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Ben Werdmuller

Ben Werdmuller

NotableLinks

Covid: It's That Bad

"Your individual risk depends on a large number of factors, but there's a consensus: one out of every ten people who catch Covid go on to develop Long Covid. It's not a one-time risk, either. You face these odds every single time you catch the

26 Dec 2023

NotableLinks

Rest of World’s best stories from 2023 - Rest of World

Technology news tends to center on the global north, but the implications of technology are global. Rest of World does a wonderful, necessary job shining a light on those stories. What I particularly appreciate about its coverage is that it's not just critical (although there certainly are critical

26 Dec 2023

NotableLinks

The Stories that Made Us Jealous in 2023

If the Markup is jealous of another newsroom's coverage, you know the stories are good: the Markup has consistently been the most important outlet for investigative technology journalism. There's a special mention here for 404 Media, which has also been a fantastic addition to the tech

26 Dec 2023

NotableLinks

They Want You To Forget What A Film Looks Like

I enjoyed Get Back and They Shall Not Grow Old, but what's obvious to me after reading this piece is that these upscaled films will look as outdated in 20 years as CGI from 2003 does today. They'll look like cartoons. Not without value, but nothing

24 Dec 2023

NotableLinks

Bridge: A Novel of Suspense, by Lauren Beukes

It took me several attempts to get into Bridge, but finally, this week, I picked it up again and was sucked in. There are plenty of other novels about traveling multiple universes to see the other yous, and Beukes knowingly stops to play with those expectations. The real story here

24 Dec 2023

NotableLinks

Artificial intelligence can find your location, alarming privacy experts

That an AI model trained on Google Street View photos can look at a picture and figure out where it is isn't much of a surprise, but it's still jarring to see that it's here. I think the real lesson is that AI undermines

23 Dec 2023

NotableLinks

Untangling Threads

A sober breakdown of what it may mean for Meta's new social network to finally join the open social web (aka the fediverse). For many people, this has been a hard pill to swallow: while it's clear that Meta has been a human rights disaster, its

23 Dec 2023

Leaving the Nazi bar

Newsletter subscribers might be surprised to see a slightly new design. I’ve moved away from Substack and back to Buttondown, an indie mailing list service. Every email will be free from now on; paid subscribers will be refunded in full. Why? Here’s the New York Times with the

23 Dec 2023

NotableLinks

How this startup newsroom has worked to build a ‘culture of care’

I have so much respect for what everyone at The 19th does. It has one of the best work cultures I've ever encountered, and Amanda is a huge part of that. I'm deeply glad to have worked their and to have worked with her. The things

20 Dec 2023

NotableLinks

Verified Accounts on X Are Thriving As They Spread Israel-Hamas Conflict Misinformation

"An investigation by ProPublica and Columbia University’s Tow Center for Digital Journalism shows how false claims based on out-of-context, outdated or manipulated media have proliferated on X during the first month of the Israel-Hamas conflict." "[...] We also found that the Community Notes system, which has been

20 Dec 2023

NotableLinks

The AI trust crisis

I think this is right: AI companies, and particularly OpenAI, have a crisis of trust with the public. We simply don't believe a word they say when it comes to privacy and respecting our rights. It's well-earned. The way LLMs work is through training on vast

19 Dec 2023

NotableLinks

Remote Work Hurts Innovation Among Work Teams Massive New Study Finds

Interesting study. Although I think there are enormous incentives for people to report this way, I'm sure there's a lot of truth to it. It sounds like the big issue is the kind of informal ideation and conversation that happens really easily when you're

19 Dec 2023
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Werd I/O explores the intersection of technology, democracy, and society. It's independently published by Ben Werdmuller, reader-supported, and always free to read.