Did a thing for the Observer. observer.co.uk/style/featur...

‘Hairdryer or lighter?’: French police look at claim of weather sensor tampering to win bets www.theguardian.com/world/2026/a...

The Ivors Academy is introducing a new ceremony to spotlight composers, including those working in the games sector www.gamesindustry.biz/the-ivors-ac...

I didn't want to share this yet because it's still so rough, but given new specs are starting to show up, I thought I'd throw my hat in the ring: designsystemdocspec.org I'm working on a standard schema for design system documentation. I've been using it for my own work. It doesn't suck.

Data standards: Laying the groundwork for an open, faster, data-driven planning system mhclgdigital.blog.gov.uk/2026/04/22/d... New regs (for England) www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2026/42... Approved data standard www.gov.uk/government/p... (including OGL👍) #planningdata #datastandards #opendata

Possibly the finest set of operating instructions ever written. Section 5 is sublime.

This paper represents a small but deeply impressive and genuinely important achievement by the much maligned British state in what is probably the most important global issue of our era. Hear me out ( 🧵) 1/ www.aisi.gov.uk/blog/our-eva...

Genuinely one of the coolest things I've ever seen a cultural venue post

Absolutely incredible Nutella ad.

What a beautiful moment.

if there's help so that you don't have to try so hard, so that you don't have to leave things up to chance then: that's the whole point of the help. it's not a personal or moral failing to accept help.

Do you think we could get 1000 signatures today? I’m campaigning for a public inquiry into Section 28. A law that banned ‘the promotion of homosexuality’ leading students to grow up in silence and no positive images of lgbtq+ people Sign+Share it widely 🙏 petition.parliament.uk/petitions/76...

Elsie was hands down the most affectionate cow at the petting zoo.

Timeline cleanse Because we live in hell. I give you, a cat, riding his horse. In a tiny cat saddle.😻😸 #SheShed

Any delivery managers looking for a new role in my network? We're hiring at Which? and need an excellent DM to join us :) www.linkedin.com/jobs/view/43... or apply direct, here: careers.which.co.uk/jobs/deliver...

I know this has circulated with alacrity recently, so you may have already seen it, but if you haven't... WOW BOY HOWDY it's the most useful thing. Thank you cardcatalogforlife.substack.com -- this is a very very very helpful public service: cardcatalogforlife.substack.com/p/google-has...

Affinity photo processing software is now free!! If you're looking to step away from monthly payments to Adobe, this is the new deal... It's basically Photoshop with a different name✌️🥰 Why we made Affinity free, and how we’ll keep it that way share.google/n14kZ5wIVOxS...

I love this! Public sector AI innovation to address a clear problem, prioritising learning, listening to users and respecting professional standards. Great to see this written up so clearly too.

Unexpected response to today’s newsletter: “you are always too kind to Rachel Reeves”: (?!)

The MacBook Neo is such an interesting machine that it coaxed a thousand-word-essay out of me: samhenri.gold/blog/2026031...

I learned about a brilliant project yesterday to support British Sign Language (BSL) users, creating new signs for scientific terms in chemistry, oceanography, data science & more. And they're fabulously descriptive. Do have a look and share! www.ssc.education.ed.ac.uk/BSL/index.ht...

well this fact led me to one of my now favourite succinct Reddit posts

quick reminder that NT's production of The Importance of Being Earnest, starring human ray of sunshine Ncuti Gatwa, will be streaming FOR FREE on YouTube this weekend www.radiotimes.com/movies/ncuti...

Windows: Microsoft broke the only thing that mattered | Discussion

Large tortoiseshell butterfly confirmed no longer extinct in UK

If this turns out as described, this is massive news. www.fastcompany.com/91503415/byd...

Do you know what, it's brilliant to see a talented synth and electronics nerd become a Eurovision entrant. www.youtube.com/watch?v=8XR2...

relatable (sound on)

This is amazing.

Quite rare to see a chart that says quite so overtly that no one involved has the slightest clue what’s happening here

Any merit in the drivel I write comes from learning painstakingly how to write essays. To assay - to test - exactly what I thought and knew about a matter. Great essayists - Woolf, Orwell, Bacon, Montaigne, Hazlett - are utter intellectual joys as you read how they test themselves on topics too.

REMINDER: How to Apologize Please feel free to share

If you’re interested in open government data, please read (and repost) www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/blogs/digita...

Temperatures are on the rise📈 UK maximum temperatures will comfortably be above the late February average through this weekend and into next week 🌡️ In any sunshine and out of the wind it will feel quite pleasant 🌷

YouTuber Look Mum No Computer chosen as UK entry for Eurovision 2026 www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio... What an amazing and ace choice. Sam is a great communicator - I follow his channel on YouTube and it's amazing eccentric and fun.

Enjoyed this article by Martha Lane Fox. I think the framing (collapsing price of initiative) is v helpful. But it left me with the usual question: are all of these bits of code going to be that useful? Are there diminishing returns? If everyone can build web apps for their start up - is that good?

This focus on long term reliability is one of the things missing from current thinking on "AI-ready" data. We need data infrastructure and that requires institutions, business models, regulators, legislation. www.gov.uk/government/p...

NEW ANALYSIS: China's CO2 has now been 'flat or falling' for 21 months * Down in 2025 * Still below Mar 2024 * Clean energy wave a key factor If this is China's peak (TBC) it's the climate story of the century so far… www.carbonbrief.org/...

‘Turkish film producers have made consistently binge-worthy shows that sold across the world and had been watched by nearly 1bn people, according to the culture ministry.’ Loved this on the fail fast model for Turkish TV dramas known as dizi www.ft.com/content/d5aa...

I'm going to do a thread of all the references and context behind Bad Bunny's performance and what it means for Puerto Ricans to see this on the biggest stage. The opening title screen is a street mural in Puerto Rico that comes to life with footballs as coconuts. Follow along!

Always an exciting moment when we see les grues (the cranes) flying north over our part of France… a sign that spring is on the way.

my newsletter is on Buttondown. it is VERY easy to move to and use and the customer support is personal and great. if you started a substack without knowing about the nazis, it’s time to shift.

if information architecture is your thing and you have 40 minutes, you can watch my talk where i argue that information architects should step out from underneath the UX umbrella and reestablish IA as a sovereign concept IA can start by making developers' lives easier youtu.be/8gRMk4-Gr1E

So it's Black History Month and that means I think it's a good time to get familiar with Mike Pondsmith, if you're not already. When you see R. Talsorian Games, that's him. When you see Cyberpunk 2077, that's his world. Mekton, Castle Falkenstein, also him. cyberpunk.fandom.com/wiki/Mike_Po...

sabrina carpenter singing islands in the stream w the muppets has healed me in ways i did not know i needed

So I know a lot is going on right now, but I do want to share this: I’m excited to share the launch of the new Microsoft Inclusive Design website 💙 This project is my love letter to the community and practice that’s shaped my work for nearly a decade. inclusive.microsoft.design 1/

The games industry will be recognised in the 2026 UK Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) framework, providing video game development and publishing with dedicated four-digit codes to accurately reflect the scale of the sector www.gamesindustry.biz/uk-games-ind...

Happy February! Welcome to most underrated and fastest improving month. You start in the depths of winter and end waking up in the light to the sound of birds singing, to the sight of snowdrops, daffodils and early blossom in the trees #BigFebruary

If you’ve worked on how science is communicated and helped design modern digital services at scale, this might be for you. I’m hiring a Director of Product Management at PLOS to set product strategy, grow our PM practice, and lead a great team. job-boards.eu.greenhouse.io/plos/jobs/47...