[blacklion1725]

Fair enough – shame youre not local else you could have had my other 4 cans of it! I like all this beer revival and all that but some things go too far for me….this collection probably falls in that category (citrus, mango, chocolate…not for me I’m afraid). the Adnams on the other hand – absolute winner – loved them all.

[blacklion1725]

PM I got those craft beers today as well……not good for me.

The IPA, Lager and Pale Ale are drinkable but wouldn’t buy again – the porter  I found disgusting and went down the plug hole. I don’t mind porter and stout but this one was vile for me (chocolate – no!!)

On the plus side the boss likes the glasses, and I quite liked the ring-pull that takes the whole top off the can so you can sip it like a glass (I remember Asahi Japanese beer used to be like that)

 

[blacklion1725]

Just to chip in done a few cheapies on ebay (checking for good feedback) and all AOK – and all in the £3 – £5 mark. Don’t know how/why but suspect they (MS) just happy to get 10 rolled out before they kill off everything else.

[blacklion1725]

Cheers PM – got mine last week and will make a dent in it today – familiar with most of them but a couple of new ones too.

[blacklion1725]

Bob I love your posts! Would make a great film!

Betting does cause rows though – remember when I worked in Southwark a row over a double hit (foul shot) at pool ended in a mass brawl because there was money on it (and not that much). Dies bring out the worst in people – specifically those that are down and chasing their losses.

[blacklion1725]

Thanks for the advice Dave – I’ll swerve it and keep looking, its not ultra urgent

Cheers

[blacklion1725]

I like a bet – horses/dogs and occasionally football. Write the money off as soon as the bet is laid and anything that comes back is a bonus. Never touch the spreads (you don’t know how much you are liable for). If you are sensible it is pleasant distraction but yes it is a mug’s game for 99.9% (including me). In terms of addiction it is like anything else – but I agree it is too easy and the internet has made it ridiculously easy. Shouldn’t be advertised on TV in my opinion either.

Saying all of that the biggest mugs game of all is the lottery (I do that too!) – much better odds of a favourable return on just about any other bet. The best (or least bad) I find is a place bet (rather than each way) which you can only be laid at the track/course not in a shop or online….especially at meets like Royal Ascott, Goodwood etc.

[blacklion1725]

any ideas if this one might fit the bill? – 10% code PAYDAY10 (right accross Argos Ebay) brings it just under £300 – no idea about the celeron processor though.

[blacklion1725]

I love a Greggs – especially the Sausage Rolls – bettered only by Morrisons Lincolnshire ones.

[blacklion1725]

yep Shield T V is a powerful bit of kit but pricey – It can run the plex server and client which is a bonus plus “proper Android TV”….neither is a killer feature for me as other ways to skin those cats.

If that is out of budget (pushing £200) I’d say to simplify the confusion if you need Kodi get an Amazon Fire TV box, if you don’t then get a Roku box….either flavour just get the best you can spec-wise.

[blacklion1725]

The Roku will also allow access to Netflix, Amazon Prime and many other channels (official and unofficial) that NowTV doesn’t support, and has a much nicer UI (minly because it is not pushing one particular content provider. Roku supports Plex, NowTV no longer does. Neither supports Kodi btw which is where Amazon Fire has the upper hand, supports just about everything (including Kodi) but UI not as nice (gets better as it learns what you use though). I’d definitely go for the highest spec box (within budget) over a stick whichever platform you choose.

[blacklion1725]

Was expecting it Bob – heard Moyes (justifying weak team) say Wigan would give the FA Cup they won back to stay in the Premier League – show s how out of touch he/they are…..I’d swap the struggle to stay up for a cup win and then the lower leagues in a heartbeat. What’s the point of just “existing” in the pemier league? And if you get to see match of the day our fullback (Massuaku) got (rightly) sent off for spitting at a Wigan player – hope he gets sacked but doubt it. Dirty ****er is a disgrace to our shirt.

Back on topic can’t see the attraction of “stick” versus “box” – still one HDMI port, still need power (even if USB) and just worse performance. For the Rokus, which support IR as well as woreless remote, havong a stick (non-IR) behnd the TV is another reason to go “box”.

 

[blacklion1725]

Having tried the Amazon Fire stick and box, the box wins hands down – I’d expect NowTV to be the same – and given that you can get NowTV on several other platforms I can’t see much point in buying a NowTV device since they disable the (e.g. Plex) developer channel.

An online only Sky Q solution might make a bit ofsense, though I still think they (Sky) are in a muddle. Sky Q…… in the catchup/on-demand age who needs to record 6 live things at once?

I’ve left Sky now but most that I know who have migrated to Q are less than impressed – mainly with the performance of the mini-boxes. The fact Sky are losing content to competitors left right and centre makes them even less attractive.

NowTV looks like their best bang/buck product to me – but I’d choose a newer Roku as the delivery platform over a NowTV device…..its neutral content-wise and better hardware.

[blacklion1725]

yeah we tried my android tab and my work ipad but mum didn’t get on with the touch screen at all on either – and I really did try!

[blacklion1725]

Thank you both – will have a nose. I’m only bothered about the SSD as she des like to turn things off (properly off!) at the drop of a hat. The NUC boots up in no time so just a bit worried that if the spinner takes a while to boot she’ll be less inclined to use it. I’ll have a look at all these options though – ta.

[blacklion1725]

I remember GiffGaff had a couple of massive outages years back when I used them. O2 stayed up at the same time – GiffGaff used the O2 backbone network but were less resilient and had their own single points of failure – not sure if that still applies to them or other piggybackers. Whole issue of piggyback/reselling is very complex and messy and probably only comes clear when one of the third parties goes t!ts up and the parent doesn’t.

[blacklion1725]

Was in Screwfix earlier – hadn’t realised they carry a fair bit of Dickies gear too. Fruit of the Loom – good gear but I think there’s a lot of snides about – have seen some in shops that are paper thin, ones I’ve bought all been decent and kept shape/colour.

[blacklion1725]

Yeah good gear. There’s a stall on Romford Market sells it all cheap – maybe seconds but if so impossible to tell – well made stuff that lasts. The work shorts and trousers are great – got both and have both and they’ve had a real torrid time but still going strong.

[blacklion1725]

I’m still on unlimited data with 3 – £25/month (had to commit to a year, now it is rolling monthly). I do a lot of streaming outside the “binge” allowance, including from my own home set up (HDD on my router). Its dear but I’m often north of 30GB data in a month and like the peace of mind of not worrying about it. the 4G is way better than WiFi in most places I go as well.

I think 3 are the only mob to offer unlimited (without throttling) now. Overkill for most  probably….and I keep my eyes and ears open for something better.

[blacklion1725]

All the best Bob

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