Ed Sherman
@ed-sherman.bsky.social
Deputy Director Advanced Analytics - aka: DfT AI programme
(On loan from: ONS Data Science Campus)
(On loan from: ONS Data Science Campus)
Reposted by Ed Sherman
Trying to make local journalism works as a business is hard. That's why I'm proud to announce that London Centric is diversifying into the capital's ice cream trade. www.londoncentric.media/p/ice-cream-...
Intimidation, illegality and Mr Whippy: We join London’s ice cream wars
London Centric enters the ice cream trade • The capital’s soft serve vendors act like they can ignore the law • It turns out they probably can
www.londoncentric.media
August 30, 2026 at 7:24 AM
Trying to make local journalism works as a business is hard. That's why I'm proud to announce that London Centric is diversifying into the capital's ice cream trade. www.londoncentric.media/p/ice-cream-...
Meanwhile in Walthamstow
June 18, 2026 at 7:26 AM
Meanwhile in Walthamstow
Reposted by Ed Sherman
🚨Replication alert🚨
I'm pleased to announce that my replication of Moretti (2021) is now accepted as a comment at AER.
I find ten issues in the paper. My comment focuses on two major problems; in the appendix, I document eight (relatively) minor problems.
1/
I'm pleased to announce that my replication of Moretti (2021) is now accepted as a comment at AER.
I find ten issues in the paper. My comment focuses on two major problems; in the appendix, I document eight (relatively) minor problems.
1/
March 13, 2026 at 6:05 PM
🚨Replication alert🚨
I'm pleased to announce that my replication of Moretti (2021) is now accepted as a comment at AER.
I find ten issues in the paper. My comment focuses on two major problems; in the appendix, I document eight (relatively) minor problems.
1/
I'm pleased to announce that my replication of Moretti (2021) is now accepted as a comment at AER.
I find ten issues in the paper. My comment focuses on two major problems; in the appendix, I document eight (relatively) minor problems.
1/
Reposted by Ed Sherman
Open call for papers, The Rate of Return to R&D Investments. Conference to be held in Washington, DC on October 2, 2026. Submit papers by 11:59pm EDT on June 17, 2026. More information: www.nber.org/calls-papers...
March 5, 2026 at 1:07 PM
Open call for papers, The Rate of Return to R&D Investments. Conference to be held in Washington, DC on October 2, 2026. Submit papers by 11:59pm EDT on June 17, 2026. More information: www.nber.org/calls-papers...
Reposted by Ed Sherman
A small side street near Victoria contains a mosaic that people will tell you is an old advert for the Victor Talking Machine Company. They are wrong.
www.ianvisits.co.uk/articles/the...
www.ianvisits.co.uk/articles/the...
The lost history of a mosaic in Victoria
A small side street near Victoria contains a mosaic that people will tell you is an old advert for the Victor Talking Machine Company. They are wrong.
www.ianvisits.co.uk
March 5, 2026 at 8:10 AM
A small side street near Victoria contains a mosaic that people will tell you is an old advert for the Victor Talking Machine Company. They are wrong.
www.ianvisits.co.uk/articles/the...
www.ianvisits.co.uk/articles/the...
Reposted by Ed Sherman
open.substack.com/pub/paulkrug...
Useful post with useful model. Being great at something that's collapsing in price doesn't necessarily advantage you
Useful post with useful model. Being great at something that's collapsing in price doesn't necessarily advantage you
Europe v America: Who’s Really Winning?
A wonkish but important discussion
open.substack.com
February 27, 2026 at 6:59 PM
open.substack.com/pub/paulkrug...
Useful post with useful model. Being great at something that's collapsing in price doesn't necessarily advantage you
Useful post with useful model. Being great at something that's collapsing in price doesn't necessarily advantage you
Super interesting
🧵on my new paper "Synthetic personas distort the structure of human belief systems" w Roberto Cerina I'm v excited about...
🚨 Do synthetic samples look like human samples?
We compare 28 LLMs to the 2024 General Social Survey (GSS) to find out + develop host of diagnostics...
🚨 Do synthetic samples look like human samples?
We compare 28 LLMs to the 2024 General Social Survey (GSS) to find out + develop host of diagnostics...
February 25, 2026 at 9:06 PM
Super interesting
Reposted by Ed Sherman
Another new paper on housebuilding and vacancy chains, this time with data on every Swiss resident & housing unit! An interesting context given Switzerland's high immigration, very large rented sector and strong tenancy rent controls... frederickluser.github.io/files/Moving...
February 20, 2026 at 3:55 PM
Another new paper on housebuilding and vacancy chains, this time with data on every Swiss resident & housing unit! An interesting context given Switzerland's high immigration, very large rented sector and strong tenancy rent controls... frederickluser.github.io/files/Moving...
Reposted by Ed Sherman
💥 I made a new drawing in my AI series, this time about Vector Databases, ANN, and HNSW. I hope it's useful!
It might be good to look at the Transformers one in the series before this one, for additional background.
It might be good to look at the Transformers one in the series before this one, for additional background.
February 17, 2026 at 2:03 PM
💥 I made a new drawing in my AI series, this time about Vector Databases, ANN, and HNSW. I hope it's useful!
It might be good to look at the Transformers one in the series before this one, for additional background.
It might be good to look at the Transformers one in the series before this one, for additional background.
Reposted by Ed Sherman
An economic model of "Artificial Jagged Intelligence"—where AI systems perform well on some tasks but fail on similar ones—showing how users' inability to predict local reliability creates adoption challenges that persist even as models improve, from @joshgans.bsky.social www.nber.org/papers/w34712
January 25, 2026 at 6:03 PM
An economic model of "Artificial Jagged Intelligence"—where AI systems perform well on some tasks but fail on similar ones—showing how users' inability to predict local reliability creates adoption challenges that persist even as models improve, from @joshgans.bsky.social www.nber.org/papers/w34712
I wanted to start the new year by celebrating the work of my team in DfT. We just published the evaluation of our Consultation Analysis Tool (CAT): www.gov.uk/government/p...
CAT is one of our main internal AI projects at DfT, and has shown the strongest internal demand and clearest benefits.
CAT is one of our main internal AI projects at DfT, and has shown the strongest internal demand and clearest benefits.
AI Consultation Analysis Tool evaluation
Findings from a technical evaluation of the Consultation Analysis Tool, an AI-driven system that analyses consultation responses with robust human insight.
www.gov.uk
January 7, 2026 at 11:41 AM
I wanted to start the new year by celebrating the work of my team in DfT. We just published the evaluation of our Consultation Analysis Tool (CAT): www.gov.uk/government/p...
CAT is one of our main internal AI projects at DfT, and has shown the strongest internal demand and clearest benefits.
CAT is one of our main internal AI projects at DfT, and has shown the strongest internal demand and clearest benefits.
This is a nice trip down memory lane
Quote this with your favourite game from 1999 NOW, and what your favourite was THEN (if you had one)
Localisations/expansions count, remasters/ports don't. Remakes depend.
Two-way ties count.
For a fuller refresher: backloggd.com/games/lib/po...
- PSA: Metal Gear Solid and Half-Life were 1998 -
Localisations/expansions count, remasters/ports don't. Remakes depend.
Two-way ties count.
For a fuller refresher: backloggd.com/games/lib/po...
- PSA: Metal Gear Solid and Half-Life were 1998 -
January 5, 2026 at 8:12 PM
This is a nice trip down memory lane
Reposted by Ed Sherman
My blogpost on the success of universal chickenpox vaccination in the US, and why the UK should have made the move sooner:
www.scientificdiscovery.dev/p/13-the-suc...
Chickenpox vaccines are really effective!
www.scientificdiscovery.dev/p/13-the-suc...
Chickenpox vaccines are really effective!
January 2, 2026 at 12:16 PM
My blogpost on the success of universal chickenpox vaccination in the US, and why the UK should have made the move sooner:
www.scientificdiscovery.dev/p/13-the-suc...
Chickenpox vaccines are really effective!
www.scientificdiscovery.dev/p/13-the-suc...
Chickenpox vaccines are really effective!
Reposted by Ed Sherman
Woohoo! Chickenpox vaccines are on the menu in the UK - finally!!
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
Ignore the sceptics: with this new vaccine, chickenpox could become a thing of the past | Wes Streeting
Thousands develop serious complications from the varicella virus. Today the NHS rolls out a new jab, alongside measles, mumps and rubella, says health secretary Wes Streeting
www.theguardian.com
January 2, 2026 at 12:06 PM
Woohoo! Chickenpox vaccines are on the menu in the UK - finally!!
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
Reposted by Ed Sherman
I put together a detailed collection of useful patterns I've collected after vibe-coding 150 different single-file HTML tools over the past couple of years simonwillison.net/2025/Dec/10/...
Useful patterns for building HTML tools
I’ve started using the term HTML tools to refer to HTML applications that I’ve been building which combine HTML, JavaScript, and CSS in a single file and use them to …
simonwillison.net
December 10, 2025 at 9:08 PM
I put together a detailed collection of useful patterns I've collected after vibe-coding 150 different single-file HTML tools over the past couple of years simonwillison.net/2025/Dec/10/...
Reposted by Ed Sherman
We tested one of the most common prompting techniques: giving the AI a persona to make it more accurate
We found that telling the AI "you are a great physicist" doesn't make it significantly more accurate at answering physics questions, nor does "you are a lawyer" make it worse.
We found that telling the AI "you are a great physicist" doesn't make it significantly more accurate at answering physics questions, nor does "you are a lawyer" make it worse.
December 8, 2025 at 6:32 PM
We tested one of the most common prompting techniques: giving the AI a persona to make it more accurate
We found that telling the AI "you are a great physicist" doesn't make it significantly more accurate at answering physics questions, nor does "you are a lawyer" make it worse.
We found that telling the AI "you are a great physicist" doesn't make it significantly more accurate at answering physics questions, nor does "you are a lawyer" make it worse.
Reposted by Ed Sherman
I'm afraid we've been at it again
September 17, 2025 at 9:05 PM
I'm afraid we've been at it again
Reposted by Ed Sherman
‘Super sewer’ chief bows out to the sweet smell of success on.ft.com/4gdIXWU
‘Super sewer’ chief bows out to the sweet smell of success
London’s £5bn Thames Tideway project has been completed without drama using a pioneering financial model
on.ft.com
September 10, 2025 at 6:27 AM
‘Super sewer’ chief bows out to the sweet smell of success on.ft.com/4gdIXWU
See also: the phenomena of second scoop regret with gelato h/t @scientificdiscovery.dev
The myth of consent
Rosslyn coffee: I consent!
Me: I consent!
The remorseless march of time: isn't there somebody you forgot to ask?
Rosslyn coffee: I consent!
Me: I consent!
The remorseless march of time: isn't there somebody you forgot to ask?
August 15, 2025 at 1:47 PM
See also: the phenomena of second scoop regret with gelato h/t @scientificdiscovery.dev
Reposted by Ed Sherman
New method detects inflation turning points using disaggregated price data, revealing early signals in Argentina's 2024 disinflation and US tariffs in 2025, from Alberto Cavallo and Gaston Garcia Zavaleta https://www.nber.org/papers/w34102
August 12, 2025 at 3:00 PM
New method detects inflation turning points using disaggregated price data, revealing early signals in Argentina's 2024 disinflation and US tariffs in 2025, from Alberto Cavallo and Gaston Garcia Zavaleta https://www.nber.org/papers/w34102
I think this way of doing is exactly the right one for figuring out AI tool applications and trying to improve internal processes (albeit it’s not my kind of language). The discovery/alpha/beta cycle or framework can become a straight jacket. Or trap. Or whatever the right metaphor is.
This post is about the types of service design problem where you need to start small and do it for real: waysofdoing.rpp.works/notes/types-...
The types of problem where you need to start small and do it for real - Ways of Doing
There are some types of service design problem which are first and foremost about user experience. The assumption that must be tested is: can we
waysofdoing.rpp.works
July 11, 2025 at 12:41 PM
I think this way of doing is exactly the right one for figuring out AI tool applications and trying to improve internal processes (albeit it’s not my kind of language). The discovery/alpha/beta cycle or framework can become a straight jacket. Or trap. Or whatever the right metaphor is.
Reposted by Ed Sherman
I've started a new blog called 'ways of doing' which is about ways of doing digital. Thanks to @matthewsheret.com for suggesting the name.
The types of problem where you need to start small and do it for real - Ways of Doing
There are some types of service design problem which are first and foremost about user experience. The assumption that must be tested is: can we
waysofdoing.rpp.works
July 9, 2025 at 8:54 AM
I've started a new blog called 'ways of doing' which is about ways of doing digital. Thanks to @matthewsheret.com for suggesting the name.
Reposted by Ed Sherman
This is such pithy wisdom from @richardpope.org
The types of problem where you need to start small and do it for real - Ways of Doing
There are some types of service design problem which are first and foremost about user experience. The assumption that must be tested is: can we
waysofdoing.rpp.works
July 11, 2025 at 10:40 AM
This is such pithy wisdom from @richardpope.org
Reposted by Ed Sherman
Whats happening to birth rates around the world? I’ll be chairing a panel today at 1.30pm on how population change will change our world. With @rebeccasear.bsky.social, Emily Jackson & @jburnmurdoch.ft.com - all welcome in our cool central London building!
www.thebritishacademy.ac.uk/events/summe...
www.thebritishacademy.ac.uk/events/summe...
The British Academy Summer Showcase – Saturday
www.thebritishacademy.ac.uk
June 21, 2025 at 7:25 AM
Whats happening to birth rates around the world? I’ll be chairing a panel today at 1.30pm on how population change will change our world. With @rebeccasear.bsky.social, Emily Jackson & @jburnmurdoch.ft.com - all welcome in our cool central London building!
www.thebritishacademy.ac.uk/events/summe...
www.thebritishacademy.ac.uk/events/summe...