You know what sucks? Our newsletter used to go out to over 100k people and then Yahoo Groups closed their damn site and we lost all our subs. We've currently on 25k but if you help us and tell your friends to sub we could possibly creep back to where we were. Sub here --> b3ta.com/subscribe

many of you *would* open that trap door, even though there's something down there

THIS IS W I D E B O Y

A great bit from Rich on a first-hand experience of seeing exactly how those vultures at Roblox go after younger gamers, both taking them for a ride and (arguably as bad) poisoning their general relationship with games as a medium. www.pcgamer.com/gaming-indus...

Bring back webrings!

The ZX Spectrum had attribute clash because it stored colour in 8x8 blocks, not per pixel. Programmers spent decades working around this. Some of them are still working around it. They will not stop. It is personal now.

For some reason the phrase Information Super Pieway popped into my head and I’m still chuckling.

Shorteeeeeeeeee. The best #ZXspectrum Sinclair never made.

personal lifelong side quest to fix these every time I see it. the red cord needs to hang all the way to the ground so people can reach it if they fall.

The joys! I think any developer of a certain age who developed on the target machine will recognise this kind of effort.

So Badgers has been added to the BFI archives. Honestly this feels like quiite an honor. www.youtube.com/watch?v=pNqb...

Instantly thought of this www.youtube.com/watch?v=rlBs...

A date for your calendars

Monday

Toys are great.

Leon helping Grace in Resident Evil: Requiem:

Good news! I've improved this program a bit… - No longer crashes when you have empty strings! - Array dimensions are listed out! - FOR loop control variables show current value, limit and STEP! - Vanilla machine code .TAP version available! - Renamed to VARS (“LV” was taken). - Same link as before!

ZX Spectrum 128K 'Toastrack' style PCB pin badge now add to my range of printed circuit board badges and keyrings - all helps add a few pennies to my #retrocomputing development fund! www.samcoupe.com/quickshop.htm www.ebay.co.uk/itm/11718152... #zxspectrum #retrocomputing #retrogaming #gaming

Give this a go if you like videos that feature me talking enthusiastically about an old game nobody gives a shit about

My enthusiasm for "retro" systems, and the reason I make kits is to have those opportunities for "Mel moments" where you make something work by *completely* understanding what the machine is doing. There's a joy in finding the way to make each component fit perfectly together.

I thought this utility was quite useful so I converted it to esxDOS and MGT PlusD so that it can be invoked easily and without disturbing system RAM. For esxDOS use: .lv For PlusD use: LOAD "LVX",X (or the short syntax LOAD Pn) robertmorrison.me/spectrum/esx... robertmorrison.me/spectrum/plu...

Firth of Forth be with you

🤖🔊 I made a thing for Attention! Experience the amazing soundscape of an AI data centre from the comfort of your own home Just watch out if you leave it chugging at full pelt for too long - the AI may have its own ideas about how to run things... datacenter.fm

Catching up, quite a #Tindie debacle I see. I've set Vacation Mode on to temporarily stop selling there. The products I had listed (peripherals I produce for #RC2014 & compatibles / #Z80 with #RCbus style ports) are available direct: 2014.samcoupe.com and on eBay: www.ebay.co.uk/usr/quazar-s...

I Am Jim Games Network youtu.be/yD24G8K5wlI?...

Meeting Notes. Remember that series of Knightmare where everyone was obsessed with Shandy? Wild.

Everywhere I go, there they are...

It’s fun that the sun shines through the floors of this building at #sunset. 🌆 Somewhere near the #CityOfLondon.

Outrun, Streets of Rage, NiGHTS, and SGGG are just four of many series Sega promises to revisit in 2026 www.eurogamer.net/sega-univers...

FRI-YAY!!!!!!!!

Has anyone mentioned that it's the ZX Spectrum's 44th birthday today? They have? Okay, just making sure. The Speccy scene is thriving, and you can keep up with the increasingly retro King of the 8-bits via the lovely, free and undeniably colourful BreakSpace magazine. Breakspace.itch.io

It's your favourite time of the week. That random time my newsletter drops! This week it's about lies. Enjoy. Share. Subscribe. Compliment me. lowpolymess.com/7-the-lies-w...

Happy Saint George's Day! youtu.be/uw2X-f7NrCE

The wonder in the face of a man over a certain age when you explain that laserdiscs are in fact an analogue format

Happy birthday to the ZX Spectrum on St George's day!

See my QL piece in the latest #breakspace issue - a free #zxspectrum magazine, available now on itch!! :D

Today Is All About You*

Just for fun, I made a SAM Coupé disk for Go-Go Bunnygun. It’s a neat self-contained 48K Spectrum game so all it really needs is a few bytes of machine code to shuffle SAM memory into a suitable configuration (screen at $4000, game at $8000).

I joined the review crew for the latest issue of ZX Spectrum magazine, Break Space! But don't let that put you off, other reviewers are also available! And it's freeeeee! breakspace.itch.io/break-space-...

It's 2026 and Mastertronic is looking for new games to publish. Maybe you have what it takes...

Good news, everyone! Bluesky is back just in time for the release of Break Space magazine Issue 5, covering all the latest ZX Spectrum software. We have 2 stunning games on the cover - Go Go Bunnygun and Sweet Fightin'+2 - and plenty more inside. Go get it. breakspace.itch.io/break-space-...

It’s new #RC2014 day. Where better to start soldering than the capacitors on the backplane.

🔫🐮💨

Retrofest 2026 is taking shape - we now have an exhibitors list and details for most of the exhibitors, including 13 who'll be new to the event! www.retrofest.uk/whowhat.php We also have a Bluesky list so you can follow them all, past and present, with one easy click - bsky.app/profile/shor...

Character I love and 5 mutuals to do the same @cyberrazorcunt.bsky.social @comutiny.bsky.social @psientologist.bsky.social @twanlv.bsky.social @cherrylambrini.bsky.social