Carcassone computer game

http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2011/10/20/tiling-away-the-hours-carcassonne-on-pc/

They've changed the meeples for little, animated soldiers. I will see that they burn for this heresy.

But seriously, great idea. We should see more board games converted well onto computers/consoles and vice versa. I would be the happiest man in the world if someone released a 'Wrath Unleashed' board game.

Rush-ing into stupidity

http://www.rushlimbaugh.com/daily/2011/10/14/obama_invades_uganda_targets_christians

Dear God, this man is stupid. Does he look into the politics of the groups he talks about or is it just politically expedient to ignore the mutilation, murder, rape and child slavery in order to score a few more points with America's right wing nuts?

Also, no end in sight in Libya? I'd say there is now, Mr Rush.

Gadaffi is dead!

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-15385955

Wow! After so long I wasn't expecting the BBC to ever get to use that headline (as they've obviously been aching to do).

It is reported that Gadaffi was found hiding in Sirtre, which incidentally the NTC are also claiming to have taken back from Gadaffi loyalists. He is meant to have been wounded in both legs but taken alive by the NTC fighters.

If the reports are true then Gadaffi was taken to Misrata by ambulance. It seems strange that he didn't flee the country but maybe he was caught unawares by the revolt and was too prominent a figure to easily slip over the border with the NATO countries and rebels tracking him. Sirtre has long been named as a possible hiding place for him.

I suspect the transitional government is planning the trial already.

[Edit] - Meanwhile Reuters are saying that Gadaffi has died of wounds sustained during his capture. There is much speculation about whether other high ranking Libyan loyalists have been captured or killed alongside him.

[Edit. Edit] - "Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi says the war in Libya is "over", according to Ansa news agency." Well done Berlusconi. Even the NTC representatives are urging caution until the reports are confirmed. What political purpose is served by you jumping the gun apart from possibly making you look like an idiot?

[Edit, Edit, Edit] - And it is pretty much official. Footage of Gadaffi's body has been released and the NTC have promised to release further details later in the week.

[Edit, Edit, Edit, Edit] - Spiegel shows its usual frankness. Sub-headline:

'We Have Been Waiting for This'

Hours and hours of 'In our time'!

The full 'In our time' archives are available to download as podcasts!

Go there now. If you don't learn something you are probably omniscient already.

My favourite episode is ' Industrial Revolution I' as Melvyn Bragg completely loses his temper when a guest indirectly calls him racist. He has a massive strop but unfortunately by the next installment they had obviously agreed to play nicely again.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/features/in-our-time/podcasts/

Fresh Meat - four slices to go

So, after a tip off from some friends at work, I decided to watch this new Channel 4 comedy show about the surreal (and generally cringeworthy) experiences of a house full of university freshers in Manchester. I blitzed the first three episodes in one evening and watched the latest one last night.

Here is what I think of it so far:

Episode 1) Pretty funny and definitely caught my interest. The characters were introduced in an entertaining way - especially Howard's stuttering speech about not having talked to actual human beings for some time and Kingsley's awkward attempts to make conversation about drinking tea. Lots of bits that were reminiscent of when I was a fresher; the conversation about how talking about your A-level results is unbelievably lame, Oregon's mounting anxiety as Vod steals her essay, strange gap year stories etc. Ended on a high note as Josie realises that she's going to be living with the public school prat that she just had a meaningless fuck with.

Episode 2) Even better than the first one. Josie's mock aggressive boyfriend was hilarious, "you piece of shit - only kidding." Funny running jokes about Russell Brand's head, Howard's knowledge of 'rom-coms' and Vod 'just being slutty, not racist for Asians'. Unfortunately Robert Webb isn't very funny as the clingy and inappropriate Geology tutor.

Episode 3) Not bad but not as good as the first two. Josie's obvious happiness when she finds out that she was only stood up because her blind date was dead is classic. Oregon's weird flirtation with Professor Shales was also funny. However, the whole Kingsley swapping to drama thing only provoked a few weak laughs as did the uncertain rape side-story.

Episode 4) Pretty dire. Everything in it we had seen before but done better. Professor Shales being seedy rather than romantic. Check. Josie and Kingsley's sexual tension. Check. King Ralph selfishly using J.P for his own gain. Check. It seems like they were hoping that two sex scenes in one episode would be titillating enough to make up for a complete lack of originality.

However, despite the decline in quality it is still a nice brainless comedy and the characters are good. The theme music is surprisingly awesome and I definitely think I'll watch the remaining episodes!

Spiegel seizes the lender's moral high ground

http://www.spiegel.de/international/europe/0,1518,790138,00.html

It always gives me a sour taste when I see German newspapers heaping condemnation on the southern members of the Eurozone. It takes two to tango and it takes a poor lender and a poor borrower to put together a bad loan. If German banks and financial companies couldn't be bothered to check whether they were going to be paid back they shouldn't have gone on handing out more loans.

Joseph Stiglitz makes a good point when he says that the world needs borrowers and lenders to function. While lenders might be in a stronger position when the world tips over into recession this doesn't mean that it they are in ethically superior to nations that are net creditors.

It also doesn't help that the article isn't internally consistent. Sensible, Protestant, Northern Europe vs the slack, profligate, Catholic South makes a nice newspaper headline. However, even the Spiegel acknowledges that Belgium has similar levels of debt to Italy and Greece. Presumably we should be blaming the Catholic Waloons for contaminating poor, sensible Belgium with debtor tendencies?