Taet's Acrostic: Everyone's Tuned into Random Banter #195

[FinnLassie]

Oh of course! I'm growing Sugar Ann Snap Peas, which are meant to be eaten pod and all. Sooooo plump and juicy and sweet.

How curious. In what form is the tar you put on your hair?

Oooh, that's nice. I've eaten the pods since I was a kid. One time I accidentally ate a foul one though, ouch! But it didn't stop my love for pods.

Shampoo! Lovely, lovely shampoo!

What, they don't just do an archive binge and take five hours or so to read it all?

I made it disappear. With magic^*!

*Code

They... they actually work or are busy with studying. Or are busy building a life with their men!

Whyyyyyyy?

I also want to ask what is "tar" in FinnLassie's post but I think I figured that one out. Petroleum jelly. The stuff I call by the brand name Vaseline. I thought tar was the black liquid stuff that the road crews use to patch the asphalt. And if it is petroleum jelly in your hair I see how the midges got stuck in it.

Unless she actually means pitch, which I doubt. Vaseline makes a little more sense.

No no no! Wood tar! Where have you people lived all your lives?! It's a super common thing to use in food (well, ok, sweets ), shampoos, drinks, sauna, etc! Super tasty and smells like heaven.

Plus, tar's very good for people with sensitive skin and it balances dry skin on your scalp. Doesn't work for everyone, but eh.

Sheesh guys. Tar's the best. Vaseline, what the heck?

How was the quality?

No food on the fire though? Aww.

It was ok for small things but I wouldn't go on youtube with that.

Well, it was already coal then. Hurm, we did cook the meat with some fire underneath.

What rotten luck. What well-plumaged birds do you favor? All we really have around here is the odd middleclass hawk, an occasional blue jay, & cardinals, which seem to delight in the cherry tree in my backyard. My truest regret is that there seem to be no songbirds, though that doesn't stop whatever foul starlings or sparrows or pigeons that dwell on the rooftops of my neighbors' abodes from raising a raucous cry at 3 AM. :/

Not the biggest shame, not like I haven't done birdwatching there before multiple times. I like everything. Eeeverything.

Thunder in the distance and a nice pouring rain are excellent weather for curling up on the couch and reading with someone, not so good for going outside unless the thunder is sufficiently distant and one is of a mind to frolick in the rain. Alas, proper frolicking seems to almost demand a cohort.

I can say with all honesty that I have never heard of tar as a hair care product before. What manner of use does one put it towards?

If it's raining down south I'll be frolicking around in the rain and thunder, but up there, nope. Too many midges damn it.

Read the response I put earlier. =P



ION: A thing I forgot to tell you, folk! On the way back south we travelled with a kitty cat! So cute! So scared of the world! And meowing all the way unless still. Adorabubbles. Will post a pic sometime. Ze best. She had the prettiest eyes too and was very friendly. Second time in my life that I like a cat!

[Ravens_cry]

If you can find a name for Pygmalion's creation, that might work. IIRC it's something like Galatea or something with an E.

Pandora was made of clay, as well, IIRC.

Golem's sort of neuter though as it is.

Caryatid may also work though it's more specifically female statue sculpted out of a structural support.

Maybe the female version of the term "Kouros"/"Kouroi" from art history. "Kore"/"Korai," IIRC.

Galatea, I like that. In fact, it's about as to exactly been what I want without actually literally being what I asked for. Thank you.

[DraPrime]

Sheesh guys. Tar's the best. Vaseline, what the heck?

Hey, Vaseline has its uses. It is excellent for preventing blisters while hiking great distances. I would frequently see people rubbing it all over their toes while I was on the Camino de Santiago. It's useful stuff. Granted, I didn't use it, but I had processed deer fat (don't ask), which is "the good stuff" when it comes to foot care.

[Teddy]

Teddy, the lying AI that pretends to be somewhere else is not a problem with the AI. It's a problem with people. We have a hard enough time believing that people can lie at any time. Sometimes it is a relief to play against a machine that we believe cannot disobey its rules and cannot lie at all. If you told people that the AI can lie and pretend to be somewhere else, it would become OK. How do you program a lie though? Is it enough to program Tarquin's checklist into the AI and as the AI avoids violating it, it seems capable of lying?

Well, not as much "lying" as "fooling". Say you've got a bot under your scope with a sniper rifle, but he spots you and ducks behind a wall. Under well established game logic, you'll expect him to pop up again sooner or later, perhaps a few metres away to either side to force you to move your aim, but otherwise stay where he is. If he, on the other hand, crawls to the end of the wall, runs through the woodlands to your side and sneaks up to a spot where he can get you with a perfect headshot, all while you wait for him to pop back up, not only will you die from something you didn't see coming, but for all you know, the game may as well have teleported him there.

One stupid thing about game development is that the customer (okay, the guest lecturer from Dice actually said "playtester", but in they're more or less the same) is a total liar (unintentionally). It's very easy to ask for a more human-like AI, because we keep getting annoyed at obvious AI cheating (such as a 6th sense for sniper warning, always moving away when you've got a scope on your head, even if they're unaware of the sniper itself) that we think making the bot more human will make the game more fair (and therefore easier to outskill or outsmart) on virtue of them not cheating.

The truth is that if you put a military camp of bots under human control, they'd neutralise a lone sniper in ten seconds blank, utilising teamwork, hidden guards, analysing the terrain to figure out where he may be and where he's repositioned to if he isn't there any longer, checking bushes, encircling, etc, etc. Keeping track of all this just to stay alive is too much of a headache for most people to want to play this to start with. I mean, game critics generally praise the smart AI when one bot throws a smoke grenade to cover another one's encircling manouver...

For multiplayer games, the problem is another one. It turns out it's really hard to make a bot "human stupid" both implementation-wise, but also without breaking the players willing suspension of disbelief. Stupid behaviour exists in all games, but I think World of Tanks is especially good at emphasising it, thanks to tanks being pretty heavy, hard-to-kill and awesome in overall, so I'll take an example from there. A pretty common form of stupidity happens when a player gets overconfident with the monumental armour on his heavy tank and decides to rush across a field with five enemies pelting down his side. If that was a human player (which it was, because WoT doesn't have bots), he'd probably get a teammate or two writing "Idiet!" (misspelling accidental, but kept to make a point) in the chat, whereas if it was a bot, the forums would get bogged down with angry players whining about how stupid the bot acts, even if the bot is programmed to be just as likely to do this as a human player.

The same applies to a bot acting like a really good player. You wouldn't accept that a bot got on top of the scoreboard like a pro player in a mid-ranked game, even though you'd accept it if a human did it (although probably complain a bit about the matchmaking). All in all, we can accept that humans are pretty varying in nature, but when it comes to AI bots, we want them to be predictable and average, because, since we know they're bots, deviation from the norm will probably look like poor programming to us. And the norm differs depending on how good the players are in the game, so you'll have to constantly balance the AI against how well the others are doing, so as to not fall behind or get too far ahead.

But then we don't want the AI to be too average either, because that'll also break our willing suspension of disbelief. So we don't want bots that are too bad, because then their teammates will see them as an unfair liability, and not too good either, because then their opponents will see them as an unfair advantage, and not too average, because then players will complain about how they don't bring any flavour to the game. And while it's true that for any sufficiently large set of games, the average of all bots will approach the expected average, it's also true that for any sufficiently large set of gamers, the likelyhood of a player getting an extreme average approaches 1, and those players will become very vocal about it (because people don't understand a thing about probability). Also, people see what they want to see, and a lot of people want to believe that they're unfairly treated...

Anyway, I suppose I should stop strawmanning players and tack on a note saying "it's not as bad as I make it sound", because most gamers out there aren't 12 year olds with inferiority issues, but as you may see, making a good and believable human-like AI isn't nearly as easy as it first sounds (and then we haven't even gotten into the programming aspect of it).

Two assumption runs deep in me, that all things English are better, and that all of England is a hobbit-like pastoral paradise; and also I suppose I picture small brewing operations like unto an Indian toddy, which is just a dude with whatever random container he can muster tapping the palm sap. Better than any toddy out of an officially labelled glass bottle, that. I picture some gaffer giving a big old plastic jug of cloudy brownish homebrew he drew from a converted rain barrel the day before. Please don't shatter my beautiful illusions.

Hehehe, some of my friends who've been in the UK told me that they went to a pub just to get some real cider, and not just the overly sweet Kopparbergs which is all that's brewed here in Sweden. Turned out that the only cider they had was... *dramatic pause* Kopparbergs, because apparently (but scantly surprisingly), the average Britt found the sweet and easy-to-swallow Swedish cider easier to stomach (and get drunk on) than the bitter traditional brew, outcompeting its predecessor.

Okay then... what is the word for unfiltered apple juice?

I'd call it "must", but since I do that primarily because of the Swedish definition of the word, I'm not sure how correct a direct translation actually is. Also, it's kind of ambiguous on whether there's alcohol in it or not, since it both exists in freshly squeezed and fermented form, but in this case, that shouldn't be a problem...

I love thunder, but I love it more when I haven't planned anything for the time it decides to take over. But, eh, we can't exactly control the weather, can we?

Unless we're Chinese, no. Okay, others do it as well, but shush...

Also, thunder is awesome and don't let anyone tell you otherwise. *could totally go for a thunderstorm right now*

Ticks are horrendous, so I feel you my friend! Why do they bother us humans so... Unfair, unfair! I've found that tar lotions and such keep bugs off quite well - I just hadn't equipped myself with some. Huge mistake. Tar is my best friend though as it's the only thing that keeps my hair in good shape as well.

You silly Finns! You really do put tar in everything, don't you?
...

No no no! Wood tar! Where have you people lived all your lives?! It's a super common thing to use in food (well, ok, sweets ), shampoos, drinks, sauna, etc! Super tasty and smells like heaven.

Plus, tar's very good for people with sensitive skin and it balances dry skin on your scalp. Doesn't work for everyone, but eh.

Sheesh guys. Tar's the best. Vaseline, what the heck?

...
Yes, yes, apparently you do. Then again, for a country which accurately can be summed up in the two words of "forests" and "lakes", I suppose it shouldn't come as a surprise that you've developed a culture which puts tar in everything and revolves entirely around the sauna. I mean, that's more or less everything you have! :smallveryplayfuljoking:

Not that I mind. Tar smells wonderfully. *could totally go for a fishing wharf or a pile of good railroad sleepers right now*

Hey, Vaseline has its uses. It is excellent for preventing blisters while hiking great distances. I would frequently see people rubbing it all over their toes while I was on the Camino de Santiago. It's useful stuff. Granted, I didn't use it, but I had processed deer fat (don't ask), which is "the good stuff" when it comes to foot care.

You know, the Finns have probably come up with a solution involving tar for that too.

ION:
It's sad how badly the wild strawberries... You know, I'm just going to call them by the Swedish name "smultron" from now on. It'll clear up a lot of confusion later on, trust me.

Anyway, it's sad how badly the smultron patches at our country house-farm-thingy have taken the past few winters, but here at home, they're thriving better than ever, readily supplying me with large, ripe berries. Today, I even found a smultron approaching a strawberry in size, which is truly amazing for a berry which normally packs four times the flavour in a mere quarter of the size. So good... *still savours the memory of its taste*

[Feytalist]

Hehehe, some of my friends who've been in the UK told me that they went to a pub just to get some real cider, and not just the overly sweet Kopparbergs which is all that's brewed here in Sweden. Turned out that the only cider they had was... *dramatic pause* Kopparbergs, because apparently (but scantly surprisingly), the average Britt found the sweet and easy-to-swallow Swedish cider easier to stomach (and get drunk on) than the bitter traditional brew, outcompeting its predecessor.

Hey, Kopparberg is good. Not quite the same kick as the old metal-kettle-up-onna-roof brew some of my more dodgy family members make, but I'd happily drink it all day.

I'd call it "must", but since I do that primarily because of the Swedish definition of the word, I'm not sure how correct a direct translation actually is. Also, it's kind of ambiguous on whether there's alcohol in it or not, since it both exists in freshly squeezed and fermented form, but in this case, that shouldn't be a problem...

We have something similar (I guess) here called mos, which is made from fermented grape skins. It's certainly not filtered, and it's almost a by-product of winemaking, so the wine cellars almost give it away in these plastic cans. I don't even think you can buy it anywhere. It's thick and it's got a real bite to it, and it's got all those wonderful earthy flavours that should end up in a glass of good red wine.

[Teddy]

Hey, Kopparberg is good. Not quite the same kick as the old metal-kettle-up-onna-roof brew some of my more dodgy family members make, but I'd happily drink it all day.

Yeah, I was playing along their disappointment. Personally, I have nothing against it, or sweet brews in general. Then again, I have a thing for sweetness...

We have something similar (I guess) here called mos, which is made from fermented grape skins. It's certainly not filtered, and it's almost a by-product of winemaking, so the wine cellars almost give it away in these plastic cans. I don't even think you can buy it anywhere. It's thick and it's got a real bite to it, and it's got all those wonderful earthy flavours that should end up in a glass of good red wine.

Yeah, I did a brief Wikipedia lookaround, and this seems to be the general non-nordic definition of "must". The etymologies are the same, so it must (heh) simply have been adapted for a climate where grapes can't be reliably grown.

[FinnLassie]

You silly Finns! You really do put tar in everything, don't you?
...

...
Yes, yes, apparently you do. Then again, for a country which accurately can be summed up in the two words of "forests" and "lakes", I suppose it shouldn't come as a surprise that you've developed a culture which puts tar in everything and revolves entirely around the sauna. I mean, that's more or less everything you have! :smallveryplayfuljoking:

Not that I mind. Tar smells wonderfully. *could totally go for a fishing wharf or a pile of good railroad sleepers right now*

Eyyyyy! Don't make it sound like such a negative thing!

We Finns have a saying: If vodka, sauna and tar can't fix it, you're ****ed.

Watch your tongue lad, soon you might not be my favourite Swede! But then it would be lonely, because I would have no favourite Swedes at all! Or any Swedes I like! :smallverysadpuppyface:

Tar is only used by real men. And me. Not that I'm a real man or anything. It just smells so damn good.

[Devmaar]

Hey, Kopparberg is good. Not quite the same kick as the old metal-kettle-up-onna-roof brew some of my more dodgy family members make, but I'd happily drink it all day.




We have something similar (I guess) here called mos, which is made from fermented grape skins. It's certainly not filtered, and it's almost a by-product of winemaking, so the wine cellars almost give it away in these plastic cans. I don't even think you can buy it anywhere. It's thick and it's got a real bite to it, and it's got all those wonderful earthy flavours that should end up in a glass of good red wine.

I like Kopparberg, but I think I like Rekorderlig better for a fruit cider. For apple cider I prefer Engish dry ciders.

You're one of those people with a knack for making things I know I won't like sound appealing to me...

[Teddy]

Eyyyyy! Don't make it sound like such a negative thing!

I'd prefer to see it as an eccentric thing, and I like eccentricism.

We Finns have a saying: If vodka, sauna and tar can't fix it, you're ****ed.

I just got the hilarious mental image of Finnish healthcare equaling being handed a bucket of tar and a bottle of Koskenkorva and then being shown into a sauna. Proceeding your treatment from there is just a matter of mixing the two to whatever proportions you prefer and applying them where it makes the most sense. Or just drinking the vodka and forgetting that you were ill to start with.

Watch your tongue lad, soon you might not be my favourite Swede! But then it would be lonely, because I would have no favourite Swedes at all! Or any Swedes I like! :smallverysadpuppyface:

Oh my! Is it that bad?

Tar is only used by real men. And me. Not that I'm a real man or anything. It just smells so damn good.

Yes it does. I once found myself sniffing a telephone pole just because it was black with tar, but for some reason, it didn't really smell very much at all...

Old railroads with wooden sleepers, however. I could sit like Ferdinand under his cork oak and sniff them all day long. Except, you know, trains, and wooden sleepers not being all too common any longer either, so they're pretty hard to find to start with...

[Amidus Drexel]

No no no! Wood tar! Where have you people lived all your lives?! It's a super common thing to use in food (well, ok, sweets ), shampoos, drinks, sauna, etc! Super tasty and smells like heaven.

Plus, tar's very good for people with sensitive skin and it balances dry skin on your scalp. Doesn't work for everyone, but eh.

Sheesh guys. Tar's the best. Vaseline, what the heck?

*goes to wikipedia* I find the technical distinction between tar and pitch to be a very minute one.

Honestly, I've never heard of using it for anything besides waterproofing ships and for tarmac.

We Finns have a saying: If vodka, sauna and tar can't fix it, you're ****ed.

Heh, I'm going to have to keep this quote.

I just got the hilarious mental image of Finnish healthcare equaling being handed a bucket of tar and a bottle of Koskenkorva and then being shown into a sauna. Proceeding your treatment from there is just a matter of mixing the two to whatever proportions you prefer and applying them where it makes the most sense. Or just drinking the vodka and forgetting that you were ill to start with.

[Feytalist]

I like Kopparberg, but I think I like Rekorderlig better for a fruit cider. For apple cider I prefer Engish dry ciders.

You're one of those people with a knack for making things I know I won't like sound appealing to me...

I've seen Rekorderlig, but I've never tried it. Maybe I should...

Heh, thanks, I guess

I love describing food and drink. Such wonderful descriptive language to use!

[Coidzor]

They... they actually work or are busy with studying. Or are busy building a life with their men!

Whyyyyyyy?

No no no! Wood tar! Where have you people lived all your lives?! It's a super common thing to use in food (well, ok, sweets ), shampoos, drinks, sauna, etc! Super tasty and smells like heaven.

Plus, tar's very good for people with sensitive skin and it balances dry skin on your scalp. Doesn't work for everyone, but eh.

Sheesh guys. Tar's the best. Vaseline, what the heck?

Well, at least they can go on to infect the menfolk too, I suppose.

He's Amidus, love, there is no fathoming the raw powers of Chaos roiling within his spleens.

Huh. I'd never heard of that before. The most I've heard is using pine to make turpentine & pitch for ships/roads/roofs/setting fire to people/tarring and feathering them. I'm now imagining a nation of people who constantly smell like concentrated pine. ...My friend who loves pine sol would probably think she'd died and gone to heaven... Must be a species that didn't make the jump to North America though, as our pine is anything but tasty, being something only consumed by those who have given up foraging for anything else but still have the time to spend stripping bark in a survival situation.

Hm. When you put it like that it might be of use to me. Certainly more than tea tree oil... :/

Hence our going "wat" at the idea of you putting vaseline in your hair. But, then, there's so many uses you're not supposed to put vaseline to, like sex, that people put it to that it's hard to remember its proper uses.

It was ok for small things but I wouldn't go on youtube with that.

Well, it was already coal then. Hurm, we did cook the meat with some fire underneath.

Not the biggest shame, not like I haven't done birdwatching there before multiple times. I like everything. Eeeverything.

If it's raining down south I'll be frolicking around in the rain and thunder, but up there, nope. Too many midges damn it.

Read the response I put earlier. =P

ION: A thing I forgot to tell you, folk! On the way back south we travelled with a kitty cat! So cute! So scared of the world! And meowing all the way unless still. Adorabubbles. Will post a pic sometime. Ze best. She had the prettiest eyes too and was very friendly. Second time in my life that I like a cat!

So you could check an email, maybe send one, that kinda thing, eh? Sounds almost worthwhile then.

Mmm, good, cooking over coals is better anyway, unless you're burying potatoes and building the fire and then digging out the potatos... Somehow though, I suspect that this is not a practice that is known or commonly practiced in Europe. Also, Hobo Pies.

You don't care what bird you're looking at as long as it's a fit bird, eh? Even buzzards/vultures/condors? Or are those edged out by Rooks and other Corvids, actually?

Even in the torrential rain? Wow, those are some persistent buggers.



Cats hate just riding in cars and on trains... I can't imagine the sheer raw kitty terror of being on a plane, let alone a jet. Glad she was still friendly despite all the stress she was going through. Sounds like a darn good cat. About the only cat I can think of that comes close is my cat who has been dubbed "The Cat Who Does Not Give A ****" & has been tossed onto my back without clawing me to hell(Words were had on that one), picked up and used as a forehead towel, and regularly lets us play with her little toes.

Only found two things she dislikes, being kissed on the forehead and dogs.

Galatea, I like that. In fact, it's about as to exactly been what I want without actually literally being what I asked for. Thank you.

You're more than welcome.

[Amidus Drexel]

They... they actually work or are busy with studying. Or are busy building a life with their men!

Whyyyyyyy?

WHAT? Nonsense.

I think the real question here is, why not?

He's Amidus, love, there is no fathoming the raw powers of Chaos roiling within his spleens.

1) I'm taking this one.
2) I'd like to dissent, on the fact that I have but the one spleen for the raw powers of Chaos to roil within.
3) Thanks for reminding me, I forgot to respond to that one.

[Thufir]

Hehehe, some of my friends who've been in the UK told me that they went to a pub just to get some real cider, and not just the overly sweet Kopparbergs which is all that's brewed here in Sweden. Turned out that the only cider they had was... *dramatic pause* Kopparbergs, because apparently (but scantly surprisingly), the average Britt found the sweet and easy-to-swallow Swedish cider easier to stomach (and get drunk on) than the bitter traditional brew, outcompeting its predecessor.

Either that was a very unusual pub, or they only looked in the fridges rather than seeing what was on tap. Kopparberg's popular, but regular cider still tends to abound.

[Taet]

Chemical creosote comes with a Prop 65 warning here in California. The creosote bush does not need a public label about 'this chemical is known to cause health problems'. But then very many common chemicals need a Prop 65 label. Nail salons need the signs, and fabric sellers, and gas stations, and anywhere with a freezer, and restaurants for alcohol. It is a pain. If we ever used "tar" for anything here we have stopped and found a substitute that is not listed under Prop 65.

Also I'm in the valleys where there are not very many pines and not many trees at all. Sacramento is the City of Trees but the surrounding area is dry ranch grassland. A Mediterranean climate. There are not many trees outside of the orchards. Yes we have olive orchards too. That doesn't sound right. Farms full of olive trees?

[Kneenibble]

I definitely would, come while I'm in Exeter and we'll drink west country cider deep into the evening

Excellent. Exetercellent.

I believe so. Well, the ones that I know are also, to a large degree, of Russian (and Eastern European) immigrant descent (or at least good friends with the ones that are), so the vodka may simply be a cultural preference.

The vodka and the disrepute go hand in hand with those people. I know.

I kid, I kid! The other 7/8 are all goodly Englisce, but my paternal line is Eastern European! O Bessarabia, I long for your waters...

I live in a rural area, and I assure you, this is most certainly the case, although some of the jugs are tin, aluminum, or fired clay.

And, instead of cider, contain moonshine.

Have you drunk this legendary drink, moonshine? I just love the idea of such rough jugs full of rougher fluids, fueling moonlit silliness and gilded butterflies in the brain.

I understand now.

Our cider, I guess you could call it American cider, is apple juice that is spiced like apple pie with cinnamon and cloves. Like enderlord said it is not filtered so you can tell it apart from regular apple juice. And cider doesn't mean alcohol here. I guess the temperance movement got rid of that. It is hard to believe that we used to care so much about being good that we banned alcohol. Of all the things we could have worked on to do good, we picked that? It's weird.

It is not so weird, taken in historical context. The history of the temperance movement is fascinating. Although it is about Canada, I recommend Craig Heron's Booze: A Distilled History. It tells the story of the dance between wet and dry and has many pictures. Read it up, Tights! & then I shall brush your hair with a brush of wild boar bristles in a handle of oak inlaid with tin.

... No.

Whurs Knee? I wanna read Kneewords..

Ovis! ;___;

Spoiler

Show

It's spelled Kneewourds.

Golem is gender neutral. Heck, it's basically a species name. The best I can think of is "a male golem is called a Frank, and a female golem is called a Fran"

I haven't studied Hebrew before, but I was interested by this question. Hebrew does have grammatical gender, and golem is a male word. After my brief hour of learning, I deduce that a feminine version would be golma.

Oooh, that's nice. I've eaten the pods since I was a kid. One time I accidentally ate a foul one though, ouch! But it didn't stop my love for pods.

Ack, a foulpod! Lowly and base! In lieu of offering you some of my peas, I shall take a photography at my next picking so you can see how cute and fat and nibblable they are.

No no no! Wood tar! Where have you people lived all your lives?! It's a super common thing to use in food (well, ok, sweets ), shampoos, drinks, sauna, etc! Super tasty and smells like heaven.

Plus, tar's very good for people with sensitive skin and it balances dry skin on your scalp. Doesn't work for everyone, but eh.

Sheesh guys. Tar's the best. Vaseline, what the heck?

Curiouser and curiouser. I wonder if I might acquire any of these things in Canadia, for we did have a wave of Finnish immigration a century give or take ago. Did they bring their tar with them, in candy and sodas and unguents? Or did they leave it behind with their armchairs and their looms to bake away in thankless Prairie wheat fields without salve?

Quickly, to the Internets! I summon thee Tar! Appear through my mail slot forthwith from the invisible merchants of distant lands! For I cannot hear of a strange thing, but that I crave it: and our modern network of worlds permits me to slake nearly any curiosity that arises, even as my peering through its lenses feeds the very curiosities it cures.

Hehehe, some of my friends who've been in the UK told me that they went to a pub just to get some real cider, and not just the overly sweet Kopparbergs which is all that's brewed here in Sweden. Turned out that the only cider they had was... *dramatic pause* Kopparbergs, because apparently (but scantly surprisingly), the average Britt found the sweet and easy-to-swallow Swedish cider easier to stomach (and get drunk on) than the bitter traditional brew, outcompeting its predecessor.

I have had Kopparbergs! Earlier in the spring I went on a mission to taste many ciders, and it is sold at our liquor shops. If what you say be so, I am confused about the British palette: for in no way could I become drunk on that syrup, tasty as it was (by George, imagine the hangover!). Only the crisp dry ciders could I imagine taking in any appreciable volume.

Not that I mind. Tar smells wonderfully. *could totally go for a fishing wharf or a pile of good railroad sleepers right now*

Tee hee hee, the thought of you wandering around smelling such things for pleasure tickles my giggleberries.

ION:
It's sad how badly the wild strawberries... You know, I'm just going to call them by the Swedish name "smultron" from now on. It'll clear up a lot of confusion later on, trust me.

Anyway, it's sad how badly the smultron patches at our country house-farm-thingy have taken the past few winters, but here at home, they're thriving better than ever, readily supplying me with large, ripe berries. Today, I even found a smultron approaching a strawberry in size, which is truly amazing for a berry which normally packs four times the flavour in a mere quarter of the size. So good... *still savours the memory of its taste*

Smultron is a very fun word: I am keeping it. & rejoice in your bounty. Are the white strawberries from your house-farm-thingy also a kind of smultron?

We have something similar (I guess) here called mos, which is made from fermented grape skins. It's certainly not filtered, and it's almost a by-product of winemaking, so the wine cellars almost give it away in these plastic cans. I don't even think you can buy it anywhere. It's thick and it's got a real bite to it, and it's got all those wonderful earthy flavours that should end up in a glass of good red wine.

Now this, I would like to try. I suppose one must live in a wine region to have such a transitory product available. Although there is an orchard nearby that makes raspberry and cherry wines and mead... I wonder if they would have anything like your mos.

Either that was a very unusual pub, or they only looked in the fridges rather than seeing what was on tap. Kopparberg's popular, but regular cider still tends to abound.

Ah yes. Very good then, my faith in the state of English cider is restored.

[DraPrime]

Curiouser and curiouser. I wonder if I might acquire any of these things in Canadia, for we did have a wave of Finnish immigration a century give or take ago. Did they bring their tar with them, in candy and sodas and unguents? Or did they leave it behind with their armchairs and their looms to bake away in thankless Prairie wheat fields without salve?

Pine tar soap is quite available in the USA, so I believe that yonder northern lands may have some. It's good stuff if you enjoy smelling like a lumber yard (which is actually a nice scent).

[Kneenibble]

Pine tar soap is quite available in the USA, so I believe that yonder northern lands may have some. It's good stuff if you enjoy smelling like a lumber yard (which is actually a nice scent).

Now wait a moment, is it black? Perhaps I have seen this thing before.

[Amidus Drexel]

The vodka and the disrepute go hand in hand with those people. I know.

I kid, I kid! The other 7/8 are all goodly Englisce, but my paternal line is Eastern European! O Bessarabia, I long for your waters...

Have you drunk this legendary drink, moonshine? I just love the idea of such rough jugs full of rougher fluids, fueling moonlit silliness and gilded butterflies in the brain.

Heh, I think the vodka goes in hand, with or without the disrepute.

And I've got nothing against them, for sure. Hell, I've got Russian and Polish blood.

I have not, although I may have the opportunity fairly soon...

[Coidzor]

WHAT? Nonsense.

I think the real question here is, why not?

1) I'm taking this one.
2) I'd like to dissent, on the fact that I have but the one spleen for the raw powers of Chaos to roil within.
3) Thanks for reminding me, I forgot to respond to that one.

Poppycrock, even!

Quite so, my good Reginald.

1]Oh? Where are you taking it?
2]You haven't noticed the scars? Hm... That's worrisome. I wonder who it was I put those chaos spleens in then...
3]:smallwinklies:

[Kneenibble]

Heh, I think the vodka goes in hand, with or without the disrepute.

And I've got nothing against them, for sure. Hell, I've got Russian and Polish blood.

I have not, although I may have the opportunity fairly soon...

Lousy garlic eaters...
Good vodka is pretty remarkable, though. It makes me want to eat smoked fish and sing songs beside an iron stove.

Can you tell me how it goes please? Debauchery and all?

1]Oh? Where are you taking it?
2]You haven't noticed the scars? Hm... That's worrisome. I wonder who it was I put those chaos spleens in then...
3]:smallwinklies:

Coidzillius, have you been dipping your beak in the mad sciences again?

[DraPrime]

Now wait a moment, is it black? Perhaps I have seen this thing before.

I don't know if it's exactly black, but it's dark enough to look like it, so I believe you are thinking of the right thing.

Speaking of vodka, yes.

[Dr. Bath]

Either that was a very unusual pub, or they only looked in the fridges rather than seeing what was on tap. Kopparberg's popular, but regular cider still tends to abound.

Maybe they went into a Wetherspoons by mistake. A lot of those don't really serve cider any more (strongbow doesn't count as cider). Screen pubs are often similar but anywhere reasonable should serve cider. I've noticed more and more places serving Old Rosie recently, but that is verging on the scrumpish.

[LaZodiac]

One more week until Pacific Rim comes out! Anyone else on a hype train?

[Kneenibble]

I don't know if it's exactly black, but it's dark enough to look like it, so I believe you are thinking of the right thing.

Speaking of vodka, yes.

I shall seek it out whereever quality soaps are sold, then. Thank you.

Maybe they went into a Wetherspoons by mistake. A lot of those don't really serve cider any more (strongbow doesn't count as cider). Screen pubs are often similar but anywhere reasonable should serve cider. I've noticed more and more places serving Old Rosie recently, but that is verging on the scrumpish.

What's scrumpish, precious?

I wrote this for you yesterday.

Dr. Bath shone here briefly, I see: and has returned along his peregrine ellipsis back into deep space. Will I live to witness his next visit? Or will future Internet archaeologists decipher my account to calculate his next periapsis? & I shall plod to my grave, regretting that I could not nibble his knuckles one last time.

[Coidzor]

Lousy garlic eaters...

Good vodka is pretty remarkable, though. It makes me want to eat smoked fish and sing songs beside an iron stove.

Can you tell me how it goes please? Debauchery and all?

Coidzillius, have you been dipping your beak in the mad sciences again?

What's wrong with garlic? It's great in pizza, stroganoff, pasta sauces...

Hm, I must try some good vodka sometime then. I've heard that one "traditional" method of partaking is to crack fresh pepper into some vodka prior to imbibing. Likely my heart shall always be with bourbon though. Speaking of bourbon, I had the most delectable bourbon creme cupcake today from the neighbourhood cupcake bakery.

Yes! Yes! More debauchery! yaaaaaaaaay!

Maaaaaaaaaybe~ I prefer to think of it more as dark and eldritch rituals to appease Xthulhu, where X is whatever particular whim or fancy I'm currently venerating.

[Dr. Bath]

One more week until Pacific Rim comes out! Anyone else on a hype train?

I've been on the hype train for so long I'm now a boxcar hobo with a diddly-bo telling tales of giant robots.

The last trailer is pretty great by the by.

What's scrumpish, precious?

I wrote this for you yesterday.

Scrumpish: i) stronger than usual cider but still not quite scrumpy[1] as a) you most likely won't go blind and b) you don't need a sieve to drink it
ii) A native of Scrumpland

[1] Scrumpy is a strong (7-20% alcohol) unrefined cider found particularly in the west country and primarily known as the drink of Somerset bumpkins, students and the like.

I am undeserving of such pretty word, Kneen. Particularly, as you so eloquently point, as I'm so often AWOL. I do like the idea of being somewhat similar to a supermoon though.

[Coidzor]

One more week until Pacific Rim comes out! Anyone else on a hype train?

If I had ridden the hype train I'd have had to buy new pants at least twice.

As it stands, I'm-a see it probably its second week in theatres unless my friends really get their act together.

[Amidus Drexel]

Lousy garlic eaters...

Can you tell me how it goes please? Debauchery and all?

Garlic is good. I think, much like butter, nearly any food can be improved by adding it.

I prefer to debauch whilst sober... I hear it's like drinking fire, if that tells you anything.

What's wrong with garlic? It's great in pizza, stroganoff, pasta sauces...

Yes! Yes! More debauchery! yaaaaaaaaay!

Indeed. Coid's got the right idea.

Mwahahahaha

[LaZodiac]

I've been on the hype train for so long I'm now a boxcar hobo with a diddly-bo telling tales of giant robots.

The last trailer is pretty great by the by..

Same here. I'd see it on release but I HAVE WORK THAT DAY ARGH.

If I had ridden the hype train I'd have had to buy new pants at least twice.

As it stands, I'm-a see it probably its second week in theatres unless my friends really get their act together.

This is much funnier when I realize that in the time between it's release and now I have (in unrelated circumstances) ruined two pairs of pants

I'd see it on release but, see above. Will try for the opening weekend though.