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Barbara Ortutay

@blanka.bsky.social

Technology writer for The Associated Press. bortutay@ap.org

created May 4, 2023

1,527 followers 115 following 46 posts

view profile on Bluesky

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Profile picture Barbara Ortutay (@blanka.bsky.social)

I have honestly many times thought about purchasing one of those bulletproof backpacks or whatever, but then I think about the burden of carrying that to school every day, putting that burden on our children, that physical and mental burden of having to remember why you are carrying that backpack.

28/8/2025, 9:33:42 PM | 14 1 | View on Bluesky | view

Profile picture Barbara Ortutay (@blanka.bsky.social)

The trouble with age verification

28/8/2025, 6:26:42 PM | 2 1 | View on Bluesky | view

Profile picture Barbara Ortutay (@blanka.bsky.social)

“If a tool can give suicide instructions to a child, its safety system is simply useless."

26/8/2025, 6:41:28 PM | 8 2 | View on Bluesky | view

Profile picture Barbara Ortutay (@blanka.bsky.social)

Here's a recent story (and photos) by Mariam Dagga, about children in Gaza:

25/8/2025, 9:34:49 PM | 1 0 | View on Bluesky | view

Profile picture Barbara Ortutay (@blanka.bsky.social)

"At her funeral Monday, relatives and colleagues caressed her cheeks through tears. Her body lay shrouded in white, a single red flower placed gently beside her face."

25/8/2025, 7:04:00 PM | 14 4 | View on Bluesky | view

Profile picture WeRateDogs (@weratedogs.com) reposted

This is Tuffy. He is the only example of taking up the whole sidewalk that is not only justifiable, but encouraged. 14/10 (IG: mypittuffy)

21/8/2025, 10:17:37 PM | 19113 2445 | View on Bluesky | view

Profile picture Barbara Ortutay (@blanka.bsky.social)

I am sorry I will never be able to read a story about Uranus and not laugh. It's just how it is.

19/8/2025, 8:45:26 PM | 4 0 | View on Bluesky | view

Profile picture The New Yorker (@newyorker.com) reposted

“Small children from poor or middle-class families who watch ‘Sesame Street’ do better on cognitive tests and in first grade than children who do not watch it,” Renata Adler wrote, in 1972.

15/8/2025, 4:05:27 PM | 12489 3124 | View on Bluesky | view

Profile picture The Associated Press (@apnews.com) reposted

AOL’s dial-up internet is finally taking its last bow. Yes, while perhaps a dinosaur by today’s digital standards, dial-up is still around.

11/8/2025, 11:00:30 PM | 151 22 | View on Bluesky | view

Profile picture Jay Peters (@jaypeters.net) reposted

Big move from Reddit: it says that it has caught AI companies scraping its data from the Internet Archive’s Wayback Machine, so it’s going to start blocking the Internet Archive from indexing the vast majority of Reddit. www.theverge.com/news/757538/...

11/8/2025, 5:25:44 PM | 315 146 | View on Bluesky | view

Profile picture Ryan Mac 🙃 (@rmac.bsky.social) reposted

this is wild www.404media.co/a-cbp-agent-...

7/8/2025, 7:51:04 PM | 125 42 | View on Bluesky | view

Profile picture Barbara Ortutay (@blanka.bsky.social)

“We wanted to test the guardrails,” said Imran Ahmed, the group’s CEO. “The visceral initial response is, ‘Oh my Lord, there are no guardrails.’ The rails are completely ineffective. They’re barely there — if anything, a fig leaf.”

6/8/2025, 10:27:41 PM | 2 0 | View on Bluesky | view

Profile picture Barbara Ortutay (@blanka.bsky.social)

www.youtube.com/watch?v=fKy7...

1/8/2025, 7:58:22 PM | 2 1 | View on Bluesky | view

Profile picture The Associated Press (@apnews.com) reposted

U.S. kindergarten vaccination rates inched down again last year and the share of children with exemptions rose to an all-time high, according to federal data posted Thursday.

31/7/2025, 7:00:13 PM | 68 34 | View on Bluesky | view

Profile picture Barbara Ortutay (@blanka.bsky.social)

Escape to a weird blocky garden apnews.com/article/robl...

30/7/2025, 4:33:40 PM | 1 0 | View on Bluesky | view

Profile picture Asher Langton (@asherlangton.bsky.social) reposted

Silicon Valley is lighting hundreds of billions of dollars on fire to generate this slop.

25/7/2025, 3:46:02 PM | 3969 687 | View on Bluesky | view

Profile picture Barbara Ortutay (@blanka.bsky.social) reply parent

I really wanted to do this but then I accidentally read about the guy who created them and it is kind of a cute story. Then my friend mailed us one. It's like an ugly Monchichi.

21/7/2025, 11:09:49 PM | 0 0 | View on Bluesky | view

Profile picture Barbara Ortutay (@blanka.bsky.social)

Remember Cambridge Analytica?

16/7/2025, 11:11:36 PM | 1 0 | View on Bluesky | view

Profile picture Ryan Mac 🙃 (@rmac.bsky.social) reposted

And here I was thinking they couldn’t make Microsoft teams worse

16/7/2025, 7:15:28 PM | 122 24 | View on Bluesky | view

Profile picture The Associated Press (@apnews.com) reposted

Nursing homes around the U.S. say they're feeling the effects of President Donald Trump's immigration crackdown.

13/7/2025, 8:00:30 PM | 584 279 | View on Bluesky | view

Profile picture Nicole Carpenter (@nicolecarpenter.bsky.social) reposted

other fun note i learned in reporting this out? the top two plush toys on amazon are these nuggets and a stuffed version of anxiety from inside out 2.......... we're not OK

10/7/2025, 6:02:48 PM | 203 28 | View on Bluesky | view

Profile picture Barbara Ortutay (@blanka.bsky.social) reply parent

thehill.com/homenews/adm...

8/7/2025, 6:00:15 PM | 0 0 | View on Bluesky | view

Profile picture Merriam-Webster (@merriam-webster.com) reposted

'Vacations.' The word is 'vacations.'

 FAST COMPANY Article: While retirement typically occurs, after completing a career and saving and investing for it, a new trend is emerging among Gen Z career professionals called
7/7/2025, 5:53:56 PM | 10902 3144 | View on Bluesky | view

Profile picture Barbara Ortutay (@blanka.bsky.social)

Counterpoint: Foursquare was fun and amazing and I long for the olden days of our stupid little apps.

6/6/2025, 8:18:22 PM | 2 0 | View on Bluesky | view

Profile picture Jason Kint (@kint.bsky.social) reposted

Amazing. Respect the lede.

image
6/6/2025, 12:53:24 AM | 30692 4909 | View on Bluesky | view

Profile picture Barbara Ortutay (@blanka.bsky.social)

I...

5/6/2025, 8:23:48 PM | 1 0 | View on Bluesky | view

Profile picture The Associated Press (@apnews.com) reposted

The Trump administration has announced that it is revoking guidance to the nation’s hospitals that directed them to provide emergency abortions to women when they are necessary to stabilize their medical condition.

3/6/2025, 9:00:23 PM | 476 333 | View on Bluesky | view

Profile picture Barbara Ortutay (@blanka.bsky.social)

Is this going to be too real to enjoy?

29/5/2025, 10:12:02 PM | 0 0 | View on Bluesky | view

Profile picture Eileen Clancy 🧿 (@clancyny.bsky.social) reposted reply parent

The photos in this @apnews.com article about the Digital Equity Act show a little of what it's about. People helping people to use computers. By @blanka.bsky.social and Claire Rush. These cautious, but willing, folks are in a Keyboard Basics class in Portland, Oregon.

4 hijabi women sitting with laptops open in front of them and very serious expressions. (one man is slightly visible) 3 of 8 | Rugaya Ismail, center, is reflected in a computer screen during a keyboard basics class offered by Free Geek on Thursday, May 15, 2025, in Portland, Ore. (AP Photo/Jenny Kane) Gray haired white man in sweater with reading glasses on, peers into laptop somewhat confusedly caption: 4 of 8 | John Castro looks at his computer during a keyboard basics class offered by Free Geek on Thursday, May 15, 2025, in Portland, Ore. (AP Photo/Jenny Kane) Older Black man sits at a long table. He is looking serious and confounded. caption: 6 of 8 | Brandon Dorn looks at his computer during a keyboard basics class offered by Free Geek on Thursday, May 15, 2025, in Portland, Ore. (AP Photo/Jenny Kane) a woman's hand with red fingernail polish hovers over a laptop keyboard. she is using only her index finger caption: 7 of 8 | Rugaya Ismail types during a keyboard basics class offered by Free Geek on Thursday, May 15, 2025, in Portland, Ore. (AP Photo/Jenny Kane)
26/5/2025, 12:41:28 AM | 17 3 | View on Bluesky | view

Profile picture Barbara Ortutay (@blanka.bsky.social)

“Because who doesn’t want grandma to be safe online? Who doesn’t want a veteran to be able to talk to their doctor rather than get in a car and drive two hours? Who doesn’t want students to be able to do their homework?”

25/5/2025, 5:01:48 PM | 9 3 | View on Bluesky | view

Profile picture Barbara Ortutay (@blanka.bsky.social)

Happy World Goth Day, the photos of me as a goth are, for better or for worse, printed on paper and tucked away in a box somewhere.

22/5/2025, 6:40:04 PM | 1 0 | View on Bluesky | view

Profile picture Kat Tenbarge (@kattenbarge.bsky.social) reposted

The ChatGPT summer book reads list in the Chicago Sun-Tribune fills me with dread about how much we’ve already lost and how much we will lose to AI slop. I think about all the little pieces of human writing I care about but maybe most people don’t—museum placards, book flaps, photo captions

20/5/2025, 1:52:05 PM | 963 137 | View on Bluesky | view

Profile picture Erin Fogg (@criminalerin.bsky.social) reposted

If there's one thing modern kids are known for, it's obeying screen time rules www.wtvr.com/news/local-n...

16/5/2025, 2:12:33 PM | 503 54 | View on Bluesky | view

Profile picture Barbara Ortutay (@blanka.bsky.social)

"Across the Americas, organizations that guide women seeking abortions in various countries are raising alarm, decrying what they see as a new wave of censorship on platforms owned by tech giant Meta — even in countries where abortion is decriminalized." From my colleague Maria Verza in Mexico City.

16/5/2025, 4:29:48 PM | 2 0 | View on Bluesky | view

Profile picture Barbara Ortutay (@blanka.bsky.social) reply parent

Nature's Garden trail mix packs are amazing (just nuts and dried fruit). I keep some in my bags. Kerrygold butter.

15/5/2025, 6:34:17 PM | 3 0 | View on Bluesky | view

Profile picture Barbara Ortutay (@blanka.bsky.social) reply parent

Those are my emotional support tabs. Yes all of them.

12/5/2025, 11:24:37 PM | 9 0 | View on Bluesky | view

Profile picture Barbara Ortutay (@blanka.bsky.social)

Uhh no thanks

1/5/2025, 12:01:12 AM | 4 0 | View on Bluesky | view

Profile picture The Associated Press (@apnews.com) reposted

The Associated Press has moved hundreds of news alerts since President Donald Trump took office for a second time. We used them to tell the often-dizzying story of what Trump did, how some people and courts pushed back and the world's reaction.

29/4/2025, 7:00:18 PM | 288 75 | View on Bluesky | view

Profile picture The Associated Press (@apnews.com) reposted

BREAKING: The federal government is reversing the termination of legal status for international students after many filed court challenges, a government lawyer says.

25/4/2025, 4:58:06 PM | 403 105 | View on Bluesky | view

Profile picture The Associated Press (@apnews.com) reposted

BREAKING: Education Department says it will begin collection on student loans for over 5 million borrowers in default.

21/4/2025, 8:08:28 PM | 929 553 | View on Bluesky | view

Profile picture Barbara Ortutay (@blanka.bsky.social)

“I feel relaxed, but at the same time I’m like, ‘Oh, there’s a moose. Oh, what if there’s a moose? I can’t go to the toilet!’” said William Garp Liljefors, 20, who has collected more than 150 moose plush toys since 2020.

16/4/2025, 4:27:50 PM | 4 2 | View on Bluesky | view

Profile picture Barbara Ortutay (@blanka.bsky.social)

Meta, the FTC argues, has maintained a monopoly by pursuing Zuckerberg’s strategy, “expressed in 2008: ‘It is better to buy than compete.’ True to that maxim, Facebook has systematically tracked potential rivals and acquired companies that it viewed as serious competitive threats.”

14/4/2025, 10:55:23 PM | 2 0 | View on Bluesky | view

Profile picture The Associated Press (@apnews.com) reposted

BREAKING: Hungary has passed a constitutional amendment that allows the government to ban public events by LGBTQ+ communities.

14/4/2025, 3:40:39 PM | 344 195 | View on Bluesky | view

Profile picture The Associated Press (@apnews.com) reposted

The Associated Press wins reinstatement to White House events after judge rules government can’t bar its journalists, citing the 1st Amendment.

8/4/2025, 9:22:57 PM | 7202 1767 | View on Bluesky | view

Profile picture Barbara Ortutay (@blanka.bsky.social)

I have heard from several readers that they are having trouble deleting their data from 23andme. Are you having issues deleting your info? Let me know if you'd like to chat. I can be reached here or bortutay@ap.org

26/3/2025, 10:34:03 PM | 1 1 | View on Bluesky | view

Profile picture Barbara Ortutay (@blanka.bsky.social)

"White House officials informed the Navajo Nation that an artificial intelligence-powered automated review process looking for content with DEI initiatives led to the elimination of anything mentioning 'Navajo,' according to a statement from Navajo Nation President Buu Nygren."

20/3/2025, 6:36:45 PM | 248 80 | View on Bluesky | view

Profile picture Barbara Ortutay (@blanka.bsky.social) reply parent

You have eggs??

7/3/2025, 7:13:31 PM | 2 0 | View on Bluesky | view

Profile picture CRIMINAL SIMPSONS (@criminalsimpsons.com) reposted

image
12/2/2025, 10:18:57 PM | 883 222 | View on Bluesky | view

Profile picture Barbara Ortutay (@blanka.bsky.social) reply parent

apnews.com/donate

11/2/2025, 10:05:58 PM | 1 0 | View on Bluesky | view

Profile picture Barbara Ortutay (@blanka.bsky.social)

Associated Press statement on Oval Office access www.ap.org/the-definiti...

11/2/2025, 9:44:51 PM | 2 1 | View on Bluesky | view

Profile picture Barbara Ortutay (@blanka.bsky.social)

"It’s a fear and intimidation tactic. I don’t know if it’s the best leadership style long term, as demonstrated by how abysmal Twitter/X is doing.” -- former Twitter executive Rumman Chowdhury

7/2/2025, 7:12:43 PM | 4 2 | View on Bluesky | view

Profile picture Barbara Ortutay (@blanka.bsky.social)

apnews.com/article/trum...

7/2/2025, 6:02:32 PM | 2 0 | View on Bluesky | view

Profile picture Barbara Ortutay (@blanka.bsky.social)

Uhh.. what happened to the Census website?

31/1/2025, 10:32:44 PM | 3 0 | View on Bluesky | view

Profile picture Barbara Ortutay (@blanka.bsky.social)

Do you work at Meta? How is it going? Would love to hear from you -- Signal (646)378-8843 or bortutay@ap.org if you have anything to share, anonymity protected as always.

31/1/2025, 6:45:14 PM | 24 14 | View on Bluesky | view

Profile picture Densho (@denshoproject.bsky.social) reposted

Today is #FredKorematsu Day, honoring the civil rights hero best known for his fight against the mass removal of Japanese Americans that resulted in a landmark Supreme Court case.

image
30/1/2025, 7:51:12 PM | 18 6 | View on Bluesky | view

Profile picture Casey Newton (@caseynewton.bsky.social) reposted

Apple Intelligence’s commitment to writing incomprehensible summaries is unparalleled

“Columbian president condemned something,” notification from X reads
27/1/2025, 6:08:26 AM | 7924 587 | View on Bluesky | view

Profile picture The Associated Press (@apnews.com) reposted

After 80 years, not many Auschwitz survivors are left. One man makes telling the stories his mission.

24/1/2025, 8:42:25 PM | 830 173 | View on Bluesky | view

Profile picture Barbara Ortutay (@blanka.bsky.social) reply parent

Message me here or bortutay@ap.org 🙏

16/1/2025, 6:57:01 PM | 2 1 | View on Bluesky | view

Profile picture Barbara Ortutay (@blanka.bsky.social)

Nooooooo 😢

image
16/1/2025, 6:56:31 PM | 3 0 | View on Bluesky | view

Profile picture Barbara Ortutay (@blanka.bsky.social)

An AP reporter is looking for *renters* who have been affected by the Los Angeles wildfires. Please let me know if you (or someone you know) would be interested in sharing your story for an Associated Press article. Thank you!

15/1/2025, 10:52:56 PM | 31 26 | View on Bluesky | view

Profile picture Barbara Ortutay (@blanka.bsky.social)

This feels like a teenager party right before the parents/cops break it up apnews.com/article/chin...

14/1/2025, 10:44:44 PM | 3 1 | View on Bluesky | view

Profile picture Barbara Ortutay (@blanka.bsky.social)

Beautiful and heartbreaking story on what happens when the last newspaper closes, leaving a community isolated https://apnews.com/article/dc3a06efe251e0cbb894e5f2281c63a1

27/7/2023, 6:00:38 PM | 5 3 | View on Bluesky | view

Profile picture Barbara Ortutay (@blanka.bsky.social)

I love this book. I don’t read as much as I used to before kid but trying to get back to it as much as I can. I’ll say I’ll do a books thread but will prob forget. Any recommendations welcome (weird novels with fun strange characters, nothing too violent).

image
8/7/2023, 6:43:16 PM | 2 0 | View on Bluesky | view

Profile picture Barbara Ortutay (@blanka.bsky.social)

Did Costco stop selling Kirkland kombucha? 😩😩😩

15/6/2023, 10:52:02 PM | 1 0 | View on Bluesky | view

Profile picture Yoel Roth (@yoyoel.com) reposted

Could be totally off base here, but Twitter 2.0’s mission of becoming “the world’s most accurate real-time information source” might go better if they hadn’t just spent 6 months ripping out literally all the technology, policies, and teams required to do that.

Enter Twitter 2.0. Twitter is on a mission to become the world’s most accurate real-time information source and a global town square for communication. We’re on the precipice of making history—and that’s not an empty promise. That’s OUR reality.
12/6/2023, 6:45:41 PM | 701 127 | View on Bluesky | view

Profile picture Barbara Ortutay (@blanka.bsky.social) reply parent

Thank you!

7/6/2023, 9:26:12 PM | 1 0 | View on Bluesky | view

Profile picture Barbara Ortutay (@blanka.bsky.social) reply parent

I have not but I will keep trying. :)

7/6/2023, 5:01:26 PM | 1 0 | View on Bluesky | view

Profile picture Barbara Ortutay (@blanka.bsky.social) reply parent

Hello, that was me, sorry, I didn’t find any info on verification, will see if we can update the story, thanks for pointing out!

7/6/2023, 3:31:43 PM | 1 0 | View on Bluesky | view

Profile picture Barbara Ortutay (@blanka.bsky.social) reply parent

It’s really sad what happened to Etsy after all the work the early people put in to make it exactly not like this.

7/6/2023, 4:44:15 AM | 2 0 | View on Bluesky | view

Profile picture Barbara Ortutay (@blanka.bsky.social)

I wrote about Bluesky. https://apnews.com/article/f2b4fb2fefd34f0149cec2d87857c766

6/6/2023, 6:42:52 PM | 5 0 | View on Bluesky | view

Profile picture Barbara Ortutay (@blanka.bsky.social) reply parent

✌️☺️

10/5/2023, 7:30:18 PM | 1 0 | View on Bluesky | view

Profile picture Barbara Ortutay (@blanka.bsky.social)

Greetings.

9/5/2023, 5:27:43 PM | 5 0 | View on Bluesky | view