December 2025 Oddcast

Yay! More puppets! Please do more bits with them!

I really enjoy when you break down posting from a creator's perspective. I want to support yet these platforms keep moving the goalposts on how creators prove their merit. It makes me feel like a poor supporter. "Oh, S. If my pasta boils over and I stop the video the creator gets punished?" "If I don't hit like that's money?" Remember, these guys are hosters. They create an interface, not content. That said, my favourite Chuck Berry song is the one the guy at the record company wrote. Man, that accountant could swing.

The missus just wants things to work how they worked in the 1970s. Preferably without the power cuts. Fun times!

Wow! So I've been a YT subscriber for years, but never made it over here - and how lucky am I to find that you can actually participate for FREE, but that there's a video here that's NOT behind a paywall ... AND - It features the return of the puppets!! This is like a late Christmas present!! One other note to Mat - I know you've said in the past that you're out of ideas for the puppets - but since the whole AI phenomenon is dominating the world (especially in the Tech Landscape) I feel like the ol' puppet gang would have some amusing things to say about this! Like the youngish fellah - I can imagine him thinking that 'his ship has come in'! - He can now set up an entire business run by AI - churning out YT garbage and just raking in wads of cash ... And that the older, wiser folks might have some insight that would have his reality come crashing down. I mean, there's soooo much to make fun of there, isn't there? Anyway, I'm well aware that producing those puppet sketches is probably a lot of effort - so I'll understand if we don't see them coming back any time soon - Just thought I'd throw out an idea in case it sparks something on your end. Aside from that, thanks for your continuously entertaining and informative videos. I'll be here right until the lights go out at the end. :D

A very Merry Happy Channel Birthday New Christmas Year, Matt. I hope you do not take a long lie down to never wake up again… yet! I wanna see more Techmoan shenanigans for many more years to come. My favourite EVER YouTube channel. In fact, Techmoan isn’t just YouTube channel, or indeed a way of life, it’s a religion. Yep, I’m part of the Techmoan cult. I said ‘CULT’, not c… 😂😂 Incidentally, that last boombox you reviewed, made me go down the cassette mechanism rabbit hole. Quite interesting on how the parts used to be made. Cutting, bending, fabricating… so many small individual parts, with machines specialising in them parts, and them parts only. Anyway, thanks again matey. I appreciate your videos and piss taking. Keep it real homie!! Lee

I always appreciate the oddcasts!

Here for my first oddcast, having been a YouTube subscriber for atleast 10 years it was probably well overdue. Keep up the awesome videos they are much appreciated.

Return of the puppets was the gift 2025 may not have deserved, but certainly needed. Here's to more felt feelings in '26.

I love the puppets. You got a litteral LOL from me.

1st came across this channel 2 years ago and has inspired me to start collecting vintage stuff

The puppets are quite polarizing, but there's another shocking gimmick that could bump up views. A shaven Mat in just one video. See if the algorithm blows up. I'm 60% serious and 40% joking. 🫢

Seeing the puppets again after so long was a funtastic Christmas surprise!

The world is a better place with Techmoan!

ohh thanks for that Mat. I missed those segments. i guarantee anyone who hates them is younger than 30. darn kids! and a merry christmas to you as well, and a great 2026!

PS more puppets please lol.

Same opinion RE - YouTube clickbaity-esque 'Watch till the end - I was Shocked! etc etc' thumbnails, i get sick of them... Iwish They had a remove the channel from search reset, permanently. Unfortunatly the younger audiwnces are being led by TikTok/Instagram-like 'influencing video channels - remember that old Prime drink? lol.

Hi - I really like the oddcasts as they make me think about all sorts of unexpected things (educational as the producer guy said). So some from this episode. Mrs Moan must be very tolerant in your tech world. The light is not going to come on if you have smarted it off previously. What you may need to do is short the switch inside with a Wago so it is always on and replace the switch itself with the push button/knob. I never realised that LED lights stop FM reception. I hardly ever use a portable and have an outdoor aerial for the fixed receiver. Did you know that Riddim is pronounced Rhythm if you are a Welsh speaker? Subscribers only commenting is new to me as well - I am not sure it suits the channel that I help with though.

I have sure missed the puppets nice to see them again!!! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!!!

The cat hears you talking, looks around, and seeing no one else assumes you are talking to him.

The Moans Rule! A Merry Christmas and Happy New Year Mat and to everyone here on Patreon.

Best Christmas present, a new Moans! Especially as both my Moans mugs are dead now and you can't get them anymore. Happy Christmas, Mat!

Oh dear. Similar to Rudy's comment ...I was supposed to record my boyfriend's college graduation on a camcorder in 1998. Being a living anachronism, I'd only ever used a wind-up Super 8 camera...so I used the record button the same way I'd used the exposure key on the film camera...so it alternated between footage of the ceremony, and footage of my feet. Merry Xmas Mat, and Thank you!!

So good to see you ending the year looking as well as you started it (pre-February time, obviously!) I've also dug out the weird TV/fire thing, which I bought on your recommendation, though mine came from the Yorkshire Trading Company, but I'm sure anyone living in Penzance or Inverness can find one just as easily. Incidentally, I was in Inverness in July, and saw a gift shop called "Thistle Do Nicely", which amused me. I'm none the wiser about eARC, as I'm one of those people who listens on ordinary headphones, due to being in a block of flats! Unrelated to anything, but there's an article in the recent Record Collector magazine about music LaserDiscs and CD Video, which I'll try to get round to scanning at some point. (It's the issue with Bob Geldof on the front, which I only bought for the free calendar!) Anyway, best wishes, and continued good health to you and the Missus and Bee's Knees.

Merry Christmas! Thank you for another year of entertaining and informative videos! Wishing you a happy, healthy and prosperous new year! 🥳

Thanks for the opportunity to watch an Oddcast as non paying member, it does feel like a Christmas present so thank you 🎄

Merry Christmas! 🎄

Back in the 80s, my friend and I took my Dad's camcorder (JVC?) to "interview" girls around campus only to hot-mic conversations between us because every time he recorded it was on stand-by and vice-versa. I forgot his excuse but was similar or the same as the red light reasoning.

With the Hue bulbs, you have to create a group and add all the bulbs in that room to that group. Then tell the remote to turn the lights in 1 room on or off. Earlier in the year, Hue released very bright bulbs. I replaced a few of my old Hue bulbs with them as the old ones weren't that bright and made even worse because she liked the look of the filament bulbs which made the front room feel like you'd walked into a Hollister. There are 3rd party Hue apps that are far better than the Phillips app. I'm far too deep into the Hue ecosystem to change to something else. I had to remove the old physical light switches and stick the remotes on the blanking plate because the partner kept turning the lights off and I was spending ages battling with the remotes and app trying to get them working, not realising that she'd disconnected the power. I'm glad that YouTube did something towards the comment issue. I don't get many on mine but I couldn't believe how many pornbots I have to report on other videos. YouTube only have to limit people having an image for people who've had an account for 6 months. They'll never think that far ahead and if they are easily banned and that 6 months were wasted. Good to see the puppets back for a stint.

Love to see the puppets back finally! And thanks for all the lovely content over the years. And of course - Merry Christmas to you, the cat, the puppets and the Mrs!

Happy Christmas. Thanks for another Techmoan content rich year. All that, despite the challenges that came your way. 👊 💪 Keep doing what you do best, your way. It will stand out from the noise making ‘mass’, and will be recognised as such.

Merry Christmas Mat, you will never know how much your videos have help me 🙏

Thank you Mat, Merry Christmas.

Brilliant! - thank you very much for an informative and entertaining year. Fantastic ending. Between you and the Big Clive livestream my Xmas is complete before it's over.

Loved it, the puppets and the cat were the icing on the cake. Merry Christmas to everyone. 😀

Thanks for the puppets bit at the end, that was a very nice Christmas present for us! :) Merry Christmas Mat, merry Christmas everybody! :)

Merry Xmas everybody.

Puppets and the cat, they're always welcome. All the best to you, yours, and everyone this Christmas.

Happy Christmas Mat. Thanks for the ending, I realise it's a lot of effort and it's very much appreciated. Back in 2014 I bought a Panasonic TV with their own Soundbase and connect them via HDMI ARC. All sounds good and works well, except occasionally the sync is out and you can't adjust it. I had hoped that by buying from the same manufacturer not to have such issues but no such luck.

Happy Christmas! On the subject of home automation...if it's something that interests you, we'd like to know about it.

Thanks Mat for this video, and a happy Christmas to you, Mrs Techmoan and Bee’s Knees! Time for a video of some cat gadgets surely! It will be quite hilarious to see him treat these gadgets with utter disdain.

Merry xmas Mat! 🎄📻💫

Also, I wonder what the thumbnails are like on people who do manicure videos - do they just draw the surprise face on their nails?

Happy Merry New Christmas Years Mat! Always enjoy the oddcasts - and surprise puppets!

Thanks Mat for keeping me entertained for the year and a great ending to the Video. Happy Christmas & a Happy Health New year 🎅🎊

All the best, Mat! Thanks for another year of top viewing.

Puppets! A nice christmas treat, thank you!

I think it would actually make more sense for you to get an AM transmitter, because then you can at least prove the band is working when you review a radio, rather than saying you can't pick up anything. Plus, radios vary widely in how good or bad they sound on AM, while FM usually sounds the same on all radios. I recommend the Spitfire AM transmitter -- it's made in the UK, low power so you won't get in trouble with the authorities, sounds really good (for AM radio), and costs £79.95.

Happy Christmas, Mat - thanks for keeping us entertained and informed for another year, and a special thanks for allowing the puppets out of retirement - they seem to have aged less than I have in the interim!

Kudos for that talent to emdash the most morbid remarks. Maybe that's what actually resonates most with me about your character. The outfit was surprisingly appropriate for the occasion.

Kitty! (household very happy to see a kitty show up in the video) Second; the shipment of the wave machine. I currently live in Arkansas; I once ordered a trackball from a manufacturer in California via USPS Priority Mail. It went from California to Dallas to Memphis to Little Rock, sat at Little Rock Distribution for 3 days, then the next day was shown as being in Anchorage, Alaska. Sat there for about 3 days and then worked its way back down to Little Rock (after a stopover in Chicago) and then to my P.O. Box. (punchline is that it wasn't a very good trackball and I wound up returning it shortly after receiving it) And, hooray! The puppets are back! Have very much missed them. Seriously. Merry Christmas, Matt, and best wishes for a healthy & happy 2026.

Lovely, Mat. Left me with a laugh, which is always good. I know you don't really do effusive Christmas wishes, but you're geting one anyway. Merry Christmas, Pal, and a healthy 2026! SB.

"DO NOT BUY the We Are Rewind Curtis Blaster without watching Techmoan DESTROY it with his BRUTAL review!!" - yeah, no, I hate those kind of video titles too! Enjoyed the update and the puppets, Merry Christmas Mat!

Happy Christmas and merry new year Mat! Best gift ever!

Happy Christmas and a Merry New Year!

Thanks for the update, Matt. Maybe make a Patreon only video a out the eArc splitter? I am very interested.

Merry Christmas

Great ending - thanks!

Merry Christmas Mat and hopefully a better 2026. Loved the puppets in the end.

Puppets and Bees Knees in one video, (including the bonus of hearing the cat speak!)… BEST CHRISTMAS EVER!!! Best of holidays, Matt. P.S. I think we’re married to continent-equivalents of the same person. My lovely wife also wants everything to work like they did in the 1970s.

Happy Christmas to you, the Mrs., and your cat, Mat! Thanks for all the work over the years.

I 100% subscribed to Wheelie Yellow because of your recommendation. Thanks for that!

Happy Xmas mate from me too. Regards

Have a Merry Christmas, Mat! It’s been a really difficult year for all of us, but your videos are always a highlight to wait for. I’ve been a follower of yours for 8 years now (Patreon came later), and if i look around, I see so many items I bought after your recommendations (sound burger, Mova globes, Uher open reel machines, Minidisk recorders…), and I never regretted following your advice. Please do continue in 2026, all the best from Germany.

I was quite unreasonably happy when you said, "I do have one more thing... I tried to make something just for you, just for patrons, something that SOME people will be happy to see" as I was absolutely sure what was coming, to the extent that I found myself involuntarily shouting, "PUPPETS!" in an empty room. A wonderful little treat, Mat, cheers. Hope you and the missus have a lovely Christmas.

I was on the edge of my seat the moment you mentioned that the ending was going to annoy a few people. Wonderful to see them again. Thank you very much. Merries and happies included.

Mat, seeing the puppets again brought me a lot of joy. I hope you have a Merry Christmas and an enjoyable time off with family and friends. All the best.

Merry Christmas Mat (and everyone else here)!! 🎄

Merry Christmas Mat, and to everyone else here. Was wonderful seeing my old friends bickering and moaning again.

Excellent ending

It was interesting to see comments on the Wheelie Yellow channel from all the others like me who subscribed due to nothing more than hearing Mat mentioning the Wheelie plushie on the shelf. Can't explain why I like the channel, other than the happy feeling I get when watching it, kind of like Danny Sapko's BEHS channel which I've also recently subscribed to. Great to see The Moans again and Happy Xmas & Merry New Year to all!

Well, that was my Xmas present in the last 2 minutes :)

• Your Patreon still allows $1.00; I paid the annual for that tier at the first week of December. • There shouldn't be a need to say 'brutally honest review' unless they're making somewhat dishonest reviews in the meantime. 🤨 • My motivation levels for pretty much everything are fading away these days. • Upon hearing Cuba Baion I immediately knew it would be a puppet skit. It thoroughly delights me that you have the puppet voices perfectly in character after the hiatus. What a wonderful Christmas present. • Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to you and everyone present. Take care. 🤍

Whatever is beautiful. Whatever is meaningful. Whatever brings you happiness. May it be yours this Christmas and throughout the coming year.

I like the smart bulbs and smart home tech in general. I went the smart light switch route. I have an older home without a neutral wire so my options were limited. I can use Apple's HomeKit to control everything but all the switches work like you would expect them too. It was a great quality of life upgrade. Especially as you pointed out, being able to adjust the default brightness and set some other modes for watching tv, eating etc. I also recently added a smart vent system. I have a central heating system that uses forced air. Some of the rooms would be very cold in the winter because the heat never reached them. With the smart vents only the occupied rooms receive heat. The house is more comfortable and they have helped with the utility bills.

Have a fantastic Christmas all..

Merry Christmas one and all.

Have a great Christmas everyone!

Thanks Matt for the year of service. Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas Moaners!!!

Merry Christmas to you and everyone in the Techmoan conmunity.

Just finishing my playlist on tidal and after will watch 🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰