Blog

LLMs are smaller than you think

It’s easier than ever to run an AI model at home.

— 01 Nov 2024

The ultimate setup for video calls

Add a teleprompter to your camera for better eye contact.

— 16 Aug 2024

Remaking the state

Innovation and entrepreneurship are the key to better government.

— 17 Jun 2024

Upgrade your video calls

Using a DSLR camera as a high-quality alternative to a webcam.

— 01 Mar 2024

Advice I give when people ask about my career

Reflections on working in and around tech and policy, and tips for people seeking roles similar to the sorts of jobs I've done.

— 06 Oct 2023

Make your own AI self-portraits with Stable Diffusion

Some tips for running text-to-image models on your Apple laptop.

— 01 Aug 2023

Five rules for better presentations

Next slide please.

— 15 May 2023

Five rules for better slide decks

Always judge a deck by its cover.

— 12 May 2023

Five rules for better sheets

Tidy formula bar, tidy mind.

— 10 May 2023

Five rules for better docs

The format menu is mightier than the sword.

— 08 May 2023

Creating my first NFT collection

A behind-the-scenes look at generating 1,000+ digital collectibles.

— 11 Apr 2022

How to get policy work done

The best policy projects succeed because of skill as well as brainpower.

— 04 Sep 2021

The digital government alignment chart

A quick categorisation of technology in government.

— 20 Aug 2021

Word is not enough

Some tips for playing a generalist public policy career on hard mode.

— 14 Jul 2021

It's time to finish the revolution Uber started

Reform is the route to better outcomes for both drivers and riders.

— 19 Mar 2021

Jaffa Cake economics

Three lessons in behavioural economics from the little sponge cakes with the smashing orangey bit.

— 17 Feb 2021

Super Mario Bros. Redux

But our Princess is on another console!

— 07 Nov 2020

Some NHS apps

But how many is too many?

— 10 Sep 2020

Write better emails

You can't avoid sending them, so you might as well make them good.

— 27 Jun 2020

Minimum viable inbox

If life gives you lemons, delete them and don't look back.

— 21 Jun 2020

2020 Social Club

Can you solve this social distancing maths puzzle?

— 27 Mar 2020

Crushing it from home

Twelve tips for making remote working work.

— 15 Mar 2020

Renaming the Big Mac

Ba da ba ba bah, please apply more rigour to your product naming conventions.

— 17 Feb 2020

Rolling in the deep

Three reflections on 500 examples of artificial intelligence in action.

— 23 Nov 2018

A manifesto for kick-ass IT

People do their best work when technology is a superpower, not an obstacle.

— 12 Oct 2018

Tech company logos redux

Call off the design agency, I've finished next year's logos already.

— 14 Sep 2018

How not to do digital

Do people who take public transport even have user needs?

— 04 Sep 2018

How did adverts get so good at following us around?

Plus some reflections on what it means for the wider tech policy debate.

— 12 Jun 2018

The terrible original logos of the big internet companies

Whatever were they thinking?

— 22 May 2018

How to get your charity on the internet for free

It's never been easier or more affordable to get started.

— 05 Feb 2018

A ban on Uber says more about politics than public safety

TfL and the Mayor say it's about public safety, but want to ban a service that has pioneered safety features. What's going on?

— 25 Sep 2017

Insert policy to continue

Doesn't anybody around here understand the necessary hashtags?

— 26 May 2017

You are what you tweet

Our political parties are on Twitter, but what are they talking about?

— 11 Apr 2017

Who can view my internet history?

Spoiler alert: they already know you visited this site.

— 22 Nov 2016

Wanted: A new party that's actually worth voting for

Must be modern, progressive, and capable of winning the next election.

— 03 Jul 2016

Three hard truths for public and third sector leaders

You have to let it all go: fear, doubt, disbelief. Free your mind.

— 19 Jan 2016

Making the dark side simpler, clearer and faster

Never underestimate the power of user experience design.

— 27 Dec 2015

42 All-Time Classics

Now you're playing with Super Power!

— 27 Oct 2015

Cloudy with a chance of awesome

Software as a service makes all the difference.

— 08 Aug 2015

My Super Nintendo games have never looked better

You can keep your 1080p HDTV, my SNES games look a million times better on a monitor that's nearly 30 years old.

— 02 Aug 2015

12 Radical Policy Ideas The Labour Party Should Get Behind

It's not about tacking left or right, it's about the future.

— 24 Jul 2015

ND15: Live blog

Rolling updates from the tenth National Digital Conference.

— 25 Jun 2015

Is £8 billion a big number?

Let's draw full fiscal autonomy for Scotland and see what it looks like.

— 21 Jun 2015

Yes Prime Minister, digital policy edition

I don't send official advice to Ministers these days. But if I did, it might go a little something like this.

— 20 May 2015

The single biggest oversight in all the party manifestos

You can take your pick of tax rises or spending cuts on 7 May, but a truly digital approach to government could carve a better path altogether.

— 03 May 2015

Political party interweb skillz, compared

It's general election time, and seven parties have set out their plans to run the country. But can any of them even manage to run a website?

— 25 Apr 2015

10 Myths About The Dreaded Inheritance Tax

The inheritance tax debate is all heat and no light. Here are ten common myths that don’t survive contact with reality.

— 19 Apr 2015

Is my SNES Mini a fake?

I'm afraid so. But it's a pretty good one.

— 22 Mar 2015

Better together

Let's make our future in the United Kingdom.

— 16 Sep 2014

Notes from a digital inclusion startup

Platforms, innovation and new ways of working.

— 01 Aug 2014

Random access policies

Only a Secretary of State for Digital can bring the coherence we need on digital and technology policy. Discuss.

— 04 Jun 2014

A better way to publish your report

Don't come any closer with that PDF. Didn't anyone tell you about the web?

— 23 May 2014

Hello world!

This is my first post.

— 06 May 2014