Topics

1

Off Topic / 21st Birthday!

« on: August 09, 2016, 06:13:52 PM »

Hey, it's August 10th, my birthday!
And this year I've decided to be 21. Finally I can drink in practically all countries.

Not a lot going on for the day itself though. I've been stuff at giving ideas for presents so it might be a mixed bag, lol.

Anyway, feel free to congratulate me on not dying. It's been nice to not die while being a part of this community for 8 long years (even if you'd made it tough to persist with living).

2

Off Topic / Sir Terry Wogan has passed away, aged 77.

« on: January 31, 2016, 12:26:01 PM »

Sir Terry Wogan has passed away at the age of 77, after a brief battle with cancer.

Many of you may not know of Terry Wogan. He was a long-time veteran BBC presenter, hosting numerous TV and radio programmes.
Some of you may have heard his familiar dry wit during the Eurovision Song Contest, which he commentated upon both via radio and TV at various points since 1973, commentating on the TV programme every year from 1980 to 2008.

He was also the headliner and host of the BBC's Children in Need, an annual telethon charity event raising money for the poor, disprivileged and sick children of the UK, raising over £790 million since 1980.
Wogan hosted the show every year from 1980 until 2014. Unfortunately he could not host 2015 because of the illness which took his life, but had high hopes to return for 2016.


I'm sure there are many Brits, and possibly others abroad, for whom Sir Terry Wogan was a big figure for much of their lives. Whether it was his radio programmes, or his many TV roles.
He'll be sorely missed by many.

3

Off Topic / UK MPs debate [Ended] - Should Donald Annoying Orange be banned from entering the UK?

« on: January 18, 2016, 01:10:55 PM »

There's a debate currently going on between Members of Parliament in the UK, after a petition calling for Donald Annoying Orange to be banned from entering the UK recieved 100,000 signatures. It has currently recieved 575,000 signatures.

There's an updating article by the Guardian on the debate as it rolls out tonight, including a live video feed (is a bit tenuous). The debate has now ended, and a full summary of the various speeches and keypoints made can be found on the previous link.

This might be of interest to you, even if the end result may be quite predictable.

4

Off Topic / [||Giraffe Appreciation Week 2016||]

« on: January 08, 2016, 05:45:56 PM »

INTERNATIONAL GIRAFFE APPRECIATION WEEK
OFFICIAL THEME

The humble giraffe has a long history as a friend, mentor, and companion of human kind. As well known, we take this time, from the eighth of January to the fourteenth, to show our support for these magnificent beings in the International Giraffe Appreciation Week.
Giraffes are said to be mankinds greatest inspiration, with the stalwart presence casting a gaze across their kingdom, as they reach to the heavens themselves. They have 25lb hearts, and give birth standing up, so that every giraffe begins life with a fall, but stands up tall. Please show your care this week.

These great animals need you!

As you know, following the great week that is Camel Appreciation Week, we turn our eyes to their magnificent friends from the south, and celebrate Giraffe Appreciation Week.
Giraffes - they actively hunt trees, approaching from upwind, they sleep for just 10 minutes a day, and have even been said to float in times of intense concentration!
Show your appreciation with these free Giraffe Avatars, and perhaps you too will feel the sublime connection to the universe that all giraffes feel!

Note: wearing giraffe avatars guarantees immunity to facing accusations of paedophilia this week[/url]

5

Off Topic / Tweet Quoted Live on TV

« on: May 18, 2015, 05:33:42 PM »

Hello!
Today, at roughly 10:30pm (GMT+1), I had a tweet quoted live on TV, on Thronecast, the Sky Atlantic follow-up programme for Game of Thrones!

Jamie East, a comedian and co-host, read out my name, "Sir Dooble", and my question to Jessica Henwick, the actress who plays Nymeria Sand, one of the Sand Snakes (the one with the whip!).

Here's the tweet!

@mrjamieeast @thronecast @JHenwick @mrmichaelball For Jessica, who would win in a fight? Nymeria Sand or Nymeria the Direwolf?

I don't have a clip to show, since the programme just aired and I watch it live without any form of playback so I couldn't capture it. But if I find one I'll be sure to post it.
But I'm really excited, because I've been trying to get one of my tweets read out on the show for weeks now!

Please, share any times you've had something you said/did mentioned on TV!

6

Off Topic / UK General Election 2015 - Election Day - Conservative Majority Wins.

« on: May 07, 2015, 01:22:39 PM »

That's right, today, Thursday March 7th is the day of the General Election for ministers in Parliament for the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

UK citizens aged 18+ who have registered to vote will be heading out all over the UK today to their local polling stations to vote on their representatives in the Houses of Parliament for the next 5 years.

How the system works.

- The United Kingdom is split up into 650 different constituencies.
- Eligible citizens in these constituencies have the ability to register to vote prior to the election, where they recieve their polling card.
- On election day citizens will visit their local polling stations (there may be multiple per constituency), where they hand in their polling cards and head to the ballots. There they are presented with a list of candidates and their respective political parties in their constituencies.
- Citizens vote for 1 candidate and hand in their ballot paper, where it is stored away anonymously.
- Polling stations cease voting at 10pm (unless there has been a queue), at which point all constituencies begin counting the votes for each respective candidate.
- Throughout the night consitutencies declare their elected Minister once they have counted their seats.

- All 650 ministers elected make up the Lower House of Parliament, The House of Commons. Typically they are collectively called "Parliament".
- However, the political party which has the majority of seats (over half, being around 326 seats) forms the new Government, their leader becomes Prime Minister, and they form the Cabinet, select Ministers from that party who are chosen to be in charge of key areas of Government, such as Defense, Education, Welfare, etc..
- If no single party has the majority of seats, then it is a Hung Parliament. In a Hung Parliament there is no guarantee of prospective laws being passed, as a single party can not guarantee enough votes for their suggestions.
- If there is a Hung Parliament, parties have the ability to decide to co-ally, forming a coallition Government, whereby they together provide enough seats to have a majority. The leader of the smaller party in the coallition becomes the Deputy Prime Minister.

Map of United Kingdom Constituencies

Note: The colours indicate the elected parties for each constituency in the 2010 General Election.
The gap in the centre of England is Buckingham, which elected John Bercow, who was selected as Speaker of the House of Commons, and thereby does not count as being affilliated with a political party.

Leading Parties and their Leaders.

Conservative Party The Conservative Party (Tories) forms the current Coallition Government, having won the largest number of seats in the 2010 General Election, but not achieving majority. In turn they formed a coallition with the Liberal Democrat Party, who had a minority of seats, but enough to ensure that the Tories and Lib Dems could hold a majority government together. The Conservative Party is typically considered a right-wing party, although not usually considered to be extreme. The Conservatives current Manifesto can be found here. It's previous Prime Ministers have included notable figures such as; Winston Churchill (PM during WWII) Margaret Thatcher (First and only female PM)	David Cameron David Cameron was elected by his party as Leader in 2005. In 2010, Cameron became Prime Minister, alongside Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg. Cameron holds the parliamentary seat of Witney, and has done since 2001. Earlier in his career he was Shadow Secretary of State for Education, under then Tory party leader Michael Howard.
Ed Miliband Ed Miliband was elected by his party as Leader in 2010, beating his brother David Miliband, and taking over the position from the resigned former PM, Gordon Brown. Miliband holds the parliamentary seat for Doncaster North, and has done since 2005. Earlier in his career he was Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, under Gordon Brown and later Harriet Harman.	Labour Party The Labour Party is currently the head of the Opposition, sitting in Parliament with the next highest number of seats. Labour previously held on to majority as the Government of the UK from 1997 until 2010. The Labour Party is typically considered a left-wing party, although usually considered to be closer to centre than further extremes. Labour's current Manifesto can be found here. It's previous Prime Ministers have included notable figures such as; Harold Wilson (Held Government for 4 different periods, some non-consecutively) Tony Blair (Formed 'New Labour' and held PM for 3 consecutive periods. Handed over his PM status to Gordon Brown in 2007)
Liberal Democrat Party The Liberal Democrats form the current Coallition Government, providing 57 seats to the Conservatives 306 in the 2010 General Election. The Liberal Democrat party was formed in 1988 by a merger between the Liberal party and the Social Democrat party. The Lib Dems are typically considered a Centrist party, usually focussed on social liberalism. The Lib Dem Manifesto can be found here.	Nick Clegg Nick Clegg was elected by his party as Leader in 2007. In 2010, Clegg became Deputy Prime Minister, alongside Prime Minister David Cameron. Clegg holds the parliamentary seat of Sheffield Halam, and has done since 2005, having earlier held the MEP seat for the East Midlands, from 1999 until 2004.
Nigel Farage Nigel Farage was elected Leader of his party in 2006 and held it until 2009, where he stood down in order to focus on campaigning for the Parliamentary seat of Buckingham, and was replaced by Lord Malcolm Pearson. Following Pearson's resignation in 2010, Farage again was elected as party Leader. Clegg does not currently hold a parliamentary seat in Westminster, but does hold the MEP seat for South East England, which he has done since 1999.	United Kingdom Independence Party (UKIP) The United Kingdom Independence Party (UKIP) is a non-major party that has had relatively few seats in Parliament. It formed in 1993 with the aim of securing UK withdrawal from the European Union. UKIP has had 2 candidates elected to Parliament, but has had more success in MEP (Member of European Parliament)elections, currently having 23 representatives, with at least one in 11 of the 12 UK MEP constituencies. UKIP is typically considered a right-wing party, being generally concieved as being slightly more right-wing than the Conservative Party. UKIP has considerable focus on EU membership as well as stricter regulations and reforms on immigration. The UKIP Manifesto can be found here.
The Green Party of England and Wales The Green Party is a non-major party that has had relatively few seats in Parliament, currently holding 1 seat, and 3 MEP seats The party has a relatively long history, forming initially in 1973 as the PEOPLE party, then forming the Ecology Party in 1975, before settling as the Green Party in 1985. It has however split peacefully into three smaller seperate parties, as of 1990, namely the Green Party of England and Wales, the Scottish Green party and the Green Party in Northern Ireland. The Green Party is typically considered a left-wing party, with a clear focus on environmental issues, as well international humanitarian issues. The Green Party Manifesto can be found here.	Natalie Bennett Natalie Bennett was elected Leader of her party in 2012. Bennett stood for the Green party in council elections twice, as well as for the Parliamentary seat of Holborn and St Pancras in 2010, but did not win any of the elections. She is standing for the Holborn and St Pancras seat again.
Nicola Sturgeon Nicola Sturgeon was elected as the Leader of her party in 2014, following the resignation of former Leader Alex Salmond, after the failure of the Scottish Independence Referendum to result in Scotland leaving the union. As a result, Sturgeon is currently the First Minister of Scotland. Sturgeon has not held a seat in the UK Parliament, but has held seats for the Scottish Parliament, for Glasgow (1999-2007), Glasgow Govan (2007-2011) and Glasgow Southside (2011-present). Sturgeon also held the office of Deputy Leader of the SNP under Alex Salmond from 2004 until 2014, and being Deputy First Minister of Scotland from 2007-2014.	Scottish Nationalist Party (SNP) The Scottish Nationalist Party (SNP) is a major party that has had relatively good success in Parliament, notably holding 6 seats in Parliament, but having majority in the devolved Scottish Parliament. The SNP is typically considered a left-wing party, with a clear focus on Scottish Nationalism, notably the call for Scottish Independence via Referendum. The SNP Manifesto can be found here. (note, this leads directly to an online .pdf)

The Election Results can be viewed tonight live on BBC One, from 9:55pm (GMT+1).

7

Off Topic / lolbot.net v3.0 for worst website design of the year.

« on: March 16, 2015, 01:26:10 PM »

So, I figured I'd share this here, since the Forums and lolbot.net have had a sort of almost relationship for the past few years, or at least once upon a time.
(Or rather, we started using lolbot some years ago for a YLYL topic, and Sir Bottington noticed the influx of traffic and blockland jokes enough to give us our own imageboard, then went spastic on these forums, got banned, and removed blockbot in a massive hissy fit)
I'm sure there's at least a couple of people who still frequent the website. (I mostly do just for pokebot)

And today, or in the past couple of days, lolbot unveiled a new site redesign, V 3.0, after running a beta that I'm sure nobody really took part in for a few weeks.

And here it is: Lolbot.net


I personally don't think I could've imagined a worse way for viewing pictures on the internet.
Furthermore, they're no jumbled up with all the horrible stuffty text-based jokes and anecdotes that the everyboty community can come up with.

So, discuss and share your opinion on their new site design.

8

Games / Roller Coaster Tycoon World Gameplay Reveal Teaser

« on: March 06, 2015, 05:32:48 PM »

RollerCoaster Tycoon World Gameplay Reveal Trailer

That's right.
I think it's fair to say, it somehow got uglier between 2004's RCT3 and now!




Discuss the marvels of Atari!

9

Off Topic / Blockland Forums investigates a possible murder mystery.

« on: February 24, 2015, 03:43:59 PM »

http://metro.co.uk/2015/02/24/man-who-had-love-with-a-postbox-is-found-dead-behind-a-chinese-restaurant-5077200/?ito=facebook

On Tuesday 24th February, 2015, Paul Bennet was found dead behind a chinese takeaway in the Greater Manchester area.

The unfortunate suspect and postbox penetrator

The individual, who had recently come to the public light after a brave expose and critique of the modern culture, involving his intimate association with a public post box, was discovered dead.
The Greater Manchester Police declared that they were not treating the death as suspicious, although they believe it to be drug related.

Paul Bennet's lover and co-whistleblower

Clearly this is a cover-up to protect those who committed the crime.
Blockland Forums has been hired to investigate the crime and bring the killer of poor Paul Bennet to justice.

How deep does this conspiracy go? Are suggestions that the Royal Family wanted revenge for the sacrilege caused to HRH's postbox, or that McDonalds was dealing a blow against the rapidly growing Chinese Takeaway Empire, or even Vladimir Putin was performing his first move on an invasion of Britain following the earlier flyover of Russian Bombers at all credible? Was it really drugs that caused his demise, or perhaps a radioactive poison, or a post-box spread STD?

Share your findings and help us solve this modern enigma.

10

General Discussion / Atlantis - Need Help/Advice

« on: January 09, 2015, 12:51:40 PM »

Hello!

I'm hopefully going to start working on an Atlantis-themed build. It will obviously be rather Ancient-Greek based, and therefore include plenty of temples, theatres, villas, ships and similar things.
But there's one major thing I want to include which I have never attempted before (or at least, not seriously...), and that is terrain!

I have a semi-designed map that I want to stick to as well, so this will hopefully help with the process.
Thing is though, I don't know whether to use cubescape, brickscape, platescape or even ModTer.
And furthermore, I have no experience with any of those!
So, if there's anyone who can provide help with those, in advice or even working with me, I would be really thankful for any and all help!

I won't be using the actual saves I made before (as they're stuck at home), but I will be using similar styles to that which I used on my Greco-Roman build.
Atlantis Map

Sorry for the blurry quality! It's just a brief pencil sketch of what I hope for. And the scales certainly aren't set in stone.
But in case you can't tell (which I'm sure you can't), I'll briefly describe the map.


Atlantis is an island which runs from North to South, tapering at the Southern end.
At the Southern end of the island, the city of Atlantis cits, walled in to the southern tip.
In the Far North of the island, a small fishing village rests.
In the North of the island, Mount Vulcan, a Volcano sits, looming over the landscape. It's mostly calm, although smoke regularl soars out of it's large mouth.
In the South of the island the Atlantean Farms sit atop the rolling fertile hills beneath Mount Vulcan.
Off the West Coast sits the island home to the Oracle of Atlantis, providing insight into the will of the god Poseidon.
Off the South Eastern Coast is the crumbled remains of an older part of the city. Over a hundred years ago this part of the city collapsed into the sea, as the ground was shaken apart by Poseidon, god of Earthquakes. It's said that the treasures and buildings of that part of the city still rest intact underneath the sea.
Off the Northern Coast lies the Smokey Isles, black, hot islands clouded in a dense black smoke and fog. A consistent lava flume from Mount Vulcan pours into the sea, building out the land and producing the thick smoke.
In the South of the city there stands four docks, providing port to the otherwise rocky cliffed island. Each dock ends in a large lighthouse.
Help Needed
I will almost definitely need some help in landscaping this build, and would need advice on how it's best to build (buildings first, then terrain, or terrain then buildings??).

Furthermore, I need advice on any good brick-packs and Add-Ons I should use, as well as a good colorset.

Colorset
I'm looking for a nice earthy colorset, but one that has several shades of white for marbles, and pastel colours, as well as some nice earthy shades of red for houses. Transparents aren't really a neccessity.

Brickpacks
I need decent bricks for making attractive columns, as well as a number of good bricks for making circles.
Furthermore, I really need something to let me build some nice Ionian Columns.

Add-Ons
Any good looking weapon packs, which would have things like Greek/Spartan style shields, plus swords and spears would be excellent, as these can be used for decoration!
Furthermore, any sculpture/frieze print-decals, or Ancient Greek style Chest Decals would be great, as I could use them to decorate walls and sculptures!
Thanks!
Thank you for your time, and for any help you can provide!

I would love it if anyone was interested in joining in building, in any way! Whether you're good at farms, or landscaping, or interior decorations, or ships, or islands! This is in no means just a solo-project!

If I get far at all in this, I will definitely be looking to host it and release the save too.

11

Off Topic / Yarr, stop what ye be doin', it be International Talk Like A Pirate Day!

« on: September 19, 2014, 11:45:29 AM »

Ahoy, ye scurvy sea-dogs! It be SeptembARrrrr nineteenth twenty hund an fourteen! That makes it international speak like a scurvy pirate day!

Lower the sails, raise th' anchor, scrub th' deck and prep' the cannons, ye filthy bilge rats!
A bottle o' rum and a piece o' eight for every landlubber that join the crew under the jolly roger!

There be galleons and booty awaitin'!

12

Off Topic / What's your earworm?

« on: August 27, 2014, 07:50:20 PM »

What is your earworm???

Share the song stuck in your head, and if you can post a video of it.
Also, let us know what part of the song is stuck in there, if it's a specific part and where you picked it up!

Perhaps we can all work together to choose the best song to have rotting our brains.
KONGOS - Come With Me Now
I watched a Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel! trailer with the song in it 2 days ago and it's been circling around since.

It's the tune in particular: 15s to 30s

13

Off Topic / Lord Richard Attenborough dies aged 90

« on: August 24, 2014, 05:15:49 PM »

Lord Richard Attenborough, world-renowned film actor, director and producer, and older brother of broadcaster and naturalist David Attenborough, has died at the age of 90.

http://www.theguardian.com/film/2014/aug/24/richard-attenborough-died-aged-90

"Attenborough's son said that his father died at lunchtime on Sunday.

In 2013 he was moved into a care home in west London, having suffered a stroke five years earlier that confined him to a wheelchair.

His family said last year that Attenborough never fully recovered from the stroke that left him in a coma for several days."

14

Off Topic / 10th August 1995

« on: August 10, 2014, 07:31:32 AM »

19 years ago to the day I was born! Today is my birthday!

I've had a pretty good day so far, with a number of nice presents.
I recieved a new wireless mouse, the Lego Movie Bluray, Lego Movie game and a Lego Movie lego set, as well as a fancy set of the Oxford English Dictionary and Thesaurus, plus a Collins English-to-Latin and English-to-Greek(Modern) dictionary (jokey presents from my parents on account of me studying Ancient history at Uni in September).

Plus my brother got me a volume of 1970's Fantastic Four comics. I also recieved a pair of Skullcandy headphones, and finally a large map of Westeros wall-hanging.


Tonight we're having a BBQ (albeit an indoors one on account of the tail of Hurricane Bertha reaching England and causing stormy weather), and then there will be a massive Orange Chocolate Cake. :D

So, anyway, join me in celebrating my birthday. And any little tithes are appreciated :3

15

Off Topic / Webcomics - Looking for new ones

« on: July 25, 2014, 09:19:53 AM »

Hello.

I'm currently looking for new webcomics to enjoy.
The more often they update, the better, but it's not an issue if they're not all that regular.

Sadly 2 of my favourite webcomics that I've been following for a couple of years have ended recently.
Rare Candy Treatment and Brawl in the Family have both ended or are ending. So, I'm looking for anything that can replace them. If it's games-related then that is a bonus.

Here's my current list of webcomics I follow;
The Cloud Factory (Although it hasn't updated in forever, but apparantly is being worked on)
Buttersafe
Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal
Cyanide and Happiness
Manly Guys Doing Manly Things
Platinum Black (By the above author. Note: NSFW (Nudity))
Gunshow
Bearmageddon (Does contain gore)
Axe Cop (By the above author)
Toonhole (Note: Occasional NSFW, gore+nudity+love)
Original Life (Note: Comic is SFW, rest of website is not. research)
Twokinds
Dr McNinja
Scandinavia and the World
Prequel
So, if there are any other webcomics, that do or do not match the styles/genres of those above, please share them.

Otherwise, please share the webcomics you guys follow!
Discuss them to your hearts content.
But do try to provide a link to it, and any warnings of the nature of the comic. If it has gore, nudity or loveual acts, make sure it's pointed out. And if the webcomic itself is researchographic, please do not post a link to it.