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

I'm looking forward to it, but don't stress yourself.

I hope you were not swept away by that storm. We had a storm here too, you know (no thunder, though), which is quite uncommon at this time of year. All the meteorologists (that right?) here were taken by surprise. And it is only six month ago that we had the worst storm ever measured in Denmark. Makes you think, no?

I like the idea about the article. Sounds creative and promising.

Meanwhile why don't you try phoning your youngest?

I once instant messaged my youngest from my notebook computer because she was on the phone and using the desktop (it has a cable Internet connection) to chat with other friends at the same time. I signed on using a dial-up connection from our second phone line, made up the name "YourMomIsWaiting" on one of those instant message programs and messaged her that I wanted to talk to her. I heard an "uh oh" from the other room and she messaged me back, "Am I in trouble?" We then carried on a silly instant message exchange, giggling at the absurdity all the while. I let the dial-up service lapse last month, though, so no more of that silliness

The storms here are usually really brief, but violent. I really, really hate thunderstorms. Our house is old and the claps of thunder shake it to the foundations. And we have tons of windows so every bolt of lightening visible. There is a new movie out called "The Perfect Storm." It is based on a book of the same name and the book got great reviews. I haven't read it, but it's on "The List." The story is based on a real storm and real people from the fishing town north of Boston. My town is also a fishing town (though less so now ) and I know a few fishermen who remember that storm vividly.

Your Father's Day sounds like Super Bowl Sunday over here Though...I cannot imagine men in this country enjoying pickled herring. More like they are the ones pickled

So many confirmations! I didn't have religious training as a child, though I did subject my children to it because I succumbed to peer pressure. They attended an Episcopal church for most of their early childhood, but stopped going as soon as confirmation was complete. We never did the parties for confirmation. My husband claims to be a Catholic, though I have never seen him go to church. His family is religious and that's why I gave in on the girls' account. I don't regret it since they don't seem to be harmed by it. Is Denmark predominately Catholic?

I tend to think freedom of speech is the hallmark of any good society, too. I just wish people would understand that freedom of speech should not lead to intolerance. Speech is wonderful when it leads to discourse, but usually useless when it leads only to debate. Such is the nature of talk radio and TV in this country. I wish people would learn how to listen as well as talk.

Pierce...I am reading the best book right now..."Fierce Invalids Home from Hot Climates" by Tom Robbins. It is a perfect book for wannabe and former hippies

I can almost hear you and your youngest giglling. I love the absurdity of silliness (in case you hadn't noticed...)

I am not too fond of storms that ruin the roof of my shed, my gardenfence and so on - and thunderstorms have that extra risk. On the other hand I must admit that violent weather fascinates me.

I guess you are right about Father's Day resembling Super Bowl Sunday, only we can concentrate 100 % on the basic necessities: Food and drink. It was great as far as I remember.

Pickled herring is a specialty of The Netherlands, Northern Germany, Denmark and Sweden. Each country has its own taste, though. The janapese are not the only people to eat raw fish. We eat them with sugar on top (the herrings are marinated in vinegar, sugar and spices). Being born in Germany I am not too fond of the danish herrings. Most of them are too sweet.

Confirmations are quite common in Denmark, as you have gathered, even though we are probably the least religious people in the world. Most danes only go to church on three ocassion: Christenings, weddings and funerals - oh, and christmas afternoons, of course. I guess about 90 % of the danish are officially protestants, members of the national church, who has its own secretary in the government. I belive the one we have now is a socialdemocrat (which only adds to the absurdity of it all).

Speaking of confirmations: The last one was on one of our smaller Islands (20 miles long, 5 miles borad). Denmark has over 500 islands and this one is proud to be one of the many "real" islands, since it is not connected to the mainland or other islands with a bridge. My brother is living outside a small town which is very famous because of the - tall ships (here we go again). There simply wasn't work enough for the men on the islands so they sailed all around the world (some still do). We have convinced the world that this is the island to visit (so we have all the others to ourselves) and they really enjoy it: Sunday morning I went to a small cafe with outdoor serving (that right? Ah, you know what I mean). I seemed to be the only living soul in the whole town (except for the waiter) and ordered a quiet cup of coffee (cafe au lait, to be precise). But just as he was giving it to me I was surrounded by 20 or 30 members of the "Texarcana Bicycle Club" who were on their "Possum Tour 2000". They were a jolly party, nice, wellbehaved and polite like most americans. Nevertheless I felt like Omaha Beach on D-day. They were so enthusiastic about this picturesque little town, and the island and the sailingships...and...and...and... I simply had to go inside and sit in the farthest corner to even hear myself think!

Well, god bless them. Being a cyklist myself - and very fond of the island - I really cannot blame them.

I think freedom of speech is the touchstone of every decent society. We have a saying that it goes for Loke as well as for Thor, meaning that even antidemocrats can not be denied the values of democracy.

I'll add Tom Robbins to my list.

Well, you invited me, and I'm here. Limited time before work, though, so just sorta scanned. Will come back for a proper perusal. And I'm so glad I came, too cause one of my all time favorite authors is Tom Robbins, and I was unaware that he had a new book out. GOODY!

Being new to the cyberworld, one of the most fascinating aspects of the whole internet thing is dealing with the inability to assign a sure identity to the person on the other side of my screen, given that there is such great opportunity for delusion here. And when you said you were God, once, I thought you might be someone else (M.K) who apparently has a different history from yours. Such a puzzle! My cyberconfusion abounds.

Between ICQ and the other IM services, and now h2g2, I sometimes wonder if someone is doing an experiment using ME as a subject to find out how someone would react to apparently different personalities. If I had the time, I would do it myself, just out of curiosity. Would love to be able to research that! Anyway, one more place to go, one more facet to be, and then off to the real world. Hi ho...

"one of the most fascinating aspects of the whole internet thing is dealing with the inability to assign a sure identity to the person on the other side of my screen"

I have been thinking of writing an essay on that subject for quite some time now, but I have been far too busy/lazy . Besides I still learn more and more about it so I decided to wait a little longer.

MEANWHILE: I have just launched my project on how to prevent kids from messing up their lives with drugs.

It is kind of a promise I gave Zmrzlina a long time ago, BTW

Hi there, ms. Z - are you with me? I was going to tell you about it here and when I arrived Mother of God was here because I invited her for quite another reason. What a coincidence!

How are you doing BTW? Long time no see - and I really missed that. Sorry for having been quiet for so long. Can you forgive me?

Hi Pierce and Mother o' God! What a pleasant surprise to see this forum pop back up on active. Unlike a few other forums that I would just love to see fade into the past.... (I will be SO glad when h2g2 gets the "ignore this conversation" feature up and running!)

So...MOG...Robbins' new book is wonderful. I have three younger sisters and we all love Robbins. I buy the newest books, read it and make notes in the margins, then it gets passed down (usually in birth order) to the other three. Eventually I get it back wonderfully annotated with the comments of four sisters. Lovely.

Nothing to forgive, Pierce! I've been quiet, too. Haven't been able to play much online with school/work/research going on. And are you still the wild Dane?

Hi Z! What a wonderful way to read anything you love, sharing the input of others. I miss that more than anything else I did while in the university. Brings a whole new dimension to literature. And it makes me wonder if there might be an online site set up for that...but so busy trying to learn other new things and work on other projects that I almost never surf just to see what's out there. And for now I'd better not try to find out, or that will become another project I want to involve in. Oy vey! I AM starting to feel a need to expand my time!

Pierce, if you ever do want to start researching cyberinteraction, and would like to collaborate, let me know. That's one of the projects I was seriously thinking about working on for h2g2 over the course of time. I have great fun with the frivolous side of this place, but it did occur to me recently that it is evolving in a direction the corporation probably never anticipated. I figure that might be something both valid and interesting to explore, and since they let me do the things I want to for my own reasons here (more or less) it's only fair to try to give them some of what they are after in return. Have to try and be a good citizen and pay the property taxes if I want to keep the parks open.

Best wishes in your anti-drug project! I'll keep my I on it, and contribute what I can

Hi Z!
An "ignore this conservation"-feature would certainly be welcome. Or even a "delete these old, boring and/or stupid conservations that are cluttering up my space"

I am sure a lot of people will agree with me that we could do without some of my older postings - and I feel the same about some of theirs. Ah, well. I've had bigger problems.

Do not talk to me about Tom Robbins, please! His books are some of the many "to do's" that are cluttering up my conscience

Yes, I am about as wild as I always was. Single again for sime time now (which of course adds to the wildness ) but this friday night
I will attend another jazz concert (with dancing), so...

As you probably know (!) I am investigating an ongoing censoring of h2g2. According to Peta there is censoring going on that she does not know about. I find that interesting - to say the least.

I am not discussing the content (what has been censored) but the censoring as such and the way it is performed (quietly, not in the open).

As I said somewhere else: Freedom of speech is THE important thing, but if this was my personal space I would certainly want to have the ability to forbid people to write perversions (like for instance racism, nazism, sexism) here. That is the way I see it. No more and no less.

Hi Pierce!
Very interesting indeed. In my case, unless someone has comandeered PETA'S email address, she is aware of the censoring which took place in my space. Just double checked--to be sure--and it did come from her, and not one of the others. Also gave the listing of the conversations which were deleted. I'd forgotten about that part.

Ummm... I'm not sure about the legality of sharing private emails, but am sure that the editors do not want them posted. I don't know how far you are pushing this thing, but if it will help in any way, or if PETA really is unaware of the censorship to my place I can forward it to you. I assume that should not be a problem, since people forward things all the time. Let me know if you want me to do that. Passed over an address burried in a prior posting here. Don't worry--I'll never use it unless you specifically tell me to.

Bon Courage!

Go ahead!

The email came back. Change of address?

Nope! It is still [email protected] - misspelling?

BTW I think I've sorted all my problems out by now. Had big troubles connecting to this site yesterday - had to give it up actually - but I doubt that I have or will have any reason to take this discussion any further. I'll keep you posted if I do.

Won't bother to send it to you, as PETA posted it in my journal, anyway. Don't know what kind of magic you worked to get such a rapid response, but many thanks for getting them to clarify the issue. And I had one of the best laughs I have had in a loooooong time! An earth guide that abolishes erect penises is such an absurd contradiction! Gotta love it!

One last favor, if you can. If they gave you access to Y.W.'s stories would you be able to get "MY First Blowjob" to me so I can send it to him? He just whacked that one off on the spur of the moment on h2g2 and doesn't have it saved. Here's how to find me if you need to. [email protected]

Thanks again

I'll certainly see what I can do. Meanwhile you might want to see this: http://www.h2g2.com/F41857?thread=72756&post=694308 - unless something new comes up I won't be taking this further. I am not familiar with the laws (and other rules and regulations) that Peta and Mark have to respect, but I know that it isn't always easy to edit, so there. I am convinced that the h2g2-employees do not like to censor more than I do. I fight it wherever I can, but this is obviously not the right place to do it. Am I wrong?

Not at all. It seems they are doing the best they can with a complex issue. I don't exactly envy them. And intend to play within the rules as I understand them.

Thanks for everything!

MT: It seems that YW's postings are lost forever, sorry!

Were you the one who did not know yet how to forward an URL? The easiest way is to find the page (site) in question, highlight the adress, copy it (press "CTRL" and "c" at the same time) and paste it (press "CTRL" and "v" at the same time) on another page (or email).

Again, thank you. I'll let YW know. And yes, I am the ignorant one. Going to try that cut/paste thingy this morning, as I would like to organize some of the Peetie God stuff which I was splattering all over the universe for a while. Me! Organize? The idea!!

A Mother of God and an Empress of the Universe who is unable to organize? Well that explains both life, the universe and everything, thank you!