Zac Audette
@zacaudette.com
identity and commerce programmer @bethesda.net (views are my own and do not reflect my employer)
photographer at https://zacaudette.com/
for new classical music performed by women checkout https://newdownbeat.com
photographer at https://zacaudette.com/
for new classical music performed by women checkout https://newdownbeat.com
Reposted by Zac Audette
Read This When Things Fall Apart: Letters to Activists in Crisis is still on the Bookshop Bestseller List! ❤️
Read This When Things Fall Apart: Letters to Activists in Crisis
Letters to Activists in Crisis
bookshop.org
December 8, 2025 at 8:32 PM
Read This When Things Fall Apart: Letters to Activists in Crisis is still on the Bookshop Bestseller List! ❤️
Reposted by Zac Audette
Especially now that so many states are no longer investing in education or are, like Ohio, coercing their public universities into far right indoctrination mills.
As parents are helping their kids consider colleges, this is my perennial reminder that state schools often have lower price tags, yes, but private schools, including many small liberal arts schools, often have better aid packages, and are thus often cheaper in the end (but may be more competitive).
December 9, 2025 at 11:01 PM
Especially now that so many states are no longer investing in education or are, like Ohio, coercing their public universities into far right indoctrination mills.
Reposted by Zac Audette
The end of the year is always my favorite time as a games writer, and I always try to get an interview for one game that really hit me. So here's a big interview with Kazutaka Kodaka and Kotaro Uchikoshi, on creating the wild experiment of The Hundred Line www.inverse.com/gaming/the-h...
'The Hundred Line' Creators Say Risking Bankruptcy For A Game With 100 Endings Was 'Worth It'
The creators behind 2025's most revolutionary game talk about how their "magnum opus" brought them back from the brink of bankruptcy,
www.inverse.com
December 9, 2025 at 7:48 PM
The end of the year is always my favorite time as a games writer, and I always try to get an interview for one game that really hit me. So here's a big interview with Kazutaka Kodaka and Kotaro Uchikoshi, on creating the wild experiment of The Hundred Line www.inverse.com/gaming/the-h...
Reposted by Zac Audette
Soheila Noori’s life is defined by the immigration process. With the Trump administration’s halt on asylum, she and her community are currently overwhelmed by unknowns.
New from Ellin Youse.
matternews.org/community/co...
New from Ellin Youse.
matternews.org/community/co...
Columbus’ Afghan community is holding its breath – Matter News
Soheila Noori’s life is defined by the immigration process. With the Trump administration’s halt on asylum, she and her community are currently overwhelmed by unknowns.
matternews.org
December 9, 2025 at 4:47 PM
Soheila Noori’s life is defined by the immigration process. With the Trump administration’s halt on asylum, she and her community are currently overwhelmed by unknowns.
New from Ellin Youse.
matternews.org/community/co...
New from Ellin Youse.
matternews.org/community/co...
Reposted by Zac Audette
Today is the 4 year anniversary of our first union victory! Since then, we've won over 650 union elections.
It's been 4 years without a contract, and 4 years of union busting. That's why we're on day 26 of our national ULP strike - and we won't back down.
www.cnn.com/2025/12/09/b...
It's been 4 years without a contract, and 4 years of union busting. That's why we're on day 26 of our national ULP strike - and we won't back down.
www.cnn.com/2025/12/09/b...
Starbucks workers are still without a labor deal four years after their first union win. Here’s why | CNN Business
The Starbucks union organizing campaign has been one of the biggest successes in the American labor movement over the past few years. But despite momentum, there is still no first labor contract, a ke...
www.cnn.com
December 9, 2025 at 2:15 PM
Today is the 4 year anniversary of our first union victory! Since then, we've won over 650 union elections.
It's been 4 years without a contract, and 4 years of union busting. That's why we're on day 26 of our national ULP strike - and we won't back down.
www.cnn.com/2025/12/09/b...
It's been 4 years without a contract, and 4 years of union busting. That's why we're on day 26 of our national ULP strike - and we won't back down.
www.cnn.com/2025/12/09/b...
Reposted by Zac Audette
The plan, as I see it, is a cadre of highly skilled professional workers who can be called up and then let go according to the short term needs of land & capital speculation. For example, most professors being on 3 year contracts so their classes can be retooled for student-consumer interests.
December 9, 2025 at 3:44 PM
The plan, as I see it, is a cadre of highly skilled professional workers who can be called up and then let go according to the short term needs of land & capital speculation. For example, most professors being on 3 year contracts so their classes can be retooled for student-consumer interests.
Reposted by Zac Audette
404 Media is making a print zine! About the surveillance technologies used by ICE. 16 pages, riso printed. Shipping early January. Features reworked versions of our best reporting and a few new things. We're very excited! And hope to do more if people like it:
www.404media.co/404-media-is...
www.404media.co/404-media-is...
404 Media Is Making a Zine
We are publishing a risograph-printed zine about the surveillance technologies used by ICE.
www.404media.co
December 8, 2025 at 3:42 PM
404 Media is making a print zine! About the surveillance technologies used by ICE. 16 pages, riso printed. Shipping early January. Features reworked versions of our best reporting and a few new things. We're very excited! And hope to do more if people like it:
www.404media.co/404-media-is...
www.404media.co/404-media-is...
Reposted by Zac Audette
New from 404 Media: the creator of ICEBlock just sued the U.S. government over it pressuring Apple to remove the app earlier this year. Says it violated his First Amendment rights. www.404media.co/iceblock-cre...
ICEBlock Creator Sues U.S. Government Over App’s Removal
The Department of Justice demanded Apple remove ICEBlock, which reports sightings of ICE officials, from its App Store. Now the creator is suing, saying the demand violated his First Amendment rights.
www.404media.co
December 8, 2025 at 3:14 PM
New from 404 Media: the creator of ICEBlock just sued the U.S. government over it pressuring Apple to remove the app earlier this year. Says it violated his First Amendment rights. www.404media.co/iceblock-cre...
Reposted by Zac Audette
I wrote this with so much love. Through his biography, his own words & the music of those who remember him, I invite us once again to think critically about what decolonisation means through the life of a man who lived and died for it. Long live Amílcar Cabral.
folukeafrica.com/amilcar-cabr...
folukeafrica.com/amilcar-cabr...
Amílcar Cabral: To Be Mountains, To Return to the Source of Power
Assassinated 20 January 1973. Yet still today we cry “Viva Cabral! Viva!”
folukeafrica.com
December 8, 2025 at 12:03 PM
I wrote this with so much love. Through his biography, his own words & the music of those who remember him, I invite us once again to think critically about what decolonisation means through the life of a man who lived and died for it. Long live Amílcar Cabral.
folukeafrica.com/amilcar-cabr...
folukeafrica.com/amilcar-cabr...
Reposted by Zac Audette
for anyone interested, @hammerandhope.bsky.social ran an article on exactly this: "An organized urban wing of the railroad called vigilance committees focused on protecting, supporting, and learning from fugitives. That education went in both directions..."
hammerandhope.org/article/unde...
hammerandhope.org/article/unde...
The Black People Who Fled Slavery Had a Lot to Teach Their Northern Allies
Black-led vigilance committees not only protected and aided fugitives but also learned from the formerly enslaved as they built a movement pedagogy together.
hammerandhope.org
December 7, 2025 at 2:19 AM
for anyone interested, @hammerandhope.bsky.social ran an article on exactly this: "An organized urban wing of the railroad called vigilance committees focused on protecting, supporting, and learning from fugitives. That education went in both directions..."
hammerandhope.org/article/unde...
hammerandhope.org/article/unde...
Reposted by Zac Audette
I will be continuing to uplift and celebrate Black creativity, Black study, and Black people across the world. You are welcome.
December 6, 2025 at 9:18 PM
I will be continuing to uplift and celebrate Black creativity, Black study, and Black people across the world. You are welcome.
Reposted by Zac Audette
Tomorrow is National Miners Day, which probably isn’t a big deal in your family, but it is in mine and I’m working tomorrow so we’re doing this tonight
The Labor Department barely acknowledges WHY December 6 is set aside, so I’m going to turn the mic over to my mom for a minute
The Labor Department barely acknowledges WHY December 6 is set aside, so I’m going to turn the mic over to my mom for a minute
December 6, 2025 at 12:05 AM
Tomorrow is National Miners Day, which probably isn’t a big deal in your family, but it is in mine and I’m working tomorrow so we’re doing this tonight
The Labor Department barely acknowledges WHY December 6 is set aside, so I’m going to turn the mic over to my mom for a minute
The Labor Department barely acknowledges WHY December 6 is set aside, so I’m going to turn the mic over to my mom for a minute
Reposted by Zac Audette
If you pop in here to say “I’ll still get my kid vaxed” & smugly think that’s doing enough, well, congrats on not understanding herd immunity, public health, or any of the lessons of the past half decade.
Congrats too for falling for the false, neoliberal idea of “individualistic” public health.
Congrats too for falling for the false, neoliberal idea of “individualistic” public health.
December 5, 2025 at 4:57 PM
If you pop in here to say “I’ll still get my kid vaxed” & smugly think that’s doing enough, well, congrats on not understanding herd immunity, public health, or any of the lessons of the past half decade.
Congrats too for falling for the false, neoliberal idea of “individualistic” public health.
Congrats too for falling for the false, neoliberal idea of “individualistic” public health.
Reposted by Zac Audette
Animation Guild President Danny Lin shares a statement on the proposed acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery by Netflix . The proposed merger raises undeniable concerns about job security and the future of our industry. Read complete statement.
December 5, 2025 at 11:05 PM
Animation Guild President Danny Lin shares a statement on the proposed acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery by Netflix . The proposed merger raises undeniable concerns about job security and the future of our industry. Read complete statement.
Reposted by Zac Audette
The following is a statement from the WGA on the Acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery by Netflix.
December 5, 2025 at 6:27 PM
The following is a statement from the WGA on the Acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery by Netflix.
Reposted by Zac Audette
I'm not going to re-write a whole piece I already wrote 8 years ago, so here
www.vice.com/en/article/s...
www.vice.com/en/article/s...
Stories in Games Aren't Problems, They're Solutions
Lots of video games have terrible stories, but that's no reason to give up telling them.
www.vice.com
December 5, 2025 at 6:48 PM
I'm not going to re-write a whole piece I already wrote 8 years ago, so here
www.vice.com/en/article/s...
www.vice.com/en/article/s...
Reposted by Zac Audette
I hear this a lot when people ask me questions about what our union is doing for us or if "the union" can step in and solve an issue they've heard of. Our union isn't doing anything FOR us, we ARE the union and we are doing this together!
December 5, 2025 at 3:44 PM
I hear this a lot when people ask me questions about what our union is doing for us or if "the union" can step in and solve an issue they've heard of. Our union isn't doing anything FOR us, we ARE the union and we are doing this together!
Reposted by Zac Audette
Reposted by Zac Audette
The family of a Colombian man believed to be killed by a strike on a boat in September has filed a human rights complaint against the United States, saying that the attack was “murder” and that he was denied the right to due process.
Family of Colombian Man Killed in Boat Strike Files Complaint Against US
This is the first known filing of its kind, and comes amid increasing scrutiny over the military’s boat strike campaign.
truthout.org
December 3, 2025 at 9:45 PM
The family of a Colombian man believed to be killed by a strike on a boat in September has filed a human rights complaint against the United States, saying that the attack was “murder” and that he was denied the right to due process.
Reposted by Zac Audette
"The games industry in particular is at the intersection of entertainment and tech...there are a lot of connections between the games industry and the genocide that Israel is committing against the Palestinian people."
kotaku.com/no-games-for...
kotaku.com/no-games-for...
No Games For Genocide Wants You To Boycott Xbox
A collective of video game workers, journalists, and union organizers recently announced a pledge to boycott Xbox for Palestine
kotaku.com
December 3, 2025 at 6:55 PM
"The games industry in particular is at the intersection of entertainment and tech...there are a lot of connections between the games industry and the genocide that Israel is committing against the Palestinian people."
kotaku.com/no-games-for...
kotaku.com/no-games-for...
Reposted by Zac Audette
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson has proposed disastrous cuts to our city's libraries while setting aside $5M for a ShotSpotter replacement. As library associate Sara Heymann told me, “Libraries embody everything we need to fight back against fascism.” My piece on what’s at stake and how to fight back:
You Can’t Fight Fascism While Defunding Libraries
“Libraries embody everything that we need right now to fight back against fascism," says Sara Heymann.
organizingmythoughts.org
December 3, 2025 at 6:25 PM
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson has proposed disastrous cuts to our city's libraries while setting aside $5M for a ShotSpotter replacement. As library associate Sara Heymann told me, “Libraries embody everything we need to fight back against fascism.” My piece on what’s at stake and how to fight back:
Reposted by Zac Audette
In my final newsletter of the year, I discuss one of my all-time favorite topics—community archiving by marginalized groups. I recommend a two-episode podcast exploration of a Japanese psychiatric treatment model, several good recent articles, and much more… open.substack.com/pub/prisoncu...
Prisons, Prose & Protest - #33
Rants, Musings and More
open.substack.com
December 3, 2025 at 2:22 PM
In my final newsletter of the year, I discuss one of my all-time favorite topics—community archiving by marginalized groups. I recommend a two-episode podcast exploration of a Japanese psychiatric treatment model, several good recent articles, and much more… open.substack.com/pub/prisoncu...
Reposted by Zac Audette
I appreciate the reporting AND I want everyone to stop using criminal records as a stand in for whether people should or should not be harassed and deported.
Nearly 1,900 immigrants were detained during the first half of Operation Midway Blitz. Most had no criminal record, newly released federal data shows. @joemahr.bsky.social and @lauranrodriguez.bsky.social report
www.chicagotribune.com/2025/12/01/o...
www.chicagotribune.com/2025/12/01/o...
Nearly 1,900 immigrants were detained during the first half of Operation Midway Blitz. Most had no criminal record.
Newly released federal data shows that immigration agents booked in roughly 1,900 immigrants in the first half of Operation Midway Blitz – two-thirds of whom had no known criminal convictions or pe…
www.chicagotribune.com
December 2, 2025 at 5:53 PM
I appreciate the reporting AND I want everyone to stop using criminal records as a stand in for whether people should or should not be harassed and deported.
Reposted by Zac Audette
Nayra Guzmán was 15 days post C-section — going to see her baby in the NICU — when she was taken to Broadview and held in custody for about 34 hours.
She slept on a bench and barely got food. She couldn't pump.
Her story is a rare window into the growing detention of pregnant & postpartum people.
She slept on a bench and barely got food. She couldn't pump.
Her story is a rare window into the growing detention of pregnant & postpartum people.
Her baby was in the NICU. She was in ICE detention.
Before Trump took office, postpartum immigrants were rarely detained by ICE. Nayra Guzmán was detained while her 15-day-old baby was in the NICU.
19thnews.org
December 2, 2025 at 1:50 PM
Nayra Guzmán was 15 days post C-section — going to see her baby in the NICU — when she was taken to Broadview and held in custody for about 34 hours.
She slept on a bench and barely got food. She couldn't pump.
Her story is a rare window into the growing detention of pregnant & postpartum people.
She slept on a bench and barely got food. She couldn't pump.
Her story is a rare window into the growing detention of pregnant & postpartum people.
Reposted by Zac Audette
NEW: DOGE isn’t dead, despite recent reports.
Operatives are still rolling out coding tests, leading software pilots, and more.
w/ @telliotter.bsky.social
www.wired.com/story/what-i...
Operatives are still rolling out coding tests, leading software pilots, and more.
w/ @telliotter.bsky.social
www.wired.com/story/what-i...
DOGE Isn’t Dead. Here’s What Its Operatives Are Doing Now
Contrary to popular reports, DOGE has “burrowed into the agencies like ticks,” government sources tell WIRED.
www.wired.com
December 2, 2025 at 2:01 PM
NEW: DOGE isn’t dead, despite recent reports.
Operatives are still rolling out coding tests, leading software pilots, and more.
w/ @telliotter.bsky.social
www.wired.com/story/what-i...
Operatives are still rolling out coding tests, leading software pilots, and more.
w/ @telliotter.bsky.social
www.wired.com/story/what-i...