Colin Hoad
@colinhoad.com
Senior Data Engineer.
"Vintage computing enthusiast" - The Register
I run a YouTube channel and blog dedicated to the Beeb and all things Acorn, Psion and more: colinhoad.com
Discord: https://discord.gg/zjvSBjG7rw
Pixel Art: Syarifudin Mahfud
"Vintage computing enthusiast" - The Register
I run a YouTube channel and blog dedicated to the Beeb and all things Acorn, Psion and more: colinhoad.com
Discord: https://discord.gg/zjvSBjG7rw
Pixel Art: Syarifudin Mahfud
Pinned
Colin Hoad
@colinhoad.com
· Apr 27
Thinking in 6502 - Hello, World!
YouTube video by Colin Hoad
youtu.be
I've been bowled over by the reaction to this video, it's had over 2,000 views since I released it yesterday! Thank you to everyone who's watched it and provided such lovely feedback - there will definitely be more coming, now that I've seen how popular it's been...!
youtu.be/MOEmQ79nA38
youtu.be/MOEmQ79nA38
Reposted by Colin Hoad
Better slogan:
No read book? Book too much words? Try robot!
No read book? Book too much words? Try robot!
September 16, 2026 at 2:58 PM
Better slogan:
No read book? Book too much words? Try robot!
No read book? Book too much words? Try robot!
There's a point at which these numbers are just made-up nonsense. And to be clear, we passed that point long ago, this is just the very latest in a series of bizzarro world funny money numbers.
www.reuters.com/legal/transa...
www.reuters.com/legal/transa...
OpenAI mulls funding round at $1.2 trillion valuation ahead of IPO, FT reports
OpenAI has recently held discussions with large investors about a fresh capital raise that would increase the ChatGPT maker's valuation to about $1.2 trillion before it goes public, the Financial Ti...
www.reuters.com
September 16, 2026 at 11:36 AM
There's a point at which these numbers are just made-up nonsense. And to be clear, we passed that point long ago, this is just the very latest in a series of bizzarro world funny money numbers.
www.reuters.com/legal/transa...
www.reuters.com/legal/transa...
REMINDER: Domesday At 40 event at the Cambridge Centre for Computing History is *this Saturday*! Hope to see you there...
🌐 DOMESDAY AT 40 | 19 SEPTEMBER 🌐
Our Domesday at 40 exhibition is now installed in our foyer, ready for this weekend’s celebration of the pioneering BBC Domesday Project.
🎟️ Tickets are still available - www.computinghistory.org.uk/det/77318/Do...
Our Domesday at 40 exhibition is now installed in our foyer, ready for this weekend’s celebration of the pioneering BBC Domesday Project.
🎟️ Tickets are still available - www.computinghistory.org.uk/det/77318/Do...
September 16, 2026 at 10:46 AM
REMINDER: Domesday At 40 event at the Cambridge Centre for Computing History is *this Saturday*! Hope to see you there...
Reposted by Colin Hoad
Which is to say, these companies are claiming that they are *so cool* that their profitability can only be measured using a novel, secret form of mathematics:
futurism.com/future-socie...
futurism.com/future-socie...
Anthropic Boasts It Would Be Profitable if You Ignore How Much It Costs to Develop AI
Anthropic says that its billion-dollar AI business would be profitable, if only you ignore the figure on the bottom line.
futurism.com
September 16, 2026 at 8:03 AM
Which is to say, these companies are claiming that they are *so cool* that their profitability can only be measured using a novel, secret form of mathematics:
futurism.com/future-socie...
futurism.com/future-socie...
Reposted by Colin Hoad
We've held a village referendum
September 16, 2026 at 9:29 AM
We've held a village referendum
My phone (which is only a few months old) stopped recognising the USB charging cable. Turned out to be a huge lump of compacted lint that had collected around the inside of the port! Managed to hoick it out with a bread bag tie this morning and it's now happily charging again.
September 16, 2026 at 9:18 AM
My phone (which is only a few months old) stopped recognising the USB charging cable. Turned out to be a huge lump of compacted lint that had collected around the inside of the port! Managed to hoick it out with a bread bag tie this morning and it's now happily charging again.
Reposted by Colin Hoad
Jeff Bezos and I are very different people. For one thing, he is a sociopathic billionaire who built his fortune by monopolizing bookselling while I am a penniless author of books. He was born in 1964 and is 62; I was born in 1971 and am 55.
September 15, 2026 at 8:06 AM
Jeff Bezos and I are very different people. For one thing, he is a sociopathic billionaire who built his fortune by monopolizing bookselling while I am a penniless author of books. He was born in 1964 and is 62; I was born in 1971 and am 55.
Reposted by Colin Hoad
And I assume that it does, though it’s still scarcely AI at all. So this is a familiar future, yet stupid. And in so many other ways as well.
September 14, 2026 at 2:16 PM
And I assume that it does, though it’s still scarcely AI at all. So this is a familiar future, yet stupid. And in so many other ways as well.
Reposted by Colin Hoad
I’ve now lived so much longer than I would ever have expected to that I feel I’m living in the future. This is when I imagined Neuromancer happening. And now the creators of today’s AI warn us that it threatens humanity.
September 14, 2026 at 2:11 PM
I’ve now lived so much longer than I would ever have expected to that I feel I’m living in the future. This is when I imagined Neuromancer happening. And now the creators of today’s AI warn us that it threatens humanity.
Reposted by Colin Hoad
Ah. The penny drops.
Of course they want to talk up dangers of catastrophic AI.
It's the obvious step to banning local AI models ("they could destroy the world!") which would otherwise be an existential threat to the guys who're spending trillions on datacentres.
"Trust us to run it, we're safe!"
Of course they want to talk up dangers of catastrophic AI.
It's the obvious step to banning local AI models ("they could destroy the world!") which would otherwise be an existential threat to the guys who're spending trillions on datacentres.
"Trust us to run it, we're safe!"
September 14, 2026 at 1:12 PM
Ah. The penny drops.
Of course they want to talk up dangers of catastrophic AI.
It's the obvious step to banning local AI models ("they could destroy the world!") which would otherwise be an existential threat to the guys who're spending trillions on datacentres.
"Trust us to run it, we're safe!"
Of course they want to talk up dangers of catastrophic AI.
It's the obvious step to banning local AI models ("they could destroy the world!") which would otherwise be an existential threat to the guys who're spending trillions on datacentres.
"Trust us to run it, we're safe!"
"E-bikes are an increasingly popular zero emission way to get around," says BBC News.
Not technically true, though,is it. The electricity to charge them doesn't magically spring from the ground.
*Bicycles* are zero emission vehicles.
Not technically true, though,is it. The electricity to charge them doesn't magically spring from the ground.
*Bicycles* are zero emission vehicles.
September 14, 2026 at 12:42 PM
"E-bikes are an increasingly popular zero emission way to get around," says BBC News.
Not technically true, though,is it. The electricity to charge them doesn't magically spring from the ground.
*Bicycles* are zero emission vehicles.
Not technically true, though,is it. The electricity to charge them doesn't magically spring from the ground.
*Bicycles* are zero emission vehicles.
@snuggsy187.bsky.social You might be interested to know that Chuckulus has been selected for the Stardot High Score Challenge's latest round 😁 stardot.org.uk/forums/viewt...
High Score Challenge - S28 - Round - Five - Chuckulus
Stardot high score challenge Season Twenty Eight: Round Five Chuckulus chosen by ColinHoad
stardot.org.uk
September 14, 2026 at 8:43 AM
@snuggsy187.bsky.social You might be interested to know that Chuckulus has been selected for the Stardot High Score Challenge's latest round 😁 stardot.org.uk/forums/viewt...
Well, the Greaseweazle was fun... but now it's time to try digitally archiving a tape image! This is hard mode, because you can't rewind and replay dropped bytes... so it probably won't work first time and will require some audio splicing ✂️
September 12, 2026 at 3:17 PM
Well, the Greaseweazle was fun... but now it's time to try digitally archiving a tape image! This is hard mode, because you can't rewind and replay dropped bytes... so it probably won't work first time and will require some audio splicing ✂️
This is what peak game cover art looks like
September 12, 2026 at 1:26 PM
This is what peak game cover art looks like
Reposted by Colin Hoad
Let's play something unique on your Acorn Electron this weekend! Try Pyjamarama or Citadel 2 by me, Chuckulus by the inimitable @snuggsy187.bsky.social, Apache Canyon by the awesome @rasto1968.bsky.social or Zezito and the Lost Stars by the excellent @newiapetus.bsky.social. Links in thread...
September 12, 2026 at 8:47 AM
Let's play something unique on your Acorn Electron this weekend! Try Pyjamarama or Citadel 2 by me, Chuckulus by the inimitable @snuggsy187.bsky.social, Apache Canyon by the awesome @rasto1968.bsky.social or Zezito and the Lost Stars by the excellent @newiapetus.bsky.social. Links in thread...
Things I was frightened of as a child:
Maybugs
People doing that inside-out-eyelid thing
Freddy Krueger
The deep end of the swimming pool
Cement mixers
The Nutter (local urban legend)
Dad's childhood bedroom in Grandma's house
Maybugs
People doing that inside-out-eyelid thing
Freddy Krueger
The deep end of the swimming pool
Cement mixers
The Nutter (local urban legend)
Dad's childhood bedroom in Grandma's house
Things I was frightened of as a child:
Escalators
Smurfs
Rabies
Childbirth
Smurfs
The whites of my own eyes reflected in the bathroom mirror before turning the light on
The Hanna-Barbera swirly star
Smurfs
Escalators
Smurfs
Rabies
Childbirth
Smurfs
The whites of my own eyes reflected in the bathroom mirror before turning the light on
The Hanna-Barbera swirly star
Smurfs
Things I was frightened of as a child.
Mostly due to Public Information Films:
Electrical substations
Fireworks, even sparklers
Open water
Other 80s things:
Also Quicksand
The Incredible Hulk on the TV show
Alsatian dogs roaming the streets
Mostly due to Public Information Films:
Electrical substations
Fireworks, even sparklers
Open water
Other 80s things:
Also Quicksand
The Incredible Hulk on the TV show
Alsatian dogs roaming the streets
September 11, 2026 at 5:22 PM
Things I was frightened of as a child:
Maybugs
People doing that inside-out-eyelid thing
Freddy Krueger
The deep end of the swimming pool
Cement mixers
The Nutter (local urban legend)
Dad's childhood bedroom in Grandma's house
Maybugs
People doing that inside-out-eyelid thing
Freddy Krueger
The deep end of the swimming pool
Cement mixers
The Nutter (local urban legend)
Dad's childhood bedroom in Grandma's house
Sounds like the British answer to the American PBJ... Marmite & Jam.
Mars astronauts could live in houses made of yeast and jello, say scientists
Mars astronauts could live in houses made of yeast and jello, say scientists
Low-energy 3D printing could turn Martian dirt into sturdy structures
www.theregister.com
September 11, 2026 at 4:52 PM
Sounds like the British answer to the American PBJ... Marmite & Jam.
SPACESHIPS
Inverted Asteroids: you are not the ship. Place gravity wells and sling the rocks.
spaceships.treybastian.com
September 11, 2026 at 3:37 PM
25 years ago today, I was in my final week at a summer job before starting uni, in a small recruitment agency in Croydon (building their website) when the boss came past and said "someone's flown a plane into the world trade fair" (yes, he said "fair") and I assumed it was a Cessna accident.
September 11, 2026 at 2:15 PM
25 years ago today, I was in my final week at a summer job before starting uni, in a small recruitment agency in Croydon (building their website) when the boss came past and said "someone's flown a plane into the world trade fair" (yes, he said "fair") and I assumed it was a Cessna accident.
Reposted by Colin Hoad
Anyone who has ever complained about London Underground, complain no more.
September 11, 2026 at 11:08 AM
Anyone who has ever complained about London Underground, complain no more.
Your Computing Museum needs you! I may be biased, as a volunteer, but @tnmoc.bsky.social is fantastic and there is so much to see, you'll definitely want to come back again. So why not sign up for an annual ticket? Ample parking and walkable from the train station, too, so no excuses there! 😄
Love computing history? Support TNMOC with membership! Enjoy annual tickets, guest entries, exclusive events, discounts, and a welcome pack. Sign up now https://ow.ly/IL1C50ZMuiu
September 11, 2026 at 10:52 AM
Your Computing Museum needs you! I may be biased, as a volunteer, but @tnmoc.bsky.social is fantastic and there is so much to see, you'll definitely want to come back again. So why not sign up for an annual ticket? Ample parking and walkable from the train station, too, so no excuses there! 😄
Reposted by Colin Hoad
I am serious that today’s journalism ecosystem would be fooled if they played war of the worlds on the radio. It would be on CNN within hours
Meanwhile on X, from Evan Hubinger, who leads the Alignment Science team at Anthropic.
September 10, 2026 at 10:36 PM
I am serious that today’s journalism ecosystem would be fooled if they played war of the worlds on the radio. It would be on CNN within hours
A note to journalists reporting on AI: doing the necessary research does not both start and end at "talking to people working for the big AI labs"
September 10, 2026 at 5:15 PM
A note to journalists reporting on AI: doing the necessary research does not both start and end at "talking to people working for the big AI labs"
Can these companies not SEE themselves? This is nightmare fuel dystopian bullshit.
Apple announces 'Live Rewind' for the new Apple Watch, letting users pull up the last 15 seconds of nearby conversation.
September 10, 2026 at 8:39 AM
Can these companies not SEE themselves? This is nightmare fuel dystopian bullshit.