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Samuel Thomson

@samuelthomson.bsky.social

1.1K followers 4.5K following 1.2K posts

Lecturer in Game Design | Technical Artist | Artist Interests include history of creative disciplines and technology. Artist: http://samuelthomson.org Technical Artist: http://framelord.ltd Mastodon: http://mastodon.social/@samuelthomson they/them

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Samuel Thomson @samuelthomson.bsky.social · 21d

Still one of my favorites!

Samuel Thomson @samuelthomson.bsky.social · 11h

Yep this is a problem. It's basically very slow and boring and makes messing around hard work. I suggested doing some work in the console to get started, and I might go back to that idea. But I don't really want to work with C++ standard library for 2 weeks then switch to Unreal C++!

Samuel Thomson @samuelthomson.bsky.social · 11h

EHRC has temporarily withdrawn its guidance on trans people.

I've been considering transphobia as a failure to understand what it's like to "not fit in" with m/f groups, growing up, and into adulthood.

For me, non-binary is refusal of the gendered hierarchies that repeatedly marginalised me.

Samuel Thomson @samuelthomson.bsky.social · 11h

Yes, and I'm setting the bar low because I want students to make something (anything!) of their own. Just write a function and call it somewhere. But I'm finding it hard to get students to go off on their own at all. I need some very very simple "challenge" exercises that get harder very gradually.

Samuel Thomson @samuelthomson.bsky.social · 11h

We've already done BP so they know what variables, functions, and loops are, and that definitely helps, but it doesn't feel much like BP!

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Samuel Thomson @samuelthomson.bsky.social · 11h

Interesting idea. There's a gradient between motivated students who are very keen to get started with C++ and students who find it unrewarding initially. You can't do much in Unreal without pointers, and it's a big initial hump to get over. I'm trying to motivate people past those first weeks.

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Samuel Thomson @samuelthomson.bsky.social · 12h

Yes there are loads of tutorials online, and additional learning resources.

Samuel Thomson @samuelthomson.bsky.social · 12h

It's also something I've noticed, although Rider gives helpful links to C++ classes.

Samuel Thomson @samuelthomson.bsky.social · 14h

Yes, I'm naturally inclined to worry about being an Unreal feeder course, but students want to make impressive looking games by 3rd year. It's hard to do that if working with an engine for less than a couple of years imo. There's a lot of competing constraints though for sure!

Samuel Thomson @samuelthomson.bsky.social · 14h

My argument for learning C++ is that it seems better to me to learn BP and then a bit of Unreal C++, and get to an OK standard in 3 years, rather than split the time between different engines and do very similar things in each because you have to learn the basics each time.

Samuel Thomson @samuelthomson.bsky.social · 14h

It's a design/development course with a small amount of art! Definitely not engineering though.

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Samuel Thomson @samuelthomson.bsky.social · 14h

The real difficult part is thinking about a course being "unreal heavy". I think it's better to stick with one "main" engine for 3 years. Learning two generic engines is a lot of duplication of effort with anim systems etc. Learning e.g. Unreal BP and Unity C# seems like a misstep to me.

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Samuel Thomson @samuelthomson.bsky.social · 14h

We do C++, is this what you mean? It's hard going as a first programming language and we only do it for 12 weeks in second year (maybe extending to a 3rd year elective module). Some people enthusiastically pick it up. A lot struggle. But I think any first language is difficult.

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Samuel Thomson @samuelthomson.bsky.social · 14h

I don't think it's a good idea to try teaching e.g. Godot in first year, Unreal in second year, because it takes so long to learn an engine to a usable standard. There's about equal enthusiasm for learning a strong 3d engine, and learning programming fundamentals.

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Samuel Thomson @samuelthomson.bsky.social · 14h

I'm conscious of promoting a single engine to students, but there's so many competing requirements e.g. teach fundamentals/easy to use/industry applicable/looks nice/good tools. I can't think of a better option but someone was saying we're too UE heavy.

Samuel Thomson @samuelthomson.bsky.social · 15h

I'm teaching on a games degree course that tries to cover a lot of bases. We're relatively industry focussed, and I think Unreal is the best all-purpose "first engine" to learn. Does anyone have any strong opinions otherwise?

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Reposted by Samuel Thomson

Jolyon Maugham KC @goodlawproject.org · 19h

The EHRC has finally, five months after producing its wildly transphobic and, we believe, unlawful Interim Guidance now taken it down. Our judicial review challenge to that Interim Guidance will be heard in less than one month.

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Samuel Thomson @samuelthomson.bsky.social · 16h

People are like this with height as well, people who should know better.

Reposted by Samuel Thomson

SEEN Police Official Open Public Network @seenpoliceuk.bsky.social · 1d

A stunning bit of work here! TACC & Trans Exile Network pulled a blinder!

Everyone- take a look at this beautiful piece of work then share it on as many networks as you can.

Maintain 100% non-compliance
We’re going to win

TACC @tacc.org.uk · 1d

Today, we and the Trans Exile Network have made a joint submission to the Directorate General of Human Rights and Rule of Law regarding the UK Supreme Court's judgment in the For Women Scotland v. Scottish Ministers case of April 2025.

tacc.org.uk/2025/10/14/p...

Press Release – Submission to the CoE Directorate General of Human Rights and Rule of Law regarding the UK’s non-compliance in Goodwin v. UK - tacc.org.uk

Trans Advocacy and Complaints Collective and the Trans Exile Network seek urgent re-opening of enforcement of key human rights decision against UK. Today, the Trans Advocacy and Complaints Collective ...

tacc.org.uk

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Samuel Thomson @samuelthomson.bsky.social · 1d

Actually, I don't know if this would count as "lift" because there are material constraints implied. Like a 3gw data centre has to be built in a year. Vast resources have to be deployed by next month to keep this show on the road.

Samuel Thomson @samuelthomson.bsky.social · 1d

Marek Poliks has a concept called "lift" in his book Exocapitalism that's to do with capital escaping material constraints. I don't understand or agree with it as a "thing that is actually workable", but I agree with it as a "thing venture capitalists are good at convincing other people can happen".

Benjamin Johns @baj.bsky.social · 2d

I don't want to put words in Levine's mouth, but I think his point is that it's a loan in structure if not in black letter.

The financing tool is, you go to Broadcom and you put your arm around their shoulder and you gesture sweepingly in the distance and whisper "omniscient robots" and they whisper "yesssss" and you say "we'll need a few hundred billions dollars of chips and equipment from you" and they say "of course" and you say "good" and they say "do you have hundreds of billions of dollars" and you whisper "omniscient robots" again and they are enlightened. And then you announce the deal and Broadcom's stock adds $150 billion of market capitalization and you're like "see" and they're like "yes" and you're like "omniscient robots" and they're like know right." That is the financing tool! In some loose postmodern sense, OpenAl has borrowed hundreds of bilions of dollars from Broadcom. You can buy hundreds of billions of dollars of equipment to build the robots to sell for money to pay for the equipment, because you've gotten everyone to believe. The Financial Times explains:
The mammoth chip order means OpenAl could spend another $350bn to $500bn on top of the roughly $1tn of chip and data centre deals it

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Reposted by Samuel Thomson

Nate W.W. @natedub9.bsky.social · 2d

I've told multiple people IRL that we're in the most dramatic pivot of American governance since the civil war, and let me tell you-- the non-online mind cannot comprehend.

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Samuel Thomson @samuelthomson.bsky.social · 1d

I encourage you to go on RightMove and see what's available to rent, and do a quick estimate of what you'd save on £40k salary. A 1-bed flat is 1600/month at least, plus bills, food, etc. Very hard to save more than 5k/year. Deposit on the same flat will take you 10+ years to save.

Samuel Thomson @samuelthomson.bsky.social · 1d

Property prices are even more uneven now, sadly, and rent is a much higher percent of income for low earners. I do the maths here often, but saving for a deposit on a house can take 15+ years at current rates for people on living wage.

Samuel Thomson @samuelthomson.bsky.social · 1d

So it seems fair to me that some of that gain is now re-directed to re-balance opportunity across the country. A sales tax on property would be a really good solution actually.

Samuel Thomson @samuelthomson.bsky.social · 1d

If you've spent the last 30 years as a teacher in Wanstead, the price of your house has increased massively compared to that of a teacher in South Shields, for the same hours worked in a similar job. So it's not like you've worked harder for it, you've just benefitted from government policy.