Ben Werdmuller
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Ben Werdmuller

Ben Werdmuller

Earth is in ‘the danger zone’ and getting worse for ecosystems and humans

“Earth has pushed past seven out of eight scientifically established safety limits and into "the danger zone," not just for an overheating planet that's losing its natural areas, but for well-being of people living on it, according to a new study.” #Climate [Link]

31 May 2023

Can Americans really make a free choice about dying?

A characteristically nuanced, in-depth piece about the debate around assisted suicide.  #Health [Link]

31 May 2023

Block Party anti-harassment service leaves Twitter amid API changes

“Announced in a blog post last night, Block Party’s anti-harassment tools for Twitter are being placed on an immediate, indefinite hiatus, with the developers claiming that changes to Twitter’s API pricing (which starts from $100 per month) have “made it impossible for Block Party’s Twitter product to

31 May 2023

Outrage as Brazil law threatening Indigenous lands advances in congress

“Lawmakers had sent “a clear message to the country and the world: Bolsonaro is gone but the extermination [of Indigenous communities and the environment] continues,” the Climate Observatory added.”  #Climate [Link]

31 May 2023

Of Course We Should All be Working Less

“In 1940, the Fair Labor Standards Act reduced the workweek to 40 hours. Today, as a result of huge advances in technology and productivity, now is the time to lower the workweek to 32 hours—with no loss in pay. Workers must benefit from advanced technology, not just the 1%

31 May 2023

Fediverse

Extinguishing the fediverse

I’m soliciting prompts for discussion. This piece is a part of that series. Erlend Sogge Heggen asks: There’s legitimate reason to be worried about Meta’s P92 project being part of a EEE play against the fediverse. How might the fediverse community counteract this, perhaps with its own

31 May 2023

How Picnic, an Emerging Social Network, Found its Niche

“By putting a degree of financial incentive in the hands of moderators by offering them fractional ownership of the community they built through a system of “seeds,” they ultimately are able to control their community’s destiny.”  #Technology [Link]

31 May 2023

Adding a sustainability lens to design thinking

Via Jeremy Keith, Future-First Design Thinking: Incorporating non-human personas into the design thinking process would allow us to embody the essential elements that constitute our environment, such as air, trees, water, and land. These personas can serve as tangible reminders of the interconnectedness between our design decisions and the health

31 May 2023

Twitter Fails to Remove Hate Speech by Blue-Check Users, Center for Countering Digital Hate Says

“Twitter is failing to remove 99 percent of hate speech posted by Twitter Blue users, new research has found, and instead may be boosting paid accounts that spew racism and homophobia.” Who would have predicted?  #Technology [Link]

31 May 2023

‘This robot causes harm’: National Eating Disorders Association’s new chatbot advises people with disordering eating to lose weight

““Every single thing Tessa suggested were things that led to the development of my eating disorder,” Maxwell wrote in her Instagram post. “This robot causes harm.”” #AI [Link]

31 May 2023

Documents reveal how fossil fuel industry created, pushed anti-ESG campaign

“ESG’s path to its current culture war status began with an attempt by West Virginia coal companies to push back against the financial industry’s rising unease around investing in coal — which as the dirtiest-burning fuel has the most powerful and disrupting impacts on the climate.”  #Climate [Link]

30 May 2023

Stooping to the tactics of the bad guys

I’m soliciting prompts for discussion. This piece is a part of that series. An anonymous reader asks: ‌Do the good guys need to stoop to the tactics of the bad guys in order to avoid losing, or is there still value in holding oneself to certain standards? First: who

30 May 2023
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Ben Werdmuller

Ben Werdmuller

Writing at the intersection of technology, journalism, and community.

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Ben Werdmuller explores the intersection of technology, democracy, and society. Always independently published, reader-supported, and free to read.