Alan Simpson

New book day

"for male and female are not matters only of the body any more than of the raiment" - JRR Tolkien, approx 1951 - from History of Middle-earth vol 10 Morgoth's Ring

I just struggle to see how Twitch loses out if the streamer decides to spend, what, £1500 of their own money to get to the PP level, sure they get a better rate at that point, but if they have enough subs for that to matter financially to Twitch they'd be PP already!!

I guess I get the prime thing, but gifted not counting is some shit

This was a lot of fun, just caught the archive!

On 15 September 1977: J.R.R. #Tolkien's The Silmarillion was published. Edited by Christopher Tolkien, the book details the entire history of the world before The Hobbit, and goes into the legends that underpin the entire mythology including the creation of the world. #BookSky

Discovering computer as an adult makes you go crazy. Discovering computer as a baby makes you go crazy. In all of human history, there will only ever be one generation to discover computer at the correct age: 13

YouTube video by BionicIguana Oxonmoot 2025 Video Scrapbook

Some photos from my recent trip to Oxford for Oxonmoot 2025 @tolkiensociety.org

www.youtube.com/watch?v=zYH4...

Now that I'm back from Oxford and getting slowly reacquainted with the outside world, a PSA regarding my talk on illustrations of Lúthien given for the @tolkiensociety.org and @mythsoc.bsky.social. The speaker at Tolkien2019 I mentioned is not S.R. Westvik but Elyanna Choi. All my apologies to them.

Oh Sara I can't tell you how much! You were hilarious on this and Just A Minute!!

The hosts sit behind a table. Stef Midlock is on the left wearing a black shirt. Jude Vais is on the right wearing a black hoodie unzipped over a black shirt.

The guests sit behind a wooden rostrum. On the left is Sara Brown wearing a patterned shirt with purple hair. On the right is Kristine Larsen wearing a patterned shirt with blonde hair.

One of many highlights of Oxonmoot 2025 @tolkiensociety.org was the live @podcast.athrabeth.com recording with @aranelparmadil.bsky.social and @jrrtastrochick.bsky.social

One of the talks at @tolkiensociety.org's Oxonmoot conference this year focused on Tolkien's time with the Oxford English Dictionary. This alliterative poem on AO3 rather cleverly uses several words whose entries he worked on, including "wruxled".

www.silmarillionwritersguild.org/node/4548/si...

Small men with long beards and pointed hats with robes in the same color all look at the smaller one they surround who is waving and stands below the title De hobbit - J.R.R. Tolkien

You know him, you love him, it’s Bilbo Baggins in the 1960s Dutch De hobbit (found at Oxonmoot 2025 in the dealer room. I wanted him so bad but I know he went to a good home)

I am not exaggerating when I say I think I am forever changed by the experience ❤️

A group people sit around tables under a tree at St Anne's College, Oxford, eating pizza

Oxonmoot 2025 @tolkiensociety.org may have been the best event I have ever been to - Next year can't come soon enough!

On 17 August 1953 #Tolkien writes to his friend and publisher Rayner Unwin on the names of the three volumes of The Lord of the Rings. The names chosen are "The Fellowship of the Ring", "The Two Towers" and "The Return of the King". And the rest of history! #BookSky

Maybe an AI came up with it

Those should probably be let lie

Feargal with a very good explanation for how Renationalisation Without Compensation works 100% legally

Screenshot of a news article from The Globe and Mail with the headline: "Judge halts deportation of non-binary American in landmark ruling after Trump’s gender edicts." The article is written by Marie Woolf and was published in Ottawa 4 hours ago, with an update 3 hours ago. The website navigation bar includes links to Home, For You, Canada, World, Business, Investing, and Personal Finance.

In a major precedent setting move, a Canadian federal judge blocked the deportation of a nonbinary US citizen because the Canadian immigration office failed to adequately assess the conditions for LGBTQ people since Trump took office.

archive.ph/Q722T

This is the reason I'm speaking out about anti-trans Democrats in the US. I don't want them to make the same move that Labour did in the UK.

All I think about when I see the Jess parliamentary portrait.

Will they though? I am sure a bunch will, but there's a lot of Andrew Tate worshipping mini-Nazis out there too.

Black and white line drawing of Scytale from the book Dune Messiah

With the recently buzz around Dune Part 3 and interest in Dune Messiah I wanted to take a moment to remind everyone that Scytale, the character rumoured to be played by Robert Pattinson, rhymes with Italy, not with tail.

Infants can literally just stop breathing and die with no warning from “whooping cough” (pertussis) infection. They do not necessarily even get the infamous cough that older children and adults get (and can be severe enough to break ribs). Do not let unvaccinated people around your newborns (or you)

I wouldn't say it myself but I did get a certain look when I read Boy George had said it.

Biology is not binary: a letter from biologists, doctors, and other experts to Bridget Phillipson, Minister for Women and Equalities

docs.google.com/document/d/e...

Just out! Our peer-reviewed critique of the Cass Review has been published by BMC Medical Research Methodology. Please read and share. We show that the Cass Review is fatally flawed and should not be the basis for policy or practice in transgender healthcare.

link.springer.com/article/10.1...

That would do it! I must admit, I follow Cultaholic on youtube but not the podcast channel, should probably rectify that! Thanks, Tom!