Gizmodo: orwell

Australia Helps Get 1984 Back On Your Kindle

Jack Loftus — Sun, 19 Jul 2009 11:00:00 EDT

Were you screwed over by Amazon this week when they remotely deleted George Orwell's 1984 from your Kindle? Yes? Good news! A simple trip to Australia is all you need to stick it back to the man:

Courtesy of MAKE, we have this interesting "hack" that provides step-by-step instructions for getting 1984 back on your Kindle—timid publishers frightened of New Media be damned.

It's not too complicated a process, other than that expensive plane ticket of course, but there are a few instructions and tools you'll need, so head over to MAKE when you're ready.

If you're already in Australia and care to embark on this completely free-of-charge literary journey, send us some interesting shots of you giving Big Brother the picture while reading 1984, won't you? [MAKE]

George Orwell Becomes a Blogger: Diaries Published "Real Time," 70 Years Late

Kit Eaton — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 10:30:00 EDT

To mark the 70th anniversary of the diaries of George Orwell they're being published online "live" as a blog, 70 years to the day he wrote them. The project started August 9th, and so far the entries are about strangely bland stuff: the weather and the antics of catching some snakes at his home. More what you'd expect from Eric Arthur Blair (his real name) rather than deep insights into the mind that created Big Brother. This is his domestic diary, though... the political one (which starts September 7th) will make for very interesting reading. I wonder what Orwell would've thought of this idea, and indeed the slightly Orwellian society we seem to be living in.

Since Orwell spent some time as both journalist and teacher, I suspect he may have found the idea of blogging his journals intriguing, on an educational level. As for what he'd have thought of our society, it's impossible to tell, though perhaps the proliferation of surveillance cameras (making "Big Brother is watching you" seem ever truer) would've struck a chord or two with the man.

I have a sneaky feeling he'd have disapproved of the Giz, though. Consider this guideline for good writing, one of six from his book Politics and the English Language: "Never use a foreign phrase, a scientific word, or a jargon word if you can think of an everyday English equivalent." [Orwell Diaries via Laughing Squid]

House Denies Warrantless Wiretapping Immunity For Telcos

Eric Sheline — Sat, 15 Mar 2008 13:55:46 EDT

In a textbook display of checks and balances, the House of Representatives defied President Bush and the Senate yesterday by passing their version of a surveillance bill without legal immunity for telcos. The bill passed by only 16 votes, far from the 2/3 majority needed to override Bush's inevitable veto. It looks like this legislative battle could continue until the next president takes office in 2009. As we have seen, an Obama administration would deny immunity, McCain would grant immunity, and Clinton? Who knows. [dslreports]

Airport Tunnel of Truth Peers Into Your Soul (But Not Your Sneakers)

matt buchanan — Fri, 22 Feb 2008 16:50:59 EST

Waiting in line at the airport sucks. Especially with people who act all surprised when they get to the scanners and suddenly bust babies, knives, lighters and giant sports bottles of water out of their pocket. Well, Transportation Security Laboratory Director Susan Hallowell wants to combine the harrowing misery of an airport line with the electronic patdown into a single gropefest creepily called "The Tunnel of Truth."

Basically, you'd stand on a conveyer belt moving through a massive glass tube that scans you (with the nudie backscatter scanner, among other probing technologies, like a Predator-style thermal sensor) as you're shuffled through, the same as your carry-on luggage. If you step out without being ~~obliterated by lasers~~ tackled by TSA agents, you're clean.

Apparently shoes still outwit this tunnel of government love, so you'd still have bare your tootsies for foot-fetishist security agents. Me? I think I'll take the freedom of open air and clueless passenger clusterfucks. [National Defense Mag via Danger Room]

Snuggly the Security Bear Explains: Warrantless Wiretapping Is All About Love and Freedom

matt buchanan — Thu, 14 Feb 2008 23:25:05 EST

If you're still confused about the whole warrantless domestic spying program that the telecoms colluded with the government on (which is being conveniently shuffled away from official scrutiny, forever), Snuggly the Security Bear by Mark Fiore sums it all up in the absolute cuddliest way possible. [Mark Fiore via BoingBoing]

Last Chance to Save Our Privacy Rights from Warrantless Domestic Spying

matt buchanan — Thu, 14 Feb 2008 08:14:36 EST

While the Senate passed the bill giving telecoms like AT&T and Verizon a free pass on their collusion with government to warrentlessly wiretap American citizens, there's one last hope we might one day find out the scope and depth of the program. The House's version of the bill does not include a telecom immunity provision, meaning they have to square it up w/ the Senate before sending it off for Bush's rubber stamp, and a bunch of Reps are taking a stand. The Electronic Frontier Foundation has forms and contact info set up for people to sound off to their respective Reps to support the House's version and our privacy rights. [EFF, Image via Digital Blasphemy]

Senate Gives Telcos Free Pass On Warrantless Domestic Spying Program

matt buchanan — Tue, 12 Feb 2008 18:30:07 EST

Joel at BBG writes in five precise words what it means that the Senate has just granted retroactive immunity to telcos (AT&T, Verizon and others) for participating in the government's warrantless wiretapping program that spied on American citizens: "We Lost. The Telcos Won."

Worse, they even knocked down two proposed amendments that would have at least paid lip service to holding them responsible for their actions. Now we'll never know just how it deep went, how thoroughly they violated any number of things that just shouldn't be fucked with—rights, laws, etc. [NYT]

P.S. How'd our potential prezzes vote? Unsurprisingly, Obama voted against immunity, Hillary didn't vote (too busy crying) and McCain doesn't like anything with wires, so he okayed the spying.