Ben Werdmuller

22 Mar 2025

There is no such thing as neutral technology.

Ani DiFranco’s live performance of Shy from Living in Clip is such an amazing track. I keep coming back to it. I’ve kept coming back to it for decades. So fucking great.

17h

Just an absolute treat: one of my heroes, @meredithmeredith.bsky.social, stopped by @robreich.bsky.social’s AI governance lecture. Lots of truth about the privacy implications of AI agents shared. These are the things that keep me up at night too. And it’s always a privilege to see her speak.

atmosphereconf.orgTalks — AtmosphereConf 2027Speak at AtmosphereConf 2027 in the Netherlands, 29 April to 2 May. Submit a talk on building, creating, informing, or governing the Atmosphere.

19h

Legend has it that there's going to be a robust tech-in-journalism track at Atmosphere 27. A community of hundreds of the most cutting-edge builders and thinkers on the internet will be there. You should probably apply to speak and share your work. Yes, you. atmosphereconf.org/speak

<3 www.youtube.com/watch?v=E2Ao...

21h

youtube.comIt’s time to come back to Firefox. The Internet you loved is still here.YouTube video by Firefox

theverge.comMicrosoft offers buyouts to 60,000 employeesMicrosoft’s buyout offer is reaching more of its 223,000 or so employees.

21h

Holy wow. 25% of Microsoft. www.theverge.com/tech/1018666...

21h

Kicking myself for not making a T_PAAMAYIM_NEKUDOTAYIM joke last week.

23h

Lots of reassuring responses here over the weekend (thank you!) but I'm still terrified by my upcoming oral surgery. I've never been put under before for anything. That alone is making me 🥶

Ben Werdmuller reposted

dan sinker

@dansinker.com

23h

"amplify your people" is 100% the best strategy

Rafa Sales Ross@rafiews.com

I’m not a political journalist, so was gladly surprised at the community I found here last night. To Americans anxious about the upcoming elections, a key thing we learned in Brazil that might help you: DO NOT engage with the far-right online. Don’t share rage bait. Amplify your people. Ignore them.

Ben Werdmuller reposted

I wish I could hit a button that says "hey, I voted already" and everyone would stop sending me text messages. I did. I voted. I probably voted for the people and causes you're texting me about. Please stop. For the love of all that is holy. End the madness.

werd.ioSolar is "offensively cheap". To live up to its promise, it also needs to be equitable.This year, solar will represent 10% of power generation. Abundant, clean energy is great news - but there's more work to do to make sure every community benefits.

23h

This year, solar will represent 10% of power generation. Abundant, clean energy is great news - but there's more work to do to make sure every community benefits.

Still buzzing from being in Chicago yesterday to present at #npasummit. Thank you for helping our session go smoothly, @kaidenchandler.com!

Kaiden Chandler@kaidenchandler.com

Had a great time hearing @werd.io, @joe.germuska.com, and the Chicago Public Media team talk chicago.com and ATProto nerdery at the @newsproduct.org summit.

I hate flying. Help me pass the time. 1 like = 1 genuinely terrible idea.

A TV adaptation of War and Peace but set in a dystopian future space colony.

James Joyce’s Ulysses 31

I hate flying. Help me pass the time. 1 like = 1 genuinely terrible idea.

Every town should have a lighthouse, whether coastal or inland, peopled by a grizzled keeper who notices everything and is in commune with the ghosts that live in the clouds, the breeze, the waves, the sky. Also, zeppelins.

The Thing: The Musical

I hate flying. Help me pass the time. 1 like = 1 genuinely terrible idea.

Connect every American city through a series of high speed canals, with intersection points managed by a series of lock keepers.

Salmon cannons at every sports game.

I hate flying. Help me pass the time. 1 like = 1 genuinely terrible idea.

Muppet Ringu.

Muppet House of Representatives.

I hate flying. Help me pass the time. 1 like = 1 genuinely terrible idea.

“Weird Al” Yankovic: poet laureate.

Muppet Henrik Ibsen’s A Doll’s House.

I hate flying. Help me pass the time. 1 like = 1 genuinely terrible idea.

It’s time to remake Casablanca. Starring Mark Wahlberg

Every US state should take a calendar year to explore a different political system. At the end of the year, they report back with findings and data. Iowa, how was revolutionary communism? Wyoming, how was anarchy? We take the best political systems and run again for another year before picking one.

I hate flying. Help me pass the time. 1 like = 1 genuinely terrible idea.

Marvel Cinematic Universe: the home workout tapes. I am glutes!

A dark ten episode HBO retelling of The Goonies as a backdoor pilot to interlocking spinoff TV shows that touch every aspect of the Spielbergverse (yes, including that one)

I hate flying. Help me pass the time. 1 like = 1 genuinely terrible idea.

Smart face TVs. You know those people whose sense of humor is just quoting old sitcoms? Now their face can just play the whole clip.

The Philip K Dick party: an entire political philosophy directly drawn from the work of Philip K Dick. Vote Dick: you might as well™️.

I hate flying. Help me pass the time. 1 like = 1 genuinely terrible idea.

Looksmaxxing smart mirror. Look in the mirror and ask it who is the fairest of them all; it says “not you” and schedules you in for cosmetic work.

A third tap to join hot and cold water in every home: liquid beef. Hungry? Just turn on the tap! Liquid beef.

I hate flying. Help me pass the time. 1 like = 1 genuinely terrible idea.

LLM cloning as a service. Tell the agent which service to use; give it a paid account for a day. It will go through and clone every feature before closing the account for you. Rather than the service owner, you now pay the LLM provider to keep it up and running for you.

Japanese smart toilet with MCP server.

I hate flying. Help me pass the time. 1 like = 1 genuinely terrible idea.

An AT Proto app dedicated to ALF content. #iykyk

Replace the galley at the back of the plane with a Chipotle.

I hate flying. Help me pass the time. 1 like = 1 genuinely terrible idea.

Rotate the evening news anchor. A new celebrity ever night! Tonight it’s Mick Jagger! Tomorrow, Madonna! Monday, Guy Fieri!

New White House Press Secretary: ALF. He was great on TV! Great ratings.

I hate flying. Help me pass the time. 1 like = 1 genuinely terrible idea.

Nathan Fielder documents the final two years of the Trump administration

Smart noses: record your olfactory data for later retrieval, for example via an LLM. Remember where you were when you smelled something delicious or terrible, and predict where the next notable smell might be found. Network effects create a smell map of the world.

I hate flying. Help me pass the time. 1 like = 1 genuinely terrible idea.

Airplanes should have those soda fountains you get in fast food restaurants. Just walk up, pour your drink into your cup as you need it.

Love Island: Celebrity Edition

Somehow made my water bottle uncloseable as soon as I sat down on the flight so now faced with the prospect of chugging 750ml of water or nursing an open bottle. I guess this is a down-the-sink job.

LOVE this. The ecosystem keeps growing … I think 2027 will be a very exciting year for AT Proto and everyone who cares about an open internet.

Rudy Fraser@rude1.blacksky.team

WIP Demo of @blackskyweb.xyz Cash. - @interledger.org open payments integration - e-cash stored directly on PDS via permissioned spaces, encrypted, with device enrollment - peer-to-peer (DID2DID) payments made by handle and sent to recipient’s inbox All done on protocol. Spec to be published soon