Murmel's Digest
February 26, 2026 · View on web
These are the most widely shared links from across Mastodon and the Fediverse today — surfaced by Murmel from thousands of posts in the open social web. This is the Fediverse-wide view. Sign up to get a digest tailored to the people you actually follow.
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jenniferplusplus.com · 37 people Worth reading
AI is meant to seem like magic. But there's no such thing as magic. It's all illusion. So, allow me to spoil that illusion for you.
"The most interesting and informative parts of a text are the parts of it that are not normal. And so normalization risks destroying that information before you can ever analyze it."
A hype-free explainer of the fundamental particles that make LLMs work the way they do, and why they fail to work the way their cheerleaders think they do.
— @phil_stevens · Feb 26
A new space race could turn our atmosphere into a ‘crematorium for satellites’
theconversation.com · 46 people
Planned ‘megaconstellations’ of satellites could cause unforeseen harm to the ozone layer and climate systems. Global regulation is needed before it’s too late.
New article out about what a million satellites could do to our atmosphere. It's bad.
— @sundogplanets · Feb 26
Leave big tech behind! How to replace Amazon, Google, X, Meta, Apple – and more
theguardian.com · 31 people
A handful of companies monopolise the web, with unprecedented access to our data. But there are many more ethical – and often distinctively European – alternatives
Leave big tech behind! How to replace Amazon, Google, X, Meta, Apple – and more;
A handful of companies monopolize the web, with unprecedented access to our data. But there are many more ethical – and often distinctively European – alternatives
#FOSS #technology #ethics #news #privacy #computers #software #european #OpenSource
— @ubuntourist · Feb 26
Cryptography Engineering Has An Intrinsic Duty of Care - Dhole Moments
soatok.blog · 20 people
To understand my point, I need to first explain three different cryptography attack papers / blog posts. I promise this won’t be boring. Three Little Dislcosures Misuse-Prone Ciphers For All …
Cryptography engineering has an intrinsic duty of care.
— @soatok · Feb 25
Chat Control is in the final stretch - European Digital Rights (EDRi)
edri.org · 21 people
With final negotiations on the controversial CSA Regulation underway, you’d be forgiven for thinking that our digital rights are out of the woods.
EU’s Chat Control law is in the final stretch: countries dropped plans for mandatory mass scanning and explicit encryption backdoors, but “voluntary” scanning and broad risk rules remain on the table 📡
Age checks could tie private chats to IDs or face data, sidelining anonymous, secure communication for many people 🔒
🔗
#TechNews #Privacy #Security #Encryption #Surveillance #AgeVerification #EU #Europe #BigTech #AI #DataProtection #HumanRights #Freedom #Internet
— @knoppix95 · Feb 25
Ancient stepwells brought back to life as India begins to run out of water
theguardian.com · 26 people
Centuries-old wells restored to provide drinking water as parts of the country head towards “day zero” when no water will be available
Yikes. A country of 1.5 Billion people running out of water.
Ancient stepwells brought back to life as India begins to run out of water as parts of the country head towards “day zero” when no water will be available
“It was such a joyous moment to see water collecting into the stepwell after clearing 40 years of garbage,” says Hajira Adeeb, a 45-year-old resident of Bansilalpet, who grew up seeing the well become transformed from the community’s water source to a dumping ground. “I visit almost every day. The area is clean and lit up in the evenings. I enjoy sitting there.”
India is famed for its stepwells – multi-storey structures built to provide access to groundwater, with steps and platforms descending to the water level. Thousands were built across the country near natural aquifers – underground porous rock saturated with water – mostly between the 11th and 18th centuries.
— @exador23 · Feb 26
Can Canada find digital sovereignty in the Fediverse? | BetaKit
betakit.com · 9 people
At FediMTL, advocates say growing the social web is vital to combating Big Tech.
The Rev. Jesse Jackson, civil rights and me: How to process the death of a legend in a turbulent time?
ericdeggans.substack.com · 4 people
I only met the Rev. Jackson a couple of times. But I'm still struggling to figure what his death means at a time when the fight to uphold his legacy has never felt more important.
What does the death of Rev. Jesse Jackson mean for public policy, the civil rights struggle, and journalism? @Edeggans writes about the importance of the fight to uphold Rev. Jackson's legacy.
— @CultureDesk · Feb 26
Xbox is in danger. Will Microsoft fix it or kill it?
theverge.com · 5 people Worth reading
Microsoft’s Xbox division is at a turning point. With Phil Spencer’s retirement and the departure of Sarah Bond, the future of Xbox is more uncertain than ever.
Xbox is in danger. Will Microsoft fix it or kill it?
— @verge · Feb 26
FediForum | Growing the Open Social Web un-workshop, 2026/03/02
fediforum.org · 6 people
Some analysis and notes on the submissions, in the hope they may be helpful. No guarantee whatsoever that we didn’t miss anything important or misinterpreted what people were saying. Read the actual submissions instead.
Over 40 position statements is a lot to read. So we tried to create a summary for what the community thinks how to grow the Open Social Web:
But reading the actual submissions is probably more interesting:
Join us on Monday?
— @fediforum · Feb 25
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