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Ben Werdmuller

Ben Werdmuller

It's hard to imagine better social media alternatives, but Scuttlebutt shows change is possible

“Because it’s not a company, Scuttlebutt doesn’t need to make a profit. There is no persuasive design trying to keep you hooked, no advertising, and it doesn’t collect, process or sell users’ personal data. Instead, data are stored and controlled on users’ own devices.”  #Technology [Link]

15 Sep 2022

Quality Is Systemic

“If your team is producing defective code, consider that it may not be because they all suck at their jobs. It’s probably because the environment isn’t allowing them to produce quality software.”  #Technology [Link]

14 Sep 2022

Patagonia Founder Gives Away the Company to Fight Climate Change

“Rather than selling the company or taking it public, Mr. Chouinard, his wife and two adult children have transferred their ownership of Patagonia, valued at about $3 billion, to a specially designed trust and a nonprofit organization. They were created to preserve the company’s independence and ensure that all

14 Sep 2022

The Reactionary Geeks Are Mad About 'Rings of Power'

“The refrain “Go woke, go broke” offers a tidy summary of this argument, wokeness gone mad being a useful euphemism for a demand like “resegregate popular entertainment,” which might turn people off.”  #Culture [Link]

14 Sep 2022

U.S. Approval of Labor Unions at Highest Point Since 1965

This feels like a sign of progress to me (and also a sign that ordinary workers need help).  #Society [Link]

14 Sep 2022

Welcome to the new Verge

“We also thought about where we came from and how we built The Verge into what it is today. And we landed on: well shit, we just need to blog more.” Love.   #Media [Link]

14 Sep 2022

Launch House, a tech startup incubator, sold entrepreneurs on the promise of community

This is a cult.   #Technology [Link]

13 Sep 2022

The world is not designed for equitable parenting

So far, I’ve been the primary nappy-changer in my child’s world. That’s not virtue signaling or trying to make a point: it simply seems fair that, given that I’m biologically incapable of breastfeeding or carrying a child to term, I help out where I can. Aaron

13 Sep 2022

Take Care of Your Blog

“There are no rules to blogging except this one: always self-host your website because your URL, your own private domain, is the most valuable thing you can own. Your career will thank you for it later and no-one can take it away.”  #Technology [Link]

12 Sep 2022

Netherlands Plans to Launch Slavery Apology Fund for Awareness Projects

“The fund will be announced after the nation officially apologizes for its role in slavery by the end of this year or the beginning of next year, according to people familiar with the matter. It may be as big as 200 million euros ($204 million), the people said, speaking on

12 Sep 2022

Jack Dorsey’s Former Boss Is Building A Decentralized Twitter

“It's not about machine learning, or AI, generating the perfect viral media, it's about groups of people getting together and finding meaning with each other.” Rabble is doing important work.  #Technology [Link]

12 Sep 2022

I was arrested after asking "who elected him?" at the proclamation of King Charles

“What other freedoms can be suppressed in the name of monarchy? Who else will be arrested under the vile Police, Crime, Sentencing & Courts Act?”  #Democracy [Link]

12 Sep 2022
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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.