Richie Shoemaker
@zptr.bsky.social
Editor @debug.plus. Also doing this and that, now and again, hither and thither. https://linktr.ee/zptr
Tuned in to the tail end of #TheLastNightoftheProms (expecting #MOTD) and it cheers my heart that at this bastion of conservative patriotism there were more EU flags being waved that Union Jacks. Was it always ever thus?
September 13, 2025 at 9:37 PM
Tuned in to the tail end of #TheLastNightoftheProms (expecting #MOTD) and it cheers my heart that at this bastion of conservative patriotism there were more EU flags being waved that Union Jacks. Was it always ever thus?
I really should crack on with the next ish of @debug.plus, which means I need to find another victim/subject for this soon-to-be series.
So, if you're an #indiedev that sees themselves more on the left of this pic, who might be the person on the right that you'd like to quiz?
So, if you're an #indiedev that sees themselves more on the left of this pic, who might be the person on the right that you'd like to quiz?
July 31, 2025 at 10:33 AM
I really should crack on with the next ish of @debug.plus, which means I need to find another victim/subject for this soon-to-be series.
So, if you're an #indiedev that sees themselves more on the left of this pic, who might be the person on the right that you'd like to quiz?
So, if you're an #indiedev that sees themselves more on the left of this pic, who might be the person on the right that you'd like to quiz?
I've often wondered how life might've turned out had I taken the other job. Would I have been thrown on the scrapheap after working on SWOS 97/98 (as some were) to never trouble the industry again, or risen through the ranks elsewhere, throwing other people on the scrapheap 23/24?
June 23, 2025 at 2:12 PM
I've often wondered how life might've turned out had I taken the other job. Would I have been thrown on the scrapheap after working on SWOS 97/98 (as some were) to never trouble the industry again, or risen through the ranks elsewhere, throwing other people on the scrapheap 23/24?
EVE's reign as my most played game is about to end o7
June 20, 2025 at 7:59 PM
EVE's reign as my most played game is about to end o7
Career aspirations have been met
June 19, 2025 at 3:51 PM
Career aspirations have been met
My skills are more transferable than I thought.
May 31, 2025 at 3:13 PM
My skills are more transferable than I thought.
Not someone you expect to bump into in #EliteDangerous
April 22, 2025 at 11:48 AM
Not someone you expect to bump into in #EliteDangerous
For those that would like to compare and contrast with the version depicted in the #BlackMirror episode, here are some pics from the PC Zone office in the 90s. That's me in the orange shirt and that last pic was my desk. There's an overflowing ashtray in there somewhere. Absolute filth and carnage.
April 14, 2025 at 1:23 PM
For those that would like to compare and contrast with the version depicted in the #BlackMirror episode, here are some pics from the PC Zone office in the 90s. That's me in the orange shirt and that last pic was my desk. There's an overflowing ashtray in there somewhere. Absolute filth and carnage.
A bit lucky in the first half, brilliant in the second. Play up to stay up!
March 9, 2025 at 2:18 PM
A bit lucky in the first half, brilliant in the second. Play up to stay up!
I started the year working on four games mags, one of which was very advanced. That one unexpectedly stalled last month (which I'm still pissed about) and another has just been shot down entirely (which was expected and I'm ok with). The other two are still on course. I remain hopeful.
February 20, 2025 at 9:43 AM
I started the year working on four games mags, one of which was very advanced. That one unexpectedly stalled last month (which I'm still pissed about) and another has just been shot down entirely (which was expected and I'm ok with). The other two are still on course. I remain hopeful.
Valentine's Day breakfast courtesy of my amazing wife. Gonna crash hard in about an hour.
February 14, 2025 at 8:34 AM
Valentine's Day breakfast courtesy of my amazing wife. Gonna crash hard in about an hour.
Here's my entry: This is Margeaux. She whines when she’s not in my lap and snores when she is. If you’ve ever spoken to me on Zoom and wondered about the noise, it was Marge. But when deadlines abound, she is a reminder that nothing is worth getting stressed about, unless it’s a place to kip.
February 4, 2025 at 3:57 PM
Here's my entry: This is Margeaux. She whines when she’s not in my lap and snores when she is. If you’ve ever spoken to me on Zoom and wondered about the noise, it was Marge. But when deadlines abound, she is a reminder that nothing is worth getting stressed about, unless it’s a place to kip.
Checking out the new ish of @debugmag.com and loving the bold simplicity of this feature layout. A fine read courtesy of @jupiterhadley.com too!
February 2, 2025 at 3:40 PM
Checking out the new ish of @debugmag.com and loving the bold simplicity of this feature layout. A fine read courtesy of @jupiterhadley.com too!
Loved these as a kid,which is why I've just bought them off eBay. Don't judge me. I'm not going to vote for Reform or anything. Not until I'm 70+ at least.
January 15, 2025 at 1:35 PM
Loved these as a kid,which is why I've just bought them off eBay. Don't judge me. I'm not going to vote for Reform or anything. Not until I'm 70+ at least.
I don't know which is creeper, making "clippings packs" or buying them. If these were for games though, it would break my heart to see so many magazines butchered.
(For the record, I was looking for an old Warlord annual, which this person has for sale. Not sure I want it now though.)
(For the record, I was looking for an old Warlord annual, which this person has for sale. Not sure I want it now though.)
January 9, 2025 at 10:36 AM
I don't know which is creeper, making "clippings packs" or buying them. If these were for games though, it would break my heart to see so many magazines butchered.
(For the record, I was looking for an old Warlord annual, which this person has for sale. Not sure I want it now though.)
(For the record, I was looking for an old Warlord annual, which this person has for sale. Not sure I want it now though.)
Great cover on the new issue of Pixel Addict. I had no idea how much I wanted to read about a 50yo CPU until seeing this.
January 7, 2025 at 2:04 PM
Great cover on the new issue of Pixel Addict. I had no idea how much I wanted to read about a 50yo CPU until seeing this.
Found an entry form for the 2001 BAFTAs. £125 to have your game considered in one category, plus another £95 for any additional categories.
January 6, 2025 at 11:14 AM
Found an entry form for the 2001 BAFTAs. £125 to have your game considered in one category, plus another £95 for any additional categories.
Your Spectrum magazine changed its scoring system 3 times in 2yrs (and again with the full transformation into Your Sinclair) and was the inspiration behind the convoluted and unintuitive scoring system I've devised for the new mag. It's out of 3, x3, basically.
January 2, 2025 at 11:08 AM
Your Spectrum magazine changed its scoring system 3 times in 2yrs (and again with the full transformation into Your Sinclair) and was the inspiration behind the convoluted and unintuitive scoring system I've devised for the new mag. It's out of 3, x3, basically.
New mag delivery today. Surprised and pleased that it's A4, but it feels like it was designed for A5. Great idea to focus entirely on new games for retro platforms. Hopefully issue 4 is in the works.
December 30, 2024 at 5:03 PM
New mag delivery today. Surprised and pleased that it's A4, but it feels like it was designed for A5. Great idea to focus entirely on new games for retro platforms. Hopefully issue 4 is in the works.
I'm sure you've done splendid work, but if between now and the new year you post a bulleted list of all this things you have done during 2024 and one of them is to have witnessed something, I will think less of you. Your brain processing sense data is not an achievement.
December 20, 2024 at 2:17 PM
I'm sure you've done splendid work, but if between now and the new year you post a bulleted list of all this things you have done during 2024 and one of them is to have witnessed something, I will think less of you. Your brain processing sense data is not an achievement.
Can we get a mop bucket racing game? Hear me out! Not only do you have to get to the next aisle before the other cleaners, you have to not lose too much filthy water on the way. I'd wishlist it!
December 19, 2024 at 1:08 PM
Can we get a mop bucket racing game? Hear me out! Not only do you have to get to the next aisle before the other cleaners, you have to not lose too much filthy water on the way. I'd wishlist it!
Pic in the MCV 30u30 supplement suggesting I might want to throw in a couple of jokes into my stand-up routine.
December 17, 2024 at 12:31 PM
Pic in the MCV 30u30 supplement suggesting I might want to throw in a couple of jokes into my stand-up routine.
Got the latest @debugmag.com just now. And Crash, Next, @pixeladdict.bsky.social and Atari Addict. Lots of reading to be done this holiday season!
December 16, 2024 at 2:26 PM
Got the latest @debugmag.com just now. And Crash, Next, @pixeladdict.bsky.social and Atari Addict. Lots of reading to be done this holiday season!
Mike Singleton appreciation night
December 7, 2024 at 9:00 PM
Mike Singleton appreciation night
Dangerous precedent here: crediting the platform the program was written on rather than the creator ;)
December 6, 2024 at 9:51 PM
Dangerous precedent here: crediting the platform the program was written on rather than the creator ;)