Positive Events & Occurences

[AndrewTaylor]

I needed 27:59 minutes for a 5.25 km marathon two days ago.

Call me a traditionalist, but that's about 37km short of a marathon.

[bonz]

Call me a traditionalist, but that's about 37km short of a marathon.
It's one-eighth of a marathon. We were a team of 8 runners and the times were cummulative.

Anything more than the 5.25km around the pond we were circumnavigating and I would have needed to drown myself in the latter.

[Pigbuster]

Just had possibly the best evening of my life.

We just had our senior concert at our high school, the last one I'll ever play there.
I was making so many mistakes, but I didn't care. I was absolutely euphoric.
I didn't give a crap about making mistakes or looking silly in front of others. It was perfect.
I'm guessing it's kinda like being drunk, but without any downsides.

Then 2 other percussionist buddies and I played Stubernic (3 people on one marimba) in an impromptu recital of sorts. That piece always impresses people.

Then, after most people were gone, I played some of my compositions to calm myself down a bit, because I was a bit too riled up.

Then, when back at home, my dad and I played with an instrument-type-thing I made up. For 20 minutes.
Put a ruler on a table so part of it is sticking out over the side, then twang it. Weird sound. Woo.

It's just the way I wanted my last concert to be, really. A perfect way to end my high-school life. Less than a month left, now.

It's just that playing concerts is the only thing that makes me this happy. Drawing doesn't make me nearly as euphoric. I'm too obsessive over it. I worry about making mistakes.
But when I go to art school, I will learn how to really draw, and I will be able to get things from my brain to paper perfectly, and I will no longer be frustrated at my inability. I will tell my self-critical side to go screw itself, and I'll allow myself to make mistakes and just have fun with what I do.

Anyway, yeah. Just wanted to get all of that out.

[Squirminator2k]

£32,000.

Thirty-two thousand pounds.

Thirty-two thousand pounds.

[Paul.Power]

£32,000.

Thirty-two thousand pounds.

Thirty-two thousand pounds.Cool. How did that happen?

[MtlAngelus]

According to google, that's like $687,805.56 Mexican pesos.
Which brings me back to WOAH, CONGRATS!

[SargeMcCluck]

£32,000.

Thirty-two thousand pounds.

Thirty-two thousand pounds.

35,741 ¥.
Thirty-five thousand, seven hundred and fourty one yen.

Take THAT, Ben!

[Pigbuster]

$63,408

Wow. How did that happen?

[Squirminator2k]

It's a very long story, which involves the death of an elderly relative and a swashbuckling adventure. Suffice to say, I now have... er... more money. In US dollars, I have approximately $63,436.68, which is a very happy figure indeed.

Edit: £32,000 is a ballpark figure, incidentally. It's actually several hundred higher than that. And as I found about £450 lurking in my savings account, it's actually now closer to £33,000.

[worMatty]

Christ, that's some inheritance.

[thomasp]

Just try to keep Gordon Brown's sticky fingers away from as much of it as possible ;)

[SupSuper]

Wow, that's worth... bazillions of lazy happy unemployed days.

[worMatty]

Three years here.

[AndrewTaylor]

Three years here.

It's not, though, is it? If I was paid my annual salary but didn't have to go to work I'd burn through it so fast it'd barely be enough to sustain be, just because I'd get bored doing nothing all day and have to spend it to entertain myself. Still though, nice to hear you've got no impending financial doom for a bit, Ben. Sounds like just what you needed.

So, swashbuckling, eh?

[Star Worms]

Three years here.Infinite years here.

[Squirminator2k]

It's not, though, is it? If I was paid my annual salary but didn't have to go to work I'd burn through it so fast it'd barely be enough to sustain be, just because I'd get bored doing nothing all day and have to spend it to entertain myself. Still though, nice to hear you've got no impending financial doom for a bit, Ben. Sounds like just what you needed.

It's a fantastic way to start my new life in the US. £16,000 of that is likely going towards that Filmmaking Course I've had my eye on for the past eight months. Another £1000-2000 is earmarked for a new PC. I imagine I'll learn to drive and buy a car at some point, too. The rest is probably going to sit in a British bank account and gain interest.

So, swashbuckling, eh?

Yes. Many buckles were swashed before I could gain my inheritance. Although in all honesty, I am rather disappointed that I didn't have to spend a night in... a haunted mansion! before was allowed the money. Television has been effectively lying to me for the past 21 years.

[Paul.Power]

The rest is probably going to sit in a British bank account and gain interest.Use a building society, they're absurdly better for that sort of thing.

Plus, they're nice.

[worMatty]

Nice in what way? Tea and biscuits or cute and fluffy?

[Paul.Power]

Nice in what way? Tea and biscuits or cute and fluffy?Tea and biscuits. Not that they give you any (well, unless it's some kind of lengthy mortgage dealy thing, they might then), but that sort of nice.

[MonkeyforaHead]

35,741 ¥.
Thirty-five thousand, seven hundred and fourty one yen.

Take THAT, Ben!

That's like, five bucks, right? :p

[SargeMcCluck]

That's like, five bucks, right? :p

£150, and I actually did get it! :D

[Star Worms]

8 million, four hundred and eighty one thousand, two hundred and twenty four Venezuelan Bolivares!
36,579,914 Iranian Rials! woot!

Student loan stuff :p

[Squirminator2k]

Embassy date has been arranged for June 20th - six days before I supposedly fly off. Eep, that's cutting it a bit tight.

[SargeMcCluck]

STARCRAFT 2.

[bonz]

STARCRAFT 2.
Hell, it's about time.

[Pigbuster]

It's going to be a RTS, right?

If it's a MMO, I'm going to cry.

[SargeMcCluck]

It's going to be a RTS, right?

If it's a MMO, I'm going to cry.

Of course it's an RTS, an MMO wouldn't be called Starcraft 2 >_>

[bonz]

Of course it's an RTS, an MMO wouldn't be called Starcraft 2
That would of course be called "World Of Starcraft". :rolleyes:

[SupSuper]

STARCRAFT 2.HOT DANG YES

It's going to be a RTS, right?

If it's a MMO, I'm going to cry.I don't think they're prepared for a serious beating anytime soon.

[MtlAngelus]

STARCRAFT 2.
Screenshots? Videos? Estimated time of release? ANYTHING? D:
But this is awesome... Team Fortress 2... Starcraft 2... What's next, a new Chrono Trigger? :eek:

[Pigbuster]

I posted a movie in GVGG.

But I'll put it here, too.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mFNKy...elated&search=

[SargeMcCluck]

Screenshots? Videos? Estimated time of release? ANYTHING? D:
But this is awesome... Team Fortress 2... Starcraft 2... What's next, a new Chrono Trigger? :eek:

www.starcraft2.com

Screenshots, videos, the lot.

[bonz]

Screenshots? Videos?
Here of course:
http://www.starcraft2.com
Team Fortress 2... Starcraft 2... What's next, a new Chrono Trigger?
Bio Shock is gonna be great.

[SargeMcCluck]

I already linked that Bonz!

[worMatty]

He must be ignoring you. Use it to your advantage and post lots of shocking things about him that he won't admit or deny.

[bonz]

I already linked that Bonz!
Oh, didn't see the post on this page.
I started using the "Go to first new post" button and if unread post are wrapping to another page I tend to answer the earlier ones without reading the latter.

[worMatty]

Oops, I bet you're sorry about that, aren't you, bonz.

[bonz]

Oops, I bet you're sorry about that, aren't you, bonz.
Yeah, I'm bowing my head in shame every full hour.

[MtlAngelus]

Bio Shock is gonna be great.
Huh. I was referring more to how it's gonna feel so oldschool when I get to play TF2 and Starcraft2, given those were two of the games I used to play the most back in the days.

[bonz]

Huh. I was referring more to how it's gonna feel so oldschool when I get to play TF2 and Starcraft2, given those were two of the games I used to play the most back in the days.
Well, BioShock is supposed to be the spiritual successor to System Shock 2.

[MtlAngelus]

So is Hellgate:London to Diablo 2, but I wouldn't say it's anything quite like it.
Plus I never really played System Shock. :p

[SupSuper]

I never even got it to work. :p

[FutureWorm]

STARCRAFT 2.
I'm not much into RTSs, but I will definitely be buying this once it comes out. Besides, given that it's Blizzard, they'll probably have a Mac version as well.

[SupSuper]

Not probably, definitely:
Will StarCraft II be available on Mac simultaneously with PC?

As with all of Blizzard's recent releases, StarCraft II will ship on both PC and Mac simultaneously.

[FutureWorm]

Huzzah !

[Slick]

I have pizza. :cool:

[Xinos]

I envy you :(

Edit: I cancelled my WoW perscription the other day. I feel liberated.

[Paul.Power]

I have pizza. :cool:I had pizza earlier on, funnily enough.

[Pigbuster]

And I will soon have pizza.

We covered all of the tenses. HIGH FIVE!

[AndrewTaylor]

I just had the Best Day Ever.

I woke up late for work, and got to the church on the way to the station where I always check the time on the big clock tower and discovered that no, I was early, and I'd just misread my clock. As I walked to work I took a wrong turn, but the moment I realised I'd done that I also realised that I really should be going that way anyway as I had to stop off there on my way. Then I timed an inherrently unpredictable one-and-three-quarter-hours long process to within seven seconds by a combination of luck, judgement, a pub lunch (half a Marsters Pedigree and a half-pound Angus burger with pub chips) and an unexpected but fortuitous delay (since we planned to go early to avoid the lunchtime rush, but the food wasn't being served then and there was nobody there anyway), and on my way home I arrived late at the station late for my oxford-road-to-leeds train, and I was seconds away from getting on board the oxford-road-to-piccadilly train to then board a piccadilly-to-leeds train when I spotted a transvestite with a fold-away bicycle.

This is perhaps a good time to mention that this particular transvestite is a regular on the oxford-road-to-leeds train.

So having seen him/her/it, I looked at the departures board: the train was late. It arrived a couple of minutes later and saved me some walking, as well as meaning that it hadn't in the end mattered at all that I was late.

To cap it all off, I spent a good amount of the day on Facebook flirting with a girl on there and I'm going out with her on Sunday. I've never known everything come together so beautifully before.

[Slick]

Damn. The best day I ever had was... was...


well, I had pizza again tonight.

[AndrewTaylor]

Oh, I had pizza as well yesterday. Did I not mention that? Sorry, it's easy to forget the little details when it's, as I said, the Best Day Ever.

Edit: See, for example, I also forgot to mention that I chanced across a nice professor who said he'd send me a bunch of stuff that's going to make my lit review look a lot better. As I say, best day ever.

[MtlAngelus]

If it was me, this would be the point where I would lock myself in my room.
When life gives me lemons, they are rotten. When life gives me lemonade, I fear. :p

[AndrewTaylor]

Nah. I have a lovely long bank holiday weekend stretching out in front of me, full of pub quizes, and Lost finales, and a date, and a nice meal at home with my parents, and all manner of good things. Frankly, my life's been getting better and better for a couple of years now and it's showing no signs of stopping. I'm really rather happy just now. And you can tell me life's just setting me up for a fall all you like; I still won't believe it -- even if I fall I won't believe it.

I've discovered I have more control over my feelings and who I am than I used to think, and it's proving quite easy to be an optimist. Even if I'm being a cynic at the same time.

[Pigbuster]

Good for you.

Knock on wood. :p

[worMatty]

More control over your feelings, eh? How do you mean?

[Squirminator2k]

I've discovered I have more control over my feelings and who I am than I used to think, and it's proving quite easy to be an optimist. Even if I'm being a cynic at the same time.

I discovered that in myself a few months ago. It's nice ,isn't it?

[worMatty]

It'll all end in tears, trust me.

[Slick]

It'll all end in tears, trust me.

Hehehe... ahh aint that the damned truth.

[AndrewTaylor]

Tears... of joy!

[Squirminator2k]

In other news: I fly out to LA in one month. I don't often type this, but w00t.

[Paul.Power]

Well, that's nice to know.

EDIT: That was more in response to the sudden flood of "everything getting better"-ness than Ben's departure to LA. Although it's reminded me that we really should start thinking about this OD meet-up.

[AndrewTaylor]

We should indeed. Let's arrange it in secret then turn up at Ben's house sometime random.

[Squirminator2k]

Indeed. We only have four weeks and two days according to the [countdown timer my Dad made (http://www.alkhemia.com/ben.asp)], although I could've probably told you that without checking.

[Slick]

Ah, so your going to be there in June then. Well since I will also be there we might have our first semi OD-meet in the states.


Doubt it will happen, but who knows.:p

[Squirminator2k]

I'm not even sure how that would work.

[Slick]

Well, for the most part... magic.

[AndrewTaylor]

It'll all end in tears, trust me.

You'll be annoyed to learn that there are, if anything, even less tears now than there were yeaterday. (I tend to assume that a date that accidentally lasts eleven hours has gone pretty well.)

[Squirminator2k]

Oh Glod, she didn't sit you down to watch a slideshow about interestingly-shaped fruit, did she?

And in other news... er... that money I mentioned? I now have it. I'm trying not to lose myself and buy something stupid.

[AndrewTaylor]

Actually, by an astonishing coincidence, the topic of interestingly shaped fruit did arise at one point. But not in slideshow form.

[SupSuper]

Due to the fact that our government is "as crap as it always is" (some might say "more so"), there will be yet another strike in Wednesday of "everyone and then some" so I get to stay home. :)

Also, my dad got a router. Finally, no more dad's computer's state-based internet for me!

[worMatty]

Eleven hours and counting if she's still locked in your bedroom. Internet grooming's a lot easier with teens.

Seriously, on your first date? I thought you were the sensible one, Andy. And you met her through Facebook?

Where do I sign up?!

[Star Worms]

Well Facebook would be a good start...

[AndrewTaylor]

Seriously, on your first date? I thought you were the sensible one, Andy.

We kind of... lost track of time a bit. You know what they say, tempus fugit and all that. Anyhow, I'm seeing her tomorrow, but we can't do eleven hours then. (Although that's only because it'd end at about 5AM, which clearly isn't practical.)

What's not sensible? We were having fun. We didn't see any particular reason to stop having fun, so we didn't. That sounds pretty sensible to me.

[worMatty]

I thought you were giving us the impression you were cooking her breakfast again.

[AndrewTaylor]

Hehe, you think I own food.

Hell, she's more than welcome to stay for breakfast if she wants, but if she wants to get up at 5AM she can do that on her own.

[Slick]

All this talk about women is making me consider buying a Russian wife off the internets. Language smanguage. If she has boobs and can cook food, I'm set. :cool:

But on a more serious note, hope all works out well.
I can't be serious.



But I am

[Paul.Power]

Regarding the meet-up, best days for me I guess would be Saturday and Sunday three weeks from now (so 16th and 17th June).

Well, unless I get my parents to take me again, in which case two weeks from now (9th and 10th) would be better.

[AndrewTaylor]

Yeah, I'm free those days. Anyone else?

(I'll split this discussion later if need be.)

[worMatty]

My weekend off is this week so I doubt it. I may be on holiday actually. That would be a good coincidence.

[Star Worms]

I'm not free until July :-/

[Pigbuster]

I'm pretty much done with school at this point.

And I'm a senior.

WAS, I guess. I'm going to be a freshman once again. Over at Ye olde Arte Collegeth.
Ah. Either that will be wonderful or it will be a blow to my face. (Damn you, liberal arts. I thought I was DONE with non-art related classes. :mad:)
I'm going to take the class in Dada studies, though. That should be wonderful.

Also, I may have a job over the summer working as an apprentice music composer.
And I'd get $1000 in return.
But I have to work with other kids my age, though, and I don't want to be totally out-shined by everyone. That would suck.

[FutureWorm]

I'm sure you're talented enough that you won't get out-shined.

[Star Worms]

Disected a squid and a locust today :)

[Pickleworm]

Disected a squid and a locust today :)

Dissected a frog today, shark yesterday, squid a week or two ago...

[Star Worms]

Dissected a frog today, shark yesterday, squid a week or two ago...***ed :(

[SargeMcCluck]

Got my 2 year residence permit! \o/

[AndrewTaylor]

Dissected a frog today, shark yesterday, squid a week or two ago...

Why do you dissect waterlife? What course is that?

Oh, and since this is apparently what we're doing now, I've dissected a heart, an eyeball, and a rat in my time. Turns out eyeballs are damn near impenetrable.

[Pickleworm]

Why do you dissect waterlife? What course is that?

Oh, and since this is apparently what we're doing now, I've dissected a heart, an eyeball, and a rat in my time. Turns out eyeballs are damn near impenetrable.

This is just a typical high-school biology course. We are studying the progression of simple animals to more complex ones, and a lot of the phylums we've been looking at involve water life.

[FutureWorm]

This is just a typical high-school biology course. We are studying the progression of simple animals to more complex ones, and a lot of the phylums we've been looking at involve water life.
i dissected a frog and a squid in sophomore biology as well, but never a shark

that's pretty rad

[Star Worms]

Disected a mouse with malaria today :)

Someone got a mouse which was still alive - they cut it open and the heart was still beating.

[AndrewTaylor]

That doesn't necessarily mean it was alive. I'd hope there was some kind of check or mechanism to ensure they were dead (other than cutting them open).

[bonz]

I can tell that the heart of a mouse can still be beating several minutes after you have killed it (breakage of the neck).
So can many other muscular tissues, the diaphragm for example.

If you want to get a mouse's blood you actually want the heart to still beat to ensure it is pumped out (of the cut neck) after you have merely anaesthetised the specimen with e.g. ether. Otherwise coagulate or haemolysis could set in.

[worMatty]

Glorius.

1234

[AndrewTaylor]

I'm not sure how much of this really qualifies as "positive events and occurences".

[worMatty]

It depends on the readers.

[Pickleworm]

i dissected a frog and a squid in sophomore biology as well, but never a shark

that's pretty rad

One group even got to dissect a pregnant shark!

[FutureWorm]

One group even got to dissect a pregnant shark!
iirc one of the squids we dissected was pregnant

not trying to one up you or anything, just sayin'

[MtlAngelus]

Huh. I've killed a goat, dissected it, unskinned it, and later it was cooked. Yay for my grandfather and his traiditions.

[AndrewTaylor]

Unskinned it?

You put its skin back on?

[Paul.Power]

I went to see ISIHAC being recorded at the Milennium Centre last night :)

[AndrewTaylor]

Great.

And what's that, then?

[Squirminator2k]

Huh. I've killed a goat, dissected it, unskinned it, and later it was cooked. Yay for my grandfather and his traiditions.

Your grandfather doesn't work for Sony by any chance, does he?

[Paul.Power]

Great.

And what's that, then?I'm Sorry I Haven't A Clue.

[AndrewTaylor]

I'm Sorry I Haven't A Clue.

Somehow it seems wrong to just pick one punchline.

[MtlAngelus]

Unskinned it?

You put its skin back on?

Well, skinned it then. I wasn't sure about the term. :p

[Zero72]

Remember that really cool keyboard I got but it died when GMod crashed for some reason? Well I got an updated version of it that has about the same feel to it and is probably at least 130% as blingin'. You can even change the backlight color. It's pretty sweet.

...Don't like the feel of the backspace key, but that's ok. :p

Oh, and I kept the receipt and didn't buy it in Virginia.

[Pigbuster]

...backlight?

Geez, fancy keyboard.
Hope your computer doesn't destroy it. :p

[Zero72]

Oh yeah, I was gonna attach a picture.

http://www.saitekusa.com/usa/images/product/pcp/eclipse2.jpg

:)

[Xinos]

Five of the schools in computer graphics and game design that I sent applications for have responded and want to meet me, at which I've already visited two. My fear of failing life has just been turned down a couple of notches :D

[SupSuper]

Oh yeah, I was gonna attach a picture.

http://www.saitekusa.com/usa/images/product/pcp/eclipse2.jpg

:)If God had a keyboard, that'd be it.

[Xinos]

The day god tries to be hip by using LED lights in his hardware I officially quit.

[worMatty]

Eclipse keyboard? That's on offer next promotion at Maplin in a couple of days.

The day your hardware goes on the cheap at Maplin Electronics is the day all cool is lost and you'll be fishing out your 'classic' keyboard from the wardrobe.

Not content with minimal sleep and overwork, you now intend to mix up your brain chemicals even more by using an electroluminescent keyboard whilst gaming in the dark.

[bonz]

If God had a keyboard, that'd be it.
Wrong.
If God had a keyboard, this would be it:
http://store.artlebedev.com/catalog/computer_add-ons/optimus/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Optimus_keyboard

The question is, if God would need to pre-order it or pay the $1564 at all.

[Pigbuster]

Hot damn, that is awesome.

[SupSuper]

Wrong.
If God had a keyboard, this would be it:
http://store.artlebedev.com/catalog/computer_add-ons/optimus/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Optimus_keyboard

The question is, if God would need to pre-order it or pay the $1564 at all.As if God couldn't memorize every hotkey by himself. :p

[AndrewTaylor]

Well God would have no use for a keyboard, as he could modify the computer's memory directly. Come to that, he'd have no use for a computer, as he would already know the answer.

Must be pretty boring being omniscient.

[Xinos]

The question is, if God would need to pre-order it or pay the $1564 at all.
What do you think the church gather donations for?

[worMatty]

Fixing rooves, traditionally. Or that's the excuse I commonly see. It's skate ramps these days. Tsh.

[Xinos]

I just got a letter saying I got in too one of the schools I went and had an interview with.

So no matter what happens with the others I will be studying computer graphics :3

**backflip**

[bonz]

I just got a letter saying I got in too one of the schools I went and had an interview with.

So no matter what happens with the others I will be studying computer graphics :3
Congratulations!
**backflip**
You forgot to press backspace.

[SargeMcCluck]

I just got a letter saying I got in too one of the schools I went and had an interview with.

So no matter what happens with the others I will be studying computer graphics :3

**backflip**

Where, out of interest?'

(Also, grattis!)

[Xinos]

Thanks,
http://www.powerhouse.net/index.asp?p=839
It's up in isolated Kramfors (http://web.telia.com/~u60105008/pic/kramfors.gif) in Norrland. :p

[Slick]

I just ordered a pizza from my laptop while sitting outside.


...i love technology.:)

[Xinos]

I just ordered a pizza from my laptop while sitting outside.


...i love technology.:)

People have been able to do that from phonebooths since around 1910s.

[FutureWorm]

People have been able to do that from phonebooths since around 1910s.
thanks for the protip

[Pickleworm]

People have been able to do that from phonebooths since around 1910s.

I just propositioned your mother on my laptop while I was outside.

[AndrewTaylor]

People have been able to do that from phonebooths since around 1910s.

Well I don't think that's true. I don't think pizza delivery services existed then.

[bonz]

Well I don't think that's true. I don't think pizza delivery services existed then.
Wrong. http://ask.yahoo.com/20031114.html
And telephones already existed at that time. :D

[Xinos]

Thanks for saving me there bonz =D

[AndrewTaylor]

Wrong. http://ask.yahoo.com/20031114.html
And telephones already existed at that time. :D

Well that page utterly fails to answer the question asked, and doesn't really shed the smallest bit of light on the topic at hand, but to ne honest I don't really care.

[bonz]

I don't really care.
Actually, I don't care either.
I rarely order pizza to my home, as my favourite pub is only a few hundred meters away and has all different pizzas for the same, lower price if you eat there or get them yourself.

[Xinos]

I also have pizzerias very close by with the deal of lower price if you get there or eat them yourself.

[worMatty]

Would that make them more expensive if you bought them for someone else?

[Slick]

Speaking of Cell Phones, I just got a NEW ONE!!!!!!!!!!!!:D


http://estore.vzwshop.com/chocolate/

MMMmmmmm... chocolate.

[Pickleworm]

Speaking of Cell Phones, I just got a NEW ONE!!!!!!!!!!!!:D


http://estore.vzwshop.com/chocolate/

MMMmmmmm... chocolate.

Uhm... have you heard of a little thing called Shortwave radio? Maybe save a few dollars. It's only been around a million billion years.

[Squirminator2k]

My passport has arrived back, a mere two days after I went to the American Embassy, complete with my Temporary Work Visa. This means I'm off to the States on Tuesday, and I'll get my Greencard hopefully before the end of the year.

[FutureWorm]

Uhm... have you heard of a little thing called Shortwave radio? Maybe save a few dollars. It's only been around a million billion years.
hmm. maybe he doesn't want to be one of those losers (like you) who is always tweaking with a ham radio. ever think of that??

[Paul.Power]

I still listen to long wave radio.

Well, it's where Test Match Special gets broadcast.

[Slick]

Uhm... have you heard of a little thing called Shortwave radio? Maybe save a few dollars. It's only been around a million billion years.

I'm getting it free.

[SargeMcCluck]

Uhm... have you heard of a little thing called Shortwave radio? Maybe save a few dollars. It's only been around a million billion years.

Yay, horrible quality and very inconvenient!

[Xinos]

On the contrary, there are many conveinent usages for a Shortwave radio.

Like for detecting nearby zombies and monsters!

[Star Worms]

Haha, Hazel Blears came last in the deputy leader contest. Damn I hate her... what an annoying b!tch.

From the BBC: "Ms Harman talked about the achievements of the Labour government over 10 years, paid tribute to Mr Blair and her predecessor Mr Prescott, who she said would be a "very difficult act to follow" and thanked her fellow contenders."

What the hell? I honestly started laughing out loud then, and that's very rare for me.

[worMatty]

Ben Paddon is flying out to LA today.

[AndrewTaylor]

Haha, Hazel Blears came last in the deputy leader contest. Damn I hate her... what an annoying b!tch.

Did you see the diagram in the Times comparing her size to that of different species of penguin?

I never worked out how that was supposed to be useful.

[Squirminator2k]

Ben Paddon is flying out to LA today.

It's bloody warm here.

[Pickleworm]

It's bloody warm here.

:D Welcome at America.

[Paul.Power]

:D Welcome at America.
"Just a little place I call the land of the brave, the home of the free..."
"Scotland!"

- Chicken Run

[Pigbuster]

A somewhat late "Welcome to the STATES", Ben.
I'm afraid I missed out on the reason you came here, but oh well.

Okay, I actually haven't mentioned this since a while ago:
Also, I may have a job over the summer working as an apprentice music composer.
And I'd get $1000 in return.
But I have to work with other kids my age, though, and I don't want to be totally out-shined by everyone. That would suck.
2 weeks into it, now. It's fantastic.
I'm the oldest one there, too (And I keep forgetting that I'm eighteen now. :p ). The others are like 14 and such, though they seem older. And I'm not out-shined by anyone. I don't think anyone is out-shined by anyone. It's a wide amount of talent and a really nice atmosphere.

I need to remember that mentors get really PO'd when you play when they're talking.
Keeping a composer like me from diddlying on the keyboard is nigh impossible. :p

I'm also learning music theory, which is far more interesting than it sounds. It feels really great when you can see "D7flat5" and play it on the piano. It's like deciphering a secret code.

We had our first public concert today. It was way too sunny and I could barely see the keyboard when I was playing because it was shining so bright my eyes watered, but it was still nice all around.

This IS a job. Today really felt like work, so it's not like I'm getting paid to do nothing.
But it's a job that I really like.
Pity it has to end in 3 weeks...

[bonz]

I'm afraid I missed out on the reason you came here
Pick your favourite:

Religious oppression
The Plague
Famine due to bad potato harvest
War
The right of the People to keep and bear arms.

[Pigbuster]

I'll take "Famine due to bad potato harvest" for 300.

[Zero72]

I'm trying to think of whether he's actually any closer to me. He might even be slightly farther away.

[Paul.Power]

I'm afraid I missed out on the reason you came here, but oh well.It's where his dad lives and he's also got on to a university course out there, IIRC.

[Vader]

I bought a 320GB IDE hard drive to use in an external case. The idea is I'll use it to hook up to my PS2 or GP2X to play videos and music and whatnot through the TV. The problem with that is that the PS2 and GP2X can only read FAT32 drives. Of course, FAT32 drives can be a maximum of 32GB and you can only have 4 partitions on one disk... or so I thought. I found fat32format and formatted all 298GB of my drive in one huge FAT32 partition.

Yay!

[worMatty]

The limitation is imposed by the partition utility. In Windows ME upwards it was expanded to 80GB.

[Vader]

Indeedy. It's just nice knowing I can use all that space easily. :)

[Pigbuster]

2 CATS.

By the end of July.

:D

[Paul.Power]

Well, I've passed (>40%) all my modules so far, although I only got merit marks (>60%) in two of them (Science Journalism and SciCom and the Digital Revolution).

My lowest was 45% in Current Issues in SciCom. The other three modules were in the 50% - 60% range.

I've calculated I could still pull my overall mark up to merit, but I'd need to get a distinction (>70%) on my dissertation. Which would be tricky.

[SupSuper]

SciComUnsurprisingly, I read that as SupCom at first. Then I went What.

[SomePerson]

I got my new Toshiba tablet PC! woo handwriting recognition! Starcraft is going to be totally sweet...

[Xinos]

Why would you want to play an RTS with a tablet?

[SomePerson]

Why would you want to play an RTS with a tablet?

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=686304728411840307

That's why. :D

[Star Worms]

The flood water is going, yay. My town was cut off in every direction by floodwater. Brize Norton, just about 20 minutes away got the highest rainfall in the UK... 2 months worth in 1 day. I think several friends' houses have been flooded.

I thought it was a bit too late to post in the negative thread so posted it here as a positive as the water is going (to London, mwahaha).

Here's a town just 10 minutes away. This is the main road. It's still flooded today.

http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/44012000/jpg/_44012638_floods_glouc_2.jpg

[MtlAngelus]

Man that's so awesome. You can build a raft and travel around your city... IN A RAFT.
"Hey mom, I'm going to the corner store... IN MY RAFT!"
"Want anything from the store? There's plenty of room... IN MY RAFT!"
:cool:

[AndrewTaylor]

These floods took up the whole of the news last night. That ****ed me off.

"Hello and welcome to the news. The stories tonight: lots of water comes to the South and doesn't apparently hurt anyone. Millions inconvenienced. Also a successful British sportsman was a bit shaken up but basically okay. See you tomorrow for more news." (Best if read quickly in a David Mitchell monotone.)

Something else must have happened. Plus we had the whole flood-news bit where the reporters are making it out to be the ultimate tragedy and anyone they interview is saying "this is awesome I got to ride in a helicopter!" or grinning as they float on a raft down the road.

[Xinos]

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=686304728411840307

That's why. :D

That's a touchscreen, not a tablet. So your awnser is void.

[philby4000]

Tablet PC.

They have touchscreens, dontchaknow.

[SomePerson]

Sort of. It's a tablet in that it only works with the stylus pen. It's a touchscreen in that the tablet is the screen. Or something like that.

My brother took my copy of starcraft to San Diego for some reason, but I managed to borrow a copy from a friend for now. And it's really quite awesome. Also,the pen has a right click button unline the touchscreen in the video.


Edit: Far more deserving of being in this thread, I finally messaged Katie from my old screen name because, as I'd mentioned, she had me blocked. "I think what is was is that your sn is alphabetically next to some crazy psycho girl who tried to talk to me, and I have her blocked, but I must have blocked you, too, somehow". Good excuse? I don't know. But she unblocked me and now I can talk to her again, which is way awesome. :D

[Star Worms]

Something else must have happened. Plus we had the whole flood-news bit where the reporters are making it out to be the ultimate tragedy and anyone they interview is saying "this is awesome I got to ride in a helicopter!" or grinning as they float on a raft down the road.Well actually, storms hit China and killed 100 people but that wasn't headline news.

[SomePerson]

Here the only news they show is about Paris Hilton and Anna Nicole Smith... It's quite dreadful...

[thomasp]

Hmmm, two stories on last night's BBC1 news (10:15pm) that weren't to do with flooding - 50% of the entire news broadcast! And one of the flooding reports was in the sports section as well.

[Paul.Power]

Mind you, I dread to think what would happen if the rest of the country regularly got the kind of yearly rainfall that Swansea gets.

We must have good drainage here or something.

[worMatty]

It'll be all those valleys channelling it away, and all those sheep soaking it up like big walking sponges.

[AndrewTaylor]

Sort of. It's a tablet in that it only works with the stylus pen. It's a touchscreen in that the tablet is the screen. Or something like that.

My brother took my copy of starcraft to San Diego for some reason, but I managed to borrow a copy from a friend for now. And it's really quite awesome. Also,the pen has a right click button unline the touchscreen in the video.


Edit: Far more deserving of being in this thread, I finally messaged Katie from my old screen name because, as I'd mentioned, she had me blocked. "I think what is was is that your sn is alphabetically next to some crazy psycho girl who tried to talk to me, and I have her blocked, but I must have blocked you, too, somehow". Good excuse? I don't know. But she unblocked me and now I can talk to her again, which is way awesome. :D
Any laptop with a touchscreen (whether activated by finger or special pen) is called a "tablet" PC. Nobody knows why. Although it's not a laptop any more, of course, because they've started calling them "notebook" PCs now.

[worMatty]

Maybe 'cause it works like a graphics tablet?

[AndrewTaylor]

So does a DS, or a PC with a graphics tablet plugged in, and they're not "tablet" anythings. It's just a conventional name, though; it doesn't have to describe the object as long as people know what it refers to.

[worMatty]

Well, no, because they're called the DS and a PC with a graphics tablet plugged in. If you put a desktop computer on your lap, does it make it a laptop PC? A tablet PC is, to look at, a big screen that you hold on your arm.

I think the name's roots are deeper than this, anyway. I'm reminded of stone tablets used by pre-paper civilisations in a similar fashion.

[Xinos]

The DS doesn't have preassure sensitity, or the ability to sense which angle you hold the stylus. So, computer tablets win ;)

While on the subject, I'd like to see computer games designed for tablet usage where pressure is used. Like in Worms, it could be used to determin fire power.

[AndrewTaylor]

The DS doesn't have preassure sensitity, or the ability to sense which angle you hold the stylus. So, computer tablets win ;)

The tablet PC to my immediate right can't do any of that stuff.

[Xinos]

No wonder you are so confused over which is better then :p

[SomePerson]

The DS doesn't have preassure sensitity, or the ability to sense which angle you hold the stylus. So, computer tablets win ;)

This one has pressure sensitivity, but it doesn't know squat about at what angle I'm holding the stylus. I don't think so, anyways. Not quite sure how I'd even test that out...

There's this little joystick type thing that simulates the arrow keys, but when you click it it simulates "enter" and for some reason if you're scrolling right in Starcraft with it and then you accidentally press it, it will scroll right forever until you tap the stick right again. But then sometimes it randomly minimizes the game and opens up "My Computer" if you press it and go right at the same time or something... Only slightly annoying... I think I need to find and disable some hotkeys... Seems to happen in RollerCoaster Tycoon as well, but never in Firefox or anywhere else...

[Xinos]

Didn't you get a config program when you installed the drivers?

[Pigbuster]

It seems odd, but I am going to juxtapose my terrible news in the negative events thread with some of the best possible news in this thread:

KITTENS.
http://img68.imageshack.us/img68/607/kittensln4.jpg

[Zero72]

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa aaawwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww[inhale]wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww.

[philby4000]

Daaaaaaaaaaw.

[FutureWorm]

aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaawwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww

[SupSuper]

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaw... ^^

[Xinos]

Aaaaaawwwwwwwwwwwwww :3

[MtlAngelus]

Eeeeeeewwwwwwwwwwwww I stepped on poop.

Also, Aawwwwwwwww kitties. ^_^

[Paul.Power]

A miner has struck a rich seam of aaaaaaawwwwwwwww.

[worMatty]

Awesome. ..

[Pigbuster]

I think you wean Awwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwesome.

[worMatty]

I am indeed capable of weaning awesome. If you'd like some of my magical breast milk I can ship it to you for a reasonable price.

[Pickleworm]

those cats suck!!!!! your all dumb

[Pigbuster]

I am indeed capable of weaning awesome. If you'd like some of my magical breast milk I can ship it to you for a reasonable price.

Yes please.

It would make my cats more awesome.

those cats suck!!!!! your all dumb

NO U :mad:

[worMatty]

Siamese, are they? How much did they cost? They're very cute. Take lots of photos.

[Paul.Power]

In particular, try to take photos which are eminently captionable.

[worMatty]

That goes without saying, Paul.

[SupSuper]

http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/in_ur_reality.png

[Pigbuster]

Siamese, are they? How much did they cost? They're very cute. Take lots of photos.

We're not sure if they're siamese, since their mother was a stray cat (who has been adopted). The father could've been siamese, but there were probably multiple fathers.

They came from a family friend, so no money was involved.

Also, I'm probably not going to take many non-sleeping pictures of them as flashing a bright camera flash in a developing kitten's eyes strikes me as unwise.

[FutureWorm]

those cats suck!!!!! your all dumb
shut up, just because u have no soul doesnt mean u should ruin it for the rest of us.

[worMatty]

Then don't use the flash. Just make sure the area is well illuminated. You can also put something in front of your flash so that it is redirected around the room rather than at the kittens.

[Slick]

I have good news everyone! Tonight, I'm sleeping in my underwear, for MAXIMUM comfort.:cool:

[worMatty]

You had your testicles removed so you could sleep in underwear?

TESTICLES! Little ladies' testiclé!

[FutureWorm]

i got a new hard drive for my laptop today :cool:

[bonz]

I have good news everyone! Tonight, I'm sleeping in my underwear, for MAXIMUM comfort.:cool:
I've been sleeping in boxer shorts only for the past 8 years or so.
Maximum comfort indeed!

I find sleeping naked actually a little less comfortable, unless you're occupied with something else in bed. ;)

[Blinx]

I have a gig tomorrow night.

Battle of the bands =]

[SupSuper]

Good luck.

[Pigbuster]

Kick ass and take names.

[Blinx]

We came fourth.
But one of the bands cheated on voted for themselves.

Meh. Our band got friendly with the winning band, and we're gonna play another gig with them sometime soon.
And I'm more determind than ever to write better songs. =]

[Vader]

I got promoted to a QAC (Quality Assurance Coordinator).

That means I tell testers what to do but I'm also their slave.

[worMatty]

lol kak

.....

[SomePerson]

I went to an optometrist thinking I was nearsighted and needed distance glasses for driving. It turns out my eye is just really weak at focusing, so I can see distance really well but it just takes me several minutes to adapt from looking at something close to looking at something far. So if I look at something far away it's way blurry, but if I look at things far away for a good several minutes I can see distance clearly and then everything near goes blurry... So I got reading glasses, which is exactly the opposite of what I expected. So I use the reading glasses when looking at things close, and then I'll be able to take them off and instantly see things far away.

[worMatty]

Like Superman!

Could you not just close one eye?

[Xinos]

I've got an appartment close too where I'm gonna be studying over the next two years! It's a two room + kitchen appartment on 63 square meters.

It's way better than I had originally planned, first I had gotten a crummy little room that was way cheap, but my parrents aborted my plans of living there and got me a better apartment, heh.

Though I might end up sharing it with a future classmate to cut down the cost, there's deffinetly room for another person...

[FutureWorm]

i had a fun day yesterday :)

[SomePerson]

I went to an optometrist thinking I was nearsighted and needed distance glasses for driving. It turns out my eye is just really weak at focusing, so I can see distance really well but it just takes me several minutes to adapt from looking at something close to looking at something far. So if I look at something far away it's way blurry, but if I look at things far away for a good several minutes I can see distance clearly and then everything near goes blurry... So I got reading glasses, which is exactly the opposite of what I expected. So I use the reading glasses when looking at things close, and then I'll be able to take them off and instantly see things far away.

OMG Katie says she has the exact same eye problem! Freaky!:eek:

[Pickleworm]

Due to circumstances that were half my own fault and half my ride's, I was going to be pretty late for work. I called in and said I was going to be in a half hour later, 12:00, than I was supposed to come in, figuring a scenario that ended up not panning out. I was kind of worried that I wouldn't even be able to make it for 12:00, but I decided to call a taxi and see what time I ended up at work. The taxi comes to pick me up and she asks around what time I need to be there, and I say 12:00, not really expecting to make it there on time.

But there I was, country music radio on, all windows rolled down, wind blowing through my hair as the taxi goes 70 mph down the wrong side of the road, passing cars. But we ended up coming to a screeching halt for a squirrel later in the ride.

I know I post a lot of fake stuff but this is 100% true I swear

[worMatty]

FOR REAL?!

What time did you get to work?

[Pickleworm]

FOR REAL?!

What time did you get to work?

11:59

I swear the more I talk about it the more it sounds like I'm making it up.

Also the manager totally didn't care that I was late, I started explaining it to him and he was like "whatever it happens to everyone".

[Pigbuster]

That is so very awesome.

[Pigbuster]

New computer. :cool:

College starts tomorrow. :cool:

[FutureWorm]

New computer. :cool:

College starts tomorrow. :cool:
did you get an mbp

[Pigbuster]

Just a regular MacBook.

I might get a Pro if I really do decide on animation, since then I'd need the POWER.

[FutureWorm]

i've got a standard macbook at the moment but i really want to get an mbp when i go to college because parallels, among other things, runs like **** on a low-end processor

[thomasp]

And here I am with my ancient, but finally-fixed, PowerBook G4 :(

It's only two years old and it's already hideously out of date!

[Star Worms]

I keep wanting to get a MacBook but they're ridiculously overpriced.

[thomasp]

I keep wanting to get a MacBook but they're ridiculously overpriced.
Are they? I've found similar specced Dells that are actually more expensive than a MacBook. Now the MacBook Pro's, they're overpriced.

[FutureWorm]

Are they? I've found similar specced Dells that are actually more expensive than a MacBook. Now the MacBook Pro's, they're overpriced.
The 15" models are, the 17" model is actually a lot better than its competitors (I've tried pricing around)

edit: actually, it looks like hp is the best bang for the buck, while dell is obscenely overpriced

[Star Worms]

Are they? I've found similar specced Dells that are actually more expensive than a MacBook. Now the MacBook Pro's, they're overpriced.£699 is the cheapest - 2GHz, 1GB RAM, 60GB HDD. First site I went onto, I found one for £399, which has similar specs but isn't a Mac. (That is apart from it having a 15.4" sceren when a Macbook has just 13")

[thomasp]

Don't forget that students in Higher Education (UK) get up to 15% off a Mac, and 3 years limited warranty (as opposed to 1 when bought normally). Also remember that Apple use the Intel Core 2 Duo chips, not the older, slower Core Duo's - I found a lot of manufacturers still use the Core Duo's in their machines, which counts for quite a price difference.

[Star Worms]

Don't forget that students in Higher Education (UK) get up to 15% off a Mac, and 3 years limited warranty (as opposed to 1 when bought normally). Also remember that Apple use the Intel Core 2 Duo chips, not the older, slower Core Duo's - I found a lot of manufacturers still use the Core Duo's in their machines, which counts for quite a price difference.So that brings it down to £594 - still £200 more expensive.

[Xinos]

Don't forget that students in Higher Education (UK) get up to 15% off a Mac, and 3 years limited warranty (as opposed to 1 when bought normally). Also remember that Apple use the Intel Core 2 Duo chips, not the older, slower Core Duo's - I found a lot of manufacturers still use the Core Duo's in their machines, which counts for quite a price difference.

Will it run Supreme Commander on maxed out settings? That's the kind of laptop I need.

[thomasp]

Will it run Supreme Commander on maxed out settings? That's the kind of laptop I need.
Macbook: no way. It has an integrated graphics card.

MacBook Pro: Possibly. Don't know.

[Slick]

Going to Cedar Point tomorrow...erm I mean in a few hours. Damn insomnia. :p

... although there wont be supermodels this time. :(

[FutureWorm]

Going to Cedar Point tomorrow...erm I mean in a few hours. Damn insomnia. :p

... although there wont be supermodels this time. :(
be sure to ride millennium force :cool:

[FutureWorm]

so this girl who i haven't seen since sixth grade is going to be going to my high school for her (and my) last year, after switching high schools every year (from what i've heard, this has left her a little bit ****ed up)

this isn't really a positive or negative event, just an event that i think is rather interesting

[Slick]

be sure to ride millennium force :cool:

Hell yeah I did. Not only that but the newest ride... Maverick.

I feel like death now. BED'ED

[SomePerson]

My friend and I are making a sort of go-kart type thing, but it's 3-wheeled. We finally got it to the point where all wheels are in place and it steers! It's quite a roll hazard though - I nearly flipped it when we were testing it out today, and that was only with my friend pushing me! But all in all I'm very pleased with it so far.

http://img374.imageshack.us/img374/3772/isoviewbl3.jpg

[Zero72]

That is seriously cool.

[MrBunsy]

Wow. Is it made from aluminium or steel?

[FutureWorm]

awesome, are you going to motorize it

[Xinos]

You gotta make the wheels lean in the curve to stabalize it.

[SomePerson]

That is seriously cool.
^_^
Wow. Is it made from aluminium or steel?
Steel - we don't have the right kind of welder to do aluminum, plus it's cheaper.
awesome, are you going to motorize it
Of course! We've got a 5hp chipper/shredder engine we're going to mount.
You gotta make the wheels lean in the curve to stabalize it.
What do you mean? We've got a rake effect going on where the wheels lean forward like the front wheel of a motorcycle, although less pronounced. That kinda makes the wheel lean a bit... Is that what you mean?

[bonz]

No, much more leaning!
http://www.metacafe.com/watch/431943/three_wheel_bike/
http://www.aprilia.com/magnet/foto10.jpg

[Xinos]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tilting_three_wheeler

[SomePerson]

Oh, dang. I guess it's not helped by the fact that our craft has a very high center of mass. The idea was clearance, (my friend seems to think this will become an all terrain vehicle - I've always been skeptical that it would be quite that capable; I just want to take it to some flat desert) but I guess that might come back to haunt us.

[thomasp]

Oh, dang. I guess it's not helped by the fact that our craft has a very high center of mass. The idea was clearance, (my friend seems to think this will become an all terrain vehicle - I've always been skeptical that it would be quite that capable; I just want to take it to some flat desert) but I guess that might come back to haunt us.
Just put a roll cage and some 4-point rally style harnesses/seat belts on and you'll be fine :p

[Pigbuster]

:cool:

I do think a roll cage is rather necessary. I'd hate for you to get killed on a make-shift go-kart. :p

[bonz]

I suppose a roll-over bar is sufficient if you use a sturdy seat and a 6-point seat belt plus a helmet.