Neil Lawrence
@ox1digital.co.uk
Product Manager at Unilink / localgov survivor / LocalGovDigital alumni / All my views / Stupidly excited by default / European citizen / passionate about not using the word “passionate” / proud hearing aid wearer
Getting to the Worldpay interface in registering/paying for an Open University course was like emerging from the 1990s to modern day.
I mean, I love the OU, but their online services leave a lot to be desired
I mean, I love the OU, but their online services leave a lot to be desired
September 21, 2025 at 4:16 PM
Getting to the Worldpay interface in registering/paying for an Open University course was like emerging from the 1990s to modern day.
I mean, I love the OU, but their online services leave a lot to be desired
I mean, I love the OU, but their online services leave a lot to be desired
I just published a new blog post on building a web app for learning French using ChatGPT.
Nice to be able to develop exactly what you want using tools to help you, rather than rely on something that is *almost* what you need.
www.ox1digital.co.uk/projects/202...
Nice to be able to develop exactly what you want using tools to help you, rather than rely on something that is *almost* what you need.
www.ox1digital.co.uk/projects/202...
Building a French Vocab Flashcards web app
Using ChatGPT to create a web app from scratch
www.ox1digital.co.uk
September 21, 2025 at 2:10 PM
I just published a new blog post on building a web app for learning French using ChatGPT.
Nice to be able to develop exactly what you want using tools to help you, rather than rely on something that is *almost* what you need.
www.ox1digital.co.uk/projects/202...
Nice to be able to develop exactly what you want using tools to help you, rather than rely on something that is *almost* what you need.
www.ox1digital.co.uk/projects/202...
I think it's really helpful people putting up huge Union flags on their houses all of a sudden - now I know I never want to talk to them
September 17, 2025 at 7:50 AM
I think it's really helpful people putting up huge Union flags on their houses all of a sudden - now I know I never want to talk to them
Had to visit the emergency hospital in France due to a holiday illness (longer boring story) but wanted to shout out to the NHS App product manager for coming up with an app that could produce my test results, my medications and the dates of GP appointments to feed to the doctor here.
September 6, 2025 at 6:58 AM
Had to visit the emergency hospital in France due to a holiday illness (longer boring story) but wanted to shout out to the NHS App product manager for coming up with an app that could produce my test results, my medications and the dates of GP appointments to feed to the doctor here.
Reposted by Neil Lawrence
Coming up this Wednesday/Thursday night. An hour’s mix from me, including a track or two from my new album.
September 2, 2025 at 3:43 PM
Coming up this Wednesday/Thursday night. An hour’s mix from me, including a track or two from my new album.
Remember folks:
- hyperlinks on printed docs don’t actually work when you click them.
- your users are unlikely to type out a long hyperlink correctly, or to even try
- it is possible to use memorable short URLs on your domain to make it easy for users
- hyperlinks on printed docs don’t actually work when you click them.
- your users are unlikely to type out a long hyperlink correctly, or to even try
- it is possible to use memorable short URLs on your domain to make it easy for users
August 27, 2025 at 1:01 PM
Remember folks:
- hyperlinks on printed docs don’t actually work when you click them.
- your users are unlikely to type out a long hyperlink correctly, or to even try
- it is possible to use memorable short URLs on your domain to make it easy for users
- hyperlinks on printed docs don’t actually work when you click them.
- your users are unlikely to type out a long hyperlink correctly, or to even try
- it is possible to use memorable short URLs on your domain to make it easy for users
Reposted by Neil Lawrence
We expect the media and Tory class to tell Angela Rayner to stay in her lane…
But if you’re working class and joining in to do their bidding for them
I have some words for you…
But if you’re working class and joining in to do their bidding for them
I have some words for you…
August 26, 2025 at 2:14 PM
We expect the media and Tory class to tell Angela Rayner to stay in her lane…
But if you’re working class and joining in to do their bidding for them
I have some words for you…
But if you’re working class and joining in to do their bidding for them
I have some words for you…
Reposted by Neil Lawrence
Deleting 1,000 emails would have a carbon benefit of about five grams CO2e. Using a laptop for 30 minutes to delete those emails would emit about 28 grams of CO2e.
Destroying the corporations responsible for climate collapse would be so much more fun and effective.
Destroying the corporations responsible for climate collapse would be so much more fun and effective.
sorry you're experiencing record breaking temperatures and drought. Have you tried deleted some of photos of your grandmother about it?
UK Asks People to Delete Emails In Order to Save Water During Drought
As Britain experiences one of its worst droughts in decades, its leaders suggest people get rid of old data to reduce stress on data centers.
www.404media.co
August 12, 2025 at 5:27 PM
Deleting 1,000 emails would have a carbon benefit of about five grams CO2e. Using a laptop for 30 minutes to delete those emails would emit about 28 grams of CO2e.
Destroying the corporations responsible for climate collapse would be so much more fun and effective.
Destroying the corporations responsible for climate collapse would be so much more fun and effective.
I suppose finding a whole maggot in the freshly-picked plum from the garden when I was eating it is better than finding half a maggot?
August 5, 2025 at 12:20 PM
I suppose finding a whole maggot in the freshly-picked plum from the garden when I was eating it is better than finding half a maggot?
I'm so pleased no one gets to see me wail along to David Live (1977). Sweet Thing slays me
August 4, 2025 at 8:03 AM
I'm so pleased no one gets to see me wail along to David Live (1977). Sweet Thing slays me
Reposted by Neil Lawrence
Is....is ALL of Philip Glass's music essentially the same arpeggio over and over again?
I thought Stewart Lee was the master of repetition to the point of frustration
I thought Stewart Lee was the master of repetition to the point of frustration
July 31, 2025 at 11:08 AM
Is....is ALL of Philip Glass's music essentially the same arpeggio over and over again?
I thought Stewart Lee was the master of repetition to the point of frustration
I thought Stewart Lee was the master of repetition to the point of frustration
Never felt more out of the loop on something
When it happens, you're probably not even going to learn about it directly before you feel it in the air. You'll just hear car horns and cheering in the streets. You'll feel confused, annoyed. You'll check your phone. Huh, 41 new texts.
July 31, 2025 at 10:55 AM
Never felt more out of the loop on something
I'm excited to share that I haven't written or published a book this week. Or any week
July 28, 2025 at 2:44 PM
I'm excited to share that I haven't written or published a book this week. Or any week
Is Discord the worst application I've ever tried to use? Possibly, yes. Joined successfully once and been unable to use any further invites. Resetting my password and still having problems accepting an invite led to my account being disabled. Contact support? The site defaults to Portuguese!
July 15, 2025 at 8:46 AM
Is Discord the worst application I've ever tried to use? Possibly, yes. Joined successfully once and been unable to use any further invites. Resetting my password and still having problems accepting an invite led to my account being disabled. Contact support? The site defaults to Portuguese!
Reposted by Neil Lawrence
Me learning about an organisation's in house genAI tools
July 2, 2025 at 3:05 PM
Me learning about an organisation's in house genAI tools
OK, from a product perspective I can see why v1 of the new GOV.UK app was worth pushing out to get some value out early ahead of the exciting stuff.....but I can't help feeling it's just a bunch of menus linking to GOV.UK with a search tacked on
July 1, 2025 at 3:14 PM
OK, from a product perspective I can see why v1 of the new GOV.UK app was worth pushing out to get some value out early ahead of the exciting stuff.....but I can't help feeling it's just a bunch of menus linking to GOV.UK with a search tacked on
If I use the same cotton bud for my left ear and right ear, is there a risk of cross-pollinating and having a plant grow out of my nose?
June 29, 2025 at 6:20 PM
If I use the same cotton bud for my left ear and right ear, is there a risk of cross-pollinating and having a plant grow out of my nose?
There is never a day when My Shadow In Vain doesn't sound a good as the first day I heard it
June 27, 2025 at 2:21 PM
There is never a day when My Shadow In Vain doesn't sound a good as the first day I heard it
Whenever I hear Adele singing 'Skyfall' I make it rhyme with trifle
June 24, 2025 at 12:17 PM
Whenever I hear Adele singing 'Skyfall' I make it rhyme with trifle
You bring light in
You bring light in
You bring light in
You bring light in
You bring light in
You bring light in
You bring light in
June 13, 2025 at 7:04 PM
You bring light in
You bring light in
You bring light in
You bring light in
You bring light in
You bring light in
You bring light in
Lost my rag on a support call to #BarclaysBank this morning - hated being like that but when someone doesn't listen and talks over you constantly what can you do.
Manager was great and resolved things in 3 mins. Shame it took 1hr 25mins to get to him
Manager was great and resolved things in 3 mins. Shame it took 1hr 25mins to get to him
June 2, 2025 at 10:30 AM
Lost my rag on a support call to #BarclaysBank this morning - hated being like that but when someone doesn't listen and talks over you constantly what can you do.
Manager was great and resolved things in 3 mins. Shame it took 1hr 25mins to get to him
Manager was great and resolved things in 3 mins. Shame it took 1hr 25mins to get to him
Hey DVLA - if you're gonna ask for feedback can you at least ensure that the email(!) link you provide actually works? Oh, and your direct debit form for car tax is really not up to scratch
May 31, 2025 at 7:37 AM
Hey DVLA - if you're gonna ask for feedback can you at least ensure that the email(!) link you provide actually works? Oh, and your direct debit form for car tax is really not up to scratch
I'm starting to think the Underwear Fairy, who meticulously folds and pairs things, may actually be someone human in the house. Or the cat. Will investigate further
May 28, 2025 at 6:11 AM
I'm starting to think the Underwear Fairy, who meticulously folds and pairs things, may actually be someone human in the house. Or the cat. Will investigate further
At this point it seems obvious that the IT department needs to review their debugging procedure
#LoveMessagesFromMyWife
#LoveMessagesFromMyWife
May 27, 2025 at 5:13 AM
At this point it seems obvious that the IT department needs to review their debugging procedure
#LoveMessagesFromMyWife
#LoveMessagesFromMyWife