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Tim Holyoake

@timholyoake.uk
155 followers 260 following 412 posts

RetroComputing. Liberal Democrat. Caterham 7 Owner. In remission from Mantle Cell Lymphoma. More often at oldbytes.space/@psychotimmy Blogs at z80.timholyoake.uk , mcl.timholyoake.uk & railwaywalks.timholyoake.uk

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Reposted by Tim Holyoake
Tim Daw @timdaw.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
Historic England vanishing archive - details of why it is broken : www.sarsen.org/2026/09/hist...
sarsen.org
Historic England’s Vanishing Archive
Not just the aerials. The lot. Historic England still holds the negatives, the prints and the scans. What the public lost, in early Sept...
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Ben Gilbert @realbengilbert.bsky.social · 13h
The President of the Unites States can call it whatever he likes, it'll still be slop
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Mark Pack @markpackuk.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
After all Labour's previous dalliances with PR for the Commons, let's hope they see this through - first past the post cannot cope with the modern state of politics.
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Richard Foord MP @richardfoordld.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Fracking should be subject to a complete ban in England and Wales. Richard Tice called fracked shale gas 'treasure', in a debate on banning fracking. He reminds me of a character from Stevenson's "Treasure Island".
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Rick @flipchartrick.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
The government, banks, utilities and similar services MUST make it easier for those with Power of Attorney to manage stuff online. I find I'm having to do a lot of stuff by phone. It's like being back in the 90s except without the 90s infrastructure to help.
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The Bear @bearlypolitics.co.uk · 28/09/2026
Well, well, well - if it isn’t the consequences of our own actions. It would appear that migrants are not, in fact, the fiscal drain we’ve been told they are by years if we go by the £4bn to £6.5bn shortfall that’s been caused by the precipitous drop in numbers under this government. Funny that.
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Tim Holyoake @timholyoake.uk · 27/09/2026
Finally back in Devon after the #RC2014 Assembly 2.0 yesterday. Thank you to Spencer & @tnmoc.bsky.social for hosting & organising, all the speakers & exhibitors, as well as everyone I talked with. I hope you had as much fun as I did and that the #PicoMZ was of interest! #RetroComputing #RetroGaming
My table at the RC2014 Assembly 2.0 at The National Museum of Computing, Bletchley Park, Saturday 26th September 2026. On the left is the Pico MZ running the game Painful Man. In the middle is an RC2014 configuration running CP/M. On the right is a real Sharp MZ-700, also running the Painful Man game.
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Tim Holyoake @timholyoake.uk · 27/09/2026
I'm old enough to remember when we called our poorly written code bugs, fixed them, and didn't attempt to shift blame onto the inanimate code for any problems we'd caused. The whole discourse around "rogue AI agents" is ridiculous.
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Best for Britain @bestforbritain.org · 26/09/2026
Josh Babarinde MP "So many of our businesses who used to have thriving trade with European Union countries, now just struggle." "There are so many barriers in place, so many bits of paperwork that you've got to navigate, so much red tape to try and cross."
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Liberal Democrats @libdems.org.uk · 25/09/2026
Protest is one thing. Intimidating volunteer lifeboat crews is another. These volunteers risk their lives to save others. Targeting them isn’t patriotic. It’s un-British. @joshbabarinde.bsky.social
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National Trust @nationaltrust.org.uk · 25/09/2026
Looking for someone to debate whether it's a castle or "technically a house" with...
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Tim Holyoake @timholyoake.uk · 24/09/2026
Are *any* of our current 650 MPs fellows or members of the British Computer Society and/or Chartered IT Professionals? If so, I'd be very interested to know their views on #AI
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Tim Holyoake @timholyoake.uk · 24/09/2026
So-called AI is an enormous societal problem for all kinds of reasons, but no computer program is super-intelligent or intelligent. Marking out a particular type of algorithmic approach in this way is counter-productive. It lets equally harmful approaches to automated decision making off the hook.
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Tim Holyoake @timholyoake.uk · 24/09/2026
I'd buy the MZ-700 over all of the other machines on that page (I have them all apart from the Dragon), & I'd take the Sharp pocket computer over the ZX81!
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Tim Holyoake @timholyoake.uk · 22/09/2026
New from me: Transplant +2,932: Devon Life. mcl.timholyoake.uk/2026/09/22/t... #MCL #Lymphoma #Cancer
mcl.timholyoake.uk
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The National Museum of Computing @tnmoc.bsky.social · 20/09/2026
🚨 ONLY 4 DAYS LEFT TO BOOK! 🚨 We’re thrilled to collaborate with Spencer - RC2014 Assembly v2.0 at TNMOC on Sat, Sept 26! 💻 Z80 & retro kit demos 🔌 Trader/exhibitor tables Full museum aceess 🎟️ Secure your slot: www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/199255968365… #RetroComputing #RC2014
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Tim Holyoake @timholyoake.uk · 20/09/2026
#PicoMZ release 3.1.1 is now available. It fixes a couple of keyboard handling problems that were stopping some games from working properly. z80.timholyoake.uk/pico-mz-rele... #RetroComputing
z80.timholyoake.uk
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Tim Holyoake @timholyoake.uk · 20/09/2026
#PicoMZ release 3.1.1 is now available. It fixes a couple of keyboard handling problems that were stopping some games from working properly. z80.timholyoake.uk/pico-mz-rele... #RetroComputing
z80.timholyoake.uk
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Tim Holyoake @timholyoake.uk · 19/09/2026
I see that someone has used #AI to create a Sharp MZ-700/MZ-80A emulator. Sigh. I can guarantee that my #PicoMZ emulator for the MZ-700, MZ-80K and MZ-80A is completely AI free, so all of the bugs are of my own devising 🤪
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Tim Holyoake @timholyoake.uk · 18/09/2026
I do like fixing bugs by removing code 🙂 #PicoMZ #RetroComputing
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archivetvmusings @archivetvmusings.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
The Two Ronnies (18th September 1976). Fork Candles (or 'Annie Finkhouse?') by Gerald Wiley.
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Tim Holyoake @timholyoake.uk · 17/09/2026
Just finished testing my dual #PicoMZ and Sharp MZ-700 setup for the #RC2014 assembly 2.0 next weekend. All bits required are now safely boxed so that I don't forget anything (famous last words). Looking forward to it - I hope to see some of you there?
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Luke Taylor MP @luketaylorld.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
So, over in the bad place, the village idiots have found a new community to target to shout at, the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community in Tilford. While I really don't want to give oxygen to these sad, angry losers, I want to show my support to the Ahmadis who I've worked closely with for years.
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Tim Holyoake @timholyoake.uk · 16/09/2026
Controversial opinion: The first series of Space:1999 was infinitely better than the second.
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Rewiring America @rewiringamerica.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
When farms embrace agrivoltaics, plants and people get shade, and power gets made. That’s a real win-win. Here’s how solar panels are powering this third-generation farmer’s land: www.theguardian.com/environment/...
theguardian.com
On a Colorado farm, solar panels bring shade for plants, power – and cash: in pictures
More than 3,000 solar panels power Jack’s Solar Garden, cool the land and help it turn a profit
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Jonathan Calder @lordbonkers.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
"If you hear from the Government Digital Service, take my advice. Sell all your possessions, burn all your documents, change your name, and head for the hills. Preferably the Himalayas."
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Tim Holyoake @timholyoake.uk · 15/09/2026
Today I've been beating the #PicoMZ at Reversi and Chess 🥳 #RetroComputing #RetroGaming
A completed Reversi board. I beat the computer 55 to 9.Checkmate. White wins against black in 16 moves after sacrificing a rook.
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Gregory Norminton @gregorynorminton.bsky.social · 13/09/2026
Yet another begging bowl email from the Labour Party this morning. ‘There is no pretending about the scale of what we’re up against.’ If only you guys had a massive majority in Parliament and could pass legislation to protect our democracy from ‘what we’re up against’.
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Sharpworks @sharpworks.bsky.social · 13/09/2026
A few screenshots for #Sharptember - This is the English language version of Tookato's excellent graphic adventure game "Ropoko" for the Sharp MZ-700, coming very soon now on physical cassette tape from Sharpworks :)
English language version of "Ropoko" for the Sharp MZ-700. Coming soon from Sharpworks.English language version of "Ropoko" for the Sharp MZ-700. Coming soon from Sharpworks.English language version of "Ropoko" for the Sharp MZ-700. Coming soon from Sharpworks.English language version of "Ropoko" for the Sharp MZ-700. Coming soon from Sharpworks.
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L Break Into Program @breakintoprogram.co.uk · 13/09/2026
This is a follow-up programme from "On the Move" part of the BBC's adult literacy campaign. The blueprint for this was used a few years later for the BBC Computer Literacy Project of which the BBC Micro played a pivotal role, along with Chris Serle and Ian McNaught-Davis.
clp.bbcrewind.co.uk
BBC Computer Literacy Project
The BBC Computer Literacy Project created the BBC Micro A and B home computers, and taught viewers how to program. Here is the history of the Computer Literacy Project.
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Joachim Froholt @jfroholt.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
A quick #sharptember post. Here's my MZ-80A at a small computer gathering in Bryne, Norway, earlier this year. Pretty much every other machine was a @commodoreofficial.bsky.social of some sort. :)
My Sharp MZ-80A next to a C64 and an Amiga running ... Death Rally?
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The Volatile Mermaid @ohnoshetwitnt.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
On 9/11 when the first plane hit I was driving home from the gym listening to Howard Stern on 92.3 K-Rock after doing 45 minutes on the elliptical in my Atlantic Blue Mustang for a Women’s Studies class at Rutgers. If I can remember that, he should be able to remember being a heroic first responder.
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L Break Into Program @breakintoprogram.co.uk · 09/09/2026
Why is everyone just going along with this? It’s baffling and deeply concerning.
bbc.co.uk
More than 10% chance AI 'could kill all humans', Anthropic researcher says
It is the latest in a series of increasing warnings about the safety threat posed by artificial intelligence.
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Sharpworks @sharpworks.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
Just look at the lushness :D
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Blood Cancer UK @bloodcanceruk.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
‼️ The signs and symptoms of blood cancer can be hard to recognise. 📢 This Blood Cancer Awareness Month, help us share them far and wide. If you have any symptoms you're worried about, book an appointment with your GP or call NHS 111.
Blood cancer signs and symptoms are listed in a handwritten font on a sketch of a piece of paper.
They are:
Bruising or bleeding.
Pain in bones or joints.
Stomach pain.
Frequent infection.
unexplained fever. 
Unexplained weightloss.
Tiredness, Paleness.
Lumps or swelling.
Drenching night sweats.
Shortness of breath.
unexplained Rash. 

Red doodles surround the symptoms.
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Steve Darling MP @stevedarlingmp.bsky.social · 07/09/2026
Local Government Reorganisation has been halted today, after disastrous proposals backed by Exeter and Plymouth Council and Torbay's Conservative Council. I spoke up in Parliament to demand that the unfeasible rump Devon proposal does not rear its ugly head again.
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Richard Foord MP @richardfoordld.bsky.social · 07/09/2026
Since this plan to carve-up Devon was announced, Liberal Democrats have fought it at every turn. I will not pretend we did it alone; the Govt's legal advice changed, and four counties took Ministers to court. Yet the argument they have paused to reconsider is ours.
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Tim Holyoake @timholyoake.uk · 07/09/2026
Maybe I don't look very hard, but I've just seen my first #AI slop #Fortran repository. Just don't. Miscreant blocked.
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James MacCleary MP @jamesmaccleary.bsky.social · 06/09/2026
Incredible how little attention this has got. Masked men come to Dover in a planned action and block our nation's busiest port. None were detained. Good job they weren't pensioners holding signs about Palestine or climate change activists or they'd be in court by now! www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
bbc.co.uk
Disruption at Port of Dover due to 'stop the boats' protest
The government says it condemns "the behaviour in Dover" and the hours-long disruption it caused.
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Tim Holyoake @timholyoake.uk · 06/09/2026
Happy #Sharptember to all those who celebrate. #RetroComputing
A Sharp MZ-80K computer shot from a low, sideways angle. The power /caps lock light is in the foreground below the Argo ship symbol. There's an inbuilt tape deck above it. In the background is the bottom of the inbuilt screen and the keyboard, consisting of square keys.
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Spillhistorie.no @spillhistorie.no · 06/09/2026
Do it. #sharptember
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Jonathan Calder @lordbonkers.bsky.social · 05/09/2026
"Useless" doesn't begin to cover it.
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Tim Holyoake @timholyoake.uk · 02/09/2026
#PicoMZ 3.1 has escaped! More about the latest release of my Sharp MZ-80K, MZ-80A and MZ-700 emulator for the #RaspberryPi Pico here: z80.timholyoake.uk/pico-mz-rele... #RetroComputing
z80.timholyoake.uk
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Tim Holyoake @timholyoake.uk · 03/09/2026
Studying Computer Science is to coding what studying literature is to writing a book. The two are related, but they are not the same thing.
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Fischer 🛠️🚇 @fischer.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
needs to be put in context historically, I think. CS enrollment has had cyclical booms and busts for decades
chart of CS grads per year showing peaks in the 1980s, then 2000s, then the 2010s
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The Guardian @theguardian.com · 02/09/2026
From petrol pump attendant to Dylan-feted rocker and Judd Apatow muse: the delightfully unlikely life of Graham Parker
theguardian.com
From petrol pump attendant to Dylan-feted rocker and Judd Apatow muse: the delightfully unlikely life of Graham Parker
Fifty years ago Parker was hailed as rock’s next big thing, but he picked a different path: cult records, a Hollywood diversion, an aversion to stardom. Ahead of a UK tour, he looks back at his strange trajectory
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Tim Holyoake @timholyoake.uk · 02/09/2026
#PicoMZ 3.1 has escaped! More about the latest release of my Sharp MZ-80K, MZ-80A and MZ-700 emulator for the #RaspberryPi Pico here: z80.timholyoake.uk/pico-mz-rele... #RetroComputing
z80.timholyoake.uk
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Joachim Froholt @jfroholt.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
A few years ago, I was working on making a dungeon crawler for the Sharp MZ-80A. It used a mix of traditional character graphics and pseudographics. Development eventually stopped, and it's been sitting around collecting dust since then.
Combat in my dungeon crawler.Combat in my dungeon crawler.Combat in my dungeon crawler.Combat in my dungeon crawler.
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Jonathan Calder @lordbonkers.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
Liberal England: Former Reform UK councillor joins the Lib Dem group on West Northamptonshire I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance.
liberalengland.blogspot.com
Former Reform UK councillor joins the Lib Dem group on West Northamptonshire
Jonathan Harris (left) and Kathryn Shaw. Photo: West Northants Lib Dems    NN Journal reports some unexpected news from Northamptonshire: ...
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Alex Selby-Boothroyd @alexselbyb.bsky.social · 30/08/2026
This is getting out of hand
Tube map but with America Water instead of Canada Water. Hilariously.
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