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music, art and culture / Re: Books...

« Last post by jwi on Today at 03:43:01 pm »

The Traitor Son cycle by Miles Cameron might be interesting for readers who enjoy medivial-based high fantasty? Written by a former navy officer and historian, so expect a lot of descriptions of the logistic issues with moving a small army.

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get involved: access, environment, BMC / Re: 180k cragx Mill Bridge

« Last post by Sam R on Today at 03:42:30 pm »

I've been casting an eye over this forum now and then for, well, too long, so it's good to see Fultonious confirm that there is a coda of interaction to which can be flexed and adapted depending on the user's status within the group. The mini pile on for a fairly banal, albeit obtuse and pedantic, reply which could easily be summarised as "let me Google that for you", is a case in point. The the ukb edgelords getting their kickers twisted until the testes pop should perhaps think about why it's OK to call someone a "cunt" because their humour/button pushing/pedantry does not fit within a opaque set of boundaries which as above can be moderated toward the poster. Tl;dr it's OK to indulge in bants with faux gangster patois but not be mildly pedantic with good grammar.

So what's with the bridge anyway? I couldn't be arsed reading anything

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music, art and culture / Re: Books...

« Last post by Rocksteady on Today at 03:33:09 pm »

I've mainly been on a fantasy reading spree for the last few years starting with the Wheel of Time which is the best series of books I've read of any genre (and yes that includes LoTR).

I then read some China Mieville starting with The City and the City which was interesting but only ok, and then moved onto the Bas Lag trilogy, the first of which, Perdido Street Station, was disturbing but excellent and significantly (shockingly?) different to TC&TC! All of the books in this series were excellent.

I'm now approaching the end of the The Second Chronicles of Thomas Covenant having read the first three. I have found them challenging, particularly the first one and in almost every book I find myself getting frustrated with the main character but aways, without fail, by the time I get to the end, I'm quickly onto the next!

Will probably read the Last Chronicles next but am after recommendations on a similar vein for what to read next! Ideally by different authors to those listed above... Thanks!

I love Wheel of Time too, deeply flawed but somehow still just amazing, I have re-read them multiple times and still like them.

Have you read The Malazan Book of the Fallen by Steven Erikson? Usually liked by people who like WoT. Very dark and complex and extremely epic fantasy.
Have you read any Guy Gavriel Kay? Tigana and The Lions of Al Rassan are both incredible reads.
I'll plug my own fantasy novel too The Hand of Fire which was very inspired by WoT and other fantasy classics 

On a different tip, I picked up reading Larry McMurtry again, with his Streets of Laredo following reading Lonesome Dove a few years ago. Wow. Unputdownably good. So bleak but with threads of hope, sometimes hard to follow the headhopping between characters which he doesn't signal that well, but all in an incredible author.

I enjoyed The Axeman's Jazz by Ray Celestin, would read more of this series.

And I've been really enjoying Ross Macdonald's hard-boiled detective series - can't get enough of them really, trying to ration my reading so I don't use them all up too quickly.

Non-fiction I've recently read Empireland and Mary's Beard's Emperor of Rome, both of which I felt were a bit meh. Topics that I would have thought I would find more interesting if treated in a more interesting way, both felt a little superficial. 

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get involved: access, environment, BMC / Re: 180k cragx Mill Bridge

« Last post by Tony on Today at 03:23:53 pm »

have you heard of the UKC forums? Maybe f*ck off over there, it's full of pr*cks like you

When the debate is lost, slander becomes the tool of the losers.


UKC is actually far more inclusive than UKB (and moderated). There is often far greater variety in views in the other place than here.

You could take your own medicine and - do as SamT sagely suggested - and not respond to content to which you take offence. Or, you could argue for why you think it is wrong.

I’ve not written anything hateful about any individual; I have questioned their responses, judgment and logic. I’ve contributed widely to a variety of fora; you may not agree with my contributions: that is the point of fora.

That so many get upset on behalf of their online friends and resort to slander/cursing is, perhaps, a good demonstration of the cliquey, bullying and group-think nature of many UKB users. That’s an observation, not a complaint.

I respond equally to all comers. As do several other users. Bring me a good argument against that.

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shootin' the shit / Re: House Buying Beta

« Last post by Rocksteady on Today at 03:21:47 pm »

Thanks for the opinions above on this. We got the final surveyor's report back and they are of the view it is don't buy unless the sellers can prove the underpinning was lawful and effective. Which it looks like the sellers are unwilling to do. Our solicitor thinks the sellers and their solicitor are being weird and "old school" about this.

I am willing to take on an old property and take on a level of updating and ongoing monitoring, but this one feels like the scale is too much and with undetermined underpinning, an unspecified level of continuing subsidence PLUS knotweed I would be struggling to get a mortgage or insurance or sell it on in future.

Since I would rather spend more time climbing and less time arranging for ongoing structural surveys and knotweed treatment I think it's back to the drawing board on house move! Think we will try to rent in the area and suss it out a bit before diving straight back in.

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get involved: access, environment, BMC / Re: 180k cragx Mill Bridge

« Last post by mrjonathanr on Today at 03:06:20 pm »

Hey Tony, have you heard of the UKC forums? Maybe fuck off over there, it's full of pricks like you

Have another read of what you just posted. 

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news / Re: AidanWad

« Last post by joe-m on Today at 02:50:35 pm »

Bosi will probably give it 8C though.

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get involved: access, environment, BMC / Re: 180k cragx Mill Bridge

« Last post by SamT on Today at 02:23:30 pm »

Guys,.. just don't rise to the bait.  Resorting to abusive comments, even though I might agree with them, just gives the Trolls the moral high ground.  Just ignore, cancel culture and all that.  If repeated trollers/wind up merchants come on UKb, maybe to ask a question they might have, on a topic they think a regular poster on here might have a quick answer to, just ignore it completely, don't even bother  .     
They'll soon grow bored a fuck off to UKc.

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news / Re: AidanWad

« Last post by Wellsy on Today at 02:07:48 pm »

Well! I hope to see a repeat from Bosi and a confirmation but this is pretty mega, what a wad.

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shootin' the shit / Re: Climbers recovering from covid

« Last post by James Malloch on Today at 02:05:48 pm »

So sorry to hear that James, super tough, but sounds like your dealing with the situation well and postively, which is good.  Well done   .

Cheers! Can’t let something like this get you down!

We also had a few covid funerals. One step parent which we couldn’t make due to international travel rules, and my grandmother’s which was to do with numbers allowed.

For the former we went and had a little ceremony at the same time somewhere close to home. It was pretty nice really as we now have somewhere to go and sit and remember them.

I’m sure I’ll do the same on Friday if I can’t make it. I’ve got the beers that my dad got in for our last night together (he was too unwell to drink by that point) so sitting out on the moors somewhere with a beer would be a nice alternative.