Drew Hardy

The Stream: Weeknotes S21E12 Updating the service handbook, mapping the platform’s value stream, and taking on a new client.

Workshops in offices with great people are GREAT. Starting new projects is FUN. Spring is sprunging and today was SUNNY! #weeknotes visitmy.website/2026/03/02/t...

My expectations were already high but that was even better than I could have hoped

Screenshot of map taken from the Get Information about Schools website showing the 'Giant Manhood of Kemptown' as a landmark.

Also TomTom base mapping? Not ideal when they leave in all the POI data too (though it turns out this one isn't quite as NSFW as I first imagined)

Map from 1944-1975 showing the Lancashire Dynamo and Crypto Works

I miss when crypto was a proper industry. Map via NLS maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/...

Brilliant! Make it at least a medium treat. That's a great thing to not have in your future any more!

By my reckoning, there's only three counties that are also full planning authorities in England - Isle of Wight, Herefordshire and Cornwall. At least until the next phase of devolution kicks in anyway

As an ex-Royal Mail complaints person, I can only say that it definitely was not the case 20 years ago. I'm sure privatisation has made the system SO much more efficient though

Dedicated to Ted from Olaf Falafel

Copy of Trixie Pickle found in Decathlon Brighton

Ted! You've left your signed copy of Trixie Pickle in Decathlon after seeing @ofalafel.bsky.social in Brighton today. It's in their lost property now.

Also, 'Ordinance' Survey maps? Ouch

I spent a year as a temp working in a Royal Mail call centre many years ago. Glad to see it's paying off in the end!

Postcode areas represent all major points in the compass? N, NW, W, SW, E & SE for London, S for Sheffield and NE for Newcastle

Bar chart showing distribution of baby names with recorded NS-SEC classifications compared to the expected distribution from Census 2021 data. 'Lower management' and 'Higher management' seem somewhat over-represented, and 'routine' and 'semi-routine' under-represented

I was hoping to do some things with these but found out that it only covers about 6% of recorded baby names and also seems massively skewed toward the 'higher' end of the NS-SEC classes compared to expected Census distribution. Unless they're the only ones who can afford to have children now

Father Ted - Gobshite YouTube video by Gazza11123

Guessing it might be along these lines youtu.be/6Yt2CGvcgu8?...

I'd love to see the verbatim responses for 'focussed abuse, but no name given'

Unlock the secrets behind some of the world’s most extraordinary maps 🤫🗺️

Secret Maps opens 24 October, book now: bit.ly/BLSecretMaps

I might be wrong but I don't think any change from/to C2a falls under PDR except changing to a school under Class T

A team isn't a team without an occasional Bez

My son recently declared that he will only eat 'wet' ham as opposed to any other kind. I get what he means but it feels inherently nauseating

In the Future All Food Will Be Cooked in a Microwave, and if You Can’t Deal With That Then You Need to Get Out of the Kitchen As a restaurant owner – I’m astounded at the rate of progress since microwaves were released a few short years ago. Today’s microwave can cook a frozen burrito. Tomorrow’s m…

"Gone will be stoves, ovens and flat tops. Restaurant kitchens will only be a small closet with a microwave."

"I’ve moved all my employees to exclusively using microwaves. After I threatened to fire any employee that complained everyone told me the microwaves were great."

via @totter87.bsky.social

Standardising the planning application process: Kicking off work on decisions  – MHCLG Digital The blog of the digital and data teams in MHCLG

Now are you interested in planning application submissions? Ie the filled in forms…

Or are you interested in what has been decided?? Ie what has and has not got permission…

Another blog - get involved - what do you want to know?

mhclgdigital.blog.gov.uk/2025/08/05/s...

Hi Ben. Really interesting work. I noticed that the Zenodo data download page for it has a CC BY-SA attribution, but the downloaded data itself contains a CC BY-NC attribution in the first row. I'm presuming the second one is correct?

I always fancied being a boffin

Maybe along the lines of the Scottish Improvement Service?

In situ

#sfaok, obviously

Portrait of my family by Pete Fowler in the style of the cover art for Herman loves Pauline by the Super Furry Animals

Original cover of Herman loves Pauline for comparison

Received what is definitely the best present ever for my wedding anniversary. A family portrait commissioned from @petefowlerart.bsky.social in the style of his cover for Herman ❤️s Pauline. Really couldn't be happier. Just look at it! Amazing!

He thinks it's all over, clearly

Output Area counts for licensed vehicles in UK, as at the end of 2024 owenboswarva.com/blog/post-ve... from DfT/DVLA via my #FOI

This is the most geographically detailed dataset available for mapping UK vehicles. Counts are by body type, keepership, and licence status.

#transportdata #opendata 🚗🚚🛵

Standardising the planning application process: Progress and next steps – MHCLG Digital The blog of the digital and data teams in MHCLG

New blog (by me) on planning data standards -> mhclgdigital.blog.gov.uk/2025/07/08/s...

I lost three guesses on that one and couldn't unsee it. Just clawed it back at the end!
🟨🟪🟨🟨
🟨🟩🟪🟨
🟦🟦🟦🟦
🟪🟨🟨🟨
🟩🟩🟩🟩
🟪🟪🟪🟪
🟨🟨🟨🟨