Alex
@blangry.bsky.social
Generalist civic technologist (& final year DPhil). Norwich with a cargo bike. Greyhound pictures extra.
Reposted by Alex
"I recently spoke with Santa Claus, who is currently coordinating his staff of immortal blue-collar elves, about the morality of children and his friendship with a creature whom many carolers consider a war criminal: Krampus."
www.mcsweeneys.net/articles/the...
www.mcsweeneys.net/articles/the...
The New Yorker’s Isaac Chotiner Interviews Santa Claus
For several centuries, Santa Claus has been one of the most prolific mythical gift-givers in the world. Formerly known as Saint Nicholas of Myra, a...
www.mcsweeneys.net
December 4, 2025 at 7:29 PM
"I recently spoke with Santa Claus, who is currently coordinating his staff of immortal blue-collar elves, about the morality of children and his friendship with a creature whom many carolers consider a war criminal: Krampus."
www.mcsweeneys.net/articles/the...
www.mcsweeneys.net/articles/the...
Morning in the Barbican.
December 4, 2025 at 9:39 AM
Morning in the Barbican.
Reposted by Alex
Any orgs want to be a good ally and help celebrate LGBTQ+ history month in February by sponsoring After Section 28, an urgent 1 day conference to learn from the past and consider what we do now?
Running a bit short on covering overheads, want to make it great!
www.tickettailor.com/events/after...
Running a bit short on covering overheads, want to make it great!
www.tickettailor.com/events/after...
December 3, 2025 at 3:50 PM
Any orgs want to be a good ally and help celebrate LGBTQ+ history month in February by sponsoring After Section 28, an urgent 1 day conference to learn from the past and consider what we do now?
Running a bit short on covering overheads, want to make it great!
www.tickettailor.com/events/after...
Running a bit short on covering overheads, want to make it great!
www.tickettailor.com/events/after...
I mean at this point they could just tell me "basically same as last year, but less MF DOOM than usual".
December 3, 2025 at 2:27 PM
I mean at this point they could just tell me "basically same as last year, but less MF DOOM than usual".
If you don't want to spend millions on public inquiries, my simple advice is: do not have enormous and costly failures.
December 3, 2025 at 10:48 AM
If you don't want to spend millions on public inquiries, my simple advice is: do not have enormous and costly failures.
This is perhaps more of a bugbear of mine than it should be. There are loads of bits of government that are "independent" but housed, staffed, IT'd by a parent department. We often end up with the worst of both worlds scenario detailed here.
December 2, 2025 at 4:01 PM
This is perhaps more of a bugbear of mine than it should be. There are loads of bits of government that are "independent" but housed, staffed, IT'd by a parent department. We often end up with the worst of both worlds scenario detailed here.
I am buying nursery photos of my toddler. Beautiful composition, editing (and child) that only serves to emphasise the full line of snot between nose and mouth.
December 2, 2025 at 3:05 PM
I am buying nursery photos of my toddler. Beautiful composition, editing (and child) that only serves to emphasise the full line of snot between nose and mouth.
I thought we hadn't had any crisps updates from @ciaranm.bsky.social for a few days.
December 1, 2025 at 4:53 PM
I thought we hadn't had any crisps updates from @ciaranm.bsky.social for a few days.
Reposted by Alex
What would you ask?
December 1, 2025 at 3:20 PM
What would you ask?
I agree with this, a thing I'd add is about who is doing the civic tech - the different journeys of being tech people who accidentally become an NGO vs NGO people who accidentally become civic tech plays a big part in their self-conception and relationship to concepts/understanding of user needs.
Public interest tech - that does good for people, communities and the planet - is a no-brainer, so why does no one want to fund it? @jamestplunkett.bsky.social and I have 4 recs for how the UK civic and community tech landscape could be better supported www.careful.industries/blog/2025-12...
Could 2026 be the year of public interest technology? — Careful Industries
Four ideas for sparking investment in UK public interest tech. Written in collaboration with James Plunkett from Kinship Works.
www.careful.industries
December 1, 2025 at 9:52 AM
I agree with this, a thing I'd add is about who is doing the civic tech - the different journeys of being tech people who accidentally become an NGO vs NGO people who accidentally become civic tech plays a big part in their self-conception and relationship to concepts/understanding of user needs.
Today: realise desired alarm (4:50) had instead been set for 5:50. Train at 6. Run, get ready, get the dog walked, come back to find he'd pissed all over the kitchen in the night, clean it up, run to the station, look at ticket, I'm on the 7. Go home, have coffee. Get on the 7. Client has cancelled.
December 1, 2025 at 8:11 AM
Today: realise desired alarm (4:50) had instead been set for 5:50. Train at 6. Run, get ready, get the dog walked, come back to find he'd pissed all over the kitchen in the night, clean it up, run to the station, look at ticket, I'm on the 7. Go home, have coffee. Get on the 7. Client has cancelled.
Reposted by Alex
On every public policy committee I sat on - gambling, drugs, animal experiments, law of homicide and others - someone would ask ‘But what would the Daily Mail say about our recommendations?’ I now regret that we never gave the right answer. ‘We shouldn’t care.’
November 30, 2025 at 7:37 AM
On every public policy committee I sat on - gambling, drugs, animal experiments, law of homicide and others - someone would ask ‘But what would the Daily Mail say about our recommendations?’ I now regret that we never gave the right answer. ‘We shouldn’t care.’
Right up there with
"I am a Country member..."
"I remember"
"I am a Country member..."
"I remember"
November 29, 2025 at 9:55 AM
Right up there with
"I am a Country member..."
"I remember"
"I am a Country member..."
"I remember"
Reposted by Alex
Do we or do we not live in a country where these awful people got their way at almost every major decision point of the century so far? We do! Is it good? No, it is a national calamity. Are they sorry? No they’re not, they’re *absolutely furious* that they haven’t got more and worse.
November 27, 2025 at 8:52 AM
Do we or do we not live in a country where these awful people got their way at almost every major decision point of the century so far? We do! Is it good? No, it is a national calamity. Are they sorry? No they’re not, they’re *absolutely furious* that they haven’t got more and worse.
@jwyg.bsky.social Hello, I've tried getting the Bodleian to buy your ebook but it doesn't seem to be available for institutional purchase and Wiley seem to only do print for individuals. Do you know where is selling it (trying to write a PhD chapter on data moving between government and civic tech).
November 26, 2025 at 9:20 PM
@jwyg.bsky.social Hello, I've tried getting the Bodleian to buy your ebook but it doesn't seem to be available for institutional purchase and Wiley seem to only do print for individuals. Do you know where is selling it (trying to write a PhD chapter on data moving between government and civic tech).
Reposted by Alex
New article w @cearadau.bsky.social
Connecting feminist theory with technology studies, our lens - technosocial reproduction - explains how tech interventions should replenish rather than deplete the overlooked work people already do to sustain life.
www.eflux.com/architecture...
Connecting feminist theory with technology studies, our lens - technosocial reproduction - explains how tech interventions should replenish rather than deplete the overlooked work people already do to sustain life.
www.eflux.com/architecture...
Humanitarianism - Margie Cheesman et al. - Technosocial Reproduction and Humanitarian Reason
A white van rolled through the gates of a refugee camp in mainland Greece, its driver unloading a stack of pre-packaged lunches.
www.e-flux.com
November 24, 2025 at 10:57 AM
New article w @cearadau.bsky.social
Connecting feminist theory with technology studies, our lens - technosocial reproduction - explains how tech interventions should replenish rather than deplete the overlooked work people already do to sustain life.
www.eflux.com/architecture...
Connecting feminist theory with technology studies, our lens - technosocial reproduction - explains how tech interventions should replenish rather than deplete the overlooked work people already do to sustain life.
www.eflux.com/architecture...
Reposted by Alex
Went to look up last year's Budget statement in Hansard and was reminded of the Deputy Speaker, Nusrat Ghani, giving the government quite the telling off about pre-announcing/pre-briefing various elements of it
November 26, 2025 at 12:01 PM
Went to look up last year's Budget statement in Hansard and was reminded of the Deputy Speaker, Nusrat Ghani, giving the government quite the telling off about pre-announcing/pre-briefing various elements of it
Reposted by Alex
See the problem with this story is that you’re trying to get us believe that a profoundly racist man is really very racist. And racists - and let’s face it, that’s his target demographic - aren’t going to be put off by that.
Three more school contemporaries who claim to have witnessed Nigel Farage’s alleged teenage racism have rejected the Reform UK leader’s suggestion that it was “banter”, describing it as targeted, persistent and nasty.
www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
Three more ex-pupils at school with Nigel Farage reject ‘banter’ claims
Exclusive: Dulwich college contemporaries ‘rubbish’ Reform UK leader’s suggestion alleged racist taunts not intended to hurt
www.theguardian.com
November 25, 2025 at 9:37 PM
See the problem with this story is that you’re trying to get us believe that a profoundly racist man is really very racist. And racists - and let’s face it, that’s his target demographic - aren’t going to be put off by that.
After 20+ mins on hold to change a hospital appointment time (button in app to do it returns a number (also listed on the website) that gets an error). Not even at digital transformation, just at "get the numbers right on your website".
November 25, 2025 at 4:56 PM
After 20+ mins on hold to change a hospital appointment time (button in app to do it returns a number (also listed on the website) that gets an error). Not even at digital transformation, just at "get the numbers right on your website".
Eldest currently loves doing maths (turns out she's not bad at it and will obviously outpace me very shortly). Means I have found my favourite computer game from when I was her age: Merlin's Maths. It's so refreshing to have a game not on a website, not attention dragging everywhere.
Merlin's Math | Run from browser | Play Old DOS Games
Merlin's Math - Javascript emulator for running the game within browser. Free Game Empire - Classic games available for download with lots of extras. One-click to run your favourite old game.
www.freegameempire.com
November 24, 2025 at 8:47 PM
Eldest currently loves doing maths (turns out she's not bad at it and will obviously outpace me very shortly). Means I have found my favourite computer game from when I was her age: Merlin's Maths. It's so refreshing to have a game not on a website, not attention dragging everywhere.
Reposted by Alex
Wasn't expecting @anonopin.bsky.social to take an infrastructural turn.
It's a real shame that no-one publishes a 3D map of our cities that shows the underground as well as the surface. Seeing the tunnels used by pedestrians, trains, roads, clean water, sewage, gas and electricity would be great. Hidden infrastructure that needs to be seen.
November 23, 2025 at 1:05 PM
Wasn't expecting @anonopin.bsky.social to take an infrastructural turn.
Delighted to be of the age where trains you grew up with and rode into your 20s are now firmly heritage.
November 23, 2025 at 4:06 PM
Delighted to be of the age where trains you grew up with and rode into your 20s are now firmly heritage.
My insulin pump has been having really regular problems with crashing for which you have to: remove battery, press button, replace battery, reset time and date (no board battery) rewind plunger, remove canula from body, re-set plunger to cartridge depth, prime tubing, swear fealty to demons.
November 21, 2025 at 1:15 PM
My insulin pump has been having really regular problems with crashing for which you have to: remove battery, press button, replace battery, reset time and date (no board battery) rewind plunger, remove canula from body, re-set plunger to cartridge depth, prime tubing, swear fealty to demons.
Tired: red team
Wired: annual leave
Wired: annual leave
Chaos test your org. Tell a leader to suddenly take a week off with no handover and find out how much of a bottleneck or single point of failure they are.
November 21, 2025 at 11:33 AM
Tired: red team
Wired: annual leave
Wired: annual leave
This 1000% applies to digital government people too. You're standing next to the demon core and worrying that the other room with the lead shielding might feel comparatively chilly. (from @youngvulgarian.marieleconte.com) youngvulgarian.substack.com/p/arent-you-...
November 21, 2025 at 10:29 AM
This 1000% applies to digital government people too. You're standing next to the demon core and worrying that the other room with the lead shielding might feel comparatively chilly. (from @youngvulgarian.marieleconte.com) youngvulgarian.substack.com/p/arent-you-...