Werd I/O
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Ben Werdmuller

Ben Werdmuller

Notable Links

How to hide a painting

[Mike Monteiro] On whether it's always been this bad in America: "America was born in blood, genocide, kidnapping, and death. Behind every story we were told about America’s greatness, there is a secret second painting. A thing America doesn’t want you to see. Behind every

16 Mar 2025

Notable Links

New German, Swiss, And Austrian Guidelines Recommend Trans Youth Care, Slam Cass Review

[Erin In The Morning] While America is destroying the ability for trans people to participate in public life, over in Europe they're (rightly) improving care for trans people. "In recent years, U.S. politicians have selectively framed European healthcare policies to justify restrictions on transgender care, seizing

11 Mar 2025

Notable Links

Leader of student protests at Columbia facing deportation

[Jake Offenhartz, Cedar Attanasio and Philip Marcelo at The Associated Press] This seems completely in line with the First Amendment's protections against restrictions on speech and assembly by the US government: "President Donald Trump warned Monday that the arrest and possible deportation of a Palestinian activist who

10 Mar 2025

Technology

How Terrorgram Collective Influencers Groomed a Killer

[A.C. Thompson, ProPublica and FRONTLINE, James Bandler, ProPublica, and Lukáš Diko, Investigative Center of Jan Kuciak] A tragic story of a teenager recruited by a network of extremists, who ultimately murdered multiple people before taking his own life. It's also an example of why moderation and safety

10 Mar 2025

Technology

The 2025 journalist’s digital security checklist

[Davis Erin Anderson and Dr. Martin Shelton at the Freedom of the Press Foundation] These security tips are designed for journalists but are good ideas for everyone (and particularly activists or anyone working in a sensitive field): "In tumultuous times, we believe in being prepared, not scared. Sound digital

09 Mar 2025

Technology

Feedback loops

[Joe Woods] This is good, actionable advice: "As an engineering leader, you should be constantly working to reduce the amount of time it takes to complete one cycle of a feedback loop. What do I mean by feedback loop? This is anything where you do work, and then you

09 Mar 2025

Fediverse

Fediverse House

If you're in Austin, visiting Fediverse House at 412 Congress Ave today and tomorrow is what you need to be doing. You don’t need a SXSW ticket - just show up and meet some of the key people building and thinking about the most important thing happening

09 Mar 2025

Technology

World's first 'body in a box' biological computer uses human brain cells with silicon-based computing

[Kunal Khullar at Tom's Hardware] Straight into my nightmares: "Australian biotech company Cortical Labs has introduced what it claims to be "the world’s first code deployable biological computer," which combines human brain cells with traditional silicon-based computing. The system, known as CL1, was presented

08 Mar 2025

Media

Why Techdirt Is Now A Democracy Blog (Whether We Like It Or Not)

[Mike Masnick at Techdirt] Mike Masnick on why tech journalism has a huge part to play in decoding current events right now: "We’ve spent decades documenting how technology and entrepreneurship can either strengthen or undermine democratic institutions. We understand the dangers of concentrated power in the digital age.

06 Mar 2025

Notable Links

Trump’s USCIS wants to review all prospective citizens’ social media accounts

[Gaby Del Valle at The Verge] This is dystopian: "The Trump administration may soon demand the social media accounts of people applying for green cards, US citizenship, and asylum or refugee status. US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) — the federal agency that oversees legal migration, proposed the new policy

05 Mar 2025

About my Tesla

So, yes, hi, I have a Tesla. It’s a long range Model 3 which I bought in 2021. After a career spent working on open source and mission-drive projects — right now I work for a non-profit newsroom; once upon a time I built a social networking platform for education

05 Mar 2025

Notable Links

How DOGE’s IRS Cuts Could Cost More Than DOGE Will Ever Save

[Andy Kroll at ProPublica] Cutting the IRS has nothing to do with government efficiency: "Unlike with other federal agencies, cutting the IRS means the government collects less money and finds fewer tax abuses. Economic studies have shown that for every dollar spent by the IRS, the agency returns between

05 Mar 2025
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Werd I/O explores the intersection of technology, democracy, and society. It's independently published by Ben Werdmuller, reader-supported, and always free to read.