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

I've been reading Terry Pratchett's 'A Slip of the Keyboard' and he loves to quote GK Chesterton:
'Fairy tales do not tell children that exist. Children already know that dragons exist. Fairy tales tell children the dragons can be killed.'

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I am reading a recent Stephen King book - The Bazaar of Bad Dreams

He wrote it before (paraphrased) - demons and ghosts and horrible things exist. Inside of each of us. The trick is to not let them escape our nightmares

Have you read _The Mouse and His Child_ by Russell Hoban? Maybe that would fit the frame.

I am getting a new computer. The one Pastey gave me is on permanent loan to friends here in Albuquerque (the ones you met, Pastey, that we went to Chillie's with), running their business. My old Dell core i2 is going to a young native american fellow who is also incarcerated here.

~I~ am getting an MSI quadcore i7 with 16GB of RAM, NVidia something with 2GB RAM, a 256GB SSD and 2TB standard hard drive. And a 15.6" screen -- the 17" size has turned out to be too much to handle in my circumstances.

There is the WinX thing, but Marv has pointed me to some info on how to beat the privacy issues.

So sorry, a little late to the fresh new thread.

*finds a cup of something warming*

Having had a jaunt to Florida (first time I've escaped from Europe!), I'm now back in Libraryland. Both equally unreal places, but in very different ways.

I have also just started rehearsals for Little Shop of Horrors, playing the lovely (well, maybe) Dentist. 2 rehearsals in and I've already made someone cry. Oops.

Hello David B – long time no see!

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Nice to see familiar names still here. Very, very jealous of your new machine, Lil.
I've been thinking for a wee while that I'd like to move my business stuff off the desktop. The iPad is ok for minor bits and pieces, but to work some graphics you need to go bigger.
But having just had a close run thing at work, I've just emptied my bank balance for new climbing kit

Nice to see you here, David! I followed your pilgrimage to Florida on Facebook. It looks like you had a great time.

Jim, details. What happened? And given your work, you should get a Toughbook.

KM, re the dark, would any part of the Rocky and Bullwinkle show count in your hypothesis?

*waves to familiar faces*

I did have a great time, though perhaps it wasn't the best location for someone who cannot cope with members of the crocodile family. A picture is just about OK, but the moment when some live alligators popped up half way round a ride at Epcott was not my finest hour of sane and reasonable reactions to things...

One thing that really struck me was the style of customer service, which was very different to the UK. Having a meal out in Britain, you can often be served by a whole bunch of different people (basically, whoever happens to be available at that exact moment to take the orders, transport food etc), whereas there was always a dedicated person for your entire meal wherever we went in Florida. Makes total sense with regard to things like tipping, but it was noticeably different.

I don't holiday very often, so 2 weeks away was very novel!

[]

Very good to see old faces again!

[RNick]

To follow on from the musical Owl I do like the US style of serving at table. On the downside though, I know their wages far to low. Tips should be a bonus on top of a fair wage, not the money which makes the job barely survivable.

Lil, had a bit of an oops with a big oak branch 30ft up. I was crushed against the tree for several seconds before luckily a lanyard rope burst, freeing me. Crushed at stomach level, any higher and ribs would have burst. Crushed the back of my left hand too, but nothing broken.
Carried on and finished the job, otherwise I think I'd never have gone back up.

Scary biscuits.

Ayi! But you were right to get back on the horse.

It looks as if the Malheur (the bad hour indeed) Refuge is winding down. I think law enforcement handled this case extremely well.

Reguarding "tipping" or gratuities for people in the service industries.

It is only very high-end and pretentious places that include such things in the bill in Canada. It is generally understood that if you are pleased with the one or many attending to you, you provide 15% on average. And because of this:

Canada has minimum wage rates for most employment. For those in the food and beverage service, that rate is lower. Assuming they will make up the difference in gratuities that are expected to be reported to the tax-man. Any that are processed by debit or credit cards will be submitted to Mr Tax. Cash is at the discretion of the attenders. I give cash as often as possible

http://youtu.be/q_vivC7c_1k

It is an odd concept, indeed... (I didn't watch the whole video...)
And I do agree that all restaurant staff should have decent salaries, and any extra would be just that - extra. For the most part, that's what it is like here, but I think it might become a little US-ified.

I am strongly considering getting a different laptop come tax refund time. Should I do so, Lil, I may have another machine that I could sanitize and donate to an inmate at your establishment. I'll unicast you if this comes to be. I was trying to think of a way to get use out of an extraneous laptop if I went that route.

[tartaronne]

It's good to find homes for laptops: I can speak to social services and find out whether there are any other inmates, I mean residents, who could use a laptop. There aren't many left of the Lawrence Welk generation, but the rest of the non-senile population here doesn't have much experience with computers.

The new one will be here on the 5th. Then we will think of a name for it, my best machine yet.

* hobbles in*

Too late for making new year resolutions, init? Suits me fine