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Off-Topic Discussion => General Discussion => Topic started by: aldo_14 on October 04, 2004, 07:32:02 am

Title: Beware shrapnel!
Post by: aldo_14 on October 04, 2004, 07:32:02 am: Pupils wear goggles for conkers (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/cumbria/3712764.stm)
:wtf:
Title: Beware shrapnel!
Post by: Clave on October 04, 2004, 07:37:02 am: Getting fragments in your eye is half the fun!

*sigh*

Just more Nanny State lameness.....:rolleyes:
Title: Beware shrapnel!
Post by: Mongoose on October 04, 2004, 08:34:39 am: Conkers?

/me shows off non-Britishness :p
Title: Beware shrapnel!
Post by: Taristin on October 04, 2004, 08:45:43 am: Conkers? *thinks of the little squirrel from the PS game*
Title: Beware shrapnel!
Post by: karajorma on October 04, 2004, 08:52:43 am: The thing is that this isn't really due to the nanny state. This is due to idiots suing over things they or their children were directly responsible for.
Title: Beware shrapnel!
Post by: Taristin on October 04, 2004, 08:58:18 am: Yeah. I really can't blame the teacher for not wanting to be sued. I hadn't realized that the UK was as litigious as the US... :sigh:
Title: Beware shrapnel!
Post by: Ghostavo on October 04, 2004, 09:04:04 am: When I looked at the topic I was expecting something from Shrapnel (http://www.shrapnelgames.com/)...

Funny nonetheless, the kids probably are having more fun wearing the goggles than playing with whatever conkers are...
Title: Beware shrapnel!
Post by: Kosh on October 04, 2004, 09:26:07 am: What is a "conker"?
Title: Beware shrapnel!
Post by: Clave on October 04, 2004, 09:53:37 am: A Horse Chesnut.

Basically, you knock it out of the tree (or collect it off the ground) bore a hole in it, put a string through, and hold it out at arms length. Your opponent then tries to break your conker with his, by swinging at it. Each person takes turns, until one of the conkers breaks. The winning conker is then known as a 'one-er', after 2 hits it is a 'two-er' and so on. Obviously, a hard skin is essential to a successful campaign, so various tactics, such as soaking in vineger, and/or oven baking are sometimes used to get 15-ers and above....

Err... can you tell I'm bored in the office today?
Title: Beware shrapnel!
Post by: aldo_14 on October 04, 2004, 10:22:58 am: I have a 15-year old conker lying around somewhere. 'tis as hard as a rock - I chucked it off a wall once and it actually dented the wall........
Title: Beware shrapnel!
Post by: Clave on October 04, 2004, 11:48:27 am: :lol: I don't why that made me laugh, it just did...
Title: Beware shrapnel!
Post by: 01010 on October 04, 2004, 12:01:32 pm: Baking in the oven, varnishing, soaking in vinegar and other conker hardening practices were heavily frowned upon when I used to play.

My best was a 17-er untouched, I retired that little blighter though as I couldn't bear to witness the destruction of such an awesome specimen of conkerdom.
Title: Beware shrapnel!
Post by: aldo_14 on October 04, 2004, 12:01:38 pm: could it be because you're bored at the office today? (http://ayttm.sourceforge.net/smileys/default/yahoo_eyebrow.png)
Title: Beware shrapnel!
Post by: Petrarch of the VBB on October 04, 2004, 12:08:58 pm: Christ. What next? Suction cups instead of points on compasses?
Title: Beware shrapnel!
Post by: aldo_14 on October 04, 2004, 12:17:00 pm: Quote
Originally posted by Petrarch of the VBB
Christ. What next? Suction cups instead of points on compasses?

Good idea. Those things are ****ing dangerous. As are especially sharpened pencils. Or non-blunt pens.
Title: Beware shrapnel!
Post by: Sandwich on October 04, 2004, 01:50:04 pm: No wonder the British Empire died.
Title: Beware shrapnel!
Post by: magatsu1 on October 04, 2004, 01:53:28 pm: It didn't. We just gave it back. That's how Greta Britain is.
Title: Beware shrapnel!
Post by: Falcon on October 04, 2004, 04:32:56 pm: I thought conkers was a breakfast cereal.......

mmmmmm conkers...... :p
Title: Beware shrapnel!
Post by: 01010 on October 04, 2004, 04:41:43 pm: Quote
Originally posted by magatsu1
It didn't. We just gave it back. That's how Great Britain is.

:lol:

:yes:
Title: Beware shrapnel!
Post by: aldo_14 on October 04, 2004, 04:46:29 pm: Yeah, who wants Miami and Sydney when you have Bognor Regis and Skegness?
Title: Beware shrapnel!
Post by: Rictor on October 04, 2004, 04:50:15 pm: If I didn't know any better, I'de swear you just made those up. Of course, I don't know any better, so its an assumption I'm comfortable with.

So, conkers....yeah... We never had those when I was a young(er) kid. We had pogs. This sounds like more fun.
Title: Beware shrapnel!
Post by: Clave on October 04, 2004, 05:28:55 pm: Quote
Originally posted by aldo_14
Yeah, who wants Miami and Sydney when you have Bognor Regis and Skegness?

Having been to both the last two, I now wish for the return of the Empire - Only this time we get to use light sabres instead of muskets.... :nod:

About the most dangerous thing in our school was not compasses, but the maths teacher, he was a crack shot with the board eraser, and that thing really friggin hurt! :shaking: