Sign in

Simon Worthington

@simonwo.net
165 followers 44 following 89 posts

Building data tech that works for real people. MD of data specialists team @register-dynamics.co.uk. Don't DM me, email. He/him. All content CC-BY-SA4

PostsRepliesMedia
Simon Worthington @simonwo.net · 21/09/2026
The best data conference in the UK is back! Open Data Camp 11 is coming to Birmingham this November! #odcamp isn't your typical conference. It's a free unconference entirely devoted to open data - a weekend where you shape the agenda. Free tickets are now available: www.odcamp.uk/odcamp-11-bi...
odcamp.uk
Open Data Camp 11 is coming to Birmingham!
This November, we’ll be rolling the Open Data Camp charabanc into central Birmingham and parking up (next to Brum!) at Birmingham City Council House! 📍Where: Birmingham City Council House, B1 1BB 📆…
031
Simon Worthington @simonwo.net · 20/09/2026
If you want something doing… Still mad about DIT/DBT/DBIST/whatever closing their tariff management open source repositories for no good reason at all (many bad reasons, in fact), I have dug out my aged Windows laptop to retrieve a number of old tariff repositories. github.com/register-dyn...
github.com
GitHub - register-dynamics/tamato: DBT's Tariff Management Tool (TaMaTo) used to manage import and export tariff data used by the UK Border.
DBT's Tariff Management Tool (TaMaTo) used to manage import and export tariff data used by the UK Border. - register-dynamics/tamato
011
Simon Worthington @simonwo.net · 19/09/2026
I've updated the `freeagent-cli` gem to now support working with tasks, bills, invoice items and transactions. The latter also has SQL output! So you can pipe the results of an API query into SQLite to work with the results. github.com/register-dyn...
github.com
Comparing v0.2...v0.3 · register-dynamics/freeagent-cli
Access and control Freeagent data from the command line - Comparing v0.2...v0.3 · register-dynamics/freeagent-cli
000
Reposted by Simon Worthington
Matthew Somerville @dracos.co.uk · 05/09/2026
“One of the clearest findings from the discovery is the importance of consistent ways to describe people, organisations and locations.” Councils, for example. It’d be good for the government to have an official reusable list of them. Or countries. Could call it, I dunno, a register?
0124
Simon Worthington @simonwo.net · 05/05/2026
Oh man I love signing up to yet another government Jaggaer instance.
000
Simon Worthington @simonwo.net · 01/05/2026
Hey @theatricalia.com, looks like you don't have anything from Network Theatre, which is a society (and venue) that has existed since 1939! I have access to archive material from that period to now, I guess 000's of shows. Happy to prepare and contribute in bulk if you can tell me how!
100
Simon Worthington @simonwo.net · 04/03/2026
Ah yes, it's time again for one of our finest traditions, the Great British Panic Buy
000
Simon Worthington @simonwo.net · 17/12/2025
A predictably disappointing response from the Department of Business and Trade. Obviously I will appeal. This nonsense that closing source code improves security has been repeatedly proven false and whatever tyranny is being wrought using this idea must end. www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/sour...
whatdotheyknow.com
Source code for the UK tariff management tool, documentation, and dependencies - a Freedom of Information request to Department for Business and Trade
Please can you provide all of the source code associated with the Tariff Management Tool used to author changes to the UK Tariff, all of the associated documentation including the repository including...
011
Simon Worthington @simonwo.net · 16/09/2025
I've finally updated the GOV.UK Tech Docs Wiki template with everything that's happened in the last five years. It now uses the latest tech docs template and takes account of more maturity in the Github Pages and Actions features. github.com/simonwo/tech...
github.com
GitHub - simonwo/tech-docs-wiki: Automatically build and deploy GOV.UK-style technical documentation based on updates to a GitHub Wiki.
Automatically build and deploy GOV.UK-style technical documentation based on updates to a GitHub Wiki. - simonwo/tech-docs-wiki
001
Reposted by Simon Worthington
Open Data Camp @odcamp.uk · 10/09/2025
We’d like to thank our Silver sponsor, Register Dynamics @register-dynamics.co.uk, for helping to make Open Data Camp 10 possible. www.register-dynamics.co.uk We are looking forward to seeing everyone in Edinburgh. We really appreciate the support from all our sponsors. #odcamp #opendata
register-dynamics.co.uk
Register Dynamics - data focused technology consultancy based in the UK
021
Simon Worthington @simonwo.net · 02/09/2025
I'm sure answering Social Value questions on Government tenders is the bane of many bid teams. For me I think it's one of the parts of my job I enjoy the most. It does force me to engage with what we as a small company can do to help. The answer is usually quite a lot – just not easy things.
000
Simon Worthington @simonwo.net · 01/09/2025
GOV.UK CSS moved to using a mask image of the Royal Arms in the page footer, where it used to be a background image. Why? Turns out it's more accessible, as that way it can inherit the colour of the text, which the user might have overriden for better contrast! TIL. github.com/alphagov/gov...
github.com
Mask instead of filter to change footer crest colour · alphagov/govuk-frontend@4c8d91a
000
Reposted by Simon Worthington
John Scalzi @scalzi.com · 24/08/2025
This feels like a spot of good news www.sciencedaily.com/releases/202...
sciencedaily.com
Scientists found the missing nutrients bees need — Colonies grew 15-fold
Scientists have developed a breakthrough food supplement that could help save honeybees from devastating declines. By engineering yeast to produce six essential sterols found in pollen, researchers pr...
576250687285
Reposted by Simon Worthington
Jacob T. Levy @jacobtlevy.bsky.social · 19/08/2025
The fact that the thing we're calling artificial intelligence *can't do math* and yet we're jamming it into programs that successfully *have done math* for decades, then warning people against using the AI to do math, seems like an excellent summary of where we are.
12781583465
Simon Worthington @simonwo.net · 18/08/2025
Let's goooooooo 🔥🔥🔥
010
Simon Worthington @simonwo.net · 08/08/2025
As a reminder, this is the AI that people say is as important as oxygen.
000
Simon Worthington @simonwo.net · 07/08/2025
I think I was cooking with this graph tbh
A diagram titled "What input method works for users?" The vertical axis is titled "Volume of things". The horizontal axis is titled "User capability". There is a thin triangle entitled "web forms" that has its height edge on the far bottom left, and declines to the right to an apex on the bottom right. There is a thin triangle entitled "APIs" that has its height on the far top left, and declines down to an apex in the bottom right. The rest of the space is largely taken up by a polygon marked "spreadsheets".
000
Simon Worthington @simonwo.net · 29/07/2025
If your new "digital platform" requires running 90 minute webinars to explain how to use it, might I suggest that you have somewhat missed the point?
020
Simon Worthington @simonwo.net · 24/07/2025
"Data Visualisation in Cloth and Stitch" I don't think I've ever bought anything so fast.
050
Simon Worthington @simonwo.net · 11/07/2025
The numbers here are absolutely amazing.
010
Reposted by Simon Worthington
Register Dynamics @register-dynamics.co.uk · 04/07/2025
Have you ever thought about how Government services handle errors when uploading #data? Do you find that data upload #templates don't work for you? Explore the reasons why we believe #services suck at #spreadsheets! www.register-dynamics.co.uk/... #GovServices #GovUK
register-dynamics.co.uk
Why services suck at spreadsheets — Register Dynamics - data focused technology consultancy based in the UK
We've seen the challenges that pop up when relying on spreadsheet templates and the resulting frustration from users when they are forced to grapple with submitting their data using one. We've come to a worrying conclusion: asking users to fill out spreadsheet templates in the way we do it today does not meet user needs and should not be used as a design pattern in usable and accessible government services.
001
Reposted by Simon Worthington
Tony Vaughan KC MP @tonyvaughanmp.bsky.social · 02/07/2025
🏳️‍⚧️🚨 New letter from MPs on trans rights & EHRC Consultation on the #ForWomenScotland ruling. I have written a letter to the EHRC to urgently raise concerns about the Draft Code of Practice consultation after the ruling. I am proud to say that 32 of my colleagues have signed it too.
81694183
Reposted by Simon Worthington
David Durant @bowsy.co.uk · 16/06/2025
This is great, not only for the cool tech and the outcome it delivers but for working in the open. Seems we're seeing more of that from small companies like @dxw.com and @register-dynamics.co.uk than from teams inside government.
021
Simon Worthington @simonwo.net · 04/06/2025
I've noticed lots of DBT open source repositories have disappeared from Github, such as github.com/uktrade/sqli... which had more than a hundred stars and is still published on PyPi: pypi.org/project/sqli.... Does anyone know why these have been removed?
120
Simon Worthington @simonwo.net · 03/06/2025
The game I'm most excited for following #UKGE is "Last Week Of Summer" by @alliesorenemies.bsky.social – looks absolutely gorgeous, sounds like a fun set of approachable mechanics and should have plenty of replay value. And maybe I can convince Celia to play it… www.kickstarter.com/projects/all...
kickstarter.com
Coming soon: Last Week of Summer
A modular board game set in 1986. High school is over, and you have one more week to make the most of summer.
350
Simon Worthington @simonwo.net · 19/05/2025
The problem with letting 1000 flowers bloom is that I'm really proud of the work I did on the other 999 flowers
000
Simon Worthington @simonwo.net · 14/05/2025
Data-driven decision-making begins with understanding user needs. If you don’t research and design for data creators, you’ll end up making poor quality and risky choices. Sign up for tomorrow's webinar to learn why this happens and how to avoid it! www.linkedin.com/events/howda...
linkedin.com
How data and design can transform philanthropic decision-making | LinkedIn
To join, sign up via StreamYard: https://streamyard.com/watch/m58Xqi8nMnn7 Philanthropic funders run on big ideas, but those ideas need the right data and the right narrative to drive real change. Be...
011
Simon Worthington @simonwo.net · 02/05/2025
I'd forgotten how much we've done to the Data Upload Design Kit recently, so this release note was a splendid refresher. Data validaiton, spreadsheet previews, accessible tables and more are now available for the GOV.UK Prototype Kit – all with simple unboxing and setup. github.com/register-dyn...
github.com
Release v0.2.0 · register-dynamics/data-import
What's new in Data Upload Design Kit release 2 Wow – I'd not quite realised how many changes we've made in release 2! Thanks so much to everyone who has tried the Kit out and given us feedback! We'...
010
Reposted by Simon Worthington
Register Dynamics @register-dynamics.co.uk · 23/04/2025
Join us for an online talk from our founder, @simonwo.net and Marco Bernardi @appliedworks to learn about how funders, grantees, and data practitioners can build the conditions for better decision-making. 👉 lnkd.in/e992nzvX #DataForGood #PolicyDesign #AI #DataDesign
011
Simon Worthington @simonwo.net · 17/04/2025
Really feeling the immense value of Web Archive today. Researching how to provide better mental health support as an employer. Since most of the official resources were authored 2018-20, much of it has atrophied. I'm using Web Archive to retrieve excellent content that simply isn't available today.
000
Simon Worthington @simonwo.net · 15/04/2025
File upload size limits do not meet user needs. File upload size limits should not be used in Service Standard-compatible services. It's not your users' responsibility to know how to resize images or PDFs.
041
Reposted by Simon Worthington
Joe Lanman @joelanman.com · 26/03/2025
This is so often missed but if you want to support innovation and agile working, you need an easy way to deploy prototype code online. Heroku is a good option but there are others - GitHub Codespaces, Railway, and so on. Raw AWS does not count
111
Simon Worthington @simonwo.net · 13/03/2025
Wow! I'm super thrilled to already have 30+ attendees! Join me next Wednesday as I explore: • digital services that let users do a thousand things at once • how designers need more help to design them • who's doing this well around Government • how to collect data from users in human friendly ways
010
Simon Worthington @simonwo.net · 12/02/2025
I'm finding the lean in to "digital credentials" from the digital services crowd really baffling. It's the old thing in the new medium, folks. Taking bits of paper and making them digital. Since when was THAT the approach to designing good services? Whats the user need for digital paper or wallets?
001
Simon Worthington @simonwo.net · 03/02/2025
This can't come soon enough. The fact that standard JS datetime stuff is so underpowered in 2025(!) is actually mindblowing to me. Any time you google for how to do something date-related in JS everyone just says "use moment.js lol"
010
Simon Worthington @simonwo.net · 02/02/2025
An excellent read about what prototypes are really for and ultimately why R&D fails. Shared with me by Alaric. planb.nicecupoftea.org/2025/01/25/p...
planb.nicecupoftea.org
Prototyping and Power
This is my talk from the Pervasive Media Studio Lunchtime Talk on 24 Jan 2025. For more on the importance of shonky prototypes, here’s my previous talk, “Poking Holes in Reality with pr…
000
Simon Worthington @simonwo.net · 30/01/2025
I've just started filling in my self assessment (don't @ me) and oh my gosh there are so many design flubs and I'm only on the first page and I'm not even a designer
330
Simon Worthington @simonwo.net · 18/01/2025
Really enjoyed #ukgc25 morning sessions so far! Should I just keep going to the data-adjacent sessions or should I branch out?… (no prizes for guessing the answer)
010
Simon Worthington @simonwo.net · 18/01/2025
On the train to @ukgovcamp.bsky.social #ukgc25 with photo ID, stickers and ideas!
010
Simon Worthington @simonwo.net · 15/01/2025
"AI will never be good enough to do it as well as a human": except as a race we are happy if outcomes are slower, worse and more expensive as long as we have to think less. See also: cloud computing.
000
Reposted by Simon Worthington
Adrian Bowyer @adrianbowyer.bsky.social · 12/12/2024
Also autism spectrum disorder polygenic score against computers and maths. And ADHD against a sort of profession---labouring axis.
151
Reposted by Simon Worthington
Joe Lanman @joelanman.com · 11/12/2024
I'm designing a UI to search for data sets - will be mostly expert users, expecting some filter usage and so on. Any tips? Places you've seen it done well?
241
Simon Worthington @simonwo.net · 28/11/2024
I'm very proud of what we've achieved here! We've provided battle-tested designs and journeys from several different GOV.UK services as a simple open-source package, compatible with the Design System and Prototype Kit. It's never been easier for services to collect data from spreadsheets!
register-dynamics.co.uk
Collect data for your GOV.UK service in minutes using our Data Upload Design Kit — Register Dynamics - data focused technology consultancy based in the UK
Register Dynamics has designed a free and open-source Data Upload Design Kit for service designers in Government to use. It works with the GOV.UK Prototype Kit and offers a quick and easy way to bui...
091
Reposted by Simon Worthington
Notorious RBMK @comraderobot.bsky.social · 28/10/2024
this is awesome and just for some context: non-physicists sadly will not have heard of her, but Noether developed a theorem used to derive conserved quantities via symmetry (which is, e.g., absolutely fundamental to modern particle physics). she was one of the most important scientists to ever live
1239
Simon Worthington @simonwo.net · 03/10/2024
Some ab fab #datacraft going on here... who needs #ShetlandWoolWeek when you can stay in Manchester! cc @beckstrickland.bsky.social
010
Reposted by Simon Worthington
Owen Boswarva @owenboswarva.bsky.social · 01/10/2024
Whatever happened to the UK Government's Open Address Register programme? www.owenboswarva.com/blog/post-ad... 🤔 Another blog post about #openaddresses, based in part on recent #FOI responses from the UK's Department for Science, Innovation and Technology. #opendata #geospatial #datapolicy
In my view, the OS report does not really demonstrate whether it is feasible to produce an authoritative list of UK address data as maintained by local authorities, without using intellectual property owned by Royal Mail – in line with the proposal in the recent Lords amendment. The feasibility of that proposal depends mainly on the development of policy options, including clarification of IP rights – not on technical development of an entirely new data product. It is possible that the 2016 OAR work covered some of that ground but, given the evident lack of wide-ranging consultation and Government's ongoing refusal to release any policy or legal analyses, we should not assume that the case for open addresses was considered in depth or in good faith.
276
Simon Worthington @simonwo.net · 26/09/2024
For a while today I was the most northerly person in the United Kingdom.
It's me with shades on, doing a V sign with my fingers.Its a view northwards towards Muckle Flugga lighthouse.
140
Simon Worthington @simonwo.net · 23/09/2024
Every software engineer should have to live on Shetland until they can prove they know how to write software that can deal with an unreliable internet connection
010
Reposted by Simon Worthington
steve @visitmy.website · 20/09/2024
This is excellent. ‘Blue Zones’, where people live to over 100, likely not caused by olive oil and eating fish. It’s clerical errors and pension fraud the whole way down.
ucl.ac.uk
UCL demographer’s work debunking ‘Blue Zone’ regions of exceptional
A study by Dr Saul Justin Newman (Centre for Longitudinal Studies) has won the first-ever Ig Nobel award in Demography at this year’s 34th Ig Nobel Prizes. His work reveals fundamental flaws in the
131
Simon Worthington @simonwo.net · 10/09/2024
I'm keeping the open data conversation going after ODCamp 9 over on the Open Government Network forum: discuss.opengovernment.org.uk/t/open-data-.... Come along and help organise the UK's open data community!
discuss.opengovernment.org.uk
Open data and the first 100 days of a new Government
Hi all, At Open Data Camp 9 we ran a session on what comes next for open data. TL;DR: many of the conversations we’re having today are similar to the ones we were having a decade ago, and there’s a d...
034