James Ots
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James Ots
@jamesots.com
60 followers 72 following 120 posts
Husband, Father, Son, Brother, Nephew, Uncle, Brother-in-law, Computerer, Guitarist, Christian, Home Renovator, Gardener, Scouter, Runner, Cyclist, Etcetera
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jamesots.com
James Ots @jamesots.com · Nov 17
I like cycling, electronics, old computers, playing music, especially guitar, photography, coffee, renovating my house, running, mowing the lawn, growing fruit, making jam, standing by the river, reading, my family, Scouting, making things and learning things —
jamesots.com
I just upgraded from (K)ubuntu 24.04 to 26.04. Everything seems to be working perfectly, and it took less than half an hour (despite warnings at the start that it could take several hours). I'm quite impressed.
September 29, 2026 at 8:58 PM
jamesots.com
I just published the first new versions of github.com/jamesots/maz and github.com/jamesots/zat for five years.

MAZ is my Macro Assembler for Z80, and ZAT is my Z80 Automated Testing package. ZAT lets you write Z80 unit tests using vitest and TypeScript.
A screenshot of this text: describe('print', () => { let zat: Zat; beforeEach(() => { zat = new Zat(); zat.compile(` print: ld a,(hl) ; print the string at hl or a ret z call putc inc hl jr print putc: out ($10),a ret msg: db "Hello!",0 `); zat.z80.regs.hl = zat.getAddress('msg'); }); it('writes each character to the port', () => { const io = new IoSpy(zat).onOut(0x10, 'Hello!'); zat.onIoWrite = io.writeSpy(); const { tStates } = zat.call('print', { sp: 0xff00 }); expect(io).toBeComplete(); expect(tStates).toBeLessThan(500); }); it('can mock a subroutine', () => { let printed = ''; zat.mockCall('putc', () => (printed += String.fromCharCode(zat.z80.regs.a))); zat.call('print', { sp: 0xff00 }); expect(printed).toBe('Hello!'); }); });
September 26, 2026 at 11:21 AM
jamesots.com
There are 0 days until @emfcamp.bsky.social 2026.
A tildagon badge. The lights are green and the screen says "there are 0 days until EMF 2026".
July 15, 2026 at 11:47 PM
Reposted by James Ots
davewalker.bsky.social
A cartoon from a little series I've drawn about creativity. This is for everyone who says "I'm not creative". Maybe, just maybe, the evidence says otherwise.
Cartoon in which person is saying "I'm not creative". Below, various pieces of evidence: The doodle you drew while you were on hold The story you told that made us all laugh The cookies you baked The dull task you turned into a game (pic - throwing things into a donate box) other mis evidence kept in this file ('Your creativity' written on file) Awarded - the official stamp of creativity (picture of stamp saying 'I am creative', with a tick)
June 8, 2026 at 3:41 PM
jamesots.com
Whoop! I just got tickets for @emfcamp.bsky.social (after failing two weeks ago). Can't wait!
March 22, 2026 at 3:13 PM
Reposted by James Ots
lockfarm.bsky.social
Embuggerance - it's such a good word, isn't it?

After four very busy years building global identity systems for Sky, my team and I have all been let go as they restructure.

If anyone needs 'big iron' Java services, wants to build a startup or create something new - let me know.
March 6, 2026 at 11:04 AM
jamesots.com
Spring is springing.
Daffodils by a stream. The stream reflects the trees overhead. To the left a small drift of snowdrops, behind which are some more daffodils. Beyond the stream is a fence, through which a grassy field can be seen.
March 2, 2026 at 12:16 AM
jamesots.com
It was #BigGardenBirdwatch #BGBW today. It's supposed to be just an hour of bird watching, but I made an app so I could watch all day and then pick the best hour. I also saw a Redwing and a Treecreeper, but they were in a different hour. And heard a Goldcrest and a Jay, but didn't see them.
A screenshot of my app. It says: Best Hour - 14 Species 25 Jan 2026 13:19 - 14:19 Species Spotted: Blackbird 2 Blackcap 1 Blue Tit 2 Carrion Crow 15 Coal Tit 1 Great Tit 4 House Sparrow 1 Little Egret 1 Long-tailed Tit 7 Magpie 1 Pheasant 1 Robin 2 Stock Dove 1 Woodpigeon 2
January 24, 2026 at 4:50 PM
jamesots.com
I played squaredle.com 01/04:
66/66 words (+6 bonus words)
🎯 Perfect accuracy

(But it didn't really feel like a five star difficulty).
Squaredle
Squaredle is a daily word building game. Swipe letters in the grid to test your vocabulary every day and rise to the top of the leaderboards!
squaredle.com
January 4, 2026 at 5:43 PM
Reposted by James Ots
sifu.tweety.fish
It's been, uh, a while, but I have a new newsletter out, based on some conversations here, about the irreconcilable experiences of LLMs that different groups have had and how that all boils down to afordances and how 'AI' is a terrible name and an even worse UX metaphor.
"AI" is bad UX
teapot from the cover of Don Norman’s “The Design of Everyday Things” clumsily ‘shopped by me "AI" means bad UX There is an emergent strain of thought in...
buttondown.com
December 22, 2025 at 4:44 PM
jamesots.com
For over a month a pair of pheasants has been visiting our garden. The female now roosts in one of our plum trees every night, and we think the male may be roosting in a conifer. He also likes to peck at his reflection in a mirror. The fox has been round occasionally, but hasn't bothered them yet.
December 3, 2025 at 6:17 PM
jamesots.com
Selling my guitar amp (Line 6 Flextone II). I upgraded to a Helix a few years ago so never use it these days. Had a play just now and remembered how surprisingly good it is — I'll feel a little sad to see it go.
www.ebay.co.uk/itm/23646509...
A Line 6 Flextone II amp, sitting on a patterned blue mat. In front is the floorboard - a foot pedal that controls the amp. You can just the the side of a guitar on the right and part of an electric drum kit on the left.
November 15, 2025 at 6:39 PM
jamesots.com
It's again my favourite time of year for walking to and from church.
A tree lined track. The ground is covered with mostly yellow leaves. A branch hangs overhead, its leaves turning from bright green to bright yellow. A new five bar gate stands on the left. A tree lined track. The ground is covered with mostly yellow leaves, onto which the sun is shining, turning them golden.
October 26, 2025 at 3:25 PM
jamesots.com
After-work walk.
A path covered in red and yellow leaves leads off into the distance on the left. Trees lean over the path, and on the right, on the other side of a split chestnut fence, is a pond, the other side of which are more trees.
October 20, 2025 at 10:06 PM
jamesots.com
I had some filo pastry that needed using up and a bunch of windfall apples, so I made some things.
A muffin tray with 12 apple filled filo pastry things. Not that you can tell they're apple filled in the picture.
August 16, 2025 at 9:10 AM
jamesots.com
Mostly guesswork, and I got a 5/5.

quizl.io

Quizl#1249 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 | 🔥 x9
quizl.io
August 15, 2025 at 12:07 PM
jamesots.com
I got a new ThinkPad this week. It's not as pretty as my old Dell XPS, but the keyboard is so nice to use. Not as nice as my silent mechanical ergonomic keyboard at my desk, but good enough that I don't mind spending hours away from my desk.
August 1, 2025 at 10:18 PM
jamesots.com
A robin has got stuck in our greenhouse five times over the last week, after flying in and then getting so engrossed in something that it didn't notice that the automatic window was very slowly closing.
The open window of a greenhouse, with a conifer behind it.
July 10, 2025 at 5:07 PM
jamesots.com
If you see this, post an image you saved because it made you laugh.
June 21, 2025 at 11:48 PM
jamesots.com
I'm starting to think the whole of this series of Doctor Who was just an elaborate setup for the two Ranis joke.
May 31, 2025 at 9:11 PM
jamesots.com
Sorry about this*, but I played squaredle.com 05/16:
54/54 words (+7 bonus words)
🎯 Perfect accuracy

(* it feels like spam when I post my daily quiz results, but I always feel pleased when I complete a five star squaredle without any mistakes.)
Squaredle
Squaredle is a daily word building game. Swipe letters in the grid to test your vocabulary every day and rise to the top of the leaderboards!
squaredle.com
May 16, 2025 at 1:38 PM
Reposted by James Ots
hilliatfields.bsky.social
"ME-mento!"
"Me who?"
"ME!"
"Who's there?"
"Knock knock."
May 5, 2025 at 2:40 PM
Reposted by James Ots
mooseallain.bsky.social
A great way to fight back against AI taking away work from creatives is to buy art by actual humans.

(Reply to this post with your own art/website etc. But only if you’re an organic life-form).

www.worldofmoose.com
Website of artist, cartoonist & tweeter Moose Allain
Welcome to the website of artist, cartoonist and prolific tweeter Moose Allain. Please fell free to have a poke about.
www.worldofmoose.com
March 28, 2025 at 7:50 AM
jamesots.com
🎯 Perfect accuracy on a five star Squaredle! That doesn't happen often. squaredle.com 03/09 (yes, time travel!)
Squaredle
Squaredle is a daily word building game. Swipe letters in the grid to test your vocabulary every day and rise to the top of the leaderboards!
squaredle.com
March 8, 2025 at 1:37 PM