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

I don't have a problem with them myself, my parents do. That's their own problem for not buying one with VideoPlus.

This feature I don't understand. If you can't program the VCR to tape something (They do come with manuals written in simple English and very few buttons), either you shouldn't have one or else perhaps the machines should take care of selectively determining what to do with the programs recorded and perhaps their owners. Perhap watching less TV would broaden the mind to some acceptable level.

I can't program our VCR, even if I follow all the lovely instructions it doesn't work. That either means the stupid thing is broken, or I'm incompetent. I think it's the latter because I still can't work the toaster...

While the clock blinks "12:00" endlessly, try putting your toast in the VCR - see what happens.

All they are good for are playing movies anyway, in N. America anyway there is nothing worth watching on TV to record at all hours - unless you want to catch the latest crap "sitcom" (missing an 'h'?) or mindless talk show or police-chase hospital emergency ward people fighting real-life pseudo documentary thing narrated by an Australopithecine.

If I could get the BBC over here there would be stuff to record, and my VCR would be put to use (5 hour time zone difference).

N. American TV sounds a lot like British TV to me...

I think I might try putting bread in the VCR, if it fixes it, great, if it breaks it we can get a new one that I can work....

I always found betamax produced perfect toast, Phillips 2000 was O.K. but you had to turn it over to toast the other side.

VHS was reasonable ut constantly required resetting and NTSC formats produced toast with wide and unpredictable colour (should that be color) variations on the galactic browning scale.

I always found betamax produced perfect toast, Phillips 2000 was O.K. but you had to turn it over to toast the other side.

VHS was reasonable ut constantly required resetting and NTSC formats produced toast with wide and unpredictable colour (should that be color) variations on the galactic browning scale.

Try toasting bagels in an old 8-track player (I think these only came out in N. America - never saw one in Britain).

Or else make french toast in your walkman then.

8 tracks were available in the UK. Since they generally chewed up tapes I suspect they may be excellent for producing toasted breadcrumbs.

They also provided storage space for those lego bricks that seem to breed in family cars.

8 tracks were available in the UK. Since they generally chewed up tapes I suspect they may be excellent for producing toasted breadcrumbs.

They also provided storage space for those lego bricks that seem to breed in family cars.

The most effective method of programming any VCR in any language is to employ a 14 year old child to set the thing for you, thus eliminating the loss of hair and time.

You don't even need a 14-year-old. Try a 4 year-old instead.

A quote from a recent Terry Pratchett novel covers this subject quite nicely I think:
"Beware of any object whose instruction manual weighs more than the object itself"

(Note to Terry Pratchett fans: If I haven't got this 100% perfect, please don't kill me, I haven't got the book in front of me at the moment)