Comcast (through merger with GE/NBC/Universal), Viacom, Disney (who now controls most of Newscorp/Fox’s media), CBS, and Time Warner currently control 90% of American media. This media oligopoly is more dangerous than we often give it credit for. These five companies exert incredible power over our modern political landscape. (They are responsible for things like the DMCA, and the TPP, EME, and today’s Net Neutrality decision, in addition to our ever increasing copyright terms.)

Bell is leading the push to end Canadian Net Neutrality with a secret, extrajudicial Star Chamber that will decide what Canadians can and can’t see

This is an article about Gopher, a service that existed on the internet before the web. It’s also an article about how the web is broken, and some speculation on how Gopher might fix that. If you want a more general overview of Gopher, try this article from Tedium. If you want a more general overview of how the web is broken, try every thinkpiece titled “The web is broken” on Medium.

This is a release on my favorite cassette label, Human Sounds Records. It came out a while ago, and it’s probably the album I listen to the most in quiet moments. (Well, that, and L’Amour)

I was too young to see Elliot Smith before he passed away in 2004, but thanks to the wonders of technology, the great folks at the Internet Archive, and the kindness of Smith and his estate, I can enjoy and share with you this performance he gave in Atlanta in 2000.