Ben Werdmuller
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Ben Werdmuller

Ben Werdmuller

What if Bill Gates is right about AI?

“So as an exercise, let’s grant his premise for a moment. Let’s treat him as an expert witness on paradigm shifts. What would it mean if he was right that this is a fundamental new paradigm? What can we learn about the shape of AI’s path based

02 Apr 2023

Community Survey 2023

It’s been a long time since I’ve run a survey. If you have 30 seconds, I’d love to know which technology and business topics are interesting to you - and how you’re thinking about tackling them. Every question is optional and anonymous - but if you

01 Apr 2023

Coloring the Past

“The following images are originally from 1897-1973. After noticing how much more responsive audiences are to color photos, Eli decided to work on past images from queer and trans history. During a time when politicians can openly argue trans people did not exist until 2015, it is important to use

01 Apr 2023

The notable list: April 2023

I’m focusing on the intersection of technology, media, and democracy. Subscribe by email to get every update. This is my monthly roundup of the links, books, and media I found interesting. Do you have suggestions? Let me know! Apps + Websites Culture Antilibraries – Catalogues and catacombs of books unread. “In

01 Apr 2023

The Mimicking of Known Successes, by Malka Older

A delight from beginning to end: a cozy murder mystery set on rings around Jupiter, where humanity lives on great platforms linked by trains, centering on two women who rekindle an old romance as they get to the bottom of the crime. If that doesn’t sound like fun, I

01 Apr 2023

The death of the Journalism Competition and Preservation Act – but might other new legislation emerge?

“Such simple devices as robots.txt, “noindex,” and password protection could wall off any news media web page from search engines. But no media companies were doing that, because they WANT the traffic delivered by search engines. So it has always been clear that the media recognized the value of

31 Mar 2023

Interviews with media and startup leaders

I’m focusing on the intersection of technology, media, and democracy. Subscribe by email to get every update. When I was the west coast Director of Investments at Matter Ventures, an early-stage accelerator for media startups with the potential to create a more informed, inclusive, and empathetic society, I co-hosted

31 Mar 2023

Trans students meet with education leaders to discuss fight against anti-LGBTQ+ bills

““I don’t really feel safe anymore. I used to feel safe,” said Maya, a 12-year-old trans girl who traveled to Washington D.C., from Texas with her mom for the meeting.”  #Society [Link]

31 Mar 2023

Early Remote Work Impacts on Family Formation

“In absence of time-consuming commutes, remote workers—particularly those living with children—are spending more time on childcare and housework. This increased flexibility and time helped boost birth rates over the pandemic, specifically for wealthier or more educated women.”  #Society [Link]

31 Mar 2023

Newsrooms Ponder Whether To Pay For Twitter Blue Checks

“As a company, we do not think it’s a wise use of resources to pay for individuals to retain a blue checkmark that is no different from anyone else’s — an amateur medical expert, Elon stan, or otherwise — who is simply willing to pay the fee for a blue

31 Mar 2023

The Three-Legged Stool: A Manifesto for a Smaller, Denser Internet

“We believe this moment, when people are so dissatisfied with the platforms that have dominated for the past decade-and-a-half, presents a unique opportunity to build a digital public sphere where people and communities with different preferences and purposes can participate accordingly.”  #Technology [Link]

30 Mar 2023

Podcast Standards Project

“The Podcast Standards Project is a grassroots industry coalition dedicated to creating standards and practices that improve the open podcasting ecosystem for both listeners and creators.”  #Technology [Link]

29 Mar 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.