I need to sit down after this thread rush.“Hundreds of Beavers” was the best film I saw this year. I think it’s a 2022 film though.
What's been your favourite films / TV you've watched this year?I thought Heretic was excellent, really well done on Hugh Grant's character.
Pig was astoundingly good. It's a 2021 film but I watched it recently, I highly recommend it.
Alien Romulus was very good and worked well as a sequel to Alien.
Pig was astoundingly good. It's a 2021 film but I watched it recently, I highly recommend it.
Alien Romulus was very good and worked well as a sequel to Alien.
I need to sit down after this thread rush. That's on my watchlistbut it's not currently on a streaming service I have access to
you don't have Youtube?Set VPN to stun
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=guE0Qd8BRw0
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=guE0Qd8BRw0
Thankyou
edit: I don't have a VPN and YTdownloaders aren't working. Are there free VPNs?
edit: I don't have a VPN and YTdownloaders aren't working. Are there free VPNs?
You don't want a free vpn.You're just paying for it another way.
sam at [REDACTED]thank you.
I dun athing
with a vpn the downloader would workas tico says, free ones aren't worth it - generally they won't get you past most stuff you want to get past anyway, and because they're so limited in scope it makes them easy for the big guys to block
it's a cliche brand but I've been using Nord for a few years now, and they do me fine for everything I feel I need a VPN for; I did use Opera's built-in VPN for a while but now they've gone full crypto I switched to Firefox, and with Nord's plugin I can even pick which tabs get shielded. how much longer we can legally use a VPN in this country remains to be seen...
it's a cliche brand but I've been using Nord for a few years now, and they do me fine for everything I feel I need a VPN for; I did use Opera's built-in VPN for a while but now they've gone full crypto I switched to Firefox, and with Nord's plugin I can even pick which tabs get shielded. how much longer we can legally use a VPN in this country remains to be seen...
banning VPNswould cause much of business and government to cease to function
and you think they care?they've suggested it before, and with the way the world's going at the moment they can certainly consider suggesting it again - anything to protect the poor innocent kiddies from the dangers of learning trans people exist
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/vpns-online-safety-bill-labour-champion-b2239810.html
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/vpns-online-safety-bill-labour-champion-b2239810.html
Site-to-site VPNs of course are differentto domestic home-to-pirateTV VPNs, so it'll be the likes of Nord who get it in the shorts.
election night was goodalso Fallout
I enjoyed both of those,yes.
I realise I am late to the partyBut I finally acquired Slow Horses in a "perfectly legal manner" and that is really good.
it really isi'm annoyed I can't get my dad a legit copy on DVD/BluRay, because he'd like that but isn't going to go for appletv+ or "legitimate means"
the very clichedeverything everywhere all at once and pretty things probably
I've not watched everything everywhere yet,I shall do so. Thank you.
Do you meanPoor Things?
Yes...
I'm a big fan of The DiplomatI'm also enjoying Severance, in that old school Lost style way of watching pretty images and having no real clue what's going on.
I'm sworn to watch The Substance before New Year, as that's reputedly the absolute shiz
I'm sworn to watch The Substance before New Year, as that's reputedly the absolute shiz
Nice to see you here, happy Christmas.I missed the Substance at the cinema, annoyingly.
I'll add the diplomat and severance to the list. I'm currently working my way through Doom Patrol, which isn't great but it's oddly moreish.
I'll add the diplomat and severance to the list. I'm currently working my way through Doom Patrol, which isn't great but it's oddly moreish.
soStar Trek: Lower Decks. Fucking great
really very goodfull of heart, full of the original spirit of trek, and takes no prisoners in calling out mistakes of previous generations (fuck you rick berman)
the biggest trick it pulled offwas doing everything it was doing without being cynical.
Just had google suggest an articleabout how lower decks sidelined Discovery as an alternate reality.
I'll add it to the watch list.
I'll add it to the watch list.
The Zone of Interestwas one of the most affecting films I've ever seen - the soundscape hung around my head for days. I also liked Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, Wicked Little Letters was fun as was Monkey Man but in a totally different way. and I saw some great documentaries.
TV, Ludwig was fun. And Slip. I enjoyed that. I only have Netflix so dunno about anything else on any other pay-for streaming service
TV, Ludwig was fun. And Slip. I enjoyed that. I only have Netflix so dunno about anything else on any other pay-for streaming service
Thanks.Ludwig was fantastic. I hadn't heard of Slip at all, looks interesting.
We're currently watching Return to Paradise which is exactly what you'd expect it to be.
We're currently watching Return to Paradise which is exactly what you'd expect it to be.
Dune II was this year, wasn't it?Also Furiosa. I like both, but that's it, did see any other movie this year
Last work day for this year, thank fuck.My ability to be arsed is diminishing rapidly…
3 shifts until Christmas.Then back on duty, St Stephen's Day.
That soundsunnecessarily Irish
I just couldn't remember whetherBoxing Day was the 26th or 27th this year.
o_0..
I lose track of days.Fuck it - I will check.
[Update: It is the 26th this year]
[Update: It is the 26th this year]
Boxing Day is always the 26th,but the bank holiday for it always lands on a week day.
me tooTwo meetings to survive then that's it until the 6th.
i have mostly given up.... which is lucky
Have to do my invoices on Monday though.
Have to do my invoices on Monday though.
I have to push through tomorrow then off until the 2rd.This is the first year ever that I’m going away for Christmas though so I’m quite excited. Heading to the absolute middle of nowhere in Wales to avoid all other humans.
It's all work work bloody workfor me apart from the 25/26th. Hopefully I'll get a chance to study for my Big Microsoft Exam on the 6th.
“Reboot. If that doesn’t work, install Linux”You now know everything you need to know.
This is a deep dive into Azure,sometimes I wish we COULD turn it off. And we do run quite a lot of Red Hat.
I am very gladthat I don’t have to run azure any more.
*shakes fist*sassenfrassenrassenrassen. I mean, some of the stuff it does is Really Fucking Clever, but I'm more on the programming and support side. The thing that irks the most is that it doesn't help us in our day jobs, it's just some higher up wonk deciding we need some ticks inna box for lols.
That’s certs for you.I’m dead against certs. I’m yet to hire anyone due to certs.
Microsoft at least used to (maybe still does) give companies a bunch of free stuff if a threshold of employees have up to date MS certs.
Microsoft at least used to (maybe still does) give companies a bunch of free stuff if a threshold of employees have up to date MS certs.
We've been getting sales and leadsfrom MS despite this, because we do £LOTS with them for licencing. I don't think having 5 support engineers with this cert is going to help further.
working tomorrowthough boss has fucked off. Spent most of the week so far in fucking Telford.
Finished yesterday lunchtimethank fuck. 2024 was an utter cunt
It was ratherIt looks as though we will DEFINITELY be heading in your direction next December…
Today I learned....Lavabread... Is not a bread product.
Still it went quite well in an all-day breakfast in Cardiff.
It is a sort of seaweed lumpy sauce.
Still it went quite well in an all-day breakfast in Cardiff.
It is a sort of seaweed lumpy sauce.
Not even made from real lava!/disgruntled geologist
You’re gonna hateBlackpool rock.
Damn straightI am
Can I post here yet?Oh good.
I'm starting my degree now. I'm in a teams with 70 other people.
Edit: oh no breakout rooms
EditEdiT: ok that wasn't so bad.
In other news, I was having a look at whether there's decent internet that isn't VM in my area yet, and it turns out that the new street they're putting in next door HAS THE SAME POSTCODE. So there's going to be two houses sharing 23, WN3 5YB. That's proper rubbish.
I'm starting my degree now. I'm in a teams with 70 other people.
Edit: oh no breakout rooms
EditEdiT: ok that wasn't so bad.
In other news, I was having a look at whether there's decent internet that isn't VM in my area yet, and it turns out that the new street they're putting in next door HAS THE SAME POSTCODE. So there's going to be two houses sharing 23, WN3 5YB. That's proper rubbish.
I suspect theyhaven’t allocated a postcode yet and someone did bad assumpting in a database.
I hope so. The street doesn't exist yet so it's a bit weirdthough I've just checked the post office and it's not on their address lookup.
When we bought a new build(admittedly nearly 2 decades ago) it took 6 months for the post office to give us a postcode and about 2 years for that to propagate to various online databases.
wait until the binmen won't comebecause you don't exist
oh godI come here to get away from students
hasorry. Feel free to ignore me for the next two years.
can you feel the ability to keep moving when you reach the end of stairs/escalatorsalready waning?
/meposts d0nk3ypr0n to your address
You've got a 50/50 chance of getting the right house//
I’m not a real programmer…I don’t create software or databases or websites or whatever. But I’m a hack-away-until-I-get-it-working amateur programmer who uses a bit of various languages to control, extend, script, etc other bits of software and equipment that I use in my work.
Today I found myself using a Windows .BAT file to script AutoCAD to batch open a load of files and run a LISP routine on them, which uses an ActiveX function that Autodesk borrow.
FFS, AutoDesk.
Today I found myself using a Windows .BAT file to script AutoCAD to batch open a load of files and run a LISP routine on them, which uses an ActiveX function that Autodesk borrow.
FFS, AutoDesk.
Confidently expecting to need ZX Basic, 6502 Machine Code, and some punch cards next week.To make it change the dates on a bunch of drawings.
Might have to build an Abacus interface.
Might have to build an Abacus interface.
I am a real programmerand today I imported some appointments into Outlook from a CSV file.
Also I did some stuff in FoxPro, last version released in 2007, but that's not so unusual for me.
Also I did some stuff in FoxPro, last version released in 2007, but that's not so unusual for me.
For $DAYJOB I still have to edit.BAT files on people's Win11 machines to run the aeons-old DOS SUBST command to map a drive letter to a Sharepoint shortcut location so some fucking old software can still export files.
Funsies.
Funsies.
getting sharepoint to work properly as a drive letter would be greati always struggle because all the clients who send me sharepoint folder links, i'm an 'external' person so tey don't like it.
Advert:"YOU THOUGHT NTFS PERMISSIONS were UNFATHOMABLE? Boy, have we at SHAREPOINT got NEWS for YOU!"
I call it 'Shitpoint' for a reason.
I call it 'Shitpoint' for a reason.
You’ll love this Autodesk shit.You can write code in their version of LISP to do more complicated things, but the easiest way to script a bunch of actions is literally to make a text file of what you’d type into the AutoCAD command line (it has a weird mixture of graphical interface and typed commands, for those who aren’t familiar), and you can then run it as a single command. It’s a macro essentially.
When you CLOSE a file manually and get the dialogue box, the question is: “ Do you want to save changes to (filename)?”
When you script a CLOSE, the command line question that your script needs to answer is "Are you sure you want to discard all changes?"
Obviously this requires NO instead of YES. Took me ages to figure out why my files weren’t saving.
What absolute twattage. Terrible terrible people.
When you CLOSE a file manually and get the dialogue box, the question is: “ Do you want to save changes to (filename)?”
When you script a CLOSE, the command line question that your script needs to answer is "Are you sure you want to discard all changes?"
Obviously this requires NO instead of YES. Took me ages to figure out why my files weren’t saving.
What absolute twattage. Terrible terrible people.
I think my programming skillzprobably peaked with BBC Basic. So can't really comment
Did really enjoy watching England thump NZ in the second test here in Wellington, although disappointed it finished in three days, so I had to actually go to work on Mon-Tue
Did really enjoy watching England thump NZ in the second test here in Wellington, although disappointed it finished in three days, so I had to actually go to work on Mon-Tue
Also failed to bump into eitherDavid Gower or Jimmy. Which was a shame
Did come face to face with Richard Hadlee though, which was nice
Did come face to face with Richard Hadlee though, which was nice
TILActiveX still exists.
Sort of.Microsoft are trying to deprecate it but lots of other people implement bits of it so it won’t die.
Took me fucking ages to find sufficient documentation to cobble together these disparate bits.
Took me fucking ages to find sufficient documentation to cobble together these disparate bits.
Documentation?Where we're going, we don't need no steeeenking documentation!
When where you’re going involves Autodesk, you won’t get any.And half the forum stuff online is wrong.
I just used Imageready CS2To animate a gif like it's 2002 or something
wowhaven't thought of imageready in a while.
I've not used photoshop in about 4 years, after having switched to Affinity (which i really like for DTP, and can live with for photo edditing) and it's £60 for a lifetime licence.
I've not used photoshop in about 4 years, after having switched to Affinity (which i really like for DTP, and can live with for photo edditing) and it's £60 for a lifetime licence.
I too have the Affinity suiteand I really like the idea of it, but I still can't break away from Publisher.
I really like Photo. I never did anything beyond the basics in photoshop so switching wasn't difficult.
I really like Photo. I never did anything beyond the basics in photoshop so switching wasn't difficult.
Ovenready! I completely forgot about that.Wanted to remake the 2-frame xmas tree gif for my Dinos site festive header and couldn't remember how to do it.
autocad seems to just keep getting slightly worse as the years go onas does bluebeam the industry PDF markup software.. it's not much more expensive and awful. they keep adding all sorts of cloud based collaboration tools nobody uses but the actual UI and markup stuff is just every so slightly worse than in was in 2011
No different to yer actual Acrobat by AdobeHere have a bunch of AI tools and all sorts of bollocks. But also, gonna hide all the traditional toobars and make it much harder to do basic stuff, which is all you are ever trying to do
indeedand now word has got loads of "buy acrobat to export to pdf" bollocks
then in small un-highlighted text.. "or click here to just do it"
then in small un-highlighted text.. "or click here to just do it"
fucking hellCan I delete this page please?
Lol, no!
Lol, no!
hey Acrobat, remember when I used up be able to do an electronic signature?Yeah, those were good times. Have you considered a cloud subscription?
I dropped a whole pizza todayOn the way to the pizza oven. It landed face down in the mud. It was very upsetting.
Anyway, I've been thinking about Christmas pizza. Gravy base, stuffing, turkey and bacon twisted together. What else / what other Christmas pizzas would you suggest?
Anyway, I've been thinking about Christmas pizza. Gravy base, stuffing, turkey and bacon twisted together. What else / what other Christmas pizzas would you suggest?
Thagt is upsettingI feel for you.
Fried sproutand cubes of bacon
Ooh, that sounds lushI know it's not very xmassy, but I'd add black pudding to that
Didn't know you could fry sproutsWhole of chopped up?
Thinly sliced sproutsExcellent in any stir fry
Sprouts have massively improved in the past twenty yearsprimarily due to:
1. them working out how to breed ones that aren't sulphurous
2. frying instead of boiling (chopped in half before frying to get the crispy face)
1. them working out how to breed ones that aren't sulphurous
2. frying instead of boiling (chopped in half before frying to get the crispy face)
I'm not a sprout fanBut I'll try.
you can buy frozen premix of sproutswith bacon and chesnuts that is great for roasting, would also work as pizza topping if defrosted probably.
Good call..
eggnogand arguments
Sounts like the titleof a Pulp walbum.
chrstmas puddinglittle cubes of it.
MrsJam decided that one of the sheds should be replaced by a caravanAnd that the chest freezer someone gave us and the tumble dryer should live in the play shed till the caravan is in place and I build a new wheeliebin shed style shed for them.
The caravan fits but the door doesn't open fully. The freezer is in place but I can't get the dryer out of the back door, so I'll have to take it out of the front then DRIVE ROUND TO THE BACK GATE AND LIFT IT OVER THE SMALL WALL (because it's not actually a proper gate, it's a short wall with a fence on top that we made into a gate) and then put into the shed because I can't take it down the side of the house because there's a bloody caravan there.
It's a lot of faff to polish the turd that is "our house is too small and we've got too much stuff". And my knees hurt.
The caravan fits but the door doesn't open fully. The freezer is in place but I can't get the dryer out of the back door, so I'll have to take it out of the front then DRIVE ROUND TO THE BACK GATE AND LIFT IT OVER THE SMALL WALL (because it's not actually a proper gate, it's a short wall with a fence on top that we made into a gate) and then put into the shed because I can't take it down the side of the house because there's a bloody caravan there.
It's a lot of faff to polish the turd that is "our house is too small and we've got too much stuff". And my knees hurt.
my wife's hairdresser/friend said to her today, appalled"you haven't got a garage!?"
Ha!..
If I need to get summat fromfront to back of house it's over 2/3rds of a mile to do so. Yay.
if you have to get the car out anywaywhy not use it to move the caravan for long enough to get the fridge etc. past the house?
The caravan is front-end inand has a few inches clearance at the sides. I need a team of Ukrainians to move it.
Anyway, I did it. I'm the end the dryer being in the van meant it was at the right height, and I found a spare doormat to put on the wall so I wasn't scuffing the dryer. And then I put the door back on.
More ridiculous jobs today but not quite so ridiculous, and they're all inside, and I'm home alone so the Christmas tunes are on.
Anyway, I did it. I'm the end the dryer being in the van meant it was at the right height, and I found a spare doormat to put on the wall so I wasn't scuffing the dryer. And then I put the door back on.
More ridiculous jobs today but not quite so ridiculous, and they're all inside, and I'm home alone so the Christmas tunes are on.
guy goes into a pet shop- So that cat in the front... is it from Utrecht?
- ermm. No i don't think so.
- It doesn't have family from Amsterdam?
- Umm not sure... what's all this about?
- How dutch is that moggy in the window?
- ermm. No i don't think so.
- It doesn't have family from Amsterdam?
- Umm not sure... what's all this about?
- How dutch is that moggy in the window?
Sorryi came up with that while brushing my teeth last night.
Mike?.
Definitelythat quality level
Are you sure you understood?It's a pun
"How much is that doggy in the window" it was a popular song.
You know
"How much is that doggy in the window" it was a popular song.
You know
never explainnever apologise
Sorry.won't happen again.
Can you tell uswhy?
nowit's mike-quality :D
Oh we got itdon't worry
maybe i should try telling it again to be sure....
got to be worth a tryMaybe we're reading it wrong
I quite like that,Very Mike.
Taking of Mike, he has a new kids book or and it's good
Taking of Mike, he has a new kids book or and it's good
I like it.It sounds a bit like the title of that song about an enquiry regarding the monetary value of a canine on display in a commercial premises.
What price are you chargingfor that pup on display?
Is that a prank accountor do bad jokes summon the real Mike like Bloody Mary?
says his name three timesand he appears behind you and rubs you with his massive beard
Blimy hyraki!It's a lesser spotted mike!
I was behind this chap at the traffic lights earlier, it's not just me is it?
that has to beon purpose
Either wayit's soup herb.
Perhaps a little hand sticker on each side of the plate?
Perhaps a little hand sticker on each side of the plate?
He's doing alright in life then with a car like that,just goes to show what you can achieve when you really stretch yourself.
“Greatest of all time”All the youngsters at work use GOAT to describe anything remotely pleasant.
And with that I’m old…
And with that I’m old…
Whereas to meit'll always be about 'acting the goat'
the mods have conferredand you're being let off with a warning
[It is true - ed.]
[It is true - ed.]
I had a funeral yesterday and forgotChaotic Illuminator's birthday.
Oh ueahHe's not of Facebook so missed It.
He's probably too hungover
He's probably too hungover
I couldn’t get into the Bo for a couple of daysBut thank you!
We had a posh lunch, cocktails, and Shakespeare.
We had a posh lunch, cocktails, and Shakespeare.
Tasty, tastyShakespeare.
The past tense of William Shakespeare isWouldiwas Shookspeared
Shame on you.
Yeah whatever,you already told it to someone else and pretended it was your own.
No I showed them your postand they said shame on you as well
So there's a company offering a BSc in data analyticsAnd work are pushing it so I thought "yeah why not", despite having dropped out four times before.
When you apply there isn't an option for the three year option I actually wanted, you apply for the two year option and they see of you'll be ok for it. I got a questionnaire and said "no" to almost everything - are you familiar with git? Can you do linear regression and other stats stuff? Have you used these python libraries? And so on. All "no".
They've accepted me on to the two year course.
When you apply there isn't an option for the three year option I actually wanted, you apply for the two year option and they see of you'll be ok for it. I got a questionnaire and said "no" to almost everything - are you familiar with git? Can you do linear regression and other stats stuff? Have you used these python libraries? And so on. All "no".
They've accepted me on to the two year course.
well donepresumably they'll teach you that stuff so knowing bits of it might be a bad thing?
I work with stats and statisticians every day, I'm supposed to know what I'm talking about. Anything more complicated than mean and median I have to google every time. All the sums are done are by computer programmes these days, SAS is just complicated Excel.
I work with stats and statisticians every day, I'm supposed to know what I'm talking about. Anything more complicated than mean and median I have to google every time. All the sums are done are by computer programmes these days, SAS is just complicated Excel.
...
I spent years working on machine learningin Silicon Valley and I last took a stats class when I was 17. It's all just schoolboys drawing lines of best fit, just in too many dimensions.
how are we dealing with missing values?who knows! just make something up! Nobody understands it anyway!
I'm pretty sure it was to decide if I could skip the first year or notWe'll see.
I've got a project on the go which should make my working life much easier when it finishes in April so maybe I'll be able to catch up.
I've got a project on the go which should make my working life much easier when it finishes in April so maybe I'll be able to catch up.
mr beef conserve,I am foolishly considering trying to do some tinkering with skills I have not flexed in decades. any recommendations for a cheap soldering iron, and possibly a bluetooth audio receiver board if you know a reliable one? it would be going into an old car stereo, or possibly into a box that will then connect to that stereo in some way, whichever feels safer at the time.
I love my Pinecils.Cost maybe £30+postage, run from USB-c or a 2.1mm centre positive 12-24V wall wart, decent choice of tips, hackable OS :D
(yes, it's a soldering iron with an operating system)
Click me!
(yes, it's a soldering iron with an operating system)
Click me!
they do look very tempting,although I'm worried they're way more than I need or would ever get full use from. still, it's not that much more than a cheap solid lump of iron like my old dad used to use, and probably way easier to flog on if I don't use it enough!
I use one of these in my officeDollaTek ZK-502M Audio Mini 2.0 Stereo 50W+50W bluetooth Digital Amplifier Module 50W*2 AMP Amplificador Home Theater AUX USB https://amzn.eu/d/hOot7qN
I'm terrible at soldering, I wouldn't know a good soldering iron from a hair straightener.
I'm terrible at soldering, I wouldn't know a good soldering iron from a hair straightener.
fair enough!the module I was looking at already is a dollatek one, I shall have a compare between that one & this as it may be a more viable idea - thanks!
My partner hit a falling branch yday evening on the way to pick up the twinsIt ripped out the tyre side wall, bent the swing arm and smashed the wheel arch liner. Thankfully it is an “only money” problem rather than a huge effort problem.
She’s a little shaken understandably, and fine otherwise.
Incidentally it is the twins 2nd birthday today!
She’s a little shaken understandably, and fine otherwise.
Incidentally it is the twins 2nd birthday today!
ooph blimeyGlad they're ok, and happy birthdays