This is a retropost. Written contemporaneously in 2020, but published four years after the events. It's May 2020 as I write this. I'm typing to capture the moment. Right now, I've no idea what the impact is. This is the exact moment, on Thursday May 7th, I hit the Big Red Button - three of them! - to open source the UK's COVID-19 Beta test app. https://shkspr.mobi/blog/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/Open-Source-NHSX.mp4 It was thrilling and terrifying. We'd spent the last few weeks getting…
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I mentioned in my previous weeknotes that a change was coming. I've left the Civil Service. I've started my new consultancy. And now... I've got a new job! A previous regeneration saw me catapulted into the world of health tech at NHSX. Then another saw me go to data. Then over to cyber. And now… Just like an unexpected David Tennant coming back for a few episodes, I'm coming back to health again! I've joined Our Future Health as their Principal Privacy Architect. The first four days have …
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I hate being introspective. But I'm told it's good for me. A few months ago, I handed in my notice to Cabinet Office. And now I'm no longer a Civil Servant. It's hard to sum up those 2,462 days. Every day brought new challenges. I saw my work presented to the highest offices in the land, discussed on the nightly news, cancelled due to General Elections, and implemented across the nation. I represented my country across the world, helped protect it from attacks both digital and biological,…
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I have a new job! Yay and Hurrah! One of the best things about the new team is they have an internal wiki detailing what they do, with comprehensive information for new starters. I can't begin to tell you how useful this was. In my opinion, every team in every workplace should have something like this. Before I even started, it had told me what I needed to know about the team, their priorities, and the common terms of reference. It made starting on Monday stress-free. Obviously this is…
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lustrum lŭs′trəm A ceremonial purification of the entire ancient Roman population after the census every five years. A period of five years. Five long years ago I quit my job in the mobile industry and started working for the Civil Service. It has been an "interesting" period! On a personal level, I've gone from GDS, to NHSX, back to GDS, and transformed into CDDO. I've started an MSc as an apprentice. I've travelled the world - although somewhat less in the last 18 months! And wo…
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I know exactly what I was doing on 9th April 2020. I was worrying about open-sourcing the NHS Covid Tracing app. I was worrying about tech standards for booking test slots. I was worrying if I'd ever see my family and friends again. I was worrying if the NHS websites would contain enough semantic HTML to be useful. I was worrying if the security of 3rd party sites was up to snuff. I was worrying about the Inevitable Pubic Inquiry. I was worrying worrying worrying late into the night. Terence…
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I've told this story at conferences - but due to the general situation I thought I'd retell it here. A few years ago I was doing policy research in a housing benefits office in London. They are singularly unlovely places. The walls are brightened up with posters offering helpful services for people fleeing domestic violence. The security guards on the door are cautiously indifferent to anyone walking in. The air is filled with tense conversations between partners - drowned out by the noise of…
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I'm doing an MSc Apprenticeship! As part of my desire to work in the open, these are (semi-regular) weeknotes about what I've done / learned / achieved. I tend to be grumpy and curmudgeonly when faced with something I don't understand - or when I suspect I won't be good at an activity. So read the following with that in mind. I've spent the last few weeks working through the pre-course material. Which is mostly about how to learn in an academic environment, and some administrivia about…
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I spent the first few months of lockdown in a blur. Working with NHSX, on the national app launch, meant that I didn't have a minute to think about what was going on outside my immediate focus. Then, a few months ago, I switched to a new job in the Data Standards Authority - so I've had all the excitement of getting up to speed on new projects. And this week. Just... *bleugh*. I've hit the wall. I seem to have spent the week drifting off in meetings, nodding, and wondering if I'm adding any…
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Four years ago today, I turned up in Holborn for my first day at GDS - Government Digital Service. Terence Eden is on Mastodon@edentReplying to @edent🅁🄴🄶🄴🄽🄴🅁🄰🅃🄸🄾🄽 🅂🅃🄰🅃🅄🅂▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓100% COMPLETE> @edent is now part of @GDSTeam > Press any key to continue…>❤️ 49💬 16🔁 006:37 - Mon 10 October 2016 I've now experienced two Prime Ministers (Primes Minister?), two departments, and one pandemic. So I thought I'd take a look back at some highlights and lowlights. I've worked for half-a-dozen brilliant …
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A few years ago, Johannes Haushofer published a CV of failures. In it, he lists all the grants he wasn't awarded, positions he didn't get, papers rejected. I think that people need to be more open about failure. None of us are perfect - despite what our social media presence says - and all of us suffer rejection. But, by being open and honest about it, we make it easier for others to realise that they're not alone. In that spirit - here, in no particular order, are the recent jobs which I…
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I've made no secret of rather enjoying this enforced period of remote work. Sure, it has had its challenges - but there have been so many fringe benefits. Less commuting! No crappy-canteen lunches! More time to sleep in! And, today, I was reminded of another benefit. I am terrible at remembering names. Many a time someone has bumbled up to me in a corridor, asked my opinion on something, and I've said "could you email me and I'll send you more detail" because I didn't want the mortifying…
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