iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

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TimOfLegend @timoflegend.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

IT'S ERIKA ISHII O'CLOCK, EVERYBODY! 🎉🚨🎉🚨🎉🚨 THANK YOU, BACKERS! 🧡🧡🧡🧡🧡🧡 And thank you, @erikaishii.bsky.social!!!! :D

Kickstarter funding at $613,561 (pledged of $400,000 goal)

Dan Sanderson @dansanderson.com · 28/09/2026

It's been a minute since I've backed a DoubleFine Kickstarter to get pumped on inspiration and adrenaline. This one is a mere $2k away from the next stretch goal: voice actor Erika Ishii! Get in on this!

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Badger Punch Games @badgerpunch.com · 26/09/2026

THINK YOU'RE THOUGH? TRY BEING A CHICKEN! Welcome to Chicken Run; the game mode for absolute lunatics. 🥚 Golden egg = Become CHICKLATHOTEP 🥚 Red egg = BOOM! Goodbye enemies No armor. No dignity. Just feathers and violence! Play here➡️ thalamus.link/roguecraft #screenshotsaturday

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Merriam-Webster @merriam-webster.com · 11/09/2026

Why is 'lb' the abbreviation for 'pound'?

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Playdate @play.date · 11/09/2026

Playdate + Panic will be at Portland Retro Gaming Expo this year! One of our favorite shows to attend. And yes, we've set aside some Playdate units to sell in person! 🗓️ October 9–11, 2026 📍 Oregon Convention Center, Portland OR 👋 Booth # 1001 ➡️ retrogamingexpo.com

Playdate-the handheld video game system with a tank. Available at our PRGE booth! Panic Games. Booth 1001.

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Dan Sanderson @dansanderson.com · 11/09/2026

“It’s just plain depressing to see people who value the end result over the process of creating that result. The process is what’s valuable, in every possible sense.”

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MEGA65 @mega65.bsky.social · 09/09/2026

Want to see the MEGA65 in person, meet the one and only dddaaannn at Vintage Computer Festival Midwest 21, September 12-13, 2026 vcfmw.org (Photo from PaCommEx_NW '25)

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Kenney @kenney.nl · 08/09/2026

Tiny Factory is out now! 130+ tiles to create factory & warehouse games. The visuals are easy to replicate/expand and it's completely free to use in any sort of project! 🏗️ kenney.nl/assets/tiny-...

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Katie Mack @astrokatie.com · 07/09/2026

This is one of the objections I have when people talk about how useful LLMs can be for literature searches or for any kind of search, really. Even beyond the biases that inevitably (and, in some cases, intentionally) show up, part of a good literature search is seeing information *in context.*

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zep.p8 @lexaloffle.bsky.social · 06/09/2026

Trying out stamps in doodlemud, and.. maybe the tools and cursor should be diagetic. #picotron

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Dan Sanderson @dansanderson.com · 30/08/2026

💫 Dan's #mega65 Digest for July 2026: Calypsi C, part 3: Making large programs. dansanderson.com/mega65/calyp... A working memory map dispatch mechanism for writing large programs in C! Mixing assembly language and C to call functions across an arbitrary number of 24 KB regions. Fancy!

dansanderson.com

Calypsi C, part 3: Making large programs

Dan's MEGA65 Digest for August 2026. Making large programs in Calypsi C.

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davemakes🔶 @mixolumia.com · 13/08/2026

Explore the Pico-8 map editor by creating a Sokoban-style puzzle game in my latest game programming tutorial! This fourth video covers: Variable types, strings, arrays, nil, table crimes, the map editor, making a level, sprite flags, and a bit of puzzle design. youtu.be/cgCP6Oat750

youtu.be

The Map Editor - Learn Game Programming in Pico-8 #4

YouTube video by davemakes

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trevron @trevron.bsky.social · 13/08/2026

I love Godot but I recently learned about #pico8 and I am horribly addicted to it now. Started making this over the weekend and now I can't stop 😂 #gamedev #picoshooties #pixelart #noai

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Dropout @dropout.tv · 04/08/2026

Let Sam explain how Dropout got The Don Hertzfeldt Collection... 🍌 @donhertzfeldtfilms.bsky.social

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SaKo @sako.works · 04/08/2026

calibration process #pico8 #dailycarts

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Ben Johnson 🏺👻 @gamedesignerben.bsky.social · 28/07/2026

Layoffs hit Double Fine today, and I'm sorry to report that I was one of the ones hit. If you need a game designer with tech chops and 2+ decades of experience, here I am.

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Elsbeth Larkin @funtimesmcgee.bsky.social · 29/07/2026

Hi everyone, today me and 22 others at Double Fine were hit by layoffs today. All the people who lost their jobs today care so much about the games they make and the people they work with. If anyone is looking for a tools SE with 7 years of experience and who brings baked goods on Mondays lmk.

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Badger Punch Games @badgerpunch.com · 25/07/2026

There are two of us making Roguecraft DX. I write the code, Henning draws everything you see. Neither of us can fully explain why a Lovecraftian roguelike needed a pettable badger, only that once he was in, taking him out was never on the table.😅 #ScreenshotSaturday #pixelart #roguelike

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Dan Sanderson @dansanderson.com · 16/07/2026

💫 Dan's #mega65 Digest for July 2026: Calypsi C, part 2: Using memory. dansanderson.com/mega65/calyp... Working towards design patterns for large programs, and learning a few things along the way. This will be a three-parter!

dansanderson.com

Calypsi C, part 2: Using memory

Dan's MEGA65 Digest for July 2026. Using memory in Calypsi C.

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Rachelf @rachelftech.bsky.social · 03/07/2026

Finally, a new video! I tried making a little game inspired by RuneScape to test out PICO-8 🧙‍♂️ #gamedev #devlog #pico8

youtu.be

I Made RuneScape in PICO-8

YouTube video by RachelfTech

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Dan Sanderson @dansanderson.com · 16/06/2026

💫 Dan's #mega65 Digest for June 2026: Classic Rogue. dansanderson.com/mega65/class... The dungeon crawler that inspired countless dungeon crawlers, the original Rogue for Unix has freely available C source code. Can we run it on a modern computer? On the MEGA65?

dansanderson.com

Classic Rogue

Dan's MEGA65 Digest for May 2026. Porting a classic game with C.

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David Youd @c64cryptoboy.bsky.social · 04/06/2026

After a decade of development retro debugger has an official v1.0.0 release: csdb.dk/release/?id=...

csdb.dk

Retro Debugger V1.0.0

Other Platform Commodore 64 Tool: Retro Debugger V1.0.0 by Slajerek. Released on 4 June 2026

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zep.p8 @lexaloffle.bsky.social · 01/06/2026

I had a great weekend at #pigcon meeting #pico8 folks and talking about design loops (which I believe will be available online later). I forgot to show this slide, which my Dad dug out of storage and appears to be the first fantasy machine I designed when I was around 8.

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Sophie 🎲🏳️‍⚧️ @sophieh.itch.io · 01/06/2026

My #picotron port of Lemmings now has all the original levels playable (plus the replacement levels, plus all the holiday levels, plus a handful of others) It runs in the browser here: sophiehoulden.com/ohno.html

Screenshot of the first lemmings level "Just Dig!", small lemming creatures fall from a trapdoor into a dirt and grass environment and walk toward an exit.

Screenshot of the classic Lemmings level "You need bashers this time" where lemmings tunnel through frozen crystals and jagged netting to reach the exit.

A screenshot of an original level where lemmings are building bridges between pink fluffy clouds.

An original level where lemmings are traversing obstacles in a desert to reach a flying saucer.

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zep.p8 @lexaloffle.bsky.social · 25/05/2026

A while ago @retrofuntech.bsky.social and I met up at @picopicocafe.bsky.social to hang out and chat about #pico8. Now through the wonder of the internet, you can join us! (just get some coffee ready and pretend you are eavesdropping at the neighboring table). www.youtube.com/watch?v=1vWS...

youtube.com

My Interview with Zep the Creator of PICO-8 in Tokyo

YouTube video by RetroFunTech

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Dan Sanderson @dansanderson.com · 25/05/2026

💫 Dan's #mega65 Digest for May 2026: Calypsi C, part 1. dansanderson.com/mega65/calyp... Getting started with C programming for the MEGA65, using the Calypsi C cross-compiler.

dansanderson.com

Calypsi C, part 1

Dan's MEGA65 Digest for May 2026. Introducing the Calypsi C compiler.

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U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission @cpsc.gov · 22/05/2026

This is flame jetting. As people begin to spend more time outdoors, CPSC continues to warn about the dangers of tabletop fire pits and flame jetting. Stop using tabletop fire pits. Never pour fuel over an open flame.

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Bethany Brookshire @beebrookshire.bsky.social · 19/05/2026

I realize I sound like old man yelling at clouds but... ...in my day WE READ ALL THE CITATIONS BEFORE WE CITED THEM. That's how you GAIN THE KNOWLEDGE TO CITE THEM IN THE FIRST PLACE. Signed: Someone who literally read two whole books on the color blue just to write a single 1000 word article.

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gabby @fullmoon.id · 16/05/2026

new blog post incoming

Type out the code

Back in the day I read one of Zed Shaw's "Learn X the hard way" courses (I think it was his C++ course) and he began the course with a disclaimer that said something like "do not copy and paste the examples; type them out" because he believed strongly that doing so improved your comprehension of the material.

These days he recommends something even stronger:

> The best way to do this is when you complete an exercise delete what you did and do it again, but try to use your memory. If you get stuck then look at the exercise for clues, but try your best to recreate what you just did from memory. At first you'll be constantly referring to the exercise and the code, but eventually you'll get to where you can do it on your own. This will also improve your ability to remember more code, your ability to summarize how something works, and generally improve your skills faster than if you did it once and moved on.

This is known as the generation effect in cognitive psychology: the active generation of new content improves comprehension compared to passive consumption of the same material. Or as Richard Feynman put it: "What I cannot create, I do not understand".

I'm not a researcher, but I would still like to add my own spin as a lay programmer on why I believe this phenomenon matters for improving programming ability, even in the age of agentic coding. In fact, I think it's even more important now than ever for people to reacquaint themselves with this "ancient wisdom" because otherwise we'll end up with an entire generation of programmers wondering how anyone ever programmed without the help of a coding agent.

In this post I will lay out the case for why you should do the drudgery of occasionally typing out the code, character-by-character, as best as possible from memory. That doesn't mean that you should never use developer tools of any sort to accelerate the coding process, but you also need to occasionally do the boring parts by hand and by memory

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Taylor Moore @taylordotbiz.bsky.social · 15/05/2026

It’s out now folks and it’s irresponsibly big. Please please buy it so my family can have health insurance. Jesus Christ please buy it.

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zep.p8 @lexaloffle.bsky.social · 14/05/2026

The origin of "splore" as best I can tell: 2004 YOUR HEAD A SPLODE (Strong Bad Email 94 ) 2007 "Mr. Splode & the Fireworks Factory" (Ludum Dare #10) 2014 #pico8: If Explode -> Splode, then Explore -> Splore youtu.be/R22zSrpeSA4?...

youtube.com

Strong Bad Email #94 - Video Games

YouTube video by homestarrunnerdotcom

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Johan Vinet @johanvinet.com · 12/05/2026

🤓Did you know? Castaway used to be a #Pico8 project! (🚨Now only $2.79 on Switch! Link below!)

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Alex Hanna @alexhanna.bsky.social · 11/05/2026

"I have a finite time on this earth that I mostly want to spend interacting with other human beings. I don’t want to be the person arguing with a robot, or wasting my time reading something that a real person couldn’t be bothered to write."

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Joe Dante @thejoedante.bsky.social · 10/05/2026

My movie Explorers is out in a brand-new, mega-deluxe 4K Blu-ray from Vinegar Syndrome! Newly restored in 4K from the original camera negative with both theatrical and home video versions included. Trailer: m.youtube.com/watch?v=kz33... #explorers #joedante #vinegarsyndrome #4k

m.youtube.com

Explorers (1985) [Vinegar Syndrome Ultra 4K UHD & Blu-ray Promo Trailer]

YouTube video by Vinegar Syndrome

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GoofOffBert @goofoffbert.bsky.social · 05/05/2026

At the VCF PNW I was really impressed with the MEGA 65. A speedy little machine modeled after the NEVER released C65 and only a handful of prototypes out in th wild. Backwards compatible in a couple different ways. @mega65.bsky.social More info on the C65: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commodo...

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Dan Sanderson @dansanderson.com · 04/05/2026

Outbid me, I dare you. (no seriously let's get this bid up.)

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369px.bsky.social @369px.bsky.social · 24/04/2026

Big update for ChessTron (v0.3)! - 43 Trophies & Achievements - 30 Unique Bot personalities - Match History & Stats Play it on the BBS: www.lexaloffle.com/bbs/?tid=156... #Picotron #Gamedev #Chess #Chesstron #IndieGames

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darth™️ @darthbluesky.bsky.social · 25/04/2026

i believe this is related to the rise in people who are utterly incurious about anything not directly beneficial to themselves

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Dan Sanderson @dansanderson.com · 23/04/2026

💫 Dan's #mega65 Digest for April 2026: Pixie Power. dansanderson.com/mega65/pixies/ Unlocking the RRB's soft sprite abilities with arbitrary pixel positioning of large graphics objects! Get the Digest by email, web, or RSS: dansanderson.com/mega65/, or wherever you get your podcasts.

dansanderson.com

Pixie Power

Dan's MEGA65 Digest for April 2026. Drawing and animating RRB character soft-sprites, aka pixies.

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Rachel Andrew @rachelandrew.co.uk · 21/04/2026

Gordon Ramsey, technical writing, and the importance of people who care rachelandrew.co.uk/archives/202...

rachelandrew.co.uk

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Chris Plante @plante.bsky.social · 12/04/2026

$1 gets you access to Video Game Journalism 101. I adapted my NYU course into a 5-part video series. You'll learn the history of games media from the '80s to today. And you'll learn about writing, editing, and how the biz actually works. Plus, the rest of Post Games! Sale ends Monday at midnight.

patreon.com

Video Game Journalism 101 | Collection from Post Games | 5 posts | Patreon

Get more from Post Games on Patreon

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Cameron Blevins @cblevins.bsky.social · 03/04/2026

This is so, so well-articulated.

People call this friction "grunt work." Schwartz uses exactly that phrase, and he's right that LLMs can remove it. What he doesn't say, because he already has decades of hard-won intuition and doesn't need the grunt work anymore, is that for someone who doesn't yet have that intuition, the grunt work is the work. The boring parts and the important parts are tangled together in a way that you can't separate in advance. You don't know which afternoon of debugging was the one that taught you something fundamental about your data until three years later, when you're working on a completely different problem and the insight surfaces. Serendipity doesn't come from efficiency. It comes from spending time in the space where the problem lives, getting your hands dirty, making mistakes that nobody asked you to make and learning things nobody assigned you to learn.

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Tom Brinton @brin.town · 17/03/2026

🚩 Announcing: STACKROBATS 🚩 Grab the trophy by performing fantastic feats of puzzle-y prowess! 30 levels, playable in browser #pico8 #thinkygames #puzzlegames Let the show begin: beepyeah.itch.io/stackrobats

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Chris Plante @plante.bsky.social · 17/03/2026

Pokopia is the Pokémon series' midlife crisis: It's a story about how original fans have moved on to kids, jobs, and caring for their parents. Here's one last chance not to relive that original game, but to rebuild a forgotten feeling. Like a sandcastle. And we all know what happens to sandcastles

mothership.blog

What happens when all the Pokémon fans are dead?

Chris Plante on how Pokopia lets you rebuild your childhood, if only for a moment

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Dan Sanderson @dansanderson.com · 15/03/2026

💫 Dan's #mega65 Digest for March 2026: Introducing the Raster Rewrite Buffer. dansanderson.com/mega65/raste... How does Roguecraft DX achieve its gorgeous full-color layered animated visuals? With character graphics! It's time to pull back the curtain on the VIC-IV's most powerful feature.

dansanderson.com

Roguecraft DX; Introducing the Raster Rewrite Buffer

Dan's MEGA65 Digest for March 2026. Characters on characters on characters!

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