The case for the Enterprise EXDOS floppy interface card and “Floppy Hat” module which sits on top is complete. I’ll package up the designs snd publish them next week.
Stephen Usher
@srusher.bsky.social
Retro-computers, model railways, playing Elite: Dangerous... What else do you need to know? :-)
This. Tagging @taylorlorenz.bsky.social
rahaeli@rahaeli.bsky.social · 4mo agoEvery time I make the (correct) statement that social media use is not universally bad for teenagers, or state that the best consensus is that it's beneficial-to-neutral for many and any negative effects are a small subset of teenagers, people demand citations (and then refuse to believe them, sigh)
Cultural destruction as a business model. That a judge endorsed. There are no words. Not least because AI has stolen them.
Eerie etc.@extravaguer.bsky.social · last wk.Let's hate AI more. Source: x.com/HedgieMarket...
I'm building a floppy interface for the Enterprise... But I don't need everything on the board. I'm not going to power anything else, so out with the on-board high power buck regulator and in with a 1A Traco. The ROM is in the cartridge, so no need for that. Only going to use 1 Gotek so 1 '240.
Looking for an Enterprise 64/128 ROM cartridge case? I've just created one that you can 3D print. www.thingiverse.com/thing:7386410
Enterprise 64/128 ROM Cartridge Case by Stephen_Usher
This is a case for ROM cartridges to fit in the left slot of the Enterprise 64 or 128 computers.
thingiverse.com
Put another way, the entire adult userbase is going to have to upload their IDs to sketchy third-party companies and link their identities to their online activity to stop a few dozen kids from accessing a platform that is mainly left-leaning news and commentary. What problem is this solving?
Polymarket@polymarket.extwitter.link · 3w agoBREAKING: U.K. reveals Bluesky will be included in the under-16 social media ban, affecting dozens of teens.
Something arrived from Egypt yesterday… A British micro from the mid-80s, the Enterprise 64. Fully working except for the keyboard membrane, so a temporary solution in place until the one from RWAP arrives. Replaced the ROM with the latest version, which includes BASIC.
Isn't it funny that when nation states deploy a security management solution they call it a "sovereign defence capability" when the rest of us mere peasants call it an "information security management system"? CISOs of Britain, take note! You are underselling your capability.
Alexander Martin@alexmartin.bsky.social · 4w agoBritain’s cyber agency laid out plans on Tuesday for what it called “a national scale, sovereign defense capability” that would use agentic AI systems to discover and fix cybersecurity weaknesses across government networks and critical national infrastructure.
When you build tools with abstract and rather arbitrary notions of “safety” baked into them – not addressing a specific threat model – they get considerably weaker https://alecmuffett.com/article/161817 #SafetyByDesign #censorship #llm #safety #trust
When you build tools with abstract and rather arbitrary notions of “safety” baked into them – not addressing a specific threat model – they get considerably weaker
“Gosh, who would ever have thought such a thing?”
alecmuffett.com
Very sorry to learn that the magnificent David Potter died on Sunday evening. A pioneering mathematical physicist, he founded Psion, created the first hand-held organizer and oversaw Symbian, the standard mobile operating system. He was a wonderful philanthropist and supporter of @opendemocracy.net
It’s not about the children, it’s about how monetize surveillance: demand the illiberal, stupid, self-defeating & impossible, & then criminalise the wrong people for circumvention https://alecmuffett.com/article/161699 #AgeVerification #australia
It’s not about the children, it’s about how monetize surveillance: demand the illiberal, stupid, self-defeating & impossible, & then criminalise the wrong people for circumvention
Start arresting the teens and then see what happens: Australia to double penalty for social media ban breaches to $99m as tech giants accused of ‘not doing enough’ | Social media ban | The Guardian…
alecmuffett.com
Who here remembers what happened when that U2 album was spontaneously forced upon all iTunes users in the world? If the British government obligates the BBC to be at the top of all feeds then the BBC is going to start being blocked individually by random people… and then they will be gone.
Graham Smith@cyberleagle.bsky.social · 2mo ago“The main news, however, is set to be a range of measures to force private social media companies to ‘give prominence’ to public service content.” Compelled speech? Art 10 ECHR, anyone? order-order.com/2026/06/19/e...
Ok. I am gutted and really sorry to say that the servers are all gone. Over 1600 members on RHD and some lowlife deleted it forever with a click. Also stole a bunch of money from my account. I will make an update video and post that here when I get home. Whatever happens we are going to rebuild.
Rees@ctrl-alt-rees.com · 2mo agoSeems Lee @morefunmakingit.bsky.social has had his Discord account hacked this morning and the Retro Hardware Discord (as well as others he manages) has been deleted as a result. People are in touch and he's aware. Here's hoping for a speedy resolution 😬
The problem with the internet - and with user empowerment - is nicely encapsulated in something Heather quoted a few days ago; the only way for the state to address it is to go "Full Orwell". bsky.app/profile/heat...
Heather Burns@heatherburnstech.bsky.social · 2mo agoFrom “One Day Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This” by Omar El Akkad.
Keir Starmer’s under-16 social media ban can only work if everyone proves who they are, so it’s a natural move for a government selling surveillance as safety By tech policy expert and digital rights advocate @heatherburnstech.bsky.social www.thenerve.news/p/under-16-s...
In 1908 the Lancet called for an 18+ age limit on reading in bed for U.K. children.
A large proportion of people being driven mad by social media would've been driven equally mad in the 90s/00s by the News of the World, the Jeremy Kyle show, email chain letters about AIDS, local Conservative party meetings, Andrew Wakefield press conferences, and David Icke paperbacks.
Your periodic reminder that people are *more* abusive online when they're using their "real names" than when they're using a persistent pseudonym and this effect has been replicated in literally every study that has ever been done
Duncan Weldon@duncanweldon.bsky.social · 2mo agoI remain of the view that regulation of social media is better than a ban for young people. But I also pretty much agree with all these proposals.
You say "oh dear" as if anybody was actually thinking about this being applied to any other platforms than X or Meta. "Of course it will only be applied to the *bad* platforms, that's how it works!"
Also I had these exciting books from the 1940s - THE MODERN BOY'S BOOK OF HOBBIES - including: - HOW TO MAKE A LONGBOW - HOW TO MELT DOWN AND CAST YOUR OWN MODELS IN SCRAP LEAD …I'm sure with age verification we will see a return to safe healthy outdoors hobbies like these!
The C64U took existing commodore enthusiast products, packaged them together, provided QA and support, and offered it for less money than it would cost for an end use to assemble. This is just about the opposite. Taking a Chinese dumb phone, customising it a bit, and adding a markup.
“Soon it will be virtually impossible to be online in the UK without handing over identity documents or biometric data to unregulated companies.” The social media ban means EVERY user has to prove they're over 16. This puts millions at risk of their personal data being hacked. 🗣️ ORG's James Baker.
Big tech must introduce age checks to support UK’s under-16s social media ban | Computer Weekly
UK prime minister Keir Starmer announces a UK social media ban for under-16s that requires mandatory age verification to access social media services.
computerweekly.com
When I was maybe 13 years old (1981-ish) I got a box of Flowers of Sulphur BP from Boots and made allotropes of plastic sulphur. I then mixed some in proportion with ground charcoal & some pickling nitrate, packed it under a brick and blew the brick in half. Happy, safe days, before the internet!
Kimmylea@kimmylea.bsky.social · 2mo agoHeard a radio segment driving to work once where they asked people to call in about "how kids use to make their own entertainment". It was supposed to be positive, but then calls came in like "we used to throw wire coat hangers into the power lines to make them spark". They stopped the segment
Gov also commissioned Savanta to do surveying. Twice as many kids of all ages said social media helps them feel connected and included versus anxious or worried. Nationally representative panel was 4x more likely to say benefits outweighed risks than self-selecting consultation. Guess which one won?
Wild. Basically all the experts said that we need nuance, and the qualitative responses said "Hang on, don't do a blanket ban" but they went with those who wanted a black and white solution
Congratulations to the lobby group who swamped the consultation with 33,000 proforma responses in favour of a ban - it worked
As govt is going to ban social media for kids, then they should also: - invest in youth clubs and social spaces where young people are welcome - put some actual money into libraries - mandate that secondary schools supply offline learning resources - implement effective regulation
"nudity today, political speech tomorrow" In five words, @signal.org has given a more trenchant critique of government surveillance tech than 99% of UK legislators, pundits, and NGOs.
