fourth and likely final time.

Creator Martin Gero developed a new Stargate series over two years, ultimately crafting a show that offered a fresh jumping-on point for new viewers while deeply respecting existing canon. It was a series that avoided the pitfalls of several modern remakes and reboots by fully embracing the core of its predecessors: action, adventure, exploration, wonder, heart, humor, and found family. And based on that creative vision, the new Stargate series was greenlit in November of 2025.

As of today, officially, that original vision is no more. We'll never get the opportunity to introduce you to that world and those characters -- or reintroduce you to, and check in with, some familiar faces from the past.

My heart breaks. For the incredibly talented writers who worked tirelessly to bring this show to life. For Martin who maintained an unwavering positive outlook throughout despite the challenges, and who always strove to make a show that would honor the fans while welcoming a new audiences. And for the long-suffering Stargate fandom who waited so long and came so close to getting a show they truly would have loved.

Previously, previously, previously, previously, previously, previously, previously.]]> https://cdn.jwz.org/blog/2026/06/in-case-you-needed-one-more-reason-to-shake-an-angry-fist-at-bezos/feed/ 19 https://www.jwz.org/blog/2026/06/it-has-come-to-my-attention-that-i-have-not-posted-a-bloody-mary-photo-since-before-the-world-ended/ https://www.jwz.org/blog/2026/06/it-has-come-to-my-attention-that-i-have-not-posted-a-bloody-mary-photo-since-before-the-world-ended/#comments Thu, 04 Jun 2026 18:59:04 +0000 https://jwz.org/b/yk8J

Previously, previously, previously, previously, previously, previously, previously, previously.]]> https://cdn.jwz.org/blog/2026/06/it-has-come-to-my-attention-that-i-have-not-posted-a-bloody-mary-photo-since-before-the-world-ended/feed/ 18 https://www.dnalounge.com/backstage/log/2026/06/01.html Mon, 01 Jun 2026 18:54:32 +0000 https://jwz.org/b/yk8H 1015 Folsom for 40 years, has passed away. 48 Hills and DJ Dials have some nice words. RIP to one of the absolute legends of nightlife. He was a huge inspiration to so many.]]> https://www.jwz.org/blog/2026/05/blink-twice-if-zuckerberg-is-an-asshole/ https://www.jwz.org/blog/2026/05/blink-twice-if-zuckerberg-is-an-asshole/#comments Mon, 01 Jun 2026 01:29:03 +0000 https://jwz.org/b/yk8F Facebook whistleblower Sarah Wynn-Williams was forced to sit in silence on stage at an event at Hay festival, after lawyers advised her not to speak because of ongoing legal action brought by Meta.

Wynn-Williams, whose bestselling memoir, Careless People, details her years working at Facebook, was due to appear in conversation with the investigative journalist Carole Cadwalladr and academic Tim Wu.

Instead, Wynn-Williams sat on stage for the duration of the hour-long discussion between Cadwalladr and Wu, without speaking or responding. She was unable even to nod or shake her head.

Introducing the panel, Cadwalladr said: "I think this might be a Hay first, in which we have an author in a hostage situation. Blink once if you can hear us, Sarah, twice if Zuckerberg is an asshole." [...]

During the event, Cadwalladr read a letter from Wynn-Williams' lawyers outlining the company's latest legal claims. The letter stated that, in March 2026, Meta filed a sanctions motion alleging that Wynn-Williams violates the emergency arbitration order "any time she appears in public in a place where she should know that her book is available for sale and her presence might draw attention to it".

Previously, previously, previously, previously, previously, previously, previously, previously, previously, previously.]]> https://cdn.jwz.org/blog/2026/05/blink-twice-if-zuckerberg-is-an-asshole/feed/ 18 https://www.jwz.org/blog/2026/05/chad-valley-wooden-influencer-roleplay-set/ https://www.jwz.org/blog/2026/05/chad-valley-wooden-influencer-roleplay-set/#comments Sat, 30 May 2026 20:17:16 +0000 https://jwz.org/b/yk8D This wooden influencer set brings roleplay fun to children who love creating content.

It includes 6 pieces a tripod stand, adjustable aperture lens, camera, smartphone model, tablet and microphone. The set encourages storytelling and imaginative play as children act out being content creators. The tripod adjusts to different heights and the ring light adds realistic detail. The smartphone and tablet models look like the real thing. The microphone completes the streaming setup.

Previously, previously, previously, previously, previously, previously, previously, previously, previously, previously.]]> https://cdn.jwz.org/blog/2026/05/chad-valley-wooden-influencer-roleplay-set/feed/ 11 https://www.jwz.org/blog/2026/05/are-na-hypernormalisation-machine/ https://www.jwz.org/blog/2026/05/are-na-hypernormalisation-machine/#comments Sat, 30 May 2026 19:21:10 +0000 https://jwz.org/b/yk7_ Pull images and text from are.na to make a strangely familiar documentary critique of late capitalism:

Previously, previously, previously, previously, previously, previously, previously, previously, previously, previously, previously, previously.

As East Bay communities raise concerns about civil liberties and immigration enforcement, the license plate camera company is seeking support from its customers -- law enforcement officers. [...]

Brian Hofer, executive director of Secure Justice, a privacy and civil liberties group, said Flock's training reminds him of public relations strategies used by other surveillance technology vendors. [...]

"You wine and dine them, take them on golf trips, teach them how to write grants, and then you give them a job after they retire," he said. "Then, they go and sell contracts to other police departments, and who are they going to listen to? Other police who have used this technology." [...]

Hofer said he thinks Flock, like ShotSpotter, is seeking support from law enforcement officers in reaction to the dozens of jurisdictions that have canceled their contracts with the company. Since August 2021, 88 of Flock's contracts have been terminated, according to Secure Justice's most recent tally. As of publication time, that includes 45 since the beginning of the year. (Terminations also include non-renewals and non-awards, if there was a competitive bidding process.)

"At the rate that they're losing contracts, this is a big piece of evidence that they're panicking," Hofer said.

To date, Flock has contracts with more than 5,000 law enforcement agencies nationwide.

Previously, previously, previously, previously, previously, previously.]]> https://cdn.jwz.org/blog/2026/05/fluck-flock/feed/ 19 https://www.jwz.org/blog/2026/05/help-me-keep-home-mcom-com-online-2/ https://www.jwz.org/blog/2026/05/help-me-keep-home-mcom-com-online-2/#comments Sat, 30 May 2026 04:35:41 +0000 https://jwz.org/b/yk76 I am once again seeking a contact inside the Yahoo DNS team.

Early this morning the "home" record vanished from the "mcom.com" domain. I need it put back. Oddly, the "mosaic" record is still there.

My last contact there was Paul Frieden, in 2023, but the only email address I have bounces. Ideally I would ask Paul, "Hey, can you introduce me to your replacement?" Failing that, I'd like to find anyone currently on the team responsible for Yahoo's DNS records.

Previously, previously, previously, previously.]]> https://cdn.jwz.org/blog/2026/05/help-me-keep-home-mcom-com-online-2/feed/ 36 https://www.jwz.org/blog/2026/05/there-are-good-heists-and-then-theres-this-one/ https://www.jwz.org/blog/2026/05/there-are-good-heists-and-then-theres-this-one/#comments Fri, 29 May 2026 19:03:17 +0000 https://jwz.org/b/yk74 David Rush is accused of:

• Lying on his background check forms;
• Time-card fraud;
• Oh yeah, and also stealing $40M worth of gold bars.

Rush, a former senior executive service-level CIA employee in Virginia, was arrested on May 19:

FBI agents searching his home seized more than 300 1-kilogram gold bars valued at more than $40 million. [...]

The CIA says it informed the FBI of its suspicions about Rush, who apparently fell under scrutiny after he began asking for gold bars last November. That's when he began making "several requests ... to obtain a significant quantity of foreign currency and tens of millions of dollars in gold bars for work-related expenses," according to the affidavit. [...]

A review of a storage space Rush used at the CIA found that only part of the cash was there. The agency's inquiry into the matter is ongoing, but it has not yet found any record of why Rush said he needed the massive amount of money.

The FBI affidavit accuses Rush of taking gold bars and currency, making false statements to the agency and on national security background forms, and filing fraudulent timecards.

It is journalistic malpractice that there are no photos of the gold bars in question. Stock photos are insufficient here.

Previously, previously, previously, previously, previously, previously, previously.]]> https://cdn.jwz.org/blog/2026/05/there-are-good-heists-and-then-theres-this-one/feed/ 35 https://www.jwz.org/blog/2026/05/vaillancourt-fontain/ https://www.jwz.org/blog/2026/05/vaillancourt-fontain/#comments Thu, 28 May 2026 20:06:40 +0000 https://jwz.org/b/yk71 Font by Danielle Baskin based on Armand Vaillancourt's fountain installed in San Francisco's Embarcadero Plaza in 1971. Every letter is made of different angles and textures from a photogrammetry scan. The fountain is currently being demolished as of May 2026.

Previously, previously, previously, previously, previously, previously, previously.