Play Nice Random Chat Thread VI

[ferball]

Guessing you've seen this one

Their Sumerian youtube preso was interesting.

 

[CharlieMortdecai]

Makes me wonder though, what we believe now will probably be adjusted in the future through scientific breakthroughs.

This is absolutely true, but also just the nature of knowledge. Young turks challenge the consensus view, debate ensues, and a correction follows - in some cases anyway.

Case in point - I was listening to this the other day: Stuff

The guest (Josh Berson) was talking about Tasmanian archaeology. Since the 1960s the orthodox view has been that there was basically a regression in Tasmanian societies following the flooding of Bass Strait and their isolation from other humans. However, there is an alternative view that in adapting to changed environmental conditions the role of material technology for Tasmanians changed, and there was either less reliance on material technology, or the type of material technology used was of a kind far less likely to remain in the archaeological record.

This view has begun to gain more support as archaeologists and anthropologists in general have increasingly questioned whether the importance of material technology is overinflated in their research. That is, when all that remains to study are material artefacts they inevitably come to be seen as far more central to societies than they actually were at the time. Who knows, improvements in contemporary scientific methods may enable us to trace other aspects of the historical record in time, leading to corrections to this sort of bias.

 

[CharlieMortdecai]

Im a late adopter of history and am now fascinated by it. I can only do audiobooks and podcasts though because my mind wanders when I read I find myself re reading every page to try and absorb it.

Any recommendations? I listened to power and thrones lately which was pretty interesting, but it doesn’t really knuckle down on individual stories too much but it’s a good summation of the Middle Ages.

Yeah, "The Rest is History" with Tom Holland and Dominic Sandbrook is an excellent history podcast. Quite British-centric, in the sense that they are two English historians, but they cover everything from Ancient History to September 11, and all parts of the globe. It's casual, funny and informative. IMO of course, others may not find it to their taste.
Because they cover so many topics that are outside their own field (ancient and mediaeval history for Holland, modern Europe for Sandbrook) they will frequently have guests who are specialists on certain topics, these can be historians who are at the absolute top of their field like Mary Beard on ancient Rome.

Edit: I should mention that they have only done one episode on Australia, and it was titled something like "Australia before the coming of Cook". The guest was the person who wrote the Australian history books called something like "Girt" and "True Girt". I must admit to judging books by their covers and assuming they would be quite lightweight, but he was excellent. (Google tells me his name is David Hunt). I haven't read them but based on his performance I would say they might be worth getting as audiobooks if they are available as such.

Australia also gets a bit of a mention in the episode on cricket - Holland is a cricket tragic.

 

[CharlieMortdecai]

Oh, and Val Keating for an Australian perspective "The History Listen" on ABC Radio National is really good too (also available wherever you get podcasts). I haven't listened to many but whenever I have they have been really fascinating. The three I heard last year were about:

• Pentridge Prison
• The competition to come up with a solution to the rabbit problem, which brought one of Louis Pasteur's colleagues to Australia
• Smuggling diamonds out of Batavia in WWII in a plane that crashed off the coast of Broome.

Episode list available here: The History Listen

Oh, correction the rabbit story was on "Earshot": Louis Pasteur and Australia's war on rabbits

RN also has "Rear Vision" which does historical stories, but not just Australian: Rear Vision

I thoroughly recommend the story on Louis Pasteur and the rabbit plague, has lots of unexpected twists and diversions.

 

[Val Keating]

Thanks

 

[TennisPlayerAndy]

Glen Wheatley.

Dead at 74.

 

[Makeshift Park]

Been playing the remastered version of Uncharted over the last few days. Awesome fun.

I’d never actually played the original, but I thought Last of Us was amazing, so the gameplay is all very familiar. Incredible how immersive the game feels after coming out five years ago.

Don’t really feel the need to go see the Hollywood adaptation at the cinema though.

 

[AnEmptyChair]

Been playing the remastered version of Uncharted over the last few days. Awesome fun.

I’d never actually played the original, but I thought Last of Us was amazing, so the gameplay is all very familiar. Incredible how immersive the game feels after coming out five years ago.

Don’t really feel the need to go see the Hollywood adaptation at the cinema though.

Yeah, nice. The first three Uncharted games are so much fun.

I'm a huge TLOU fan too, although probably in a very small minority in thinking that Part 2 is the superior game in almost every facet; i find it narratively and thematically richer than the first and the characters more fleshed out and complex. But in saying that, I still adore the first one. Both combined are one of my favourite pieces of storytelling in any medium.

 

[Ligma]

Yeah, nice. The first three Uncharted games are so much fun.

I'm a huge TLOU fan too, although probably in a very small minority in thinking that Part 2 is the superior game in almost every facet; i find it narratively and thematically richer than the first and the characters more fleshed out and complex. But in saying that, I still adore the first one. Both combined are one of my favourite pieces of storytelling in any medium.

Nerd.

 

[Makeshift Park]

Yeah, nice. The first three Uncharted games are so much fun.

I'm a huge TLOU fan too, although probably in a very small minority in thinking that Part 2 is the superior game in almost every facet; i find it narratively and thematically richer than the first and the characters more fleshed out and complex. But in saying that, I still adore the first one. Both combined are one of my favourite pieces of storytelling in any medium.

TLOU2 has the most intelligently structured narrative of any game I’ve played, bar none.

Instead of raking in millions by repeating the original’s template, Naughty Dog made the sequel into a devastating work of art and challenged it’s audience to accept it on its own terms. It was a genuinely courageous move, particularly given how much blood, sweat, tears and money they poured into it.

 

[AnEmptyChair]

TLOU2 has the most intelligently structured narrative of any game I’ve played, bar none.

Instead of raking in millions by repeating the original’s template, Naughty Dog made the sequel into a devastating work of art and challenged it’s audience to accept it on its own terms. It was a genuinely courageous move, particularly given how much blood, sweat, tears and money they poured into it.

Yep. I've had the exact same thought before as well. It's challenging and brave and extremely subversive in both its narrative structure and gameplay.

 

[AnEmptyChair]

Nerd.

I promise I only played it during the MAFS, Survivor, Big Brother and Bachelor ad breaks.

Also, you might be interested. Joel is the ultimate animated fictional DILF

 

[Ligma]

I promise I only played it during the MAFS, Survivor, Big Brother and Bachelor ad breaks.

Also, you might be interested. Joel is the ultimate animated fictional DILF

I actually haven’t caught up on MAFS I’m watching euphoria right now and I was shocked when I saw mark Sloan lol

 

[ferball]

Has anyone had something like this happen?,

I got the audiobook Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari a couple of days ago, anyway I jump on YouTube last night and in my YouTube feed was recommendations of talks he's given despite never searched for anything of his before. Weird

Ignore it. Nobody's spying on you. You're crazy if you think they are.

 

[ferball]

TLOU2 has the most intelligently structured narrative of any game I’ve played, bar none.

Instead of raking in millions by repeating the original’s template, Naughty Dog made the sequel into a devastating work of art and challenged it’s audience to accept it on its own terms. It was a genuinely courageous move, particularly given how much blood, sweat, tears and money they poured into it.

I've heard that its good. I'm thinking of buying a gaming computer for the first time in nearly a decade. I don't have one now. But anyway its games like that and a few others that are making me think that way.

Gaming is a way of story telling. Its as valid as movies or books. When the first movies were shown no one thought they'd be great storytelling art that rivaled the best literature of all time. Here we are over 100 years later and its not even a thing ... no one with a brain considers film to be an invalid form of story telling. The idea is laughable.

Not all games are like that obviously but some nail it.

 

[travelli]

Initially I completed a BA majoring in history, but somehow ended up in accounting and did a masters in that. Currently doing another masters, this time in history, really just for fun and because it gives you access to university libraries. I mean it's a pretty ******* expensive library membership, but I only do one unit every second trimester and they don't suspend your library access in the space in between. As a postgrad there's no borrowing limit, they mail me the books, and you get reply paid envelopes to return them (this is UNE). Plus it also puts some structure around your reading, and when you get a good unit co-ordinator it's awesome being able to bounce ideas off them and discuss various historical issues.
At this rate I'll finish at retirement age and might go on to do a PhD!

That's very cool. Not so many people go for libraries these days, but I still reckon they are crucial. May yet bounce back with all the mad crap driving people nuts on the internet.

 

[AnEmptyChair]

I've heard that its good. I'm thinking of buying a gaming computer for the first time in nearly a decade. I don't have one now. But anyway its games like that and a few others that are making me think that way.

Gaming is a way of story telling. Its as valid as movies or books. When the first movies were shown no one thought they'd be great storytelling art that rivaled the best literature of all time. Here we are over 100 years later and its not even a thing ... no one with a brain considers film to be an invalid form of story telling. The idea is laughable.

Not all games are like that obviously but some nail it.

Agree with every single point here. As someone who prefers story-heavy games that focus on theme and character and also someone who reads a lot, video games are just as effective a medium as anything else. In fact the very nature of games, where the player is literally given control over a character or can be inserted into the world, can give them an edge over other mediums in some respects.

Just an FYI though ferbs. TLOU and Part 2 are PlayStation exclusives so don't go shelling out on a PC in order to play them if they're the reason you want to get a gaming system.

 

[Makeshift Park]

On the upside, a ps5 is a fraction of the cost of a gaming PC, and you’ll have access to all the Naughty Dog titles.

Until about six months ago, the only game I’d played for the past decade was Portal 2. But since then I’ve been playing catch up at a pretty mean rate. Blame it on pandemic.

 

[Makeshift Park]

When the first movies were shown no one thought they'd be great storytelling art that rivaled the best literature of all time.

It would’ve been bloody interesting to be there in those original screenings of Wiene’s Cabinet of Dr Caligari, Murnau’s Sunrise, Dreyer’s The Passion of Joan of Arc, and Eisenstein’s Battleship Potemkin… and watching the audience’s collective mind getting blown into smithereens at the potential of this new weird medium.

 

[AnEmptyChair]

On the upside, a ps5 is a fraction of the cost of a gaming PC, and you’ll have access to all the Naughty Dog titles.

Until about six months ago, the only game I’d played for the past decade was Portal 2. But since then I’ve been playing catch up at a pretty mean rate. Blame it on pandemic.

Check out Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice if you haven't yet. Really heavy and deals with some pretty ****ed up shit, but it fantastic. Wear headphones if you can too because there's a part of it (which i can't really describe because it's best to experience yourself) that's recorded with s binaural microphone.

 

[Sphynx]

It’s easy listening, but Gary Jubelins podcast is awesome.

Focus’ mainly on the careers of NSW police, but going through the careers of some high profile police detectives is fairly fascinating. Mental health effects on some of them are fairly stark.

Some of them have been involved in some increadible stuff, from the Granville train disaster, Lindt Cafe siege, to investigating war criminals in mass graves in Russia.

Most of those interviewed have headed up some of the biggest cases in history and they go in depth into a lot of them.

I’m not massively into True Crime stuff, but this has hooked me.

 

[goalieboy82]

Coach Emeritus Scamper from this morning:

he was relaxed in his bed before i left.
he was happy to see me this morning (meowed and purred loudly plus he rubbed his head on my hand)

 

[CharlieMortdecai]

That's very cool. Not so many people go for libraries these days, but I still reckon they are crucial. May yet bounce back with all the mad crap driving people nuts on the internet.

I hope you are right. I have loved libraries most of my life, from the time my father would take us to the local public library on a Saturday morning. Funnily enough, I have never been a big one for owning books as objects in themselves (although I still have plenty!), but rather the stories and knowledge within them. I think I have always felt I "own" a book once I have read it, so the idea of being able to borrow and return books has always felt rather amazing to me. (I cannot for the life of me think where I saw it, but I always liked a line from a TV show or movie where a fictional author described libraries as "state-sponsored copyright infringement").

I would be so disappointed if they went the way of taxis and encyclopedias, although it seems taxis are adapting to the changed environment. I think that is a good sign, because libraries have always shown a capacity to change with the times, to broaden their scope to becoming "information gateways". There's a tremendous documentary about the New York public library that is well worth watching: Ex Libris: The New York Public Library - Wikipedia

 

[Val Keating]

Ignore it. Nobody's spying on you. You're crazy if you think they are.

 

[Val Keating]

That's very cool. Not so many people go for libraries these days, but I still reckon they are crucial. May yet bounce back with all the mad crap driving people nuts on the internet.

I used to go to libraries to do my quoting/invoicing so I wouldn’t get distracted by stuff at home, like the two little toddlers always climbing on me and wanting to push the buttons.

Libraries are cool. I was surprised by how many homeless people hung out there. Makes sense though.