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Post by DC on Apr 6, 2006 14:46:24 GMT
William Shatner "Has Been" www.williamshatnerhasbeen.com if you haven't listened to it then you're missing out. Excellent album on all fronts. Well on my front anyway. The Decemberists "Picaresque" another very enjoyable album. Pops you'd probably like it, has shades of The Waterboys stuff you sent me, just with the vocals from Suede.
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Post by hornet on Apr 6, 2006 14:50:29 GMT
Oh, that should be Series 1 and 2 of Big Train, obviously. It's hit and miss. But when it hits, it really, really hits. The one that gets me every single time is the Braveheart pastiche featuring the tiny pony. I have no idea why it's funny. But it is. 24 is the TV equivalent of McDonalds. I know exactly what I'm going to get when I open the box, its flaws are painfully obvious and I'm not proud of myself for enjoying it. Yet I keep going back for more. The only film I've seen recently is SWAT. In one word, inoffensive. In several words, Sam Jackson remains amazingly watchable even when he's sleepwalking through profoundly average material. And there was quite a cool plot-device-thing about halfway through that I haven't seen before but can't believe was original, which I shall definitely be stealing for the next time I'm running a game featuring characters who are even vaguely law-and-order orientated. Recently, I have been mostly playing the furiously compelling Grid Wars 2 (or Grid Wars, if you believe www.incitti.com/Blitz/), which has elicited many a furious cry of "You cheating little green PANTFISH!" over the past few weeks. I've also been spending time with the relaxedly compelling Rollercoaster Tycoon 3, when I can get my better half away from it for long enough. First game I've seen her play since the PS1, which tells you something. Or not. This last week or so, though - Oblivion all the way. It's a bit unstable, it's a lot of a system-hog, the plot and the gameworld are both hackneyed high-fantasy sloblock, I'm disappointed in how "artificial" a lot of the NPCs feel and yet, and yet... well, put it this way. The other night I spent five hours, real-time, wandering around the landscape picking flowers. Picking FLOWERS! I don't even remember getting hit with the phaser set to "Sudden Interest In Botany". On the upside, my general wanderings and explorations led to me standing on top of a hill, watching the sun rise over the Imperial City. Which was nice. (Bigger, nicer version of that picture at img.villagephotos.com/p/2005-5/1004672/WhenAllThisWereFields.jpg if for any bizarre reason you're remotely interested.)
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Post by floplexter on Apr 6, 2006 14:51:08 GMT
Ooh, that piques the interest. I will try and investigate.
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Post by DC on Apr 6, 2006 14:55:21 GMT
What, botany Pops?
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Post by floplexter on Apr 6, 2006 14:55:51 GMT
I was referring to Dave's Decemberists, but the fact that you picked flowers for five hours piques the interest in a different way.
As in more of a "what the fuck, you mental bastard" kind of way. I get fed up waiting for Isengard to turn up at Helm's Deep, let alone picking flowers. What is Oblivion anyway? No, don't tell me, I'm sure it's beyond my PC's capabilities.
I have played no games recently. Not one. None. Niente. Nada. Mostly because I haven't had time to.
Sloblock- class word, used a lot by me and very few others. Fry, Laurie and Mrs Kerribanachief live on.
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Post by coffers on Apr 6, 2006 14:56:12 GMT
My step daughter borrowed my car last week whilst we were away and left a number of CD's in the glovebox when she brought it back. One of them was by Foo Fighters I was quite taken by it. Not bad noisy but interesting. I was surprised that she was into that sort of stuff. :humb:
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Post by floplexter on Apr 6, 2006 14:57:44 GMT
Good old fashioned rock and roll, coffs.
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Post by coffers on Apr 6, 2006 15:00:43 GMT
Yeah, that's what surprised me, it transported me back to some heady days, and she isn't into rock & roll, she's more into stuff like No Doubt.
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Post by DC on Apr 6, 2006 15:02:59 GMT
I was referring to Dave's Decemberists It was me who asked about the botany anyway, but I get ya meaning. I nabbed it off Amazon after hearing "We all go down together". It's folkish rock, theatrical type stuff - but still not straying too far from keeping up a good song y'know. Not sure if there's anyway to get a sample, maybe on their website or something.
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Post by coffers on Apr 6, 2006 15:03:40 GMT
I must admit most of my listening lately has been stuff by Steve Harley which I bought at the concert I went to last year. That and the odd Pretenders album along with the Diamond. At home on the old Vinyl playing thing I slapped on a couple of Moody Blues albums at the weekend, just for nostalgia's sake. I'd forgotten how good some of their stuff was. Well IMHO.
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Post by DC on Apr 6, 2006 15:05:47 GMT
My Dad has all the Moody Blues albums, vinyl 'and' cd.....as a child I have vivid memories of their Rocket Take off sequence. Like 55 minutes of rumbling and secondary thrusters or something.
Suffice to say I haven't since listened to them.
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Post by floplexter on Apr 6, 2006 15:09:34 GMT
Probably delayed toxic shock syndrome. To clear up the botany question, I typed my reply before I saw yours, Dave, as Hornet's post arrived in between yours and mine.
If that helps.
Jeeze. It matters not.
I shall seek Decemberism.
And The Diamond is well-kent in my land already. We accept all except nonces.
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Post by coffers on Apr 6, 2006 15:12:09 GMT
BBC 4 tonight at 8pm, The Kinks in Concert as part of their 1970's week or something. Pity I've a pre-arranged dinner to go to. I think Cat Stevens is on in concert sometime soon too. 1973 that brings back some memories. Oooeerrrr. Plus at 11pm they are showing footage of the 1971 Concert for Bangladesh. I might be home by then.
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Post by floplexter on Apr 6, 2006 15:13:50 GMT
BBC 4 is well worth keeping an eye on for random musical gems. Poorly advertised, beautifully delivered.
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Post by Narcizo on Apr 6, 2006 15:41:49 GMT
I shall have to wait until I get a new computer before going anywhere near Oblivion. It should be quite cheap in about two year's time.
Not big fans of houses in fatnasty land I note.
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Post by Moo on Apr 6, 2006 16:06:58 GMT
BBC 4 is well worth keeping an eye on for random musical gems. Poorly advertised, beautifully delivered. It disnae work for me. Or is that ITV4? I dunno.
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Post by Narcizo on Apr 6, 2006 17:47:11 GMT
It also looks like you'll be faced with the eternal Elder Scrolls conundrum if you actually want to get to the city. Do you a) trog all the way round to the bridge and back again, or b) take the direct route and jump in the river and swim across oblivious to the risk of hypothermia, currents or drowning induced by the variety of useless (but bulky) paraphenalia you've already managed to accumulate on your travels so far.
PS it's b
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Baz
Pantfish
I take photos of cocks and look at them longingly
Arbeitslos und ausgelacht.
Posts: 406
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Post by Baz on Apr 6, 2006 19:26:14 GMT
Somebody told me The Matador was very funny. They lie? Nope. It was boring, and seemed a lot like a spoof of a "real" hitman stylee film. Bret the Hitman Hart > Pierce Brosnan, albeit a moustached one. Imagine Bret Hart with a 'tache. Hope that's quoted right. It's funny in places but not much cop. Blimey this thread's digressed entirely. Ice Age is funny, I took the bairn to see that one ages ago, haven't seen the second one yet, but I have no doubt that I will. It's brilliant. The ending is sublime and "Manny" is fantabuloso. I've still not watched the second one. Games? Books? Songs? Noooooo.
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Post by Mr Bismarck's Electric Donkey on Apr 6, 2006 19:53:09 GMT
Oh, and Life Aquatic wins hands down in the Best Use of A Song In a Film so far this year. "Staralfur"- could have been written for the scene where it's played. It's a song about a bird sticking on her pyjamas and watching little angels out of the corner of her eye. Does she do it underwater in the film?
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Post by hornet on Apr 6, 2006 23:10:30 GMT
It also looks like you'll be faced with the eternal Elder Scrolls conundrum if you actually want to get to the city. Do you a) trog all the way round to the bridge and back again, or b) take the direct route and jump in the river and swim across oblivious to the risk of hypothermia, currents or drowning induced by the variety of useless (but bulky) paraphenalia you've already managed to accumulate on your travels so far. PS it's b Of course it's b). I want to get my Athletics skill up, don't I? Oblivion's got quite a nice "quick travel" feature though, where you can jump straight to any town, or any landmark in the wilderness you've previously visited. Most of the reason my botany expidition took as long as it did was that interesting things kept popping up on my compass, compelling me to go off track and find them so they'd get "locked" onto my map for full future exploration. Combat's way better than Morrowind, but still a bit clumsy and a lot war-of-attritiony. The optimal tictac against most opponents appears to be launching an arrow or two from the shadows, then running backwards as fast as you can (which since this is a first-person game means "as fast as the enemy can run forwards") pinging more arrows until he be very dead. That may just be because my character's handier with a bow than a sword, mind. And the horses are rubbish and useless. And interaction with NPCs outside (and sometimes inside) set quests is artificial and limiting compared to, say, Knights Of The Old Republic. Plus, it's a bit buggy and crashes at the slightest excuse. But it's worth it for big things like struggling through Hell to close an Oblivion gate, and for little things like killing a dangerous enemy without him ever knowing you were there. It's ace. I seem to have logged over sixty hours on the bloody thing by now, and I've no idea where the time's gone.
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Post by Sonic on Apr 6, 2006 23:22:21 GMT
I never did get into Life Aquatic for some reason, and I love Bill Murry's movies. As to Sigur Ros, I've a ticket to see them soon, and am really looking forward to them. Pops, you really need to get the rest of their albums, they are great.
Lately with music, I've been ripping all my albums that aren't on my library on my computer onto it. It's going to be a while before this finishes I think, or at least a couple of weeks. Hopefully I'll have wireless internet connection by that time and can speed up the process :humb:
As to books, I've got to return a few to the library as they'll give me a fine. I'm not fussed with them anyway. As to Mobious Dick, I've started that book a few times and have yet to finish it. I'm going to be rereading my Robert Jordan books, all 11 of them so far and then I'm going to move onto this other author that is of the same genre, and has his own world. I wish I could remember his name :moop:
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Post by Sonic on Apr 6, 2006 23:23:01 GMT
I thought Moby Dick was a commentary on America or something like that.
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Post by Moo on Apr 7, 2006 8:24:40 GMT
I listend to Talib Kweli's "The Beautiful Struggle" last night, very patchy despite some very good reviews.
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Post by floplexter on Apr 7, 2006 9:10:30 GMT
Mobius Dick, Sonic, not the Moby Dick. It's a modern novel by Andrew Crumey and is a lot to do with theories of reality and quantum stuff like that.
No birds underwater, stu, but the atmospheric nature of the track is perfect for the denouement of the film.
Couldn't tell you why I enjoyed Life Aquatic so much- Wes Anderson is a weird cookie.
60 hours, Pres? That's just sick.
I still haven't bothered getting out the first building on KoToR.
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Post by coffers on Apr 7, 2006 13:51:40 GMT
I'm currently reading Deception Point by Dan Brown of The Da Vinci Code fame. Very readable if somewhat far fetched and, as with most of his books so far, it very much written in the style of a cliff hanger at the end of every page.
The last book finished, last week, was; Home run by Gerald Seymour.
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