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

Caer, is that a blood test? I'm getting a workup on Monday morning for that very thing. You don't know how happy I am to have a doctor who listens! My last one, the HMO doctor back in Florida, was hardly even listening when I listed my symptoms and suspicions about hypothyroidism.

It really is true what they say about losing your faith in established institutions as you get older...

*notices that she is holding her entire body differently with the new bifocal puter glasses*

Only 940 posts to go until the mug is awarded and we can start a new conversation. Come on everybody, you can do that in a week easy!

We have a wireless network at home. I it.

[Munchkin] Hoping to set up a wireless network here soon, I must remember and pin down my local expert to explain things to me.
This only getting online at home lark really increases the length of the backlog. Still, I've used up my skipping voucher and it was nice to plough through it again.

A spiral staircase and a balcony! Be still my heart.

Since we won't be having a lot of kids in the library with little fingers to get pinched, we could use tables with tops that adjust from flat to 45º. I'll see if I can find in the way of lamps. I have a catalog here someplace.

*wanders off in search of Number 11*

Lil, it was a blood test. I was diagnosed about 5 years ago and I don't think the dosage has ever been high enough, hypothyroidism isn't treated as aggressively here as in the US. Armoured thyroxine isn't available here on NHS prescription either. I shall start taking the higher dose tomorrow, but it won't have any real effect for a couple of weeks at least.

I have also been religously counting calories for the last few days, using the same program as Toc. I never seem to off the Sainsbury's website looking up the calorie content of food items. The database for the diet program contains some things like mammy-apples and chayote. If any one can enlighten me as to what they are I would be grateful.

I might let H consider installing a wireless network, on consideration, as it means I could be w*rking in the garden too

Mammy-apples and chayote?

Are chayote those tubers with red skins that look pretty in the packet but go (and taste) insipid when you cook them?

Chayote are http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/MV046

Not at all what I had in mind. I wonder what those red things are then.

Never seen those before, but at least it solves one small mystery. Thanks Marv.

I've used them in the past, but I can't really tell you how it turned out. It was in a huge stew. now what I really need are some beavertail cacti for breakfast.

Darn it, you've gone for the balcony option. I was kind of hoping that we could have one section of shelving floor to ceiling (I would love to do that and put all the books and cds on there) with one of those ladders on a rail at the top to climb up for some books.
I like the wing chair idea, shall I get a smoking jacket
All this talk of libraries reminds me of the different ones I've been in, small local ones, big local ones, regional ones. Getting to look in the old reading rooms at the British Museum is really nice with the circular building now inside a covered courtyard, all light and airy, lovely. The new British Library on the Euston Rd is quite good inside as well. I've not seen any of the reading areas but as a centrepiece in the public area in the King's Library in a specially built glass section. Thousands of historic books, row upon row of shelving about 4 or 5 stories high. Very impressive.

I'd rather some oatmeal for breakfast.

The bots should be fine with a wireless network. They autodetect any stray frequencies around their environment and just tune them out. Well, actually, they have the choice of whether to tune them out or not. And, um, they can broadcast too. So if your computer starts answering you back, well, don't be alarmed. I remember one time downstairs, Ampton had me going for about a week, feeding me fake data from an experiment. Eventually I wondered why he seemed to be grinning when I was capering around shouting eureka after seeing the daily results. I got him back later, though, with an exploding cigar.

My computer is always answering me back. She even swears sometimes. Ah, the joys of owning a Mac.

The northern reading room of the British library is not so wonderful. It's like sitting in a branch of B&Q.

Phil, once Hypatia and Number 11 establish safe access to the Fforde rift, you'll be able to work in any kind of library you like. The room we have here will contain the essentials, and Hypatia and her bot will be able to use the rift to obtain any other book you could possibly want.

I need to find a nice carpet to extend into the library. I like the oriental carpet we already have, Hypatia, so shall we just get a bigger one?

Garius, Marv might be able to use the bots to test his firewalls, then. Hey Marv, what kind of flooring will be best for the computer user's room, and have you ordered me an Indigo?

Oh, any kind of flooring will work as long as it is not deep pile shag. It is rather easy for static to build up after all.

The indigo is likely in the batch of Sun and SGI stuff that should be coming by tomorrow. I got it for a steal, two Moxons and five minutes in the presense of a mbouga,t mbogut, Greek apple thing.

*impressed*

A bargain.

We must have a Book of Hours or Psalter in the library, I could spend hours getting lost in medieval illustrated manusrcipts. The detail in a single capital letter is amazing.

One of my favourite libraries was the public one in Maidstone, Kent where we lived after returning from Singapore, for about 3 years. I used to go twice a week, I read fast given any time to do so. It was close to the Friary Meux brewery and the smell of brewing used to waft through the building.

Marv, you had better stand by for more (from my point of view) veg and fruit I may post one a day because they are intriguing me now.