People and blogs involved with and about the IndieWeb community, the fediverse, and/or the open web in general.
But what if I really want a faster horse? | exotext
Overall, consistency, user control, and actual UX innovation are in decline. Everything is converging on TikTok—which is basically TV with infinite channels. You don’t control anything except the channel switch. It’s like Carcinisation, a form of convergent evolution where unrelated crustaceans all evolve into something vaguely crab-shaped.
Ben Werdmuller
• Ben Werdmuller
Grumpy morning thoughts
I earn 5-10X what I did when I lived in the UK, but my quality of life is markedly worse. My whole thing boils down
Ben Werdmuller
• Ben Werdmuller
Grumpy morning thoughts
April 23rd, 2025
Lots of websites and apps now provide fee-free booking for UK train tickets to any destination, featuring split-ticketing and better options for identifying the best value fares. Yet, many people I know still consider The Trainline to be the only option.
It's crazy to even think of moving Chrome from Google to OpenAI. The web needs to not be owned by anyone, esp not owned by the tech industry. What Google tried to do to the web is obscene. I love ChatGPT, but let's keep Chrome out of their owner's greedy little hands. Set it up so it stands alone.
AI web search
So much slopaganda on LinkedIn.
So much slopaganda on LinkedIn.
A Web Component UI library for people who love HTML | Go Make Things
gomakethings.com/a-web-component-ui-library-for-people-who-love-html/
I’m obviously biased, but I like the sound of what Chris is doing to create a library of HTML web components.
Micro.blog’s backend is running so much more smoothly now after I addressed some memory issues yesterday. I often assume I know where problems are, and it takes actually digging in to discover I was wrong, the problem is fixable in a different way than I expected.
I really like this post from Ashley Willis, about doubting yourself and the fear of what loud people on the internet might think of your writing:
I don’t know exactly when that changed. There wasn’t one big moment, just a slow fade. Something dimmed. I started second-guessing myself more.
Ben Werdmuller
• Ben Werdmuller
Building our "native-AI newsroom"
Many good points in yesterday’s unusual Olbermann podcast, but the one that stuck with me is that at some point Republican incumbents will figure they don’t have a future in what Trump is trying to create and thus have everything to lose if he prevails. He thinks senator Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) may already be there.
April 22nd, 2025
📣 New talk in the planning for 2025. Drop me a message if you'd like me to come speak at your event about the current state of digital accessibility, legislation, and effective strategies to improve accessibility culture within your team.
Nailed it. I’m too amused by wall outlets and light switches gone wrong, it’s surprisingly common. This one in the hotel stairway.
These are my drawings
Goodbye Dribbble.
I’ll be speaking at EFF-Austin next month! An updated talk about blogs, social networks, the fediverse, and where I think the open web is going.
Manage vaccinations in schools: HPV private beta

The mission patch for the HPV private beta features Mavis the polar bear watching the sun rise over the horizon, representing the launch of our new service into private beta.