Weeknote 146

Second visit to No.10

• Last week I was back at No.10 Downing Street to hear Tim Berners-Lee in conversation with one of the prime minister’s financial advisors. Chatham House Rules apply, so I can’t share details, but it was a privilege to attend—and I even managed to ask a question on accessibility.
• I’ve been deep in preparation for next week’s talk, and the nerves are starting to build as the date approaches.
• Bagheera the cat was unusually mischievous and a little violent towards me over the weekend, including nibbling on Mena’s houseplants despite having full access to the garden. I hope her behaviour settles when she spends Christmas with my parents at my apartment.
• A late-night website emergency had me up til past midnight, but with some AI-assisted fixes to the backend, everything’s back in order. Icons and the custom typeface are finally displaying again after a redirect issue with the “www” prefix. I’m always struck by how these glitches seem to appear out of nowhere.
• In railway-related news, disappointed to learn that the Oxford–Milton Keynes link, eventually intended to extend to Cambridge, has been delayed by several months, if not longer. As with many UK infrastructure projects, costs and timelines appear to be stretching far far beyond the original plans.
• This week’s budget held few surprises: stamp duty remains unchanged, while tax rises were announced. For leaseholders, selling an apartment will continue to be difficult in the current market, though it’s some relief that property tax isn’t on the horizon at my price range for either selling or buying.