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

Hi, and welcome to the guide. Thanks for your welcome - short and friendly, that's what I like. I'm Bluebottle (called Matt in that "Real Life" thing - but what's real anyway?) and I'm just here to say hi. Or I can say "hello" if you'd like - I'm adaptable. (I'm also mad, but that's not important right now).
I see that you're new - well, if you're not sure about anything, or would like to ask about anything, feel free to do so - I'll do all I can to help, or find someone who can help if I can't.
If you'd like to know more about the guide, here's a few suggestion on places to go (click on the link)
New user page - for new people to go to:-
http://www.h2g2.com/A5752
there's a Guide to H2G2:
http://www.h2g2.com/A344756
and the Beach is a good place to meet other researchers:
http://www.h2g2.com/A208676

So, I hope you get on with the guide, and hopefully I'll see you around! Feel free to talk to me at any time

<BB<

Thanks Bluebottle for encouraging me with the homepage thing..... It's my first at this sort of thing. I'd expect that you will be getting a few new pages from Western Australia as mention was made of h2g2 in the "West Australian" newspaper last weekend....

You are either a goons fan or a Australian Beach Comber......... watch out for the bluebottles, they have a b*****d of a sting

Hi Grumpy, hope you don't mind me calling you Grumpy and not Grumpymann all the time? Just remember that if there is anything I can do to help, feel free to let me know.

And you're right - I am a Goon Show fan. I didn't know that you had bluebottles in Australia. In the UK they are annoyingly loud flies, but apart from buzz loudly, they are harmless.

So, I guess that you are from Australia. I must confess I've never been there, but what part are you from?

hi bluebottle.

here blue bottles are poisonous jelly fish !!!!

you may have guessed from my updated intro i'm from fremantle.

i'm still new at this internet stuff so i don't even know that i'm meant to know something !!

i'll work it out

Yes, I've had a look at your page - a place full of Irish Pubs and football clubs and coffee shops... it's starting to sound like Southampton.

Don't worry about being new to the internet - I didn't have a clue what I was doing when I found h2g2 last year - and in many ways I still don't - but if you'd like help or suggestions about anything let me know and I'll do what I can to help, or if I can't I'll find someone who can.

Have you had much of a look around h2g2 yet?

hey blue,

i've had a wee look around. it's like being in a library where someone has put in all the books in a rather eccentric fashion with no apparant rhyme or reason.

I's imagine Southhampton to be a tad colder than 'Freo', so the joy of laying back in a pubs beer garden would be sorely missed.

About 10 years ago i did the standard Aussie thing and worked in a couple of Pubs in London;

"The Nags Head" in covent garden and "The Royal Oak" in Oxted Surrey. Have you been to either of these establishments ?

Keep Cool

Grumpy

Hello again Grumpy
Is it just me who is starting to feel a little odd starting each posting with "hello"? Hmm.. perhaps we should assume we've said hello - otherwise it'll start to seem weird. You don't say "hello" after every comment in a conversation, do you?

"like being in a library where someone has put in all the books in a rather eccentric fashion with no apparant rhyme or reason" is, I think, the best description of H2G2 I've come across . It is a bit awkward to work out what's going on, but you soon get the hang of finding things. It's just there's an awful lot that isn't on the guide at all.

I expect you're right in that Southampton would be cooler - but normally it's not too bad in the summer. Sadly we seem to be having a depressing summer this year.
I must admit, though, that I've never been to either of those pubs in London. Come to think of it, I haven't been to any pubs in London. Several on the Isle of Wight and Southampton, but not in London at all. I don't suppose you went there when you were in England?

No, i can't remember Southampton when i went to England last time. I went to England as a kid and i think i got there then, however i have absolutely no recollection of it at all !! :=(

One of my mates just directed me to a site called zonealarm. If you don't have a firewall they have a free download of one there. (WWW.Zonealarm.com)

To be absolutely honest i have no idea of what a firewall does but it must be amazing as this message keeps coming up saying that my firewall has blocked someone from entering my computer... It will all make sense oneday ???

oohh brain wave. Does the Royal Marines have a recruiting office in Southampton. I got absolutely pissed somewhere, either there or Bristol and me and a mate went to some recruiting office. The bloke made us do some pushups, situps and chin ups (with a belly full of beer its harder than what it sounds !). The bloke says sign this and luckily a small sober piece of my brain said "danger, danger" and we didn't sign.. Could have changed my travel plans considerably !!!

Hi Grumpy - I've no idea what a firewall is either, but I think they have one here on the uni computers.

I'm not sure if the Royal Marines had a recruiting office in Southampton - there was a navy one, but that closed about a year ago, I think. I haven't really looked for one. There may well be one, I don't know. Bristol, though, would almost certainly have one.

Southampton has changed quite a lot in the last five years, and I've only been here for two.

i looked at your entries about Southampton with a bloke from work who came from thythe or something like that. He was disappointed that there were no entries about his old school King Edward vi.

From your entries you must be a real history buff. Are you studying your masters or a doctorate ?

One thing i really liked about the UK was the links to the past you had in structures and written history. The aboriginals didn't leave many traces apart from shell middens and paintings.

One of my friends assisted several years ago with attempting to trace the early dutch shipwreck survivors who landed herein the 17th century. Some of the ships like the Zytorp had several hundred survivors and the sailors little clay pipes could be found around watering holes around the region as the tried to move up north to get closer to the spice islands.

when the british first explored the region in the 19th century it was said that they found some blond haired, blue eyed natives who called their rifles muskets.. bizarre.

I've not been in Southampton long, but I am enjoyign trying to learn more about it. I'm afraid I've never heard of King Edward VI school, so apologise to your friend for me, I'm just here for uni - and from the Isle of Wight originally. But if you've seen my page and read any of my articles, I expect you've guessed that.

As for me being a "real history buff", I'm not really. I am a uni student, I spent two years doing law, and I'm now transferring to history. I just enjoy reading and researching local history - it's something that my family have always done.

I'm afraid I don't know much about Australian or New Zealand history at all - but I am interested in finding out.

Have you seen that there's a h2g2 Historical Society?

i didn't know that there was a hysterical society.. must look into it !!

Indeed there is a Historical Society - see:
http://www.h2g2.com/A240058

<BB<

Thanks BB for that link.. Just had a bit of fun checking it out!!!

It's always interesting to see what's there.