Author | Lightnews

Henry Cooke @prehensile.bsky.social · 15h

will def keep you posted! it was some conversations I had at Careful Industries' RAI unconference in Salford (almost a year ago, gosh!) that kicked a lot of synapses on the way to this

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Henry Cooke @prehensile.bsky.social · 17h

Shoutouts here to @wesleygoatley.bsky.social for chats along the way and @rachelcoldicutt.bsky.social for prompting chunks of the thinking.

Right now I'm just excited that it works :)

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Henry Cooke @prehensile.bsky.social · 17h

Proper writeup coming soon; it's the product of a few lines of thought about how monstrous datacentres aren't the only way of having access to useful AI, and how we don't necessarily have to contribute to someone else's growth strategy by using it.

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Henry Cooke @prehensile.bsky.social · 17h

Also the fans spin up while it’s thinking, which is pleasing. Also also any data getting processed remains under my desk and isn’t getting sent off to giant tech companies.

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Henry Cooke @prehensile.bsky.social · 17h

Presenting: the worst possible (but still useful) AI server! Lives under my desk and does low-ish end LLM inference work. Built out of used parts from ebay for almost exactly 100 quid. Idles at about 20w (should be able to get it down to 4 or 5), peaks at 150w while running inference.

A barebones computer, built out of spare parts, under a desk. A large graphics card is visible on top.

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Henry Cooke @prehensile.bsky.social · 2d

also I have been digging www.minutecryptic.com on days when my brain feels clever enough

Minute Cryptic

Solve a clue with a hidden meaning

www.minutecryptic.com

Henry Cooke @prehensile.bsky.social · 2d

recreation of the OG (pre-NYT) version of wordle here, with bonus infinite archive: mikhad.github.io/wordle/#daily

Wordle+ | An infinite word guessing game

Guess the word in 6 tries. Play daily, hourly and infinite modes.

mikhad.github.io

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Henry Cooke @prehensile.bsky.social · 7d

my feelings when I see people getting exercised over the AI hype train

Bane meme: you merely adopted tech bubbles, I was born in them, molded by them

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Henry Cooke @prehensile.bsky.social · 21d

like you, this has been a cast-iron, unswerving principle of my internet life since the forum + usenet days

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Henry Cooke @prehensile.bsky.social · 26d

my new jam is playing beloved old drum & bass mixes in my headphones at 80% speed with a massive reverb on, because I am old and my anxiety can no longer cope with the full 170bpm

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Henry Cooke @prehensile.bsky.social · 29d

“Peripheral spotting” is the subject of an ongoing message thread between me & riwsa

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Henry Cooke @prehensile.bsky.social · Sep 19

aw, thanks! would have been good to see you too, another day!

Reposted by Henry Cooke

Scott Smith @changeist.bsky.social · Aug 19

I wrote something about our work designing escape rooms for strategy, aka strategic simulations. Please come through. www.linkedin.com/pulse/when-f...

Thanks to @scoxsmith.bsky.social @prehensile.bsky.social and @igorschwarzmann.com for keeping the doors revolving.

When the Future Pushes Back

Why We’re Designing Escape Rooms for Strategy Leaders of the AI sector walk out of negotiations with business and policymakers, threatening to take their economic value offshore. A pharmaceutical comp...

www.linkedin.com

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Henry Cooke @prehensile.bsky.social · Aug 12

Folks! Here’s an interesting niche request. Does anyone have access to a really fast video camera (1000fps or faster), or know someone who does? I’m working on a hardware project, and I need to verify something is updating at the rate it says it is.

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Henry Cooke @prehensile.bsky.social · Aug 5

<dr manhattan voice>

It is 2001. I am fucking about with computers and listening to Moving Shadow compilations in a music player with cool customisable skins.

It is 2025. I am fucking about with computers and listening to Moving Shadow compilations in a music player with cool customisable skins.

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Henry Cooke @prehensile.bsky.social · Jun 30

important point raised by taller child this morning: why is it that most cryptids are associated with cold / dark / snow? Where are all the sun-loving strange creatures?

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Reposted by Henry Cooke

Jay Springett @thejaymo.net · Jun 17

Spoke to the BBC about the future of social platforms: clicks, legitimacy, the alms race, and the collapse of shared ‘now’.

BBC R&D’s Projections: The Social Internet report is out now:

BBC: Future of the Social Internet Report

A while ago I contributed to BBC R&D's Future of the Social Internet Report, which explores the dynamics of current digital social platforms.

thejaymo.net

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Henry Cooke @prehensile.bsky.social · Jun 24

morning team! So far today I have managed to completely lose both my phone and my keys inside my own house and do my back in. things are going well.

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Henry Cooke @prehensile.bsky.social · Jun 24

heh, I did think that might be one of the options

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Henry Cooke @prehensile.bsky.social · Jun 21

morning team! what are we using to scratch that Flickr itch these days? By which I mean: somewhere to upload Proper Photos, with some social business but definitely not endless fucking reels / ads / other enshittifications

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Henry Cooke @prehensile.bsky.social · Apr 23

ME (SOBBING): why can’t functions just return things
NODE.JS FOR SOME REASON: you fool. you absolute buffoon.

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Henry Cooke @prehensile.bsky.social · Apr 18

yes! Also, the fundamental problem that the thing that you need to diagnose the problem is the thing that isn’t working properly in the first place 🧠

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Henry Cooke @prehensile.bsky.social · Apr 18

*hugs gratefully received* it’s actually fine once I’d diagnosed the problem and adjusted the tapering curve accordingly. Bu thank you :)

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Henry Cooke @prehensile.bsky.social · Apr 18

tapering off antidepressants while on Easter holidays with the family: NOT RECOMMENDED. Zero stars.

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Henry Cooke @prehensile.bsky.social · Apr 12

can’t log on to the train wifi until you fill in a brief survey about the state of the toilets. Just normal 2025 things.

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