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I want to design a Google Form, and thought to ask ChatGPT for instructions from a spec I wrote. Then I thought to ask Gemini, which is Google's chatbot, wondering if they would just do the work for me instead of providing instructions. I would have laughed out loud if they did, but alas, just instructions.

If you get the nightly email, a questionnaire. Is the text a good size? Easy to read? Suggestions?

On the podcast today we have Wes Tatters, and he's here to discuss the evolution of the internet, from early tech days and community-building on platforms like CompuServe, to the emergence of open-source projects and the rise of WordPress. Wes reflects on the transition from closed platforms to owning content and highlights the importance, and challenges, of online communities. He touches on the impacts of social media, AI, and the self-correcting nature of internet communities, while examining the strengths and growing pains within the WordPress ecosystem. The conversation underscores the enduring value of openness, collaboration, and listening. If you’re interested in how the history of the internet directly shaped WordPress, the open web, and the communities we build today, this episode is for you.

Justin Jackson on the threat to podcasts from YouTube, and why we should keep investing in RSS:

The benefit of investing in RSS is that any innovations will be shared across the entire ecosystem. When YouTube innovates, the benefits stay inside YouTube. When the podcast community innovates on RSS, everyone benefits: creators, listeners, and businesses alike.

A few years ago we were worried about Spotify locking down podcasts. YouTube feels a little different because video supplements rather than replaces audio podcasts. But Justin is right that we should be vigilant.

Before my talk at EFF Austin last night, I exported a PDF of my slides and asked ChatGPT (o4) to tell me about them. Here’s the chat transcript. It’s fascinating to me because this is without giving the speaker notes to ChatGPT, so it inferred everything from the slide conte...

Can AI and spirituality coexist? Deepak Chopra, world-renowned pioneer in integrative medicine and personal transformation, challenges our perceptions by embracing artificial intelligence as a spiritual tool. In this mind-expanding conversation, Chopra reveals why he believe...

Scott Hanson has been working on the Baseline theme and it's ready for people to try out. An important caveat. This theme was designed to be the beginning theme for WordLand-authored WordPress sites. The goal is to get the minimal features for a nice blog-oriented site run...

This post highlights the significance of assessing business maturity when recommending WooCommerce to clients, ensuring they understand long-term commitments for successful online store management.

President Trump is in the Middle East on the first major international trip of his second term. At the same time, a firestorm has erupted over his plan to accept a $400 million luxury airplane from the Qatari government. Today, Maggie Haberman, a White House correspondent, e...

The White House has been boasting that President Trump’s partial pause in the trade war with China is a historic breakthrough. But two new reports, one from The New York Times and the other from the non-liberal Wall Street Journal...

The web feels so broken. Subscription and login gates at every corner. Using Google on a phone now means being periodically quizzed on which of the buttons to press to *not* be redirected to the app store. Opening an Instagram link casually throws up a browser alert dialog because it tries to automatically open an unsupported URL scheme, presumably their own app, and apparently everyone is fine with it. I'm proud that Mastodon never locks public content behind login walls.

Good morning. Good morning sir! How can I help you? Hello, hi. I was interested in buying one of your cars, the Model A. I really like it and it seems perfect for me. That’s an excellent choice! Model A is a great car, the price starts at 20 thousand, but before I can tell y...

In this episode of The David Frum Show, The Atlantic’s David Frum breaks down what he calls “the week of the four scams”—a stunning display of misinformation and corruption from President Donald Trump involving fake trade deals, manipulated markets, and even a personal jet f...

And maybe not the ones you're thinking of

New charts for tracking permanent failure rates and spam complaint rates.

This is what it says on Google about tomorrow night's Knicks game vs the Celtics in Boston. I've pointed the red arrow at the part that makes me think I must be dreaming. NYK leads 3-1. Yesterday at this time (5:30PM Eastern) I was in a funk, sure that the Knicks were about ...

The idea of a car that drives itself might feel futuristic. But for an increasing number of Americans, that future is already here. Waymo and other companies have announced plans to expand in cities across the U.S.

And the Trump administration has signaled that it wants to pave the way for autonomous vehicle companies to expand. Last month, it loosened rules around driverless cars.

Martine Powers talks with Washington Post tech columnist Geoffrey Fowler and reporter Lisa Bonos about what it's like to live in a city full of driverless cars – and what you should know before getting in one.

Today’s show was produced by Emma Talkoff. It was edited by Lucy Perkins and mixed by Sam Bair. 

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Last week, President Trump declared on Truth Social that he would place a 100% tariff on movies made outside the United States. Listeners who work in the film and TV industry call in to share what they think of the president's idea, and report on how much work has returned (or not) since the twin shocks of the pandemic and the 2023 strikes.

 

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Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. recently said he plans to tell the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to stop recommending fluoridation nationwide. Jessica Steier, DRPH, PMP, CEO of Unbiased Science and host of the Unbiased Science Podcast and Linda Birnbaum, scientist emeritus and former director of the National Institute for Environmental Health Sciences, as well as the National Toxicology Program and scholar in residence at the Nicholas School of the Environment at Duke University, parse fact from myth and what the science says about water fluoridation.

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It’s a busy speaking season! I just spoke at the Intelligent Change summit, and will be at SaaStock in Austin on May 14, Brilliant Minds in Stockholm, and WordCamp EU in Basel, Switzerland, on June 7.