Blogging History: Aaronsw's Secret Service files; SF writers' nests; Olympics panopticon

Cory Doctorow 6:00 pm Wed Aug 13, 2014

One year

First 100 pages of Aaron Swartz's Secret Service files: After a long wrangle, and no thanks to MIT, the Secret Service has begun to honor the court order that requires it to release Aaron Swartz's files.

Five years

Photos of science fiction writers' nests: Subculture photographer Kyle Cassidy has a great new project: "Where I Write: Fantasy and Science Fiction Writers in Their Creative Spaces."

Ten years
Big Brother goes to the Olympics: US$312 million surveillance system installed for the 2004 Olympics in Athens.

Blogging History: Painting characters on coin-heads; UK wants brawl-proof pint glasses; EFF kicks Diebold's ass

One year Coins painted as fictional characters: Andre Levy, a designer in Frankfurt, likes to paint coins. Five years Britain seeks ban on glass pint-glasses to prevent bar-brawl injuries: The… READ THE REST
Blogging History: Soviet plane-spotting head-gear; Ralph Lauren visits Uncanny Valley; Internet bubble's blessings

One year Soviet plane-spotting head-gear: Drakegoodman scanned this 1917-ish photo of Soviet planespotters in exotic headgear; according to a commenter, the binox are focused at infinity "so that when you… READ THE REST
Blogging History: Non-gender kids' clothes retail; London cops apologize for geek-mugging; Lucas ships Xbox malware

One year Better way to organize kids' clothing departments: Ever since our daughter's birth, my wife Alice and I have found ourselves shopping the "boys" section of the department stores… READ THE REST
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TL;DR: Save over $350 on a refurbished Apple iPad Pro 10.5" 256GB, plus a free accessories bundle, with this sweet deal on sale for just $315.99 right now. Tech fans, it's time… READ THE REST
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TL;DR: The perfect last-minute holiday gift for an aspiring rocker, the 2024 Guitar Lessons Training Bundle is only $15.97 (Reg. $480) until 11:59 PM on 12/25. It's really never too late to make… READ THE REST