(Part 2) Best products from r/Scotland

ooh, here's a rabbit hole we can go down

i've had one of these for several years now, which is considered the go-to entry-level burr grinder by the coffeegeek.com crows - you'd think, "how much diff could it possibly make?" but it totally does

i used to sip on coffee machine coffee all day - but now i only use either a £3 hario pourover cone, 32g of coffee into a big insulated mug and i'm set for the day on one fantastic cup - or 32g into the aeropress, pressed into lightly foamed microwaved milk, and there's my perfect flat white - once you have the knack, it really doesn't take that long, and both are far better than anything at all but the coffeegeekiest shop

I had genuinely never heard of Robert Graham. What an amazing person. I can't find an affordable biography (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Cunninghame-Graham-A-Critical-Biography/dp/0521090091) but we need to celebrate that guy's life. Thank you for sharing

I just picked up this book from the library yesterday but haven't read it yet. It looks like a great read and could be exactly what you're looking for - you can read about strange things that happened in certain cities/towns and then visit those places :)

Eve online is basically Excel with a graphics engine (that's how I've heard it described!) Watching the online battles and stuff is so interesting but thinking about actually playing it gives me a headache.

What book you reading just now? I've actually started a new series, Malice, book 1 of the Faithful & Fallen, love to read.

I'm late to this, but I'd suggest (as well as the genuinely hilarious Scotch and Wry) check out a more recent nostalgic creation:

• From Scotland With Love
  
  This isn't comedy, but a set of footage of 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s Scotland which is worth a watch in it's own right, but what sets its apart is it is scored to a sublime soundtrack written and performed by King Creosote (Kenny Anderson).
  
  Check out the reviews of the soundtrack (CD) here, they aren't wrong, one of my favourite albums of the last few years.
  
  DVD reviews are here.
  
  Edit: Oh, and by the way, goodluck to Tam (and yourself OP!)

I've got a Wustoff paring knife. Very nice! I used to work in a kitchen shop, so have a rather nice collection of knives...

Make sure you get a decent sharpener for it. They sharpen up easily, but do need it more often than Japanese knives. This is my favourite sharpener, it works brilliantly! http://www.amazon.co.uk/MinoSharp-SH440-Universal-Water-Sharpener/dp/B0006A03UG

Ooh, and have you ever tried bamboo socks? They are amazing...

It feels strange but the probability of you having the same dream as someone you know is high. It's because there are hundreds of thousands of chances it could happen. So, for it to happen once out of hundreds of thousands of oppertunities isn't strange. That math says it's going to happen.

Especially as it's a common dream. It's so popular that google auto populates it when you type in, dream of p.

It's something that statistically is going to happen to a lot of people.

I'd recommend reading this book. I read it years ago and it is a good beginners guide to understanding why you think there is something mystical going on.

You are making one of the error explained in the book where you are attributing something that is common as being unusual.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/People-Believe-Weird-Things-Pseudoscience/dp/0285638033

1. That Sinking Feeling - Bill Forsyth film. Bit cheesy/amateurish but great shots of late 70s Glasgow. Nostalgic.
   
   
2. Comfort & Joy Bill Forsyth again. Great shots of 80s Glasgow. No cars! Ahh nostalgia.
   
   
3. Local Hero Forsyth again...
   
   
4. The Maggie Classic Ealing.

> The Enemy Within: The Secret War Against the Miners by Seamus Milne.

I found this review helpful

>Milne makes it clear enough that the miners' strike was not just a dispute over pay and conditions. He informs readers that an alliance of left-wingers and communists “had taken control of the pivotal Yorkshire area in the late 1960s and early 1970s” and that consequently the union was “at the feet of the left”.

> Milne also writes that by the late 1970s the NUM leaders “wanted closer links with Soviet and East European miners as a step towards greater control of the world's energy resources”.
>
> An uninformed reader might think that the trade unions of the Soviet Union, eastern Europe and Libya were free and representative of their members. While Milne reports that the the British security services subverted “democratic liberties” he tells us nothing about the absence of such liberties in the communist countries from which the miners' leaders sough help or for miners who who did not want to strike.

I thoroughly recommend getting Scotland the Best if you're after good food and drink - the best guidebook I've ever seen.

I hope you don't feel like we're ganging up on you here. I just wanted to recommend a book to you:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Philosophy-Science-Short-Introduction-Introductions/dp/0198745583/

It's only a fiver and I honestly believe everyone should read it.

\ ^(I hope this doesn't come across as condescending or patronising )

Probably not quite what youre looking for but I'd recommend this if you would be interested in reading up on any of our paranormal history. It's a very well researched book and not dependent on hyperbole. I just finished it and that's why it sprang to mind.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Scottish-Ghost-Stories-James-Robertson/dp/0751513938

> Almost half our country voted for independence. What's that if not a radical idea?

Ha! Great point. It renewed my faith in people a little too. Though still a ways to go!
I was referring to the book mentioned here.
I hereby promise I'll start it once I'm done reading Honourable Friends? by Caroline Lucas

It saddens me that this is the prominent attitude as it's entirely false and completely ignorant of the history of the country and it's language.

In brief, remember that the Scoti tribe were originally from Ireland and established the kingdom of Dal Riata, sometime before 500AD. These were the first recorded Gaels to make permanent settlement in what would later be Scotland. Over time they expanded and grew and intermingled with the local Picts. In the lowlands in particular, there was an intermingling with the northern Britons (from Strathclyde). All of this genetic and cultural diversity lead to the true birth of the Scottish people and nation. Eventually the kingdom of Strathclyde was incorporated into Scotland and was Gaelic speaking. The Picts faced the same fate and became one with the Scots, and assuming their language.
Even in later years during the Viking age the Gaels assimilated a great bulk of the people who came to settle and in a matter of generations those same people often took to speaking Gaelic, or a hybridisation thereof. This gave rise to the Gall-Ghàidheal or 'Foreign-Gael'.

English didn't rise to prominence in the lowlands until much later - in fact the courtly languages (particularly French) were spoken much more widely than English until the medieval period when the Ango-centric viewpoint took hold and English became the language to speak. This was practical for trade and diplomatic relations, but was also a product of a growing cultural rift between the highlands and lowlands - one that wasn't about language so much as it was about outside pressures on lifestyle and progressive attitudes. The linguistic shift became a key part of that rift over time as well.

For further reading on the matter I highly recommend this book as it's well written and sourced:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1841588261/ref=cm_sw_r_tw_dp_p4D3tb1P07C5KHDF

Also, and article on the matter: http://newsnetscotland.com/index.php/affairs-scotland/1803-scotlands-language-myths-4-gaelic-is-only-a-highland-language.html

Adapters will be needed, you can pick them up here although it will probably be cheaper if you buy them online before you travel, such as on amazon here. You'll just need to check the electronics you're wanting to plug in will accept 240V input. Most cell phones and cameras are fine with that but better safe than sorry.

I don't know how serious you want to go, but a bood called Bloodbus gives you a nice insight into a life of Glasgow working classes : https://www.amazon.co.uk/Bloodbus-Tales-Glasgow-Night-Bus/dp/1845021762 :)