John Sheridan
@johnlsheridan.bsky.social
I’m a Civil Servant, with a keen interest in many things including computers, data, law, digital preservation and archives. You’ll find me at The National Archives, helping to look after the digital archive, web archive, legislation.gov.uk etc.
This self published book by Hal Prince is excellent. Highly recommended if you have an interest in this kind of thing.
November 7, 2025 at 8:21 PM
This self published book by Hal Prince is excellent. Highly recommended if you have an interest in this kind of thing.
Reposted by John Sheridan
A couple of weeks ago Jeni Tennison appeared in front of the Science, Innovation and Technology Committee.
In this clip she is responds to a question about whether the Government is currently 'doing the work' to enable to public to embrace technology.
📺 www.youtube.com/watch?v=7hO...
In this clip she is responds to a question about whether the Government is currently 'doing the work' to enable to public to embrace technology.
📺 www.youtube.com/watch?v=7hO...
October 31, 2025 at 7:00 AM
A couple of weeks ago Jeni Tennison appeared in front of the Science, Innovation and Technology Committee.
In this clip she is responds to a question about whether the Government is currently 'doing the work' to enable to public to embrace technology.
📺 www.youtube.com/watch?v=7hO...
In this clip she is responds to a question about whether the Government is currently 'doing the work' to enable to public to embrace technology.
📺 www.youtube.com/watch?v=7hO...
Reposted by John Sheridan
“Harvard geneticist David Reich said … increasingly sophisticated analysis of genetic material made possible by technological advances shows that virtually everyone came from somewhere else, and everyone’s genetic background shows a mix from different waves of migration that washed over the globe.”
Pure bloodlines? Ancestral homelands? DNA science says no. — Harvard Gazette
Geneticist explains recent analyses made possible by tech advances show human history to be one of mixing, movement, displacement.
news.harvard.edu
September 20, 2025 at 9:49 AM
“Harvard geneticist David Reich said … increasingly sophisticated analysis of genetic material made possible by technological advances shows that virtually everyone came from somewhere else, and everyone’s genetic background shows a mix from different waves of migration that washed over the globe.”
Reposted by John Sheridan
On Tuesday I launched my memoir 'This Is for Everyone' at
@cadoganhall.bsky.social
Available now @ thisisforeveryone.timbl.com & bookshops everywhere.
Special thanks to
Tania Bryer
@panmacmillan.bsky.social
@intelligence2.bsky.social
@cadoganhall.bsky.social
Available now @ thisisforeveryone.timbl.com & bookshops everywhere.
Special thanks to
Tania Bryer
@panmacmillan.bsky.social
@intelligence2.bsky.social
September 11, 2025 at 5:20 PM
On Tuesday I launched my memoir 'This Is for Everyone' at
@cadoganhall.bsky.social
Available now @ thisisforeveryone.timbl.com & bookshops everywhere.
Special thanks to
Tania Bryer
@panmacmillan.bsky.social
@intelligence2.bsky.social
@cadoganhall.bsky.social
Available now @ thisisforeveryone.timbl.com & bookshops everywhere.
Special thanks to
Tania Bryer
@panmacmillan.bsky.social
@intelligence2.bsky.social
Reposted by John Sheridan
We’d like to thank our Silver sponsor, Oxford Insights @oxfordinsights.bsky.social, for helping to make Open Data Camp 10 possible.
oxfordinsights.com
We are looking forward to seeing everyone in Edinburgh.
We really appreciate the support from all our sponsors.
#odcamp #opendata
oxfordinsights.com
We are looking forward to seeing everyone in Edinburgh.
We really appreciate the support from all our sponsors.
#odcamp #opendata
Oxford Insights | We make technology work for the public good
We help governments increase the impact of their public services through empowering teams and harnessing technology.
oxfordinsights.com
September 10, 2025 at 3:43 PM
We’d like to thank our Silver sponsor, Oxford Insights @oxfordinsights.bsky.social, for helping to make Open Data Camp 10 possible.
oxfordinsights.com
We are looking forward to seeing everyone in Edinburgh.
We really appreciate the support from all our sponsors.
#odcamp #opendata
oxfordinsights.com
We are looking forward to seeing everyone in Edinburgh.
We really appreciate the support from all our sponsors.
#odcamp #opendata
Reposted by John Sheridan
Excellent news for roundhead colleagues. If you're lucky enough to work for a minister who'd like to exercise a delegated power or two before a certain date, but you're never sure how long an instrument has to sit before Parliament, our beloved egg timer (TM) now comes with a start date calculator.
September 1, 2025 at 2:28 PM
Excellent news for roundhead colleagues. If you're lucky enough to work for a minister who'd like to exercise a delegated power or two before a certain date, but you're never sure how long an instrument has to sit before Parliament, our beloved egg timer (TM) now comes with a start date calculator.
Reposted by John Sheridan
Forgot to include a robots.txt, didn’t I. Guess it’s interesting to see how the bots pick up a new site then what they do, so I had a quick look at my logs and it was all a bit strange: dracos.co.uk/wrote/adlege...
August 9, 2025 at 7:44 PM
Forgot to include a robots.txt, didn’t I. Guess it’s interesting to see how the bots pick up a new site then what they do, so I had a quick look at my logs and it was all a bit strange: dracos.co.uk/wrote/adlege...
Reposted by John Sheridan
Second blog post of the year! How I made a website to make UK legislation readable on mobile: dracos.co.uk/wrote/adlege...
August 1, 2025 at 9:35 AM
Second blog post of the year! How I made a website to make UK legislation readable on mobile: dracos.co.uk/wrote/adlege...
Reposted by John Sheridan
I think it is hard to underestimate how important this website is for the Rule of Law in the UK. Before 2010, if you wanted to find out what statutes were actually in force you essentially needed a subscription to a very expensive commercial product like Halsbury's Statutes.
Turns out legislation.gov.uk is 15 years old today. How the time flies @jenitennison.com!
Legislation.gov.uk
The official home of UK legislation, revised and as enacted 1267-present. This website is managed by The National Archives on behalf of HM Government. Publishing all UK legislation is a core part of t...
legislation.gov.uk
July 29, 2025 at 7:59 PM
I think it is hard to underestimate how important this website is for the Rule of Law in the UK. Before 2010, if you wanted to find out what statutes were actually in force you essentially needed a subscription to a very expensive commercial product like Halsbury's Statutes.
Turns out legislation.gov.uk is 15 years old today. How the time flies @jenitennison.com!
Legislation.gov.uk
The official home of UK legislation, revised and as enacted 1267-present. This website is managed by The National Archives on behalf of HM Government. Publishing all UK legislation is a core part of t...
legislation.gov.uk
July 29, 2025 at 7:32 PM
Turns out legislation.gov.uk is 15 years old today. How the time flies @jenitennison.com!
Reposted by John Sheridan
GovCamp is looking for suggestions of solicitors or equivalent organisations who can help put us on a more formal legal footing. We'd like an ideally free initial consultation followed by us paying them to do the paperwork for the new org.
If you have positive recommendations please RSVP.
Thanks!
If you have positive recommendations please RSVP.
Thanks!
June 15, 2025 at 7:58 PM
GovCamp is looking for suggestions of solicitors or equivalent organisations who can help put us on a more formal legal footing. We'd like an ideally free initial consultation followed by us paying them to do the paperwork for the new org.
If you have positive recommendations please RSVP.
Thanks!
If you have positive recommendations please RSVP.
Thanks!
Reposted by John Sheridan
We call it “legacy software” because “unmaintained software” is too close to home
July 9, 2025 at 5:44 PM
We call it “legacy software” because “unmaintained software” is too close to home
Reposted by John Sheridan
Hurrah! My next book is instantiated, and in-the-world! Library Catalogues As Data: Research, Practice, Usage. Edited with Paul Gooding and @semames.bsky.social. Proud of this one! Official publication date soon… www.facetpublishing.co.uk/page/detail/...
June 21, 2025 at 5:01 PM
Hurrah! My next book is instantiated, and in-the-world! Library Catalogues As Data: Research, Practice, Usage. Edited with Paul Gooding and @semames.bsky.social. Proud of this one! Official publication date soon… www.facetpublishing.co.uk/page/detail/...
Reposted by John Sheridan
Registration for #BIALL2025 is open from 10.30 this morning – see you soon! 🎉🎉🎉
June 11, 2025 at 5:59 AM
Registration for #BIALL2025 is open from 10.30 this morning – see you soon! 🎉🎉🎉
This is well worth reading if you have time. Great work by Ben and team.
My first blog post at the Landecker Digital Memory Lab.
Part 2 of our series on building the world's first living database of digital Holocaust memory projects is live! Research Fellow Dr Ben Pelling gives his insights on the back of our first round of user testing (thanks DCM platform/@irightsinfo.bsky.social
www.digitalmemorylab.com/building-a-l...
www.digitalmemorylab.com/building-a-l...
May 16, 2025 at 5:02 PM
This is well worth reading if you have time. Great work by Ben and team.
Reposted by John Sheridan
My first blog post at the Landecker Digital Memory Lab.
Part 2 of our series on building the world's first living database of digital Holocaust memory projects is live! Research Fellow Dr Ben Pelling gives his insights on the back of our first round of user testing (thanks DCM platform/@irightsinfo.bsky.social
www.digitalmemorylab.com/building-a-l...
www.digitalmemorylab.com/building-a-l...
Building a Living Database, Part 2: Gathering and Preparing Content
On the back of our first round of user testing of our flagship resource the Digital Memory Database, Lab Research Fellow Dr Ben Pelling gives an insight into how we approach cataloguing, indexing, pre...
www.digitalmemorylab.com
May 16, 2025 at 4:31 PM
My first blog post at the Landecker Digital Memory Lab.
Listening to old favourites, a selection of recordings of Movement III, the Adagio, from Beethoven’s 9th Symphony. No HIP here, for me, I’m afraid.
May 15, 2025 at 8:11 PM
Listening to old favourites, a selection of recordings of Movement III, the Adagio, from Beethoven’s 9th Symphony. No HIP here, for me, I’m afraid.
Reposted by John Sheridan
it's #dpc #digitalpreservation #ff Follow Friday. This week I was delighted to discover the great @digivall.bsky.social on the blue sky. Valerie is co-Chair of iPRES this year and co-Convenor of NDF so has an eye for all the cool things in #digipres. Also a wonderful colleague! Highly recommend.
May 9, 2025 at 8:48 AM
it's #dpc #digitalpreservation #ff Follow Friday. This week I was delighted to discover the great @digivall.bsky.social on the blue sky. Valerie is co-Chair of iPRES this year and co-Convenor of NDF so has an eye for all the cool things in #digipres. Also a wonderful colleague! Highly recommend.
Reposted by John Sheridan
What is the lifespan of software? What if you make software that's silly and full of whimsy? Will people remember it? Anyway, here's a video someone recently posted of “Good Luck, Babe!” by Chappell Roan performed through the composer feature in Mario Paint, a game released on Super Nintendo in 1992
May 1, 2025 at 2:01 AM
What is the lifespan of software? What if you make software that's silly and full of whimsy? Will people remember it? Anyway, here's a video someone recently posted of “Good Luck, Babe!” by Chappell Roan performed through the composer feature in Mario Paint, a game released on Super Nintendo in 1992
Reposted by John Sheridan
Last call. If you're looking for something to do over the weekend...
Just under a week left to apply for one (or both!) of these amazing #digitalpreservation jobs at the #dpc. Joins us!
April 25, 2025 at 5:41 PM
Last call. If you're looking for something to do over the weekend...
This is a really good interview with the fabulous Matt Lynch on Lawmaker - start with imagination not code, he says. modparl.substack.com/p/lawmaker
Start With Imagination, Not Code
Lessons from Building a Shared Legislative Platform
modparl.substack.com
April 24, 2025 at 3:11 PM
This is a really good interview with the fabulous Matt Lynch on Lawmaker - start with imagination not code, he says. modparl.substack.com/p/lawmaker
Reposted by John Sheridan
On the sofa with a cold instead of working at my desk, catching up with FT weekend. V.much enjoyed this column about the importance of archives and institutional memory.
The thing about experience and very specific knowledge is, you can‘t foresee when you will need them again.
So keep your records.
The thing about experience and very specific knowledge is, you can‘t foresee when you will need them again.
So keep your records.
The importance of institutinal memory - or, how not to lose a canal: on.ft.com/4jfsIcB
The value of institutional memory
[FREE TO READ] Why some organisations are condemned to repeat the same mistakes over and over again
on.ft.com
April 22, 2025 at 11:52 AM
On the sofa with a cold instead of working at my desk, catching up with FT weekend. V.much enjoyed this column about the importance of archives and institutional memory.
The thing about experience and very specific knowledge is, you can‘t foresee when you will need them again.
So keep your records.
The thing about experience and very specific knowledge is, you can‘t foresee when you will need them again.
So keep your records.
Reposted by John Sheridan
Ask courageous questions. Do not be satisfied with superficial answers. Be open to wonder and at the same time subject all claims to knowledge, without exception, to critical scrutiny. Be aware of human fallibility. Cherish your species and your planet.
~ Carl Sagan
~ Carl Sagan
April 9, 2025 at 5:51 PM
Ask courageous questions. Do not be satisfied with superficial answers. Be open to wonder and at the same time subject all claims to knowledge, without exception, to critical scrutiny. Be aware of human fallibility. Cherish your species and your planet.
~ Carl Sagan
~ Carl Sagan
Reposted by John Sheridan
A useful guide to 'Rapid Response' archiving, from the UK National Archives:
www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/archives-sec...
#Archives
www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/archives-sec...
#Archives
Rapid response collecting - Archives sector
We wrote this guidance to help you decide whether to collect in relation to unprecedented or unforeseen situations and events. We recognise that people reading this guidance may be in challenging circ...
www.nationalarchives.gov.uk
April 9, 2025 at 7:59 AM
A useful guide to 'Rapid Response' archiving, from the UK National Archives:
www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/archives-sec...
#Archives
www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/archives-sec...
#Archives