Not all the moomins in his valley…
The most brutal way of telling someone they’re a few sandwiches short of a picnic that I’ve heard in French is t’es pas la truite la plus oxygénée de la rivière. It means “you’re not the most oxygenated trout in the river.”
* read on for similar insults from around the world (a thread)…
* read on for similar insults from around the world (a thread)…
December 19, 2025 at 5:19 PM
Not all the moomins in his valley…
It’s for this reason that I think Goodhart’s law usually has to be grouped with the Cobra effect (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pervers...). Getting better at finding some things may drive some unexpected behaviours.
December 14, 2025 at 4:26 PM
It’s for this reason that I think Goodhart’s law usually has to be grouped with the Cobra effect (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pervers...). Getting better at finding some things may drive some unexpected behaviours.
Reposted by Matt Knight
As a professional engineer who has spent a lot of time clarifying my customers’ requirements, I think of this often… perhaps too often…
December 12, 2025 at 9:00 PM
As a professional engineer who has spent a lot of time clarifying my customers’ requirements, I think of this often… perhaps too often…
Reposted by Matt Knight
December 10, 2025 at 10:01 PM
Reposted by Matt Knight
"there's a new serif in town"
Marco Rubio ordered diplomats to return to using Times New Roman font in official communications, calling his predecessor's decision to adopt Calibri a “wasteful” diversity move
Rubio Stages Font Coup: Times New Roman Ousts Calibri
The secretary of state called it a "wasteful" diversity move, according to an internal department cable seen by Reuters.
www.huffpost.com
December 10, 2025 at 1:06 AM
"there's a new serif in town"
Reposted by Matt Knight
It’s hard not to think of this entire poem every time I read the news
December 8, 2025 at 8:32 PM
It’s hard not to think of this entire poem every time I read the news
MS teams just autocorrected ‘devops’ to ‘devils’. Not sure if that’s a mistake or deliberate at this point.
December 8, 2025 at 3:22 PM
MS teams just autocorrected ‘devops’ to ‘devils’. Not sure if that’s a mistake or deliberate at this point.
“If politics is to regain confidence and effectiveness, it must reclaim the space for thought.”
December 5, 2025 at 11:43 AM
“If politics is to regain confidence and effectiveness, it must reclaim the space for thought.”
On the Red Bull/Racing Bulls driver news, Hadjar is best option in a long time. It’ll be a mentality test not a driving skill test for him.
But Lindblad? Not ready. I think there should be a Japanese driver in the second seat, but it should be newly crowned Super Formula champ Iwasa, not Tsunoda.
But Lindblad? Not ready. I think there should be a Japanese driver in the second seat, but it should be newly crowned Super Formula champ Iwasa, not Tsunoda.
https://time.it’ll
December 2, 2025 at 5:51 PM
On the Red Bull/Racing Bulls driver news, Hadjar is best option in a long time. It’ll be a mentality test not a driving skill test for him.
But Lindblad? Not ready. I think there should be a Japanese driver in the second seat, but it should be newly crowned Super Formula champ Iwasa, not Tsunoda.
But Lindblad? Not ready. I think there should be a Japanese driver in the second seat, but it should be newly crowned Super Formula champ Iwasa, not Tsunoda.
‘I was born in Belfast between the mountain and the gantries’
November 28, 2025 at 9:47 PM
‘I was born in Belfast between the mountain and the gantries’
Classy drive from Lando, classy dedication of the win to a classy Brazilian driver: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gil_de_...
Gil de Ferran - Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org
November 9, 2025 at 7:50 PM
Classy drive from Lando, classy dedication of the win to a classy Brazilian driver: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gil_de_...
Bought a 2nd hand book about 1930s motor racing. Found pencilled amendments to the times for the first full Donington Grand Prix in 1937, so followed the inscription to find the previous owner: quite a life en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roberta...
November 3, 2025 at 7:11 PM
Bought a 2nd hand book about 1930s motor racing. Found pencilled amendments to the times for the first full Donington Grand Prix in 1937, so followed the inscription to find the previous owner: quite a life en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roberta...
Reposted by Matt Knight
Where are the public sector reformers? Can you help us find them?
At @kinship.works, we thought we'd try to map the different public sector reform 'tribes' & where to find them (orgs, events, networks/communities, online spaces, newsletters/publications/podcasts etc) - but we need your help!
At @kinship.works, we thought we'd try to map the different public sector reform 'tribes' & where to find them (orgs, events, networks/communities, online spaces, newsletters/publications/podcasts etc) - but we need your help!
October 30, 2025 at 4:06 PM
Where are the public sector reformers? Can you help us find them?
At @kinship.works, we thought we'd try to map the different public sector reform 'tribes' & where to find them (orgs, events, networks/communities, online spaces, newsletters/publications/podcasts etc) - but we need your help!
At @kinship.works, we thought we'd try to map the different public sector reform 'tribes' & where to find them (orgs, events, networks/communities, online spaces, newsletters/publications/podcasts etc) - but we need your help!
‘At the end of the day, he ran back into the office and shouted, "PEOPLE HAVE NO IDEA HOW CARS WORK, YOU GUYS."’
I got so annoyed by the tweet that sparked this thread that I wrote about it
www.leahreich.com/maybe-stop-b...
www.leahreich.com/maybe-stop-b...
October 23, 2025 at 9:52 PM
‘At the end of the day, he ran back into the office and shouted, "PEOPLE HAVE NO IDEA HOW CARS WORK, YOU GUYS."’
Reposted by Matt Knight
The 5 Stages of Tech Debt, a 🧵
(Based on a true story)
(Based on a true story)
October 20, 2025 at 1:07 PM
The 5 Stages of Tech Debt, a 🧵
(Based on a true story)
(Based on a true story)
Reposted by Matt Knight
Something that not enough people know about SQLite is that it's in the public domain because it's a product of government. General Dynamics made it on contract with the U.S. Navy.
When government software is affirmatively placed in the public domain, and the code is public, good things can happen!
When government software is affirmatively placed in the public domain, and the code is public, good things can happen!
October 20, 2025 at 4:01 PM
Something that not enough people know about SQLite is that it's in the public domain because it's a product of government. General Dynamics made it on contract with the U.S. Navy.
When government software is affirmatively placed in the public domain, and the code is public, good things can happen!
When government software is affirmatively placed in the public domain, and the code is public, good things can happen!
Reposted by Matt Knight
October 20, 2025 at 9:24 AM
Rare example of an academic report written as clearly as an early GDS blog post.
(And ‘Jeff Bezos doesn’t come around your house for a workshop every time you want to buy a book from Amazon’ is a great line.)
(And ‘Jeff Bezos doesn’t come around your house for a workshop every time you want to buy a book from Amazon’ is a great line.)
[We need more of this] Who would pay for a cross-cutting service in a government structured around departmental silos? Lessons in the politics of digital transformation www.ucl.ac.uk/bartlett/pub...
Scaling Digital Infrastructure in a Siloed State
Authored by Hannah White and David Eaves
www.ucl.ac.uk
October 16, 2025 at 7:14 AM
Rare example of an academic report written as clearly as an early GDS blog post.
(And ‘Jeff Bezos doesn’t come around your house for a workshop every time you want to buy a book from Amazon’ is a great line.)
(And ‘Jeff Bezos doesn’t come around your house for a workshop every time you want to buy a book from Amazon’ is a great line.)
Reposted by Matt Knight
signin.account.gov.uk/terms-and-co...
One for the GDS gang. These T’s & C’s need reviewing.
Not least the section “Governing Law” which has an obvious issue when you read the Welsh version ;)
One for the GDS gang. These T’s & C’s need reviewing.
Not least the section “Governing Law” which has an obvious issue when you read the Welsh version ;)
Terms and conditions
-
GOV.UK One Login
signin.account.gov.uk
October 14, 2025 at 8:52 AM
signin.account.gov.uk/terms-and-co...
One for the GDS gang. These T’s & C’s need reviewing.
Not least the section “Governing Law” which has an obvious issue when you read the Welsh version ;)
One for the GDS gang. These T’s & C’s need reviewing.
Not least the section “Governing Law” which has an obvious issue when you read the Welsh version ;)
Reposted by Matt Knight
Passmore Edwards funded institutions for me.
October 12, 2025 at 9:20 PM
Passmore Edwards funded institutions for me.
Reposted by Matt Knight
Data standards for the spreadsheet infrastructure. Platforms can come later.
October 10, 2025 at 3:25 PM
Data standards for the spreadsheet infrastructure. Platforms can come later.
Reposted by Matt Knight
We're recruiting for a Bilingual Content Designer (Welsh and English) on our team, please spread the word to anyone who might be interested! www.jobtrain.co.uk/justicedigit...
Bilingual Content Designer (Welsh and English) :National
www.jobtrain.co.uk
October 6, 2025 at 10:03 AM
We're recruiting for a Bilingual Content Designer (Welsh and English) on our team, please spread the word to anyone who might be interested! www.jobtrain.co.uk/justicedigit...
Of all the things I hoped would cause riots before it was allowed to occur… who has allowed Paddington to close their M&S food hall without advance warning? It wasn’t great but the alternatives are so much worse. #firstworldproblems
October 7, 2025 at 6:33 PM
Of all the things I hoped would cause riots before it was allowed to occur… who has allowed Paddington to close their M&S food hall without advance warning? It wasn’t great but the alternatives are so much worse. #firstworldproblems
My daughter is ten. Today she came back from school and told me that their class had elected a digital director.
October 3, 2025 at 5:05 PM
My daughter is ten. Today she came back from school and told me that their class had elected a digital director.
“There is no person behind the language produced by a chatbot. It’s a dilution of billions of people, like adding water to sugar until the sweetness dissolves. Writing, & lots of art and other things humans do, can give you a bit of a taste of the someone behind it. With AI that sugar is rinsed out”
mail.cyberneticforests.com/human-litera...
AI has accidentally caused some excellent writing about the experience of being a person.
#reading-list
AI has accidentally caused some excellent writing about the experience of being a person.
#reading-list
Human Literacy
Something I Can Tell Students Now That I Am Not Teaching
You and I probably both keep hearing that students should be working toward AI literacy. That you should know what to type into prompt windo...
mail.cyberneticforests.com
August 29, 2025 at 7:22 AM
“There is no person behind the language produced by a chatbot. It’s a dilution of billions of people, like adding water to sugar until the sweetness dissolves. Writing, & lots of art and other things humans do, can give you a bit of a taste of the someone behind it. With AI that sugar is rinsed out”