Search found 122 matches

by matthew
Thu Jan 01, 2009 9:19 pm
Forum: General Chat - Non CH
Topic: Honours List
Replies: 21
Views: 3558

Re: Honours List

Chris Hoy already had an MBE. As I understand it, it's not possible to get a second one, only a promotion.

I'm guessing the police officer in question didn't already have an honour.
by matthew
Sat Dec 13, 2008 5:27 am
Forum: General Chat - Non CH
Topic: Smartphones/Touch phones
Replies: 15
Views: 3944

Re: Smartphones/Touch phones

I do love my iPhone. I've had one for well over a year now, so it's not just a passing thing. That said, phones do so much these days that what's best really depends on what you want to do. Watch movies, listen to music, browse the web, read email, write mail, take pictures... even make and receive ...
by matthew
Tue Nov 25, 2008 12:17 am
Forum: General Chat - Non CH
Topic: Have you noticed a difference......?
Replies: 8
Views: 2028

Re: Have you noticed a difference......?

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/7725492.stm On my personal mail account, yes! Marked spam is down from an average of 30-40 a day to 10-15. Undeliverable presumed spam (for the whole of atom.net, not just me!) is down from 1,200 a day to 600. Curiously, I've also noticed an increase in the las...
by matthew
Mon Sep 22, 2008 12:06 am
Forum: General Chat - Non CH
Topic: change of seasons
Replies: 16
Views: 2924

Re: change of seasons

I love the fall. It's the best of all the seasons. But then people think I'm a freak.
by matthew
Sun Sep 21, 2008 11:57 pm
Forum: General Chat - Non CH
Topic: What a good idea!
Replies: 6
Views: 1368

Re: What a good idea!

englishangel wrote:When you get 'ads' enclosed with your phone or utility bill, return these
'ads' with your payment. Let the sending companies throw their own junk
mail away.
A better solution for your Canadian friend: http://www.epost.ca/. No paper bills, no annoying bill inserts. It's almost wonderful.
by matthew
Wed Sep 17, 2008 4:45 pm
Forum: General Chat - Non CH
Topic: Where NOT to stay
Replies: 38
Views: 8032

Re: Where NOT to stay

Here's a Snopes link for the Starbucks story.

http://www.snopes.com/politics/military/starbucks.asp

It's a malicious rumour directed at an easy target. I do wish people would do a little research before passing these things on.
by matthew
Tue Sep 16, 2008 4:34 am
Forum: General Chat - Non CH
Topic: Just a glimpse...
Replies: 369
Views: 67045

Re: Just a glimpse...

There are several "British shops" around here. I've wandered into a few of them out of idle curiosity. I've yet to be impressed. There are the British chocolate and crisps that you'd expect, week-old copies of the Daily Mail, sometimes a shelf full of PAL VHS tapes that was last restocked ...
by matthew
Fri Sep 12, 2008 5:08 pm
Forum: General Chat - Non CH
Topic: The Pedant's Revolt
Replies: 475
Views: 65960

Re: The Pedant's Revolt

Richard Ruck wrote: Ahem, 'these errors', shurely?
Unless the error in question was failure to proof-read.

I'm not sure whether proof-reading would have caught all that, though. My Old Blue arrived yesterday, but I've not had a chance to look at it yet.
by matthew
Fri Sep 12, 2008 1:58 am
Forum: General Chat - CH Stuff
Topic: Lousey
Replies: 24
Views: 4869

Re: Lousey

I've said this before, but I'm delighted to hear that Lousey is still going.

Stuart Abercrombie's original and at least one later incarnation were certainly available online, though I don't know about the current version.
by matthew
Sat Sep 06, 2008 12:38 am
Forum: General Chat - Non CH
Topic: Field Dressing a Moose
Replies: 24
Views: 4287

Re: Field Dressing a Moose

Why does the Presidential candidate get the right to choose the VP candidate? Surely this is hardly democratic? He doesn't. It just looks that way. Americans don't really vote for a president. They vote for an 'electoral college': a group that meets to elect a president and vice-president, and then...
by matthew
Thu Sep 04, 2008 5:25 pm
Forum: General Chat - Non CH
Topic: Where NOT to stay
Replies: 38
Views: 8032

Re: Where NOT to stay

Do they have a legal right to exclude people from public premsies? The owner of a private business can exclude whomever he wants, so long as it's not for a reason prohibited by law. So far as I'm aware, there's no law in the UK that prevents discrimination against soldiers. ETA: I don't mean to sug...
by matthew
Thu Sep 04, 2008 1:25 am
Forum: General Chat - Non CH
Topic: Can you follow on...?
Replies: 26
Views: 3819

Re: Can you follow on...?

Jo wrote:I like football but not cricket (that is so not true!)
Ah, but do you like football more than baseball?
by matthew
Wed Sep 03, 2008 8:50 pm
Forum: General Chat - Non CH
Topic: The Pedant's Revolt
Replies: 475
Views: 65960

Re: The Pedant's Revolt

huntertitus wrote:"How are you?"
"Good...Yourself?"
Regardless of the answer, this is a peculiar ritual when you think about it.

"Good", "Fine", and the more traditional "Very well, thank you" all more or less translate as "I'd rather not say".
by matthew
Wed Sep 03, 2008 5:02 pm
Forum: General Chat - Non CH
Topic: Can you follow on...?
Replies: 26
Views: 3819

Re: Can you follow on...?

CHAZ wrote:I like cars but I hate driving?
It's got to be something a little cleverer than that, I'd have thought.

I love booze, but I hate drinking?
by matthew
Mon Sep 01, 2008 6:48 pm
Forum: General Chat - Non CH
Topic: The Pedant's Revolt
Replies: 475
Views: 65960

Re: The Pedant's Revolt

I didn't say it is wrong, it just irritates me because it replaces something simple and correct with something more complicated while posing as a more modern way to say something. There's a useful distinction in meaning here that I think you're missing. 'Like' introduces something in the form of di...