Ben #ActNow 🔥🌳🌊
@benaldo.bsky.social
People+planet-centred Service Designer / Product Manager
Service Manual & Service Standard, GDS, DSIT
Woke
he/him
Service Manual & Service Standard, GDS, DSIT
Woke
he/him
Just 23 days til the evenings start getting lighter again.
November 24, 2025 at 4:31 PM
Just 23 days til the evenings start getting lighter again.
Sprouts prepped and frozen.
November 24, 2025 at 3:09 PM
Sprouts prepped and frozen.
And today, 5 hours of Hegemony. It promises so much, but.... I don't think we're playing it very smartly.
Matt, who played the working classes and got double the points of anyone else, would disagree.
Still, nice to sit around eating crisps and doing colourful admin all afternoon.
#boardgames
Matt, who played the working classes and got double the points of anyone else, would disagree.
Still, nice to sit around eating crisps and doing colourful admin all afternoon.
#boardgames
November 23, 2025 at 6:20 PM
And today, 5 hours of Hegemony. It promises so much, but.... I don't think we're playing it very smartly.
Matt, who played the working classes and got double the points of anyone else, would disagree.
Still, nice to sit around eating crisps and doing colourful admin all afternoon.
#boardgames
Matt, who played the working classes and got double the points of anyone else, would disagree.
Still, nice to sit around eating crisps and doing colourful admin all afternoon.
#boardgames
When people refer to "nature advocates", or environmentalists, or nature lovers... who is _not_ those things?
Who on earth would advocate _against_ nature, or the environment, when it is the foundation of every thing we've built our human world on?
www.theguardian.com/environment/...
Who on earth would advocate _against_ nature, or the environment, when it is the foundation of every thing we've built our human world on?
www.theguardian.com/environment/...
End of fossil fuel era inches closer as Cop30 deal agreed after bitter standoff
Wealthy countries should triple funds for countries to tackle climate impacts, but deforestation and critical minerals blocked from final deal
www.theguardian.com
November 22, 2025 at 10:43 PM
When people refer to "nature advocates", or environmentalists, or nature lovers... who is _not_ those things?
Who on earth would advocate _against_ nature, or the environment, when it is the foundation of every thing we've built our human world on?
www.theguardian.com/environment/...
Who on earth would advocate _against_ nature, or the environment, when it is the foundation of every thing we've built our human world on?
www.theguardian.com/environment/...
Time for another photo of Dune Imperium: Uprising, and another assertion that it's the best game.
Especially when I win by a point after an epic comeback.
#boardgames
Especially when I win by a point after an epic comeback.
#boardgames
November 22, 2025 at 9:10 PM
Time for another photo of Dune Imperium: Uprising, and another assertion that it's the best game.
Especially when I win by a point after an epic comeback.
#boardgames
Especially when I win by a point after an epic comeback.
#boardgames
thanks Travelodge for banging on my door when I was asleep, not explaining who you were, demanding my name, and leaving me to phone reception on a premium rate phone line to ask what the hell was going on, to be told "I was just checking you were in the right room".
November 20, 2025 at 9:29 AM
thanks Travelodge for banging on my door when I was asleep, not explaining who you were, demanding my name, and leaving me to phone reception on a premium rate phone line to ask what the hell was going on, to be told "I was just checking you were in the right room".
Arctic air arriving so thought we'd have both wood burners out of action for a week and a hole in the kitchen ceiling, and just rely on the air source heat pump.
November 17, 2025 at 6:22 PM
Arctic air arriving so thought we'd have both wood burners out of action for a week and a hole in the kitchen ceiling, and just rely on the air source heat pump.
In govt, I think the point of all that stuff is to build a dam against the Waterfall? #govdesign
<rant> A periodic reminder that Sprints, Backlogs, Daily Scrums, Scrum Boards, Scrum Masters, Product Owners, Points, Velocity, PIs, etc., have NOTHING AT ALL to do with "Agile." Agility comes from working small, delivering frequently for feedback from actual customers, and adapting based on
1/3
1/3
November 16, 2025 at 10:11 AM
In govt, I think the point of all that stuff is to build a dam against the Waterfall? #govdesign
I can see why IMDB users gave A House Of Dynamite just 6.4 - maybe frustrated by incompleteness, needing a happy or unhappy ending? I think with 2 more minutes of storyline it might've been an 8.
Fascinating look behind the madness of nuclear weapons.
www.imdb.com/title/tt3237...
Fascinating look behind the madness of nuclear weapons.
www.imdb.com/title/tt3237...
A House of Dynamite (2025) ⭐ 6.4 | Drama, Thriller
1h 52m | R
www.imdb.com
November 16, 2025 at 10:04 AM
I can see why IMDB users gave A House Of Dynamite just 6.4 - maybe frustrated by incompleteness, needing a happy or unhappy ending? I think with 2 more minutes of storyline it might've been an 8.
Fascinating look behind the madness of nuclear weapons.
www.imdb.com/title/tt3237...
Fascinating look behind the madness of nuclear weapons.
www.imdb.com/title/tt3237...
"The question is whether spare time released [by using AI tools] really translates into frontline care. Or, does it actually provide capacity that’s consumed by more admin?"
I get frustrated by the press release culture around time savings from AI tools. I couldn't resist responding to a recent one about Microsoft Copilot in the NHS. There's still a missing step of being able to reimagine the future of work with technology benholliday.com/2025/10/23/4...
43 minutes per staff member per day
Looking at the latest NHS framing of time savings from investment in AI, and the continued need to better reimagine how we work with technology.
benholliday.com
November 15, 2025 at 1:37 PM
"The question is whether spare time released [by using AI tools] really translates into frontline care. Or, does it actually provide capacity that’s consumed by more admin?"
"The question is whether spare time released really translates into frontline care. Or, does it actually provide capacity that’s consumed by more admin?"
I get frustrated by the press release culture around time savings from AI tools. I couldn't resist responding to a recent one about Microsoft Copilot in the NHS. There's still a missing step of being able to reimagine the future of work with technology benholliday.com/2025/10/23/4...
43 minutes per staff member per day
Looking at the latest NHS framing of time savings from investment in AI, and the continued need to better reimagine how we work with technology.
benholliday.com
November 15, 2025 at 10:41 AM
"The question is whether spare time released really translates into frontline care. Or, does it actually provide capacity that’s consumed by more admin?"
Some #weeknotes from the #GDS Service Standard & Service Manual team:
🖋️ Looking at how a senior 'Managing Editor' + strategy + singular IA might help GDS organise and improve its wide array of often-not-very-well-joined-up-or-designed content products
1/6 #govdesign
🖋️ Looking at how a senior 'Managing Editor' + strategy + singular IA might help GDS organise and improve its wide array of often-not-very-well-joined-up-or-designed content products
1/6 #govdesign
Short week for me, not in tomorrow or Friday, so... #weeknotes from GDS's Service Standard & Service Manual team...
🤧🏖️ Lots of lurgy and holidays in our little crew, and at homes
🤸 Arranging more refresher training in Agile services
1/3 #govdesign #gds
🤧🏖️ Lots of lurgy and holidays in our little crew, and at homes
🤸 Arranging more refresher training in Agile services
1/3 #govdesign #gds
🙇 Sorry it's been a while, but here are some #weeknotes, or #quarternotes, from GDS's Service Standard & Service Manual team. We've been...
🏉 Getting the new team together, shaping our roadmap for continuous improvement
1/6 #govdesign #gds
🏉 Getting the new team together, shaping our roadmap for continuous improvement
1/6 #govdesign #gds
November 14, 2025 at 3:04 PM
Some #weeknotes from the #GDS Service Standard & Service Manual team:
🖋️ Looking at how a senior 'Managing Editor' + strategy + singular IA might help GDS organise and improve its wide array of often-not-very-well-joined-up-or-designed content products
1/6 #govdesign
🖋️ Looking at how a senior 'Managing Editor' + strategy + singular IA might help GDS organise and improve its wide array of often-not-very-well-joined-up-or-designed content products
1/6 #govdesign
I am thinking far too much about Earthborne Rangers and Vantage. Both 'open world', 'sandbox' type #boardgames. A bit like Arkham Horror, perhaps. Which I barely get round to playing. So why buy ER or Vantage? Why not? Oh god.....
November 14, 2025 at 2:44 PM
I am thinking far too much about Earthborne Rangers and Vantage. Both 'open world', 'sandbox' type #boardgames. A bit like Arkham Horror, perhaps. Which I barely get round to playing. So why buy ER or Vantage? Why not? Oh god.....
3 words I overuse happily because I think it makes me look clever:
overarching
product-service
holistic
overarching
product-service
holistic
If you see this, repost with three words you overuse, but you do so happily because you think it makes you look clever.
I'll start:
augment
supersede
relational
I'll start:
augment
supersede
relational
November 10, 2025 at 2:37 PM
3 words I overuse happily because I think it makes me look clever:
overarching
product-service
holistic
overarching
product-service
holistic
BBC Today presenter laughing off the idea of 'Cli-Fi' (climate-change fiction). "Nice try!".
V revealing about his understanding of the changing climate, what it means and amounts to.
The Road
Oryx and Crake
Brave New World
Lord of the Flies
Dune
Mad Max
Interstellar
Waterworld
Wall-E
The Matrix
V revealing about his understanding of the changing climate, what it means and amounts to.
The Road
Oryx and Crake
Brave New World
Lord of the Flies
Dune
Mad Max
Interstellar
Waterworld
Wall-E
The Matrix
November 10, 2025 at 9:28 AM
BBC Today presenter laughing off the idea of 'Cli-Fi' (climate-change fiction). "Nice try!".
V revealing about his understanding of the changing climate, what it means and amounts to.
The Road
Oryx and Crake
Brave New World
Lord of the Flies
Dune
Mad Max
Interstellar
Waterworld
Wall-E
The Matrix
V revealing about his understanding of the changing climate, what it means and amounts to.
The Road
Oryx and Crake
Brave New World
Lord of the Flies
Dune
Mad Max
Interstellar
Waterworld
Wall-E
The Matrix
Reposted by Ben #ActNow 🔥🌳🌊
This week, I got to see New South Wales’ Sludge Finder tool that is supporting their sludge audits.
I heard about it during my @oecdgovernance.bsky.social visit 2 weeks ago.
Quite impressive how journeys and can be enriched with qual and quant data.
This can be a powerful #serviceDesign tool!
I heard about it during my @oecdgovernance.bsky.social visit 2 weeks ago.
Quite impressive how journeys and can be enriched with qual and quant data.
This can be a powerful #serviceDesign tool!
November 8, 2025 at 8:42 AM
This week, I got to see New South Wales’ Sludge Finder tool that is supporting their sludge audits.
I heard about it during my @oecdgovernance.bsky.social visit 2 weeks ago.
Quite impressive how journeys and can be enriched with qual and quant data.
This can be a powerful #serviceDesign tool!
I heard about it during my @oecdgovernance.bsky.social visit 2 weeks ago.
Quite impressive how journeys and can be enriched with qual and quant data.
This can be a powerful #serviceDesign tool!
Reposted by Ben #ActNow 🔥🌳🌊
GSA lawyers have sent a takedown request for my little archive of the 18F site. Sadly will probably take it down, but remarkable they care that much about defunct agency content online 🤷🏻♂️
November 6, 2025 at 7:29 PM
GSA lawyers have sent a takedown request for my little archive of the 18F site. Sadly will probably take it down, but remarkable they care that much about defunct agency content online 🤷🏻♂️
Reposted by Ben #ActNow 🔥🌳🌊
1. This is a thread on freedom, and how easy it is to lose.
Over the past 2,000 years in Europe, there have been few periods and places of freedom. For much of the time we lived under highly oppressive tyrannies of various kinds, whether small or grand, local or imperial, secular or religious.🧵
Over the past 2,000 years in Europe, there have been few periods and places of freedom. For much of the time we lived under highly oppressive tyrannies of various kinds, whether small or grand, local or imperial, secular or religious.🧵
November 7, 2025 at 6:35 AM
1. This is a thread on freedom, and how easy it is to lose.
Over the past 2,000 years in Europe, there have been few periods and places of freedom. For much of the time we lived under highly oppressive tyrannies of various kinds, whether small or grand, local or imperial, secular or religious.🧵
Over the past 2,000 years in Europe, there have been few periods and places of freedom. For much of the time we lived under highly oppressive tyrannies of various kinds, whether small or grand, local or imperial, secular or religious.🧵
Reposted by Ben #ActNow 🔥🌳🌊
Question for BlueSky mind: who are the great contemporary sociologists? People writing ethnographic studies of the character of daily life in a digital / social media age.
“Each decade we shiftily declare we have buried class and each decade the coffin stands empty.”
November 6, 2025 at 8:47 AM
Question for BlueSky mind: who are the great contemporary sociologists? People writing ethnographic studies of the character of daily life in a digital / social media age.
Reposted by Ben #ActNow 🔥🌳🌊
November 5, 2025 at 12:11 PM
Reposted by Ben #ActNow 🔥🌳🌊
Just so we are clear: ICE went into a day care center—a private business—without a judicial warrant, and unlawfully kidnapped a worker in front of parents and children.
VIDEO: Day care teacher detained by ICE agents on Chicago’s North Side
A day care teacher was taken into ICE custody Wednesday morning at the Rayito de Sol Spanish Immersion Early Learning Center in Chicago’s North Center neighborhood.
wgntv.com
November 5, 2025 at 6:34 PM
Just so we are clear: ICE went into a day care center—a private business—without a judicial warrant, and unlawfully kidnapped a worker in front of parents and children.
I delete all my emails and messages every morning. If it's important, they'll contact me again the next day.
November 4, 2025 at 9:34 AM
I delete all my emails and messages every morning. If it's important, they'll contact me again the next day.
Reposted by Ben #ActNow 🔥🌳🌊
The #ServiceStandard codifies how service teams should work when building services.
The service quality criteria describe the attributes of what the service teams produce.
Service teams need to know how to progress and what the end goal should look like.
These need to be connected frameworks
1/X
The service quality criteria describe the attributes of what the service teams produce.
Service teams need to know how to progress and what the end goal should look like.
These need to be connected frameworks
1/X
November 1, 2025 at 11:07 AM
The #ServiceStandard codifies how service teams should work when building services.
The service quality criteria describe the attributes of what the service teams produce.
Service teams need to know how to progress and what the end goal should look like.
These need to be connected frameworks
1/X
The service quality criteria describe the attributes of what the service teams produce.
Service teams need to know how to progress and what the end goal should look like.
These need to be connected frameworks
1/X
Huang was great, but both my opponents disliked the conflict, so it didn't exactly come to life this time.
Easier to get your head around than Tigris and Euphrates. More straightforward battles. Maybe a bit less subtle, nuanced and varied? V good tho.
I really liked it tho. 8/10.
#boardgames
Easier to get your head around than Tigris and Euphrates. More straightforward battles. Maybe a bit less subtle, nuanced and varied? V good tho.
I really liked it tho. 8/10.
#boardgames
November 3, 2025 at 10:25 PM
Huang was great, but both my opponents disliked the conflict, so it didn't exactly come to life this time.
Easier to get your head around than Tigris and Euphrates. More straightforward battles. Maybe a bit less subtle, nuanced and varied? V good tho.
I really liked it tho. 8/10.
#boardgames
Easier to get your head around than Tigris and Euphrates. More straightforward battles. Maybe a bit less subtle, nuanced and varied? V good tho.
I really liked it tho. 8/10.
#boardgames
Huang was great, but both my opponents disliked the conflict, so it didn't exactly come to life this time.
Easier to get your head around than Tigris and Euphrates. More straightforward battles. Maybe a bit less subtle, nuanced and varied? V good tho.
I really liked it tho. 8/10.
#boardgames
Easier to get your head around than Tigris and Euphrates. More straightforward battles. Maybe a bit less subtle, nuanced and varied? V good tho.
I really liked it tho. 8/10.
#boardgames
November 3, 2025 at 10:22 PM
Huang was great, but both my opponents disliked the conflict, so it didn't exactly come to life this time.
Easier to get your head around than Tigris and Euphrates. More straightforward battles. Maybe a bit less subtle, nuanced and varied? V good tho.
I really liked it tho. 8/10.
#boardgames
Easier to get your head around than Tigris and Euphrates. More straightforward battles. Maybe a bit less subtle, nuanced and varied? V good tho.
I really liked it tho. 8/10.
#boardgames