Massive Attack on Spotify: “The band cited a ‘moral and ethical burden’ placed on artists by revenue from their work ultimately funding lethal technologies”

“If I'm so empowered, why am I such a coward?” Still completely awestruck by last night’s Self Esteem gig in Edinburgh, honestly one of the best shows I’ve ever been to. Standing (screaming) ovation at the end fully justified.

Love this New York Times visualisation of tennis courts turning into pickleball courts. Such a simple way of communicating behaviour change on a pretty massive scale. 🎾🎾🎾 [sidenote: where's the pickleball emoji?] www.nytimes.com/interactive/...

Let no one say I'm above retweeting praise research.mysociety.org/html/ai-fram...

This is good. Next let's do 'core funding for supporting and rolling out what works' www.nesta.org.uk/blog/in-prai...

I think a lot of people in tech are probably feeling something close to despair about what to do about LLMs, since it’s clear that those with power are not going to relent with their advocacy, and they have enough uses that they’ve gained critical mass, yet the harms & risks are so wildly egregious…

Hello. I wrote a nice long essay about AI and this very strange moment where we're constantly told we're living in the dawn of a strange new future but the only thing that's actually clear is that everyone feels pretty unmoored and uncertain. I hope you'll read it

Niche Scottish indie post (#3): the new Pictish Trail single is very, very good. youtu.be/Qx6IKWPi3Zw?...

Took the opportunity to pop into a fab #edbookfest event with a panel made up of @edinburghminute.bsky.social @greatergovanhill.com and @neiltosh.bsky.social - some excellent discussion of online advertising, facing up to the threat of AI, and how to fund + make local news cut through.

Time for GovTech to come in from the cold digitalpolicy.substack.com/p/in-from-th...

"The problem with AI isn't that it can do your job. It can't. The problem with AI is that your MBA-brained boss's boss doesn't know how your job works and thinks AI can do your job at fractions of a penny on the dollar, and hears the siren song of 'maximize shareholder value'." MBA-brain is real.

New Kae Tempest album is unfeasibly good - urgent, angry, insightful, uplifting. Absolutely on top of their game. www.kaetempest.com

Knackered as I pull into Edinburgh at midnight, but elated after an amazing #CampDigital. Kudos to fellow presenters @jukes.ie @herahussain.bsky.social @sharonodea.com @blangry.bsky.social @acuity.design + the superb efforts of @catcutmore.bsky.social @shaungomm.bsky.social & all @nexerdigital.com

Fab to have made it to Manchester for #CampDigital tomorrow, here’s the venue looking windswept and interesting. Hope to catch some @bsky.app folk in there.

‘R&D is a long-term source of prosperity, and an area of UK competitive advantage… but to maximise the impact on UK productivity, innovation policy needs to link more strongly with industrial strategy for a services based economy.’ Me in CityAM ahead of the SR www.cityam.com/dont-forget-...

First thing I’ve written on AI in a while, drawing some clunky parallels with desktop publishing and leaning heavily on the fine work of @bcmerchant.bsky.social and @anildash.com

Just got off the planning call for this *online* event with @karenhao.bsky.social and @alexhanna.bsky.social hosted by @datasociety.bsky.social and moderated by @tamigraph.bsky.social -- and SOO EXCITED! This one is going to be amazing. datasociety.net/events/chall...

Register for Hallway Track 12 The Thing About COBOL today at 1pm ET! Chat with Marianne Belloti, @histoftech.bsky.social, and @clivethompson.bsky.social in depth about the programming language people love to hate. Free, Monday 2 June. www.verylittlegravitas.com/hallwaytrack

Counting down to the Hidden Glen 10k in the blissful Scottish weather (aka it’s pretty much pissing down)

🌍 Drowning in digital noise? In his #CampDigital talk, Research Data Scotland CIO @tumshie.me will share insights on how to cut through the hype, question trends and trust your instincts. A must for digital decision-makers! Book to join us at: tinyurl.com/mw4bcyb9 #Digital #TechEvents

Are you a UK-based technologist interested in joining a body that acts in solidarity against the excesses of extractive platform capitalism? Fill out this survey, and help design the Society for Hopeful Technologists www.careful.industries/blog/2025-4-...

Maybe Jarvis will make it all better youtu.be/-27a1ugJX8U

After several failed attempts, made it to Tarlair, a restoration project in the NE of Scotland where they’re bringing this wonderful art deco pavilion and swimming pool back to life friendsoftarlair.co.uk

March was dominated by some Big News™ about DHSC and NHS England. Against this backdrop, the NHS App team got together for some old-fashioned in-person planning. Here's my latest monthnote: weeknot.es/monthnote-ma...

Highly recommend @danhon.com’s latest missive, a two-parter on legacy systems and notifications. Quotes of note: “It is almost as if there is something difficult about maintaining a complicated system.” “This is all stupid and exhausting.” newsletter.danhon.com/archive/s19e... -

Beautiful Glasgow day - crossed over the Clyde to present at an invigorating Data & AI event hosted by @sulsa.bsky.social and The Data Lab. Great crowd, great questions.

Dashed off a #monthnote for March 🌼 tumshie.ghost.io/monthnote-ma...

As trailed last week, the ticket ballot for GovCamp Scotland is now open! Join us in June to talk services, design and digital…

This is very good by @mattedgar.social.coop.ap.brid.gy (who knows what he's talking about) on creating the conditions for innovation in government blog.mattedgar.com/2025/03/29/b...

Latest newsletter is an attempt to highlight/challenge the creeping acceptance of DOGE in certain quarters, and celebrate those driving change without causing chaos. tumshie.ghost.io/carelessness...

It’s amazing how much the low/no alcohol beer market has changed since I (mostly) gave up drinking three years ago. So much selection, so many colourz. Particularly chuffed to find an IPA called ‘write a to do list’

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 Very excited that GovCamp Scotland will be returning on 19 June at Edinburgh Futures Institute.   If you’re involved in the design and delivery of public services in Scotland, please join us to share stories, ideas and best practice. www.govcamp.scot

🚨 Exciting news 🚨 If you’re in/around service delivery in the Scottish public or third sector, GovCamp Scotland is returning after more than a decade, taking place at Edinburgh Futures Institute on 19 June. Tix available from 31 March. See you there? www.govcamp.scot

Logging in to find out if #EdCM is trending on BlueSky 🤔 Maybe tomorrow…

February #monthnote. Even though it’s now March.

The way democracy functions has shifted. The internet has changed it forever. There is no going back. The Trump administration understands this. And the only way to beat them is to accept this, as well. Happy President's Day. www.garbageday.email/p/you-can-ne...

I wrote about old media, new media, and the problem(s) with Spotify.

1/ Here's my take on what's happening with DOGE. I've got fed experience through contracting with Health & Human Safety, Head Start, The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, and DOD. I get brought in when people need to get shit done. Other people here have way more experience than me.

Thought I’d try my hand at weeknoting, only to fall behind instantly. Voila, my first monthnote tumshie.ghost.io/monthnote-ja...

Great overview of the data projects we’re funding at the @rds-scotland.bsky.social team gathering today. Exciting initiatives involving big data, data journalism, and LEGO www.researchdata.scot/news-and-ins...

#Weeknote 9/2025 featuring User centred design, more AI (but good AI), tarot cards and sledging, with a h/t to @johnfitzg.bsky.social for the DLVA link and @jen-cam.bsky.social for the tarot :) medium.com/@adam.coulso... #Weeknotes

🚀 This year's brilliant lineup includes: @richardpope.org, @herahussain.bsky.social, @jukes.ie, @tumshie.bsky.social, @axbom.com, @ignaciaorellana.bsky.social and @claragt.bsky.social Learn more, and book your early bird tickets to join us at: www.nexerdigital.com/campdigital/... #CampDigital

Five very interesting, new @rds-scotland.bsky.social funded projects sitting at the intersection of research data and public engagement Particularly interested in Digging into Data: Data Journalism for Community Reporters (Greater Govanhill CIC). www.researchdata.scot/news-and-ins...

In a week dominated by AI, I thought it’d be nice to write about human beings buttondown.com/tumshie/arch...

1) Where - and I can't stress this enough - are the PM's team booking their flights? Booking an EasyJet or a Ryanair flight is an object lesson in unpleasant frictionful design & deceptive patterns. Booking a business class BA flight is fun, because they want your money. This is how the market works

Thoroughly enjoyed @ryanhatesthis.bsky.social and @cwarzel.bsky.social’s meander through the good and (mostly) bad of social media, from early 2010s onward. Useful reminder that Meta didn’t just become a morally bankrupt company this week.

If you’re thinking of starting your own newsletter in 2025… A big hearty recommend to @buttondown.com, who fixed an issue I had in record time this morning. Their latest blog post gives a nice flavour of the kind of company they are. buttondown.com/blog/2024

Couldn’t quite muster a fulsome newsletter to round off the year, but here’s a playlist with some of the tracks that have filled my ears in 2024

Rumours of the demise of my favourite coffeebookshop in the whole world have been greatly exaggerated. Phew. www.instagram.com/p/DEFbkgboae...

Few things rile me more than Meta lobbying the EU about AI on ‘economic’ or ‘innovation’ grounds. Here’s Nick Clegg on Threads yesterday pretending their stance isn’t about naked self interest.