Today’s links Prison-tech is a brutal scam – and a harbinger of your future: My next novel predicts the present. Hey look at this: Delights to delectate. This day in history: 2004, 2009, 2013, 2019, 2023 Colophon: Recent publications, upcoming/recent appearances, current writing projects, current reading Prison-tech is a brutal scam – and a harbinger of your future (permalink) Here’s how the shitty technology adoption curve works: when you want to roll out a new, abusive technology, look for a group of vulnerable people whose complaints are roundly ignored and subject them to your bad idea. Sand the rough edges off on their bodies and lives. Normalize the technological abuse you seek to inflict. Next: work your way up the privilege gradient. Maybe you start with prisoners, then work your way up to asylum seekers, parolees and mental patients. Then try it on kids and gig workers. Now, college students and blue collar workers. Climb that curve, bit by bit, until you’ve reached its apex and everyone is living with your shitty technology: https://pluralistic.net/2021/02/24/gwb-rumsfeld-monsters/#bossware Prisoners, asylum seekers, drug addicts and other marginalized people are the involuntary early adopters of every form of disciplinary technology. They are the leading indicators of the ways that technology will be ruining your life in the future. They are the harbingers of all our technological doom. Which brings me to Minnesota. Minnesota is one of the first states make prison phone-calls free. This is a big deal, because prison phone-calls are a big business. Prisoners…Pluralistic: Prison-tech is a brutal scam – and a harbinger of your future (14 Feb 2024)