Remember how my previous employer denied my WFH request so that I could flee the state of Ohio to take care of my trans kid while still working for a company I loved?
I just heard they did it to someone else today.
When you insist people come in to an office a few days a week because you want a "hybrid culture" not a "remote culture" and then tell them to just fuck off when all they want to do is get their kid somewhere safe that makes you an absolutely shitty person.
I'm done hiding who it was.
The company is #OverDrive, based in Cleveland. They make ebook lending software for your local library called #Libby. They say they care about their LGBTQIA+ employees and families but that is clearly a lie.
Ohio lawmakers are turning my home state into absolute garbage and companies like this one are playing along.
[Edit, since this is doing numbers: The reason my request was denied a little over a year ago, despite me explaining in detail why, was because they "want a hybrid culture, not a remote culture." (a quote from a senior leader to my face)
In both 2020 and 2021 while the whole company was working remotely I won two annual employee excellence awards for my work on their Security team, while the company had record growth.
Meanwhile, one of my teammates moved out of state to be closer to family and continued to work remotely.]
I'm watching yet another iteration of Greek mythology where Zeus is a deadbeat dad who wants to do better and Hera is the vengeful word-I-don't-use, and it's just so sexist.
Does anyone know of any Greek myth retellings from Hera's point of view? I'd love to read a feminist take on all that.
"There once was a time when you could donate a book to the library to give others in your community access to it. There once was a time when libraries owned the works that they provide to the public, rather than finding themselves trapped by unethical technology and predatory licensing fees," said Greg Farough, campaigns manager at the FSF. Read more: https://u.fsf.org/41n#DefectiveByDesign#IDAD#DayAgainstDRM#Kanopy#EndDRM#OverDrive
Last Nov, publishing got excellent news: the planned merger of #PenguinRandomHouse (the largest publisher in the history of human civilization) with its immediate competitor #SimonAndSchuster would not be permitted, thanks to the #FTC's deftly argued case against the deal:
If you'd like an essay-formatted version of this thread to read or share, here's a link to it on pluralistic.net, my surveillance-free, ad-free, tracker-free blog:
And now KKR has come for Simon & Schuster. The buyout was trumpeted to the press as a done deal, but it's far from a fait accompli. Before the deal can close, the #FTC will have to bless it. That blessing is far from a foregone conclusion. KKR also owns #Overdrive, the monopoly supplier of e-lending software to libraries.
"... at the beginning of May, an important feature disappeared from all OverDrive web portals: the ability to recommend a book to your library’s buyers.
...
I went digging to find out what had happened.
...
This whole thing smelled like enshittification to me, so I kept digging, this time into OverDrive itself. Right away I saw that in June 2020, OverDrive was sold to global investment firm KKR."
@daviddlevine@pluralistic
"Never have #libraries in the United States been more threatened than they are right now. There are politicians across the country banning thousands of books and making it illegal for minors to access library materials.
But there’s another threat to libraries looming that I haven’t seen anyone else talking about: capitalist #enshittification."
Mississippi bans Hoopla and Overdrive for people under 18. Such a great way to sustain the distinguished educational history of Mississippi.
A ban like this will protect the poorer people of Mississippi (if there are any) from dangerous reading. But I fear that wealthier Mississippians under 18 might find a way around it.
This is a variation of our classic TrebleDrive, a vintage dual treble-booster, with Brian May and RangeMaster vibes. It offers two discrete circuit topologies & sound 'characters'. The two sides can be used as two separate pedals working independently but they can also be placed in series.
Each side is equipped with:
its own footswitch
a pair of separate Input/Output jacks
a Range and a Volume knob
Right side (MAY): A circuit built around the BC237 transistor. This side offers you a classic Brian May sound.
Left Side (APRIL) A circuit (with a little more gain compared to the MAY side) built around the BC108 transistor & having as starting point the classic RangeMaster.