Thrik

I definitely would not ask that, especially if you're thinking of doing it via text. It she still wants to see you in person, she's interested — at least, as long as this is understood by both of you to be dating. The best case scenario is she's a bit weirded out that you even had to ask. A lot of people enjoy the fun and lack of commitment that goes with dating, and nothing tanks it faster than getting down to brass tacks too soon IMO. Just see where it goes, and if something is meant to blossom it'll do so regardless of whether or not you formally discuss it.

I think that just throwing mayo on everything is silly, but there are many contexts for using it that I think hit your definition of sauce. Egg mayo and tuna mayo are probably the most obvious examples, as they are prepared in such a way where the mayo literally binds it all together and oh god it's delicious. Also with sandwiches I don't think you can properly distinguish between a condinent and a sauce in terms of products, only by application. If it's added by the preparer as a fundamental part of the sandwich recipe — for example, the recipe calls for a very thin layer of mayo between meat slices — then it's a sauce, if it's added by the customer it's a condiment. In short, mayo is amazing omg.

Mayo imparts a wonderful flavour, especially when blended with mustard. It must be used carefully though, for it is easy to overdo. And it's hilariously unhealthy if it tastes good.

I think I'll definitely start doing that soon, drums in particular are an area I haven't spent much time with because I can see me spending almost endless amounts of time messing around with them and I'd probably never get anything done at this point if I didn't just go with relatively straightforward loops. But now that I'm getting faster at doing all of the other instrumentation (it more comes down to creativity than battling with tools now), there's definitely more time for working on the percussion. Another thing I want to improve is making my music less formulaic. Right now it's mostly a case of coming up with some bass line, chords, and notes I'm happy with and then doing a few variations on it. Obviously that's a long way short of even a traditional song with choruses, and even more so of an action-following soundtrack. Maybe creating something to some actual footage would be a nice thing to try, even if it's just some random gameplay.

I'll have a listen to your stuff when I can! Are you OK with me adding your BandCamp links to the opening post? For instruments, my set-up is an M-Audio Oxygen 49 keyboard which has no sounds of its own. Pretty much everything is played using that, and then I clean up certain things. This generally comes down to synths being tightly sequenced, and natural-sounding instruments retaining my hand-played imperfections in terms of velocity and timing. I use it with Logic Pro X, which is Apple's take on something like Pro Tools and has quite a good selection of built-in samples. Everything in the tracks I did has been using what came with the software, for now working with that limitation is allowing me to focus on the more creative and technical side of things which is already hard enough as a newbie!

So, just to do a quick catch-up of what I've put together during the last few months. There's been no real pattern to the kind of stuff that I've been making aside from the fact that I've had imaginary levels of games in mind when creating them. I've pretty much just been going in different directions in an effort to figure out some kind of style for myself, and also to work out how the production tools work — each time I learn some vastly more efficient way of doing certain things. Winter Heights: Atmospheric and ambient music for exploring some snowy environment. Going off the plays it seems to be my most-liked so far. Rising Joy: I had something like LittleBigPlanet in mind here, exploring some wonderful new level or something. Heavenly Showdown: My first stab at guitars, tried to make it a bit boss music-like. And now... My new track that I just uploaded is Ghostly Pursuit. As the name implies, it's meant to be music accompanying a chase sequence involving some ghoulish bastard.

Yes. Maybe the opening post could be Thumbers' SoundClouds (or whatever). I can create it on my computer this afternoon if nobody else does first. [Edit] Now exists: https://www.idlethumbs.net/forums/topic/9996-making-music-tunes-by-idle-thumbsters/

Enjoyed that Ozzie, although I definitely think the second half was stronger with the piano and all. The build-up did make it satisfying once it got there, admittedly. I'll listen to the Problem Machine track tomorrow, as I've just spent this evening dicking around with a piece myself and my ears are too shot to take any more noise. Might throw that up tomorrow as I have another idea I'm keen to flesh out.

Hahahahaha. Sex is one of those weird things because I've definitely heard my neighbours at it, but then I know I've been pretty loud with it at times so I kind of excuse it as part of adult life. Of course, there's a difference between that and it being every single day. This is why you just can't live in apartments if you have kids.

God this remains amazing. So perfectly condescending and like a huge slap in the face.

Socks and more socks are the solution to cold feet. They're not meant to be contained within coffins all day! Soft slippers are acceptable.

Part of me would love to enact revenge by figuring out when noise would annoy them and then sitting there banging a broom against the ceiling five times every time I hear the word 'the' while watching TV. Then I remember this would probably escalate and just move instead. My worst similar situation was when I started living on the top floor of a nice building with great balconies and views, but the apartment next to mine was used as those apartment rental type alternatives to hotel rooms. So there'd regularly be fresh assholes staying there after going to the local music arena for a show, making lots of noise on the balcony right next to my bedroom. Getting mad or complaining was futile as they were never there for more than a day or two of wining and partying, and hilariously part of me didn't want to ruin their break. I moved into a much nicer place but without any of the view, which I do miss but I guess it's something to look forward to in some future home.

I feel a bit torn. The idea of no more Kojima-led MGS games is saddening because wow I love those games, but it has to end at some point and it looks like MGS5 will allow the series to do so on a high. Further titles could just be considered like Disney sequels or something if they're made. That is, fans accept that they're a bit shit and rarely consider them canonical. This is assuming that Konami doesn't manage to get the talent that brought us the earlier MGS games on board. Kojima said a few years ago that he feels trapped working on MGS games at Konami, with little opportunity to do anything new. Maybe that's the backdrop to this whole situation, rather than Konami just screwing him over as might be assumed at first. Whatever happens, we have a splendid series of games to enjoy replaying for years to come. I'm thankful we got them and hope that Konami can resist driving the franchise into the ground after Kojima's departure.

We're running a new challenge over on my community, to re-imagine any scene from the Half-Life series. That is, to look at a part of the game from an entirely fresh perspective like this: We've had great success with our previous challenges, bringing about some lovely work. As the site was founded around Half-Life modding I'm expecting a pretty good turnout, but as with any mapping projects there won't be much to see for a few weeks. Still, I'll come back and post some highlights if anyone is a Half-Life fan but isn't so interested in the development side of things (which will be getting tracked day-by-day).

Are these seemingly endless Lego games actually still good, or just competent kid-friendly fan service? I haven't played any since the first Indy one.

Yeah, it's amazing to think that they both came out on the same console. I was floored at the time, and even now it holds up very well.

Well, everyone has their own ways of chillin'. I have multiple circles of friends who tend to do different things, but my TV almost always gets to play. It's just a great all-purpose device for gaming, watching films with friends or partners, getting your music collection up on the screen (countless ways to do this), or whatever — all in the comfort of a cosy living room with sofas, chairs, and a coffee table for pizza and drinks. You can do these things in other ways, but I find this set-up with a TV to be optimal. And that concludes my explanation of what a TV is for, for those who asked.

I agree that it's a terrible habit, but it is one that a lot of people have had throughout much of their lives and so I do understand that some people find it easier to fall asleep that way. Perhaps a compromise might be to get her a tablet if she doesn't have one, because if you hold one of those on your legs it's actually about the same perceived size as a bedroom-sized TV due to the distance (or lack thereof). That way she can do that, perhaps even with headphones, without bothering you so much. They can also double as a superb e-book reader. With that said, I also have a bit of a problem with messing around with phones and tablets for long in bed too, and after seeing a recent Durex (Yes.) ad on YouTube I'm clearly not alone in thinking that it can and does have an effect on many couples' intimacy. Obviously this is an awkward thing to talk about, but it can be problematic to have things in the bedroom that give you can excuse to not devote a bit of attention to your partner. I'm sure many couples figure it out, but it's something to be aware of — especially if you're the one doing the playing with gadgets rather than your partner. I've experienced this first-hand and it can be a difficult subject to broach. As for the TV size, I personally enjoy the cinematic experience and so I would go for the largest size you can before the individual pixels start to show up. But if you have silly things like practicality to worry about, searching Google for 'TV size chart' should bring up a number of images showing which sizes are ideal for which distances.

Some people have film or game nights with friends is the answer to that.

Even a cheap moving guy could be cheaper than IKEA's delivery fee if it's that much. You can get one to do a single trip for one item for like £50 or less round here if you look around.

You watch from a bed? That's probably not so bad. I don't ever watch TV in my bedroom though because it destroys my ability to sleep. I guess I just love the sofa and big screen experience, especially as I rarely go to the cinema because the people there ruin the film 9/10 times. Sharing that with others at my home has provided some of my best ever memories, especially when whipping a bit of Mario Kart out. A monitor seems a bit small for proper immersion at any kind of distance, but if it works it works — I know people who watch almost everything through an iPad so clearly TVs have hot competition these days! Man, all this talk puts me in the mood for a big new TV.

I guess that for me a TV has become a more prominent tool with age. When I was a teenager I always watched stuff on my computer because, well, where do you put a TV in a small room? I got through Lost, 24, and so many others on my computer. When I got my own place and started having friends and girlfriends round, having a good TV soon became more or less essential. My parents need two of the damned things seeing as they've had four kids. They're just very practical when more than one person is present, and I personally vastly prefer gaming and watching things on a big screen while laid on a sofa compared to being sat at a desk (which is incidentally what I spend all day doing at work).

..........EH?! I've had my trusty Panasonic Viera since like 2009 now and the picture is still wonderful, but it's probably much dimmer now and surely not that far away from its demise. My dad had a newer model which is already toast. It seems like such an awful time to buy though. The talk of long-coming tech (What is it now, quantum flux capacitor dots?) finally reaching viability is mouthwatering, and the 4K screens knocking around look splendid — but it's all a year or two away from being at mass consumer prices, and there's no real content for those screens. I guess I'd love a bit of 50–60 inches but it'll take a good LCD to exceed or even match what I'm used to. My dad replaced his with a well-regarded LG LED job, but we're both in agreement that it just doesn't have that luxuriously balanced picture our Vieras have/had and is consequently a little disappointing.

If money is a serious issue then look at something like Gumtree for a second-hand one. IKEA sofas dismatle pretty cleanly for the most part, so it'll be fine if taken care of. Often people just want furniture gone for reasons of convenience (moving in with partner, getting a new sofa, etc) so you can get some splendid pickings. You can also get replacement covers and cushions for most IKEA sofas, so you could get a slightly more knackered used one and spruce it up. Obviously this isn't going to be so worthwhile with the budget end, but if you can get a high-mana sofa for cheap then the hassle is probably OK.

Yeah go to IKEA, the difference in feel and comfort between their sofas are very significant even in similar price ranges. Beds and sofas are two things I would just never buy blind. For what it's worth, I have the following IKEA sofa and absolutely love it because it's very plump and the arm rests are at the best height ever for gaming, eating, and basically everything: http://m.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/spr/89884808/