Norbert Landsteiner
@masswerk.at
Mostly retro and vintage computing content, I guess.
www.masswerk.at
www.masswerk.at
Idea for 2026:
Now that we have "AI", thumbnails don't convey anything about the video or film behind them. So, why not get rid of them and have more space to display a full title? This way, we not only prevent meaningless clutter, we also save bandwidth, inference costs, even the planet…
Now that we have "AI", thumbnails don't convey anything about the video or film behind them. So, why not get rid of them and have more space to display a full title? This way, we not only prevent meaningless clutter, we also save bandwidth, inference costs, even the planet…
December 26, 2025 at 11:48 PM
Idea for 2026:
Now that we have "AI", thumbnails don't convey anything about the video or film behind them. So, why not get rid of them and have more space to display a full title? This way, we not only prevent meaningless clutter, we also save bandwidth, inference costs, even the planet…
Now that we have "AI", thumbnails don't convey anything about the video or film behind them. So, why not get rid of them and have more space to display a full title? This way, we not only prevent meaningless clutter, we also save bandwidth, inference costs, even the planet…
December 25, 2025 at 12:45 PM
X-Mas Quest:
Can I do a 6502 X-mas themed game for the Commodore PET in a single day?
Progress so far…
Can I do a 6502 X-mas themed game for the Commodore PET in a single day?
Progress so far…
December 21, 2025 at 10:00 AM
X-Mas Quest:
Can I do a 6502 X-mas themed game for the Commodore PET in a single day?
Progress so far…
Can I do a 6502 X-mas themed game for the Commodore PET in a single day?
Progress so far…
So yesterday I was at the bank to submit a few payment slips on behalf of my father.
For years, this has been a breeze: scan, see the flawlessly interpreted result on a single screen, verify, done.
Now, it's apparently "A.I. enhanced": First, verify every line separately, on a separate screen,
1/2
For years, this has been a breeze: scan, see the flawlessly interpreted result on a single screen, verify, done.
Now, it's apparently "A.I. enhanced": First, verify every line separately, on a separate screen,
1/2
December 20, 2025 at 12:07 PM
So yesterday I was at the bank to submit a few payment slips on behalf of my father.
For years, this has been a breeze: scan, see the flawlessly interpreted result on a single screen, verify, done.
Now, it's apparently "A.I. enhanced": First, verify every line separately, on a separate screen,
1/2
For years, this has been a breeze: scan, see the flawlessly interpreted result on a single screen, verify, done.
Now, it's apparently "A.I. enhanced": First, verify every line separately, on a separate screen,
1/2
Found this YouTube video of a long play of "PET Invaders" on real hardware (PET 4032):
www.youtube.com/watch?v=qHB4...
(You can get the game here: masswerk.itch.io/pet-invaders )
www.youtube.com/watch?v=qHB4...
(You can get the game here: masswerk.itch.io/pet-invaders )
PET Invaders - Commodore PET 4032 - Real Hardware
YouTube video by necronom
www.youtube.com
December 20, 2025 at 11:22 AM
Found this YouTube video of a long play of "PET Invaders" on real hardware (PET 4032):
www.youtube.com/watch?v=qHB4...
(You can get the game here: masswerk.itch.io/pet-invaders )
www.youtube.com/watch?v=qHB4...
(You can get the game here: masswerk.itch.io/pet-invaders )
Reposted by Norbert Landsteiner
a dumb idea i had yesterday
December 18, 2025 at 10:46 PM
a dumb idea i had yesterday
I think, I finally managed to capture "PET Invaders" with sound.
Grab it here:
masswerk.itch.io/pet-invaders
#petscii #commodore #8bit #mos6502
Grab it here:
masswerk.itch.io/pet-invaders
#petscii #commodore #8bit #mos6502
December 19, 2025 at 3:27 AM
I think, I finally managed to capture "PET Invaders" with sound.
Grab it here:
masswerk.itch.io/pet-invaders
#petscii #commodore #8bit #mos6502
Grab it here:
masswerk.itch.io/pet-invaders
#petscii #commodore #8bit #mos6502
December 18, 2025 at 8:02 PM
Apparently, applying universal laws, applicable to everyone, to an US-held entity is to "restrict, limit, and deter the competitiveness of US service providers through discriminatory means". – Do people in the US really not know the term "universal"?
arstechnica.com/tech-policy/...
arstechnica.com/tech-policy/...
Bursting AI bubble may be EU’s “secret weapon” in clash with Trump, expert says
Spotify and Accenture caught in crossfire as Trump attacks EU tech regulations.
arstechnica.com
December 17, 2025 at 7:02 PM
Apparently, applying universal laws, applicable to everyone, to an US-held entity is to "restrict, limit, and deter the competitiveness of US service providers through discriminatory means". – Do people in the US really not know the term "universal"?
arstechnica.com/tech-policy/...
arstechnica.com/tech-policy/...
The Waterloo Structured BASIC option ROM is now available in the Commodore PET 2001 emulator!
masswerk.at/pet/prgs/#wa...
This is a peculiar BASIC extension adding support for structured programming (loops, if-else-elseif-endif, procedures) while adding no tokens of its own to the standard ones.
masswerk.at/pet/prgs/#wa...
This is a peculiar BASIC extension adding support for structured programming (loops, if-else-elseif-endif, procedures) while adding no tokens of its own to the standard ones.
December 17, 2025 at 4:11 PM
The Waterloo Structured BASIC option ROM is now available in the Commodore PET 2001 emulator!
masswerk.at/pet/prgs/#wa...
This is a peculiar BASIC extension adding support for structured programming (loops, if-else-elseif-endif, procedures) while adding no tokens of its own to the standard ones.
masswerk.at/pet/prgs/#wa...
This is a peculiar BASIC extension adding support for structured programming (loops, if-else-elseif-endif, procedures) while adding no tokens of its own to the standard ones.
Time to get ready for that time of the year: updated "Season's Greetings" available for Commodore PET (40 cols).
Get it here:
masswerk.at/pet/prgs/#se...
Get it here:
masswerk.at/pet/prgs/#se...
December 15, 2025 at 5:37 PM
Time to get ready for that time of the year: updated "Season's Greetings" available for Commodore PET (40 cols).
Get it here:
masswerk.at/pet/prgs/#se...
Get it here:
masswerk.at/pet/prgs/#se...
Is this why LLM performance is deemed acceptable: people already falling for superficial similarities in words for a long time?
BTW: The game just minimizes the distance from a ghost to a given point, e.g., the position of Pac-Man, a few positions in front and to the left of it, a given corner…
BTW: The game just minimizes the distance from a ghost to a given point, e.g., the position of Pac-Man, a few positions in front and to the left of it, a given corner…
They used PacMan having AI* for the ghosts as argument that it's inevitable that AI** will take over game dev.
It's deliberate obfuscation of what their nonsense is and isn't. The term "AI" is sadly poisoned now.
*some simple <if PacMan is to the left of you go to the left> statements
**LLMs
It's deliberate obfuscation of what their nonsense is and isn't. The term "AI" is sadly poisoned now.
*some simple <if PacMan is to the left of you go to the left> statements
**LLMs
December 13, 2025 at 7:12 PM
Is this why LLM performance is deemed acceptable: people already falling for superficial similarities in words for a long time?
BTW: The game just minimizes the distance from a ghost to a given point, e.g., the position of Pac-Man, a few positions in front and to the left of it, a given corner…
BTW: The game just minimizes the distance from a ghost to a given point, e.g., the position of Pac-Man, a few positions in front and to the left of it, a given corner…
> "why doesn't my kid stop dropping the pizza on the floor?"
Tzz – Just glue the pizza to the kid – as we all know, glue is the best part of the pizza anyway – and there's no reason left for questioning any why.
It's alarming how unfit this generation (Altman & co) is for using A.I. effectively!
Tzz – Just glue the pizza to the kid – as we all know, glue is the best part of the pizza anyway – and there's no reason left for questioning any why.
It's alarming how unfit this generation (Altman & co) is for using A.I. effectively!
Jimmy Fallon: "And do you use ChatGPT when raising your baby?"
Sam Altman: "I cannot imagine figuring out how to raise a newborn without ChatGPT."
Sam Altman: "I cannot imagine figuring out how to raise a newborn without ChatGPT."
December 11, 2025 at 3:45 PM
> "why doesn't my kid stop dropping the pizza on the floor?"
Tzz – Just glue the pizza to the kid – as we all know, glue is the best part of the pizza anyway – and there's no reason left for questioning any why.
It's alarming how unfit this generation (Altman & co) is for using A.I. effectively!
Tzz – Just glue the pizza to the kid – as we all know, glue is the best part of the pizza anyway – and there's no reason left for questioning any why.
It's alarming how unfit this generation (Altman & co) is for using A.I. effectively!
Well, this is beautiful.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=5iZE...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=5iZE...
The Sorrowful Ballad of Jet Set Willy | ZX Spectrum
YouTube video by RoseTintedSpectrum
www.youtube.com
December 8, 2025 at 7:45 PM
Well, this is beautiful.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=5iZE...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=5iZE...
I kind of knew that our overlords were five year olds, but probably not five year olds on that much of sugar…
December 5, 2025 at 4:49 PM
I kind of knew that our overlords were five year olds, but probably not five year olds on that much of sugar…
Continuing a theme on EOR operations for managing sprite state, as it previously arose in thread by @0xc0de.bsky.social :
This is how "PET Invaders" runs at 60 fps (and also, why it doesn't fit into just 8K of memory): there are lots of pre-shifted graphics, and a table with references to them:
This is how "PET Invaders" runs at 60 fps (and also, why it doesn't fit into just 8K of memory): there are lots of pre-shifted graphics, and a table with references to them:
December 5, 2025 at 12:47 PM
Continuing a theme on EOR operations for managing sprite state, as it previously arose in thread by @0xc0de.bsky.social :
This is how "PET Invaders" runs at 60 fps (and also, why it doesn't fit into just 8K of memory): there are lots of pre-shifted graphics, and a table with references to them:
This is how "PET Invaders" runs at 60 fps (and also, why it doesn't fit into just 8K of memory): there are lots of pre-shifted graphics, and a table with references to them:
Ha-ha!
The PET 2001 emulator now exports SVG images, rendered from the current state of the video memory and the character ROM in use. And, yes, these are optimized paths.
masswerk.at/pet
(SVG export is available via the screen's context menu.)
The PET 2001 emulator now exports SVG images, rendered from the current state of the video memory and the character ROM in use. And, yes, these are optimized paths.
masswerk.at/pet
(SVG export is available via the screen's context menu.)
December 4, 2025 at 1:43 AM
Ha-ha!
The PET 2001 emulator now exports SVG images, rendered from the current state of the video memory and the character ROM in use. And, yes, these are optimized paths.
masswerk.at/pet
(SVG export is available via the screen's context menu.)
The PET 2001 emulator now exports SVG images, rendered from the current state of the video memory and the character ROM in use. And, yes, these are optimized paths.
masswerk.at/pet
(SVG export is available via the screen's context menu.)
This may be an actual use-case for A.I.: for any sentence, look up the private wealth of the convicted – and if it's above a certain threshold, auto-pen a pardon.
Trump just commuted the 7-year sentence of David Gentile, a private equity leader who helped defraud thousands of people out of some $1.6 billion, almost as soon as his prison stint began.
"I lost my whole life savings," one person wrote, adding, "I am living from check to check."
"I lost my whole life savings," one person wrote, adding, "I am living from check to check."
Trump Frees Fraudster Just Days Into Seven-Year Prison Sentence
www.nytimes.com
December 1, 2025 at 2:42 PM
This may be an actual use-case for A.I.: for any sentence, look up the private wealth of the convicted – and if it's above a certain threshold, auto-pen a pardon.
While I'm generally very concerned about the effects of LLM-based "A.I." on society and general sanity, now I'm a bit less concerned.
Watch carefully and you can see right through her eyes into the headrest.
#WorldBollardAssociation
#WorldBollardAssociation
November 30, 2025 at 3:10 PM
While I'm generally very concerned about the effects of LLM-based "A.I." on society and general sanity, now I'm a bit less concerned.
This is ingenious! Why did no-one ever come with this brilliant idea, not even Tesla: just put "do not have accidents with our product" and "do not experience failure" in the TOS – and you're done, all liabilities waivered!
arstechnica.com/tech-policy/...
arstechnica.com/tech-policy/...
OpenAI says dead teen violated TOS when he used ChatGPT to plan suicide
OpenAI’s response to teen suicide case is “disturbing,” lawyer says.
arstechnica.com
November 27, 2025 at 2:49 PM
This is ingenious! Why did no-one ever come with this brilliant idea, not even Tesla: just put "do not have accidents with our product" and "do not experience failure" in the TOS – and you're done, all liabilities waivered!
arstechnica.com/tech-policy/...
arstechnica.com/tech-policy/...
Back in 1998 talking toys like the Furby could run on a Sunplus SPC81A microcontroller, a cut-down 6502 without the Y-register.
Modern talking toys, like the "Large Language Furbies" of our times, are threatening to swallow the entire electronic manufacturing capacity and eventually the Planet.
Modern talking toys, like the "Large Language Furbies" of our times, are threatening to swallow the entire electronic manufacturing capacity and eventually the Planet.
November 26, 2025 at 3:39 PM
Back in 1998 talking toys like the Furby could run on a Sunplus SPC81A microcontroller, a cut-down 6502 without the Y-register.
Modern talking toys, like the "Large Language Furbies" of our times, are threatening to swallow the entire electronic manufacturing capacity and eventually the Planet.
Modern talking toys, like the "Large Language Furbies" of our times, are threatening to swallow the entire electronic manufacturing capacity and eventually the Planet.
Make sure to turn on your DED ("Dark Emitting Diode") when prompting your "A.I.", to hide your traces.
November 26, 2025 at 12:00 PM
Make sure to turn on your DED ("Dark Emitting Diode") when prompting your "A.I.", to hide your traces.
Whatever you ask your "A.I.", always keep in mind that the Mighty Space Blanket is watching you.
November 26, 2025 at 12:38 AM
Whatever you ask your "A.I.", always keep in mind that the Mighty Space Blanket is watching you.
For #ChuckPeddleDay, I added an option to load the Oric Atmos ROM (1.1B that is) to the Virtual 6502 online emulator.
masswerk.at/6502/
masswerk.at/6502/
November 25, 2025 at 6:55 PM
For #ChuckPeddleDay, I added an option to load the Oric Atmos ROM (1.1B that is) to the Virtual 6502 online emulator.
masswerk.at/6502/
masswerk.at/6502/