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

By far... I agree affy.

Villians aren't necessarily more interesting to write, but there is certainly much that is interesting about them. It's fun to play around with their motives, and it's always a challenge to write a character who disagrees completely with you own feelings. Also, there is a pretty broad spectrum of villainy; you get characters who are just plain bad, and you get characters who are forced to to something dreadful for good causes. The later group is probably more interesting because they have the possibility of redemption, and you have to try and get the reader's sympathy them.

Titania, who is Mad-eye Moody? I haven't got as far as the Goblet of Fire.

Having a break from HP and reading Dickens' Christmas stories at the mo.

*thinks to herself, 'I always thought being Penelope Pitstop would be fun'*

Can we have a cartoon character evening sometime, Lil?

this uncle heavy would like a digest of the backlog cos the h2g2 servers havent been letting him post for over 24 hours

i hope i ddint miss much, but there are 6 LEDs worth of posts, and, at 10:14, i have only just returned from school

[BB]

Passes through on his way to Zzzzzz

After his team came second in the pub quiz by one point (again )

Hey, there's a "BBCi" bar across the top of my user page, and another on the message window! Neither was there a minute ago. This must be a new incarnation of Ripley, and that might mean new smileys.

/* runs off to check */

It's explained here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/h2g2/guide/F77636?thread=149960

Gently humming something that might approximate to Handel, (if Handel were tone deaf)wonders if Matina might manage a little lapsang souchong? Still no sausages, and definitely no black pudding. Nibbles on a bagel in diverted sort of way.

A belated welcome to the Atelier, PW Monk.

Would you like some cream cheese for that bagel?

most kind, but I would actually, really, really, really prefer something rather more threatening to ones coronary wellbeing, however, the chance of that happening is about as great as my cassock bursting into flames or my toes exploding, so of course, cream cheese would be just lovely. Ta VM.

Apologies, rather more irony there than I had meant. Tetchy monk with a stipend that is too small and a machine rather akin to that Nutrimatic drinks dispenser in H2G2 that produces something almost but not quite completely unlike coffee, and if you so much as whisper Lapsang Souchong or, Mother Superior forfend, Lady Grey, just giggles in rather pathetic way and then goes back to what it was doing before, which is generally nothing, (but in a rather insolent insouciant sort of way!)

No need to apologize.

Perhaps you can answer a question for me. If a monk takes a vow of silence, is written communication permitted? One might ask, is it kosher?

One would imagine that the vow is taken to prohibit the intrusion of distractions into the world of the devotee, hence allowing maximum time in commune with ones maker. Mother Superior, or the Big Friar (sounds like a small fast food place specialising in breakfasts!) may well take a dim view of scribbles on your missals, if that has the same effect. The Peripatetic Warrior Monk sect is thoroughly relaxed about all that sort of stuff, and just insists on a good haircut and clean underpants at least once a week.

Clean underwear is a good thing.

Must go now, I have to change into Car Pool Mom.

Bye.

*stumbles into main room en route to kitchen, "meeting" walls occasionally. fetches from fridge and stumbles out, "meeting" the furniture she missed on the way in*

Tips cowl to Sea, and waves bagel in the rather forlorn hope that it will either disappear or turn into something less bagel like. It doesnt.

Is spork bringing punch as well?

Sea, Rosie Cotton is Sam's sweetheart back home, the one he thinks of when he is going through H-E-Double Hockey Sticks with Frodo. When he gets back from his horrible quest to find things not quite right at home she presses him to be practicle, and stop galavanting about with Frodo and do something useful for a change. Pragmatic in a very ironic sense, obviously passionate about her Sam. I think it's the Irony part that reminds me of you... that and Tolkien has very few good female parts.

UH, don't feel bad about missing backlog. I think I missed an entire thread or two...

I agree, no good girls in Tolkien. A few hobbits and Ioreth, and then all goddess types. The man was a genius beyond belief - but couldn't write women.

Well I finnished the first Harry Potter book today, and am halfway through the second (I made a trip to the book store late cos I needed something else to read tonight, ended up with the full series). Extremely well written, perhaps a bit heavy handed on the trials of living on Privet street. I like her turn of phrase in many examples. This is very good material, but as it is a very easy read (I know I know it is for kids) I am going to go through it like wild fire. Of course I tend to read fast anyway, but I am burning through the pages on this story. I guess reading all the dry technical documents for my job has made me even faster with fun books.

Oh ya, I finnished Enders Game (started Sunday night) this morning and started in on HP. Enders game was great up till the end. I still do not have a great view of Card as an author. I mightly enjoyed the story of Ender as he grew up in the battle school, but the ending was contrived. Card could tkae a lesson from Rawlings.