Daojoan

Daojoan , 22 hours ago to random

This isn't a case of a few bad apples. It's the rot of an entire orchard, fertilized by a pervasive belief among the tech elite that they're above the rules that govern the rest of us, that the pixie dust swirling around their "innovations" means they can treat legislators like pests, competitors like roadkill, and users like livestock - just interchangeable resource nodes to be prodded, milked and slaughtered.

https://www.joanwestenberg.com/techs-accountability-tantrum-is-pathetic

Daojoan , 2 days ago to random

TED offered a vision of the world where complex societal issues could be solved with a lightbulb moment and a well-designed PowerPoint presentation.

Climate change? There's an app for that.

Poverty? A social entrepreneur with a TED talk has it figured out.

It was a worldview that flattered millennials' sense of ourselves as changemakers while conveniently ignoring the systemic barriers to real change.

https://www.joanwestenberg.com/ted-talks-the-picotop-of-millennial-pop-intellectualism

Daojoan , 4 days ago to random

RSS isn't dead—it's the secret weapon of info-savvy rebels.

Here's why RSS is more relevant than ever:

https://www.joanwestenberg.com/rss-the-forgotten-protocol-that-still-matters%E2%80%8B%E2%80%8B%E2%80%8B%E2%80%8B%E2%80%8B%E2%80%8B%E2%80%8B%E2%80%8B%E2%80%8B%E2%80%8B%E2%80%8B%E2%80%8B%E2%80%8B%E2%80%8B%E2%80%8B%E2%80%8B

Daojoan , 5 days ago to random

There will always be those who shout that progressive legislation doesn't go far enough.

Folks who are one bad tweet away from insisting that incremental progress is somehow worse than no progress at all.

By setting an impossibly high bar for what constitutes "true" progressivism, the purists effectively create a circular firing squad, one in which no one can ever measure up to their exacting standards.

https://www.joanwestenberg.com/the-perils-of-purity-politics

Daojoan , 6 days ago to random

Burning down my career in tech by actually telling the truth has its drawbacks.

But on the bright side; I haven’t logged into Slack in 6 months.

Worth it.

Daojoan , 6 days ago to random

If you're tempted to unleash your wit and wisdom on a post designed to provoke, ask yourself: is this a battle worth fighting?

And if the answer is no, take a breath, close the tab, and make a cup of tea.

Engaging with rage-bait is a bit like the old adage about arguing with a fool. They'll drag you down to their level and beat you with experience.

Or, to put it bluntly, even if you win a shit fight, you still wind up covered in shit.

https://www.joanwestenberg.com/dont-reply-to-rage-bait

Daojoan , 10 days ago to random

The minimum wage debate shows just how many people are clinging to oversimplified models and ignoring real-world evidence in favour of what is little more than an economic ideology.

The track record is clear: modest minimum wage increases do not cause substantial job losses.

Anyone still insisting otherwise in the face of decades of data is economically fucking illiterate.

https://medium.com/westenberg/paying-a-living-wage-wont-fuck-the-world-30ba6096294d

Daojoan , 11 days ago to random

Tesla’s rise is one of the great business narratives of the 21st century.

But it’s no longer an open question whether its founder is a victim of his own hubris, laid low by his inability to get out of his own way.

At least Howard Hughes fucked off and became a recluse; Tesla should be so lucky.

https://medium.com/westenberg/decline-and-fall-tesla-under-musk-69e03fd72f15

Daojoan , 12 days ago to random

The reason VCs don’t fund women: they make a choice not to fund women.

It is truly that fucking simple.

We run the same panels every year talking about this like it’s a complicated problem.

“Maybe it’s

-Social standards
-Lack of daycare infrastructure
-Confidence
-Education”

Nope. The truth is ugly.

VCs make a choice, over and over and over again to give another million bucks to another 4 dudes with another productivity startup and then blame anything except their own decisions.

Daojoan , 17 days ago to random

Don’t ignore what’s going on in Sudan.

@theindex is one of the few social news publications actively covering the crisis.

This is a humanitarian flashpoint, happening in real time, while most of the world stays silent.
https://mastodon.social/@theindex/112583375261302698

Daojoan , 18 days ago to random

It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a VC-backed startup in possession of an overblown valuation and zero product market fit, must be in want of an LLM.

• Jane Austen

Daojoan , 22 days ago to random

By 2024, Quora is a shell of its former self, attracting few users who genuinely love the platform.

For a fleeting moment, Quora had offered a glimpse of what an internet of substance could look like — and then, as quickly as it had come, that vision was horse-traded away.

https://joanwestenberg.com/blog/wtf-quora-how-a-platform-eats-itself

Daojoan , 22 days ago to random

Anyone who claims the Republican Party today is good because Lincoln was a Republican 164 years ago is not a serious person.
https://mastodon.social/@Daojoan/112549630721471321

Daojoan , 27 days ago to random

There are few professions I respect more than librarians. We need them.

Daojoan , 29 days ago to random

The fallacy at the heart of trickle-down economics is the notion that making the rich richer will somehow benefit everyone else.

But when so much wealth is concentrated at the top, that simply doesn't happen.

The rising tide does not, in fact, lift all boats.

Instead, yachts rise while many other boats spring leaks or sink.

https://joanwestenberg.com/blog/trickle-down-economics-were-always-bullshit

Daojoan , 30 days ago to random

"Embrace AI or be left behind" is a condescending and heartless ultimatum. A false dichotomy that reeks of debunked social darwinist horse-fuckery.

Tech should adapt to people's needs.

Not the reverse.

Daojoan , 1 month ago to random

No algorithm can replace human wisdom and analysis.

But no algorithm will need to if we have already abandoned — wholesale — a millennium of critical reading and thinking skills.

https://joanwestenberg.medium.com/the-death-of-critical-thinking-will-kill-us-long-before-ai-781fdd23cc7c

Daojoan , 1 month ago to random

I don’t need an “AI PC”

I need a laptop with a word processor and an internet connection.

Daojoan , 1 month ago to random

Social Darwinism twists the biological theory of natural selection into a blunt club to batter the less fortunate.

It ignores the complex environmental, social, and economic factors that shape outcomes in the modern world.

Most of all, it absolves us of any responsibility to help our fellow humans.

It’s the philosophy that drove the financial crisis. The same philosophy that drove the NSDAP.

https://joanwestenberg.com/blog/the-brain-rot-of-social-darwinism

Daojoan , 1 month ago to random

What does this remind you of?

“The majority of middle-class Germans treated the National Socialists along the lines described by the historian Friedrich Mei-necke in December 1930: 'People laugh at their economic demands, and the upper ten thousand dutifully berate their rowdyism on the street, as the conventions of polite society demand; yet these very circles continue, quietly yet unabated-ly, to murmur about how useful National Socialism might become.’”

(Via Volker Ullrich)

Daojoan , 1 month ago to random

The "spell" Hitler cast is what we often call a "reality distortion field"—an ability to bend perceptions, convincing followers to believe the impossible and disregard facts and reason.

We've glorified this trait, especially in charismatic business leaders.

And it's a terrible mistake.

https://joanwestenberg.com/blog/the-reality-distortion-spell

Daojoan , 1 month ago to random

Yes, putting yourself out there invites judgment and criticism.

Yes, it's scary to share the unvarnished truth.

But it's also the only way to make work that matters.

Work that moves people and leaves a lasting mark.

You are not a commodity. — Joan Westenberg
https://joanwestenberg.com/blog/you-are-not-a-commodity

Daojoan , 1 month ago to random

“I submit that this is what the real, no‑bullshit value of your liberal arts education is supposed to be about: how to keep from going through your comfortable, prosperous, respectable adult life dead, unconscious, a slave to your head and to your natural default setting of being uniquely, completely, imperially alone day in and day out.”

• David foster Wallace

Daojoan , 1 month ago to random

I think we need to be a lot more optimistic.

Stop looking for the drama and the doom and the gloom, and start focusing on the positive aspects of change, instead of digging our heels in and objecting to the evolution of the Thing ™️

Has music changed? Yes.

Has filmmaking changed? Yes.

That doesn’t mean we need to dramatically eulogise them.

https://joanwestenberg.com/blog/everything-is-always-dead

Daojoan , 1 month ago to random

I’m excited to launch @theindex on Mastodon!

• social native news (full story in one toot)
• just the facts, zero opinion pieces
• no clickbait, no misleading headlines
• human verified sources and content
• no AI hallucinations
• stay informed in your feed

📰

Daojoan , 1 month ago to random

Those who cannot change their minds cannot change anything.

Daojoan , 1 month ago to random

This is par for the course in what I call the Exploiter Economy:

Addiction-optimized platforms that strip away our free time and bombard us with ads. Products designed to extract maximum value from users while returning the bare minimum. And always, the creators get the short end of the stick while Big Tech laughs all the way to the bank.

https://joanwestenberg.com/blog/its-an-exploiter-economy-not-a-creator-economy

Daojoan , 1 month ago to random

It is a mistake to treat any social media platform as a personal diary. Some thoughts should be kept for you - and you alone.

Daojoan , 1 month ago to random

You can’t judge a book by its cover.

You can judge a Presidential candidate by his impeachment, civil suits, criminal charges, Russian associations, racism, misogyny and sexual assault allegations.

Daojoan , 1 month ago to random

I don’t particularly care what celebrities are wearing to the met gala.

But some people do.

Some people are passionate about fashion. Some people have had a shit week and just want to talk about something fun and not think about hard things for a few minutes. All of which is ok.

You can just let folks enjoy things.

Daojoan , 1 month ago to random

Every day, I write and curate a feed about tech + philosophy + humans

My homepage for the internet

https://joanwestenberg.com

Daojoan , 1 month ago to random

"The best way to fight Nazis is to shine a spotlight on their beliefs and debunk them."

It's a popular idea.

The notion that exposure and rational argument will inevitably triumph over bigotry and hate.

But history tells us - it's bullshit.

We've been down this road before.

It was called World War II.

Daojoan , 1 month ago to random

The conservative paradox is a desperate need to be seen as both powerful dominators and persecuted victims.

Daojoan , 1 month ago to random

90% of people cannot tell the difference between an opinion piece, a news article, and the Onion.

Daojoan , 1 month ago to random

Resist the urge to self-commodify.

Embrace what makes you different, not what makes you blend in. Focus on the process, not just the outcome. Pour yourself into your craft and trust that your tribe will find you.

The internet is becoming a sea of sameness. But what we crave most is something genuine. Something real. Not a hollow imitation; an artist who has the courage to be fully themselves.

https://joanwestenberg.com/blog/you-are-not-a-commodity

Daojoan , 1 month ago to random

Life was a lot easier when we were all just mad at Bush

Daojoan , 2 months ago to random

Ideas are worth nothing when you keep them secret.

Ideas are worth gold when you share them, shout about them and inspire folks.

There's value in being passionate about sharing your ideas. Giving them away. Building an entire brand around your thinking.

Be an Ideas Guy.

Daojoan , 2 months ago to random

The uncomfortable truth is that there have been far too many instances where experts and authorities have failed or misled the public.

From the faulty intelligence leading up to the Iraq War to the opioid epidemic fueled by pharmaceutical companies and complicit medical and government professionals, there are real-world examples of expertise being misused or corrupted by ulterior motives.

https://medium.com/westenberg/how-to-fix-the-backlash-against-knowledge-f5dfa9e4f43c

Daojoan , 2 months ago to random

Every time we say yes to something we don’t want or need to do, we’re saying no to something else.

We're saying no to time for ourselves, no to our true passions, no to our kids, no to our partners, no to space to breathe and just be.

https://joanwestenberg.com/blog/audit-your-obligations

Daojoan , 2 months ago to random

We like to think we’re free.

Don’t we?

Free to choose our path, pursue our dreams, and be who we want to be.

But for most of us, that freedom is an illusion.

We’re so tied up in the shit that we don’t want to do, the shit we trapped ourselves into, that our freedom is long gone.

https://joanwestenberg.com/blog/audit-your-obligations

Daojoan , 2 months ago to random

The world doesn't need more conformists and yes-men. It needs more leaders unafraid to march to the sound of their own drum. More innovators determined to do work that matters rather than what's safe and expected.

Will you dare to dance alone?

https://joanwestenberg.com/blog/leadership-and-the-art-of-dancing-alone

Daojoan , 2 months ago to random

The real cancel culture is Netflix who can’t let a single good show get past season one

Daojoan , 2 months ago to random

The 2008 financial crisis eroded trust in economic experts and institutions, as bankers and politicians prioritized the interests of the wealthy and powerful over the needs of the average Joe - and our tax dollars bailed out the banks that foreclosed on our mortgages.

That was just the beginning.

Is it any wonder a revolt against the perceived elites followed?

Can we blame disenfranchised people for flocking to misinformation?

https://joanwestenberg.com/blog/vlze6zsss80jh0xbew8e3ukxl4voxp

Daojoan , 2 months ago to random

Be different. Be a freak. Live a life that people tell stories about.

Daojoan , 2 months ago to random

For most people chasing “generational wealth” is a trap. Prioritize personal freedom and present happiness over an ego-driven desire to build a dynasty. Bezos can't buy more time or meaning. The real wealth is in your lived experience.

Daojoan , 2 months ago to random

What if you can’t build habits?

Not really.

Not in the way we’ve been taught — through sheer force of will, white-knuckling our way to change.

Putting brick on top of brick.

What if habits aren’t built — They’re grown?

Slowly, organically, almost imperceptibly at first.

Through a series of tiny choices that flourish over time.

https://medium.com/the-habit-lab/habits-arent-built-they-re-grown-ce45398b3ce5

Daojoan , 2 months ago to random

No, AI generated video doesn't democratise film making. Film making has already been democratised. By having pro level cameras and video editing on smartphones. Anyone can already make a film.

You don't actually want democratisation.

You just want to remove as much effort and skill from the process as possible.

Daojoan , 2 months ago to random

For years, Affinity's users have been voting with their wallets, choosing perpetual licenses over Adobe's subscription-based suite. We were buying more than access to software; we were buying autonomy and the promise of ownership.

But now, with Canva's acquisition, it feels as though that promise is in jeopardy.

https://joanwestenberg.com/blog/are-we-losing-affinity