I’ve had the same editor since 1967. Many times he has said to me over the years or asked me, Why would you use a semicolon instead of a colon? And many times over the years I have said to him things like: I will never speak to you again. Forever. Goodbye. That is it. Thank you very much. And I leave. Then I read the piece and I think of his suggestions. I send him a telegram that says, OK, so you’re right. So what? Don’t ever mention this to me again. If you do, I will never speak to you again

Maya Angelou on the joys of being edited

They had it on Thursday. Not soon enough, surely www.inquirer.com/sports/artem...

Opinion polls without human opinion behind them are dangerous and dumb, yes.

But why use derogatory framing like “the computational whiz kids behind silicon sampling”? Undermines the whole piece and makes it clear the author doesn’t want to change minds, just rant.

Philly’s deal with Ancestry could reshape access to public records The new partnership will put millions of historic documents online, raising new questions about who governs searchable civic history.

Philly’s deal with Ancestry could reshape access to public records technical.ly/civics/what-...

Screenshot of a Sherwood News article headlined "Google releases blockbuster white paper that spells quantum uncertainty for a whole lot of bitcoin." The article reports that Google researchers found quantum machines will require fewer resources in the future to break classical cryptography — a twentyfold reduction — posing a potential threat to blockchain-backed cryptocurrencies including bitcoin. It includes a quote from Alex Pruden, CEO of quantum computing research firm Project Eleven, saying the architecture "could crack a private key in 9 minutes, while bitcoin blocks take 10 minutes on average."

So quantum computers will probably render bitcoin worthless? I'm not laughing so much as, well, maybe I am

sherwood.news/crypto/googl...

What Baltimore’s lawsuit against Grok says about how states and cities can regulate AI The case against xAI shows how consumer protection rules are being tested as a new tool for governing artificial intelligence.

Baltimore just became the first city to sue xAI over Grok's nonconsensual sexual images as a violation of consumer protection law technical.ly/civics/balti...

Lawyers for Reporters is amazing. They’ve been working with us at @technicallynews.bsky.social for several months, pro bono, to help us publish an investigation

What are Trump’s ‘ratepayer protection pledges’ for data centers? @kaelaroeder.bsky.social broke it down:

Basically, tech giants and the administration struck a deal they say will ensure companies shoulder buildout costs. There are no details on how it’ll work.

technical.ly/civics/trump...

Google is grooming our children: How to unGoogle yourself The days of the company’s “don’t be evil” mantra are long gone. Switching away isn't as hard as you might think.

My latest article gives advice on how to untangle yourself from the Google ecosystem and why it should be avoided at all costs.

technical.ly/civics/ungoo...

Thank you to Melissa McKay and Tracy Dennis-Tiwary for the inspiration and to @phillydesign.bsky.social for the partnership in editing.

State Rep Scott Bottoms (R) says he tipped off the FBI to his claims of pedophile rings at the Colorado State Capitol three years ago. Then his story about the FBI shifted. I asked him about that. He responded with insults.

"Why does that particular address show up so often in the documents released about Jeffrey Epstein, the late convicted underage sex trafficker with alleged connections to many of the most powerful people in the US government and the world?"

Our resident Delaware expert Holly Quinn explains

Yeah, this was a bad take

When you've lost the CEOs...

www.semafor.com/article/01/2...

The firm owned by Pennsylvania’s richest man is now co-leading US TikTok Financial powerhouse Susquehanna International Group, an early ByteDance investor, is now central to the app’s new US leadership.

Jeff Yass's company gets a seat on the new US TikTok board. His investment giant was one of the early investors in ByteDance.

Good explainer by @katiemalone.bsky.social

technical.ly/entrepreneur...

Book cover with a mottled gray-green background and a swirl of sharks at the top, with sea monster arms framing a sole silhouette at the bottom

30-day books-by-women challenge! Choose 30 books, one per day, no particular order, that you’ve read that were written by women

Nnedi Okorafor, LAGOON

#booksky #bookchallenge #readingwomen

30/30

“I find it fundamentally silly that Bitcoin becomes a partisan issue,” says the cofounder of a Bitcoin-themed bar that features a framed Trump tweet and a $100 Pepe mug drink, which is "our version of champagne and sparklers"

Fun read by @kaelaroeder.bsky.social

technical.ly/entrepreneur...

Book cover with a view of an ornate circular skylight, edged in gold filigree, with dark blue lighting along the rounded arched walls

30-day books-by-women challenge! Choose 30 books, one per day, no particular order, that you’ve read that were written by women

N.K. Jemisn (@nkjemisin.bsky.social), THE HUNDRED THOUSAND KINGDOMS
(Inheritance Trilogy)

#booksky #bookchallenge #readingwomen

29/30

Thank you!

Book cover in reds and oranges and rust-colored sky filled with (surprise) dust storms, and a goggle- and scarf-clad woman standing proudly in the center

30-day books-by-women challenge! Choose 30 books, one per day, no particular order, that you’ve read that were written by women

Erin Bowman (@erinbowman.bsky.social), DUSTBORN

#booksky #bookchallenge #readingwomen

28/30

Oooooh

Colorful representation of the title of the book ministry of Time on cover with a black star, black background and a yellow spine

30-day books-by-women challenge! Choose 30 books, one per day, no particular order, that you’ve read that were written by women

Kaliane Bradley, MINISTRY OF TIME

#booksky #bookchallenge #readingwomen

27/30

"To our major newsrooms, the truth of the matter is a jump ball."

Read @froomkin.bsky.social on the "both sides" bias at the top.

No paywall. presswatchers.org/2026/01/why-...

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette says it will cease operations in May The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette's owners said it has lost $350 million over 20 years and called that "no longer sustainable."

I spoke with Charlie Wolfson of Pittsburgh's Public Source about the announcement that Block Communications will shut down the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. www.publicsource.org/newspaper-pi...

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette announces closure The owners of Pittsburgh Post-Gazette announced on Wednesday that the newspaper will “cease operations” on May 3. “Over the past 20 years, Block Communications has lost more than $35...

They lost $350M over the past 20 years but better health insurance is the breaking point? Seems spiteful

Pittsburgh just lost its daily newspaper (shutting down in May)

triblive.com/business/pit...

What exactly are Americans celebrating in 2026? The US Semiquincentennial marks 250 years since the Declaration of Independence. The American Revolution was always a hard-fought battle for more opportunity.

What exactly are Americans celebrating in 2026? technical.ly/civics/usa-2...

Book cover with a woman’s face fading into gray stone, just her eyes, eyebrows and nose still visible — but in the middle of where the forehead would be is an open door with the same face peeking out, this time in full, resolute color

30-day books-by-women challenge! Choose 30 books, one per day, no particular order, that you’ve read that were written by women

Kelley Eskridge, SOLITAIRE

#booksky #bookchallenge #readingwomen

26/30

News organizations held off on reporting Venezuela raid The American news organizations held their stories over concerns about endangering US troops.

First in @semafor.com: NYT, WaPo learned of the secret US raid on Venezuela soon before it was scheduled to begin but held off publishing what they had at the administration's request to avoid endangering US troops www.semafor.com/article/01/0...

It does look exactly like a dove!

"Both Mr. Mandani and Mr. Trump identify as New Yorkers, though they have no relationship." See how easy it is to make bizarre comparisons, NYT?🤦‍♀️

And the Eagle Map is "most extraordinary and rare," per cartography expert David Rumsey, as quoted by Second Story Books in DC, which has a copy

www.secondstorybooks.com/pages/books/...