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

Another great clip from If...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2t4E9NY3644&feature=related


(Motorbikes got into my blood young. Uncle Vernon was already showing me how to kick start his Triumph into life in the orchard from the age of 3/4...and then he died from falling off one on a bend on wet leaves.

I was obsessed with them for all my life after that.

My favourite bike was my red Moto Guzzi 500. Jesus it was fun riding a bike in London. The best period was when I had a girl friend living in the East End.

I was doing shift work for a lot of that period..and when on 'lates' I'd go late at night to her place..one night it would be the Rotherhithe Tunnel..the next Tower Bridge.

The tunnel was my favourite..but if Tower Bridge happened to be raised that was the very best. All the bikes would congregate in front of the cars behind the white line. The road would start to come back down..everyone would rev up...and finally when the lights turned green it was a big grand prix style start...

That sounded as if it was real fun Effers!

Sunday the 4th of December.

Woke at 7.30am. after excellent sleep in tent.

Mood of strong anger still the same though.

But I like this journal to do with motorbikes.

anhaga said it would have been great if CBC had taken over h2g2; yes it would, but they didn't.

I just wish there was more honesty about the bland money making aspects of it now...and that cutting it off from its cultural roots are an irrelevence.

It astounds me how few people appear to have any interest in the cultural heritage of Hitchikers, or even any understanding.

So its impossible to discuss. You bring up fundamentals like not getting the hang of Thursdays...and its completely ignored.

They probably think you are just a gibbering idiot for saying such a thing and really *caring* about it.

I'm realising that lots of discussions were going on for months at Noesis to make these decisions.

Blandness is totally the order of the day now. It makes more money, because the majority of people like bland. It's SAFE.

The one thing I find the most laughable about recent decisions is this idea of doing things to attract or make comfortable or something the 300 million potential readers in the U.S. First off, only a minority of Americans would ever have an interest in or an ability to take part in the Edited Guide. But, `perha`ps more im`portantly, as far as the Guide is concerned, h2g2 is a `publishing house. Publishing houses appropriately have a consistent house style. If Oxford University Press wants to appeal specifically with particular products to the 300 million `person audience in the U.S., they set up a separate arm called OUP USA

Anyway, as I sad on that other `place, I'm turning off my British English spell-checker and using only Canadian English from now on. I've swallowed my `pride long enough.

I'm very pleased you are using Canadian English now. It feels very h2g2 to do that. (Actually I'm ashamed to admit that it never occurred to me that there was such a thing as Canadian English

And I don't understand why the very eccentic aspects of h2g2 wouldn't be played upon even for purely financial reasons. The Yanks love something weird and British..as does much of the rest of the world...because we are NEVER bland.

It's all very complicated for me emotionally..and I'm only just starting to realise all the stuff the was discussed and decided upon at Noesis for months.

What annoys me so much though is that the movers and shakers never mention the philosophy of thinking to do with h2g2. That's its joy. I seriously wonder if many of them have even listened to or read the Hitchikers play.

I wonder if dear old Ally at Noesis has ever listened to it...Robbie must have...but he seems to be a sleeping partner

(we say 'silent partner' here.)


A funny thing about Canadian English is that I didn't really realize it either. I thought we just used British English, but then when I came here, I started getting all sorts of things corrected because they weren't British while my (at that time) U.S. spell-checker was trying to correct other things. Our spelling is somewhere in between British and U.S., appropriately.

Hi Effers...my fella builds motorbikes. In fact my bike will be in the Streetfighters magazine next year! Can't wait!

Sounds cool Vicki.

I've never heard of Streetfighters magazine...but I like the name. I'm out of the motorbike loop now though. In fact I'm out of the whole motorised vehicle loop altogether.

Did you ever read 'Roadrocket' magazine, all about motorbikes?

It folded in the early nineties after 3 issues. I have all 3...and they might be worth a bob or 2 at some point.

It seems one issue is worth £2.00:http://www.payhost.net/motorcycling/acatalog/copy_of_Road_Rocket_Autumn_1991.html

I did say at one point and it says they are out of stock...actually I just fished them out...and I only have the first 2.

I've now put them in the special section of my bookcase in the living room, next to my 1973 Luton Town versus Aston Villa programme. I met Sir Alf Ramsay, England manager, when we won the '66 World Cup, on the train on the way back from that match.

His very excellent autograph that he gave me is on the front cover.

That might be worth a bob or 2 at some point

(wonders how much his ABBA concert program might be worth)