I’ve launched a privacy newsletter that spies on the people who are spying on you: The Canary in the Data Mine. It’s about privacy, surveillance, and cybersecurity. The first installment considers, among other things, why Jeffrey Toobin was jerking off during a work meeting. Read it here. Subscribe here.
An excerpt:
“I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention The New Yorker scribe Jeffrey Toobin’s Zoom incident, in which the journalist was caught jerking his meat during a virtual work meeting. Generally, I follow the Bible on such matters—see John 8:7: ‘He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone’—but Toobin’s tubin’ merits a closer look.”
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Last weekend, my NYC-based photographer friend Nikola Tamindzic was part of an art show supporting NYC artists and featuring work they’d created during the pandemic. One of the prints he was selling was a photo he took of me, remotely, during the early days of the pandemic. What a delight to be included.
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For an upcoming series on HILOBROW, I’ll be writing about “The Oblongs.” I’ll post a link to the essay when it’s live on the site. In the meantime, here’s my last one.
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I’m reading “Taking Back Our Privacy” by Anna Wiener in The New Yorker.
An excerpt:
“Acton and Marlinspike wanted to demonstrate that it is possible to build mainstream technology that is not beholden to the incentives of venture capital, or to markets, despite the overwhelming cost of producing and maintaining software. Signal has always been remote. Its nonprofit status protects it from outside interests demanding rapid returns. Nonprofits cannot be acquired by for-profit companies, so there will be no repeat of what happened between Whisper Systems and Twitter, or between WhatsApp and Facebook. Acton told me, ‘The user is the customer, and we can actually put them first in terms of what their needs and their desires are, rather than a corporate bottom line or a profit motive or anything else. To me, it’s a powerful message to deliver.’”
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I had to drive across town this morning for an appointment, and on my way there, I drove past Trashy Lingerie, a Los Angeles institution when it comes to members-only lingerie stores. In any case, it was still dark when I drove by the first time, so I made a mental note to drive past it again on my return. By the time I returned, it was no longer dark out, and there was a woman out front. She was surrounded by several boxes and various mannequin parts. I got out of the car and took several photographs, including this one of the torso and head of a mannequin supine on a box. I’ve been taking photos of mannequins for over 20 years. They’re easier to photograph than humans. They don’t move when you go to shoot them.
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I voted. Joe and Kamala all the way. Here’s hoping for a blue wave in November.
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A recent shot of East Hollywood from my Instagram. Follow me here for more.
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I’m writing a book. It’s a memoir. It’s called Data Baby. It’ll be published by Hachette Books. Thanks to everyone who helped make this book happen.
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Check out the trailer for “Mank,” forthcoming from David Fincher by way of Netflix.
“1930s Hollywood is reevaluated through the eyes of scathing social critic and alcoholic screenwriter Herman J. Mankiewicz (Gary Oldman) as he races to finish the screenplay of Citizen Kane.”
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There’s an interesting article in the Los Angeles Times about Hollywood gobbling up the dramatic rights to books. All those unbusy producers have been spending their time reading, and optioning, apparently.
An excerpt:
“Like housebound folks across the country, studio executives, filmmakers and actors have had far more time to read books. That newfound availability, coupled with streaming services’ and media companies’ insatiable appetite for fresh material, has led to a substantial uptick in sales, according to agents and producers.”
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From left to right:
A woman at an adult convention in Rosemead, IL
Attendees at the AVN Awards in Las Vegas, NV
A porn star at an adult convention in Las Vegas, NV
(All photos by me.)
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The latest edition of my Valleywood newsletter is out. Read it here. Subscribe here.
An excerpt:
“What I’m reading: ‘A Fuller Picture of Artemisia Gentileschi.’ Gentileschi created her famous painting of Susannah and the Elders in 1610, when she was 17. ‘Perhaps this Susanna does not want the men to identify her or see her anguish; it’s equally likely that she does not want to lay eyes on her persecutors.’”
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What I’m reading: Charm. It’s a play by Philip Dawkins.
The story:
“When Mama Darleena Andrews—a 67-year-old, black, transgender woman—takes it upon herself to teach an etiquette class at Chicago’s LGBTQ community center, the idealistic teachings of Emily Post clash with the very real life challenges of identity, poverty, and prejudice faced by her students. Inspired by the true story of Miss Gloria Allen and her work at Chicago’s Center on Halsted, CHARM asks—how do we lift each other up when the world wants to tear us down?”
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