iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Mmm... it's probably not sticking to the side of the cassette housing then. I was going to suggest re-housing the reels, but only if the original housing was screwed together. That probably won't make much difference in this case.

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

Not something I've had to try yet, thankfully. If the tape surface itself is starting to break down then it's probably a one-way ticket. I don't know much about tape materials, yet silicon lube sounds like a terrible idea. Assume you've just tried fast-forwarding and rewinding a few times?

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L Break Into Program @breakintoprogram.co.uk · 12h

Ah no, really sorry to hear that.

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L Break Into Program @breakintoprogram.co.uk · 12h

Been a bit of a busy and weird month. Not had much time or energy to do any retro stuff. But it's the end of the month and I've got brass in pocket and a brimful of ideas so not complaining.

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L Break Into Program @breakintoprogram.co.uk · 13h

I was thinking the same - prepped with fleece and overcoat and sweating cobs.

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L Break Into Program @breakintoprogram.co.uk · 13h

A close friend bought me a Number 6 badge with the penny farthing motif on it many many years ago. Had a hunt for it last night but couldn't find it.

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L Break Into Program @breakintoprogram.co.uk · 13h

Not heard that one before, yet family traditions like that are cool.

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L Break Into Program @breakintoprogram.co.uk · 29/09/2026

Been there a few times now. It’s a wonderful place.

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L Break Into Program @breakintoprogram.co.uk · 29/09/2026

One of the best TV show intros ever shot.

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L Break Into Program @breakintoprogram.co.uk · 29/09/2026

Hahaha! Add a hi-vis vest and a few pounds and it's not far off.

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L Break Into Program @breakintoprogram.co.uk · 29/09/2026

Indeed! One thought that did occur to me is that if some companies are using agentic LLMs, for example to power a chatbot on their website, if one continues to ask it questions, would it cost the company more in tokens?

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L Break Into Program @breakintoprogram.co.uk · 29/09/2026

Possibly David Braben, for his work co-founding the Raspberry Pi Foundation.

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L Break Into Program @breakintoprogram.co.uk · 29/09/2026

Yeah, that's probably a bit far to do everyday.

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L Break Into Program @breakintoprogram.co.uk · 29/09/2026

I used to cycle everywhere, just don't have it in me anymore to commute daily by bike. It's a happy compromise; if I'm feeling particularly energetic I can dial the assistance down. Folding bikes are great. This one folds, though is quite heavy. Brompton's are the best in class.

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L Break Into Program @breakintoprogram.co.uk · 29/09/2026

Top assisted speed is 25km/h (just over 15mph), limited by legislation rather than the motor. You can still cycle faster than that, but the motor won't kick in.

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L Break Into Program @breakintoprogram.co.uk · 29/09/2026

I remember when I worked at Time Warner Interactive in Sale, we heard a commotion going on outside. It was Fred Dibnah driving Betsy down Washway Road. What an absolute legend.

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L Break Into Program @breakintoprogram.co.uk · 29/09/2026

It varies. You can get cheaper ones from Halfords for around £500 that have a quoted range of around 20 miles (32km), so probably less on a hilly journey on a cold day.

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L Break Into Program @breakintoprogram.co.uk · 29/09/2026

They are pretty cool. I'd not ridden one before getting this. A more constant ride rather than hard/gentle is welcome. Nice to get to the destination feeling composed rather than a big hot sweaty mess.

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L Break Into Program @breakintoprogram.co.uk · 29/09/2026

This e-bike has been an absolute game-changer. I'm putting 20 miles a day on it commuting, saving £6 in train fares, and I'm still getting light exercise. So far no mechanical issues to report. Currently getting around 100km (3 round trips) on a full charge, which I estimate is costing around 30p.

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L Break Into Program @breakintoprogram.co.uk · 28/09/2026

I remember that! A friend at school had a TRS-80, probably a Model II. Yes it was an incredible conversion considering the limitations.

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L Break Into Program @breakintoprogram.co.uk · 28/09/2026

The two space games that first caught my imagination were early Star Trek games, usually written in BASIC with simple graphics and text-based navigation. And of course Star Raiders on the Atari 8-bits, similar premise but with exciting 3D shoot-em-up action and a starfield that worked really well.

youtube.com

Atari 800 Game: Star Raiders (1979 Atari)

YouTube video by Old Classic Retro Gaming

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L Break Into Program @breakintoprogram.co.uk · 26/09/2026

They appear to be monopolies but only because they keep telling us they are. Ironically most of the tech the US relies upon is manufactured in Asia anyway. Even they don’t have sovereignty.

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L Break Into Program @breakintoprogram.co.uk · 26/09/2026

Maybe current world events are the sea-change we need to suffer to get there.

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L Break Into Program @breakintoprogram.co.uk · 26/09/2026

Indeed. The sad thing is that Europe invented a good chunk of the technology that underpins everything. ARM is a good example. We could do this. And a darned sight better too imho.

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L Break Into Program @breakintoprogram.co.uk · 26/09/2026

It would be nice to see an ethical & united response to such things. But we’re stuck in an arms race for AI in case our “enemies” develop a better one. What do we actually need? Operating systems (Linux is fine). Office applications. Email and cloud backup. We can do that already if we had the will.

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L Break Into Program @breakintoprogram.co.uk · 26/09/2026

The technocrats seem to be above all nations and they are just doing their own thing, bending governments to their will. AI hacking? Sure no problems. Copyright? Yeah you’re good to ignore those laws. Data centres? Go for it. Who needs water anyway! And the markets follow that like puppies.

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L Break Into Program @breakintoprogram.co.uk · 26/09/2026

We certainly have the talent. And there seems to be a shift now towards data sovereignty given the state of the world at the moment. It would be ideal if Canada joined the conversation. I’m still waiting for a United Earth to be honest. Not holding my breath though.

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L Break Into Program @breakintoprogram.co.uk · 26/09/2026

Mine currently only gets used for exceptional long trips like moving the kids stuff at start and end of university terms. And slightly longer local journeys. Though I’ll be using the electric bike more for the latter now.

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L Break Into Program @breakintoprogram.co.uk · 26/09/2026

Local big Sainsbury’s is still under £2 for now according to the Internet.

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L Break Into Program @breakintoprogram.co.uk · 26/09/2026

Was hovering around the high 190s last week round here. Just clocked the price on the walk to the local shops this evening. So maybe sometime this week.

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L Break Into Program @breakintoprogram.co.uk · 26/09/2026

Local petrol station now selling diesel for over £2 a litre. Thankfully, I rarely drive. It’s going to push prices up for everyone.

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