Ben Werdmuller - Nostr Hypermedia

Ben Werdmuller

benwerd@nos.social

npub183ng...4n09

I lead technology at ProPublica and write speculative fiction. This is a personal account. Every day, I write about tech, democracy, and society at https://werd.io. More about me: https://about.werd.io

benwerd 2 weeks ago

Matt Mullenweg thinks WordPress is in decline. He may be right

Matt Mullenweg thinks WordPress is in decline. He may be right

When open source becomes a bureaucracy, it stops being able to innovate. For a product, that can mean death.

benwerd 2 weeks ago

I've signed up to host the #indieweb fiction carnival for May 2026. Write a story during the month of May, publish it on your own site, and we'll create a mini-anthology roundup post at the end of the month. All good fun. Here's this month's prompt and instructions:

IndieWeb Fiction Carnival: May 2026

This month's prompt is "sticks and stones will break my bones".

benwerd 2 weeks ago

Here's the sketch of a short story I wrote for this month's #IndieWeb Fiction Carnival. The theme was "soulmates".

Sharing is caring

Bree woke up covered in blood again. The motel room was nicer than the last one. Two weeks ago, she had been a persistent drip from the ceiling on...

benwerd 2 weeks ago

Product-shaped or movement-shaped?

Product-shaped or movement-shaped?

People love your work because of its impact, not how it works.

benwerd 2 weeks ago

"The Office for Civil Rights is keeping the public in the dark on which schools it’s investigating and why." So we're suing them. Proud, as always, to work here:

Why We Are Suing the Department of Education

The Office for Civil Rights is keeping the public in the dark on which schools it’s investigating and why.

benwerd 2 weeks ago

Nobody cares about decentralization. Nobody cares about the journalistic process. They care about making their world better.

Product-shaped or movement-shaped?

People love your work because of its impact, not how it works.

benwerd 2 weeks ago

I keep catching glimpses of SNL UK. It seems really good - the kind of thing that will be formative for a generation in the same way that stuff like The Day Today was for me. It's not a competition, but the clips I've seen seem funnier for my taste than the original; a little less sanitized.

benwerd 2 weeks ago

Building with love, and paying for it

Building with love, and paying for it

How do you fund work people don't want to pay for?

benwerd 2 weeks ago

That terrible Signal exploit has been fixed. We have journalism to thank for it

That terrible Signal exploit has been fixed. We have journalism to thank for it

"Apple’s fix means iPhones should no longer save copies of deleted messages from Signal or other apps, and Apple said the patch also purges alrea...

benwerd 2 weeks ago

All You Fascists (Bound to Lose)

All You Fascists (Bound to Lose)

A collection of Woody Guthrie covers

benwerd 3 weeks ago

Sustaining innovation has failed us. It's time to think more radically

Sustaining innovation has failed us. It's time to think more radically

Some innovations create a new future that serves people better. Some sustain the status quo. It's time to think more radically.

benwerd 3 weeks ago

AI is not a magic wand and it won’t fix your problems

AI is not a magic wand and it won’t fix your problems

Without investment in people, processes, and working conditions, AI becomes merely "a technological smoke screen for deeper institutional decline."

benwerd 3 weeks ago

The world is not a database

The world is not a database

One of the most important pieces of AI commentary: "software brain" is important to understand if we want to get through this era with our humanity...

benwerd 3 weeks ago

Notable links: April 24, 2026

Notable links: April 24, 2026

Data and electronic civil rights in wartime; building safer creativity at work.

benwerd 3 weeks ago

In wartime, megascale data centers may make way for distributed architectures

In wartime, megascale data centers may make way for distributed architectures

"To avoid collateral damage, countries consider ditching giant server hubs for smaller, distributed ones—especially now that military and civilia...

benwerd 3 weeks ago

XOXO Explore is fitting showcase for a brilliant experiment

XOXO Explore is fitting showcase for a brilliant experiment

XOXO was completely wonderful. This site is a lovely showcase of why.

benwerd 3 weeks ago

The user-tailored newsroom

The user-tailored newsroom

Newsrooms typically treat publishing as a one-size-fits-all broadcast. What if they tailored their work to a reader's needs and interests?

benwerd 3 weeks ago

It pays to reward curiosity more than looking smart

It pays to reward curiosity more than looking smart

"Curiosity signals that ideas are welcome, not risky." Modeling it is a crucial part of leading a team.

benwerd 3 weeks ago

Copyright and DMCA Best Practices for Fediverse Operators

Copyright and DMCA Best Practices for Fediverse Operators

For instance and community operators, "copyright’s “statutory damages” regime allows for massive, unpredictable financial liability. That’s...

benwerd 0 months ago

The Technological Republic, in brief

The Technological Republic, in brief

In which a defense contractor lays its anti-democratic, pro-fascist ideology bare.

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