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Darren Townsend

@forrishilier

Husband. Proud dad to 17yo boy. Codeclub leader, CoG at 3 fab schools. Digital Making advocate. RPi Certified Educator. Delivers bread.

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Latest posts by Darren Townsend @forrishilier

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Miranda Keeling | Patreon Author and observer of everyday life.

I earn a little from my books but not from my podcast or sharing my work online. People say my posts make them feel calm and that’s worth a lot to me. Surviving as a creative is increasingly hard. Non-AI writing takes time. (Only if you feel you can!) support me here: www.patreon.com/cw/MirandaKe...

23.02.2026 16:41 πŸ‘ 21 πŸ” 10 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0

Yeah, I get that. I've also just remembered another one (I don't know what channel without looking it up) with Violet Berlin, which I think attracted a lot more lads, and probably a fair few ladies too πŸ˜‰

07.03.2026 17:53 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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Ah shit! We let pedophiles decide our beauty standards. Post the release of the harrowing Epstein files, and the powerful men in media and fashion, considered possible accomplices, it feels fair to say this with more gusto!

One of the most powerful things I've read in years, and a real dropping of the scales moment for something vile that has been insidiously poisoning everything for decades

jameelajamil.substack.com/p/ah-shit-we...

07.03.2026 10:03 πŸ‘ 548 πŸ” 204 πŸ’¬ 2 πŸ“Œ 12

I delivered a parcel to him at Dean Mill once. It was quite early on a Saturday morning. After a couple of knocks on the front door, he leaned out of (what I assumed was) his bedroom window, wearing blue & white stripey pyjamas, and asked me to just leave it by the door.

07.03.2026 10:45 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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Finally finished re-working my Elite Dangerous button box.

Sure, I could use a Stream Deck to control all the extra stuff, but c'mon ... real buttons and toggle switches and a missile switch and LEDs? Way cooler.

05.03.2026 13:18 πŸ‘ 298 πŸ” 48 πŸ’¬ 17 πŸ“Œ 2

Actually (and I didn't look this up), or just came to me 😁 It was rather unimaginatively called, I think, Gamesmaster.

07.03.2026 09:26 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0

There used to be a Saturday morning computer games show, hosted by Dominic Diamond, but I can't remember what it was called 😬

07.03.2026 08:34 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0
an ipad connected to two rp2040 microcontrollers on a breadboard

an ipad connected to two rp2040 microcontrollers on a breadboard

This might be the silliest contraption I've ever cooked up but it seems to work? mostly?

05.03.2026 21:38 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 1 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

We never mention is many who are #neurodivergent spend years being given inappropriate serious medication, anti depression, anti anxiety, even anti psychotic drugs. It really is horrific as it never works, years in and out of therapy.

So if your trying to save NHS budgets tbh. Diagnosis matters.

06.03.2026 15:56 πŸ‘ 162 πŸ” 22 πŸ’¬ 2 πŸ“Œ 0
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No evidence ADHD is being over-diagnosed, say experts Experts are warning that far from being over-diagnosed, people with ADHD are waiting too long for assessment, support and treatment.

Oh and #adhd ... British Journal of Psychiatry whole bunch of experts Professor Tamsin Ford, Head of the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Cambridge leading ⬇️

www.cam.ac.uk/research/new...

06.03.2026 11:15 πŸ‘ 368 πŸ” 153 πŸ’¬ 5 πŸ“Œ 0
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Talk Is Cheap: A $15 DIY Walkie-Talkie Project Turn your Raspberry Pi Pico W into a DIY walkie-talkie using built-in Wi-Fi and a few basic components for low-latency voice chats.

Talk is cheap! Turn your Raspberry Pi Pico W into a DIY walkie-talkie using built-in Wi-Fi and a few basic components for low-latency voice chats.

06.03.2026 13:36 πŸ‘ 2 πŸ” 1 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

Yep, I gained a lot of experience soldering headers on Pi Zeros. There's nothing like 20pin strips to get your eye in.

06.03.2026 18:37 πŸ‘ 2 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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A puddle, a pond and the setting sun. | Miranda Keeling Get more from Miranda Keeling on Patreon

A brief set of musings on my local park at twilight. Written to soothe the mind in these troubled times.

FREE to read: www.patreon.com/posts/152319...

06.03.2026 08:08 πŸ‘ 14 πŸ” 3 πŸ’¬ 2 πŸ“Œ 0

Hope it all goes well, Les. Make sure you allow yourself plenty of time to recover.

06.03.2026 18:25 πŸ‘ 0 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0

Today I want to talk about Jess’ Rule and Martha’s Rule, two new initiatives across NHS England that I think are really important and you should know about.
Tl;dr: if your symptoms are not improving or getting worse, at home or in hospital, you have the right and Drs the responsibility to review.

06.03.2026 16:39 πŸ‘ 334 πŸ” 130 πŸ’¬ 5 πŸ“Œ 14
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Police issue public warning over wanted man after rape Thames Valley Police has issued a public warning over a wanted Oxfordshire man following a rape.

Police issue public warning over wanted man after rape

#Oxon #Oxfordshire

πŸ”—: https://www.oxfordmail.co.uk/...

06.03.2026 02:16 πŸ‘ 0 πŸ” 1 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
A spherical robot wobbling uncertainly atop a pair of extremely long, banded legs. The Small Robots Remastered logo in the bottom right has also been stretched so it is narrower and taller than usual.

A spherical robot wobbling uncertainly atop a pair of extremely long, banded legs. The Small Robots Remastered logo in the bottom right has also been stretched so it is narrower and taller than usual.

466) Tallbot. Is much too tall. #SmallRobotsRemastered

05.03.2026 09:56 πŸ‘ 62 πŸ” 17 πŸ’¬ 8 πŸ“Œ 1

Sorry - how can a school have 'no formal leadership'? Who has the responsibility for Safeguarding, LADO/MASH reports, staff development, budgets, etc?

05.03.2026 10:14 πŸ‘ 0 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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"would otherwise receive immediate access to welfare and social housing" is BS.

Correct: "after 5 years working in a care home, would be eligible to apply for welfare and social housing on the same basis as the rest of us."

www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

Deliberately misleading/disingenous.

05.03.2026 08:11 πŸ‘ 424 πŸ” 177 πŸ’¬ 32 πŸ“Œ 20

It's disgusting to suggest that care workers "contribute less". They're are absolutely invaluable.

05.03.2026 09:54 πŸ‘ 127 πŸ” 32 πŸ’¬ 9 πŸ“Œ 0

Technocapitalists’ great trick is to make people who hate all this bullshit feel like they’re suffering from the same fogeys-not-coping-with-a-changing-world syndrome every generation succumbs to, rather than, say, just rejecting a rampant evil that seeks to rob us of our individuality and soul.

04.03.2026 16:24 πŸ‘ 217 πŸ” 63 πŸ’¬ 3 πŸ“Œ 3
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Support Rudi and SRFC Colts Fundraiser To celebrate the achievements of the Colts at the end of the season.

If you can be arsed. I promised him I'd share it, but don't feel obliged, he's already the luckiest boy in the world having me as a dad.
fundraising.spond.com/Mj8Xx3ZHHH

03.03.2026 19:20 πŸ‘ 11 πŸ” 5 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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Tiny (2.7mm wide) addressable RGB LED strips!

Made sound-reactive using wled.

More to come!

03.03.2026 13:55 πŸ‘ 9 πŸ” 1 πŸ’¬ 2 πŸ“Œ 0
Daily Mail +  I'm trapped and under attack in Dubai - while back home in Chichester my daughters are furious, the labradoodles are sick and, worst of all, I left my Mounjaro pen in the fridge.

Daily Mail + I'm trapped and under attack in Dubai - while back home in Chichester my daughters are furious, the labradoodles are sick and, worst of all, I left my Mounjaro pen in the fridge.

We don’t do the Daily Mail, except in those very rare circumstances when they print something so ridiculous we just have to put it up here. And today is one of those days.

03.03.2026 14:52 πŸ‘ 109 πŸ” 21 πŸ’¬ 7 πŸ“Œ 0

Absolutely! As someone explained it to me once, it's designed for engagement, not accuracy.

03.03.2026 09:51 πŸ‘ 4 πŸ” 1 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

πŸ’―If Dirty Business has enraged you, channel that anger! We fight for public ownership, and winning campaigns for people not profit.
Sign up for our newsletters and updates: weownit.org.uk/people-not-p...

03.03.2026 09:47 πŸ‘ 38 πŸ” 23 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 1

Hard to imagine this with any other kind of IP law. What would happen if the government made it legal for any company to make their own Range Rovers, or Dyson vacuums, or ARM chips, or whatever. How would those IP holders react?

02.03.2026 19:46 πŸ‘ 12 πŸ” 5 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 1
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Fare dodgers targeted as train ticket refund rules are tightened In a bid to clamp down on ticket fraud that costs the railways millions each year, the government has quietly changed the rules on claiming refunds for unused train tickets.

DON'T BUY TRAIN TICKETS IN ADVANCE!
On 1 April, the government is quietly changing the rules.
Off-Peak & Anytime tickets become non-refundable after 23:59 the day BEFORE you travel.
If you wake up & find your event cancelled, NO REFUNDS, even on Β£100+ tickets.
www.ianvisits.co.uk/articles/far...

02.03.2026 09:12 πŸ‘ 336 πŸ” 271 πŸ’¬ 23 πŸ“Œ 62

I like the lemon & blueberry ones, and the cherry Bakewell ones are not bad, but chocolate and salted caramel belong in cakes & muffins, not hot cross buns.

01.03.2026 18:34 πŸ‘ 0 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

Yes, I think there's a place for both perspectives. Someone with an education background that can reassure that things are OK, and a layperson that can take a more objective look.
I guess that's why they have both on a IRP panel.

01.03.2026 18:09 πŸ‘ 2 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0