@mdsimpson.co.uk
Professional nerd, father, photographer, gamer, aspiring writer, sci-fi addict and code monkey. - RSE at @ncl-rse.bsky.social - Vice-president of @society-rse.org - @softwaresaved.bsky.social Fellow My views are my own πΊπ¦ π³οΈβπ π³οΈββ§οΈ https://linktr.ee/mdsimpson
π We are delighted to announce the full list of lightning talks that will be delivered at Collaborations Workshop 2026. Find out more at
www.software.ac.uk/news/cw26-fi...
And if you haven't registered yet, hurry up an secure your #CollabW26 spot now!
A screenshot of Shadowheart from Baldur's Gate 3 saying "After all, we've faced down bigger threats than wrangling together a few social calendars".
Shadowheart has clearly never tried to arrange a regular DnD game with adult friends! #BaldursGate3 #DungeonsAndDragons
A water bottle in the shape of Feathers McGraw from Wallace and Gromit, next to a laptop with a slide on it that says "Let's Talk About Mental Health"
Feathers and I are experiencing sunshine for what feels like the first time this year!
We're also in Oxfordshire to talk about mental health with RSEs and their colleagues at UKAEA.
The recording of my "Let's Talk About Mental Health" talk from #RSECon25 is now online. The audio quality isn't great, but this is the full, extended discussion of what I've been up to on my @softwaresaved.bsky.social fellowship.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zup4...
A water bottle in the shape of Feathers McGraw from Wallace and Gromit, next to a laptop and a digital notebook on a desk in a meeting room.
This week, Feathers and I have been on a long and exhausting journey... upstairs, to join some visiting colleagues for a workshop on Greening Digital Research and the DIRECT Framework.
A water bottle in the shape of Feathers McGraw from the Wallace and Gromit films sitting on a table in a meeting
This week, Feathers and I are at a meeting for RSE Leaders & Aspiring Leaders in Leeds, hosted by the N8CIR
The Discworld reading blanket, a tapestry style blanket in golds and steel blues, lying on a bed watched over by a giant sized IKEA DjungelskΕg
Snagged the Discworld reading blanket in the restock and oh my word it's even more gorgeous in real life
New blog post: Reflections on my 2025 "Year of Gaming" challenge. mdsimpson.co.uk/2026/01/refl...
A water bottle with Feathers McGraw from the Wallace and Gromit films sitting on a train
A water bottle with Feathers McGraw from the Wallace and Gromit films sitting on a table in a meeting room with people in the background
Feathers is on the road again! This time we're attending a DisCouRSE focus group on Team Culture and Leadership in the dRTP space.
π¬ In our latest blog post #SSIFellow @mdsimpson.co.uk tells us more about delivering his βConveRSE - Letβs Talk About Mental Healthβ talk at The Alan Turing Institute. Find out more about it and read the full story at www.software.ac.uk/blog/mental-...
Read more about the ConveRSE project on the website: mdsimpson42.github.io/converse/
The recording of my "Let's Talk About Mental Health" talk from #RSECon25 is now online. The audio quality isn't great, but this is the full, extended discussion of what I've been up to on my @softwaresaved.bsky.social fellowship.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zup4...
Labour has good idea shock
From the new Private Eye, out now.
A scene from Futurama. Leela is saying "Second, everything else that's horribly wrong with what you're doing".
The fact that these morons haven't realised yet that arresting her is only amplifying her message! π€¦π»ββοΈ
The 12th (ish) and final game of my Year of Gaming challenge is Deliver Us Mars, an atmospheric, single-player story that I really enjoyed, despite not having played its predecessor.
mdsimpson.co.uk/2025/12/deli...
A package covered in Discworld stamps. One says "Ankh-Morpork Post Office" another says "Happy Hogswatch" and it has a stamp with a picture of Lord Vetinari.
A certificate saying that my package has been inspected by the Ankh-Morpork Guild of Thieves.
I do so love getting packages from The Discworld Emporium (@discworldemporium.bsky.social).
(Spoiler alert, some of you may be getting Hogswatch presents from the #Discworld Emporium!)
A basset hound looking grumpily out of the window with a Christmas tree in the background
In this year's production of A Christmas Carol, the role of Scrooge will be played by... #Dog #BassetHound
I know what I'm using as my out of office message this year! π
It's that time of year, when every app I open is trying to force me to look back on a year I'd rather not think about ever again! π
Only slightly disappointed not to be one of the new fellows anymore!
Congratulations everyone!
π¬ In our latest blog post #SSIFellow @mdsimpson.co.uk tells us more about his many roles at RSECon25 and his experience delivering a talk about mental health and the ConveRSE project. Find out more at
www.software.ac.uk/blog/convers...
Mike's talking about himself in the third-person again! π
As an added bonus, there are some ConveRSE stickers on our stand and the SSI stand too.
The next game I chose for the challenge is Battlestar Galactica: Deadlock - a game that you can no longer actually buy. But I'm going to review it anyway!
mdsimpson.co.uk/2025/12/batt...
Check out LABYRINTH, Vol. 0 - a collection of sci-fi and fantasy stories and artwork by @wraithmarked.bsky.social
and @hellofutureme.bsky.social on @kickstarter.com.
www.kickstarter.com/projects/wra...
A screenshot of Mike's Steam activity. On November 6th, he played Battlestar Galactica Deadlock for the first time. On November 7th, the developers announced that the game will no longer be sold from November 15th!
I think I might be cursed!
I'm still going to carry on with my review of the game for my Year of Gaming challenge, but by the time it comes out, you won't be able to buy it! π
You hit our funding goal in just π₯πβοΈ 39 MINUTES! π₯πβοΈTHANK YOU. $44,000 in a single day. But we want LABYRINTH to be a place you can submit YOUR stories, your writing one day, paid at professional rates, and to do thatβwe need to go for stretch goals.
Subtitles from the video "Everything Wrong with Thunderbolts" by CimenaSins. The subtitles read "No! The point of work is to earn money to pay the bills that billionaires refuse to pay on our behalf until we die unhappy and in debt!"
CinemaSins getting a bit too real in their Thunderbolts video!
Check out LABYRINTH, Vol. 0 - a collection of sci-fi and fantasy stories and artwork by @wraithmarked.bsky.social
and @hellofutureme.bsky.social on @kickstarter.com.
www.kickstarter.com/projects/wra...
Screenshot from the Guardian that reads: Rachel Reeves considers 20% tax on assets of people deciding to leave UK Plans for βsettling-up chargeβ predicted to raise Β£2bn and would follow policy in place among most G7 countries The chancellor, Rachel Reeves, will announce her second budget on the 26 November. Photograph: Bloomberg/Getty Images Green Party Promoted by Chris Williams on behalf of The Green Party, both at PO Box 78066, London SE16 9GQ
Good.
This isn't instead of a proper wealth tax though, right, Rachel?
The October game for my Year of Gaming challenge is one of the more recent purchases in my Steam backlog - Tales of Kenzera: Zau.
mdsimpson.co.uk/2025/10/tale...