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

It will have been a year tomorrow (22 March) since Gosho U147203 left us, so I thought I'd drop in a little reminder that we should be getting the old chap a lovely cold and a Manhatten.

For those of you too young on here to remember, Gosho was the gentleman with the nice friendly name that popped up in threads everywhere spreading glad tidings. Then, for reasons unknown to hootooers, he decided this wasn't good enough and overnight became the odd sounding Oojakapiv - while this may not sound too earth-shattering, imagine if Santa Claus suddenly announced he'd like to be known as Archibald P Satanburger III and that Rudolph had taken the monicker Busty Brenda, and you'll get close to the reaction onsite.

We never did get Gosho beck, despite merrily taking the mickey out of Oojamaflip and even having a petition going for the safe return of Gosho. Thankfully, some sanity returned with a new re-brand 'BH Calcutta (failed)', and the outcry slowly subsided.

However, 22 March will always remain to some of us the day that the friendliest name in hootooland disappeared. Ladies and gentlemen, please charge your glasses to Gosho, and have a happy Goshoday!

Don't be !

I take offense at that comment, EMR

I said . is an entirely different matter.

*hides behind Rob the Carpet with her *

Archibald P Satanburger Busty Brenda

I must say Rich, that even I didn't know the significance of the day, so this behaviour of yours is... borderline obsessive I reckon Just how did you know it was March 22nd btw? Is it really only a year since I was Gosho? It must be longer than that, surely. Yeah yeah yeah, I know - don't call you Shirley

It occurs to me that a lot of the rock stars, actors, famous people of whatever walk of life that we remember most fondly, died or retired when they were at the top of their game - James Dean, Gordon Banks, Jimi Hendrix, Jim Morrison... well, forget that last one, Janis Joplin... forget that one too, Richard Beckinsale, Linda Smith - you get the idea. Far be it from me to ask you to add Gosho to that pantheon... but add Gosho to that pantheon

Hmmm... I appear to smell strongly of vanilla ice cream And I crave a bacon sandwich Are the Andes?

I checked the date just after Oojamaflip bit the dust, by going back through the conversations to find the date of your journal. It's been on my PS ever since You're lucky, anyway; if you'd left it a day later it would have been all over ... You'd also be interested to know that Jimster spoke very 'fondly' of the chaos your name change caused at the Christmas Meet

Anyway, it may seem obsessive to you mate, but some of us never forget

Incidentally, does anyone know when it's GreyDesk Day?

My name change caused chaos at the Christmas meet? Or did you mean that at the Christmas meet Jimster talked about the chaos my name change caused?

Why would it have been all over The Post btw?

GreyDesk Day? Which one? There have been so many

Ah, the late, lamented Gosho .

Liked him.

Well, I told Jimster that I would prefer it if people would shorten my name to 'Rich' rather than 'Skanky' and that I was considering becoming just 'Rich' on site as well as in real life (there is no logic in this, of course; you don't get Freds complaining that no-one calls them 'rick ). He rolled his eyes very slowly, took a deep breath (presumably to calm down) and told me that he'd had enough of the likes of Gosho going round upsetting applecarts all over, and generally tried to put me off with veiled threats. For a while, I thought the server problems were only happening to me; the equivalent of a horse's head in the bed

If tomorrow had been the one year anniversary, it would have fallen on Post publishing day and you've have got your own write-up in it! Next year, we should be prepared and all change our names to Gosho. Just for Jimster

I wonder if Gosho ever revisits the sites these days

Every single day 2legs

Incidentally, how come 2legs never got blamed for the 'Bring back Gosho' campaign

Because we blamed him for Gosho changing his name in the first place