h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

http://www.wired.com/2014/10/austin-americans-f1/

TL;DR: Americans don't race in F1 because American audiences don't understand engineering.

Even simpler: "Don't you go and confuse us with your fancy cars and your fancy math and right hand turns and ! DALE EARNHARDT IS GOD!!! NUMBER 3 RULZ!!!"

Couldn't resist this as a project.
http://makezine.com/video/would-you-stick-a-raspberry-pi-in-your-ear/

>> Couldn't resist this as a project. <<
Wow. Let us know how that works out for you.

It's amazing that with all the visual and verbal
references to HHGG they do not once acknowledge
the source or DNA. Is it assumed that all geeks
will just know where it comes from? Or are they
really trying to skirt copyright issues?

~jwf~

http://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-29874053

'Mr Acker Bilk and His Paramount Jazz Band' was one of my very small collection of records back in 1960. It was an EP on which he was credited as 'Clarinet and Titular Head'.

I can think of plenty of National leaders who could do with taking some lessons from this guy.
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/nov/07/uruguayan-president-jose-mujica-offered-1m-blue-beetle?CMP=twt_gu

(Couple of weeks old, sorry)

Mystery Clown scaring people in Portsmouth:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-hampshire-29689505

Coulrophobia.

http://www.coulrophobiafacts.com

That article appears to have been written by a non-English-speaker.
"The coulrphobia may seem absurd for some, however, many people suffer so much, that it prevents them to eat a hamburger in a famous fast food chain."

Yeah...

I noticed that as well after I posted the link. I noticed this sentence.

"It is said that the phobia develops in early years, when children are very sensible to an unfamiliar face in a familiar body."

I thought about how one could confuse "sensible" and "sensitive". I knew it was either a poor translation or written by a non-native English speaker.

I chose this link after reading only the first few paragraphs and adding weight due to it being germain and NOT a wikipedia article.

Here's the wiki article: http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coulrophobia

@Baron Grim

No, the website is not in German, it is in English.

Well deserved I think

Bagpuss co-creator Peter Firmin gets Bafta honour.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-29989601

Not strictly news as such: http://io9.com/frozen-inspires-bizarre-bra-technology-in-japan-1657013164

But I'm with the people that wrote this article, I'm not entirely certain why this product exists.

I don't think I will ever understand Japanese culture.
Shakes Head, Wanders off.

https://twitter.com/jonniehughes/status/532832897657737216/photo/1

And for those not in Pliney
http://twitter.com/jonniehughes/status/532832897657737216/photo/1

Parliament repair bill 'could top £3bn'

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-30137334

What food banks?

I take back everything I said about the Scottish Parliament.

Seriously.

I must be cheaper to knock it down and start again.

S'lebs Back Black Market:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-manchester-30152894


I'm not too sure how I feel about this story, there's quite a few contradictions.

Basically, there's a 15 year old kid who keeps getting suspended from school for selling sweets and fizzy drinks to other kids.

I used to sell sweets when I was at school, and it does make a bit of cash, not much but pocket money. I think it shows a good business sense, and that entrepreneurial spirit. He's saving the money to help pay for his university fees, so good on him!

But then there's the flip side to this. Firstly, the photo. This poor entrepreneurial 15 year old has a tattoo. It's illegal to get tattoos in the UK until you're 18. So he's not exactly the most law abiding entrepreneur. Secondly, he's "employing" two other kids to help him sell the sweets, and is making £14k a year doing so. I'm kinda guessing that he's also not paying tax or national insurance on that £14k, let alone have any business or liability insurance.
Then there's the school itself. They've got a healthy eating charter thing, that they've almost certainly been forced to bring in by successive government ideologies. I'd also guess that they used to sell these sweets and drinks before they were forced not to. So this £14k that the kid is making was very likely made by the school, along with more likely, until it was forced not to. I'm not surprised they're a bit piffed off.
And lastly, there's the kid's grades. They're not too good at the moment apparently. And he admits it's because he's been giving half his time to managing his business, but that's okay because now he's nearly ready to go to uni, he'll start focussing more on that. Sorry, but I can't help thinking what he means is "now I've got a final warning, and have to stop selling them anyway, I'll stop. Oh, and to make me look better I'll say it was to raise money to go to uni."

He doesn't even know what uni he was wanting to go to, "one of the London ones." Really? Wow, he's really thought hard about this.

So, as much as I want to think "Good on him!" I can't help but think he's not the poor innocent entrepreneur he's being made out to be, and that the s'lebs are just joining in because it makes them look good too and their viewing figures must be suffering.

Don't expect Dragon's Den celebs to be responsible for this child's entire wellbeing. They're commenting on his entrepreneurial skills, which are clearly demonstrated if he's making as much money as that.

And, hell, what's education anyway? There are many captains of industry who had no education and worked their way to the top. Didn't Duncan Bannatyne?

But yes, he'll have to learn the hard way about regulation.

Oh, I'm not expecting anything of the s'lebs other than to piggyback a news story.

But I can't help but think reading that story, that all the uni/education aspects of it were put in by him after he was stopped.