Wrestlevania

I think you need more Thumb in your Grand Autos--then come back and say it's rubbish.

I really want things to be alright, don't get me wrong. I've no interest in any doom-sayers being proven accurate. I was discussing the banks with a friend earlier and he quite rightly pointed out that, were governments not to bail out banks, a great many of their citizens' assets and money would simply vanish when some of these banks shut. And with little-to-no chance of recovery even part of the money lost in such a collapse. I also heard this morning that Obama is set to inject $850billion into the US economy within the next 30 days, as a considered recovery package that's still being carefully planned at the moment. It'll be interesting to see what that does and how it might affect the UK and other struggling economies.

It seems, in my limited experience, that "the elements" come into a play a little with this sort of thing. For example: it seemed to me that mire lurks are very susceptible to damage from the flamer, noticeably above anything else. Mines and other explosives always seem particularly effective against pretty much anything, though. However I haven't yet worked out how to set a mine--only drop them on the ground dormant. How do you arm them? Nope, nothing. The quest marker points to just inside the entrance of that reinforced part of the hamlet the villagers live in (now all dead). I did venture northwards myself and, after a while, found a small outpost of super mutants and centaurs at a church. I killed them fairly easily and found one human tied up inside, but he didn't mention anything about others, or unlock a different quest. I'm a bit confused with it to be honest, which is partly why I lost interest and stopped playing. I really wanted to help the people dragged off to the police station, because this was the first non-essential quest I came across after leaving the vault. But I can't find a way to get any further, short of using something like Planet Fallout's interactive map of the Capital Wasteland*. ...and that feels like cheating to me. * zomg spoilers! Edit: Fuck it. I just looked at the online map anyway and Germantown - the location of the Police HQ in question - is much further north than I anticipated. I think I've only explored about half the distance between there and Vault 101 in that region.

My parents divorced at the same time the housing crash happened in the 90s. It was a very weird part of my life.

Thanks, guys. Sounds like I need to retrace my steps and look carefully.

IMPROVED RANDOM FACT: Even though budgets for the final season were massive when compared to the original season, the effects teams still stuck with their faithful Amigas because they produced the best visual effects for B5.

I'm almost certain I've been all the way through that section of train line though. Must have missed something I guess, but I'm fairly meticulous usually. (That's why it takes me so long to play RPGs.)

I completed the Arefu quest without violence. Not if you don't count the numerous man-traps they scattered around anyway. I tried to do the fire ants quest, but seemed to hit a dead end. I managed to find the underground lair, kill everything in there, but didn't come across any queen ant. Just lots of workers and the occasional soldier ant. Have I missed something? Is there more than one underground lair? Also, I can't complete the police station mission not far from vault 101, as all the residents were killed in the first super mutant attack on the town. They've told their friends were dragged away to the police station of a nearby town, but they've not given me any directions. And the way point for that quest points at their hamlet still and I can't make it move from their. It's really frustrating! Last time I played I was in DC, just outside the museum where the ghouls live next to (or beneath--can't remember). It's not particularly challenging so far. Even the battle with the behemoth super mutant outside Galaxy Radio was a piece of piss, with the soldiers who got killed dropping an awful lot of very expensive equipment. Which you can just help yourself to. Which reminds me: I've not played this for over a month now and really should get back into it again.

I agree; that'd be pretty bad.

Looks more like constipation if you ask me...

Fucking hell, that isn't what I meant. I enjoy the podcasts with or without wizards, super douches and/or These Nuts. They're just the icing on a very tasty cake--that's all.

In other news: I finished - and I mean properly finished, finito, done, no more - The Wire last night. The close of season 5 is wonderful and only served to validate watching the entire series from start to finish all the more. Brilliant, absolutely brilliant. So, I have started on Weeds as my lunchtime viewing now. I've just watched the first episode of season 1 and was laughing out loud in the staff kitchen probably far too much. Very, very good and something I think I could get Mrs V into as well. Thanks for your original prompt, ys. It's exactly the sort of TV I like.

You need to work on your equations, junior. That should be: {× n}

Ah, well, you can probably guess I didn't actually read it; I just had that UK:R article open when the thread update email arrived.

I think the Resistance might have something to say about that, Bruce:

Woo, my home town!

I'm almost always driving when I listen to talky podcasts. Either that or playing them via my phone (like a portable radio) while having a shave...

Beep beep, muddy funster! [another courtesy of n0wak] Hmm, wasn't convinced about the whole filming thing. But there are some real gems cropping up as a result. I'd probably start doing it too, if there was any reasonable hope of me finding the time to download and edit the bloody stuff.

Oh... balls.

There's a modicum of much less pessimistic - though no less well stated - reasoning in the comments, which lightens things somewhat. I know it's probably no reason to think so, but I kind of feel that we've been in the shit (economically) before and pulled through. Granted, things have been cock-eyed for the US and UK for a very long time now--especially with all the free money flying about to squander on non-essentials. But the only casualties so far are businesses that were either in their death throes before (like Woolworths), or companies that were operating entirely on the fact they'd whittled their margins to almost zero but had huge cash flows to soak it all up. Having said that, there are several things I don't understand and can't get straight in my head: Why, after all their monumental fucking about and "old boy's club" behaviour, have the most reckless, devious and conniving international banks been hurriedly bailed out by governments? And some more than once already. As best I can make of it, it's been careless lending - to facilitate careless spending - that's led us into this horrible, frightening mess. Why, then, are tax payers now fronting the cash to prop up corrupt and thoroughly broken businesses (i.e. certain banks)? These groups clearly aren't fit to be running, and should therefore be allowed - if not actually encouraged - to die and fall out of the system. But they're not. Billions upon billions of rapidly devaluing currency are being dumped into these businesses, and I don't understand enough about economics to see how this will somehow make things better. It just seems like we're piling more wood onto the bonfire, then hosing it with petrol for good measure until pretty much everything is gone. And that's what frightens me.

It's a big deal, and I'm really pleased for eljay, Alex and the rest of the Beatniks. Really hope this continues to rocket for you guys.

Doesn't really lend itself well to mobile phone text entry though, as a URL. Any chance this could be aliased under something more sensible, like m.idlethumbs.net?

Tapezilla: a gigantic gastric parasite, intent on levelling Tokyo. Great 'cast again, guys, right in my face as usual. Can we have a tune soon though, Mr Remo? It's been a little while and they do make me laugh so.

Wrestle fixeth, lest the uninitiated verily pap one's kecks upon unexpected viewing.