Ben West 🦋
@benwest.bsky.social
2.9K followers 3K following 1.4K posts
"Seasoned" campaigner & aspiring protocol whisperer. Anxious dog person. Rewiring broken systems. https://BenWest.blog Climate solutions, democratization, privacy & infosec advocate. He/They 🍉 📍Huron-Wendat and Anishinaabek Territory
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benwest.bsky.social
This is more true than we realize.

#memes #power #funny #notFunny #ethics #politics #LateStageCapitalism
A meme illustration that shows a politician standing on the end of a plank over the side of a cliff. A crowd stands on the other side of the plank watching him and one person is walking away stepping off the plank. We realize if they all walked away the politicians would fall off the side of this cliff. 

Text at the top reads: The people don't know their true power.
benwest.bsky.social
Its all very exhausting. Also hi.
benwest.bsky.social
Why does it seem appropriate that the parent company behind the New York Stock Exchange is also called 'ICE'?

Also the idea that they are investing in a recursive echo chamber of tech bros seems... Predictable.

www.bankless.com/read/news/ic...

#polyMarket #tech #uspoli #investment
ICE Invests $2B in Polymarket to Bring Prediction Markets to Wall Street on Bankless
Intercontinental Exchange (ICE), parent company of the New York Stock Exchange, announced a landmark $2B investment in prediction market Polymarket.
www.bankless.com
benwest.bsky.social
Merry christmas?

Weird old traditions changing a little bit finally?

Also... God save (us from) the king.

#cdnpoli
pwnallthethings.bsky.social
Tragic news from Canada where the Canadian Supreme Court has gone from the official dress on the left to the one on the right
Canadian Supreme court. Everyone is dressed in bright red wooly gowns, with a beige trim. It looks sort of like a Santa robe The Canadian Supreme court. Everyone is dressed in black gowns with a bright white kravat, and two thin red vertical lines on the side of the robe
benwest.bsky.social
Anduril and Palantir battlefield comms system has deep flaws: Army archive.ph/xnWhH Not surprised but still horrified.
archive.ph
benwest.bsky.social
This resonated with me after a couple days of fixing things i broke 🙃
benwest.bsky.social
“Remember that failure is an event, not a person.” – Zig Ziglar via @momentumdash.bsky.social
Reposted by Ben West 🦋
atherton.bsky.social
State Dept's revoking visa of Colombia's president because he said in Spanish

"That's why from here, from New York I ask all the soldiers of the army of the United States not to point their guns at people. Disobey the orders of Trump. Obey the orders of humanity."

www.reuters.com/world/us/us-...
www.reuters.com
Reposted by Ben West 🦋
ashtonpittman.bsky.social
Trump says he authorizes Hegseth to deploy the military to Portland, which he lyingly calls "war ravaged," and says he is authorizing "full force."
Donald J. Trump
@realDonaldTrump
+
At the request of Secretary of Homeland Security, Kristi Noem, I am directing Secretary of War, Pete Hegseth, to provide all necessary Troops to protect War ravaged Portland, and any of our ICE Facilities under siege from attack by Antifa, and other domestic terrorists. I am also authorizing Full Force, if necessary. Thank you for your attention to this matter!
506 ReTruths 1.62k Likes
9/27/25, 9:19
Reposted by Ben West 🦋
404media.co
Surveillance companies justify helping ICE and Trump with ‘democracy’

“It's not my job to play the ethics game because our elected officials will eventually figure that out. I have full faith in the American people to decide who to elect and what to vote on.”

🔗 www.404media.co/how-surveill...
How Surveillance Firms Use ‘Democracy’ As a Cover for Serving ICE and Trump
Multiple Palantir and Flock sources say the companies are spinning a commitment to "democracy" to absolve them of responsibility. "In my eyes, it is the classic double speak," one said.
www.404media.co
Reposted by Ben West 🦋
jenitennison.com
Having read the Labour Together Britcard proposals, the main argument seems to be that digital IDs will tackle unscrupulous employers or landlords by making it easier for the Home Office to do data-based checks rather than spot-checks to detect non-compliance.

www.labourtogether.uk/all-reports/...
BritCard: a progressive digital identity for Britain — Labour Together
In government, Labour has committed to reducing migration. Labour Together is supporting this agenda with a series of papers looking at how to create a migration system that puts country first. In Oct...
www.labourtogether.uk
benwest.bsky.social
Brilliant
404media.co
With “Find My Parking Cops,” technologist Riley Walz reverse engineered San Francisco’s parking ticket system to place cops on a map seconds after they issue parking citations—in theory, helping people avoid spots where officers are handing out tickets.

🔗 www.404media.co/find-my-park...
‘Find My Parking Cops’ Tracks Officers Handing Out Tickets All Around San Francisco
"Find My Parking Cops" pins the near-realtime locations of parking officers all over the city, and shows what they're issuing fines for, and how much.
www.404media.co
benwest.bsky.social
I'm very happy to be renewing my membership for the 3rd year in a row. @404media.co is doing essential work.
404media.co
We just sued ICE. Support us here: 404media.co/membership/
Reposted by Ben West 🦋
Reposted by Ben West 🦋
benwest.bsky.social
Happy birthday, hope the next trip around is filled with health and happiness.
benwest.bsky.social
We are getting left behind, meanwhile money and power is blowing away in the wind.

#cdnpoli #uspoli #climate #energy #tech
kevinjkircher.com
Welp, updated my "biggest wind turbine in the world" slide again. Last time I taught thermo, it was a 19 MW turbine with 128 m blades. This year, it's 26 MW with 150 m blades. Always offshore, always in China.

Context: A Boeing 747 is 71 m long. 150 m is about the height of a 50-story skyscraper.
China tests ‘world’s largest’ offshore wind turbine
With a hub height of 185 meters, the turbine will be equivalent to a 63-story skyscraper.
www.offshore-mag.com
benwest.bsky.social
Oooof...

#tech #life #meme #notFunny
A six panel comic illustration grid. In the first panel a figure lies in bed, sick and old. I'm dying my life flashes before my eyes it says. The frame now is eye shaped for the next 4 panels. The character gets older in each panel and their computer monitor that they're sitting in front of gets more modern. It's a story of how their entire life was spent in front of a computer. In the last frame, we'll return to the figure in their hospital bed and it just says nice little little tear in their right eye. And the person looking over them who seemed concerned before now looks happy.
benwest.bsky.social
Go @avilewis.ca go!! 🫶🏽
avilewis.ca
Canada's true crisis is the everyday emergency of just trying to get by in an impossible economy.

I’m running for NDP leader so we can transform a system rigged for the rich—together.

We need a government that serves the many, not the money.

Join in. lewisforleader.ca/

youtu.be/IVy99oiYszY
Why I’m running for NDP leader
YouTube video by Avi Lewis
youtu.be
benwest.bsky.social
Another really important episode of @techwontsave.us with @parismarx.com. Big thanks to @carolinehaskins.bsky.social for explaining what Palantir really does. Fascinating context on the dystopian authoritarian wizards behind the curtain.

#surveillance #infosec #authoritarianism #uspoli
techwontsave.us
Palantir is thriving under Donald Trump, but what does the company really do?

This week @carolinehaskins.bsky.social joins @parismarx.com to discuss the tech Palantir sells to governments and companies and the ideology that guides its leaders.

Full ep: techwontsave.us/episode/294_...