Author | Lightnews

Reposted by Stuart Swales

Elizabeth V @geolizzy.bsky.social · 7h

It’s almost time!

Mineral Cup & Ore Cup @mineralcup.bsky.social · 11h

#OreCup starts in just 30 hours, ahhhh!!

Remember to please limit yourself to ONE vote per player per match. Yes, you can have multiple players using the same device. We love when families gather to debate minerals and whole classrooms of students vote and don't want to hinder that.

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Reposted by Stuart Swales

L Break Into Program @breakintoprogram.co.uk · 1d

What kind of variable type do programmer's ghosts like to use?

Blinky, the red ghost from Pacman, with the word BOO-lean superimposed.

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Reposted by Stuart Swales

Brian Bilston @brianbilston.bsky.social · 4d

With Halloween approaching, I thought I’d share a few spine-chilling poems.

Today’s is called ‘The Heebie Bee Gees’.

The Heebie Bee Gees

He danced
like a man possessed
one fevered Saturday night.

He gave me
the heebie bee gees
so I left the floor in fright.

Some blamed it
on the Boogieman
but it was a John Travoltageist.

Brian Bilston

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Stuart Swales @taynappe.bsky.social · 5d

The Version Number of the Beast

Reposted by Stuart Swales

Jake Hamby @jakehamby.bsky.social · 7d

My spidey sense was right about waiting to order the RISC OS developer tools. They just released a new version yesterday. I placed my upgrade order so I should be getting a USB stick in the mail with the DDE in a week or two. Bug fixes and a new Fortran compiler. www.riscosopen.org/content/sale...

RISC OS Open: Desktop Development Environment

www.riscosopen.org

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Stuart Swales @taynappe.bsky.social · 7d

Have sent them some money! But I'll just get a link. Hopefully ;-)

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Stuart Swales @taynappe.bsky.social · 8d

There'd be a bigger 'thunk' if you bumped into Nordrhein-Westfalen though (as bumped into in Bergen this summer)

Nordrhein-Westfalen (F223). A Baden-Württemberg-class frigate. In Bergen harbour. Too soon?

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Stuart Swales @taynappe.bsky.social · 9d

And it's still in use. I released an update of a commercial bit of software (for RISC OS) using the Norcroft compiler just last week! Looking at you, Fireworkz Pro 2.33.

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Stuart Swales @taynappe.bsky.social · 9d

Bit niche, but want to know how ARM1&2 got an ANSI C compiler back in the 1980s? Listen to Arthur Norman and Lee Smith... www.youtube.com/watch?v=hwUo...

"The ARM... kind of needed compilers" - Lee Smith and Arthur Norman - ARM at 40 anniversary

YouTube video by The Centre for Computing History

www.youtube.com

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Stuart Swales @taynappe.bsky.social · 9d

Hey, at least that appears to be a convergent sequence!

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Stuart Swales @taynappe.bsky.social · 9d

Emptied Recycling Bin on a development system.
'Do you want to delete these 37 items?'
Yes.
'Deleting 25,128 items.'

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Reposted by Stuart Swales

Christopher B. Cameron @invertevo.bsky.social · 10d

Joseph Botting (& his partner Lucy Muir) discovered the Castle Bank Biota (middle Ordovician, Wales), which shows exceptional preservation of very small animals. Wonderfully knowledgeable people. See for yourself.

Andrej Spiridonov @andrejpaleo.bsky.social · 10d

Enigmatic animals from the Cambrian -- the Chancelloriids
Sponges, slugs, something else entirely?
www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZWNX...
🧪 ⚒️ #Paleobio #EvoBio #Geology

Chancelloriids: slugs or sponges?

YouTube video by Life Through Time

www.youtube.com

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Stuart Swales @taynappe.bsky.social · 10d

Don't know who ended up with my 1970s Zilog Z80 Tech Manual. Still have Zaks' 'Programming the Z80' book from BITD.

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Stuart Swales @taynappe.bsky.social · 10d

In 6th form, school bought a RM 380Z. Its Z80 assembler was only on cassette, which was too painful, so I used the 8080 assembler that was on floppy. You could augment it by defining the Z80 prefix bytes and then using them to replace e.g. HL use in the next instr with IX. And comment, of course ;-)

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Reposted by Stuart Swales

Lyme Resource Centre @lymeresourcecentre.bsky.social · 11d

Tick borne illnesses are highlighted in this week’s #Landward show - visiting an Aberfeldy farm where the sheep are suffering with “louping ill virus“ from ticks.

Tick borne illnesses can have devastating effects not only in humans but also in livestock

www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/epis...

Landward - 2025: Episode 18

Dougie is near Aberfeldy in Perthshire investigating how climate change is causing an increase in tick-borne diseases. Meanwhile, Anne is on the Isle of Mull bringing in the oyster harvest.

www.bbc.co.uk

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Stuart Swales @taynappe.bsky.social · 11d

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Stuart Swales @taynappe.bsky.social · 11d

My Canadian uncle (lived in Toronto) used to occasionally get me Blue Jays stuff in the 70s/80s from Xmas/bdays. I preferred the Rush albums he got me though!

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Reposted by Stuart Swales

Archive Magazine @archiveriscos.bsky.social · 11d

THIS SATURDAY! The RISC OS London Show is back, showcasing the latest products and projects, and providing a chance to meet up, chat, and attend talks about our favourite little OS. #opensource #acorn #raspberrypi www.riscoslondonshow.co.uk

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DESIGN THINKING! Comic @designthinking.lol · 12d

With the AWS outage, now‘s as good a time as any to post this old strip.

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Reposted by Stuart Swales

Gareth Fabbro @fitzgabbro.bsky.social · 12d

Do you like stripy rocks? Want to study how ore deposits form? Does fieldwork in Norway sound like fun? Come do a PhD with @3oja.bsky.social and me (and a few others) at @ueaenv.bsky.social!

aries-dtp.ac.uk/studentships...

Magma emplacement and its evolution: deciphering between magmatic and tectonic processes | Aries

Dr Zoja Vukmanovic, School of Environmental Sciences, University of East Anglia Dr Gareth Fabbro, School of Environmental Sciences, University of East Anglia Dr Will McCarthy, University of St Andrews...

aries-dtp.ac.uk

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Stuart Swales @taynappe.bsky.social · 12d

Not at all! Quite some distance away...

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Stuart Swales @taynappe.bsky.social · 13d

Don't forget the glasscutter

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Reposted by Stuart Swales

Douglas Merson @flameryder.bsky.social · 14d

Magnesio-arfvedsonite NaNa₂(Mg₄Fe³⁺)Si₈O₂₂(OH)₂
Poudrette quarry, Mont Saint-Hilaire, La Vallée-du-Richelieu RCM, Montérégie, Québec, Canada
FOV = 3.50 mm
#4009
NFS
#minerals #earthscience #geology #mineralogy

Two groups of dark magnesio-arfvedsonite crystals on a matrix composed of pectolite. While appearing black, the crystals are a very deep blue green on thin edges in transmitted light.

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Reposted by Stuart Swales

Bipedal Meatbag @bipedalmeatbag.bsky.social · 14d

Kīlauea episode 35 has arrived. The double fountain shot is from one of the HVO interns, Christina. All are taken from the public viewing areas.

Two lava fountains at night feeding a flow

A bright orange lava fountain with glowing clouds.

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Reposted by Stuart Swales

Kevin Edwards ( Retro Videogame development ) @kevedwardsretro.bsky.social · 15d

When you saw the Acornsoft MODE 7 loading screen you knew you were about to play a great game! A sign of quality. In 1986, Acornsoft and Superior Software joined ranks and games were released with both companies names present on the packaging.

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