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Jay Spanton

@spanty.bsky.social
188 followers 471 following 209 posts

Researcher/ designer. Currently UKRI. Formerly National Archive, Land Registry, DEFRA, Met Office, GDS, cxpartners, eBay...

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Reposted by Jay Spanton
T @toneg99.bsky.social · 05/10/2026
Some mind-boggling stuff coming out of the Tory conference: “The party has also pledged to abolish Natural England and the Environment Agency, “moving to a more streamlined regulatory landscape to protect our environment”.
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Tim Carmody @tcarmody.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
This is the funniest thing I've seen today, possibly ever
A tweet by SarahStarberry that says "oh god read the vertical axis" on top of a chart measuring AI models' release dates and model numbers rather than any real capabilities
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Mark O’Neill 🐻 @radiobeartime.com · 01/10/2026
www.worksinprogress.news/p/why-really...
worksinprogress.news
Why the Bronze Age collapsed
Historians like to blame drought, famine and invaders. But this can’t explain why the empires never came back.
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Justin Stach @stach.uk · 29/09/2026
Fuck me sideways, Meta really is a fucking toxic business. Totally ignoring the privacy and hoovering 187,000 lines from a journalist’s Messages database, despite Full Disk Access being off.
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Richard Pope @richardpope.org · 29/09/2026
The Nuffield Family Observatory email a ‘Chart of The Month’, which I think is a nice, slow, passive way to consume data visualisations. This month’s chat shows that kids entering the care system are increasingly likely to ... richardpope.org/2026/09/29/the-nuff…
Chart showing breakdown of boys vs girls entering care system currently 61% boys, 31% girls
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Mark Harris @markharris.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
This is so great!
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Richard Tol @richardtol.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
Meta-glassed journalist interviews meta-employees.
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Sev @sevitz.com · 21/09/2026
Absolutely appalling. Costs have gone up 10-20x when I got mine. The government shouldn’t be a profit Center. These people (as / was I) pay taxes. But you know, immigrants. So acceptable to squeeze. For reasons.
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Liam Thorp @liamthorp.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
Lord give me the arrogance of a tax exile who feels the right to comment on the tax policies and general running of a country who you have deprived of billions by registering yourself in Monaco
bbc.co.uk
Billionaire Manchester United owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe says he has lost confidence in UK
Ineos founder Sir Jim Ratcliffe tells the BBC he thinks the country is "on the slide" and calls for more investment in the North Sea.
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Odd This Day @oddthisday.bsky.social · 31/08/2026
Well, happy 29th anniversary to the greatest ‘reverse ferret’ ever issued by a media outlet
“We apologise for the Princess Diana page one headline DI GOES SEX MAD, which is still on the stands at some locations. It is currently being replaced with a special 72-page tribute issue: A FAREWELL TO THE PRINCESS WE ALL LOVED.”
Statement published by the National Enquirer, August 31, 1997
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Brendel @brendelbored.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
Welcome to Bluesky. Please familiarize yourself with the following accounts to understand the range of opinions it is acceptable to express
Jim Varney making various faces
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Alastair Somerville @acuity.design · 20/08/2026
Pining for old days of The Independent and royal news being buried in column underneath chess news
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Hetan Shah @hetanshah.bsky.social · 18/08/2026
Look at what reservoir capacity we used to add, and what we’ve added since the early 90s… From @hannahritchie.bsky.social’s excellent substack hannahritchie.substack.com/p/uk-reservo...
UK Reservoir Capacity Added, by Year
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Sam Freedman @samfr.bsky.social · 17/08/2026
We should definitely have more sporting champions that are also English literature grads. Amy Hunt's interviews are excellent.
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Red tickseed @redtickseed.bsky.social · 14/08/2026
Drowning  high five meme but the water and sky have been turned orange. fire emojis. overlayed on the high five is the UK government severe alert about disposable BBQs
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Jay Spanton @spanty.bsky.social · 12/08/2026
This fun even without any clyspsing yet
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timoconnorbl.bsky.social @timoconnorbl.bsky.social · 08/08/2026
Even here, this form of solar panel at this height could easily be installed on grazing land and livestock grazed under it without the remotest bother. I would suspect that were you to offer connections and/or grants, there would be an absolute stampede of farmers towards this.
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Paul Kelly @pjthinker.bsky.social · 07/08/2026
Beginning to see the Odyssey crop up everywhere….
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Alastair Somerville @acuity.design · 07/08/2026
AI is twice as efficient when management dislikes both staff and users A barrier layer not a tool
Diagram of AI acting as wall between managers and the staff or users.
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Jay Spanton @spanty.bsky.social · 07/08/2026
Used the fab Condens.io at www.ukri.org can’t recommend enough
condens.io
Condens | UX Research Repository and AI Analysis Platform
Condens centralizes your customer research and keeps every insight backed by evidence, so your team and AI agents can act on it with confidence.
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Jay Spanton @spanty.bsky.social · 05/08/2026
Somehow managed to do this…but certain I could retrace my steps. I am expecting they’ll be some apologies and grace when half their users fail. Nice how-not-to case study too.
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Rob Whiting 📓 @whitingx.bsky.social · 05/08/2026
@daivaughan.uk on ‘Why some #DVLA digital #Services don't work at night’. 🚫 🚗 🌃 dafyddvaughan.uk/blog/2025/wh...
dafyddvaughan.uk
Why some DVLA digital services don't work at night
Every few months or so, somebody asks on social media why a particular DVLA digital service is turned off over night. Rather than answering it every time, I’ve decided to write this post, so I can poi...
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Erika Hall @erikahall.bsky.social · 03/08/2026
the tldr is freaking everyone out more is the most tempting communication strategy, but it's the opposite of what works some clear, realistic idea of what a better future looks like and the steps to get there would help we don't get there riding on the back of a starving polar bear
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TechnicallyRon @technicallyron.bsky.social · 03/08/2026
"Welcome to our Gander reveal party" "Don't you mean gender reveal party" "No" *Dozens of geese burst out of a cake. Ominous honking fills the air. There are no genders only chaos*
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Jay Spanton @spanty.bsky.social · 03/08/2026
This post about getting/ doing design work in the NHS is great www.designswarm.com/blog/2026/08... Also think it applies to the rest of government design work. Thanks for writing it @designswarm.bsky.social
designswarm.com
Weeknote 8: what it means to be a designer in the NHS
I’m on holiday so I shouldn’t really be writing a weeknote but I’m getting lots of designers reaching out to me on Linkedin who have never worked in the NHS, wanting to work there…
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David Durant @bowsy.co.uk · 31/07/2026
If every LA decides to procure 5 new API-less monstrosities it will be catastrophic. Potentially even more so if they decide to vibe-code them up themselves or get taken in by Shiny AI Shysters.
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Per Axbom @axbom.com · 01/08/2026
The backlash made Google pause the feature that made it easy, but it's of course still possible, and now put in everybody's heads. It was so hard for Google to predict the harm. Asking experts is a struggle for tech companies 🤪 www.npr.org/2026/07/31/n...
npr.org
Google pauses AI satellite images, after fears of deepfakes in the sky
Journalists, human rights advocates and open source analysts recoiled in horror at the initial decision: "The opportunities for abuse and disinfo are literally boundless," said one.
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Jay Spanton @spanty.bsky.social · 31/07/2026
So much this!
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Jay Spanton @spanty.bsky.social · 31/07/2026
Nowhere quite like Brizzle
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Steven Sheil @scsheil.bsky.social · 08/04/2026
I've been doing some research into locations in Prague using Google Maps, and either the guy who was tasked to take the photos got the camera position wrong, or there's a small hairy ghost haunting large swathes of the city.
An image from Google Maps. It shows a Prague street. in the centre is what looks like a floating ball of hair.An image from Google Maps. It shows a Prague park. in the centre is what looks like a floating ball of hair. A woman is walking by on the right, oblivious.An image from Google Maps. It shows a branching path in a Prague park. in the centre is what looks like a floating ball of hair.An image from Google Maps. It shows a Prague street. in the centre is what looks like a floating ball of hair.
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Brian McFadden @mcfadden.bsky.social · 29/07/2026
A scams-based economy is not one that will last. patreon.com/BrianMcFadden
(Title across the top of a comic book mail order ad.)
Silicon Schlock Market
(panel 1 - Meta's Glasses styled to look like an X-Ray Specs ad.)
Pervert Glasses
Let everyone know you're a creep without saying a peep!
(panel 2 - A girl holding a tablet showing a DRM notice.)
Vanishing Streaming Media
Fun prank to play on people who "purchase" digital content.
(panel 3 - A punchable balloon.)
Punchable Consumer
It's not your fault your thing sucks. Blame them!
(panel 4 - Head calipers.)
Quacky Calipers
FOR NOVELTY USE ONLY!
Eugenics is not real science.
(panel 5 - A toilet with router antennas and a "FOR RENT" sign.)
TOI-LEASE
The subscription toilet. Take a cut out of every crap!
(panel 6 - a rug being pulled and toppling the letters "AI.")
A.I. Rug Pull
One simple trick to topple the global economy.
From the makers of Crypto and NFTs!
(panel 7 - A sound effects keychain fob.)
Small Language Model
Annoy civilization without destroying it.
sounds, "Yes, sir! That's a great idea! Somebody went to BUSINESS SCHOOL! T-T-T-TRUST FUND! Don't cancel me! WET FART."
(panel 8 - A guy in a plain cardboard box.)
Flimsy Hypeship
It can't go anywhere or do anything, but get a press release in the right place, and the profitabilities are LIMITLESS!
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James Arnold @jamesarnold.bsky.social · 27/07/2026
On bumping into Bill Oddie at the local North London recycling centre. Michael Palin’s Diary, 1998:
Saturday, May 2nd

Various local chores – to the recycling depot. Bill Oddie's there. Draw his attention to a new bin for 'Spectacles'. He said one for 'Scripts' would do well round here.
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Darren R #MDANT @drufford.bsky.social · 26/07/2026
👌
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Rob Whiting 📓 @whitingx.bsky.social · 23/07/2026
1,001 #Ampersands #Poster. creativepro.com/1001-ampersa... & ⅋ & ⅋ & ⅋ & ⅋
A poster featuring examples of 1001 ampersands.
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Lincoln Square @lincolnsquare.media · 09/01/2025
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has lashed out at billionaire Elon Musk for interfering in European politics, accusing him of undermining democracy.
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Christian Odendahl @codendahl.bsky.social · 21/07/2026
So you are saying that you don‘t know how to generate rents from an increasingly commoditised technology, and want the government to help preserve your valuations?
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children of the corncob @bisk.sureis.sexy · 21/07/2026
i just had this little image flash through my brain of the government getting too deep into chatgpt/claude/copilot/whatever while those companies are massively subsidising token costs and when they actually jack up the prices to their real rates the state is fucked to the tune of billions of pounds.
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Oli @oliaworth96.bsky.social · 19/07/2026
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Jay Spanton @spanty.bsky.social · 14/07/2026
The silver lining if we can’t beat Argentina maybe?
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Sean Marshall @seanyyz.bsky.social · 14/07/2026
Why I’m a fan of the Oxford comma.
TORONTO STAR
BOOK REVIEW
Sylvia Plath, a New York vigilante and Shah of Iran featured in latest historical fiction
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Jay Spanton @spanty.bsky.social · 14/07/2026
That’s one fiddly logo, not so visible from the other side of the street. Guessing AI generated
Shop signage for a bakery
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lastpositivist.bsky.social @lastpositivist.bsky.social · 13/07/2026
England - France final, winner keeps the Bayeux tapestry.
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Dr Alfredo Carpineti @drcarpineti.bsky.social · 12/07/2026
“While me and the Dark Lord Sauron often disagreed on his will to dominate all life, I will fondly remember his quick wit and his passion for jewellery”
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Cathy Dutton @cathydutton.co.uk · 10/07/2026
In a break from my usual Funding service posts, I’ve written about my other portfolio. And one of my favourite things, Portals! The portal trap cathydutton.co.uk/posts/the-po...
cathydutton.co.uk
The portal trap
No one likes portals, one-stop shops, single front doors or gateways, so why are they the go-to solution for so many large organisations?
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Mark O’Neill 🐻 @radiobeartime.com · 10/07/2026
It’s probably worth looking at Starmer’s industrial and tech strategies, such as they are, as being essentially cult’ish in nature. They are not rooted in evidence, believe in some nebulous future saviour, and treat non-believers as heretics.
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Jay Spanton @spanty.bsky.social · 10/07/2026
bathrooms are a big selling point, maybe
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Jay Spanton @spanty.bsky.social · 09/07/2026
Good day to visit Cliveden, no one else stupid enough to endure the heat
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Paul Kirkley @paulkirkley.bsky.social · 08/07/2026
Having failed to interest any papers in this story, I resorted to writing a letter to The Times, like in olden times. So when all that's left to watch is NASCAR racing sponsored by Cheetos, I can at least say I tried. #ITV #Sky #Comcast
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Kev Lawson @editkev.football · 06/07/2026
A pal of mine posted this on the other place. I'm done in.
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