Ben Werdmuller helps leaders at newsrooms, non-profits, and mission-driven organizations to navigate their biggest technology challenges.
I’m looking for new adventures! These might be: * A full-time position * A paid board or advisory position * A long-term contract Maybe there’s a me-shaped hole in your organization! Let’s talk. What do I do? I’m an experienced technology leader and strategist with an engineering background. I’
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Baldur Bjarnason talks frankly about the cost of writing critically about AI: "It’s honestly been brutal and it’ll probably take me a few years to recover financially from having published a moderately successful book on “AI” because it doesn’t have any of the opportunity multipliers that
There are two ways to use GPS navigation in a car: The first is to use the directions as gospel. The system has found the right path for you to take; you need to follow them if you’re going to get to your destination. The second is as a
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I have no real arguments here: this is a concise, simple list of things an engineering manager should strive for. There's a world of detail not represented here, of course, but these are the headlines. #Technology [Link]
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"In addition to being important for protecting the information that journalists are provided by all types of sources, encryption is key to making sure that information and communications within news organizations are kept safe as well." This is my finding too from my time spent leading technology teams
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An in-depth assessment of moderation needs on the fediverse. Findings here include that most instances aren't incorporated and don't have liability insurance. I'd bet that these numbers are actually better than if they'd done the same study for all community spaces on
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Erin Kissane's full series about Meta's conduct in Myanmar and its involvement in the genocide of the Rohingya. This is required reading for anyone in tech, and good for everyone who touches any of Meta's products to know. "Meta bought and maneuvered its
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"I’ve now been using [Mastodon] for about two months and I am here to tell you that it is, in principle, what we should want the internet to be. If you have been remotely interested in Mastodon but had reservations about joining because you thought it would be
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Encryption has been perennially under attack since (at least) the establishment of the commercial internet. Lawmakers argue that backdoors will make us safer; in reality they will harm journalists, activists, domestic violence victims, and lots of vulnerable communities, and put real chilling effects on free expression. The bottom line, for
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Reuven Lerner was banned from advertising on Meta products for life because he offers Python and Pandas training - and the company's automated system thought he was dealing in live snakes and bears. And then he lost the appeal because that, too, was automated. This is almost Douglas
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Ed Zitron is characteristically on-point and razor sharp on the topic of Marc Andreessen's ludicrous "techno-optimism" manifesto. I agree with him: it's a cynical, disingenuous piece that has nothing to do with optimism. "In 5000 words, Marc’s only real suggestion is that
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If tech companies are going to be credible content producers, they need to be able to erect a firewall between business and editorial. Contrast Apple trying to force Jon Stewart’s hand on China and AI here with John Oliver’s obviously free hand on his show over on Max.