## Notes from 15 January 2026 [[2026-01-14|← Previous note]] ┃ [[2026-01-16|Next note →]] - I came across the Public Eye Podcast (from the Public Sector HR Association, or PSHRA) and listened to a few episodes. Most are refreshingly short at around 12–20 minutes. The format is straightforward and practical, and the topics provide an interesting insight into the day-to-day challenges faced by public-sector HR practitioners in US states and cities, and how they frame solutions. The only downside is that much of PSHRA’s other content appears to be for members only, which feels like a missed opportunity given how the podcast inspires you to want to find out more. - I also discovered that there’s a new Netflix miniseries touching on **civil service reform**, though not from a policy-design angle but through history. _[Death by Lightning](https://www.netflix.com/br/title/81438325)_ focuses on the assassination of President James Garfield and, indirectly, on the end of the spoils system and the birth of a professional, merit-based federal civil service in the United States. From what I’ve read, it’s [more historical drama than civics lesson](https://washingtonmonthly.com/2025/12/19/death-by-lightning-shows-why-a-professional-civil-service-matters/), but precisely for that reason it seems like a compelling way to revisit why civil service reform mattered in the first place.