Charlatan, Humbug and Imitation Humorist. Former sporadic cartoonist and game designer. Formerly #Outdoorsy, no longer #Cycling. #Ukulele torturer. #Zoot tooter. #RPG player and GM at Whartson Hall. Still European. #LongCovid.
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2026-09-24T10:49:59Z Event JSON
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Last Notes npub1nz8xje3hhujvf9gsprlttww32yuetqzmld9ujz3xjp39gtc7tecsczatrm Jon Hancock [The work] “speaks to this fundamental need: finding a place to hold on” https://www.thisiscolossal.com/2026/10/simon-laveuve-miniature-dwellings-anchored-in-rock/ #Art #Miniatures #Minis #Sculpture npub1nz8xje3hhujvf9gsprlttww32yuetqzmld9ujz3xjp39gtc7tecsczatrm Jon Hancock #Glorantha https://youtube.com/shorts/L35mBPmxdS0 npub1nz8xje3hhujvf9gsprlttww32yuetqzmld9ujz3xjp39gtc7tecsczatrm Jon Hancock The title song from the 1934 musical (one of those for which P.G. Wodehouse did some writing), this has been frequently revived since its debut, almost always with the officially revised lyrics I'm using here. The original included a lot of contemporary references that have not necessarily aged well and probably fit rather better into a song that's part of a bigger show. The transition from B7 to B9 is best achieved by simply adding your little finger on the 4th fret of the A string. Plenty of performances to choose from, including Kate Capshaw singing mainly in Mandarin in "Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom," but here's Ella Fitzgerald: https://youtu.be/as-whCYL4ns #Ukulele #1930s https://social-cdn.vivaldi.net/system/media_attachments/files/117/076/845/391/918/312/original/bf3b9800aed0efd7.png npub1nz8xje3hhujvf9gsprlttww32yuetqzmld9ujz3xjp39gtc7tecsczatrm Jon Hancock You can make your own fun thinking of captions. #CliffEdwards https://social-cdn.vivaldi.net/system/media_attachments/files/117/066/174/185/479/834/original/19a4601e035223a1.jpeg npub1nz8xje3hhujvf9gsprlttww32yuetqzmld9ujz3xjp39gtc7tecsczatrm Jon Hancock Royal Armouries: "Did British Soldiers Really Make Tea in a Vickers Machine Gun?" https://youtu.be/tTptiP0z-qQ #Tea #WW2 #RoyalArmouries npub1nz8xje3hhujvf9gsprlttww32yuetqzmld9ujz3xjp39gtc7tecsczatrm Jon Hancock We're spoilt for choice when it comes to great recordings of this bittersweet 1928 number to learn from. Annette Hanshaw, Lee Morse, Janet Klein, Barbara Rosene… and that's even before turning our attention to the selection of dance band performance. However, since she sang it in the 1928 semi-talking picture "My Man" (and happens to be on the cover of the sheet music I have because of it), I've chosen the version by Fanny Brice, credited as Fannie in the movie. https://youtu.be/tUheE04W60M #Ukulele #Music #Rainbow https://social-cdn.vivaldi.net/system/media_attachments/files/117/027/724/744/932/899/original/ff546b121ecf3a3f.png npub1nz8xje3hhujvf9gsprlttww32yuetqzmld9ujz3xjp39gtc7tecsczatrm Jon Hancock He’s a lot smaller than I expected. #RandomActOfViolins https://social-cdn.vivaldi.net/system/media_attachments/files/117/026/881/422/056/493/original/51d9d45c86d71842.jpeg npub1nz8xje3hhujvf9gsprlttww32yuetqzmld9ujz3xjp39gtc7tecsczatrm Jon Hancock Currently at the supergluing my reading glasses back together stage of life. npub1nz8xje3hhujvf9gsprlttww32yuetqzmld9ujz3xjp39gtc7tecsczatrm Jon Hancock @nprofile…u2j8 Are you going to post on UU? npub1nz8xje3hhujvf9gsprlttww32yuetqzmld9ujz3xjp39gtc7tecsczatrm Jon Hancock @nprofile…4fsm Ah, that’s a shame. Not having read the originals I assumed a faithfulness of translation. npub1nz8xje3hhujvf9gsprlttww32yuetqzmld9ujz3xjp39gtc7tecsczatrm Jon Hancock @nprofile…4fsm Stableford was such a loss. His translations of French scientific romances were terrific. npub1nz8xje3hhujvf9gsprlttww32yuetqzmld9ujz3xjp39gtc7tecsczatrm Jon Hancock “He opened the trunk and he had a lot of ukuleles in the trunk. And I think he left four at my house, and he said, ‘Well, you never know when we might need ’em, because everyone doesn’t carry one around.’” — Tom Petty, recalling when George Harrison introduced him to the #Ukulele. npub1nz8xje3hhujvf9gsprlttww32yuetqzmld9ujz3xjp39gtc7tecsczatrm Jon Hancock Thursday morning is brought to you by the two guys across the road powertooling their way through concrete as if their destination is Hobart. npub1nz8xje3hhujvf9gsprlttww32yuetqzmld9ujz3xjp39gtc7tecsczatrm Jon Hancock @nprofile…zr06 It’s punk, not punktuation. npub1nz8xje3hhujvf9gsprlttww32yuetqzmld9ujz3xjp39gtc7tecsczatrm Jon Hancock @nprofile…dv75 I have a tenor tuned re-entrant DGBE (special strings) and one tuned to Bb. The Bb one sounds great, but that could possibly be because it has a smaller than usual body for the scale. npub1nz8xje3hhujvf9gsprlttww32yuetqzmld9ujz3xjp39gtc7tecsczatrm Jon Hancock Managed to stave off a nap long enough to take a spin on a couple of my slightly more neglected sopranos, one tuned to D and the other to C. D6 tuning sounds terrific, but unfortunately it’s considered rather old-fashioned in today’s “let’s tune all of the ukuleles the same” environment. Happily, that doesn’t matter when it’s just me belting out a few Tin Pan Alley numbers. #Ukulele npub1nz8xje3hhujvf9gsprlttww32yuetqzmld9ujz3xjp39gtc7tecsczatrm Jon Hancock An occasional reminder that https://symbol.wtf/ is possibly the single most useful page on the Web. npub1nz8xje3hhujvf9gsprlttww32yuetqzmld9ujz3xjp39gtc7tecsczatrm Jon Hancock “While working on Citizen Kane, Welles explored the possibility of making a follow-up movie on the life of Christ, but set in the Wild West.” https://www.honest-broker.com/p/the-10-greatest-failures-of-orson #OrsonWelles #Film #Theatre npub1nz8xje3hhujvf9gsprlttww32yuetqzmld9ujz3xjp39gtc7tecsczatrm Jon Hancock @nprofile…qxmd Genuinely jaw-dropping, isn’t it? npub1nz8xje3hhujvf9gsprlttww32yuetqzmld9ujz3xjp39gtc7tecsczatrm Jon Hancock “There’s never been a better time for a film like this, a film that is about creativity and which exudes it from every frame” https://youtu.be/TRU3NMcJv0o #Film #Animation #StopMotion npub1nz8xje3hhujvf9gsprlttww32yuetqzmld9ujz3xjp39gtc7tecsczatrm Jon Hancock @nprofile…qxmd Thanks, but TV is generally something I only see in passing rather than deliberately. npub1nz8xje3hhujvf9gsprlttww32yuetqzmld9ujz3xjp39gtc7tecsczatrm Jon Hancock Visiting mum. Currently trapped while she watches The Waltons. Concerned that I may have slipped through some sort of time portal. npub1nz8xje3hhujvf9gsprlttww32yuetqzmld9ujz3xjp39gtc7tecsczatrm Jon Hancock “…the only known copy of the Declaration taken by military action.” https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cgrkl104ly5o npub1nz8xje3hhujvf9gsprlttww32yuetqzmld9ujz3xjp39gtc7tecsczatrm Jon Hancock Current Status: Paginated Leopard. npub1nz8xje3hhujvf9gsprlttww32yuetqzmld9ujz3xjp39gtc7tecsczatrm Jon Hancock It appears that the Seagate external HDD I was having problems with cannot be repaired or replaced, so a refund is on the way. Hardly makes up for all the time wasted loading it with files before it died, but hopefully I can find a better model and not repeat the experience. npub1nz8xje3hhujvf9gsprlttww32yuetqzmld9ujz3xjp39gtc7tecsczatrm Jon Hancock "I've been here long enough now to know that the Americans have a genius for a lot of things. These include organising in a big way; and wisecracking with the boss; and taking all the flavour out of food…" https://youtu.be/4PNcgtEJa30 #BBC #1960s #America #Gadgets npub1nz8xje3hhujvf9gsprlttww32yuetqzmld9ujz3xjp39gtc7tecsczatrm Jon Hancock Interviewer: “Who was the better ukulele player: Formby or Smeck?” Christopher Davis-Shannon: “Cliff Edwards.” #Ukulele #CliffEdwards #UkuleleIke npub1nz8xje3hhujvf9gsprlttww32yuetqzmld9ujz3xjp39gtc7tecsczatrm Jon Hancock Dice are becoming a lot more specialised these days. #RPG https://social-cdn.vivaldi.net/system/media_attachments/files/116/818/742/451/381/412/original/0e95e867ee154b48.jpeg npub1nz8xje3hhujvf9gsprlttww32yuetqzmld9ujz3xjp39gtc7tecsczatrm Jon Hancock @nprofile…784u That sounded extremely appealing until I reached the “collaborative storytelling” part, then it slid quietly into the sort of game I simply don’t get on with. I’m disappointed, although not exactly surprised these days ☹️ npub1nz8xje3hhujvf9gsprlttww32yuetqzmld9ujz3xjp39gtc7tecsczatrm Jon Hancock In these troubled times of "fake news" and plagiarism machines it can be hard to know where to turn for solid, trustworthy, tried-and-true advice. The answer, of course, lies in the wisdom of folk songs: https://nielsenhayden.com/makinglight/archives/006448.html npub1nz8xje3hhujvf9gsprlttww32yuetqzmld9ujz3xjp39gtc7tecsczatrm Jon Hancock Current Status: Scandalous Tapir. npub1nz8xje3hhujvf9gsprlttww32yuetqzmld9ujz3xjp39gtc7tecsczatrm Jon Hancock @nprofile…4k5s At least you can expect a German occult society to be run efficiently. npub1nz8xje3hhujvf9gsprlttww32yuetqzmld9ujz3xjp39gtc7tecsczatrm Jon Hancock Potato? https://social-cdn.vivaldi.net/system/media_attachments/files/116/771/711/298/448/450/original/2d8dbaf7fe67082f.jpeg npub1nz8xje3hhujvf9gsprlttww32yuetqzmld9ujz3xjp39gtc7tecsczatrm Jon Hancock @nprofile…440k As far as Liquid Glass goes, I think that any M series chip will run macOS Tahoe which is the version that includes it. Tahoe is the last OS update to support Intel processors, so I'm fairly certain that you can install it on any M chip. You'd need to stick to the previous macOS Sequoia to avoid it. However, macOS Sequoia supports at least some AI features, but I don't know how much of the recently announced nonsense that includes. Basically it seems that all M chips will be able to run the AI version of Siri. npub1nz8xje3hhujvf9gsprlttww32yuetqzmld9ujz3xjp39gtc7tecsczatrm Jon Hancock The bees outside this cottage are so loud that I'm playing a game I call "Bee or Moped?" npub1nz8xje3hhujvf9gsprlttww32yuetqzmld9ujz3xjp39gtc7tecsczatrm Jon Hancock Another wholesome number from those *completely innocent* days of yore. https://social-cdn.vivaldi.net/system/media_attachments/files/116/750/504/170/086/942/original/b450be75713ddd31.jpeg npub1nz8xje3hhujvf9gsprlttww32yuetqzmld9ujz3xjp39gtc7tecsczatrm Jon Hancock @nprofile…37g6 😶 npub1nz8xje3hhujvf9gsprlttww32yuetqzmld9ujz3xjp39gtc7tecsczatrm Jon Hancock @nprofile…37g6 Sorry to say that I don't know which comic that came from, nor will I be trying to find out. npub1nz8xje3hhujvf9gsprlttww32yuetqzmld9ujz3xjp39gtc7tecsczatrm Jon Hancock In 1954 Fredric Wertham published "Seduction of the Innocent," in which he claimed that comic books were corrupting children and causing juvenile delinquency. This led to widespread censorship of comics, despite there being no actual evide— #Comics https://social-cdn.vivaldi.net/system/media_attachments/files/116/747/577/160/440/182/original/847fa498f4a32cfc.png npub1nz8xje3hhujvf9gsprlttww32yuetqzmld9ujz3xjp39gtc7tecsczatrm Jon Hancock Samtime: "Apple Somehow Just Made Siri Worse" https://youtu.be/1D9a2y_rmSU #Apple #WWDC #Technology #Humour npub1nz8xje3hhujvf9gsprlttww32yuetqzmld9ujz3xjp39gtc7tecsczatrm Jon Hancock "…one person hitting the other over the head with an otherwise peaceful musical instrument…" https://patch.com/california/fremont/suspect-hits-driver-ukulele-during-road-rage-fight-fremont #California #Ukulele npub1nz8xje3hhujvf9gsprlttww32yuetqzmld9ujz3xjp39gtc7tecsczatrm Jon Hancock Reading the Wikipedia entry for Pennycomequick, a location in Plymouth, and I was intrigued by this part: "In the centre of the roundabout is a prominent curious stunted statue of Isambard Kingdom Brunel with his trademark stovepipe hat." A *stunted* statue of Isambard Kingdom Brunel? How could anyone tell? npub1nz8xje3hhujvf9gsprlttww32yuetqzmld9ujz3xjp39gtc7tecsczatrm Jon Hancock @nprofile…zr06 Uncanny. npub1nz8xje3hhujvf9gsprlttww32yuetqzmld9ujz3xjp39gtc7tecsczatrm Jon Hancock Aw, man… Can't believe I missed the chance to bid on this. #Ukulele #HappyDays https://social-cdn.vivaldi.net/system/media_attachments/files/116/693/390/573/819/351/original/76369542b044151d.jpeg npub1nz8xje3hhujvf9gsprlttww32yuetqzmld9ujz3xjp39gtc7tecsczatrm Jon Hancock @nprofile…h8v9 "… and not like one of those Czech apes…" https://social-cdn.vivaldi.net/system/media_attachments/files/116/692/268/034/670/920/original/8261ce4b13c557e9.jpeg npub1nz8xje3hhujvf9gsprlttww32yuetqzmld9ujz3xjp39gtc7tecsczatrm Jon Hancock There's a new Kickstarter project up by Ken St. Andre, Steve Crompton, and friends, "City State of the Immortal Goddesses rpg Campaign," which is described as being for any RPG. This of course means *some* fantasy RPGs. Interestingly, seemingly responding to criticisms, there is prominent mention that three of the items on offer contain no AI: "Three of our products contain NO AI content and are clearly marked. (These include the maps, the Map Guidebook and Monster's Apprentice magazine.)" All well and good, but the rest of it makes prominent use of AI as be both Ken and Steve are big fans of it. Actually, the bit that really caught my eye is the "Monster's Apprentice" magazine, so perhaps I'll pick that up when the PDF releases later in the year. Unfortunately, Ken's AI stance has stopped me from buying most of his recent works (I did buy one, created with AI assistance: it's awful). https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/stevecrompton/city-state-of-the-immortal-goddesses-rpg-campaign #RPG #MonstersMonsters #TunnelsAndTrolls #Games #Kickstarter https://social-cdn.vivaldi.net/system/media_attachments/files/116/675/148/496/933/493/original/98f2da18d9b2c4fb.jpeg npub1nz8xje3hhujvf9gsprlttww32yuetqzmld9ujz3xjp39gtc7tecsczatrm Jon Hancock https://social-cdn.vivaldi.net/system/media_attachments/files/116/653/751/055/995/723/original/a9c5ea8be609e12d.jpeg npub1nz8xje3hhujvf9gsprlttww32yuetqzmld9ujz3xjp39gtc7tecsczatrm Jon Hancock A morning spent at the St. James's University Hospital in Leeds, going from my scheduled CPAP review to blood pressure, ECG, and blood tests. A long, hot morning, not at all helped by my brain's insistence on singing "St. James Infirmary," in all its glorious misery, the entire time I was there. npub1nz8xje3hhujvf9gsprlttww32yuetqzmld9ujz3xjp39gtc7tecsczatrm Jon Hancock I see we're at the point where turning on a fan becomes a means of replacing still hot air with moving hot air. npub1nz8xje3hhujvf9gsprlttww32yuetqzmld9ujz3xjp39gtc7tecsczatrm Jon Hancock Cat Gatekeeper, an anti-doomscrolling browser extension. With cat. https://youtube.com/shorts/pfy92KGoM5A npub1nz8xje3hhujvf9gsprlttww32yuetqzmld9ujz3xjp39gtc7tecsczatrm Jon Hancock It's late, everything is… well, y'know… so here's a baby aardvark, born at Chester Zoo, to act as a corrective. https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026/may/20/aardvark-calf-womble-chester-zoo-bottle-feeding npub1nz8xje3hhujvf9gsprlttww32yuetqzmld9ujz3xjp39gtc7tecsczatrm Jon Hancock 'The Edifice will exact a toll from us, friends - of that I am certain! But we shall best it, and such scars as it inflicts on us - scars of body and soul - shall be all the more proudly worn, for we alone shall know the cost of them! Gentlemen in England, now abed, shall think themselves accursed they were not here!' 'Or extremely glad to have had a lie-in,' Cossile murmured. — Alastair Reynolds, "Eversion" (2022) npub1nz8xje3hhujvf9gsprlttww32yuetqzmld9ujz3xjp39gtc7tecsczatrm Jon Hancock "Interestingly, Westbury had to omit vulgar-sounding nonwords (whong, dongl, shart, focky, clunt) before he even got started — these were so consistently considered funny that they would have interfered with the rest of the examination." https://www.futilitycloset.com/2026/05/17/snunkoople/ #Language npub1nz8xje3hhujvf9gsprlttww32yuetqzmld9ujz3xjp39gtc7tecsczatrm Jon Hancock Today's roll is… #RPG #Dice #FudgeRPG https://social-cdn.vivaldi.net/system/media_attachments/files/116/577/507/938/149/462/original/a774b1a50880aea1.jpeg npub1nz8xje3hhujvf9gsprlttww32yuetqzmld9ujz3xjp39gtc7tecsczatrm Jon Hancock Treated myself to a few secondhand CDs, the first of which to arrive is Foxtrot. This 1994 remaster is listed as having a pretty good dynamic range, something I find essential for early seventies Genesis which can be quite dense and muddy otherwise (my old cassette copy of Nursery Cryme was dreadfully thick); fingers crossed. #Music #Prog #Genesis https://social-cdn.vivaldi.net/system/media_attachments/files/116/556/011/743/762/529/original/df5635e9db38cc47.jpeg npub1nz8xje3hhujvf9gsprlttww32yuetqzmld9ujz3xjp39gtc7tecsczatrm Jon Hancock @nprofile…qnk9 That is… Well. I mean. Gosh. npub1nz8xje3hhujvf9gsprlttww32yuetqzmld9ujz3xjp39gtc7tecsczatrm Jon Hancock A remarkable operation—and a golf course actually being useful for once—but this nonsense statement from the Foreign Secretary ignores a long history of Britain turning a blind eye to the needs of its overseas territories: 'Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper said: "This extraordinary operations reflects our unwavering commitment to the people of our overseas territories and to British nationals, wherever they are.' https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cvgzv77ldpdo #Hantavirus #TristanDaCunha npub1nz8xje3hhujvf9gsprlttww32yuetqzmld9ujz3xjp39gtc7tecsczatrm Jon Hancock That she's enjoying a holiday at the British seaside? https://social-cdn.vivaldi.net/system/media_attachments/files/116/540/125/018/686/297/original/de8129f4cde0dcc9.jpeg npub1nz8xje3hhujvf9gsprlttww32yuetqzmld9ujz3xjp39gtc7tecsczatrm Jon Hancock Incredible scenes at the Whartson Hall Tuesday game as a royal NPC is unexpectedly portrayed by a Proper Actor™ in the first session of our GURPS Traveller adventure, something the GM kept quiet about. Of course, now we're going to expect a fresh surprise every week. #RPG npub1nz8xje3hhujvf9gsprlttww32yuetqzmld9ujz3xjp39gtc7tecsczatrm Jon Hancock @nprofile…440k He has such a rich harvest of embarrassments from which to choose. npub1nz8xje3hhujvf9gsprlttww32yuetqzmld9ujz3xjp39gtc7tecsczatrm Jon Hancock Listening to "Tubular Bells," from a CD originally given away with The Mail on Sunday, which I bought a while back for a couple of quid from eBay (far better than paying for a copy of that Tory rag to get one). I'd read on some discussion forum or other that it was a surprisingly good edition, which it does actually seem to be. Strictly speaking I didn't need to get it, since I've owned the excellent Mike Oldfield Boxed collection for years, but I thought it would be interesting to compare the two, since the Mail CD is basically the original album and the version included on Boxed does have some changes. In particular, Virgin wouldn't let Oldfield finish as he wanted, but this was rectified on Boxed; I found myself really missing it when listening to the original release. For the uninitiated, here is that missing section: Mike Oldfield and Viv Stanshall, three sheets to the wind, stomping around The Manor in the early hours of the morning: https://youtu.be/tMDXhmg8lGA npub1nz8xje3hhujvf9gsprlttww32yuetqzmld9ujz3xjp39gtc7tecsczatrm Jon Hancock I felt a great disturbance in the Force, as if millions of British schoolboys suddenly sniggered… https://social-cdn.vivaldi.net/system/media_attachments/files/116/493/704/458/321/430/original/851bc10de3b94d8b.jpeg npub1nz8xje3hhujvf9gsprlttww32yuetqzmld9ujz3xjp39gtc7tecsczatrm Jon Hancock Hobby Games Recce: "Packing A Battle in A Small Box" http://hobbygamesrecce.blogspot.com/2026/04/packing-battle-in-small-box.html ( by @nprofile…djw5) #Wargaming #Wargames #Games npub1nz8xje3hhujvf9gsprlttww32yuetqzmld9ujz3xjp39gtc7tecsczatrm Jon Hancock Needing to free up a bit of space on my 'phone, I checked how much storage my music files were taking up (=most of it). I probably don't strictly *need* quite so many different releases / masterings / mixes of all of these XTC albums on the same device, if I look at it critically… npub1nz8xje3hhujvf9gsprlttww32yuetqzmld9ujz3xjp39gtc7tecsczatrm Jon Hancock Spent a couple of hours looking into possible areas to live and houses for sale, after which my brain feels like jelly. I just can't research like I used to. #LongCovid npub1nz8xje3hhujvf9gsprlttww32yuetqzmld9ujz3xjp39gtc7tecsczatrm Jon Hancock @nprofile…qxmd True, but there were plenty of artists who saw the album as a complete work (more common in some genres than others, perhaps). npub1nz8xje3hhujvf9gsprlttww32yuetqzmld9ujz3xjp39gtc7tecsczatrm Jon Hancock There's an entire subgenre of YouTube videos where people talk about moving to physical media instead of streaming, which I found interesting. Obviously I'm not the target audience (I had a three month trial of streaming and—apart from the ease of looking up some tunes I didn't own—didn't take to it at all), but what intrigued me is how plain these videos made it that younger people simple don't approach music in the same way as, for want if a better term, my generation. They don't tend to think in terms of albums, for example, and there seems to be a genuine anxiety about failing to keep abreast of new releases. These days I listen to music from digital files, largely because we don't have room for the sort of stereo setup I usually had in the past, but sitting and listening to an entire album is still largely ingrained. I doubt that many of the people who grew up exposed to streaming from the start will change to that behaviour, but they're out there buying old music playback devices, amassing CD and LP collections, and approaching music as something other than a momentary distraction. That's quite cheering. npub1nz8xje3hhujvf9gsprlttww32yuetqzmld9ujz3xjp39gtc7tecsczatrm Jon Hancock Now Playing: #Music #Jazz https://social-cdn.vivaldi.net/system/media_attachments/files/116/421/039/626/020/604/original/e1aabacd97f91c95.jpeg npub1nz8xje3hhujvf9gsprlttww32yuetqzmld9ujz3xjp39gtc7tecsczatrm Jon Hancock A couple of hours gaming online with friends. Much needed and great fun, despite a few technical gremlins and my long covid exhaustion creeping in and threatening to spoil it for me. npub1nz8xje3hhujvf9gsprlttww32yuetqzmld9ujz3xjp39gtc7tecsczatrm Jon Hancock Blimey, that was quick. Huge thanks to everyone who reposted the links to my eBay sales. Both books have now sold, to the same buyer (which certainly makes things easier from my side). npub1nz8xje3hhujvf9gsprlttww32yuetqzmld9ujz3xjp39gtc7tecsczatrm Jon Hancock @nprofile…k36v @nprofile…zr06 Let's not encourage him too heartily. npub1nz8xje3hhujvf9gsprlttww32yuetqzmld9ujz3xjp39gtc7tecsczatrm Jon Hancock Apologies for the flagrant commerce, but as I'm being forced into early retirement due to ill health I'm going to be selling a few things. RPGs and books mainly, along with perhaps a ukulele or two, beginning with a couple of quite rare paperbacks by M.A.R. Barker. Unlike the first two Tékumel novels, these were never available in a mass market edition. https://ebay.us/m/KxZAvi https://ebay.us/m/oXLOe7 I now return you to my usual nonsense. #Tékumel #EmpireOfThePetalThrone #Fiction #Fantasy #Books npub1nz8xje3hhujvf9gsprlttww32yuetqzmld9ujz3xjp39gtc7tecsczatrm Jon Hancock We asked author, gamer and podcaster @nprofile…zr06 to describe the experience of listening to Actual Play RPG sessions from Whartson Hall: #RPG #Podcast #WhartsonHall #ActualPlay https://social-cdn.vivaldi.net/system/media_attachments/files/116/408/382/796/400/023/original/097e7ad3c649b7dd.mp3 npub1nz8xje3hhujvf9gsprlttww32yuetqzmld9ujz3xjp39gtc7tecsczatrm Jon Hancock It's not the easiest show to watch these days—thanks to some clumsy and inevitably dated / offensive elements along, with the rather tragically ironic fate of Jeff MacKay and the reprehensible crimes of Stephen Collins—but "Tales of the Gold Monkey" had a lot of charm and fun packed into it. This YouTube overview isn't perfect (and the narration is… idiosyncratic) but gives a decent and compact idea of where things went wrong for the unfortunately short-lived series: https://youtu.be/WHw7yvo7mrE And if you're thinking "Wow! That would make a terrific roleplaying setting!" then my friend, it's your lucky day thanks to @nprofile…djw5: http://griffonpubstudio.blogspot.com/p/heroesof-rura-tonga-buy-heroes-of-rura.html #TV #TalesOfTheGoldMonkey #Pulp #RPG npub1nz8xje3hhujvf9gsprlttww32yuetqzmld9ujz3xjp39gtc7tecsczatrm Jon Hancock Girding my loins for another go at understanding how to play spatial audio files (Dolby Atmos etc) on my 'phone and computer. Most of the articles I've found lean towards the "and then a miracle happens" style of explanation, skipping the actual bit I need. npub1nz8xje3hhujvf9gsprlttww32yuetqzmld9ujz3xjp39gtc7tecsczatrm Jon Hancock @nprofile…768n Lucky guess. There was always some bloke like me calling out the loonies 😁 npub1nz8xje3hhujvf9gsprlttww32yuetqzmld9ujz3xjp39gtc7tecsczatrm Jon Hancock The investigation mechanics of the Gumshoe RPG meet the rather superior general system of Fudge? It's either a match made in heaven, or else the product of someone who says things like, "They called me mad at the university!": https://tk.cx/rpg/fudgeshoe.html #Fudgeshoe #RPG #FudgeRPG #Games #Gumshoe npub1nz8xje3hhujvf9gsprlttww32yuetqzmld9ujz3xjp39gtc7tecsczatrm Jon Hancock Some of you may have noticed my fondness for 1920s music, but found it difficult to get into the spirit of the era yourself. Not to worry! Grab your dancing clogs and favourite embrocation, then follow this convenient link to learn how to do the Charleston! https://youtu.be/S_kb4RpZJIA Or be like me and listen to your joints creak in sympathy as you watch. #1920s #Dance npub1nz8xje3hhujvf9gsprlttww32yuetqzmld9ujz3xjp39gtc7tecsczatrm Jon Hancock It's so nice to return home after a few days away and get back to familiar, comforting activities, such as fishing cat hairs out of my tea. npub1nz8xje3hhujvf9gsprlttww32yuetqzmld9ujz3xjp39gtc7tecsczatrm Jon Hancock @nprofile…7r9s I'm intrigued that they have released the research so that other manufacturers can use it. Hopefully that means that we will be able to see how effective devices based on this idea are. Of course, the comments are already filling with people who are demanding that ANC be developed to shut out the sound of these bells… 🙄 npub1nz8xje3hhujvf9gsprlttww32yuetqzmld9ujz3xjp39gtc7tecsczatrm Jon Hancock Škoda has produced a design for a mechanical bicycle bell that it claims will be heard even if you're wearing noise-cancelling headphones: https://youtu.be/CUetUfeEZZY Personally, I'm wondering what sort of idiots are out there wearing ANC headphones in busy, multi-use public areas, but perhaps my desire to be aware of my surroundings amounts to paranoia. #Cycling npub1nz8xje3hhujvf9gsprlttww32yuetqzmld9ujz3xjp39gtc7tecsczatrm Jon Hancock Autocorrect there, attempting to change "Yorkshire Dales" into "Yorkshire Daleks," although in some ways that's an improvement. npub1nz8xje3hhujvf9gsprlttww32yuetqzmld9ujz3xjp39gtc7tecsczatrm Jon Hancock These places always overpromise. It turns out that Dent only had one vampire, not vampires plural. #Cumbria #YorkshireDales https://social-cdn.vivaldi.net/system/media_attachments/files/116/352/764/758/588/169/original/5d6b2ce93ea6af08.jpeg npub1nz8xje3hhujvf9gsprlttww32yuetqzmld9ujz3xjp39gtc7tecsczatrm Jon Hancock Does it also work as a spirit level? https://mastodon.social/@NoveltyBot/116341609075820284 npub1nz8xje3hhujvf9gsprlttww32yuetqzmld9ujz3xjp39gtc7tecsczatrm Jon Hancock Dinosaur that I am, I'm sticking to calling them RPGs. I know that the current fashion is for the addition of "tabletop" (TTRPG) to differentiate them from computer roleplaying games, but since I also maintain that there's no such thing as a computer roleplaying game I'm unlikely to confuse the two. Unless somebody makes an RPG based on George Formby's Isle of Man racing film "No Limit," I'll be keeping the TT away from the RPG. npub1nz8xje3hhujvf9gsprlttww32yuetqzmld9ujz3xjp39gtc7tecsczatrm Jon Hancock Another absolutely clean and innocent number today (because people in the past never thought about sex and other naughtiness, don'tcha know), in a pretty straightforward arrangement that captures the spirit of the piece rather than being a strictly precise version. Fred Douglas provides the vocal for this recording with Billy Cottom and His Band: https://youtu.be/I-3PIeQPEtg #Ukulele #Music #1930s https://social-cdn.vivaldi.net/system/media_attachments/files/116/312/216/429/022/355/original/d923195460c148fe.png npub1nz8xje3hhujvf9gsprlttww32yuetqzmld9ujz3xjp39gtc7tecsczatrm Jon Hancock Uke Tunes: "Durham Town / The Last Farewell – Roger Whittaker" https://uketunes.wordpress.com/2026/03/26/durham-town-the-last-farewell-roger-whittaker-ukulele-chords/ #Ukulele npub1nz8xje3hhujvf9gsprlttww32yuetqzmld9ujz3xjp39gtc7tecsczatrm Jon Hancock @nprofile…s0z8 Love the half-hearted "No pictures please!" pose 😁 npub1nz8xje3hhujvf9gsprlttww32yuetqzmld9ujz3xjp39gtc7tecsczatrm Jon Hancock @nprofile…5jaf It must have been a difficult decision, missing out on the chance to work with a man who famously attacked one of his bandmates with a knife. On stage. npub1nz8xje3hhujvf9gsprlttww32yuetqzmld9ujz3xjp39gtc7tecsczatrm Jon Hancock @nprofile…x9x3 Someone who has the same tailor as Bruce Banner. npub1nz8xje3hhujvf9gsprlttww32yuetqzmld9ujz3xjp39gtc7tecsczatrm Jon Hancock @nprofile…8804 I was delighted earlier this week when my partner noticed the Fuchsgiven sign, mounted on the side of the bookcase that is behind anyone working at our desk. "How long has that been there?" "A few months… I thought you'd seen it." "Have I been sitting in my work conference calls with that visible in shot for the past few months?" "Apparently so." npub1nz8xje3hhujvf9gsprlttww32yuetqzmld9ujz3xjp39gtc7tecsczatrm Jon Hancock Despite the glut of "AI" sites and the descent of search engines into near uselessness, the Internet still delights occasionally with the ability to throw a choice morsel of whimsy at my feet. Today I learned that Ginger Baker auditioned for the role of "Homeless Man" in Weird Al's movie "UHF". He didn't get the part. npub1nz8xje3hhujvf9gsprlttww32yuetqzmld9ujz3xjp39gtc7tecsczatrm Jon Hancock Mail call! #ScienceFiction https://social-cdn.vivaldi.net/system/media_attachments/files/116/296/523/412/689/388/original/cc98bb5808112c14.jpeg npub1nz8xje3hhujvf9gsprlttww32yuetqzmld9ujz3xjp39gtc7tecsczatrm Jon Hancock The 1920s Channel: "A Tour of a 1920s Zeppelin" https://youtu.be/You_6jFhTj4 #Airships #1920s #History #Zeppelin npub1nz8xje3hhujvf9gsprlttww32yuetqzmld9ujz3xjp39gtc7tecsczatrm Jon Hancock Current Status: Pataphysical Gopher. npub1nz8xje3hhujvf9gsprlttww32yuetqzmld9ujz3xjp39gtc7tecsczatrm Jon Hancock "The character was also reimagined as the eponymous, sword-wielding beagle in the early 1980s animated series Dogtanian and the Three Muskehounds." https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/mar/25/skeleton-three-musketeers-dartagnan-alexandre-dumas npub1nz8xje3hhujvf9gsprlttww32yuetqzmld9ujz3xjp39gtc7tecsczatrm Jon Hancock Seen on the Ukulele Underground forum: (I'm guessing it's not obligatory… probably…) #Ukulele https://social-cdn.vivaldi.net/system/media_attachments/files/116/292/216/935/319/008/original/dddc83cb37e65882.png npub1nz8xje3hhujvf9gsprlttww32yuetqzmld9ujz3xjp39gtc7tecsczatrm Jon Hancock Anyway, since I was there: Today's roll is… #FudgeRPG #RPG #Dice https://social-cdn.vivaldi.net/system/media_attachments/files/116/292/159/457/775/644/original/5ae4be7df183bdf6.jpeg npub1nz8xje3hhujvf9gsprlttww32yuetqzmld9ujz3xjp39gtc7tecsczatrm Jon Hancock Someone has posted on the Fudge RPG forum. It's such a vanishingly rare occurrence that I hardly know how to react. npub1nz8xje3hhujvf9gsprlttww32yuetqzmld9ujz3xjp39gtc7tecsczatrm Jon Hancock @nprofile…h04g In The Guardian today, "Can Bluey save classical music?" https://www.theguardian.com/music/2026/mar/25/tom-service-can-bluey-save-classical-music