Forum | Martin Smith | Activity https://thecarrier.net/members/martinsmith/activity/ Activity feed for Martin Smith. Wed, 03 Jun 2026 00:46:12 +0000 https://buddypress.org/?v= en-US 30 hourly 2 ffb2dc631f0263f1d5e89a4834795b77 Martin Smith replied to the topic The Video Games Thread in the forum Movies, TV and other media https://thecarrier.net/forums/topic/the-video-games-thread/page/8/#post-148015 Mon, 01 Jun 2026 15:20:02 +0000 I finished Live A Live last night, which took me longer than I expected. It’s a HD-2D remake of a mid-90s JRPG by Square which was released only on the Super Famicom. It’s a staple of the SNES fan translation canon though, as it was translated by the early 00s. Given it didn’t leave Japan, I was a bit surprised it got a modern remake and English…Read more

]]> 7d1fd905a3a38ff1b0740e155c52c040 Martin Smith replied to the topic Random Comics-Related Stuff in the forum Comics talk https://thecarrier.net/forums/topic/random-comics-related-stuff/page/10/#post-147986 Sat, 30 May 2026 08:32:55 +0000 Robert Kirkman’s licensed the Gold Key characters, so I guess this means we’re mere weeks away from Turok: Dinobot Hunter.

]]> d1fa4c6c41bbd0bd68aa660067cf2e67 Martin Smith replied to the topic News thread in the forum The Loveland Arms - pub chat https://thecarrier.net/forums/topic/news-thread/page/8/#post-147966 Thu, 28 May 2026 08:20:43 +0000 New Zealand was going to do it first, as well as reducing the amount of nicotine in cigarettes (which seems like a pretty good policy even if you don’t want to ban them) but backed off it when the government changed.

]]> fad1a5269e89fa27ac79d22eeae0a34f Martin Smith replied to the topic Doctor Who: now discussing The War Between the Land and the Sea (spoilers!) in the forum Movies, TV and other media https://thecarrier.net/forums/topic/doctor-who-flux-fourteen-and-the-future/page/8/#post-147909 Tue, 26 May 2026 10:49:38 +0000 The 4K restoration of the TVM came out yesterday, which I completely forgot about. The Beeb’s put the restored titles on YT and man, that ominous last line of the voice over and that version of the theme tune still gets me, like I’m 9 years old again.

And they got McGann to do the subscription beg for…Read more

]]> 511c972762f0bb21b3999291b6e9acc3 Martin Smith replied to the topic News thread in the forum The Loveland Arms - pub chat https://thecarrier.net/forums/topic/news-thread/page/8/#post-147906 Tue, 26 May 2026 10:07:26 +0000 But food, even junk food, has a positive benefit of being, you know, food. It’s misuse (and in some cases not even that) which causes obesity. You could even argue alcohol has the same limited positive health benefits when taken in moderation. Cigarettes don’t. It’s an artificial product we created entirely for a recreational activity that causes…Read more

]]> edc33767e69b6b86207344d7741bd090 Martin Smith replied to the topic News thread in the forum The Loveland Arms - pub chat https://thecarrier.net/forums/topic/news-thread/page/8/#post-147875 Mon, 25 May 2026 08:44:00 +0000 Honestly, anyone under the age of about 45 who smokes is an unmitigated idiot. It has been common knowledge for that long that cigarettes are incredibly harmful to health. To choose to take up smoking at any point since the late 90s ish is just a moronic decision and your resultant health issues shouldn’t be the state’s burden.

]]> 44f65842230cdb1099b428b4e3988325 Martin Smith replied to the topic The Toy Thread in the forum Movies, TV and other media https://thecarrier.net/forums/topic/the-toy-thread/page/10/#post-147848 Sun, 24 May 2026 09:38:15 +0000 Various bits of Japanese Beast Wars tat
So I’ve discovered an affordable (for the moment at least) Japanese proxy shipping service and have mainly been using it to get vintage Beast Wars merch. First amongst these were a set of character magnets, chibi versions of the original 10 characters from the show (unfortunately, Black Arachnia, Inferno, T…Read more

]]> 9f6e1f26e41685df8cb9c698cc4dff9d Martin Smith replied to the topic The Toy Thread in the forum Movies, TV and other media https://thecarrier.net/forums/topic/the-toy-thread/page/10/#post-147842 Sun, 24 May 2026 09:30:15 +0000 Blokees Transformers Defenders
I got really into Blokees when they first started but that burned out pretty quickly after half a dozen of the Galaxy class models. But the Defender line has started adding in Beast Wars characters and I am a sucker for Beast Wars (more on that later). So after getting Cheetor as a test, I bought a full case of wave…Read more

]]> ab82684cbe795f197bff7df7252cc0f3 Martin Smith replied to the topic The Toy Thread in the forum Movies, TV and other media https://thecarrier.net/forums/topic/the-toy-thread/page/10/#post-147841 Sun, 24 May 2026 09:23:40 +0000 MOTU Origins

200X Skeletor

It’s ironic, given I’ve been slowly trying to sell off my 200X collection, that I’m finding myself really into these 200x cartoon collection figures. I picked up Skeletor first, from the Entertainer (which seems to be the only High Street chain stocking them) when I intended to get Panthro. I figured there was less…Read more

]]> 6f71e3bc2e6081fff5d97e094fee1008 Martin Smith replied to the topic The Toy Thread in the forum Movies, TV and other media https://thecarrier.net/forums/topic/the-toy-thread/page/10/#post-147840 Sun, 24 May 2026 09:16:58 +0000 Here’s a big dollop of things I’ve picked up in recent months and again keep forgetting to talk about.

MOTU x Thundercats

I ended up getting the rest of the proper T-Cats from this.

Tygra – who is mostly good. He comes with loads of translucent green Eternian parts. I don’t really know why (presumably a reference to… something?) but they’re n…Read more

]]> b60229efbf7da88956e2974ed49769ac Martin Smith replied to the topic The Random Thread Of Randomosity in the forum The Loveland Arms - pub chat https://thecarrier.net/forums/topic/the-random-thread-of-randomosity/page/11/#post-147828 Sat, 23 May 2026 20:41:29 +0000 You’re assuming the boycott will be over by next year?

]]> 10a27d1f1441f320fb77423e865594ac Martin Smith replied to the topic The Random Thread Of Randomosity in the forum The Loveland Arms - pub chat https://thecarrier.net/forums/topic/the-random-thread-of-randomosity/page/11/#post-147821 Sat, 23 May 2026 19:47:47 +0000 I have my reservations about Discord (the age verification stuff, the push for Nitro) but it is functional and has been a decent enough fallback for the other former-message-board-community I’m part of. It’ll be a shame to see the Carrier go, one of the last of a dying breed of old style forums, but I get that it makes sense financially. There is…Read more

]]> 70beef61ab74bd10f2d567d420ad5e03 Martin Smith replied to the topic The Random Thread Of Randomosity in the forum The Loveland Arms - pub chat https://thecarrier.net/forums/topic/the-random-thread-of-randomosity/page/11/#post-147776 Fri, 22 May 2026 10:54:48 +0000 I’ve been helping to clear out my parents’ lofts (yes, weirdly there are two for the one house) recently, and floorboard the main one. Amongst the various forgotten junk up there was a bag with a few PC mags from 98/99. Three PC Formats (the boring mag that would have articles about how to use Internet Explorer etc) and two PC Zones (the games mag…Read more

]]> bee31c9a3fde2287df51463c860b440d Martin Smith replied to the topic Politics and Current Affairs in the forum The Loveland Arms - pub chat https://thecarrier.net/forums/topic/politics-and-current-affairs/page/32/#post-147726 Wed, 20 May 2026 09:21:17 +0000 Colbert very succinctly spelling out what will happen with the Trump IRS slush fund.

 

]]> 018d9d9961d94ae02f6ee14b21fd1564 Martin Smith replied to the topic Politics and Current Affairs in the forum The Loveland Arms - pub chat https://thecarrier.net/forums/topic/politics-and-current-affairs/page/32/#post-147725 Wed, 20 May 2026 09:19:08 +0000 Speedrun record achieved.

]]> 74e99db270b21b7ca4e43c664e5e493d Martin Smith replied to the topic Politics and Current Affairs in the forum The Loveland Arms - pub chat https://thecarrier.net/forums/topic/politics-and-current-affairs/page/32/#post-147652 Sun, 17 May 2026 09:30:53 +0000 My problem with Starmer is that he is completely lacking in principles and backbone. He stood to become Labour leader on a very clear set of pledges, heavily playing on Corbyn’s existing platform and support, and immediately abandoned pretty much all of them. I’ve highlighted in green the ones he’s actually followed through on.

Then as leader…Read more

]]> 896f809ae88c64022dc0156a86c89654 Martin Smith replied to the topic Politics and Current Affairs in the forum The Loveland Arms - pub chat https://thecarrier.net/forums/topic/politics-and-current-affairs/page/32/#post-147627 Sat, 16 May 2026 10:46:29 +0000 I think with Burnham, the fact that this constituency that’s been vacated is within Greater Manchester makes the move less odious than it if it was Kent or something. And I don’t think the aspiration to go from GM mayor to PM is that bad. I mean, obviously, it is self-serving and opportunistic, any attempt to become PM is, but I think it can…Read more

]]> e8fd2d08c83682546cc71ee4b01d1beb Martin Smith replied to the topic Politics and Current Affairs in the forum The Loveland Arms - pub chat https://thecarrier.net/forums/topic/politics-and-current-affairs/page/32/#post-147597 Fri, 15 May 2026 09:18:21 +0000 Burnham’s now found a Labour MP with a safe seat in Manchester who will stand aside for him. He just has to hope that a) he wins the by-election (everyone will be gunning for him) and b) it happens before any leadership election.

Not that I want to cheer on the further descent into chaos of the UK political scene, but it would be quite funny if…Read more

]]> 9bef6a2187e3aaf2eaaec9f879374653 Martin Smith replied to the topic Politics and Current Affairs in the forum The Loveland Arms - pub chat https://thecarrier.net/forums/topic/politics-and-current-affairs/page/32/#post-147570 Thu, 14 May 2026 13:30:42 +0000 Wes Streeting’s resigned, now let’s see if he can 81 (or however many it is) Labour MPs to publicly admit they want him to be PM.

I saw polling earlier, of the Labour membership, which suggests Starmer would lose to Burnham, Rayner or Ed Miliband, but beat Streeting.

]]> 0acedec3dde05febff6455c3dd53333e Martin Smith replied to the topic Random Comics-Related Stuff in the forum Comics talk https://thecarrier.net/forums/topic/random-comics-related-stuff/page/10/#post-147558 Wed, 13 May 2026 22:28:36 +0000 I’m currently reading Iron Man epic collection Age Of Innocence, which covers Timeslide, Teen Tony and Onslaught. I read the Teen Tony stuff in a different trade a few years ago and back then I thought it was better than its reputation. This time around, with the added context of Timeslide, well, it’s crap. But I still think it’s a concept with…Read more

]]> 0909ff458f5a1ce5ecacf2ca8e4b4660 Martin Smith replied to the topic You Have Been Watching in the forum Movies, TV and other media https://thecarrier.net/forums/topic/you-have-been-watching-2/page/15/#post-147506 Mon, 11 May 2026 08:53:56 +0000 It was a serious question, though I realise it sounds a bit silly, as I’ve not seen the first but I understand it focused on some new character (Cole?) rather than the ones from the game.

]]> 1483bb4cfe30338d81c1b2026407f640 Martin Smith replied to the topic You Have Been Watching in the forum Movies, TV and other media https://thecarrier.net/forums/topic/you-have-been-watching-2/page/15/#post-147491 Sun, 10 May 2026 16:35:14 +0000 Would I need to have seen the first one to follow it?

]]> 4250c7c2bd25f74e1f184d8a1b716187 Martin Smith replied to the topic Daredevil: Born Again (With SPOILERS) in the forum Movies, TV and other media https://thecarrier.net/forums/topic/daredevil-born-again-with-spoilers/#post-147435 Thu, 07 May 2026 10:34:03 +0000 Oh, one more thing: that clipping BB opened of Ben writing about Fisk; that can’t have happened, surely? Fisk wasn’t outed as a crime boss before he killed Ben, was he? He killed Ben after Ben found his mother in the care home, which was when Fisk had outed himself as a philanthropist, but before the crime stuff was broken, IIRC.

]]> a8056b71c25a4535dab2522719a2a289 Martin Smith replied to the topic Television News in the forum Movies, TV and other media https://thecarrier.net/forums/topic/television-news-2/page/6/#post-147434 Thu, 07 May 2026 10:04:27 +0000 I’d be disappointed if L&O is cancelled, but it’s really not as good as the original run. I watched a random episode of that recently (Everybody Loves Raymondo’s, I think it’s called) and every scene was dripping with wit and charm. The new one… not so much. And as much as I like Maura Tierney, I don’t think her lieutenant character works that…Read more

]]> 03f59c7d160667f779d74785ed4aa7a7 Martin Smith replied to the topic Daredevil: Born Again (With SPOILERS) in the forum Movies, TV and other media https://thecarrier.net/forums/topic/daredevil-born-again-with-spoilers/#post-147423 Wed, 06 May 2026 20:11:04 +0000 That sure was a lot of stuff that happened.

Only thing I really found interesting was Heather’s unravelling mental state.

Hopefully that Punisher thing next week will be better, as will whatever it might be (if anything) that picks up with Luke and Jessica (and Danny?)

]]> 6f2c942ef726b9bc6908acff084d86d3 Martin Smith replied to the topic Politics and Current Affairs in the forum The Loveland Arms - pub chat https://thecarrier.net/forums/topic/politics-and-current-affairs/page/31/#post-147393 Mon, 04 May 2026 08:04:06 +0000 There’s definitely going to be a scene of his flunkies tearing off the shoes he makes them wear and putting on ones that fit, certainly.

]]> 71083967d3dcbaa76bcd9d873db61746 Martin Smith replied to the topic Politics and Current Affairs in the forum The Loveland Arms - pub chat https://thecarrier.net/forums/topic/politics-and-current-affairs/page/31/#post-147328 Thu, 30 Apr 2026 15:29:20 +0000  

]]> 84cae9a77072e8c57020c7f455e5fb92 Martin Smith replied to the topic Daredevil: Born Again (With SPOILERS) in the forum Movies, TV and other media https://thecarrier.net/forums/topic/daredevil-born-again-with-spoilers/#post-147326 Thu, 30 Apr 2026 10:57:39 +0000 The thing with the governor in this last episode summed up some of my problems with this season. Fisk needs the governor out of the way so he can have her compliant Lt Gov installed in her place. So instead of digging up dirt on her (admittedly they said she was too clean for this, but given she’s working with Shaggy from the CIA, that seems…Read more

]]> c4c9b9c2e0c031a31d0a598e84475341 Martin Smith replied to the topic Random Comics-Related Stuff in the forum Comics talk https://thecarrier.net/forums/topic/random-comics-related-stuff/page/10/#post-147293 Tue, 28 Apr 2026 14:23:39 +0000 I genuinely didn’t know Newsarama was still going. I’ve not heard anyone mention it in years.

]]> cc0f99d8ae53ce14d96ae349946cc12a Martin Smith replied to the topic Random Comics-Related Stuff in the forum Comics talk https://thecarrier.net/forums/topic/random-comics-related-stuff/page/10/#post-147247 Sun, 26 Apr 2026 16:06:25 +0000 The single issue market is insane now. Surely it’s not in any way sustainable for much longer and they’ll need to switch to an OGN format?

]]> 543b79919440312af1ebac7a5d65f47b Martin Smith replied to the topic Daredevil: Born Again (With SPOILERS) in the forum Movies, TV and other media https://thecarrier.net/forums/topic/daredevil-born-again-with-spoilers/#post-147189 Wed, 22 Apr 2026 20:25:58 +0000 I’ve been increasingly underwhelmed by this season. It definitely hasn’t been as entertaining as the first. While there’s been some highlights – Swordsman was fun, especially his Reign of Terror commentary on his trial – it’s far less than the sum of its parts and feels like it doesn’t actually know how to escalate tension or stakes really. M…Read more

]]> 9cf6af49b33a77f69fb5149da46aeb10 Martin Smith replied to the topic Sports discussion in the forum The Loveland Arms - pub chat https://thecarrier.net/forums/topic/sports-discussion/page/4/#post-147140 Tue, 21 Apr 2026 09:51:18 +0000

Porsche’s new Gen 4 Formula E car for next season (starts end of this year/beginning of the next). I think this is just a test livery – the dazzle pattern is a bit of cliche on that front and kinda pointless given the series has spec body work that all the teams get from the same supplier – but still, it looks gorgeous. Big improvement over the…Read more

]]> 9681327f18c3e29c2681c08b8378dbb9 Martin Smith replied to the topic You Have Been Watching in the forum Movies, TV and other media https://thecarrier.net/forums/topic/you-have-been-watching-2/page/15/#post-147123 Mon, 20 Apr 2026 09:16:14 +0000 I’ve been buying a lot of stuff from Japan recently. Mainly Beast Wars tat, video game stuff (GameCube controllers in Japanese exclusive colourways but also a complete copy of Kid Icarus for the Famicom Disk System. I do not have a FDS), but also blu-rays of the Ginger Rogers & Fred Astaire canon.

I first watched them all around 2012, when BBC…Read more

]]> b13e1dfaecf18ef3dac7fe360088fe2f Martin Smith replied to the topic You Have Been Watching in the forum Movies, TV and other media https://thecarrier.net/forums/topic/you-have-been-watching-2/page/15/#post-147099 Sun, 19 Apr 2026 12:57:51 +0000 You’d think that people who work in television, of all people, would understand the importance of being able to coherently follow a TV series, and yet…

]]> 045474bc921d80eddeac904e91d10b93 Martin Smith replied to the topic You Have Been Watching in the forum Movies, TV and other media https://thecarrier.net/forums/topic/you-have-been-watching-2/page/15/#post-147092 Sun, 19 Apr 2026 07:47:33 +0000 I’ve started watching Don’t Trust The B In Apartment 23, which is a delight. Unfortunately, I got about halfway in in before I realised Disney+ has got the episodes out of order (they’ve gone with air date order and ABC showed them in a seemingly random order it seems). It completely messes up the running plot threads, the build up of relat…Read more

]]> 4490de162b046cb854d1149554c8b137 Martin Smith replied to the topic News thread in the forum The Loveland Arms - pub chat https://thecarrier.net/forums/topic/news-thread/page/8/#post-147068 Fri, 17 Apr 2026 09:08:10 +0000 Wow, that’s weird they branched out to that from the shops they have over here.

]]> 4780abebaa34f11db4f645be5e345376 Martin Smith replied to the topic Funny pictures, images and the like in the forum The Loveland Arms - pub chat https://thecarrier.net/forums/topic/funny-pictures-images-and-the-like/page/25/#post-146964 Sun, 12 Apr 2026 08:06:53 +0000 Who is that Artemis Four pin-up by? I can’t make out the signature.

]]> 3f68b86146621278c17472bf1556078f Martin Smith replied to the topic Funny pictures, images and the like in the forum The Loveland Arms - pub chat https://thecarrier.net/forums/topic/funny-pictures-images-and-the-like/page/25/#post-146932 Sat, 11 Apr 2026 09:45:36 +0000 Karolina looks like she’s standing against her will.

]]> e1fb16f42388f8fb4e305fb23b1541e2 Martin Smith replied to the topic Television News in the forum Movies, TV and other media https://thecarrier.net/forums/topic/television-news-2/page/6/#post-146883 Wed, 08 Apr 2026 12:22:40 +0000 https://www.channel4.com/press/news/channel-4-extends-its-reign-uk-home-taskmaster

Channel 4 has extended its deal for Taskmaster and, crucially, expanded its selection of international ones. NZ, Australia and Canada all to stream, including on the C4 youtube channel.

]]> fb95dab130d65577663617f1c07c2e95 Martin Smith replied to the topic What're you reading? (non comics) in the forum Movies, TV and other media https://thecarrier.net/forums/topic/whatre-you-reading-non-comics/page/6/#post-146880 Wed, 08 Apr 2026 08:27:57 +0000 I had a set of the Narnia books as a kid, which I skimmed (I was terrible at reading as a kid) and there’s two bits from The Last Battle that stick with me: .

]]> c78dcbc5eab1099cf2fccff272761251 Martin Smith replied to the topic The Trades Thread: Collected Editions in the forum Comics talk https://thecarrier.net/forums/topic/the-trades-thread-collected-editions/page/7/#post-146822 Mon, 06 Apr 2026 20:21:15 +0000 Weird they’re printing that Kyle Rayner GL collection again. I don’t think they even bothered with the solicited v2 and 3 last time.

]]> 8577d2b9fcd3dffd48be9177e8e93c55 Martin Smith replied to the topic Politics and Current Affairs in the forum The Loveland Arms - pub chat https://thecarrier.net/forums/topic/politics-and-current-affairs/page/30/#post-146821 Mon, 06 Apr 2026 20:18:45 +0000 That and a very misguided approach to teaching kids how to read for decades.

]]> f1766d3b70605b656bea9c71e6f5b47d Martin Smith replied to the topic Politics and Current Affairs in the forum The Loveland Arms - pub chat https://thecarrier.net/forums/topic/politics-and-current-affairs/page/30/#post-146803 Mon, 06 Apr 2026 09:21:02 +0000 Pakistan are apparently negotiating a ceasefire between the US and Iran at the moment (no mention of Israel in the reports I’ve seen, which seems like a big omission). And, honestly, the Iranians would be mad to agree to anything. There is practically no chance the Americans will stick to anything they say. Trump has already shown the worth of his…Read more

]]> 6d599494881d386fc07718cedaf5913c Martin Smith replied to the topic Politics and Current Affairs in the forum The Loveland Arms - pub chat https://thecarrier.net/forums/topic/politics-and-current-affairs/page/30/#post-146800 Mon, 06 Apr 2026 08:39:42 +0000 ::sideways look at camera::

]]> 9b03ecfe2363b42435590f6fde63ce28 Martin Smith replied to the topic Politics and Current Affairs in the forum The Loveland Arms - pub chat https://thecarrier.net/forums/topic/politics-and-current-affairs/page/30/#post-146616 Sun, 29 Mar 2026 10:20:41 +0000 Another potentially really good bit of (lower case) reform is a public interest test for all contracts over £1m for public services, to see whether they’d be better served kept in-house rather than out-sourced. Which admittedly still might not do much if people just hand-wave through the test, but if applied properly, it could really cut down on…Read more

]]> b4e92465ca7fb95be35b41838f66ac06 Martin Smith replied to the topic The Random Thread Of Randomosity in the forum The Loveland Arms - pub chat https://thecarrier.net/forums/topic/the-random-thread-of-randomosity/page/11/#post-146602 Sat, 28 Mar 2026 10:00:26 +0000 The one thing they didn’t want it to cause!

]]> 224b0d012f14f036ac7bc8886da88975 Martin Smith replied to the topic The Random Thread Of Randomosity in the forum The Loveland Arms - pub chat https://thecarrier.net/forums/topic/the-random-thread-of-randomosity/page/11/#post-146584 Fri, 27 Mar 2026 14:36:12 +0000 Right, but people still have lollies. And tongues.

]]> 57990a4decbdd66c1f09de772f656896 Martin Smith replied to the topic The Random Thread Of Randomosity in the forum The Loveland Arms - pub chat https://thecarrier.net/forums/topic/the-random-thread-of-randomosity/page/11/#post-146579 Fri, 27 Mar 2026 10:17:57 +0000 I woke up today thinking about pipe cleaners (no, I don’t know why and I think it’s probably not even worth investigating). It took me years to realise they’re for cleaning tobacco pipes. Whenever they were used for crafts on Blue Peter or Smart or whatever, I assumed they were for cleaning pipe pipes, you know plumbing, which was confusing,…Read more

]]> 5ac23a3c2147a356206ff4f1c75db7c3 Martin Smith replied to the topic Politics and Current Affairs in the forum The Loveland Arms - pub chat https://thecarrier.net/forums/topic/politics-and-current-affairs/page/30/#post-146577 Fri, 27 Mar 2026 10:13:53 +0000 I wonder how much Hungary’s shithousery to Ukraine is affecting Orban/will be an element in the election.

]]> 0c7014375aadc0bc06f0d4d4e1694a08 Martin Smith replied to the topic Daredevil: Born Again (With SPOILERS) in the forum Movies, TV and other media https://thecarrier.net/forums/topic/daredevil-born-again-with-spoilers/#post-146541 Wed, 25 Mar 2026 15:15:49 +0000 I enjoyed s2e1.

]]>