Ben Werdmuller @werd.io · 5hThis is turning into a real “living the sandwich generation life” kind of week. 060
Ben Werdmuller @werd.io · 7hI made from-scratch Belgian waffles for breakfast and they worked out faster and easier than the scrambled eggs and toast I had been making for everyone. There was no rush to school and everything was calm. Always be prototyping. 070
Ben Werdmuller @werd.io · 22h"Why does Elon Musk look funny?" Maybe it's all the stress of being the world's richest man who also orchestrated the deaths of hundreds of thousands of people at minimum by bluntly removing their foreign aid 0100
Ben Werdmuller @werd.io · 22hTo make my point clearer: taking Trump to task on the trivial stuff is a way to avoid talking about - and having to take a stand on - the hard stuff. You have to report deeply on what's happening to immigrants, to protesters, to foreign nations, to democracy. Sorry if that's uncomfortable. 1196
Ben Werdmuller @werd.io · 23h"Trump's new AI website confirms he lost the 2020 election." I just don't care. Children are being deported, alone, without due process. People are being held in terrible conditions. Protesters are being shot. Protections are being eradicated. Wars are being waged. Elections undermined. 2163
Ben Werdmuller @werd.io · 29/09/2026I started to post something (days late, I know) but this thread says it far better than I could, from a point of view that should be platformed more than mine. A lot of the discourse about Last Ditch, the covid cautious lesbian bar, is just about bullying someone outside of the mainstream. It sucks. 050
Ben Werdmuller @werd.io · 29/09/2026The Lenfest AI Collaborative lets newsrooms explore a new technology together - but more importantly, it gives them the muscle to open source their work and collaborate. werd.io/the-lenfest-...werd.ioThe Lenfest AI Collaborative has additional funding. That's great for open source in news.The Lenfest AI Collaborative lets newsrooms explore a new technology together - but more importantly, it gives them the muscle to open source their work and collaborate. 0110
Reposted by Ben WerdmullerGraze Social @graze.social · 29/09/2026Thinking about the US midterms and how feeds could play a part? Join the @graze.social team + community TOMORROW, Tue Sept 29 at 2pm PT for an open call on building election-ready feeds and the product changes we're making to support you. Everyone is welcome! 🗳meet.google.comMeetReal-time meetings by Google. Using your browser, share your video, desktop, and presentations with teammates and customers. 22522
Ben Werdmuller @werd.io · 28/09/2026Who had "spill a double espresso all over yourself in one of the world's most prestigious law schools" on your bucket list? Be jealous 1150
Ben Werdmuller @werd.io · 28/09/2026I dig it. I've already got the dodgy accent. Now I just need to find some cartoon penguins ... 000
Ben Werdmuller @werd.io · 28/09/2026By taking identity resolution to an independent organization, Bluesky is securing the future of its network, and of AT Protocol. werd.io/the-public-l...werd.ioThe Public Ledger of Credentials directory is taking flightBy taking identity resolution to an independent organization, Bluesky is securing the future of its network, and of AT Protocol. 020
Ben Werdmuller @werd.io · 28/09/2026“You can just do things” is not just a startup bro maxim. It’s also a healthy mindset that encourages you to make, to meet, to put yourself out there, and *not worry about it*. What’s the worst that could happen? Why do you care about what they think of you? Most people could use a bit more of this. 0175
Ben Werdmuller @werd.io · 28/09/2026Most of the people I consider really successful - professionally, in life, etc; the kind of success that is about more than money - seem to have tapped into an inner confidence or silenced their self-questioning. They don’t waste much time on anxiety. As a very anxious person, I find it inspiring. 1187
Ben Werdmuller @werd.io · 28/09/2026I can't imagine ever writing code the same way again and it's allowed me to do a lot of things I otherwise wouldn't have been able to. It's a genuinely transformational technology. The people *behind* it, on the other hand ... 080
Ben Werdmuller @werd.io · 28/09/2026Tired: Superintelligence Wired: Superduperintelligence Use it in a sentence where you’re insufferably talking about AI to boost the value of your pre-IPO private stock today! 2120
Ben Werdmuller @werd.io · 28/09/2026So sorry to hear this. I hope you're feeling better and discharged and recovering soon. 040
Ben Werdmuller @werd.io · 27/09/2026I, too, have not heard it, but they’re right about the cultural cachet: based on the title alone, I’d rather listen to the chicken song non stop for a year. 170
Ben Werdmuller @werd.io · 25/09/2026I appreciate this big tech dependency assessment for journalists and newsrooms on a molecular level: journalismrelay.org/static/asses...journalismrelay.orgBig Tech Dependency Assessment — Journalism Relay ProjectA web-based survey tool that evaluates journalism organizations' dependency on Big Tech platforms and services. 032
Ben Werdmuller @werd.io · 25/09/2026This is breathtaking and heartbreaking. www.audacy.com/wccoradio/ne...audacy.comMinnesota Immigrant Rights Action Committee unveil massive 11,000 patch quilt made in protest against ICEDemonstrators with the Minnesota Immigrant Rights Action Committee gathered at the State Capitol Tuesday to unveil a massive 11,000 patch quilt made in protest against ICE: "Unique precious lives are ... 0165
Ben Werdmuller @werd.io · 24/09/2026Can't speak for criminals but journalists crossing borders (etc) disable facial recognition and touch ID. They theoretically can't compel you to provide a password, although in practice your mileage may vary. 110
Ben Werdmuller @werd.io · 23/09/2026When you connect a Waymo ride with a bus route, Waymo will pay your bus fare. Which is useful for two reasons: it helps them curry favor with city governments that might otherwise be wary of self-driving rideshares, and it gives them data about where to provide more cars to replace buses later.waymo.comIntroducing transit rewardsToday, Waymo is excited to announce our transit rewards program, which we will initially offer in the San Francisco Bay Area, with future cities to follow. This first-of-its-kind initiative rewards ri... 411230
Ben Werdmuller @werd.io · 23/09/2026Absolute meltdown because I won’t give a lollipop before breakfast. I don’t understand why we even have lollipops in the house. Fellow parents of small children, I need reassurance - I should not give him the lollipop, correct? It is the worst thing that’s ever happened to him and I am a traitor. 5160
Ben Werdmuller @werd.io · 23/09/2026This is what we could be finding solutions to if we weren’t having to re-litigate the absolute basics of representative democracy and international cooperation. www.theguardian.com/environment/...theguardian.comHuge El Niño projected to cause 450,000 deaths in next six monthsNew report predicts a heavy toll from Nigeria to the US – and comes on top of existing impacts of the climate crisis 2317
Ben Werdmuller @werd.io · 22/09/2026"In the mega-consumption era of parenthood, the internet tells new moms that products can solve the hardest parts of having a newborn. All they have to do is add to cart." 19thnews.org/2026/09/moth...19thnews.orgYou’ll do anything for your baby. The algorithm knows how to exploit that.In the mega-consumption era of parenthood, the internet tells new moms that products can solve the hardest parts of having a newborn. All they have to do is add to cart. 150
Ben Werdmuller @werd.io · 22/09/2026In the same week, the President banned three networks from the White House - and started his own. It's not a coincidence that this happened so close to the midterms. werd.io/trump-tv-is-...werd.ioTrump TV is the only source of footage of the President. That may be exactly what he wants.In the same week, the President banned three networks from the White House - and started his own. It's not a coincidence that this happened so close to the midterms. 050
Reposted by Ben Werdmullerdan sinker @dansinker.com · 21/09/2026The best way to fight back against the Paramount/Warner Brothers merger is to support independent artists, journalists, writers, filmmakers, musicians and everyone else who has been walking a very hard path to putting things out into the world. 111203382
Ben Werdmuller @werd.io · 22/09/2026More on why micropayments aren't it: werd.io/why-micropay...werd.ioWhy micropayments can't save newsWhy an ephemeral model can't fund relationship-based work 050
Ben Werdmuller @werd.io · 22/09/2026I'm truly sorry, but micropayments don't work when it's humans doing the transacting, and it also won't work when it's AI agents. fora-protocol.orgfora-protocol.orgFORA Protocol — Open Transaction Protocol for AI Content AccessThe open protocol that turns blocked bots into paying customers. Discover, price, transact, deliver, verify — one protocol for any content. 160
Ben Werdmuller @werd.io · 22/09/2026First morning of class shopping. Just got my first “are you teaching?” #old 040
Ben Werdmuller @werd.io · 22/09/2026I wasn't prepared for the degree that visiting California is like visiting Europe, website-wise. Privacy popups all over the place, as well as notifications that websites are honoring my opt-out requests. Not such a fan of the popups - privacy should be the default - but I like the direction. 2160
Ben Werdmuller @werd.io · 21/09/2026I've started my JSK Fellowship year at Stanford, rethinking how newsrooms build real relationships with their communities – and putting myself into a more generative space to do it. I'm taking you with me this year, and I'd love to be in conversation as I go. werd.io/seeking-a-ye...werd.ioSeeking a "yes, and" spaceHow the JSK Fellowship is putting me in a more generative culture. 0162
Ben Werdmuller @werd.io · 20/09/2026Getting a bunch of vaccinations today. I’m excited to renew my 5G coverage for another year. 2873542
Ben Werdmuller @werd.io · 20/09/2026static.klipy.comWeird Al Yankovic in SuitAlt: Weird Al Yankovic in Suit 1283
Ben Werdmuller @werd.io · 19/09/2026I bought a suit for a wedding next week. A rare event! I think it looks good. Hopefully, like the last suit, it will keep me fancy for the next decade at least. 290
Reposted by Ben WerdmullerSurf @surf.social · 18/09/2026Speaking Truth to Power is @werd.io's feed of independent and non-profit media, including @propublica.org, @boltsmag.org, @motherjones.com and more. 🏄🏻 surf.social/feed/surf%2F... 🦋 bsky.app/profile/werd...surf.socialSpeaking Truth to Power by Ben Werdmuller on SurfSurf - Independent, non-profit media covering the US 121
Ben Werdmuller @werd.io · 18/09/2026A lot of differences between the Menlo Park parenting groups and the ones in Philly, but in summary, there were precisely zero moms in Philly founding startups to deliver mezze platters to toddlers. 1131
Ben Werdmuller @werd.io · 18/09/2026It's wild to me that submissions for the next season of Doctor Who are being taken via a web form. I'm not complaining! That seems pretty open to me and I wish I could be a fly on the wall as they sort through the proposals. But also, it's kind of surreal. www.bbc.co.uk/commissionin...bbc.co.ukNew opportunity: Doctor Who invitation to tenderDeadline for initial submissions: 2 October 070
Ben Werdmuller @werd.io · 18/09/2026“How does democracy change when technologies of power change?” The first lecture I’m attending at Stanford is on topic. Privileged to be here. events.stanford.edu/event/consti...events.stanford.eduConstitution Day Lecture: Technology and Constitutional Rot 181
Reposted by Ben WerdmullerFediForum @fediforum.org · 16/09/2026NEWS! Anil Dash will be keynote speaker at the next FediForum Oct 6-7! Anil is a technologist, writer and activist advocating for ethical, inclusive tech. He'll talk about lessons learned working on open standards, community and what's to come. More details & registration:fediforum.orgFediForum | Next FediForum: 6–7 October 2026. Keynote by Anil Dash!Registration is open. Propose sessions. Suggest cool demos. 0329
Ben Werdmuller @werd.io · 17/09/2026Beginning to think I should update this to read “there is no such thing as neutrality” (because there isn’t). 1130
Reposted by Ben WerdmullerGillian Branstetter @gbbranstetter.bsky.social · 15/09/2026I don't think people really understand the psychic impact of knowing that multiple times a day every day your friends, family, coworkers, neighbors, and everyone who could ever have any power over you is being flooded with agitprop designed to make them hate you 8980992032
Ben Werdmuller @werd.io · 15/09/2026When I was first in California, having freshly (and a bit traumatically) ripped up my UK life, I attended a session on news design at the d.School. Boy, was that foreshadowing for the fifteen years that came afterwards. Today I’ll be spending the day there again. 080
Ben Werdmuller @werd.io · 15/09/2026I've passed that Chevron every day since I moved here and every single time I've had to stare at it wide-eyed for a moment. 160
Ben Werdmuller @werd.io · 15/09/2026I have skin in this game: I want the UK to rejoin the EU. And if today’s move by Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland helps push British leadership in that direction, well, let’s just say I’m not mad about it. 1200
Ben Werdmuller @werd.io · 13/09/2026That is exactly what we just did (albeit outside). He’s getting a bit big for it but it sort of works! 010
Ben Werdmuller @werd.io · 13/09/2026Rented a house where the bathrooms were renovated between photography and renting and no longer have bathtubs. Child refuses to take showers. Now resorting to a hose and a storage box on the back deck. Needs must. 1130