I’m heading to the east coast next week, first for a lecture series in NYC for Columbia University (including a conversation with Radiolab’s Jad Abumrad about Big Tech, monopolies and democratic technology); and from there I’m headed to Pennsylvania for a talk about my novel Walkaway at Swarthmore, on Sept 28 from 7-9PM at the Lang Performing Arts Center Room (LPAC) 101 Cinema. All the events are free, though some require tickets, so be sure to check in advance. Hope to see you there!
Here’s my reading (MP3) of Today, Europe Lost The Internet. Now, We Fight Back, written for EFF Deeplinks on the morning of the EU’s catastrophic decision to vote in the new Copyright Directive with all its worst clauses intact.
Angelenos! Bring your teens to the Pasadena Loves YA festival this Saturday; I’m chairing a panel on graphic novels with Mairghread Scott and Tillie Walden; other panels and events go on all day, from 11-4PM, at the Central Branch of Pasadena Public Library, 285 E Walnut St, Pasadena CA 91101. Admission is free!
My latest Locus Magazine column is Big Tech: We Can Do Better Than Constitutional Monarchies, and it’s a warning that the techlash is turning into a devil’s bargain, where we make Big Tech pay for a few cosmetic changes that do little to improve bullying, harassment, and disinformation campaigns, and because only Big Tech can afford these useless fripperies, they no longer have to fear being displaced by new challengers with better ways of doing things.
Columbia University’s Brown Institute is hosting me for a trio of lectures later this month in New York City: I kick off with a conversation with the Brown’s Dennis Tenen about science fiction, copyright, and the arts on Sept 25, then a lecture on copyright and surveillance on Sept 26, and wrap up with an onstage conversation with Radiolab’s Jad Abumrad about Big Tech, monopolies, and democratic technology on Sept 27. (I’m also dropping by Swarthmore for a lecture on Sept 28, details to follow).
At this year’s World Science Fiction, Tina Nazerian from EdSurge interviewed me (MP3) for a podcast about the future of educational technology, open access, surveillance in schools, and educational freedom.
While at the World Science Fiction Convention, I sat down with Matt Ward from the FringeFM podcast for an interview (MP3) about the future of the internet, and how Shoshanna Zuboff’s notion of surveillance capitalism connects up with mass inequality, the GDPR, the upcoming EU copyright rules, and the future of writing and science fiction.
Talking with the B&N Podcast at San Diego Comic-Con is becoming an annual tradition for me; this year’s interview (MP3) with Joel Cunningham was a fun tour through my adult backlist, starting with my debut novel Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom and working our way through all six books, which Tor just reissued with amazing, matching covers.
Hey you! I’m driving to the Playa this Thursday, and there’s a small but significant chance that you’ll be there too! If you’re around, come and say hi!
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Grant Burningham interviewed me for his Bots and Ballots podcast (MP3), covering a bunch of extremely timely tech-politics issues: Facebook and the impact of commercial surveillance on democratic elections; Alex Jones, censorship and market concentration; and monopolism and the future of the internet.
