2/14 - Crying in the club (complimentary)
Friday’s Newsletter: puppygirl hacker polycule, tea about Clairo’s merch, and punk is so back
Hey lovers, happy valentine’s day ❤️🔥
This luxurious send time is brought to you by a day off of work and the morning after a late night out. I went to Public Records last night with a gaggle of friends for the Kelly Lee Owens / George Daniel (of “I wanna dance with George” fame) / Oscar Farrell show.
Damn, it was good. Obviously, it was fun hearing George’s vibey set but the real star of the evening (IMO) was Kelly Lee Owens. Her music reminded me of the transcendent experience I had last year when I wandered into the Good Room and was, of all things, sober. The emotions found me in a space between 2 and 3 am: the thrumming base, lights, disco ball, and the fluid, rippling expression of the music through our bodies. I was ensnared by awe.
Last night, I glimpsed it again - humans moving like starlings in a murmuration, breathing in and out, flowing, crashing into each other, on the way to an unseen destination. Pausing to dance, like migratory birds at sunset.
It felt like a well-timed ego death and a sacred space of escapism.
I love getting existential in the club.
:)
Thought Starters
Catch these paws
*article*
Are you on the side of the internet where everyone’s talking about the puppygirl hacker polycule? Do you want to be?
A hacker group leaked 8,500+ files from Lexipol, a Texas-based company, responsible for creating most of the manuals for first responders. This matters because it means there is a private company with almost no oversight dictating how local precincts engage with the public. Read the quotes below for some examples of how their training materials are impacting communities.
Jokes aside - most of this article focuses on raising the red flags about this firm, not about the puppygirl hacker polycule. I bet this reporting received more engagement because the hackers chose such unique identifiers. From a marketing perspective, maybe others should follow suit.
As noted by the Texas Law Review, ‘although there are other private, nonprofit, and government entities that draft police policies, Lexipol is now a dominant force in police policymaking across the country.’”
“Founded by two former police officers-turned-lawyers in 2003, Lexipol has increased its customer base significantly over the years. The company has also caught the attention of civil liberties groups that have accused Lexipol of helping violent officers evade justice by crafting policies that provide broad discretion in use-of-force situations.”
“In 2017, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) sent a letter to Lexipol demanding that it ‘eliminate illegal and unclear directives that can lead to racial profiling and harassment of immigrants.’”
History through the lens of a graphic designer
*article*
I gobbled up this thoughtful piece on copyright, public domain, and creating in the age of unfettered corporate greed. There isn’t a straightforward directive, but Molly leads us through the history of copyright law, who it’s meant for vs who they tell you it’s meant for, how the age of a work doesn’t necessarily mean it’s fair game (she calls out Clairo’s merch 👀), and the ethics of collaborating with the past.
Here’s an invitation to get inspired and wander the digital halls of The Public Domain Review.
“If you ask most people what copyright is for, they’ll tell you it’s about protecting artists. But it wasn’t created to ensure artists got paid, it was only meant to incentivise creative work by granting a temporary monopoly to its creator.”
“Look to the Internet Archive, which was sued by Hachette Publishers for expanding its digital lending system during Covid, letting readers borrow digitised copies of books that libraries already owned. A study later showed the lending programme had no measurable impact on book sales, but Hachette pressed forward anyway; they cared about loss of control, not loss of revenue. Instead of safeguarding creators, copyright now favours whoever has the resources to outlast their opponent in a legal battle.”
“Unfortunately, the accessibility of public domain material is also its downfall. The ease of use means it often gets reduced to a stylistic shortcut rather than something engaged with in full, chosen for its current associations rather than its original meaning.”
“The same system that lets companies profit off the public domain and decades of creative theft also enables AI firms to scrape public domain material without credit, compensation, or regard for its original context. Meta, for example, illegally downloaded over 80 terabytes of books from LibGen, Anna’s Archive, and Z-Library to train its AI – an act of mass-scale data extraction that will go unpunished. Meanwhile, in 2010, activist and programmer Aaron Swartz downloaded just 70 gigabytes of academic articles from JSTOR to share with the public – less than 0.1% of Meta’s dataset – and faced wire fraud charges, 35 years in prison, and a million-dollar fine. He took his own life in 2013.”
Things to do
2000’s Thrift Market
When: February 15, 2 - 5 pm
Where: 258 Johnson Ave, BK
What: You can buy a $10 ticket to get in early but it’s free admission after 2 pm. Pay $25 to fill a bag of thrifted clothes and enjoy crafting and a free photo booth. I’m most jazzed about the trans thrift/clothing drive. NYC Youth for Trans Rights is offering free binders, bras, and clothes to trans people - they are also accepting donations 💕
Girls to the Front film series at the MoMA
When: March 13 - 27
Where: The MoMA!
What: The MoMA is hosting a two week DIY film extravaganza. This series is highlighting punk rock films from the 90’s and the female visionaries behind them. Each event features a Q&A and ties the movement to what we’re experiencing today. Mark your cals to purchase tickets to these screenings - they go on sale two weeks before the event date.
Products
Gentlewoman's Agreement Necklace in Duet
*jewelry*
Mixing metals is in right now and pieces like this that feature both silver and gold can weather the trend storm. This choker is secured by a magnet that holds the two hands together. I love that you don’t have to deal with a pesky clasp that keeps making its way to the front and I’ve never seen a design like this. Gorg.
What is it? Gentlewoman's Agreement Necklace in Duet
How much? $148