Ben Werdmuller helps leaders at newsrooms, non-profits, and mission-driven organizations to navigate their biggest technology challenges.
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
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
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]
Return to Office mandates are counterproductive and destroy morale. They also make your team less productive. They’re worker-hostile and work-hostile. So why do them? #Labor [Link]
I've traveled across America four times: three by car and one by train. I've never done it by Greyhound, and I probably never will. This country's infrastructure is falling apart and being eaten by wolves. #Society [Link]
The broadband situation in America is surprisingly bad - so I love that there's a new version of the National Broadband Map. The Markup has done a public service by taking us through it. #Technology [Link]
Late as it is, it's good to see this to some kind of resolution. I hope the posthumous recognition Lacks receives includes the story of how it happened in the first place. #Equality [Link]