Here’s a feeling I have: I don’t think Mark Zuckerberg is a bad person, or driven by the wrong motives. However, he’s most certainly out of his depth when it comes to the societal implications of the behemoth he has created. Zeynep Tufekci tells the story of Facebook as a series of apologies.
I really like this Wikipedia approach to news: An explainer piece you can contribute to, both by asking the right questions and by providing answers. This one on Palantir’s links to Cambridge Analytica is far from comprehensive, but I’m pretty sure some among could contribute to make that happen.
«Unfortunately, ethics don’t scale as well as systems. We’ve poisoned ourselves, and more than a little.» After a week of revelations and (mostly) justified outrage over Facebook and Cambridge Analytica, a proposal.
Never really thought about this, but it makes perfect sense: Why items in Amazon warehouses are shelved 100% randomly.
«The internet has enhanced our free speech in an imbalanced way: greater ease of reaching others with our speech has come at the expense of our freedom to speak without fear of reprisal.»
It never ceases to amaze me that we get to see such detailed images from a place that is millions and millions of kilometers away from earth. Sometimes, just for fun, I try to think of everything that needed to be invented and discovered to get so that I can see those images on a mini-computer in my hand. Inconceivable.
It’s fascinating how quickly you start overlooking the magic of something you use every day. This super detailed look at how Google Maps keeps improving will bring back some of that amazement.
When we think about recommendation algorithms, we usually think about what they recommend – not so much about how they recommend it. An inside look at how Netflix creates different artworks for different users to make them click on movies and series.
The trouble with filter bubbles, we often hear, is that they give us more of what we know and like, and create ideological silos by shielding us from opposing views. I don’t think this is entirely true. We do get to see opposing views, but through the lens of people who share our beliefs. And thus we hardly ever get the opposing side’s best arguments. So, as a strong believer in net neutrality, stumbling upon this keen case against it was refreshing.
A great, interactive intro to generative music, or the art of making music by designing systems that make music.