[Btd] Well if you were working, why would you need a telly? It was OK. Just surprising how much I knew about crisps. I eat more than I should, but then I don't eat other stuff... much.

Cross-posted from Orange, but... a small announcement - White Rose MC is, at last, online. This is a version of the York/!York archive, rejigged to use the same technology as Orange MC (hence my desire to give it a different name).

Enjoy!

...and, again, reeeeee-lax. The new fan is much less painful to listen to.

[Dunx] Wow. I'll ungrey the York link Sometime Real Soon Now (i.e. when I can work out how out-of-synch the live version is with the dev version, and whether applying all updates would break anything. Yes I do use CVS, no I don't understand it and hence use is propery).

Any chance of a similar stunt being pulled for the Pants archives?

Dunx] You are a hero!

[rab] Not by me, no - I don't believe there was any backup of the Pants archives.

Pardon me for dropping in here: but, Dunx: if you were so inclined, you could find the archive.org record of Pants MC (it's surprisingly extensive) and manually pinch everything they've got there. I've already got the Lock Cup matches and a few others of interest: I'm slowly building up to getting the lot before archive.org crashes or gets taken down by an army of ravening copyright solicitors, but it is an option. If we really really really really really badly want the archive to be taken and re-hosted, that is.

[Angus] I feel that Dunx might already have enough on his plate... but if you do have all the games in a reasonable format there could be scope for archiving it appropriately.

Am I alone in believing that NOT all games need be archived? Only those which are *of particular distinction*, whether in quality, style or genre.

Aplologies to all at Celebrity Monington Crescent, somehow moreteaplease regained No1 without trying. Last Friday after I had sold all my shares I reinvested them in Prince Charles, if was he in the news I don't remember seeing him anywhere? and he paid out a handsome 5.57 a share! So I'll let them ride for another week and see what happens.

My halfwit band have some new tunes for you to listen to. So when you have five mins, toddle along to http://www.papalazarus.com and have a listen. Why not leave some nutty inane message on the guest book while your there? Ok cheap plug well n truly over......ftangftang......wibble

[JLE] Well... possibly. The problems are that (1) someone has to go through all the games to make a judgement on which are or are not worthy; and (2) you're relying on just that person's judgement. Even if there were a panel of judges, you would be requiring that their judgement be accurate for all time.

From an archaeological point of view, a lot of the most interesting artifacts and documents are the ones that people thought weren't worth keeping at the time. If all that is kept is the exceptional, then the context for those exceptions is lost.

So, possibly, but in my judgement, no.

[Dunx, JLE] I'm with Dunx on this one. Many's the time I've searched through the archives loking for a particular post of mine or someone else's. I'm afraid I have a habit of using these sites as a sort of highly social blog, and they're one of the few ways I can remind myself of what I was thinking about and preoccupied with at particular times, and when certain events happened. Players' reactions to Sep 11th are particularly interesting to look back on from this distance, particularly in locations other than the chat game, where life proceeded as normal within less than hours. Future historians might look at the pages and say "What were these people thinking? Joking and limericking away before the dust had even settled on such a huge historical event!".

[Projoy] I didn't realise these boards went back that far - where's all that then? curiosity declared

[Projoy] Well, I haven't seen a single comment throughout any of the Morniverse about the Spain bombings, so I don't see why there should have been so many about the ones in America either. I think our sense of importance is greatly warped by our peculiar belief that what happens in America is more important than what happens elsewhere.
Now, the verdict on Betsygate - that's what I call important!

Betsygate?

You mean you haven't been following it with bated breath?

I think everyone is horrified. And also very aware that the target could so easily have been here.

[Breadmaster] Oh, Betsygate, I do beg your pardon!

[BM] We don't really know the significance of the Madrid attacks yet, which makes them at present equivalent to the earthquake in Bam. But the significance and symbolism of the 11 Sept attacks were immediately obvious and pretty much unignorable. And arguably what happens in America (at least in some contexts) is more important in terms of international repercussions than what happens here, so the perception is not entirely arbitrary. [ZK] If you're interested in the reaction to Sep 11th, you can see it breaking here. CdM and I were midway through a debate on insurance when Néa was the first person to react, ahead of PaulWay hearing the news. What's really interesting in retrospect is how Drewsxpa provides future MC historians with an aside on the event for context - but of course, the date and the event is now burned on everyone's memory, and we need no such thing.

What you might need context for, on the other hand, is the "yipee" comment on 13 September by "Iain Duncan-Hague". You may recall that a man with a similar name was elected Conservative leader on that date. You don't? Oh, well, hard to blame you.

There's a fair few archives we may never see again: Beer Powered Mornington Crescent Frenzy is gone for good, I believe, as is Huxley's rather stylish, but short-lived server. Delphi remains in limbo, too.

[Projoy] Thankyou. I haven't quite read all of it, but will do so at my leisure. As to the more recent attacks (in Spain, obviously) I suspect no-one has said a lot because, callous as it sounds, we've sadly seen this all before, with my sincerest apologies to whoever that statement offends (including me). I was, however, visibly appalled when I was following the news on TV on Friday (I didn't quite grasp the scale via the internet on Thursday), so it's not as though I'm not affected. I am. But what is there left to say? Aside from that, watching those parades yesterday, I was overwhlemed by one particular thought - how proud I would be to be Spanish right now.

I was horribly shocked - but it still isn't certain who actually perpetrated the attacks. So we've been sidetracked into thinking it may have been ETA, rather than Al-Quaeda. There was also the way that passenger planes were hijacked and crashed into the towers, which seemed to make it even worse, somehow.

I sometimes wonder if there is a difference between honest belief and being brainwashed. That statement applies to myself as much as to anyone else. Whilst I have been raised within a society that, basically at least, follows the principle of 'do unto others ...' I often ask myself why someone would act in the manner which many do. I have also come to the conclusion that no-one can overcome extremists should such decide to launch plans to disrupt a country's activities by targeting its citizens. What those people or groups would hope to achieve by such activities also eludes me; surely such operations would merely strengthen the resolve of those targeted. It would appear that capitalism does have its weaknesses, particulary when it comes to the indiscriminate use of wealth to obtain a goal without due concern about those who might be affected by the process and its consequences. In that sense perhaps it is time that governments - honest ones, if that's not some form of anti-logic - took a wee bit more control over the activities of companies (multi-national or otherwise). However, I digress. I applaud the reaction of the Spanish people to these latest attempts to undermine the fabric of their country - even those in the Basque areas.

Does anyone have any idea why Ralf Little's shares keep going up?

The tape claiming Al Qaeda responsibility says it all, really: "You desire life; we desire death."

Have the gremlins crept into my computer, or am I simply imagining all this minimalism?

ooh, that was confusing. did I imagine it?

No, I didn't. How very strange. Approving of new fontage, however.

New fontage? Everything looks the same to me.

[Raak] I suspect the gremlins have got at my computer. Everything switches intermittently to Times New Roman and similar sparsity.

I did just notice the new favicon -- very nice.

The world is so small today, that news can be transmitted around the world seconds after it has happened, with instant assumptions of responsibility.
What has frightened me, is that as further details emerge is that this could happen anywhere, that Al-Quaeda have a long term goal and as a result they chose the place, time and method. They have the upper hand. The next act of terror will be unlike any that we have seen by them.

Once the west has bled the middle east dry of oil what kind of societies will be left? Looking at the news pictures of post-Iraq its hospitals, schools and housing were no bettter than that of a debt ridden third world country. I have yet to see evidence that everyone in Saudi has the same standard of living as you or I. With parts of America have already run dry of oil and its consumption shows no sign of slowing down, the exploitation of the middle east by the west only fuels the fire of Al-Quaeda fanaticism.

I momentarily experienced what looked like a plain text version of this page too, under IE6. Have reloaded and now it looks normal again.

Inky for President!

Is there an e-pilg type thingy tonight? If there is, I could pop in for a little while, fairly early-like.

I did update the site last night, so it might be your caches getting confused. Hit Reload if things look strange, and it should be ok.

I'm observing a 3-minute silence. Does posting this count as 'not silence'?

As it happened - I didn't press 'enter' until the silence had finished so I'm OK.

[Inkspot] The West is paying the Middle Eastern states for the oil, and, I recall, was previously being criticised for not allowing Saddam to sell it. If they have the standard of living of third world countries, that is entirely the fault of their rulers. Saudi Arabia, in particular, is run as the private property of its despotic royal family, who indeed do not have the standard of living of you and I. Bill Gates would be a better comparison.
[3 minute silence] There is gesture inflation going on. If 2 minutes is enough for the dead of two world wars...

What's wrong with 1 minute? It's just a gesture, after all. No amount of silence can bring back the dead. If a person wants to spend longer in silence, that's up to them - they can spend 10 minutes praying, etc.

[flerdle] great to see you and yes, I hope so ... what is early-like for you?

[Raak] cf also Emir of Kuwait, rulers of Bahrain, Qatar, Oman etc. Not to mention the Sultan of Brunei. Now, how many of these countries have real, working parliaments with teeth?

I should perhaps point out that I recognize the immense wealth of HM the Q of UK&NI - however, she does not (indeed cannot) act in a despotic way except within her own four walls. Bill Gates can be said to have earned his pile, whatever reservations one has about the business methods of Micro$oft.

[HB] None, yes?

[Chalky] Probably about 8:30pm or so for an hour.

[HB, back one post] I will keep investigating .om and get back to you. What I've seen so far is pretty good, however. It's probably because it has just enough (oil) wealth to get the country developing, but not so much that he (SQ) can take it for granted. It will not last forever, and he knows it.

sooo....read any good books lately? Seriously though, I'm a little confused - was does SQ stand for?

Have a look around here, which leads to here for the (rather long) official blurb. Perhaps I should have said HM S QbS.

[flerdle] Hmmm, a relatively benign dictator if you believe the somewhat hagiographic blurb - however, I remember, prior to a school trip to Romania in 1975, reading the official government literature on what a wonderful fellow that Nicolae Ceausescu was and how all Romanians were privileged to be ruled by such a caring, sharing fellow. It just makes one wary, that's all.

I know, and I'm wary myself :-). But I'm living here now, so will be able to see a few things "up close", as it were...

[flerdle] There are some things in that hagiography that one could, were one so despicably inclined, read in a rather different way than was presumably intended.

"Sultan Qaboos resorted to military force in order to eliminate a group of renegades based in the south who repeatedly declined the opportunities extended to the Omani population."

Yes :-D I know that too. There is a fair bit it doesn't say.

Happy St. Patrick's Day everyone!

What is all this St Patrick's day nonsense? Until we see the same kind of fervour for England and St George, I'll have none of it! And another thought that struck me. Earlier this week, legislation to curb binge drinking was proposed, and yet... It's a load of feckin' hypocrisy! bah!

[pen]Boo! Hiss! Anyway, what's stopping you celebrating St. George(if he ever existed and visited England) and prancing about wearing English things, and dancing round a maypole, or something? I do that EVERY DAY! Ha!

[penelope] Too right! I will celebrate St Patrick's day the day I celebrate Thanksgiving. This is just another example of the horrible rape of our culture by vile Americanism. The notion of celebrating St Patrick's day is entirely American and therefore to be resisted.
[Zooological Keeper] Not that I wish to rebuff rudely your cheery greeting, naturally.

American? *wonders why it's a bank holiday in Ireland today*

Scary thing is that we've been invited to a St Patrick's Day party tonight.

No, not by locals.

Hmm, will there be much illegal drink? Or will you be sipping soda water?

Well, because my free Guinness hat looks like an Australian one I'm going to get very confused about my accent for the day. I agree it's all horribly commercialised but hey, it's a reason to celebrate - we don't get that many of those any more, unless you count the eejits who seem to think that Bonfire Night lasts 3 and a half months. [Snorgle] Oh that's you, is it? [Breadmaster] Thankyou. You couldn't deter me anyway, I'm in too good a mood. *does a little nationally unspecific jig*

[snorgle] The celebration is a big deal over in the americas although mostly among the Irish population, oddly enough :)

[snorgle] If you're a foreigner, and not Muslim, you can get a permit for a certain value per month. We will be sipping water, most likely; it's not the sort of "scene" one really wants to get into.

[flerdle] Drink orange juice, it's more interesting! :)

[flerdle]Or tomato juice. Put some Worcestershire sauce into it, and there you go! [ZK]I grew up in Canada and it's popular there too - especially amongst those who may possibly have had an Irish ancestor at some point, or knew someone who once drank a Guinness. The green beer and popcorn the loony lady across the street used to offer everyone, however, still gives me shivers.

[Breadmaster] Please cease from making your "vile Americanisation" comments. This is not the appropriate forum for them.

[snorgle] Lol. I suspect it really is just such a big deal over here because people want to drink a lot, and Guinness want them to. It's win-win apart from the poor sods who run the police stations and hospitals.

[rab] No offence intended - it's only the Americanism I deplore, of course, not Americans.

Well, until half past three yesterday afternoon I was going to become a homewoner on friday. Everything was set up, including my sofa being delivered to my boyfriends house (but it wouldn't fit through the dining room door, so is currently blocking the hall and being a huge health and safety risk) and a van and things booked. I'd chosen the white goods I wanted (with a little help from my firnds in the crescent!) And my solicitor has all my money. It was looking hopeful, but then, at approximatly 3.19pm GMT I received a call from the estate agent.
There was a SIX WEEK delay!
Some silly people up the chain (and as there's only three people involved I would call it more of a link that a chain, but anyway) are emigrating to NZ and have found out that they need to stay resident in the same property for 40 days, or something silly like that. So I can't move, and there's no point me pulling out as I want that house and I'd loose a lot of money having come this far. So I've just got to wait. And sulk.
And my state of mind wasn't helped yesterday by my mum telling me that I look awful in my bridesmaid dress for my brother's forthcoming wedding.
Hopefully seeing friends tonight and drinking to celebrate St Patrick's Day will help.

[Lib]Sorry to hear it Lib! Is your mother usually so forthright? It's not going to turn into a soap opera, I hope. My father's family wedding always ended up in drunken brawls and being barred from the hotel they were staying in. [ZK]I won't be getting THAT drunk tonight(I hope!).