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

TC in that case I don't think any self-respecting establishment would refuse them

The lovely pub I go to in Köln has brillint children's dishes:
1) a smaller portion of any of the other dishes
2) the usual "nuggets/sausage/whatever and chips or mashed potato"
3) an empty plate so they can help themselves from their parents' plates

PH of mine: (bus related again, sorry) when you get on a bus in the morning (or any time, really) don't stand for half an hour arguing the toss about the company's pricing structure with the driver and thus delay the bus and make me miss my train.

The Ire and Wrath will descend

sub-PH - the nasty looks some other passengers gave me when I asked if the bus driver could start driving and argue the toss on the move instead of making me miss my train. Again.

not at all PH - the supportive looks from all other passengers and the driver

I often wish I could ask for a smaller portion at a reduced price. Most restaurant meals are far more than I can manage.

It's not that odd to order a dessert with 2 spoons to share, is it?

No, that's normal enough.

most restaurants will only have a problem with that if it's all you order

PH today (and it makes me feel bad) there is a blind man who catches my train. He usually arrives just before me, and goes up the stairs in front of me. Then stops dead as soon as he gets to the top step, fumbles in his pocket for his phone then proceeds to look at something in his hand using the light from his phone (not a torch app, just the light from the screen). Right at the top of the stairs, causing everyone behind him to have to stop for around 2 or 3 minutes. Every flaming day.

Misuse of the word "factoid" has led to it taking on the exact opposite meaning of its original definition.

It's so annoying.

Also, using the word "insect" as a synonym for "bug."

When the BBC morning news goes to the regional news on the hour or the half hour and my TV picks up the wong region. East please NOT London.

PP.

Bad reporting. A report today said there may be links between certain anti-cholinergic drugs and an increased risk of dementia. When I searched for this online, most news reports had headlines saying 'can' or 'may', and the articles said the increased risk was small. Not the Daily Mail. Its headline claimed the risk was increased by 50%, although it didn't say what the baseline risk was. (The URL for the article said the risk was doubled!)

Sensational reporting like this does nothing except upset and worry people. I suspect that GPs and/or pharmacists will be inundated with calls from people who are concerned that they're going to develop Alzheimer's.

I completely agree with you. And so does xkcd:

http://xkcd.com/1252/

Today's PH - nit being able to buy a box of small sticky plasters. They're all either large or assorted.

That is annoying, although you can always make plasters of any shape simply by cutting up a large one.

PH – when someone predicts it will snow when it blatantly won't.
In my lifetime it snowed (by which I mean it settled for at least 24 hours) 3 times in the 1980s, in 1994 and less than half a dozen times to date this century (the last time being on my birthday two years ago, which was a nice ).
That doesn't stop the weatherman or weatherwoman from saying eight or nine times a year 'expect a heavy snowfall'.

<BB<

We've got snow here in Manchester at the moment. And I've just finished in the brewery for the morning, so I can go out for a run in it

When packaging is changed for no reason and the new packaging is harder to open. I use a particular brand of chewing gum and I found the packets easy to get into. There was a tear strip on the outer wrapper and another on the wrapper for the pack of gum. The tear strip on the outer wrapper is still there, but there's no tear strip on the inner packaging. I can't even find a notch in the plastic so I can break in that way. I shouldn't have to reach for a knife or scissors just to get a stick of gum.

Updated software. Itunes 12 is horrible and now won't recognise my devices.

I'm posting a petty hate for my hubby. He's looking for local jobs and has lost count of the number of online ads that say the jobs are in Warwickshire, but turn out to be in Kent (or somewhere just as far away). Why do people do this? They won't get out-of-area applicants unless the person wants to relocate and can afford to do so. (He's looking for driving jobs and they don't pay enough to warrant a long commute.)

I'm with him on that hate!

I *still* get emails from recruiters telling me about amazing jobs in areas of the country I've no intention of moving to

Jam jars. Sort of.

For reasons now unclear to me I decided that I would make some pomelo marmalade. (I don't really like orange marmalade, but I do like lime marmalade for what it's worth).

Initially, I thought that I wouldn't have enough matching jars. (Yes. They DO need to match. I'm made that way.) So made a rekkie to the shops.

It is cheaper to buy ready made jam and throw away the jam, than to buy empty jars.

Stupid!

PP.

Same with beer bottles for homebrew. You can get some beers cheaper than you can buy the bottles.

Have you tried costing the jars at somewhere like Ampulla?

Ah ha! Thanks Pastey. About half the price of the best I can get locally.

I shall bear them in mind next time I get a daft idea going round in my head.

PP.