Katy Armstrong
@katyarmstrong.bsky.social
Deputy Director of Digital Services at MHCLG.
Reposted by Katy Armstrong
I love this so much b/c the original guy strikes the pose & okay yeah, he does indeed look hot & sharp-dressed (ZZ Top told us who's crazy 'bout that) but then melts w/ unabashed delight at a moment of connection & just lights up with this surprised happy smile & gets EVEN HOTTER b/c it's real joy.
December 1, 2025 at 8:55 AM
I love this so much b/c the original guy strikes the pose & okay yeah, he does indeed look hot & sharp-dressed (ZZ Top told us who's crazy 'bout that) but then melts w/ unabashed delight at a moment of connection & just lights up with this surprised happy smile & gets EVEN HOTTER b/c it's real joy.
Reposted by Katy Armstrong
libro.fm/audiobooks/9...
With Stoppard's death it's worth mentioning that you can get the BBC radio versions of pretty much his entire body of work for a single audiobook credit (also available on Audible, but Libro.fm is far better)
With Stoppard's death it's worth mentioning that you can get the BBC radio versions of pretty much his entire body of work for a single audiobook credit (also available on Audible, but Libro.fm is far better)
Tom Stoppard: A BBC Radio Drama Collection Audiobook on Libro.fm
The collected BBC radio productions of the internationally renowned playwright Tom Stoppard One of the giants of British theatre, Sir Tom Stoppard has been writing for the stage and screen for over 50...
libro.fm
November 29, 2025 at 5:35 PM
libro.fm/audiobooks/9...
With Stoppard's death it's worth mentioning that you can get the BBC radio versions of pretty much his entire body of work for a single audiobook credit (also available on Audible, but Libro.fm is far better)
With Stoppard's death it's worth mentioning that you can get the BBC radio versions of pretty much his entire body of work for a single audiobook credit (also available on Audible, but Libro.fm is far better)
Astonished ‘ troll’ the ancient Yuletide carol seems to be correct
November 29, 2025 at 12:38 PM
Astonished ‘ troll’ the ancient Yuletide carol seems to be correct
Reposted by Katy Armstrong
Reposted by Katy Armstrong
For the past 11 years I've been keeping an index of posts about #localGDS / #GDSLocal. I've just added the first for 2025, which is probably most significant.
"People across UK to benefit from easier access to local services as councils get digital boost"
github.com/LocalGovDigi...
#localgov
"People across UK to benefit from easier access to local services as councils get digital boost"
github.com/LocalGovDigi...
#localgov
Local GDS
Contribute to LocalGovDigital/localgovdigital.github.io development by creating an account on GitHub.
github.com
November 22, 2025 at 9:44 AM
For the past 11 years I've been keeping an index of posts about #localGDS / #GDSLocal. I've just added the first for 2025, which is probably most significant.
"People across UK to benefit from easier access to local services as councils get digital boost"
github.com/LocalGovDigi...
#localgov
"People across UK to benefit from easier access to local services as councils get digital boost"
github.com/LocalGovDigi...
#localgov
First cold days in new house. Heating not cutting it. Cant work out without some professionals whether it’s a problem with our set up or the insulation - but the house is so cold! Despite the heating being on.
Plumber next week :/
Plumber next week :/
November 21, 2025 at 7:45 AM
First cold days in new house. Heating not cutting it. Cant work out without some professionals whether it’s a problem with our set up or the insulation - but the house is so cold! Despite the heating being on.
Plumber next week :/
Plumber next week :/
Had a v nice time in Paris - saw a friend I haven’t seen irl in 5+ years, went to Xmas market and enjoyed touristy boat ride. Plus lots and lots of butter and cheese 👌 Eurostar is such a pleasure if you already have a fast train to st Pancras from your neighbourhood
November 19, 2025 at 5:56 PM
Had a v nice time in Paris - saw a friend I haven’t seen irl in 5+ years, went to Xmas market and enjoyed touristy boat ride. Plus lots and lots of butter and cheese 👌 Eurostar is such a pleasure if you already have a fast train to st Pancras from your neighbourhood
Arrived in Paris and… connected to gov WiFi 🤔
November 16, 2025 at 2:55 PM
Arrived in Paris and… connected to gov WiFi 🤔
Forced to take car to garage - my least favourite most humbling experience. Today I have also managed to leave my house keys in the car itself - Apple tag alerted me, thank you Apple tag. But I am not feeling like an adult who should be allowed to drive a car
November 12, 2025 at 8:33 AM
Forced to take car to garage - my least favourite most humbling experience. Today I have also managed to leave my house keys in the car itself - Apple tag alerted me, thank you Apple tag. But I am not feeling like an adult who should be allowed to drive a car
Reposted by Katy Armstrong
To celebrate the 10 year anniversary of launching the ONS website in 2026 (the highlight of my career) I'm going to have one last swing at a Gov big data initiative (but not 'Big Data!') and will return to the Civil Service as Head of Products & Services for the National Data Library in January!
November 11, 2025 at 12:23 PM
To celebrate the 10 year anniversary of launching the ONS website in 2026 (the highlight of my career) I'm going to have one last swing at a Gov big data initiative (but not 'Big Data!') and will return to the Civil Service as Head of Products & Services for the National Data Library in January!
Reposted by Katy Armstrong
What does 7 Wonders plus Just one equal???
Answer 8! That's how old The Ludoquist is today!
We have our wonderful owners to thank for making this place exist and be special for everyone!
#theludoquistcroydon #Croydon #ThisIsCroydon #happybirthday❤️ #boardgames #boardgamesoftiktok
Answer 8! That's how old The Ludoquist is today!
We have our wonderful owners to thank for making this place exist and be special for everyone!
#theludoquistcroydon #Croydon #ThisIsCroydon #happybirthday❤️ #boardgames #boardgamesoftiktok
November 8, 2025 at 7:27 PM
What does 7 Wonders plus Just one equal???
Answer 8! That's how old The Ludoquist is today!
We have our wonderful owners to thank for making this place exist and be special for everyone!
#theludoquistcroydon #Croydon #ThisIsCroydon #happybirthday❤️ #boardgames #boardgamesoftiktok
Answer 8! That's how old The Ludoquist is today!
We have our wonderful owners to thank for making this place exist and be special for everyone!
#theludoquistcroydon #Croydon #ThisIsCroydon #happybirthday❤️ #boardgames #boardgamesoftiktok
Reposted by Katy Armstrong
This is fantastic and we should do much more of it.
However, the IT side of this should be the very easiest part. Yet, expecting not only every organisation but every *part* of every organisation to source their own systems makes cross-team working almost impossible.
medium.com/@changebydes...
However, the IT side of this should be the very easiest part. Yet, expecting not only every organisation but every *part* of every organisation to source their own systems makes cross-team working almost impossible.
medium.com/@changebydes...
Bureaucracy is not the enemy: Inside Camden’s Pregnancy Grant Pilot
This piece is written by Benny Souto, Policy Designer in the Strategy & Design Team, and Jun Nakagawa, Behaviour Change Lead in the Public…
medium.com
November 4, 2025 at 8:45 PM
This is fantastic and we should do much more of it.
However, the IT side of this should be the very easiest part. Yet, expecting not only every organisation but every *part* of every organisation to source their own systems makes cross-team working almost impossible.
medium.com/@changebydes...
However, the IT side of this should be the very easiest part. Yet, expecting not only every organisation but every *part* of every organisation to source their own systems makes cross-team working almost impossible.
medium.com/@changebydes...
Reposted by Katy Armstrong
I’m on the lookout for a new contract (preferably inside).
I’ve got over a decade of experience working in the public sector, mostly in agile delivery management. Two weeks notice.
Not got DMs here but Signal is zuz.1337, or LinkedIn is good.
Thx :)
I’ve got over a decade of experience working in the public sector, mostly in agile delivery management. Two weeks notice.
Not got DMs here but Signal is zuz.1337, or LinkedIn is good.
Thx :)
November 4, 2025 at 3:29 PM
I’m on the lookout for a new contract (preferably inside).
I’ve got over a decade of experience working in the public sector, mostly in agile delivery management. Two weeks notice.
Not got DMs here but Signal is zuz.1337, or LinkedIn is good.
Thx :)
I’ve got over a decade of experience working in the public sector, mostly in agile delivery management. Two weeks notice.
Not got DMs here but Signal is zuz.1337, or LinkedIn is good.
Thx :)
Reposted by Katy Armstrong
Any questions from a developer can be answered with just 6 words.
a man in a suit stands in a field and says all the information 's on the task .
Alt: Alex Horne hands out a Task and says "All the information's on the task"
media.tenor.com
November 4, 2025 at 8:49 AM
Any questions from a developer can be answered with just 6 words.
Reposted by Katy Armstrong
I'm doing my best @d20plusmodifier.bsky.social impression thanks to the Root pumpkin template provided by @leder.games @patrickleder.bsky.social
Happy Halloween! 🎃
Happy Halloween! 🎃
October 31, 2025 at 12:47 PM
I'm doing my best @d20plusmodifier.bsky.social impression thanks to the Root pumpkin template provided by @leder.games @patrickleder.bsky.social
Happy Halloween! 🎃
Happy Halloween! 🎃
Reposted by Katy Armstrong
Won't lie - it has been a bit of a lifelong dream to work on the release of Indice of Deprivations interactive offer...
...very proud of what the team has delivered today. Check it
out - deprivation.communities.gov.uk
...very proud of what the team has delivered today. Check it
out - deprivation.communities.gov.uk
October 30, 2025 at 11:23 AM
Won't lie - it has been a bit of a lifelong dream to work on the release of Indice of Deprivations interactive offer...
...very proud of what the team has delivered today. Check it
out - deprivation.communities.gov.uk
...very proud of what the team has delivered today. Check it
out - deprivation.communities.gov.uk
Reposted by Katy Armstrong
Tech corps succeeded in telling people art and media should be free. People happily shell out $$$ for electronics, but hate spending any $ on "content" for them.
Even with books--where costs are low and there are libraries everywhere--people regularly claim it is horrible how much books cost.
Even with books--where costs are low and there are libraries everywhere--people regularly claim it is horrible how much books cost.
AAA video games should cost $100 on launch. this would still be extremely cheap for the amount of time and enjoyment you get out of them! But an audience of whiny babies has kept them literally at the same price for *two decades* despite both general inflation *and* sector-specific costs rising
October 24, 2025 at 2:21 PM
Tech corps succeeded in telling people art and media should be free. People happily shell out $$$ for electronics, but hate spending any $ on "content" for them.
Even with books--where costs are low and there are libraries everywhere--people regularly claim it is horrible how much books cost.
Even with books--where costs are low and there are libraries everywhere--people regularly claim it is horrible how much books cost.
Reposted by Katy Armstrong
Booking marking this case study of GOV.UK Notify by Hannah White & @eaves.ca to wheel out next time there’s a bit of reductive technical solutionism about common platforms:
https://www.ucl.ac.uk/bartlett/publications/2025/oct/scaling-digital-infrastructure-siloed-state
https://www.ucl.ac.uk/bartlett/publications/2025/oct/scaling-digital-infrastructure-siloed-state
October 15, 2025 at 8:57 PM
Booking marking this case study of GOV.UK Notify by Hannah White & @eaves.ca to wheel out next time there’s a bit of reductive technical solutionism about common platforms:
https://www.ucl.ac.uk/bartlett/publications/2025/oct/scaling-digital-infrastructure-siloed-state
https://www.ucl.ac.uk/bartlett/publications/2025/oct/scaling-digital-infrastructure-siloed-state
Reposted by Katy Armstrong
UKGovCamp 2026 ( #ukgc26 ) will be in #Birmingham on Saturday 17 January 2026.
We need a venue:
1️⃣ for 250 people,
2️⃣ 8 breakout rooms,
3️⃣ wheelchair accessible.
@imhuyorks.bsky.social is leading the search.
Please share and reply with ideas 🙂
We need a venue:
1️⃣ for 250 people,
2️⃣ 8 breakout rooms,
3️⃣ wheelchair accessible.
@imhuyorks.bsky.social is leading the search.
Please share and reply with ideas 🙂
July 31, 2025 at 7:06 AM
UKGovCamp 2026 ( #ukgc26 ) will be in #Birmingham on Saturday 17 January 2026.
We need a venue:
1️⃣ for 250 people,
2️⃣ 8 breakout rooms,
3️⃣ wheelchair accessible.
@imhuyorks.bsky.social is leading the search.
Please share and reply with ideas 🙂
We need a venue:
1️⃣ for 250 people,
2️⃣ 8 breakout rooms,
3️⃣ wheelchair accessible.
@imhuyorks.bsky.social is leading the search.
Please share and reply with ideas 🙂
Reposted by Katy Armstrong
You may call it ‘Chatfishing’, but I shall only refer to it as ‘Cyrano de Berger-App’
www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle...
www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle...
‘I realised I’d been ChatGPT-ed into bed’: how ‘Chatfishing’ made finding love on dating apps even weirder
Where once people were duped by soft-focus photos and borrowed chat-up lines, now they have to watch out for computer-generated charm. But it’s one thing to use a witty phrase – another thing entirely...
www.theguardian.com
October 12, 2025 at 8:41 AM
You may call it ‘Chatfishing’, but I shall only refer to it as ‘Cyrano de Berger-App’
www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle...
www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle...
Reposted by Katy Armstrong
This YouTube comment probably deserves more than three favs
www.youtube.com/watch?v=KzL8...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=KzL8...
October 6, 2025 at 3:28 PM
This YouTube comment probably deserves more than three favs
www.youtube.com/watch?v=KzL8...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=KzL8...
Reposted by Katy Armstrong
Six weeks ago, I picked up a year-old tawny owl with a broken leg off the main road near our home and dropped him off at our nearest vet.
After a few days, I received one of the most bizarre phone calls I’ve ever had, asking “So when are you coming to pick up your owl?” 🧵
After a few days, I received one of the most bizarre phone calls I’ve ever had, asking “So when are you coming to pick up your owl?” 🧵
October 5, 2025 at 9:12 AM
Six weeks ago, I picked up a year-old tawny owl with a broken leg off the main road near our home and dropped him off at our nearest vet.
After a few days, I received one of the most bizarre phone calls I’ve ever had, asking “So when are you coming to pick up your owl?” 🧵
After a few days, I received one of the most bizarre phone calls I’ve ever had, asking “So when are you coming to pick up your owl?” 🧵
Reposted by Katy Armstrong
I'm reserving a state park cabin and this option on the form gives me an idea: a weekend spent hiking and cooking over a camp fire, just me and the boys (900 cats)
September 30, 2025 at 6:59 PM
I'm reserving a state park cabin and this option on the form gives me an idea: a weekend spent hiking and cooking over a camp fire, just me and the boys (900 cats)
A real conversation from earlier in the evening:
Me: I don’t think I’ve ever seen Troilus and Cressida
My partner Erin: I think we have, check your emails for mentions
A few moments later
Me: you’re right, we watched a version in Māori on the globe player but I don’t remember it 😅
Me: I don’t think I’ve ever seen Troilus and Cressida
My partner Erin: I think we have, check your emails for mentions
A few moments later
Me: you’re right, we watched a version in Māori on the globe player but I don’t remember it 😅
September 28, 2025 at 9:39 PM
A real conversation from earlier in the evening:
Me: I don’t think I’ve ever seen Troilus and Cressida
My partner Erin: I think we have, check your emails for mentions
A few moments later
Me: you’re right, we watched a version in Māori on the globe player but I don’t remember it 😅
Me: I don’t think I’ve ever seen Troilus and Cressida
My partner Erin: I think we have, check your emails for mentions
A few moments later
Me: you’re right, we watched a version in Māori on the globe player but I don’t remember it 😅
Reposted by Katy Armstrong
Now this is Content
September 26, 2025 at 5:58 PM
Now this is Content