Anna Dent

Today marks the first day of meteorological spring 🌷

March has arrived, and with it comes longer, lighter days. Over the next few weeks most of us will enjoy around two extra hours of daylight ☀️

A white and black cat stretched out very very long on a yellow and black blanket on the sofa

Our cat sitter sent us this photo of our very long boy Percy yesterday 😸

More good news 😄

If I never see a voxpop again I'll be happy! The way they are reported as news is so ridiculous

In Austria. I may sign up to the religion at the local bakery

Phew. Vile racists CAN be defeated. Genuinely relieved.

2026 is the year of the horse

The horse:

And the target of their weirdness is mainly women - what a surprise

Bright yellow narcissi flowers in bloom, bathed in sunshine

It's still February but things are looking up

Just took this while having a cuppa in the garden ☺️

Digital Welfare State edition 008 — ABD Consultancy Eighth edition of the Digital Welfare State newsletter by Anna Dent

AI transcribing, public sector data sharing, chatbots x3 and more in the latest edition of my digital welfare state newsletter:

*niche post for self-employed people in the UK*

Just had a wonderful realisation - because I was PAYE for a good chunk of 2024-25, I don't meet the earnings threshold for Making Tax Digital this year! I can wait and see how it pans out and hopefully choose good software next year! PHEW.

Digital Welfare State edition 008 — ABD Consultancy Eighth edition of the Digital Welfare State newsletter by Anna Dent

AI transcribing, public sector data sharing, chatbots x3 and more in the latest edition of my digital welfare state newsletter:

Tried to remember the name of a cycling challenge my partner was doing

Ted Bloggins, I said

Hm, close, he said, Fred Whitton

Useful thread for people who keep hearing about data centres being built for cloud computing and ‘AI’, but who don’t really know what a data centre is.

Btw a data centre “doesn’t create any jobs” apart from a few engineering jobs and “transient jobs” during the construction phase, said Hone. I’ve noted this before but perhaps we should all start saying it ritualistically, like a prayer to ward off the incessant PR

If you think public spaces can be hostile for women now, wait until every man can use their Meta facial recognition glasses to identify any woman they see, slide instantly into their DMs, and then get mad when they don't instantly and positively respond.

Burn this company to the ground.

Digital Welfare State edition 008 — ABD Consultancy Eighth edition of the Digital Welfare State newsletter by Anna Dent

It's the last week of February

There is a whisper of spring in the air

It's the eighth edition of my newsletter

literally DOZENS of jobs!

Beyond me how anyone wouldn't immediately assume this is how they would be used

Newsletter number 8 out tomorrow!

Sign up now for a dose of news about the digital welfare state in your inbox first thing

I think in many cases they aren't even aware that there might be a right thing and a wrong thing, just the thing they think will make them money

Emily you're a machine!

More evidence for the 'money can't buy taste' files

When you put it like this, a $75 million bribe to Melania and gutting the Washington Post seems like a small price to pay.

Hackers Expose Age-Verification Software Powering Surveillance Web Three hacktivists tried to find a workaround to Discord’s age-verification software. Instead, they found its frontend exposed to the open internet.

Oops. Turns out Persona, Discord’s age-verification service, was secretly screening selfies against government watchlists AND accessible by the feds. It's backed by Peter Thiel.

“The state wants to see everything. The corporations want to see everything. And they've learned to work together.”

Booooooooo

This tale could perhaps be interpreted as a wider metaphor 🤔

Stop this now says Percy. The lap is not for the laptop.

If you want tiramisu, just get tiramisu. If you want triple chocolate cake, just get triple chocolate cake. All these other things exist, hot cross buns do not need to fill any gaps in the cake and pudding universe