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Do you prefer the extended summer thread format? This poll is closed. |
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| Yes |
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126 | 44.21% |
| No |
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39 | 13.68% |
| I'm Scottish |
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120 | 42.11% |
| Total: | 285 votes | ||
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Red Oktober posted:I also read most of them far too young (Dad's a big fan), and Use of Weapons went completely over my head. I keep meaning to read the lot again, the only ones I think I really 'got' where Player of Games, Consider Phlebas, Inversions and Against a Dark Background. I started (slowly) reading all the Culture novels in publication order a few years ago and Holy Cow use of weapons must have been a fun one to read too young. My memory of it is rough because it's been a few years, but the whole plot thread about a guy who catches his... brother having sex with their step-sister (i can't remember exactly if it was even step- at this point), in a tiny wee chair, loses his mind, wages war on the two of them, then eventually kills the sister and... turns her bones into a tiny wee chair that he sends to the brother to torment him. And that was almost like.. b-plot, or side story. Or I guess a thread running through it that ultimately fuels the big twist at the end. What a book.
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Jul 14, 2021 21:42
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| # ? May 28, 2024 11:35 |
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Should I have had my Unite ballot now? I updated my address a month or so back but no sign of it.
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Jul 14, 2021 22:09
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BizarroAzrael posted:Should I have had my Unite ballot now? I updated my address a month or so back but no sign of it. I think they're coming over the next week or so. My letter says if you haven't had a ballot paper by 6th August to contact ballot enquiry service. BUT if you don't get the ballot you won't know who to contact! I only got mine today but others were getting them last week. Vote has to be returned no later than noon on 23rd August 2021 so plenty of time yet. I don't know why they're not using online voting for this.
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Jul 14, 2021 22:12
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OwlFancier posted:Unless you have found a way to make boris live for hundreds of years however it is probably a very good goal for boris. If you say his name three times at midnight during a full moon, he appears in your marital bed and impregnates your wife.
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Jul 14, 2021 22:21
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OwlFancier posted:Unless you have found a way to make boris live for hundreds of years however it is probably a very good goal for boris. We'll just have to copy the Chinese and wipe out his genetic line.
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Jul 14, 2021 22:26
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radmonger posted:Changing the biology of others against their expressed wishes does seem like a plausible moral and practical line to draw. Changing the ideology of others against their expressed wishes comes up in more of the definitions of genocide than biology does, and the big reason that we see biology as a bridge too far was from all the medical experiments that really didn't work. At some level biology, like hot dogs, is just proteins with ideology.
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Jul 14, 2021 22:36
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Just Another Lurker posted:We'll just have to copy the Chinese and wipe out his genetic line. Bit late for that, he's basically a human dandelion.
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Jul 14, 2021 22:45
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Just Another Lurker posted:We'll just have to copy the Chinese and wipe out his genetic line. Good luck tracking down all those kids even he doesn’t know about.
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Jul 14, 2021 22:47
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goddamnedtwisto posted:Bit late for that, he's basically a human dandelion. History Comes Inside! posted:Good luck tracking down all those kids even he doesn’t know about. Fine, a broad stroke it will have to be... kill everyone and let god sort them out (Boris would love that historical reference).
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Jul 14, 2021 22:59
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=73rhzpqk12c Comrade Fakename fucked around with this message at 23:04 on Jul 14, 2021 |
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Jul 14, 2021 23:01
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Just Another Lurker posted:Fine, a broad stroke it will have to be... kill everyone and let god sort them out (Boris would love that historical reference). Bit extreme, just kill all the blondes. They've had enough goes at killing the rest of us
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Jul 14, 2021 23:05
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You know I don't think I know any blondes.
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Jul 14, 2021 23:07
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Lord Bob posted:I started (slowly) reading all the Culture novels in publication order a few years ago and Holy Cow use of weapons must have been a fun one to read too young. My memory of it is rough because it's been a few years, but the whole plot thread about a guy who catches his... brother having sex with their step-sister (i can't remember exactly if it was even step- at this point), in a tiny wee chair, loses his mind, wages war on the two of them, then eventually kills the sister and... turns her bones into a tiny wee chair that he sends to the brother to torment him. And that was almost like.. b-plot, or side story. Or I guess a thread running through it that ultimately fuels the big twist at the end. It was the sisterfucker who eventually turns her into a chair to torment her brother, after they find themselves on opposite sides of the war. The twist is that the protagonist of one half is not the protagonist of the other, but the hosed-up sociopath who destroyed his family and drove the flashback protagonist to suicide before assuming his identity.
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Jul 14, 2021 23:13
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I've programmed you to turn into a chair, Morty!
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Jul 14, 2021 23:17
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Guavanaut posted:I've programmed you to turn into a chair, Morty! Lmao
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Jul 14, 2021 23:19
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Hedges and kids. I know quite a few on here have got young kids so you might have opinions! We're wondering if one of the reason's mum's house won't sell is there's just a low wall between the house front/garden and road - albeit it's in a rural area, the road can be busy over holiday times with 'Sunday drivers'. So we were thinking a hedge would help. Hedges can be bought but as it is a family house we were wondering which would be most appropriate hedge-stuff (or even 'definitely not' hedge stuff). When I was a kid we had yew trees and all sorts of poisonous plants around the place and just told not to eat the berries or flycap toadstools or whatever. But times have moved on kids today molycoddled 
Jaeluni Asjil fucked around with this message at 23:26 on Jul 14, 2021 |
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Jul 14, 2021 23:23
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Lord Bob posted:I started (slowly) reading all the Culture novels in publication order a few years ago and Holy Cow use of weapons must have been a fun one to read too young. My memory of it is rough because it's been a few years, but the whole plot thread about a guy who catches his... brother having sex with their step-sister (i can't remember exactly if it was even step- at this point), in a tiny wee chair, loses his mind, wages war on the two of them, then eventually kills the sister and... turns her bones into a tiny wee chair that he sends to the brother to torment him. And that was almost like.. b-plot, or side story. Or I guess a thread running through it that ultimately fuels the big twist at the end. Use of Weapons is my favourite Culture novel I think exactly because I was so young when I read it and had no clue what it was all building up to. I've avoided rereading in case I end up ruining my memories of it.
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Jul 14, 2021 23:24
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As a guess if the house is in a rural area you probably aren't going to be selling it to anybody with children. And putting a great big hedge in the front is presumably just gonna make it dingy inside.
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Jul 14, 2021 23:26
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I'll admit it, Use of Weapons confused me and by the time I reached the end I had no idea what was going on.
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Jul 14, 2021 23:26
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Jaeluni Asjil posted:Hedges and kids. barbed wire and a trench imo
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Jul 14, 2021 23:27
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Jel Shaker posted:barbed wire and a trench imo If you also get one of those ten foot skeletons and put a tommy helmet on it this will probably increase its market value on average.
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Jul 14, 2021 23:29
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OwlFancier posted:As a guess if the house is in a rural area you probably aren't going to be selling it to anybody with children. And putting a great big hedge in the front is presumably just gonna make it dingy inside. Funnily enough the only viewings so far have been people with young families! (There are a couple of private schools about 10 miles away). And not a great big hedge, just a 2m hedge maybe. It won't really affect the light as most of the windows point away from the road. Jaeluni Asjil fucked around with this message at 23:32 on Jul 14, 2021 |
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Jul 14, 2021 23:30
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Is it one of those walls you can put a small wooden fence on top of perhaps? Like some old stone walls originally had iron railings between stone pillars and then a stone wall below that, and then at some point they take the iron out and leave a weird looking wall.
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Jul 14, 2021 23:33
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Jaeluni Asjil posted:Hedges and kids. Hedges can be pretty high-maintenance. Is it the sort of wall you could put a little fence on top of? One of my nighbours has some climbing plants through their fence-trellis so they're not looking at plain brick/fence.
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Jul 14, 2021 23:34
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OwlFancier posted:Is it one of those walls you can put a small wooden fence on top of perhaps? Like some old stone walls originally had iron railings between stone pillars and then a stone wall below that, and then at some point they take the iron out and leave a weird looking wall. Don't think so. Just a low wall. Might have been a hedge many years ago but not since the folks bought the place over 35 years ago. There were a lot of tall trees opposite side of the road that made a lot of shade until a couple of years ago when the forestry cut them down so there are amazing views over the valley now. But ... a bit of a screen affair between the house and the road wouldn't really block the view for adults but might be just enough comfort for those with young kids. I dunno, we're at a loss really. She's 84 this year and really needs to move into town and not be driving 8 miles each way to do her shopping or go to church especially in the winter, but if noone wants to buy the wretched place she can't buy anywhere else (she's lost the place she was hoping to buy now).
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Jul 14, 2021 23:38
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The classic council estate one is privet (Ligustrum ovalifolium), it's very good and very shapable, but it is a certain 50s development look maybe if they're private school mums. Laurel (Laurus nobilis) is a more modern suburban one but it can get very big if not trimmed. You can make a crown out of it and pretend to be a Roman emperor too. Bizzare outlier one that might come across well is kudzu (Pueraria montana). It was used on a trellis as hedging in Japan for a long time, then they imported it into the American South and it became known as the demon weed because without a proper winter it just went wild, but a Japanese or slightly warmer British climate should not do that. It's not a knotweed or anything invasive like that, and looks a bit like peas (gently caress it, Pisum sativum) if you've ever grown them in a back yard.
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Jul 14, 2021 23:39
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Guavanaut posted:The classic council estate one is privet (Ligustrum ovalifolium), it's very good and very shapable, but it is a certain 50s development look maybe if they're private school mums. Laurel might be possible.
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Jul 14, 2021 23:42
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https://twitter.com/BranstonUK/status/1414943947995111427?s=20
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Jul 14, 2021 23:45
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You can definitely hammer it into the classic 'English country garden' style hedge, but you will need to hammer it. Otherwise you get trees.
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Jul 14, 2021 23:45
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Jaeluni Asjil posted:Hedges can be bought but as it is a family house we were wondering which would be most appropriate hedge-stuff (or even 'definitely not' hedge stuff). I would say definitely not laurel or leylandii, they're too much work. Privet is ok but forsythia is pretty in the spring.
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Jul 14, 2021 23:47
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Oh dear me posted:I would say definitely not laurel or leylandii, they're too much work. Privet is ok but forsythia is pretty in the spring. There's some of that (forsythia) in the garden already so it wouldn't be out of kilter. Hm.
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Jul 14, 2021 23:50
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[oops]
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Jul 14, 2021 23:54
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Jaeluni Asjil posted:Laurel might be possible. Plus you’ll never run out of bay leaves!
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Jul 14, 2021 23:55
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Jaeluni Asjil posted:We're wondering if one of the reason's mum's house won't sell is there's just a low wall between the house front/garden and road - albeit it's in a rural area, the road can be busy over holiday times with 'Sunday drivers'. My gran's house has an absolutely terrible driveway with a hedge just tall enough that you can't see the road from it. No footpath on the other side of the hedge, so literally straight from the driveway to the road, so oncoming cars can't see you unless you back out really slowly. Her and her family are all used to it, but even with the amount that my wife visits, she still usually needs help getting out and even if I could drive I can't imagine I'd have the confidence to reverse out at the speed you need to. Just when you mentioned the rural setting it made me wonder if this might be an issue.
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Jul 15, 2021 00:16
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i’m extremely lucky that the green/amber list reshuffle didn’t gently caress me because i pushed to get my second dose earlier but man lol
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Jul 15, 2021 00:21
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Bobby Deluxe posted:Another angle to consider with a small wall / busy road is that people might be taking a look at the likelihood of getting in / out of the driveway and thinking gently caress that noise. I don't know what the rest of the setup is like, but this might be something to bear in mind. It's not one that viewers have mentioned, but it could definitely be a consideration. There are a handful of houses along that road all with that sort of issues and they asked the local council if they would lower the speed limits or put up warning signs of some sort but the council refused! (Another reason why we're keen for mum to move - backing out of her drive into the road - I know she's used to it, but it's still concerning.)
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Jul 15, 2021 00:22
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bump_fn posted:i’m extremely lucky that the green/amber list reshuffle didn’t gently caress me because i pushed to get my second dose earlier but man lol Antarctica currently green 'in danger of moving to amber' - say what? I can only imagine that is because of whatever country you transit through to get to/from. (I just noticed that - not implying that's where you're going).
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Jul 15, 2021 00:27
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Lord Bob posted:I started (slowly) reading all the Culture novels in publication order a few years ago and Holy Cow use of weapons must have been a fun one to read too young. My memory of it is rough because it's been a few years, but the whole plot thread about a guy who catches his... brother having sex with their step-sister (i can't remember exactly if it was even step- at this point), in a tiny wee chair, loses his mind, wages war on the two of them, then eventually kills the sister and... turns her bones into a tiny wee chair that he sends to the brother to torment him. And that was almost like.. b-plot, or side story. Or I guess a thread running through it that ultimately fuels the big twist at the end. Yeah Use of Weapons loving owns 
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Jul 15, 2021 00:39
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Lord Bob posted:I started (slowly) reading all the Culture novels in publication order a few years ago and Holy Cow use of weapons must have been a fun one to read too young. My memory of it is rough because it's been a few years, but the whole plot thread about a guy who catches his... brother having sex with their step-sister (i can't remember exactly if it was even step- at this point), in a tiny wee chair, loses his mind, wages war on the two of them, then eventually kills the sister and... turns her bones into a tiny wee chair that he sends to the brother to torment him. And that was almost like.. b-plot, or side story. Or I guess a thread running through it that ultimately fuels the big twist at the end. Not just the bones, but the cushion made out of skin with, I think the belly button for a button? I can't quite remember that detail. Regarding the two 'halves' of the book being different, I believe Banks' original plan was to have the split happen exactly half way through the book, with the page numbers and even the layout of paragraphs exactly reflect each other, but it proved far too difficult.
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Jul 15, 2021 00:54
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| # ? May 28, 2024 11:35 |
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Guavanaut posted:
Well, there’s the old sf short about the guy who discovered the virus that cured capitalism. https://www.davidbrin.com/fiction/givingplague.html Wonder how much that is patient zero for some of the funkier Gates-based vaccine conspiracy theories….
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Jul 15, 2021 01:10
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