There is something especially annoying about timing the release of a shoddy study111 to convince people not to try ecigarettes as their New Years Resolution.

Who needs to make arguments when you can just correlate the opposing position with racism. I mean, you don’t want to side with racists, do you? Do you?! I mean that just settles it.

Cory Doctorow presents a list of works that copyright term extensions prevented from entering the public domain this year, while Eric Compton looks at at the effect of availability on Amazon of works before and after the copyright cutoff.

This… actually seems reasonable from a legal perspective, but also indicative of not being able to have nice things.

Melanie Trottman looks at whether or not boosting the minimum wage decreases reliance on government assistance.

I can always get behind labor victories that involve companies not paying their employees for the time they demand.

Oil export ban lifted! Let the shipping begin!

In looking at the “reality distortion field” in Elizabeth Holmes and her troubled tech startup Thanatos, Uncle Steve looks at prolific board members and what information we can derive from it.

I can sort of understand what this guy is getting at, but I think the point would be better made on a more attractive website, and perhaps he could draw some revenue with some ads. {via Vikram}

Priceonomics asks if checked baggage fees are too low. Gary Leff says no.

British gun museums may have to disable their guns because EU and because terrorism.

This sounds weird and intriguing. A Ukraining pokes in the ashes of Chernobyl to try to confirm an age-old conspiracy theory.

Wasn’t there an Eddie Murphy movie about this?

Erica Grieder explains how Texas Republicans could help deprive Donald Trump (if he wins the nomination) the presidency.

The Obama Administration inadvertently called Puerto Rico a colony, and Puerto Ricans are not pleased. I am, broadly speaking, fine with Puerto Rico’s territory status, and they seem to be, too, but it does represent certain complications.