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

I am now 200 words short and have run out of inspiration. So I'm going to go and have lunch and hope I can think of something else to talk about.

I don't like this essay. Essay questions should be *questions*, not just 'Describe the evidence for x and the methods of collecting said evidence'.

>> there was a 215 car pile-up on the freeway because of fog

I'm incredibly unsympathetic to people who cause car accidents. In fact when I think of the lads who wrote off my car, I was far more annoyed by the speeding than by the theft.

Most of the time car accidents are caused by selfishness or ego. The only real actual accident I've ever heard of occurred when the driver had a heart attack. In those circumstances it's understandable that you lose control of the car. In all other circumstances you could and ing well should have been more careful.

Runescribe, would it help if you thought of the title as being "what are the causes, etc etc" instead of "describe the causes..."?

B

PS - I've got to think of an unusual fact about myself for the christmas party. Whenever I have to do this, I get paralysed by the sensational but secret things and cannot think of the duller and not so secret things.

B

dont you think its unusual that you're a girl named ben? or does it have to be less obvious than that.

Ben, keep your own secrets under wraps and use one of Ag's instead. She has lots of interesting anecdotes.

Ag, I suggest you use one of Ben's if the occasion should arise.

Just slap me if I've crossed the line here. I just find both of you very fascinating.

Ben, I daresay you will be the only one in attendance who has visited Stonehenge in the rain dressed as a flapper with a pirate, a wizard, a hippy and a hillbilly in tow.

Good morning all. The library is closed again today because it's too dangerous to get there. And because I have all these sidewalks and steps to keep cleared off and dry if I open. And because I have this nasty cold and just can't be arsed to get out with a shovel and a tub of ice melt.

tod, Christmas crackers are not an American custom. No one at the party had ever seen one and only one lady had even heard of them. 'Twas Everyone thought it was great fun.

<> Ag, this is why Goddess invented Dixie Cup dispensers.

Hypatia, we have crackers here in Canada. They're not a huge tradition, but i imagine most people would know about them.

I'd assume it's fairly unusual for a UKian to speak Swedish, Ben...

there's another one. See, you have lots of interesting and little known facts.

Hyp, you're a life saver!

Ben

lml, I got the crackers through mail order. I have two kinds. One of them was made in Montreal. The other ones are from a company called Tom Smith. Those were more expensive. Those are the ones I'm taking to the Christmas Eve party.

Ben, don't forget the picnic with the pink potato salad. We held umbrellas over the picnic table.

[]

Gah! The backlog is death.

I have to remember to actually look in on this conversation midday or something.

I find that messing around on stage is very handy for those 'tell us one unusual fact about yourself' moments! I can go with "I've sung in front of the Archbishop of Canterbury...wearing tights", or "Herne Bay Operatic Society is trying to kill me", or even "I have an award for being the nastiest Nazi." So many to choose from!

<>

And I think it's because they're just plain dumb. Why, just this morning, with hideously icy roads and -13F/-25C weather, I saw some guy run a stop sign and make a fast, sloppy, sliding right-hand turn. He nearly collided with an oncoming driver in the other lane.

Re: Gauss. There's also the Gaussian distribution, and lots more. A mathematician can achieve a measure of immortality by discovering and naming a mathematical object or theorem. Here's a list of mathematical objects and theorems named for Gauss.

*crosses fingers, hopes GuideML is right*

/*http://www.economicexpert.com/a/Gaussian.htm*/

Re: Driving in the snow. Like most Californians, I had grown up in an area (Sacramento) devoid of snow. And like many Californians, I had accepted the idea that we were somehow congenitally unable to drive in snow properly. Thus several years back, I was terrified to find that I was being sent on a business trip to the East Coast in the dead of winter!

I confessed all to the car rental agent, and asked if he would prefer to rent me an old beater. He offered me a donut, then explained that driving in the snow isn't that hard, all you have to do is give yourself lots of room to brake. Drive slow, leave lots of room. Then he gave me the keys to a shiny new car, told me that I'd be fine and not to worry.

And it turns out driving in the snow wasn't that hard. Sure, you leave yourself a half an hour to drive 15 minutes, but part of that time is pushing the huge pile of snow off of your car before you set out.

Eliot is refusing to get out of bed this morning. I think he has the right idea.

*sips *

In all fairness, it's the wet t(i,y)res that work less well than the actual brakes in the wet.

Well, we have a solid sheet of ice under a dusting of snow. I also have hills to navigate. Those of you who think it's perfectly simple to drive on it as long as you go slow are welcome to it. I live alone. If I get hurt, there's no one to take care of me. Consequently, I'm a lot more careful than I used to be.

We have freezing drizzle and sleet in the forecast through Thursday. It should begin to warm up enough to start melting it on Thursday afternoon.