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

Gooday everyone,

Look, I don't want to appear picky but as far as I can tell, no-one appears to have chatted about the WORLD'S biggest and most FANTASTIC extravaganza of 2000. Yes, the forthcoming SYDNEY OLYMPIC GAMES - they start in September. Whether you h2g2 travellers like it or not, the airwaves are going to be saturated with Sydney, Australia and the GAMES - two out of three can't be bad. So, get set to experience THE event. What a way to celebrate the ending of the Millennium. Is anyone actually travelling to Oz for the GAMES, or a holiday in the next few months. Can me and Bran the Explorer answer any questions for anyone, you know, the really important questions like which brand of beer to drink in which State, whether public lavatories have toilet paper, handy phrases (fair dinkum, gooday, she's right, good on you etc), where to see a kangaroo, where to get a joint and what you should expect to pay for it, and so forth? Take care all,

Walter.

Hey Walter, your nearby Guardian Angel here.(not YOUR Guardian Angel in particular, just A Guardian Angel.) Thought I'd post my 'Chat With Me' reply here. It's always nice to know that someone's read your journal. :-) If you want to draw attention, just cut and paste the entire address of the journal forum, which is http://www.h2g2.com/F49683?thread=66970, into your postings, and it will appear as a link. That saves folks a step, they're more likely to drop in IF they are interested. I haven't watched any Summer Olympics in a LONG time. I usually watch a LITTLE of the Winter Olympics, but I'm not really a sports fan. I do like to ski and watching really good skiers, but I don't watch much sports on TV. My dad actually bought a color TV in '76 to watch the Winter Olympics, AND the Summer ones. I watched them all that year I tell you!! We weren't allowed to watch anything else!! Ok, I've drifted some. I'm sorry, I'm just not interested in the Olympics anymore. But if I ever get to Australia, I look you up so we can get a nice doobie to smoke!:-)

Gooday cloughie,

thanks very much for the advice, I will give it a go, although my skill at finding my way around this site is not real good. And if you are ever in Oz it would be a real pleasure to meet up with you and sink a couple of tubes and stuff.

It's a real coincidence that you got a colour TV in 76 for the Olympic Games - so did we! But I agree with you; it is not so easy nowadays to get really interested in sport, although I guess when the Olympics actually starts the enthusiasm levels will rise. Still, you would think that it might make for some lively chat on h2g2, or are all the inter-galactic venturers turned off as well? Take care,

Walter.

hello walter !

tasmania that´s really far away from europe.
i´m waiting for the start of the olympic games indeed.
after all what i´ve seen on TV i think australia will make the games a wonderful event.

greetings from this side of the planet

K. cu

Gooday Keeper,

Thanks for the kind words. Yes Tasmania is a long way from Europe, and just about everywhere else, too, but I guess sites like this eliminate distance. The Games will be great, and I hope the coverage does justice to this fantastic country and not just to the events. Take care, cobber,

Walter.

Well, you've got my interest piqued. I will watch the Summer Olympics and keep up with this forum. I haven't done many things lately that make me feel like 'one of the crowd'

Gooday walter

that´s what i think about these sites too, you can get the contact to
people round the world, change thoughts and understand them better.
and all for a small amount of money,boy if think about the costs of a
phone-call to tasmania.
and second: thats what i meant: the games are a very good chance to
show the world what a wonderful country australia is.
for me it´s a dream to go there some time in the future (when i got
enough time and money).

K.

Gooday Cloughie and the Keeper,

Nice to hear from you both again. I hadn't thought of it the way you put it Keeper, but you are spot on - imagine what it would cost us in telephone calls if it were not for sites like h2g2. And keep the dream alive cobber; I had the same dream once and it came true, so I hope that it will for you, too. Take care both,

Walter.

tell me the way you thought of it, maybe there was a misunderstanding.

cu

Gooday Keeper,

No misunderstanding, I just hadn't thought of it in cost terms. I guess that's another example of taking things for granted. I am just in awe of the marvels of technology, and how it can do so much to bring people together in a world where so much and so many seem to want to keep us, or push us, apart. Take care,

Walter.

Walter My Old China!

Would you believe that my better half and I saw the Olympic Flame ... and totally by accident. We were about to pull out of the carpark of our nearby shopping centre, and the Flame ran by! Go figure. We had no idea that it was even coming down our way, though the crowds were a bit of a give away. It was great to see all the people lining the roads ... made one feel the community spirit aspect of the Games, which I reckon is one of the most important functions that the Games can fulfill. Sure, all that sport is fun, but it is the bringing-people-together bit that I hope has the most enduring effect.

Great to have a conversation about the Games. I was in Sydney in February, and it looks damn flash. The Harbour was awesome.

Cheers
Bran the Newly-Returned.

Gooday and welcome back, Bran my old (ish) cobber,

That's one of the wonderful features of living in the Kingborough region, there is always something unexpected and exciting happening, like have you caught up with the rates' increases yet? Sydney Harbour is awesome, quite the most beautiful and dazzling big-city harbour in the WORLD, and I would say that even if I hadn't lived there for twenty years. Anyway, enough of this idle if welcome chat, you have a thesis to complete. Take care,

Walter.

Hey Walter.

I actually watched some Olympic trials last night(women's gymnastics). But only while I was waiting for the X-Files to start!!

Gooday Cloughie,

Nice of you to drop by. Funny thing that you should mention the X-Files. I was talking with a visiting Scottish history buff last night and he said he had recently read some survey conducted in the USA in which 85% of respondents said they found X-Files more credible than politicians (presumably the USA variety). My question is why only 85%? Take care,

Walter.

Matey-boy Walter!

And that was indeed a relevant question to the Scottish fellow! I was wondering who would have been most insulted by the statistic: US politicians or the writers of the X-files?

Cheers
Bran.

Very good observation, Bran. I've found that I'm better off not believing anything or anyone. I might put some faith up, but one thing is for sure: nothing is for sure!

Gosh Walter, for someone who wanted to talk about the Olympics, you're not saying much. Is it because the US is kicking some serious ass??! (you guys are doing pretty well yourselves.)

Gooday Cloughie,

Sorry to relate, cobber, but in fact my Olympics chat forum has sort of re-established itself on SYDNEY OLYMPICS on the general h2g2 conversation page. It would be nice if you could find time to join in. I'm never sure how to put in the links, but if all else fails go into my page and take it from there. And you must be kidding - the Americans kicking some ass - gee, at last count they were only one medal ahead of us, a country with about one twentieth of the U S of A's population!!! Take care,

Walter.

Hi again. Maybe it's the home team advantage... Ok, if I get the time I'll be over there. Just watched China beat the US in softball today in 14! innings. What a bummer. Oh well, CHEERS!