Rum Doings Episode 99D: Do I Really Have To Reformat Your Floppy?
by John Walker on Mar.01, 2012, under Rum Doings, The Rest
In Rum Doings 99D we don’t discuss whether it’s time we should regulate our schools and hospitals, but instead ponder the 99thness of our existence, and then turn to our tweeted questions.
Things begin with Disney cartoons of the 90s, ponder silence, and might John be a robot? Is the BBC anti-Semitic? Are Easter cards acceptable? Did we do Valentine’s? Bad sugar, rotting beetles, where is Half-Life 3? Lots of other things! Can coffee be bad?
Rum Doings will be away next week, as John’s off to his Kingdom of America.
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[audio: http://rumdoings.jellycast.com/files/audio/rumdoings_e99d.mp3]
March 1st, 2012 on 15:47
Lovely static.
March 1st, 2012 on 21:45
Nick had flowers and chocolates sent to Victoria’s office for Valentine’s Day….
Nicholas, you are dead to me.
March 1st, 2012 on 23:14
They were unusual flowers and delicious chocolates. Sometimes it is wanky to be all
arch, don’t you think?
March 2nd, 2012 on 03:23
Sounds like a very unique gift to me!
March 2nd, 2012 on 04:44
Good lord. You couldn’t even couch it in “considered to be” terms or anything? Half Life 2 is definitively the “best first person shooter ever made”?
Obviously, I react in this manner because I disagree. But disregarding that entirely, I find it really amusing that you make an effort to allow for multiple points of view in regards to instant vs. proper coffee, when everyone knows that instant coffee is absolutely inferior, like 30 seconds later. :)
March 2nd, 2012 on 10:40
Was Laura ever in robot wars?
March 2nd, 2012 on 17:38
I think its great to give your love one some chocolatesand wine for Valentines day. I gave my girl an easter egg. Yes i don’t know why I should pay £7 for a box of chocolates when you can pretty much get an easter egg for £1.50.
Also CBT is not the only counselling method, my girl who also does counselling says its actually not that great. And likes the humanist approach.
March 3rd, 2012 on 00:15
Combine the two and get some chocolate wine. Had some Rubis over Christmas, it’s absolutely superb. Tastes a bit like cherries, a bit like a very fruity red wine, and a lot like chocolate.
http://www.thewhiskyexchange.com/P-14143.aspx
Also, John, I’m assuming you know how to make cinnamon toast, but if you don’t: toast a piece of bread under a grill, butter one side and liberally sprinkle with cinnamon sugar, then grill it some more. The sugar caramelises to produce the best mid-morning snack of all time.
March 3rd, 2012 on 02:05
Of course cbt isn’t the only form of counselling. What a strange thing to say, after we quoted a tweet from someone else saying it had worked for them. However, it has excellent results for social anxiety disorders, and their cousin, eating disorders, so to dismiss it is pretty daft.
March 3rd, 2012 on 08:47
Nobody wants to hear dead air!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9OYZ04mCGCo#t=1m49s
March 5th, 2012 on 09:37
I know, no apostophe is simply horrifying. In my defence, I usually twitter on my phone, on which it is incredibly inconvinient to insert said apostrophe. I did actualy forget there was an aporstophe in Valentine’s though..
On Syria, it is astounding that we are not intervening. Given that we intervened in Libya to stop pretty much precisely what is happening in Syria from happening, this just makes us look profoundly hypocritical.
Hmm, a best of? I might look through old episodes to try and remind myself.
On Iran, Obama, who doesn’t seem to have been afraid to shoot people with no due process, is opposed to bombing Iran before diplomatic measures have completely failed. I believe the issue with bombing Iran is that it might not work, and it will certainly cement the government’s hold over the nation.
It’s difficult to stand and point at Iran and tell them they are not allowed nuclear weaponry when we have it. Of course Iran and Britain are quite different, but when it comes to one nation admonishing the other it becomes difficult. Even ignoring our historical interventions at that level.
I wonder if your perceptions of bias in the BBC on Isreal are because you are looking for it. I know of those who are “pro” Palestinian who believe the BBC have an anti-Palestinian bias, citing the decision not to show the DEC advert on the Gaza strip, for instance.
March 5th, 2012 on 16:56
May I suggest that next time you specify that you want *good* questions from your audient?
March 14th, 2012 on 00:20
On Syria, it is astounding that we are not intervening. Given that we intervened in Libya to stop pretty much precisely what is happening in Syria from happening, this just makes us look profoundly hypocritical.
You’re absolutely right, but it’s not surprising that we’re not intervening there. We got involved in Libya because we had to get involved in one big revolution in the Middle East. For all our bullshit talk of freedom and democracy and that, sitting back and doing nothing while all those dictators crushed popular revolutions would have been devastating for our image. But we prop up most of those regimes, so can’t afford to stab them in the back or the other dictators we deal with all the time would get nervous.
Libya was perfect. Massively violent, over the top bombing of civilians (as opposed to violent, but relatively limited, and above all cover action by police etc. in, say Egypt. Mubarak was a murdering shit, but he wasn’t insane enough to airstrike Tahrir Square), lots of oil, and, above all, a dictator with whom we have very limited dealings. Get in, kill the guy, get some brownie points from the new Libya and tell everyone you’ve already done your bit for arab world, so Syria can shove it.
It is very hypocritical. But it’s not so surprising at all.