Michael Pavone
@retrodev.com
Author of BlastEm, a high-performance accuracy focused emulator for the Sega Genesis/Mega Drive: https://www.retrodev.com/blastem/
he/him
Build more housing!
Berkeley, CA
he/him
Build more housing!
Berkeley, CA
It's pretty funny that a game with "Final" in the title has so many sequels. Guess that fantasy wasn't so final after all
November 25, 2025 at 2:06 AM
It's pretty funny that a game with "Final" in the title has so many sequels. Guess that fantasy wasn't so final after all
This list is pretty good, but I'll never understand why people like Revenge of the Sith. It has the least Jar-Jar, but the core of the story is a tragic fall that fundamentally does not work. Anakin is not likable enough and they didn't really sell the escalation to child massacre.
haven’t seen ROS or Solo but this seems like a pretty ball-knowing list from Pritzker, particularly if he volunteered the name “Star Wars” rather than “A New Hope”
November 24, 2025 at 9:07 PM
This list is pretty good, but I'll never understand why people like Revenge of the Sith. It has the least Jar-Jar, but the core of the story is a tragic fall that fundamentally does not work. Anakin is not likable enough and they didn't really sell the escalation to child massacre.
Reposted by Michael Pavone
Sonic CD US Metallic Madness is mostly just riffing on top of this sequence preset from Korg Wavestation
November 21, 2025 at 2:55 PM
Sonic CD US Metallic Madness is mostly just riffing on top of this sequence preset from Korg Wavestation
Reposted by Michael Pavone
So it is possible to do 60fps 3d on the sega megadrive by using a very exotic indexing method to simulate 2 colors + alternating lines + fast DMA. Totally interlaced my brain 🙃
November 20, 2025 at 7:53 PM
So it is possible to do 60fps 3d on the sega megadrive by using a very exotic indexing method to simulate 2 colors + alternating lines + fast DMA. Totally interlaced my brain 🙃
Hmm, it's tough for me to distinguish my original Genesis collection from games I picked up in early adulthood before getting serious about collecting. I'm sure about these:
Sonic 1-2, S&K, Sonic Spinball
Fire Shark
Virtual Pinball
Super Monaco GP
Less sure: Revenge of Shinobi & Eternal Champions
Sonic 1-2, S&K, Sonic Spinball
Fire Shark
Virtual Pinball
Super Monaco GP
Less sure: Revenge of Shinobi & Eternal Champions
This sounds fun. My original Genesis collection… so many greats!!!
Sonic 1-3 and Knuckles
Mystic Defender
Ghouls and Ghosts
Thunder Force 3
Whip Rush
Columns
Joe Montana Football
Altered Beast
Streets of Rage
Phantasy Star 2
Revenge of Shinobi
Castle of Illusion
And Alex Kid, which I hated!
Sonic 1-3 and Knuckles
Mystic Defender
Ghouls and Ghosts
Thunder Force 3
Whip Rush
Columns
Joe Montana Football
Altered Beast
Streets of Rage
Phantasy Star 2
Revenge of Shinobi
Castle of Illusion
And Alex Kid, which I hated!
My original Genesis collection:
ngl, can't remember most of what I had besides Altered Beast, Space Harrier II, & Thunder Force II.
Still have my original VA2 but I messed up the sound chip by plugging the headphone jack into a keyboard amp that wasn't properly grounded. Fried the sound chip...
ngl, can't remember most of what I had besides Altered Beast, Space Harrier II, & Thunder Force II.
Still have my original VA2 but I messed up the sound chip by plugging the headphone jack into a keyboard amp that wasn't properly grounded. Fried the sound chip...
November 18, 2025 at 7:04 PM
Hmm, it's tough for me to distinguish my original Genesis collection from games I picked up in early adulthood before getting serious about collecting. I'm sure about these:
Sonic 1-2, S&K, Sonic Spinball
Fire Shark
Virtual Pinball
Super Monaco GP
Less sure: Revenge of Shinobi & Eternal Champions
Sonic 1-2, S&K, Sonic Spinball
Fire Shark
Virtual Pinball
Super Monaco GP
Less sure: Revenge of Shinobi & Eternal Champions
What perfect album came out the year you turned 16?
November 17, 2025 at 5:23 AM
What perfect album came out the year you turned 16?
I don't know how I feel about the fee portion of this, but the fire department saying you can't close off the northern part of Telegraph for street fairs is awful. Telegraph is vibrant with foot traffic and so much more pedestrian friendly than the vicinity of Ashby Bart
US fire codes are getting out of hand. Its bad enough they're nerfing projects left and right. American fire departments refuse to learn from other countries with lower fire deaths on whats safe. Its ruining our cities and turning them into stroad-based suburbs
www.berkeleyside.org/2025/11/13/b...
www.berkeleyside.org/2025/11/13/b...
New city fees, fire safety policies threaten future of 2 beloved Berkeley events, organizers say
Berkeley's Juneteenth Festival and Telegraph Holiday Fair can't stay in their longtime locations, according to city.
www.berkeleyside.org
November 13, 2025 at 6:17 PM
I don't know how I feel about the fee portion of this, but the fire department saying you can't close off the northern part of Telegraph for street fairs is awful. Telegraph is vibrant with foot traffic and so much more pedestrian friendly than the vicinity of Ashby Bart
Reposted by Michael Pavone
Ever wonder why a Supergun has such a stupid (but cool) name?
It was just a name used by Taiwanese firm Gamesgroup Corp, similar to later products like Super Wildcard & SuperUFO game copiers
Raven Games (London) got their own version made to UK spec & called it Supergun Deluxe. It stuck
1/4
It was just a name used by Taiwanese firm Gamesgroup Corp, similar to later products like Super Wildcard & SuperUFO game copiers
Raven Games (London) got their own version made to UK spec & called it Supergun Deluxe. It stuck
1/4
November 13, 2025 at 6:24 AM
Ever wonder why a Supergun has such a stupid (but cool) name?
It was just a name used by Taiwanese firm Gamesgroup Corp, similar to later products like Super Wildcard & SuperUFO game copiers
Raven Games (London) got their own version made to UK spec & called it Supergun Deluxe. It stuck
1/4
It was just a name used by Taiwanese firm Gamesgroup Corp, similar to later products like Super Wildcard & SuperUFO game copiers
Raven Games (London) got their own version made to UK spec & called it Supergun Deluxe. It stuck
1/4
Reposted by Michael Pavone
He beat the wrap.
🚨🚨🚨 The jury has reached a verdict. Sean Dunn, aka the DC Sandwich Guy, has been found NOT GUILTY of assault.
November 6, 2025 at 7:38 PM
He beat the wrap.
The thing that's going to be really weird is that the cost of electricity is going to be highly variable. A grid that is mostly renewables and storage is one that has tons of extra power during times of high production, but is drawing down reserves when there's a string of low-production days
We are going to live in a world where the the marginal cost of electricity is very close to zero
Australia has so much electricity from solar power that it is going to start offering free electricity to everyone for at least three hours during the day as the wholesale price of power goes negative
electrek.co/2025/11/04/a...
electrek.co/2025/11/04/a...
November 6, 2025 at 6:43 PM
The thing that's going to be really weird is that the cost of electricity is going to be highly variable. A grid that is mostly renewables and storage is one that has tons of extra power during times of high production, but is drawing down reserves when there's a string of low-production days
Reposted by Michael Pavone
Chords:
- SEGA CD Snatcher-inspired adventure
- Energy-filled OST by @superjetspade.bsky.social
- Gorgeous pixel art by @108stars-pixelart.bsky.social
- A storyline with more twists than SEGA OutRun
- A @hideokojimaen.bsky.kojimaproductions.jp indie love letter
#MegaDrive #SegaGenesis #IndieDev
- SEGA CD Snatcher-inspired adventure
- Energy-filled OST by @superjetspade.bsky.social
- Gorgeous pixel art by @108stars-pixelart.bsky.social
- A storyline with more twists than SEGA OutRun
- A @hideokojimaen.bsky.kojimaproductions.jp indie love letter
#MegaDrive #SegaGenesis #IndieDev
November 5, 2025 at 5:15 PM
Chords:
- SEGA CD Snatcher-inspired adventure
- Energy-filled OST by @superjetspade.bsky.social
- Gorgeous pixel art by @108stars-pixelart.bsky.social
- A storyline with more twists than SEGA OutRun
- A @hideokojimaen.bsky.kojimaproductions.jp indie love letter
#MegaDrive #SegaGenesis #IndieDev
- SEGA CD Snatcher-inspired adventure
- Energy-filled OST by @superjetspade.bsky.social
- Gorgeous pixel art by @108stars-pixelart.bsky.social
- A storyline with more twists than SEGA OutRun
- A @hideokojimaen.bsky.kojimaproductions.jp indie love letter
#MegaDrive #SegaGenesis #IndieDev
AP has already called Prop 50. Surprised given how slow CA is to count, but I guess the early results are just that lopsided. apnews.com/article/cali...
California voters approve new US House map to boost Democrats in 2026
California voters have approved a plan to overhaul the state’s congressional district boundaries, giving Democrats a boost in their bid to win the U.S.
apnews.com
November 5, 2025 at 4:11 AM
AP has already called Prop 50. Surprised given how slow CA is to count, but I guess the early results are just that lopsided. apnews.com/article/cali...
Reposted by Michael Pavone
Virtual Lab for Mega Drive www.plutiedev.com/blog/20251103
November 3, 2025 at 5:42 AM
Virtual Lab for Mega Drive www.plutiedev.com/blog/20251103
Reposted by Michael Pavone
Remember to be considerate tonight while trick-or-treating!
October 31, 2025 at 4:03 PM
Remember to be considerate tonight while trick-or-treating!
I'm back from Greece. It has both given me a new appreciation for historical preservation and also made what is done here in Berkeley in the name of historical preservation seem all the more ridiculous.
October 27, 2025 at 6:38 PM
I'm back from Greece. It has both given me a new appreciation for historical preservation and also made what is done here in Berkeley in the name of historical preservation seem all the more ridiculous.
Reposted by Michael Pavone
In his whining after the fact he says he writes all the headlines and now literally so much makes sense.
October 21, 2025 at 3:46 PM
In his whining after the fact he says he writes all the headlines and now literally so much makes sense.
I have to say, it's been "interesting" how many of the cultural/historical resources in Thessaloniki seem conspicuously uninterested in what happened to the large Jewish population of the city in the 1940s...
October 17, 2025 at 3:34 PM
I have to say, it's been "interesting" how many of the cultural/historical resources in Thessaloniki seem conspicuously uninterested in what happened to the large Jewish population of the city in the 1940s...
I'm currently in Thessaloniki, Greece which has ~71% of the land area of Berkeley, but about 2.5X the population. It's a dense walkable city with a robust bus system and a small, but very modern (fully automated) and high frequency (3 minute headways) metro.
October 15, 2025 at 10:04 PM
I'm currently in Thessaloniki, Greece which has ~71% of the land area of Berkeley, but about 2.5X the population. It's a dense walkable city with a robust bus system and a small, but very modern (fully automated) and high frequency (3 minute headways) metro.
Found a very chill cat outside a supermarket in Thessaloniki
October 14, 2025 at 8:16 PM
Found a very chill cat outside a supermarket in Thessaloniki
No sign of the Kristi Noem Hatch Act violation at the SFO international terminal. Not sure if they're only playing it at some airports, only in the domestic terminals or if they already stopped playing it.
October 12, 2025 at 7:44 PM
No sign of the Kristi Noem Hatch Act violation at the SFO international terminal. Not sure if they're only playing it at some airports, only in the domestic terminals or if they already stopped playing it.
Initial look into whether National Weather Service skycover forecasts would be helpful for predicting my solar production for the day is not looking too promising so far. Doesn't look like much correlation between the forecast and how good my production is compared to the ideal
October 10, 2025 at 4:24 AM
Initial look into whether National Weather Service skycover forecasts would be helpful for predicting my solar production for the day is not looking too promising so far. Doesn't look like much correlation between the forecast and how good my production is compared to the ideal
Reposted by Michael Pavone
This one highway is projected to cost 85% of what CA has spent on high-speed rail over 15 years and hundreds of miles. If we can afford this, we can afford high-speed rail.
The entire proposed Highway 37 Solano-Marin super bridge is estimated to cost $11 billion, all to replace an existing road between a couple of suburbs. And it's proposed at 114 feet wide.
For comparison, the Golden Gate Bridge is 90 feet wide.
For comparison, the Golden Gate Bridge is 90 feet wide.
Caltrans has released a cross section for the ultimate (raised viaduct) version of SR-37.
Now maybe I'm just being paranoid, but if you were building a road that you planned to keep at 4 lanes wide, I don't think it would look like this.
Now maybe I'm just being paranoid, but if you were building a road that you planned to keep at 4 lanes wide, I don't think it would look like this.
October 9, 2025 at 2:07 AM
This one highway is projected to cost 85% of what CA has spent on high-speed rail over 15 years and hundreds of miles. If we can afford this, we can afford high-speed rail.
Reposted by Michael Pavone
Another batch of California bill signings - nothing significant, no new vetoes either. www.gov.ca.gov/2025/10/07/g...
Keep making those calls for SB 79 and the LGBTQ rights bills! 9am-5pm, or message anytime at www.gov.ca.gov/contact/ 1/
Keep making those calls for SB 79 and the LGBTQ rights bills! 9am-5pm, or message anytime at www.gov.ca.gov/contact/ 1/
October 8, 2025 at 2:23 AM
Another batch of California bill signings - nothing significant, no new vetoes either. www.gov.ca.gov/2025/10/07/g...
Keep making those calls for SB 79 and the LGBTQ rights bills! 9am-5pm, or message anytime at www.gov.ca.gov/contact/ 1/
Keep making those calls for SB 79 and the LGBTQ rights bills! 9am-5pm, or message anytime at www.gov.ca.gov/contact/ 1/
I haven't touched anything BlastEm related in over a month and so far I don't really miss it. I've had longer gaps before and this is probably just a short break, but I do sometimes wonder if I would be happier if I abandoned the project altogether.
October 7, 2025 at 6:26 PM
I haven't touched anything BlastEm related in over a month and so far I don't really miss it. I've had longer gaps before and this is probably just a short break, but I do sometimes wonder if I would be happier if I abandoned the project altogether.