Why Is It So Loud? Why Is It So Quiet?

Jamie went to the Derby Beer Festival with the Lord Chancellor. Yes, the actual Lord Chancellor and Justice Secretary. Richard went to see Street Fighter. Both report back, and only one of them had a cabinet minister for company.

Then the main event. Jamie and Richard go to war over film sound. Jamie’s position: the dialogue is too quiet, the explosions are too loud, and he spends every film riding the volume button like a club DJ. Richard’s position is complicated by the fact that he’s a professional sound engineer. Somebody is defending Hollywood and somebody is losing their mind.

From there it’s a full-scale rage against gaming’s push towards subscriptions. Nobody owns anything any more, everything is a monthly fee, and Richard has a lot to say about what Microsoft are planning next. He did not hold back.

Jamie has also discovered Socialite, an app that blocks adverts and the endless nonsense reels on Instagram and Facebook. He’s paid for it and he thinks it’s life-changing. Richard isn’t impressed, because he’s already built his own fix: a DNS hack that blocks adverts across his whole setup, for free, like a proper nerd. Two men, one problem, two very different levels of commitment.

Also: Jamie is back rock climbing, and his body has opinions.