Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Stephen Scott

@sassquad.net

380 followers 1.1K following 880 posts

Breaking the web full time, mostly playing or creating retro games. Formerly wrote and webbed Acorn User magazine, fiddled with d3js at CityAM. Among many others. All views are my own. No AI slop here. Enjoy my 8-bit games at https://www.sassquad.net/

www.sassquad.net

Posts Media Videos Starter Packs

Pinned

Stephen Scott @sassquad.net · Nov 2

Getting a lot of followers this past week. I've been here a while, but left X for good now.

My name is Stephen, and I am a front end developer. Have been for a long time, since Netscape 😱

But I love building retro games. Here's my latest ⬇️

bbcmicro.co.uk/game.php?id=...

Polymer Picker

Self-published in 2022

bbcmicro.co.uk

1 3 14

Stephen Scott @sassquad.net · 1d

The Jurassic Park franchise continues to unfold in a way that really embraces chaos theory.

Carl Quintanilla @carlquintanilla.bsky.social · 1d

#WarRavagedPortland

Reposted by Stephen Scott

Melanie D’Arrigo @darrigomelanie.bsky.social · 1d

I feel like this photo of masked, armed men pepper spraying a pastor protecting his community is going to be a defining picture of this moment in America for a long, long time.

1.7K 21K 55K

Stephen Scott @sassquad.net · 1d

Looks like Tron: Ares is a bit of a dog's dinner then.

1 1

Reposted by Stephen Scott

Kath @kathyburke.bsky.social · 1d

Yes, yes I know I keep banging on about my fucking book! However, if you want one repost this and I’ll do a random winner pick thing by the end of the week because I’m great like that. ♥️📚
#amindofmyown

48 1.1K 940

Reposted by Stephen Scott

Richard Arugula @monkchips.com · 1d

sharing this for the second time today because i love it so much and dear LORD do we ever need some good news.

ryan cooper @ryanlcooper.com · 1d

solar and wind generated more electricity that coal for the first time ever in the first half of 2025. that's the good shit ember-energy.org/latest-insig...

Global Electricity Mid-Year Insights 2025 | Ember

Solar and wind outpaced demand growth in the first half of 2025, as renewables overtook coal’s share in the global electricity mix.

ember-energy.org

3 9

Reposted by Stephen Scott

General Boles @generalboles.bsky.social · 1d

Tory party conference got you down?

Far-right rhetoric left you feeling scared for the future?

Then why not take a minute to enjoy eighteen (18) pictures of Ed Davey on a pumpkin farm with young carers 🎃🚜

www.gettyimages.co.uk/editorial-im...

9 63 220

Stephen Scott @sassquad.net · 1d

Even the corner radius of the windows is excessive.

I mean even RISC OS wouldn't do such things 😱

Stephen Scott @sassquad.net · 2d

As a front end developer, some of Mac OS Taco really is trolling me.

The layout of this notification is making my teeth itch and my hair clenched.

Screenshot of the Empty bin notification from Mac OS Tahoe.

1 2

Reposted by Stephen Scott

Elijah Seed-Arita [INTDEV] @elij.dev · 2d

Wanted to share how easy it is to create a simple game in JavaScript. Set aside about 20 minutes, this is what we'll create today - a player you can control with WASD.

2 9 39

Reposted by Stephen Scott

Dr Kat Day (she/her) @chronicleflask.katday.com · 2d

Daughter of Robin Williams, Zelda Williams 💔

zeldawilliams
20m
From Create Mode
••
Please, just stop sending me AI videos of Dad. Stop believing I wanna see it or that I'll understand, I don't and I won't. If you're just trying to troll me, I've seen way worse, i'll restrict and move on. But please, if you've got any decency, just stop doing this to him and to me, to everyone even, full stop. It's dumb, it's a waste of time and energy, and believe me, it's NOT what he'd want.
To watch the legacies of real people be condensed down to 'this vaguely looks and sounds like them so that's enough,
, just so
other people can churn out horrible TikTok slop puppeteering them is maddening. You're not making art, you're making disgusting, over-processed hotdogs out of the lives of human beings, out of the history of art and music, and then shoving them down someone else's throat hoping they'll give you a little thumbs up and like it.
Gross.

And for the love of EVERYTHING, stop calling it 'the future. Al is just badly recycling and regurgitating the past to be reconsumed. You are taking in the Human Centipede of content, and from the very very end of the line, all while the folks at the front laugh and laugh, consume and consume.

81 7K 16K

Reposted by Stephen Scott

Otto English @ottoenglish.bsky.social · 2d

Dear Gods of all that is stupid...

IT'S REAL.

160 240 1.2K

Stephen Scott @sassquad.net · 3d

Been quite a few weeks for the BBC Micro. Now we not only have effectively Zarch, now we have the first Beeb game to feature solid 3d graphics and texture mapping 😲

Check out Epsilon Protocol on Stardot (login required). Excellent game!

www.stardot.org.uk/forums/viewt...

3 8

Stephen Scott @sassquad.net · 4d

For anyone who likes #flyagaric I think I just hit paydirt!

Incredible display at Hindhead Common, Surrey.

It's almost what is known as a fairy ring of fly agaric.

One fly agaric shelters a younger one under its canopy.

Reposted by Stephen Scott

Huw Marshall 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 @huwmarshall.substack.com · 4d

I'm UK based and Aaron is by far the best source to keep in touch with what's happening the other side of the pond. £5 well invested 👍🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿

Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 4d

This wknd marks 4 years of PN. I’m extremely proud of the newsletter’s evolution & our fiercely independent coverage of US politics, & grateful for the community we’ve built. It wouldn’t be possible without the support of paid subscribers, so please take advantage of our anniversary special 👇 Thx!

Commemorating four years of Public Notice

And a special offer for readers.

www.publicnotice.co

5 32 310

Stephen Scott @sassquad.net · 4d

You ate it all before taking a picture?!

a little girl is laying on the ground covered in leaves with the words nooooo on the bottom

Alt: A little girl is laying on the ground covered in leaves, screaming 'Noooooooo'

media.tenor.com

1 8

Stephen Scott @sassquad.net · 6d

Live scenes from the IT operation that runs Tilly Norwood.

a man in a plaid shirt is playing a piano with the letter a on the top

Alt: a man in a plaid shirt is playing multiple musical instruments in a somewhat manic fashion.

media.tenor.com

Reposted by Stephen Scott

John Self @john-self.bsky.social · 6d

"My name's Kitty. I could have married, I've given gallons of blood and I can't stomach whelks, so that's me for you."

RIP Patricia Routledge.

Patricia Routledge Kitty

YouTube video by ukcomedy

www.youtube.com

9 120 400

Stephen Scott @sassquad.net · 6d

Rest in peace Dame Patricia Routledge. Had no idea of her career on Broadway, winning a Tony, and having Leonard Bernstein writing solo songs especially for her for 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.

Her turns with Victoria Wood and of course Hyacinth Bouquet will remain absolute comedy classics.

Reposted by Stephen Scott

Steve Williams @skillagesteve.bsky.social · 7d

Happy Saturday Mornings Day! This was a pleasure to do to mark the fortieth anniversary. Let's hope there's something special to mark the fiftieth www.bbc.co.uk/webarchive/h...

Saturday Morning Fever

As Multi-Coloured Swap Shop turns 40, guest blogger Steve Williams remembers those Saturday mornings spent watching telly until lunchtime.

www.bbc.co.uk

4 14

Stephen Scott @sassquad.net · 7d

This is the crucial point. You must have the skill set to analyse and articulate.

Otherwise you are dealing with utter garbage.

As I have discovered when working with AI for 6502 assembler. I still have a lot to learn!

Thank you for coming to my TED talk.

2/2

a man in a red jacket is typing on a keyboard in front of a computer screen .

Alt: Scene from Red Dwarf episode 'Holoship' with Arnold Rimmer using two computers to pass an exam.

media.tenor.com

Stephen Scott @sassquad.net · 7d

Had a very interesting session today with Augment Code. It made some great suggestions, and some not so great ones.

But the pair programming analogy feels justified. As long as you know what you are doing, you can articulate ideas and approaches to it, which really does work.

1/2

1 1

Reposted by Stephen Scott

Josiah Mortimer @josiah.writes.news · 8d

Some good news.

London is meeting legal limits for toxic NO2 pollution for the first time – almost 200 years earlier than predicted – following the Mayor’s "world leading air pollution policies," City Hall announces.

The Ultra Low Emissions Zone - and similar policies - really do work.

24 1.4K 4.8K

Reposted by Stephen Scott

Carole Cadwalladr @carolecadwalla.bsky.social · 7d

REVEALED: Donald Trump has picked Tony Blair for central role in Gaza ‘peace plan’…

…but in our inaugural investigation for @thenerve_news, we reveal extensive previously unreported links to Israeli defence, media & tech. 🧵
1/

www.thenerve.news/p/tony-blair...

'WHAT WILL JESUS SAY?' TONY BLAIR, BIG TECH AND THE ISRAEL CONNECTION

As Trump announces the former British PM as his choice to help govern Gaza, Carole Cadwalladr investigates the opaque workings of Blair's institute, its funding from friends of Israel – including bill...

www.thenerve.news

39 470 720

Reposted by Stephen Scott

Drew Harwell @drewharwell.com · 8d

OpenAI employees are very excited about how well their new AI tool can create fake videos of people doing crimes and have definitely thought through all the implications of this

220 3.3K 11K

Reposted by Stephen Scott

L Break Into Program @breakintoprogram.co.uk · 8d

So that's how it worked! Very clever.

Generating the landscape - Lander on the Acorn Archimedes

A deep dive into generating the 3D landscape in Lander on the Acorn Archimedes

lander.bbcelite.com

6 14 63