benwerd / Ben Werdmuller is on Nostr

I lead technology at ProPublica and write speculative fiction. This is a personal account.

Every day, I write about tech, democracy, and society at https://werd.io.

More about me: https://about.werd.io

Last Notes

2024-06-05 19:05:47

I have a few thoughts about the upcoming British general election. None of them particularly polite. https://werd.io/2024/a-jab-back-at-brexit-or-a-kick-in-the

2024-05-31 14:41:21

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Nice! This is the work required to make any community space work.

2024-05-27 17:31:07

“Human-centered design for engineers”: a book for engineers on small teams who want to be more effective with fewer resources and solve real, unmet problems for the people they’re building for more quickly than they otherwise might.

2024-05-27 02:45:25

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But there’s a fine line, and if there’s a mechanism to moderate for community health (as there should be), the powerful will also eventually use it to squash speech they simply don’t like.

2024-05-27 02:29:46

I see free speech like the free market. Without rules, the powerful will always benefit. Moderation enables new ideas and less powerful communities to truly be heard.

2024-05-26 21:13:08

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Hm. Not really my scene.
That said, if they wanted to punt me some Bitcoin …

2024-05-26 17:14:09

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From each according to their ability, to each according to their needs

2024-05-26 16:17:41

Politics is not sports. Principles are far more important than allegiance.

2024-05-25 17:51:18

https://image.nostr.build/9f56850cf25a5d225b5905d0e2e9182e1d6cac0db0ad27c728921e3fb97f0e16.jpg
I’m glad these stories are being told; I wish they didn’t have to be.

2024-05-25 16:06:08

Who is most successfully building a community on Nostr?

2024-05-25 09:19:41

I'm trying something new! Introducing Unoffice Hours: a little open time to meet and chat every week. Agenda optional; no ulterior motive beyond meeting new people. https://werd.io/2024/unoffice-hours

2024-05-25 09:00:18

The biggest issue that’s turning up for me about AI is not the models, hallucinations, etc, but how leakily AI-enabled services share potentially sensitive data with third parties. Using AI to process or read aloud a confidential document? Guess what, a third party you have no control over has a copy of it now.

2024-05-25 08:59:25

The way to save news is through radical experimentation, decoupling from tech platform interests, and creating more supportive, inclusive cultures that are more open-minded and inclusive. #longread #journalism #news #innovation https://werd.io/2024/dispatches-from-the-media-apocalypse