Tag Archives: communications

Futel’s campaign to bring back the public telephone, and the possibility that an Ypsilanti phone may be coming soon

By Mark | June 14, 2017

Not too long ago, my friend Dug, knowing that I’d just purchased a former Michigan Bell Telephone building in Ypsilanti, put me in touch with a friend of his in Portland by the name of Karl Anderson. Karl, he told me, was looking for places to install “free payphones.” Well, late this last winter, Karl […]

Posted in 209 Pearl, Art and Culture, Uncategorized, Ypsilanti | Also tagged AT&T, C.H.V.N.K. 666, cyberpunk, diplomacy, Dug Song, Duo Security, Futel, gamer zines, homeless encampments, Karl Anderson, Landline Creative Labs, mail art, Michigan Bell Telephone, mutant bicycles, Party Line, payphone, phreaking, play-by-mail, Portland, pubic art, samizdat, social service, telecommunications, telephony, Ypsilanti Transit Station, zines | 24 Comments

I received a bead… now what?

By Mark | June 12, 2011

When I came downstairs this morning, I found a single brown bead on the kitchen table. I didn’t make anything of it at the time… but, now, as I sit here in my office, watching reruns of the Today Show, I’m not so sure. [And, yes, I typically spend my weekends catching up on the […]

Posted in Pop Culture, sex, Uncategorized | Also tagged 40 Beads, beadcatcher, beads, Camel Bucks, Carolyn Evans, marriage, nudge card, scams, sexless marriage, Skinny Bitch, stupid trends, the exploitation of the stupid, Today Show | 32 Comments

The Obama administration is seeking increased domestic spying powers

By Mark | September 27, 2010

Earlier this summer, we discussed a special report issued by the Washington Post on America’s rapidly expanding domestic surveillance infrastructure. I, and others, were shocked by the continued growth under the Obama administration. Among other things, it was noted that some 30,000 individuals are presently employed exclusively to listen in on our domestic conversations. Here, […]