FWD50

Fantastic talk by @sboots on what ails government tech in Canada — and elsewhere — and what could be done to fix it, without a shoutout to @Marthalanefox’ paper in 2010 https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/directgov-2010-and-beyond-revolution-not-evolution-a-report-by-martha-lane-fox & @govuk & @GDSTeam since. Humble, smart, inspiring. #fwd50

I just spent an hour at a workshop on data and analytics where I was ostensibly an expert. Instead, I got to cohost and moderate a discussion among the extraordinary conferees at #FWD50, who quickly shared the depth and bread of their expertise in public service, & tried to nurture open conversations that created far more value than we captured. A reminder of what a privilege it is to be here & of the latent & applied knowledge within this community.

Many thanks to Alistair, Rebecca, & the entire @fwd50 staff for putting on an excellent event that connected online & offline participants with ideas and to one another — and to all of the public servants here who show up every day to listen, engage, & build better societies. #fwd50

I am grieving that officials & civil servants from U.S. government aren’t active participants in #fwd50 in person & online. I may be missing folks who are streaming & chatting on the @fwd50conf platform, so caveat this, but public timelines are empty. Feels like a missed chance.

Watching @acroll kick off @fwd50conf.

From QR codes for agenda & real-time translation to livestreams, it’s the best melding of online platform with offline conferencing I’ve seen.

Hybrid is REALLY hard, but these technologies help humans to bridge both space & time

#fwd50

Good to be back at #FWD50, where @acroll made a convincing argument that modularity is THE key strategy to mitigating complexity at scale — the headache of modern governments everywhere trying to deliver online.
Also, reminding me of Simon+ “satisficing”: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herbert_A._Simon

Just arrived in Ottawa, where emerging tech was immediately top of mind at the airport & will continue to be at the @fwd50conf, where I’ll be all week. If you’re in town & want to connect about the present & future of digital democracy & open governance, please reach out! #fwd50

It is a mistake to continue to engage in digital duality, between a “real world” & a virtual world.

I think Estonians grok this.

Far too many media, politicians, & civil servants still don’t.

Use offline & online.

Digital services & interactions are real.

Making them “other” is part of the problem.
https://x.com/digiphile/status/1510319386464296960?s=46

#FWD50