pap

Played a bit more of Titanfall. This game is going to be pretty significant moving forward; think it might have killed COD. The pilot/titan mechanic works really well. All the damage that you inflict on the enemy shortens the time it takes to get your giant robot. Keeping that thing alive is a real buzz in itself; the longer you stay alive, the more damage you can do to the enemy. They've nailed risk vs reward in this, I reckon - even down to the weapons. Do you take the trusty assault rifle that'll serve you well on the iron-sights, or go for the futuristic pistol which makes mincemeat of the AI, but is a bit of a bastard when it comes to targeting human players? Still think the game would have benefited from destructible environments, but other than that - it's a finely balanced game. Really enjoying it; a no-brainer if you have an XBox One, 360 or decent PC.

Nah, just a shame is all. These two boys were the instant reply to anyone who thought that Euro-scepticism was the sole preserve of the right wing.

Well, that's two strident leftie critics of the EU gone in one week.

I take it you've lived everywhere else then? A living Domesday book. Impressive.

There's little point discussing it with you anyway, Sour Mash. Isn't your default retort a one-line "oh no it isn't" for anything you don't agree with? I prefer that line in panto, myself.

It's quite funny. Haven't really participated in this thread but am amazed that people have been able to generate so much content with so little evidence. The mainboard is exactly the same. Most people on this board are conspiracy theorists; some just have a wider range than others

Bap is understood, but barm is what people go for around here. I remember buying a curry chip barm in 1994 just to find out what the f**k a barm was.

Northern genius Many people don't ever consider toasting a bap either. I like to toast a bap.

All kinds; there is a chain called Sayers which is ubiquitous, although they have diluted their core brand and moved into pasties and sandwiches. Splitters.

You've got a northern soul, Super Michael. I suggest you move up here. Pies are plentiful.

You're still angry about most stuff, aren't you? If we want to talk uneven playing fields, perhaps we should talk about how the north half of the pitch was allowed to fall into disrepair for nigh on 20 years.

Tsk. Paxman. All the locals know it's S'fampton.

Never met Tony Benn personally, but he was a mainstay at the anti-war demonstrations back in the early 2000s. Saw him speak at Hyde Park, and pull quite a few of his Parliamentary speeches for posts. Seemed open and transparent. Probably did the best out of all the people that Ali G tried to go after. RIP Tony. Make sure the bastards don't privatise the after-life.

1) I keep posting the same thing 2) It must be fkn tedious for everyone else 3) Most will wonder why I'm posting so much 4) I'm still going to keep posting this 5) I don't need a change of direction right now 6) I've got copy and paste. It's excellent. 7) Most people thought I'd have grown out of this by 17. 8 ) It's a difficult situation. I used to shout the same things through my neighbours' letterboxes, but they all moved away.

You are aware that the show is an anthology format? Next year is a new cast and a new story.

I've had a little blast on Titanfall tonight. I'm playing the PC version. It's a very good game, but COD with mechs isn't too bad a description. The titans are a lot nippier than I thought they'd be, and the games of cat and mouse, not to mention balls-out fire-fights between multiple titans, are very smart. It is a lot of fun. That said, it's not a next gen game. Graphically, things are a bit clunky, especially when running around as a pilot. There are also no destructible environments. It makes no sense that these feck off robots of death can't penetrate a bit of plasterboard. However, every cloud is a silver lining; I managed to unload weapons into loads of titans confident in the safety of my indestructible brick wall. It was all fun and games until one of them fired a rocket through the window. Splash damage - the noisy killer. It's a great game idea; I like the bits of lore that I've seen, but feels very much like GT Prologue or something. Really don't think the potential of the mechs has been realised - the devs should probably look at the Frostbite engine (Battlefield) for the next one. Will post an update when I've spent more time on it.

National Front? Didn't think you had it in you. Must be something in that Austrian water.

Shirley has a McDonald's in it.

On the council house issue, he was damned if he did and damned if he didn't. People moaned about him living in a council house, as that kept someone on the waiting list. If he'd moved off to the burbs, he'd have been accused of champagne socialism and losing touch with his roots. I wonder if the Rio Bob stuff would have been raised if he'd been on the east coast of America? Miami Bob has a certain charm to it.

Well, it was an honest attempt at eliciting some debate about how Southampton might move forward. I disagree even more with your other point. I've still got the same view that I held on the London threads. It is a great city, but I'd argue that a big part of why people go there is because of the opportunity it provides. There is no denying that it's the greatest city in the country, but that comes at a cost. Many of the surrounding cities don't really bother and are rather dull as a result.

Excellent video, MLG; thanks for posting. Pilfered.

Ha, I'm reminded of this. [video=youtube;I5m4jpUyb-g]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I5m4jpUyb-g Blowtorch therapy if Les fails to get the message?

I'd disagree. Lots of cities have swagger, self-confidence and a strong sense of identity that Southampton just lacks. Manchester, Glasgow, Newcastle, Edinburgh, Cardiff, Liverpool, York all qualify off the top of my head. What is the essential thing that Southampton does really well? From where do we derive our identity? Which thinkers or creators of culture have we given to the world? The Wikipedia page lists a few, but we're not world-beating or even world-challenging by any stretch of the imagination. Now it's possible that familiarity breeds contempt, and it's also true that everyone takes their home town for granted. I remember being initially in awe of the surrounding mountains when working in Northern Ireland. To the locals, they're just part of the scenery and have been there since day one. However, there are a few things that really stops Southampton from kicking on. First, it really doesn't feel like a city. Not joking, I could look out of my window now and see 20 people walking about. There is a bus into town that goes from outside my house every 10 minutes, innumerable taxis ready to whisk you anywhere, while the farther out benefit from a local mass transit network. Southampton just doesn't have the buzz of a load of those places. No dedicated mass transit system, buses that mostly run on the half hour (no competition there either), taxis that charge a tenner to take you two miles (lol), nightlife locations at completely opposite ends of the city centre, the "highlight" of which is a gigantic shoebox on a retail park. It's incongruent, with no real flow to the place. Don't get me wrong. Southampton has bits of the city that definitely flow; London Road/Bedford Place, Bevois Valley, the rivers, obviously - but none of it is joined up, and too much of it is just plain out of the way. There are a number of towns and burbs that'd really benefit from a proper mass transit system - Eastleigh, Totton, Hythe, Hedge End, Hamble, Netley, etc. There are a number of natural assets that the city just doesn't capitalise on, such as the riverfront, the medieval history of the city, or the city centre in general (especially High St to Town Quay). Those other cities have learned how to sell their natural assets, warts and all, to facilitate genuine improvement for the region. FFS, the scousers built TWO tunnels under their river, and we're still making the poor bastards over in Waterside go the long way round.

Think so, but mostly to be closer to friends and family. Many of my mates have moved away from the city, but most of them are fairly close by. Apart from The Common, SMS and Bevois Valley, there is nothing I'm really looking forward to doing there that is specific to Southampton.

New avatar for your (ahem) "conqueror"?