Andy Staples
@barwickian.bsky.social
Writer, rambler, gamer, geek
Reposted by Andy Staples
Gordale Scar. Tolkien's inspiration for Rivendell say some. Helm's Deep, say others. Tolkien himself was silent on the matter.
May 12, 2025 at 9:25 PM
Gordale Scar. Tolkien's inspiration for Rivendell say some. Helm's Deep, say others. Tolkien himself was silent on the matter.
The Badger Stone - one of many hundreds of examples of neolithic or Bronze Age rock art on Ilkley Moor.
May 12, 2025 at 7:37 AM
The Badger Stone - one of many hundreds of examples of neolithic or Bronze Age rock art on Ilkley Moor.
If I'm silent on major events, it's usually because I'm too tired or busy to process them into coherent thoughts.
My thoughts on Monday's events are still not coherent. I've got as far as key takeaways and some woolly thinking.
My thoughts on Monday's events are still not coherent. I've got as far as key takeaways and some woolly thinking.
January 23, 2025 at 5:10 PM
If I'm silent on major events, it's usually because I'm too tired or busy to process them into coherent thoughts.
My thoughts on Monday's events are still not coherent. I've got as far as key takeaways and some woolly thinking.
My thoughts on Monday's events are still not coherent. I've got as far as key takeaways and some woolly thinking.
The cold snap continues. Sub-zero temperatures all week. The canal is frozen over.
January 11, 2025 at 5:44 PM
The cold snap continues. Sub-zero temperatures all week. The canal is frozen over.
Ice and fire: as southern California burns, we're in the middle of a cold snap in the Yorkshire Dales.
January 9, 2025 at 7:41 AM
Ice and fire: as southern California burns, we're in the middle of a cold snap in the Yorkshire Dales.
Happy Wolfenoot! Celebrate your pack!
November 23, 2024 at 5:19 PM
Happy Wolfenoot! Celebrate your pack!
This is oddly cathartic. All the swear words used on Blue Sky, in real time.
I hope it recognises words like cocksplash, bawbag, and wazzock.
swearsky.bagpuss.org
I hope it recognises words like cocksplash, bawbag, and wazzock.
swearsky.bagpuss.org
SwearSky
Bluesky profanity, as it happens
swearsky.bagpuss.org
November 23, 2024 at 4:45 PM
This is oddly cathartic. All the swear words used on Blue Sky, in real time.
I hope it recognises words like cocksplash, bawbag, and wazzock.
swearsky.bagpuss.org
I hope it recognises words like cocksplash, bawbag, and wazzock.
swearsky.bagpuss.org
So much new activity here this week. Why could that be? (Adopts innocent pondering posture, tapping pen against teeth and gazing up into the middle distance.)
November 15, 2024 at 10:43 PM
So much new activity here this week. Why could that be? (Adopts innocent pondering posture, tapping pen against teeth and gazing up into the middle distance.)
one of the reasons bluesky works differently is because early users waged a successful fight to get the devs to prioritize safety features to protect communities at risk
as a result bluesky now has a suite of controls that i think are unmatched on social media
here’s the list, lmk what i’ve missed
as a result bluesky now has a suite of controls that i think are unmatched on social media
here’s the list, lmk what i’ve missed
November 11, 2024 at 7:06 PM
I've been experimenting with using AI companion apps for solo roleplaying games. It turns out what I think of as roleplaying is not the same as the app designers. I was expecting "welcome bold adventurer". I got "sexy landlady demanding her back-rent".
November 8, 2024 at 4:49 PM
I've been experimenting with using AI companion apps for solo roleplaying games. It turns out what I think of as roleplaying is not the same as the app designers. I was expecting "welcome bold adventurer". I got "sexy landlady demanding her back-rent".
My Kenyan wife puts it a little differently: "We've only just discovered houses [factcheck: they've had stone houses for centuries] and you want me to sleep where?"
i can't stop watching this video where a guy asks his Nigerian wife if she wants to go camping and she says "Stavro I did not come to this life to suffer". i've been thinking about it for days
August 31, 2024 at 5:59 AM
My Kenyan wife puts it a little differently: "We've only just discovered houses [factcheck: they've had stone houses for centuries] and you want me to sleep where?"
Happy Yorkshire Day, sithee.
August 1, 2024 at 7:33 PM
Happy Yorkshire Day, sithee.
Yesterday's visitor
June 5, 2024 at 2:00 PM
Yesterday's visitor
Confirmed: UK general election 4 July.
May 22, 2024 at 4:22 PM
Confirmed: UK general election 4 July.
The Hooded Man is come to #Nottingham...
February 16, 2024 at 1:41 PM
The Hooded Man is come to #Nottingham...
When visiting Nottingham, one must wear suitable attire.
February 15, 2024 at 9:47 PM
When visiting Nottingham, one must wear suitable attire.
Reposted by Andy Staples
Really good TTRPG bundle which supports a trans youth group: itch.io/b/2262/ttrpg...
Slugblaster, Alas Vegas, and Moonlight on Roseville Beach are well worth it on their own and I see a bunch of other intriguing stuff.
Slugblaster, Alas Vegas, and Moonlight on Roseville Beach are well worth it on their own and I see a bunch of other intriguing stuff.
TTRPG Bundle for Trans Youth by Riley and 69 others
TTRPG Bundle for Trans Youth: 119 items for $5.00
itch.io
February 7, 2024 at 5:13 AM
Really good TTRPG bundle which supports a trans youth group: itch.io/b/2262/ttrpg...
Slugblaster, Alas Vegas, and Moonlight on Roseville Beach are well worth it on their own and I see a bunch of other intriguing stuff.
Slugblaster, Alas Vegas, and Moonlight on Roseville Beach are well worth it on their own and I see a bunch of other intriguing stuff.
A transcript of an unpublished interview the incredible Jennell Jaquays gave me 10 years ago.
Rest in power, Jennell. And thank you for the joy your games brought, the joy you brought.
Rest in power, Jennell. And thank you for the joy your games brought, the joy you brought.
In Memorium: a 2014 interview with the late Jennell Jaquays, The Penultimate HârnPage
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www.penultimateharn.com
January 11, 2024 at 2:58 AM
A transcript of an unpublished interview the incredible Jennell Jaquays gave me 10 years ago.
Rest in power, Jennell. And thank you for the joy your games brought, the joy you brought.
Rest in power, Jennell. And thank you for the joy your games brought, the joy you brought.
Took a break from C&S Sherwood design for a New Year ramble above Airedale yesterday.
January 2, 2024 at 4:55 PM
Took a break from C&S Sherwood design for a New Year ramble above Airedale yesterday.
Reposted by Andy Staples
Everyone at Rebellion is deeply saddened to hear of the death this morning of 2000 AD artist Ian Gibson. Read our tribute here: bit.ly/47Tyefe
December 11, 2023 at 7:58 PM
Everyone at Rebellion is deeply saddened to hear of the death this morning of 2000 AD artist Ian Gibson. Read our tribute here: bit.ly/47Tyefe
England's weather is changeable, and the Yorkshire Dales weather even more so. I regularly photograph the view from our kitchen window in different lighting (and seasons).
This morning, a hazy shade of winter: rain, mist in the dale, and a low cloud base.
This morning, a hazy shade of winter: rain, mist in the dale, and a low cloud base.
December 7, 2023 at 10:01 AM
England's weather is changeable, and the Yorkshire Dales weather even more so. I regularly photograph the view from our kitchen window in different lighting (and seasons).
This morning, a hazy shade of winter: rain, mist in the dale, and a low cloud base.
This morning, a hazy shade of winter: rain, mist in the dale, and a low cloud base.
I've been meaning to photograph this barn in morning sunlight for around two years. So of course I wait until its -6°C...
December 2, 2023 at 10:00 AM
I've been meaning to photograph this barn in morning sunlight for around two years. So of course I wait until its -6°C...
Pendle Hill from Ilkley Moor this evening.
November 24, 2023 at 8:53 PM
Pendle Hill from Ilkley Moor this evening.
"The real dividing line is not between Christianity and Islam, Sunni and Shia, East and West. It is between people who believe in coexistence, and those who don’t."
Tom Fletcher, former UK Ambassador to Lebanon, in So... Yalla, Bye, his final blog before leaving Beirut, July 2015.
Tom Fletcher, former UK Ambassador to Lebanon, in So... Yalla, Bye, his final blog before leaving Beirut, July 2015.
November 6, 2023 at 9:33 PM
"The real dividing line is not between Christianity and Islam, Sunni and Shia, East and West. It is between people who believe in coexistence, and those who don’t."
Tom Fletcher, former UK Ambassador to Lebanon, in So... Yalla, Bye, his final blog before leaving Beirut, July 2015.
Tom Fletcher, former UK Ambassador to Lebanon, in So... Yalla, Bye, his final blog before leaving Beirut, July 2015.