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Cynthia Spencer Project

What happens when you make a few phone calls to Friends to help create something to benefit a Charity providing Palliative and End-of-Life Care to people? We created this amazing Jewellery where all profits benefit Cynthia Spencer Hospice, that's what! Have a read to find out more.

Vintage illustration showing a “No Tipping Allowed by Law” sign with a policeman, waitress and customers debating tipping in early 20th-century America.

The Tipping Escalation Ladder – Can It Be Reversed? (Part 2 of 3)

After exploring the idea of the Tipping Escalation Ladder, one question kept appearing: can tipping culture actually be reversed? Surprisingly, the United States once tried to ban tipping entirely. This follow-up looks at the forgotten anti-tipping movement of the early 1900s and how modern payment systems and delivery platforms may now be reshaping tipping expectations once again.

Payment terminal screen showing large buttons for 10%, 15%, and 20% tips with a smaller “No Tip” option, illustrating dark pattern design in tipping prompts.

When Payment Design Becomes Persuasion (Part 3 of 3)

A modern payment terminal asking for a tip may look like a simple choice. But behind that screen sits decades of behavioural research, UX design, and subtle psychological nudges. As tipping prompts spread through global payment systems, the question becomes harder to ignore: are we choosing to tip… or being guided there by design?

Dimly lit NHS hospital six bed bay at night with a glowing smartphone on a rumpled bed, suggesting a restless patient and constant phone calls.

Tales from the NHS: The Unwashed Enigma

Life in a six bed NHS bay means you don’t just witness other people’s behaviour… you live inside it. This is the tale of Rupert, a sports-obsessed, toilet-blocking, phone-call addict who managed to delay an entire surgical list, ignore antibacterial wash instructions, and still somehow be the main character on the ward.

Illustration of an American and British diner arguing about tipping culture at a bar, symbolising the debate over tipping expectations.

The Tipping Escalation Ladder (Part 1 of 3)

Tipping used to be a simple thank-you for exceptional service. Today, it increasingly feels like something else… suggested by payment terminals, engineered into apps, and socially enforced in ways that quietly shift labour costs from employers to customers. In this piece, I explore what I call the Tipping Escalation Ladder and ask whether optional gratitude is becoming engineered expectation.

A close-up view of a PICC line secured to the upper arm with medical dressing and a SecurAcath anchor.

The NHS Is Modernising. Are We Remembering the Patient?

Recovering with a PICC line has made me notice something simple but important… trust. A withheld NHS call asked for my DOB before proving who they were, and a home visit introduced an AI recording app without clear consent. The problem isn’t technology… it’s assumed consent and invisible governance.

Empty hospital chair beside a bedside table with folded glasses, in a softly lit patient room.

Tales from the NHS: Schrödinger’s Elderly

A quiet moment from the ward… an elderly man, “medically stable” for discharge yet unable to stand. I didn’t intervene. Helplessness, fear… and the ache of not knowing what happened next. If this is how we treat those who’ve lived full lives, what becomes of us when our turn comes?

Digital illustration of a glowing neuron connected to a blue computer circuit board, representing the convergence of biological and silicon computing.

The New Frontier of Biocomputing: Power, Ethics and the Perils of Living Machines

Biocomputing is moving from sci-fi to server racks. Using living neurons as processors promises huge energy savings… but raises hard questions about consent, sentience risk, decommissioning and biosecurity. As a cybersecurity professional, I explore how “living machines” demand new ethics, governance and infection-control standards before they ever scale.

Cover of the Amstrad CPC Calendar 2026 featuring pixel art of Toki the ape, enemies, and retro fantasy elements.

Amstrad CPC Themed 2026 Calendar

Forget the 80s loading screens, the 2026 CPC calendar celebrates new releases from the modern Amstrad scene. Download it free and prove the CPC is still leading the 8-bit pack.

Amstrad CPC Calendar 2026 cover: vibrant pixel art scene from “Toki,” showing a cartoon ape, dragon, and colourful retro elements. Includes project title and QR codes in the corners.

Calendar Compiler

Create gorgeous, personalised printable calendars with CalendarCompiler! This open-source Python tool lets you mix your own artwork, public holidays, and special events (like “International Day Of…” and birthdays) in a fully customisable layout. Free to use and easy to configure, just update a settings file and hit run. Grab the latest version or contribute at: https://github.com/muckypaws/CalendarCompiler

Flat design illustration of a child at a computer surrounded by biometric ID images, a large red warning icon, and shadowy hacker figures, symbolising the privacy risks of the UK Online Safety Act.

How Protecting Children Online Created a Privacy Nightmare for Everyone

The UK's Online Safety Act forces millions to hand over passport photos and selfies to private companies just to access games and social media. These companies have poor security records and often transfer your identity documents overseas without proper safeguards. Recent breaches prove this creates "honeypots" for hackers rather than protecting children, while tech-savvy kids bypass checks with VPNs. The government could solve this with a token system like DVLA share-codes, but refuses to admit their approach is fundamentally flawed.

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Payment terminal screen showing large buttons for 10%, 15%, and 20% tips with a smaller “No Tip” option, illustrating dark pattern design in tipping prompts.

When Payment Design Becomes Persuasion (Part 3 of 3)

A modern payment terminal asking for a tip may look like a simple choice. But behind that screen sits decades of behavioural research, UX design, and subtle psychological nudges. As tipping prompts spread through global payment systems, the question becomes harder to ignore: are we choosing to tip… or being guided there by design?

Illustration of an American and British diner arguing about tipping culture at a bar, symbolising the debate over tipping expectations.

The Tipping Escalation Ladder (Part 1 of 3)

Tipping used to be a simple thank-you for exceptional service. Today, it increasingly feels like something else… suggested by payment terminals, engineered into apps, and socially enforced in ways that quietly shift labour costs from employers to customers. In this piece, I explore what I call the Tipping Escalation Ladder and ask whether optional gratitude is becoming engineered expectation.

A close-up view of a PICC line secured to the upper arm with medical dressing and a SecurAcath anchor.

The NHS Is Modernising. Are We Remembering the Patient?

Recovering with a PICC line has made me notice something simple but important… trust. A withheld NHS call asked for my DOB before proving who they were, and a home visit introduced an AI recording app without clear consent. The problem isn’t technology… it’s assumed consent and invisible governance.

Empty hospital chair beside a bedside table with folded glasses, in a softly lit patient room.

Tales from the NHS: Schrödinger’s Elderly

A quiet moment from the ward… an elderly man, “medically stable” for discharge yet unable to stand. I didn’t intervene. Helplessness, fear… and the ache of not knowing what happened next. If this is how we treat those who’ve lived full lives, what becomes of us when our turn comes?

Dimly lit NHS hospital six bed bay at night with a glowing smartphone on a rumpled bed, suggesting a restless patient and constant phone calls.

Tales from the NHS: The Unwashed Enigma

Life in a six bed NHS bay means you don’t just witness other people’s behaviour… you live inside it. This is the tale of Rupert, a sports-obsessed, toilet-blocking, phone-call addict who managed to delay an entire surgical list, ignore antibacterial wash instructions, and still somehow be the main character on the ward.

Payment terminal screen showing large buttons for 10%, 15%, and 20% tips with a smaller “No Tip” option, illustrating dark pattern design in tipping prompts.

When Payment Design Becomes Persuasion (Part 3 of 3)

A modern payment terminal asking for a tip may look like a simple choice. But behind that screen sits decades of behavioural research, UX design, and subtle psychological nudges. As tipping prompts spread through global payment systems, the question becomes harder to ignore: are we choosing to tip… or being guided there by design?

Vintage illustration showing a “No Tipping Allowed by Law” sign with a policeman, waitress and customers debating tipping in early 20th-century America.

The Tipping Escalation Ladder – Can It Be Reversed? (Part 2 of 3)

After exploring the idea of the Tipping Escalation Ladder, one question kept appearing: can tipping culture actually be reversed? Surprisingly, the United States once tried to ban tipping entirely. This follow-up looks at the forgotten anti-tipping movement of the early 1900s and how modern payment systems and delivery platforms may now be reshaping tipping expectations once again.

A digital balance scale weighing a glowing AI chatbot on one side and icons for streaming and social media platforms like YouTube and TikTok on the other, symbolising the debate over digital energy consumption.

Is AI Really the Energy Villain?

Is AI really the energy hog it’s made out to be? This blog explores the real energy impact of LLMs like ChatGPT, comparing it with always-on digital habits like YouTube, TikTok, and cloud gaming. Backed by data, this piece calls for balanced scrutiny, not headlines.

GreaseWeazle

Via the Retro community I learned of the GreaseWeazle, and at a fundamental level it works by recording the magnetic fluctuations on the disk surface and therefore doesn't rely on a specific disk interface to decode those signals. As such it makes it perfect for making digital forensic copies of disks in the past.

Amstrad and ZX Spectrum DSK Tool

I found myself needing a command line tool to investigate and extract files from DSK Image files used by Emulators, after archiving my own 1980's hack disks. I wrote my own and made it opensource for you to use, amend or even improve on if it helps your projects.

Widowed and Dating

Have you thought about whether you're capable of Love after Death? Do we go through the motions? How complicated is it? This is my story and experience of Love After Death.