Lichfield Dean

Yeah. I briefly though about looking into getting one, but quickly decided against. I'd be buying for the wrong reason - not because I want or need it, but because it *might* increase in value. Which it probably won't anyway. Although with me not getting one I fully expect them to increase in value tenfold now

Swatch have closed their London store due to health and safety reasons. Hmmmm.

I think they are one of the few bands that nobody seems to really actively dislike.

I mean, you did pick possibly the worst lyrics there Most of the rest of their songs are just about Lucifer.

It's grown on me. Spillways and Watcher I think are superb, and I like Call Me Little Sunshine personally. I think your point about repetitive sections on the songs. I'd argue he has always done that, for instance Cirice doesn't have a lot to it if you sit down and analyse it. But what Tobias does, and I think he does on this album too, is take those shortish themes and replay them in subtly different ways throughout the tune, altering the dynamics and the instruments and so on. I am always amazed at how much detail he puts into this and how he manages to make it work, and it keeps the songs breathing and changing as they progress. I agree about Twenties - did not need to be on there at all. I can sort of see where they were going but it comes across as a failed sort of Rocky Horror Show reject. Is this their best album? I don't think so. In some ways it's perhaps their most consistent (Twenties aside), and like you say it does come across as Prequelle with the pomposity ramped up, but for me Meloria is their best.

Yeah, but low rate tariffs at night are counterbalanced by daytime charges being very expensive. We looked at it for our electric car and to be honest, with the small number of miles we do, it doesn't really pay off. Especially as I work from home so am in all day. Maybe with increased energy charges it might, but then if the relative difference between peak and off peak stays as it is it still probably wouldn't really be worth it.

Taylor was my favourite member of the Foos. I mean, I play drums so I'm some ways not a surprise, but he was always so enthusiastic about his music and his drumming and so respectful of all his peers. He was such a knowledge bank of drumming and its history, he made so many documentaries about other drummers and their influence and was always a fascinating listen. Like everyone else it seems I like the Foos but don't really love them - was tempted by the Villa Park gig but not enough to actually get tickets, and if I had have gone it probably would have been mostly to see Taylor play anyway. A big loss to music indeed.

Noooooo!

They certainly overdid that drydock shot. But apparently they just pivoted from making an episode of the abandoned Star Trek Phase II series to make a movie instead, so I guess they just needed to pad out a lot of time.

Looks pretty amazing

Looooollll! Punk on the bus in Picard. Very good.

It's literally on the front page of the BBC (admittedly they decided to put the work "attack" in quotes for some reason) Saudi Arabian Grand Prix will go ahead after missile 'attack' The Saudi Arabian Grand Prix will go ahead as planned after a missile attack on an oil facility near the track in Jeddah. Second practice was delayed by 15 minutes after the attack as team bosses and drivers were called to a meeting with F1 president Stefano Domenicali. Smoke billowed across the track during the first session earlier in the day. https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/formula1/60880598

I like the rings on the bottom dial, quite cleverly done that.

I like the Saturn one

Fixed

We looked into solar panels a number of years ago and were told our house faces the wrong direction. Is this really the case? Only N/S aligned houses really benefit from solar panels? We have plenty of sun in the back garden really.

I know this'll not be widely agreed with, but... Star Trek V - The Final Frontier Widely regarded as a total catastrophe and an example of why William Shatner should not be allowed to direct. However... Look beyond the budget constraints that resulted in terrible effects, and caused the ending to be reduced in scope to a bit of shouting and a couple of rocks being thrown about, and actually there is a lot in there to like. The interactions between the three main cast members sparkle at times, it can be very funny, it can be moving at others. I don't consider a great film by any stretch because of its problems, but I still enjoy it for the things it does well, and it perhaps deserves a bit more credit than it gets.

I find this guy's writing very interesting, and it's good to see how others around the world view the situation in Ukraine Why Africa does not appear to be ‘standing with Ukraine’ ‘Stand with Ukraine’ is not just a humanitarian statement. It’s a political one, too. There have been many comments about Africans’ reactions to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the horrific violence it has unleashed on Ukrainians and the humanitarian catastrophe it has created. Many people, including on this continent, have been aghast at what they see as the moral failure not just of African governments, but also of individual Africans, to outrightly condemn Russia for its clear and unwarranted aggression, as well as its imperial and colonial designs on another people’s land, with which they should be all too familiar. https://www.aljazeera.com/opinions/2022/3/23/why-africa-does-not-appear-to-be-standing-with-ukraine

Could you please take half of the speakers from the Doug Ellis? When they updated it a couple of years back they accidentally installed three times too many watts.

I was in the Doug Ellis as well, and nobody could believe it was pulled back for a foul, let alone a booking. For some reason this incident has been bothering me a lot the last couple of days. Like, why do I bother watching the game when things like this happen? It just doesn't seem to even make sense any more.

When oh when can we be rid of this utter embarrassment from our government...

This episode of Picard referenced Rick and Morty. And Mike McMahan (who created Lower Decks) is a writer and producer of Rick and Morty. So I don't know what that means really... Is Lower Decks also a TV show in the Star Trek universe? Also, Rick and Morty is utterly bonkers brilliant too.

Picard S2E3 was... Ok. Not brilliant, not terrible. Some of the jokes landed, some didn't. Can't work out how much they were slightly spoofing The Voyage Home

It was a pass from Coutinho I think that was slightly underhit and Mings was caught on his heels a bit and had to slide to knock it away from the incoming Saka. It wasn't a tackle or a challenge, and Saka was late and collided with Mings. If it was a foul, it was a foul on Mings.

Nobody knows if Senna or Schumacher are better than Hamilton. Nobody can ever know that either. It's purely a matter of conjecture. FWIW I genuinely don't think Lewis would be the top driver in the top team if he wasn't the best in the field. Maybe one or two could perhaps match him, Alonso maybe as you say, but even then... We don't actually know that for definite.