Things that make you go oooooooo aka These are a few of my favourite things - The Bear and Badger

davyK

Non-game things I just really like with some explanation. Mild obsessions if you will.
May aid future secret santas but that's not the intention of this. Just felt like writing it down. What are yours?

Apollo Programme Nuts about anything related to this heroic, big ballsed and probably reckless endeavour. The Saturn V is for me the most beautiful vehicle mankind has ever produced.

Pogues Their first 3 albums has MacGowan's genius in full flow before he collapsed under the weight of his responsibilities. MacGowan was supported by excellent instrumentalists and some great supporting lyrics from a few of the other members. The albums serve up tracks from the racous to the romantic equally well.

Cocktail books Cannot walk past one. It's a seemingly infinite rabbit hole to fall down.

Radios I love self contained things - and I really love devices that just do one job really well. Radios are wonderful little boxes that spring to life with an enormous variety of free content with the illusion of no supporting infrastructure. Internet based content doesn't have the same charm or reliability. Even DAB has a glorious analogue feel. I also love checking out a radio's controls to see how such a simple function can be implemented in different ways.

Atomic energy/power plants/bombs There is something beautiful about the concept. A seemingly infinite source of energy that has such a deadly embrace. How a power station is essentially a controlled explosion fascinates me. I will devour any book or source of information on bombs and nuclear accidents.

A Christmas Carol My favourite redemption story that is set at my favourite time of the year. I read this every December over a night or two and own a lovely Folio edition which adds to the pleasure. Recently acquired the audiobook by the national treasure who is Tom Baker.

Voyager Second to Apollo in my space themed loves. The maths behind the grand tour that was plotted out by solving the famous 3 body problem is a marvel - as is the probes' robust design with lots of redundancy (something that lights my candle generally) - but the golden record is a particular highlight for me - the concept of a message in a bottle that will probably never be found - but the design of that message fascinates me.

Stanley Kubrick films I can't look away from a Kubrick film no matter when I stumble upon one. I love the look , the dialogue and the seemingly simple plots that reward repeat viewing. And I'm a fanboy because it seemed to me that he tackled and set the bar for several different genres at his first attempt.

WWII and Holocaust The sheer scope and scale of that war - the variety of theatres - the sheer madness of it - starting with Polish cavalry charges and ending with a niuclear explosion underlines its technological scope. I have no explanation for my morbid fascination of the Holocaust - the horror of it and how it was calmly planned and managed (the fortune IBM made providing tabulators and punched cards used in the census to identify the Jews is a story brushed under the carpet) and enormous horrible human story it created engages me endlessly.

Marble puzzles/mazes Can't leave these down - the pinnacle of the genre being the Perplexus series. My love of these impact on some of my video game leanings - Monkey Ball, Kororinpa and Marble Madness remain firm favourites of mine.

Blackjack One of the 2 casino games that are tests of skill. Spent a while learning basic strategy which itself only opened up more nuances of pair splitting, counting, surrender bets etc. A lot of it is memory but for some reason I can play sims for hours

Video Poker The other casino game of skill - find a machine with the right payoff table and make the right decision and you have a chance of finishing ahead - can play sims of these for hours too - coded up one myself back in the Windows XP days.

Baking Watching a dish of slop go into an oven and then removing a block of gorgeousity ticks my box. I don't do it as much as I'd like simply because one has to eat it and my weight loss efforts limit that.

Trad irish songs & music I can carry a tune and have entertained small crowds in pubs with a few of these over the years. Always try and learn new ones without forgetting what I already know - something that gets more difficult as time progresses. Don't get to strain my vocal chords as much as I used to either sadly (though my mates may not agree with me).

Chocolate (dark) Chocolate is a real weakness of mine - a major ingredient in my weight gains over the years. I have moved up the cocoa% scale in recent time to counter it as it's hard to over undulge in richer stuff. Appreciate it more now and always on the look out for new 80%+ experiences.

Chess/Backgammon sets and dedicated computers Another example of my love of a dedicated device. HAve a few of these from the 90s -a purely aesthetic pleasure to me and again - love to see how functions are implemented in different ways.

Walking Nothing like it for clearing the head and recalibrating ones sense of perspective while getting some physical benefit too - don't do enough at present and that's something that needs to be addressed this year.

A Kind of Blue I love Jazz music (smooth and ragtime) From Davis to Ball. Just love the rhythms and sounds. Can listen to it live or recorded, The smooth stuff relaxes me. But this album was the first I bought and remains my top pick. Have it on CD and vinyl. Endlessly listenable. Couldn't imagine not owning this.

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (Smiley books + TV/film versions) I'm very fond of the Smiley books but the story of betrayal at the centre of Tinker Tailor really floats my boat. The BBC series starring Alec Guinness is faultless and unsurpassed even by Gary Oldman's superb turn in the cinema. We simply won't see TV with this level of acting and slow pacing again.

Stories of problematic film production Only realised I love these when I stumbled across snippets back when I read Empire magazine. You tend to have to read between the lines on some DVD/BR extras too. But I can't get enough of production hell stories.

Pubs I like to drink but I prefer to drink with company in an older pub - one that has no TV screens (unless a sporting event is on) and quiet music (if any). Harder to find now but all the sweeter when I do.

Computer programming How I made a living for close on 20 years. I was living the dream all that time and knew it. I'm a manager now and have moved to ICT infrastructure - but I still tinker at home. Not a fan of modern framework stuff as I like to go low and compile text files with a CLI compiler - but = I can afford to think like that and indulge myself since I don't get paid for it.

Collector editions of favourite books I read my fiction on Kindle but if I find something I really like I'll look for a physical copy and a nice one if I can. Folio Society do some really lovely editions. I like to keep it small though and remain selective. Great Gatsby and Rogue Male are two novels I will re-read from time to time for example.

Sci-fi short stories Where the genre is best as far as I can discern. There are some excellent novels but a big fat sci-fi short story anthology is one of the joys of reading for me.

MC Escher Had a few of his prints framed and hung on my office wall for several years. Now hanging at home since we moved to open plan and the facilities nazis don't allow personally owned items adorning walls. Love the perspective games implemented in an exacting , accurate style which is design-wise seems age proof too. Can't resist any sort of book on his work either.

LoTR films & books (inc. Hobbit) Hobbit is a great yarn to read. I like the theme of realising your worth in the King's Return story inLoTR although Tolkein's prose can drag on - but the films are superbly pure cinematic events and I love them.

Liquors & spirits compatible with cocktail books of course - I find it hard to pass by a bottle of something I haven't tried before so my house is chock-full of liquers.

Jeff Wayne's War of the Worlds Have this on vinyl and CD. It's such a unique offering denying classification - a bit of a one-off which is something I like as a rule.

Laurel & Hardy There's a golden period in the talkie era before they fell out with Hal Roach when they created work I still find hilarious. No-one does a pratfall or breaks the 4th wall like Hardy. Stan was the brains and Ollie the heart. A unique act.

Snooker (esp. 80s) Having 2 good players from NI helped but it was great TV when these unreconstructed guys smoked, drank and misbehaved while the management manfully put it on TV as a sporting spectacle.

Dark Tower books I like King as a rule despite his knack of not finding satisfying endings but this series is his pinnacle. It tails off a bit toward the end but I binged on these books when I discovered them and I'm glad they had all been published as I couldn't have waited between volumes.

Calvin & Hobbes There's more to this little strip than meets the eye. Such a simple scenario was able to facilitate so many little tales that sometimes hinted at lofty themes without ever feeling contrived. And it ended before a shark fin appeared too.

Solitaire card games - esp. Poker Solitaire My favourite games are those that are a mixture of skill and luck and there are a lot of solitaire games like that. A book of these can let you grade how much skill or luck you fancy. I find layouts/tableaus aesthetically pleasing and a completed game satisfying. I also prefer the physical thing instead of playing on a computer apart from Poker Soltaire which makes for a very enjoyable game when implemented on a computer due to its high score chasing nature.

Yahtzee same mix of luck and skill but I prefer playing on a computer. I can play this as a high score game endlessly and I even have a little MB dedicated electronic handheld on which there is an excellent implementation. There's a computer based version called Triple Yahtzee which ups the tactics for the dedicated.

Owls My favourite animal. Beautiful silent flying assassins. I love they way they turn their head (because they can't move their eyes). I mean, look at them! Just typing this makes me smile.

Jaco

Epic post, davy. Kudos.

Calvin & Hobbes high five. I maintain it's not only the greatest comic strip ever written, but both a lovely work of art and an interesting literary work. Watterson's penmanship is superb and his turn of phrase is by turns hilarious, intelligent and though-provoking. The way it deals with some seriously big and difficult issues is magnificent. It's an under-rated gem. The Complete Collection is a joyously beautiful thing, and the best £80-90 you'll spend on anything ever.

EDIT: I will prepare a tl;dr post for this, as soon as I've half-an-hour or so to properly think about it.

Wookienopants

I like this thread idea. I’ll post something when I have more than 30 seconds to sit stilland my laptop at hand (hate posting on my phone)

Lord_Griff

I hate all

Eric

Great idea davy enjoyed reading that. I'll give it some thought and post something soon

Moot_Geeza

You're a credit to the forum Davy, wonderful post. I've been hammering the early Pogues albums this month as I'm reading a MacGowan biography. Thousands are Sailing has swooped in as a new favourite; the lead in to the first verse, and the verse itself, is about as good as it gets.

Paul the sparky

I like the word gorgeousity.

Also, found out Stan Laurel was an adopted Geordie last week.

EvilRedEye

The atomic energy one resonated with me, for some reason the concept of atoms really clicked with me at an unusually early age, like way before we were taught about it at school. Particle physics in my favourite physics. I don't know why - maybe because it's quite abstract - tiny 'balls' of stuff - but also real.

poprock

Niiice. I love to see a positive thread here and there.

I’ll never have the patience to write a long list like Davy’s but maybe I can throw in an occasional thought.

Here’s one. Three chords, three notes
I have fairly eclectic musical tastes, but when I want a hit of pure joy nothing quite hits the reptile part of my brain like some straight ahead basic pop punk. Buzzcocks, MTX, Town Bike, Chixdiggit, Chopper, whoever. Sometimes you don’t need heartfelt lyrics and complex harmonies. Sometimes you just want “ONE TWO, ONE TWO THREE FOUR …” and the same three chords over and over at breakneck speed.

Eric

With you there poprock.

HawBawJaws

Brilliant post davy.

I'll come up with some of my own and add to it later.

R.e. blackjack - i loved dealing it. Like you said, it's one of the few casino games where memory and skill play a part (although, the casino i was trained in used an automatic continuous shuffler, so the memory part was taken out of the equation), i always used to tell new players that the object of the game was to get as close to 21 as possible, but the art of the game was letting the dealer bust themselves. Used to love nothing more than all 7 boxes in play, with 2 backers on each box, and skelping everyone.

I miss being a croupier sometimes.

Yossarian

poprock wrote:

Niiice. I love to see a positive thread here and there.

I’ll never have the patience to write a long list like Davy’s but maybe I can throw in an occasional thought.

Here’s one. Three chords, three notes
I have fairly eclectic musical tastes, but when I want a hit of pure joy nothing quite hits the reptile part of my brain like some straight ahead basic pop punk. Buzzcocks, MTX, Town Bike, Chixdiggit, Chopper, whoever. Sometimes you don’t need heartfelt lyrics and complex harmonies. Sometimes you just want “ONE TWO, ONE TWO THREE FOUR …” and the same three chords over and over at breakneck speed.

For me it’s generally complicated, angular punk that hits the spot. Give me time signature changes (love a bit of 7/8, me), spidery guitar lines and someone yelling his* lungs out over the top and I’m happy.

* doesn’t have to be a him, but it tends to be.

Raiziel

An excellent thread, davy, and you’ve started it beautifully. I’ve heard of The Folio Society before, so after reading your post I thought I’d look them up. I’m now £200 the poorer.

cockbeard

poprock wrote:

Niiice. I love to see a positive thread here and there. I’ll never have the patience to write a long list like Davy’s but maybe I can throw in an occasional thought. Here’s one. Three chords, three notes I have fairly eclectic musical tastes, but when I want a hit of pure joy nothing quite hits the reptile part of my brain like some straight ahead basic pop punk. Buzzcocks, MTX, Town Bike, Chixdiggit, Chopper, whoever. Sometimes you don’t need heartfelt lyrics and complex harmonies. Sometimes you just want “ONE TWO, ONE TWO THREE FOUR …” and the same three chords over and over at breakneck speed.

Yup, as much as I love some stuff really technical and mathy, my default go to is almost always four on the floor, three chords, and the truth

cockbeard

Great thread Davy, I'm going to enjoy remembering what I like rather than whining about all the things I don't, though that's also one of my favourite things

Stream of consciousness rant at something wholly insignificant
It sounds angry and worries folk who know me enough to care to not enough to realise that I don;t actually care, I just really love a well composed off the cuff rant about anything, it's so cathartic

afgavinstan

Feel ya there, Cocko. A fave hobby of mine.

afgavinstan

Loving the thread too. After a shitty day I think it'll be nice to have a think and post something positive.

Facewon

Nice. I read dark tower in real time. And yes, waiting was a pain.

Brooks

I really like sex.

cockbeard

I can fix that, honestly I've ruined it for many

Facewon

There's an offer. Woah

lastant

Raiziel wrote:

An excellent thread, davy, and you’ve started it beautifully. I’ve heard of The Folio Society before, so after reading your post I thought I’d look them up. I’m now £200 the poorer.

Same here! Thanks davy, I think...

davyK

Yikes!!!!!

poprock

Dogs
I drag myself out of bed early every morning and go outdoors whatever the weather. It’s worth it every time. Getting to the point where I can safely let my dog off the lead and watching the unbridled joy as he runs in wide circles at full tilt up a hill, jumping over tree branches and loving life. It’s the simplest of pleasures, but it’s a good one.

cockbeard

Hahaha, unbridled being used literally, love that

Kow

I thought it meant divorce.

equinox_code

Berghain- Berlin techno club and without a doubt my favourite place on the planet. It's hard to find the words to do this place justice. Best location, best lighting, best sound, best atmosphere, best crowd, best everything, and it's sexy as fuck. In fact, every single thing this place does, nowhere else does better. It's a glorious temple of hedonism; a masterpiece from top to bottom. Until you have actually been there, it's really hard to imagine how a clubbing experience could ever be jaw-droppingly, mind-blowingly incredible. Those simply arent words you associate with a nightclub. However, after you have been, suddenly all the things you heard about it begin to make sense. You really dont have to visit every club in the world to know that this one is without a doubt the best.

DMT- Maybe a little cringey for some to see a drug included in a list of very important things, but i suspect anyone who has tried this in suitable quantities would agree. It is a uniquely exhilarating experience like no other, with the potential to become the most profound 5 minutes of you life; an unpredictable psychedelic adventure that can send your consciousness to whole new dimensions; places that somehow manage to seem more real than reality, populated with imposible shapes, colours and concepts. Better still, unless you're consuming ungodly idiot quantities at once, it's actually harmless. No come down, no side effects, no risk of addiction.

Biltong- South African dried beef. I like it lean, dry and thinly sliced. It's actually the only food that sends a small shiver down my spine when i taste it. Especially when i havent had it for a while, which is basically never since i found a good quality producer who delivers. Worth noting that most of the stuff available in shops in the UK is shit. Cruga, Savannah, Coan, etc are all nasty. You get what you pay for, and the good stuff is quite a lot more expensive. I will never understand how beef jerky ended up being more popular.

Modem festival- For the last few years festivals have really been my thing, and of all those visited, this one is by far the best. It's 7 days of dark psy/techno music in Croatia, near that national park with the waterfalls (cant remember the name. think it begins with p). Im really amazed they ever got a license to hold a festival in such a pristine environment. It's in a valley/forest, with small waterfalls and a crystal clear river running through the grounds. It's incredibly beautiful, and the festival itself is very well decorated. Fortunately it also attracts a small but responsible crowd (around 5000 people). Everyone picks up their litter and cleans up after themselves. I never even saw anyone flick a cigarette on the floor. i suspect if they did, someone would volunteer themselves to give them a telling off.

Hot girls in low cut tops riding bicycles down a cobbled street- god i love it. I might even call it a microfetish. It never fails to trigger a ticklish throb. The clothing doesnt even have to be that low cut. If i can see the boob wobble it really just brightens my day. The only other time you find or see those kind of premium quivers is when getting a handjob. It's kind of jelly-like, and jelly is fucking great too.

Catching things- feeling swish when someone throws you a lighter with considerable pace, and with only a brief glance you pluck it from the air with your weaker hand, making it all look easy. Feels extra good when you then just carry on as normal, as if to say yea, that's just how i catch.

Lord_Griff

Catching things went somewhere else.

LarryDavid

Disappointing lack of white shirts.

Wookienopants

Lord_Griff wrote:

Catching things went somewhere else.

Lol

afgavinstan

equinox_code wrote:

Hot girls in low cut tops riding bicycles down a cobbled street- god i love it. I might even call it a microfetish. It never fails to trigger a ticklish throb. The clothing doesnt even have to be that low cut. If i can see the boob wobble it really just brightens my day. The only other time you find or see those kind of premium quivers is when getting a handjob. It's kind of jelly-like, and jelly is fucking great too.

Uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

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