Live updates: Israel vows response to Iran missile attack, strikes continue in Lebanon, Gaza – CNN

Live updates: Israel vows response to Iran missile attack, strikes continue in Lebanon, Gaza  CNNAs war drums beat, crisis-hit Iranians cheer, fear or simply shrug  ReutersInitial Israeli Review Shows Minor Damage From Iran’s Missile Barrage  The Wall Street JournalIDF says some Iranian missiles hit airbases, but no aircraft or major infrastructure damaged  The Times of IsraelCrude oil jumps nearly 3% as Israel vows ‘painful’ response to Iran missile attack  CNBC

Futures Fall Ahead Of ADP Jobs Report – Investor’s Business Daily

Futures Fall Ahead Of ADP Jobs Report  Investor’s Business DailyS&P 500 slips for a second day as shaky October start continues on escalating Middle East tensions: Live updates  CNBCStock Market Today: Oil Prices Rally Further; Dow Futures Fall — Live Updates  The Wall Street JournalWall St set to open lower after Middle East tensions make investors jittery  ReutersWall Street kicks off Q4, port strike begins  Yahoo Finance

What we know about Iran’s latest missile attack on Israel – BBC.com

What we know about Iran’s latest missile attack on Israel  BBC.comLive updates: Israel vows response to Iran missile attack, strikes continue in Lebanon, Gaza  CNNDiversions, disruptions: aviation grapples with Middle East escalation  ReutersLive Updates: Iran Launches Over 100 Ballistic Missiles at Israel  The New York TimesTrump Just Responded to Middle East Conflict. You’ll Wish He Hadn’t.  The New Republic

OpenAI wants all your apps to talk in its expressive AI voices – The Washington Post

OpenAI wants all your apps to talk in its expressive AI voices  The Washington PostOpenAI Just Announced 4 New AI Features and They’re Available Now  Inc.OpenAI introduces new tools to fast-track building of AI voice assistants  ReutersOpenAI’s DevDay brings Realtime API and other treats for AI app developers  TechCrunchOpenAI just launched advanced voice mode for audio chats with ChatGPT. Here’s how to use it  CNBC

Trump makes dig at Jimmy Carter on his 100th birthday – PBS NewsHour

Trump makes dig at Jimmy Carter on his 100th birthday  PBS NewsHourFormer President Jimmy Carter just turned 100—his advice for living a long and happy life: ‘Marry the best spouse’  CNBCPlains residents celebrate Jimmy Carters’ 100 years of service  WALBOn President Jimmy Carter’s 100th birthday, his Secret Service detail reflects on the assignment of a lifetime  CBS NewsThousands of kids made cards for Jimmy Carter’s 100th birthday. See some of the best ones  CNN

The Future of the Social Web Is in Good Hands

Social media, in its current form, is broken and chaotic. A new organization, the Social Web Foundation, aims to change that. This initiative has launched with a clear mission: fuel the growth of the fediverse and make the social web a better place for everyone.  

Automattic, WordPress.com’s parent company, is excited to be part of this movement and to support the Foundation’s vision for a healthier, more diverse social web.

What is the Social Web Foundation?

Founded by leaders in the open social networking space, including Evan Prodromou, Tom Coates, and Mallory Knodel, the Social Web Foundation is focused on fostering a financially sustainable, decentralized social web. It will empower users and creators by enhancing platform diversity, encouraging innovation, and promoting user safety across the fediverse.

The Social Web Foundation’s immediate focus is on building the infrastructure needed to connect users and developers across platforms. The Foundation will also work to educate the public, policymakers, and developers about the benefits of the fediverse while continuing to improve the ActivityPub protocol and the tools that power it.

Automattic’s role in supporting the Social Web Foundation 

Automattic has a long history of championing open source software and open standards, and we believe the fediverse plays a critical role in shaping the future of the web. That’s why Automattic is eager to collaborate with the Social Web Foundation to ensure a stronger, more open ecosystem for all users.

Matthias Pfefferle, Open Web Lead at Automattic, said, “We’re excited about the launch of the Social Web Foundation and its mission. We’re eager to collaborate with the Foundation to expand platform diversity and enhance the support for various content types—especially long-form content—within the fediverse, fostering greater interoperability across the ecosystem.”

Alongside Automattic, companies like Mastodon, Flipboard, Ghost, and Meta have expressed their support for the Foundation’s mission. As Eugen Rochko, Founder and CEO of Mastodon, states, “Mastodon is committed to the fediverse and proud to back the Social Web Foundation’s efforts to build a stronger, more open, and dynamic social web for all.”

Federating WordPress.com with ActivityPub

For creators using WordPress.com, there’s already an easy way to join the fediverse. The ActivityPub plugin federates your WordPress.com site, allowing readers on other fediverse platforms like Mastodon and Pixelfed to follow your site directly. This integration gives creators even more control and reach, offering a seamless way to distribute content across multiple networks while maintaining ownership of what you publish.

Why this matters

As the Social Web Foundation builds out its program, Automattic and WordPress.com are proud to be part of the next wave of social networking. The ability to control your own data, interact across platforms, and have a say in the future of the social web aligns perfectly with our own values as an organization dedicated to empowering creators and users worldwide. And with the ActivityPub plugin, WordPress.com users can easily join in, helping to build a more open and federated web.

To learn more about the Social Web Foundation, visit their website, or follow them at @swf on the fediverse.

Also be sure to catch up on all things fediverse with our five-part YouTube series, The Fediverse Files.