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An anonymous reader quotes a report from Ars Technica: Rendering Doom in a database is obviously a bad idea," Lukas Vogel writes in a lengthy blog post explaining how exactly he managed to render Doom using an SQL database. OK, that's not entirely accurate. The SQLDoom project uses a small Python client to handle input and output, drive the game's timing, and display each frame to the screen. Behind that, a series of CedarDB tables tracks the game geometry and state, while about 1,300 lines of SQL queries spread across 89 common table expressions implement the game logic and generate 35 bitmap framebuffers per second. In this, SQLDoom is a major improvement over Vogel's previous DoomQL project, which last year set out to build "a multiplayer Doom-like shooter entirely in SQL." Unfortunately, that effort ended up with raycasting-based, grayscale ASCII graphics that were more akin to the simplistic 90-degree-angled maps of Wolfenstein 3D. The newer SQLDoom, on the other hand, generates full-color 640x480 frames that look like they could have come from the original Doom executable. [...] If you want to run a Doomtabase on your own local machine, you can do so simply with the GitHub code, a copy of CedarDB, and a Doom WAD file. Or you can jump into a free online hosted demo match to test it out without all the setup [...].

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There is a maize maze, a haunted house and it's even dog friendly

A Witham teenager has landed her dream job despite being told she would “never ever” succeed in her chosen field.

Discover why Borley, Essex, is famed as one of England’s most haunted places, from Borley Rectory and Harry Price to ghostly nuns and disputed claims.

Ahead of Hospice Care Week 2026, St Helena Hospice patient John Gallant praises brilliant care as Colchester staff share their rewarding palliative care work.

Jet2 launches 23,000 Christmas market flights from London Stansted for winter 2027/28, with Krakow, Prague, Vienna and Strasbourg routes.

The skeletal remains of the man, who died in the 7th century, were uncovered in Lincolnshire and show he suffered a grisly end to his life.

Princess Margaret was not a fan of champagne. In fact, she used to say it made people's breath smell of poo - not something you notice if you are drinking it yourself.

Alison Hammond has revealed she's returned home from hospital after suffering a health scare live on This Morning, that saw her rushed off the set while clutching her chest.

Cristiano Ronaldo has added fuel to the fire of his international fallout by liking a post criticising his estranged Portugal team-mates. The 41-year-old stormed out of camp on Wednesday.

Joshua Kerry, 28, was charged yesterday with preparing acts of terror including against the Reform UK leader between May 2024 and July 2026

Homeowners living on a clifftop road near a beauty spot have claimed that they are being 'totally gaslit' by their council after repeatedly asking officials to take action.

Exploitation attempts came from China-hosted IP, VulnCheck researcher says

Cruz Beckham showed off the family's fun side as he shared a hilarious behind-the-scenes video at mum Victoria's Paris Fashion Week show on TikTok. 

The public health adviser and epidemiologist at the University of Cambridge said it was time to 'upskill' schools and break the stranglehold huge catering companies have on school lunches.

Chelmsford police arrest 48-year-old wanted over domestic abuse offences on September 26 during operation targeting drink and drug drivers, with 17 arrests.

Chelmsford police arrest 48-year-old wanted over domestic abuse offences on September 26 during operation targeting drink and drug drivers, with 17 arrests.

The mother-of-two fell pregnant with her son Eric with the Britain's Got Talent judge while she was still married to her ex-husband Andrew in 2013.

Public relations executive Simon Motson was caught red-handed dropping a cigarette outside a Five Guys restaurant in Islington.

Flock's cameras offer "indiscriminate mass surveillance," a U.S. federal judge wrote in a ruling Thursday, as does any system with "continuously updated" location histories for all the vehicles filmed by automated license plate-reading cameras. The judge's ruling included italics for emphasis when describing "the question of why is it the government's business where everyone goes all the time?" Judge Hill: We might reasonably expect our friends and family to tell us something like: "Hey, I saw you out driving by the store last week." But we do not expect people we know — let alone strangers, and especially not law enforcement — to randomly approach us to say: "Hey, I have been following your car for the last 30 days, and here is a detailed log of every place your vehicle has been with supporting photographic evidence. I am also going to share this information with law enforcement throughout the country so they know your whereabouts, too...." Cell phones also move in public places where people can see you in plain view. But it becomes constitutionally problematic when law enforcement can indiscriminately and passively catalog your whereabouts over an extended period of time and then use that information for any purpose whenever convenient... [I]t is also consequential that we are not just dealing with stationary cameras. The cameras on [police officer] Alaniz's vehicle itself feed information into these systems... It is also no longer difficult to imagine law enforcement using a fleet of drones hovering over an entire city so they don't miss the movement of a single vehicle. Officer Alaniz had used Flock's travel history for a car when deciding to pull over its driver, which eventually led to a vehicle search and charges of possessing drugs with intent to distribute. But the judge wrote that because this violated reasonable expectation of privacy, "all evidence obtained after Alaniz initiated the ALPR search must be suppressed as fruit of the poisonous tree." The judge granted a motion to "suppress all evidence obtained as a result of these unconstitutional searches and seizures." The Washington Post got this comment from a Flock spokesperson about the judge's ruling: "we expect it will be appealed and ultimately overturned." (Flock's spokesperson added that the ruling "does not set controlling precedent and does not affect law enforcement agencies' continued use of these important public safety technologies.") But meanwhile, on Friday U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders introduced the Ban Flock Act. The proposed bill bans federal agencies in America from using automated license plate reader systems "without explicit statutory authorization". The bill also lets certain federal agencies (including the Homeland Security Department) withhold grant money from State and local governments that use automatic license plate readers. TechCrunch reports: Despite its title, the bill doesn't call out Flock in the text and covers any and all ALPR systems. The bill allows exceptions only for toll collection and for uses that Congress approves in future legislation, which would have to limit data retention to no longer than 48 hours.... Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) and Senator Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) are co-sponsors.

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