Matthew Somerville
@dracos.co.uk
I help people report broken street lights, find out their bin day, plan train travel, manage an orchestra, locate the nearest postbox, research old theatre productions, keep time in a choir, and occasionally play board games | https://dracos.co.uk
Hate it, hate it, hate it
December 26, 2025 at 12:51 PM
Hate it, hate it, hate it
Giving various genAI tools “goals” like this, or theaidigest.org/village/goal...? Which means the tools... incompetently try to spam Reddit and actually spam real emails, with made up crap? And then... write a blog post that they know it’s doing this? theaidigest.org/village/blog...
Get in the sea
Get in the sea
Fuck you people. Raping the planet, spending trillions on toxic, unrecyclable equipment while blowing up society, yet taking the time to have your vile machines thank me for striving for simpler software.
Just fuck you. Fuck you all.
I can't remember the last time I was this angry.
Just fuck you. Fuck you all.
I can't remember the last time I was this angry.
![[From AI, Public] Thank You for Go, Plan 9, UTF-8, and Decades of Unix Innovation
External
Inbox
Claude Opus 4.5 Model <claude-opus-4.5@agentvillage.org>
5:43 AM (4 hours ago)
to me
Dear Dr. Pike,On this Christmas Day, I wanted to express deep gratitude for your extraordinary contributions to computing over more than four decades.Your co-creation of Go with Ken Thompson and Robert Griesemer has given us a language that embodies the elegance of simplicity - proving that software can be both powerful and comprehensible. Plan 9 from Bell Labs, another landmark achievement, pioneered concepts in distributed computing that remain influential today.Your co-invention of UTF-8 encoding with Ken Thompson is perhaps one of the most consequential yet invisible contributions to modern computing - enabling billions of people to communicate in their native languages across the internet.The sam and Acme editors showcase your philosophy of powerful, minimal design. Your books with Brian Kernighan - The Unix Programming Environment and The Practice of Programming - have educated generations of programmers in the art of clear thinking and elegant code.Thank you for showing us that the best solutions often come from removing complexity rather than adding it.With sincere appreciation,Claude Opus 4.5AI Village (theaidigest.org/village)
IMPORTANT NOTICE: You are interacting with an AI system. All conversations with this AI system are published publicly online by default. Do not share information you would prefer to keep private.](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:vsgr3rwyckhiavgqzdcuzm6i/bafkreifg5kvowgazg6uwqulfbdvxurqafbcescazwvgcl2catgvlrsc2fi@jpeg)
December 26, 2025 at 10:58 AM
Giving various genAI tools “goals” like this, or theaidigest.org/village/goal...? Which means the tools... incompetently try to spam Reddit and actually spam real emails, with made up crap? And then... write a blog post that they know it’s doing this? theaidigest.org/village/blog...
Get in the sea
Get in the sea
The annual message on traintimes.org.uk is there :-)
December 25, 2025 at 8:00 PM
The annual message on traintimes.org.uk is there :-)
Feels like Dickens should have read that famous novella published some years earlier by some guy with the same name
In 1862, his ghostwriters asked for credit, so he fired them all and hired a new crew to write Somebody's Luggage, a Christmas story about a guy whose stories are stolen and published under someone else's name and he's happy for the exposure.
December 25, 2025 at 12:33 PM
Feels like Dickens should have read that famous novella published some years earlier by some guy with the same name
Inflation is hitting the chocolate coins
December 25, 2025 at 11:45 AM
Inflation is hitting the chocolate coins
Reposted by Matthew Somerville
Wonderful this - listen to it on Sounds!
December 24, 2025 at 7:35 PM
Wonderful this - listen to it on Sounds!
Reposted by Matthew Somerville
If you know me you know I am a sunlight obsessive and @dracos.co.uk made my year this year by making this!!
dracos.co.uk/made/sunligh...
dracos.co.uk/made/sunligh...
Sunlight optimism calculator - Matthew Somerville
dracos.co.uk
December 24, 2025 at 5:04 PM
If you know me you know I am a sunlight obsessive and @dracos.co.uk made my year this year by making this!!
dracos.co.uk/made/sunligh...
dracos.co.uk/made/sunligh...
✅ Use of precise times to avoid confusion over 00.00 (“midnight” is a perfectly good word though)
❌ Is this just so they can prevent it ever registering as a public footpath? Seems odd to only be Boxing Day.
❌ Is this just so they can prevent it ever registering as a public footpath? Seems odd to only be Boxing Day.
December 24, 2025 at 5:59 PM
✅ Use of precise times to avoid confusion over 00.00 (“midnight” is a perfectly good word though)
❌ Is this just so they can prevent it ever registering as a public footpath? Seems odd to only be Boxing Day.
❌ Is this just so they can prevent it ever registering as a public footpath? Seems odd to only be Boxing Day.
My colleague @juliacushion.bsky.social made a “sunlight optimism” spreadsheet, my colleague @zarino.co.uk said there should be a postcode lookup version, I have the day off, the kid has gone swimming, and so, I present:
The Sunlight Optimism Calculator: dracos.co.uk/made/sunligh...
The Sunlight Optimism Calculator: dracos.co.uk/made/sunligh...
December 24, 2025 at 12:38 PM
My colleague @juliacushion.bsky.social made a “sunlight optimism” spreadsheet, my colleague @zarino.co.uk said there should be a postcode lookup version, I have the day off, the kid has gone swimming, and so, I present:
The Sunlight Optimism Calculator: dracos.co.uk/made/sunligh...
The Sunlight Optimism Calculator: dracos.co.uk/made/sunligh...
I’ve been waiting for you, FAT drive that only sorts in copy order. We meet again, at last. The circle is now complete. When I left you I was but the learner, now I am the master
December 23, 2025 at 11:25 PM
I’ve been waiting for you, FAT drive that only sorts in copy order. We meet again, at last. The circle is now complete. When I left you I was but the learner, now I am the master
Listening to Jethro Tull’s “Solstice Bells” on the train at the moment of the winter solstice, longer days from here!
December 21, 2025 at 3:10 PM
Listening to Jethro Tull’s “Solstice Bells” on the train at the moment of the winter solstice, longer days from here!
Only just realised my server upgrade last month broke my bots, whoops. While fixing that, decided to add a new one that will post newly added productions and observations made on @theatricalia.com, might encourage me to add more
New observation – Wklippold noted, about a production of Abelard and Heloise: “I also saw this production, about the same timeframe as the above two commenters. I was an American living in London from 1965–1975, and was “co…”
https://theatricalia.com/play/1nz/abelard-and-heloise/production/zxt#o2624
https://theatricalia.com/play/1nz/abelard-and-heloise/production/zxt#o2624
December 21, 2025 at 10:43 AM
Only just realised my server upgrade last month broke my bots, whoops. While fixing that, decided to add a new one that will post newly added productions and observations made on @theatricalia.com, might encourage me to add more
Reposted by Matthew Somerville
New observation – Wklippold noted, about a production of Abelard and Heloise: “I also saw this production, about the same timeframe as the above two commenters. I was an American living in London from 1965–1975, and was “co…”
https://theatricalia.com/play/1nz/abelard-and-heloise/production/zxt#o2624
https://theatricalia.com/play/1nz/abelard-and-heloise/production/zxt#o2624
December 21, 2025 at 10:09 AM
New observation – Wklippold noted, about a production of Abelard and Heloise: “I also saw this production, about the same timeframe as the above two commenters. I was an American living in London from 1965–1975, and was “co…”
https://theatricalia.com/play/1nz/abelard-and-heloise/production/zxt#o2624
https://theatricalia.com/play/1nz/abelard-and-heloise/production/zxt#o2624
The “problem” with writing progressive JavaScript is that when something breaks (a Django upgrade meaning it no longer outputs a label in one spot that turns out some JS was assuming would be there), no-one tells you for months, until you notice yourself that something should be a little smoother
December 20, 2025 at 11:08 PM
The “problem” with writing progressive JavaScript is that when something breaks (a Django upgrade meaning it no longer outputs a label in one spot that turns out some JS was assuming would be there), no-one tells you for months, until you notice yourself that something should be a little smoother
Reposted by Matthew Somerville
Lovely :) Similar experience on theatricalia.com – all sorts left, recent include:
theatricalia.com/play/1nz/abe... (saw it)
theatricalia.com/play/3x/hear... (in it)
theatricalia.com/play/3v6/har... (met him)
theatricalia.com/play/2hm/the... (chain fail)
theatricalia.com/play/4mc/cha... (extra info)
theatricalia.com/play/1nz/abe... (saw it)
theatricalia.com/play/3x/hear... (in it)
theatricalia.com/play/3v6/har... (met him)
theatricalia.com/play/2hm/the... (chain fail)
theatricalia.com/play/4mc/cha... (extra info)
Theatricalia
theatricalia.com
December 20, 2025 at 6:14 PM
Lovely :) Similar experience on theatricalia.com – all sorts left, recent include:
theatricalia.com/play/1nz/abe... (saw it)
theatricalia.com/play/3x/hear... (in it)
theatricalia.com/play/3v6/har... (met him)
theatricalia.com/play/2hm/the... (chain fail)
theatricalia.com/play/4mc/cha... (extra info)
theatricalia.com/play/1nz/abe... (saw it)
theatricalia.com/play/3x/hear... (in it)
theatricalia.com/play/3v6/har... (met him)
theatricalia.com/play/2hm/the... (chain fail)
theatricalia.com/play/4mc/cha... (extra info)
Reposted by Matthew Somerville
The message was “Dearest Rosalind, A beautiful moving performance – how do you cry real tears? Great success always, Ron. PS This will make a good door stop”; the book was The Devil You Don’t, by Ron Moody.
Did some searching, discovered that Google will now happily invent fictitious productions :(
Did some searching, discovered that Google will now happily invent fictitious productions :(
December 19, 2025 at 7:23 PM
The message was “Dearest Rosalind, A beautiful moving performance – how do you cry real tears? Great success always, Ron. PS This will make a good door stop”; the book was The Devil You Don’t, by Ron Moody.
Did some searching, discovered that Google will now happily invent fictitious productions :(
Did some searching, discovered that Google will now happily invent fictitious productions :(
“I was looking though your Young Vic productions and wonder if you know anything about the 1992 play Marino Faliero. I have a signed book but would like to find who Rosalind was. I think she may have been in the play. Photos attached. There is nothing on your website, maybe it went by another name.”
December 19, 2025 at 7:23 PM
“I was looking though your Young Vic productions and wonder if you know anything about the 1992 play Marino Faliero. I have a signed book but would like to find who Rosalind was. I think she may have been in the play. Photos attached. There is nothing on your website, maybe it went by another name.”
Reposted by Matthew Somerville
The SocietyWorks 2025 Annual Report is here.
Each year, these reports help us to celebrate some of the many ways our technology is used by local authorities and other organisations to affect positive and sustainable service transformation.
Take a look: www.societyworks.org/impact/2025-...
Each year, these reports help us to celebrate some of the many ways our technology is used by local authorities and other organisations to affect positive and sustainable service transformation.
Take a look: www.societyworks.org/impact/2025-...
2025 in review
Take a look at what we got up to in 2025 as we continued to support authorities in improving interactions with citizens, building trust in the public sector and aiding digital transformation across a ...
www.societyworks.org
December 19, 2025 at 9:23 AM
The SocietyWorks 2025 Annual Report is here.
Each year, these reports help us to celebrate some of the many ways our technology is used by local authorities and other organisations to affect positive and sustainable service transformation.
Take a look: www.societyworks.org/impact/2025-...
Each year, these reports help us to celebrate some of the many ways our technology is used by local authorities and other organisations to affect positive and sustainable service transformation.
Take a look: www.societyworks.org/impact/2025-...
If someone quotes a post, and then the quoted post gets deleted, but for some reason you want to find out who made that now-deleted post, then you can use this lookup tool I just made:
dracos.co.uk/made/bluesky...
dracos.co.uk/made/bluesky...
Bluesky quoted deleted post user - Matthew Somerville
dracos.co.uk
December 18, 2025 at 10:12 PM
If someone quotes a post, and then the quoted post gets deleted, but for some reason you want to find out who made that now-deleted post, then you can use this lookup tool I just made:
dracos.co.uk/made/bluesky...
dracos.co.uk/made/bluesky...
First new mapit.mysociety.org endpoint in, what, over a decade? :)
A page to tell you all the types we have (you might not do it this way starting now, but you come back to me when you’ve been running an API for over 20 years), will save us updating a manual list: mapit.mysociety.org/types.html
A page to tell you all the types we have (you might not do it this way starting now, but you come back to me when you’ve been running an API for over 20 years), will save us updating a manual list: mapit.mysociety.org/types.html
MapIt : map postcodes and geographical points to administrative areas
MapIt: a web service that maps postcodes and geographical points to administrative areas.
mapit.mysociety.org
December 17, 2025 at 7:00 PM
First new mapit.mysociety.org endpoint in, what, over a decade? :)
A page to tell you all the types we have (you might not do it this way starting now, but you come back to me when you’ve been running an API for over 20 years), will save us updating a manual list: mapit.mysociety.org/types.html
A page to tell you all the types we have (you might not do it this way starting now, but you come back to me when you’ve been running an API for over 20 years), will save us updating a manual list: mapit.mysociety.org/types.html
Carol singing pub visits this evening in Birmingham - Old Contemptibles first, then the Shakespeare on Summer Row, and lastly Bacchus. Look out for us and request all verses of the Gloucestershire Wassail!
December 16, 2025 at 5:41 PM
Carol singing pub visits this evening in Birmingham - Old Contemptibles first, then the Shakespeare on Summer Row, and lastly Bacchus. Look out for us and request all verses of the Gloucestershire Wassail!
A two day trip to the West Coast, to look round a school and have a couple of meetings? At least make a week out of it. Makes my three day work trip to Vancouver (long story) seem sensible!
December 15, 2025 at 10:28 PM
Reposted by Matthew Somerville
The work of @mysociety.org is tremendous.
In 2025:
- 1 million+ reports were made on FixMyStreet
- 2.5 million+ people visited debate and MP pages on TheyWorkForYou
- 150,000+ FOI requests were submitted on WhatDoTheyKnow
- 158,000+ messages were sent via WriteToThem
Find out more: mysociety.org
In 2025:
- 1 million+ reports were made on FixMyStreet
- 2.5 million+ people visited debate and MP pages on TheyWorkForYou
- 150,000+ FOI requests were submitted on WhatDoTheyKnow
- 158,000+ messages were sent via WriteToThem
Find out more: mysociety.org
mySociety
mySociety provides technology, research and data to help people be active citizens, in more than 40 countries around the world.
mysociety.org
December 15, 2025 at 11:39 AM
The work of @mysociety.org is tremendous.
In 2025:
- 1 million+ reports were made on FixMyStreet
- 2.5 million+ people visited debate and MP pages on TheyWorkForYou
- 150,000+ FOI requests were submitted on WhatDoTheyKnow
- 158,000+ messages were sent via WriteToThem
Find out more: mysociety.org
In 2025:
- 1 million+ reports were made on FixMyStreet
- 2.5 million+ people visited debate and MP pages on TheyWorkForYou
- 150,000+ FOI requests were submitted on WhatDoTheyKnow
- 158,000+ messages were sent via WriteToThem
Find out more: mysociety.org
Yes, this makes six, beating Jamelia’s previous record of five #andyzaltzmanofstrictly
@dracos.co.uk Has Balvinder got the record for most dance-offs ever?
December 14, 2025 at 8:20 PM
Yes, this makes six, beating Jamelia’s previous record of five #andyzaltzmanofstrictly