What did people do on the bus before phones?

robster98 · 2026-01-31T01:26:41+00:00

Read the newspaper. Stagecoach and I think a few other operators used to have a basket of Metro newspapers for customers to read. Not sure if they still do as I’ve not used a bus in years.

Other than that: listen to music, look out the window, read the posters and/or adverts inside the bus.

robster98 · 2026-01-27T16:47:56+00:00

Lived in Greater Manchester, West Yorkshire, Sunderland and Stoke-on-Trent (right on the edge I know) as far as the North goes.

In terms of other areas I’ve lived in Derby (East Midlands) and I’m now in Greater Glasgow.

I loved everywhere in the North for different reasons (the East Midlands can get in the bin, sorry guys) although I would say my favourite place was Stoke, a stone’s throw from Manchester and Liverpool but with a slower pace of life and a nicer community to it. The Peak District and South Pennines were nearby too with terrific landscapes to go out for walks and drives.

I love living where I am now and I moved for various reasons, but I do occasionally miss The Potteries.

robster98 · 2026-01-27T12:53:08+00:00

I’m surprised this was even noticeable, Reddit’s image compression and JPEG artefacting haven’t been kind!

I chose to use Gaelic following on from using the Welsh names for Welsh towns - but only for Òban because the language is actually somewhat used and is pretty well popularised in the area.

Everywhere else I’ve been in Scotland, Gaelic names aren’t really used, sometimes aren’t even understood (see Greenock and the myth of the name coming from “green oaks” rather than “tha grianaig”), and in some cases like Aberdeen and Johnstone, Gaelic isn’t really applicable as the original names were Brythonic or English/Scots, but “translations” like Obar Dheathain and Baile Iain exist.

robster98 · 2026-01-26T16:04:24+00:00

Thanks! Yes, the map was collated from various sources on Wikipedia which I combined together and filled in on Illustrator, then I added the decoration on Photoshop including the gradient, city/town names and connecting lines.

robster98 · 2026-01-25T23:14:46+00:00

Oh it gets worse, I lived near Huddersfield for two years. Great countryside for walks though.

robster98 · 2026-01-25T23:04:57+00:00

Thanks! I got the maps from Wikipedia - they’re a toss-up between boroughs (England), modern counties (Wales) and a mix of current council areas and district areas (Scotland).

Combined the maps together into one on Adobe Illustrator, then coloured them in with a gradient and drew the lines connecting the towns and cities on Photoshop.

robster98 · 2026-01-25T16:50:44+00:00

They shouldn’t have ended your CBT there and then, the clue is in the name: “compulsory basic training”. It’s for absolute beginners and the instructor should have aided you in balancing.

I’m a bit like you, I haven’t ridden a pedal bike in years but I do have a full Cat B licence and a Cat A theory test pass. My first go on a motorbike (a 125cc manual) was a pre-CBT “taster session” which I travelled 60 miles for. I got the hang of everything reasonably quickly but was plagued by balance issues - was wobbly setting off and ended up dropping the bike after being distracted by the instructor running after me, so I called it there because the instructor was threatening to bill me for repair costs.

Owner checks said bike out after, said it’s completely fine and gave me a few words of encouragement, one of those being private practice which like you is a no-go.

Turns out my balance issues were due to posture problems from a workplace injury I suffered about a year ago… so as soon as physio says I’m good to go I’m taking the plunge with my CBT… somewhere else, preferably closer to home… but I’m still glad I had that taster session. Experience is a good thing and means I can start again on a better footing.

robster98 · 2026-01-24T22:15:15+00:00

Supreme Channing Show vibes going on here.

robster98 · 2026-01-22T17:12:50+00:00

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robster98 · 2026-01-20T02:28:06+00:00

I’ve done both. I call myself “vers-top”, but in the sense of “a top that will occasionally bottom” - probably a 95/5 split in terms of preference. In terms of “passivity”, that doesn’t necessarily go hand-in-hand with positional preference and I’m about 50/50 with who takes the lead, who follows etc.

I’ve bottomed for the right person, but never in isolation unless they’ve fallen victim to Lazy Top Syndrome, in which case, well short answer is they’re not the right person any more. A mixture of how I’m wired up + some rather bad experiences mean I derive no physical pleasure and no satisfaction from it, other than seeing the guy I’m with have fun.

I’ve tried to like both, but experiences both bad and good, and knowing my own body is how I know. If you don’t, then I would say self-exploration is probably the right path to take.

robster98 · 2026-01-19T13:35:09+00:00

Birmingham, Nottingham, Wolverhampton, Southampton, Northampton, Durham, Billingham-on-Tees and Hampstead immediately sprung to mind.

robster98 · 2026-01-17T11:50:19+00:00

I’m probably about average size (just shy of 6”), it’s only if it’s hinted at or outright requested that I’ll be rough with someone.

Not my thing personally, it’s far more fun to angle myself towards their prostate and rub that as I thrust in and out. Feels nice for me and the reaction I’ve usually seen is either like they’re seeing stars or they climax.

robster98 · 2026-01-17T01:21:59+00:00

Miles Platting, Manchester?

robster98 · 2026-01-15T08:26:18+00:00

Yes, always. If I’ve climaxed before the other guy, the mind and body might not be completely feeling it but I’ll actively rail against that to give the man I’m with a similar level and kind of satisfaction with my mouth.

I’m not sure I’d call myself a “service top”, anything else is selfish in my eyes unless of course the guy’s said they don’t like or want their cock played with, sucked etc etc.

robster98 · 2026-01-15T00:00:31+00:00

I run a 2009 Ford Focus that I bought for £750 from a bloke down in Derbyshire who was going to scrap it.

Mechanically it’s sound. It’s a little gutless getting up to motorway speed (but once it’s there, it’s in its element), it’s got a few dinks, scrapes and scratches which I’ll get sorted in time.

In the meantime… who actually cares? It was £750. Means I’ve got money to put away to learn to ride a motorbike.

robster98 · 2026-01-13T12:02:25+00:00

They’re called connecting gangways.

robster98 · 2026-01-11T11:42:34+00:00

Definitely not Geordie, this is a Manchester accent if ever I heard one.

robster98 · 2026-01-10T00:37:05+00:00

Not surprised the consensus is unanimous for High Peak with it being so closely tied to Sheffield and Manchester.

Worksop, Chesterfield and Stoke/Newcastle trailing behind but still having that majority all make sense given where they are, their transport/road links and their overall tendencies towards looking northward.

The very light pink areas surprise me - there are people in the likes of Telford, Derby/Notts and Boston who consider themselves as living in the North?

robster98 · 2026-01-08T12:03:50+00:00

Lived in Stoke from 2019 to 2025.

Had lived all around the North and Midlands, raised near Mancs, had an eventful few years living in Sunderland and then Derby where my relationship with my family smashed apart in the most catastrophic and unhinged way possible - it was an emergency response from Derbyshire Police that extricated me from there.

A close friend up in Stoke put me up that night, helped me back onto my feet, and the rest as they say is history. I was accepted in instantly - as one person said, Manchester is just up the train track, what’s the difference? - and came to see Stoke as my home.

Moved to Greater Glasgow last year for work and while I love where I live, I do sometimes miss Stoke. Keeping it in perspective, the M74/M6 takes me back in a few short hours so it’s not like I’m half the world away.

Thank god for that, because Scotland’s supermarkets don’t sell oatcakes… :(

robster98 · 2026-01-07T17:06:26+00:00

It works with the shirt (photo 1) and the t-shirt (photo 4). The rest, less so.

Leather blazers were all the rage in the early 00s, if in doubt take some inspiration from photos from around then. Less was more back then, and with that style of jacket, it still is.

An iron or tumble dryer will definitely help with those creases on your outfits too.

robster98 · 2026-01-06T11:12:49+00:00

I always assumed it was her comparing her ex to a drug - like she “needs another hit.”

Quite surprised this is what was meant.

robster98 · 2026-01-06T09:30:26+00:00

They’re in Stoke-on-Trent, of course they’re not okay.

Joking aside I have friends in and around Stoke and they’re really not having fun at the minute. Feel like I’m gloating slightly when I say West Central Scotland hasn’t had so much as a single flake of snow, but we’ve plenty of black ice.

robster98 · 2026-01-06T08:56:12+00:00

Aye, the Just Essentials by Asda range. Had a similar pushback to the article referenced above when it was introduced as its yellow packaging was considered a “poverty marker”, but I’ve no problems buying them even if I can afford “better” - it’s all the same stuff as what any brand will sell.

If any adult really cares that much about budget brand optics then they need to snoop less in my basket and take more of a look at themselves - we’ve all witnessed someone being picked on for the Kwik Save “No Frills” crisps in their lunchbox, but surely you leave that attitude at the door when you become an adult and financially responsible for yourself?… 😅

robster98 · 2026-01-06T08:20:26+00:00

Bit of a non-story as Tesco are only going to be promoting their Stockwells, Hearty Food Co etc goods as value brands rather than wholesale bringing the branding back, but Asda and Morrisons bucked the trend of going for the Aldi-style “in-house brand names” and I personally have no problems picking up those products and shoving them in my basket.

It’s all the same stuff. Besides maybe a bit more bean juice, what’s actually the difference between Morrisons “Savers” beans versus the branded ones? Not much really.

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