benwerd 1 year ago

Even though I read every blog and other source I can via RSS, I’ve started sometimes also signing up for the email newsletter. If they’re an indie publisher or an individual, I’m okay with them knowing who I am. I want them to be able to reach out if they want to.

benwerd 1 year ago

ProPublica’s Most-Read Stories of 2024

Ben Werdmuller

ProPublica’s Most-Read Stories of 2024

[ProPublica] While the website I work for is not the cheeriest place on the internet, its deeply-reported stories are some of the most vital and i...

benwerd 1 year ago

Biden Commutes 37 Death Sentences Ahead of Trump’s Plan to Resume Federal Executions

Ben Werdmuller

Biden Commutes 37 Death Sentences Ahead of Trump’s Plan to Resume Federal Executions

[Aishvarya Kavi] President Biden commuted the sentences of all but three prisoners on federal death row. (He doesn't have the power to pardon or c...

benwerd 1 year ago

Meta Contributes to 178K EUR to OpenStreetMap

Ben Werdmuller

Meta Contributes to 178K EUR to OpenStreetMap

[OpenStreetMap] Meta has contributed 178,710 Euros (an oddly specific number!) to OpenStreetMap. On one level: hooray for people contributing to ...

benwerd 1 year ago

Companies issuing RTO mandates “lose their best talent”: Study

Ben Werdmuller

Companies issuing RTO mandates “lose their best talent”: Study

[Scharon Harding at Ars Technica] From the "gee, you don't say" department: "Return-to-office (RTO) mandates have caused companies to lose some o...

benwerd 1 year ago

Hello, Social Web 👋🏼

Ben Werdmuller

Hello, Social Web 👋🏼

[A New Social] I'm psyched about this announcement: "We're A New Social, a new non-profit organization focused on building cross-protocol tools a...

benwerd 1 year ago

The WP Engine Injunction: Rolling Back Logins, But Not Hurt Feelings

Ben Werdmuller

The WP Engine Injunction: Rolling Back Logins, But Not Hurt Feelings

[Ernie Smith at Tedium] Is the ongoing Matt Mullenweg / Automattic / WP Engine drama really about private equity undermining the open source WordP...

benwerd 1 year ago

The reader experience

Ben Werdmuller

The reader experience

[Ghost] Another great update from the Ghost team, this time with some lovely animation to illustrate the fediverse reading experience. The second...

benwerd 1 year ago

Ev Williams, Twitter and Medium Founder, Unveils New Social App

Ben Werdmuller

Ev Williams, Twitter and Medium Founder, Unveils New Social App

[Erin Griffith at the New York Times] I've been using Mozi for a little while and like it quite a bit: "Mr. Williams views Mozi as an attempt to ...

benwerd 1 year ago

The Werd I/O Holiday Gift Guide

Ben Werdmuller

The Werd I/O Holiday Gift Guide

It's not too late. Probably.

benwerd 1 year ago

what people in the global majority need from networks

Ben Werdmuller

what people in the global majority need from networks

[Erin Kissane] Erin Kissane breaks down some interesting research about alternative social media platforms for social justice organizations in the...

benwerd 1 year ago

The open social web is the future of the internet. Here's why I'm excited.

Ben Werdmuller

The open social web is the future of the internet. Here's why I'm excited.

It puts control back in your hands.

benwerd 1 year ago

Open Source Veteran Launches Skyseed - First Ecosystem Fund and Incubator for the Bluesky AT Protocol

Ben Werdmuller

Open Source Veteran Launches Skyseed - First Ecosystem Fund and Incubator for the Bluesky AT Protocol

[Skyseed] Really fascinating play: "Open Source veteran entrepreneur Peter Wang today launches Skyseed Fund, the world's first venture fund and i...

benwerd 1 year ago

W3C Statement on Ethical Web Principles guides the community to build a better web

Ben Werdmuller

W3C Statement on Ethical Web Principles guides the community to build a better web

[Daniel Appelquist and Yves Lafon at the W3C] These ethical web principles that guide the ongoing development of the platform are great. And this ...

benwerd 1 year ago

WordPress parent company must stop blocking WP Engine, judge rules

Ben Werdmuller

WordPress parent company must stop blocking WP Engine, judge rules

[Emma Roth at The Verge] I think this was almost inevitable: "On Tuesday, a California District Court judge ordered Automattic to stop blocking W...

benwerd 1 year ago

How Wall Street Billionaires Avoid Paying Medicare Taxes

Ben Werdmuller

How Wall Street Billionaires Avoid Paying Medicare Taxes

[Paul Kiel at ProPublica] If we're going to improve on Medicare, we have to fund it - and it turns out that even today's Medicare taxes are being ...

benwerd 1 year ago

My most controversial opinion is that they should reboot Red Dwarf

Ben Werdmuller

My most controversial opinion is that they should reboot Red Dwarf

Okay, I know, but hear me out.If you haven’t encountered it, Red Dwarf was an 80s / 90s science fiction comedy that has definitely aged

benwerd 1 year ago

The “Bird and Baby” grows up: inside the new Eagle & Child

Ben Werdmuller

The “Bird and Baby” grows up: inside the new Eagle & Child

[The Oxford Clarion] I grew up in Oxford, and the Eagle and Child is one of my favorite pubs from back home. I'm also a longtime critic of certain...

benwerd 1 year ago

Reclaim the internet: Mozilla’s rebrand for the next era of tech

Ben Werdmuller

Reclaim the internet: Mozilla’s rebrand for the next era of tech

[Lindsey Lionheart O'Brien at Mozilla Distilled] This is a rebrand and reorientation for Mozilla: "Mozilla isn’t just another tech company — ...

benwerd 1 year ago

The publisher is always right

Ben Werdmuller

The publisher is always right

[Gabe Schneider in Nieman Lab's Predictions for Journalism, 2025] This is important: "It’s not so much a prediction as a necessity: We must aba...