Latest Blog Posts
Notes on frontend, accessibility, travel, and whatever else I'm working through.
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I've got 3 free Cowork trials to give away
Claude Cowork gives you a desktop AI that can actually touch your files. Here's what it is, what I use it for, and how to get a free week.
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The Popover API
The browser now knows what a popover is. Here's what that means for your accessibility, your JavaScript, and the custom overlay code you've been maintaining.
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Camp Digital 2026: Notes from Manchester
I spent a day at Camp Digital 2026 in Manchester. Twelve sessions covering AI, content design, public services, creativity, and digital culture. Here's what I took away.
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I Am Not Ready: Zhen Yang at Camp Digital 2026
Zhen Yang gave a 5-minute talk at Camp Digital 2026 while visibly nervous, forgot their lines a couple of times, and kept going anyway. It was one of the most honest things I watched all day.
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Amor Fati: James Bilham at Camp Digital 2026
A 5-minute talk from a para-triathlon national champion who fell off a cliff, woke up in hospital and thought 'right, what are we doing' — and what that has to do with how you face a challenge.
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Use AI to Support You. Don't Let It Think For You.
Robin Roy's 5-minute talk at Camp Digital 2026 made a simple but important point about how AI tools change the way we think — and what to do about it. Worth reading if you're earlier in your career.
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Screening Forwards: What We Should Actually Hire for Now
Basanite's 5-minute talk at Camp Digital 2026 made a clean argument: technical hiring tests candidates for the skills AI is best at. We should test for the skill AI can't replicate, knowing where the output is wrong.
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Intentional Friction: AI in Professional Advice Services
A 5-minute lightning talk from Citizens Advice at Camp Digital 2026 that made a simple, important point: smooth AI integration might be exactly the wrong goal when the service depends on professional judgement.
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Chewing Gum and Prayers: Tessa on Building Scotland's Ukraine Digital Response
A Programme Director at the Scottish Government built a digital infrastructure for 29,000 Ukrainian refugees from a single spreadsheet and two part-time staff. What she learned the hard way is worth reading.
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It's Not Just the Words: Candi Williams at Camp Digital 2026
Candi Williams on content design as a linguistic system, syntax, semantics, pragmatics, and why treating it as 'just the words' completely misses the point. Also: a form field that saved a company £12 million.
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Play Is a Strategy: Laura Yarrow at Camp Digital 2026
Laura Yarrow, Head of Design at GDS, on the conditions for creativity, speculative design, government-sponsored pigs, and why intentionality is now the genuine bottleneck, not execution.
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The Misinformation Problem Nobody's Talking About Enough: Dan Barrett at Camp Digital 2026
Dan Barrett from Citizens Advice at Camp Digital 2026 on building data culture, AI use cases in advice services, and the growing problem of people arriving already harmed by AI-generated information.
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The Hero Who Hides the Gap: Himal Mandalia at Camp Digital 2026
Himal Mandalia's talk at Camp Digital 2026 reframes burnout not as a personal failure but as a systems problem. The organisation never fixes the gap because someone keeps filling it.
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Hope is a Professional Tool: Rachel Coldicutt at Camp Digital 2026
Rachel Coldicutt opened Camp Digital 2026 by talking about hope. Not as a vague feel-good concept, but as something shareable and practical. She also launched a professional solidarity network for tech workers who want their industry to do better.
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What Is EmilyUI and Why I Built It
A portable component system for places where build pipelines are awkward and consistency still matters.
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Starting a Masters Degree at 41
Reflections from the first day of starting a Masters Degree in Strategic Leadership as a mature student, balancing study, work, and family life.
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LocalGov Drupal Camp 2025: Takeaways on Accessibility and AI
Reflections from Westminster after attending LocalGov Drupal Camp, with a focus on accessibility, AI, and spending time with colleagues in person.
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Stop Relying on Colour: 3 Simple Fixes
Relying on colour alone breaks accessibility for a lot of people. Here's how to fix that fast without a full redesign.
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What Screen Readers Actually Announce
Most devs guess what screen readers do. Here’s how to test it for real, and what surprised me.
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Why I Solo Travel in My 40s
How solo travel in my 40s helps me stay grounded, grow, and see the world on my own terms.
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Just Because It's Always Been There...
Why confirm-password fields (and other quiet friction) are quietly ruining your UX, and what to do instead.
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Starting at 41: Right, It's Time To Get My Own Stuff Going
How years of doubt, ADHD, and life delays held me back, and why now, in my 40s, I’m finally getting it done anyway.
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How I Audit a Page for Accessibility in 10 Minutes
My quickfire checklist for spotting accessibility issues before they go live, using free tools and a bit of common sense.
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Small CSS Tweaks That Make a Big Accessibility Difference
How to write CSS that supports users properly, not just ticks boxes.