iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Matt Hobbs (he/him) @therealnooshu.bsky.social · 23h

Well, I, for one, believe Malaysia should added back into the F1 calendar! #F1 #NotBahrainGP

Matt Hobbs (he/him) @therealnooshu.bsky.social · 04/10/2026

When teams are reprogramming F1 cars on the grid just to get them racing, you have to question whether the new regulations have pushed complexity too far. The most complex power units F1 has ever built, but to what benefit? Madness! Roll on 2030. Give us simpler, louder V10 turbos! 🏎️🔥 #F1

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Reposted by Matt Hobbs (he/him)

GitHub @github.com · 04/10/2026

GitHub.com has fully moved off CSS-in-JS to CSS Modules, resulting in 55% less server-side render time and 25% faster component init. github.blog/engineering/architectur…

github.blog

Improving site performance by shipping more CSS

How we fully migrated github.com away from CSS-in-JS.

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Matt Hobbs (he/him) @therealnooshu.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

It amazes me how wrong McDonald’s workers can mess up an order. I’m literally giving you the order on a smartphone, no order miss-communication between humans, yet somehow half the order is missing! 🤦‍♂️

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Matt Hobbs (he/him) @therealnooshu.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

Having had brain cancer, I know how brutal the waiting and not knowing can be. Modern medicine never ceases to amaze me. Anything that shortens that limbo and gets people to treatment faster is incredible news, not just for patients, but everyone who loves them. ❤️ www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

bbc.co.uk

Brain tumour diagnosis cut from weeks to hours with rapid new NHS test

The test means patients can start treatment sooner and are spared weeks of uncertainty.

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Matt Hobbs (he/him) @therealnooshu.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

Just updated Firefox to the latest version, I felt like I needed to update the popup about using Firefox on your phone, currently very misleading due to Apple not allowing other browser engines! 🤬

True statement: Get Firefox on your phone. iPhone users need not apply.

False statement: Get Firefox on your phone

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Matt Hobbs (he/him) @therealnooshu.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

🗺️ Over the weekend, I published a new post exploring a question that came up surprisingly often while I was at GDS: Can you progressively enhance an interactive map? I built a PoC with example pages to find out 👇 nooshu.com/blog/2026/09...

nooshu.com

Progressively Enhancing Maps for UK Government Services

In this post, I explore how to progressively enhance interactive maps for UK government services, with accessible,...

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Matt Hobbs (he/him) @therealnooshu.bsky.social · 12/09/2026

Well I never, 36 million donated to Reform… wonder how much of that is going to go “missing”? Reform receives record £36m donation from crypto billionaire www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

bbc.co.uk

Ben Delo: Reform receives record £36m donation from cryptocurrency billionaire

Ben Delo's donation, the biggest single sum ever given to a political party in the UK, comes amid scrutiny of Reform's finances.

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Matt Hobbs (he/him) @therealnooshu.bsky.social · 11/09/2026

To reduce data poverty in the UK I've just created an online petition to make all government services "data free" on mobile devices. If you are a UK resident, would you mind signing and sharing, please? petition.parliament.uk/petitions/78...

petition.parliament.uk

Support Matthew Hobbs’s petition - Petitions

Find, sign or create petitions calling for the UK Parliament or UK Government to act

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Matt Hobbs (he/him) @therealnooshu.bsky.social · 07/09/2026

Will AI bridge the UK’s digital divide, or widen it? My post explores AI and digital poverty, from access and skills to trust. Who gets to advance with AI, and who gets left behind? nooshu.com/blog/2026/09... #AI #DigitalInclusion

nooshu.com

AI and Digital Poverty: Bridging or Widening the Divide?

Artificial intelligence is transforming how people work, learn, and access digital services, but could AI deepen digital...

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Matt Hobbs (he/him) @therealnooshu.bsky.social · 06/09/2026

What a race! What a win! 😳😳🇮🇹🇮🇹🇮🇹🇮🇹

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Matt Hobbs (he/him) @therealnooshu.bsky.social · 26/08/2026

[object Object], Now that's an alert I've not heard in a long time. A long time…

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Matt Hobbs (he/him) @therealnooshu.bsky.social · 26/08/2026

What a remarkable human Dolly Parton was! My favourite version of Jolene is the one where it has been slowed down (I think the original is great too!) RIP 😭 youtu.be/CMrfM711vXI?...

youtu.be

Dolly Parton - Jolene (33rpm slowed down digital version)

YouTube video by OdinsVlog

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Matt Hobbs (he/him) @therealnooshu.bsky.social · 26/08/2026

Any followers from @firefox.com / @webdevs.firefox.com know if there are any plans to be able to lock groups of tabs so that can't be so easily closed? Closing all the tabs in the group deletes the group :( Trying a tiny extension for the moment called TabGuard, hopefully that helps 🤞

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Matt Hobbs (he/him) @therealnooshu.bsky.social · 25/08/2026

Oh the Irony, currently writing a blog post about the impact of AI on digital poverty through a government service lens. I've just simultaneously encountered the DVLA support team who use it, as I'm trying to change an address!

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Matt Hobbs (he/him) @therealnooshu.bsky.social · 22/08/2026

Well, the only way the #DutchGP will be interesting tomorrow is if we get rain for either qualifying or the race… 🥱

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Reposted by Matt Hobbs (he/him)

Terence Eden @edent.tel · 14/08/2026

I know you all hate the emergency alert about disposable barbeques. But yesterday I watched a man at our hotel breakfast set fire to a toaster by trying to toast a croissant - despite multiple signs telling him not to. Today he tried again. So, you know, calibrate for the average person.

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Matt Hobbs (he/him) @therealnooshu.bsky.social · 14/08/2026

Another fantastic GDS service. Amazing work, GOV.UK Notify! 👏 I’d love to press the big “ALERT THE ENTIRE COUNTRY” button. Although I’d proofread it about 47,000 times first. Imagine spotting a typo after sending it to 60 million phones. 😬📱

Severe Alert
Issued by the UK Government
There is a very high risk of wildfires nationally. Residents, landowners and visitors should not undertake any activity that could start a fire, including disposable barbecues, firepits, garden incinerators or fireworks. Even a small flame can rapidly develop into a major wildfire placing lives, homes, businesses and emergency responders at risk.
Follow official updates and report signs of fire immediately by calling 999. Search gov.uk/alerts for more

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Matt Hobbs (he/him) @therealnooshu.bsky.social · 11/08/2026

Yet another example of why progressive enhancement matters, especially for medical services. Because of Gary, I take daily medication to prevent seizures. And this glorious loading spinner of doom is stopping me ordering my monthly prescription. But hey, at least the JavaScript is modern. 🤬

Screenshot of the Pharmacy2U iPhone app stuck on a loading spinner because its JavaScript has failed, preventing me from ordering my prescription. Thankfully, their website works without the same JavaScript-first approach, so I can order it there instead.

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Matt Hobbs (he/him) @therealnooshu.bsky.social · 07/08/2026

It’s crazy that in 2026 the M6 Toll website doesn’t support Apple or Google Pay! Talk about not knowing your user or demographic!

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Matt Hobbs (he/him) @therealnooshu.bsky.social · 27/07/2026

On my way up to Newcastle for work on the train, look at this lovely bit of legacy technology that is still built into every seat. I wonder if it still works, or has ever worked? No Bluetooth support, so I can’t check! Would love to know when it was last used! 🤔

Presumably a FM radio out point complete with channel control and volume buttons, and a 2.5mm jack for your headphones

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Matt Hobbs (he/him) @therealnooshu.bsky.social · 24/07/2026

It’s always reassuring when an email developer can’t even get the alt text right in their own promo email. If they can’t manage the basics of accessibility while selling their product, I just hope they’re not trying to market it to people with a visual impairment. It can't be that hard, surely!

2 images in an email I received selling products where both image alt texts say "Image alternative text". Thankfully, visually impaired users don't need a description of what they are selling! /s

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Matt Hobbs (he/him) @therealnooshu.bsky.social · 10/07/2026

I swear websites are getting worse, or developers are getting lazier. The eCommerce site I just used had 3 MB product images (you could literally watch them loading), and the client-side payment address validation broke if the browser autofilled it. Does nobody test UIs any more? 🤬

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Reposted by Matt Hobbs (he/him)

Bethany Black @bethanyblack.bsky.social · 10/07/2026

Ann Widdecombe’s dead and I’m still gay. So I won that one.

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Matt Hobbs (he/him) @therealnooshu.bsky.social · 06/07/2026

I wonder if this could be useful for refactoring the header anchor plugin in @11ty.dev in the future? Progressively enhanced of course!

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Matt Hobbs (he/him) @therealnooshu.bsky.social · 06/07/2026

Been playing around with @cloudflare.social Web Analytics for a project on my blog over the past couple of days. Their dashboard navigation is so confusing. I can see they are trying to improve it, but I think they need to strip it back and start again in all honesty.

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Reposted by Matt Hobbs (he/him)

Jess O'Thomson @jessothomson.co.uk · 03/07/2026

🚨 WE NEED YOU 🚨 As a new Prime Minister comes into power, we want to show that an overwhelming number of people support trans people, and want the government to take serious action to protect their rights. Will you say you stand with trans people? And share with everyone you know?

goodlaw.social

I stand with trans people | Good Law Project

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Matt Hobbs (he/him) @therealnooshu.bsky.social · 04/07/2026

Please complete this survey, this data is vital for decision making! Especially in government! Very much speaking from experience!

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Matt Hobbs (he/him) @therealnooshu.bsky.social · 30/06/2026

You know what grinds my gears? Websites with a max password lengths. In the age of password managers, it’s futile. Password hashes don’t get bigger because your password does. If you’re worried about hashing costs, set a sensible limit, not an arbitrary one. Do everyone a favour and don't do this!

Password is too long (maximum is 40 characters)

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Reposted by Matt Hobbs (he/him)

WebPerformance Report @webperfreport.bsky.social · 28/06/2026

⚡Featured posts this week: ✨ CSP Playground: @therealnooshu.bsky.social ✨ Cross-Origin Storage: @tomayac.com ✨ Is my website agent-ready?: @mhablich.bsky.social ✨ href='#' and the Focus Trap: @th3s4mur41.me 🙏 Special thanks to the authors! #webperf

WebPerformance Report performance email preview highlighting optimization scores, Perf Links, and Core Web Vitals metrics on a colorful gradient background.

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Reposted by Matt Hobbs (he/him)

Ethan Gardner @ethangardner.com · 18/06/2026

My presentation, Making Performance Allies from @perfnow.nl just got posted to YouTube - www.youtube.com/watch?v=ygdx.... The tips I share in the presentation were designed to make #webperf stick beyond the occasional task that finds its way out of the backlog. Enjoy!

youtube.com

Making Performance Allies - Ethan Gardner - performance.now() 2025

YouTube video by Web Conferences Amsterdam

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Reposted by Matt Hobbs (he/him)

London Web Standards @londonwebstandards.org · 22/06/2026

As of this morning we have 43 tickets left for #SotB2027 And we haven't even announced the line up. Do not be disappointed and buy early 2027.stateofthebrowser.com/tickets/#:~:...

2027.stateofthebrowser.com

Tickets | State of the Browser

More information and buying options for tickets.

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Matt Hobbs (he/him) @therealnooshu.bsky.social · 21/06/2026

I finally fixed an annoying "issue" on my blog today. Chrome was reporting that my CSS preload wasn't being used, but Firefox was fine. It turns out Chrome supports preload headers on non-HTML assets, whereas Firefox doesn't (from my research anyway).

The resource http://localhost:3000/api/1tcvlsq/a
a: 1
was preloaded using link preload but not used within a few seconds from the window's load event. Please make sure it wasn't preloaded for nothing.

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Matt Hobbs (he/him) @therealnooshu.bsky.social · 21/06/2026

TIL: The London Philharmonic Orchestra wear full King's guard uniform, complete with bear skin hat when playing! Well, at least that's according to this terrible album cover I've just found on Amazon Music! 🤣

the 50 greatest pieces of classical music, played by the London Philharmonic Orchestra album cover with a soldier from the King's guard playing a cello, complete with bear skin hat!

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Matt Hobbs (he/him) @therealnooshu.bsky.social · 16/06/2026

Another performance win for hosting on @cloudflare.social HTTP/3 advertised over DNS, so browsers can negotiate HTTP/3 on the first connection! #webperf #dns #cloudflare savearoundtrip.com

Screenshot of my domain nooshu.com advertising its support for HTTP/3 advertisement in the DNS records! Using: https://savearoundtrip.com/

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Matt Hobbs (he/him) @therealnooshu.bsky.social · 16/06/2026

LinkedIn is currently horribly broken in the latest version of Firefox (151.0.4) for me. The main feed loads, but I can't navigate to any other pages it just throws me out of the website, and I'm back and the default FF home screen, very weird behaviour.

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Matt Hobbs (he/him) @therealnooshu.bsky.social · 01/06/2026

I truly wish waterfall-tools.com created by @patmeenan.com existed when I wrote "How to read a WebPageTest Waterfall View chart"! I could have downloaded all the example WPT JSON files and hosted them along with the examples I wrote! Oh, well. Fantastic tool, thanks for building it, Pat!

waterfall-tools.com

Waterfall Viewer

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Reposted by Matt Hobbs (he/him)

Amy Hupe @amyhupe.bsky.social · 01/06/2026

Hi BlueSky pals 📣 Having just completed a fun project with the folks at Clearleft, I’m on the lookout for my next project. I’m open to part-time or full-time contracts outside IR35 and I can help you with: - design systems consultancy & management - content design - design systems documentation

amyhupe.co.uk

Testimonials

Content design and design systems consultant

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Matt Hobbs (he/him) @therealnooshu.bsky.social · 30/05/2026

Does anyone know if any person/ company is working on an agreed standard for AI instructions in repositories? AGENT.md seems to be the one leading the charge at the moment.

agent.md

AGENTS.md

AGENTS.md is a simple, open format for guiding coding agents. Think of it as a README for agents.

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Matt Hobbs (he/him) @therealnooshu.bsky.social · 15/05/2026

Well, it's that time of month again, MRI scan results… I am pleased to say that the video call software now works with Firefox! Rather than being a Safari / Chrome only. Small wins, I guess!

Screenshot of the oncology waiting area that finally works in Firefox, my preferred browser of choice!

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Matt Hobbs (he/him) @therealnooshu.bsky.social · 07/05/2026

Open-Source needs your help! The NHS are looking to make their code private 😭 @edent.tel wrote a blog post here: shkspr.mobi/blog/2026/05... please sign here is you disagree with this change, making things open makes them better: keepthingsopen.com

shkspr.mobi

NHS Goes To War Against Open Source

The NHS is preparing to close nearly all of its Open Source repositories. Throughout my time working for the UK Government - in GDS, NHSX, i.AI, and others - I championed Open Source. I spoke to doze...

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Reposted by Matt Hobbs (he/him)

steve @visitmy.website · 29/04/2026

The new data.gov.uk team need folks to join its user research panel, so they can ask you about stuff portal.participantkit.com/74e3e483-044...

portal.participantkit.com

Data.gov.uk Research Sign Up - Join our research panel - Participant Kit

Consent forms from a company that cares. Who ever sent you this cares about you being in control of your data

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Matt Hobbs (he/him) @therealnooshu.bsky.social · 28/04/2026

A personal message from me to Nigel Farage. Exactly where it belongs!

Putting a reform party flier through the shredder where it belongs

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Matt Hobbs (he/him) @therealnooshu.bsky.social · 26/03/2026

I've had a really weird issue on my work MacBook version of Chrome and Safari for a while now. I always get: "Your connection is not private" when I try to visit LinkedIn. Firefox is fine, my MacBook Air works fine for every browser. Any ideas of what it could be? A Certificate issue in the OS?

Chromes warning: Your connection is not private
Attackers might be trying to steal your information from linkedin.com (for example, passwords, messages or credit cards). Learn more about this warning
net::ERR_CERT_AUTHORITY_INVALID
This server could not prove that it is linkedin.com; its security certificate is not trusted by your computer's operating system. This may be caused by a misconfiguration or an attacker intercepting your connection.

Proceed to linkedin.com (unsafe)

Safari's warning: This Connection Is Not Private
This website may be impersonating "www.linkedin.com" to steal your personal or financial information. You should close this page.

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Matt Hobbs (he/him) @therealnooshu.bsky.social · 24/03/2026

My son recently started at secondary school, they have an app that tracks their merits. He has 1,228 merits so far this year! I wondered why the app was slow to load! All those merits served as uncompressed HTML with terrible cache headers. Very proud of him, but please, basic optimisations! 🤦‍♂️

Screenshot from Firefox DevTools Network panel, shows 1.1 MB of uncompressed HTML with explicit headers that stop data being cached! no-store, no-cache, must-revalidate. Really?? This is basic optimisation!

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Reposted by Matt Hobbs (he/him)

Huw Diprose @huwdiprose.bsky.social · 24/03/2026

I had some fun with maps! Joined the Price Paid dataset with the EPC register to make a price paid per m² dataset to explore open data and some new tools. Credit to @annapowellsmith.bsky.social who did this nearly a decade ago, I'm just catching up. houseprices.huwdiprose.co.uk

houseprices.huwdiprose.co.uk

UK House Prices per Square Metre — by Postcode District

Average house price per square metre for every postcode district in England and Wales, mapped from Land Registry and EPC open data.

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