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Bas Grasmayer

@bas.bsky.social
109 followers 88 following 150 posts

Formerly at COLORS, IDAGIO, and founded the MUSIC x newsletter. Now: Calm & Fluffy newsletter. calmfluffy.cloud bas.grasmayer.com

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Bas Grasmayer @bas.bsky.social · 05/07/2026
Glad it’s helpful!
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Bas Grasmayer @bas.bsky.social · 22/04/2026
How well-informed am I after 6 weeks of not following the news? You be the judge. •‿• www.calmfluffy.cloud/p/i-didnt-fo...
calmfluffy.cloud
I didn't follow the news for 6 weeks: here's what reached me anyway
On stepping back without falling behind
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Bas Grasmayer @bas.bsky.social · 09/04/2026
I built a browser extension that turns your distractions into cleaner oceans. 🐳 mindfulblock.calmfluffy.cloud
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Bas Grasmayer @bas.bsky.social · 09/04/2026
En dan volgende week een column over het bestrijden van hypocrisie
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Bas Grasmayer @bas.bsky.social · 09/04/2026
Don’t let them take away your ability to imagine a better future ☀️
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Bas Grasmayer @bas.bsky.social · 07/04/2026
Allow me to sprinkle some hope into your feeds 🌿 www.calmfluffy.cloud/p/the-genera...
calmfluffy.cloud
The generation raised on smartphones is choosing phone-free dancefloors
A hopeful sign that the smartphone era is turning
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Bas Grasmayer @bas.bsky.social · 12/03/2026
It’s Thursday. Add some peace to your environment today by giving this fantastically soothing work by ambient pioneer Brian Eno a listen, titled “Thursday Afternoon”. If you’re feeling particularly mischievous, listen to it in the morning. www.youtube.com/watch?v=pZ6V...
youtube.com
Thursday Afternoon (2005 Digital Remaster)
YouTube video by Brian Eno - Topic
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Bas Grasmayer @bas.bsky.social · 12/03/2026
"I’m very much in favour of smaller, pragmatic systems that solve real problems, ideally running on renewable energy. I try to use my own brain first; only use AI when it genuinely helps; and when I do, choose smaller, more efficient models wherever possible." www.calmfluffy.cloud/p/james-mart...
calmfluffy.cloud
James Martin: We're using AI like a bazooka to swat flies
"The impact-to-benefit ratio is way off. And most people have no idea."
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Bas Grasmayer @bas.bsky.social · 04/03/2026
I spoke with the CEO and co-founder of soundscape generation app Endel — you’ve probably seen it featured in the App Store — about their new ambient label Sources, Brian Eno, functional audio, and giving birth. www.calmfluffy.cloud/p/oleg-stavi...
calmfluffy.cloud
Oleg Stavitsky: Building music that follows you like a bodily function
"You have this creator ego that says, this is how you're supposed to use it — and then real life happens."
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Bas Grasmayer @bas.bsky.social · 01/03/2026
“It’s supposed to hurt. That’s why we do it six times!” Love my ballet instructor 😂
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Bas Grasmayer @bas.bsky.social · 28/02/2026
Tbh, I like winter because it’s easier to see the birds in the trees and it’s more quiet outside :)
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Bas Grasmayer @bas.bsky.social · 28/02/2026
😅 I’m bracing myself.
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Bas Grasmayer @bas.bsky.social · 28/02/2026
Hi Bluesky, from Grunewald forest, Berlin. I present to you, a blue sky. With birds to listen to.
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Bas Grasmayer @bas.bsky.social · 26/02/2026
Alright. 500 days done. Time to let this app go. Music learning has been fun with Duolingo, but after a few months, I’ve started to plateau. What better song to end it with than The Final Countdown?
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Bas Grasmayer @bas.bsky.social · 24/02/2026
Sometimes it’s good to be reminded of music’s uses beyond the boundaries of the industry. And how not all is black-and-white when it comes to AI-generated music. www.calmfluffy.cloud/p/kate-berki...
calmfluffy.cloud
Kate Berkita: How AI‑generated music can support people with Parkinson’s
"Many people with Parkinson’s are not ready to accept they have it. And this is very hard to see, to be honest."
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Bas Grasmayer @bas.bsky.social · 23/02/2026
“Networks compress time and space, then quietly train us to live at their speed.” om.co/2026/01/21/v...
om.co
Velocity Is the New Authority. Here’s Why
Why does everyone feel overwhelmed by information? Why does it feel impossible to trust what passes through our streams? We tend to blame individual publications, specific platforms, or b…
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Bas Grasmayer @bas.bsky.social · 13/02/2026
◡̈
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Bas Grasmayer @bas.bsky.social · 04/02/2026
"Both Google and Meta received a record number of subpoenas in the United States during the first half of 2025 as Trump’s second term began, with Google receiving 28,622, a 15 percent increase over the previous six months." newrepublic.com/post/206088/...
newrepublic.com
DHS Hunts Down 67-Year-Old U.S. Citizen Who Criticized Them in Email
The Department of Homeland Security is using a little-known tool to go after its critics.
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Bas Grasmayer @bas.bsky.social · 02/02/2026
A decade before 'Moltbook', there was SubredditSimulator. www.reddit.com/r/SubredditS...
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Bas Grasmayer @bas.bsky.social · 30/01/2026
Meta's Secret Weapon in the AI Race? All Your Personal Data www.cnet.com/tech/service...
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Bas Grasmayer @bas.bsky.social · 28/01/2026
People who have stopped using Google as their search engine: which do you use now and how happy are you with search results generally?
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Bas Grasmayer @bas.bsky.social · 19/01/2026
Was looking up the lyrics to the Ghostbusters theme...
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Bas Grasmayer @bas.bsky.social · 14/01/2026
Are EU leaders actually so naive as to believe that a greater European military presence in Greenland might appease Trump? It's not about normal geopolitical interests: Trump cares foremost about the billionaires who want the territory's resources. The US's defensive position is an excuse.
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Bas Grasmayer @bas.bsky.social · 13/01/2026
This Saturday morning, I woke up early and finally snapped. I ditched Gmail for @proton.me... and boy, would I have made the switch earlier if I had known it would only take me minutes. (I'd seen the advertising claims. I was sceptical. I was wrong.) www.calmfluffy.cloud/p/i-put-off-...
calmfluffy.cloud
I put off switching from Google to Proton for years. It took minutes
The price of convenience when your life's turned into training data.
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Bas Grasmayer @bas.bsky.social · 13/01/2026
Yes, please. www.theregister.com/2026/01/11/e...
theregister.com
Brussels plots open source push to pry Europe off Big Tech
: Call for Evidence casts FOSS as a way to break US dependence
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Bas Grasmayer @bas.bsky.social · 11/01/2026
Not all heroes wear capes… www.pcmag.com/news/hacker-...
pcmag.com
Hacker Dressed As Pink Power Ranger Dismantles Racist Websites Live on Stage
At the Chaos Communication Congress in Germany, it was morphin' time for hacker Martha Root, who took down several white supremacist websites during their presentation.
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Bas Grasmayer @bas.bsky.social · 07/01/2026
Delete by default privacy strategy: www.calmfluffy.cloud/p/delete-by-...
calmfluffy.cloud
Delete by default
A challenge for YOU + some personal updates + new challenge in October!
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Bas Grasmayer @bas.bsky.social · 07/01/2026
My privacy guide for ChatGPT: www.calmfluffy.cloud/p/meta-knows...
Be aware of what you share. Assume that what you disclose may leak. That can be tomorrow, or that can be in 20 years. Keep in mind that even things you type, but don’t end up sharing, may be logged.

Be aware of what you click. Everything you do in the app is tracked, including which links you choose to open, e.g. if you’re doing research.

Avoid sharing information that could be used against you or others, should it become public.

Respect your friends’ privacy. Don’t put their addresses, full names, or other personal info into ChatGPT. Use nicknames to create more ambiguity.

Regularly clean ChatGPT’s memory feature. Does it really need to remember that you went on a holiday to Italy in 2023 with your ex-partner?

Use the temporary chats feature. OpenAI claims these chats won’t be used to train their models, are deleted from OpenAI’s servers after 30 days, and don't show up in your history or memory (source).

Stop OpenAI from using your data for training. You can opt out by using ChatGPT’s data controls. Imagine your private challenges from your Italian holiday somehow making their way into someone’s replies years down the line?

If using third-party apps with ChatGPT, be cautious. This is a Cambridge Analytica scandal waiting to happen all over again.

Keep yourself informed about potential risks. I highly recommend listening to the Darknet Diaries podcast to better understand why your data is valuable to actors with bad intentions, even if you think you have nothing to hide.
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Bas Grasmayer @bas.bsky.social · 07/01/2026
This is your reminder to periodically delete all your data on AI platforms, because you can not know whose hands your chats will fall into. My recommendation is to completely delete your account, and, if in EU, to submit a specific GDPR data deletion request. arstechnica.com/ai/2026/01/n...
arstechnica.com
News orgs win fight to access 20M ChatGPT logs. Now they want more.
OpenAI's loss in privacy fight could lead to sharing even more deleted chats.
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Bas Grasmayer @bas.bsky.social · 07/12/2025
There seems to be some confusion over record labels’ suing AI companies, only to turn around and partner with them. The lawsuits are part of the negotiation strategy. It’s a very common strategy in IP-heavy industries. (See also: UMG vs TikTok)
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Bas Grasmayer @bas.bsky.social · 12/11/2025
“participants were asked to listen to three tracks and determine whether or not they were fully AI-generated – 97% of the respondents failed” newsroom-deezer.com/2025/11/deez...
newsroom-deezer.com
Deezer/Ipsos survey: 97% of people can’t tell the difference between fully AI-generated and human made music – clear desire for transparency and fairness for artists - Deezer Newsroom
Deezer and Ipsos unveil a first-of-its-kind study exploring attitudes and perceptions around AI and music, conducted across 8 countries with 9000 people. The survey shows overwhelming support for labe...
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Reposted by Bas Grasmayer
Vox @vox.com · 03/11/2025
How you hear these two tones might depend on if you grew up in California or the United Kingdom. Noam Hassenfeld, host of the Unexplainable podcast, talks to researcher Diana Deutsch about why people from different countries hear tritones differently.
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Bas Grasmayer @bas.bsky.social · 01/11/2025
(podcaster wedding vows) My fiance, soon-husband, works at Anthropic
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Bas Grasmayer @bas.bsky.social · 01/11/2025
“Enjoy the futuristic capabilities of these browsers by all means, but remember that even Opera's 10% success rate with one particular prompt injection attack means that you need to be lucky every time, while an attacker only needs to get lucky once.” www.xda-developers.com/please-stop-...
xda-developers.com
Please stop using AI browsers
Agentic AI browsers are dangerous, and even some of the biggest browser companies think so.
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Bas Grasmayer @bas.bsky.social · 30/10/2025
Innovation at major labels often looks like: 1 Startup has new tech they want to apply. 2 Get shown the door at the label. 3 Investors and founders take risk, develop tech, and launch without proper licenses. 4 Label sues. 5 Startup and label settle with licensing deal. Major label: INNOVATION!
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Bas Grasmayer @bas.bsky.social · 24/10/2025
2025 and German media still call female DJs “DJane”. 🤦‍♂️
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Reposted by Bas Grasmayer
Brodie Conley @brodieconley.bsky.social · 23/10/2025
I wrote about AI + why artists need ownership (incl. governance) or they’re up shit creek! A simple but important argument! And I messed w/ David Harvey’s “Paths of Capital Accumulation” diagram to make it 🤓FUN! + a Neil Young song 🧛🔵🏖️! musicx.substack.com/p/the-foreve...
musicx.substack.com
The “Forever” Stakes of Generative AI Ownership
On synthetic data and dead labour
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Bas Grasmayer @bas.bsky.social · 11/10/2025
When I was still on TikTok I noticed another phenomenon: clips of parties in the 00s with embittered comments about how “we” millennials did it so much better than the younger generation. My generation is turning into what we disliked about online boomers.
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Bas Grasmayer @bas.bsky.social · 11/10/2025
There’s a generational changing of the guards happening. What tacky boomer memes on Facebook were for the previous generation of the internet.. Corny millennial AI slop is for this generation.
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Bas Grasmayer @bas.bsky.social · 08/10/2025
Stress response all over. busysimulator.com
busysimulator.com
Busy Simulator
Pretend you're busy by playing a bunch of app notification sounds. Made by Brian Moore.
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Reposted by Bas Grasmayer
Meredith Whittaker @meredithmeredith.bsky.social · 06/10/2025
📣 Germany's close to reversing its opposition to mass surveillance & private message scanning, & backing the Chat Control bill. This could end private comms-& Signal-in the EU. Time's short and they're counting on obscurity: please let German politicians know how horrifying their reversal would be.
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Bas Grasmayer @bas.bsky.social · 24/09/2025
I've also built a little tool to set your parameters for the quest, what exceptions you'd like to make, etc. It creates a ticket as a reminder. Have fun! offline.calmfluffy.com
offline.calmfluffy.com
Calm & Fluffy October Offline Quest - Create Your Retro Ticket
Create your personalized offline adventure ticket with beautiful 16-bit pixel art. Take a break from screens with style!
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Bas Grasmayer @bas.bsky.social · 24/09/2025
Earlier this year I left my phone at home for a month and was offline every time I went out. In October I'm inverting that: I'll go offline at home, every day at 8pm. You can join the adventure •‿• Read more here: calmfluffy.substack.com/p/why-im-spe...
calmfluffy.substack.com
Why I’m spending my October evenings offline
And how you can join me on this adventure for peace & health
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Bas Grasmayer @bas.bsky.social · 21/09/2025
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Bas Grasmayer @bas.bsky.social · 18/09/2025
Not just this one •‿•
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Bas Grasmayer @bas.bsky.social · 18/09/2025
I wish you were wrong more often, Mike…
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Bas Grasmayer @bas.bsky.social · 18/09/2025
I lived in Russia for a few years around 2012 and as a foreign visitor, I’m more worried about visiting the US now than I was about Russia back then.
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Bas Grasmayer @bas.bsky.social · 18/09/2025
Every day I wake up to another reason to be happy not to have a job that requires me to travel to the US. With a background in both music and tech, industries highly oriented towards NYC & California, I’m actively making career choices to further avoid this.
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Bas Grasmayer @bas.bsky.social · 12/09/2025
The great thing Apple Music has going for it is its Classical app, but luckily, I still have IDAGIO for that.
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Bas Grasmayer @bas.bsky.social · 12/09/2025
One thing I love about Tidal is that it uses Feature.fm when you share music with friends. So they can open it in their fav music streaming service, rather than forcing them to use Tidal. It recognises that most people's friends don't use Tidal & prioritises the sharer's user satisfaction.
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