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MMX-MMXX — Spaceflight lived, software ownership died, and net neutrality lived and died. Nathan Mattise – Jan 1, 2020 12: 00 pm UTC Look, we can’t do this without at least mentioning the 2013 Qualcomm CES Keynote, perhaps remembered best as “Born Mobile.” It had everything: over-enthusiastic millennials, Guillermo del Toro, Maroon 5, NASCAR, surprise Steve Ballmer, and Big Bird in a tie. Watch it sometime. It’s been quite a decade. Tech surfed into the 2010s upon a huge wave of optimism and connection (Facebook!) but eventually wiped out on the shoals of cynicism and tribalism (Facebook!). Along the way, we cavorted with porn trolls, wept over the corpse of net neutrality, and stared into the unblinking eye of the digital surveillance state. Here are the trends and tales that defined the last ten years of tech in the eyes of Ars. Treasure them in your hearts, for one day you might be called upon to retell the Legend of Prenda Law or to let your grandchildren know what it was like to believe in social media as a force for good. And lo, verily, they shall gaze upon you with wide eyes and ask, “No foolin’?” And you can nod sagely and stare off into the far distance and say: “No foolin’, kids. I lived it.” Who is Dread Pirate Roberts, again? Aurich Lawson Remember Charles Carreon? Charles Carreon / Aurich Lawson John Steele, of Prenda Law fame. Aurich Lawson Newegg’s former Chief Legal Officer Lee Cheng. Those crazy court cases It’s hard to look back at any decade in science and technology without a few cameos from the legal system. The 2010s, of course, were no different: Apple v. Samsung just ended a long battle over smartphone feature patents that impacted the marketplace (and company pocketbooks). And Oracle v. Google is about to spill into the 2020s and potentially reverse a disastrous decision regarding software APIs. But they weren’t the most fascinating cases. That honor goes to these four, which turned courtroom filings into high drama: US v Ulbricht: Perhaps the court case most likely to inspire a dramatic series or a true crime podcast, Ross Ulbricht was convinced to a life sentence for his role in creating and maintaining the Silk Road online drug marketplace. The saga had dirty cops, copious amounts of drugs and cash, an alleged murder-for-hire attempt, and a dramatic library arrest—with Ulbricht’s laptop open and accessible. US v. Hansmeier: For any longtime reader of Ars, the name “Prenda Law” is immediately recognizable. The Prenda firm specialized in a new form of porn trolling—they produced porn, then uploaded it to file-sharing sites, then sued the downloaders. Once they unmasked a downloader, Prenda would offer to settle the case outside for less than a lawyer would cost. Masterminds—and we use the term loosely—Paul Hansmeier and John Steele tried long and hard to cover their tracks, but in the end, both ended up with prison sentences. Funny Junk v. The Oatmeal: This one started when Tuscon lawyer Charles Carreon demanded that
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