An Opinionated Guide To Alt-text
A great, short guide to writing alt text to support data visualization from Jasmine Mithani. #Technology [Link]
Ben Werdmuller
Ben Werdmuller helps leaders at newsrooms, non-profits, and mission-driven organizations to navigate their biggest technology challenges.
Elon Musk's Twitter throttles links to Threads, Blue Sky and New York Times
Really, truly: there is no good reason for any media company or publisher to still be posting on X. #Technology [Link]
School district uses ChatGPT to help remove library books
Probably inevitable, but it nonetheless made my jaw drop. What an incredibly wrong-headed use of an LLM. #AI [Link]
Music
Planet of the Bass (feat. DJ Crazy Times & Ms. Biljana Electronica)
All of the dream / How does it mean? I am going to be singing this glorious nonsense all year. #Music [Link]
Open feedback as a gift
I’ve been thinking a lot about how to build high-performing teams: specifically, teams that build great products that I would also enjoy to be a part of. An incredibly productive team that also happens to be full of jerks is not something I’m particularly interested in replicating;
#amwriting
Kate McKean describes how she’s writing her novel: Right now, I am getting up early (6ish, not bonkers early) and leaving my house about 7am to go to a local coffee shop to write for an hour or two before my regular work day. I do this Tuesdays and
letter to a friend who is thinking of starting something new
These are the right questions to ask. #Startups [Link]
She Just Had a Baby. Soon She'll Start 7th Grade.
There are so many stories like this one. There should never be another. And yet, we've rolled back the clock at the behest of religious extremists, so there will be many more. This cannot go on. #Society [Link]
The Shocking Voter Purge Crisis of Democracy Revealed
Always a good sign when a democratic movement wants to win through the will of the people rather than through obstructive election fraud. #Democracy [Link]
Announcing the Tor University Challenge
This is a worthwhile project, and would be a major win for freedom of expression and freedom from surveillance. I'd love to see more of my higher education friends take part. #Technology [Link]
New York Times: Don't use our content to train AI systems
The NYT's new terms disallow use of its content to develop any new software application, including machine learning and AI systems. It's a shame that this has to be explicit, rather than a blanket right afforded to publishers by default, but it's a sensible
We need a Weizenbaum test for AI
“Weizenbaum’s questions, though they seem simple—Is it good? Do we need it?—are difficult ones for computer science to answer. They could be asked of any proposed technology, but the speed, scope, and stakes of innovation in AI make their consideration more urgent.” #AI [Link]