@pedant;

I had to smile. Who used to say that? “I’ve come over all unnecessary.”

Missy

@pedant – that’s lovely and I’m hoping the smartphone was held in a vicelike grip by one of her production crew!!
I jest – currently musicians make most of their money from live gigs so live performances online showing to thousands “you should go to the next gig by this person because they are great live” are (imo) essential.
I think the whole…[Read more]

Wow! Amen to that, @pedant!

@thane15 @pedant  I did indeed write something about I Daniel Blake immediately after seeing at the cinema.  It’s not a perfect film  but immensely powerful in its depiction of people trapped within a system that cannot and will not acknowledge them.  The Job Centre staff too are trapped – if they do try to step outside the system to offer hel…[Read more]

@pedant

None of it is anything to do with faith.

Yes, it is. You are standing waiting at a bus stop to prove the hypothesis that a bus will turn up, yes, but that doesn’t stop your hypothesis testing also being an act of faith. If it’s important that you get somewhere else quickly, you will not have time for repeat testing. You have to trust a)…[Read more]

@ichabod

Agreed; but it *also* means sometimes giving up, stepping back, “Why can’t I just lose?! . . . You still won’t be there .”  I see it from maybe a reverse viewpoint: I see the person who carries the title The Doctor having to learn that lesson of ultimate acceptance over and over again, because “never give up” is directly opposed to “…[Read more]

@pedant  Thanks, that’s exactly the point I was trying to make, that difference between situational and clinical depression; you lay it out much more clearly than I did.  I’ve seen examples of both types of depression close up, so I’ve been a bit sensitized, I guess, to maintaining that distinction.  I think many people don’t really see it at all.

@pedant  Or he was thoroughly few up with losing people and had been tortured for 4.5 billion years.  

Yes; that’s my version of the story, and I’m sticking to it.  DW deals in depression quite a bit, and that’s <i>our human </i> story too, for the most part, just scrawled all over the universe over massive amounts of time instead of over a smal…[Read more]

@pedant

Thanks. I understand you much better now.

@pedant

No I haven’t – other things yes.

I can understand why you think the Doctor is depressed (I’m assuming you essentially mean clinically depressed). The Doctor has spent a billion (or several) years in a ground hog day loop, breaking through to the Time Lords. Hell Bent suggests each time is the first time for the Doctor, although its…[Read more]

@pedant I think you may be right about Chasm Forge.

@nick the implication of the BSOD moment and ‘you don’t understand’ line is that it’s only then that he remembers at least something of the previous times.

@mirime

In Hell Bent, was the first version we saw, the very first time. He left himself clues to speed up the process of getting to the barrier. Whatever memory he has, must be limited. Less than all, or the episode is a lie.

In any case, I’m not sure that it changes my overall idea, or even that @pedant ‘s argument does. Pedant’s suggestion…[Read more]

@pedant  Excellent point.  This particular Doctor’s been unusually broken by his experiences, he couldn’t find people on his home world who could understand what he’s been through, and even a mind wipe can’t take all the hurt away.  He had a reprieve with River, and was strong enough to let her go after 24 happy years together…but it still hu…[Read more]

@pedant

I agree, you can argue that the billion years, spent being tortured might have changed things, but then each Doctor in the Hell Bent castle has no memory of the previous Doctor. He has to work it out from first principles and then spent whatever time left clawing at the wall. Surely the impact can only be intellectual and not physical as…[Read more]

ah – somehow missed yours @pedant

One reason I posted the actual song was I’ve been failing to find original songs of Bowie’s (DRM!) so was a bit surprised to find this one (maybe its a Vevo thing).

But did really like yours – would’ve loved to have been there!

Great posts (as always), Thanks @Whisht, @toinfinityandbepond, @phaseshift, @Craig, @Wolfweed and all. @Pedant – you have great taste! Thea Gilmore is fab.

Bit hard to get away from politics in the UK this week, but I don’t really need an excuse for The The, haha. Love this –

<p style=”text-align: left;”>@soundworld – ‘warrior’ wasn’t it? But mine too.</p>
<p style=”text-align: left;”>@pedant @nick – the tardis said she ‘always takes you where you need to go’.</p>
<p style=”text-align: left;”>Why did the Tardis need to take Nardole away? When he is clearly not as good as his former boss at driving it? So he had to…[Read more]

Apart from Missy’s “are you alright Doctor” nothing conceptual for the longer term particularly stood out other than as has been pointed out by @pedant

Bonkerism at work for the rest in a very enjoyable way. As often with the purely fun episodes, the concept needed more time and depth to properly deliver its conclusion on the premise.

@whisht @thane15 @pedant

This is quite interesting economic based view on why May lost. I wouldn’t suggest this was the only or even best reason, but the underlying economics are important back ground.

http://uk.businessinsider.com/pantheon-analyst-samuel-tombs-called-uk-general-election-exactly-right-chart-2017-6

@pedant

I said it was what I thought would happen not what I want to happen.

Anyway, The UK bought 2.69 million new cars in 2016 and manufactured 1.7 million, of which 0.3 million were sold in the UK.  That’s a net import of 1.3 million cars in one year (SMMT figures). Whether you consider that to be a “BMW needs us” argument or not [ i don’t]…[Read more]