I think the conference hotel wi-fi is blocking competitors' websites?

18 October 2024 - kudos:

I’m currently at the 2024 conference for the Society of the Scientific Study of Religion, where the Mormon Social Science Association always organizes a number of panels. (I presented on a reactionary Mormon Twitter hashtag earlier today!). MSSA traditionally has a Saturday evening no-host dinner, and as long as I’ve attended (okay, only since 2021), we’ve relied on a foodie board member to find a place for us to eat. Rick isn’t here this year, and somehow that got turned into my becoming responsible for finding us a restaurant to meet, eat, and chat at.

🔗 linkblog: my thoughts on 'Big publishers think libraries are the enemy'

13 September 2024 - kudos:

A good take by Molly White. I remember when I stopped thinking about ebooks in terms of screens (as opposed to paper) and started thinking about them in terms of DRM (as opposed to free use). DRM helps the already powerful at the expense of everything else, and I want to do more to push back against it. link to “Big publishers think libraries are the enemy”

🔗 linkblog: my thoughts on 'Second Circuit Says Libraries Disincentivize Authors To Write Books By Lending Them For Free'

6 September 2024 - kudos:

Deeply appreciate Masnick’s writeup. I don’t know the ins and outs of the law, and that’s given me some pause in being upset about the ruling. To see a lawyer find fault with so much gives me greater confidence in my own frustration. The most dangerous part, though, doesn’t require a law degree to understand. The logic of the findings poses a threat to all libraries, not just this one.

🔗 linkblog: my thoughts on 'The Internet Archive just lost its appeal over ebook lending'

4 September 2024 - kudos:

In a weird kind of Streisand effect, I’ve only started using the Internet Archive library since this lawsuit began and it’s a fantastic service. I won’t pretend to know the ins and outs of copyright law, but this sucks. link to “The Internet Archive just lost its appeal over ebook lending”

15 April 2024 - kudos:

My favorite radio episodes to download from the Internet Archive are the ones that are actually recorded from a broadcast, so you get a minute or so of continuity announcer at the beginning and the end.

🔗 linkblog: my thoughts on 'The rise and fall of robots.txt'

14 February 2024 - kudos:

Fascinating read on web crawlers and robots.txt link to “The rise and fall of robots.txt”

🔗 linkblog: my thoughts on 'The Case of the Internet Archive vs. Book Publishers - The New York Times'

13 August 2023 - kudos:

Good coverage of a worrying development. I’m sympathetic to authors’ worries here, but I also think they’re wrong. If digital is different than the physical, copyright considerations need to be more generous, NOT stricter. The Internet Archive is an important service, and I’m worried about the future. link to ‘The Case of the Internet Archive vs. Book Publishers - The New York Times’

new publication: technology, naming, and legitimacy in the Latter-day Saint tradition

5 April 2023 - kudos:

I’m very excited to share that I’ve just had an article published in Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought, a historically and culturally important journal in Mormonism. My article is entitled “The correct [domain] name of the Church: Technology, naming, and legitimacy in the Latter-day Saint tradition.” The title is a riff on Russell Nelson’s use of the phrase “The Correct Name of the Church” when leading a renewed emphasis on the full name of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints early in his ministry as President of the same church.

small radio delights, everday cultural artifacts, and other thoughts on audio media

18 May 2022 - kudos:

I’ve been a big fan of audio-only media for a big chunk of my life. I grew up listening to NPR radio shows like Car Talk and Wait Wait Don’t Tell Me on Saturdays while my dad drove us around to do errands. TV wasn’t allowed in my family on Sundays, but the NPR Sunday Puzzle was—depending on what time church was that year, we’d listen to it on our way to Sunday meetings.

🔗 linkblog: just finished 'Internet Archive Supports the Maryland’s Library eBook Fairness Law - Internet Archive Blogs'

23 December 2021 - kudos:

Intrigued by this idea. link to ‘Internet Archive Supports the Maryland’s Library eBook Fairness Law - Internet Archive Blogs’

🔗 linkblog: just finished 'Link Taxes: A Bad Idea for Journalism and the Open Internet - Internet Archive Blogs'

15 December 2021 - kudos:

Good read on an important subject. link to ‘Link Taxes: A Bad Idea for Journalism and the Open Internet - Internet Archive Blogs’

31 January 2020 - kudos:

I have been a fan of the Internet Archive’s Wayback Machine for a while, but I’m just now discovering how useful it can be for internet research 😍😍😍

26 July 2019 - kudos:

Old favorite thing: Finding BBC Radio 4 shows on Audible; new favorite thing: Finding BBC Radio 4 shows on the Internet Archive.

1 February 2019 - kudos:

We also looked at the Internet Archive’s Wayback Machine as an example of the deep web. I don’t know how pedagogically effective that was, but the students definitely got a kick out of it.