iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Phil Rumens @rumens.uk · 14/09/2026

Here's what I don't get. If AI is going to take our jobs and therefore our income, who's going to buy the AI services? Government and business perhaps, but those won't survive without income from taxes and sales. Other than UBI what's the plan?

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Phil Rumens @rumens.uk · 13/09/2026

Genetically modified apes becoming our new overlords is now a far distant third in the dystopia stakes.

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Phil Rumens @rumens.uk · 09/09/2026

Is pausing reorganisation perhaps to better align it with devolution a prudent move?

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Phil Rumens @rumens.uk · 29/08/2026

"The count of loss of control incidents relies on X users posting about incidents that happened so it is only partial" doesn't seem like a particularly reliable method to measure volume. For example, are these post verified as being made by real users and not bots?

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Phil Rumens @rumens.uk · 25/08/2026

Thanks Neil, huge credit goes to Claude, without which it wouldn't have been possible! I read your blog piece, hope you're feeling better?

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Phil Rumens @rumens.uk · 24/08/2026

There's still a small bit of work to do sourcing the data, but my prototype #localgov dashboard now has 1,383,588 lines of tech spend data from 360 UK councils. You can view the figures for 25/26 here: architect.rumens.uk/contracts/co...

architect.rumens.uk

Councils – LG Technology Spend

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Phil Rumens @rumens.uk · 23/08/2026

Took me a while to work out what was going on with this map. www.affinitywater.co.uk/our-supply-a...

affinitywater.co.uk

Affinity Water

Affinity Water Corporate Website

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Phil Rumens @rumens.uk · 23/08/2026

Probably the same as hosepipe bans. There's usually very little publicity that they've been lifted either.

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Phil Rumens @rumens.uk · 23/08/2026

Any idea why Kennet has a star after it?

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Phil Rumens @rumens.uk · 14/08/2026

You could always switch severe alerts off?

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Phil Rumens @rumens.uk · 14/08/2026

Blimey. They was exciting on a train, about 50 alerts all going off at once.

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Phil Rumens @rumens.uk · 14/08/2026

You can switch them off, if you choose to.

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Phil Rumens @rumens.uk · 14/08/2026

I find it helps to have a couple of friendly audience members primed to break the inevitable silence when you open the virtual floor to questions, or as you suggest, someone to curate the chat whilst you're presenting.

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Phil Rumens @rumens.uk · 05/08/2026

I agree, but I guess in their estimation the benefit might outweigh the cost.

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Phil Rumens @rumens.uk · 05/08/2026

Unfortunately because it's operational data used to deliver waste management services, it's owned by 382 different organisations, so the live data can't really sit in one place. It could be aggregated to one place with the agreement of those organisations, but you'd need a common standard for that.

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Phil Rumens @rumens.uk · 05/08/2026

Relying on 382 different organisations to self-organise and agree on doing the same thing, the same way, is how we've ended up where we are.

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Phil Rumens @rumens.uk · 05/08/2026

I guess it's because with no agreed standard for the data, it's very hard to build a scalable and reliable app that covers 382 local authorities.

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Phil Rumens @rumens.uk · 05/08/2026

It's the ten year anniversary of this. Sadly it wasn't adopted by councils or waste management system vendors. www.localdigitalcoalition.uk/product/loca...

localdigitalcoalition.uk

Local Waste Service Standards Project | Local Digital Coalition

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Phil Rumens @rumens.uk · 03/08/2026

Spotted in the magazine rack of a supermarket.

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Phil Rumens @rumens.uk · 30/07/2026

Seemed like a great opportunity for Andorra, Lichtenstein, and Gibraltar to qualify for the World Cup.

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Phil Rumens @rumens.uk · 05/07/2026

I'm recording it and getting up at 6am to watch it.

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Phil Rumens @rumens.uk · 05/07/2026

Claude and I have been busy over the past couple of weeks building a #localgov technology spend dashboard. It still needs a bit of work, but you can see an early version here and comments are very welcome: architect.rumens.uk/contracts/su...

architect.rumens.uk

Suppliers – LG Technology Spend

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Phil Rumens @rumens.uk · 31/05/2026

Imagine a platform that allows people across the public sector to offer small amounts of time to share their skills with council officers. I did, and I built a prototype here: architect.rumens.uk/match/share....

architect.rumens.uk

Local Government Skills Exchange

A little help makes a lot of difference. Share your skills across the public sector on an informal pro-bono basis. Anyone with a gov.uk email address can join.

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Phil Rumens @rumens.uk · 29/05/2026

Perhaps AI isn't going to take all our jobs, if it's going to skive off work like this cleaning robot? Or perhaps it just took some initiative, and Canterbury is looking the cleanest it's been for decades.

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Phil Rumens @rumens.uk · 10/05/2026

I started making a thing to show how elements of a #localgov technology stack could be joined and added a few connections to it. Have a play and let me know what you think. architect.rumens.uk/lgam_editor_...

architect.rumens.uk

LGAM Connection Editor

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Phil Rumens @rumens.uk · 08/05/2026

We published a new version of the #localgov Architecture Model today, which now includes all levels in a council's tech stack. It's still only a high-level overview, and the next stage is to build out some of the layers under Business Areas. architecture.cddo.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/gds-local/

architecture.cddo.cabinetoffice.gov.uk

Local Government Architecture Model - GOV.UK

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Phil Rumens @rumens.uk · 07/05/2026

Good luck to everyone in #localgov officiating elections across Britain today. It can be a long few days, but without your efforts our system of democracy wouldn't function.

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Phil Rumens @rumens.uk · 26/04/2026

I'm trying to recall the most management BS line I've used in a meeting, and I think I've settled on... "if you want people to think you're a magician, sometimes you have to pull a rabbit out a hat" What's yours?

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Phil Rumens @rumens.uk · 05/04/2026

Hospital can seem like a world where time runs differently, and if one is used to the certainty of things generally running to time and happening when they should, it can be a frustrating place.

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Phil Rumens @rumens.uk · 29/03/2026

I've updated my graph following this week's Local Government Reorganisation (LGR) announcement. It shows for some areas LGR is going to be even more complex than first thought, with not just counties, but many districts being split up to form new unitary councils. graphcommons.com/graphs/d6b35...

graphcommons.com

Local Government | Graph Commons

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Phil Rumens @rumens.uk · 22/03/2026

Mixtapes are a great example of pre-internet music sharing. Another is, for a period in the 90s, I spent my Saturday mornings in Record Basement in Reading. The DJ would play the new 12", and everyone in the shop would choose what to buy. As well as the music there was a great social side too.

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Phil Rumens @rumens.uk · 21/03/2026

The problem there is you're using a measure from the 1980s (the top 100 albums) to evaluate today's contemporary culture. Try that in reverse by looking at the number of independent film makers on YouTube in the 1980s, and you'll see why that doesn't really work.

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Phil Rumens @rumens.uk · 21/03/2026

We never all watched or listened to the same stuff. Think of all the genres in the 80s and their associated cultures. If you were into electro or acid house, rap or hop-hop, indie or goth, the music you listened to and how you dressed would be very different.

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Phil Rumens @rumens.uk · 21/03/2026

Not everything, and the technology with which to make movies and series has never been more available. For example the pilot of Knights of Guinevere by Glitch was excellent, and I quite liked the Amazing Digital Circus too.

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Phil Rumens @rumens.uk · 21/03/2026

Is there less emerging contemporary culture, or does one get further away from it the older they get? For example, because I'm further away from contemporary culture, often I can't tell the difference between Drill and Grime, and both of those genres are over a decade old.

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Phil Rumens @rumens.uk · 20/03/2026

I think it's always happened to a certain extent. In the 70s there was 50s revival (for example American Graffiti, Grease), in the 80s a 60s revival (for example Dirty Dancing, Hairspray), etc. It's just now in 2026 there's a lot more popular culture to choose from.

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Phil Rumens @rumens.uk · 17/03/2026

Spotted this on the Elizabeth Line today. To opt out, you need to turn Wi-Fi on your device off.

Wi-Fi data collection

TfL collects Wi-Fi connection data at some stations on the Elizabeth line to better understand journey patterns and improve TfL services. TfL will not identify individuals. You can opt out by turning off your device’s Wi-Fi. For more information visit tfl.gov.uk/wifi-data-collection

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Phil Rumens @rumens.uk · 04/03/2026

Thanks Steve, that's interesting. How many councils did you speak to?

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Phil Rumens @rumens.uk · 04/03/2026

It's a great start, and it would be good to see something more adaptive as the next iteration. Many services such as booking a tip slot or to register a birth include additional steps. Something that generates an initial pattern based on the type of service would be good to see.

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Phil Rumens @rumens.uk · 02/03/2026

That's a shame. How did you work out the rates of pay including on-costs, and hours contributed, of everyone in every department or organisation working on a design system please?

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Phil Rumens @rumens.uk · 01/03/2026

Are you able to publish your economic analysis please?

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Phil Rumens @rumens.uk · 01/03/2026

Putting the need to present a joined-up view of government services using common styles and elements aside for a minute, on your question of time, one could ask, what's more of a waste: 1️⃣ Trying to funnel every single thing into one design system 2️⃣ The creation of tens of similar design systems

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Phil Rumens @rumens.uk · 01/03/2026

Yes, some will be department specific, but In some cases these are common components: design-system.service.gov.uk/components/n... design.homeoffice.gov.uk/design-syste... design-patterns.service.justice.gov.uk/components/a... Even the terminology "notification banner" vs "alert" is different.

design-system.service.gov.uk

Notification banner

Use a notification banner to tell the user about something they need to know about, but that’s not directly related to the page content

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Phil Rumens @rumens.uk · 28/02/2026

Many departments seem to have their own design system. I found a list here: github.com/ctdesign/gov...

github.com

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Phil Rumens @rumens.uk · 28/02/2026

I recently saw a sign on the Elizabeth Line requesting passengers turn off their WiFi if they didn't want their data collected. Not sure how that implied consent sits with GDPR? There's actually a page on TfL's website about data collection: tfl.gov.uk/corporate/pr...

tfl.gov.uk

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Phil Rumens @rumens.uk · 08/02/2026

It's easy to imagine a conspiracy, when the real answer is sometimes just greed.

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Phil Rumens @rumens.uk · 08/02/2026

It's a good reminder to me that if you specify why a service should be delivered but not how, you'll potentially end up with a multitude of ways, which can be confusing to the service user.

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Phil Rumens @rumens.uk · 08/02/2026

Despite there being a National Proof of Age Standards Scheme, each of these providers seem to have a different application process, ranging from printing off a PDF, to being able verify existing ID digitally. www.pass-scheme.org.uk/card-supplie...

pass-scheme.org.uk

Apply for Card | The National Proof of Age Standards Scheme

Current National suppliers include: CitizenCard, Civiliancard, OneID4U, Validate UK and Young Scot

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