Sometimes there is a piece of software that kind of shakes me out of my stupor. It is so easy to forget how much can be done with so little, especially in these days of "ray tracing" this and "LLMs" that, more more more. What surprised me most was how uncompromising and robust this tiny program is.

Stone Tools@stonetoolsblog.bsky.social · last wk.

The Apple II stayed productive for years after the Mac tried to obsolete it, thanks to AppleWorks. How did a 6502 w/128KB hold its own in a 32-bit world? How does HyperCard fit into this? On a scale of radical to tubular, how awesome was 1984? Also, "turducken" stonetools.ghost.io/appleworks-a...

41 years ago, Carl Sagan gave a clear and elegant explanation of the science behind global warming.

"it looks like you're using an adblocker to visit our site." yep! ha ha! it rocks!

150,000 marched yesterday in London for trans rights. Opened the Sky News app. Scrolled and scrolled. Nothing. BBC News app. Nothing. Guardian app. Nothing. This is what actual silencing looks like.

The new episode of "This Week in Retro" is live, with special guest, me; my first ever podcast. I know many have wondered, "Productivity software is all well and good, but when will he express his thoughts about the cultural impact of The Price is Right?" My friend, that day is *today*.

Stone Tools@stonetoolsblog.bsky.social · last mo.

I had a fun time chatting with the TWiR folks about some recent retro news items. Thanks for having me on the show, @thisweekinretro.bsky.social !

I swear I do more than just react to Jason and Chris's banter. You can see it on Saturday.

Stone Tools@stonetoolsblog.bsky.social · last mo.

I'm this week's guest on This Week in Retro. Here's a teaser for the coming episode.

A very special and unexpected visitor! 😄 We were delighted to welcome Tim Anderson, one of the original designers of Zork. We showed him our Colossal Cave display and our collection copy of Zork I. A real privilege to welcome such an important figure in #gaminghistory! #zork

It's everywhere.

Bringing one of the best tweets of all time over to Bluesky in honour of the Three Lions QF victory

Oh yeah? What about 3,300 one-pound bags of GOLD? I bet it couldn't support *that*, @smithsonianmag.bsky.social !

👟New comic: Baby Shoes, Never Worn👟

Ford has rehired hundreds of senior engineers after replacing them with AI backfired and has cost the company billions of dollars. AI adoption is blamed for Ford being the most recalled automaker in the U.S. with 51 recalls covering over 11 million vehicles in the first half of 2026 alone.

I've debated, in the bathroom mirror with myself, if "development tools" is a category I should explore. I did #HyperCard, so it seems only fair to do #visualbasic. The time investment is signifcant, so I can't do them frequently, but I also shouldn't overlook the tools that built the tools we used.

Stone Tools@stonetoolsblog.bsky.social · 2mo ago

🪨 Visual Basic on the PC w/Windows 3.1 🛠️ Apple wasn't the only company to yank a popular #visualprogramming tool from fans. I learn VB with a "teach yourself" book, get pedantic about Helvetica, and briefly muse about slop. #retrocomputing #windows #visualbasic stonetools.ghost.io/visualbasic-...

tired of the "#1 dad" nonsense. if you're a dad, stop treating it like a joke and post your actual national dad ranking. i'm # 492,018, which is actually really high up there, but more importantly it lets me enter ranked dad lobbies where i can get matched up for fistfights with dads of my caliber

Deluxe Poly - I used a combination of the new wiggle and wobble FX tools to create this little animation loop. #pixelart #lowpoly If you'd like to support me in obtaining real coffee, and gain access to work-in-progress builds of Deluxe Poly, I have a Patreon here: www.patreon.com/c/davidwdev

David Walters@hiddenasbestos.bsky.social · 2mo ago

Too much coffee ?

Commentary: I Work Very Hard, And I Would Like To Try Cake

I Work Very Hard, And I Would Like To Try Cake

Hello. I am a horse. I work very hard at my job of being a horse. When humans say move the heavy thing, I move the heavy thing. When humans sit on top of me and pull on my head, I carry them where the...

theonion.com

Carl Quintanilla@carlquintanilla.bsky.social · 3mo ago

* MORGAN STANLEY SEES SPACEX'S REVENUE REACHING $3.4 TRILLION IN 2040 -- WSJ @reuters.com $SPCX

Discrimination based on gender identity or expression is illegal in New York City. Trans New Yorkers are protected by law. Our City will protect your rights, defend your humanity and stand beside you without hesitation.

NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani Kicks Off Pride With “Trans Rights Are Human Rights” Campaign

The campaign will highlight existing protections for transgender and gender-nonconforming New Yorkers.

them.us

hope you brought urine!

The animation chat has me thinking one telling thing - in the years since AI arrived, there's not been a ground-up indie phenomenon, like we saw with earlier tech (Flash, etc). It hasn't unlocked anyone's creativity. For all the anti-gatekeeping rhetroic, nothing anyone cares about has been born.

A friend of mine who was TA’ing for an AmLit course found a copy of Moby Dick a student had left behind. It had only one marginal annotation, around page 100, that simply said “whale is important.”

a swarm of spring bugs@facefullabugs.bsky.social · 6mo ago

Love the glimpse into the beautiful mind that notated this used copy of Moby Dick I got

I'm not sure which one is the real person and which is the secret persona, but I'm pretty sure these are the same guy. #adamsavage #altonbrown

Thousands are marching in Selma calling for a full restoration of the voting rights act.

It's not often we get a chance to experience a truly "new" retrocomputing platform, especially those of us over the age of none-of-your-business. The ARM hardware and RISC OS have had a lot written about them, but PipeDream, not so much. I dug in, did real work, and overused a British phrase or two

Stone Tools@stonetoolsblog.bsky.social · 4mo ago

🪨 PipeDream on the Acorn Archimedes 🛠️ The first ARM-based home computer, powering a bespoke OS, running software that says, "The barriers between productivity apps are a lie we tell ourselves." #retrocomputing #pipedream #arm #acorn #archimedes #riscos stonetools.ghost.io/pipedream-ar...

CMYK

BREAKING: Massive conflicts of interest regarding the Trump family and the Iran war. I am exposing it. Trump’s sons are selling drone parts to gulf states. Kushner is soliciting funds from the gulf for his private firm. Significant insider trading occurring. Subscribe to support my work:

Major News: Significant Conflict of Interest Concerns as Trump Family Enriches Itself With the War, Insider Trading Exposed, and More

Good morning everyone.

open.substack.com

You know I knew that Door Dash woman looked familiar

Aldus PageMaker dramatically altered my life, introducing me to the world of graphic design. It's been 30+ years since I last touched it, so I gave it the once-over by building my dream project. Who do I need to convince to give me reign over OMNI Magazine?! Bonus: comes with a free gift at the end

Stone Tools@stonetoolsblog.bsky.social · 5mo ago

🪨 Aldus PageMaker on the Apple Macintosh 🛠️ It wasn't the first #desktoppublishing app, but it was the first of importance. I use it to rebuild #OMNI Magazine and examine how the publishing revolution influenced the public sector. stonetools.ghost.io/pagemaker-mac #retroComputing #mac #pagemaker