November 09 Random Chat

[Elrond]

Let this month's chat begin! :D :p

[thingirl]

DST ended today. I got up at "6:30". Really I slept in for half an hour. And it's "9:20" now. Yet, I'm not the tired.

[Elrond]

Sorry, to steal from Badstench's idea; but here are a couple of notable events from Nov. 1 that might not make Badstench's list:

Nov. 1, 1936
Benito Mussolini described the new alliance between Nazi Germany and Italy as an "axis" running between Berlin and Rome.

I'm glad that didn't work out too well for them!

Nov. 1, 1952
The United States exploded the first hydrogen bomb in a test in the Marshall Islands.

I'm just glad it was never used in war!

Nov. 1, 1993
The Maastricht Treaty was enacted, establishing the European Union.

So, a happy 17th B-Day for the EU!

[thingirl]

Nov. 1, 1993
The Maastricht Treaty was enacted, establishing the European Union.

So, a happy 17th B-Day for the EU!

Actually, it's happy 16th. I know that because it was founded 2 years before I was born (14+2=16) and I checked it on a calculator (2009-1993=16).

[Oldschool]

Tsk tsk, Elrond. First spelling lessons and now math. What's next? :cool:

[wetheril]

Tsk tsk, Elrond. First spelling lessons and now math. What's next? :cool:

LOL, on this episode of "Are you smarter than an 8th grader?" ;)

[thingirl]

I'm actually a few days behind in Math.

[Oldschool]

I'm actually a few days behind in Math.

Well that's not so bad. It seems your 'sparring partner' is a year ahead. :cool:


Nov. 1, 1993
The Maastricht Treaty was enacted, establishing the European Union.

So, a happy 17th B-Day for the EU!

Actually, it's happy 16th. I know that because it was founded 2 years before I was born (14+2=16) and I checked it on a calculator (2009-1993=16).

[thingirl]

Hahaha... I don't get it :confused:

[Elrond]

I guess there should be a time when I make an entrance to this "Elrond Mistake" exchange. All in good spirit and fun! I guess I'm drinking from the cup I filled! ;) :)

[wetheril]

I guess there should be a time when I make an entrance to this "Elrond Mistake" exchange. All in good spirit and fun! I guess I'm drinking from the cup I filled! ;) :)

It's all good. And sorry about having a little fun at your expense. Sympathy repped, and congrats on 500. ;)

[smv1973]

Actually, it's happy 16th. I know that because it was founded 2 years before I was born (14+2=16) and I checked it on a calculator (2009-1993=16).

A+ Thingirl for showing your work.

[Oldschool]

I guess there should be a time when I make an entrance to this "Elrond Mistake" exchange. All in good spirit and fun! I guess I'm drinking from the cup I filled! ;) :)

Repped for being a good sport when allowed.

[Elrond]

Thanks for the repps! And sorry I could not play a more "active" part as I've been extremely busy lately!

[MrBlack]

Here is a joke;

"Three nuns walk into a bar, the fourth one ducks."



:D

[Young Ned]

Hahaha... I don't get it :confused:

He said 17 years when it was actually 16... so he's a year ahead, in that sense.

[thingirl]

Ah. Makes sense.

[thingirl]

I have come to relise: 666 is NOT the devil's number, 404 is. And he also has a word: Buffering. For those of you who are going "Huh? Thingirl's lost it", the 404 not found error is most annoying, and so is Youtrbe when it can't play a vid.

[wetheril]

I've heard somewhere that 616 was the actual number of the devil, not 666. But either way, I'm sure I'm out of it now. At least I wasn't talking about anything horrible on my 666th post!

[Taleria]

I have come to relise: 666 is NOT the devil's number, 404 is. And he also has a word: Buffering. For those of you who are going "Huh? Thingirl's lost it", the 404 not found error is most annoying, and so is Youtrbe when it can't play a vid.

I feel your pain, and this post made me laugh. Very clever. Just this morning I was playing the Firefox anniversary video (http://www.spreadfirefox.com/5years/en-US/) and it couldn't buffer enough to play smoothly. Repped for the chuckle.

[wetheril]

I just want to mention briefly that I might not be online tomorrow. I'll be celebrating my annivarsary and taking a road trip, and will probably not be back until Nov. 18th.

[thingirl]

Hope you have fun. Somethimes breaks for fun in RL is good.

[Oldschool]

"Happy (early) Anniversary" and have a safe and wonderful time.

[wetheril]

Thank you. It's not a big road trip since we're not leaving the state--we'll be going to Monterey. Young Ned will know where that is (btw, Oakland is only about 45 mins away from where I'm living). :)

[Young Ned]

Oh, cool. Of course I know where Monterey is. And anyone who's read Steinbeck's Cannery Row (http://www.amazon.com/Cannery-Row-Centennial-John-Steinbeck/dp/014200068X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1258273953&sr=8-1-catcorr) has at least heard of it. Have a great time! :D Will you be going to the Aquarium (http://www.montereybayaquarium.org/) while you're there?

[Oldschool]

Cannery Row - good Monterey reference. However, I must admit that when I think of Monterey things such as this (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h-S90Uch2as) first come to mind. Where is that time machine?

[scout1idf]

When I first started playing, there was a place where a new member could use you for a reference and you got some AT's as a reward.

Is that still available? If so where is it? I can't find it.


There was also a link generator (I think it put your user name in it as a reference for the bonus) and an image you could put on your own web site and I can't find it either.



Maybe they were on the same page?

[Oldschool]

It's still there. I posted a thread about it awhile back - I'll necrothread and edit it in. However I had to go to the old forum to pull it off a post. I think the cafe press link may have replaced it.

Off to necrothread......

Here you go,

Refer someone to Sryth and earn ATs.

After copying and pasting the mail/post subscription info in another thread I thought about the referral system.

I had some trouble finding it. Perhaps some of the new changes on the homepage (i.e. Cafe Press) is why.

Either way a little necrothreading :D on the old forum done the trick.

So here's the link.

http://www.sryth.com/ci.php?f_c=refer.inc

Also I thought about sticking the thread but I try to do that judiciously. Otherwise, every first page would be all sticky threads. I'll probably add the link in elsewhere.

Edit 2: Just moved the thread to News/Announcements and "stuck" it.

[Young Ned]

Cannery Row - good Monterey reference. However, I must admit that when I think of Monterey things such as this (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h-S90Uch2as) first come to mind. Where is that time machine?

Haha, trust you to think of places in terms of their music festivals. :D Nice version of "Sounds of Silence", though. It's just gone into my favorites list, thanks!

[Oldschool]

Your welcome, Simon and Garfunkel are simply amazing as either a duo or soloists. Covered by many other artists from country, rap, metal and more.

One of my favorite groups covering a gem by Simon and Garfunkel.

It's about a minute and a half into the vid before the song starts.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cVhy94PDWzE

And before anyone corrects me I know it's an old English ballad but if I remember correctly Simon and Garfunkel changed it around a bit. Also I also seem to recall Dylan's "Girl from the North Country" having some parts of Scarbrough Fair in it.

Edit: Stumbled across a few videos of Paul Simon on the Muppet Show and and thought of you Young Ned. Hope you enjoy.

http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=muppet+show+paul+simon&search_type=&aq=f

[Young Ned]

Your welcome, Simon and Garfunkel are simply amazing as either a duo or soloists. Covered by many other artists from country, rap, metal and more.

I was much more impressed by Simon's solo career than Garfunkel's. Garfunkel did have a much more gorgeous voice than Simon, but his choice of songs ranged from exquisite to idiotic -- or, as a much better wordsmith than I once said, from the sublime to the ridiculous. Once they parted ways, it became pretty clear which of them had better musical taste. :rolleyes:

Admittedly, I wasn't too keen on a few of Simon's songs either, like "Fifty Ways to Leave Your Lover", but his dud ratio was a LOT lower.

One of my favorite groups covering a gem by Simon and Garfunkel.

It's about a minute and a half into the vid before the song starts.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cVhy94PDWzE

And before anyone corrects me I know it's an old English ballad but if I remember correctly Simon and Garfunkel changed it around a bit. Also I also seem to recall Dylan's "Girl from the North Country" having some parts of Scarbrough Fair in it.

Well, S&G's version is properly titled "Scarborough Fair/Canticle". The "Canticle" part of the title refers to the countermelody they sing behind the tradtional ballad, the part that has lines like "sleeps unaware of the clarion call". That's the part they wrote -- well, Simon wrote; Garfunkel just sang it.

But Queensryche didn't do the canticle. They just did the original ballad, all the way through. So really, they weren't doing S&G's version of the song. They did it very nicely, though; that's a group I never expected to hear something so mellow from. Thanks for broadening my musical horizons. :)

"Girl from the North Country" I haven't heard in years, but I don't recall ever noticing it had anything Scarborough Fairish in it. Then again, I'm not sure I ever heard Dylan's version of it, just Joan Baez's, so who knows...

Edit: Stumbled across a few videos of Paul Simon on the Muppet Show and and thought of you Young Ned. Hope you enjoy.

http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=muppet+show+paul+simon&search_type=&aq=f

A few?? Wow, how many times did he appear on the Muppet Show? I hadn't realized he was such a frequent guest. Thanks again! :cool:

[Taleria]

Your welcome, Simon and Garfunkel are simply amazing as either a duo or soloists.

I don't know anything about Garfunkel as a soloist, and have only ever heard Simon's popular songs, but I do know them as a group. They are indeed fabulous. Now you've gotten me into a mood to listen to their stuff. Thanks. :)

Admittedly, I wasn't too keen on a few of Simon's songs either, like "Fifty Ways to Leave Your Lover", but his dud ratio was a LOT lower.

I rather enjoyed that one. "Call Me Al" is a fun one.

[Oldschool]

I agree with Young Ned. Paul's solo career (in music btw as they both have done some acting also) is more impressive and better known. I can only recall a few of Art's solo songs and out of them I think all but one are covers.

All this discussion got me thinking about a possible trivia question - their former names, "Tom and Jerry". I confess while I knew they were once known by that name that was the limit of that knowledge. I went to wiki for the history which was interesting if true. Particularly since they started in junior high school together then went to separate colleges only to meet up again later - lucky us.

[Young Ned]

I only have a couple of Garfunkel's solo albums -- I got one, "Angel Clare", back in the '80s on the recommendation of a friend who knew I loved his voice. Yes, his voice was gorgeous on it, and some of the songs were beautiful, but some of the songs were sooo stupid that I gave up on his solo albums entirely until decades later, just a couple of years ago in fact, when I finally got around to buying a CD of "Watermark", which has the song "(What a) Wonderful World" on it, which he did with Paul Simon and James Taylor in the mid-to-late '70s well after S&G had broken up. That song was great, the rest of the album was forgettable. :rolleyes:

(If you're thinking of the "What a Wonderful World" song that Louis Armstrong recorded, it's not that song, it's a different one with a similar title that was originally recorded by some group back in the '60s.)

I'd forgotten they both did some acting. I don't believe I've seen any of the movies either of them were in, so I can't compare their acting careers, but they were predominantly musicians, anyway.

And yes, "Call Me Al" is great fun, as is everything else on the "Graceland" album. :D

[Taleria]

Ooh, James Taylor. Another great. That one has a beautiful voice, and his lyrics are so expressive. "Fire and Rain" and "Copperline" are a couple of my favorites, but he had other fine tunes.

You don't mean Sam Cooke, do you? "Don't know much about history, / Don't know much biology..." A sweet song, and I've heard the version with Simon and Taylor. I prefer Cooke's version.

[Young Ned]

Yes, Sam Cooke was the one who did the original -- I have his version, too, but I was blanking on his name. Thanks!

His version was good, too, but I like the Simon/Garfunkel/Taylor version just a little better. Sam Cooke did a lot of great songs, too -- I love "Chain Gang" and "Another Saturday Night" and "Twisting the Night Away", among others.

And yes, James Taylor is another of my favorites. I love "Fire and Rain" and "Handy Man" and "You've Got a Friend", but I've never heard "Copperline", or if I have I'm not remembering it right now.

[Taleria]

Don't think I've heard "Twisting The Night Away." I have a soft spot for "Cupid" myself, even if it's kind of melodramatic. I like the other songs you'd mentioned.

I'm certain you've heard "Copperline." If not, there's always YouTube. I found a live version of that song on there just yesterday.

Getting back to Simon, I like "Bridge Over Troubled Water." The version on the "Concert in Central Park" album is I think better than the studio recording. That's rather rare, since I prefer the original versions of "Scarborough Fair" and "Sound of Silence" to the versions on the 'Concert' album.

[Oldschool]

James Taylor another excellent singer and songwriter. Also the Simon/Garfunkel/Taylor reference got me thinking about another great "collaboration" - his work with ex-wife Carly Simon.

Taylor has many fine songs but Fire & Rain and Copperline (especially) are among my favorites.

[Young Ned]

I'm certain you've heard "Copperline." If not, there's always YouTube. I found a live version of that song on there just yesterday.

Found a live version just now and gave it a listen, expecting a "so THAT'S what that song's called" experience. The only line that sounded even vaguely familiar, and more from the melody than the lyrics, was the oft-repeated "down on Copperline". So I may have heard it once or twice on the radio years ago, but it obviously didn't make much impression on me at the time. Not bad, though. I'd listen to it again.

(I did have quite a few "so THAT's what that's called" experiences once when my first wife brought home a CD of the Steve Miller Band's greatest hits. I'd heard and liked at least half the songs on the radio, back in the day when they were hits, but I hadn't even realized they were all by the same band, much less remembered their names. So the listening experience was also punctuated by frequent utterances of "they did THIS one, too??" and "oh, yeah, I remember this one!") :)

[texlaw1992]

True story - One of my law professors goes to see Paul Simon in concert at an outdoor pavillion. It was a rainy day and the ground was wet and muddy.

He stood up to dance to the music, slipped and in front of the whole crowd slid down the hill in the mud. Paul Simon, of course, immediately stops what he was singing and switches to "Slip Sliding Away."

Embarassed, he climbs back to his seat thinking it's ok because no one knows who he is. Of course, sitting right behind him is one of our classmates.

[Taleria]

LOL! Seems like Simon and I share a sense of humor. That's a great song, BTW.

Your poor professor. So not his day. *is still laughing*

[Young Ned]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v735/Old_Ned/lol.gif

That's great. And "Slip-Sliding Away" is a great song, too; one of my favorites.

[racey]

Thank goodness the GM took the last raffle anouncement out of the small building with the blue door. I was sick and tired of being reminded that I did not win.

[Taleria]

I wasn't expecting to win against such overwhelming odds, so wasn't too disappointed when I didn't. As for the announcement, well, I just stayed away from that building for a while. :)

[Elrond]

It looks like Susan Boyle will finally cash in (deservedly) on her talent: Here is the Story (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/scotland/8372916.stm)

[Oldschool]

LMAO....... and props to Young Ned for his tandem siggie quotes - lol.

There's a post by Young Ned about 3 or 4 prior to this one.

[texlaw1992]

While I certainly like Simon and Garfunkel, my favorite concert of all time remains Billy Joel and Elton John. Can't beat those two together.

[Badstench]

getting away from Simon & Garfunkel (apart from the fact that I cannot find paul Somins' album, "One Trick Pony", anywhere... it's on my list of must-haves")...

I'm having a disgruntling moment with my broadband connection.... in short, it sucks!

Given that it's peak user time (evening), I get titchy when a game page takes more than ten seconds to load. it makes gaming awkward and not fun.

[Young Ned]

LMAO....... and props to Young Ned for his tandem siggie quotes - lol.

Thanks, glad you liked them. :) I'm having fun with doing quotations about quotation.

[Zen And Tonic]

getting away from Simon & Garfunkel (apart from the fact that I cannot find paul Somins' album, "One Trick Pony", anywhere... it's on my list of must-haves")...

I'm having a disgruntling moment with my broadband connection.... in short, it sucks!

Given that it's peak user time (evening), I get titchy when a game page takes more than ten seconds to load. it makes gaming awkward and not fun.

Simon and Garfunkel is one of my favorite bands from that era. I used to listen to Scarborough Fair over and over again.

[Young Ned]

I like your user name, Zen! Very punny. :cool:

[Taleria]

While I certainly like Simon and Garfunkel, my favorite concert of all time remains Billy Joel and Elton John. Can't beat those two together.

I adore both of those singers! *makes mental note to find the concert* Oh man, I'd be in Heaven. I've never heard that album, but will definitely do so when I can.

I'm having a disgruntling moment with my broadband connection.... in short, it sucks!

Given that it's peak user time (evening), I get titchy when a game page takes more than ten seconds to load. it makes gaming awkward and not fun.

I sympathize. When that happens, I go watch TV. But I'm upset up until the time I can save my game, about the only time I inwardly curse the necessity. The worst is when it happens at a grinding spot with no safe location. What I don't understand is why a text game can crawl like that.

[Zen And Tonic]

I like your user name, Zen! Very punny. :cool:

Thanks, I rather like it myself :P

[scout1idf]

It's been pretty quiet around here.


Where is everybody??

[wetheril]

I heard a brilliantly bad joke on "Car Talk (http://www.cartalk.com/)" this morning, and thought I'd share with the rest of you.

A Russian scientist and a Czechoslovakian scientist had spent their whole lives studying the majestic grizzly bear. Each year they petitioned their respective governments to allow them to go to Yellowstone to study these wondrous beasts.

Finally, their request was granted and they immediately flew to New York and then on west to Yellowstone. They reported to the local ranger station and were told that it was the grizzly mating season and it was much too dangerous to go out and study the animals.

They pleaded that this was their only chance. Finally the ranger relented. The Russian and the Czech were given cell phones and told to report in each and every day.

For several days they called in, and then nothing was heard from the two scientists. The rangers mounted a search party and found the scientists' camp completely ravaged. No sign of the missing men.

They then followed the trail of a male and a female bear. They found the female and decided they must kill the animal to find out if she had eaten the scientists because they feared an international incident.

They killed the female and cut open the bear's stomach… only to find the remains of the Russian.

One ranger turned to the other and said, "You know what this means, don't you?"

"Of course," the other ranger nodded. "The Czech is in the male."

Get it? The check is in the mail. *groans* :rolleyes:

[Young Ned]

*groans*

That sounds like Tom & Ray, all right...