Flight Sim is astonishing IMO. So far I’ve piloted only over my local constituency of Surrey and the amount of detail is incredible. When I have more time and patience, I’ll get into the controls more and go exploring.

That’s impressive stumpyjohn. How do you find the time to do these custom builds?

I have a GS I’d be willing to sell.

GS = the gunship?

‘s also on the regular box, OFC.

Yes it is – I was referring to it being an advantage of the Xbox ecosystem over PS’ equivalent.

Mine runs out shortly. Can you still do the £1 upgrade thing if you’ve already done it once, anyone know?

I don’t know TBH, I saw you as more knowledgeable on that front.

You made the right choice Cougar. I bought mine on a whim knowing I had maybe 1 minute from receiving the Discord notification to adding it to an Argos basket and hitting checkout. Not cheap obvs, nor justifiable for many, but I can see it being used easily for 5+ years.

BTW, if you like a bit of cyberpunk action, get your paws on The Ascent. No heavy mechanics or complicated upgrade paths – just a ton of fun and a banging futuristic soundtrack. That’s been my fav game so far.

TBH most of the advantages of the Series consoles at the moment is the loading times and fast start etc, at least until more Series updates and games are released.

And the insane library that is Game Pass. That really is a game changer IMO. Quick save is also excellent – I still fire up games weeks after last playing them only to get dropped in exactly where I left off.

I watched a few video reviews of that D11 2-3 weeks ago and the consensus was that it’s not particularly good, especially given the price. It certainly doesn’t do it for me.

Like others have said, plenty of bargains to be had, eg the Sian and Chiron are £250, the Defender is £110 for starters. However, I’ve been hoarding some sizeable builds throughout the year, awaiting a rainy day or two and really don’t need anymore. Then again… you can never have too much Lego.

I’ve just been assured by my MIL that everything is going to be fine. She’s just driven back from a 400 mile trip (currently with 3/4 tank remaining) to see a friend in the SW, and tells me this whole episode has been caused by the media making a song and dance about fuel shortages that led everyone to fill up as a precaution. It’ll all
blow over shortly once people calm down. Meanwhile, the Gov are not to blame.

Caveat: she loves Bojo and has been known to say complementary things about Trump.

Make of that what you will peeps.

Devil’s advocate here… what if those 5000 visas are given to drivers with precious recent experience of hauling tankers around the UK and elsewhere? Would that not fast track their time to get on the roads?

I’ll join the queue for the GT3 as well please …

Big shout out to Fernandez. An unbelievable competitor and she more than played her part. Emma was just that little bit better.

Wow. She’s done it.

That was easily one of the best women’s finals I’ve seen in nearly 40 years.

Wow. She’s gone to another level these last 3-4 games and is now 1 game away.

I’m also thinking that nabbing that first set in the manner in which she had to fight for it will give her an extra injection of confidence. So often in this tournament she’s blitzed her way to set after set. Here, Fernandez isn’t backing down, making Emma fight that bit harder than she’s had to.

That was quite some first set. Both going toe-to-toe and not giving an inch.

Some astonishing groundstrokes from both players. 1st serve % on the low side but that could be a tension thing. But for 2 young women in their first slam final so early in their careers, this really is an incredible spectacle.

She reminds me of Andy Murray when he first came on the scene (as an 18 yr old?) at Wimbledon c 2005. Has the shots, the mobility and perhaps most importantly, the on court drive and determination to beat the best. And the self belief to break the top 10 and maybe even top 5.

An incredible achievement from her for sure. But this has been a bit of an odd US Open. Regardless of what happens in the final, hopefully she’ll reach the pinnacle. A very articulate girl too, full of humility. Good on her.

I used to get them 20 years ago when I got back into running. Here’s what worked for me:

1. Walk the first 10 minutes, upping the pace. Run for a few mins then walk. Run some more than walk at the end to warm down.
2. Get home, apply ice packs to shins while elevating them.
3. Ride your bike to build strength without that stress of running.

Step 1 made a big difference immediately because previously I had gone straight into running mode and getting pains.

Step 2 was something I’d read about and gave it a go. I think it helped a bit, but not as much as 1 and 3.

Step 3 worked because I then decided to get back into riding and ended up replacing a few runs with rides. This definitely helped build muscles/strength around shins/calves in a less stressful way.

Just my tuppence.

Was anyone really expecting them to chase a record total against India?

Not really TBH. But I had hoped for some stickability throughout the top 6, even if that meant being bowled out for 310 with 20 mins to go. Sadly, some of these players just cannot be depended on when under pressure.

Could even be over by tea.

So, with over an hour’s play, we still need 250. Can’t see us going for it now TBH. Lose another wicket before lunch and I reckon it’ll be a case of aiming just to bat the day out. However, if Malan and Hameed can accelerate the run rate over the next 90+mins before one of them goes, then Root may give the green light to have a dig. Methinks he’ll still play it safe though.

<optimistic>

If Burns and Hameed walk back out to the middle tomorrow morning then this really could be on.

<\optimistic>

Either way, this might last the full 5 days and give both sections of the crowd a crazy last session.

My missus snores like a drunk, asthmatic gorilla. Needless to say we sleep in separate rooms. No issue as it turns out we’re not the only ones in this parish.

2 more wickets gone already.

All aboard for what looks to be another rollercoaster day.

Lots of fairly decent offers on at the moment. The Saturn Apollo is available again at £109, the Defender is £116 at JL (and a tenner less you know where) for starters. Might get both and stick them away for winter.

Cool, that’s 3 places on the list so far to investigate.

Anything you know of that’s a few miles further afield, say between Snowdonia and Chester?

Bumpy

And, according to the report I read had the album cover tattooed on his chest. I’d hope that in the UK he’d get laughed out of court and given a lovely large legal bill from the defence, but as it’s the USA, he’ll probably win.

Aye. This guy is only pursuing this avenue now because he’s in the US and believes he has a chance. He needs to grow up and move on.

NordVPN. Have been using it for a year or so and it’s seems pretty solid. I know others are recommended too.

Plenty of senior bods in the US military leave their roles and take up high ranking positions in the weapons manufacturing firms solely to lobby the Gov into creating wars that keep them in business. No matter which way the US Administration turn, they’re confronted with people lecturing them on the need to invest in defence/weapons/tech more and more as well as deploy it.

Once the dust has settled over Afghanistan, the US will find someone else to bully.

I like a beer. I am teetotal. I drink AF beer accordingly.

They are much much better tasting than they used to be too.

Same here for 2.5 years. Initially I avoided AF beer because I thought the flavour would trigger me into wanting a proper beer again. But it didn’t, so I sampled many different brews and as said by others, the flavour/experience is much better than it used to be.

I bought an Atop case for XR back in 2019. I’ve dropped my phone a lot and the phone is still like new, and the rubberised case shows barely any marks. The screen protector is excellent too, and has also saved my screen many a time.

Ignore all the snobbery around Powerpoint. There’s nothing wrong with it – it gets a bad name because of 1) all the mind-numbing presentations we’ve had to sit through, and 2) the shocking mix n match use of clipart/photos/fonts/colours cobbled together by people leaders who really should know how to communicate more effectively.

Powerpoint is still in use by most businesses and won’t be going away soon. It’s one of those tools that is only as good as the person using it.

If you want someone to take your deck and funk it up then check out some freelancers on places like Upwork, Elance and People Per Hour (or didn’t someone else say their wife was handy with it?).

Apps/products/services tied in with Adobe, Canva, Mira etc all have their place. Absolutely. But not everyone needs that.

Very funny guy gone much too young The world just got a little bit drearier.

^ 100%

Such a likeable, funny bloke. One of the few comics who regularly had me laughing out loud, especially on 8 out 10. It won’t be the same without him.

Yeah, I was going to have a go at one at those GPU deals but it seemed like a lot of faff and might not even work (after subscribing up front for something like 1 year at full RRP?). Hence I started with the 3 months at £1/month offer then I’ll carry on at a tenner a pop because it’s huge VFM.

For those sitting on the fence between PS and Xbox (of any flavour), I must say that I’m mightily impressed with the latter’s Game Pass Ultimate. An insane number of games, including lots of first day AAA releases, for £10/month.

Having been a PS fan for 15+ years – and being actively disinterested in anything-Xbox – I’ve now seen the light and think Microsoft have absolutely nailed it. Lots of indie devs being given plenty of exposure through GPU as well, so all in all a strong VFM contender.

I still use my PS4 for an hour here and there, but PS Now is just so devoid of variety. XSX with GPU all the way for me right now.

Vaughan and Tres were selected on the basis of being made ‘of the right stuff’

Vaughan was a very assertive leader and captain, and that enabled him to apply pressure on opponents. He didn’t get it right every time of course, but he was certainly far more aggressive and ‘in yer face’ than Root. I can’t help but feel Root is just like Cook in terms of his temperament and outlook – obviously both great batsmen, but IMO both way too reserved.

Cheers redmex. I’m going to do a bit more digging on the Big Horn as that defo looks like a solid competitor.

From being in the driving seat at 11:30 this morning to facing another defeat, this England side really has a to take a look at itself. Feels like we’re back to that age old conundrum of working out who should open.

Wow. With the score on 66-3, you might be wondering who our second top scorer is… well, it’s Extras on 23! That’s insane.

Just found this dude showing how he sets up his Big Horn. Decent enough results.

Hmm definitely intrigued by your Big Horn (oi oi) Redmex. Am I right in thinking you can only buy them on Amazon as I couldn’t see them anywhere else that looked genuine?

Could maybe justify the £300 12″ Ooni but not the 16″ £500.

All over by tea at this rate.