Things you always wanted to know the answer to [Vol. 5]
Discussion
Clockwork Cupcake said:
cheesejunkie said:
I love my sci fi but struggled through the culture banks novels. They just didn’t do it for me. I haven’t read house of suns but thank you for the recommendation.
I'm sorry to hear that. For me the Culture novels are immensely important because they portray a word of gender tolerance and equality that I wish we had. A world that gives me hope. A world in which I could simply choose to be female. That totally aside, the books also have great world-building. Not sure how they don't do it for you but I am sad that they do not.
Although I don’t particularly like them I fully accept they stand out as something different to much other sci fi and how that’s a good thing.
I still have the books up the stairs, I might read one again now after your comment. I’m older and more mature than when I first read them. Maybe that matters.
Clockwork Cupcake said:
cheesejunkie said:
I love my sci fi but struggled through the culture banks novels. They just didn’t do it for me. I haven’t read house of suns but thank you for the recommendation.
I'm sorry to hear that. For me the Culture novels are immensely important because they portray a word of gender tolerance and equality that I wish we had. A world that gives me hope. A world in which I could simply choose to be female. That totally aside, the books also have great world-building. Not sure how they don't do it for you but I am sad that they do not.
Ashers writing is almost infantile in comparison to Banks, but you can't deny there's lots of action
lord trumpton said:
Why do all the cat s/n cars for sale on autotrader seem to be located in Birmingham, Leeds and Bradford?
I live near Birmingham and have seen a car I fancy for the wife, nice 3 series convertible, low miles etc, 1 owner apparently and it's 13 years old, it's located in "Birmingham" but one of the ads has it next to a Lamborghini in a warehouse, could be totally innocent but it just screams one of those hire car set ups so have left it! If it said stoke let's say I'd probably go and do a bit more of an investigation on it.
Strange how the areas make you feel.
SpeckledJim said:
Places specialise.
Northampton does shoes. Burton does beer. Stoke does pottery. Birmingham, Leeds and Bradford do shady car dealers.
And PH does stereotyping.Northampton does shoes. Burton does beer. Stoke does pottery. Birmingham, Leeds and Bradford do shady car dealers.
I think I've bought cars from all three of those places and been very pleased. Some very nice people. Worst rip off I nearly bought was from a policeman in Doncaster, lol.
popeyewhite said:
SpeckledJim said:
Places specialise.
Northampton does shoes. Burton does beer. Stoke does pottery. Birmingham, Leeds and Bradford do shady car dealers.
And PH does stereotyping.Northampton does shoes. Burton does beer. Stoke does pottery. Birmingham, Leeds and Bradford do shady car dealers.
I think I've bought cars from all three of those places and been very pleased. Some very nice people. Worst rip off I nearly bought was from a policeman in Doncaster, lol.
Not every shonky car from Birmingham.
But...specialism
Grey_Area said:
That’s a few of us then, came from a thread on science fiction on PH
I have all the Banks and M Banks works, and have only failed to finish one; Feersum Endjinn, just can’t seem to manage it..
Read it out loud. I found it the only way to understand the phonetically spelled bits.I have all the Banks and M Banks works, and have only failed to finish one; Feersum Endjinn, just can’t seem to manage it..
Zumbruk said:
Grey_Area said:
That’s a few of us then, came from a thread on science fiction on PH
I have all the Banks and M Banks works, and have only failed to finish one; Feersum Endjinn, just can’t seem to manage it..
Read it out loud. I found it the only way to understand the phonetically spelled bits.I have all the Banks and M Banks works, and have only failed to finish one; Feersum Endjinn, just can’t seem to manage it..
) 21st Century Man said:
If a few dozen vehicles were driving along the road and a wormhole opened up taking them back to the mid seventies, whilst the cars would presumably be the property of their owners? (although I would expect the State to take possession of both cara & drivers), would the manufacturers of the cars be able to claim IP/Patent rights over the technology in the vehicles?
deadtom said:
Clockwork Cupcake said:
Mine also. 
Me three.I am ashamed to say that thus far I have only read Phlebas and The Player of Games, but reading more IMB is always on the to-do list
The non-SF is good, also.
Clockwork Cupcake said:
For me the Culture novels are immensely important because they portray a word of gender tolerance and equality that I wish we had. A world that gives me hope. A world in which I could simply choose to be female.
That totally aside, the books also have great world-building. Not sure how they don't do it for you but I am sad that they do not.
This is one of the things that struck me most in my (so far) limited exposure to the Culture novels. The worlds he creates, the stories and protagonists set within them are not remotely 'woke' (for want of any better word); genocide, torture, murder and violence abound (and that's just the good guys), and yet the concept of gender fluidity is treated as such a normal thing that it is given no real explanation. it just 'is'.That totally aside, the books also have great world-building. Not sure how they don't do it for you but I am sad that they do not.
It was a while ago that I read it, but I seem to recall there's a section in 'the player of games' where our champion protagonist is being hosted by a brutally dictatorial government who are running the games, and an orgy is put on for his entertainment, but the description of it can be paraphrased as 'beautiful people shagging each other in every conceivable way'. Then in a later scene the hosts are proudly explaining how the band's instruments are made from the skin and bones harvested from people while still alive, because the exquisite suffering endured during the harvesting makes the instruments sound better.
It's utterly bonkers and brilliant reading, with horrific barbarism and enlightened progressiveness sharing page space set against a backdrop of Sci-Fi of epic proportions.
Anyway, enough waffle from me. I really must read another of his books.
Doofus said:
Why, on a motorcycle, is neutral between first and second rather than above first?
Because you're more likely to need first than neutral, so putting first at the end of a desperate bout of stamping is handy.Braking into a corner, and thinking you've got first when you've actually got neutral will lead to a tiresome amount of falling off and getting killed.
When you need neutral, you're normally in a spot where you're able to devote a bit of time and dexterity to the project.
That's a good one.
Although (IIRC) on some archaic East European contraptions neutral was indeed before first.
Edit: Jim posted before me, but I'm not 100% that I would agree with his explanation. Neutral can be a sod to find on some gearboxes (I'm looking at you, Sturmey Archer) so there might be benefits to having it at the bottom of a stamping session.
Unless you are blessed with Royal Enfield's rather nifty neutral finder.
Although (IIRC) on some archaic East European contraptions neutral was indeed before first.
Edit: Jim posted before me, but I'm not 100% that I would agree with his explanation. Neutral can be a sod to find on some gearboxes (I'm looking at you, Sturmey Archer) so there might be benefits to having it at the bottom of a stamping session.
Unless you are blessed with Royal Enfield's rather nifty neutral finder.
Edited by Error_404_Username_not_found on Monday 20th March 14:33
Error_404_Username_not_found said:
That's a good one.
Although (IIRC) on some archaic East European contraptions neutral was indeed before first.
Edit: Jim posted before me, but I'm not 100% that I would agree with his explanation. Neutral can be a sod to find on some gearboxes (I'm looking at you, Sturmey Archer) so there might be benefits to having it at the bottom of a stamping session.
Unless you are blessed with Royal Enfield's rather nifty neutral finder.
If you're slowing down for a corner, tip the bike in, and open the throttle for the drive you need in order to balance the bike and not crash on the inside of the bend, only to find no drive because you're in neutral, then you could be in deep sAlthough (IIRC) on some archaic East European contraptions neutral was indeed before first.
Edit: Jim posted before me, but I'm not 100% that I would agree with his explanation. Neutral can be a sod to find on some gearboxes (I'm looking at you, Sturmey Archer) so there might be benefits to having it at the bottom of a stamping session.
Unless you are blessed with Royal Enfield's rather nifty neutral finder.
Edited by Error_404_Username_not_found on Monday 20th March 14:33
t.Struggling to find neutral is annoying, but not generally dangerous (because you're already stopped).
stamp-stamp-stamp-stamp-first-onwards! is an awful lot safer than stamp-stamp-stamp-stamp-neutral-IMPOTENT ROAAARRR-shiiiiiii-oof-darkness
In Top Gear’s ‘challenges’ where Clarkson drives the Bugatti or Mustang across Europe and the other two take public transport, you always see the LR Discovery camera car in front of Clarkson.
Do they use several camera cars or is the Disco always in front of the Bugatti etc therefore doing the journey just as quickly?
Do they use several camera cars or is the Disco always in front of the Bugatti etc therefore doing the journey just as quickly?
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