Thomas Germain

Had a great time at lectures on tap at @caveatnyc.bsky.social watching @thomasgermain.bsky.social open our eyes to the deeper side of YouTube

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I need everyone to understand that the introduction was not “hey listen to this band that I enjoy.” I was more like sharing a mystery

lol so women are probably cheating at boot camp but tech bros don't need to go

Is Google about to destroy the web? Google says adding more AI to its search engine will rejuvenate the internet. Others predict an apocalypse for websites. One thing is clear: this era of online history is closing.

Google has a new button. It might destroy the web as you know it. Experts say the new “AI Mode” is an asteroid aimed at the heart of the internet, one that could decimate millions of websites. It seems this chapter of online history is over. Here’s what comes next: www.bbc.com/future/artic...

Is Google about to destroy the web? Google says adding more AI to its search engine will rejuvenate the internet. Others predict an apocalypse for websites. One thing is clear: this era of online history is closing.

Google wrote the rules, they created the game and they rewarded the players.

Now they're turning around and saying, 'That's my infrastructure, the web just happens to live in it.’

🔗 www.bbc.com/future/artic... by @thomasgermain.bsky.social

Still booting after all these years: The people stuck using ancient Windows computers As technology marches on, some people get trapped using decades-old software and devices. Here's a look inside the strange, stubborn world of obsolete Windows machines.

Right now, there are trains in California that can’t start until someone inserts a floppy disk.

50 years into Microsoft’s reign, Windows XP and MS-DOS still run elevators, hospitals, ATMs and more. I went inside the ghost world of obsolete PCs
www.bbc.com/future/artic...

For years, YouTube didn't disclose how many videos it hosted. That fundamental-but-missing figure about one of the most important parts of our digital communication infrastructure is what launched our big @idpiumass.bsky.social YouTube project. But now there's an official number(ish)! [1/7]

Washington’s Deportation Jackpot The biggest immigration story no one is talking about is the funding.

"Republicans are advancing what could become the largest expansion of immigration enforcement funding in U.S. history—between $175 and $345 billion... and so far none of the key players will answer the simplest question: What, exactly, are taxpayers being asked to fund?" via @migrantinsider.com

Flyer for the Oregon Poetry Telephone Line — new poems daily through April

Regeneration The face of Dog Mountain, that turn from dead plane, slices of translucent sun about my feet. Rustle in the depth hoar. The pull in the pack and the snap of wind in my face. One summer in Montana I tried to capture the last of the glacier ice, so small your head in my lens obscured it. The germ of a lesion had formed inside me, but we did not know it. All sublimation begets unclassifiable forms: cups, scrolls, columns, ribs that bind our hearts And the ringing. Above the treeline, rock. The hoarfrost shows its grain. More crystal lattice than fragments of stars. Regeneration appears first angular, then faceted. Light bleeds through our skin, makes us three-dimensional.

If you call the Oregon Tele-Pome hotline today, I’ll read you a poem. 503-928-7008.

This heart-poem from my core was originally published by @fonografeditions.bsky.social

Thanks to @mojgani.bsky.social and @oregonhumanities.org for putting together the incredible hotline & for featuring me.

Is it finally safe to ditch your phone case? I put it to the test With smartphones tougher than ever, a new wave of phone minimalists say cases are for cowards. I joined the case-free cult, called the experts and braced for the sound of broken glass.

NEW from the BBC: Why it might be time to ditch your phone case
www.bbc.com/future/artic...

Bringing the Magic of Friends Back to Facebook | Meta We’re introducing a new Facebook Friends tab that makes it easier to connect with your friends.

20 years later, Facebook figured out that what people really want is…. to talk to their friends about.fb.com/news/2025/03...

Jam Like a King: Charles Releases a Playlist King Charles III showcased 17 artists, mostly from Commonwealth countries, in a personal playlist. Beyoncé, Bob Marley and Diana Ross made the cut.

If you can explain why King Charles' playlist is only on Apple Music please get in touch with me immediately www.nytimes.com/2025/03/10/a...

Can you link me an example? Not sure if I’ve seen this

Beautiful right

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The hidden world beneath the shadows of YouTube's algorithm There's a secret side of YouTube, just beyond the guiding hand of the algorithm – and it’s nothing like what you know.

There’s a secret YouTube no one gets to see - a vast, uncurated documentary of human life. We found a way to explore it.

The average video has just 41 views. That means most of the platform is invisible, until now www.bbc.com/future/artic...

The hidden world beneath the shadows of YouTube's algorithm There's a secret side of YouTube, just beyond the guiding hand of the algorithm – and it’s nothing like what you know.

There’s a secret YouTube you never get to see - a vast, uncurated documentary of human life. We found a way to explore it.

The average video has just 41 views. That means most of the platform is invisible, until now www.bbc.com/future/artic...

Thoroughly enjoyed this article. It is a struggle to explore in spite of YT's algorithms. With that in mind, I do love stumbling upon heartfelt, playful, creative, and unexpected content. Thank you for writing a insightful article on a very addictive resource. 😊

How big tech's ad systems helped fund child abuse online Some of the biggest tech companies in the world served ads on a website featuring images of child abuse, helping to fund its operations.

It is not just fake news, Ad revenue funds the worst content on the Internet, including child sexual abuse.

@thomasgermain.bsky.social (BBC)

Platforms keep telling us, for over a decade, that this is just a mistake and that -trust me, bro- it will be fixed soon.

www.bbc.com/future/artic...

How a computer that 'drunk dials' videos is exposing YouTube's secrets YouTube is about to turn 20. An unusual research method is unveiling statistics about the platform that Google doesn't want you to know.

YouTube is almost 20 years old and more popular than ever, but there's still a ton we don't know about it. The BBC's @thomasgermain.bsky.social has a story about our work at @idpiumass.bsky.social to uncover some of those YouTube fundamentals. www.bbc.com/future/artic...

How a computer that 'drunk dials' videos is exposing YouTube's secrets YouTube is about to turn 20. An unusual research method is unveiling statistics about the platform that Google doesn't want you to know.

New for the BBC: Friday is YouTube's 20th birthday, but the most basic facts about the platform are still closely guarded secrets.

For example: How much YouTube do we all watch?
Answer: 8 MILLION YEARS per month

Check out the mind blowing details Google wont tell you ⬇️ www.bbc.com/future/artic...

How big tech's ad systems helped fund child abuse online Some of the biggest tech companies in the world served ads on a website featuring images of child abuse, helping to fund its operations.

ICYMI: Google, Amazon, and Microsoft allowed their ad networks to place advertisements on a shady image-sharing website that hosted child sexual abuse material. Ad safety experts say the website's mechanics should have raised big red flags. Read more from @thomasgermain.bsky.social, here:

It's a glimpse of the darkest corners of digital ads, a system so vast and complex that even the companies who run it don't always know where their money is going.

A new report finds the biggest tech companies in the world failed to root out a site that experts say is "clearly designed" for criminal activity.

Ads for MasterCard, Nestlé, Starbucks, Unilever and even the US Government ran on an apparently unmoderated image-sharing platform

How big tech's ad systems helped fund child abuse online Some of the biggest tech companies in the world served ads on a website featuring images of child abuse, helping to fund its operations.

NEW: Google, Amazon and Microsoft's ad systems funneled money to a site that hosts images of child sex abuse www.bbc.com/future/artic...

I have my methods

It just makes sense

I don’t even want to think about that, terrifying

Thank you!