Si Manby

If you have secured a ticket for UKGovCamp 2026 on 17 January 2026 but can no longer attend, please unregister on Eventbrite, so your place can be released to someone on the waiting list.

Thank you so much for being considerate!

Spotify Wrapped Top Artists: Nova Twins, New Model Army, Amelia Coburn, PJ Harvey, Hayley Williams

Spotify Wrapped Top Genres screenshot: Alternative Rock, Singer Songwriter, Alternative Hip Hop, Madchester, Goth

Spotify Wrapped screenshot showing top albums for 2025: Parasites and Butterflies by Nova Twins at number 1, Between the Moon and the Milkman by Amelia Coburn at number 2, Ego Death At A Bachelorette Party by Hayley Williams at number 3, Supernova by Nova Twins at number 4 and Alligator Bites Never Heal by Doechii at number 5

Obligatory Spotify Wrapped post, with the self-righteous caveat that I still listen to more vinyl than streaming, and that people should also support live music and artists!

YouTube video by Pepe Hurricane All About Eve - December (VH1 Classic) © Mercury/Polygram Records/UMG/EMI.

youtu.be/fXNDyQCilww?...

A photo looking back at a set of closed canal lock gates, before the water rises in them. The gates look long, dark and quite imposing, and the brick sides of the lock are slimy and wet

The view from inside Engine Lock on the Caldon

Tom Stoppard, playwright of dazzling wit and playful erudition, dies aged 88 A theatrical sensation since the 1960s, whose dramas included Arcadia, The Real Thing and Leopoldstadt, Stoppard also had huge success as a screenwriter

Another huge loss www.theguardian.com/stage/2025/n...

TransformGov Talks : November 2025 · Luma Join us at 5.30pm for a 6pm start. Rachel Coldicutt, Careful Industries, on local government AI procurement and a new version of Consequence Scanning Second…

🚨 NEXT WEEK 🚨

Join us at 6pm, Weds 26 November for the 11th @transformgovtalks.bsky.social

We'll hear from:
- @rachelcoldicutt.bsky.social on local govt AI procurement & a new version of Consequence Scanning
- @katybeale.bsky.social, Chief Delivery & Engagement Officer, Westminster City Council

Not sure who made this, but probably the most accurate representation of the current state of tech to date

BSL Dictionary A collection of free videos showing everyday signs used in British Sign Language.

Jet and Karl, my two BSL tutors, have just put some excellent new videos together for basic and introductory signs in West Midlands regional variation www.bid.org.uk/resources/bs...

Government Digital Serendipity! 😀 Sometimes I think there's only like 20 of us in reality!

A red sign with 'Castle and Falcon presents Senser' in black lettering, above a bar

Kerstin and Heitham on stage with the rest of Senser, who are obscured by smoke and speakers

It's been a month for ace live music! Senser at the Castle and Falcon were superb, so much energy from the stage and the crowd, and such a tight set. One of my most formative bands, still delivering.

Just watched Barrier(s) at the Birmingham Rep (our BSL group block-booked!) - what a fantastic and relevant piece of theatre, if you have the chance to see the last few dates do so (or indeed any Deafinitely Theatre productions) www.birmingham-rep.co.uk/whats-on/bar...

UKGovCamp 2026 Registration Our next annual in-person event is: free to attend, in Birmingham, on Saturday 17 January 2026. Please note: Registration does not guarantee a ticket because: the event is always oversubscribed,...

What topics are you curious to explore at UKGovCamp 2026?

Whether it is digital transformation, service design, AI, accessibility, policy, or collaboration, share your thoughts in the comments!

Register today for UKGovCamp 2026 (17 Jan 2026 in Brum): forms.gle/tL5q1ZBHYxAq...

UKGovCamp 2026 Registration Our next annual in-person event is: free to attend, in Birmingham, on Saturday 17 January 2026. Please note: Registration does not guarantee a ticket because: the event is always oversubscribed,...

Register is open for UKGovCamp 2026!

Join us on 17 January 2026 for a free, community-led unconference where public sector people meet to share ideas, collaborate, and improve services.

Spaces are limited. Secure your spot today: forms.gle/tL5q1ZBHYxAq...

Georgia and Amy from Nova Twins on stage holding a large Amnesty International banner that reads 'Love over Hate' between them

Nova Twins definitely worth the ticket app hassle, they are bloody fantastic live; so much stagecraft and such a unique wall of sound

TransformGov Talks : October 2025 · Luma Join us at 5.30pm for a 6pm start. Ed Humpherson, Office for Statistics Regulation, on why 'transformation' has been so challenging for official statistics. Dr…

🚨 6PM, WED 29 October 🚨

At the MoJ or online

Ed Humpherson, Office for Statistics Regulation, on why 'transformation' has been so challenging for official statistics

​Dr Lauren Petrie, Government Internal Audit Agency, on the GIAA's work with data and AI

luma.com/3c92r9qr

Please share! Thanks 🙏

It actively makes me want to avoid seeing live music, which I guess is fine as I've already fulfilled my purpose of handing money to a raft of third party twats, with only a fraction going to an artist I will see on stage for less time than it took for me to set up the ability to view my ticket

Buying and viewing gig tickets from seller to obligatory venue app is a clusterfuck of bad UX, terrible integration and unnecessary appception, with nob-all thought to accessibility even if you do have a smartphone and data, all packaged up in an egregious, labyrinthine, monopolistic box of bullshit

The final Product for the People of 2025 is going to be in Newcastle (Howay the Toon!) on the 21st November - sign up here www.tickettailor.com/events/produ...

#ukgc26 #ukgovcamp | Imran Hussain We’re really excited to be doing our first UK GovCamp event outside London, on Saturday 17th January at Birmingham City Council House. We need sponsor support more than ever to make the event happen. ...

LinkedIn crosspost, but GovCamp is breaking out of London and coming to Birmingham in January, and we need sponsorship more than ever to make it happen www.linkedin.com/posts/imhuyo...

Bull-Ready for UKGovCamp 2026: Registration Opening Soon!

We are pleased to announce that UKGovCamp will be making its first-ever visit to Birmingham on 17th January 2026!

Stay tuned to our channels to secure your place and be part of Birmingham’s first UKGovCamp!

Oh and worth pointing out, the audit flag was on the word 'Cymraeg' which is displayed on all pages as the call to action for language toggling

It did, and because it's reader-side and vendor specific we've not been able to address, we looked at spelling phonetically etc but nothing is very elegant. For what it's worth it hasn't caused any undue confusion in UR, just as an advisory flag against WCAG audit

Bilingual Content Designer (Welsh and English) :National

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...

Introducing the GOV Reuse Library The GOV Reuse Library is a new cross-government initiative designed to help teams work smarter, faster, and more collaboratively by reusing proven digital service components. Developed by the Ministry...

mojdigital.blog.gov.uk/2025/10/02/i...

Tony Harrison, poet and dramatist, dies aged 88 Known for his outspoken politics, the author was acclaimed for work in theatre, opera, film and TV but wanted to be thought of as a poet above all

What a huge loss www.theguardian.com/books/2025/s...

Photo of a magazine article showing pictures of Jemima D, a red and green narrow boat, on a wooded canal. The title reads 'Private syndicate boat seeks 12th joint owner'

Our little narrow boat co-op has reached the glitzy heights of Waterways World!

Banger of an intro paragraph

When I see people write like this about finance, it spurs me to be braver in my own writing.

Very very well done @dsquareddigest.bsky.social

on.ft.com/47ZzGzI The grimdark future of credit risk models

Happy International Day of Birmingham, and alright bab to those who celebrate www.birmingham.gov.uk/news/article...