Attended an event at the offices of a large software provider. People struggled with live demos of their ‘market leading tool’ as it was too unreliable. Said tool will likely cost the taxpayer billions of pounds per annum. Nice lighting though.

Jane Goodall was my first childhood hero, as I loved animals as a kid and was inspired by her story. I still remember the National Geographic specials about her. RIP.

AI and climate change: the Global South facing the new geopolitics of innovation greenscreen.network/en/blog/repo...

Autumn apples.

Watching Andor again.

👀 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 Test print of our book arrived today. Watch this space…

👀 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 Cyrhaeddodd print prawf o'n llyfr heddiw. Cadwch lygad allan…

this is, hands down, the best video I've seen on men's influencer content and it's not close either

Some disturbing facts from the recent polls examined in @willhaycardiff.bsky.social Newsletter this week And a stark warning that I hope @plaidcymru.bsky.social heed open.substack.com/pub/willhayw... #Cymru #Wales #WillHayward #PlaidCymru #Reform

I wrote about Anthropic's $1.5 billion class action lawsuit settlement over pirated ebooks and why I think that, bizarrely, this may count as a WIN for Anthropic simonwillison.net/2025/Sep/6/a...

Caerphilly Council's cut-a-service flip a coin approach fails again. I understand the squeeze on services, but the lack of planning and dubious timing to ratify proposals (after loss of local MS and ahead of WG school travel review) is deplorable. www.caerphilly.gov.uk/news/news-bu...

My wife texted me - 'I'm in the shop. I'll pick you up some chocolate and Ibuprofen'. She truly knows me.

The expansion of state-funded childcare shows its vital role for families and the economy. But without proper funding, the government risks failing parents and women. - Sara Reis, our Deputy Director for Stylist. www.stylist.co.uk/news/mums-eq...

Ada: Somehow I always hurt only my most sensitive body parts! Me: Okay kid, it’s time we have The Talk—

Remember, you only need crisis comms if you repeatedly do stuff that is ethically or legally questionable.

Bellingcat has just launched a tool for searching through transcripts of local council meetings in the UK, which should help counter acts like these council-search.bellingcat.com

We’ve teamed up with young people to offer free mental health training in Gwent. Get real-world, authentic perspectives on how to support young people in ways they actually find helpful 💡🫶 promo.cymru/2025/07/10/f...

This one was quick and a bit loose but I think there's something there.

It’s like watching a train crash in slow-mo as media and politicians (all the way to the top) act in concert to make the worst happen. There’s an inevitability about it all even though it’s all been entirely predictable and stoppable throughout.

Attention chumps: If you, despite all our dire warnings, decided to put your newsletter on Substack, the untrustworthy asses who run the company just did what we all knew they would, and made it impossible to take your subscribers with you if you want to leave. support.substack.com/hc/en-us/art...

Escaping the Trap of ‘Impact’ Measurement guerrillafoundation.org/escaping-the...

Hefin David, Welsh Labour politician and MS for Caerphilly, dies suddenly

Human speech may have a universal transmission rate: 39 bits per second. Love this research. Simple commonalities between people are often overlooked. www.science.org/content/arti...

Out of office.

Passionate about Mental Health? 🌟 Mind Our Future Gwent is hiring paid Peer Service Designers aged 16-24 from Gwent! Transform ideas into solutions and make a real impact in this part-time, flexible job! Apply today! 🚀  promo.cymru/2025/07/24/b...

Literally never misses

The House of Lords just released a major report on media literacy. Its core message is that the UK is falling behind, and it’s putting democracy at risk. committees.parliament.uk/work/9030/me...

Great resources and some powerful stories on human-centred design from @unicef.org www.hcd4health.org/resources #UCD #HCD #ServiceDesign

We should have listened when the modems screamed at us.

Ozzy - oh no! news.sky.com/story/ozzy-o...

Thanks to everyone who made Content Conversations such a great event last week! Our 3 brilliant speakers shared: * How TikTok can effect social change * The organisational value of 'forms' * How playfulness boosts innovation A brilliant night in Cardiff spending time with such talented people!

We're looking forward to seeing everyone at Content Conversations in Cardiff tonight! Adrián Ortega, Heledd Quaeck and Nathan Williams will share perspectives about designing for social good. The event is sold out but to those who have a ticket, we'll be at Tramshed Tech Grangetown from 6pm 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿

I wrote a little more about musicians’ unions outside North America, and outside the capitalist world, here: open.substack.com/pub/pianofig...

Fresh morning air feels glorious.

Enjoying libro.fm audio book service as I try to wean myself off Amazon. Good selection of authors, DRM-free, and they make a donation to a local bookstore when you purchase.

From the CDL blog. 'Making the case for clear language' by Nia Campbell

I spent months on this investigation and gathered docs from the UK courts, Land Registry and a French local authority, to show that Raynor and Moth Winn's story is not as they claim. @tortoisemedia.bsky.social @observeruk.bsky.social observer.co.uk/news/nationa...

Pulitzer Prize-winning Palestinian writer Mosab Abu Toha says he’s been suspended from Substack, a platform where white supremacists publish without issue. I can’t recall this happening to any prominent writers in the past.

‘I’ve just seen a face’ by The Beatles is their song that most quietly blows me away.

For those who may need a quick workaround to collaborate on a document with people outside their organisation, here is something (hosted version of Etherpad) which I made earlier: promo.cymru/resource-art...

Busy but good day. Talking about Service Design plus AI risk chat at a conference. Now opening a window, sitting down and reading a book to take the edge off coffee and nerves.

Join us on July 17 in Cardiff to hear about the important content work of 3 industry leaders. Nathan Williams Senior Development Manager at ProMo Cymru will share real world examples and explain how to design for social good with young people and communities. Find out more: buff.ly/DZ8LkeR

One of the oldest wheels in the world! A ca. 5.000 year-old wooden disc wheel from Olzreute-Enzisholz. The site is part of the UNESCO World Heritage "Prehistoric Pile Dwellings around the Alps." The waterlogged, anaerobic environment provided ideal conditions for the preservation of ...🧵1/2 📷me 🏺

Just a reminder that while her ex nonstop soils himself in public with tasteless displays of wealth and look-at-me, thirsty nonsense, Mackenzie Scott has given away close to $20 billion to 1,600 charities, no strings attached and without any need for recognition.

Researchers from Aberystwyth University have been working with growers in Wales and Devon to find out if tea can be grown successfully in the UK buff.ly/VOARDdG

For me this is good news but in a wider context - Ownership matters. If you can spot any welsh ownership here you are doing well New wind farms' impact to be 'felt for generations' New wind farms' impact to be 'felt for generations' www.bbc.com/news/article...

Early morning walks.

A new generation is combining inventiveness with traditional knowledge to find sustainable solutions for the hard-hit country. newlinesmag.com/reportage/ar...

Solid day for me.

No doubt it will be useful but Humphrey AI seems very much like a prototype of three large companies in a trench coat. Pragmatic, but some big questions on transparency. www.theguardian.com/technology/2...