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

Hiya, Mari-rae - I thought I'd come on over and talk to you here as we seem to have been invaded by people who don't want to be at a Medieval Fayre despite the name of the forum.

I sense you maybe would have liked to have been around in the early days of Damogran when the language we used was indeed more courtly. I think the only thing that will bring people back to such means of discourse is the re-appearance of Queen bluDragon, unless I'm deluding myself about the life expectancy of forums. I don't think so, though, if you look at how long the Aroma Cafe's been going.

Anyway, I'll do the pod race(!) over there and we can talk about - how shall I put this - more grown-up topics here if you like. I sense a kindred spirit in you.

Great goats, by the way

Hi Spiny, Sorry its taken me so long to get back to you. Yes, I am becoming a tad impatient with the youngsters in our midst in the Medieval Fayre forum. I admire your going along with the pod race after they ignored your tactful suggestions. Oh well. I agree that things will return to normal in Damogran after our good Queen returns to us.

I peeked at the Scotmeet photos and saw your picture, so now I am able to "see" you in my mind's eye. I like books about medieval days very much. Just finished the Doomsday Book by Connie Willis. Have you read it?

Oh my! you didn't see THOSE pics, did you?!

I felt a bit paternal that day, but Babel-17 turned out to be not much younger than me and he was perfectly at home with the age gap, so I guess it's an attitude of mind. Anyway, the great thing about h2g2 usually is that you don't get influenced by age, gender or nationality. Asteroid Lil says this on her home page - in fact she's adopted a nephew - and bluDragon always said she liked the notion of "entities": someone you took at face value based entirely on what they typed here.

No, I haven't read Connie Willis - I'm a bit of an anorak with my reading because I have a technical job and keep up with the trade magazines. I always mean to read more, but I'm terrible for starting a book and drifting away from it halfway through. I'm currently reading a book about the British satire boom of the early sixties. There was a satirical TV show called That Was The Week That Was (TW3 for short) which I used to beg my parents to let me sit up and watch. I was too young to understand it, but not too young to realise there was a buzz about it which excited me. Many of the people involved became stalwarts of the comedy scene, eg Peter Cook and Dudley Moore, others wemt on to form Monty Python and the like.

Er...right, what were we saying? Oh yes, youngsters. Well, they're keeping the forum going, at least, so we can't be boring them too much...

I remember that show! It wasn't British actors, though. We must've cloned it for the States. (revealing my age!)

I'm surprised to hear that you are a tech; you have a wonderful ability to write descriptively. You are very creative. I agree about h2g2. Behind each persona is an interesting personality. Who they are in RL and what they look like always comes after you get to know them in the forums. Its the reverse of RL meetings.

I wonder how h2g2ers break down statistically in age? I think the majority are in their early 20's, with the next group being older. Just my impression.

My conputer was broken during the elections. Who won the Virtual Presidency?

Ah - I didn't know they'd had the election! You never can tell because they always leave the hustings posters on the lamp-posts for weeks after the event. And anyway, I'm sure the Virtual President won't be calling at my home space for a cup of tea...

Interesting about the US version of TW3. I haven't got to that part of the book yet. It mentioned the theatre revue show that started it all off - Beyond the Fringe (premiered right here in Edinburgh for the 1961 Edinburgh Festival) - and said that after its smash hit success in Britain they took it to Broadway and opened a club in New York, so maybe I'll get to that next in the book.

And thank you for the kind words about writing, although I guess I should come clean and say I'm not a true techie with a soldering iron and multimeter, because my area of expertise is as a sound engineer in radio. I also produce programmes from time to time, so the ability to string a few words together does come in handy...

Catch you later.

What sort of music do you enjoy? I have fallen away from Rock n Roll. Right now I like Celtic music and light jazz.

Hiya, back after some interference from RL.

Music? Everything, really. Randomly from my collection, Frank Sinatra, Miles Davis, Hank Williams, Shostakovitch, Richard Thompson, Toots and the Maytals, Lyle Lovett, John Hiatt, Beethoven, Sheryl Crow...

I try to like current rock 'n' roll, but apart from the samples and drum machines, it all sounds like stuff I've already got. I saw Moloko on the TV at Glastonbury and quite liked them, but not enough to buy the album. Drum 'n' bass and techno really does my head in - all that waiting for 16 bars for something to change only to find it'll be 32 bars...the sight of 100,000 people dancing to a guy with a drum machine and mixing desk puzzles me, but then, I'm used to playing a real instrument

I like a lot of new country just now, and the guitarist with my band buys a lot of that and keeps me up to date with it. Steve Earle and Emmylou Harris seem to be his current favourites. I had an interesting chat with a researcher called Nitpicker, and she's into world music in a big way, having been to several WOMAD festivals. She gave me a huge list of interesting African music to check out, which you could find in the HI FI CLUB ROOMS section on my home page if you're looking for new listening directions. As far as Celtic music goes, I was making a programme recently which used music by Afro-Celt Sound System - have you heard them at all?

Afro-Celt sounds like an oxymoron! No haven't heard any of that. I am really out of touch musically. A total loss after the 80's. I just never kept up after rap hit.

RE: Medieval Fayre, where did you say I had gone? Mrs. thingummys tea? I went over the hill, and have posted a new forum in Damogran of the same name. But I'll join you at the tea if you'd like to give me the address. I'm afraid those two were making me crazy!

Aha - so you sneaked away, did you? Well, I'll keep those two occupied while we try and get the others over the hill with us. I hope "over the hill" doesn't have other connotations, mind

Mrs Babble's Tea Rooms! You've never heard of Mrs Babble's Tea Rooms?! Ah well, I suppose you're relatively new around Damogran! I never met her myself, but it was rumoured she never charged tired travellers if she liked the look of them and they would pass the time of day with her. Her home baking was legendary. But now she's passed on and it's all a chain of franchises...

Oh dear. Do you think I'm taking all this too seriously?

No, dear. *pats his hand* You're fine. In the meantime there is a birthday party for me going on... http://www.h2g2.com/F30840?thread=77319&latest=1 Today is my birthday!! You don't have to bring anything, but come thirsty! ;-)

I'm there...

*small cloud of dust settles where he stood*

*Coughs and waves the dust away.*

Sheesh! I guess 'party' was the magic word!!

Sorry about the dust. I'll have to get some new clothes, obviously. The party seems to be going with a swing, anyway, so let's stay over there for a while.