Werd I/O

Ben Werdmuller

A New Social Web Working Group at the W3C

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

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Ben Werdmuller

The Philadelphia Inquirer launches 7-figure ad campaign to lure millennials

Notable to see a newspaper run an ad campaign that genuinely competes with another one. Kind of a bold move in a world where the whole market is declining. #Media

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Ben Werdmuller

Critics Furious Microsoft Is Training AI by Sucking Up Water During Drought

"Microsoft's data centers in West Des Moines, Iowa guzzled massive amounts of water last year to keep cool while training OpenAI's ChatGPT-4. [...] This happened in the midst of a more than three-year drought, further taxing a stressed water system that's been so dry this summer that nature lovers couldn't even paddle canoes in local rivers." #AI

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Ben Werdmuller

Photoshop for Web

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

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September 29, 2023 · Links · Share this post

Ben Werdmuller

Amanda Zamora is stepping down as publisher at The 19th

Amanda is absolutely fearless and I was privileged to work with her. As co-founder of The 19th, she was an absolutely core part of what it became: both a strategist and culture instigator. What she does next will certainly change media; I'll be cheerleading. #Media

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September 29, 2023 · Links · Share this post

Ben Werdmuller

Meta in Myanmar, Part I: The Setup

"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

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September 29, 2023 · Links · Share this post

Ben Werdmuller

US surgeons are killing themselves at an alarming rate. One decided to speak out

"Somewhere between 300 to 400 physicians a year in the US take their own lives, the equivalent of one medical school graduating class annually." #Society

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Ben Werdmuller

Oxford University is the world’s top university for a record eighth year

This presumably means that the Turf Tavern is the best student pub in the world. #Society

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Ben Werdmuller

How the “Surveillance AI Pipeline” Literally Objectifies Human Beings

"The vast majority of computer vision research leads to technology that surveils human beings, a new preprint study that analyzed more than 20,000 computer vision papers and 11,000 patents spanning three decades has found.” #AI

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Ben Werdmuller

How I approach crafting a blog post

"I don’t think I’ve seen someone walk through their process for writing a blog post, though." I love this breakdown! Tracy's structured process shows up in the quality of her posts. I love the thoughtfulness here. #Media

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Ben Werdmuller

Privacy Party

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

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Ben Werdmuller

Britain’s attitude to refugees shows, once again, that it’s a colonial nation

"Hostile immigration policy stokes racism but the foundation it builds upon itself is racist and maintains a 'colonial present'. Through dealing with migrants like pests, who deserve to be locked away in a prison barge, the British government continues to ignore the fact that, “Borders maintain hoarded concentrations of wealth accrued from colonial domination."" #Society

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Ben Werdmuller

In defense of aggressive small-town newspapers

This: "The prevalence of “news deserts” has apparently led some to think it’s normal for neighborhood news outlets to function as lapdogs rather than watchdogs." The purpose of journalism is to investigate in the public interest. #Media

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Ben Werdmuller

Optimizing for Taste

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

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Ben Werdmuller

Failing Without Knowing Why: The Tragedy Of Performative Content

Thought-provoking for me: particularly as someone who thinks through ideas through writing. But perhaps that writing doesn't need to be in public, in front of an audience. #Business

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