Jon Hancock

https://social.vivaldi.net/@BigJackBrass

Charlatan, Humbug and Imitation Humorist.

Former sporadic cartoonist and game designer. Occasionally #Outdoorsy, sometimes #Cycling. #Ukulele torturer. #Zoot tooter. #RPG player and GM at Whartson Hall. Still European. #LongCovid.

Public Key

npub1z4rqesned3xjxzhw50fzr4s3j25qzr6v3htfs5exj4c6hxne2ejqszpgu6

NIP-05 Address

bigjackbrass_at_social.vivaldi.net@momostr.pink

Profile Code

nprofile1qqsp23svcfukcnfrpth2853p6cge92qppaxgm45c2vnf2udtnfu4veqpz3mhxue69uhhyetvv9ujuerpd46hxtnfduqs6amnwvaz7tmwdaejumr0dsf5spdr

Publishing to

relay.damus.io

nos.lol

Author Public Key

npub1z4rqesned3xjxzhw50fzr4s3j25qzr6v3htfs5exj4c6hxne2ejqszpgu6

Show more details

Last Notes

2026-04-09 14:01:33 UTC

Current Status: Contumacious Mole.

2026-04-05 15:19:31 UTC

- reply

Autocorrect there, attempting to change "Yorkshire Dales" into "Yorkshire Daleks," although in some ways that's an improvement.

2026-04-05 15:18:20 UTC

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

2026-03-22 21:15:06 UTC

In 1982 the horse achieved apotheosis, it's ultimate form.
#XTC #SwindonsFinest https://aus.social/@joannaholman/116272925347958787
https://social-cdn.vivaldi.net/system/media_attachments/files/116/274/895/660/995/852/original/d92c438e8193ab60.png

2026-02-23 20:46:48 UTC

- reply

Looks like a NuRAD: https://berglundinstruments.com/nurad-ewi-sax-etc-fingering-instrument/

2026-02-20 15:22:55 UTC

> LOOK
You are in a room. There are exits to the north and west. There is an armchair.
> SIT
You are sitting in an armchair in a room. There are exits to the north and west. A small black cat enters the room.
> TAKE CAT
You cannot take the cat.
> PET CAT
You pet the cat. It starts to purr.
> PET CAT
You pet the cat. It jumps onto the chair, purrs, and settles on your lap.
> N
You cannot go north. You are immobilised by a cat.
> STAND UP
You cannot stand up. You are immobilised by a cat.
> W
You cannot go west. You are immobilised by a cat.
> PET CAT
The cat purrs.

2026-01-28 12:22:21 UTC

- reply

It's interesting how many of the supposedly integrated classic campaigns for Cthulhu actually have a point where it becomes extremely hard for the investigators to justify continuing, as they have no logical connection to what happens next. Too many adventures writers relying on the "we do it because we're playing a game, so if we don't do it we can't play" mentality.

2026-01-12 11:19:11 UTC

There's something reassuringly nerdy about the fact that here in 2026 there are still people on forums posting errata they've found in the 1976 D&D supplement Eldritch Wizardry.
#RPG #DungeonsAndDragons #Games

2026-01-06 09:42:24 UTC

'In 1873, when the University of Michigan challenged Cornell to the new game of football, Cornell president Andrew D. White declined. He said, “I will not permit thirty men to travel four hundred miles to agitate a bag of wind.”'
(Via Futility Closet)

2025-12-31 14:13:35 UTC

- reply

Perhaps something from the vast and largely appropriate archive of Effin' Birds?
https://effinbirds.com/post/801304736199475200

2025-12-31 14:07:59 UTC

Via Matt at World of Ukes.
#Ukulele
https://social-cdn.vivaldi.net/system/media_attachments/files/115/814/568/942/827/607/original/890014f683169d8f.jpeg

2025-12-26 00:02:16 UTC

- reply

I did find this fascinating article about dip pens, but it doesn't quite answer the question although it does seem to confirm my thought that travelling / pocket inkwells were more about being carried from place to place rather than pulled out and used throughout the day:
https://oro.open.ac.uk/84894/3/84894.pdf
It strikes me that a pencil would have been far more convenient for tasks such as jotting in a notebook, and that anyone expecting you to sign and write in ink would also have ink at hand for the purpose. Indelible pencils did not appear until the later 1800s, so they would not be an option.

2025-12-25 22:46:34 UTC

- reply

Pocket inkwells were certainly common—usually metal or glass wrapped with leather—but I can only recall encountering them in the context of travellers, much as we used to have travel alarm clocks until recently. I'm afraid I can't say whether they were typically carried by people in their day to day business, but you've made me interested in finding out!

2025-12-14 19:36:48 UTC

- reply

Sheet music is a good example of why the rules on copyright could do with a serious revamp. I'm looking for a piece from nearly a century ago, but can't find it in any of the online academic collections I have access to. It doesn't seem to have been offered for sale on eBay recently, if at all, and I can't find it in stock at the few vintage sheet music sellers I know.
And I can't pay for a copy, because even though it's been out of print for decades, nobody appears to offer it online. There are thousands of amazing tunes out there in the same position, disappearing from our memory and culture, and we're all poorer for it.

2025-12-14 19:07:53 UTC

- reply

Should any of you know where I can find a copy of this sheet music I'd love to hear from you.
#1920s #Music
https://social-cdn.vivaldi.net/system/media_attachments/files/115/719/489/001/611/380/original/9ff846a3ee34ff8c.png

2025-12-14 17:26:08 UTC

Incredible. Can't find a copy or a digitised version of some sheet music I've been hunting for, but apparently fifty thousand people on Pinterest had no trouble getting it so they could post a scan of the cover.
Harrumph.

2025-12-04 17:51:39 UTC

- reply

Thank you. I'm just catching up on posts here and notice that you're having a rough time too! Get well soon.

2025-12-04 17:24:27 UTC

- reply

I'm not explaining it well. If they think I'll recover and be able to work within three years then I'll get a reduced pension, the logic being that if I can work then I will go and get a job rather than only having the pension as my income.

2025-12-04 17:07:37 UTC

- reply

It's not planned so much as forced on me due to ill health. The process is underway, I'm just waiting to find out whether they agree with the medical specialists who say I can't work for the foreseeable future, or if they decide that I probably can. In that case they will pay an even more greatly reduced pension than I'll be getting for retiring so early.

2025-12-04 16:47:04 UTC

A surprisingly busy day of Covid appointments, calls to arrange other health-related appointments, and calls from work to see if I've had any updates about the upcoming retirement appointment. All very tiring, despite having plenty of time to get on with enjoyable and relaxing things as well.

2025-12-02 19:27:53 UTC

There's a shoebox with a rubber band around it on the floor; both of our cats have discovered bass playing.
#Cats

2025-11-26 19:06:31 UTC

Current Status: Trepidatious Dachshund.

2025-11-17 09:09:18 UTC

- reply

Who could ask for a more heartfelt accolade?

2025-11-17 09:02:09 UTC

“The seeds of punning are in the minds of all men; and, though they may be subdued by reason, reflection, and good sense, they will be apt to shoot up in the greatest genius that is not broken and cultivated by the rules of art.”
— Joseph Addison, editor of The Spectator

2025-11-15 16:37:43 UTC

- reply

After I cleaned the old Martin uke and oiled the fretboard, Carrie Fisher stepped in to help with changing the strings.
#Cats #Ukulele
https://social-cdn.vivaldi.net/system/media_attachments/files/115/554/691/376/778/498/original/9d44f7bb28f54c84.jpeg

2025-11-14 18:31:26 UTC

- reply

That's when companies start frantically hurling money at the problem.

2025-11-14 18:30:13 UTC

- reply

The "new" uke has spent the day settling in and adjusting to household temperature and humidity. Tomorrow I'll give it a light cleaning, fit new strings and have a proper play of it.
#Ukulele
https://social-cdn.vivaldi.net/system/media_attachments/files/115/549/471/332/769/641/original/943224f0e10a631c.jpeg
https://social-cdn.vivaldi.net/system/media_attachments/files/115/549/471/415/850/061/original/e264002ad8b4329a.jpeg

2025-11-14 18:15:39 UTC

- reply

I have a feeling that we may see an awful lot of people being desperately hired as troubleshooters and consultants in the future, at greatly increased cost, to fix all this.

2025-11-14 09:14:43 UTC

No no, of course I haven't bought a seventy-year-old ukulele from overseas without playing it. That would be ridiculous.
😬
https://social-cdn.vivaldi.net/system/media_attachments/files/115/547/287/123/904/329/original/a8a66ee688e7e006.jpeg

2025-11-12 15:30:27 UTC

Current Status: Punctilious Marmot.

2025-10-25 16:56:08 UTC

At an obligatory social event, held at a golf club up on the moors. A golf cart just pulled up outside the window, the driver wearing an enormous hooded puffa jacket… and shorts.

2025-09-16 09:40:52 UTC

This would never have happened during the Sylvester McCoy years.
#DoctorWho
https://social-cdn.vivaldi.net/system/media_attachments/files/115/213/313/553/736/228/original/5adde59c2c66efea.jpeg

2025-08-29 08:34:24 UTC

Although in the end he just built a conservatory.
From: @npub1yjy…9gw8
https://mstdn.social/@GreatOldBot/115108231383706996

2025-08-24 14:25:53 UTC

- reply

I struggled a bit with the heavy-handed mechanics of Dogs. The setting was interesting, playing the bad guys who are convinced they're the good guys, but as with a number of "story games" I found that the mechanical rules stifled the strong roleplaying opportunities.

2025-08-22 09:14:28 UTC

- reply

Very true. By the time Douglas Adams was my age he'd been dead for six years.

2025-08-09 19:03:44 UTC

"How can a great and wise civilization have destroyed itself so completely?"
—Walter Miller, A Canticle For Leibowitz

2025-08-01 20:55:19 UTC

- reply

Hard to say. I'm restricted by health issues, so I'll most likely start with something simpler and a pretty straightforward adventure, to avoid being forced to abandon the campaign before the end.

2025-08-01 20:36:41 UTC

Spent a little time this afternoon organising some of my rather chaotic game files, starting with the folder for the Hero System. After clearing out some of the duplicates and grouping things more clearly with the games they are for, I set it to upload a copy to Dropbox.
Apparently this will take two days.
While I think that's rather more pessimistic than realistic, it's possible that I have too many games…
#RPG #Games

2025-07-25 10:28:13 UTC

Waiting in a hospital car park, as I occasionally do these days. They've mounted solar panels over the spaces, providing shade as well as generating electricity. There needs to be more of this.
https://social-cdn.vivaldi.net/system/media_attachments/files/114/913/379/273/842/372/original/068bd27a9932d19b.jpeg

2025-07-22 18:04:14 UTC

- reply

Sorry, not getting your meaning.

2025-07-22 18:02:24 UTC

The splendid Blue Rose RPG is on offer at the moment in PDF, well under a fiver:
https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/203007/blue-rose-the-age-rpg-of-romantic-fantasy
#RPG #Games #Gaming #BlueRose #GreenRonin
https://social-cdn.vivaldi.net/system/media_attachments/files/114/898/180/166/438/379/original/0e4f1d459cc1e6f2.jpeg

2025-07-22 09:40:08 UTC

Current Status: Embattled Alpaca.

2025-07-07 13:25:42 UTC

- reply

Long Covid. I suffer from constant and fairly severe fatigue, drowsiness, "brain fog" and several other symptoms, all of which have—temporarily, I hope—curtailed my hiking and cycling activities.

2025-07-07 13:11:23 UTC

- reply

I miss hiking. Hopefully one day I'll recover enough to pack my tarp and head out into the hills again. Looks like you picked a wonderful area for walking.

2025-07-04 10:30:45 UTC

- reply

I picked up an East Top chromatic harmonica a little while ago. Not a brand I knew, but with my old Hohner diatonics somewhere in storage I thought I'd try something cheap for a lark. On the whole it's surprisingly decent, certainly for the price. I doubt it will last as well as my old harps (and there is one very small irregularity in the finish I need to file, as I can feel it rubbing the side of my mouth) but it does seem as though there are better cheap instruments available than there used to be.

2025-06-24 21:48:51 UTC

Nope. Nothing I might add could improve this headline.
https://social-cdn.vivaldi.net/system/media_attachments/files/114/740/536/924/059/162/original/98f70d62f1959898.jpeg

2025-06-20 10:26:16 UTC

Delightful to note that the book that was written and drawn in was a copy of "The Naughtiest Girl Again".
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/ce3nw5vvp4qo
#Books

2025-06-16 10:41:29 UTC

Current Status: Comatose Otter.

2025-05-14 21:41:39 UTC

- reply

I found an app called JustWatch and downloaded it to help me find where to watch the films I wanted to see. Like you, I discovered that very nearly all of them are not available to view at all. A pretty poor situation and a lot of excellent and even significant films being neglected.

2025-05-12 18:34:29 UTC

- reply

Tarps are always my preferred choice. I used to use them when hiking across Scotland. Admittedly, I did have to deal with occasional things like having a family of ducks waddle through, but I love the open feeling.

2025-05-06 12:08:23 UTC

- reply

I love the Lyricon, it also cropped up on Steely Dan tracks. First heard it on Landscape's "Einstein a Go-Go":
https://youtu.be/rn8jPj9g_CM

2025-05-06 11:29:14 UTC

Yes… songs without any notes in them would certainly be easier to play… 🤔
#Music #Ocarina
https://social-cdn.vivaldi.net/system/media_attachments/files/114/460/631/527/077/622/original/4e9609e6c080f51a.jpeg

2025-05-03 12:51:57 UTC

Picked up a few badges and an iron-on patch from www.gayprideshop.co.uk. Sometimes strong core beliefs aren't very helpful unless people can actually see where you stand.
#LGBTQ
https://social-cdn.vivaldi.net/system/media_attachments/files/114/443/953/700/622/772/original/4404a3ae690acd2b.jpeg

2025-05-03 09:33:44 UTC

- reply

This suggests that the Swedish edition of the Call of Cthulhu RPG enjoys some especially rich descriptions.

2025-04-14 15:23:39 UTC

- reply

I was just listening to Equinoxe Infinity, which I think does a great job of continuing themes and employing textures from the original Equinoxe album without feeling constrained by its predecessor. In some respects his first two mainstream albums—Oxygène and Equinoxe—are hard to beat and sound so weirdly organic. Honestly, I don't know if I can pick only one, but I am very fond of Zoolook.
https://youtu.be/-F36bJ57TmM

2025-04-14 13:10:02 UTC

A cup of tea, and a Jean-Michel Jarre album on the stereo. Everyone has their own happy place 😁

2025-04-11 09:20:31 UTC

- reply

No wonder it suddenly feels crowded in here.

2025-03-12 14:18:14 UTC

Reading a little honest earthiness.
#Folk
https://social-cdn.vivaldi.net/system/media_attachments/files/114/149/877/705/443/239/original/f40a5132d4180819.jpeg

2025-03-05 13:39:33 UTC

Looks like I need to go through the tedious process of trying out new Mastodon apps. I like Toot! — it's customisable and has the features I want — but the annoying random (but frequent) glitch where it suddenly jumps way back down the timeline has finally broken me. Time to hit the app store.
#Mastodon #Apps

2025-02-17 19:44:13 UTC

- reply

A brilliant way to stop the orbital mind-control lasers from brainwashing your doorknob.

2025-02-15 10:24:22 UTC

- reply

I'm afraid I've no experience of it on a Mac, but generally you can go to your Amazon account on a browser and find your Kindle titles under devices and content, then choose the download option for each book. This may not work if you don't have a physical Kindle ereader registered.

2025-02-11 20:04:30 UTC

- reply

There are some amazingly detailed articles looking at everything that happens in Primer. There are faint noises in some scenes that are actually the same characters, off screen having travelled through time to get there, for example.

2025-02-03 13:40:36 UTC

- reply

🎶 "I really can't stay…"
"But baby, it's code outside…" 🎶
https://social-cdn.vivaldi.net/system/media_attachments/files/113/940/228/116/037/385/original/07b494d0cafe2807.png

2025-02-03 13:13:08 UTC

🎶 "I really can't stay…"
"But baby, it's cod outside…" 🎶
https://social-cdn.vivaldi.net/system/media_attachments/files/113/940/123/472/519/717/original/b069a9678f10cf2e.jpeg

2025-01-31 15:13:59 UTC

- reply

He's actually here on Mastodon: @npub1jwj…7swp
I get them via the RSS feed on his website, though: https://news.ansible.uk/

2025-01-31 15:00:14 UTC

The latest Ansible is out now:
Ansible® 451, February 2025
https://news.ansible.uk/a451.html
#ScienceFiction #Books #Fandom

2025-01-27 09:39:53 UTC

'The students were reportedly “extremely grateful” and said they could not believe all the crew were unpaid volunteers.'
https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025/jan/26/rnli-rescues-american-students-from-welsh-island-during-storm-eowyn
#StormÉowyn #RNLI #Wales

2025-01-22 11:25:22 UTC

Current Status: Depleted Leveret.

2025-01-05 08:58:11 UTC

Futility Closet: "A Lesson"
https://www.futilitycloset.com/2025/01/05/a-lesson/
#Philosophy

2024-12-31 11:57:13 UTC

- reply

Lovely location for a game.

2024-12-27 15:02:25 UTC

- reply

"Shut up, Wesley!"

2024-12-25 19:24:40 UTC

- reply

Node Modals.

2024-12-25 19:17:05 UTC

- reply

Mood nodules.

2024-12-01 19:05:06 UTC

Reviews from R'lyeh: "1984: CHILL"
http://rlyehreviews.blogspot.com/2024/12/1984-chill.html
#RPG #Horror #Games

2024-11-19 11:12:53 UTC

- reply

That's what I call real dedication!

2024-11-19 10:56:49 UTC

- reply

"… and we're hoping to finish it soon after more than three decades of continual play…"

2024-11-07 18:03:52 UTC

Exciting news for steampunks and Victorian space explorers!
Sabine Hossenfelder: "Space-filling Aether Theory Makes Comeback"
https://youtu.be/Zf7H7P8QrGo
#Science #Space #Physics #LuminiferousAether

2024-10-30 21:07:07 UTC

Watching "Wakanda Forever", which I think is a description of the running time.
Jeez, films are long these days.

2024-10-09 07:44:48 UTC

“Part of me now feels I need to step up my game for the world championships… I will have to bring out my fairy wings and my ukulele and go singing to the trees.”
https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2024/oct/09/glasgow-tree-hugging-champion-early-years-teacher-hannah-willow
#Scotland #Outdoorsy #TreeHugging
https://social-cdn.vivaldi.net/system/media_attachments/files/113/276/424/144/048/509/original/2a1a66a6dab0cc8b.jpeg

2024-10-04 10:06:04 UTC

- reply

I'm more confused by the leg situation. The creature is probably a werewolf, but the face puts me in mind of Lovecraft's ghouls.

2024-08-27 16:33:42 UTC

- reply

https://social-cdn.vivaldi.net/system/media_attachments/files/113/034/945/561/541/282/original/8ee07082935ea7e0.png

2024-08-26 18:22:36 UTC

"Threaten," BBC. The word is "threaten."
https://social-cdn.vivaldi.net/system/media_attachments/files/113/029/707/338/081/988/original/0450c12f7a712f55.jpeg

2024-08-22 21:33:50 UTC

Pinched from a post by Tulpa Girl at the RPG Pub.
https://social-cdn.vivaldi.net/system/media_attachments/files/113/007/806/151/420/356/original/f47e06669025f929.jpeg

2024-08-18 16:14:44 UTC

The Plymouth fish finger absolutely sounds like a euphemism for something.
"You don't cross the Gaffer, mate, not if you value your life. Jimmy Knuckles tried it and they gave him the Plymouth fish finger."
https://social-cdn.vivaldi.net/system/media_attachments/files/112/983/899/950/806/468/original/0358e9b94ab14f64.jpeg

2024-08-08 11:23:57 UTC

I'm extremely impressed that they got the bacteria to fill in a survey.
https://social-cdn.vivaldi.net/system/media_attachments/files/112/926/141/971/913/084/original/38ca4a7893ac4737.jpeg

2024-08-07 15:24:49 UTC

- reply

There is absolutely no way that I could ever justify spending three hundred quid on what would, for me, be a very cool novelty, but a novelty nonetheless. Absolutely ridiculous; and yes obviously I want one.

2024-08-05 10:29:47 UTC

- reply

"She still has ear protection…" So did he.