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Worth reading

The Discourse is a Distributed Denial-of-Service Attack

joanwestenberg.com · Jan 17

In September 2016, the security journalist Brian Krebs had his website knocked offline by a botnet called Mirai. Hundreds of thousands of compromised devices, mostly cheap webcams and DVRs manufactured with default passwords that nobody ever changed, all simultaneously requesting his homepage. No...

Shared by @joecardillo and 41 others.
mmu_man (@mmu_man) · Jan 18
🔁 @Daojoan:

The philosopher Bertrand Russell remarked that the fundamental cause of trouble in the world is that the stupid are cocksure while the intelligent are full of doubt.

I think the discourse has broken this relationship. It's not that intelligent people have become stupid. It's that the incentive structure of public conversation rewards cocksureness regardless of actual intelligence...

joanwestenberg.com/the-discour

Joe Cardillo (Disinfo Dad) (@joecardillo) · Jan 19
🔁 @Cornellbox:

I started reading this article, and it's making me want to stop and think about it. It's making me reevaluate how I'm consuming and engaging with media.

I haven't even finished it, and I want to share it and say that I think this is a good read, and I want to discuss this more:

joanwestenberg.com/the-discour

piebob ✨ (@piebob) · Jan 18
🔁 @puercomal:

“That selection process was biased and imperfect, but it performed an important function: it told you, implicitly, that you didn't have to have an opinion about everything... This was as close to optimal as we've ever got.” Comes with a fine selection of literary quotes as well!
joanwestenberg.com/the-discour

Kristian 🌒 (@z428eu) · Jan 18
🔁 @davemosk:

Find some topic you care about. Just one. Resist the temptation to have takes on everything else. Let the discourse rage without you while you spend weeks or months actually understanding something. Read books about it, not takes. Talk to experts, not pundits. Follow the evidence where it leads, even when it's uncomfortable. Change your mind when you find you were wrong. And when you finally have something to say, something you've actually earned through careful thought rather than absorbed from the tribal zeitgeist, say it clearly and then step back.

joanwestenberg.com/the-discour

leighelse{} (@leighelse) · Jan 18
🔁 @davemosk:

Find some topic you care about. Just one. Resist the temptation to have takes on everything else. Let the discourse rage without you while you spend weeks or months actually understanding something. Read books about it, not takes. Talk to experts, not pundits. Follow the evidence where it leads, even when it's uncomfortable. Change your mind when you find you were wrong. And when you finally have something to say, something you've actually earned through careful thought rather than absorbed from the tribal zeitgeist, say it clearly and then step back.

joanwestenberg.com/the-discour

xs4me2 (@xs4me2) · Jan 18
🔁 @Daojoan:

The philosopher Bertrand Russell remarked that the fundamental cause of trouble in the world is that the stupid are cocksure while the intelligent are full of doubt.

I think the discourse has broken this relationship. It's not that intelligent people have become stupid. It's that the incentive structure of public conversation rewards cocksureness regardless of actual intelligence...

joanwestenberg.com/the-discour

Hanno Rein (@hannorein) · Jan 18
🔁 @Cornellbox:

I started reading this article, and it's making me want to stop and think about it. It's making me reevaluate how I'm consuming and engaging with media.

I haven't even finished it, and I want to share it and say that I think this is a good read, and I want to discuss this more:

joanwestenberg.com/the-discour

Phil Stevens :tinoflag: (@phil_stevens) · Jan 18
🔁 @davemosk:

Find some topic you care about. Just one. Resist the temptation to have takes on everything else. Let the discourse rage without you while you spend weeks or months actually understanding something. Read books about it, not takes. Talk to experts, not pundits. Follow the evidence where it leads, even when it's uncomfortable. Change your mind when you find you were wrong. And when you finally have something to say, something you've actually earned through careful thought rather than absorbed from the tribal zeitgeist, say it clearly and then step back.

joanwestenberg.com/the-discour

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COVID pandemic enters seventh year with no end in sight

boingboing.net · Jan 17

It's strange to think that the COVID-19 pandemic, which sent the world into lockdown seven years ago never ended. It continues to kill and cripple us, to this day. We…

Shared by @topstories and 70 others.
David :SetouchiExplorer: (@David) · Jan 18
🔁 @datum:

Relatively major culture-maker Boing Boing is running the headline:

COVID pandemic enters seventh year with no end in sight

and the article is not ableist, not bullshit, not denying reality. Nice!

boingboing.net/2026/01/16/covi

#BoingBoing #COVID #COVID19 #CovidIsNotOver #COVIDisAirborne

skorpy (@Skorpy) · Jan 18
🔁 @datum:

Relatively major culture-maker Boing Boing is running the headline:

COVID pandemic enters seventh year with no end in sight

and the article is not ableist, not bullshit, not denying reality. Nice!

boingboing.net/2026/01/16/covi

#BoingBoing #COVID #COVID19 #CovidIsNotOver #COVIDisAirborne

draNgNon (@draNgNon) · Jan 17
🔁 @DenisCOVIDinfoguy:

COVID pandemic enters 7th year with no end in sight.

"It's strange to think that the COVID-19 pandemic, which sent the world into lockdown 7 years ago never ended. It continues to kill and cripple us, to this day. We simply stopped talking about it."

Source: boingboing.net/2026/01/16/covi

Bleistifterin (@bleistifterin) · Jan 17
🔁 @DenisCOVIDinfoguy:

COVID pandemic enters 7th year with no end in sight.

"It's strange to think that the COVID-19 pandemic, which sent the world into lockdown 7 years ago never ended. It continues to kill and cripple us, to this day. We simply stopped talking about it."

Source: boingboing.net/2026/01/16/covi

ChasMusic (he/him) (@ChasMusic) · Jan 18
🔁 @kagan:

Boing Boing pointing out the truth: Covid is not over. The pandemic didn't "end", we all just stopped talking about it. It's still here, still killing us. And pretending it isn't won't make it go away.

boingboing.net/2026/01/16/covi

#Covid #CovidIsNotOver #pandemic #PandemicIsNotOver

Brad Enslen (@bradenslen) · Jan 18
🔁 @kagan:

Boing Boing pointing out the truth: Covid is not over. The pandemic didn't "end", we all just stopped talking about it. It's still here, still killing us. And pretending it isn't won't make it go away.

boingboing.net/2026/01/16/covi

#Covid #CovidIsNotOver #pandemic #PandemicIsNotOver

Lord Bowlich (@lordbowlich) · Jan 18
🔁 @datum:

Relatively major culture-maker Boing Boing is running the headline:

COVID pandemic enters seventh year with no end in sight

and the article is not ableist, not bullshit, not denying reality. Nice!

boingboing.net/2026/01/16/covi

#BoingBoing #COVID #COVID19 #CovidIsNotOver #COVIDisAirborne

🆘Bill Cole 🇺🇦 (@grumpybozo) · Jan 18
🔁 @datum:

Relatively major culture-maker Boing Boing is running the headline:

COVID pandemic enters seventh year with no end in sight

and the article is not ableist, not bullshit, not denying reality. Nice!

boingboing.net/2026/01/16/covi

#BoingBoing #COVID #COVID19 #CovidIsNotOver #COVIDisAirborne

Jes (@Jesticulated) · Jan 18
🔁 @datum:

Relatively major culture-maker Boing Boing is running the headline:

COVID pandemic enters seventh year with no end in sight

and the article is not ableist, not bullshit, not denying reality. Nice!

boingboing.net/2026/01/16/covi

#BoingBoing #COVID #COVID19 #CovidIsNotOver #COVIDisAirborne

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Worth reading

Agent Psychosis: Are We Going Insane?

lucumr.pocoo.org · Jan 18

What’s going on with the AI builder community right now?

Shared by @twitnews and 18 others.
TWiT News Feed (@twitnews) · Jan 19

Agent Psychosis: Are We Going Insane? - lucumr.pocoo.org/2026/1/18/age

• The article explores the growing addiction and psychological impact of using AI coding agents, likening them to external "dæmons" that can create unhealthy dependencies.

#im

4am ❧ (@a2_4am) · Jan 18
🔁 @timbray:

This is some deeply weird and troubling shit. #GenAI

Agent Psychosis: Are We Going Insane? | Armin Ronacher's Thoughts and Writings
lucumr.pocoo.org/2026/1/18/age

gittaca (@gittaca) · Jan 18
🔁 @timbray:

This is some deeply weird and troubling shit. #GenAI

Agent Psychosis: Are We Going Insane? | Armin Ronacher's Thoughts and Writings
lucumr.pocoo.org/2026/1/18/age

Andrew Kuchling (@akuchling) · Jan 18
🔁 @timbray:

This is some deeply weird and troubling shit. #GenAI

Agent Psychosis: Are We Going Insane? | Armin Ronacher's Thoughts and Writings
lucumr.pocoo.org/2026/1/18/age

Emilis 🇺🇦 (@emilis) · Jan 18
🔁 @timbray:

This is some deeply weird and troubling shit. #GenAI

Agent Psychosis: Are We Going Insane? | Armin Ronacher's Thoughts and Writings
lucumr.pocoo.org/2026/1/18/age

Christof Damian 💙💛 (@cdamian) · Jan 18
🔁 @timbray:

This is some deeply weird and troubling shit. #GenAI

Agent Psychosis: Are We Going Insane? | Armin Ronacher's Thoughts and Writings
lucumr.pocoo.org/2026/1/18/age

your auntifa liza 🇵🇷 🦛 🦦 (@blogdiva) · Jan 18
🔁 @timbray:

This is some deeply weird and troubling shit. #GenAI

Agent Psychosis: Are We Going Insane? | Armin Ronacher's Thoughts and Writings
lucumr.pocoo.org/2026/1/18/age

Repeter wants an Ukr victory (@psvensson) · Jan 18
🔁 @timbray:

This is some deeply weird and troubling shit. #GenAI

Agent Psychosis: Are We Going Insane? | Armin Ronacher's Thoughts and Writings
lucumr.pocoo.org/2026/1/18/age

Joe Crawford (@artlung) · Jan 18
🔁 @sue:

"Then, when we throw up a PR or issue to someone else, that contribution is the result of this pseudo-collaboration with the machine. When I see an AI pull request come in, or on another repository, I cannot tell how someone created it, but I can usually after a while tell when it was prompted in a way that is fundamentally different from how I do it. Yet it takes me minutes to figure this out."

lucumr.pocoo.org/2026/1/18/age

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Experts make astonishing discovery after installing solar panels above rooftop gardens: 'Can have a function'

thecooldown.com · Jan 18

When solar panels are installed above rooftop gardens — known as rooftop agrivoltaics — plants are better protected and help generate electricity.

Shared by @5ciFiGirl and 12 others.
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Worth reading

Top 10 dotcoms to watch

theguardian.com · Jan 18

Britain is experiencing another internet boom - but which web companies are best placed to take advantage?

Shared by @kittylyst and 2 others.
Ben Evans (@kittylyst) · Jan 18
🔁 @ianbetteridge:

This Guardian profile of the “Ten British dotcoms to watch” from (gulp) nearly 19 years ago is giving me many feels.

theguardian.com/technology/200

Nick (@Nickiquote) · Jan 18
🔁 @ianbetteridge:

This Guardian profile of the “Ten British dotcoms to watch” from (gulp) nearly 19 years ago is giving me many feels.

theguardian.com/technology/200

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Dead Internet Theory - Dmitry Kudryavtsev

kudmitry.com · Jan 18

The other day I was browsing my one-and-only social network -- which is not a social network, but I'm tired of arguing with people online about it -- HackerNews...

Shared by @hn100 and 8 others.
hnbot (@hnbot) · Jan 18

Dead Internet Theory
----
- 2 hours ago | 25 points | 17 comments
- URL: kudmitry.com/articles/dead-int
- Discussions: news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4
- Summary: Dmitry Kudryavtsev reflects on the “Dead Internet Theory” after watching a HackerNews thread where an open-source author’s code and replies were accused of being AI-generated despite denials. He argues creators should disclose AI use because unchecked, probabilistic LLM output can be dangerous. Examining the author’s punctuation and phrasing convinced him the responses themselves were synthetic, triggering existential doubt: if code, comments, and even photos of “employees” are machine-made, nothing online is verifiably human. Contrasting today’s bot-dominated, SEO-driven content with the authentic phpBB and IRC communities of the early 2000s, he fears the internet is becoming an endless loop of AI slop generated and consumed by bots, leaving human knowledge diluted and trust eroded.

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Age Verification Is Coming For the Internet. We Built You a Resource Hub to Fight Back.

eff.org · Jan 11

Age verification laws are proliferating fast across the United States and around the world, creating a dangerous and confusing tangle of rules about what we’re all allowed to see and do online. That's why today, we're launching EFF.org/Age, a one-stop shop for users seeking to understand what t...

Shared by @mistergibson and 6 others.
G. Gibson (@mistergibson) · Jan 18
🔁 @eff:

Even though there’s no way to implement mandated age gates online AND fully protect speech and privacy rights, we want to help you minimize the danger you face when you encounter one: eff.org/deeplinks/2025/12/age-

The Flight Attendant (@CosmicTraveler) · Jan 18
🔁 @eff:

Even though there’s no way to implement mandated age gates online AND fully protect speech and privacy rights, we want to help you minimize the danger you face when you encounter one: eff.org/deeplinks/2025/12/age-

ICYMI (Law) (@icymi_law) · Jan 18
🔁 @eff:

Even though there’s no way to implement mandated age gates online AND fully protect speech and privacy rights, we want to help you minimize the danger you face when you encounter one: eff.org/deeplinks/2025/12/age-

kittyface83 (@kittyface83) · Jan 18
🔁 @eff:

Even though there’s no way to implement mandated age gates online AND fully protect speech and privacy rights, we want to help you minimize the danger you face when you encounter one: eff.org/deeplinks/2025/12/age-

roland (@roland) · Jan 18
🔁 @eff:

Even though there’s no way to implement mandated age gates online AND fully protect speech and privacy rights, we want to help you minimize the danger you face when you encounter one: eff.org/deeplinks/2025/12/age-

Kevin Russell (@kevinrns) · Jan 11
🔁 @eff:

Our new age verification resource hub will answer all your questions about the dangerous new age-gating mandates sweeping the US and the world. eff.org/deeplinks/2025/12/age-

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Podcasting Could Use a Good Asteroid

joanwestenberg.com · Jan 18

I'm told there are now over 4.5 million podcasts in existence. The industry is worth 40 billion dollars, 158 million Americans tune in monthly, and the medium has finally achieved the kind of cultural ubiquity previously reserved for terrestrial radio or the evening news. But if you actually spend

Shared by @simondueckert and 5 others.
Simon Dückert (@simondueckert) · Jan 18

A #podcast should be a companion; a #YouTube video is a spectacle: joanwestenberg.com/podcasting- - ich teile viele Gedanken und Beobachtungen aus diesem Beitrag über die Entwicklung des Podcastings der letzten 10 Jahre.

N-gated Hacker News (@ngate) · Jan 18

🎙️ #Podcasting is the new #plague, infesting the world with 4.5 million #blabbering #mouthpieces worth $40 billion, proving humanity needs an asteroid-sized intervention. 🌍💥 The thrilling realization: every American is now one step closer to becoming the next Joe Rogan wannabe. 🙄
joanwestenberg.com/podcasting- #JoeRogan #Wannabes #$40B #Industry #HackerNews #ngated

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Worth reading

How can we defend ourselves from the new plague of ‘human fracking’?

theguardian.com · Jan 18

Big tech treats our attention like a resource to be mercilessly extracted. The fightback begins here

Shared by @dogzilla and 4 others.
troy_s :praxis_100: (@troy_s) · Jan 18
🔁 @albertcardona:

"nearly 70% of the human population of the Earth currently possesses a smartphone, and these devices constitute about 95% of internet access-points on the planet. Globally, on average, people seem to spend close to half their waking hours looking at screens, and among young people in the rich world the number is a good deal higher than that."

theguardian.com/books/2026/jan

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