Or: The Burn Pit: Why we shouldn’t burn it down and what we should do instead You may wonder why so many federal government services are clunky and confusing —so much so that some people feel like they need to hire a lawyer to help navigate the service successfully. It…

Only if it will take me to another dimension. Otherwise, no.

The U.S. Federal government is the largest employer on earth, with the biggest budget. We also sometimes have actual “website business hours” listed on government services. …

A bunch of excited (and confused!) folks have reached out for advice as they think through possibly joining government service. I’m juggling a few things at the moment, so wanted to share my high-level advice. …

This advice is written with love for people facing a nightmare. …

I’ve found so much comfort in the memories of others (Em, Jen, Carl’s family, the Code for America Brigades), that I’m compelled to share in hopes it helps you if you’re struggling with losing Carl, too. Carl Lewis, my friend, and founder of Code for Savannah, passed away last week…

By now, you’ve heard of the Hawaii False Alarm, and about the blowback and blame as people try to sort out how this could have happened. In government circles, however, there have been empathy and knowing cringes. It is the norm, not the exception, that government systems are confusing and…

During my five years working on tech in the Federal government, the most frustrating rumor I heard was that, for Feds, “It’s illegal to do user research.”* …