Chindie

Just on the third episode myself. Great Christmas viewing...! But seriously, this is astounding at this point. Terrifying, intriguing, brilliant... It's like Serial - the TV series. But even 3 episodes in its worse. There's stuff that's coming out that you don't need to be a lawyer to think 'that's dodgy as ****'. It seems wrong to say I hope it stays as 'good' for the full thing, but I hope it does. At the moment it's one of the best things I've watched in a very, very long time.

I haven't been on to Steam in months so I think I'm not terribly likely to to overly affected, but it smashes confidence in the system. Valve's reaction is also awful. More information has come out of a third party than Valve themselves. And the time to take the store down is absurd.

This is an absolutely enormous, catastrophic **** up on Valve's part...

It's a good movie. Isn't perfect by any means. But good. I'm not a big Star Wars fan so it gets a little less of a free pass then some might give it, but I enjoyed it. Blows the prequels away.

I might be completely wrong here, as I don't work in the car insurance sector, but a couple of things that spring to mind... Firstly, some insurers will treat a 'notification', i.e. the reporting of an incident, as a claim particularly if it's not a minor matter - if you've hit, or been hit by, someone, they may view that as more serious than you scraping a dot backing onto the drive etc. Secondly, regarding the making of a claim against your insurer, a whiplash claim in law in the UK could be made up to 3 years after the event (and in some circumstances longer). So if there's the potential of a whiplash claim being made they may view that incident as more serious and note it as a claim. Your premium will have risen whether they knocked down the NCB or not as the stats the insurer uses to rate risk will see you as more likely to cost them money as you've had an a couple of incidents officially, so they will price accordingly. You'd need to investigate your policy as to how your insurer will view the effect of claims against your NCB - my understanding was standard practice was the look at 6 years (even if you have longer) and knock off 2 years for every claim made, on that basis you should have 2 I think, but I think that varies a little from insurer to insurer. As said I don't deal with car insurance so I might be completely wrong, but these thoughts jumped to mind. It may be worth having a chat with someone at your insurer to clear up if a mistake had been made, for example they might have processed those incidents incorrectly and therefore have treated them as possible losses rather than notifications for information only.

American Gods is a masterpiece. And contains some of Gaiman's more grim 'horror/explicit' scenes.

12a. I don't think there'll be much in there that's too dark but I'd personally probably hesitate taking a 3 yo. You'd need to consider that watching a film at a cinema is a much different experience and can affect kids particularly differently to watching in a living room. Something at home that might slightly get pulses racing in a child might absolutely terrify that kid in a screening.

I don't think you can draw many conclusions (other than we aren't getting sold next week, for example) from the appointment of a new chairman. I know you feel that the sale talk was just a 'line' to feed the fanbase, and I don't, but either way appointing a new guy in a senior position doesn't prove anything. Assuming you're right, Lerner is appointing a new man at top level to help with the structure of the club. Assuming I'm right, it's an appointment that shores up the investment and the game, as far as a sale is concerned, carries on. If someone shows him the colour of their money he listens and considers, and if the figures are right, he sells. It's one of those things you can't really prove... and it doesn't matter either way.

On the other hand, I'm all over this like a rash. I like Wheatley's work, and whilst I don't enjoy all of it (a Field in England, cough) given how wide it is you're unlikely to. This looks his most ambitious work, the look is bang on, the cast on paper is exceptional, and the story he's working with a brilliant one. Could be superb.

That looks awful. I don't mind the reboot, and Into Darkness has its moments of you entirely ignore the plot, but that... Nah. Each movie stepped away from Star Trek and, normally, that wouldn't bother me at all but at this point it's seemingly become a skin on top of 'Generic Sci Fi Action Movie 4'.

I rather stupidly decided I'd like to have a crack at a Final Fantasy game for the first time in nearly a decade. So I bought Bravely Default, which is basically a Final Fantasy game on everything but name (and originally in name as well). It's bloody good. It throws in some slightly different mechanics which add an additional tactical layer, whereby each character can take up to 4 turns in a turn in advance, but then sits out of the next 3 turns while they build up their turns again, or you can bank a turn to take 2 later in the fight for free. If you have a 3ds and fancy some JRPG action, track down a copy.

I went to see this today. I actually kinda liked it. It very distinctly goes for the Gremlins, Joe Dante thing. And it nearly, nearly does it. It gets weaker as it goes on, but it starts well developing a caricatured dysfunctional extended family at Christmas and then developing the threat and atmosphere of the Krampus. It raises a fair few sniggers and laughs, but then slowly loses it as it develops more towards horror. It doesn't quite get to horror and while it has some good creature design (and some very bad creature design...) they verge on silly rather than creepy a little too much. It shys away from being as nasty as it needs to be I think to truly evoke Gremlins properly and that ultimately holds it back. But it's fun, has a nice atmosphere, and is half of a truly good creepy Christmas fairy tale.

The website and brick and mortar stores are run as separate businesses, hence the price online is often different to in store. This drove us mad when I worked there, as people would always check the website then kick off when the price was different in store.

Just had our works do. 9 hours in the pub. I'm absolutely shattered.

I've not listened to any of the Beastcast so far, just hasn't crossed my mind. Saying that I find Alex very hit and miss. Midnight Resistance I really enjoy though, though it lives and dies a little on the quality of the additional guests. It's not Joypod, but it nearly is...

Right you are. Why on earth have I thought that's a Rush song for (quite literally) years?!

Always a favourite. This has long been my top track of his. I don't know why. But theres something about it that always goes straight to my soul.

I've become hopelessly addicted to bunch of Cave Comedy Radio podcasts, particularly Last Podcast on the Left and Abe Lincolns Top Hat. Last Podcast on the Left is a horror comedy podcast that looks into famous murderers and paranormal topics. Its hosted by 3 guys, 2 of which are comedians (one had a minor role in the Wolf of Wall Street). It's certainly, absolutely not for everyone, as the subject matter can be horrifically dark and the comedy is very American and often also as black as black gets, tinged with some incredibly childish stuff, but it can be hilarious and eye opening to some of the horrors that are committed in the world, or the absolutely barking mad stuff some people believe. Equally I've listened to some episodes and felt dirty afterwards so listener beware. Topics have ranged from 3 part discussions on the murders of HH Holmes recently, to alien abductions and associated conspiracies. Listen to the episode on the Hotel del Coronado abduction for a softer introduction if you fancy a listen. Abe Lincoln's Top Hat takes a couple of the LPOTL guys and usually a guest and discusses the state of US politics in a very populist way but can be fun. Also for a gaming podcast recommendation, Midnight Resistance. I used to adore the dearly missed Joypod and Midnight Resistance, featuring one of the old Joypod crew, is the closest to it. 3 British guys chat games with a little of day to day life thrown in. Often bloody funny, it's not quite Joypod but nothing else really captures anything near the same feel. Avoid the recent Metal Gear special like the plague though. It's awful. Boring, and riddled with awkward and long pauses that make it exceedingly annoying to listen to.

Serial is back for series 2. The focus this time around is Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, who, whilst posted in Afghanistan, decided to leave his post and ultimately ended up being held captive for 5 years by the Taliban, before famously being handed over to the US last year in a prisoner exchange. It's an immediately different story to Adnan Syed's last year. There are interviews with Bergdahl but these are provided by a third party the Serial team is working with, who are in the process of making a movie about Bergdahl's story. The story apparently will go down numerous rabbit holes simply due to the nature of the story, going far wider than just Bergdahl's immediate narrative. Saying that, it's clear from the first episode that the immediate hook is 'How much of Bergdahl's story is bollocks?', in a similar vein to 'Did Adnan do it?'. I don't think it's going to be the phenomenon the first series was but hopefully it'll be a quality listen.

I much prefer the original myself. One of the few Iron and Wine songs I actively don't like that much.

He covered the Postal Service's Such Great Heights on his first album, I think.

I can forgive both of those, as they've got basis in the comics and stick to the established canon, although I think the Lazarus Pit has been destroyed in Arrow now it's served it's purpose from a plot standpoint, thankfully. They are flawed series though. Too many episodes and far, far too many characters. The cross over event recently introduced 2 more characters to appear in the Legends of Tomorrow spin off. It's getting silly and the characters they're adding now are pushing what most people will accept. The villain they have for the spin off is a lesser known one on the DC roster as well which won't help. But for throwaway fun, they work, and there's only been 1 series miss the mark.

The Evangelical vote isn't acknowledged without reason. And that's without mentioning the general conservative Christian demographic that makes up most of the middle of the nation. An openly atheist candidate cannot win a US election. Whether that belief is honest and genuine is open to debate I guess. Also, for a laugh, throw in secret files on aliens or something. Top brass in the US government as a whole will definitely have some belief in higher powers.

I'd kill for a FF9 remake...To this day my favourite Final Fantasy.

I'll listen to anything Sam Beam does, and Ben Bridwell is from Band of Horses who I love. So shocker, this album of covers is a cracker.