Elsewhere

The first draft flare

On reclaiming the childhood joy writing and drawing gave me in order to find a new creative life as an adult.  #Elsewhere [Link]

Homeland Security Cops to Manufacturing Terrorists for Trump

“The Department of Homeland Security launched a failed operation that ensnared hundreds, if not thousands, of U.S. protesters in what new documents show was as a sweeping, power-hungry effort before the 2020 election to bolster President Donald Trump’s spurious claims about a “terrorist organization” he accused his Democratic

A Mastodon introduction

Here’s what I wrote on my Mastodon profile to (re-)introduce myself to the fediverse: Hi! I'm Ben Werdmuller. I've been a blogger since 1998. These days I post regularly at werd.io. Writing is my first love, and I'm working on a

Voting on the indieweb

If you’re an American citizen, you should vote in next week’s election. Maybe you already have: I sent in my mail-in ballot, which is by far the easiest and most convenient way to do your democratic duty, as well as the best way to vote while researching your

The Dangers of Context Collapse

“Context collapse itself is the phenomenon of highly-contextual information being used, purposefully or otherwise, in an ambiguous manner which leads to confusion.” Great post on a common rhetorical weapon.  #Society [Link]

Pasadena school becomes nation’s first named after Octavia Butler

“Everyone said, ‘She’s a seer and she’s prescient, but she … just paid attention. She was always tuned into the climate crisis and doing research on that. It’s almost as if we’ve caught up with her finally.””  #Society [Link]

How much press are you worth?

“This website calculates your press value based on current reporting in America, to expose bias and to advocate for change.” I would be worth a below-average 17 stories if I went missing.  #Media [Link]

Ian Coldwater on Twitter: "Dotcom crash survivors, what is your actionable advice for people?"

A great thread of advice for younger engineers in a recession, from people who survived previous tech downturns.  #Technology [Link]

How Is Slavery Still Legal?

“What’s disturbing is that not only do the “tough on crime” types believe in prison slavery, but even liberals like Gavin Newsom can’t be counted on to oppose it. But it’s up to the rest of us, those with a functioning moral compass, to work to eradicate

Mozilla Ventures: Investing in Responsible Tech

“Mozilla Ventures will be a $35M+ venture capital fund for early stage startups whose products or technologies advance one or more of the values in the Mozilla Manifesto. Privacy. Inclusion. Transparency. Accessibility. Human dignity.” YES!  #Technology [Link]

How to Build A Winning Paid Membership Program

“Chinese platforms have been experimenting with paid membership models for over a decade and offer new frameworks for the West to consider. They are also a great source of ideas for individual features that are universal.”  #Startups [Link]

Oregon tried to publicize wildfire risk. The backlash was explosive.

““A lot of people were just, you know, shocked,” Chaisson told Grist. “The big thing that people think of is, you know, the worst-case scenario, which is losing your insurance and having your property taken away.”” Obvious room for benefits for people whose homes fall in high-risk zones.  #Climate [Link]