Alasdair
@lumsden.uk
Retro computer enthusiast 🕹️
Fellow human 🖖🏻
Personal account, views are all mine (for better or worse) 🦄
Fellow human 🖖🏻
Personal account, views are all mine (for better or worse) 🦄
It seems cities are slowly waking up to the reality that cars ruin the place. London is sorely overdue a revamp. I had hoped that the Covid-era 'outdoor seating instead of cars' would stick around but Westminster Council seems to love cars, presumably because of fines and parking fees.
“Paris has embarked on a grand transformation, planting 155k trees, adding hundreds of kms of bike lanes, pedestrianising 300 school streets and banning cars from the banks of the Seine. Parking has been turned into green space…Fewer parents fear their child being run over when they walk to school.”
How Paris swapped cars for bikes – and transformed its streets
Under Anne Hidalgo – mayor for 12 years until last week – the French capital added bike lanes, cut traffic and reclaimed public space, but not without resistance
www.theguardian.com
September 30, 2026 at 5:19 AM
It seems cities are slowly waking up to the reality that cars ruin the place. London is sorely overdue a revamp. I had hoped that the Covid-era 'outdoor seating instead of cars' would stick around but Westminster Council seems to love cars, presumably because of fines and parking fees.
September 29, 2026 at 7:41 PM
Reposted by Alasdair
I've published detailed notes and an annotated transcript to accompany the video of the keynote I gave at @wearedevelopers.bsky.social World Congress North America in San Jose on Friday - here's my rundown of everything that's happened with LLMs in 2026 so far simonwillison.net/2026/Sep/27/...
2026 in LLMs (so far)
On Friday I gave the closing keynote at the WeAreDevelopers World Congress North America in San Jose. I tied together the key trends from the past year into a chronological …
simonwillison.net
September 28, 2026 at 5:51 PM
I've published detailed notes and an annotated transcript to accompany the video of the keynote I gave at @wearedevelopers.bsky.social World Congress North America in San Jose on Friday - here's my rundown of everything that's happened with LLMs in 2026 so far simonwillison.net/2026/Sep/27/...
Reposted by Alasdair
Chasing the mist again on the South Downs.
September 26, 2026 at 12:47 PM
Chasing the mist again on the South Downs.
I guess the plan is to eventually upload our brains into the datacentres where the PFAS can't get us. Or go to Mars. Or something. The TechBros have an answer to everything.
So the bad news about methods of cooling data center that use less water: they rely on forever chemicals.
"In “two-phase immersion cooling” systems, servers are immersed in a pool of Pfas with a low boiling point."
www.theguardian.com/environment/...
"In “two-phase immersion cooling” systems, servers are immersed in a pool of Pfas with a low boiling point."
www.theguardian.com/environment/...
‘Tidal wave’ of Pfas being launched to satisfy AI industry, campaigners warn
Big manufacturers planning to produce more of the forever chemicals to meet demand from datacentres
www.theguardian.com
September 14, 2026 at 9:16 PM
I guess the plan is to eventually upload our brains into the datacentres where the PFAS can't get us. Or go to Mars. Or something. The TechBros have an answer to everything.
MicroProse games were a huge part of my childhood, with my dad playing Airborne Ranger, Silent Service and Gunship on the C64 (with me helping!), and myself loving Civilization, Colonization and Railroad Tycoon.
Look forward to reading this blog post
Look forward to reading this blog post
A new blog post about the UK arm of MicroProse. Includes discussion about anti-American attitudes, the West German practice of Indexing, and the worst photograph taken for this blog.
whereweretheynow.blogspot.com/2026/08/micr...
#Amstrad #C64 #ZXSpectrum #AtariST #Amiga #RetroGaming #RetroComputing
whereweretheynow.blogspot.com/2026/08/micr...
#Amstrad #C64 #ZXSpectrum #AtariST #Amiga #RetroGaming #RetroComputing
MicroProse
whereweretheynow.blogspot.com
August 30, 2026 at 11:33 AM
MicroProse games were a huge part of my childhood, with my dad playing Airborne Ranger, Silent Service and Gunship on the C64 (with me helping!), and myself loving Civilization, Colonization and Railroad Tycoon.
Look forward to reading this blog post
Look forward to reading this blog post
Reposted by Alasdair
This is so unbelievably cool. Hope it works on my PowerMac 8500 with Sonnet Crescendo G3 upgrade 🙏🏻 Thanks for keeping on top of this important development Sean @actionretro.bsky.social !
The PowerPC port of Haiku has never successfully been booted to desktop before…
Until now
Until now
July 26, 2026 at 12:09 PM
This is so unbelievably cool. Hope it works on my PowerMac 8500 with Sonnet Crescendo G3 upgrade 🙏🏻 Thanks for keeping on top of this important development Sean @actionretro.bsky.social !
Reposted by Alasdair
As you may know, I created the #Amiga emulator no one asked for called Copperline.
Now, a huge feature you also didn't ask for... Running it in your browser. Enjoy!
copperline.dev/try/
Now, a huge feature you also didn't ask for... Running it in your browser. Enjoy!
copperline.dev/try/
Copperline in your browser
The same cycle-driven Amiga emulator core, compiled to WebAssembly. Boots the open-source AROS ROM; bring your own Kickstart and disks.
copperline.dev
July 13, 2026 at 1:41 PM
As you may know, I created the #Amiga emulator no one asked for called Copperline.
Now, a huge feature you also didn't ask for... Running it in your browser. Enjoy!
copperline.dev/try/
Now, a huge feature you also didn't ask for... Running it in your browser. Enjoy!
copperline.dev/try/
Big fire at Stratford station, "an area of shrubbery" alight. Knights who say Ni declined to comment.
With warmer summers ahead TFL will have to start spending more on landscapers...
www.london-fire.gov.uk/incidents/20...
With warmer summers ahead TFL will have to start spending more on landscapers...
www.london-fire.gov.uk/incidents/20...
Fire at train station - Stratford
Eight fire engines have been called to a fire involving shrubbery at Stratford train station.
www.london-fire.gov.uk
July 10, 2026 at 7:40 PM
Big fire at Stratford station, "an area of shrubbery" alight. Knights who say Ni declined to comment.
With warmer summers ahead TFL will have to start spending more on landscapers...
www.london-fire.gov.uk/incidents/20...
With warmer summers ahead TFL will have to start spending more on landscapers...
www.london-fire.gov.uk/incidents/20...
Slightly diminish a book.
Cul-de-sac of AI by Karen Hao
Cul-de-sac of AI by Karen Hao
Slightly diminish a book.
The Haunting of Harry Hill's House
The Haunting of Harry Hill's House
Slightly diminish a book.
A Quite Brief History of Time
A Quite Brief History of Time
May 3, 2026 at 6:43 PM
Slightly diminish a book.
Cul-de-sac of AI by Karen Hao
Cul-de-sac of AI by Karen Hao
Things like this are why I switched to @kagi.com and @proton.me
More reports of Gmail turning over email content to ICE are coming out now.
techcrunch.com/2026/02/10/g...
techcrunch.com/2026/02/10/g...
Google sent personal and financial information of student journalist to ICE | TechCrunch
The tech giant handed over the personal information of a journalist and student who attended a pro-Palestinian protest in 2024. This is the latest example of ICE using its controversial subpoena power...
techcrunch.com
February 11, 2026 at 12:51 PM
Things like this are why I switched to @kagi.com and @proton.me
Wow, how cool! Lemmings for the C64. Will have to try this 😎 Played a lot of Lemmings on my Amiga 1200 back in the day
Indie Retro News: Lemmings Reloaded - This enhanced versions of a classic looks awesome for the C64 (WIP) www.indieretronews.com/2026/01/lemm... #retrogaming #c64 #games
January 31, 2026 at 1:58 PM
Wow, how cool! Lemmings for the C64. Will have to try this 😎 Played a lot of Lemmings on my Amiga 1200 back in the day
Movie you’ve watched more than six times with a gif. Hard mode because no Star (Wars nor Trek), LOTR, Marvel, Disney animated nor Pixar.
December 8, 2025 at 11:38 AM
Movie you’ve watched more than six times with a gif. Hard mode because no Star (Wars nor Trek), LOTR, Marvel, Disney animated nor Pixar.
Reposted by Alasdair
"Google's 'free' search comes with the cost of your time wading through ads, your attention sold to advertisers, and results that prioritize revenue over relevance. Kagi flips that model."
www.makeuseof.com/i-switched-d...
www.makeuseof.com/i-switched-d...
I switched my browser’s default search from Google to this niche engine—and I’m sticking with it
Paying for search sounds off, but Google's decline made it worth every penny.
www.makeuseof.com
December 6, 2025 at 4:48 PM
"Google's 'free' search comes with the cost of your time wading through ads, your attention sold to advertisers, and results that prioritize revenue over relevance. Kagi flips that model."
www.makeuseof.com/i-switched-d...
www.makeuseof.com/i-switched-d...
December 2, 2025 at 10:32 AM
Last night I ordered £50 worth of capacitors to recap my Sony GDM-20SE1T, which is humming in standby and green tinged. Also added diodes, a bridge rectifier and a few other bits to replace. Epic recap coming up…
November 9, 2025 at 10:12 AM
Last night I ordered £50 worth of capacitors to recap my Sony GDM-20SE1T, which is humming in standby and green tinged. Also added diodes, a bridge rectifier and a few other bits to replace. Epic recap coming up…
Reposted by Alasdair
"China can produce almost a terawatt of renewable-energy capacity in a year. That is enough to supply as much energy as more than 300 big nuclear-power plants."
www.economist.com/leaders/2025...
I love The Economist's bullishness here
www.economist.com/leaders/2025...
I love The Economist's bullishness here
China’s clean-energy revolution will reshape markets and politics
The world’s biggest manufacturer now has an interest in the world decarbonising
www.economist.com
November 7, 2025 at 11:08 AM
"China can produce almost a terawatt of renewable-energy capacity in a year. That is enough to supply as much energy as more than 300 big nuclear-power plants."
www.economist.com/leaders/2025...
I love The Economist's bullishness here
www.economist.com/leaders/2025...
I love The Economist's bullishness here
Reposted by Alasdair
New video! So a lot of you probably saw this one coming, but today we're gonna be checking out Windows 10 LTSC! This specialized release of the OS will be supported by Microsoft until 2032. And turns out, there's a pretty easy way to upgrade to it.
youtu.be/g1rPnCc9wbU
youtu.be/g1rPnCc9wbU
November 4, 2025 at 3:59 PM
New video! So a lot of you probably saw this one coming, but today we're gonna be checking out Windows 10 LTSC! This specialized release of the OS will be supported by Microsoft until 2032. And turns out, there's a pretty easy way to upgrade to it.
youtu.be/g1rPnCc9wbU
youtu.be/g1rPnCc9wbU
Reposted by Alasdair
So #MODtober is over. I had a blast digging through tunes on a daily basis. A few have asked me for the original source files so I've compiled every for all formats, including the unreleased or exclusive stuff. Enjoy...
hoffman.home.blog/2025/10/31/m...
hoffman.home.blog/2025/10/31/m...
MODtober 2025
Back at the start of October while scrolling through BlueSky, I came across a post from “Vanessa Vananass” with the tag #MODtober. It was the start of a megathread celebrating tracker m…
hoffman.home.blog
October 31, 2025 at 5:47 PM
So #MODtober is over. I had a blast digging through tunes on a daily basis. A few have asked me for the original source files so I've compiled every for all formats, including the unreleased or exclusive stuff. Enjoy...
hoffman.home.blog/2025/10/31/m...
hoffman.home.blog/2025/10/31/m...
Enjoying trading in Frontier Elite II, one of my all time favourite games. My Sony monitor has taken a turn for the green however, I suspect it needs a re-cap
October 31, 2025 at 5:30 PM
Enjoying trading in Frontier Elite II, one of my all time favourite games. My Sony monitor has taken a turn for the green however, I suspect it needs a re-cap
Dusted off the Amiga today. Still waiting on my CD32 coloured A1200.net keycaps 😅 Regardless, have pre-ordered their new Mechanical Keyboard. Need to sort out a case badge, service the internal floppy drive and get this thing online (It thankfully has a PiStorm inside)
October 31, 2025 at 5:25 PM
Dusted off the Amiga today. Still waiting on my CD32 coloured A1200.net keycaps 😅 Regardless, have pre-ordered their new Mechanical Keyboard. Need to sort out a case badge, service the internal floppy drive and get this thing online (It thankfully has a PiStorm inside)
Signal is finally getting features that put it AHEAD of WhatsApp. My family and a few techie friends use Signal but it’d be nice to see more people switch over…
Now on Desktop: Customizable chat folders
Keep healthy boundaries between friends & family or work & leisure.
Filter 1-on-1 and group chats, put all of your unread messages one place, or make project-specific folders for related chats.
Settings > Chats
Or right-click any chat
Keep healthy boundaries between friends & family or work & leisure.
Filter 1-on-1 and group chats, put all of your unread messages one place, or make project-specific folders for related chats.
Settings > Chats
Or right-click any chat
October 31, 2025 at 8:36 AM
Signal is finally getting features that put it AHEAD of WhatsApp. My family and a few techie friends use Signal but it’d be nice to see more people switch over…
Reposted by Alasdair
This is an incredible effort among Amazon employees to pressure their employer:
"We believe that the all-costs-justified, warp-speed approach to AI development will do staggering damage to democracy, to our jobs, and to the earth."
www.amazonclimatejustice.org/open-letter?...
"We believe that the all-costs-justified, warp-speed approach to AI development will do staggering damage to democracy, to our jobs, and to the earth."
www.amazonclimatejustice.org/open-letter?...
AI Open Letter — AECJ
Sign our open letter below to tell Amazon leadership that we need a more responsible rollout of AI. Every single signature makes our message stronger.
www.amazonclimatejustice.org
October 30, 2025 at 8:47 PM
This is an incredible effort among Amazon employees to pressure their employer:
"We believe that the all-costs-justified, warp-speed approach to AI development will do staggering damage to democracy, to our jobs, and to the earth."
www.amazonclimatejustice.org/open-letter?...
"We believe that the all-costs-justified, warp-speed approach to AI development will do staggering damage to democracy, to our jobs, and to the earth."
www.amazonclimatejustice.org/open-letter?...