Roel Nieskens

https://typo.social/@pixelambacht

Computernerd FROM HELL

Homepage: https://pixelambacht.nl
Wakamai Fondue: https://wakamaifondue.com

Public Key

npub195kdw6fkclcpswpeayyqvrgkcjfe49nhm7j5sdmhdjlyxxf0rq6qj8xvul

NIP-05 Address

[email protected]

Profile Code

nprofile1qqsz6txhdymv0uqc8qu7jzqxp5tvfyu6jemalf2gxamke0jrryh3sdqprpmhxue69uhhyetvv9ujumt0d4hhxarj9ecxjmnty0alcr

Publishing to

relay.momostr.pink

Author Public Key

npub195kdw6fkclcpswpeayyqvrgkcjfe49nhm7j5sdmhdjlyxxf0rq6qj8xvul

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Last Notes

2026-06-23 06:51:40 UTC

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I never played it, but lots of others! I always wondered if these would make great audio-only games. Announcer reads out the text, you give voice commands back. That should work, wouldn't it?
Also, there's two types of text adventures: those that let you paint yourself into a corner and/or die, and those that make sure you can always finish the game. I don't like the hardcore games, where you can't finish the game because you thought it would be funny to throw the Goblet Of Eternal Doom at the monkey instead of keeping it till the end and placing it on the Altar Of The Cosmic Gods.
Thaumistry: In Charm's Way is a great modern text adventure by Infocom legend Bob Bates. No corner-painting, super advanced parser, and really funny!

2026-06-09 08:52:31 UTC

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Ooh, still I hope you enjoy your trip! Have fun at CSS Day!! I'll tune in via recordings (much) later, can't be there this year.

2026-04-18 11:07:38 UTC

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Ik vind het echt zo gaaf om Moon Child zo opeens weer in de aandacht te zien. Moet genieten zijn voor jou en de HOIers! Tof man!

2026-04-13 09:33:56 UTC

This is the only photo I took at the Fontstand conference, and it's crappy and blurry and also extremely perfect because it has old and new friends!
https://typo.social/system/media_attachments/files/116/396/527/666/359/266/original/8de5ef86f5ebc686.jpeg

2026-04-13 08:47:33 UTC

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Wat gaaf man!!!

2026-04-10 15:47:54 UTC

I am *deliriously* happy to announce that the new Wakamai Fondue is finally live!!
https://www.wakamaifondue.com/
Thanks for making do with the shoddy old version, for trying out the beta, for your patience, and for your support!
I will dive into all that's new and better very soon, but until then, I wrote a short introduction and why I am so happy this new version is finally out: https://pixelambacht.nl/2026/a-new-wakamai-fondue/
Happy fondueing!! 🫕
#webdev #css #fonts #typography
https://typo.social/system/media_attachments/files/116/381/192/320/981/616/original/3f60d28694d1c66e.png

2026-04-10 13:27:19 UTC

I'm a huge Vulf Mono Code fan, been so since I saw @npub152f…py4u use it in code samples at Robothon 2018.
But I'm also a sucker for chonky pixel fonts. You read best what you read most, right? (And I read every diskmag, textfile, .nfo, BBS post, memory dump, 6502 source code and demo scrolltext in existence, almost)
So after reading https://korigamik.dev/blog/bitmap_fonts/ I'm considering trying a new coding/terminal font.
Anyone have a personal favorite?

2026-04-08 06:26:23 UTC

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FWIW, I just discovered that my local custom workwear shop can make embroidered iron-on patches. My inner 16-year-old punk was ecstatic! Maybe your local shop does this too?

2026-03-11 17:56:57 UTC

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Ah. I think I've seen your posts about that. Been offline a lot from social media lately, missing much.

2026-03-11 17:36:56 UTC

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Always a recipe for interesting stuff! What's it about?

2026-02-05 07:27:02 UTC

If you visited one IP address every second, starting at 0.0.0.0 and ending at 255.255.255.255, you'd be busy for 136 years.
#TheMoreYouKnow #KnowledgeIsPower

2026-02-03 11:25:39 UTC

I absolute love this gorgeous pic by Mermaid (Vanja Utne)
It's called "Organic, you say?" and it's incredible to think this colorful explosion of pixels is done on a Commodore 64. Look at the detail!
This resolution is not something the C64 can do natively, but with help from cleverly placed sprites, this hires pic gets some extra colors and pixels that make it look like a 16-bit image.
https://csdb.dk/release/index.php?id=259041
#retrocomputing #retrogaming #commodore #c64
https://typo.social/system/media_attachments/files/116/006/428/459/367/979/original/444dda9679fde4bb.png

2026-02-03 07:39:09 UTC

Digging this hires Commodore 64 pic by @npub17uq…qg38
Don't we all wanna eject ourselves from planet Earth in a cardboard box with our favorite pet, sometimes?
https://csdb.dk/release/index.php?id=259081
https://typo.social/system/media_attachments/files/116/005/550/069/215/075/original/f322f0f9b66b7a36.png

2026-02-02 09:20:29 UTC

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Oh this looks dope!

2026-01-28 09:18:34 UTC

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I feel double bad for not being able to make it this year 😭 But oh man, you're gonna röck!

2025-11-27 07:47:44 UTC

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As a kid I was mostly into metal. I couldn't put my finger on it then, but I grew tired of the long songs and complex musicianship in 90s metal.
Then Lemmy mentioned the Ramones on MTV. Rode my bike to the record store, bought Ramones' "All the stuff and more" unseen.
Inserted CD, pressed play. The songs *just started*. No build-up but immediate adrenaline. All posing removed. Weird, fast, simple. Abrupt stop, abrupt start. "I could do this!" Holy shit. This is *it*.
https://typo.social/system/media_attachments/files/115/620/514/004/853/445/original/5086913b0df16ae2.png

2025-11-20 12:00:58 UTC

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Get well soon!
https://typo.social/system/media_attachments/files/115/581/913/058/267/783/original/cfada454cc65e502.png

2025-11-10 13:39:56 UTC

"9 out of 10 AIs recommend our keyboards!"
🤦‍♂️
https://typo.social/system/media_attachments/files/115/525/662/971/079/433/original/2fe55756ef0e7d06.png

2025-11-06 10:07:38 UTC

My oldest (12) likes to draw, and is currently using a free version of ibisPaint on her phone.
What's a good upgrade to that?
I'd love to get her a tablet + pencil, but I'm not quite ready to shove an overpriced Apple thing in her hands. But I also want to encourage her and not give her crappy tools/software.

2025-11-04 10:22:20 UTC

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I've been eyeing something like this for a while. Ideally with an e-ink screen. I'll have to figure out if you can swap one in (or, if I'm feeling more adventurous, build a similar thing)

2025-11-04 09:57:03 UTC

Oh man, this would make for such a lovely text-adventure gaming device!
https://www.tindie.com/products/unkyulee/micro-journal-rev2-mother-of-twins/
https://typo.social/system/media_attachments/files/115/490/829/119/050/320/original/c0bef3743518fb0e.png

2025-10-03 13:03:37 UTC

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I got a semi-naughty one as well, something that almost reead "Eugene's tits" but then I clicked "Scramble" again and Eugene was gone :-(

2025-10-02 11:54:32 UTC

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Oh man, this sent me down a rabbit hold of old ska, oi and punk I haven't heard in ages 🥰

2025-10-02 10:02:26 UTC

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I'd be honored!

2025-10-02 09:50:02 UTC

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This reminds me of the summaries I used for https://pixelambacht.nl/2017/variable-hover-effects/ 🤭

2025-10-02 09:30:04 UTC

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Haha, we have a few of those places here in NL as well 😆 But ok, ok, we'll do the pub crawl in normal places then 🙄

2025-10-02 09:17:56 UTC

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I wanna go on a pub crawl to all these places!!!

2025-09-02 06:38:29 UTC

Are your fonts breaking Wakamai Fondue?
Or not all features showing up correctly?
I'm looking for fonts to stress-test the fondue, especially the bétà.
(Protip: if you open the developer tools, the console might have reported an error that the site itself doesn't mention!)

2025-07-11 07:21:01 UTC

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Me and my knees at your service! 🫡

2025-07-09 18:33:10 UTC

I scored the beaut the other day. IBM 3277 beamspring, AZERT layout.
They're populair amongst vintage keyboard enthousiasts. I wonder why though — seems kinda shitty to type on. Especially as a daily driver, and being used to QWERTY.
It even has its own power supply!
#retrocomputing #retrogaming #keyboard
https://typo.social/system/media_attachments/files/114/824/688/790/474/741/original/55cf851d4cca46be.jpeg

2025-06-03 06:34:11 UTC

Am I a sucker for variable fonts with melting pixels?
◉ Y
◯ N
https://www.future-fonts.com/fontspectrum/electric-blue
https://typo.social/system/media_attachments/files/114/618/034/962/717/198/original/c1fd41c8552b9051.mp4

2025-04-10 07:37:39 UTC

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Absolutely, what a massive undertaking that was, my respect to @npub1spt…wwgs! And I like the format, it's a really great way to make folks (who aren't already in the know) aware these awesome foundries exist!

2025-04-08 19:44:07 UTC

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Oh yes, absolutely! Oliver is awesome! He's preaching the good word!

2025-04-07 07:51:43 UTC

What's a good resource for folks who just discovered they're getting fëcked over by Big Font MegaCorp™ and want an alternative that's not one of the big free font providers?
Alternatives to the obvious services seem to be very well hidden from "regular webdev folk".

2025-03-08 13:58:02 UTC

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Oh cool! Fond memories of Scratch, I used to teach it at local Grundschul. Happy coding!

2025-02-11 13:51:34 UTC

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(cc @npub19y6…9s94) The other day @npub1pg2…pkyl added my little faux-snitch CSS to his debug.css: https://danburzo.ro/snippets/debug-stylesheet/ It'll quickly toggle font synthesis on and off, so you can easily spot it on the page. Even with 10+ years of working in the world of fonts, I usually only catch it myself when it's super obvious, so this snippet helps me a lot!

2025-02-06 10:31:29 UTC

Fonts and "fair use", are there examples of that?
I mean the way where showing a very short clip of a movie in your own video is accepted as "fair use", while including 20 minutes of that same movie is not.
Would I be able to, say, create a "Recognize The Ampsersand" game by _somehow_ gathering the ampersands of all digitally available fonts?

2024-12-16 13:36:10 UTC

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These are without anti-aliasing?

2024-12-03 07:58:48 UTC

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And they will need to function as a bitmap font, as in you will size them to a small pixel grid?

2024-12-02 08:52:56 UTC

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Nice. Overcooked brain is a lot less worrisome!

2024-12-02 08:46:19 UTC

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Wouldn't that need precise placement? I don't have a lot of wall space where it could directly "shine" on me. Apparently you can attach them to the ceiling, though. That, or below the desk (but I fear overcooked balls then 😬)

2024-12-02 08:43:57 UTC

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I figured the same. But it's hard to find info on what'll be a good one, all search results are ads!

2024-12-02 08:22:09 UTC

Any recommendations for electronic heaters for a small, well isolated office?
I don't mind if it's slow, as long as it's smell-free and energy efficient, and not too big. It just needs to bump a tiny space with a few °C.

2024-11-20 07:48:14 UTC

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For completeness sake, I found a similar device for the C64 on YouTube. Leaving a link here for future reference :-) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E8PgDHC0_5k

2024-11-20 07:37:51 UTC

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I wonder how well this works? I would assume the screen still needs to be repainted, and if interrupted/slowed down, how could it?
Also, thinking with my C64 hat on, it'd need raster interrupts etc. to continue to work to get a screen that actually looks like the game, especially for a bit more complex games.
I would love a good Youtube video on this!

2024-11-13 19:16:23 UTC

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Sweet! Hope you find a good use for them.

2024-11-04 20:08:56 UTC

I found some old 3.5" disks I'm pretty sure I already backed up years ago, but wanted to check anyway.
It's nearly impossible to check a file without errors. Heavy bit rot everywhere!
I know I wasn't always careful with these disks so they got thrown around back in the day, but dang — so did my 5.25" disks and those are still being read properly by my C64, last time I checked!
I'm happy I did back up those 3.5" disks all those years ago. Today, they're useless!
#retrocomputing #backup

2024-11-04 12:23:51 UTC

@npub1dml…x796 Hi Veronica, I guess I have a ✨fashion✨ question!
Among the many dope things I saw in your videos, one of them is those sleeves with holes for the thumbs. I want one! I get cold hands/wrists in my office during the winter days. But I wonder if they don't get in the way of typing? I hate flipping my keyboard across the desk when my sleeve snags the corner of my keyboard. How does that work for you?

2024-11-04 11:23:40 UTC

Just came across this sweater. It really looks like they are referring to the 8-bit homecomputer classics Jumpman and Jumpman Junior.
Hah! Who would've thought that game would make it to modern retro vintage nerdy-wear?!
#retrogaming #retrocomputing
https://typo.social/system/media_attachments/files/113/424/418/634/444/657/original/6e8e3ec7a43019bd.png

2024-11-02 15:19:51 UTC

I seem to have accumulated one (1) shitload of Pong clones throughout the years.
I knew I had a few, but I'm counting 8 that I cataloged and stored, and I'm sure there's another batch like that still stashed away.
I originally planned to gut a few of these and put a Raspberry Pi in there, so I had a cool looking media center or emulation machine. For now I wrapped them in plastic so they can be stashed dust-free, and say to myself again "oh well, maybe some day!"
#retrogaming #retrocomputing
https://typo.social/system/media_attachments/files/113/414/027/363/993/328/original/36211212cdf7f84c.jpeg
https://typo.social/system/media_attachments/files/113/414/027/363/922/732/original/72c88f26936e81fb.jpeg
https://typo.social/system/media_attachments/files/113/414/027/365/707/473/original/18243cf2ee52b70c.jpeg
https://typo.social/system/media_attachments/files/113/414/027/366/173/492/original/bca74d4390fbb2d5.jpeg

2024-11-02 13:42:18 UTC

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Ha, I also found some Amiga keycaps. I really have no idea at what point in my life I had a C128 and an Amiga and thought "let's save the keycaps and throw away the rest". Anyway, got a need for those too?

2024-11-02 13:26:57 UTC

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They're yours! Send me your address via DM and I'll send 'em over.

2024-11-02 12:30:32 UTC

Anybody got a use for C128 keycaps?
Cleaning up, and apparently I pulled these off a Commodore 128 sometime in my life. No idea if the set it complete, or why it has two space bars.
Free, if you take care of postage.
#retrogaming #retrocomputing #commodore
https://typo.social/system/media_attachments/files/113/413/452/485/691/813/original/38208f74d8c9bd85.jpeg

2024-10-31 13:34:03 UTC

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At least the Germans can differentiate between complimenting your hair (all of them), or on *a* hair!

2024-10-31 13:04:29 UTC

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I once heard a German guy saying he wore a blue jean. Because blue jean*s* would be saying you were wearing multiple pants.

2024-10-27 18:07:43 UTC

I've thought about automated hunting for 8x8 fonts in Commodore 64 binaries before.
There are two problems: first, getting the binary in a state where the font is available. You need the "unzipped" version of the (part of the) game or demo, so the font bitmaps are readable.
Second, you'll need to actually recognize the lettershapes. Not an easy job in an 8x8 matrix.
@npub133w…jngx shares his method for the ZX Spectrum: https://typo.social/@npub133w…jngx/113024127075498700
#typography #retrocomputing #retrogaming

2024-10-12 12:25:27 UTC

Cleaning up the collection, I came across this Apple II clone.
Anybody got an idea what this is, or what the cards are? Never tried to hook it up, and I know little about the Apple II, so I don't know.
It has a flat cable going to an NPH 5,25" diskdrive.
#retrocomputing #apple #appleii #retrogaming
https://typo.social/system/media_attachments/files/113/294/427/322/161/732/original/1782be170e938e70.jpeg
https://typo.social/system/media_attachments/files/113/294/428/864/854/080/original/33d80d3ceac4dce3.jpeg

2024-10-01 06:36:58 UTC

It happened again: I lost about 25 open tabs when Safari suddenly restarted.
They were all very important, waiting for my attention that I would soon make time for. Each tab represented a journey I needed to take in order to grow as a professional, hacker, nerd and human.
I can't remember a single tab I just lost 😭

2024-09-27 09:47:12 UTC

I've had this image forever, and I refer to it all the time.
For some reason, even with all the CSSing I do, I continuously forget which parts are called what. Thank you, kind JPG, for reminding me!
#css
https://typo.social/system/media_attachments/files/113/208/872/742/748/861/original/3b5388ec6c7cacae.jpg

2024-09-26 12:42:43 UTC

Randomly remembering that I used to have a file called CRASH.PSD that I used to open in Photoshop 6 or 7 to make it crash when I had many open files I didn't need anymore.
This was quicker than closing Photoshop and clicking "Don't save" on all the "Save changes to this document" questions
#photoshop

2024-09-21 17:37:02 UTC

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I bet there are fonts already doing that. But not googling them yet in case it spoils my fun!

2024-09-21 16:16:52 UTC

Okay then! I now have a component glyph that is one square pixel. Now I can start building the glyphs from 0 to 255, and position the pixels accordingly.
The idea is that you can create every single pixel font ever created, if you use the correct input text.
So 1 would render this glyph:
⬜︎⬜︎⬜︎⬜︎⬜︎⬜︎⬜︎⬛︎
And 254 would render:
⬛︎⬛︎⬛︎⬛︎⬛︎⬛︎⬛︎⬜︎
This is all being complicated by the fact that the sun and trees are working together to create a stroboscope to the right of me. Aarghh!!
#OneOneOneOneOneOneOneOne
https://typo.social/system/media_attachments/files/113/176/422/461/601/211/original/e7c4a4e3e047d940.jpeg

2024-09-04 11:44:52 UTC

I just remembered when "budget game collecting" was a thing. Instead of buying the brand new PlayStation you'd buy a NES and some games on a flea market for pocket change.
The fun was finding a system that was at its lowest price because it was obsolete but hadn't yet gained status as a collectible.
I think with the demise of physical copies and insane prices on Ebay, budget game collecting is definitely a thing of the past 🥲
#retrocomputing #retrogaming

2024-08-22 08:26:37 UTC

You have to be able to tell the difference between 0 and O and I and 1. That's just type design IOI.

2024-08-20 06:50:15 UTC

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Ramones - Ramones
Dead Kennedys - Fresh Fruit
because I'v been listening to them for over 30 years. And
X-Ray Spex - Germfree Adolescents
because I only discovered that album 3 years ago despite the band having been in my peripheral for over 30 years. Dismissed it then because it looked soft and poppy but the joke's on me -- it's an absolute banger and I am still making up for lost listening-time.

2024-08-16 13:49:30 UTC

My #CSSDay talk "Problems Solved By OpenType" got almost 1500 views, which hopefully translates to almost 1500 developers exploring what their fonts can do!
I'm pretty proud of this talk, stuttering and mumbling and all, and I hope you'll check it out if you want to get the most out of your webfonts! I tried to make typography accessible even if you aren't (yet) into ligatures, alternates or all the other fun stuff fonts can do.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TreBK-EyACQ
#typography #css