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23andMe user data targeting Ashkenazi Jews leaked online

Pretty much the worst thing that could happen as an outcome of using a service like this.  #Technology [Link]

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The Repressive Power of Artificial Intelligence

"Advances in AI are amplifying a crisis for human rights online. While AI technology offers exciting and beneficial uses for science, education, and society at large, its uptake has also increased the scale, speed, and efficiency of digital repression. Automated systems have enabled governments to conduct more precise and

Re-introducing comments

This blog has had kind of a weird relationship with comments since I started it ten years ago. My previous blogs, in contrast, have always intentionally been spaces that can be homes for conversations. Over the years lots of people have asked me to fix this situation. So, okay! Here’

Spinning a tech career into writing

I have a lot of admiration for Eliot Peper, who has spun a career in tech into a career in writing science fiction novels rooted in the intersection of technology and society. They’re fun reads, first and foremost, but there’s always an insight into how technology is made,

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AGI Researchers Stop Quoting White Supremacists Challenge (Impossible)

White supremacist rhetoric is endemic in AI research. An interesting (and complex) point is also made here about preprint journal sites and how they allow companies to whitewash embarrassing mistakes.  #AI [Link]

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X/Twitter may be terrible, but it’s still the go-to place for certain types of conversations

This is still a widely-held sentiment. What do we need to build for this not to be true?  #Media [Link]

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Jawboned

Jawboning tech companies is part of a much bigger trend of government influencing the private sector to accomplish what it can't legislatively. These are suggestions to curb and regulate the practice - but do they acknowledge the societal failures of the tech companies themselves? #Democracy [Link]

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Teens Love LinkedIn

I no longer think the kids are alright.  #Technology [Link]

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40 global technology companies beating their Western rivals

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 [Link]

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More Thoughtful Reading & Writing on the Web

"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 [Link]

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Why side projects are essential for creatives—and employers should embrace them

I firmly agree with this stance (and my career wouldn't have been possible without it): let employees build and release side projects. It'll make them better at their jobs and a lot happier to boot.  #Labor [Link]

AI summarization and the open web

Arc, my default browser for a year now, recently launched a set of AI-driven features. I’m finding two to be particularly useful — and one of those is problematic in a way I want to discuss. They’re worth considering because, while Arc has a relatively small userbase for now,