"A court record reviewed by 404 Media shows privacy-focused email provider Proton Mail handed over payment data related to a Stop Cop City email account to the Swiss government, which handed it to the FBI." werd.io/proton-mail-...
I really enjoyed this conversation with @rabble.nz. It's an expansive discussion: we take in VC, journalism, AI, the open social web, and even Elgg, my very first startup and open source community platform. I hope you like it too.
You just read the magnetic fields, with your hands, while humming in resonance
It's a ZX81! A small 8-bit computer with a built-in membrane keyboard.
This was my first computer. I learned to write English and BASIC at the same time, on its little keyboard - so everything I've put out into the internet is its fault in some way. Happy birthday, little ZX81.
The BBC is dying. It needs to be preserved - but doing so will require a radical reinvention. werd.io/bbc-says-irr...
"A framework to move your subculture from the Anxiety Zone to the Learning Zone" - and provide a way for everyone on your team to contribute and experiment safely. werd.io/the-safety-l...
I didn't but now I'll go find it! I think that's exactly right.
Totally fascinating that AI use is leading to (1) more people building useful CLI utilities for services, (2) [if WebMCP works] websites exposing lightweight APIs for regular tasks. Neither thing needs AI to be useful. Kind of wish we'd had these for decades, but hey! Here we are!
This is such an important piece of journalism right now; kudos to Cosmo for having more courage than the rest of the British media combined.
My feed, Speaking Truth to Power, features non-profit newsrooms and their journalists, reporting on US news and politics. It gets a fair amount of activity - click through to pin it to your Bluesky feeds. bsky.app/profile/did:...
I made a feed for posts from my hometown.
bsky.app/profile/did:...
Okay, so I did buy myself a new personal computer. My existing one is six years old, so I figure it's allowed. Going for a highly-specified M5 Air this time around: I don't care about the XDR screen and I don't think I need the thermals of a Pro, but the lower base price means I can afford more RAM.
Wait, did Apple just release a netbook ...?
Parable of the Talents was tremendous. It took me years to get up the courage to read past the first chapter. And I Who Have Never Known Men was astonishing; I’ll be thinking about it forever. bsky.app/profile/timw...
This was a great idea, I can tell already
I’ve been at work all day and literally had no idea it went down. Did it go down? What did everyone else do? bsky.app/profile/stev...
I’m in transit and it’s been a looong day.
Ask me anything.
If you’re a small, resource-strapped team, for example in a newsroom, how can you figure out what software is feasible for you to build and maintain? I wrote a guide. werd.io/can-we-build...
Building software is easier than ever. The real risk to your team isn't the build; it's the long tail of maintenance. I built a rubric to help teams spot hidden risks and achieve shared understanding of the complexity before they write a single line of code. werd.io/can-we-build...
Long ago, when I was investing in mission-driven startups, I wrote this piece about what I'd do differently if I founded one more of my own. It still holds up and may be useful perspective for anyone who's starting something new. benwerd.medium.com/founding-a-s...
There are finally promising treatments for the genetic TERT mutations that have plagued my family with telomere dysfunctions that have led to pulmonary fibrosis and more. They’re too late for so many people I love, but so many more people will be helped.
It’s a selfish lens to put on it, and it’s certainly not all that it is or most of what it is, but being a parent has been so incredibly healing.
I’m still scarred from watching my mother disappear, watching my aunt, my cousins, wondering if I would too. From being wrenched from my life, feeling worthless in the face of it all. And now I have this wonderful little guy who just wants to give me a hug and a kiss whenever I leave. He is magic.
I think about this Tony Benn speech much more than I used to
"ProPublica has sued the U.S. Department of Education in federal court in New York, accusing it of withholding public records about how it’s enforcing civil rights protections for millions of American students." www.propublica.org/article/educ...
"Several high-ranking federal election officials attended a summit last week at which prominent figures who worked to overturn Donald Trump’s loss in the 2020 election pressed the president to declare a national emergency to take over this year’s midterms." www.propublica.org/article/elec...
No, just the Michener. But I'll be back!
More people live in Tehran than New York City. It’s a bustling metropolis. The people who live there have a thriving culture despite their own government and the machinations of ours. They do not deserve to be bombed by us.
First time in Doylestown, which is a shortish drive away from us. Pretty nice little town to visit; good bookstore, which is always my yardstick. We enjoyed the Eric Carle exhibition at the art museum.
