Thoughts
A conference is a physical network of incredible people
Earlier this month, we delivered the final All Day Hey! conference, our tenth edition. I've been reflecting in the aftermath of the event as people have published their thoughts on the day and said many lovely things, about the purpose of events like ours and how their existence is fundamental to our industry.
Building my own LLM Operating System, ctOS
A conversation with Jack a few months ago set me off on an idea that radically changed how I work. We were talking about how skills in Claude could add an intelligent layer on top of the notes I'd been keeping in Obsidian for years. By the end of it, I'd started building something tailored to how I work as a CTO.
Misleading accessibility claims are a breach of learner trust
The Title II requirements are a timely reminder to make sure your accessible design is up to scratch. But the gold standard for accessible design isn’t that it’s ‘compliant’, it’s that you’re thoughtful and transparent about what users can expect (and trust) from their experience with your products.
The real cost of inclusion
Every year, the tech industry produces another round of award ceremonies aimed at celebrating women and underrepresented groups. They arrive dressed in the language of empowerment—shining a light, giving a platform, amplifying voices. But a closer look into the logistics of some of these awards reveals the need for nominees to buy their time in the spotlight.
An experienced team sails calmly through uncertainty
Following a rebrand to Genio earlier this month, I've been reflecting on how teams are set up to navigate uncertainty and tight deadlines while preserving culture.
The real threat isn’t AI—it’s the discourse surrounding it
It’s possible to believe AI is one of the most transformative tools of our time and that most of what’s being sold as AI is smoke and mirrors, or worse, complete bollocks. Both can be true.
Non-performative allyship
Allyship is often spoken about in diversity initiatives, but too frequently, it lacks grounding in day-to-day behavior or a company’s reality. It's important that we challenge that. True allyship isn’t performative, it’s operational and cultural.
The state of Leeds nightlife
Last night I had the pleasure of hosting a panel at the Leeds Night Time Economy Group launch. The panel highlighted clear failures where support just isn't there, or friction is being introduced in areas where support is obvious and much easier to provide (over financial backing or licencing challenges).
Soft skills are what make us human
For a long time, I've enjoyed working with teams to build exceptional products. A core part of that is facilitating clear communication and working practices to ensure we do the best job we can. Working on communication, organisation, and decision making structures is just as much of a creative act as the coding itself.
The conference dream team
Last year I learned that making yourself redundant is vital to scaling events. Create processes and systems that mean you are replaceable. Not because you want to be replaced but because if you want to create something of permanence, it’s a requirement.
Completing a Stage at the Black Swan in Oldstead
I had wanted to do a stint in a professional kitchen for some time, so when the opportunity arose to do one at The Black Swan in Oldstead - a restaurant awarded a star from the Michelin guide - I jumped at it.
Consistency
Last week, I was at an event discussing how long I'd been running the Hey! Presents events for (10 years as of a few weeks ago), and the person I was talking to asked how I'd stuck with it for so long.
All Day Hey! 2023
After my usual post-conference slumber, I’ve finally managed to pen down some thoughts from the events of All Day Hey! 2023.
Pixel Pioneers 2023
Last week I thoroughly enjoyed attending Pixel Pioneers 2023 in Bristol. After years of running events myself, I always appreciate the effort others put into making everyone feel welcome — and the talks, Jeremy Keith's on declarative design especially, gave me plenty to bring home.
ffconf 2022
On 11th November, I was delighted to return to ffconf after a few years of hiatus. The programming ebbed and flowed between creative expression and our responsibility as creators, and I was reminded why events run for the community, by the community, are my favourite kind.
Beyond Tellerrand 2022
I had the pleasure of attending Beyond Tellerrand for the first time in September — a conference that had been on my hit list for years, in one of my favourite cities. I left feeling inspired to get home and plan my next creative endeavour.
All Day Hey! 2022
Following a few years of forced digital-only events, I was so happy to be able to bring back the conference in real life.
How to run an online conference
This year we took All Day Hey! online during the pandemic in a new offering from Hey! called All Day Hey! Live, and I wanted to write up a post on how we delivered it from a technical perspective.
ffconf 2019
A couple of weeks ago I was leaving Brighton after a fantastic few days in the city for ffconf 2019. As much as I love running All Day Hey!, it was lovely to be an audience member for a change and soak up the takeaways from the talks.
Hosting a talk by Helen Sharman, the first British Astronaut
Last week I was invited to MC a talk by Helen Sharman, the first British astronaut, as part of The Festival of the Moon in Wakefield. Hosting events is something I find genuinely exciting, and meeting Helen — who flew to the Mir space station in 1991 at just 27 — was an absolute pleasure.
All Day Hey! 2019
Now that the dust from the conference has settled, I wanted to post a quick look back on what was another fantastic year for All Day Hey!.