Andy Toone
@lockfarm.bsky.social
Petabytes in my day job, kilobytes in my spare time.
Maker of Beasts - https://feersumbeasts.com/ 8-bit Z80 kit
Technologist, cynical optimist, occasional CTO, regular tinkerer.
Rural hideout in UK
Maker of Beasts - https://feersumbeasts.com/ 8-bit Z80 kit
Technologist, cynical optimist, occasional CTO, regular tinkerer.
Rural hideout in UK
Pinned
Andy Toone
@lockfarm.bsky.social
· Oct 18
You're meant to share the work you're doing..
I'm particularly bad at that, and somewhat overwhelmed with stuff..
..at which point I'm meant to end on a positive note and a call to action, but really, that's the post. That's it.
I'm particularly bad at that, and somewhat overwhelmed with stuff..
..at which point I'm meant to end on a positive note and a call to action, but really, that's the post. That's it.
The overwhelming feeling on BSky at the moment seems to be that we're all in agreement that certain things are really pretty unacceptable (British understatement), but no-one feels able to do the slightest thing about it.
Too busy trying to get through the day to stick it to the man.
Too busy trying to get through the day to stick it to the man.
November 27, 2025 at 8:50 AM
The overwhelming feeling on BSky at the moment seems to be that we're all in agreement that certain things are really pretty unacceptable (British understatement), but no-one feels able to do the slightest thing about it.
Too busy trying to get through the day to stick it to the man.
Too busy trying to get through the day to stick it to the man.
Today's mini thesis: AI concentrates wealth and employment but doesn't provide a pathway to new jobs. Alternately engineering and manufacture boost jobs and increase resilience and independence.
An argument for strengthening physical services and enterprises as AI eats the knowledge economy?
An argument for strengthening physical services and enterprises as AI eats the knowledge economy?
November 26, 2025 at 11:17 AM
Today's mini thesis: AI concentrates wealth and employment but doesn't provide a pathway to new jobs. Alternately engineering and manufacture boost jobs and increase resilience and independence.
An argument for strengthening physical services and enterprises as AI eats the knowledge economy?
An argument for strengthening physical services and enterprises as AI eats the knowledge economy?
Drink up, citizen!
See, nutrients are plentiful, there is no cost of living crisis!
See, nutrients are plentiful, there is no cost of living crisis!
November 26, 2025 at 8:43 AM
Drink up, citizen!
See, nutrients are plentiful, there is no cost of living crisis!
See, nutrients are plentiful, there is no cost of living crisis!
First up against the wall, come the revolution.
I'll keep banging the drum for online communities that actually benefit their members - and that requires us to build new platforms that aren't Facebook et. al.
I'll keep banging the drum for online communities that actually benefit their members - and that requires us to build new platforms that aren't Facebook et. al.
Meta halted internal research that purportedly showed (young) people who stopped using Facebook became less depressed and anxious, according to an unredacted legal filing released on Friday. www.cnbc.com/2025/11/23/m...
Meta halted internal research suggesting social media harm, court filing alleges
Meta is alleged to have halted internal research suggesting social media harm, according to court documents.
www.cnbc.com
November 24, 2025 at 8:26 AM
First up against the wall, come the revolution.
I'll keep banging the drum for online communities that actually benefit their members - and that requires us to build new platforms that aren't Facebook et. al.
I'll keep banging the drum for online communities that actually benefit their members - and that requires us to build new platforms that aren't Facebook et. al.
Turns out games are good for the heart and soul... literally.
(See what I did there?)
(See what I did there?)
Very proud of my friend @naomialderman.bsky.social who has followed the release of a brilliant and timely book with this brilliant and culturally very significant move observer.co.uk/the-critics/...
I’m a novelist who’s just bought a video games company. Here’s why you should care about games writing | The Observer
observer.co.uk
November 24, 2025 at 8:19 AM
Turns out games are good for the heart and soul... literally.
(See what I did there?)
(See what I did there?)
I should roll these posts up into an essay.
Getting past the current decline in online communities and independent media is not about building a better algorithm - it's about building better incentive structures so the algorithms you have don't degrade.
Getting past the current decline in online communities and independent media is not about building a better algorithm - it's about building better incentive structures so the algorithms you have don't degrade.
The fatal flaw in Jack Conte's otherwise uplifting opinion piece for the NYT (many points I've been making for years), is that he's maintaining the incentive structures and gatekeeper architecture of the companies he singles out as bad. 🧵
www.youtube.com/watch?v=EO14...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=EO14...
I’m Building an Algorithm That Doesn’t Rot Your Brain
YouTube video by New York Times Opinion
www.youtube.com
November 23, 2025 at 12:17 PM
I should roll these posts up into an essay.
Getting past the current decline in online communities and independent media is not about building a better algorithm - it's about building better incentive structures so the algorithms you have don't degrade.
Getting past the current decline in online communities and independent media is not about building a better algorithm - it's about building better incentive structures so the algorithms you have don't degrade.
Sunday Papers...
Why have the right wing press in the UK given up on reporting national politics, and just moved to wholesale importing American social issues?
Stop saying "everyone thinks..", and then talking like someone from 1950s deep South Texas..
Who are we rounding up/abusing today?
Why have the right wing press in the UK given up on reporting national politics, and just moved to wholesale importing American social issues?
Stop saying "everyone thinks..", and then talking like someone from 1950s deep South Texas..
Who are we rounding up/abusing today?
November 23, 2025 at 11:46 AM
Sunday Papers...
Why have the right wing press in the UK given up on reporting national politics, and just moved to wholesale importing American social issues?
Stop saying "everyone thinks..", and then talking like someone from 1950s deep South Texas..
Who are we rounding up/abusing today?
Why have the right wing press in the UK given up on reporting national politics, and just moved to wholesale importing American social issues?
Stop saying "everyone thinks..", and then talking like someone from 1950s deep South Texas..
Who are we rounding up/abusing today?
This seems to be giving off Mad Emperor Nero vibes.
November 23, 2025 at 11:40 AM
This seems to be giving off Mad Emperor Nero vibes.
The fatal flaw in Jack Conte's otherwise uplifting opinion piece for the NYT (many points I've been making for years), is that he's maintaining the incentive structures and gatekeeper architecture of the companies he singles out as bad. 🧵
www.youtube.com/watch?v=EO14...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=EO14...
I’m Building an Algorithm That Doesn’t Rot Your Brain
YouTube video by New York Times Opinion
www.youtube.com
November 21, 2025 at 3:05 PM
The fatal flaw in Jack Conte's otherwise uplifting opinion piece for the NYT (many points I've been making for years), is that he's maintaining the incentive structures and gatekeeper architecture of the companies he singles out as bad. 🧵
www.youtube.com/watch?v=EO14...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=EO14...
Luckily, none of our political classes are using AI to help them with policies affecting millions of pe..
..what?
..what?
I am by no means a prominent public intellectual, but my inbox is increasingly filled with messages from people who have been convinced by sycophantic chatbots that they have discovered revolutionary theories that entirely upend our scientific understanding of the universe.
November 21, 2025 at 8:39 AM
Luckily, none of our political classes are using AI to help them with policies affecting millions of pe..
..what?
..what?
Sooooo.... Arduino appears to have abandoned the community that built it.
Anyone want to do a hardware startup? I hear they're really profitable.
Anyone want to do a hardware startup? I hear they're really profitable.
November 20, 2025 at 5:08 PM
Sooooo.... Arduino appears to have abandoned the community that built it.
Anyone want to do a hardware startup? I hear they're really profitable.
Anyone want to do a hardware startup? I hear they're really profitable.
I had to withdraw a patent on some technology that would blow this right out of the water, as I couldn't finance the next stage of development in the middle of the pandemic.
Sometimes the stars just don't align.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=TjFV...
Sometimes the stars just don't align.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=TjFV...
The Future of Board Games? Arcade1Up Infinity Game Table 2025 Review
YouTube video by Tech It Before You Wreck It
www.youtube.com
November 18, 2025 at 9:39 PM
I had to withdraw a patent on some technology that would blow this right out of the water, as I couldn't finance the next stage of development in the middle of the pandemic.
Sometimes the stars just don't align.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=TjFV...
Sometimes the stars just don't align.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=TjFV...
I remembered to take a photo of my own exhibit, but spent most of the weekend having great chats with visitors and other exhibitors and completely forgot to take any other photos.
A really excellent weekend at @computinghistory.org.uk thanks to @heredragons.be
Boing Ball on a ZXSpectrum!
A really excellent weekend at @computinghistory.org.uk thanks to @heredragons.be
Boing Ball on a ZXSpectrum!
November 16, 2025 at 10:31 PM
I remembered to take a photo of my own exhibit, but spent most of the weekend having great chats with visitors and other exhibitors and completely forgot to take any other photos.
A really excellent weekend at @computinghistory.org.uk thanks to @heredragons.be
Boing Ball on a ZXSpectrum!
A really excellent weekend at @computinghistory.org.uk thanks to @heredragons.be
Boing Ball on a ZXSpectrum!
Seems like a logic fail to me.
Industries have seen jobs destroyed as we have progressed..
..therefore if we destroy jobs we must be progressing?
That's a very odd assumption to make.
Industries have seen jobs destroyed as we have progressed..
..therefore if we destroy jobs we must be progressing?
That's a very odd assumption to make.
Creative destruction is part of progress. We no longer have telephone operators, but calls are now cheaper and faster.
My @morningjoe-msnbc.bsky.social Chart
My @morningjoe-msnbc.bsky.social Chart
November 14, 2025 at 8:54 AM
Seems like a logic fail to me.
Industries have seen jobs destroyed as we have progressed..
..therefore if we destroy jobs we must be progressing?
That's a very odd assumption to make.
Industries have seen jobs destroyed as we have progressed..
..therefore if we destroy jobs we must be progressing?
That's a very odd assumption to make.
The best response to Trump's legal threat against the BBC would be an hour long programme exclusively quoting his most ridiculous claims and promises.
Nowhere in the hysterical pile-on against the BBC in the British press has anyone mentioned that BBC News now has 77 million viewers & listeners in the US and has established itself as the second most trusted news source there.
November 11, 2025 at 8:47 AM
The best response to Trump's legal threat against the BBC would be an hour long programme exclusively quoting his most ridiculous claims and promises.
The feersumbeasts.com website is now back up (let me know if you experience any problems!), with a new low price for the MicroBeast kit - only £150 for a complete standalone Z80 computer!
Feersum Beasts
Brand new old computers, kits and projects. More than just 8 bits.
feersumbeasts.com
November 10, 2025 at 10:41 PM
The feersumbeasts.com website is now back up (let me know if you experience any problems!), with a new low price for the MicroBeast kit - only £150 for a complete standalone Z80 computer!
By the way. Toyota must be grinding their teeth right now.
"Hey boss, you know that walking chair we made?"
"Yeah?"
"They keep calling it a wheelchair. THERE ARE NO WHEELS! It's specifically NOT a wheelchair."
"Hey boss, you know that walking chair we made?"
"Yeah?"
"They keep calling it a wheelchair. THERE ARE NO WHEELS! It's specifically NOT a wheelchair."
Apple, Tesla, Google, Amazon: "Look at us, we're worth trillions! We're going to spend it all on dominating the market!"
Toyota: "What if we made it easier to get around?"
www.youtube.com/watch?v=VzD9...
Toyota: "What if we made it easier to get around?"
www.youtube.com/watch?v=VzD9...
Toyota’s “Walk Me” Wheelchair Walks on Legs and Climbs Stairs – The Future of Mobility Is Here
YouTube video by DPCcars
www.youtube.com
November 8, 2025 at 3:12 PM
By the way. Toyota must be grinding their teeth right now.
"Hey boss, you know that walking chair we made?"
"Yeah?"
"They keep calling it a wheelchair. THERE ARE NO WHEELS! It's specifically NOT a wheelchair."
"Hey boss, you know that walking chair we made?"
"Yeah?"
"They keep calling it a wheelchair. THERE ARE NO WHEELS! It's specifically NOT a wheelchair."
Apple, Tesla, Google, Amazon: "Look at us, we're worth trillions! We're going to spend it all on dominating the market!"
Toyota: "What if we made it easier to get around?"
www.youtube.com/watch?v=VzD9...
Toyota: "What if we made it easier to get around?"
www.youtube.com/watch?v=VzD9...
Toyota’s “Walk Me” Wheelchair Walks on Legs and Climbs Stairs – The Future of Mobility Is Here
YouTube video by DPCcars
www.youtube.com
November 8, 2025 at 12:07 PM
Apple, Tesla, Google, Amazon: "Look at us, we're worth trillions! We're going to spend it all on dominating the market!"
Toyota: "What if we made it easier to get around?"
www.youtube.com/watch?v=VzD9...
Toyota: "What if we made it easier to get around?"
www.youtube.com/watch?v=VzD9...
The world right now is like a Road Runner cartoon where Wile E Coyote has run off the cliff... and is inexplicably still just running.
We can all see there's nothing supporting these people. When do we get the satisfying comeuppance?
We can all see there's nothing supporting these people. When do we get the satisfying comeuppance?
a cartoon coyote is flying through the air with a yellow background
Alt: a cartoon coyote is flying through the air with a yellow background
media.tenor.com
November 7, 2025 at 10:14 PM
The world right now is like a Road Runner cartoon where Wile E Coyote has run off the cliff... and is inexplicably still just running.
We can all see there's nothing supporting these people. When do we get the satisfying comeuppance?
We can all see there's nothing supporting these people. When do we get the satisfying comeuppance?
An interestingly capitalistic take on Darwinian evolution.
If these people are daft enough to believe the hype, taking their money and spending it on actually useful (but less exciting) projects is a social good?
"I took all your money and spent it on 8-bit computers"
Works for me.
If these people are daft enough to believe the hype, taking their money and spending it on actually useful (but less exciting) projects is a social good?
"I took all your money and spent it on 8-bit computers"
Works for me.
if you believe fully autonomous robot butlers are just over the horizon you are actually one of the dumbest motherfuckers alive and we should take your money from you so we can put it towards something worthwhile
November 7, 2025 at 4:36 PM
An interestingly capitalistic take on Darwinian evolution.
If these people are daft enough to believe the hype, taking their money and spending it on actually useful (but less exciting) projects is a social good?
"I took all your money and spent it on 8-bit computers"
Works for me.
If these people are daft enough to believe the hype, taking their money and spending it on actually useful (but less exciting) projects is a social good?
"I took all your money and spent it on 8-bit computers"
Works for me.
OK, sitrep. Remarkably, despite my best attempts to turn the server into a smoking ruin, a full system backup has brought things back to life. Websites are back and I've only wasted a couple of days on this mess.
The server is still EOL, but for the moment it is at least.. serving.
The server is still EOL, but for the moment it is at least.. serving.
I may... or may not have just killed my server.
This could be a lot of hard work to fix.
This could be a lot of hard work to fix.
November 5, 2025 at 10:17 PM
OK, sitrep. Remarkably, despite my best attempts to turn the server into a smoking ruin, a full system backup has brought things back to life. Websites are back and I've only wasted a couple of days on this mess.
The server is still EOL, but for the moment it is at least.. serving.
The server is still EOL, but for the moment it is at least.. serving.
For reference, I'm not pressing *that* button again.
Server failure:
My websites:
feertech.com
feersumbeasts.com
uavtoolbox.com
Are currently down, and emails to these domains will be delayed or fail. This is due to a server failure I'm working to resolve.
Please bear with me. MicroBeast kits will ship as normal.
My websites:
feertech.com
feersumbeasts.com
uavtoolbox.com
Are currently down, and emails to these domains will be delayed or fail. This is due to a server failure I'm working to resolve.
Please bear with me. MicroBeast kits will ship as normal.
November 5, 2025 at 10:29 AM
For reference, I'm not pressing *that* button again.
Server failure:
My websites:
feertech.com
feersumbeasts.com
uavtoolbox.com
Are currently down, and emails to these domains will be delayed or fail. This is due to a server failure I'm working to resolve.
Please bear with me. MicroBeast kits will ship as normal.
My websites:
feertech.com
feersumbeasts.com
uavtoolbox.com
Are currently down, and emails to these domains will be delayed or fail. This is due to a server failure I'm working to resolve.
Please bear with me. MicroBeast kits will ship as normal.
November 5, 2025 at 8:07 AM
Server failure:
My websites:
feertech.com
feersumbeasts.com
uavtoolbox.com
Are currently down, and emails to these domains will be delayed or fail. This is due to a server failure I'm working to resolve.
Please bear with me. MicroBeast kits will ship as normal.
My websites:
feertech.com
feersumbeasts.com
uavtoolbox.com
Are currently down, and emails to these domains will be delayed or fail. This is due to a server failure I'm working to resolve.
Please bear with me. MicroBeast kits will ship as normal.
I may... or may not have just killed my server.
This could be a lot of hard work to fix.
This could be a lot of hard work to fix.
November 4, 2025 at 9:36 PM
I may... or may not have just killed my server.
This could be a lot of hard work to fix.
This could be a lot of hard work to fix.