Howling Techie

Howling Techie

@howlingtechie.bsky.social

Webdev and lover of games of the board and video variety, weird game shows, 🚀, 🐀, 🐊, and 🦈. Somehow Twitch Affiliate?! She/They

131 followers366 following139 posts

Howling Techie reposted

Howling Techie
@howlingtechie.bsky.social

Replying to @joewintergreen.com

As part of spooky season we watched The Black Cat (also from 1981!) and the visuals were easily the thing that we were impressed by the most (other than the titular cat). Definitely helped that most of the opening 5 minutes was just the cat strolling around town.

Howling Techie reposted

eel, i
@eliacugini.bsky.social

would note as a UC alum that they check your clothes before you go on so the BBC’s statement on this is bullshit. editing it out is either part of some homophobic new policy or a bizarre ad-hoc response to anti-trans abuse against a contestant

Leicester Gazette@leicestergazette.leicester.news

Two University of Leicester students speak out over ‘absurd’ and ‘Orwellian’ decision by the BBC and ITV Studios to edit out pride pins worn on University Challenge

leicester.newsBBC edits out pride pins on University Challenge in ‘Orwellian’ move* * * This story was published by **The Leicester Gazette** : a local, independent newspaper about Leicestershire. 1,000 people have already joined our community. Just use those buttons below to download our app and **sign up for free**. * * * Astrophysics student Samuel Carlier and History student Emmeline Hague-Wright were shocked to find that their LGBTQ+ pride pins had been edited out of their University Challenge appearance earlier this year. The episode, initially scheduled for BBC Two on 24 August, was delayed twice before airing on 7 September 2026. The pins showed the progressive LGBTQ+ pride flag, the bisexual pride flag and a rainbow feather. Speaking to the Leicester Gazette, Sam said: “Living in a liberal democracy and having the state broadcaster tell you ‘we’re editing how you look’, seems very Orwellian.” Sam described the choice to remove the pins before broadcast as “weird” and “absurd”. He said: “[Censoring] that seemed weird. If I had worn a rainbow shirt, would they have censored that? If the idea is to keep things impartial, where is that line in the sand?” A side by-side image of Sam wearing the pin and with it having been digitally removed. Photograph: supplied Sam contacted the BBC to try to understand why his pins had been edited out. He told the Gazette: “The BBC people said they’d ring me, and I chased them, they just said go to the complaints website and file a complaint there, that’s what I did.” Since then, Sam hasn’t had a response from the BBC as to why his pins were removed. After the episode had aired, Sam noted that his shirt ‘melted’ into itself occasionally, as a result of the editing. Photograph: supplied ## Students believe the decision was made following online transphobia Emmeline was also shocked when she found out that the feather pin she wore was due to be removed from the episode she was in. It was understood by Emmeline that there was online transphobia in response to previous episode of University Challenge, and she had been contacted by the BBC, anticipating support from the broadcaster. When the BBC contacted her, instead of an offer of support, she was told her pin was going to be removed. “At first it was mostly confusion,” she said. “I heard that they had received a lot of nastiness online from people and I thought they were going to call me to say ‘we have support services if needed,’ and that wasn't what I got at all.” Instead, Emmeline was notified that the episodes were going to be delayed. “It was out of left field, I was confused for a while,” she said. “This entire delay has been because of a feather and two badges on a teammate that were basically impossible [for viewers] to see.” Emmeline had expressed her frustrations with the repeated delays from the BBC, spanning from mid-July to early-September. She said: “We were announced on the website and then delayed again, and then announced on the website a second time, and delayed even further. Speaking about the removal, she said: “It takes a lot of time” she said. “Making it [the edit] look good would be even more expensive and time-consuming. It seems like drastically a lot of effort.” ## Join the conversation Our app is more than just a way to keep up – it's a gateway to award-winning journalism and the local community. __Want to support our work?__ Click here for membership__.__ ## Wider criticism on LGBTQ+ support The pins Sam wore during the episode. Photograph: supplied According to leading LGBTQ+ charity Stonewall UK, two in five LGBTQ+ students will hide their identities at university for fear of discrimination. Stonewall has reported that more than 36 per cent of trans students have received hostile conduct from university staff due to their gender identity. Reflecting on the digital removal of the pins, Sam spoke about how disheartening the choice was. He said: “There was maybe like a span of eight years where someone could be uncontroversially out in the open queer – now that’s gone again.” he said. The BBC has also been widely criticised for ‘an attack on the LGBTQ+ community’ by pulling its involvement with the popular show, RuPaul's Drag Race. The broadcaster pulled its involvement in September following “significant financial pressures” as the reason for axing their involvement. The criticism follows another recent controversial edit by the BBC. On its hit show, Strictly Come Dancing, a decision was made to edit out ‘Protect the Dolls’ from contestant Bethany Antonia’s T-shirt. It’s a slogan which has become widely used to support the rights of trans women. The BBC defended their decision, saying the changes were made to meet editorial guidelines. It comes as the LGBTQ+ community has faced challenges amid an increasingly less tolerant political climate. ## What the BBC had to say When we asked them about editing out the pins worn by Leicester’s University Challenge team, a BBC spokesperson said: “In line with our editorial guidelines, we advise that no badges, flags, and emblems or symbols are worn or visible during filming, along with clothing with obvious branding or slogans. If such items are not removed for any reason then a decision is made between the programme makers and the BBC regarding any edits to the programme.” The BBC said the delays to the episode were unrelated to the decision to edit out the pins. A spokesperson for ITV Studios said: “University Challenge is an entertainment quiz show and is made in accordance with the BBC Editorial Guidelines requirements for impartiality.” The University of Leicester refused to comment on the matter. * * * **Before you go…** We’ve recently surpassed 1,000 subscribers, which is amazing considering we’re a small team on a shoestring budget. Now, we’re ready for the next stage of the Leicester Gazette. **Download our new app and get all of our journalism anytime, anywhere.** The app connects with **Bluesky** , **Mastodon** and **Threads** , giving you access to a network of around 60 million people. It’s a safer, more meaningful alternative to mainstream social media – owned by the community. * * *

Howling Techie reposted

Kenney
@kenney.nl

Last I'll post about this, but Elon Musk disagrees with me. This means I am onto something, and I feel more valid in my opinion than ever.

Howling Techie reposted

Howling Techie
@howlingtechie.bsky.social

In what must be one of the most interesting performances I've ever seen on TV, here's 3 minutes of Ideal World trying to sell you on Dubai chocolate. There's so many emotions just in these two bites, but I'm not sure I want to feel any of them while eating.

Howling Techie reposted

Blue sky nice ghost
@rajandelman.bsky.social

[Mitch Hedberg voice] I like Ball 2 because it can never break, it can only become Ball

Howling Techie@howlingtechie.bsky.social

Watching the new season of Shark Tank and they managed to immediately become a parody of itself by having one of the pitches be Ball 2, the sequel to Ball, powered by AI. To really seal the deal, the ball 2's battery is not rechargeable or designed to be replaced.

Howling Techie
@howlingtechie.bsky.social

Watching the new season of Shark Tank and they managed to immediately become a parody of itself by having one of the pitches be Ball 2, the sequel to Ball, powered by AI. To really seal the deal, the ball 2's battery is not rechargeable or designed to be replaced.

Howling Techie reposted

Requinoesis✨
@requinoesis.bsky.social

I don't have much to say about the Ocarina of Time remake because my first Zelda game was Majora's Mask, which is my favorite and left a deep impression on me. But the one thing I do hope is that they do justice to that poor shark! Hehe 🦈

Howling Techie reposted

Kenney
@kenney.nl

Today I woke up and felt like doing something a little crazy. Here it is; Kenney Game Assets All-in-1 is 75% off and just $4.99 for a limited time only ✨ Download everything I've made in a single package! kenney.itch.io/kenney-game-...

Howling Techie reposted

Idolon
@idolon.bsky.social

People often ask me if Clover is a sphere or a disc. I am here to announce that Clover is, in fact, a floppy salami. The "How The Sausage Gets Made" update for Clover's Quadrants is now live! Featuring 80+ levels that didn't make the cut. The game will also go on sale sometime tomorrow!

steamcommunity.comSteam :: Clover's Quadrants :: How the Sausage Gets MadeLooking for more levels to play? Want a peek behind the curtain? Check out the new "cut content" level pack!

Howling Techie reposted

SaKo
@sako.works

calibration process #pico8 #dailycarts

SaKo@sako.works

260801 pico-8-edu.com?c=AHB4YQzHBc... #pico8 #dailycarts

Howling Techie reposted

Yrrzy
@yrrzy.net

last year I made a balatro mod that added galilean moons for 6-card hands but i never posted the sick art i did for it here