Andy Loughran
@andylockran.dev
Citizen focussed digital worker. Keeps fit, loves #parkrun, and is trying to work out what it means to be a good citizen so that I can be one.
Reposted by Andy Loughran
This should be a legal requirement for being allowed to sell networked devices.
Bose open-sources its SoundTouch home theater smart speakers ahead of end-of-life
Bose open-sources its SoundTouch home theater smart speakers ahead of end-of-life
January 8, 2026 at 8:40 AM
This should be a legal requirement for being allowed to sell networked devices.
Bose open-sources its SoundTouch home theater smart speakers ahead of end-of-life
Bose open-sources its SoundTouch home theater smart speakers ahead of end-of-life
Reposted by Andy Loughran
The capitalism is fueled by infinite growth. It helps improve people’s lives to a certain point
Going past that point, it creates infinite insatisfaction and desire for more
We realize that when our basic needs are met, the capitalism can’t bring us happiness
#sustainability #degrowth
Going past that point, it creates infinite insatisfaction and desire for more
We realize that when our basic needs are met, the capitalism can’t bring us happiness
#sustainability #degrowth
January 7, 2026 at 2:41 AM
The capitalism is fueled by infinite growth. It helps improve people’s lives to a certain point
Going past that point, it creates infinite insatisfaction and desire for more
We realize that when our basic needs are met, the capitalism can’t bring us happiness
#sustainability #degrowth
Going past that point, it creates infinite insatisfaction and desire for more
We realize that when our basic needs are met, the capitalism can’t bring us happiness
#sustainability #degrowth
Neat. My bluesky post was met with knowledge by a colleague, and I've been pointed at www.fitsm.eu :D
Exactly what I wanted; now to evaluate if it's what I need
Exactly what I wanted; now to evaluate if it's what I need
FitSM – A free standard for lightweight ITSM
www.fitsm.eu
January 7, 2026 at 5:45 PM
Neat. My bluesky post was met with knowledge by a colleague, and I've been pointed at www.fitsm.eu :D
Exactly what I wanted; now to evaluate if it's what I need
Exactly what I wanted; now to evaluate if it's what I need
Reposted by Andy Loughran
'The award, which was made without a competitive process, follows a “strategic partnership” between Palantir and the MoD announced in September during President Donald Trump’s state visit to the U.K'
www.politico.eu/article/pala...
www.politico.eu/article/pala...
www.politico.eu
January 6, 2026 at 9:31 AM
'The award, which was made without a competitive process, follows a “strategic partnership” between Palantir and the MoD announced in September during President Donald Trump’s state visit to the U.K'
www.politico.eu/article/pala...
www.politico.eu/article/pala...
Reposted by Andy Loughran
In early December, in a corner of Yunnan Province near the Myanmar border, something rather extraordinary happened. While most of the Western tech world was busy arguing about whether AI would take
Crossed Wires: China and the US — incompatible views of a technology-led future
www.dailymaverick.co.za
January 5, 2026 at 11:13 PM
In early December, in a corner of Yunnan Province near the Myanmar border, something rather extraordinary happened. While most of the Western tech world was busy arguing about whether AI would take
Reposted by Andy Loughran
Was thinking to myself about distributed systems and how difficult they are to properly document and how relationships always catch people out. systemcapabilityprotocol.com is my solution. A spec where a the dev puts the detail in the repo and we can scan it, display it and query the system.
SCP - System Capability Protocol
A machine-first system architecture description protocol enabling LLMs, observability tooling, and alerting systems to reason about distributed systems.
systemcapabilityprotocol.com
December 24, 2025 at 11:44 AM
Was thinking to myself about distributed systems and how difficult they are to properly document and how relationships always catch people out. systemcapabilityprotocol.com is my solution. A spec where a the dev puts the detail in the repo and we can scan it, display it and query the system.
Looking forward to my first GovCamp in the next couple of weeks back home in Brum. 🥳
January 4, 2026 at 2:10 PM
Looking forward to my first GovCamp in the next couple of weeks back home in Brum. 🥳
Reposted by Andy Loughran
That's Not Fair,But In Chumplandia
It Is A Reality......
It Is A Reality......
December 29, 2025 at 11:23 AM
That's Not Fair,But In Chumplandia
It Is A Reality......
It Is A Reality......
Reposted by Andy Loughran
this seems specifically designed to break mail-in voting (where deadlines are defined by postmark)
As of 12/24/25, USPS changed policy on when they postmark mail. Mail dropped off is no longer guaranteed a same-day postmark. Tax returns & other time-sensitive items are now stamped when they reach a regional processing center, which may be days later. Plan deadlines accordingly to avoid penalties.
USPS Announces Changes to the Postmark Date System
The United States Postal Service (USPS) has adopted a final rule (FR Doc.
share.google
December 29, 2025 at 9:51 PM
this seems specifically designed to break mail-in voting (where deadlines are defined by postmark)
Reposted by Andy Loughran
Everything about this fills me full of rage. Why does the MoJ have a Shared Infrastructure team rather than contributing to a cross-gov one? Why does it have a team helping small teams build products rather than gov having a common drag-and-drop platform??
mojdigital.blog.gov.uk/2025/12/23/t...
mojdigital.blog.gov.uk/2025/12/23/t...
The Small Services Space One Year On: Learnings and Ambitions
The Shared Infrastructure team in Justice Digital launched an innovative new product (The Small Services Space) just over 12 months ago. It aims to support smaller teams who have a need, and desire, t...
mojdigital.blog.gov.uk
December 23, 2025 at 2:47 PM
Everything about this fills me full of rage. Why does the MoJ have a Shared Infrastructure team rather than contributing to a cross-gov one? Why does it have a team helping small teams build products rather than gov having a common drag-and-drop platform??
mojdigital.blog.gov.uk/2025/12/23/t...
mojdigital.blog.gov.uk/2025/12/23/t...
Reposted by Andy Loughran
I moved from teaching to tech jobs and back again and I will never not be angry about how fast the entire edtech boom, from mooc to apps and apple/google educator badges, to iPad schools etc.. all of it was ushered in.
None of it with ethics, governance or safety ever done correctly
None of it with ethics, governance or safety ever done correctly
December 21, 2025 at 2:49 PM
I moved from teaching to tech jobs and back again and I will never not be angry about how fast the entire edtech boom, from mooc to apps and apple/google educator badges, to iPad schools etc.. all of it was ushered in.
None of it with ethics, governance or safety ever done correctly
None of it with ethics, governance or safety ever done correctly
Reposted by Andy Loughran
This is a good thing to witness, here's to more light in the world 🙏🕯️❤️
This is the sweetest thing and I hope they keep hanging out periodically
December 21, 2025 at 2:08 PM
This is a good thing to witness, here's to more light in the world 🙏🕯️❤️
Reposted by Andy Loughran
Just re-upped my @opensourcepledge.com for 2025.
If you get value from open source projects, donating a small fraction of your income is a fantastic way to give back to those people whose work you depend on.
Thanks to all the open source maintainers who have helped make my career possible!
If you get value from open source projects, donating a small fraction of your income is a fantastic way to give back to those people whose work you depend on.
Thanks to all the open source maintainers who have helped make my career possible!
December 19, 2025 at 8:09 AM
Just re-upped my @opensourcepledge.com for 2025.
If you get value from open source projects, donating a small fraction of your income is a fantastic way to give back to those people whose work you depend on.
Thanks to all the open source maintainers who have helped make my career possible!
If you get value from open source projects, donating a small fraction of your income is a fantastic way to give back to those people whose work you depend on.
Thanks to all the open source maintainers who have helped make my career possible!
Reposted by Andy Loughran
OMG.
Service Design Lead role at Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park
We have a service taxonomy and not afraid to work on it.
Apply! Dream role.
linkedin.com/jobs/view/4344988962?skipRedirect=true&refId=u1PW7LOjTWiuo3IHvhJqQw%3D%3D&trackingId=u1PW7LOjTWiuo3IHvhJqQw%3D%3D
Service Design Lead role at Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park
We have a service taxonomy and not afraid to work on it.
Apply! Dream role.
linkedin.com/jobs/view/4344988962?skipRedirect=true&refId=u1PW7LOjTWiuo3IHvhJqQw%3D%3D&trackingId=u1PW7LOjTWiuo3IHvhJqQw%3D%3D
December 19, 2025 at 2:41 PM
OMG.
Service Design Lead role at Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park
We have a service taxonomy and not afraid to work on it.
Apply! Dream role.
linkedin.com/jobs/view/4344988962?skipRedirect=true&refId=u1PW7LOjTWiuo3IHvhJqQw%3D%3D&trackingId=u1PW7LOjTWiuo3IHvhJqQw%3D%3D
Service Design Lead role at Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park
We have a service taxonomy and not afraid to work on it.
Apply! Dream role.
linkedin.com/jobs/view/4344988962?skipRedirect=true&refId=u1PW7LOjTWiuo3IHvhJqQw%3D%3D&trackingId=u1PW7LOjTWiuo3IHvhJqQw%3D%3D
Reposted by Andy Loughran
Did Sandy Hook break the US?
The trajectory was already there, but it accelerated. Horrifically.
It happened on December 14, 2012.
The trajectory was already there, but it accelerated. Horrifically.
It happened on December 14, 2012.
December 16, 2025 at 3:39 PM
Did Sandy Hook break the US?
The trajectory was already there, but it accelerated. Horrifically.
It happened on December 14, 2012.
The trajectory was already there, but it accelerated. Horrifically.
It happened on December 14, 2012.
Reposted by Andy Loughran
His warning takes on even greater urgency today.
December 15, 2025 at 8:30 PM
His warning takes on even greater urgency today.
Reposted by Andy Loughran
This is what a statesman and President writes
December 15, 2025 at 4:34 PM
This is what a statesman and President writes
I bloody hate "dark patterns in UX" and it's really very shit that when you try and unsubscribe from @therestpolitics.bsky.social you end up on a claim 30% offer screen where the only "signposted" route is to accept the offer. The only way to decline it is the browser back button.
Do better.
Do better.
December 14, 2025 at 10:11 AM
I bloody hate "dark patterns in UX" and it's really very shit that when you try and unsubscribe from @therestpolitics.bsky.social you end up on a claim 30% offer screen where the only "signposted" route is to accept the offer. The only way to decline it is the browser back button.
Do better.
Do better.
Reposted by Andy Loughran
This is exactly why working in the open is good. Nearly 15 years after GDS was created the Cabinet Office is still building services that are flagged red for half the points in the Service Standard at first review.
We've still some way to go.
www.gov.uk/service-stan...
We've still some way to go.
www.gov.uk/service-stan...
Resilience Direct Alpha assessment report
Service Standard assessment report for CO'S Resilience Direct alpha assessment
www.gov.uk
December 7, 2025 at 12:32 PM
This is exactly why working in the open is good. Nearly 15 years after GDS was created the Cabinet Office is still building services that are flagged red for half the points in the Service Standard at first review.
We've still some way to go.
www.gov.uk/service-stan...
We've still some way to go.
www.gov.uk/service-stan...
Reposted by Andy Loughran
You know when pro-HS2 people said it was about capacity more than speed, and the West Coast Main Line was filling up? Now we have no national rail strategy, no HS2 to Manchester and this absurd stupidity. www.theguardian.com/business/202...
Soon-to-be-axed 7am Manchester-London train will still run – but without passengers
Exclusive: Rail regulator pulls Avanti service from timetable from mid-December but it is needed for staff travel
www.theguardian.com
November 29, 2025 at 8:17 AM
You know when pro-HS2 people said it was about capacity more than speed, and the West Coast Main Line was filling up? Now we have no national rail strategy, no HS2 to Manchester and this absurd stupidity. www.theguardian.com/business/202...
Scrolling through some old holiday pictures and wanted to spread some joy/awe at just how wonderful our world can be. #vinicunca
November 25, 2025 at 10:25 PM
Scrolling through some old holiday pictures and wanted to spread some joy/awe at just how wonderful our world can be. #vinicunca
Reposted by Andy Loughran
NEWS --> BBC confirms to me that they did edit a line out of historian @rutgerbregman.com's speech. It called Trump "the most openly corrupt president in US history."
BBC also confirms this was done on the advice of lawyers. So Trump's threats worked.
New piece:
newrepublic.com/article/2036...
BBC also confirms this was done on the advice of lawyers. So Trump's threats worked.
New piece:
newrepublic.com/article/2036...
Trump’s Fury at BBC Gets Unnerving Results with Pro-MAGA Edit Stunner
First, British Broadcasting Corporation execs resigned after Trump complained about a segment. Now the BBC edited out a line from a historian that was critical of Trump. Where does this end?
newrepublic.com
November 25, 2025 at 4:10 PM
NEWS --> BBC confirms to me that they did edit a line out of historian @rutgerbregman.com's speech. It called Trump "the most openly corrupt president in US history."
BBC also confirms this was done on the advice of lawyers. So Trump's threats worked.
New piece:
newrepublic.com/article/2036...
BBC also confirms this was done on the advice of lawyers. So Trump's threats worked.
New piece:
newrepublic.com/article/2036...
Reposted by Andy Loughran
Still reeling from the Stanford report on Brexit. Reduced GDP by up to 8% and investment by as much as 18%. The UK Treasury would have £40 billion more each year if Britain had remained in the EU. Devastating self-immolation.
The Economic Impact of Brexit
Other
siepr.stanford.edu
November 24, 2025 at 11:02 AM
Still reeling from the Stanford report on Brexit. Reduced GDP by up to 8% and investment by as much as 18%. The UK Treasury would have £40 billion more each year if Britain had remained in the EU. Devastating self-immolation.
Reposted by Andy Loughran
“[open social] must be funded like infrastructure, not consumer apps. In fact, given the scale of hybrid threats, it should be funded from defense budgets, not innovation leftovers.
The strategic layer of democracy is the information layer. And right now, it is outsourced.” @seabass.bsky.social
The strategic layer of democracy is the information layer. And right now, it is outsourced.” @seabass.bsky.social
The joint statements coming out of the Summit on Digital Sovereignty miss a structural blind spot: we keep talking about AI while ignoring the system that actually shapes public opinion at scale -… | ...
The joint statements coming out of the Summit on Digital Sovereignty miss a structural blind spot: we keep talking about AI while ignoring the system that actually shapes public opinion at scale - soc...
www.linkedin.com
November 21, 2025 at 11:57 AM
“[open social] must be funded like infrastructure, not consumer apps. In fact, given the scale of hybrid threats, it should be funded from defense budgets, not innovation leftovers.
The strategic layer of democracy is the information layer. And right now, it is outsourced.” @seabass.bsky.social
The strategic layer of democracy is the information layer. And right now, it is outsourced.” @seabass.bsky.social
Reposted by Andy Loughran
I like how full text search of every book and human thought ever was a SOLVED PROBLEM in 2001, and now dicks at search engines and my own phone – a piece of silicon faster to respond than God was ever imagined in scripture – prevent it from working, _as a retroactive infantilizing design choice_.
November 14, 2025 at 12:42 AM
I like how full text search of every book and human thought ever was a SOLVED PROBLEM in 2001, and now dicks at search engines and my own phone – a piece of silicon faster to respond than God was ever imagined in scripture – prevent it from working, _as a retroactive infantilizing design choice_.