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

From the sublime....?

thanks teuchter, I'll check that out. It really happens very rarely to me - last tim I was sick was years ago.

Caer, if you want to see a good (and violent) film, see Man on Fire. I really really liked this film.

Hello all, Just popping in to leave a greeting. Since I cannot seem to stay in any particular country for too long nowadays. Am still in England until tomorrow when I catch the ferry to Calais, France and drive back down to Rota Spain to Fly to VA, USA to drive back down to Florida. So I should be back on a more regular basis starting next week. It has been a wondeful trip so far. Spent a few weeks in the Midlands, some time in London visited Stonehenge and have been at the University of Durham for the last week.

Just to be somewhat relevant to the conversation I will post this much. Discussing the grading system with my students here in Durham. In England a 70% is a good mark as opposed to the states where you are pushing for everything to be above 90%. Same quality of work, if not more demanding in the UK. But our grades are much more inflated than over here. Oh well, I have now done british dorm parties, watched the horror of "revision" commited many typos due to the different layout of UK keyboards, gotten used to driving on the wrong side of the road, which was not as hard as getting used to driving on the wrong side of the car. And am about to head home to see if I can get used to doing everything the US way again. look for full details by the end of the month on my space...

Until later
Phil

Uh - hi and bye, Tamberlaine! (that's not *our* Phil, is it?)

Umm no not one in the same. Been in and out of here for a few months, Flip Flipper Tamberlaine and occasionally even sign by my really real name. No good at the secret agent thing...

Nope, not "our" Phil. But I know him from around site.

Feeling much better...any of that food left?

[dave]

Perhaps we should say "Not our Other Phil" instead. Tamberlain is one of us, after all.

Oops, I meant Tamberlaine of course.

Okay, leave it to me to walk in and celebrate the wrong occasion...

Gads! We either need to get an smiley, or I need to *really* read the blog for content. How embarrassing!

So... Lil. Happy 4th Anniversary for the Atelier!

Thank you for making this such a convivial place to get together. I'm honored to be considered a small part of your regular clientele here, even if I too frequently seem to put my . I'm glad we don't get flamed or ejected just because of a social 'faux pas'.

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Hey, I just have to tell y'all about a really neat contraption we're using at the power plant. It's in the reactor cavity, which is equivalent in size to your local swimming pool (but 40 feet deep), and is currently "flooded up." It's a tripod-like affair resting on the lip of the emptied reactor vessel, with each of its three large metallic tubes (about 8-10 inches in diameter) spanning outward from a central hub. There are a couple of cables (for power and control signals) running down into the water that attach to the central point. Suspended from this is a mechanical armature that has several swivel / hinge points, with a light, a camera, and test equipment at the distant end. We're using it for ultrasonic testing of the integrity of the vessel (shell) to spot for imperfections or stress fracturing. An operator remotely activates the "monopus" arm, which turns and swivels to "touch" every inch of the vessel's surface. That is *SO* cool to watch in action!

My wife has a running gag about the "toys" I like: anything with moving parts. I also like Brunel. Go figure...

doingsomeRealw*rkB4mynextOutageupdate

[GDZ]

sounds pretty cool B4. I've heard of x-ray testing to look for fractures, I like the idea of ultrasound.

Well, I have the dress for my friend Jen's wedding. Very not like what I was planning at all. It's blue, first of all, and very, very girly.

But I put it on and I felt like a flippin' princess. Drop dead, I tell you. My waist has never looked so good. And so then I think, hey, I will never find shoes to match, but the kid's playing with a friend, and the stores are airconditioned, so I think, what the heck? And go looking. And lo and behold, I found a pair of shoes that match the dress, down to the color. I'm shocked. So then I find a bag to match.

Now, all I have to do is lose 10 more pounds, and I'm golden. I guess I'll keep doing the pilates, eh?

MR, can we see a photo of the blue dress?

Having read in my Daily Comic that, after proper scientifically conducted surveys in France, cellulite slimming lotions work. L'Oreal Perfectslim came out top (one of the cheapest too), so I rushed out and about some and will let you know in due course if it works. Although I suspect the massage movements involved are probably the most effective part.

On the school front, I see one school is abandoning A levels for the International Baccelaureate (which I have spelt incorrectly, no doubt) as this is thought to give students the edge on applying for uni places.

No2 son and g/f are coming round for lunch, so I had better check the has defrosted and make a plum crumble.

Caer and any other interested parties...

here's the link for the dress, although the picture doesn't do it justice. It's the third one on the right, but you have to imagine it in a light blue, almost silver/purple color...

http://www.zum-zum.com/NiKi_Dres5/NiKi_Dres5.html

And I'm keeping it a bit longer. But here's a link to the shoes, too. They're the blue multi...

http://store.nordstrom.com/product/product_brandboutique.asp?styleid=2831269&boutique=unlisted&category=2376778~2372811~2374011~2374023~2374517&NextStyleID=2794892&PrevStyleID=2794894

(the dress is the color of the main color of the shoes)

Oh yum. That's geeoorgeous! Yes, definitely a good choice.

Lovely, MR. And I'm glad you're feeling better.

I'm going to try to do the grocery store this morning without buying any of my junk food favs. They call to me as I walk past. I'm so yummy, they say. Buy me! Buy me!

Sol, it's nice to see you back in circulation!

Tamberlaine, where in Florida are you headed? Tampa Bay area by any chance?

The ultrasound bit sounds cool, B4, but save the crackers for the next thread.

[GDZ]