Paul Varley
@paulpower.bsky.social
I like popular maths and science (particularly astronomy), cricket, trains, sometimes I obsess over videogames. I've been working at @techniquest.org for 13 years now. Autistic, non-binary, he/they.
October 15, 2025 at 1:17 PM
@vicas3.bsky.social @serenedragon3.bsky.social Mario swapping the colours of his overalls between SMB1 and the other games might end up being convenient for differentiating the sprites of all these All-Star games...
October 11, 2025 at 6:40 AM
@vicas3.bsky.social @serenedragon3.bsky.social Mario swapping the colours of his overalls between SMB1 and the other games might end up being convenient for differentiating the sprites of all these All-Star games...
@vicas3.bsky.social @serenedragon3.bsky.social Roll over, Beethoven.
September 30, 2025 at 10:35 AM
@vicas3.bsky.social @serenedragon3.bsky.social Roll over, Beethoven.
So you know my spreadsheet showing all of England's Tests and the players who played in them? Anyway, I did one for Sri Lanka too: www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/8twkr...
September 28, 2025 at 6:08 AM
So you know my spreadsheet showing all of England's Tests and the players who played in them? Anyway, I did one for Sri Lanka too: www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/8twkr...
@vicas3.bsky.social @serenedragon3.bsky.social If Max looks a little weird, it's because I couldn't actually find any sprite sheets for Doom Troopers! So I hastily edited a screenshot I found. Frankly I'm not sure the game's graphics deserved better :v
September 12, 2025 at 7:11 PM
@vicas3.bsky.social @serenedragon3.bsky.social If Max looks a little weird, it's because I couldn't actually find any sprite sheets for Doom Troopers! So I hastily edited a screenshot I found. Frankly I'm not sure the game's graphics deserved better :v
@vicas3.bsky.social @serenedragon3.bsky.social I wanted to try and get the healthbar portrait of Fred's eye's bugging out but for some reason there are no spritesheets with it! So instead have John Goodman's classic puffing idle animation:
September 2, 2025 at 9:50 AM
@vicas3.bsky.social @serenedragon3.bsky.social I wanted to try and get the healthbar portrait of Fred's eye's bugging out but for some reason there are no spritesheets with it! So instead have John Goodman's classic puffing idle animation:
All right, with Brook now having played 50 Test innings, it's time for another round of these! Now with dotty lines dividing the charts up diagonally, and colour coding for particularly high or low conversion rates for 50s into 100s. Further details in alt text. 🏏
August 8, 2025 at 3:26 PM
All right, with Brook now having played 50 Test innings, it's time for another round of these! Now with dotty lines dividing the charts up diagonally, and colour coding for particularly high or low conversion rates for 50s into 100s. Further details in alt text. 🏏
@vicas3.bsky.social @serenedragon3.bsky.social Given how long you spent on loading screens with this one, I *had* to use the sprite of Mickey checking his watch...
August 6, 2025 at 6:39 PM
@vicas3.bsky.social @serenedragon3.bsky.social Given how long you spent on loading screens with this one, I *had* to use the sprite of Mickey checking his watch...
50 innings is of course still a pretty small sample size, but uh Harry Brook everyone:
Among England players who have played 50 innings, only Herbert Sutcliffe has a higher proportion of 50+ scores than Brook currently has. 🏏
Among England players who have played 50 innings, only Herbert Sutcliffe has a higher proportion of 50+ scores than Brook currently has. 🏏
August 3, 2025 at 8:56 PM
50 innings is of course still a pretty small sample size, but uh Harry Brook everyone:
Among England players who have played 50 innings, only Herbert Sutcliffe has a higher proportion of 50+ scores than Brook currently has. 🏏
Among England players who have played 50 innings, only Herbert Sutcliffe has a higher proportion of 50+ scores than Brook currently has. 🏏
And here's the lower cluster, with between 20-30% 50+ scores and 30-40% single figure scores. Some have an explanation: some are allrounders or great fielders, some opened the batting in difficult eras, some were great at turning what 50s they did get into 100s.
One of them's Graeme Hick 🏏
One of them's Graeme Hick 🏏
July 22, 2025 at 12:29 PM
And here's the lower cluster, with between 20-30% 50+ scores and 30-40% single figure scores. Some have an explanation: some are allrounders or great fielders, some opened the batting in difficult eras, some were great at turning what 50s they did get into 100s.
One of them's Graeme Hick 🏏
One of them's Graeme Hick 🏏
With many people asking where other players were on the graph, I thought I'd do some zoom-ins on the two main "clusters" on the chart. First, the upper cluster, with between 25-35% 50+ scores and 20-30% single figure scores. Mostly good specialist batters (and Greig, D'Oliveira and Stewart).
July 22, 2025 at 11:45 AM
With many people asking where other players were on the graph, I thought I'd do some zoom-ins on the two main "clusters" on the chart. First, the upper cluster, with between 25-35% 50+ scores and 20-30% single figure scores. Mostly good specialist batters (and Greig, D'Oliveira and Stewart).
Made a graph of England Test batters (all time) plotting their rate of making single figure scores vs. making 50+ scores, because I dunno it's data that falls right out of my other spreadsheet and I thought it'd be neat. Outliers are labelled, further details in the alt text. 🏏
July 21, 2025 at 9:09 AM
Made a graph of England Test batters (all time) plotting their rate of making single figure scores vs. making 50+ scores, because I dunno it's data that falls right out of my other spreadsheet and I thought it'd be neat. Outliers are labelled, further details in the alt text. 🏏
@vicas3.bsky.social @serenedragon3.bsky.social Congratulations, Daffy, you're off the bottom spot.
The cooked chicken was on the sprite sheet I found, though I don't remember seeing it. Felt appropriate though.
The cooked chicken was on the sprite sheet I found, though I don't remember seeing it. Felt appropriate though.
July 19, 2025 at 6:32 PM
@vicas3.bsky.social @serenedragon3.bsky.social Congratulations, Daffy, you're off the bottom spot.
The cooked chicken was on the sprite sheet I found, though I don't remember seeing it. Felt appropriate though.
The cooked chicken was on the sprite sheet I found, though I don't remember seeing it. Felt appropriate though.
On Tuesday I went to "Waterfall Country", a part of the Brecon Beacons that I honestly didn't even know existed until a few weeks ago. There's some amazing stuff there!
June 20, 2025 at 7:19 AM
On Tuesday I went to "Waterfall Country", a part of the Brecon Beacons that I honestly didn't even know existed until a few weeks ago. There's some amazing stuff there!
@vicas3.bsky.social @serenedragon3.bsky.social I had to give Firebrand his iconic "stand in an empty boss arena somewhat goofily" pose. Nice to see a second game clear the 4 happy cows mark, even if the end boss did pump up the anger...
June 18, 2025 at 1:43 PM
@vicas3.bsky.social @serenedragon3.bsky.social I had to give Firebrand his iconic "stand in an empty boss arena somewhat goofily" pose. Nice to see a second game clear the 4 happy cows mark, even if the end boss did pump up the anger...
If you see this, post a vehicle.
June 3, 2025 at 5:07 AM
If you see this, post a vehicle.
If you see this, post a vehicle.
June 3, 2025 at 5:03 AM
If you see this, post a vehicle.
Root also overtook Eoin Morgan to become England's highest scoring batter in ODIs, as well as passing 7000 ODI runs to go with his 13,000 Test runs: #ENGvsWI 🏏
June 1, 2025 at 9:35 PM
Root also overtook Eoin Morgan to become England's highest scoring batter in ODIs, as well as passing 7000 ODI runs to go with his 13,000 Test runs: #ENGvsWI 🏏
Went to the cricket at Sophia Gardens today! Got treated to an absolute masterclass of a run chase by Joe Root, dragging England from 2-2 and 133-5 to overhaul WI's 308 with three wickets left. Here he is bringing up his 150: #ENGvsWI 🏏
June 1, 2025 at 8:41 PM
Went to the cricket at Sophia Gardens today! Got treated to an absolute masterclass of a run chase by Joe Root, dragging England from 2-2 and 133-5 to overhaul WI's 308 with three wickets left. Here he is bringing up his 150: #ENGvsWI 🏏
Previous sprite animation efforts on Animate It! number 2: Sonic teetering on a cliff edge.
@techniquest.org 🧪🎮
@techniquest.org 🧪🎮
May 31, 2025 at 1:29 PM
Previous sprite animation efforts on Animate It! number 2: Sonic teetering on a cliff edge.
@techniquest.org 🧪🎮
@techniquest.org 🧪🎮
May 31, 2025 at 1:22 PM