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 Posts
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.
Barbara Ortutay (@blanka.bsky.social)
The trouble with age verification
Barbara Ortutay (@blanka.bsky.social)
“If a tool can give suicide instructions to a child, its safety system is simply useless."
Barbara Ortutay (@blanka.bsky.social)
Here's a recent story (and photos) by Mariam Dagga, about children in Gaza:
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."
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)
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.
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.
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.
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/...
Ryan Mac 🙃 (@rmac.bsky.social) reposted
this is wild www.404media.co/a-cbp-agent-...
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.”
Barbara Ortutay (@blanka.bsky.social)
www.youtube.com/watch?v=fKy7...
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.
Barbara Ortutay (@blanka.bsky.social)
Escape to a weird blocky garden apnews.com/article/robl...
Asher Langton (@asherlangton.bsky.social) reposted
Silicon Valley is lighting hundreds of billions of dollars on fire to generate this slop.
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.
Barbara Ortutay (@blanka.bsky.social)
Remember Cambridge Analytica?
Ryan Mac 🙃 (@rmac.bsky.social) reposted
And here I was thinking they couldn’t make Microsoft teams worse
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.
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
Barbara Ortutay (@blanka.bsky.social) reply parent
thehill.com/homenews/adm...
Merriam-Webster (@merriam-webster.com) reposted
'Vacations.' The word is 'vacations.'
Barbara Ortutay (@blanka.bsky.social)
Counterpoint: Foursquare was fun and amazing and I long for the olden days of our stupid little apps.
Jason Kint (@kint.bsky.social) reposted
Amazing. Respect the lede.
Barbara Ortutay (@blanka.bsky.social)
I...
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.
Barbara Ortutay (@blanka.bsky.social)
Is this going to be too real to enjoy?
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.
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?”
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.
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
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...
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.
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.
Barbara Ortutay (@blanka.bsky.social) reply parent
Those are my emotional support tabs. Yes all of them.
Barbara Ortutay (@blanka.bsky.social)
Uhh no thanks
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.
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.
The Associated Press (@apnews.com) reposted
BREAKING: Education Department says it will begin collection on student loans for over 5 million borrowers in default.
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.
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.”
The Associated Press (@apnews.com) reposted
BREAKING: Hungary has passed a constitutional amendment that allows the government to ban public events by LGBTQ+ communities.
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.
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
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."
Barbara Ortutay (@blanka.bsky.social) reply parent
You have eggs??
CRIMINAL SIMPSONS (@criminalsimpsons.com) reposted
Barbara Ortutay (@blanka.bsky.social) reply parent
apnews.com/donate
Barbara Ortutay (@blanka.bsky.social)
Associated Press statement on Oval Office access www.ap.org/the-definiti...
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
Barbara Ortutay (@blanka.bsky.social)
apnews.com/article/trum...
Barbara Ortutay (@blanka.bsky.social)
Uhh.. what happened to the Census website?
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.
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.
Casey Newton (@caseynewton.bsky.social) reposted
Apple Intelligence’s commitment to writing incomprehensible summaries is unparalleled
The Associated Press (@apnews.com) reposted
After 80 years, not many Auschwitz survivors are left. One man makes telling the stories his mission.
Barbara Ortutay (@blanka.bsky.social) reply parent
Message me here or bortutay@ap.org 🙏
Barbara Ortutay (@blanka.bsky.social)
Nooooooo 😢
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!
Barbara Ortutay (@blanka.bsky.social)
This feels like a teenager party right before the parents/cops break it up apnews.com/article/chin...
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
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).
Barbara Ortutay (@blanka.bsky.social)
Did Costco stop selling Kirkland kombucha? 😩😩😩
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.
Barbara Ortutay (@blanka.bsky.social) reply parent
Thank you!
Barbara Ortutay (@blanka.bsky.social) reply parent
I have not but I will keep trying. :)
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!
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.
Barbara Ortutay (@blanka.bsky.social)
I wrote about Bluesky. https://apnews.com/article/f2b4fb2fefd34f0149cec2d87857c766
Barbara Ortutay (@blanka.bsky.social) reply parent
✌️☺️
Barbara Ortutay (@blanka.bsky.social)
Greetings.