Mention of Dundee United's past successes on another thread made me smile, I'm a big fan of theirs. Er... sort of. I've never seen them play. Never actually been to Dundee. Don't think I've even seen them on the telly. Actually I'm a Leeds fan. They're relatively local to where I grew up, and they're the team I used to go and watch as a kid, had the strip, the posters of Bremner, Clarke, Cooper etc.
So why the love for Dundee United? Why do I look for their results every Sunday morning?
It's the strip - the tangerine.
Back in the early '70, a comic - I believe it was Victor - gave away a free booklet with illustrations of all English and Scottish football teams's kits. I remember most to this day - so much that when the footie results are read out on Saturday tea-time I'm overcome with a kind of soccer-based synaesthesia as I see combinations of striped, hooped and quartered shirts dance before my eyes. If a lesser known club (to me), say Plymouth Argyle, makes a rare appearance on the FA cup MoTD in anything other than the shirts I remember from 1972 (white with a black/green/ black hoop combo running across the middle) it just seems wrong.
Anyway - Dundee United - looked bloody amazing in the drawing. I liked Albion Rovers's red and yellow strip too (remember it was the Glam era and the Sweet were my faves so despite Leeds's non-strip it was the brighter the better for me.) but they fell at the second hurdle - were they an Albion or a Rovers? I had no time for such indecision. My 'other' team were and always would be Dundee United.
I soon discovered more about the place too. Several of my beloved comics were published there - of course they were - it was the magical kingdom of Dundee, what else would they make? The big-as-your-head sugary chocolate coated biscuits sold at break at big school? Dundee biscuits! Of course they bloody were! When Andy Gray confirmed what an arse he was last year I actually thought 'tschh and him an ex-Tannadice Tangerine. The shame.'
So, there you go. That's my other team story. Am I nuts? Or do other people have wholly irrational allegiances sporting or otherwise?

Hi all - I know we've done this sort of thing before, but I need to buy a digital camera for work. Cost between £200-300. Must work well indoors. Will be used for close up shots of 3D artwork, so must have very good and easy to use macro facility. Strike a chord with anyone? Any advice appreciated. Thanks.

Hi there -
sorry most of you missed yesterday's al fresco mingle. Numbers were low, but we had a great time - see video in comments. Maybe next time ...

...We'll keep the Jolly Roger flying here.

Interesting article on the Guardian site about the Pirate party: http://tinyurl.com/7ld3a3r
'Europe's youngest, boldest and fastest growing political movement.'

All quite fascinating in my opinion - god knows the current party political model needs to change - but in the middle of the article is a paragraph I thought might be of particular interest to the Massive:

"Nor does he have any truck with the argument that file-sharing hurts art and artists.

"It's just not true. Musicians earn 114% more since the advent of Napster. The average income per artist has risen 66%, with 28% more artists being able to make a living off their hobby. What is true is that there's an obsolete middle market of managers. And in a functioning market, they would just disappear."

Remember him this way:

How did that happen?
Got a chocolate hedgehog cake from the little lad and some Jack Daniels from the GLW - shame the blood tests yesterday suggest I'm possibly pre-diabetic.
Oh well, hopefully it'll encourage me to take the Chubby Checker more seriously this year.

No need for any fuss or presses from the massive - you've done enough by giving me the music of Hold Your Horses!, Sleeper Agent, Smith & Burrows, M83 and Cults among others.

ps The thread title is an exclamation, rather than a demand, obviously, ahem.

No idea if this is of interest to anyone - and I know the group appeared on the Over-rated Musical Artists thread but iTunes is giving away a free Beatles ebook/iBook/whatever.
It's The Yellow Submarine with digital knobs on. A bit too small on my iPhone (slow page transitions too) but would look quite pretty on an iPad, I would think. There's a link on the top right of the iTunes homepage if you're interested.

No idea if this is of interest to anyone - and I know the movie appeared on the Over-rated Films thread but I found this - an online, viewable version of the Blade Runner sketchbook - magnificent, and long out of print:
http://tinyurl.com/bpr83sz
I've just spent an enjoyable hour or so marvelling at some of the designs therein.

I love stuff like this - often more than the films themselves.

The artist, James Rizzi has died aged 61. He's the guy who's cartoony characters were animated in a couple of Tom Tom Club videos back in the 80s.
I couldn't find the videos themselves but here's Wordy Rappinghood:

I doubt he'll be remembered as an important artist (whatever that means), but his work was fun and appealed to most of the kids I showed it to.

Anyone else doing Apple's 12 Days of Christmas? You download the app then get a free gift each day - some music, a game, a film etc. Always a mixed bag as you might expect - I've kept the Chaplin film Modern Times from last year whereas the sea fishing game didn't last the day.
This year, though the freebies have been total Word Marmite - yesterday it was free Coldplay live music and videos, today it's Top Gear: The Trip. I know some on here will love those choices, me, I'm dreading what comes next: Michael MacIntyre Live? A Mahavishnu Orchestra Xmas? A guide to Alternative Medicine?

I know I'm not alone in my love for this woman! One of the tracks of the year live-ish on SNL.

- are we ignoring him or am I looking in the wrong places?

I just posted something about the Giles cartoons on the Retro Chrimbo thread and it reminded me that as a child my nightmares were often haunted by a 'real life' version of Giles's Grandmother character who moved slowly and dalek-like after me and found me wherever I hid. She never actually caught me, but I woke up sobbing a few times.
Who or what scared you as a bairn?

Mr November by the National

A friend of mine has had a very shitty and tragic time in the last couple of years. Things finally looking up, she booked a night in an executive suite at the Manchester Hilton hotel - the huge tower on Deansgate. Booked and paid for 3 months ago.
She and her new partner arrive last Saturday to be told that they would only be having a regular room as they were booked up - Manchester City had been given the executive suites on the eve of their derby at Old Trafford.
She was given a £100 refund and the room was lovely, but still - sounds like shoddy treatment and shady business practice to me.