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

Welcome to the Atelier. The raison d'etre is good conversation. The consequences are unpredictable. The salonistas are all first-order eccentrics, geeks and geniuses, or possibly some combination of all three. If you haven't been here before, it's worth checking out our forum page at A304354, and following the offsite link to get more backstory. We've been here a long time and have a checkered past.

The previous conversation went on for extra time as your hostess and her scribe both became confounded by real-world concerns, but here we are at last, finally free of a mountain of dirty cups and fetid ashtrays. The cleaning bot Chloe won't come near us when it gets to countdown time.

So extra kudos to our scribe d'Elaphant for his work in recording the conversation that has taken place in 92X! *Chloe steps forward and proffers d'E a quill pen set in a base of white marble with labradors in bas-relief* We now reap the fruit of his labor.

A formal welcome to whatsbest, our newest salonista, who joined during 92X, weathered the fast-moving backlog, and showed an early knack for our multi-threaded chatter. Another new salonista, currently not participating actively, is Ilya. Welcome to the atelier, both of you -- and welcome to the world, Ilya.

There was a bitter competition during overtime for the fuzzy blue mohair pants, which are now in the custody of Ben, who trumped all latecomers at post 2980. But it sure is nice to see both Gw7en, who came along at post 2951, and Ben as well.

First the new and rather useful practise of listing salonistas in order of their arrival:

ltp
Wandering Albatross
Titania
Magwitch
Phil
GDZ
Amy Pawloski
IrvWash
David B
Marv
Teuchter
FG
Solnushka (The Sun and the Star)
MR
Space Cadette
Lentilla
Agapanthus
Santrgenius V
Bald Bloke
Librarian Pear
Todaymueller
d'E
Beatrice
Mr. Dreadful
Rosemary
Rev Nick
Bagpuss
Mol
Witty Moniker
tartaronne
Kelli
Hypatia
Saints76 (one post only?)
SeraphicDigitalis
Sporky
Z
Egon
Yar Kramer
B'Elana

Post 42 went once again to ltp.

Topics of conversation:

LibrarianPear prepares for surgery
Talk of flasks
Asteroid Lil's town is locked down due to an at-large criminal
Solnushka naturalizes her B
Immigration, assimilation, and integration
Kelli returns to say hello
Barack Obama gives a speech on race, Arthur C. Clarke passes on
Mol returns
Solnushka gets an "A" on her masters work
Agapanthas has an anniversary dinner
Hypatia returns after a rough time
LibrarianPear's operation goes well
UC Irvine loses social security numbers
Easter and Spring arrive, with snow and roast
Brunel vs Goo vs Alabaster
Todaymueller puts his house up for sale
The timing of Easter
Zomnker's son goes AWOL, briefly
The criminal-at-large in Lincoln is killed in a gun battle
Lady Godiva
Cash vs Plastic vs traveller's cheques
Television (Ghost Hunters and reality programs)
Lil's aunt is ill
Irv takes exams, Z takes more exams, Zomnker has an interview
Wii
Irv is officially a lawyer
eyeglasses
LibrarianPear returns
Mr. Dreadful's birthday
new coins
Travel (Z. to Istanbul, Tartaronne to Italy, Teuchter to China)
Titania, waiting in Istanbul
Snow in April
Lil returns after being locked out of her account
German words
Yar Kramer begins an adventure ( F13675?thread=5296217 )
The Atelier offers condolences to Magwitch on the loss of her mother-in-law
"Muslim control of" (fill in the blank)
French control of Absolut
More gunslinging in Lincoln
Artificial meat
Bagpuss joins the church council
Foreign impressions of Lincoln
Dog training, cats working as electricians
Sol passes her arithmetic tests, MR gets a fellowship
Hypatia has a new friend (Synesius)
Bats
Kelli is pregnant
Agapanthas struggles with essays that fight back
Age
Atonement (the film)
Lunch interruptions
Moderation (the bad kind)
Pre-Rupert Memories
The Atelier's 8th Anniversary
Teuchter sees J off to China
Ballistic Fruit Salad in the Library of Glum
Irv's birthday
Kelli places her dogs in a new home
Mr. Bean
Allergies, asthma, psoriasis, and historic diagnoses
Antibiotic soap
The Magna Carta
drill bits
locally grown produce
Beatrice has a front page entry - A33829040
mothers, and their alternative remedies
Teuchter's Mr. T is injured in a fall
surgery experiences
government-mandated siestas
Hypatia's birthday
Agapanthus advances up the Library of Glum job hierarchy
Construction in the Lincoln museum
Teuchter resigns
The meaning of nad
Echo Gnomic stimulus checks
Possible southwest minimeet
lawn striping
tornadoes near Webb City
changing eye colors
The cyclone in Burma
The earthquake in China
FG buys a car
Marv buys a fuel-efficient car
llamas on the tracks in Sweden
public transportation, public policy and personal responsibility
California decision on same-sex marriage
Teuchter gets ready to leave for China
Sol gets carpal tunnel in her hand
Revising British English
corporate sponsorship of dietary recommendations
Albuquerque
Swiss chard (and Santra goes to Montreux)
Football
Mapping Hypatia's journey across the American west
Agapanthus' birthday
Zomnker's stepmother is injured
Birds nest soup, dog's brains, and other delicacies
Lil's aunt passes away
Where we are geographically
Bob Dylan's performance style
Space Cadette finds a job
Mary Whitehouse's campaign for television purity
The Giant's Causeway
Webb City librarian uniforms
Eurovision
How to change a cell phone number without losing calls
What to wear post-uniform
What to name Lentilla's puppy
Birthday preferences, and Hypatia's birthday troll
Marv's mom is hospitalized
Strangely's breathing problems
Surprise parties, GDZ's faked kidnapping
Plans for Hypatia's 60th birthday, May 6 in Blighty. Bring your own bondage. Or maybe dress as a detective, or a Morris

Dancer, or ...
Zomnker has another interview
one-upmanship disaster stories
Lego
B4 publishes in the Post A36762159
TVs in bedrooms
Uno and other card games
The impossibility of sending heat off into space
Marv's mom's heart surgery
John Lennon Airport
Montana Redhead's birthday
Thomas Kincade
"Sports Jesus" figurines
Wagers on the number of posts in the thread and the appearance of the Star A37337196
Hypatia's cat is gone
dog training
permanent teeth
hindsight and regrets
Marv's mother comes home
Amy Pawloski is pregnant
Bagpuss gets another interview
Witty gets divorced
Sol's water breaks
Marv's mom goes back to the hospital, and comes home again
Mr. Teuchter visits home for 20 hours
The duration of a hospital stay for childbirth
George Carlin RIP
Babel17, Salonista Emeritus, becomes a father
Inheritance problems
German-Turkey football signal
Conservatives vs the Science of Evolution
Pho (Vietnamese soup)
American cuisine
Baby slings
Worry about Lil and d'E (maybe I should say something? )
decaf coffee
CD players refusing to play certain artists



It was a surpassingly good conversation, and your hostess and scribe did finally show up. I haven't heard so much worry concerning my whereabouts since I was kidnapped several years ago.

And, while we've been listening to this long and astonishing list of conversation topics, the bots have cleaned the salon, refreshed the samovar and provided fresh coffee, cinnamon buns and mbougatses. Please make yourselves at home!

Morning.

Afternoon

*Matina brings Hypatia an Irish coffee in an FTTF mug*


I experienced a time-consuming glitch -- posted the new thread only to get a message telling me that the addthread function wasn't working. Copied the post window out just in case, backed up, took a look around, discovered the new thread had posted anyhow, and could only then post the link at the end of 92X. Please send all complaints to the h2g2 editorial team.

[ltp]

::slides into the forum into her stocking feet and promptly crashes into a potted plant in the corner::

I just refreshed the last thread and this wasn't here. I close the old window and reopen and here you all are!

yeah that was a strange glitch, on another site loaded pages but could not load a thread, on this site firEfox loaded a blank page yet I.E 7 loaded all right, then laptop over heated took half hour to cool down..

but all is well for a while

Howdy!

Boo!

Good to get in on the first page!

I'll be back after I read the last page of the old convo, and the notes

Excellent scribing, d'E!

Good job on the scribing d'E. A monumental task.

*sneaks in after a very large absence but now a qualified teacher*

Hi, still catching up on 92X, will be back later.
Howdy Y'all anyways

{[j'au]}

Phew just made it.

Right a bit more about what I've been doing.

Went to Glastonbury festival. Saw loads of stuff, but not Jay-Z (I was busy watching an aerial circus/theatre performace) or Amy Winehouse (on before Jay-Z, not quite sure where I was, possibly at the silent disco). I did see Leonard Cohen, Neil Diamond, John Cale and Seasick Steve, yeah down with all the young performers me And much much more besides.
After that we spent a week trying to see all of Dorset. We did get to see many of the major towns (very pretty) and a lot of geology on the Jurasic Coast world heritage site (Lyme Regis, Charmouth, Chesil Beach, Portland, Purbeck) and find good food and drink while we were there.
All in all a good holiday but back to work again.

First led?

You saw John Cale.