Daily notes

A 17 minute video on web accessibility. Lovely! https://gcs.civilservice.gov.uk/webinars/digital-accessibility-best-practice-essentials-2/

An explainer from some clever people about AI and public services: https://public.digital/2023/08/08/what-public-digital-thinks-about-ai-the-short-read

“Dear Alt-Twitter Designers: It’s about the network!” http://www.zephoria.org/thoughts/archives/2023/07/19/dear-alt-twitter-designers-its-about-the-network.html

“How common platforms deliver brilliant digital services” https://gds.blog.gov.uk/2023/08/08/how-common-platforms-deliver-brilliant-digital-services/

Some intresting points on the political side of tech policy – “Manifesto manifestation” https://blangry.medium.com/manifesto-manifestation-877001398ed0

“Wigan Council and residents win from digital deal – a decade on, a focus on residents’ needs backed by digital efficiency is benefiting Wigan’s local authority and citizens” https://diginomica.com/wigan-council-and-residents-win-digital-deal

How did I not know about this? Emulated Macs going back to the original, all in the browser: https://infinitemac.org/ Fairly pointless, but amazing.

“How to play Mundane Superhero” https://smithery.com/2023/08/03/how-to-play-mundane-superhero/ – looks a fun way to kick off workshops etc.

“Council Spotlight: Stockport’s Family Context tool” https://medium.com/ldcu/council-spotlight-stockports-family-context-tool-5cb0eb3e4e51

“Why Open Source Matters” https://redmonk.com/sogrady/2023/08/03/why-opensource-matters/

This is an extremely important thread for anyone wanting to understand the financial pressures felt across local government (and no, it’s not related to solar farms…) https://twitter.com/JackTShaw/status/1683415430126247936

Following on from my post about where we are with digital and technology in local government, I have been trying to put some thought into an idea around how to make this a bit easier for everyone involved. As is often the case, I am struggling with getting something small and quick done, against the knowledge that it might not be enough. As always I ought to be quaffing some of my agile mindset kool-aid, but it’s hard.

A thought is also very much in my mind: why is it me doing this? It really ought to be somebody’s job, rather than the hobby of a bloke in Spalding.

I have loved the album ‘original’ of this song since I first heard it, but when I came across this version, quite recently, I was absolutely blown away:

Lovely stuff from Simon at Adur & Worthing Councils: “5 Highlights from 5 Years of the Local Digital Declaration” https://medium.com/awc-digital-design/5-highlights-from-5-years-of-the-local-digital-declaration-f01cb2986103

Another good thread, this time on how we should be thinking about stuff published in ‘private’ online work networks: https://twitter.com/sharonodea/status/1686673530878840832

This is quite the story: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/uk-scotland-66384327

Not published one of these for a while.

Newsletter went out yesterday, with a long article I wrote at the weekend about the local digital declaration and where things are at: https://www.davebriggs.email/p/daveslist-volume-3-issue-7

Some great, addictive little browser games in here: https://kottke.org/23/07/your-favorite-addictive-flash-games-back-from-the-dead

Does the browser need reimagining? These folk seem to think so: https://arc.net/ – I don’t like the insistence on opening an account before you can do anything else.

Really excellent advice on ‘shadow IT’ https://www.ncsc.gov.uk/guidance/shadow-it

“Worldcoin: a solution in search of its problem” https://newsletter.mollywhite.net/p/worldcoin-a-solution-in-search-of

“The eternal principles of an (enterprise) app stack” https://cote.io/2023/08/01/the-eternal-principles.html

I sent a newsletter – https://www.davebriggs.email/p/daveslist-volume-3-issue-6

“Maybe the real design tool was all the conversation we had along the way” https://www.dxw.com/2023/07/maybe-the-real-design-tool-was-all-the-conversation-we-had-along-the-way/

Am consistently impressed with dxw’s blogging. Always authentic, always helpful. Very rarely sales-y.

Last weekend we started watching the Mission:Impossible films in order. Fair to say they are of variable quality. However, my favourite moment BY FAR is in the first one. Tom Cruise’s character needs to track down the identity of someone codenamed ‘Max’. He knows they sometimes use the internet. He opens his laptop, and with a sense of expectation searches Usenet for the URL ‘max.com’ and hits enter. The sense of disappointment on his face when this brilliant scheme doesn’t produce results is heartbreaking.