Michael Martin
@mcmartin.bsky.social
#retrocomputing on main, politics occasionally in the replies, video game stuff basically everywhere.
If you *just* want the retrotech, https://bumbershootsoft.wordpress.com/ is my retrodev blog.
If you *just* want the retrotech, https://bumbershootsoft.wordpress.com/ is my retrodev blog.
Post a favorite game that got a 75 or less on Metacritic
I thought this would be a tough challenge. Oh my goodness, it wasn't. Coilworks's "Cloudbuilt" was a touchstone for me through the entire back half of the 2010s.
www.metacritic.com/game/cloudbu...
I thought this would be a tough challenge. Oh my goodness, it wasn't. Coilworks's "Cloudbuilt" was a touchstone for me through the entire back half of the 2010s.
www.metacritic.com/game/cloudbu...
February 17, 2026 at 5:18 AM
Post a favorite game that got a 75 or less on Metacritic
I thought this would be a tough challenge. Oh my goodness, it wasn't. Coilworks's "Cloudbuilt" was a touchstone for me through the entire back half of the 2010s.
www.metacritic.com/game/cloudbu...
I thought this would be a tough challenge. Oh my goodness, it wasn't. Coilworks's "Cloudbuilt" was a touchstone for me through the entire back half of the 2010s.
www.metacritic.com/game/cloudbu...
#retrocomputing stuff. I've been trying to get as much power out of the old 1981 TMS9918A graphics chip in the #ColecoVision, #TI-99/4A, and original #MSX. I get two colors per 8x1 slab of pixels, and I can get most a very nice pushbutton graphic with drop shadows as long as it's off-center...
February 11, 2026 at 2:49 AM
#retrocomputing stuff. I've been trying to get as much power out of the old 1981 TMS9918A graphics chip in the #ColecoVision, #TI-99/4A, and original #MSX. I get two colors per 8x1 slab of pixels, and I can get most a very nice pushbutton graphic with drop shadows as long as it's off-center...
Never mind the jobs you had, tell me five classes you took in college (inc. grad school)
The Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs
Compilers and Program Analysis
20th Century European Intellectual History
Medieval Italy
Abstract Algebra
The Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs
Compilers and Program Analysis
20th Century European Intellectual History
Medieval Italy
Abstract Algebra
Never mind the jobs you had, tell me five classes you took in college (inc. grad school)
Intro to Science Fiction
Roman Religion
Islamic Art & Architecture I
Historiography (Theory & Methods)
History of Espionage
Intro to Science Fiction
Roman Religion
Islamic Art & Architecture I
Historiography (Theory & Methods)
History of Espionage
Never mind the jobs you had, tell me five classes you took in college
Solid State Physics
Introduction to Microlithography
Beginning Chinese I
Politics through Fiction (Machiavelli and Shakespeare)
Advanced Sabre Fencing
Solid State Physics
Introduction to Microlithography
Beginning Chinese I
Politics through Fiction (Machiavelli and Shakespeare)
Advanced Sabre Fencing
February 4, 2026 at 2:35 AM
Never mind the jobs you had, tell me five classes you took in college (inc. grad school)
The Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs
Compilers and Program Analysis
20th Century European Intellectual History
Medieval Italy
Abstract Algebra
The Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs
Compilers and Program Analysis
20th Century European Intellectual History
Medieval Italy
Abstract Algebra
Meanwhile, in #retrocoding stuff, my work on the blog lately has returned around the #TI99/4A, a very strange old system that cast an very long shadow (out at least to the SNES and Genesis).
bumbershootsoft.wordpress.com/2026/01/24/t...
This is deeper in the weeds than I usually share here... 1/
bumbershootsoft.wordpress.com/2026/01/24/t...
This is deeper in the weeds than I usually share here... 1/
TI-99/4A: Hybrid Software Development
Last week’s adventures with the TI-99/4A’s Graphics Programming Language revolved around relying on features of the system firmware and language runtime to easily manage expensive or ti…
bumbershootsoft.wordpress.com
January 29, 2026 at 3:16 AM
Meanwhile, in #retrocoding stuff, my work on the blog lately has returned around the #TI99/4A, a very strange old system that cast an very long shadow (out at least to the SNES and Genesis).
bumbershootsoft.wordpress.com/2026/01/24/t...
This is deeper in the weeds than I usually share here... 1/
bumbershootsoft.wordpress.com/2026/01/24/t...
This is deeper in the weeds than I usually share here... 1/
I don't suppose any of you can recommend a good layman's treatment on classical reception? I'm not really trained in this stuff but it's been observed more than once that I often prefer historiography to history, and this seems of a piece with that
January 29, 2026 at 2:59 AM
I don't suppose any of you can recommend a good layman's treatment on classical reception? I'm not really trained in this stuff but it's been observed more than once that I often prefer historiography to history, and this seems of a piece with that
Reposted by Michael Martin
This is not helping me figure out the grammar stuff for Visible Zorker.
(Steve Meretzky writing ZIL documentation circa 1989. "Stu" is Stu Galley.)
(Steve Meretzky writing ZIL documentation circa 1989. "Stu" is Stu Galley.)
![[The other four tokens—ON-GROUND, IN-ROOM, HELD, and CARRIED—are incredibly confusing, and no one really understands them except Stu, so he should probably write this bit.]](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:lin5yw3b64f6l7cdwp6tupzt/bafkreih5j4rbhovvejphdjydvlgjngxcdoohfsgvne4ucaz77vdtsxwiia@jpeg)
January 25, 2026 at 12:37 AM
This is not helping me figure out the grammar stuff for Visible Zorker.
(Steve Meretzky writing ZIL documentation circa 1989. "Stu" is Stu Galley.)
(Steve Meretzky writing ZIL documentation circa 1989. "Stu" is Stu Galley.)
Reposted by Michael Martin
Gary Larson: In my cartoon I invented Cow Tools as a cautionary tale
Cows: At long last, we have created the Cow Tools from classic newspaper comic Cow Tools
Cows: At long last, we have created the Cow Tools from classic newspaper comic Cow Tools
January 19, 2026 at 5:04 PM
Gary Larson: In my cartoon I invented Cow Tools as a cautionary tale
Cows: At long last, we have created the Cow Tools from classic newspaper comic Cow Tools
Cows: At long last, we have created the Cow Tools from classic newspaper comic Cow Tools
Reposted by Michael Martin
Reposted by Michael Martin
the 'conspiracies are actually real' rpg was very common in the 1990s but I think it's considerably harder to do today because conspiracy beliefs (and the attendant, inevitable anti-semitism) are an obviously malignant political force
I love learning about the little ins and outs of conspiracy and occult lore - the key is to always remember it's not actually real, at best it's real in a "this is a belief some people act on".
Once you actually start thinking there are Secret Masters out there, things go... bad.
Once you actually start thinking there are Secret Masters out there, things go... bad.
December 27, 2025 at 3:41 AM
the 'conspiracies are actually real' rpg was very common in the 1990s but I think it's considerably harder to do today because conspiracy beliefs (and the attendant, inevitable anti-semitism) are an obviously malignant political force
Reposted by Michael Martin
December 25, 2025 at 4:12 PM
Python and R as this generation's BASIC and LOGO has quite a bit to recommend it, frankly.
Excel is how most people will program computers these days but I lean towards thinking it's a meaningfully separate skill from more traditional script-and-function programming.
Excel is how most people will program computers these days but I lean towards thinking it's a meaningfully separate skill from more traditional script-and-function programming.
My hot take is that most people would benefit from intermediate math being taught in excel and R or python along side traditional notation.
December 20, 2025 at 9:26 PM
Python and R as this generation's BASIC and LOGO has quite a bit to recommend it, frankly.
Excel is how most people will program computers these days but I lean towards thinking it's a meaningfully separate skill from more traditional script-and-function programming.
Excel is how most people will program computers these days but I lean towards thinking it's a meaningfully separate skill from more traditional script-and-function programming.
Reposted by Michael Martin
Going through old boxes of my stuff at my parents' house. Found an old Alpha Centauri tech tree poster.
December 14, 2025 at 10:15 PM
Going through old boxes of my stuff at my parents' house. Found an old Alpha Centauri tech tree poster.
Looking through my blog stats at the end of the year, and it's funny to me that while a few posts got flash mobs of readers this year, this incredibly dry post about writing custom logging functions on a 1985-era GUI system is my most consistent draw
bumbershootsoft.wordpress.com/2022/07/24/c...
bumbershootsoft.wordpress.com/2022/07/24/c...
Custom printf: Wrapping Variadic Functions in C
Before we dig into actually working with asynchronous device I/O on the Amiga, I’m going to take a little bit of a detour—and one that ends up reaching all the way out modern C development, t…
bumbershootsoft.wordpress.com
December 12, 2025 at 7:39 AM
Looking through my blog stats at the end of the year, and it's funny to me that while a few posts got flash mobs of readers this year, this incredibly dry post about writing custom logging functions on a 1985-era GUI system is my most consistent draw
bumbershootsoft.wordpress.com/2022/07/24/c...
bumbershootsoft.wordpress.com/2022/07/24/c...
Some #retrocomputing nonsense; I've been doing some minor homebrewing for the Sega Master System to see what I can get its graphics system to do. It's been a journey! There's a lot more power here than I'm used to for 8-bit systems.
bumbershootsoft.wordpress.com/2025/12/06/s...
bumbershootsoft.wordpress.com/2025/12/06/s...
Sega Master System: Using ALL the Colors
Last week’s adventure ended with us writing text over a rainbow background, along with a drop shadow that respected the underlying color: To the extent that this involves any “tricks,&#…
bumbershootsoft.wordpress.com
December 7, 2025 at 2:07 AM
Some #retrocomputing nonsense; I've been doing some minor homebrewing for the Sega Master System to see what I can get its graphics system to do. It's been a journey! There's a lot more power here than I'm used to for 8-bit systems.
bumbershootsoft.wordpress.com/2025/12/06/s...
bumbershootsoft.wordpress.com/2025/12/06/s...
Reposted by Michael Martin
Very excited to share my greatest overreaction to Twitch's VOD disaster from February this year. This IBM LTO tape storage system was donated to my work, and I spent a few months on and off getting it back into working shape and figuring out how to connect it to my PC. I'm now the proud new owner!
December 1, 2025 at 4:36 AM
Very excited to share my greatest overreaction to Twitch's VOD disaster from February this year. This IBM LTO tape storage system was donated to my work, and I spent a few months on and off getting it back into working shape and figuring out how to connect it to my PC. I'm now the proud new owner!
Reposted by Michael Martin
Reposted by Michael Martin
M is for MAUD who was swept out to sea
N is for NEVILLE who died of bnuuy
N is for NEVILLE who died of bnuuy
March 16, 2025 at 3:00 AM
M is for MAUD who was swept out to sea
N is for NEVILLE who died of bnuuy
N is for NEVILLE who died of bnuuy
I grew up with the Atari 2600, the NES, and the Genesis, and never really got to take a look at the Sega Master System. Sega's first 8-bit console was essentially a stripped-down ColecoVision, but they REALLY stepped up for their 1985 hardware update...
bumbershootsoft.wordpress.com/2025/11/08/t...
bumbershootsoft.wordpress.com/2025/11/08/t...
The Sega Master System
We traditionally divide consoles into “generations”—the earliest devices like the Magnavox Odyssey are the first generation, the Atari 2600 is second, the NES third, the SNES and Genesi…
bumbershootsoft.wordpress.com
November 10, 2025 at 6:47 AM
I grew up with the Atari 2600, the NES, and the Genesis, and never really got to take a look at the Sega Master System. Sega's first 8-bit console was essentially a stripped-down ColecoVision, but they REALLY stepped up for their 1985 hardware update...
bumbershootsoft.wordpress.com/2025/11/08/t...
bumbershootsoft.wordpress.com/2025/11/08/t...
Reposted by Michael Martin
The finest thing about Cow Tools is that the reason it was an initial failure is also the *precise* reason it has eventually become immortal
43 years ago today, readers the world over opened their newspapers and gazed upon cow tools for the first time. happy birthday cow tools. you look great.
October 29, 2025 at 3:34 AM
The finest thing about Cow Tools is that the reason it was an initial failure is also the *precise* reason it has eventually become immortal
With this year's Interactive Fiction competition wrapping up, I looked back over some stuff I wrote ten years ago back when I seriously tried to judge the full comp each year. (This was just at the end of the era when that was feasible.)
I was writing about how I judged entries, but it generalizes
I was writing about how I judged entries, but it generalizes
October 26, 2025 at 5:52 PM
With this year's Interactive Fiction competition wrapping up, I looked back over some stuff I wrote ten years ago back when I seriously tried to judge the full comp each year. (This was just at the end of the era when that was feasible.)
I was writing about how I judged entries, but it generalizes
I was writing about how I judged entries, but it generalizes
Long-simmering take: Cyberpunk is more literary than transhumanist SF, because cyberpunk takes as a core axiom that "the human condition" is a thing that exists and continues to exist
One of the core conceits of Cyberpunk, interestingly enough.
October 24, 2025 at 11:58 PM
Long-simmering take: Cyberpunk is more literary than transhumanist SF, because cyberpunk takes as a core axiom that "the human condition" is a thing that exists and continues to exist
Reposted by Michael Martin
Daily red panda in the winter weather ❄️ :3
October 21, 2025 at 9:30 PM
Daily red panda in the winter weather ❄️ :3
Reposted by Michael Martin
Reposted by Michael Martin
sometimes it’s a lot of fun just listening to people who know a lot about something riff on it
October 18, 2025 at 10:08 AM
sometimes it’s a lot of fun just listening to people who know a lot about something riff on it