What we read this week (30 August)

The Weekly Reads are back with a few longer reads around the surveillance scandal, Chelsea Manning and Marissa Mayer.

Quotes of the week

Surveillance and spying are signs of suspicion, all of which are symptomatic of fear.

–Boris Anthony

Articles of the week

  • Necessary and Proportionate
    Eleanor Saitta has been a joy to follow in this time of weekly milestones in how deep the surveillance scandal goes. In this essay, Saitta digs into the root problem of states, being basically unable to go without intelligence work. Also, check out her rant from the OHM conference.
  • NSA-Proof Your Email! Consider your Man Card Re-Issued. Never be Afraid Again.
    Just putting this here to make sure that really everybody has read it. Tim Maley delivered on of the most interesting texts about the surveillance scandal.
  • Bradley Manning and the Two Americas
    Another big one from the last weeks. Quinn Norton gives a detailed history of the Chelsea Manning case and America’s way of dealing with her.
  • Ring of Steel
    It’s not really a big surprise that our first link to a paywalled article would be one by James Bridle. His essay on license plate recocgnition in the UK is a must read if you’ve ever wondered about the consequences of surveillance. If you don’t want to give Matter the well deserved 99 cents right away, check out this excerpt. And in case you haven’t seen it yet, check out his latest talk from the Media Evolution Conference.
  • The Truth About Marissa Mayer: An Unauthorized Biography
    This bio on Mayer by Business Insider’s chief-correspondent Nicolas Carlson is the perfect read for the weekend. Lots of insights into the career of Mayer and her first year at Yahoo. Did we mention that it’s loooong?

Author: Johannes

Johannes is a strategist and consultant for digital communications. His work is informed by his experience of working with brands like Deutsche Telekom, MTV, Postbank, Maggi and Nike and by his insatiable appetite for finding the bigger patterns behind current developments in technology and science. Holding a diploma in Media System Design, Johannes is a regular speaker at web and marketing conferences like Republica and the Social Media Summit.