An open letter to the UK Government on digital privacy
Privacy isn't about having something to hide. It's about having the right to choose what you share, with whom, and when.
jimmyff
Fun loving creative (he/him) 🏳️🌈
Latest posts
DreadBall All Stars - The Medical Room
I'm currently pretty excited for the DreadBall All Stars game on Kickstarter. It's a bit like a game I played as a teen called Blood Bowl but it's set in the future with streamlined gameplay. When the players get injured they go to the medical room and reappear totally healthy miraculously quickly... This player is finding out first hand how that all works!
Fantasy MiSTer FPGA console
After Richard and Neil (from Retro Collective ) mentioned they were open to ideas for the form-factor of the MiSTer Multisystem FPGA console, it got me thinking: what would my dream console look like? Taking what they already have in the Multisystem, I figured I'd make the display module a permanent fixture - but instead of pointing upwards, angle everything to face either front or back -…
Fantasy MiSTer FPGA console
Fantasy console designs for a stackable MiSTer Multisystem FPGA console. See the blog post for the full write-up.
Zap: A fast, ultra-minimal Zola theme
Ever since I went minimal with my last website theme ( Inky ), I've been wanting to go ultra-minimal. I wanted to see how much I could strip back to get TUI vibes: fast, lightweight with zero bloat. This weekend I finally built Zap , an ultra-minimal theme for Zola (the wonderful Rust-based static site generator). It's designed to be as minimal as possible while still being functional:…
Keeping my Nix inputs fresh
Nix's approach to reproducibility means programs live in read-only storage and can't self-update—you manage everything manually. After moving to Nix full-time , my initial setup meant updating everything at once: AI tools, developer tooling, and my desktop environment. This got annoying fast, since I like to update AI stuff almost daily, dev tools weekly, and my desktop maybe monthly. I…
Beyond package management: How Nix refactored my digital life
(You can find my Nix config over on Github ) I'm a disorganised person. My workflow is to bounce around a codebase for days/weeks at a time and when I come up for air I'll usually have left a slew of configs, tools, scripts, repos scattered around my computer like the socks near the bed, or the pile of paperwork on my desk. After a while I reach a point where it all becomes…
Prism: Color Library for Dart & Flutter
Prism is an optimized, zero-dependency color manipulation library for Dart & Flutter with multiple color models, accessibility tools, and pre-built palettes. I've always been fascinated with colors and color theory. I've designed a board game and an app around it, and in my amateur artworks I seem to subconsciously gravitate to complementary palettes ( examples: 1 , 2 , 3 ). Over the…
S-Bend - Landmark 5
S-Bend is a relatively narrow couple of turns that leads on to the bigger Pipe sweeping corner. Depending on the particular boat and weather conditions usually some manual assistance is required to help get it round the first corner which is initiated by the person in bow position (steering) calling harder on stroke side for 2-3 (stroke-side is your right hand oar). If you're on faster piece…
Boats - Landmark 3
I love going past boats, in autumn and winter you can often smell the log fires burning and a low mist clings to the water. The boats are moored outside the now disused Thwaite Mill and the surrounding foliage is particular luscious. We pass quietly so not to disturb the residents and on our way back in usually you can smell the coffee brewing and fresh bacon sandwiches!
Motorway - Landmark 7
Motorway is a wide stretch of the canal, it can be quite blustery and the water can be pretty choppy here. By this point you're probably tiring a little after doing your first proper piece of rowing through S-bend and pipe, with your heart racing and a face full of canal water combined with the thundering of vehicles overhead can be pretty exciting. If there's ever a flash thunderstorm…
Pop Snap Mega Update
So the latest version of Pop Snap has just hit the app stores so I figured it was the perfect time to add some deets about it to my blog. This is the result of about 2 weeks work totally revamping the client app. I've rewritten the editor itself which has big optimisation benefits and loads of scope for further development. I had an idea late last year that I would use Gemini LLM to…
Red Bridge - Landmark 2
I've decided to have a go at illustrating a map of Leeds canal for rowers. It will go from Leeds Rowing Clubs boathouse down to the lock which is around 4.2km away. It'll feature 9 landmarks along the way. The first landmark will the be the boathouse itself, the next is 200m away and that's the Red Bridge. On a foggy day you need to be able to see this bridge from the pontoon. At…
Fake Cultists: Development Diary & Sell Sheet
Almost a year back I blogged about my new social deduction game. Since then the games seen a couple of fairly chunky changes and I've been gradually refining it ever since. With every iteration the play tests became smoother and the game simpler. I think that this might be my first game I actually think is ready to publish! This is uncharted territory for me -I feel like there is nothing more…
Escapee
I needed a symbol to represent the 'Escapees' for my Traitors game . They'd be used on tokens as well as cards so it needed to work well at a small size. I came up with these broken shackles:
Elphie meets the Snowman!
Ho Ho Ho! Merry Christmas everyone! Continuing on from last year's Christmas Card we went for something in a similar style this year: Neil created a lovely poem for the inside: And the charities that we support: 🎄 We wish you a Merry Sausagemas and a Crackling New Year! x
#31 Landmark // Inktober 2024
🛕 An ancient landmark, under the moons golden glow; a thundering waterfall cascades below... Game play ideas I think this will be the settlement area of the 'Lost Kingdom' realm. From here you will explore the jungles, encounter the local natives and dinosaurs! Pheeeeew! ...So this wraps up another year of Inktober ! This year was a bit of a struggle as I have so much going on with work…
#30 Violin // Inktober 2024
🎸 Fingers of bone, pluck the mournful strings; "Penny for a song," the dead voices sings... Game play ideas You might encounter this undead bard in a tavern or during a Quest ...Will you pay him a penny for a song?
#29 Navigator // Inktober 2024
🌋 Martian plains stretch far and wide; the navigator's tablet is their only guide... Game play ideas I like the idea that the realm gates might take you to places far far away, maybe one of those could be a red planet. I'm not sure how this will work in terms of the space suits... An interesting idea, not sure it will make it in to the game though.
#28 Jumbo // Inktober 2024
🦕 Above the trees, it stands so tall; this jumbo dinosaur is king of all... Game play ideas The Lost Kingdom realm needs a boss and this gigantic dinosaur would fit the bill. I'm very keen to have dinosaurs in the game but killing them doesn't sit well with me so I need to think on that!
#27 Road // Inktober 2024
🏘️ Crooked houses, line the cobbled way; a hidden road, to explore and stay... Game play ideas The game will be split in to locations, each will have a campaign sheet, an adventure book and cards you add to the game when you access the location. You will start the game at 'Home Town', it will be a little town that you will gradually level up, as you complete quests you will unlock more…
#26 Camera // Inktober 2024
📹 A silent guardian, ever watchful eye: this ancient camera, tracks passers by... Game play ideas This could be a feature in a room during a quest, or maybe it's a treasure that you can deploy to watch over those pesky eyes in the dark?
#25 Scarecrow // Inktober 2024
🧟♂️ A tattered figure, stuffed with straw; the creepiest scarecrow you ever saw... Game play ideas This undead minion is something you may have to face during one of your Quests... Maybe they stand perfectly still until you come within range and then they spring to life jumping toward you.
#24 Expedition // Inktober 2024
🫏 With weary steps, and a heavy load; the expedition trudges on, for treasures untold... Game play ideas I think this mule will allow each character to carry an additional piece of treasure, however will also have a disadvantage on dexterity checks when adventuring in the over-world.
#23 Rust // Inktober 2024
🗡️ Scars of battles, rusted and worn; echoes of an age, forever torn... I like this one, it looks clean and has a Master of the Universe vibe about it! Game play ideas This looks like a solid balanced starting option for the Warrior class unless they want to go for a two handed weapon build.
#22 Camp // Inktober 2024
🔥 Flames crackle, embers glow; campfire stories, softly flow...
#21 Rhinoceros // Inktober 2024
🌿 Amidst the ferns, where shadows creep; a rhinoceros slumbers, in jungle sleep... Game play ideas Maybe this is a cousin of the rhinoceros but evolved differently alongside dinosaurs...
#20 Uncharted // Inktober 2024
💎 Crystals gleam, on the cavern's floor; uncharted depths, yet to explore... Game play ideas In the 'Under Mountain' realm you will be exploring caves containing forgotten treasures and monsters...
#19 Ridge // Inktober 2024
🫣 A narrow ridge, of crumbling stone; what lurks below, in the dark unknown... Game play ideas One of the realms you will explore is known as the "Under Mountain", this might be a room you encounter during a quest.
#18 Drive // Inktober 2024
🦖 With thundering steps, and a fearsome roar; drive this beast, to lands unexplored... Game play ideas I love the idea that dinosaurs will live in this game. I imagine they'll be like other animals: wild and dangerous but maybe you can tame them. I also have really cool ideas for mounts. I think they'll originate from a jungle realm called The Lost Kingdom, maybe a type of dinosaur has…
#17 Journal // Inktober 2024
💾 An ancient journal, left behind; hums with secrets, from a lost kind... I'm liking the idea of a retro-futuristic vibe for the technology in my game (I was watching some Star Trek as I drew this). Game play ideas Maybe the players are hunting these ancient high tech relics? Maybe the stargates will take the players to a high-tech world.
#16 Grungy // Inktober 2024
🍻 The drinks are flowing and eyes glazed; in the grungy tavern, where plots are made...
#15 Guidebook // Inktober 2024
📖 A tome of spells, a mystic guide; with words of power, deep inside...
#14 Roam // Inktober 2024
⛩️ Through ages past, the gateway stands; invites you to roam, distant lands.. Game play ideas I had originally planned my players to be traversing worlds via shadowgates but maybe they will explore using these stargates. Maybe it creates a portal through not only space but also time -this could explain the high-tech relics scattered throughout the land.
#13 Horizon // Inktober 2024
✨ Amidst the frost, a relic lies; of ancient skies, and starry eyes... Game play ideas Building on yesterdays Remote, I went for another slightly sci-fi image. Maybe these relics are scattered across the land from some long lost civilization! Maybe my shadowgates become stargates... 👀
#12 Remote // Inktober 2024
🌿 Vines entwined, a forgotten find; a remote control, of a different kind... Game play idea I like the idea of combining a little sci-fi in to my fantasy world. Probably inspired by He-man & MOTU!
#11 Snacks // Inktober 2024
🫐 Look beneath ferns and watch your tread; discover bounty from natures spread...
#10 Nomadic // Inktober 2024
🗺️ A burdened back, with treasures rare; He walks the world, without a care... Game play idea During your adventures you might bump into this traveling merchant 🧭💰
#9 Sun // Inktober 2024
🔥 The Staff of Dawn can turn a fight; ignites the air with fiery might... Game play idea This is the staff of dawn, it shoots fireballs 🤣
#8 Hike // Inktober 2024
🏔️ The mountains whisper, secrets old; as you ascend, adventure unfolds...
#7 Passport // Inktober 2024
📖 Bound in leather, with edges frayed; it holds the names of those who stayed...
#6 Trek // Inktober 2024
🧭 With rubies gleaming, a compass of gold; points to treasures and riches untold... Game play idea This compass always points to treasure. When rolling for treasure this allows the bearer to re-roll one dice!
#5 Binoculars // Inktober 2024
🔭 A lens of foresight, a wizard's friend; to see what lies beyond the bend... These are the Wizards Oracle Binoculars. They allow the bearer to see through doors and walls to spot danger ahead. When used you can draw the next 3 adversary cards and you may banish one to the bottom of the deck (as a way of avoiding it) and place the remaining two back in whatever order you choose!
#4 Exotic // Inktober 2024
🐉 In the depths of the earth, a creature unknown; an exotic beauty, made of crystal and stone... A stone & crystal dragon/dinosaur living deep under a volcano. This is just a baby that you might encounter and might even be able to train as an ally but their mum is going to be much bigger and grumpier, she'll be the boss of this chapter of the game!
#3 Boots // Inktober 2024
👢 Beautifully crafted and feather light; these boots make every jump a flight... Game play idea Allows the wearer to jump long distances! 🐸
#2 Discover // Inktober 2024
✨ With a creak, it swings open wide; glittering treasure you discover inside...
#1 Backpack // Inktober 2024
🎒 Buckles gleam, my leather pack; for adventures, there and back... Here we go again! ...Inktober 2024 So for this years inktober I'm planing to create artworks that I can use in my Ultimate Quest project. The prompts this year are all adventuring vibes so it actually coincides really nicely! I had planned to upgrade Deckorator to add SVG support (inspired by my recent work on Pop Snap ).…
Introducing Kosmos // Gemini API Developer Competition Submission
This is the video to accompany my submission to the Gemini AI Developer Competition ! I'm going to try and squeeze a quick dev log 4 video in before I set off on holiday in a couple of hours!
Introducing Clackety - a new fun little flutter package
I created a text animation for my Kosmos app , I wanted a typewritter style effect that could correct itself in realtime -à la Matrix. It would work well as the user interacts with the astrology charts. The retro-futuristic style fits really well with the vibe of my app and it's become part of it's identity. I figured I'd package it up so other people can use it too! So Clackety is…
Ai, Astrology and Clocks, oh my! // Dev Log 3
Woo, so here we are, Dev Log 3. I said this was going to be a big AI update and wow, I've been blown away by the results I've managed to get with Gemini ! Gemini Interpretations Gemini an incredibly powerful LLM and simple asking it straight up for interpretations works pretty well, but If there's one thing I've learned in the last few weeks is there isn't a singe correct…