Field notes

What we're learning, written down — and out loud.

Engineering judgment, governance ideas, plain-language explainers, and arguments about what technology owes the public. Part of how we keep the work transparent and the conversation honest.

Practice

Maintenance is the mission.

The riskiest moment for a public system isn't the build — it's year three, when attention moves on and no one is left to keep it true.

June 2026 · 5 min read
Perspective

Technology that works for the public: a builder's case.

Why software that runs public life should be held to the standard of public works — built to last, maintained, and governed in the open.

May 2026 · 5 min read
Approach

Beyond AI: the four things that actually decide whether a system serves people.

The deciding factor is almost never the model. It's people, processes, policy, and public understanding.

April 2026 · 6 min read
Governance

Build with, not about: what community governance really requires.

Real governance means authority, data ownership, rules enforced in code, and the right to say no.

April 2026 · 5 min read
Governance

Why staying out of a data regime is the strongest protection you can offer.

The strongest protection isn't a stronger lock — it's not collecting the thing at all. Scope is a safety feature.

March 2026 · 4 min read
Explainer

How to read an algorithm that's deciding your benefits — a plain-language guide.

You have the right to understand a system that decides your benefits. Five questions to start with.

March 2026 · 6 min read
Transparency

One truth for everyone: why the public should see exactly what officials see.

When officials see one version of the data and the public sees another, the gap is where trust dies.

February 2026 · 4 min read