Ben Werdmuller helps leaders at newsrooms, non-profits, and mission-driven organizations to navigate their biggest technology challenges.
Update: Zoom has clarified its position in a new blog post which makes it clear that AI features are, in fact, opt-in. Zoom’s terms of service now allow meeting content to be used to train AI, without opt-out: What raises alarm is the explicit mention of the company'
A knockabout spy adventure that takes a few unexpected turns and sticks a landing that had me cheering. Truly a lot of fun - I inhaled it in one sitting. As always, it's deeply researched, but the detail only ever adds to the entertainment. (Without spoiling anything, I&
It's been a long time since I've given any talks (the pandemic put a stop to that) but I really like this approach, and I'll do something similar in the future. #Technology [Link]
None of this looks like it comes from 1969. Although some of the content is outdated today, the style is far more modern - this feels like something straight from the internet era. Fascinating and relentless (I couldn't watch the whole thing). #Culture [Link]
As a (relatively) new parent, one of the questions that preoccupies me is: how can we show our son that anything is possible, and that he can be anything he wants to be? More specifically, how can we ensure that he knows that the templates and stereotypes laid out for
A prominent writer platformed by the New York Times and Washington Post, and championed by major figures in tech, including by Marc Andreessen and the CEO of Substack, turns out to be an actual white supremacist. #Society [Link]
Yes to all of this. These are basic functions that the web gives you almost by default. Everything on the web should let you do them. #Technology [Link]
This is a really comprehensive history and overview of LLMs. Simon has been bringing the goods, and this talk is no exception. #AI [Link]
Code is cumulative overhead. The more you write, the more you have to maintain over time. Self-hosted infrastructure is cumulative overhead. The more you configure and run, the more you have to maintain over time. Always watch your overhead and keep it as light as possible. The only code you
I’ve been absolutely laid out with a cold all this week. It feels pretty awful, not unlike how I felt when I had covid, but a million negative tests have let me know it’s not that. Getting sick happens so rarely now (maybe once a year) that it
Taking lean startup research techniques that were developed for basic social networks or, say, 3D avatars and transposing them to real-world domains with real consequences seems to be an ongoing trend. It's a misunderstanding of the startup playbook that causes real harm. This is obviously unethical; it is
I broadly agree with this piece, which is a kind of rallying cry against dogmatism in open source. I think dogmatism is harmful in all parts of tech; divisive and often a kind of gatekeeping. Let authors build and release according to their needs. #Technology [Link]