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The Banter Page
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If you're wanting to get something off your chest, make general comments about the server, or post lonely hearts ads, then this is the place for you.
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currantly speaking
Chalky] I hope you didn't eat them all at once;)
ZK] So come on then, which uni and what subject? (Good luck with the rest -- how well-spaced are they?)
peering
[Inkspot] What's a peer group crit? I'm imagining a ritual out of Maoist China in which each student in turn has to stand up in front of the rest and have their ideological errors stridently condemned, before making abject confession of their sins.
oh no! 'fessing time!
Classics at Birmingham. I applied to Cambridge but the bastards wouldn't have me! Shame really - I would've quite liked to be punting this time of year, but then some of my friends got into Oxford, so I'd have been forced to hate them :) I applied for Pembroke College as well, which would have been v cool cos 2 of the Goodies went there, as well as Peter Cook, I believe. Maybe I shouldn't have mentioned that as motivation in one of my interviews, or I might've got in :)
Back to exams, I still have Latin language to go, which is on Saturday morning, Greek language, which is next Tuesday, and my lecture exam, the following Wednesday (cram cram cram!). Luckily with the one I just took (Latin books) and Greek, we had take-home exercises which made up 40% of the grade and I did quite well. You only need 40% for the overall programme to pass for the second year, I think, which is ludicrous. [Inkspot] I hope my time is now my own, as I want to go home! :) I suspect it's all over from here, as my lease runs out on the 25th of June, and the property's managed by the university. My friend from school (same uni) seems to have finished for now, as her MSN name has read "sunbathing till September" for about the last week and a half. Jammy swine. :)

Now why couldn't I have written that much in my exam?
Question
Hello lovely people. I don't want to ask this question in MCIOS playground as the big boys are fighting. Anyway, may I just ask what people's understanding of the term "seafood" is? I've had a bit of a disagreement over it today in the jolly old office, and I'd value your opinions. Your normal service is now resumed.....
to me, anyway...
Anyfing dat comes out of da sea. Fish. Shellfish. yukky things like eels. Was it in the context of someone being allergic to it? Then it's often just shellfish.
Well, it depends what the meaning of "understanding the term" is ...
[Thos] Anything from the animal kingdom that came out of the sea. Fish, shellfish, squids, whatever ... I am far too ignorant to know what fishies live where, so in practice my definition includes freshwater beasties too. Not plant things like seaweed or little planktony things, though, even if they do come from the briny depths. The Blob-style mental image that arises for me is that of a large prawn, FWIW.
[ZK] Don't worry, you're not the only Cambridge reject in the world. ;) You'll find that 40% thing is pretty universal throughout this nation's fine universities, and indeed 40% over the whole degree will bag you an honours degree at most places ("only" a Third, but still ...)
fishyness
Hello dear Thos. We have a 'seafood' restaurant here and they serve anything that's considered aquatic, including molluscs and crustaceans. Did you know there's an edible sea urchin?
Simulposted with Brendan -but what the hell - I'll press 'submit' anyway .....
pin up time
Raak] You don't know how close that guess is. As part of the Architecture course we were given design projects which could take anything from a week to a whole term. The end of the process was 'the crit', in front of tutors and a group of students, it was inquisitorial and confrontational, others sailed through the process; me, absolutely terrified and nervous dreaded every single one. A tough crit of hard questioning gave no indication of how well, or how you had done everyone was grilled to the 9th degree.
It sounds bad, but the end result (which almost justified the means) was that you made sure the design process was robust. So, if ever you meet a building designer who seems a little (over)protective of their work....

Thos]Seafood; anything from the salt water sea? but Trout and Salmon could be served in a seafood retaurant, they may be considered fresh water river fish and therefore strictly not 'seafood'.

Unshellfishness
I've heard the term "seafood" used to refer only to shellfish and the like, and not to fishfish. I have also heard it used pretty broadly to include all fish, including those which have never been near an ocean. I think you can find precedent for whatever you want to argue
Salmon
[Inkspot] Surely the freshwaterness of salmon depends on where it has been caught? It is a fish that lives in both sea and reiver at different times in its life.

Then again, do they fish for salmon in the sea?

[CdM] This has a disturbing parallel in the number of piscivores and chicken eaters that call themselves vegetarian...

I sea food, I eat it...
Seafood, for me, is crustacean. Other stuff what comes out of the sea is 'fish'. Being descended from a fishing family (my great-grandfather and his sons were fish merchants in Aberdeen; it's probably where I get my habit of getting up too early from), I'd like to think this was some kind of official position, but it's just my usage. To me there's a clear distinction between 'seafood pie' and 'fish pie'; if the former included cod or whitebait or some such, I'd be most upset.
You shall have a fishy . . .
[Dunx] As a piscivore myself, I often describe myself as vegetarian to avoid confusion - if a restaurant/hotel can cope with veggies, then they can cope with me. Plus telling people that you are a piscivore means they lock up their alcohol.
Greetings
Hello. Nice to see about five new games have started across the servers since I went away - was that deliberate? Now I need to work on my space-time-continuum distortion device in order to find enough time to be able to play them!
Welcome back rab. I trust all went well :-) Re. your STCD device - you may need to factor in a couple of hours to catch up on the lively discussion in MCiOS - an eye opener if ever there was!

[all] Perhaps we shall find out which stance Thos adopted in the jolly old office disagreement. I was born in February - does that make me a Piscivore?

oops
I think that when I mentioned shellfish I meant things like prawns and lobsters and stuff too. My excuse is I grew up far from the sea, so I have never really gotten into fish and other watery edibles, cos they were always either muddy and disgusting from the local creek, or several days old and liable to be a bit dodgy...
Wells
[Chalky] I haven't heard the outcome yet (they're a postal organisation, and that combined with University mail systems means I have a bit of a wait on my hands, grrr) but I did enjoy myself in the interview room, even if I totally fluffed my way very badly through what might have been the killer question of "Is it new and is it useful?". Hate waiting.
Oh, and my odds are just under 30%, I understand.
All the best rab - hope they hurry up. And say yes.
[Seafood] Thanks for your answers and your discussion which almost entirely reflected the debate in my office. I personally hold seafood to be shellfish but it seems that whilst many others agree, a sizeable group also includes fish (both sea fish and fresh water fish interestingly). [Rab] Good luck
Carted
I appear to have accidentally stumbled on the winning move for Corporation Dustcart. Can it be reinstated?
Get Carted
Honestly... There I go, my first game as well, and I take the trouble to advise of the winning move further up this page too... Tut tut tut... I don't know... *mutter mutter*
endings
Raak]Is there anyway you could stumlbe across the finishing touch to Bad Tempered, Critical & Tetchy Game? or rab, could you advise what the winning move is please.
I'll reinstate the Dustcart shortly; meanwhile surely you can work out what the winning bloody move in BTC&TG is!
*phew*
Well done, rab!
And thank you rab for the clue, hehehe. What will we do with our new game slot? Missive Trellis?
Daq
I wonder if the BBC's data base has gone awry. I'm listed as sixth in the world. This cannot be correct.
I'd be proud. who do you own?
Mini cheddars
Congratulations to Darren on making me laugh at this hour - the game is usually sublime, but that move was rather fabulous :)
Puffing chest
[ZK] Calum Best. I had to go and have a look! I've no idea as to who he is and have been 'sitting' on him due to the day trading being reasonable. Mind you, not being celebrity minded and being totally ignorant of most people listed within the various categories, this is not surprising. *scratches head and disappears into the sunset*
Woo!
I got mentioned on Radio 2 embarrassing Sybil Ruscoe. Genius!
What's he been up to?
Belated comment
[Dr Q+] Thanks for the pics. Great stuff! Mind you - and I've probably said it before - the thrill of whizzing around continual left or right hand bends holds very little interest for me. Bloody frightening when one watches some of the drivers, quite apart from some of them greeting a wall with a hearty handshake :-(
That was not meant to be funny - far too many steerers have finished their careers in that manner.
more of the best
Dujon] Sixth is a great achievement (I'm envious), I think it was penelope, getting herself into a similar position in the players chart that prompted the whole Celebrity Mornington Crescent thing.

Unfortunately the daq will be skewed for the next month; Big Brother takes to the air waves yet again from next Friday (28th).

big sis
[Dujon] Yup, it was me. I got to No. 4 in the world, although I have no idea how. And now? How things have changed... I got an email from the Celebdaq people yesterday warning me that my account has been inactive for 30 days and I have only another 30 in which to re-activate it otherwise it will be lost and gone forever. :o( and yet... I still can't be bothered!
Slimming down
I feel the front page is looking very slender just now. As God intended, of course.
rab] Where I come from, we call that tempting fate ;)
...as long as the next game's nowt to do with Big Brothel...
Big Brothel
[Tuj] Perhaps a game of breathing new life into tired old TV shows or film franchises?
hellooo
I've decided to start posting on forums other than lock and orange again, so a big hi. and ZK, I'm in the throes of exams at the moment also so good luck and remember pro plus and the answer is generally option C...
[nights] How I wish I still had multiple choice questions! :) I have a bit of a thing against Pro Plus but I'll certainly remember that as an emergency option! What exams are you throeing? :)
Multiple choice exams are ok, except for the ones we had for mid-term Physiology. There, anywhere between one and all five of the options could be correct. If you missed any, or added extras, you were deemed incorrect. They were written in the most excruciatingly sneaky manner as well. It is possible that wrong answers were marked negatively ie right +1, no answer +0, wrong -1. I wouldn't have put it past him to do so.
exam excitement
well, 4500 words of essays (by after the bank holiday), two hours of french, two hours of russian, two hours of european studies, and about 20 minutes of russian oral... uuurgh. I seem to remember from combined sciences gcse that most of the multiple choice answers are C... wish I had that option now. what about yourself?
Have so far sat through two Latin exams (one 2 hours, one 3 hours) and have yet to sit my Greek exam (three hours, taking it well into "No Fixed Abode, Cricklewood") and my exam for Introduction to Greece and Rome, a further three hours. I handed in my Greek and Latin assessments in January - 40% for each of those subjects, I believe, which I thankfully already know I've passed.
On the upside, I never have to do a Latin language exam again. The downside is I have to do more literature....
Poo
I failed to stun the judges last week, but am the next on the list if someone declines an offer (which I doubt will happen). Ho hum...
...
...though it's not all doom and gloom as I've just been offered a job in Saarbrücken...
[rab] Your experiences are uncannily matching those of one of my officemates ... (first reserve after fellowship interview, [I'm assuming that's what your thing was?] ended up with a job in Germany). Good luck with whatever happens.
chuckling
oh the utter silliness of the Monday night e-pilg. Fair sets me up for the week, it does :-)
You are Number Two
[rab,Brendan] Do they say that to all the unselected candidates?
Who is Number One?
[Raak] Well, if they do, it's particularly cruel -- my colleague seemed very much under the impression that he was in with a chance (albeit slight) and was well advised not to commit to anything else until he heard back from them. I'm sure you've had sufficient experience with funding bodies to decide whether malicious cruelty is part of their makeup.
In my case I was told over the phone that if a place were declined, it would be offered to me. I can't see any reason why the lady I spoke to wouldn't tell the truth. In any case, I seem to have a contingency plan in place, so whilst I would like a Fellowship rather than an ordinary postdoc (better support, apart from anything else), I'd be happy with what I've been offered so far.
Herr Rab
There are many worse places than Saarbrücken, but you'll have to take your thermals.
monday pilg
well, I stuck my head around the door, then went and worked for an hour, and when i came back you'd all gone - kuh...
Pilg
I hope it wasn't too whiffy.
Two things...
1. Anyone else catch part 1 of the Goodies retrospective on Radio 4 this morning?
2. If any Doctor Who fans in here haven't heard, Billie Piper's been cast as the new assistant.
It raises the horrible suspicion that Chris Evans was, at some point, under consideration for the Doctor's role.
She can't possibly be as bad as
Bonnie Langford, can she?
Casting Who
How about Chris Morris for Doctor Who?
second in line -
I have a very goo dfriend who applied for a Fulbright Scholarship a couple of years ago, to study in the US from Oz. They narrow it down to 12, and she was informed that unfortunately she made it to number 13 and they were very sorry. ANYWAY, she was inLondon at the time, then heard a few weeks later that someone had dropped out and so she was in teh cut again (theyonly award one it seems) and could she get back to Sydney for an interview..... needless to say flights were booked that very day and YOU GUESSED IT, she is now at UCalifornia Davis doing a Veterinary PhD as a Fulbright Scholar......
Carrot
Absolutely pukingly drunk (flatmates far more sympathetic than anticipated!) Jesus revelations. Anyone want to share?
bedtime snifter
ZK]I'll join you with a small dram, treadmill again tomorrow. Sympathetic? bad exams?
[ZK] Film soc social night... italian then vodka revolution... martinis! sophisticated! yay! (and sick on someone's shoes, apparently)
Oh dear. I did snigger though.
exams
ZK] is this uni finals ? (you mention last exam....)
the mother of all hangovers
Unbelievably, I had three glasses of wine, about three apple sourz and one WKD blue. We'd got to the pub after my exam finished around 2, but I hadn't eaten since about twenty to nine. We thought I was a little tipsy (I'm good at being well-behaved) until I collapsed outside my friend's flat. I think the message above was written approximately 4 hours later, when I found myself inexplicably able to move around for a short period of time. I've spent most of today trying to piece together yesterday! [st d] Strangely enough, I haven't even finished my exams yet - I was merely with Annabel and Brad to celebrate the fact that they just had. Lol my flatmates are sooooo fond of me now!
[Btd] Virginia Bottomley? ;)
hangover cure
[ZK] two paracetamol, a litre of water and another hour's sleep - trust me, this had me up and about and rigging a set after a night in Moles...
Plus ça change
Good to see that student piss-artistry is still an activity pursued with some vigour. But don't think you're breaking new ground, in the broad sense. I was doing it in 1963. In those days puking it up provoked ridicule and humiliation, equivalent to "touching cloth" in a farting competiton. Does a similar culture prevail today?
If it does, I don't remember!
That being, I don't recall enough of the day to know :)
The solution
[ZK] Well, there's your problem. The trick is not to eat for at least 18 hours before you go on a binge. It won't make you less sick, but it's a lot cheaper.    ;-)
"oops, I forgot my purse"
And the joys of getting every single drink free... :)
[ZK] how'd you manage that? our cocktails-themed social cleaned me out...
Well, because it was during the day, and I'd come straight from my exam, they invited me out to the pub but I protested that I hadn't brought my purse with me. Annabel (whose last exam it was) said that was ok because she'd buy me a drink....hey presto and about 7 drinks later...oddly enough, simply by not packing cash, I managed to pull the same trick last night - I paid for a round with my card and then got free drinks all night (this time by sticking to J20) although in fairness, the guy buying them rather likes me.
But do you like him back, ZK?
Very nice lad. Not quite my type. Next time we go out, I'll be getting the drinks in...it's the way of the world :) I only accepted them all because I was skint and very, very warm.
[nights] Any more exams today?
no, just baffling exec handover. not sure why I went. it's more essays than exams at the moment, although they're on their way like so much bad news... (sighs and finishes eating pizza)
nostalgia
Crikey, I've just been looking back through the archives and realised how many games finished in my absence!
We should have one of those fabulous "cost-cutting" games...
[ZK] ?
eg "Lady Chatterly's Loofah" "Wuthering Hillocks" etc
hillocks to you, sir
I only have 2 ideas so far, but it's always seemed like a fun game :)
ho hum
No-one, looking through this place, would *imagine* that i have been hanging around on the net for waaaaaaaay too long...
[ZK] Je comprends. sp? is there meant to be an 's' on the end of the first person singular?
I think it's "comprends", although it's over a year since I stopped studying French and the net's not much help.
[ZK] I am reassured all the same. I shall spare you the knowledge of how long it is since I stopped doing French...
conjuger le verbe 'comprendre'
yes, the first singular present has an S on the end... the net is rubbish for french unless you already have a half decent knowledge of it. which lets me out...
Bonjour me sewer
My French evening class ended last night (entry level), needless to say I can confidently say I am no help to you with this at all, but if you want to say your name or go shopping I can help you pay. ("Je voudrais one of those and one of those s'il vous plait)
Le singe est dans l'arbre.
cost-cutters
3 Monkeys type of thing ? Sounds good. I might just go and start it.....
I've spent the day watching 90s french pseudo-noir film. I can swear a blue streak in french now, but I have no idea how to write my essay... [Ink] some of us still shop that way in France - "Avez vous this dans un large?"
le chat et sous de la chaise...
[st d] Changed for technical reasons to Le singe est sur la branche, because apparently otherwise one has a monkey enclosed within a tree (boo! hiss!)
[nights] It was great - I got to the airport in Rome and suddenly realised I'd completely forgotten that I'd need to learn another language. The week consisted of pointing at things and hoping they spoke English. Shocking. :)
Big bore?
All 12 housemates have arrived, strongly opinionated in the interview process I hope they still will be. The house looks wonderful, it is smaller, cramped and set up for confrontation. And tomorrow any housemate that loses the task does not get their suitcase! My expectations are high after the cosy-cosy niceness disaster of last year.
Gay people, extroverts, a posh girl, a homophobe, a man in a thong and a transsexual (did I understand that right?), most of whom seem to be students or activists of some kind, or office workers. Personally I think that Stuart, the posh blonde girl and the straight little adorable scousish lass will all get eaten alive within the first week. But I don't know if I can bear to watch to find out...
Big Punch-Up
I think there's going to be fisticuffs by the end of the bank holiday. if not on screen, then definitely between my housemates - they were a bit excitable...
Dee Wun in the Big Brooter Hoose
Indeed. I had some friends over for the launch and there was a lot of OMGing. In previous years, particularly last, I thought the producers didn't go for the obvious conflicts, going for more subtle personality clashes. This year, they seem to have though "oh feck it, let's just go hell for leather". I too predict violence this year. And that bedroom's going to be well stinky. We admired Shell's (?) nous in selecting the top bunk of a bed, rather than going straight for a double before realising there's not enough to go round. I do like the idea of the alarm ensuring everyone has to get up. The outside baths are also ominous - one wonders if they'll be shutting off the bathroom at some point...
ISIHAC back
Crossposted everywhere: ISIHAC is back on Radio 4 this Monday, 6:30pm.
Excellent.
girls on top
With only a couple of days passed, first impressions for me, I'd would like to see Kitten win with either Stuart or Vanessa to go first.
If Kitten got evicted, surely she'd refuse to leave?
Kitten annoys the hell out of me - I'm not being anti-anything (some of my best friends are lesbians) but she does seem only in it to piss everyone else off. What happened last night anyway, I was a having a four hour dinner with my housemates. From first impressions, Shell to win, Stuart to go first, the stuck up idiot. I live with a guy like him and he does my nut. OK, done ranting.
Harry Potter
Sooooooooooooooooooooooo much better than the first two movies. Go see go see!
HP
Well, POA is my fave HP book, and I think David Thewlis is a great actor (not to mention Gary Oldman, Alan Rickman, &tc), so I am greatly looking forward to seeing it! I want to choose a quiet time with not too many kids, so I decided to pass on the premier weekend. Perhaps later this week, as I hope to have Friday off..(must check it's not half-term in Cardiff though).
Go see! *still jumping up and down*
Plagiarism
ANy one in possession of the current "Radio Times" (Bill Oddie cover)? There's an article in there on opera music used in adverts which shamelesly rips off "Who-do-doo-doo-doo-doo-do-do-do-do-Hitler", page 28 I think.
HP Source
I saw HP3 last night... will compose a review for Books@MCiOS later.
The eighth plague
[Bigsmith] Not seen that... on the other hand proving that it was our idea may not be so straightforward.
Potty
[ZK] Yes, I got dragged along and quite enjoyed it - better than the first two, I thought, and very atmospheric.
Yay! :)
[snorgle] if it's any help, it's DEFINITELY half term in bath. takes twice as long to get anywhere or do anything. grr.
[snorgle, nights] Half-term here too, in commuter land. It takes only half as long to do anything or go anywhere. :o)
[pen] It is indeed much easier to get to work. Now if only we could get rid of those OAPs that have to get to the shops by 9am. I can only assume that they drive so slowly, that'll take the rest of the day to get back home.
It was easier to drive in today, almost a pleasure coming to work! but why, when they all the time in the day world does Waynetta insist on dragging her brats round town at lunchtime. They are not half as cute as (For those at work with speakers on their pc BEWARE!!) Boobah, the current favoutite with our toddler; now the Bobinogs have finished.
Boobah
The mind boggles!
Separated at birth?
Inkspot] Has anyone else noticed the uncanny resemblance between two erstwhile players of MC and Children’s TV programmes? Boobah and Bob the dog are extremely similar to Boolbar and Bobinog. Are they perhaps related? I think we should be told.
Children's Hour
[Btd]Very spooky! You wouldn't have had any mix up like that in my day. Way, back in the early sixties I don't think there was much if any pre-school tv; unlike now with CeeBeebies. It is more likely back then sat around the radio to Listen With Mother.
[ZK]Time to come out of the closet, which did you have 'My Little Pony' or 'The Care Bears'?
Watching
[Inkspot] Surely "Watch With Mother" was on even in the early 60s? I can't speak from personal memory of course, but I thought programmes like Muffin the Mule were of that vintage.

OK, fifteen minutes a day hardly counts as extensive programming, but...

Watching with Mother
[Inkspot, Dunx] The Woodentops? Rag Tag and Bobtail? The Flowerpot Men? (the real ones!) Andy Pandy? Surely all that stuff was on by then? Or did it only exist on my childhood video that we watched ad nauseam? (I remember going to a fancy dress party as Looby Lou - both myself and my sister, in fact)

[Inkspot] I think I missed the Care Bear craze by a couple of years - by the time I came along we only had the magazines (which were jumble sale buys) and the movie (terrifying). We do, still, however, have all our My Little Ponies in a box in the toy cupboard, which my younger sisters still play with (and now I fancy a go cos you've reminded me! :)) We also have the video, even though I can't think for the life of me where it's gone. I'm *sure* one of my earliest memories is one of the boys in the village turning up with that as a birthday present for my older sister. Angie - are you about? Anything to say on the subject? I suspect those videos were actually made in Sweden (they had american voices)...I haven't seen it in ages but that would explain the lipsynching.

....Sorry. Went off on a nostalgic tangent there....
Rain
At the risk of raising someone's ire. [Rosie] How are we going? We had 16mm of rain during May (15.5mm of that on the 26th)
TV
[ZK] Andy Pandy and the Flower Pot Men were definitely televised in the early 1950s - regrettably I can remember them (B&W of course). ... :-(
Ah. I have no concept of time, you see. Andy Pandy ran for ages though didn't it? I liked them anyway, although maybe I just loved them so much because I got to see them over and over and over....
Rain
(Dujon) I've just read that Sydney and surrounding areas are having a something of a drought, but I don't know what your average should be, so I can't really evaluate your one-day downpour. My guess is that it's not that unusual. Here, I got 72 mm in May (normal is 61 mm) but there was a 10-day dry spell in the middle. Year's total is 351 mm, 7% above normal, so nothing dramatic.
One Fat Lady
Do you remember the job I didn't get? Well, cos I didn't get it I subsequently got a job I hadn't applied for. Well, that's now been blown out of the water because I got the job I didn't get... Are you keeping up at the back?
Counter number one
[rab]Does that mean you are going to bite there arm off; or mull it over for a day or two?
[ZK]My Little Ponies was a lucky wild guess but please say you never had a Cabbage Patch Doll surely one of the ugliest toys ever sold. Andy Pandy is still going and has been given a fresh lease of life to a young generation along with Noddy. (The things I have to watch in the name of 'bonding' and good parenting ;))
[Inkspot] Well, it beats watching EvoStik. Depends on the kind of bonding, I suppose.
[rab] What a confusing, if ironically successful, life you lead. Congratulations.
catching up ...
[rab] Is this Mccongratulations?
[Duj] Whose ire do you risk raising with your weather-talk? :-)
[Inkspot] I think I had a tiny plastic one from a jumble sale, but not a real live (so to speak) big squishy one. I think that was before my time as well. I well know about Andy Pandy's new lease of life, and Bill & Ben's (not a fan of the new looks) - I'm quite fond of the new Noddy though.

However, for student viewing it's Balamory all the way! :)
[rab] Congratulations?
Whee
[Inkspot, Dunx, Chalky, Nik] Thanks! It's a better job, so I have indeed accepted it. Which means I'll be returning to Edinburgh for three years starting November. Wow.
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