Chindie

It's just Fergie with his advertising hat on imo.

The entire idea of a threat to a culture is nonsense. Culture changes - it's a malleable evolving thing, it's inherently intangible. It's very easily arguable that part of British culture these days is, of a Saturday, to go down to the football match (Something done in that manner for about 150 years, max), come home of the evening, buy some imported beer from an off licence run by a first generation Pakistani immigrant, and then order a chicken tikka masala from the local curry house, something thats only been about since about 70s. 60 years ago that would have been notably different, but now thats just what a considerable part of this country does these days. And of course, thats assuming that theres a monoculture in the UK anyway - which obviously there isn't. There are 'British staples' (the sense of humour, instance... or the stereotyped understated dour nature) but they aren't represented by everyone and never have been, and even they are open to evolving - the sense of humour has only really become a thing since mass culture became a reality, and it's adapted regularly - the Pythons in the 70s came to represent a move to the more... bizarre end of things that has spawned it's own offshoot of 'British' comedy. The whole idea thats there is a culture to be protected is nonsense. Things will come into the population, some will hang about and be assimilated, others die off or remain so niche as to be ignored. British culture in 50 years will be as different to now as we would find it to the 1950s. UKIP, like most conservative factions, are simply afraid of change. It's another policy they have in place because it's plays to a crowd they dearly want to have on side, like the measurements thing... except this one if slightly more nasty as it's has that sinister undertone rather more starkly.

Just more sabre rattling. The North Korean leadership isn't daft, they're not going to start a war because they'd lose (besides which, they've no chance of any gain even if they had a chance of not being bombed to the neolithic), and everyone at the top would be turned into charred stains on the ground surrounded by rubble in the opening hour of conflict. Just more acting out like a spoilt child.

He's an absolutely hateful individual. You only need hear him speak for a few seconds to have your soul tainted and your brain realise that theres something wrong here. Where he in a film he'd be the one the ominous music and slimy persona would indicate to you you shouldn't trust him... Anywho, this is the Condem government thread, and thankfully Nigel will have to make do with utterly pointless European Parliament elections and equally as intellectually bankrupt by-elections... I don't post here in often (despite my interest in the political world, domestic politics is yawnsome, and this thread is... trying... at times) but I have to say that I damn near pissed myself laughing at the announcement that they're ditching the UK Border Agency about a week after Nick announced his grand ideas for the organisation. If ever there was an indication that the man has all the standing of slug in Whitehall, that was it. 'Hello, I'm Nick Clegg, and I'm a bastard, but forget that, I've got these ideas i think will be popular, about those dirty foreigners that people only give a shit about when things are going wrong, we're going to give the UK Bord... oh, wait... the Border Agency is dead... um... bring back hanging?'

Not being a software engineer or particularly technically minded in programming, I can only talk as a layman, but I'm sure that, where Linux to surplant Windows worldwide, it would get broken in numerous ways fairly quickly just because the opportunity would be larger. I don't think it needs to be something as grand a prize as breaking Google, or Facebook, or the Beeb. Just having loads of Joe Publics out there would kick start a far larger community to gun for Linux (low hanging fruit and all that), and as unlikely as it might be for a serious breach to occur, I think it would happen. My two penneth anyway.

I always adore UKIP's thing for 'British weights and measures'. Because, you know, whats really important to the British culture/nature, is the arbitrary units of measurement we use. It's one of those policies that flashes up in neon lights with blaring sirens 'Sun/Heil reader popularist claptrap' that should, as if you shouldn't already, make you completely suspicious of the party. Other such warning signs include Nigel Farage.

Would it not be the case that, if more people did use Linux, that Linux would become just as tasty a target for viruses and malware?

I finally watched the Wolverine trailer yesterday (well, both of them). It appears to be just me that thinks it looks a bit shit. I also got to see a bit of the next Hobbit film last weekend - preorders of the bluray at some retailers have given you a code that let you watch an hour long behind the scenes thing with Peter Jackson, which ended with a brief clip of the next film. Suffice to say, it looked alright but, if you're a proper Tolkien fanboy, even that little clip is going to drive you up the wall. The clip concerns Gandalf going off to investigate the Morgul blade that appears in a brief interlude in the first film, seeing him visit the forsaken tomb of the Nazgul from LOTR. Except, IIRC my Tolkien legendarium correctly, thats not in the books/appendices at all - the Nazgul never had tombs...

I've put a few hours in this morning and I fear it's settling into the same niche Bioshock held with me - I admire it, it's good... but I don't love it.

Flowers are essentially tarts. Prostitutes for the bees. He shall be missed. I'll definitely give Withnail a watch over the weekend in remembrance.

A window in our (8th floor) office popped this morning. Woke everyone up a bit. Its now quietly cracking and people from facilities keep coming to stand and look at it for a moment before leaving.

The temporary light system currently set up at Perry Barr and its bizarrely effective ability to completely **** the traffic for about 2 miles either way somehow.

Had a quick go this evening... Can't really draw any conclusions yet, theres been a couple of nice... moments. World building really. It's awe inspiring as Bioshock was on first firing it up. Doesn't help that it's, so far, not got that political philosophy gone mad running under it, which I loved with Rapture and it's Objectivist world.

I seem to recall reading recently that they've said the series in the coming years won't tie in nicely with the '1 series=1book thing' I'm still in the process of reading the books so can't comment for sure, but I'm lead to believe that that decision may be for the best as, post book 3 (and/or 4 depending on how you look at it), the quality goes through the floor for a while?

Life of Pi is a fable more than anything, is it not? Another bit of supposed Captain America: the Winter Soldier news - they've hired UFC champ Georges St.Pierre for what must surely be a minor role. He's playing a French villain from Caps rogue gallery who does a bit of a kickboxing.

Looking forward to playing it later. I always admired Bioshock but didn't necessarily love it, I'm hoping Infinite kicks up into loving the title.

Once again the trip to work has revealed that snow turns my road into a mile long strip of icy death.

Robert Redford is going to be in Cap 2... ... OK...

Eh, I'm reminded of Alan Moore being pissed off his work was adapted for cinema - fair enough but nobody really cares. I Vow to Thee, My Country is about the only patriotic song I genuinely like, I think. Its not actually a critique, ala Jerusalem, for instance. Unsurprisingly, I also like World in Union

Beck Goldsmith - I Vow to Thee, My Country Anyone that's seen the ad (below) the Beeb has for their big Easter Drama, The Village, will have heard a few snippets. Nothing particularly special, but nice. I've always had a soft spot for that particular tune, Thaxted. http://youtu.be/HZVioINe2kA

West Midlands **** Travel. Been **** me off for weeks but reaching a head this morning. The 33 route being **** shite with far too many stops in too short a distance, running about 14 51s or x51s to any other bus, running a **** shambolic fleet for the 935 and 934 service (one bus that constantly buzzes, another that requires the driver to do maintenance en route meaning numerous time wasting stops, another where once a week the door just stops working meaning I and other passengers have had to jump out of the emergency door into a **** busy road). But today, I take the snow into account despite the roads being fine, leave the house 20 minutes early to catch an earlier bus, which subsequently hasn't turned up at all, and I've had to catch my usual bus along with about 3 other buses worth of passengers. Oh and as I write this, the drivers gotten us stuck and appears to have no idea what the **** to do about it. The road isn't even bad. **** joke.

Majoras Mask is a brilliant game, OoT's wacky younger brother in many ways. It isn't the masterpiece that OoT was, but a very worthy game all the same. The core time mechanic is pretty unique in the series and the whole game is shrouded in this bizarre 'end times' atmosphere.

I'd still place my money firmly on the thing having an optical drive

Wind Waker suffers from having had the arse end of the game chopped off and a hopelessly tedious fetch quest put in its place.

The Falklands will forever be a fantastic source of misdirection for any Argentine premier with trouble at home.