Mark Headd
@mheadd.bsky.social
I post about #GovernmentTech #CivicTech #ServiceDelivery #OpenData. Personal account, views expressed are all mine.
Reposted by Mark Headd
At the risk of starting the flame war to end all flame wars...
Modern LLMs (GPT-5.1, Claude 4.5, Gemini 3) produce excellent code and can be a significant productivity boost to software engineers who take the time to learn how to effectively apply them - especially if used with coding agent tools
Modern LLMs (GPT-5.1, Claude 4.5, Gemini 3) produce excellent code and can be a significant productivity boost to software engineers who take the time to learn how to effectively apply them - especially if used with coding agent tools
November 27, 2025 at 7:55 PM
At the risk of starting the flame war to end all flame wars...
Modern LLMs (GPT-5.1, Claude 4.5, Gemini 3) produce excellent code and can be a significant productivity boost to software engineers who take the time to learn how to effectively apply them - especially if used with coding agent tools
Modern LLMs (GPT-5.1, Claude 4.5, Gemini 3) produce excellent code and can be a significant productivity boost to software engineers who take the time to learn how to effectively apply them - especially if used with coding agent tools
Government legacy systems hold decades of institutional knowledge that disappears when we focus only on translating old code to new code. I've been developing SpecOps: a methodology that uses AI to extract that knowledge into plain-language specifications that policy experts can actually verify. 1/2
November 30, 2025 at 8:07 PM
Government legacy systems hold decades of institutional knowledge that disappears when we focus only on translating old code to new code. I've been developing SpecOps: a methodology that uses AI to extract that knowledge into plain-language specifications that policy experts can actually verify. 1/2
I love this line. It's so true it hurts.
"Few IT projects are displays of rational decision-making from which AI can or should learn. "
spectrum.ieee.org/it-managemen...
"Few IT projects are displays of rational decision-making from which AI can or should learn. "
spectrum.ieee.org/it-managemen...
November 29, 2025 at 3:33 PM
I love this line. It's so true it hurts.
"Few IT projects are displays of rational decision-making from which AI can or should learn. "
spectrum.ieee.org/it-managemen...
"Few IT projects are displays of rational decision-making from which AI can or should learn. "
spectrum.ieee.org/it-managemen...
Reposted by Mark Headd
Frontend is failing. 75% of devices with browsers are smartphones, but not even half of sites pass Core Web Vitals on them. Why not? Too much JavaScript, added to indulge SPA fantasies the data is falsifying in real time:
infrequently.org/2025/11/perf...
infrequently.org/2025/11/perf...
The Performance Inequality Gap, 2026 - Infrequently Noted
Embedded in this year's network and device estimates is hopeful news about the trajectory of devices and networks. It has never been easier to deliver pages quickly, but we are not collectively…
infrequently.org
November 25, 2025 at 5:23 PM
Frontend is failing. 75% of devices with browsers are smartphones, but not even half of sites pass Core Web Vitals on them. Why not? Too much JavaScript, added to indulge SPA fantasies the data is falsifying in real time:
infrequently.org/2025/11/perf...
infrequently.org/2025/11/perf...
Reposted by Mark Headd
As an example of how we are building on top of Gemini 3, AI Mode in Search now uses Gemini 3 to enable new generative UI experiences, all generated completely on the fly based on your query. Here’s how you might use this to learn a complex topic like how RNA polymerase works.
November 19, 2025 at 2:58 AM
As an example of how we are building on top of Gemini 3, AI Mode in Search now uses Gemini 3 to enable new generative UI experiences, all generated completely on the fly based on your query. Here’s how you might use this to learn a complex topic like how RNA polymerase works.
I've been thinking a lot lately about how legacy system modernization gets done in government, and about how new AI tools and development approaches can dramatically change the way we've approached this challenge in the past. spec-ops.ai
SpecOps: Specification-Driven Legacy Modernization
Specifications over code. Preserve institutional knowledge, verify behavior, and generate modern systems with AI.
spec-ops.ai
November 13, 2025 at 8:42 PM
I've been thinking a lot lately about how legacy system modernization gets done in government, and about how new AI tools and development approaches can dramatically change the way we've approached this challenge in the past. spec-ops.ai
Reposted by Mark Headd
I wrote about what @zohrankmamdani.bsky.social’s administration can do starting Day 1 to make sure NYC’s civil service and hiring system can help deliver for New Yorkers. #PublicSectorJobBoard
open.substack.com/pub/publicse...
open.substack.com/pub/publicse...
What it will take to deliver for New Yorkers: modernize the civil service and hiring process
A special edition. Your source of tech and innovation jobs in government.
open.substack.com
November 12, 2025 at 6:30 PM
I wrote about what @zohrankmamdani.bsky.social’s administration can do starting Day 1 to make sure NYC’s civil service and hiring system can help deliver for New Yorkers. #PublicSectorJobBoard
open.substack.com/pub/publicse...
open.substack.com/pub/publicse...
#AI coding agent instructions have evolved from simple markdown files to sophisticated orchestration frameworks in just a few. For governments, this rapid maturation offers new opportunities for collaboration that traditional code sharing never achieved. civic.io/2025/11/04/i...
Infrastructure as Code for AI: The Rapid Evolution of Agent Instructions
AI coding agent instructions have evolved from simple markdown files to sophisticated orchestration frameworks in months, not years. For government, this rapid maturation offers new opportunities f…
civic.io
November 4, 2025 at 3:34 PM
#AI coding agent instructions have evolved from simple markdown files to sophisticated orchestration frameworks in just a few. For governments, this rapid maturation offers new opportunities for collaboration that traditional code sharing never achieved. civic.io/2025/11/04/i...
Infrastructure as Code for #AI: The Rapid Evolution of Coding Agent Instructions. www.linkedin.com/pulse/infras...
Infrastructure as Code for AI: The Rapid Evolution of Agent Instructions
Over the past year, we’ve seen the world of AI coding agents evolve at a pace that seems crazy fast. A process that started as simple markdown files to guide AI assistants has rapidly matured into sop...
www.linkedin.com
November 3, 2025 at 3:07 PM
Infrastructure as Code for #AI: The Rapid Evolution of Coding Agent Instructions. www.linkedin.com/pulse/infras...
Well played, @github.com. Well played. 🎃
October 31, 2025 at 12:33 PM
Well played, @github.com. Well played. 🎃
Reposted by Mark Headd
This month’s Digital Benefits in the News starts with journalism telling the stories of those impacted by the federal shutdown disruption in SNAP and WIC.
Thank you to our community for all their work.
➡️ Read our full newsletter here
beeckcenter.org/4nrSKuq
Thank you to our community for all their work.
➡️ Read our full newsletter here
beeckcenter.org/4nrSKuq
Digital Benefits in the News
Sharing the latest stories across public benefits programs and digital service delivery
beeckcenter.org
October 28, 2025 at 2:12 PM
This month’s Digital Benefits in the News starts with journalism telling the stories of those impacted by the federal shutdown disruption in SNAP and WIC.
Thank you to our community for all their work.
➡️ Read our full newsletter here
beeckcenter.org/4nrSKuq
Thank you to our community for all their work.
➡️ Read our full newsletter here
beeckcenter.org/4nrSKuq
Tired: I can use AI to write software code for me.
Wired: I can use AI to improve my software code and make it more compliant with security requirements.
Inspired: I can use AI to ensure my code is compliant with security requirements from jump.
mheadd.github.io/atlas-ato-ac...
Wired: I can use AI to improve my software code and make it more compliant with security requirements.
Inspired: I can use AI to ensure my code is compliant with security requirements from jump.
mheadd.github.io/atlas-ato-ac...
ATLAS: ATO Accelerator
ATLAS ATO Accelerator - AI-assisted generation of NIST-compliant infrastructure code to accelerate Authority to Operate timelines
mheadd.github.io
October 28, 2025 at 1:44 PM
Tired: I can use AI to write software code for me.
Wired: I can use AI to improve my software code and make it more compliant with security requirements.
Inspired: I can use AI to ensure my code is compliant with security requirements from jump.
mheadd.github.io/atlas-ato-ac...
Wired: I can use AI to improve my software code and make it more compliant with security requirements.
Inspired: I can use AI to ensure my code is compliant with security requirements from jump.
mheadd.github.io/atlas-ato-ac...
Do you want to spend your Sunday afternoon deploying a containerized application to a local Kubernetes cluster with NIST 800-53 compliant Terraform files & then auto generate compliance documentation using an AI assistant?
I got you. mheadd.github.io/atlas-ato-ac...
#AI #ChatGPT #Claude #Copilot
I got you. mheadd.github.io/atlas-ato-ac...
#AI #ChatGPT #Claude #Copilot
ATLAS: ATO Accelerator
ATLAS ATO Accelerator - AI-assisted generation of NIST-compliant infrastructure code to accelerate Authority to Operate timelines
mheadd.github.io
October 26, 2025 at 8:31 PM
Do you want to spend your Sunday afternoon deploying a containerized application to a local Kubernetes cluster with NIST 800-53 compliant Terraform files & then auto generate compliance documentation using an AI assistant?
I got you. mheadd.github.io/atlas-ato-ac...
#AI #ChatGPT #Claude #Copilot
I got you. mheadd.github.io/atlas-ato-ac...
#AI #ChatGPT #Claude #Copilot
Reposted by Mark Headd
With its fusion of funk, jazz, Afrobeats and R&B, the British band conveys a radical mission to choose joy. n.pr/4hfnhtW
Kokoroko: Tiny Desk Concert
With its fusion of funk, jazz, Afrobeats and R&B, the British band conveys a radical mission to choose joy.
n.pr
October 20, 2025 at 1:18 PM
With its fusion of funk, jazz, Afrobeats and R&B, the British band conveys a radical mission to choose joy. n.pr/4hfnhtW
What if I told you that someday, maybe someday soon, web forms will become a legacy method for interacting with government agencies. #CivicTech
delegation.design
delegation.design
Design Patterns for Delegation-based Digital Services
Preparing for citizen-agent interactions in government services with thoughtful design patterns for delegation-based public interactions.
delegation.design
October 8, 2025 at 2:01 PM
What if I told you that someday, maybe someday soon, web forms will become a legacy method for interacting with government agencies. #CivicTech
delegation.design
delegation.design
How organized are your thoughts? How well can you articulate what you want to do? How clear is your vision for what you are trying to build? In the future, these are the things that will separate the good software developers from the not so good ones.
github.blog/ai-and-ml/ge...
github.blog/ai-and-ml/ge...
Spec-driven development: Using Markdown as a programming language when building with AI
I coded my latest app entirely in Markdown and let GitHub Copilot compile it into Go. This resulted in cleaner specs and faster iteration.
github.blog
October 3, 2025 at 1:38 PM
How organized are your thoughts? How well can you articulate what you want to do? How clear is your vision for what you are trying to build? In the future, these are the things that will separate the good software developers from the not so good ones.
github.blog/ai-and-ml/ge...
github.blog/ai-and-ml/ge...
Designing for delegation: How agentic digital services could transform interactions with government.
adhoc.team/2025/10/01/d...
#AI #Agent #ChatGPT #ServiceDesign #DigitalServices
adhoc.team/2025/10/01/d...
#AI #Agent #ChatGPT #ServiceDesign #DigitalServices
Designing for delegation | Ad Hoc
Agentic, delegation-based services could reshape how people access government, cutting administrative burden – if agencies start building the right design patterns now.
adhoc.team
October 1, 2025 at 6:48 PM
Designing for delegation: How agentic digital services could transform interactions with government.
adhoc.team/2025/10/01/d...
#AI #Agent #ChatGPT #ServiceDesign #DigitalServices
adhoc.team/2025/10/01/d...
#AI #Agent #ChatGPT #ServiceDesign #DigitalServices
Young people are reading less: literacytrust.org.uk/research-ser...
Also, reading and math scores for U.S. students continue to decline: apnews.com/article/naep...
Also, reading and math scores for U.S. students continue to decline: apnews.com/article/naep...
Children and young people's reading in 2025 | National Literacy Trust
This report outlines findings from our 2025 Annual Literacy Survey, when children and young people's reading enjoyment and frequency were at an all-time low.
literacytrust.org.uk
September 10, 2025 at 3:21 PM
Young people are reading less: literacytrust.org.uk/research-ser...
Also, reading and math scores for U.S. students continue to decline: apnews.com/article/naep...
Also, reading and math scores for U.S. students continue to decline: apnews.com/article/naep...
Reposted by Mark Headd
A beautiful stormbeach Goniatite fossil, polished by Atlantic waves.
County Clare, Ireland.
County Clare, Ireland.
August 21, 2025 at 8:05 AM
A beautiful stormbeach Goniatite fossil, polished by Atlantic waves.
County Clare, Ireland.
County Clare, Ireland.
Reposted by Mark Headd
Here. Please have a poem. I think it's lovely.
August 21, 2025 at 11:15 PM
Here. Please have a poem. I think it's lovely.
Exciting to see the rollout of USAi.gov. GSA is already home to existing shared services like cloud.gov and Login.gov that agencies can use to accelerate development of digital services, so it makes sense to add this new shared service to the portfolio there.
USAi.gov
Accelerating trustworthy adoption of AI across the federal government. Three powerful AI tools; industry-leading models; one integrated platform.
USAi.gov
August 14, 2025 at 11:34 PM
Its been a minute (as the kids say) but there was a time in my life when I was almost exclusively focused on voice and telephony applications. I even wrote a blog for years in the aughts and early teens focused on telephony, speech recognition, and messaging apps for government. voiceingov.org
This is a copy of a website that I maintained for many years where I shared details of phone and voice-based technologies for use by governments. This site is no longer active, and the content is retained here in the hope that it will be useful to others. The source code for this website can be found on Github.
voiceingov.org
August 7, 2025 at 6:27 PM
Its been a minute (as the kids say) but there was a time in my life when I was almost exclusively focused on voice and telephony applications. I even wrote a blog for years in the aughts and early teens focused on telephony, speech recognition, and messaging apps for government. voiceingov.org
No better welcome to a new member joining your team than an organized, properly refined backlog so that they can jump in and start contributing. Just like good documentation is a love note to your future self, a well maintained backlog is a welcome card to your new teammate.
August 7, 2025 at 12:54 PM
No better welcome to a new member joining your team than an organized, properly refined backlog so that they can jump in and start contributing. Just like good documentation is a love note to your future self, a well maintained backlog is a welcome card to your new teammate.
My friend @danmunz.bsky.social and I wrote a post about something we've been thinking about for a while - how AI will change the way people interact with governments, and also how it will change our work as civic technologists. It's the end of civic tech's "interface era." danmu.nz/blog/the-end...
The end of civic tech's interface era
Generative AI means we need to rethink the way we think about interfaces.
danmu.nz
August 7, 2025 at 12:11 PM
My friend @danmunz.bsky.social and I wrote a post about something we've been thinking about for a while - how AI will change the way people interact with governments, and also how it will change our work as civic technologists. It's the end of civic tech's "interface era." danmu.nz/blog/the-end...
Reposted by Mark Headd
A few thoughts on Hierarchical Reasoning Models, an LLM-alternative we should be paying attention to, especially the civic tech world:
danmu.nz/blog/ai-thin...
danmu.nz/blog/ai-thin...
Dan Munz | AI thinking, fast and slow
Hierarchical Reasoning Models have intriguing potential for the public sector, because they 'think' more like we do.
danmu.nz
August 2, 2025 at 5:03 PM
A few thoughts on Hierarchical Reasoning Models, an LLM-alternative we should be paying attention to, especially the civic tech world:
danmu.nz/blog/ai-thin...
danmu.nz/blog/ai-thin...