Lawrence Calvin Foster III,[1] commonly known as Rusty Foster, is an American media critic and programmer. He has been described as "something of a Zelig-like figure in internet history, popping up in key roles at various stages in the web’s development."[2] He is the author of Today in Tabs, the founder of Kuro5hin, and the creator of Scoop, a collaborative media application used by several websites. He also helped develop Scripto, the screenwriting software company founded by Stephen Colbert.[3]
In 2013, his Facebook account was subject to a 'prank' reporting him dead, drawing the attention of a number of major news outlets.[4][5][6]
Since 2013, Foster has written occasionally for The New Yorker magazine, including on the Healthcare.gov debacle.[7]