Today
I will be meeting some fellow b3tans in London this evening.

In the meantime, let today's chat commence.


( mistaspakkaman and the inedible shifting caterpillars, Tue 22 Jul 2008, 8:33, 126 replies, latest was 16 years ago)

Morning, spakka
That's a big sign you've got there this morning!
( K2k6 has a proper job these days, Tue 22 Jul 2008, 8:35, Reply)

Mornin' K2k6
It's the same sign but enlarged using an HTML trick.
( mistaspakkaman and the inedible shifting caterpillars, Tue 22 Jul 2008, 8:38, Reply)

Morning all.
I'm alone in the office till 10. I've been here since 7.30
I'm so bored my eyes are bleeding.
How is everyone else then?
( wanderlust, Tue 22 Jul 2008, 8:42, Reply)

I thought
you'd just enlarged it without interpolation in Photoshop, as I can see obvious pixellation. But it's even simpler than that!

I had a weird dream last night, not involving any b3tards this time. But it did involve some kind of zombie, a Czech railway station and me wandering about in a dressing gown looking for my car. Quite interesting really.

Edit - Morning, wand'rous one.
( K2k6 has a proper job these days, Tue 22 Jul 2008, 8:43, Reply)

@K2k6
There must be some kind of hidden meaning in that.
Or you just ate too much cheese last night.

Edit: Hello spakka aswell!
( wanderlust, Tue 22 Jul 2008, 8:47, Reply)

The only thing I remember about my dream last night
is that it involved someone drawing a line.

@wanderlust: Have you decided if you're going to tonight's bash?
( mistaspakkaman and the inedible shifting caterpillars, Tue 22 Jul 2008, 8:50, Reply)

It was really odd
I was staying with some friends in a hotel, which wasn't in the Czech republic, but the railway station downstairs was a terminus of the Czech railway in whatever country I was in, and so everything was written in that language.

The story was that my car had arrived on the train, and been offloaded, but I had to go down and claim it before a certain time, to bring it up to the car park. However, I left it too late, and ended up going down into the station wearing only a dressing gown, and looking for my car.

Turns out that part of the station was built around an old church, and among the derelict pews was a big wooden pulpit. Standing therein was a zombie (an old hag, as I described her in my dream). I threw something at her (which I think was a turnip!) and when it hit her, she disintegrated into a pile of dust.

Got my car back though.
( K2k6 has a proper job these days, Tue 22 Jul 2008, 8:52, Reply)

Yeah I'm going to come.
I should stop being a pussy. Plus, I get to meet you. Which I'm sure will be lovely.
I just need something to fill my time before heading to the pub.

Edit @K2k6 I'm impressed that a turnip featured in your dream. Do you often dream about root vegetables?
( wanderlust, Tue 22 Jul 2008, 8:52, Reply)

@wanderlust
Er, not terribly often. The occasional parsnip, I suppose.
( K2k6 has a proper job these days, Tue 22 Jul 2008, 9:00, Reply)

Morning all
@K2k6 I think that would make a good QOTW suggestion, I have had some really strange dreams.
(Herr Doktor Lemminge Is bored, so cheer me up!, Tue 22 Jul 2008, 9:00, Reply)

.
@wanderlust: Yay!

@K2k6:
Interesting dream.

Anyway, I'd best finish packing. Got half an hour before I'm due to set off. See you in the evening, or if not, online sometime.

EDIT 'mornin' HDL
( mistaspakkaman and the inedible shifting caterpillars, Tue 22 Jul 2008, 9:05, Reply)

I will see you tonight then Mr Spakka
I don't want to get excited now as I'll only go and tire myself out, much like a small child and I don't want to fall asleep in my lunch later. So I shall stay all calm now and get all excited when it's pub time.
( wanderlust, Tue 22 Jul 2008, 9:09, Reply)

Morning Dr Minge
The only problem with a Dreams QOTW would be that it would effectively present writers with carte blanche. All sorts of stories would appear, no matter how implausible, and there would be no way to refute them, because the events did not actually happen!

Having said that, it might be interesting to see what the warped brains of b3tards could come up with!

Bye spakka.
( K2k6 has a proper job these days, Tue 22 Jul 2008, 9:10, Reply)

I once dreamed that
a gang of Fred Dursts were bullying my little brother.

True story.

Hi everybody!
( Bert Monkeysex is waiting for the mods to delete him, Tue 22 Jul 2008, 9:17, Reply)

Morning bert!
I hope you killed them in the face.

I fucking hate Fred Durst. Just look at him in his little red hat, prancing around, telling me to "keep rolling".

You know what Fred, I'm fine cheers. I'll just sit here not being a prick and you can go fuck off before I wee in your mouth.
( wanderlust, Tue 22 Jul 2008, 9:22, Reply)

Wee in his mouth.....?
-but what if he likes it?
( Bert Monkeysex is waiting for the mods to delete him, Tue 22 Jul 2008, 9:23, Reply)

I once dreamed
That I'd sliced a hooker's throat, fed her into a wood-chipper and then stood in front of the spray.

Then I woke up, covered in blood and gristle.

True story.
( Cawl, Tue 22 Jul 2008, 9:23, Reply)

I had to Wiki Fred Hurst
But now I see what you mean.

Kaol - are you sure that was a dream?
( K2k6 has a proper job these days, Tue 22 Jul 2008, 9:25, Reply)

I hadn't thought he might enjoy it.
Ok, first wee of the day after I've been out all night drinking cider and in his eye. I don't think anyone would find that enjoyable
( wanderlust, Tue 22 Jul 2008, 9:26, Reply)

*lathers up*
Bring it on wanderlust-y baby.

@Kaol I wondered where my prostitutes keep disappearing to.
( Bert Monkeysex is waiting for the mods to delete him, Tue 22 Jul 2008, 9:27, Reply)

Dreams
Yeah, It needs to be done, then we can see just how mental everybody really is.

Replace mental with imaginative as appropriate.
(Herr Doktor Lemminge Is bored, so cheer me up!, Tue 22 Jul 2008, 9:31, Reply)

@Bert
Tonight. My wee. Your eye.
( wanderlust, Tue 22 Jul 2008, 9:32, Reply)

@wanderlust
I've had worse.

*thinks of Kaol*

I'm going to cry again.
( Bert Monkeysex is waiting for the mods to delete him, Tue 22 Jul 2008, 9:36, Reply)

Don't cry Bert
it can't be that bad.
(Herr Doktor Lemminge Is bored, so cheer me up!, Tue 22 Jul 2008, 9:39, Reply)

Calling London B3tans
Hello people! i'm in london for the next few days job hunting, can anybody recommend me a good agency to go and pester about finding me employment!
Thanks!
(Lucy Van Pelt embracing ginlovers, Tue 22 Jul 2008, 9:41, Reply)

Kaol
You're right about that, and I'm not coming along tonight so you can't get me this time.
(Herr Doktor Lemminge Is bored, so cheer me up!, Tue 22 Jul 2008, 9:45, Reply)

I'm not going tonight
Either...
( Cawl, Tue 22 Jul 2008, 9:52, Reply)

You two could hook up.
You'd make an attractive b3ta couple.
( Bert Monkeysex is waiting for the mods to delete him, Tue 22 Jul 2008, 9:54, Reply)

Aaaaargh
He's gonna get me!

Yes Bert, Kaols skillz with knives,a and mine with smaller sharp things.
(Herr Doktor Lemminge Is bored, so cheer me up!, Tue 22 Jul 2008, 10:00, Reply)

I'm already
Half of one attractive b3ta couple.
And I don't like to share.
( Cawl, Tue 22 Jul 2008, 10:00, Reply)

Yes
Yes you are Kaol, I had almost forgotten that!

thanks the gods of small things
(Herr Doktor Lemminge Is bored, so cheer me up!, Tue 22 Jul 2008, 10:04, Reply)

Good Morning
And welcome to Film 2008 with DiT.

Today - The Dark Knight, seen at the IMAX.

It was with a mixture of trepidation and excitement that I went to see The Dark Knight, Christopher Nolan's second film of the new Batman Franchise. Excitement as I am a self-confessed Batman geek, and trepidation as I am a self-confessed Batman geek.

The evening began with champagne and canapes, and an introduction to the film from Christopher Nolan. Just to be in the same room as Michale Caine and Christian Bale was a treat in itself. Nolan explained why he feels that IMAX is the future of Cinema, and then the film began.

The Dark Knight is epic, in the best sense of the word. Coming in at 153 minutes, it's not short, but every minute is packed with outstanding acting (I could only count two throwaway lines, and they were from one incidental character) and breathtaking cinematography. The action set-pieces are beautifully choreographed and, given the scale of the screen, really give the viewer a sense of actually being in the action.

Christian Bale, as the eponymous Dark Knight, does not disappoint. Suave and sophisticated as the billionaire Bruce Wayne, but relentless and unforgiving as Batman, he represents just exactly what Batman should be. You can forget West, Keaton, Kilmer and Clooney - Bale has absolutely nailed Batman. Aaron Eckhart turns in a very subtly nuanced turn as Harvey Dent, and Gary Oldman actually gets to make something of the Jim Gordon character in this outing. Morgan Freeman, as Lucius Fox, is solid as ever, and Michael Caine adds an excellent mentor in his role as Alfred.

Which brings us to Heath Ledger. There has been so much hype around his performance as the Joker that I feared I would be let down. I was not. Ledger's Joker truly is up there with the greatest Screen villains of all time. Comparing this wioth Jack Nicholson's more pantomimic Joker of 1990, we see a performance that is not only absolutely electrifying, but wholly believeable. The audience is presented with a character who, in his own words, is "like a dog chasing a car... I wouldn't know what to do if I caught it." He blends the psychotic with the cold, calculating saneness that only the truly mad possess. When you see this film, as surely you must, keep an eye out for the scene between Batman and the Joker in the Police station. Heath Ledger, in this scene, is about as perfect as an acting performance can get.

I left the cinema with an overwhelming sense that all was right in the world. There will clearly be a third film in this franchise - maybe even a fourth - and this gives rise to wondering just who the next villain will be. We know it won't be the Penguin (Christopher Nolan hates the character), so could it be the Riddler? Or Catwoman? Or will they, hope upon hope, make a film version of Superman vs Batman? (No, they won't, Ed.)

In conclusion then, The Dark Knight is not only the best action film I've seen in a while, it's the best film I've seen in a while, period. There's a lot of talk about Heath Ledger receiving a posthumous Oscar. In some senses, I hope he doesn't, as it's recognising just how good he was all too late. In others, I hope he does, because this performance is simply too good (flawless, even) not to be recognised.

10/10
( Devil_In_Tights the *real* DiT!, Tue 22 Jul 2008, 10:05, Reply)

@DiT
nice review, I'm all excited about seeing it now (more so)

shame we don't have decent cinemas in Devon....

important news regarding saturday's gig - my right ear is currently blocked and painful as hell, so hopefully I can get that sorted by the weekend, or my performance on our songs might be pretty bad....
( Vipros. clever got me this far, then tricky got me in, Tue 22 Jul 2008, 10:13, Reply)

DiT
More evidence as to why you're my favorite poster.
Favorite as in I want to click "I like this" on all of your "proper" posts.

I'm going to the staff screening of this some time this week. Really, really looking forward to it.

My biggest question, how much is it like the comics?

Vipros- I really hope your ear gets sorted...
( Cawl, Tue 22 Jul 2008, 10:18, Reply)

@DiT
You've made me very excited about seeing the film on friday.
@Vipros, put a bit of olive oil in your ear and have a lie down.
( wanderlust, Tue 22 Jul 2008, 10:19, Reply)

It is like the comics...
not completely, but Christopher Nolan is obviously still very influenced by them.

It's the scale that's so impressive. And the care that's gone in to it, it really is a labour of love.

Batman - the Hero that Gotham needs, or the Hero that Gotham deserves?

ALSO: Just wait til you see Harvey Dent! Just wait!
( Devil_In_Tights the *real* DiT!, Tue 22 Jul 2008, 10:25, Reply)

@Kaol: thanks
@wanderlust: I had to do that last night to make it stop hurting enough to let me eventually get to sleep for an hour or two....

seems to be slowly getting a bit better

have a doctor's appointment this evening though, so hopefully I can get him to make me a syringing appointment before the weekend!
( Vipros. clever got me this far, then tricky got me in, Tue 22 Jul 2008, 10:29, Reply)

DiT
Nice review, makes me want to see the film even more than I do already.

@Vipros Hope the ear get better before your gig.
(Herr Doktor Lemminge Is bored, so cheer me up!, Tue 22 Jul 2008, 10:32, Reply)

Dark Knight
Mr BF and I watched "Batman Begins" last night, in preparation for seeing Dark Knight on thursday evening in Clapham. Yayayayayay, such a good film. I looooove Michael Caine.
(The Empress it seems you CAN polish a turd!, Tue 22 Jul 2008, 10:46, Reply)

^He's a God.
In fact, if God does exist, then he's Michael Caine.
( Devil_In_Tights the *real* DiT!, Tue 22 Jul 2008, 10:47, Reply)

Hello!
Anyone still here?

*echoes*

Or are you all off to watch Batman?
( K2k6 has a proper job these days, Tue 22 Jul 2008, 11:26, Reply)

Does anyone here use a mac and if so can I ask a stupid question?
I got breakfast at tiffanys, I used handbrake to make it play on my mac because I didn't want to carry a ton of discs around. My son used the disk as the end of a toy circular saw to try to cut through rock. Can I somehow make a disc from the mpeg thingumabob which resides so patiently in my movies folder to replace the disk which is smashed on my front path?
Thanks
(sirolimus, Tue 22 Jul 2008, 11:27, Reply)

@Charles
If it's a relatively recent Mac, then you should have iDVD installed. This will do the job for you.
( K2k6 has a proper job these days, Tue 22 Jul 2008, 11:29, Reply)

I'm still here, K2k6.
Tell me something interesting.
( thealternativefact, Tue 22 Jul 2008, 11:31, Reply)

Interesting?
Well it was very interesting to me for a minute or so at least - I just ran over my foot with a laden palette truck.

Well, not so much ran over, as crushed my big toe below it. So I now have a mashed toenail, a slightly bloody sock and a throbbing extremity. Nothing broken, but it's a bit sore.
( K2k6 has a proper job these days, Tue 22 Jul 2008, 11:34, Reply)

I'm here...
Just watching. And waiting.

Is anyone going to the Fullback tonight? I finish work at 5.30 so will be there for about 6, and can't be there long...

Something interesting, you say? A tomato is actually a fruit.
( Devil_In_Tights the *real* DiT!, Tue 22 Jul 2008, 11:35, Reply)

Morning all!
Lucy - if you're just after bog-standard admin stuff, gaz me and I'll give you a couple of agency names that have kept me working for the last few years.

DiT - I was gonna aim for half seven, but can probably get there a bit earlier depending on how much work I get done today.
(wellgroomedwookiee is a filthy-minded hobgoblin, Tue 22 Jul 2008, 11:36, Reply)

K2k6 Cheers.
"Very Good, I must say I'm amazed. "


That's the afternoon sorted. Tea and Peppard.
(sirolimus, Tue 22 Jul 2008, 11:38, Reply)

K2k6
That's grim - poor you. Your nail will never be the same.

DiT - I was planning on getting there at 7.30pm and so is Wookie. Will you still be there then? Spak was also planning on getting there at 7.30pm, but as he's only meeting his friend in Elephant & Castle at 6.15pm for dinner, I doubt that!

Where are you likely to be located?
( thealternativefact, Tue 22 Jul 2008, 11:39, Reply)

@DiT
I'm finishing early today, so I can meet you there whenever...If you don't mind my company
( wanderlust, Tue 22 Jul 2008, 11:43, Reply)

Hmm.
I might have to give this one a miss then, and see y'all on the 8th. We're doing a site upgrade tonight and muggins here has got the late shift, so I was going to go down to have a couple of shandies with you lot and then come back to work.

I was kind of banking on an early start! :(

MM's going to break me. She's sent me threateniong messages already! She mentioned sharpening the kittens...
( Devil_In_Tights the *real* DiT!, Tue 22 Jul 2008, 11:47, Reply)

I have
to miss this one unfortunately, otherwise I could have been there before six.
(Herr Doktor Lemminge Is bored, so cheer me up!, Tue 22 Jul 2008, 11:48, Reply)

To be fair,
This bash isn't anything special, as I won't be there.
( Cawl, Tue 22 Jul 2008, 11:51, Reply)

@Charles
No problem. Hope it works OK. It's usually pretty tolerant of file type, but if it doesn't work, launder it through iMovie first.

@clendrix - I'd imagine it's going to turn black and fall off in a week or ten.
( K2k6 has a proper job these days, Tue 22 Jul 2008, 11:54, Reply)

You're right, Kaol.
Without the ever-present fear of molestation and murder, it just won't be the same.
(wellgroomedwookiee is a filthy-minded hobgoblin, Tue 22 Jul 2008, 11:55, Reply)

For the record
I didn't murder anyone.
Well... I'm not sure what happened in the time I vanished on the first Bash, so... Maybe.
( Cawl, Tue 22 Jul 2008, 11:58, Reply)

@Kaol
Did the horse enjoy the bacon that you fed it?

It would be interesting to see what a pig made of it.
( K2k6 has a proper job these days, Tue 22 Jul 2008, 12:23, Reply)

Pigs eating bacon.
I don't think a pig cares what it's eating. They'll eat almost anything.
(Herr Doktor Lemminge Is bored, so cheer me up!, Tue 22 Jul 2008, 12:29, Reply)

I can see the piggy plot twists coming.
"Bacon is... PEOPLE!"
(wellgroomedwookiee is a filthy-minded hobgoblin, Tue 22 Jul 2008, 12:38, Reply)

The Horse
In question was a New Forest Pony.

It now hangs around tourist campsites at night, trying to get another taste of the delicious meat that ruined it's mind.
Only problem is that to a horse, human meat and bacon taste the same...
( Cawl, Tue 22 Jul 2008, 12:42, Reply)

Ah,
so it would be quite happy with a Kaolburger, now it's got a taste for meat?

Best of all the animals, my arse.
( K2k6 has a proper job these days, Tue 22 Jul 2008, 12:44, Reply)

Yeah...
I created a monster that only flesh will satisfy.

Kinda rubbish, the whole unleashing a foul, ravenous beast on the world, but... You know these things... They just kinda happen.
( Cawl, Tue 22 Jul 2008, 12:47, Reply)

We've all buggered off again I see.
Must be the thought of mutant carnivorous horses wot done it.
( K2k6 has a proper job these days, Tue 22 Jul 2008, 14:20, Reply)

Hey K2k6
How's you today?
Mutant horses are a little bit scary...
(Moniker, Tue 22 Jul 2008, 14:34, Reply)

It wasn't a mutant
It was a normal horse that went bad from eating bacon.
( Cawl, Tue 22 Jul 2008, 14:36, Reply)

Does that
not count as becoming a mutant?

Hiya Kaol!
(Moniker, Tue 22 Jul 2008, 14:37, Reply)

Hi!
You can't "become" a mutant, I'm afraid.

Films have lied to you all.
It's your children who would be the ones to get your powers/cancer.
( Cawl, Tue 22 Jul 2008, 14:42, Reply)

You mean that
this horse is the beginning of a long line of mutant cannibal horses, creating a master race by luring unsuspecting victims with endearing cuteness before viciously tearing them limb from limb?

*nervously locks doors*
(Moniker, Tue 22 Jul 2008, 14:49, Reply)

'noon Moniker
Sunbathing today? It's a nice day for it.

@Kaol - plants can mutate can't they? Sports and so on, which you can cut off, root and propagate. So (for the purposes of b3ta) we could imagine that a horse grew another horse on its back, which then broke off and became an independent mutant.

I can see a film of this coming soon.
( K2k6 has a proper job these days, Tue 22 Jul 2008, 14:50, Reply)

Noon all...
This would not be a film that I watch. Horses are full of evil.
( Devil_In_Tights the *real* DiT!, Tue 22 Jul 2008, 14:53, Reply)

Pretty much, yeah.
I love horses, best of all the animals...
*cries*

Al: Not quite... The mutation would have to happen in a stem cell for it to then grow. Normal body cells don't multiply enough to grow into fancy new things.
If you get zapped by radiation that causes rapid cell growth in a new and exciting direction, it's called cancer.

K2k6: That's not actually mutation, in that it's not a genetic change.
( Cawl, Tue 22 Jul 2008, 14:56, Reply)

Hallo K2k6
How's you today?
There ain't enough sun here to sunbathe, and certainly not to further your experiment of yesterday! *blushes* I did wonder though, if I was to (hypothetically speaking only of course, ahem) set up a webcam in my garden to satisfy the "pics or it didn't happen" rule and made the live feed available on teh interwebs, would my garden then be public? Would that potentially get me into trouble? And more or less so than the same thing in my front garden?
Clearly if my neighbour had the same idea, it'd be him that got done for it!
And then there's always the favourite breach of the peace, which covers all eventualities!
(Moniker, Tue 22 Jul 2008, 14:58, Reply)

@Kaol
I'm not a biologist, so I don't know these things. But if a sport isn't a genetic change, then what is it? A plant which normally produces white flowers suddenly makes a stem which produces red ones - how does that work without its genes being altered?

I'm not disbelieving you, I just need to understand how it works.

@Moniker - if you set up a webcam and linked to b3ta, I dare say your ISP would be knocking on your door before the police, complaining about bandwidth limits being exceeded!

But I don't know how that would be treated in Scots law. In England, the situation is that if you expose your genitals, with the intent of having them on display, as it were (and a webcam would fall into this category!), then you can be done for indecent exposure. But Scotland has different laws.

Toplessness is OK though, I believe.
( K2k6 has a proper job these days, Tue 22 Jul 2008, 15:05, Reply)

Well, I have a degree in such things
and I haven't got a clue. Not sure I want to try for a test case though!
(Moniker, Tue 22 Jul 2008, 15:10, Reply)

Right...
That's likely down to the plant having genes for both colours in the first place, and various factors in cell replication leading to the expression of one colour over the other.

What I mean is that the change is "inside" the plant all along, and hasn't been caused by cosmic rays or anything fancy like that.

Sorry if I sounded patronising, that wasn't my intention at all.
( Cawl, Tue 22 Jul 2008, 15:13, Reply)

But we all wish it was due to cosmic rays
cos that's cool.

I'm off to meet mistaspakkaman at the station in a minute. How exciting!
( thealternativefact, Tue 22 Jul 2008, 15:17, Reply)

For reference
A mutation is "any change that occurs in the sequence of nitrogenous bases of a gene." This can cause the death of the cell, cancer, or genetic defects in future generations. A mutation of an allele is a permanent and heritable one that produces a different variation of the same trait.
(Moniker, Tue 22 Jul 2008, 15:18, Reply)

That's quite all right Kaol
Like I said, I just didn't know how it worked. So what it boils down to is that this isn't a mutation, and that the film makers are lying to us.

The bastards.

Mind you. I should have realised that films and science don't go together very well. I've seen Armageddon.

They had a speedometer on the bloody space shuttle! Speed relative to what, eh?

@moniker - is your degree in biological stuff, or the legality of showing your tits in public? It wasn't quite clear!
( K2k6 has a proper job these days, Tue 22 Jul 2008, 15:25, Reply)

^Haha
Sorry I laughed, Al, but that is quite funny!

Still don't know if I'll make it either... Stupid work!
( Devil_In_Tights the *real* DiT!, Tue 22 Jul 2008, 15:26, Reply)

Oh dear...
www.kongregate.com/games/soapaintnice/open-doors

My IRL is over.
( thealternativefact, Tue 22 Jul 2008, 15:35, Reply)

@Al
It's a scalar quantity but you still need a reference frame. For example I'm sitting here at my desk, and my speed relative to the earth is essentially zero. But relative to the sun, I'm hurtling round at thousands of miles per hour. And because the earth is orbiting the sun in a roughly circular manner, that means we're continually accelerating towards it, so are experiencing a velocity change, because of the change in direction.

In space, what would your reference point be? The surface of the earth? And if so, which point? Yes it can make sense under certain circumstances, but in Armageddon it just didn't!
( K2k6 has a proper job these days, Tue 22 Jul 2008, 15:36, Reply)

DiT
This

re: Right
Oh, I shall be there alright. :)
Devil_In_Tights

Is legally binding.

EDIT: And al, I'm very very disappointed in you.
( Madam Marlboro wonders if you've found her yet, Tue 22 Jul 2008, 15:37, Reply)

I'm off to meet spakkaman now.
Don't let him down!

Edit: MM - see you soon! Yay!
( thealternativefact, Tue 22 Jul 2008, 15:39, Reply)

See you in a bit clendrix
I shall be down just after 9.
( Madam Marlboro wonders if you've found her yet, Tue 22 Jul 2008, 15:40, Reply)

Bye clendrix
I assume Mr Spakka is the legend you speak of?
( K2k6 has a proper job these days, Tue 22 Jul 2008, 15:41, Reply)

Y'see
I didn't realise you were all talking about meeting later in the evening! I assumed post-work drinks...

:(
EDIT: Besides, I'm in an extremely bad mood at the moment. You work for ages and ages to improve your credit score, following all the rules, for it to actually drop.

Fuck.
( Devil_In_Tights the *real* DiT!, Tue 22 Jul 2008, 15:44, Reply)

'noon all
I shan't be making it this evening either, but that was always known. Stupid London.

And stupid project proposal too.
(PenguinOfDeath is Scottish, and most likely angry, Tue 22 Jul 2008, 15:53, Reply)

Hiya PoD
*waves*

What are you proposing?
(Moniker, Tue 22 Jul 2008, 15:53, Reply)

Proposing my design project for next year at uni
Or, more accurately so far, not proposing that much so far, as I haven't really got anything done. At all.
(PenguinOfDeath is Scottish, and most likely angry, Tue 22 Jul 2008, 15:54, Reply)

What
are you hoping to propose then?
(Moniker, Tue 22 Jul 2008, 15:56, Reply)

That's another part of the problem
I'm not entirely sure what I'm going to propose yet. Possibly something music based.

Need to make sure that it complies with all the basic course requirement things too.

How fun.
(PenguinOfDeath is Scottish, and most likely angry, Tue 22 Jul 2008, 15:58, Reply)

Yes, but
you can't use space as your reference point, as it's, well, space. It's not there.

You have to measure it against the position of something physical to make any sense. This is similar to the argument used to develop the theory of relativity, once Michelson and Morley had disproved the existence of the luminous aether.

Say for example you leave the earth in a rocket travelling at 1000m/s, relative to the earth. You are on your way to rendezvous with a spaceship which is travelling in the same direction at 500m/s.

So your speed relative to the earth is 1000m/s. Your speed relative to the spaceship is 500m/s. Now imagine the earth and spaceship and everything else isn't there. Now what's your speed?

Well, you haven't slowed down or sped up, so your speed must still be 1000m/s...or is it 500m/s? Or is it 10 million m/s relative to the star which was 1000 light years away?

It's undefined. Space isn't a physical entity to measure yourself against.

See my point?

Edit - this is post no. 98. I'm expecting Kaol along shortly...
( K2k6 has a proper job these days, Tue 22 Jul 2008, 16:11, Reply)

Well...
I've got an hour left of work.
And I'm bored.
( Cawl, Tue 22 Jul 2008, 16:14, Reply)

I didn't lie
I suspect Kaol seeded some filler posts earlier just for this point in the day.

Speed is relative. You have to define your speed against some physical body. There's no such thing as absolute speed. That's all there is to it. And as you approach light speeds, it all screws up.

The speed of light, c, is constant, no matter what you measure it against. So on earth, we can measure c as 3 x 10^8 m/s relative to the earth. But, using my earlier example, the person on the rocket travelling away from earth at 1000m/s would also measure c as the same speed. As would the person on the spaceship travelling at 500m/s. That's where it all becomes difficult and unintuitive.
( K2k6 has a proper job these days, Tue 22 Jul 2008, 16:25, Reply)

Stop it K2k6!
You're making my brain hurt!

Hiya ancrenne!
(Moniker, Tue 22 Jul 2008, 16:29, Reply)

Right yo
For the record, I reckon I can get to the pub for around a quarter to seven if any early folks are likely to get there around then. What do you reckon?

As I have nothing to contribute regarding relative speeds in a vacuum and such, I will instead tell you that I woke myself up last night by slapping myself hard in the side of the head, presumably because of the dream I was having that there was a spider on my face.
(wellgroomedwookiee is a filthy-minded hobgoblin, Tue 22 Jul 2008, 16:33, Reply)

Indeed
there has been very little cake today, and I haven't seen hlt about at all. Plenty of science on the go though.

Maybe some sugar would slow their brains down....
(Moniker, Tue 22 Jul 2008, 16:37, Reply)

*fishes around*
I have some Jaffa cakes?

Noon Ancrenne, it's been a while!
( Devil_In_Tights the *real* DiT!, Tue 22 Jul 2008, 16:38, Reply)

Hi ancrenne
HLT is missing in action today. We've been cakeless :(

@Al - it was a turnip. See my post near the top of this thread.

@Moniker - my brain is hurting too, as I'm trying to find a supplier of a particular electronic component, and the part number has changed.
( K2k6 has a proper job these days, Tue 22 Jul 2008, 16:39, Reply)

@ancrenne
If you could make me a 400V 16A triac in a TO-220 case out of some old mains plugs I'll buy one from you.

I've sorted it though.
( K2k6 has a proper job these days, Tue 22 Jul 2008, 16:44, Reply)

I'll pass on the plugs thanks
The alcohol however....

I'm also having cake cravings now. Or a fudge doughnut would be spot on, if K2k6 felt like obliging?!
(Moniker, Tue 22 Jul 2008, 16:45, Reply)

I've found where to get my components
but nobody's answering the bloody phone.

Tomorrow it is, then.

I suspect blu-tac may not be suitable for the application in mind, ancrenne. Thanks all the same though.

And I've not got enough time to nip down to Fisher and Donaldson's for a fudge doughnut either, Moniker.

But you're welcome to have a virtual one.

*passes round virtual fudge doughnuts*
( K2k6 has a proper job these days, Tue 22 Jul 2008, 16:49, Reply)

A new word for Cakey Pangs:
The Cakening.
( Devil_In_Tights the *real* DiT!, Tue 22 Jul 2008, 16:50, Reply)

There's ALWAYS time for an F&D fudge doughnut!
But these'll do for now, thanks :)

*noms*
(Moniker, Tue 22 Jul 2008, 16:51, Reply)

Whenever I make stuff
It ends up being pointy.
*shrugs*
( Cawl, Tue 22 Jul 2008, 16:54, Reply)

I agree
that there's always time to eat a fudge doughnut. It's just that the shop's too far away for me to get there before closing time :(

The Cakening. I like it.
( K2k6 has a proper job these days, Tue 22 Jul 2008, 16:55, Reply)

The Cakening
"The Cakening is the receiving of all the sponge and icing another immortal has obtained throughout his/her life. It is like the receiving of a sacrament or a massive orgasm."

I may have to force myself to like cake now...

EDIT: I think Ancrenne may have spotted my inspiration...
( Devil_In_Tights the *real* DiT!, Tue 22 Jul 2008, 17:01, Reply)

The Cakening
In Pictures!
( Fireflier La la la la, not listening on, Tue 22 Jul 2008, 17:09, Reply)

There can be only buns!
I am Connor MacLeod of the Clan MacLeod. I was born in 1518 in the village of Glenfinnan on the shores of Loch Shiel. And I am a Confectioner.

EDIT: That is fucking marvellous, Fireflier!
( Devil_In_Tights the *real* DiT!, Tue 22 Jul 2008, 17:10, Reply)

*feels draught ruffling hair*
I think something went right over my head there.

Was that a film reference, DiT?
( K2k6 has a proper job these days, Tue 22 Jul 2008, 17:12, Reply)

There can only be hundreds and thousands!
.
( Fireflier La la la la, not listening on, Tue 22 Jul 2008, 17:12, Reply)

*looks shifty*
Yes, it was. To The Highlander, 1986.

Sorry.

EDIT: I'm not sure an immortal confectioner's repetoire extends as far as instant cake generation.

I'll get the scientists on it.
( Devil_In_Tights the *real* DiT!, Tue 22 Jul 2008, 17:16, Reply)

Ah, OK
That'll be another one I've not seen then!

I'm off. See you all tomorrow.
( K2k6 has a proper job these days, Tue 22 Jul 2008, 17:17, Reply)

Ta!
'm fine thanks - just been mostly lurking the lst couple of days while pretending to do more work than normal. And 'shopping occasionally.
( Fireflier La la la la, not listening on, Tue 22 Jul 2008, 17:23, Reply)

Talking of leaving...
We are about to begin our site upgrade, so I am going to have to log off.

See you tomorrow, I suppose. Still very peeved that I won't be able to make tonight, now. :(

August the 8th it is then, I guess.

Bye!
( Devil_In_Tights the *real* DiT!, Tue 22 Jul 2008, 17:23, Reply)

Continuation of chat
here.
( K2k6 has a proper job these days, Wed 23 Jul 2008, 11:36, Reply)