FrontPage Archive - August 2008
Created | Updated Aug 31, 2008
| [Prev] | part of an unofficial archive of h2g2 front pages | [Next] |
1 August 2008
The Ayah Pin Cult - Members of this illiterate Malay man's commune worshipped a giant teapot, which symbolised the purity of water.Columba, 'the Dove' - It's safe to assume this constellation was drawn to honour the Biblical dove sent out by Noah after the Great Flood.
® The Bedford Bambi - This vehicle is one of the biggest of the small coach-built Luton motorhomes still on the road.
QOTD: I really must get radio identification tags for my knickers
4 August 2008
Pop: the Word - 'Pop' is a noun, a verb, an adjective and an adverb and this delightful Entry takes a look at the word in all its glory.The Neptune 'Plant' - Advertised as something rather amazing (and quite improbable) the Neptune plant is not quite what it seems.
® Monty Python - Created by Chapman, Cleese, Gilliam, Idle, Jones and Palin, this fantastic set of Entries does their legacy proud.
QOTD: It was us ladies in the 80s who gave up deoderant and hairspray that made the hole shrink.
5 August 2008
Exploring A Strange City - If you keep a few things in mind, the process of acquainting yourself with somewhere new will be enjoyable.Auriga, 'the Charioteer' - A northern and prominent constellation, it is seen most clearly in the winter months.
® The Monument - This pillar, 202 feet high, was built to commemorate the Great Fire of London and the subsequent rebuilding of the city.
QOTD: Damn sheep, standing about outside, looking all innocent and plotting, plotting their evil plan of evil evality and evilness and evalositance.
6 August 2008
Steampunk - A 'sub-genre of speculative science fiction' usually set in the burgeoning industrial age of Victorian Britain.Korky Paul: Children's Book Illustrator - The children's book illustrator behind Winnie the Witch and Dragon Poems.
® Antiquated Words and Phrases - Words and phrases no longer in use, which evoke another time and place.
QOTD: Not really into 90 year olds unless they're millionaires. It's as easy to fall in love with a rich man as a poor one.
7 August 2008
George Washington - This president's name is often invoked as a model of US patriotism, chivalry, judgment and comportment.Canes Venatici, 'the Hunting Dogs' - Though faint, this constellation includes a brilliant globular cluster harbouring over half a million stars.
® Tibet on Film - The mystery and exoticism that most Westerners associate with this country was born on the silver screen.
QOTD: Courgettes? Stuff 'em, I say!
8 August 2008
Surviving the Office Workshop - Anyone who's worked in an office usually dreads the invite to a 'participatory' workshop.University of Michigan 'Snow Bowl' Game of 1950 - The historical feuding between these two competing schools is a century old.
® The Wonder of the Human Ear - A rock band playing at 90dB is producing sounds a billion times more intense than a whisper.
QOTD: I mean, can anyone tell me what a dander is anyway? And are there ways of controlling it so you can decide whether you want it up or down?
11 August 2008
Cucumbers - These originate from a wild climbing plant of the gourd family, native to Central and South Asia.The Shag - A dark-plumaged, goose-sized, long-necked aquatic diving bird with a characteristically long, stout, hooked bill.
® Web-safe Colours - The cathode ray tube at the heart of the conventional computer display monitor works with light, not pigment.
QOTD: Oh, this isn't specifically grammar but it's everywhere: 'asterisk', NOT 'asterix'. Asterix is a fictional Gallic comic book character. Not a *.
12 August 2008
The Original 1978 Unesco World Heritage Site List - There are now over 800 sites listed but the first list comprised just twelve.Luck: an Overview of a Very Human Concept - Many people think that luck has a direct effect on their lives. But what is luck really?
® Traditional Climbing - Also known as 'trad' climbing, this is considered by many to be the purest form of scaling cliffs, crags and mountains.
QOTD: Too much negative stuff flying around. … Care to share a vibe or two?
13 August 2008
Days of Future Passed: The Moody Blues - Arguably the first 'concept album', it loosely follows a day in the life of an everyday man.Canis Minor, 'the Small Dog' - This constellation is one of the original 48 constellations mentioned by Ptolemy in antiquity.
® The End of the American Civil War - Following their secession, the Southern states had to be forced back into the Union the hard way.
QOTD: Why can you never iron out, a crease that you have accidentally ironed IN?
14 August 2008
Broadcasting to our Galactic Neighbours - We keep finding more and more planets that may possibly harbour life.Outliving Your Child - Sensitively-handled Entry on a painful subject, sharing advice on how some parents deal with the loss of a child.
® Karen Silkwood - When Silkwood died in a one-car automobile road accident there was immediate controversy surrounding the crash.
QOTD: If we're naturally hard-wired to do anything at all in terms of behaviour, I'd argue that it's to cooperate rather than fight.
15 August 2008
Today, h2g2 Researcher Big Al introduces us to Some Prominent 19th Century German Chemists.
- Friedrich Wohler (1800 - 1882)
- Baron Justus von Liebig (1803 - 1873)
- Leopold Gmelin (1788 - 1853)
- Friedrich August Kekule (1829 - 1896)
- Johann Friedrich Wilhelm Adolf von Baeyer (1835 - 1917)
- Robert Wilhelm Bunsen (1811 - 1899)
- Richard August Carl Emil Erlenmeyer (1825 - 1909)
- August Wilhelm von Hofmann (1818 - 1892)
QOTD: "There are spoony spoons. These are things we know are spoons. There are spoony unspoons. That is to say, there are spoons that we know are not spoons. But there are also spoon spoons. There are spoons we don't know are spoons."
18 August 2008
Traditional Pumpernickel - Good for the health, pumpernickel is a special dark German bread made of coarsely ground rye and water.Constellations: Circinus 'the Geometer's Compass' - Circinus is seen best by those in the southern hemisphere in late evening during May.
® Final Mission of the Space Shuttle Columbia - On 1 February, 2003, the Space Shuttle Columbia was lost on re-entry to Earth's atmosphere.
QOTD: During a very boring day of drilling holes through magnesium rods for nuclear power stations during my student years I came up with some excellent rules for srtip-chess with handicap systems and everything.
19 August 2008
Guacamole - This Mexican foodstuff can be put on tacos, burritos or rice, served as a dip with corn chips, or even spread on a sandwich.Mensa, 'the Table Mountain' - Rincewind's 'Small Boring Group of Faint Stars' is fictitious, but this real constellation could bear that name.
® Dyslexia - 10% of the population have a problem dealing with the mechanical aspects of written language; in 4% this is severe.
QOTD: "Chips!" He said, and his moustache quivered in a way that once she'd found irresistable, but which now reminded her of a small terrier shaking it's leg after a badly aimed jet of urine had soaked it.
20 August 2008
A Little Bear Called Sooty - Picked up in a shop by Harry Corbett and used to entertain his kids, Sooty eventually became very famous.Al Capone - In the 1920s prohibition world of 'bootlegging' and 'speakeasies', Al Capone was the American Gangster.
® The Good Luck Fairy - Update of a short little Entry which elucidates on the Good Luck Fairy with links to other lucky Entries.
QOTD: a friend of mine called in sick last week because he went on a sunbed … and didnt know howto use it properly, put on the wrong cream and stayed in for too long thus leaving him in pain and rather red.
21 August 2008
Dr Chad Varah CH CBE - Varah's training as a clergyman inspired him to set up the Samaritans, changing the lives of millions.Yate, South Gloucestershire - It's mentioned in the Domesday Book and, more importantly, The Meaning of Liff.
® With the Beatles - The Fab Four again captured the feeling of their live act by using as few takes as possible for their second album.
QOTD: Would the rate of success for shooting fish in a barrel be greater if the ammunition was seabirds fired from a cannon?
22 August 2008
Facial Hair and the American Civil War - There was a time when long, frown-like moustaches didn't seem completely ridiculous.Portal: the Video Game - In this Entry we take a look at Portal, a puzzle-solving video game with a dark sense of humour.
® The Romans in Britain: Pottery - Required in such large quantities, pottery was Britain's most imported item, even before 43 AD.
QOTD: Only exception is onions. There are times in May when you just have to have an onion, and there's generally no choice beyond Spanish.
26 August 2008
Writing Signs - The natural languages of the world's deaf communities make use of spatial, rather than linear, grammar. How to Survive Your First Year of Engineering Education - It's a pretty intensive discipline, especially if you want to do well.
® How to Solve The Times Crossword - Cracking this word puzzle is like sharing a clever new trick with a group of friends.
QOTD: "Why did you bring that book I don't want to be read to out of about Down Under up for?"
27 August 2008
Weymouth, Dorset, UK - As a beach resort, Weymouth is renowned for having the best sunshine record in England, even in winter. Being a Home Supporter at a Football Match - Sound advice here if you're thinking about seeing the beautiful game in the flesh.
® Edinburgh Castle - Brooding menacingly on top of volcanic rock, Edinburgh Castle still dominates this wonderful city.
QOTD: You will meet loads of people in your life. Some you will like, some not. Some will like you, some not. Get over it.
28 August 2008
Chris Brasher - His achievements and dedication to athletics mean that he should be considered one of Britain's greatest sporting legends.Lacerta, 'the Lizard' - This small northern constellation was invented by Hevelius in the 17th Century.
® The Needs of Pregnant Women - Being pregnant is supposed to be a special time of your life, if you believe the adverts.
QOTD: Now correct me if I am wrong, but surely the polar opposite of Arctic Monkeys would be Antarctic Monkeys?
29 August 2008
'When The Balloon Goes Up' - 'Balloon' is a harmless enough word but in the context of this phrase it sends shivers down the spine.Lisburn, County Antrim - The city's motto is 'Ex Igne Resurgam', 'I will arise out of the fire', referring to a massive blaze in 1707.
® Tallinn, Estonia - A World Heritage Site named after 'taani linnus', meaning 'Danish castle', referring to that built by King Valdemar.
QOTD: I always wanted a pub … called The Foxglove. The sign would be a fox sniffing at a glove lying on the floor... I can see the picture in my head now. It's lovely
| [Prev] | [Index] | [Next] |
