Chris Owen
@wonkydonky.bsky.social
Tech comms chap / easily confused curmudgeon. Loves bees and hates mayo, and has "far too many records". Probably tanked up on coffee.
Reposted by Chris Owen
NEW: My colleagues & I analyzed nearly 1.3k hours of footage (>2k videos) from nine wildly popular podcasters and streamers on YouTube to understand how they helped lift Trump to power. Now that he's back in office, the broadcasters are well-positioned to help build support for his political agenda.
How Popular YouTubers Pushed Young Male Voters Toward Trump
How podcasters like Joe Rogan and Logan Paul turned young men, a once apolitical demographic, into a massively powerful voting bloc
www.bloomberg.com
January 22, 2025 at 3:05 PM
NEW: My colleagues & I analyzed nearly 1.3k hours of footage (>2k videos) from nine wildly popular podcasters and streamers on YouTube to understand how they helped lift Trump to power. Now that he's back in office, the broadcasters are well-positioned to help build support for his political agenda.
I know I really shouldn't, but I get irrationally annoyed that Microsoft calls it a 'font' not a 'typeface'.
January 22, 2025 at 5:39 PM
I know I really shouldn't, but I get irrationally annoyed that Microsoft calls it a 'font' not a 'typeface'.
Reposted by Chris Owen
NEW: I've obtained internal Meta docs revealing an array of sample posts that are now allowed under new hate speech rules. Examples include calling children "trannies," “Jews are flat out greedier than Christians," and “immigrants are grubby, filthy pieces of shit”
theintercept.com/2025/01/09/f...
theintercept.com/2025/01/09/f...
Leaked Meta Rules: Users Are Free to Post “Mexican Immigrants Are Trash!” or “Trans People Are Immoral”
Facebook now allows attacks on immigrants and trans people, and posts like “Mexican immigrants are trash!” and “I’m a proud racist.”
theintercept.com
January 10, 2025 at 12:48 AM
NEW: I've obtained internal Meta docs revealing an array of sample posts that are now allowed under new hate speech rules. Examples include calling children "trannies," “Jews are flat out greedier than Christians," and “immigrants are grubby, filthy pieces of shit”
theintercept.com/2025/01/09/f...
theintercept.com/2025/01/09/f...
Reposted by Chris Owen
Meta tried to hide that it trained its AI on pirated books.
One staff member wrote:
“If there is media coverage suggesting we have used a dataset we know to be pirated, such as LibGen, this may undermine our negotiating position with regulators on these issues”
Fantastic @knibbs.bsky.social story
One staff member wrote:
“If there is media coverage suggesting we have used a dataset we know to be pirated, such as LibGen, this may undermine our negotiating position with regulators on these issues”
Fantastic @knibbs.bsky.social story
Meta Secretly Trained Its AI on a Notorious Piracy Database, Newly Unredacted Court Docs Reveal
One of the most important AI copyright legal battles just took a major turn.
www.wired.com
January 10, 2025 at 9:17 AM
Meta tried to hide that it trained its AI on pirated books.
One staff member wrote:
“If there is media coverage suggesting we have used a dataset we know to be pirated, such as LibGen, this may undermine our negotiating position with regulators on these issues”
Fantastic @knibbs.bsky.social story
One staff member wrote:
“If there is media coverage suggesting we have used a dataset we know to be pirated, such as LibGen, this may undermine our negotiating position with regulators on these issues”
Fantastic @knibbs.bsky.social story
Reposted by Chris Owen
101 days between Graham Potter being on Monday Night Football and getting the West Ham job, well under the MNF-to-employment average of 276 days (2016-2025)
January 9, 2025 at 10:56 AM
101 days between Graham Potter being on Monday Night Football and getting the West Ham job, well under the MNF-to-employment average of 276 days (2016-2025)
"massive insufferable godforsaken bellend"
Origin Story returns for 2025 with the topic everyone's talking about: Why Elon Musk is such a massive insufferable godforsaken bellend podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/e...
Elon Musk and the Death of Twitter
Podcast Episode · Origin Story · 08/01/2025 · Origin Story + Only · 55m
podcasts.apple.com
January 8, 2025 at 2:50 PM
"massive insufferable godforsaken bellend"
woahmygod. this is an assault on the senses.
Choices were made
(link to the full horrific reveal is underneath)
(link to the full horrific reveal is underneath)
I can guarantee you are NOT ready for what is going on behind this bland façade in Schöneberg, Berlin, but take a look anyway. The enormous top-floor apartment is on sale for 2.3 million yo-yos, and it is described by the realtor as a "one-off". Uh-huh.
January 8, 2025 at 2:25 PM
woahmygod. this is an assault on the senses.
Reposted by Chris Owen
New: Facebook is censoring 404 Media stories about Facebook's censorship. Instagram, Facebook, and Threads are removing 404 Media stories for “nudity” as the company is paid to put ads with explicit pornography in front of its users.
www.404media.co/facebook-is-...
www.404media.co/facebook-is-...
Facebook Is Censoring 404 Media Stories About Facebook's Censorship
Instagram, Facebook, and Threads are removing 404 Media stories for “nudity” as the company is paid to put ads with explicit pornography in front of its users.
www.404media.co
January 8, 2025 at 2:07 PM
New: Facebook is censoring 404 Media stories about Facebook's censorship. Instagram, Facebook, and Threads are removing 404 Media stories for “nudity” as the company is paid to put ads with explicit pornography in front of its users.
www.404media.co/facebook-is-...
www.404media.co/facebook-is-...
One thing I love about going home around now this time of year is all the boozed-up middle management who pushed the boat out too far at the Christmas lunch and who won't stop hugging each other at the train station before an awkward hello tomorrow morning.
December 10, 2024 at 8:33 PM
One thing I love about going home around now this time of year is all the boozed-up middle management who pushed the boat out too far at the Christmas lunch and who won't stop hugging each other at the train station before an awkward hello tomorrow morning.
EVRI: "we've got your parcel"
four of the most chilling words in the English language.
four of the most chilling words in the English language.
December 5, 2024 at 3:59 PM
EVRI: "we've got your parcel"
four of the most chilling words in the English language.
four of the most chilling words in the English language.
note "he is working on....", rather than "he and the editorial team who also think this is an inspirational idea".
HT @stevenjcbuckley.bsky.social
HT @stevenjcbuckley.bsky.social
This, courtesy of the owner of the LA Times, is the worst “tech solution for journalism” idea since the CueCat.
December 5, 2024 at 3:09 PM
note "he is working on....", rather than "he and the editorial team who also think this is an inspirational idea".
HT @stevenjcbuckley.bsky.social
HT @stevenjcbuckley.bsky.social
@tomfreeman.bsky.social immediate follow for the shit joke.
December 5, 2024 at 3:01 PM
@tomfreeman.bsky.social immediate follow for the shit joke.
For someone who promised the kids Bolognese for dinner, putting the untouchable Elf scoffing a bagel next to the fucking spaghetti has proven a parenting masterclass.
December 3, 2024 at 6:51 PM
For someone who promised the kids Bolognese for dinner, putting the untouchable Elf scoffing a bagel next to the fucking spaghetti has proven a parenting masterclass.
Reposted by Chris Owen
Massive away win for the little fella.
December 2, 2024 at 1:38 PM
Massive away win for the little fella.
Reposted by Chris Owen
A terrific theory that pairs well with the Economist's terrific and terrifying chart of Musk's tweeting.
November 29, 2024 at 9:37 AM
A terrific theory that pairs well with the Economist's terrific and terrifying chart of Musk's tweeting.
Reposted by Chris Owen
I feel like it's time for the annual appreciation of this, the greatest ever twitter reply
November 28, 2024 at 12:00 PM
I feel like it's time for the annual appreciation of this, the greatest ever twitter reply
Things I Wish Happened In Real Life #164
November 26, 2024 at 8:41 PM
Things I Wish Happened In Real Life #164
I don't know how much the hard number here actually helps. People will visualise trains and train stations each day and the thousands of people passing through. So, 500 *a month* seems nothing.
November 26, 2024 at 9:00 AM
I don't know how much the hard number here actually helps. People will visualise trains and train stations each day and the thousands of people passing through. So, 500 *a month* seems nothing.
Reposted by Chris Owen
The Chartered Institute of PR is the latest organisation to ditch Twitter #sadtimes
Hello Bluesky.
Today we've announced our decision to cease proactively posting on X due to concerns over governance, declining engagement, and the proliferation of misinformation.
Find out more in our statement and follow us here for updates: newsroom.cipr.co.uk/cipr-to-ceas...
Today we've announced our decision to cease proactively posting on X due to concerns over governance, declining engagement, and the proliferation of misinformation.
Find out more in our statement and follow us here for updates: newsroom.cipr.co.uk/cipr-to-ceas...
November 25, 2024 at 10:41 PM
The Chartered Institute of PR is the latest organisation to ditch Twitter #sadtimes
A simply incredible find in the local Post Office.
November 25, 2024 at 6:09 PM
A simply incredible find in the local Post Office.
*what* a metaphor
You can disrupt a supermarket by taking a shit on the conveyor belt at the checkout. But you _shouldn’t_
I’m horrified by Spines but I very much enjoyed the way Matilda has written this piece about their so-called disruption of the publishing industry with a tech-washed pay-to-publish model, especially the lack of sales data 👀
www.thebookseller.com/news/new-pub...
www.thebookseller.com/news/new-pub...
November 25, 2024 at 11:22 AM
*what* a metaphor
November 22, 2024 at 12:52 PM
that Trump is fundamentally unable to create a dynasty of narcissistic felons is at least some form of catharsis amid everything going to shit. There's light at the end of the tunnel and it's not another train.
This is why I hesitantly predict the Trump movement will, in its current form at least, die with him.
There are no obvious successors with his cultural cache. We'll end up with a bunch of unpleasant, unpopular, incompetent types trying to take his place. Not the most sustainable setup.
There are no obvious successors with his cultural cache. We'll end up with a bunch of unpleasant, unpopular, incompetent types trying to take his place. Not the most sustainable setup.
Fundamentally, Trump has the advantage of being a cartoon figure from TV which means when he says/does/fails at awful things it's sort of treated as part of that character and not that he is ontologically evil. The others are just slimy.
November 22, 2024 at 12:50 PM
that Trump is fundamentally unable to create a dynasty of narcissistic felons is at least some form of catharsis amid everything going to shit. There's light at the end of the tunnel and it's not another train.
Reposted by Chris Owen
It’s like a bad dream you can’t wait to wake up from.
November 22, 2024 at 3:57 AM
It’s like a bad dream you can’t wait to wake up from.