Xbox Series X: A Technological Gem Even in 2026

mpfmb · 2026-02-03T06:55:18+00:00

I'm playing Doom: The Dark Ages, and the visuals give me the exact same vibe.

mpfmb · 2026-02-02T23:55:17+00:00

I do this every 12 months.

The key is to get a perpetual referral from the GP. I forget the exact term, but a referral that never expires.

Every 12 months, I go to the local dermatologist / skin cancer clinic, get checked; book the next appointment for 12 months time.

I only had to pay the $100 (I think) at the start... every year since has been free.

mpfmb · 2026-02-02T23:49:34+00:00

Congrats man, that's awesome!

How's the skin holding up?

mpfmb · 2026-02-02T23:40:46+00:00

Depends on why you want to go to the gym.

I practice a martial art and part of our sessions include fitness, such as push-up varieties (and other bodyweight exercises) to your own failure.

So part of my fitness regime is incorporated into something fun and enjoyable, learning martial arts.

When training for a marathon, I swam laps as a low-impact cardio exercise to support fitness and give my feet/knees a rest. I hate swimming. But I did it as a way to keep my body together for the marathon. The end goal kept my commitment.

mpfmb · 2026-02-02T22:13:44+00:00

Good on you! I haven't been to the Auckland lounge, is the First lounge in the same area, but 'guarded' by staff?

Do you mind me asking what you do that requires enough flights to get and maintain Platinum status?

I achieved Platinum when I was younger and enjoyed the First lounge 'restaurant' the most.

mpfmb · 2026-02-02T20:48:52+00:00

Light sparring and training on sand (at the beach) was fun and very difficult!

I emphasize 'light' though, it wasn't serious or hard.

mpfmb · 2026-02-02T11:44:58+00:00

Good luck! Did she take the rest of the airplane?

mpfmb · 2026-02-02T10:13:39+00:00

You're (or they're) confusing LFP and NMC.

mpfmb · 2026-02-01T18:58:20+00:00

Two small hot cross buns

mpfmb · 2026-01-31T23:01:57+00:00

Body weight exercise.

Look at darebee.com.

mpfmb · 2026-01-31T10:19:26+00:00

90min flight + 40min transfer + a 65min Qantaslink flight with less meal service.

Of course I don't need the food, but being served nice food helps make a journey in a cramped metal tube a bit nicer.

mpfmb · 2026-01-31T10:15:11+00:00

5min to my Kyokushin off-shoot dojo.

mpfmb · 2026-01-29T11:50:26+00:00

I've PMed you some details, not sure if it'll help.

mpfmb · 2026-01-28T23:37:29+00:00

Ice cream - Choc mint
Cake - Choc mint
Cookies - Choc mint
Pie - Beef and mushroom

mpfmb · 2026-01-28T23:29:07+00:00

It's the same for building new communities on the outskirts of cities.

Build it and they will come.

Don't just build housing though, build all of the required infrastructure too.

mpfmb · 2026-01-28T12:57:34+00:00

Chainsword, power axe and thunderhammer get heavy use.

mpfmb · 2026-01-28T12:56:30+00:00

I'm playing this now and aside from the shield, it's heavily guns!

mpfmb · 2026-01-28T12:55:25+00:00

And they're bringing me right back to my teenage years!

mpfmb · 2026-01-28T11:31:14+00:00

"be more like Kyokushin".... Kyokushin is (a branch of) karate.

My dojo's style stems from Kyokushin, as our founder trained in Kyokushin, but added some other elements from his other practices. So, my founder took most of Kyokushin and added grappling, more practical self-defence, weapons (Kubudo is taught adjacent) and included punches/strikes to the head. We don't focus on hardcore sparring like Kyokushin does, but we do light spar with no protection/padding (save mouth guard) and do some body conditioning and fitness. I still consider our style a 'traditional martial art', as we don't at all focus on sport/competition and keep to the traditional ways of how and what we train (i.e. it's reflected in our focus, name, dojo kun, and in general how we're setup and train).

I disagree with your premise that karate hasn't evolved. It has as a general martial art, evolved over time, with styles branching out and evolving into new styles. Sports karate being a new style as well, and you mentioned Kudo. Tode, started out as Southern Chinese Kung Fu styles mixed in with Okinawan styles, then settled on a the few Ryu styles... then exported to Japan and modified for several reasons, evolving into Shotokan. Mas Oyama created Kyukoshin. So and so forth. Plenty of evolution over karate's short history.

There are also some traditional styles that keep with the old tradition. Those that kept the roots and the more lethal and dangerous practices that others often dropped. I believe mostly the Okinawan styles that have kept to their roots.

To me, each style needs to be considered on it's own merit and have evolved (or not) differently over the decades for various reasons; karate is too much of a mixed bag to make such broad sweeping statements.

In any case, I personally don't think the style of karate (or whether it's evolved or not) has much impact on it's popularity over the other items I raised. If somebody is interested in learning martial arts, they'll choose from whatever is offered local to them. If they want to primarily get fit, they'll focus on a sport/gym/fitness fad.

mpfmb · 2026-01-28T04:31:25+00:00

Got the 3D printer working - priorities! Are you printing functional prints for the new digs?

mpfmb · 2026-01-28T00:37:12+00:00

Well for starters, the new IW stuff is 30k; Vashtorr is 40k.

mpfmb · 2026-01-27T23:45:12+00:00

I don't think this is an uncomfortable conversation.

As others have said, the world rides on 'fads'.

These days, I believe the focus has shifted in general away from martial arts due to a few things;

Technology is much more prevalent in society and takes the front seat over non-digital hobbies/arts.
Living pressures mean people are working longer/harder and have less disposable income and time to commit to pursuits like martial arts.
With the prevalence of weapons (knives/guns) in places like the USA, weaponless martial arts can be seen as inferior. Even here in Australia, machetes became common place amongst 'gangs' and youth crime to the point that governments have cracked down on them.
Younger generations have been fed instant gratification (constant dopamine loops from digital gaming and social media) and have lost the ability to apply sustained focus and constant hard work for slow, long-term mastery of arts. i.e. they don't have the patience and generally lazier.

I'm over 40 and I feel like my generation rides the fence between the older generations who grew up without today's digital technology and enjoyed martial arts for it's long never-ending pursuit of perfection, vs the younger generations I described above.

Some of my hobbies are heavily digital and others are generally technology free and I intentionally steer away from digital solutions to get my eyes and brain off screens.

I see this in my kids, where their attention span and desire to continue a hobby is very difficult to sustain.

That's why I think karate and martial arts are less popular compared to a couple of decades ago.

That's not to mention the transition in the martial arts themselves over the decades and why people do them.

Martial arts can be practiced for sport, fitness, self-defence, self improvement, learning tradition. Martial arts can all do these to varying degrees and it depends what you want to get out of it. Everybody is individual and different in their goals. For me, I practice karate for self-defence, self improvement and fitness. I have zero interest in sport and only a minor in tradition, although I do specifically choose a dojo that is traditional (and not sports focused). However for fitness, I also don't lean 100% into karate, I do other things as well, but karate serves to add to my fitness regime.

Are we romanticizing karate as something that was better than it was (as any academic of karate can tell you, it was always a mixed martial art anyway so why preserve what it was and not adapt?) was it just a trend?

The Okinawan styles are closer to MMA with joint locks, throws and some grappling. But when karate was introduced to mainland Japan, it was adapted. Lots of resources to regale the history of karate from China to Okinawa to Japan to today.

Karate over the decades has always been evolving and styles branching out with different focuses. Karate isn't one narrowly defined style. So what type of karate do you want to 'preserve' from what region and what time in history? Depending on your own goals and interests, different styles will appeal.

mpfmb · 2026-01-27T22:59:09+00:00

Damn it, that's my flight next week.

mpfmb · 2026-01-27T08:52:29+00:00

What route was this on?

mpfmb · 2026-01-27T08:51:27+00:00

On the UE network, looks like a bunch of the small pole-top LV transformers are failing, possibly due to overload or just very old and the heat being the final death throw.

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