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

Spring, Autumn would be great. I find this heat too much to do anything social. Also spring would coincide with the orchid exhibition at Kew. Autumn colours are worth a visit to Kew as well.

As I have said somewhere previously, I am more than happy to organise that, as I have read the full definitive report on Kew, and live a five minute walk away, but hapy to organise anything as required...

I know you are the Kew guy Mazin! I just thought it was worth saying it as then we know how many people like Kew. I don't live as close as you, but I think the orchid exhibition is worth remembering, I am sure there are loads of people who would like that. No tree walkway this year for autumn though, I enjoyed that the last few years.

"as I have read the full definitive report on Kew,"

do you mean the annual report? I get the magazine as well, all members do, so I do know just a little about Kew we have been members for nearly 10 years. But I do not wish to upset you, so apart from recommending Kew, I shall not step on your toes anymore, apart from to say we have passes people could use as well, to help more get in for free.

Count me in for Kew whether whether there are several people going or if I have to go by myself on another day.

Concerning TPTB and 'official' meets vs community-sponsored ones, would someone explain to me please why that changed? There was a mention someplace about inviting members of other BBC sites. Is this why they no longer officially sponsor the h2g2 meets? So they won't be pressured to organize them for the other message boards?

Apart from anything else, it could be as *requiring* employees to have to give up part of their weekend to attend - however this wouldn't be an issue if they did the organising with no pressure to actually turn up.

That's a good idea, kelli. Though I reckon at least one staff member would be required to attend something 'officially BBC' just to make sure it all came off as planned. But they could trade off and it's just two weekends a year ...

Thing is, I'm quite familiar with the researchers who have been very generously organising the London meets these past couple of years - but some people, especially newbies, might see it as a 'clique' of friends who all know each other and find that a bit intimidating. Lots of people are quite shy about finding themselves in 'group gatherings' and might think they'd just sit there not able to talk to anyone. But to have one 'official' person there, handing out name tags and making introductions, could really help with that.

I also like the idea - can't remember whose it was - that the Trivia game teams should be chosen from names in a hat. Again, just to break up the 'clique' notion, and make it possible for everyone to mingle a bit more.


az

Oh Mazin, as the local expert (lucky you living 5 minutes away), is there a nice pub on the river near Kew, with outdoor seating? I would like to know for myself and maybe it would be a good place to meet people after the Kew visit.

BTW as I live in Croydon, I am very happy to leave the organising to you!

I've been to four meets now, and whenever it was quiz time, i just stayed with the group I was currently talking to, so I haven't seen anything like cliques at the meets

The City Barge (A12925046) is really the only Pub (IMO) on the river that is up to anything, although it has rather sat on it's laurels a bit, and is not as good as it could be. The seating and towpath is mobbed in the summer (and be careful as the towpath floods at high tide). The Bell and Crown (Fuller's) is probably easier for seating, while the Old Bull is very much a Gastro-pub, almost to the point of being a Restaurant. Tnese three Pubs are on Strand-On-The-Green, Chiswick.

My preferred Pub is the Rose and Crown, on Kew Green, adjacent to Victoria Gate, which is a very good eatery, with a reasonable assortment of Real Ales, but is not near the river.

Re: The definitive guide, what I meant was that I have recently finished the Tome, 'The History of Kew' explaining all of it's colourful history.

Other info can be gained here:

http://www.rbgkew.org.uk/

Hope that helps.

Ah 'The History of Kew' has got to be more interesting than the Annual Review (that was meant to be a joke, but it didn't come across well - sorry)! I thought you meant you had inside knowledge than others would not have, I guess you pick up a lot though when you live that near to a place. How long have you lived there? I thought about volunteering there once, but the train times involved getting up very early.

<> (B'Elana)

I wasn't saying that cliques actually exist, just pointing out how it might seem to a newcomer who doesn't know anybody. Might just be a nice way to get people to mingle a bit more.


az

Concerning the pub quiz, is it terribly UK centric? I find the idea a bit intimidating. I've read about pub quizzes but have never found out what sorts of questions/topics they cover.

They've tended to vary a lot at differnt meets mainly depending on who wrote them; previous quizzes have been entirely music based, sci fi/music/generalised based, and at the meet just gone the quizz was maihnly composed of questions taken from the edited guides of the previous month, with a few 'community' based questions thrown in to fill it out

Since the quizzes are all in fun, I suppose it's silly to worry about them. We all excel at certain subjects and are dumb about others.

Having never been to a London meet, I can say I would probably be much more likely to attend in the spring or fall.

One day...

It can be difficult to tell the difference between a clique and a bunch of people who like hanging around together. I'll just say that everyone was pretty friendly and I had no trouble finding a quiz team.

As far as the quizzes go, they are light-hearted, with no particular limit to numbers per team, although technically there should be four, but it is more like a BBC light programme quiz, with answers being tossed around between groups.

Yes, HooTooers do take the winning seriously, but don't take the quiz seriously. It would probably take the fun out of the meet if it was done more rigourously anyway. Just my opinion.

There is also a general HooToo theme to part of it, but not necessarily.

And in the case of the last winter meet, a group singalong to the Chicken Song.

And some noisy drunk lot shouting asrse monkeys when they didnt know the answers ..'tut'

Its easy to tell the difference between a friendly bunch of friends n a clique, the former welcome new comers, the latter snub them and there 'are' cliques at the meets, i can think of a couple anyway!