benwerd 1 year ago

I don’t love that they feel like they need this, but what a 21st century approach to this problem. Need shelter in all-out global war? There’s an app for that.

the Guardian

Germany draws up list of bunkers amid Russia tensions

App planned for public to find emergency shelter in places including underground train stations and car parks

benwerd 1 year ago

New perfect blissful state unlocked: lying in bed, toddler cozily snoozing in your arm, as you read a really good book. Eventually it ended when he woke up and demanded cheese, but there’s joy in that, too.

benwerd 1 year ago

Elon Musk floats buying MSNBC, but he’s not the only billionaire who may be interested

Ben Werdmuller

Elon Musk floats buying MSNBC, but he’s not the only billionaire who may be interested

[Brian Stelter at CNN] CNN's Chief Media Analyst Brian Stelter reports that multiple very wealthy individuals, including Elon Musk, have enquired ...

benwerd 1 year ago

Bluesky is breaking the rules in the EU

Ben Werdmuller

Bluesky is breaking the rules in the EU

[Wes Davis at The Verge] Interesting announcement from the European Commission: "The European Union says Twitter alternative Bluesky violates the...

benwerd 1 year ago

If you were building a new user-first social network and didn’t care about raising money, which jurisdiction would you do it in? The US? UK? EU? Switzerland? Japan? Somewhere else? Why?

benwerd 1 year ago

Tiny little CRJ-700 to Medford. Reported 40mph gusts on landing. It’ll be fine, right? Right?

benwerd 1 year ago

Source code underwater standups 🤝 subroutines

benwerd 1 year ago

If you haven’t read it yet, Infinite Detail is a story that speaks directly to the era we’re living through - right up to alternative social networks and the emptiness of late-stage capitalism. I can’t recommend it more highly. https://bookshop.org/p/books/infinite-detail-tim-maughan/10353791

benwerd 1 year ago

Taxiing down the runway ready to take off. Every time I sit in a plane I wish we had high speed rail instead: efficient, comfortable, more sustainable. ideally, cheaper. I’ve traveled across country by Amtrak; it’s fun, but as an end to itself, not a way to get there quickly. Oh well. Wheels up.

benwerd 1 year ago

With Trump alliance, Elon Musk became exactly what he vowed to expose

Ben Werdmuller

With Trump alliance, Elon Musk became exactly what he vowed to expose

[Mike Masnick at MSNBC] As Mike Masnick points out here, the hypocrisy from Elon Musk about collusion between tech and government is staggering: ...

benwerd 1 year ago

Flying to Medford, OR for a week. What’s good?

benwerd 1 year ago

How decentralized is Bluesky really?

Ben Werdmuller

How decentralized is Bluesky really?

[Christine Lemmer-Webber] Christine Lemmer-Webber has written a superb post that sets out to ask how decentralized Bluesky is but goes far deeper ...

benwerd 1 year ago

happy Doctor Who Day to everyone who celebrates. 61 years old!

benwerd 1 year ago

The boiler broke. It is 36 degrees Fahrenheit. Brr.

benwerd 1 year ago

An Interview with Boots Riley

Ben Werdmuller

An Interview with Boots Riley

[Annalee Newitz at The Believer] Boots Riley is a national treasure. I loved this interview with him in The Believer: "BLVR: Do you think that al...

benwerd 1 year ago

ProPublica is a big part of the future of news

Ben Werdmuller

ProPublica is a big part of the future of news

In the Washington Post, Jennifer Rubin discusses my workplace, the journalism it undertakes, and why it's important (gift link). I lead technology,...

benwerd 1 year ago

Decentralised social media ‘increases citizen empowerment’, says Oxford study

Ben Werdmuller

Decentralised social media ‘increases citizen empowerment’, says Oxford study

[Oxford Martin School] The Oxford Martin School is a multidisciplinary research institution at the University of Oxford focused on tackling global...

benwerd 1 year ago

Google must sell Chrome to end search monopoly, says US justice department

Ben Werdmuller

Google must sell Chrome to end search monopoly, says US justice department

[Dan Milmo at The Guardian] The Department of Justice has filed its proposed remedies to Google's illegal monopoly over search services: "The pro...

benwerd 1 year ago

Undergraduates with family income below $200,000 can expect to attend MIT tuition-free starting in 2025

Ben Werdmuller

Undergraduates with family income below $200,000 can expect to attend MIT tuition-free starting in 2025

[Massachusetts Institute of Technology] Changes to financial aid at MIT: "Undergraduates with family income below $200,000 can expect to attend M...

benwerd 1 year ago

What’s a piece of art (visual, writing, music, etc) you enjoyed lately that feels like truth to you? Not arch, not clout-chasing, not playing to a crowd, but human and raw and real in a way that cuts through the bullshit and the marketing and the artifice?