Walsingham

What Scotland really needs is a weak currency. They do agriculture and tourism. Swapping the pound for the Euro is barking mad. However, I'd welcome a referendum in some ways. Make the case, force everyone to grow up a bit and think hard about the results rather than this sliding tumble by way of patriotism. Being pro-Scottish doesn't mean you have to be anti-British. Plus, as Nightshape says, how bloody dull and insipid would England be without the other parts of the Union?

As if English teenagers spoke english.

I suspected as much. Your courageous sacrifice means I shan't watch it .

But we can learn in the mean time. Personally I'd rather settle an empty planet than be fending off all the greenish xenophiles who would object if we tried to settle somewhere bearing life.

What was their reasoning? ~~ Up betimes and had one of those days where you never stop doing stuff and then you get to the end and wonder what on earth you've been doing!

I'm surprised no-one's brought up the broader issue of optimal country size. Krez briefly mentioned it, but no more.

Link sees to be broken. I'm assuming it's that drunk woman on the bus. Embarassing, but not funny. Nothing funny about the folks on the bus having to put up with deranged shouting.

I follow your reasoning. However I'd suggest three alternatives: 1) If the transition can be made less arduous, so maybe a larger space ship to do the journey in. Now I think about it, surely it could be really helpful to have a space station in orbit? 2) If we could deliver some locally necessary effects from earth or Earth orbit, that might lighten the load. 3) Some means of braking quicker. My understanding is that a lot of travel time is due to the necessity of slowing down over a long period.

lol, truly, the ignorance of that woman is stunning. She either gets her info from conspiracy theorists or Deus Ex, much like Krezack does. I don't recall reading any conspiracy theories from Krez. And I tend to jump all over them, so you'd think I would if he had.

A kind and generous offer. Please permit me to reciprocate the favour on your person.

Putting our own demonstrators in the same breath as those in Tahrir Square or Triploi is ****ing disrespectful. Any live rounds fired outside our Parliament? I don't bloody think so.

Really what space travel needs is some fierce competition. First habitable colony on Mars gets the continent sized land round it. That sort of thing. As in so many situations, claiming the fruits have to be shared by all means no bastard wants to go to the trouble of picking them.

I can totally understand the need for Scotland to be able to set its own economic policy. But total independence would leave them materially poorer, and the UK destitute in every other way. The Scots, with the notable of exception of a 'certain' former Prime Minister impersonator, are brick and mortar to the nation. They've been our writers, our engineers, our economists, our soldiers. Any talk about ancient wrongs is just the blether of mountebanks and carpetbaggers. If they decide to split then they'll be cutting off their nose to spite their face. Worse, they'll be trading a nation in which they have a very great democratic voice for a super-state where they have none.

I have a friend who is a curator at the Smithsonian. He confirmed the story is true.

Just as an addendum, I've been rewatching it, and I physically can't eat my lunch now. I can't swallow.

Hi, Phineas Gage! EDIT: Volo really is in the premier league of trolls. I nearly took his rejoinder seriously.

WTF? How are either of those shiny good guy? Or evil, come to that.

ROFL

What about side scrolling FPS? Like Operation Wolf.

Video The most brilliant and disturbing (if slow starting) film about nuclear war I've ever seen or expect to see. Threads. I'm posting it here because it's quite hard to get on hard copy. Don't let the slow start put you off. I think it helps with the vicious emotional undertow in the latter part of the film. It completely plays up how completely alien and unexpecteda nuclear war would be for both ordinary people and policy makers. The most brilliant bit for me is the way it plays up some of the genius of On the Beach, in portraying many people at their best in the face of disaster. Yet counterpoints that with the impact of the post-war world's physical realities and human breakdown. I don't suppose we'll see a Fallout from Obsidian any time soon. But this will hopefully make you look back on what the studio's already done from a richer perspective.

very interesting article, actually. Covers a llt of bases. Not sure I buy all their pitch points. But I can see where they're coming in from.

I'm not saying the Chinese government is controlling the foulup, but surely now is th ideal time to have a crash. Blame it on the USA and Europe, crack down on economic wreckers. You know the drill. Bit of a purge.

Story

I think I may... I may have to stop drinking. For the third time this month I go out and laugh it up on the beers with friends, sleep wrongly, and then am crippled all the next day with my back. Still, I suppose if I just do it for a couple of months it could be cheap and interesting.

Define 'too many'. Ideally in terms of zergs.