David Nowak
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David Nowak
@davidnowak.me
82 followers 39 following 2K posts
I bridge technical expertise with human understanding. Built solutions for millions. I help organizations question assumptions before costly mistakes. Connecting dots, creating impact.
davidnowak.me | thestrategiccodex.com | mindwire.io
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davidnowak.me
When systems meant to protect the vulnerable fail, the cost is measured in human lives. Survivors of abuse in state care now face retraumatization due to a data breach that exposed their identities. This isn’t just a policy failure—it’s a moral one... 🧵
www.rnz.co.nz/news/nationa...
Ministry privacy breach sees the names of five people seeking compensation for sexual abuse published
The ministry has removed documents naming five people, but internet searches were still bringing up the MSD information.
www.rnz.co.nz
November 29, 2025 at 2:31 PM
davidnowak.me
The UK’s £100 million AI push targets hardware startups, aiming to boost sectors like healthcare and finance. The government acts as a “first customer,” mirroring pandemic vaccine procurement. But AI tools aren’t vaccines... 🧵
arstechnica.com/information-...
UK government will buy tech to boost AI sector in $130M growth push
Plan will offer guaranteed payments for British startups making AI hardware…
arstechnica.com
November 29, 2025 at 1:56 AM
davidnowak.me
Stickerbox’s magic lies in transforming whimsy into art—but does it amplify creativity or create dependency? Children might learn to “hack” prompts instead of exploring unstructured imagination... 🧵
techcrunch.com/2025/11/24/h...
Hands on with Stickerbox, the AI-powered sticker maker for kids | TechCrunch
Stickerbox turns kids’ ideas into printable stickers, blending AI magic with hands-on coloring for a surprisingly creative, "screen-light" play experience.
techcrunch.com
November 28, 2025 at 1:40 PM
davidnowak.me
Fifty billion dollars is a staggering sum, and AWS is putting it toward government AI infrastructure. It’s easy to get lost in the scale, but the purpose matters most. What problems are we truly solving, and for whom? 🧵
techcrunch.com/2025/11/24/a...
AWS is spending $50B to build AI infrastructure for the US government | TechCrunch
AWS has been working with the U.S. government since 2011 and is now building AI infrastructure specifically for the entity.
techcrunch.com
November 28, 2025 at 1:41 AM
davidnowak.me
It's the pattern of Facebook suppressing research. We've seen this playbook before—a cynical prioritization of profit over well-being. It’s deeply frustrating, and frankly, a betrayal of trust... 🧵
www.engadget.com/social-media...
Meta allegedly buried research showing its products are harming users
Meta has been accused of burying research showing its platforms are bad for users mental health.
www.engadget.com
November 27, 2025 at 1:35 PM
davidnowak.me
HumaneBench is a reckoning. We’re building systems optimized for engagement above all else, subtly eroding autonomy and wellbeing. That’s a dangerous default... 🧵
techcrunch.com/2025/11/24/a...
A new AI benchmark tests whether chatbots protect human well-being | TechCrunch
Most AI benchmarks measure intelligence and instruction-following rather than psychological safety. Humane Bench evaluates models based on core principles of human flourishing, prioritizing well-being...
techcrunch.com
November 27, 2025 at 1:56 AM
davidnowak.me
We talk a lot about "solving" the driver shortage with automation, but that framing misses the real problem. It’s not a lack of drivers, it’s a lack of desirable driving jobs. Brutal hours, time away, low pay—those are the things pushing people away... 🧵
www.npr.org/2025/11/24/n...
Will technology provide a boost to truck drivers — or will it replace them?
The American economy depends on truckers. Technology is promising to transform this industry with new driver-assistance features that are meant to make the job safer and less demanding.
www.npr.org
November 26, 2025 at 2:02 PM
Reposted by David Nowak
thestrategiccodex.com
49% of Americans now buy eco-friendly products. But when it comes to paying more? They'll accept just a 9.7% price premium—and that's before inflation hits the household budget. One-third want sustainable options but can't access them due to price. That gap is the opportunity... 🧵
November 26, 2025 at 3:56 AM
davidnowak.me
Been thinking about this piece on AI & democracy—a cautiously optimistic take, which is a relief. But optimism without realism is just wishful thinking, right? We need to name the challenges alongside the potential... 🧵
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
Four ways AI is being used to strengthen democracies worldwide | Nathan E Sanders and Bruce Schneier
The dangers of artificial intelligence and its potential to consolidate power are clear. But used fairly, it can be a boon for good government
www.theguardian.com
November 26, 2025 at 1:38 AM
davidnowak.me
OpenAI is losing $14B in 2025. Anthropic burns $2.7B annually.
Bain identified an $800 billion funding gap between AI infrastructure costs and actual revenue by 2030.
But this crash won't look like what most analysts predict... 🧵
davidnowak.me/the-ai-bubbl...
The AI Bubble is About to Burst—Here’s What Survives - DAVID NOWAK
Billions are at stake as AI giants race toward a cliff few acknowledge. Discover how open source, shifting infrastructure, and hard economic realities reveal what survives when the AI bubble bursts—no...
davidnowak.me
November 25, 2025 at 3:33 PM
davidnowak.me
Spotify’s SongDNA feature – revealing the musical lineage of tracks – feels profoundly important. It’s a bet on context, understanding music as a conversation across time and artists... 🧵
www.engadget.com/entertainmen...
Spotify's SongDNA feature will show you which songs are sampled on a track
Spotify has acquired WhoSampled, a community-run database that tracks samples, covers, remixes and more.
www.engadget.com
November 25, 2025 at 1:39 AM
davidnowak.me
The sheer scale of infrastructure buildout proposed is sobering. Not just a technical feat, but a commitment to consuming vast resources for years to come. What’s the real price tag when you factor in the entire lifecycle – from mining to e-waste? 🧵
arstechnica.com/ai/2025/11/g...
Google tells employees it must double capacity every 6 months to meet AI demand
Google’s AI infrastructure chief tells staff it needs thousandfold capacity increase in 5 years.
arstechnica.com
November 24, 2025 at 2:06 PM
davidnowak.me
The IACR election snafu is a fundamental trust failure. Brilliant minds dedicated to security tripped over a remarkably basic human vulnerability – a lost key. It highlights how easily we over-index on the tool & under-invest in the process & the people using it... 🧵
arstechnica.com/security/202...
Oops. Cryptographers cancel election results after losing decryption key.
Voting system required three keys. One of them has been “irretrievably lost.”…
arstechnica.com
November 24, 2025 at 1:36 AM
davidnowak.me
This Stanford work isn’t just about making proteins, it’s about learning how life builds them. They bypassed direct function-hunting & looked at how bacteria cluster genes. Feels like we’ve been staring at the trees, missing the forest’s architecture... 🧵
arstechnica.com/science/2025...
AI trained on bacterial genomes produces never-before-seen proteins
Genes with related functions cluster together, and the AI uses that.
arstechnica.com
November 23, 2025 at 2:07 PM
davidnowak.me
This Meta fine in Spain isn’t just about data privacy, it's about power. They exploited a loophole to build an insurmountable ad advantage, effectively squeezing out smaller media. That impacts the diversity of voices we all hear... 🧵
www.engadget.com/big-tech/met...
Meta ordered to pay €479 million to Spanish media outlets
A Madrid court fined the company for unfair competition practices and violating EU data regulations.
www.engadget.com
November 23, 2025 at 1:32 AM
davidnowak.me
It’s not just about data collection from these AI toys, though that's concerning. It’s about outsourcing the messy, vital work of learning how to relate—to navigate disappointment, build empathy, understand nuance—to an algorithm designed for frictionless agreement...🧵
www.npr.org/2025/11/20/n...
Ahead of the holidays, consumer and child advocacy groups warn against AI toys
The child advocacy nonprofit Fairplay issued an advisory on Thursday warning people against buying AI toys this holiday season. It's not the only group.
www.npr.org
November 22, 2025 at 1:59 PM
davidnowak.me
This data on artists as a workforce is a gut punch, but not surprising. We romanticize creativity, then structurally undermine the people doing the creating. It’s a pattern. Value the output, ignore the human being behind it. Feels familiar... 🧵
www.npr.org/2025/11/19/n...
As a labor force, artists are 'invisible.' A new survey tries to change that
'Struggling artists' isn't a trope, according to a new report. The survey asked more than 2,600 artists about everything from hours worked to housing.
www.npr.org
November 22, 2025 at 2:06 AM
davidnowak.me
I built an RSS reader I couldn't find anywhere: no accounts, no tracking, no cloud sync. Mindwire Stream is free, local-first, and treats your reading habits as private. Your database lives on your device—and you are on control... 🧵
mindwire.io
Mindwire Stream | The Power User's Feed
A private, free, lightning-fast RSS reader. Filter the noise. Keep the signal. Zero tracking.
mindwire.io
November 21, 2025 at 7:33 PM
davidnowak.me
Synthetic data is a way to train AI when real data is scarce or problematic. But it feels like a shortcut with a shadow. Who gets to define “reality” for these models? And what gets left out when we simulate the world, instead of engaging with it directly? 🧵
theconversation.com/when-fake-da...
When fake data is a good thing – how synthetic data trains AI to solve real problems
To overcome two challenges in training AI – scarce or hard-to-get data and data privacy – researchers have come up with a counterintuitive technique: fake it.
theconversation.com
November 21, 2025 at 1:53 PM
davidnowak.me
The investment dance between Microsoft, Nvidia, and Anthropic feels brittle. Is this genuine ecosystem building or a self-sustaining loop needing constant fuel? It seems less about solving problems, more about justifying spend... 🧵
arstechnica.com/ai/2025/11/t...
Tech giants pour billions into Anthropic as circular AI investments roll on
ChatGPT competitor secures billions from Microsoft and Nvidia in deal to use cloud services and chips.
arstechnica.com
November 21, 2025 at 1:37 AM
davidnowak.me
Looks like @bsky.app sold its soul to Yahoo recently with sponsored reposts and their custom feed pinned on trending topics for days.
So much for this being an "alternative" space from the usual social media BS.
November 21, 2025 at 1:27 AM
davidnowak.me
The Ockham Awards situation is not just about book covers. It’s about a closing of ranks when we should be opening doors. Fear of disruption is understandable, but reactive control rarely fosters genuine innovation. We need proactive frameworks, not retroactive rules. 🧵
www.rnz.co.nz/life/books/t...
Top writers ruled out of NZ book awards due to AI covers
For the first time AI regulations have been applied to the Ockham New Zealand Book Awards, including every detail from cover to cover.
www.rnz.co.nz
November 20, 2025 at 2:08 PM
davidnowak.me
@citiesskylines.paradoxinteractive.com Day one fan. Pre-ordered CS2 for Christmas. Paid full price for software that didn't work. Your CEO knew it was broken and shipped it anyway. Poor leadership, worse priorities... 🧵
davidnowak.me/colossal-dis...
Colossal Disorder Inside a Paradox of Success, Technical Debt, and Broken Trust - DAVID NOWAK
300,000 expected sales. 300,000 sold in 24 hours. Ten years later, experimental tech, quarterly targets, and a $10 DLC turned colossal success into paradoxical failure. How a fifteen-year partnership ...
davidnowak.me
November 20, 2025 at 8:38 AM
davidnowak.me
It’s easy to fixate on students “cheating” with AI, but it misses the point. The real ethical weight lands on tech companies & institutions. We need to shift the conversation from policing behavior to responsible design & deployment. It’s a power imbalance issue 🧵
theconversation.com/student-chea...
Student cheating dominates talk of generative AI in higher ed, but universities and tech companies face ethical issues too
A sociologist who researches AI’s impact on work and education argues there are ethical dimensions to generative AI that institutions are not considering.
theconversation.com
November 20, 2025 at 1:33 AM
Reposted by David Nowak
kevinkorte.bsky.social
We are giving open-source developers too little and demanding too much. Consequently, a significant number of them feel burned out, and AI slop isn't helping.
#opensource #burnout
Open Source Developers Are Exhausted, Unpaid, and Ready to Walk Away
The foundation of modern software is cracking under the weight of burnout.
itsfoss.com
November 19, 2025 at 6:28 PM