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

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-22391562
"When someone is arrested for an offence - and the incident appears to be newsworthy - journalists will try to establish what has happened. That ultimately means trying to establish who has been arrested, because journalists want their reporting to be accurate."



No they don't Okay, well maybe a few old school hacks still do, but journalists mostly want to be first with the scoop or are desperate to fill the void of 24-hour rolling news, as we saw a few weeks ago with the Boston bombs, for which they were quite rightly ripped to shreds by Jon Stewart.

Indeed. Besides, there is a difference between "accuracy" and "revealing everything". NUJ members have been known to be hauled through the courts for refusing to do the latter if it means innocent people may suffer as a result, and good for them.

I do think very strongly that people are entitled to some anonymity until found guilty. Because even if there's a 'not guilty' verdict, mud sticks, and it often destroys lives.

True, and as it says in the article, 'John Smith released' is nowhere near as newsworthy as 'John Smith arrested'. Newspapers have a well-earned reputation for burying retractions, corrections and apologies at the bottom of an inside page in type so small you'd need the eyesight of an elf to see it.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-birmingham-23755528
Tesco fined over 'half-price' strawberries claim

"Judge Michael Chambers said... consumers had a "high degree of trust" in national chains."

(In the video link) "Consumers trust the big major national retailers to be telling them the truth".

Really? You're having a laugh

I trust politicians far more than I trust big companies, and I trust politicians about as far as I could throw a Tesco supermarket.

By the way, that doesn't get you off the hook, little companies - I don't trust many of you either.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-23902611
"Students wouldn't be in their rooms during the day, they'd be at lectures".

You're having a laugh

Okay, there's a mitigating factor here. Yes, students will be in their rooms during the day, but since most students don't wake up until around noon the view won't bother them too much.

Seriously though, even if they're out during the day from Monday to Friday, they're still at home in the evening and at weekends. Is being able to see out of your window not as important at those times I've lived in an apartment whose window looks out onto a brick wall it's pretty depressing We had to move before the lease ran out.

I've just realised I made a typo in that post. I misspelled "Most students don't wake up until five minutes before Countdown" as "Most students don't wake up until around noon".

Apologies.

A last-minute entry for headline of the year: "Giant rubber duck bursts in Taiwan", followed by "A giant yellow rubber duck on display in a Taiwanese port has burst in unexplained circumstances."

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-25560771

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-25780908

A fridge? A fridge is connected to the internet and sending out spam? You're having a

Fridge... spam... the irony value of that is comedy gold

"I heard a strange noise that was definitely not mechanical and realised that as only one thing meows we probably had a cat incident,"
http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-26463701

A cat incident? You're having a

My cat, Greebo, did this in a cargo van twice before I took him home. He was one of the strays from my local pub. Their cook took him home as a kitten, but he died a few years later so the cat was back at the Duck. Then another customer, "Boat Cap'n John", took him home, but he committed suicide that evening. I still don't understand that one. Then Greebo rode home under the bartender's van twice and when I heard about it, I took him home where he's been ever since.

'cat incident'

Bloody hell, that's proper me laugh out loud.


My eldest son uses the word 'incident' all the time and if you ever met (gods forbid ) you'd understand why I think you've won the internet for me.

I'm going to use 'incident' at every possible opportunity from now on

Better to mix it up.

Every once in a while add, "according to the prophesies" to the end of a sentence.

"Incident" reminds me of http://stringcheeseincident.com/

Tracey Emin's My Bed artwork sold for £2.2m at auction
http://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-28116274

You're having a ing laugh

"The auction house was unable to immediately reveal who bought the work."
I think I'd want to remain anonymous if I'd just paid that kind of wedge for a crappy old bed with stained sheets.

"she said she still stood by her work which "changed people's perceptions of art"."
No, no it didn't. We knew it was crap then and we still do.

Francis Bacon triptych sells for £26.7m
http://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-28104786

I give up.

I'm listening to the bed story right now and ing.

"the bed kept me alive"...

No, you were depressed and a mess and didn't leave the bed. The bed did nothing.

I clearly need to reassess how to earn a living.

Let's see... I might get a couple grand for that old pair of socks, perhaps ten grand for that smelly old pillow. Damn, I wish I hadn't tossed out that old sleeping bag now. Could have been my retirement fund