David Evans
@davidevans.org.uk
I've done quite a mix of things in tech, strategy, comms, public affairs. Currently doing churchy stuff, surprisingly.
Very funny, and at the risk of sounding like a clickbait writer, the last few sentences made me properly laugh out loud.
Crisis at the Critic Sketchcasting Corporation!
Crisis at the CSC | Robert Hutton | The Critic Magazine
From the desk of Lord Kronsteen, founder and proprietor of the Critic Sketchcasting Corporation. To all staff, It is with a heavy heart that I take pen in hand to inform you of the resignation of both…
thecritic.co.uk
November 10, 2025 at 6:10 PM
Very funny, and at the risk of sounding like a clickbait writer, the last few sentences made me properly laugh out loud.
There's a lot to like in this, if you're minded to, but the thing that always strikes me is the fundamental and dramatic change in attitude compared to what has dominated the last 1,000 years: no longer are we trying to kill each other over our differences.
November 10, 2025 at 4:33 PM
There's a lot to like in this, if you're minded to, but the thing that always strikes me is the fundamental and dramatic change in attitude compared to what has dominated the last 1,000 years: no longer are we trying to kill each other over our differences.
Reposted by David Evans
November 9, 2025 at 1:01 PM
Reposted by David Evans
Story time.
This is about the actor Fulton Mackay, who Brits will know best as the stern Scottish prison warden, Mr. Mackay from Porridge - and rest-of-worlders, I guess, as the Captain (the lighthouse keeper) on Fragile Rock.
This is about the actor Fulton Mackay, who Brits will know best as the stern Scottish prison warden, Mr. Mackay from Porridge - and rest-of-worlders, I guess, as the Captain (the lighthouse keeper) on Fragile Rock.
October 28, 2025 at 12:03 PM
Story time.
This is about the actor Fulton Mackay, who Brits will know best as the stern Scottish prison warden, Mr. Mackay from Porridge - and rest-of-worlders, I guess, as the Captain (the lighthouse keeper) on Fragile Rock.
This is about the actor Fulton Mackay, who Brits will know best as the stern Scottish prison warden, Mr. Mackay from Porridge - and rest-of-worlders, I guess, as the Captain (the lighthouse keeper) on Fragile Rock.
"Attempting to evaluate the political situation is a bit complicated isn't it"
- Understatement of the year finalist, 1979
- Understatement of the year finalist, 1979
How ever since Labour came to power, the British media has started to notice a whole series of problems they spent the previous 14 years completely ignoring
www.adambienkov.co.uk/p/the-great-...
www.adambienkov.co.uk/p/the-great-...
The 'Great Noticing' Era
Ever since Labour came to power, the British media has started to notice a whole series of problems they spent the previous 14 years completely ignoring
www.adambienkov.co.uk
November 8, 2025 at 3:09 PM
"Attempting to evaluate the political situation is a bit complicated isn't it"
- Understatement of the year finalist, 1979
- Understatement of the year finalist, 1979
One of my insights some years ago into the type of people who like this sort of thing is that being able to argue about split hairs is not just product marketing and engagement strategy:
Sometimes, it is the product.
Sometimes, it is the product.
LEGO Star Trek Enterprise is proving divisive amongst fans
The first-ever official LEGO Star Trek set is proving to be a particularly polarising model amongst the wider LEGO fan community.
www.brickfanatics.com
November 7, 2025 at 1:36 PM
One of my insights some years ago into the type of people who like this sort of thing is that being able to argue about split hairs is not just product marketing and engagement strategy:
Sometimes, it is the product.
Sometimes, it is the product.
This resonated strongly with me - not so much the girth, but the concept of these loyal outriders and why you need them. The surprise is that, according to Patrick Maguire, Starmer doesn't have them. I thought the necessity was obvious to anyone who is a student of these things. Clearly it isn't.
New on my similarly new Substack: why Keir Starmer needs fat men around him, the person actually doing a good job inside No 10, and the best books on Brownism
substack.com/home/post/p-...
substack.com/home/post/p-...
Get some fat men around him
Keir Starmer's government is full of the wrong Brownites
substack.com
November 7, 2025 at 11:24 AM
This resonated strongly with me - not so much the girth, but the concept of these loyal outriders and why you need them. The surprise is that, according to Patrick Maguire, Starmer doesn't have them. I thought the necessity was obvious to anyone who is a student of these things. Clearly it isn't.
Reposted by David Evans
"Don't Be a Sucker" by the US War Department (1947)
The film follows a young American, drawn in by a speaker promising an end to jobs for minorities and removing foreigners. He encounters a Hungarian professor who explains this is how Nazis grab power for themselves.
archive.org/details/Dont...
The film follows a young American, drawn in by a speaker promising an end to jobs for minorities and removing foreigners. He encounters a Hungarian professor who explains this is how Nazis grab power for themselves.
archive.org/details/Dont...
March 28, 2025 at 12:08 PM
"Don't Be a Sucker" by the US War Department (1947)
The film follows a young American, drawn in by a speaker promising an end to jobs for minorities and removing foreigners. He encounters a Hungarian professor who explains this is how Nazis grab power for themselves.
archive.org/details/Dont...
The film follows a young American, drawn in by a speaker promising an end to jobs for minorities and removing foreigners. He encounters a Hungarian professor who explains this is how Nazis grab power for themselves.
archive.org/details/Dont...
If, in the UK, a law enforcement officer gave this level of drama about getting hit *on their body armour* with *a sandwich* I think they'd have to go into witness protection to escape the shame.
Unless of course, the were doing a Blackadder "that mango was very sharp" tribute.
Unless of course, the were doing a Blackadder "that mango was very sharp" tribute.
The defense team presses Lairmore on whether the sandwich really 'exploded.' They return to the photo of the sandwich and wrapper on the ground.
"That sandwich hasn't exploded at all, has it?" defense asks.
"It looks like a little bit is coming out towards the bottom," Lairmore replies.
"That sandwich hasn't exploded at all, has it?" defense asks.
"It looks like a little bit is coming out towards the bottom," Lairmore replies.
November 4, 2025 at 8:41 PM
If, in the UK, a law enforcement officer gave this level of drama about getting hit *on their body armour* with *a sandwich* I think they'd have to go into witness protection to escape the shame.
Unless of course, the were doing a Blackadder "that mango was very sharp" tribute.
Unless of course, the were doing a Blackadder "that mango was very sharp" tribute.
I guess it's all relative.
"Another development is the fact that the Reform policy operation has been bolstered by the recruitment of serious individuals such as the former Conservative MP Danny Kruger and the Cambridge academic James Orr." 😂😂😂
Is Reform UK abandoning economic populism?
Yesterday, Nigel Farage executed a dramatic U-turn and abandoned Reform UK’s policy of large-scale tax cuts. The only event in recent British political history that compares is the collapse of Liz Tru...
unherd.com
November 4, 2025 at 12:27 PM
I guess it's all relative.
Reposted by David Evans
Would absolutely meet the criteria for the George Medal.
November 4, 2025 at 12:24 PM
Would absolutely meet the criteria for the George Medal.
Reposted by David Evans
Naomi is I think bang on here. I have said many times to many people that AI is like any other technology shift: it changes jobs and how we work. Naomi builds on that (and expresses it much better), and lands on "learn the skill of discernment". Do read this.
I wrote this yesterday about what to tell young people who are worried about what work will be in the age of AI:
naomialderman.substack.com/p/preparing-...
naomialderman.substack.com/p/preparing-...
preparing for the working world in the age of AI
or: seven things to tell your kids when they ask what they should study now, or what the point of studying is
naomialderman.substack.com
November 4, 2025 at 9:47 AM
Naomi is I think bang on here. I have said many times to many people that AI is like any other technology shift: it changes jobs and how we work. Naomi builds on that (and expresses it much better), and lands on "learn the skill of discernment". Do read this.
Reposted by David Evans
I wrote this yesterday about what to tell young people who are worried about what work will be in the age of AI:
naomialderman.substack.com/p/preparing-...
naomialderman.substack.com/p/preparing-...
preparing for the working world in the age of AI
or: seven things to tell your kids when they ask what they should study now, or what the point of studying is
naomialderman.substack.com
November 4, 2025 at 8:56 AM
I wrote this yesterday about what to tell young people who are worried about what work will be in the age of AI:
naomialderman.substack.com/p/preparing-...
naomialderman.substack.com/p/preparing-...
Today I went to the funeral of the former chair of the parish council - was chair when I was on it. One of those people who really believed in public service, listened hard, and with empathy, wasn't afraid of taking decisions. Sad to see him go, but lovely to consider a life well lived.
October 31, 2025 at 6:57 PM
Today I went to the funeral of the former chair of the parish council - was chair when I was on it. One of those people who really believed in public service, listened hard, and with empathy, wasn't afraid of taking decisions. Sad to see him go, but lovely to consider a life well lived.
How are the news going to talk about him now? "The person formerly known as Prince" is already pretty much taken.
October 30, 2025 at 8:06 PM
How are the news going to talk about him now? "The person formerly known as Prince" is already pretty much taken.
"Marrying intentional harshness with sloppy incompetence" is an apt description of not only this specific occurrence, but perhaps of the whole political age we are in.
'Oppositions rarely try to legislate. This bill was political theatre. Philp argued the Conservatives could grip the detail, while Farage’s “sloppy amateurism” would undermine immigration control. The Tory bill has fallen apart under scrutiny, marrying intentional harshness with sloppy incompetence"
October 30, 2025 at 3:05 PM
"Marrying intentional harshness with sloppy incompetence" is an apt description of not only this specific occurrence, but perhaps of the whole political age we are in.
This is great. And just to say that I'm available for interview if anyone wants to discuss my iconic career as part of U2, and as the first AC/DC front man, the many football teams I've played for, political offices held, or time as a Bishop.
Thought the Times had been hoaxed. Turns out to be so much better than that
October 30, 2025 at 10:12 AM
This is great. And just to say that I'm available for interview if anyone wants to discuss my iconic career as part of U2, and as the first AC/DC front man, the many football teams I've played for, political offices held, or time as a Bishop.
Reposted by David Evans
Terrific yarn in London Centric, as per:
London's thieves are burying phones in flowerbeds
The police don't take much interest in returning the stolen devices when they're dug up — so London Centric decided to do it.
www.londoncentric.media
October 30, 2025 at 9:40 AM
Terrific yarn in London Centric, as per:
I am so very grateful that @roberthutton.co.uk is here to explain Nigel Farage. Other news articles tend not to have these useful explainers in between the quotes, which can leave you confused about what is and is not racist.
October 28, 2025 at 8:12 AM
I am so very grateful that @roberthutton.co.uk is here to explain Nigel Farage. Other news articles tend not to have these useful explainers in between the quotes, which can leave you confused about what is and is not racist.
Amazon's final summary of the AWS outage is really interesting, if you like that sorta thing.
Yes, it was DNS. AWS DNS is spectacularly complex. Two tidy-up processes got out of sequence because of unusual delays, overwrote each other with unexpected results...that took out the platform.
Yes, it was DNS. AWS DNS is spectacularly complex. Two tidy-up processes got out of sequence because of unusual delays, overwrote each other with unexpected results...that took out the platform.
Summary of the Amazon DynamoDB Service Disruption in the Northern Virginia (US-EAST-1) Region
aws.amazon.com
October 27, 2025 at 11:59 AM
Amazon's final summary of the AWS outage is really interesting, if you like that sorta thing.
Yes, it was DNS. AWS DNS is spectacularly complex. Two tidy-up processes got out of sequence because of unusual delays, overwrote each other with unexpected results...that took out the platform.
Yes, it was DNS. AWS DNS is spectacularly complex. Two tidy-up processes got out of sequence because of unusual delays, overwrote each other with unexpected results...that took out the platform.
Reposted by David Evans
He’s back. Important to remind everyone about his original misdemeanours - good for the Mail for running such an in depth piece
www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article...
www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article...
The return of Andrew Wakefield - the anti-vax 'supervillain'
To many of those gathered at this elegant stately home in Wiltshire, just one word describes the man they have come to see.
www.dailymail.co.uk
October 24, 2025 at 6:33 AM
He’s back. Important to remind everyone about his original misdemeanours - good for the Mail for running such an in depth piece
www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article...
www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article...
Reminds me that the earliest webcams were developed for two main purposes:
1) For looking out the window without turning your head
2) To see if the coffee pot was full, so you wouldn't have to be the one that refilled it
1) For looking out the window without turning your head
2) To see if the coffee pot was full, so you wouldn't have to be the one that refilled it
the AWS outage is affecting Ring doorbells. Sky News says “some users can’t see outside their house, definitely scary”
just look outside your window 😅
just look outside your window 😅
October 20, 2025 at 11:45 AM
Reminds me that the earliest webcams were developed for two main purposes:
1) For looking out the window without turning your head
2) To see if the coffee pot was full, so you wouldn't have to be the one that refilled it
1) For looking out the window without turning your head
2) To see if the coffee pot was full, so you wouldn't have to be the one that refilled it
"It's as if millions of voices suddenly reached for their risk register, and discovered the AWS outage mitigations had been assigned to someone who left seven years ago."
October 20, 2025 at 8:46 AM
"It's as if millions of voices suddenly reached for their risk register, and discovered the AWS outage mitigations had been assigned to someone who left seven years ago."
Reposted by David Evans
The 2025 internet very much has a single point of failure
Quite the front page currently on downdetector.co.uk
Status overview
downdetector.co.uk
October 20, 2025 at 8:30 AM
The 2025 internet very much has a single point of failure
As the nights draw in and we head towards winter, it is comforting to see that long tradition being honoured, where a head of a UK security service sets out that we are operating in a new era.
www.bbc.co.uk
October 16, 2025 at 1:17 PM
As the nights draw in and we head towards winter, it is comforting to see that long tradition being honoured, where a head of a UK security service sets out that we are operating in a new era.