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

I think Alexei Sayle said it best:

"... they are, in fact, gateways between one dimension and another, spanning the continuum of space and time - each booth straddles a crack in the very fabric of existence itself. Through this tear in the substance of the universe we are afforded a glimpse of another parallel world: behind the mirror on the wall of the Photo-Me-Booth there is another Earth, another Time.

Unfortunately life is much tougher, harder and more unpleasant in that other world and that is why after you have put your money in the machine, the photos that you get back are not of you but instead are of some sad-eyed and dispirited stranger that stares pleadingly back at you through the glass. One of the reasons life is dull in the other word is that it rains all the time, which explains why your photos are always wet when you get them."

It rains all the time? I thought that was this world.

Yeah - seems like it some days, doesn't it?

Just do what I do - take out all your frustration and anger on the TV weather presenters. Indirectly, it is all their fault.

I already do that. I have a photo of Michael Fish in a dartboard picture frame.

And there's no need to restrict venting your anger on weather-related matters - just any old thing that happens to be pissing you off.

(Oh, and being in antipodean isolation, I have no idea who Michael Fish is. But judging by the stupid name, I guess a weather presenter. Ours have exceedingly stupid names too - for example Jim Hicky and Augie Auer.)

Here's a thought, perhaps we've got the wrong weathermen. Perhaps they all entered some faulty photo booth and ended up in that weird parallel universe. In the meantime, their weird parallel universe counterparts are here giving us all dodgy weather reports, and just generally upsetting folk.

Another thing, why do all these weathermen blame some bloke called Al Nino for the weather and not themselves?

So in the weird parallel universe, weather presenters are revered and respected members of society? Now that IS weird.

And I guess Al Nino must be some chief meteorologist or something. (I will refrain from making a "with his wife La Nina" joke. Damn, I just did.)

I read something once that said Al Nino was a American who successfully sued the weather channel because of the deformation of character. It turns out that when all these weathermen (oh and we mustn't forget weathergirls either ) started to go on about the Al Nino weather phenomenon, everyone in his local neighbourhood started to be really nasty to him, and blamed him for all the problems with the weather. Americans eh?

Well, this is from the same country that required cardboard windshield sun shades to bear the label: "Warning: Do Not Drive With Sun Shield in Place."

Oh, and drive-by shootings too.