Info and forum posts by 'Steve Eason'

RE: Blockbuster Ends Hi- Def Format War??

The Digital Bits have recently added an article where they say the format war is over, and Blu-ray is the winner. This was in respopnse to the news that Harry Knowles (aint it cool news) had decided on HD-DVD due to player price cuts, and they were suggesting he`d made a bad decision.

Also a Microsoft exec recently admitted that they expect this to be the last generation of optical media, and in 10 years we`ll all be streaming our collections (over their servers no doubt). This doesn`t inspire confidence in a long term future for HD-DVD, of which they are one of the few major supporters.

RE: Who were the medicine experts in our family?

He is probably referring to either the mesentery (fatty tissue surrounding the gut) or peritoneum (general lining of the abdomen). Cancers of these tissues are fairly rare, are generally diffuse (which means no single solid tumour present) and only the specific details of the case can provide full information. You should wait for the discussion with the oncologist.

RE: Who were the medicine experts in our family?

It depends where the malignant cells were found. If in a blood sample, then abnormal blood cells could mean leukemia or lymphoma, both malignant conditions where there may not be a solid tumour evident. If from a biopsy, then some suspicion of a problem may have been there prior to taking the biopsy.

Many cancers now respond well to treatment. Hopefully the oncologist will have reassuring news.

RE: RIP: My mum

I`m sorry for your loss.....

RE: Help Please: Any colour blind people on here?

Getting back to the original post, I am colour-blind (specifically deuteranomaly, the commonest type (means I`m mildly green deficient, like 5% of all males, and 0.35% of females) and I can see almost all of your original set of numbers (only 3 was a bit difficult). As a later post pointed out, I don`t think your tests are subtle enough. The one reproduced in that post is from the classic series of test cards by Ishihara (not a ninja!), which is still in common use.

It means I can`t be an airline pilot (never an ambition anyway), and don`t notice those paints with a hint of green in. I`d lived in a flat for 3 years, and my new girlfriend said "I like the green colour on the walls" to which I said "What green colour?."

This item was edited on Thursday, 29th March 2007, 10:40

RE: Recipe help...Gravy

The flour`s the thing! When the juices are hot on the hob, add a dessertspoon of plain flour and mix to form a paste (called a roux). Allow this to cook for a short while (the gluten in the flour wakes up), and then blend the stock, wine, herbs etc in and reduce to get the required thickness. Add salt/pepper to taste, or even a splash of lemon juice or Worcester sauce if you feel it needs "sharpening".

RE: SONY DAVS-500 REPLACEMENT COST

I`m also considering a new system, and also prefer small speakers. I`ve had the DAVS300 for years with excellent performance, only now beginning to show its age. I want HDMI for the new Samsung LCD TV, but would also like DivX playback, which the Sony DAVZ111 doesn`t have, does it?

I can`t seem to find a system which has all the functions I want AND small speakers. Any suggestions?

RE: Medical Q. Which part of the body is replaced/regenerated every 3/6mths?

Brain=nervous tissue (part of the Central Nervous System).

Incidentally, it`s not true that drinking alcohol kills brain cells, it just feels that way!

RE: Medical Q. Which part of the body is replaced/regenerated every 3/6mths?

Note the point about "as little as 25%". This means that any less than that cannot fully regenerate. Basically, all of our organs partially regenerate throughout life due to stem cells. BUT, the stem cells have a finite capacity themselves, and we lose them as we age, which is why our organs lose function over time.

Cirrhosis is replacement of healthy liver cells with connective tissue leading to shrinkage and failure of function. It`s a chronic condition which takes years to become apparent, but basically the stem cells are lost with the healthy stuff.

In total, the continual replacement of old cells means there`s very little of you that`s been around for much more than a few years, with the exception of nervous tissue, which has limited regeneration capacity.

RE: Medical Q. Which part of the body is replaced/regenerated every 3/6mths?

Sort of.....The outer skin layer (epidermis) is replaced every 3-6 months. However the many complex layers beneath (dermis, blood vessels etc) are always there providing the new outer cells. The skin is the largest organ in(on) the body. The liver is the largest internal organ.

RE: THO or TOH?

I think this one needs Rasillon`s input.......

RE: DVD reviewer roll call

Here! Even though I should be working....

RE: Only just seen Cars..

Of course, Robots and Shark Tale weren`t Pixar movies, so that puts Cars at the bottom of the Pixar pile.

RE: My hand is possessed!

I don`t really know if I should jump to worst case scenarios but....

If this continues, you may need to get it checked. Most likely nothing serious, but this was the first symptom Michael J Fox had of early onset Parkinson`s disease (read his autobiography-Lucky Man), except it was his little finger. This was while he was filming Doc Hollywood, and several years before he "went public".

RE: Are the clocks going back this year in the uk?

...but even if we kept on Summer time, by the middle of the winter, we would still be getting up in the dark and going home in the dark, due to the shortening of daylight overall, it`s just that the dates over which this would last would be shorter.

Also remember the experience is quite different dependent on where you live. In the North of Scotland and Northern Ireland, it`s dark by about 3.30pm, but light in the morning, while further south it`s darker in the morning and evening, but only after about 7.30am/4.30pm.

In any case, while all of Europe and the US continue to do it, we`ll have to follow suit for practical reasons.

RE: Can i take my ipod and mobile on a plane?? (in my pockets)

Both can go in hand luggage, but have to go through the scanner, not in your pockets at security (You have to take off jackets, put laptops through separately and possibly remove belts/shoes (variable policy on this at the moment). Once onboard, you can use the mobile until the plane doors are closed, then NOT AT ALL during flight. This is the situation with almost all airlines at the moment, although as mentioned, some US carriers allow them on internal flights. Major carriers like BA and Virgin are "looking into it", but like Rassilon, I hope it never happens.

RE: STAR WARS - The Prequels - Where Lucas went wrong........My turn.

PS I do have a life/wife/family/mortgage etc, but there`s just a small part of me that is forever Star Wars.....

....and I don`t currently own an anorak!

RE: STAR WARS - The Prequels - Where Lucas went wrong........My turn.

Apart from the game franchises, all your points apply perfectly to the first trilogy just as well as to the second. I agree that Harrison Ford is an exception(a bit like McDiarmid in the prequels), but Hamill and Fisher are just as good/bad as Christensen and Portman. Remember what Harrison said on the set about the ANH script: "You can type this s**t George, but you can`t say it!" And are you implying that the Force is not a biblical/religious theme in the original trilogy?

Oh, and by the way, Lucas is a race car/speed freak-hence the pod race stuff in TPM-see also American Graffiti. I take it that`s the Game franchise you had in mind?

Only one person can say what makes a Star Wars movie-and that`s the man who made all 6 of them. As Mark said in his post earlier-if you want to do better, you`ll have to come up with an original sci-fi franchise of your own, as Lucas has the copyright on all the Star Wars stuff.

RE: STAR WARS - The Prequels - Where Lucas went wrong........My turn.

OK, dons geek anorak to defend Lucas....

The facts on your prequel "mistakes"

1. Alec Guiness said "When I first KNEW him, your father was already a great pilot". This could refer to the whole period of TPM, i.e. pod race, Naboo space battle etc. It doesn`t refer to only the first meeting.

2. "I thought I could instruct him just as well as Yoda, I was wrong" is all Obi-Wan says. Training after childhood is Master to Padawan so Obi-Wan would be the one to do it anyway (Yoda assigns Anakin as his Padawan at the end of TPM). Obi-Wan is therefore probably referring to the "missing" part of Anakin`s training, and this is re-emphasised in Empire by Yoda when he states that Luke is too old to begin the training.

3. Both droids (C3PO and R2D2) are generic models, as seen at several points in both trilogies (e.g. protocol droids on Trade Federation ship and Bespin, R5-D4 in Star Wars etc etc). C3PO has had an entirely new solid gold "skin" added, befitting his status as a protocol droid, and putting him well outside the Lars budget! You wouldn`t recognise an old Mini Cooper if it had an entirely new paint job. It`s the same thing.

Don`t think Lucas hadn`t thought these things out-he had plenty of time to do so.

Takes off anorak......mind you, he did change his mind about the elder Jedi. Qui-Gon was "invented" when he realised that he wanted a younger Anakin and Obi-Wan for the prequels (and needed a "noble victim" to mirror Obi-Wan`s own death in ANH). Originally, in early story drafts, Obi-Wan was the one who escaped Naboo with the queen, found Anakin on Tatooine and took him to the council.

RE: TV License to go up £30 !!!

This is typical Daily Mail scaremongering. The facts are that the BBC have said the Fee will reach £154 by 2013 (SEVEN years from now) and that people surveyed said they would be happy to pay up to £160 at that point, or thereafter (a whole 6 pounds more!). However, the survey said they would PREFER to have future developments funded by subscription.

Check the BBC News website (Entertainment section, under Television) for the full story (admittedly part of the corporation), rather than the knee-jerk panic engendered by the likes of the Mail and Express.

This item was edited on Friday, 15th September 2006, 16:38

RE: So the government is being stupid again

As one of the young white Northern Irishmen from a couple of decades ago mentioned by bowfer, I was once more likely to be stopped and searched, especially if my accent had been overheard. I never once resented it, as I knew that there were people around who looked and sounded like me, but were prepared to blow other people up. I wanted them to be stopped just as much as everyone else, and mainly because they were a disgrace to my country and my race.

Surely any law-abiding Muslim should feel the same? Yes, it`s a little extra hassle, but for a worthwhile outcome. In any case, overall behaviour is more likely to trigger a "profile" response, such as turning up at the airport and paying for a ticket in cash at the last minute.

RE: UK Airports on High alert

The point xfg made about liquids is the whole problem with the plot. It`s possible to carry two small bottles of easily available chemicals which in themselves are not explosive, but when mixed become highly dangerous. That`s why the hand baggage has now gone to the hold-they would have had to manually mix the components together to get an explosion. The other problem is you can`t detect these substances with the current generation of security scanners.

Apparently the quantities needed could easily fit into a travel toiletries bag. Just be thankful we can spend today moaning about the lack of a book to read on our flight, rather than coming to terms with 6 (or more) fully laden aircraft blowing up mid-Atlantic, or worse, over populated areas....

RE: How many reviewer members do we have?

Another one here!

RE: Any chance of a prayer please? I could do with it.

My thoughts and prayers are with you both.....and I`m sure all of us at reviewer are hoping for good news.

RE: The Doctor is back at last!

It`s official:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/5082668.stm
(Billie Piper is leaving at the end of this series)

So what type of companion suits David Tennant`s Doctor?

RE: Patio Heaters

Think the argument goes like this: You are using a small gas cylinder to heat up the entire atmosphere. A fire/heater can efficiently warm up a closed space (cave/castle/house/flat etc) but a patio heater is not enclosed, so will never get the place warm. Mind you, all the gases from all the indoor fires get into the atmosphere as well, so it`s a tough one to understand....

RE: Jury Duty

How about 6 weeks at the Old Bailey on a multiple (>20 hits) armed robbery gang case? We were given notes and maps, books of photos and had to hear from loads of witnesses, including a former gang member turned "supergrass". Given the mountain of evidence, it took us 2 days of deliberations (very tough) to come to an agreed verdict.

It was worth it, to see British Justice in action, and feel that you were the most important part of it. As the judge told us "You will never have a more responsible role in society than you have as a jury member". He was right.

RE: Free Upgade On Flights

To Miles R, and anyone else who flies with Virgin Atlantic.......

This site (www.v-flyer.com), has all you ever need to know about flying with VAA, and the benefits of Gold are wonderful: Clubhouse access regardless of flight class booking, a free companion return ticket anywhere on the Virgin network, use of Upper Class check-in regardless of ticket class, discounts on parking etc. etc.

...It also has a useful section on upgrades and how to increase your chances of getting one....

This item was edited on Tuesday, 28th March 2006, 13:38

RE: Free Upgade On Flights

What Rassilon said applies. DON`T ask outright (this was always true, even before 9/11). In any case, even if you are lucky enough to be selected for upgrade (highly unlikely on a NY route unless you`re a regular traveller AND member of the airline`s frequent flyer programme), you`ll never get from economy all the way to first class. Maybe one class up (e.g. World Traveller plus on BA, Premium Economy on Virgin), but no higher.

Or you can pay for an upgrade at the airport, if you happened to win the lottery that weekend!

RE: Animal Testing OK?

Testing cosmetics is wrong.

Anyone who has ever, or will ever need to, take a pill, from paracetamol upwards, has no right to complain about animal testing, as ALL drugs have to go through this process BY LAW, worldwide. It wouldn`t be done if it wasn`t necessary, and alternatives are continually being expanded, but if all tests were stopped, those promising new pills for breast cancer, leukemia etc. would never see the clinic.

How could you get people to volunteer as subjects to test a substance that might cause cancer, liver damage, cardiac arrest etc. when administered? The risks would be so high, no new treatments would ever get through development. Testing for these potentially fatal effects in animals (usually rodents) is the best that can be done at the moment. And if we stopped it here, all that would happen is it would be outsourced to other countries with poor or no guidelines on the humane treatment of laboratory animals.

The argument that some animal tests failed to show the potential risks when humans were exposed is also flawed, as only the substances which were "clean" from animal tests were ever given to humans, those which were never given were withheld precisely because the animals had shown clear signs of toxicity.

It`s not perfect, but it`s the best we`ve got.