Yes, and: this is what "data driven" means everywhere it is used, because determining how "data" is generated is a political decision

This morning I sent out Focus State #2, featuring this article hot off the (digital) press. I also shared a short survey to help me understand where to focus my time so I can create content that’s most useful to you. Please help me figure out how I can help you! annaecook.com/content-surv...

I don't know if anyone has written about the fact that your average Yiddish language textbook gets you up to speed very quickly with the vocabulary for talking about state violence against a minoritized group but like you could

SDinGov 2026 Call for Sessions is open: govservicedesign.net/call-sessions Conference theme: Democratising Design / @sdingov.bsky.social

You can test new tech ideas using the Seinfeld Test Would the product eliminate the plot of an episode? (Google maps, cell phones, paypal, battery packs) Good tech. Would the product inspire new Seinfeld plots? (NFTs, AI chatbots, crypto currency, blindboxes, metaverse land sales) Bad tech.

These are all Black people. The regime is betting that you wont care Jamael & Trahern the way you care about Alex & Renée

Fantastic talk tonight from Craig Abbott at @a11ynorth.com on LLMs and accessibility.

Unfortunately 2,000 agents did not magically depart yesterday. Activity hasn't changed. Don't look away.

My book, Accessibility For Everyone, is now free and online as a website. accessibilityforeveryone.site The book was first published by A Book Apart in 2017 but it holds up! It covers web accessibility for designers, developers, content folks, and really everyone who works in tech.

like at this point I'd take President Gul Dukat and not think twice. he'd be so much more concerned with ethical governance.

the right believes the government is trying to kill you with vaccines, chemtrails, fluoride, and food coloring, but when the government is actually staging armed invasions of american cities and killing people exercising their constitutional rights, it’s whatever

Since some people are doing the "this is not who we are" thing on here today: bsky.app/profile/silv...

Sometimes I daydream of a whole sprint where I just work on documentation.

We are collectively getting to enjoy the experience of software after companies get rid of those pesky PMs, which is probably why my grocery app just interrupted me after I had finished a search and was about to add something to my cart. It was a modal dialog to tell me I could have used AI earlier.

Loved reading Spite House from @lapope.bsky.social this weekend. I have felt a sense of loss around what the web used to be like, and what it's becoming. The writings in Spite House inspired me to think about what we can do to mitigate it. Food for thought in the car with my partner this morning.

Public digital services need to be *so much better* than anything the market offers. You can't switch. You can't get fed up and choose to pay a bit more at Ocado than Sainsbury's because the UX is better. You can't opt out of public services because you're digitally excluded.

wikipedia turns 25 today! the last unenshittified major website! backbone of online info! triumph of humanity! powered by urge of unpaid randos to correct each other! somehow mostly reliable! "good thing wikipedia works in practice, because it sure doesn't work in theory" - old wiki adage

It's always an exciting moment when we can say #CampDigital is happening THIS YEAR! 🎉 🎤 Our brilliant speakers for 7th May include: @rachelcoldicutt.bsky.social, @himal.bsky.social @dasbarrett.bsky.social, @laurayarrow.bsky.social Early birds available till end of Jan at: tinyurl.com/2s35kfd9

broke: software design is about managing the client's expectations woke: most jobs are about managing most stakeholders' expectations bespoke: "plays well with others" really should have been the most important grade in elementary school

Right gang - I see some of you have your work brains re-engaged - I'm looking for recommendations of blogposts about why the Service Standard has been so important and how to embed it in a teams ways of working. I have the classics but looking for a refresh for a talk. Thanks and Happy New Year 🥳

I have never felt so called out in my life.

Gut nittel nacht yiddin! Stay inside! Lock your doors! Don't let that scary undead guy in!

Heads up to artists still using Twitter- Twitter is now adding an "Edit image" button under all images posted on the site that allows everyone to feed it into genAI and modify it as they wish with a prompt

via The New Yorker, Ellis Rosen cartoon

Less of a wrap up and more of a call to action this year. TL;DR we need to take these motherfuckers down bell.bz/wrapping-up-...

Of course, this is consistent with the thesis underpinning OpenAI: slop is good enough *for you.* The company, meanwhile, deserves a spot among the privileged elite that is too good for slop.

I've set up a small monthly newsletter called Focus State. With accessibility support shrinking in a lot of orgs, I wanted to create something that divides that gap, builds community, and makes the internet a bit more fun. If you dig digital accessibility give it a look: annaecook.com/newsletter

I've been thinking about spite houses a lot this year. I think I might be becoming one. AI is bulldozing everything around me - the sector I work in, my discipline, the web I grew up with.

This is what I mention when I talk with people who say that AI outputs can't compare to that of a human, so 'you're safe'. You're aren't. 'Good enough' will win because it's cheaper to these people. It's appalling.

this week's post is about why all of us dream of throwing our phones into the abyss. margaretkilljoy.substack.com/p/you-loneli...

Sunday thoughts on small acts of maintenance. medium.com/@niacampbell...

A bit of a vulnerable post by me but we need your help to get us through what has been a more difficult period than 2020. It would be really appreciated if you could read and share in your networks too 💛 bell.bz/its-been-a-v...

we have to go back. to warn them.

New Running Man makes me want to learn to make zines honestly.

We’re looking for a venue partner who can help with physical space to support this open, community-driven, and free-to-attend event. 🗓️ When: A Saturday in Spring 2026 (Flexible) 👥 Size: 100-120 people 📍 Where: Accessible UK location, ideally Leeds Please get in touch! ukhealthcamp.com/venue

I'm not crying, you're crying. Seriously though, this is an incredible conference, and you won't want to miss it. Giving a lightning talk in 2023 was honestly one of the highlights of my life. Go get your tickets ❤️

Get yourself down (or up) to Leeds for one of the best conferences in the UK. Already set an alarm in my phone so I don't miss getting a ticket!

Lovely.

Gee, you don't say! www.theguardian.com/science/2025...

I have a "sandwich theory of content design" floating around in my head for years but I've always been worried people would just think I'm a bit useless. But today, I muttered to myself, "this is a petrol station chicken caesar wrap" as I reviewed something. My own private little theory, really.

i can’t believe a good thing happened we should do this more often

This takes less than 15 minutes and you'll get the nice warm, fuzzy feeling you get when you've helped contribute to research!

Yes, one of the areas I worry a lot about in the cyber risk space. In many cases the “checking rigorously” stage will end up taking almost as long as the previous approach but that’s not what management have been promised so there’ll be a *lot* of pressure to speed up those checks

This is a great metaphor for all the UX "redesigns" motivated by itchy fingers rather than actual user needs.

this is going to result in more holocaust denial as people start denouncing actual evidence as faked by a.i.

Hey chatGPT can u write me an edict make it more than 300 words and make it fascist as fuck

we used to build household shrines to Going On The Computer and it's no coincidence that as we abandoned these we started straying further from god's light

Podcast idea: UX Agony Aunt where you send in anonymous questions/rants about working in UX and someone thoughtfully answers them and provides advice

I’m doing a talk at Button, a content design conference, where I’m going to talk about the high cost of tooling in the work we do. I’ve made a survey so I can capture some numbers. If you work in content/design/adjacent (yes, ESPECIALLY if you’re unemployed) this is for you (and thanks!)