• Self-Help in 140 Characters or Less. Jesse Walker, Jesse Walker: Reason Magazine articles and blog posts. (2010-11-23). A Reuters report recounts how Twitter has facilitated disaster relief in Indonesia. Here's an excerpt: The Southeast Asian country of 17,000 islands, where transport can be difficult at the best of times, was hit by a tsunami, earthquakes, floods and volcanic eruptions within the space of a few weeks last… (Linked Thursday 2010-11-25.)

• The Zombie Cinema of D.W. Griffith. Jesse Walker, Jesse Walker: Reason Magazine articles and blog posts. (2010-11-19). Annalee Newitz has a quick primer on zombies over at io9. It ain't bad, but I have to push back a bit against her use of the word "first" while discussing this sequence from White Zombie (1932): Newitz writes: This was the first cinematic zombie moment in America. Not only… (Linked Monday 2010-11-22.)

• Security theatre follies! admin, This Modern World (2010-11-23). (Linked Wednesday 2010-11-24.)

• Why are they afraid of Wikileaks? Marja Erwin (2010-11-17). The authoritarians claim that we have no right to object to invasions of our privacy and freedom of association. They institute systematic surveillance and sometimes assassinations, including COINTELPRO and its successors, on these grounds. Yet they condemn Wikileaks, calling for internet censorship, arrests, or assassinations. They insist that the people… (Linked Saturday 2010-11-20.)

• Does the Punishment Fit the Crime? Daily Brickbats (2010-11-19). Denver police officer Devin Sparks says that Michael DeHerrera tried to punch him and he had to defend himself. But a video showed DeHerrera was just talking on his cell phone when Sparks tackled him, beat him repeatedly with a baton, and slammed a car door on him. The city… (Linked Monday 2010-11-22.)

• Hey, I thought this was a libertarian blog, not a crafting one! drunkenatheist, Drunkenatheist (2010-11-19). Awhile back, there was a discussion on Facebook that had morphed into a discussion on food and agorism.  I don't remember what started it, but I can assure you that it had little to nothing to do with the endpoint.  I don't remember exactly what I said, but I recall… (Linked Monday 2010-11-22.)

• "Curing" Feminists. Not Your Average Feminist (2010-11-17). For reference, a feminist is Maximally “cured” when she considers giving her ignorant, lying, manipulating boyfriend a blowjob. Seriously, bro? Stay classy, Maxim Magazine. (My condolences, also, to Jennifer Baumgardner and the women at Bust, for having been corralled into this particular journalistic achievement. Much as I may disagree with them on certain points, they certainly deserve better.) (Linked Wednesday 2010-11-17.)

• this comic started life as one where t-rex was excited that he could change his name to “david lorean” because then he would be “d. lorean” like the car from back to the future. i guess… i guess i rewrote it pretty hard. Dinosaur Comics (2010-11-18). archive – contact – sexy exciting merchandise – adventure – search – about!!!@@e2;2020;90; previousNovember 18th, 2010nextNovember 18th, 2010: Friend Oliver has made some I got opinions shirts and today is the last day to get them! If you, like me, got opinions, then this is definitely the shirt for you!… (Linked Thursday 2010-11-18.)

RT @samablog: The real scandal is that a band that broke up over 40 years ago still enjoys the protection of copyright #Beatles #iTunes. Mark's Firehose (2010-11-17).

But without lifetime-plus copyright, how will Sir Paul McCartney ever manage to put food on the table? If he doesn’t get that extra $0.99/song tariff until decades after his death, how will artists ever be properly incentivized to make music?

(Forwarded thanks to Mark Pilgrim.)