iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Ben Kirman @ben.kirman.org · 25/09/2026

also bad news for my rpg written by a 6 foot cage full of rats :(

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Ben Kirman @ben.kirman.org · 23/09/2026

Briefly met Tim Hunkin this year! Love all his stuff, really bananas!

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Ben Kirman @ben.kirman.org · 19/09/2026

Amazingly, our PhD student Sam's film Grand Theft Hamlet was an answer on University Challenge this week. If you haven't seen it yet you should check it out, it is fantastic: www.youtube.com/watch?v=OloH...

youtube.com

GRAND THEFT HAMLET | Official Trailer | Now Streaming on MUBI

YouTube video by MUBI

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Ben Kirman @ben.kirman.org · 14/09/2026

The Cat Internet requires a new, obscenely well funded regulatory body run by the experts at the Dog Internet

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Ben Kirman @ben.kirman.org · 13/09/2026

Listen, China is going to make more dog treats no matter what. We cannot afford a dog treat gap!

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Ben Kirman @ben.kirman.org · 13/09/2026

But what if China develops this rubbing technology?!

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Ben Kirman @ben.kirman.org · 13/09/2026

Unfortunately there is a high probability that the Dog Internet will destroy the universe within 9 years. It is vital that billions of pounds are given to my vastly unprofitable Dog Internet research centre to mitigate this risk.

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Ben Kirman @ben.kirman.org · 13/09/2026

I wasn't very active on the boards back in the day, but b3ta had a huge influence. By day learning serious computer stuff at uni, but by night learning photoshop, web dev, and most importantly that it computers are best as a tool to make silly and rude things.

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Ben Kirman @ben.kirman.org · 10/09/2026

Like, I know people always did it, but when did we decide there was exactly 1 way to do it on your back and 2 distinct ways on the front. Plus a weird one that is just for a laugh.

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Ben Kirman @ben.kirman.org · 10/09/2026

focus is all over the place today. I just searched "who invented swimming". (it was Ian Breaststroke)

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Ben Kirman @ben.kirman.org · 10/09/2026

Sorry for nosing in here - Phantom (and all other air leader games apart from Apache) have an abstracted map, and pilots and planes are not separate cards. This makes it significantly faster to set up and play. Worth checking some video playthroughs to see if that works for you. I enjoy both.

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Ben Kirman @ben.kirman.org · 10/09/2026

Banger. I have most of the leader games and the narrowness of Phantom makes it a favourite. The deluxe version where you are forced to plan entry/exit, and SAM sites have limited arcs adds a lot to the decision making.

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Ben Kirman @ben.kirman.org · 02/09/2026

oh yeah, me too - whenever we're doing marketing stuff for the courses its always my suggestion to drop. But also being in interactive media sounds like I'm a sinister librarian npc. Unfortunately there's no position for "Player of"

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Ben Kirman @ben.kirman.org · 02/09/2026

Thanks! I'm practicing by enjoying your book!

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Waxy.org @waxy.org · 01/09/2026

Inflight Simulator — like Airplane Mode, but multiplayer and in the browser

inflightsimulator.com

Inflight Simulator

Take your seat at 36,000 feet.

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shardcore @shardcore.org · 31/08/2026

morning

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Ben Kirman @ben.kirman.org · 20/08/2026

oh and the assistant character looks like this. relevant to my interests. store.steampowered.com/app/2764460/...

a pixel art picture of a green cat wearing cool pink shades

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Ben Kirman @ben.kirman.org · 20/08/2026

other things I like: theres no death or lose condition, and little economy apart from turning slop into different kinds of slop. All the building is free, so you can make huge joyful slop factories. The physics works great, different materials have different properties, weights and behaviours.

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Ben Kirman @ben.kirman.org · 20/08/2026

I've been ill and playing a bunch of Sandustry. It's a factory builder where all the resources are sandy and make sand art. It's messy in a great way. Never played a game that feels so *wet*. we should have more games about moving piles of slop.

A screenshot of the game Sandustry, a 2d pixel game with piles of sand, gold, and other materials around a poorly designed factory. water floats about in annoying places. overall it is a complete mess.

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Ben Kirman @ben.kirman.org · 19/08/2026

not sure what you mean by counter example, perhaps the 3d printer hacking scene - making your own weird printers, extreme speed printing, chocolate/food printers, adapting to turn into plotters, laser/blade cutters, etc?

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oliver @oliverbates.co.uk · 13/08/2026

Currently developing a little engine so you can hack together your own screwthatlike game to create mini LARPs about energy scarcity and other possible climate futures. #LARP #gamedesign #rpg

a command line interface for xThat, a playful tool for generating mini games. The interface prints the title xThat followed by a description:

"xThat is a playful mini game generator for anyone looking to create their own mini game.

To make a game we will:
1. provide you with a title for your game
2. prompt you for a subtitle
3. prompt you for 4 bullet points for game play."

The user is then asked "Are you ready to continue:"

The interface then shows the randomly generated game title "MAKE THAT". It the asks the user to "Enter a subtitle"

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Ben Kirman @ben.kirman.org · 05/08/2026

Posted a brief write up of the Museum of Manky Tea Towels. It has been a really fun and very weird project, and it was fantastic to share it with everyone at #emfcamp ben.kirman.org/projects/mus...

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Ben Kirman @ben.kirman.org · 02/08/2026

Yep! They kindly sent a huge box of tea towels for our workshop!

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Ben Kirman @ben.kirman.org · 21/07/2026

Still unpacking and decompressing from #emfcamp, a million astonishing, inspirational, and moving moments. A highlight was receiving a lovely handwritten letter from an attendee of our 1d game workshop. What an amazing event filled with magical people #emf2026 🌈

In a field, with tea towels flapping in the breeze, my arm is visible, holding an envelope with handwritten address made out to "Ben Kirman, museum of manky tea towels, elf camp"

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Kate Devlin @drkatedevlin.bsky.social · 16/07/2026

Oh #emfcamp, I love you so much.

A display at EMF Camp entitled "The Museum of Manky Tea Towels". My hand is holding a zine which says "Why is this? Tea towels tell stories about people, places and things. You can change those stories. An unused tea towel is an insult to nature."

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Ben Kirman @ben.kirman.org · 19/07/2026

Had a blast at #emf2026 with the museum of manky tea towels, loads of cool creations and reimaginings

A sunny field has a gazebo and washing line with hundreds of tea towels in the wind, some decorated

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Ben Kirman @ben.kirman.org · 14/07/2026

The Museum of Manky Tea Towels is coming to #EMFcamp 2026! (emfcamp.org) Meet our collection of hundreds of tea towels, dry your mugs, and join us in reclaiming and remaking them to tell new stories. Bring donations! Any old souvenir tea towels lying around? manky.website #emf2026

A black and white illustration of a jaunty fellow with a docker cap and fine moustache, holding up a tea towel by his fingertips. The text reads “the museum of manky tea towels”

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Ben Kirman @ben.kirman.org · 14/07/2026

Oh and the colour changes based on the drink. This was an alcohol free lager (120 pints left)

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Ben Kirman @ben.kirman.org · 14/07/2026

the bars currently have all the beer filled to the brim. But let's check back on Sunday evening...

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Ben Kirman @ben.kirman.org · 14/07/2026

Made a demo game for my #emf2026 workshop on games for fairy lights: You have to fill the pint without spilling, but the kind of beer you pour is random from the #emfcamp live bar data. The quantity relates to how much of that beer is left in the real bars. www.emfcamp.org/schedule/202...

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Ben Kirman @ben.kirman.org · 14/07/2026

Brilliant! I look forward to it

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Ben Kirman @ben.kirman.org · 14/07/2026

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Computer𝔍𝔞𝔪𝔢𝔰 @computerjames.bsky.social · 01/07/2026

making a thread of my favourite short games ive made 🧵(so i can link to it in applications)

dogman95 (a dog knight) kneeling before a dog king in a castle

a scorpion on a frogs back, in a river, saying 'thanks for this lift'

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Ben Kirman @ben.kirman.org · 09/07/2026

Thanks it is useful - been looking into this and can't figure it out. I submitted a report. It might be because i was messing with settings today tripping something. The site is cleaner than the tea towels, and that's a promise

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Ben Kirman @ben.kirman.org · 09/07/2026

Cool! I'm going to share the guide and code for anyone to make their own (with shopping list). I think attendance is capped at 15 for the space, and that's how many kits there are. www.emfcamp.org/schedule/202...

emfcamp.org

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oliver @oliverbates.co.uk · 09/07/2026

Me and @ben.kirman.org are zine making this week ready for the Museum of Manky Tea Towels (manky.website) and tea towel making workshop at @emfcamp.bsky.social next week! Get in touch to donate your tea towels!

A sketch of a 4 burner oven with two tea towels hanging from the oven door handle. One tea towel reads “manky tea towels rule” with a purple background. The second tea towel is a rough looking sketch that could be a map of a sea side town or other tourist attraction, with grass, sand and water - and maybe a windmill.

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Ben Kirman @ben.kirman.org · 09/07/2026

Just did some tweaks, can you try again? maybe in a private window?

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Ben Kirman @ben.kirman.org · 09/07/2026

Yeah, turns out the 40p I paid for the domain didn't include a cert. Setting up alt DNS stuff now, should be ok later

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Ben Kirman @ben.kirman.org · 09/07/2026

Hmm now I'm getting security warnings? I'll take a look on a bit

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Ben Kirman @ben.kirman.org · 09/07/2026

Nice, but manky.websote!

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Modiphius @modiphius.bsky.social · 07/07/2026

🎲We're hiring! Modiphius is looking for a new Games Designer to join our team based in Nottingham. Based in the Nottingham studio, this is a full-time position in tabletop game design to help us deliver projects in 2027 and beyond! Apply here: buff.ly/5vT1puW #GamesDev #Hiring

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ElegantMechanic @elegantmechanic.bsky.social · 07/07/2026

The demons Ahyabaztud and Fuhfukzake have heard your call and performed the binding ritual.

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Ben Kirman @ben.kirman.org · 07/07/2026

Prepping for my workshop on making games for fairy lights at @emfcamp.bsky.social next week! Just adding some header pins and sample code to these @pimoroni.com Plasma boards, sealed with the magical swear words I invoke when soldering my fingers.

A photograph of a tabletop laid out with 15 small Plasma2350W circuit boards on antistatic bags. A tray of header pins, some tape and some motivational geese miniatures sit nearby.

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Ben Kirman @ben.kirman.org · 06/07/2026

Oh good point I'm going to email and check

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Ben Kirman @ben.kirman.org · 06/07/2026

important travel advisory regarding our eldest's school prom.

a screenshot of an email saying "students WILL NOT BE PERMITTED to arrive on horseback."

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Ben Kirman @ben.kirman.org · 02/07/2026

Did a favour for someone a while ago and they put "me" in their board game as thanks. The photo and nationality are not accurate, but they nailed the stats: zero cool, always slow, and easily stressed.

A hand with exceptional nail polish holds a deck of shrinkwrapped cards. The top card says "KIRMAN", with a picture of an american air force pilot, and a series of different stats.

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Ben Kirman @ben.kirman.org · 02/07/2026

Definitely agree, I'm just too lazy to organise the RtD-style games conference I think we need :) But BDiGRA now has a SiG for it, and I've heard rumblings of new things from HCI games peeps too!

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Ben Kirman @ben.kirman.org · 02/07/2026

Had a great time at #BDiGRA conference at USW in Cardiff this week. Lots of great work. Some standouts were talks on dress up and cosy games, virtual pets, interfaces, games and conspiracies, reflections on Game City festivals. Also great to see momentum growing for practice as research.

southwales.ac.uk

BDigra Conference

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