Suddenly, I Felt Young Again!
The last time I felt like that was when I was five or six
The Ultimate Scam
The “deepfake” should scare the hell out of all of us
Streamlined Setup, Stronger Guardrails for Microsoft Dev Box
We’re excited to introduce a new capability that simplifies Dev Box setup—enabling platform engineers and project admins to specify images and SKUs directly when configuring Dev Box pools, without needing to create Dev Box definitions at the Dev Cent
Using RAII to remedy a defect where not all code paths performed required exit actions, follow-up
Last time, we looked at a way to use the RAII design pattern (Resource Acquisition Is Initialization) to ensure that a function eventually got called on all code paths
Family, Aging and the Quiet Countdown We Don’t Talk About
How a road trip reminded me of the subtle ways mortality finds us
Optimism is a happiness magnet.
From hours to minutes: Building an AI-powered PDF importer for local government for LocalGov Drupal
Guest blog post by Angie Forson, Web and Digital Programme Lead, Southwark Council.
The Web and Digital team at Southwark Council, along with our partners at Chicken, is building an AI-powered PDF importer for the LocalGov Drupal Publication Module. Together, we’re unlocking a faster, more accessible, and more collaborative future for publishing.
Why this matters
Manual PDF conversion can take hours – sometimes days. With our importer, it happens in minutes – often under one minute. Multiply that across thousands of PDFs, and the time savings are game-changing.
I’m excited about the impact this product will have — not just for our users, but also in transforming how we design, build, and create content internally. We’re shaping a future where services start with HTML-first thinking.
Evelyn Francourt, User Experience Lead
Understanding the workflow
We upload a PDF to the module, which will then kick-start the importing process in the background.
The result is the HTML representation of the PDF content, which is then saved into a Drupal Publication. We can then review and publish the Publication.
Each import process is logged so that any errors can be reviewed and fixed.
How the technology works
Each PDF goes through a three-step ETL process, called an “import pipeline” in the module:
Extract: A PDF parser pulls content from the PDF. The default is the smalot PDF parser.
Transform: The parsed content is AI converts it to properly tagged HTML with logical pagination. Currently the module uses Claude Sonnet.
Save: Clean HTML pages ready to publish in Drupal
Built for flexibility
We can build as many import pipelines as needed, each with its own custom AI prompt. Useful for things like handling different types of PDF content or layout.
Furthermore, the pipeline uses a plugin architecture, where each step can be swapped out. Councils can use different extractors, AI models, or output to different Drupal content types to suit their needs.
This project is a great example of AI working alongside and empowering content creators, and Drupal as a platform supports this really well.
Farez Rahman, Drupal Developer
Agile, user-centred delivery
We’re delivering this project the way we deliver our best work – agile and user-centred by design.
We have adapted our delivery to meet the challenges of innovation design. Our team has had to continuously refine requirements and acceptance criteria to ensure the tool meets real user needs and delivers meaningful outcomes.
Working on this AI product is an incredible experience — each day comes with new challenges, unexpected turns, and fresh opportunities to innovate. The pace of change made the whole process an absolute adrenaline rush.
Giorgi Bujiashvili, Delivery Manager
What we’ve achieved so far
As Chicken fast-tracks development, we’ve been testing and refining prompts across a wide range of PDFs to prove what’s possible:
import images, URLs and linked text
rebuild tables with correct HTML tags
apply accurate heading hierarchies (H1, H2, H3)
remove unwanted hard returns from PDF text
We’ve also cracked the pagination challenge. Early versions mirrored PDFs page-by-page, causing awkward breaks mid-paragraph or mid-list. Now the importer processes the entire document at once and, with the right AI prompt, inserts page breaks at logical user-friendly points such as topic changes or new sections.
Built with (and for) the community
This project has been co-designed with content designers, developers, and the LocalGov Drupal community.
Together, we’re shaping a scalable, open-source tool that other councils can adopt, adapt, and improve.
Angie Forson, Web and Digital Programme Lead
A leap forward in accessible publishing
The AI PDF Importer isn’t just a tool – it’s a step change in accessible, open-source publishing for local government. Following this release, it will be open and shareable with the LocalGov Drupal community for other councils to adopt and iterate.
If you’re interested in supporting or scaling this project, contact Angie Forson – Angie.Forson@southwark.gov.uk. Let’s change the game together.
The Web and Digital team at Southwark Council, along with our partners at Chicken, is building an AI-powered PDF importer for the LocalGov Drupal Publication Module. Together, we’re unlocking a faster, more accessible, and more collaborative future for publishing.
Why this matters
Manual PDF conversion can take hours – sometimes days. With our importer, it happens in minutes – often under one minute. Multiply that across thousands of PDFs, and the time savings are game-changing.
I’m excited about the impact this product will have — not just for our users, but also in transforming how we design, build, and create content internally. We’re shaping a future where services start with HTML-first thinking.
Evelyn Francourt, User Experience Lead
Understanding the workflow
We upload a PDF to the module, which will then kick-start the importing process in the background.
The result is the HTML representation of the PDF content, which is then saved into a Drupal Publication. We can then review and publish the Publication.
Each import process is logged so that any errors can be reviewed and fixed.
How the technology works
Each PDF goes through a three-step ETL process, called an “import pipeline” in the module:
Extract: A PDF parser pulls content from the PDF. The default is the smalot PDF parser.
Transform: The parsed content is AI converts it to properly tagged HTML with logical pagination. Currently the module uses Claude Sonnet.
Save: Clean HTML pages ready to publish in Drupal
Built for flexibility
We can build as many import pipelines as needed, each with its own custom AI prompt. Useful for things like handling different types of PDF content or layout.
Furthermore, the pipeline uses a plugin architecture, where each step can be swapped out. Councils can use different extractors, AI models, or output to different Drupal content types to suit their needs.
This project is a great example of AI working alongside and empowering content creators, and Drupal as a platform supports this really well.
Farez Rahman, Drupal Developer
Agile, user-centred delivery
We’re delivering this project the way we deliver our best work – agile and user-centred by design.
We have adapted our delivery to meet the challenges of innovation design. Our team has had to continuously refine requirements and acceptance criteria to ensure the tool meets real user needs and delivers meaningful outcomes.
Working on this AI product is an incredible experience — each day comes with new challenges, unexpected turns, and fresh opportunities to innovate. The pace of change made the whole process an absolute adrenaline rush.
Giorgi Bujiashvili, Delivery Manager
What we’ve achieved so far
As Chicken fast-tracks development, we’ve been testing and refining prompts across a wide range of PDFs to prove what’s possible:
import images, URLs and linked text
rebuild tables with correct HTML tags
apply accurate heading hierarchies (H1, H2, H3)
remove unwanted hard returns from PDF text
We’ve also cracked the pagination challenge. Early versions mirrored PDFs page-by-page, causing awkward breaks mid-paragraph or mid-list. Now the importer processes the entire document at once and, with the right AI prompt, inserts page breaks at logical user-friendly points such as topic changes or new sections.
Built with (and for) the community
This project has been co-designed with content designers, developers, and the LocalGov Drupal community.
Together, we’re shaping a scalable, open-source tool that other councils can adopt, adapt, and improve.
Angie Forson, Web and Digital Programme Lead
A leap forward in accessible publishing
The AI PDF Importer isn’t just a tool – it’s a step change in accessible, open-source publishing for local government. Following this release, it will be open and shareable with the LocalGov Drupal community for other councils to adopt and iterate.
If you’re interested in supporting or scaling this project, contact Angie Forson – Angie.Forson@southwark.gov.uk. Let’s change the game together.
SurFlex Screen Recorder 2.0.5 for Win
SurFlex Screen Recorder is a user-friendly 4K screen recorder that offers various recording options. With it, you can effortlessly capture any area of your screen for any purpose. Whether it's a browser tab, an application window, File Explorer, or games, you have the flexibility to record the entire screen or a selected region.
Additionally, SurFlex Screen Recorder allows you to record your screen with audio and webcam. You can choose to capture system sound, microphone audio, both, or even opt for no sound. Furthermore, if needed, you can also record audio or webcam footage separately. The software supports multiple audio and video formats, ensuring compatibility with your preferred audio or video editing software.
Start your creative journey hassle-free by getting this convenient screen recorder today.
Additionally, SurFlex Screen Recorder allows you to record your screen with audio and webcam. You can choose to capture system sound, microphone audio, both, or even opt for no sound. Furthermore, if needed, you can also record audio or webcam footage separately. The software supports multiple audio and video formats, ensuring compatibility with your preferred audio or video editing software.
Start your creative journey hassle-free by getting this convenient screen recorder today.
