Reading List

The most recent articles from a list of feeds I subscribe to.

Kristi Noem Doesn’t Know What ‘Habeas Corpus’ Is

Taegan Goddard:

When Sen. Maggie Hassan (D-NH) asked Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem for the definition of “habeas corpus,” Noem incorrectly described it as a right that the President of the United States has to deport people.

You can go the Latin route (“produce the body”) or the English common-law route (the accused have a right to be shown the evidence against them and defend themselves in court). Noem went the “biggest clown of the clown-car Trump 2.0 administration” route.

[Sponsor] Drata

Automate compliance. Streamline security. Manage risk. Drata delivers the world’s most advanced Trust Management platform.

The First Rule of Legal Fight Club Is ‘Don’t Piss Off the Judge’; the Second Rule of Legal Fight Club Is ‘Don’t Piss Off the Judge’

Juli Clover, MacRumors:

With Apple blocking Fortnite from returning to the U.S. App Store, Epic Games told the court that Apple was violating the injunction and asked that Apple be forced to approve the app. The judge overseeing the case responded to Epic’s request today, and she is sounding more and more fed up with Apple’s continued defiance and Epic’s grousing.

“More and more fed up” is perhaps euphemistic, given Gonzalez Rogers’s tone today.

John Siracusa: ‘Apple Turnover’

John Siracusa, in a piece that, in a bit of rhetorical deftness, only mentions Tim Cook by name once:

What should be motivating Apple to make improvements — the desire to make great products — seems absent. What should not be motivating Apple — the desire for power, control, and profits — seems omnipresent.

And I don’t mean that in a small way; I mean that in a big way. Every new thing we learn about Apple’s internal deliberations surrounding these decisions only lends more weight to the conclusion that Apple has lost its north star. Or, rather, it has replaced it with a new, dark star. And time and again, we’ve learned that these decisions go all the way to the top.

The best leaders can change their minds in response to new information. The best leaders can be persuaded. But we’ve had decades of strife, lawsuits, and regulations, and Apple has stubbornly dug in its heels even further at every turn. It seems clear that there’s only one way to get a different result.

Covers a lot in a relatively short essay. I do not agree with Siracusa on his conclusion, but I’ve sat on linking to it, because — along with a few other recents posts and goings-on — it’s given me much to think about, and has helped me clarify my own thoughts, which I need to put in a piece of their own. But if you haven’t read Siracusa’s yet, you should.

Chad the Bird on ‘Star Wars’ Typography

The reader who sent me this video said, “I’ve never seen a more Star Wars + Gruber combo on Instagram” and — right down to the profanity — I have to agree.