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

Letters that inform me that I'm entitled to a home owner loan. My question is always, 'That's very nice of them, where would my new home be then?'.

Xander

People who consider my job as unskilled labour.

The Amarillo song. Once it's in your head it's there for the rest of the year.

Xander

Being told my local council that I can't fly my George Cross because it may cause racial hatred. It seems to me that you can fly any flag in this country as long as it's not anything to do with England. Despite the multi cultural nature of our country, this is still England.

Xander

My surname is Starbuck. People who keep asking me if I own Starbucks coffee. My answer is usual 'Yes. I just work 50 hours a week in a cr*p job and take daily grief from the customers for the hell of it'.

Xander

I had a disasterous two date relationship with a very nice bloke whose surname was Starbuck... but this before the coffee company arrived on these shores.

Yes there was once a time when Starbucks were Seattle Coffee Company and they were as regular as hen's teeth. Yes, I am old.

Petty Hate of the Day: Chelsea mothers

Soon as I get one I'll be flying a St. Andrew's cross... in England!

Petty hate for the day: being tired but knowing I have lots to do.

University Halls of Residence during holidays - I'm soo bored!

Oh, and Kyrgyzstan. I was interested in this country when I decided to write an essay (long before the recent revolution erupted) on it but having gone through 10 books I just couldn't care less, stupid little nation

Management exams ... thank **** I had my last one today.

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*coughs*

[corrects]
they are considered AN intellectual. There is no AS
[/corrects]

People what write things wrongly.

People who quit at Monopoly once they realise they don't stand a chance of winning. It's so much fun seeing how long they can hold on and that last, agonising second when they realise their roll of the dice will put them in my lovely hotel, it's pretty much the only reason I play the game

the american pronunciation of aluminium.

aaargh!

Being at w**k on my birthday.

people who mention their birthday on the web in the hope of getting presents from strangers! he he!

Shall I put you down as a "no" then?

have a slice of and a on me. happy birthday!

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People who try to put others down because of their written use of the English language. Once again I say, people who are considered 'AN' (Thankyou, I'm not deaf) intellectual, putting others down. I believe my point has been proven.

X

Reagarding the American pronunciation of the element "aluminum" americans actually say it correctly, as named by it's dicoverer. The English renamed it "aluminium".

Which brings me to my next petty hate: People who make statements without the support of fact

Goat-starer didn't say Americans didn't pronounce it correctly (a subject I have no interest in or opinion on), he said he didn't like the way they pronounced it

In 1808 Sir Humphrey Davy proposed the name ALUMIUM for the metal. This rather unwieldy name was soon replaced by ALUMINUM and later the word ALUMINIUM was adopted by the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemists in order to conform with the "ium" ending of most elements. By the mid-1800s both spellings were in use, indeed Charles Dickens commented at the time that he felt both names were too difficult for the masses to pronounce!

The patents of both Hall and Héroult refer to ALUMINIUM and the company Hall helped set up was originally called the Pittsburgh ALUMINIUM Company. It was shortly renamed the Pittsburgh Reduction Company and in the USA the metal gradually began to be known only as ALUMINUM (in 1907 Hall's company finally became the ALUMINUM Company of America). In 1925 the American Chemical Society decided to use the name ALUMINUM in their official publications. Most of the world have kept the I in ALUMINIUM but it is interesting to note that the name for the metal's oxide, ALUMINA has been universally accepted over its more convoluted alternatives, ALUMINE and ALUMINIA.

Both ALUMINIUM and ALUMINUM have an equal claim to etymological and historical justification, and it seems that the difference in both pronunciation and spelling is likely to stay with us for the foreseeable future!

Petty hates...people like me.