Ben Werdmuller
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Ben Werdmuller

Ben Werdmuller

In defense of being unfocused

I spent a little time updating my resumé, which is a process that basically sits at the top of all the things I least like to do in the world. This time around I tried to have an eye towards focus: what about the work I do might other organizations

08 Sep 2023

New Elon Musk biography offers fresh details about the billionaire's Ukraine dilemma

If I was building technology to let people watch Netflix and check their email from remote locations, I would also be upset about it being used for drone strikes. But if that's the case, you shouldn't be deploying your tech to the military in the first

07 Sep 2023

Press Forward brings much-needed support for local news

I was pleased to see this announcement from the MacArthur Foundation: A coalition of 22 donors today announced Press Forward, a national initiative to strengthen communities and democracy by supporting local news and information with an infusion of more than a half-billion dollars over the next five years. Press Forward

07 Sep 2023

Majority of likely Democratic voters say party should ditch Biden, poll shows

No surprises here. We need more progressive change than we’re getting. But obviously, if it’s Biden v Trump, there’s only one choice. #Democracy [Link]

07 Sep 2023

Snoop Dogg can narrate your news articles

Snoop Dogg gimmick aside, this is actually pretty neat, and useful. I'd also like the opposite: sometimes I want to read podcasts. Different contexts demand different media; I wish content itself could be more adaptable.  #Media [Link]

06 Sep 2023

My technology thesis II

Here are my high-level technology values. And when it comes to building and selecting technology: Always build the smallest, simplest thing you can. Start with the spark, not the fire. The only code you should ever build yourself is that which adds to your core value proposition. The cloud is

06 Sep 2023

Google vet wants to turn your hot water heater into a "virtual power plant"

I really need this for my home, and I suspect my entire region needs it. This could do a lot of good and be the start of something much bigger using virtual power plants as a platform. #Technology [Link]

06 Sep 2023

My technology thesis

My technology thesis is this: All technology should punch up, not down. It should connect the disconnected. It should empower the disempowered. It should inform the uninformed. It should empower communities that historically have been underrepresented and underserved. It should help people with similar needs and values to organize together

06 Sep 2023

It’s Official: Cars Are the Worst Product Category We Have Ever Reviewed for Privacy

Every modern car brand abuses your personal information. 84% sell your data (including where you go and when). 56% will share it with law enforcement without a warrant. And none of them have demonstrably adequate security.  #Technology [Link]

06 Sep 2023

Tucson's Molly Holzschlag, known as 'the fairy godmother of the web,' dead at 60

Rest in peace, Molly. We've lost one of the really good people who made the web better.  #Technology [Link]

06 Sep 2023

Our Self-Driving Cars Will Save Countless Lives, But They Will Kill Some of You First

“In a way, the people our cars mow down are doing just as much as our highly paid programmers and engineers to create the utopian, safe streets of tomorrow. Each person who falls under our front bumper teaches us something valuable about how humans act in the real world.”  #AI

05 Sep 2023

The racist would-be CEO king

You’ve all heard about Elon Musk blaming the Anti-Defamation League for the erosion of Twitter/X’s value over the last year. Advertising revenue is down by 60%. This, of course, has nothing at all to do with the precipitous rise in hate speech on the platform since Musk

05 Sep 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.