Kat White - In the Eye of the Owl
Years ago, I commissioned a song about capybara for this lovely animal-themed children’s album. And now I get to listen to it with my actual child. Magic. #Music [Link]
Ben Werdmuller
Ben Werdmuller helps leaders at newsrooms, non-profits, and mission-driven organizations to navigate their biggest technology challenges.
DHS built huge database from cellphones, computers seized at border
“The rapid expansion of the database and the ability of 2,700 CBP officers to access it without a warrant — two details not previously known about the database — have raised alarms in Congress about what use the government has made of the information, much of which is captured from people
‘Reverse Freedom Rides’ echo DeSantis Martha’s Vineyard migrant flights
Fascinating piece about the racist history of "reverse freedom rides" to Cape Cod that are now echoed by Ron DeSantis's policies in Florida. I've been going to the Cape my entire life and I'm ashamed to say I had no idea. #Society
Britain and the US are poor societies with some very rich people
“The rich in the US are exceptionally rich — the top 10 per cent have the highest top-decile disposable incomes in the world, 50 per cent above their British counterparts. But the bottom decile struggle by with a standard of living that is worse than the poorest in 14 European
Prompt injection attacks against GPT-3
“A surprising thing about working with GPT-3 in this way is that your prompt itself becomes important IP. It’s not hard to imagine future startups for which the secret sauce of their product is a carefully crafted prompt.” #Technology [Link]
How we know journalism is good for democracy
“When respondents have the least information, candidates of color—particularly Black candidates—are disadvantaged, among respondents across party, ideological, and racial attitude lines.” #Media [Link]
American Democracy doesn’t need saving — it needs creating
“But when we shift our perspective and begin to see our task as creating and cultivating democracy, more accessible and meaningful options become available to ordinary people and the institutions that represent them and are meant to serve them.” #Democracy [Link]
State of the nation
My colleagues at The 19th just launched our first nationwide poll: In the weeks leading up to the 2022 midterm elections, The 19th and SurveyMonkey teamed up to conduct a poll to find out what women, particularly women of color, and LGBTQ+ people think about politics, politicians and policy. It’
Lindsey Graham's national abortion ban has exceptions that won't work, experts say
“But exceptions for the life of the pregnant person are notoriously difficult to receive; physicians have said the requirement of providing abortions only in an emergency can force them to wait until a patient is in dire condition before providing them needed care. And the rape and incest exceptions written
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]
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]
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