Tessera

Thorsten S.

@thesiteabout.me

I'm a history nerd and wannabe explorer of cold places. I also love the mountains, taking photos, playing and making video games, doing ancient Greek reenactment and occasionally Larp. he/him Vienna 🇦🇹.

457 Posts258 Follower 106 Folgt

purr.in.ink @purrinink.bsky.social · 4h ago

A small black cat with enormous round eyes wears silver knight’s armor and holds a shield and an upright sword. Against a soft blue and green background, white handwritten text above the cat reads “May we all find the courage to forgive.”

Kenney @kenney.nl · 8h ago

Mini Characters has been updated with 8 new characters. The set also includes wheelchair animations and mobility aids, offering disability representation that's still uncommon in game assets. Download: kenney.nl/assets/mini-... 🎁

Thorsten S.@thesiteabout.me · 16h ago

As I've written on my silly little website, I know which vision of society I'd rather live in. So I'm happily staying behind with Kenney. thesiteabout.me/ramblings/i-...

A screenshot of text reading: "That exchange struck me as one between two fundamentally incompatible world views. One is the vision big tech has for society. Where everything is a product you use to enrich yourself. In games, music, writing, any kind of art, and even in science or any kind of labour, the focus is no longer the process of discovery, learning or creation. It's getting to the product stage the fastest. And that's just what generative AI promises to do. Skip the tedious part, go straight to the part where you can sell something. Because that's the only point that matters. A world where people creating something for free are suckers and kindness is abused.

On the other side is a vision represented by creators like Kenney. Someone, who clearly loves the craft for the process of creation, and not only for the end-product. Who even gives away their results for free, so others can learn and build on it. Who believes that through sharing, together we will create things bigger than any single one of us can. And who trusts that people will respond to kindness with kindness and mutual support, so that everyone involved can keep going."

A screenshot of text reading: "I know which version of society sounds more appealing to me. I want to live in Kenney's world. Thankfully, I am not the only one, and Kenney got a lot of support on Bluesky and through other channels. In fact, it should be the more appealing choice for anybody, apart from a handful of people becoming richer than god by hyping gen-AI. That is why billionaires are trying so hard to convince everyone of their vision of society. Because they know what they're pitching is at it's core undesirable. A vision of the future where the vast majority of people are worse off. So they instead need to convince you it's inevitable, and that you can only belong to the few who won't lose out by jumping on the hype train right now. It's a massive marketing effort. Meanwhile people like Kenney just need to exist and do what they do to threaten that narrative and convince me there's a better alternative. That's why they feel the need to lash out."

Kenney@kenney.nl · 20h ago

pcgamer.com/software/ai/...

Irregular Galaxy Doods @igdoods.bsky.social · 22h ago

Fee Katrin Kanzler @fkkanzler.bsky.social · yesterday

Falls jemand Nachschub braucht, meldet euch. Gibt's auch in anderen Farben. #battery #art #acrylic #alcoholmarkers #neon #renewableenergy

Gemälde in Acrylfarben und Alkoholmarkern, eine Blockbatterie in Grau und Neongrün auf schwarzem Untergrund. Darauf steht "Kriminelle Energie" und "100% renewable".

derek guy @dieworkwear.bsky.social · 4d ago

wish i could leap onto the bar and pop champagne like a 2004 red sox fan at that conscious lesbian bar

Sarah Barnard @sarahbpolar.bsky.social · 4d ago

Cannot explain how fast I'd be bagging tickets for this if I was in London 😱

Royal Geographical Society (with IBG)@rgs.org · 4d ago

What does it take to push the limits of human endurance in the world’s most extreme environments? ❄️ Join leading polar explorer Børge Ousland next Monday as he reflect on 40 years of polar expeditions. 🗓️ 9 November, 6.30pm 📍 London + online 🎟️ Members + guest Book: https://ow.ly/Z6kR5101FPi

Kenney @kenney.nl · 5d ago

I've been sitting on this idea but I really want to make it happen; I'd like to help fund tiny indie releases that use my assets by covering Steam submission costs, give access to all my assets/tools, advice, custom work, 'seal of approval'. Cool? not cool?

Sarah Andersen @sarahseeandersen.bsky.social · last wk.

The image is of a four panel comic.
The first panel depicts Sarah, the protagonist, dressed as a witch. She says, "I want a dog as a familiar."
The second panel depicts Sarah now standing next to another witch, who is holding a black cat. She says, "You can try. But they have to be evil."
Above the third and fourth panel is a title that reads "LATER:"
In the third panel we see Sarah with a line of dogs in front of her. She asks the dog closest to her, "Are you also a good boy?" and the dog replies "YES".
In the fourth panel we see Sarah fall to her knees in exasperation.

Astronomy Picture of the Day 🪐@apod.shinyakato.dev · last wk.

🔭 Night on a Spooky Planet Credit & Copyright: Stéphane Vetter (Nuits sacrées) ap261031

Steam is venting from volcanic fumaroles photographed against greenish aurorae.

Thorsten S.@thesiteabout.me · last wk.

If you have any interest in how video games present history, this series by @bretdevereaux.bsky.social (pt 1 linked) is a fantastic read: acoup.blog/2026/09/11/t... I haven't played HoI 4, but I played HoI 2 *a lot*. I'd say it did shape my view of WW2 much in the ways described here.

Teaching Paradox: Hearts of Iron IV, Part I: Operational Art

This week, at long last, we begin our long-delayed but always expected something that we blog for: the Hearts of Iron IV Teaching Paradox series! This has been a long requested series that I put of…

acoup.blog

Liz Climo @lizclimo.bsky.social · last wk.

happy halloween!

Hamster says “I can’t find a Halloween costume” Mouse says “me neither” Hedgehog points out “we’re too small.” Rat says “I think I might have an idea. In the second panel, all four are dressed as little ghosts, and bear holds an empty tissue box and says “hey, where’d all my tissues go?”

Jessica Ritchey @jmritchey.bsky.social · last wk.

If you want more Patrick Stewarts, then you publicly fund the arts and learning programs, so that working class kids can find their way into making a career in them.

NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory @rubinobservatory.org · last wk.

#ICYMI: our Solar System has a newly-discovered dwarf planet candidate! Meet 2026 ED138, recently revealed by NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory ☄ Let's get to know this new world a little bit, shall we? 🔭🧪 rubinobservatory.org/news/rubin-f...

Irregular Galaxy Doods @igdoods.bsky.social · last wk.

Thorsten S.@thesiteabout.me · last wk.

I've written a few thoughts on my silly personal website about a recent exchange that happened on social media involving a single indie-game developer and asset-creator and some of the richest men in the world. thesiteabout.me/ramblings/i-...

I want to live in Kenney's world

A recent exchange on social media contrasts two visions of society, and I know which one I like better.

thesiteabout.me

Thorsten S.@thesiteabout.me · last wk.

Wake up, babe! New potential Dwarf Planet dropped! That's so crazy cool, and with such a short time since going fully operational. Exactly what Rubin was built for and why it's my favourite observatory. Hoping for lots more like this!

NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory@rubinobservatory.org · 2w ago

Meet our Solar System's newest dwarf planet candidate: 2026 ED138! Orbiting past Pluto, scientists found it in NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory data from earlier this year. Early analysis suggests it's ~600–1500 km across, one of the largest found past Neptune!🔭🧪 🔗: rubinobservatory.org/news/rubin-f...

NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory @rubinobservatory.org · 2w ago

Mark Horrell @markhorrell.bsky.social · 2mo ago

"The outdoor industry has shown little appetite for publicly confronting the allegations, controversies or the behaviour of Purja’s supporters." What will Nims' legacy be now? A rare article looking at the other side by @ashrouten.com www.thegreatoutdoorsmag.com/opinion/nirm...

Nirmal Purja was modern mountaineering's biggest star, but his legacy hints at an older, darker macho cult of personality

"Nirmal Purja brought global eyeballs to an industry that was and is happy to look the other way," Ash Routen writes.

thegreatoutdoorsmag.com

Ash Routen @ashrouten.com · 2w ago

I haven't posted for a while as I've been growing a new outdoor publication focusing on independent reporting and analysis of global adventure, expeditions, and exploration. I won't continue posting here, so do take a look and sign up below for free to keep in touch. theedgeofthemap.substack.com

HulloThere @jethroreading32.bsky.social · 2w ago

Three years ago, my dad said that all fish are the same shape. Out of spite, I decided to draw all 478 families of bony fish listed in Nelson 2016. There's still some stuff I need to edit and some fish I want to redraw but, after 985 days, I finished my big dumb fish project last night.

478 black-and-white doodles of bony fishes. The first fish is a coelacanth; the last an ocean sunfish.

Ketan Joshi @ketanjoshi.co · 2w ago

The first genuinely honest ad for generative AI I've ever seen, from Microsoft / CoPilot A mediocre white guy sees his non-white colleague getting praised for good work, he asks AI to *literally copy it*, and then he gets all the praise instead: www.ispot.tv/ad/SoDi/micr...

Thorsten S.@thesiteabout.me · 2w ago

Poppy madness is my favourite season in the UK calendar.

David Bowman@dlbowman76.com · 2y ago

As November approaches, never forget that the BBC pinned a poppy on Cookie Monster. "YPRES MAKE COOKIE MONSTER SAD. NO COOKIES AT SOMME."

A middle-aged white man in a dark suit seated next to Cookie Monster. They are both wearing poppies for remembrance of WWI. I believe that Cookie was a key advisor to Field Marshal Haig.

Thorsten S.@thesiteabout.me · 2w ago

I know money is tight, but please consider picking one or two creators, whose work brings you joy or helps you, and give them each 5 quid a month. Feel free to rotate after a while if you want to support more. It's worth doing to break big algorithm's control over our creators, at least a bit.

Kenney@kenney.nl · 2mo ago

I feel it's important to share this again. The internet is so hostile toward creators nowadays. I've seen people have their work stolen, and no longer feel comfortable sharing their creations. We can do better. Let's be supportive to the people that make this a better place! 💞

Kenney @kenney.nl · 2mo ago

Aftermath @aftermath.site · 2w ago

Devs shouldn't have to be protecting their games, Valve should be protecting its shopfront: aftermath.site/steam-indie-ga...

Randall Munroe @xkcd.com · 2w ago

Vulnerability xkcd.com/3314/

Comic. [Person sitting behind table with elbows on table and hands clasped.] Breaking: Mathematicians have announced a critical vulnerability in the number line affecting the integer between 2 and 4. Until the patch is applied, if you must count small numbers of objects, please use the alternatives “half six” or “baker’s two.”

Kenney @kenney.nl · 2w ago

I've made 6 open-source @godotengine.org projects perfect for as a base for your first or next game. Completely human-made and easy to understand code & comments. All visuals and sounds included, CC0! kenney.nl/starter-kits

Buitengebieden @buitengebieden.bsky.social · 3w ago

Splish splash.. 😅

Rosemary Mosco @rosemarymosco.com · 3w ago

Another older Halloween comic. I lost the old file so I recently had to redraw it, and I had a lot of fun revisiting this.

A four-panel comic with some couples' costume ideas for Halloween. In panel 1, there's a male and female magnificent frigatebird. In panel 2, a bridal veil stinkhorn and a flesh fly. In panel 3, a scarab beetle and a dung ball (just a huge brown ball being rolled by the beetle). In panel 4, a leopard sea cucumber and the pearlfish that lives in its anus.