Nick Smith
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skynick.bsky.social
Nick Smith
@skynick.bsky.social
220 followers 360 following 140 posts
I'm not new here anymore. I do agile-ish things for government.
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skynick.bsky.social
Last night I rewatched Tron Legacy and am ready for Tron Ares tonight at the IMAX. Based on reviews I’ve set my expectations low but am looking forward to the nostalgia and escapism
The word Tron in blue neon projected onto a wall with Philips Hue lights beneath in matching colour.
October 23, 2025 at 2:57 PM
skynick.bsky.social
It's buggy and the interfaces look like they were designed by a drunk monkey. Everything I look at reminds me of this graphic (as in, I wish they'd seen it and internalised the point).
Regularly used image showing the importance of graphic design. The sentence 'You will read this first' is big and bold in the middle. Visual users will indeed read this first. Then there are other sentences: 'and then you will read this'; 'Then this one'; 'And you will read this last'. To make the point, the last sentence you read is the first a non-visual user would have read out on the page, it's at the top.
October 16, 2025 at 10:46 AM
skynick.bsky.social
I just started #Daily30 (a food supplement) and can say I have more energy and am eating less. It’s part of attempting marginal gains to improve my diet and lose weight
Photo of a 30 day calendar pinned to a fridge. Each day is crossed out. It’s a record that I took a supplement each day. The calendar is printed and has QR codes with info from the supplement manufacturer, Zoe.
October 6, 2025 at 4:12 PM
skynick.bsky.social
Solar install update. Our first year.

Since April we’ve had a better than expected June. August was a smidge less solar than predicted. Our peak was 34 kWh on 8 July. It came out of nowhere.

Solar is down in August but still greater than the energy we used in January 🎉

bsky.app/profile/skyn...
Graph showing the months January to December and expected solar generation versus historical household electricity consumption, both in kilowatt hours. Consumption meanders across the middle, generation follows a bell curve. Between April and September solar generation is greater than consumption and we’re net zero over the year. Graph showing the months January to December and actual solar generation versus actual household electricity consumption in kilowatt hours. Consumption matches the prediction on the previous image. Generation is significantly higher than predicted in June and a smidge lower in August. The figures end in August, drawing two thirds of a bell curve.
September 1, 2025 at 8:07 AM
skynick.bsky.social
OK, we're getting somewhere.

But are you sure that's the most literal image you could possible create for driving change? Why don't you try again and create an even more literal image of driving change?
AI generated image of someone driving an oversized Flintstones style grey stone car on a road with trees and fields in the background. The car has the word ‘CHANGE’ on the side.
July 15, 2025 at 4:20 PM
skynick.bsky.social
I want the most literal image you can possibly create for 'driving change'…
AI generated image of a hand on a car steering wheel that’s connected to a large rough grey block of stone with the word ‘CHANGE’ written on the side. The hand looks ready to turn the wheel.
July 15, 2025 at 4:16 PM
skynick.bsky.social
Generate an image that's *even* more literal…
AI generated image of a red Tesla driving on a sleek motorway. The wheels are fashioned into a complicated triangular rail system. The road has grooves that the rails sit within.
July 15, 2025 at 4:15 PM
skynick.bsky.social
Generate an image that's *more* literal…
AI generated image of the front of a red American-style pickup truck. It’s on a cracked tarmac road straining to push a large grey stone block with the word ‘Change’ on the side. There’s a random hand protruding from the bonnet of the truck.
July 15, 2025 at 4:13 PM
skynick.bsky.social
Oh, so the AI is stuck in metaphors. Hmm.

Now, generate an image that's more literal…
AI generated image of an off road vehicle with a car exhaust snorkel. It’s driving and there’s a rainbow carpet of flowers being produced behind it. The landscape around is desert and scrubland.
July 15, 2025 at 4:12 PM
skynick.bsky.social
A bit of fun…

Hey AI, create an image that literally shows 'driving change'
AI generated image of some people wearing office-type clothes. The phrase 'driving change' appears. One person is pointing up, Some are holding graphs on paper, some are pushing the side of a grey rock, I think it's meant to be a mountain.
July 15, 2025 at 4:09 PM
skynick.bsky.social
Status report on edibles raised bed. Tomatoes (front), courgettes (sides, in pots), pumpkins (back). Everyone seems happy. This year I’ve extended the bamboo frame to 2.4m high, so the eventual canopy gets less congested.

#gardening #verticalgardening
Top down view of raised garden bed with plants growing. Tomatoes in the foreground, pumpkins and courgettes growing in the background. All growing up bamboo frames. Bottom up view of raised bed with tomatoes, courgettes and pumpkins growing.
May 24, 2025 at 12:37 PM
skynick.bsky.social
Oh, and I’m now a registered drone operator *

It seemed to make sense to have a way to inspect the panels I can’t see from the ground (on the flat roof).

* Super easy via the Civil Aviation Authority website and GOV.UK Notify and GOV.UK Pay. 👏🏻
Horizontal photo of 3 solar panels on a flat roof. Taken from a small drone.
May 1, 2025 at 6:17 AM
skynick.bsky.social
On the theme of the sun, I managed to capture the sunrise this morning.
A bright orange sun peaking over a hill in the misty distance. The sky is clear and orange. The foreground has 1920s style terraced houses and chimneys either side. Black cables pattern the sky with connections between a central telegraph pole and dispersed houses.
May 1, 2025 at 5:47 AM
skynick.bsky.social
We had solar installed in December.

Since then we had a cloudy December and January. We also had to evict some pigeons in April. But the installer’s prediction for solar generation is uncannily accurate.

April solar equalled our usage from January 🎉

bsky.app/profile/skyn...
Graph showing the months January to December and expected solar generation versus historical household electricity consumption, both in kilowatt hours. Consumption meanders across the middle, generation has a hump in the middle. Between April and September solar generation is greater than consumption and we’re net zero over the year. Graph showing the months January to December and actual solar generation versus actual household electricity consumption, both in kilowatt hours. Consumption and generation uncannily matches the prediction on the previous image. The figures end at April but solar is hockey sticking up and household consumption is dropping slightly.
May 1, 2025 at 5:34 AM
skynick.bsky.social
Solar install day arrived and was pretty straightforward.

I’m looking forward to some solar power generation tomorrow.

bsky.app/profile/skyn...
A stack of large solar panels resting on a front garden wall. They are very large and black. 3 solar panels on a flat roof. They are tilted at an angle on a frame. There’s a guard to stop birds nesting. 6 solar panels on a pitched roof. They are arranged to fit below 2 velux opening windows. An inverter and a battery attached to a wall in an under stairs cupboard. There are unrelated cables and pipes around. The solar install is incredibly neat.
December 3, 2024 at 8:41 PM
skynick.bsky.social
We’re planning to get solar panels installed soon. This morning at about 7am I found myself comparing our actual electricity usage from last year with the expected solar generation
Graph showing the months January to December and expected solar generation versus household electricity consumption. Consumption meanders across the middle, generation has a hump in the middle. Between April and September solar generation is greater than consumption.
November 5, 2024 at 4:30 PM
skynick.bsky.social
We had SUCH a good day.
Two men on their wedding day, one in a kilt, smiling at the back of a boat with Tower Bridge, the Thames and London skyline in the background. It’s a bright sunny day.
September 15, 2024 at 7:34 PM
skynick.bsky.social
I found myself talking about acronyms yesterday and reminded myself I made this ages ago and didn’t post anywhere. I think it still fits
Distracted boyfriend meme. The boyfriend is titled ‘well meaning civil servant’. He’s looking at a woman titled ‘Listing all of the acronyms’ while his girlfriend looking at him in disgust is titled ‘a culture that doesn’t tolerate abbreviations’.
November 8, 2023 at 11:28 AM