Colin Hoad
@colinhoad.com
Senior Data Engineer at cfc.com
"Vintage computing enthusiast" -- The Register
I run a YouTube channel and blog dedicated to the Beeb and all things Acorn, Psion and more:
https://www.colinhoad.com
Discord: https://discord.gg/zjvSBjG7rw
Art: VectorinID
"Vintage computing enthusiast" -- The Register
I run a YouTube channel and blog dedicated to the Beeb and all things Acorn, Psion and more:
https://www.colinhoad.com
Discord: https://discord.gg/zjvSBjG7rw
Art: VectorinID
Pinned
Colin Hoad
@colinhoad.com
Β· 8d
New Year's Postbag 2026 - Bits and Bytes (Ep. 6)
YouTube video by Colin Hoad
youtu.be
It's the New Year's Postbag, 2026!
youtu.be/fn87-LmMlDY
youtu.be/fn87-LmMlDY
I've got my Dad's original but I try not to use it too much as I fear breaking it! I've got a more modern one (mah jong themed) which I practice on... but I am rubbish at them π
January 11, 2026 at 4:20 PM
I've got my Dad's original but I try not to use it too much as I fear breaking it! I've got a more modern one (mah jong themed) which I practice on... but I am rubbish at them π
The front cover of the BBC Micro 6502 second processor user guide is one of my all time favourites, the photograph is just *so* evocative. I adore this guy's setup, it perfectly captures the spirit of 1980s home computing.
January 11, 2026 at 3:22 PM
The front cover of the BBC Micro 6502 second processor user guide is one of my all time favourites, the photograph is just *so* evocative. I adore this guy's setup, it perfectly captures the spirit of 1980s home computing.
Yeah, there's far too much guessing what would make good telly and not enough *actually looking at and listening to what people do and say*
January 10, 2026 at 12:29 AM
Yeah, there's far too much guessing what would make good telly and not enough *actually looking at and listening to what people do and say*
A spot of late night memory testing on the Beeb... nasty suspicion one of my DRAM chips is banjaxed π
January 10, 2026 at 12:04 AM
A spot of late night memory testing on the Beeb... nasty suspicion one of my DRAM chips is banjaxed π
These are apparently two different contestants π€·π»ββοΈ
January 9, 2026 at 3:59 PM
These are apparently two different contestants π€·π»ββοΈ
Can we all, please, take a moment to appreciate how Mr Motivator has not aged a day since the 90s
January 9, 2026 at 3:07 PM
Can we all, please, take a moment to appreciate how Mr Motivator has not aged a day since the 90s
Yeah, the mission where they were burning shields, when one of them yelled out "MATTHEW!" I was like "there's a Matthew?"
January 9, 2026 at 2:51 PM
Yeah, the mission where they were burning shields, when one of them yelled out "MATTHEW!" I was like "there's a Matthew?"
I agree, but it's also incredibly insulting that the UK government continues to use X for all of its official communications.
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Limiting Grok AI image edits to paid users 'insulting' to victims, says No 10
It comes after government urged Ofcom to use all its powers β up to and including an effective ban β against X.
www.bbc.co.uk
January 9, 2026 at 1:01 PM
I agree, but it's also incredibly insulting that the UK government continues to use X for all of its official communications.
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
I mean, this is very fair. Part of what I had been enjoying about the 'secret traitor' concept was seeing whether I, as an audience member, could spot a traitor (I could not). Would have liked them to keep it a secret a while longer, suspect they might have done if Hugo hadn't got banished so early.
January 9, 2026 at 12:31 PM
I mean, this is very fair. Part of what I had been enjoying about the 'secret traitor' concept was seeing whether I, as an audience member, could spot a traitor (I could not). Would have liked them to keep it a secret a while longer, suspect they might have done if Hugo hadn't got banished so early.
Oh! Totally forgot her sister (Maya?) was there, yes, fair point.
January 9, 2026 at 12:29 PM
Oh! Totally forgot her sister (Maya?) was there, yes, fair point.
Was this a non-UK edition of Traitors? (Struggling to remember!)
January 9, 2026 at 12:26 PM
Was this a non-UK edition of Traitors? (Struggling to remember!)
I do see what you're saying, but at the same time given no series, to date, has ever made one a traitor and the other not (well, once, but only when the son was recruited *after* his secret Mum had been offed) you wonder *why* they keep thinking it...
January 9, 2026 at 12:20 PM
I do see what you're saying, but at the same time given no series, to date, has ever made one a traitor and the other not (well, once, but only when the son was recruited *after* his secret Mum had been offed) you wonder *why* they keep thinking it...
Same for the much-vaunted-always-disproved faithful theory of "your job means you're clever, so you'd be a great traitor", why is it always trotted it out? This must be the first series where that was *partly* true (Hugo) although in his case, his undoing was being very *not* clever!
January 9, 2026 at 12:18 PM
Same for the much-vaunted-always-disproved faithful theory of "your job means you're clever, so you'd be a great traitor", why is it always trotted it out? This must be the first series where that was *partly* true (Hugo) although in his case, his undoing was being very *not* clever!
I agree that it's always treated as suspicious - in every series, bar the Celebs, who all seemed to know each other. But why is it suspicious? Has "we're secretly mother and son" or "we're secretly bf/gf and I'm a magician" ever actually meant anything? And why is it kept a secret anyway?
January 9, 2026 at 12:15 PM
I agree that it's always treated as suspicious - in every series, bar the Celebs, who all seemed to know each other. But why is it suspicious? Has "we're secretly mother and son" or "we're secretly bf/gf and I'm a magician" ever actually meant anything? And why is it kept a secret anyway?
That's the book I've got π
January 8, 2026 at 7:13 PM
That's the book I've got π
www.traffic.gov.scot/gritter-trac...
Scotland, I salute you! These snow gritter names are incredible π
Scotland, I salute you! These snow gritter names are incredible π
January 8, 2026 at 6:16 PM
www.traffic.gov.scot/gritter-trac...
Scotland, I salute you! These snow gritter names are incredible π
Scotland, I salute you! These snow gritter names are incredible π
Quite possibly your best take yet*
*I live there, have done for years
*I live there, have done for years
January 8, 2026 at 5:13 PM
Quite possibly your best take yet*
*I live there, have done for years
*I live there, have done for years
Not singling out the BBC here, but really? That's it? Why is there such reluctance to properly challenge the big tech companies, why are they given so much slack?
January 8, 2026 at 1:52 PM
Not singling out the BBC here, but really? That's it? Why is there such reluctance to properly challenge the big tech companies, why are they given so much slack?
BBC News report on sick men using Meta AI glasses to film women in public without their consent and then post the videos online for clicks.
"We contacted Meta, who said users should not use the AI glasses in this way."
Oh, so that's ok then?
"We contacted Meta, who said users should not use the AI glasses in this way."
Oh, so that's ok then?
January 8, 2026 at 1:49 PM
BBC News report on sick men using Meta AI glasses to film women in public without their consent and then post the videos online for clicks.
"We contacted Meta, who said users should not use the AI glasses in this way."
Oh, so that's ok then?
"We contacted Meta, who said users should not use the AI glasses in this way."
Oh, so that's ok then?
And, if I'm reading this right, prawns are 50% whole grain?
January 8, 2026 at 12:23 PM
And, if I'm reading this right, prawns are 50% whole grain?
Easy to slip up on this one...
January 8, 2026 at 11:41 AM
Easy to slip up on this one...