Panflute

On 2/13/2018 at 23:59, Tommy said:

Well, I like this video about my city:

 

"A place at the Rhine" is a really lazy subtitle 

7 hours ago, Mel81x said:

What are you playing on the Switch? I just finished the Doom port.

I worded that wrong, I don't have a Switch sadly. I played a lot of Mario Kart 8 on the Wii U though.

How is Doom on the Switch? I played it on the PC and it was an amazing game without any weak moments.

It's too bad I don't have MK8 on Switch because I'd kill all your asses.

16 minutes ago, nudge said:

I was not being entirely serious, but the main reason of applying that logic selectively is probably because vegetarianism/veganism is an individual lifestyle choice (unless there are certain medical reasons) unlike the necessity of earning a living or limiting the number of offspring. 

And there is a slew of detrimental things that are 100% optional yet do not get confronted with that line of reasoning. It's just an inconsequential way to trying to sound smart.

36 minutes ago, nudge said:

Yes, and both sedentary lifestyle (8 hours a day in an office) and hormonal contraception are detrimental to one's health too, so only serves as a further example how not doing what we're hardwired to do is essentially bad for us  

Yes, but my point was that people apply that logic selectively, which is a very disingenuous thing to do.

On 1/20/2018 at 23:32, Fairy In Boots said:

Imagine getting one lifetime on this earth and will fully denying yourself of a medium/rare steak! 

I can understand being picky about where your meat comes from, I’m anti religious slaughter and I’ve been in that many abattoirs & Battery farming set ups with work to avoid supermarket meat all together.

I don’t think I’ll ever understand subverting natural instincts and thousands of years worth of human evolution to suddenly walk away from our place at the pinnacle of the food chain. It must be some sort of mania brought about by vitamin b12 deficiency 

And yet most of us spend 8 hours a day in an office doing shit that doesn't matter, until it's weekend and we fuck women who have temporarily rendered themselves sterile through artificial means.

It's weird how this idea that 'humans should do what we're hardwired to do' is selectively applied to diets while it conveniently denies that the lives we lead in modern society radically contrast our animalistic origins in many, many ways.

On 2/3/2018 at 08:46, The Rebel CRS said:

@Panflute What is impressive about rappers from both coasts back then is how young some of them actually were, but it fools you. It seems as though they are much older. The DJ Quik track you posted up there, for example, was made when he was just 19 years old. Then you listen to some of the old Big L freestyles and he was as young as 17 on some of them, yet seems a lot older than he is. Mobb Deep's first album was also made when they were about 18/19 and Nas was very young when he recorded his original material. If you listen to a lot of young English MCS of the same age(or MCs in general of today), they sound like kids.

Black Americans grew up quickly in the 90s. I suppose they had to though.

Yeah, that keeps surprising me. Tupac died at 25, Biggie was only 24. BG Knocc Out was still in high school when he made Real Muthaphukkin' Gz with Eazy-E, and iirc in Shook Ones, Progidy says he's 19. It seems many rappers also make their best stuff when they're young. Ice Cube had already made all his classic stuff by the time he was 25, Ren released all but one of his albums with NWA or solo before he hit 30, and King Tee's last album is from 2002, when he was in his early thirties.

One thing that seems different about hiphop compared to metal is that there is a much greater need to be ahead of the curve if you want people to remember you, and it seems that as soon as you lose that edge, you're seen as outdated. By the time NWA released their second album, it was still great, but everyone was already doing it so the impact wasn't quite as big. Same goes for Bone-Thugs, Wu-Tang Clan and a slew of others. Not saying they can't make good music anymore, but there's never going to be something that hits as hard as E.1999 or 36 Chambers.

Pretty sure DJ Quik was in his mid-twenties when he made that song though, as it came out in 1995 and he had already been making music since 1987.

16 hours ago, The Rebel CRS said:

 

@Panflute back to the West, MC Ren was immense when he went solo for a while.. He went underground and didn't gain the same commercial success as the likes of Ice Cube and Dre, but he was HARD. Probably my favourite from NWA overall, along with Ice Cube.

That's one of the main things that bothered me about the Straight Outta Compton movie (other than Eazy-E being made to look like a broke chump): if you watch it without knowing the group, you'd think MC Ren was a background figure, while in reality he was the best rapper in NWA. Ice Cube may have been the better lyricist, but if you listen to songs like If It Ain't Ruff or any of the stuff on Niggaz4Life, he just had the best flow of that group. Not to mention that he also co-wrote Eazy-E's first solo album, and the NWA aesthetic (black jackets, white shirts and Raiders caps) was based on what Ren was wearing. Ice Cube and Dr. Dre are undeniable titans of industry, but the way they tried to change history with that movie gives me a very sour taste in the mouth.

I always preferred West Coast music because I liked the productions better. I mean, beats like Shook Ones, CREAM and Da Mystery of Chessboxin are among the best, but West-Coast producers like Dr. Dre, DJ Quik and especially DJ U-Neek came much closer to being proper songwriters. It's my theory that this is also why the East Coast has generally had the better MCs, because the music was more centered around the vocals, whereas in the West you could get away with being a technically mediocre rapper and still have major hits (Eazy-E and Dr. Dre again being prime examples). Not to say there weren't excellent rappers on the West too.

It's why Bone Thugs-N-Harmony are my favourite: their early work combines technically outstanding rapping with the laid-back Western sound. On the other hand, I can't listen to Biggie because even though he was a great rapper, I don't find him pleasant to listen to. I never really got into Eminem for the same reason.

As for Immortal Technique, I was never into explicitly political hiphop. I like a few of his songs, but I get tired of that stuff pretty fast.

10 hours ago, The Rebel CRS said:

Yeah Dre is nothing special as a rapper at all, but his production was immense and that's what made the album.

Doggystyle was better overall and Dogg Food was the better album for overall lyrical content. Not just Kurupt, but Daz was brilliant himself.

Tbh I've always preferred Ruthless over Death Row when it comes to West Coast music. They may not have top-end rappers like Kurupt and 2Pac (apart from Bone Thugs), but producers like Rhythm D, Cold 187um, Yella and DJ U-Neek they did have a more underground take on the G-Funk sound. Productions like this define that era for me:

32 minutes ago, The Rebel CRS said:

Kurupt was the best on Death Row for me and Doggystyle was arguably the best album the label produced. Then again Dr Dre the Chronic and Snoop Dogg Doggstyle are absolute classics.

The thing about The Chronic is that it is a monumental hiphop album that really established (though did not invent) G-Funk as the West Coast sound for years to come. Still it isn't an album that is good from start to finish, which is rare in hiphop anyway. It's front-loaded with classics such as Fuck Wit Dre Day, Let Me Ride and Nuthing But A G Thang, but then you have forgettable songs like Lil Ghetto Boy and filler like High Powered and the album goes out on a whimper.

I think Dogg Food might be a stronger album throughout, mainly because Kurupt is a top-tier MC while Dr. Dre as a rapper (not a producer) is okay at best.

Another classic. Kurupt's verse on this is one of the best in hiphop imo.

I've been a vegetarian for about 10 years

Apart from a being a good diss track, this song also has an excellent beat. I love the bass line.

20 hours ago, The Rebel CRS said:

 

@Panflute

I never really liked their songs that were just about doing drugs. Budsmokers Only and Buddah Lovaz were the weakest songs of E.1999 imo. Those ice-cold raps about murder and violence were always what defined their sound for me. Like a blend of G-Funk and Horrorcore.

Been listening to Bone Thugs' E.1999 again a lot recently, along with other West Coast stuff (yeah I know they're from Cleveland but stylistically WC). With the amount of stuff that's online today you can find a lot of interesting background info and other stuff. Like I found out that the verses by Dresta and BG Knocc Out on Real Muthafucking Gz were recorded on the same day they met Eazy-E.

Also found this early version of Bone Thugs' "Down 71" that sounds like it would've fit perfectly on their first EP.

Not really playing anything for the past month apart from Elder Scrolls Online and FIFA.

12 hours ago, SirBalon said:

El Clásico is a unique game and previous or current form means nothing.  It’s a question of the day of the game and the early minutes with that one because it’s so competitive.  But if Real win that game, then it will change absolutely everything about them for the rest of the season which is why I said La Liga isn’t lost yet.

As for winning the Club World Cup and that being a marker for a confidence boost... I don’t think it has any bearing mate because that tournament (and that’s the main reason it isn’t taken seriously in Europe) seems to have European based players seeing it as a miss match in terms of competitiveness. If you lose it’s because you weren’t motivated enough for it and your opponents see it as something real, and if you win it’s more for the club press team to laud it... Real have come back (like I said before) having won it comfortably and then gone through a sticky period.

There’s something different about this season in La Liga I’m sensing in that the “smaller” clubs aren’t respecting their bigger counterparts.  This has been an ongoing debate in Spain’s sports media this season... All the top clubs are finding the games that are usually a lot easier to win a lot more difficult.  Look at Valencia’s only error this season, Getafe! Look at Real’s mistakes (except Valencia)... All teams that they usually coast to victory even if it takes time to adjust like you say.  Look at the Copa del Rey this season so far... Nor since pre 50s have regional sides been so difficult to get by.

I think it still makes a difference whether you go there and play like shit and finish 4th, or you roll up your opponents and take the trophy home. It won't be what decides the season, but what Real Madrid needs right now is to simply play some games and dominate them, like they did against Sevilla. It doesn't even really matter what the competition is, as long as they get their shit together before they face PSG.

We have seen that again this wasn't the case against Al Jazira (although in all fairness Real Madrid were really unlucky and on another day it would've been 8-0), so I hope they turn up against Grêmio.

Just now, SirBalon said:

Something to look out for in the Club World Cup is how Real Madrid return from it because in recent years they’ve collapsed for a month or two after that... Remember under Ancelotti where before going to that mini tournament they had broken the club record of the run of victories in a row (22 I think it was) and last season it occured again with a run of three La Liga games without a win.

Another issue is the ridiculous one (Zidane spoke out about it today) about any possible bookings incurred in the Club World Cup will be carried forward to La Liga and there are players on the verge of a suspension which could be detrimental in El Clásico which is coming up.

I didn't even know about the booking policy, but that is pure lunacy. If FIFA's goal is to make the Club World Cup more attractive for European teams, stuff like that is so counter-productive.

And yeah, it will be very interesting to see where this will take Real. Maybe I'm being optimistic, but I think that if they end up winning this, get a few goals in and play good football, that might do something to boost the confidence that seems to have been so absent this season so far. Beyond that, a lot hinges on their performance in El Clásico. It's the type of game that might make or break a season.

34 minutes ago, SirBalon said:

You’re right to be honest... Last season was riddled with these situations with the only difference in many games where a final minute or injury-time goal sorted out the issue.

Another thing I want to add is that Real Madrid have been showing a lot of anxiety on the pitch of late and that is one of the worst enemies for a side with lots of big name players.  Instead of knowing who you are and playing to your strengths, you end up feeling anxious and attacking like mad leaving yourself open to counter attacks.  This has happened a lot this season so far in many many games, even games where like at home to Valencia where Real Madrid didn’t exactly play a bad game, infact for me they were superior and won games where they played worse... What occured that night was anxiety in that Valencia were calculating on how Real would come at them and the players sense this. Similar things occured against Levante and as you pointed out, against Betis.

This is especially true for Ronaldo. I'm glad he broke duck against Sevilla because you could see that, with every match, he grew more frustrated with himself, which doesn't only affect his own game, but those around him, as he got even more angry than usual at his teammates for not giving him every ball. This is of course completely unnecessary behaviour if you have his quality, and demonstrate it in the Champion's League with 9 goals in 6 matches. Even though Benzema is going through a drought as well, I think it affects his overall posture less, as he still puts in a lot of work and doesn't start yelling at himself with every ball he misses.

With that in mind, I'm very curious how these players will perform in the Club World Cup this week. It wouldn't surprise me if Ronaldo and Benzema carried the team to victory.

1 minute ago, SirBalon said:

In effect what you’re saying is that Real Madrid show mercy to smaller clubs and don’t want to hurt them. 

Real Madrid work exactly the same as any big club by like you say, showing up when it matters but only managing to execute it all when the quality they possess permits them to do it (this without going into semantics on football where luck and rub of the green are in question which is also for all).

Real Madrid like all massive clubs have gone through their cyclical periods where they choke in big games, it’s historical for everyone mate.

There are issues at Real Madrid this season and the issues are easy to analyse this season which seem to concern not only the lack of form of the front players with Benzema and Cristiano being terrible so far this campaign and the usual physical issues surrounding Gareth Bale.  This season Real Madrid have been having sensitive problems in midfield and that’s what has really hurt you guys early on this season. Players like Kroos , Modrić and Casemiro all being out of sync and looking jaded... Real Madrid’s traditional form of playing with that particular midfield is one of high energy workrate more than a balanced passive approach to wasting the opponent with possession like Barcelona for example... That’s the biggest difference with how both teams interpret their high profile games and if that physical duress goes missing for Real, they suffer whether it’s big or small games just as in the same manner if Barça don’t dominate possession, they suffer to push for a positive result at the end of it all.

With Real Madrid this season so far (because all things can change, even La Liga as it isn’t over ever in December) is also the fact they sold important “second string” players in the summer... That has hurt them at the hour of having to perform rotational selections for certain games.  But the new second string is now starting to get into the mechanics of the routine as has been seen in the last two games.  Everything in football as in politics can change from one day to the next with the difference in sport being confidence which is mental and also has an effect on physical prowess... There is still a long way to go and Real still possess big game players that can hold their own against anyone. 

It's not showing mercy, it's lacking either the willpower or ability to shut the door on teams that are obviously inferior in every regard. It is a fact that the longer you postpone finishing off your opponent, the more he'll start believing in himself. With Real Madrid, what I've noticed is that it often takes them a long time to get up to speed and adjust to the game. The first 20-25 minutes tend to be riddled with unforced personal errors such as bad passes and losing the ball unnecessarily. Then the team maybe gets a few chances in and before you know it it's half-time and anything is still possible. With teams like Alavés, you have to be focused from the start and overrun them in the first half-hour. Why Real don't seem to do that is a more complicated matter. Sevilla was an obvious exception, but even there, in the first 20 minutes Sevilla were simply playing better football and that is just inviting trouble.

I also disagree it's a recent thing, as I've always had the idea that Real Madrid has a lot more trouble mopping up these 'default wins' than Barcelona. The crazy season of 2006-07 comes to mind.

Adding to that, what I think has always been Real Madrid's problem (or at least since I started watching them) is that they struggle to win the 'easy' games. Especially in recent years, Real Madrid have performed so well in huge games, such as the CL draws against Bayern München and not to mention the CL finals. That they managed to kick Atlético Madrid out of that competition 4 seasons in a row regardless of their domestic league encounters shows that they know how to show up to a big game. Yet they seem to lack that dedication when playing domestic league games against unexciting opponents, while a team like Barcelona always seems determined to demolish the smaller teams.

It's just a sentiment and I'm not sure if it's supported by stats at all, but I've never been able to say with confidence "yeah, Real will win this easily". 

The problem really is up front, where few players really seem to be on form. As was pointed out earlier, Barcelona won nearly every game in La Liga, and it's not because all of their games were perfect. But even when Barcelona are struggling, they have the right people who can push forward, and a goal is almost guaranteed to happen at one point. By contrast, I've seen so many matches where Madrid pressed forward, but just couldn't force anything. Part of it is a lack of attacking creativity, but normally, players like Ronaldo don't need that to get their goal. The match against Betis was a good example. When you lose 0-1 against a team like that, it's not because you were weak defensively, but because you failed to score at least 2-3 goals against a team like that, which in my view is obligatory during a home game, and indeed Barcelona wins their games by doing just that: scoring a few times regardless of their form that day.

La Liga is as good as lost, so what has to happen now is a good run in both the Champion's League and the Spanish Cup, and some good results against Barcelona wherever they're encountered. From the super cup we know this is possible, but what Real Madrid needs most right now is a few good games (like the one against Sevilla) to at least get the bad taste out of their mouths and build from there. There's still a lot to be played for, but they have to improve fast if they don't want to be done with this season in February.

The hero we don't deserve

https://www.bbc.com/news/42032629

21 hours ago, Cicero said:

Really wish they would give some more realism to players such as Neymar, Ronaldo, or other skillfull players. They are so easy to mark in this game. 

PSG are by far this biggest frauds in this game. They bench Mbappe. CL semi-final last season, I beat them 8-1 on aggregate. Their only goal was a penalty. 

Yeah what the fuck is up with that. Not only PSG, but I notice a lot of teams bench their best players.

20 hours ago, Cicero said:

The Champions League is piss easy and I've run away with the league in my second season and it's only February (currently 17 points ahead of second place.....Southampton) United are fucking rubish, City are wank, and Arsenal are my closest rival yet they sit 4th, nearly 25 points away from me. 

I know in FUT they have an 'Ultimate' Difficulty level, they should have it for Career mode as this isn't a challenge at all. Think the only thing that can make it a challenge is win all 4 trophies in a season, or go unbeaten. 

Get this, I win the league and Champions league my first season, already won the league come february in my second season and pissing through the Champions league, and my manager rating is still only 81 

Strangely, Man Utd is very good in my run. I only beat them once so far (which was in the CL final though).

I agree the CL is too easy. I find it much easier to win than the FA Cup, for example. The two-legged knock-out system can help you recover from the occasional bad match. Really the biggest challenge is winning the final purely because it's just one game.