“The perfect is an enemy of the good” is a cliché but also a good maxim to keep in mind for any project. It’s applicable for work, but also for clearing out a house to move out. Just get it done.
Ben Werdmuller
@werd.io
Incoming John S. Knight fellow. Ex: @propublica.org, @19thnews.org, @medium.com, Matter, Elgg. I write about tech / media / society at https://werd.io.
I would really like to spend an afternoon in that tiny quirky little tea shop in Glasgow right about now. That feels right.
"Citing a ProPublica report on Paramount providing luxury Kennedy Center gala tickets to FCC officials, the complaints note that commissioners accepted the gifts while the FCC was reviewing or about to review megamergers involving Paramount." www.propublica.org/article/fcc-...
FCC Commissioners Face Ethics Complaints for Taking Luxury Gifts From Paramount
Citing a ProPublica report on Paramount providing luxury Kennedy Center gala tickets to FCC officials, the complaints note that commissioners accepted the gifts while the FCC was reviewing or about to...
propublica.org
Fun fact: my mother was one of his teachers. She was very proud of everything he went on to do. Rightly!
ACLU@aclu.org · 3d agoColin is right: We must exercise our power to change the course of history. For his lifetime achievements advocating for racial justice and empowering youth, we are proud to recognize Colin Kaepernick with our new Ralph Ellison Award for Defenders of Civil Rights and Civil Liberties.
A lot of the underlying need for a mask mandate was to stop people from infecting others. Public health is a group activity. *Society* is a group activity. If we're just individuals who aren't inconvenienced by the needs and well-being of others, then we have nothing. Human civilization dissolves.
Dr. Johnathan Flowers, Bisexual of the Blade (Alt-text or DIE)@shengokai.blacksky.app · 3d agoI'm not going to be relitigating COVID lockdowns or mask mandates. Both were necessary measures that saved lives. If you cannot accept the curtailing of even the minor of freedoms in the name of public safety, you have demonstrated that you do not give a solitary fuck about the rest of us.
Any classic phone nerds here? I think this is a ringer extension, but I'm not positive. I need to buy a cover (it's 4.75"x3"). Any thoughts?
There's a big local story where I live about how Bradley Cooper doesn't come from one town but actually *the next town over*. There must be some reason they're obsessed with him rather than other public figures with roots here like [checks notes] Benjamin Netanyahu, Bill Cosby, and Mark Levin.
I still love Zen Browser. Exactly the right mix of features for me; regular updates; Firefox at its core. I browse in full-screen with the sidebar set to auto-hide and it just gets out of my way in the way I need. werd.io/why-im-all-i...
Why I'm all-in on Zen Browser
After Arc's pivot to AI left power users behind, I found the browser I actually wanted.
werd.io
Congratulations to everyone involved. Every worker deserves a good union to support them, and the people who work to publish @propublica.org’s journalism - across editorial and business teams - certainly deserve a great deal. I’m delighted to see this.
ProPublica Guild@propublicaguild.org · 5d ago🚨 WE HAVE A DEAL! After three years, in a major step forward for our members, we have ratified our first contract with @propublica.org’s management. We deeply appreciate everyone who supported us along the way. Here are some of our big wins👇
![A graphic poster reads "We have a deal! The ProPublica Guild has reached a deal with ProPublica's management on our first contract and has voted to ratify it. Swipe for the highlights [pointing emoji].](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:cdv2pqnwpgqvwp7i4h6qqm3m/bafkreicamcjhmrljmxkoelj7c44bud5joxgqjjqcwjjdq66mmnjljtqawe)
Economic historian Carlo M. Cipolla was a friend of my father. This book of his has not become *less* relevant over time ... bookshop.org/a/7949/97803...
The Basic Laws of Human Stupidity
INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER • An economist explains five laws that confirm our worst fears: stupid people can and do rule the world "A masterly book" —Nassim Nicholas Taleb, author of The Black Swan • "A...
bookshop.org
I did a major double take on this until I realized it was MUJI, not IKEA. Bagged dystopian clam chowder? Not against it tbqh
davemakes🔶@mixolumia.com · 5d agoobsessed with the font on IKEA's clam chowder packaging. this is what's in the freezer on the Nostromo
Every week I gather notable links and articles that I think are worth discussing. Today's roundup includes: leaders are leverage for fractal change; data collectives may be an answer for communities who have been strip-mined for data and value; what not to do at the border. werd.io/notable-link...
Notable links: July 31, 2026
Change is fractal; data ownership can be collective.
werd.io
Very happy and sad at the same time. The very definition of bittersweet.
I'm going to come out and say I hate political memes. Hate them. Those graphics that have a slogan designed to be reshared in place of an original thought? I wish I could filter them out of my feeds and never see them again for as long as I live.
"Leaders are leverage. Every leader is a multiplier, if they choose to be." werd.io/change-is-fr...
Change is fractal. It starts with leaders
"Leaders are leverage. Every leader is a multiplier, if they choose to be."
werd.io
This is a big day. Will explain why later. I woke up in the middle of the night with what I now, in daylight, realize was a genuine mini panic attack. That’s not something I normally experience, which is an indication of how emotionally turbulent and significant today’s events are. Oof.
I've been asked before whether my posts are co-written with AI. They're not: every word is mine. And I do make typos and mistakes, but let me be clear, I do not do it intentionally. It's not some Persian rugs must be imperfect thing - it's because I'm sloppy. Thanks for listening.
Manisha Krishnan@manishakrishnan.bsky.social · last wk.Authors and journalists are doing more first-person (hello 2010s blogging) and embracing "mistakes" in writing to prove they're not chatbots. There's even an “anti-Grammarly" app that leaves in typos and signs off "sent from my iPhone" to create more authenticity: www.wired.com/story/more-t...
This implications of this are interesting to think about. If Microsoft can't fix its bugs fast enough, how might it change the software development process so it can? And what does that imply about the future of software development (and engineers in particular)? www.propublica.org/article/anth...
Anthropic’s New AI Model Can Identify More Software Bugs Than Ever. Microsoft Is Struggling to Fix Them Fast Enough.
Anthropic’s Mythos has flagged bugs faster than Microsoft can fix them. Documents reviewed by ProPublica reveal the tech giant's “mad dash” behind the scenes to patch holes before hackers can find and...
propublica.org
This is very exciting to see:
Ted Han★ 韓聖安@knowtheory.net · last wk.I am a huge fan of Erin's work. She is consistently ahead of the curve in terms of probing at and understanding how technology affects actual humans. Very happy that she is digging into this space, and we hope others will support this work too: opencollective.com/atprotocolde...
Civics. www.propublica.org/article/trum...
This MAGA Influencer Runs a Charity to Teach Kids Civics. Much of the Money Goes to Him Instead.
Nick Adams’ Foundation for Liberty and American Greatness has brought in millions in donations and helped him land a State Department appointment, but records show there is almost no indication FLAG w...
propublica.org
After years of not really knowing what to do with it, this year Obsidian runs the risk of becoming my EMacs.
This seems very good. bonfirenetworks.org/posts/bonfir...
Announcing Bonfire for communities: groups and tools to organise together
Groups and topics, community rules and decision-making, events, organisation profiles, federated comments, custom themes: built with the communities who needed them, ready to use as-is, or to shape in...
bonfirenetworks.org