DanJW

Although some people believe they are actually the same person.

Pfft! typical 'Lili' pretentiousness, choosing a silly spelling for her own name. She's fit but don't she 'alf know it. Raz on the other hand is a big fist-ball of fun and light-hearted murder.

That's not Raz, that's Lily. Lily is much more refined, but Raz probably would be on the outside of the pigeon already, were he in the photo.

OK, I'll have to try and get a photo of the freak pigeon that hangs out in my garden.

I think when games companies say it, and especially Ubisoft, it means : piracy (but we can't be bothered to use the P word and get into a debate about it).

Yeah I thought episode 2 was much better than last week's. You're right in that it does seem much like a character piece. The plot arc is probably going to be a slow boiler, judging by the occasional hints. It's a nice take on the urban gothic horror genre - each monster/character is essentially suffering from a mental illness. The ghost is agoraphobic. The vampire obviously a sex/drug addict. And the werewolf has social anxiety and possibly OCD.

I found that too Scratch. It also seems to me that the top player is either the host or the guy with the lowest ping. Hopefully that will be fixed as the network code improves. Either that or some kind of handicap needs to added for top-scorers (or else other people just give up, as you observed).

Nonono, the team of writers was about throwing out brand new material at a crazy rate, not about thematic writing. It occurs to me that it might be a case of televization (real word?). American comics get televised a lot more. Compare that to acts like Eddie Izzard, who will only allow their routine to be filmed when they're almost finished with doing it live. The reason being, getting broadcast 'kills' a routine, because more people will have seen bits of it before. If you're on the live comedy circuit you can redo your best gags for a long time before anyone sees it twice. Then there is the American appetite for repeats. Some comics get requests for peoples favourite bit of their old routine. Of course you're right in that occasionally you get an act who keeps doing the same exact routine for a bit too long. Anyone can make a thematic stand-up routine, if that is their personal style. In fact what I've seen of American stand-ups, the big acts do tend to be at least slightly thematic. One-liners acts like Jimmy Carr seem to be more common in Britain. One is not more 'true' stand-up than the other, they are just different styles (and there are other styles too like character acts). Fashions come and go, so one style will be more popular than another at any given time. If anyone gets a chance to do a comedy workshop (or even if you're brave enough to dive right in without any preparation) I urge you to give it a go. It's a great experience. To me it's like an extreme sport - the same adrenaline buzz and heightened senses you get from something like bungee jumping or rock climbing. Plus you get the opportunity to meet and make friends and sometimes get drunk with some very friendly, interesting and talented people.

Really? Really? He was one of the first American comedians to get really political. Before hicks, politics was mostly taboo for US stand-up. Sure he had some 'cute' stuff. But almost everything goes towards making a point, or supports something else making a point. Your Hicks fan friend is an idiot That's pretty much required for being a jobbing stand-up. Routines evolve, they don't appear out of thin air. Every gag has to be tested and then refined and then tested again. As for thematic linking, that is down to the style of individual comics (although you do get geographic groups with stuff in common, since comics influence other comics they know). I don't know how they do it in the Netherlands, but the only way round this is to have a team of writers working for you. I highly recommend Agent of Evolution, by Philip Booth - Booth was Hicks' friend since school, so I consider it probably the best Hicks biography. It's very warts-and-all, with accounts of the gang's drug experiments and trips to brothels and so on. It also makes it clear that Hicks had a natural talent from a very young age, but that he still had to work hard, and that he really believed in the points he tried to make.

Mr Manager is guilty of professional misconduct? (For confused onlookers, the black and white cat is named Mr Manager. He was smuggled from Republic of Ireland to England, allegedly as part of a plot to seize the British throne. This plot was subsequently abandoned for unknown reasons).

Oh ho! Kitty photos is it now? Why has it been so long since I've been to b3ta?

Yup, shit be kicking off. Gaeda is sooooo dead.... Heh, I found Adama's laisez faire weapon handling kind of amusing. It's like he just doesn't give a shit any more.

Forum rule number 3: Do not talk about the Fight Club rules joke. Forum rule number 4: Do not talk about the Fight Club rules joke. Forum rule number 5: No Smoking.

Maybe you have found a new passion. Go on, join the Royal Society of Pigeon Fanciers, or whatever it's called.

Spaff and I once made LucasArts Lego. Did we ever get around to publishing that 'article'?

Whoah. That's a cleft John Wayne would be proud of. I didn't make it very far into her rant though. I was all, like, whatEVEEER!

Yeah that is a problem, and shows just how ingrained the derision is. A good comeback, if anyone says "oh so you think you're an intellectual?", is "compared to [you], who isn't?" ZING! KaPOW! etc

Glad to have you back with us Six. If it happens again try deleting your Idle thumbs cookie (seems to fix it for some people that have suffered the same thing).

heh, I think we're all having that experience, Timaste

Ahem, the thread is clearly marked 'For Bill Hicks Fans Only'. Do we need a doorman or something..? I kid. Related to Ginger's point, a lot of Hick's observations are now taken for granted, whereas no-one had jokes about them out before (pointing out the obvious being one of the major functions of the stand-up comic). Personally I still find Hicks utterly inspirational. If I could borrow just a tenth of his passion and insight for my amateur stand-up attempts, I'd stop doing anything else.

Don't apologise for it. I was just thinking about this in the bath (not quite a Eureka!, perhaps just an 'eka). You're right that it's not just games that get this. There is an anti-intellectual current that runs through all western society, that assumes that thinking about anything stops it being enjoyable. I don't know if this is a reaction against 'boring' school lessons or what, but in America it is personified in the 'jock' subculture. Nevermind that understanding sports statistics requires applied maths; anyone that openly tries to analyse something beyond the superficial level is derided for trying to 'spoil our fun', and the word pretentious is used as a weapon for that. As you say, the same thing happens in food, cinema, fiction of all kinds. I'm pretty sick of it, to the point where I bite back rather than cringe and apologise. edit: also it's probably the thing that separates mere consumers from potential creators and mavens.

Good Seg!

yeah that's the one I meant. They also have a little foam pad at the forehead which makes them comfortable to wear. Of course if you're really serious you can make your own. You can buy blank papier maché masks for customisation; the added weight is nicer than card or plastic.

BANNED! :cens0red: