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

There was a salutary case in the newspapers this weekend. A 47-year old male in a dead-end factory job (with all that implies in terms of middle-aged maleness) pretended to be a 19-year old U.S. Marine contacting the USA from Iraq. He researched his online persona meticulously and created a convincing personality which was good enough to attract a seventeen year old cheerleader, with whom he became close online.

But.... the nubile seventeen-year old cheerleader wasn't what she seemed either. She was pushing fifty, sixteen stone, and lived in a trailer park.... so any meeting between the two was doomed to failure, and, as it turned out, a vigorous exchange of dissappointed small arms fire.

So the sticking point is - everything has to be taken on trust. How do you prove the person you are speaking to is being honest, legal and decent in their dealings? Of course you can't. But true friendship hopefully doesn't need to fib and embellish? (you hope)

I hope and prove. So happens, I have met someone in "real life" who I first met on h2g2, and both they and I were being completely truthful to eachother. So there.

Yarrrr! I forgot me pirate, yarrr!