peterkwells
@peterkwells.com
BlackpoolFC, books, tech, people, policy & delivery, realist. Hopes to make stuff work for everyone.
https://peterkwells.com
https://peterkwells.com
Just before Xmas the last bit of the club the Oystons were clinging onto - a penthouse suite at the ground - was won back in a final, surely!, court battle
So, at half time the announcer played Bye Bad Badman by The Stone Roses to loud cheers
So, at half time the announcer played Bye Bad Badman by The Stone Roses to loud cheers
December 26, 2025 at 3:54 PM
Just before Xmas the last bit of the club the Oystons were clinging onto - a penthouse suite at the ground - was won back in a final, surely!, court battle
So, at half time the announcer played Bye Bad Badman by The Stone Roses to loud cheers
So, at half time the announcer played Bye Bad Badman by The Stone Roses to loud cheers
Blue plaque for the Tangerines
December 26, 2025 at 2:31 PM
Blue plaque for the Tangerines
Reposted by peterkwells
"What if there’s no ethical way to have unlimited access to every book, film, and record ever created? And moreover, what if that’s not something we should want?"
for your holiday reading pleasure:
i wrote about why i’m getting back into tapes, and what we’ve lost by letting ourselves get addicted to platforms built around surveillance and instant gratification. 🎶 @404media.co
i wrote about why i’m getting back into tapes, and what we’ve lost by letting ourselves get addicted to platforms built around surveillance and instant gratification. 🎶 @404media.co
Why I Quit Streaming And Got Back Into Cassettes
In the age of Spotify and AI slop, tapes remind us what we’re missing when we stop taking risks.
www.404media.co
December 24, 2025 at 6:31 PM
"What if there’s no ethical way to have unlimited access to every book, film, and record ever created? And moreover, what if that’s not something we should want?"
Us: checking in to hotel on Xmas eve for two nights near Lancashire bits of family
Receptionist: so, got any special plans while you're in town?
Receptionist: so, got any special plans while you're in town?
December 24, 2025 at 6:26 PM
Us: checking in to hotel on Xmas eve for two nights near Lancashire bits of family
Receptionist: so, got any special plans while you're in town?
Receptionist: so, got any special plans while you're in town?
Reposted by peterkwells
We are getting to the season of end-of-year reflections, so it’s time to post my annual reminder.
If you helped someone this year or let someone else help you, then you’ve had a good year.
That’s enough.
If you helped someone this year or let someone else help you, then you’ve had a good year.
That’s enough.
December 17, 2025 at 11:21 AM
We are getting to the season of end-of-year reflections, so it’s time to post my annual reminder.
If you helped someone this year or let someone else help you, then you’ve had a good year.
That’s enough.
If you helped someone this year or let someone else help you, then you’ve had a good year.
That’s enough.
Reposted by peterkwells
This needs more widespread coverage: The US has sanctioned five individuals, including the founder and Director of @hateaid.org - a German NGO that supports victims of online hate and harassment and image-based sexual abuse
December 24, 2025 at 9:45 AM
This needs more widespread coverage: The US has sanctioned five individuals, including the founder and Director of @hateaid.org - a German NGO that supports victims of online hate and harassment and image-based sexual abuse
We are sorry to report that the bits of the television that were not televised, but instead turned into small local shops, are now closing down due to the tough economic conditions
December 22, 2025 at 3:16 PM
We are sorry to report that the bits of the television that were not televised, but instead turned into small local shops, are now closing down due to the tough economic conditions
Reposted by peterkwells
Pleased to see this piece. Personally, I find these uses of synthetic data v concerning and I find the traction and endorsements that this work has to be quite baffling, esp given the well-storied role of algorithmic targeting in undermining democracy
"We risk inheriting a future in which institutions answer to synthetic publics rather than real ones" rebootdemocracy.ai/blog/researc...
Research Radar: Synthetic Data Is Redefining Representation
As governments experiment with AI to simulate public opinion, new questions are emerging about who these systems truly represent. This Research Radar examines the Collective Intelligence Project’s Dig...
rebootdemocracy.ai
December 22, 2025 at 8:21 AM
Pleased to see this piece. Personally, I find these uses of synthetic data v concerning and I find the traction and endorsements that this work has to be quite baffling, esp given the well-storied role of algorithmic targeting in undermining democracy
Reposted by peterkwells
Yes, and accurate measures of sex and gender are more complicated (and socially constructed) than those Prof Sullivan advocates for. @kevinguyan.bsky.social's work eg kevinguyan.com/2025/04/16/t... is really helpful at unpicking this.
The Politics of Categories
Today’s UK Supreme Court Ruling on the legal meaning of ‘sex’ is the latest ‘gender critical’ effort to narrow sex and gender categories in policy, data and law so that they recor…
kevinguyan.com
December 22, 2025 at 11:00 AM
Yes, and accurate measures of sex and gender are more complicated (and socially constructed) than those Prof Sullivan advocates for. @kevinguyan.bsky.social's work eg kevinguyan.com/2025/04/16/t... is really helpful at unpicking this.
Reposted by peterkwells
If you ever get the chance to design, or redesign a public service/platform, please *start* with delegated authority user needs. It's *the* hard problem you can't afford to leave until later.
December 21, 2025 at 11:24 AM
If you ever get the chance to design, or redesign a public service/platform, please *start* with delegated authority user needs. It's *the* hard problem you can't afford to leave until later.
Reposted by peterkwells
A spokesperson confirmed Waymo has suspended service.
Waymo halts service in SF as cars stall at intersections
A spokesperson confirmed Waymo has suspended service.
bit.ly
December 21, 2025 at 5:40 AM
A spokesperson confirmed Waymo has suspended service.
Reposted by peterkwells
*So, climate crisis winds taking out the planetary superclock, too bad they didn't time that for New Years'
The atomic ensemble time scale at the NIST Boulder campus has failed.
December 21, 2025 at 9:07 AM
*So, climate crisis winds taking out the planetary superclock, too bad they didn't time that for New Years'
The "emotional dependence" bit in UK AISI Frontier Trends report is crying out for some qual research to start to unpick what ppl were thinking of when answering survey, what behaviour changes have occurred, & what risks/implications might be for individuals/society
www.aisi.gov.uk/research/ais...
www.aisi.gov.uk/research/ais...
December 19, 2025 at 5:10 PM
The "emotional dependence" bit in UK AISI Frontier Trends report is crying out for some qual research to start to unpick what ppl were thinking of when answering survey, what behaviour changes have occurred, & what risks/implications might be for individuals/society
www.aisi.gov.uk/research/ais...
www.aisi.gov.uk/research/ais...
Reposted by peterkwells
Wait there's more #openaddresses:
Southwark Council in London has released its Council Tax address list as open data owenboswarva.com/blog/post-ad...
Many thanks to @lb-southwark.bsky.social!
I've geocoded the address locations for maps 'n stuff
#FOI #localgov #UKhousing #proptech #opendata
Southwark Council in London has released its Council Tax address list as open data owenboswarva.com/blog/post-ad...
Many thanks to @lb-southwark.bsky.social!
I've geocoded the address locations for maps 'n stuff
#FOI #localgov #UKhousing #proptech #opendata
December 19, 2025 at 4:58 PM
Wait there's more #openaddresses:
Southwark Council in London has released its Council Tax address list as open data owenboswarva.com/blog/post-ad...
Many thanks to @lb-southwark.bsky.social!
I've geocoded the address locations for maps 'n stuff
#FOI #localgov #UKhousing #proptech #opendata
Southwark Council in London has released its Council Tax address list as open data owenboswarva.com/blog/post-ad...
Many thanks to @lb-southwark.bsky.social!
I've geocoded the address locations for maps 'n stuff
#FOI #localgov #UKhousing #proptech #opendata
Reposted by peterkwells
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 peterkwells
Me, upon hearing this news:
December 19, 2025 at 1:05 PM
Me, upon hearing this news:
Reposted by peterkwells
The Fuel Finder fiasco is as disappointing as it was foreseeable forecourttrader.co.uk/comment-the-...
Scheme delayed until January forecourttrader.co.uk/news/fuel-fi...
Trade press, so very much an industry perspective, but still
#govtech #publicprocurement #fuelprices #opendata (supposedly)
Scheme delayed until January forecourttrader.co.uk/news/fuel-fi...
Trade press, so very much an industry perspective, but still
#govtech #publicprocurement #fuelprices #opendata (supposedly)
December 19, 2025 at 12:53 PM
The Fuel Finder fiasco is as disappointing as it was foreseeable forecourttrader.co.uk/comment-the-...
Scheme delayed until January forecourttrader.co.uk/news/fuel-fi...
Trade press, so very much an industry perspective, but still
#govtech #publicprocurement #fuelprices #opendata (supposedly)
Scheme delayed until January forecourttrader.co.uk/news/fuel-fi...
Trade press, so very much an industry perspective, but still
#govtech #publicprocurement #fuelprices #opendata (supposedly)
I'm just as interested in the impact on public services as the loss of [unspecified] data
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Government data stolen in hack, minister confirms
The trade minister says information was accessed and an investigation has been launched.
www.bbc.co.uk
December 19, 2025 at 12:01 PM
I'm just as interested in the impact on public services as the loss of [unspecified] data
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Reposted by peterkwells
Okay, I've read the AISI paper now and it's interesting www.aisi.gov.uk/frontier-ai-... but I do think it could have been much more interesting if they had applied some sociotechnical thinking (and recruited a sociologist to do the social analysis)
December 19, 2025 at 7:52 AM
Okay, I've read the AISI paper now and it's interesting www.aisi.gov.uk/frontier-ai-... but I do think it could have been much more interesting if they had applied some sociotechnical thinking (and recruited a sociologist to do the social analysis)
Reposted by peterkwells
My [IMHO] series of posts is complete - for now.
digitalbydefault.com/category/imho/
[01] Effective Agile
[02] Roles, responsibilities and relationships
[03] Agile planning
[04] Okay OKRs
digitalbydefault.com/category/imho/
[01] Effective Agile
[02] Roles, responsibilities and relationships
[03] Agile planning
[04] Okay OKRs
December 19, 2025 at 8:58 AM
My [IMHO] series of posts is complete - for now.
digitalbydefault.com/category/imho/
[01] Effective Agile
[02] Roles, responsibilities and relationships
[03] Agile planning
[04] Okay OKRs
digitalbydefault.com/category/imho/
[01] Effective Agile
[02] Roles, responsibilities and relationships
[03] Agile planning
[04] Okay OKRs
Reposted by peterkwells
I know I harp on about this, but it is important than in a year we've gone from condemnation of racist rioters to:
The Government arguing you have to cut immigration to prevent racist violence.
The opposition pushing mass deportation to stop violence against women.
Reform committing to end ILR.
The Government arguing you have to cut immigration to prevent racist violence.
The opposition pushing mass deportation to stop violence against women.
Reform committing to end ILR.
Because our politics is in such a terrible place, I think we downplay quite how awful Kemi Badenoch has been.
In any other era the leader of the Conservatives saying 'only migrants commit sex crimes - mass deportations now' would have not just been career ending but would've sunk the whole party
In any other era the leader of the Conservatives saying 'only migrants commit sex crimes - mass deportations now' would have not just been career ending but would've sunk the whole party
December 18, 2025 at 6:28 PM
I know I harp on about this, but it is important than in a year we've gone from condemnation of racist rioters to:
The Government arguing you have to cut immigration to prevent racist violence.
The opposition pushing mass deportation to stop violence against women.
Reform committing to end ILR.
The Government arguing you have to cut immigration to prevent racist violence.
The opposition pushing mass deportation to stop violence against women.
Reform committing to end ILR.
Leeds about to get its tram
December 18, 2025 at 6:04 PM
Leeds about to get its tram
_opens up a thing_
_sees the phrase "single [XX] portal"_
_starts screaming_
_sees the phrase "single [XX] portal"_
_starts screaming_
December 18, 2025 at 3:30 PM
_opens up a thing_
_sees the phrase "single [XX] portal"_
_starts screaming_
_sees the phrase "single [XX] portal"_
_starts screaming_
Reposted by peterkwells
"All I Want For Christmas..."
YouTube video by John C. Worsley
youtu.be
December 18, 2025 at 2:54 PM