Tim Holyoake
@timholyoake.uk
RetroComputing. Liberal Democrat. Caterham 7 Owner. In remission from Mantle Cell Lymphoma.
More often at https://oldbytes.space/@psychotimmy
Blogs at https://z80.timholyoake.uk/ , https://mcl.timholyoake.uk/ & https://railwaywalks.timholyoake.uk/
More often at https://oldbytes.space/@psychotimmy
Blogs at https://z80.timholyoake.uk/ , https://mcl.timholyoake.uk/ & https://railwaywalks.timholyoake.uk/
Reposted by Tim Holyoake
Because people *still* don’t understand that overseas students subsidise home students. This is punishing everyone involved.
With Rachel Reeves reportedly set to apply a new tax on tuition fees paid by overseas students, most Britons support such a move at the previously mooted level of 6%
Support: 57%
Oppose: 18%
yougov.co.uk/topics/socie...
Support: 57%
Oppose: 18%
yougov.co.uk/topics/socie...
November 25, 2025 at 11:27 AM
Because people *still* don’t understand that overseas students subsidise home students. This is punishing everyone involved.
Reposted by Tim Holyoake
The UK is losing up to £250m a day in lost tax revenue due to the economic impact of Brexit, House of Commons Library analysis for the Lib Dems suggests.
Brexit has blown a "black hole of [up to] £90 billion a year in the public finances" the party says. Even under lower estimates the hit is ~£65bn
Brexit has blown a "black hole of [up to] £90 billion a year in the public finances" the party says. Even under lower estimates the hit is ~£65bn
November 25, 2025 at 10:33 AM
The UK is losing up to £250m a day in lost tax revenue due to the economic impact of Brexit, House of Commons Library analysis for the Lib Dems suggests.
Brexit has blown a "black hole of [up to] £90 billion a year in the public finances" the party says. Even under lower estimates the hit is ~£65bn
Brexit has blown a "black hole of [up to] £90 billion a year in the public finances" the party says. Even under lower estimates the hit is ~£65bn
Desire path, Ottery St Mary.
November 23, 2025 at 12:04 PM
Desire path, Ottery St Mary.
Reposted by Tim Holyoake
Getting there (if only I could find my soldering iron).
New blog post from me - Pico MZ-700 progress.
z80.timholyoake.uk/pico-mz-700-...
#RetroComputing #Sharp #Pico
New blog post from me - Pico MZ-700 progress.
z80.timholyoake.uk/pico-mz-700-...
#RetroComputing #Sharp #Pico
November 20, 2025 at 4:37 PM
Getting there (if only I could find my soldering iron).
New blog post from me - Pico MZ-700 progress.
z80.timholyoake.uk/pico-mz-700-...
#RetroComputing #Sharp #Pico
New blog post from me - Pico MZ-700 progress.
z80.timholyoake.uk/pico-mz-700-...
#RetroComputing #Sharp #Pico
Reposted by Tim Holyoake
The worst possible Government at the worst possible time. All those lives lost, all those lives changed forever. Boris Johnson was not fit to be PM and the Conservatives should never be let anywhere near Government ever again.
BREAKING: UK’s response to Covid was “too little too late”. Acting faster could have saved 23,000 lives in England according to the public inquiry.
Boris Johnson presided over a “toxic, sexist, chaotic culture” in No10, where rule-breaking seriously undermined public confidence.
Boris Johnson presided over a “toxic, sexist, chaotic culture” in No10, where rule-breaking seriously undermined public confidence.
November 20, 2025 at 4:37 PM
The worst possible Government at the worst possible time. All those lives lost, all those lives changed forever. Boris Johnson was not fit to be PM and the Conservatives should never be let anywhere near Government ever again.
Getting there (if only I could find my soldering iron).
New blog post from me - Pico MZ-700 progress.
z80.timholyoake.uk/pico-mz-700-...
#RetroComputing #Sharp #Pico
New blog post from me - Pico MZ-700 progress.
z80.timholyoake.uk/pico-mz-700-...
#RetroComputing #Sharp #Pico
November 20, 2025 at 4:37 PM
Getting there (if only I could find my soldering iron).
New blog post from me - Pico MZ-700 progress.
z80.timholyoake.uk/pico-mz-700-...
#RetroComputing #Sharp #Pico
New blog post from me - Pico MZ-700 progress.
z80.timholyoake.uk/pico-mz-700-...
#RetroComputing #Sharp #Pico
Reposted by Tim Holyoake
Today’s awesome arrival, a huge lot of MZ tapes including some original Sharp User’s Club library tapes! I wonder what delights I’m going to find in this lot! :)
November 17, 2025 at 1:19 PM
Today’s awesome arrival, a huge lot of MZ tapes including some original Sharp User’s Club library tapes! I wonder what delights I’m going to find in this lot! :)
The #MZ700 emulation for the #Pico MZ is nearly finished! Documentation to write and update, plus testing on #RC2014 cards and #Pico2 hardware left to do. Hoping to have version 3.0.0 released by the end of the month. #RetroComputing
November 17, 2025 at 2:07 PM
The #MZ700 emulation for the #Pico MZ is nearly finished! Documentation to write and update, plus testing on #RC2014 cards and #Pico2 hardware left to do. Hoping to have version 3.0.0 released by the end of the month. #RetroComputing
Reposted by Tim Holyoake
Today I met a woman who had come to live in Britain more than 30 years ago.
She told me how her sons, now in their 40s, who had lived in Britain since they were 10 were worried about being made to leave the country.
Reform, and the Labour government who pander to them, should be ashamed.
She told me how her sons, now in their 40s, who had lived in Britain since they were 10 were worried about being made to leave the country.
Reform, and the Labour government who pander to them, should be ashamed.
November 16, 2025 at 3:27 PM
Today I met a woman who had come to live in Britain more than 30 years ago.
She told me how her sons, now in their 40s, who had lived in Britain since they were 10 were worried about being made to leave the country.
Reform, and the Labour government who pander to them, should be ashamed.
She told me how her sons, now in their 40s, who had lived in Britain since they were 10 were worried about being made to leave the country.
Reform, and the Labour government who pander to them, should be ashamed.
A great blog post and a salient reminder to me as to why I stick to doing software only rather than trying to design hardware!
New blog post - I have designed a new serial card for the Minstrel 4th and RC2014 bus. More on that next week, but first a look back at some of the things I tried before settling on this design.
blog.tynemouthsoftware.co.uk/2025/11/a-ne...
blog.tynemouthsoftware.co.uk/2025/11/a-ne...
November 16, 2025 at 6:47 PM
A great blog post and a salient reminder to me as to why I stick to doing software only rather than trying to design hardware!
Reposted by Tim Holyoake
You can't get more Labour than compulsory voluntary work.
UK charities condemn ‘immoral’ plans to force asylum seekers to volunteer
Making volunteering compulsory for refugees slammed as exploitative, bureaucratic and un-British
www.theguardian.com
November 14, 2025 at 10:38 PM
You can't get more Labour than compulsory voluntary work.
Reposted by Tim Holyoake
they gleefully announce the llm solves a difficult problem and then you find out...they use it to respond to an email, format some python, arrange two meetings in an 8 hour period.
we are going to let these people burn the planet because we are too nice to tell them they sound stupid.
we are going to let these people burn the planet because we are too nice to tell them they sound stupid.
lately i've been thinking about how LLMs must feel really amazing to use if you're a dumbass, but incredibly frustrating if you're just basically competent in life.
Is AI making job recruitment less meritocratic? We're getting some v interesting research studies on this question now, and the news is... not good. @jburnmurdoch.ft.com & I dive in, in the latest edition of our newsletter The AI Shift www.ft.com/content/e5b7...
November 14, 2025 at 1:57 PM
they gleefully announce the llm solves a difficult problem and then you find out...they use it to respond to an email, format some python, arrange two meetings in an 8 hour period.
we are going to let these people burn the planet because we are too nice to tell them they sound stupid.
we are going to let these people burn the planet because we are too nice to tell them they sound stupid.
Hopefully the BBC's response will be along the lines of "We refer you to the reply given in the case of Arkell v. Pressdram".
The BBC has until Friday to respond to a legal threat by Trump’s lawyers sent on Sunday seeking $1bn in damages unless the corporation apologises and offers compensation on.ft.com/4p1pwUn
November 12, 2025 at 12:29 PM
Hopefully the BBC's response will be along the lines of "We refer you to the reply given in the case of Arkell v. Pressdram".
Reposted by Tim Holyoake
"Research released this month by economists at the Bank of England, the Bundesbank, King’s College London and the universities of Stanford and Nottingham underscored the economic hit from leaving the EU. Brexit had reduced UK GDP by 6-8%"
on.ft.com/4p1NoHv
on.ft.com/4p1NoHv
Rachel Reeves signals she will break manifesto pledge with Budget tax rises
Chancellor hopes to win support from Labour MPs by lifting two-child benefit cap
on.ft.com
November 11, 2025 at 7:08 AM
"Research released this month by economists at the Bank of England, the Bundesbank, King’s College London and the universities of Stanford and Nottingham underscored the economic hit from leaving the EU. Brexit had reduced UK GDP by 6-8%"
on.ft.com/4p1NoHv
on.ft.com/4p1NoHv
Reposted by Tim Holyoake
Whenever Reform are in control, their first instinct is to go after the most vulnerable.
If this is what happens when they run a council, just imagine them running the country.
If this is what happens when they run a council, just imagine them running the country.
November 6, 2025 at 3:15 PM
Whenever Reform are in control, their first instinct is to go after the most vulnerable.
If this is what happens when they run a council, just imagine them running the country.
If this is what happens when they run a council, just imagine them running the country.
Reposted by Tim Holyoake
Finally: "PET Invaders" - Public Beta!
My personal take on Space Invaders for the Commodre PET.
Link to online-emulation:
masswerk.at/pet/prgs/#pe...
Beta testers and feedback welcome!
#commodore #petscii #mos6502
My personal take on Space Invaders for the Commodre PET.
Link to online-emulation:
masswerk.at/pet/prgs/#pe...
Beta testers and feedback welcome!
#commodore #petscii #mos6502
November 4, 2025 at 5:21 AM
Finally: "PET Invaders" - Public Beta!
My personal take on Space Invaders for the Commodre PET.
Link to online-emulation:
masswerk.at/pet/prgs/#pe...
Beta testers and feedback welcome!
#commodore #petscii #mos6502
My personal take on Space Invaders for the Commodre PET.
Link to online-emulation:
masswerk.at/pet/prgs/#pe...
Beta testers and feedback welcome!
#commodore #petscii #mos6502
Ottery St Mary evening #Devon #DevonLife
November 5, 2025 at 9:38 PM
Ottery St Mary evening #Devon #DevonLife
Sunday afternoon benchmarking session. A real MZ-700 vs my emulator. The emulator is currently 20% or so too fast when running on a 220MHz Pi Pico. Should be easy enough to slow down!!
#RetroComputing #PicoMZ #Sharp #MZ700
#RetroComputing #PicoMZ #Sharp #MZ700
November 2, 2025 at 4:32 PM
Sunday afternoon benchmarking session. A real MZ-700 vs my emulator. The emulator is currently 20% or so too fast when running on a 220MHz Pi Pico. Should be easy enough to slow down!!
#RetroComputing #PicoMZ #Sharp #MZ700
#RetroComputing #PicoMZ #Sharp #MZ700
I seem to be getting close to having a reasonable #M700 #emulator running. There are some oddities that I need to look into (e.g. keyboard handling for monitor in ROM seems different to monitor in RAM) and I need to retrieve my real MZ-700 to check various timings.
#RetroComputing
#RetroComputing
November 1, 2025 at 5:18 PM
I seem to be getting close to having a reasonable #M700 #emulator running. There are some oddities that I need to look into (e.g. keyboard handling for monitor in ROM seems different to monitor in RAM) and I need to retrieve my real MZ-700 to check various timings.
#RetroComputing
#RetroComputing
Reposted by Tim Holyoake
Hi Lisa Nandy! I’m a BAFTA winner from a small town. Instead of asinine questions like this, why not tell us how we can continue to make a living in the eviscerated creative sector over which you notionally preside?
October 31, 2025 at 7:10 AM
Hi Lisa Nandy! I’m a BAFTA winner from a small town. Instead of asinine questions like this, why not tell us how we can continue to make a living in the eviscerated creative sector over which you notionally preside?
Reposted by Tim Holyoake
Liberal D66 party set to win Dutch parliamentary elections, exit poll suggests on.ft.com/47fiLIJ
Liberal D66 party set to win Dutch parliamentary elections, exit poll suggests
The far-right Freedom party is projected to come second
on.ft.com
October 29, 2025 at 8:34 PM
Liberal D66 party set to win Dutch parliamentary elections, exit poll suggests on.ft.com/47fiLIJ
Totally stunned that the Pico MZ-80K won the "general" category in last year's #RetroChallenge! Thank you to everyone who voted for me, followed the project, etc. etc. etc. #RetroComputing
www.retrochallenge.org/2025/10/rc20...
www.retrochallenge.org/2025/10/rc20...
RC2024/10 Results...Less than a Year Late!
With so many entries for RC2024/10 (a record, i'm sure!), and having already put in so much work during the month, I really let things slide...
www.retrochallenge.org
October 29, 2025 at 8:37 PM
Totally stunned that the Pico MZ-80K won the "general" category in last year's #RetroChallenge! Thank you to everyone who voted for me, followed the project, etc. etc. etc. #RetroComputing
www.retrochallenge.org/2025/10/rc20...
www.retrochallenge.org/2025/10/rc20...
Reposted by Tim Holyoake
Top of the Pops (26th October 1978). Elvis Costello and the Attractions kick things off with 'Radio Radio'.
October 26, 2025 at 3:02 PM
Top of the Pops (26th October 1978). Elvis Costello and the Attractions kick things off with 'Radio Radio'.
Reposted by Tim Holyoake
I've got an original and challenging opinion that you won't here anywhere else. It's that this is the best film adaptation of A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens.
October 24, 2025 at 6:00 PM
I've got an original and challenging opinion that you won't here anywhere else. It's that this is the best film adaptation of A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens.
Reposted by Tim Holyoake
It’s outrageous that many clinically vulnerable people, including those who have motor neurone disease, are not eligible for free COVID-19 booster jabs this autumn. Last week, I spoke with BBC Radio Surrey and wrote to the Health Secretary about this.
October 22, 2025 at 2:46 PM
It’s outrageous that many clinically vulnerable people, including those who have motor neurone disease, are not eligible for free COVID-19 booster jabs this autumn. Last week, I spoke with BBC Radio Surrey and wrote to the Health Secretary about this.