Werd I/O

A fascinating list of 40 market-leading tech companies that are founded and run outside of the west. There are some familiar names here, but lots were new to me - they might be to you, too. #Technology

"The combination of taking more time (as longer form writing encourages) and publishing on a domain associated with your name, your identity, enables & incentivizes more thoughtful writing. More thoughtful writing elevates the reader to a more thoughtful state of mind." #Technology

Amazing work. Consider how much this team has been able to achieve with a tiny fraction of the budget of a VC-funded tech startup - and the impact of their work is phenomenal. #Technology

It turns out that Google quietly alters your search queries into ones it can more easily monetize, without you knowing. It's the kind of anti-user nonsense only a monopolist could pull off. #Technology

A look at the inner workings of getting standards built within the framework of the W3C. It honestly sounds like technical writers should be a part of the mix alongside other practitioners. #Technology

Insanely good. It blows my mind that this can be done on the web platform now. #Technology

"By that point, Meta had been receiving detailed and increasingly desperate warnings about Facebook’s role as an accelerant of genocidal propaganda in Myanmar for six years." We need more discussion of this - I'm grateful for this four-part series. #Technology

This is really good: a browser extension (for Chrome-based browsers) that goes through your social networks and helps you update your settings to optimize for privacy and security. Really well-executed. #Technology

A solid argument against A/B testing. A lot of it comes down to this: "It fosters a culture of decision making without having an opinion, without having to put a stake in the ground. It fosters a culture where making a quick buck trumps a great product experience." I agree. #Technology

Signal on UK privacy law: "We would leave the U.K. or any jurisdiction if it came down to the choice between backdooring our encryption and betraying the people who count on us for privacy, or leaving." Good. #Technology

"The news is yet another example of a government agency turning to the private sector for novel datasets that the public is likely unaware are being collected and then sold." #Technology

This report found that removing access to Twitter created significant economic and social impacts. Question: are some of these now replicated with the switch to X? #Technology

This is really important, and why we talk about "eating your own dogfood". If you don't use what you build, you can't build anything great. #Technology

Non-Tesla EV charging infrastructure is awful. It's good that Tesla has opened the standard, but it's not good that the only really viable charging infrastructure is owned by one company. It needs to be fixed. #Technology

I'm a heavy Notion web clipper user, but this is far better for my needs. I was worried I'd need to build it myself. Luckily: no! #Technology

I strongly agree with this. "View source" has been an important part of the culture of the web since the beginning. Obfuscating that source or removing the option does damage to its underlying principles and makes the web a worse place. I like the comparison to the enclosure movement, which seems apt. #Technology

Lots of good new changes here - and in particular a much-needed search overhaul. My private instance is running the latest and I like it a lot. #Technology

This is a horrendous bill that is designed to encourage self-censorship, including around topics like "illegal immigration", as well as vastly deepen surveillance on internet users. And Britain passing it will likely embolden other nations to try the same. #Technology

I particularly valued the explanations here. I spend less time coding these days - I can go weeks without writing a line - and I’m determined to keep my skills up. #Technology

Makes complete sense: if you're charging a monthly subscription to access music, directing users to royalty-free music instead of other recordings will improve your margins. It doesn't say great things for classical music revenue in the future, though. #Technology

Sad to hear that David Golumbia died. If you’re unfamiliar with The Politics of Bitcoin and you’re in tech, it’s a must-read. #Technology

I'd prefer if this was default WordPress functionality - but the big lede is buried here. Hosted WordPress sites are getting fediverse compatibility. That's a huge deal. #Technology

Who at the intersection of tech and politics is still posting on Twitter? And should they be? A good breakdown. #Technology

As with API pricing changes across social media, these tiers disproportionately penalize indie developers. The message is clear: they don't want or need those customers. In a tighter economy, much of technology is re-organizing around serving bigger, wealthier players. #Technology

“As customers ask whether they can use Microsoft’s Copilot services and the output they generate without worrying about copyright claims, we are providing a straightforward answer: yes, you can, and if you are challenged on copyright grounds, we will assume responsibility for the potential legal risks involved.” #Technology