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

Hello, I'm doing a job here by welcoming you to h2g2, but it's the job of people we call the ACE's (Assitent Community Editors) and I'm not actually one of them, but I think it's mildly amusing to beat them to it, although I don't usually manage it.
I've brought some bonbons over if you want one? *offers bonbons*
You say you're a writer? I'm trying to be one, but as yet I've not been very successful in the least...
If you have any questions about the guide, you can come and ask my by clicking my name an the link will bring you right over. Alternatively, you could find someone else who is more likely to know (like an ACE), but anyway, Good H2G2ing!

Ming!
You rhyme with PING!
And WING and SING!
And everything
That ends in ING!

Thanks for your greeting. Actually it really DOES make a person feel welcome to get an actual personal message. Your home and the many creatures in it sounds very interesting.

I think bubblewrap is pretty cool. I know someone who used it to make curtains!! And it looks fantastic (but I suspect it only looks fantastic if the rest of the room looks pretty good too. I mean, if a room looks like it belongs inside a crate, I suspect bubblewrap merely accentuates that effect)(which is okay too, I guess).

Thanks for the bonbons. Howdja know I liked sweets? Is a fondness for sweets so obvious?

One of my other names is Magnolia. If you'd like to have your UserName analysed, click the link on my page and leave a message with any of your usernames that you might want analysed (I'm planning to field an entry on this subject. Does it sound interesting, d'you think?).

See you around! Lotus

You came on my homepage? Wow! I like you a lot! What do you think of my name then? (Other than what it rhymes with!) Or do you think I should become Mang instead? And I will go and follow your link in a sec (it does sound interesting) - just as soon as I've finished writing here...I always have to write before following links and I have no idea why...
My home and it's many creatures may sound interesting, but it does get a bit smelly sometimes. And it's hard to remember to feed everything when the people who normally feed them go away... We all feed different animals so that even if some don't get fed one night, at least some will...
As to the bonbons, I take them everywhere I go here, it's good for breaking ice and nearly everyone likes them. I love them! I once sat reading an Agatha Christie book eating bonbons the whole time. I read the whole book continuously eating bonbons and was really hyper when I'd finished! Hee hee! Whoops!
Bubblewrap curtains? That is a great idea!! Is your friend? person? ex-friend? on h2g2?? I wonder if I could persuade my parents to let me try that in the shower-room!? Hmmm...probably not. Damn!
I hope you enjoy h2g2 and all it has to offer anyway... (does it have anything to offer? madness I suppose...)

Ming: I have a confession to make! I have not actually seen the curtains in use!! But I DO know the room well and that the lady who used the curtains is a person of unusual imagination and flair (she is also an art dealer. I suspect the reason she has so much bubble-wrap to use woz coz she uses MILES of it in her business!!). So I could see them in my mind's eye (and prolly will see them with real eyes too, soon -- she lives in another city from the one I'm in) She is an off-line friend, so I have no idea whether or not she logs on. I suspect she doesn't -- a bit too practical and feet-on-the-ground for it ...

Have you ever read a series of astonishing books called collectively "The Animorphs"? An animal looker-after like you might well enjoy the books ... There are 41 currently in existence (they're very short and each one can be read in one gulp) -- and I have read 31. I read them as if my mind were on fire and these books were the only source of water available (I have stolen one of my own favourie quotes. I sometimes worry about plagiarising myself -- it seems a bit wrong, but on the other hand, I'd rather be the one doing it than somene else!)

I think the combination Ming Mang is good. If I had to analyse it (which, mind you, you have not quite asked me to do ...)
I would say that it made me think of ornamental vases (Ming dynasty, China), wordplay, playfulness and a touch of the orient. A bit of mink and a bit of mangle. A person who enjoys luxury but also the rough spots of reality (that ferret ... hmm. I think I understand why your mother may be a little concerned).

I am not especially concerned about the madness on offer at h2g2, because I am already mad (why else would I be here?).

Good wishes, LO

wow! i've actually managed to be the first ace to get to someone's page. as for me being a knowing person, ha. i'm probably the newest addition to the ACE team so you'r probably better off listening to Ming than me for advice... here are those links i said i'd give you:

mornington crescent game - hosted by all round bloody nice bloke Peet

http://www.h2g2.com/forumframe.cgi?forum=15602&thread=22457

cheddar gorge - also hosted by Peet

http://www.h2g2.com/forumframe.cgi?thread=45265&forum=15752

the great bic pen conspiracy - just how paranoid can one person be?

http://www.h2g2.com/A106462

the ACE homepage - drop in if you've any queries or if you just fancy a chat

http://www.h2g2.com/A214796

any problems with coding on your page? Dr. Bruce has a GuideML clinic that should solve any irritating malfunctions

http://www.h2g2.com/A187229

any questions? drop me a line by clicking on my name at the top of this post and posting a message on my page - i'm online most days so a response shouldn't be too long in coming. have fun now.

Hand of Bod -- you must be on-line, I guess? I was so surprised to see a reply "6 minutes ago" that I assumed that it must have been mine to yours, not a whole NEW one ... how cool. Thanks! I'll check your links soon ... (the game looks interesting). Moi

Hand of Bod, I doubt if anyone's better off listening to me than anyone else. You seem to have loads of links that I would never be organised enough to have lying around where I could reach them all...
Lotus, if you want to find out who's online then either you can find someone's page who has a link on it (such as mine) and visit them, or alternatively put it on your page; go to Don't Panic question 'What other cool and secret stuff is there?' or something along those lines, and cut and paste the command onto your page. It does need to be in GuideML or HTML for it to work, though... Of course, if I was more organised, I'd have the link with me, but I don't, so I'm afraid you'll have to memorise all that...
Sorry!
Pet ferrets are cool! There is no reason why my Mum should disapprove. But I suppose that's 'cos I want some and my Mum doesn't.
And all that bubblewrap!!!! Wow! I think I'll go into antiques dealing if I get loads of bubblewrap!!!

¦M¦

An example of synchronicity: you mentioned ferrets and that made me think of a short story by the author "Saki" -- one of which was in my high school literature selections, called (I think) Shredni Vashtar and I think the central creature in it WAS a ferret. Barely a day later, or maybe the same day ... what should I see but a forum topic at h2g2 asking about Saki!! Isn't that interesting?

Well, if I have been unkind to the race of ferrets, I apologize. It's true that I read a novel recently which had the highest possible praise for a pine marten which was the pet of one of the characters in the book (Captain Corelli's Mandolin) and since ferrets are related to them, I can only assume that they too are capable of sweet-scentedness and good nature.

Maybe there's a great future for a fashion designer who works exclusively in bubble-wrap!!

That is a bit of a coincidence isn't it? Beware of coincidences; they're not always good ones. I've recently read a book in which an incredibly amazing coincidence happens. It doesn't really do anything for the story, though, just makes the book amazing. It's a Douglas Adams book. Not one of THHGTTG series, but Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency. If you haven't read it yet, I strongly advise you to, it's brilliant!

Oh yes, ferrets can indeed be loving, playful and altogether wonderful companions/ pets. Of course, they can be absolute bastards that wouldn't think twice about biting you and try to every time you go near them... You have to steer clear of those.

Yeah, bubblewrap fashion designing! I hadn't thought of that. Pity I can't draw... But what I want to be at the moment is something to do with small aircraft design. Maybe bubblewrap would be a good material?! Hey! Do you think that it would be good for stealth planes?! You know, splaying out the radar signal or whatever. Mmm. Yeah....

¦M¦

That might well work... although it'd be better if the bubbles were at low pressure inside, that'd absorb the radio waves better... (but would it work when wet? )

Maybe the answer is metallic bubble-wrap -- perhaps the time has come for an interesting alloy made of gold and plastic (gold, because it doesn't degenerate, rather like plastic in that sense) -- you could call "auric". It may be a weeeeeeeeee bit expensive, but -- hey. One problem at a time.

beaqring in mind the sort of budgets that are normally assigned to space organisations (like NASA and the ESA) ... I don't think that price is going to be much of a problem for them.

Yeah - maybe we could sell the idea to them for huge amounts of money. Or the Ministry of Defence. But NASA would probably give us more money.

¦M¦

Yes, NASA or the European Space Agency. Oh, btw... I found a site you might like...

Online Bubblewrap... http://www.urban75.com/Mag/bubble.html

Haven't been to it because the filtering system on this network won't let me, but I'm sure it's nice.

I reckon NASA would outbid ESA. Europe is stingy.

Already linked to it - Insane Endeavor (http://www.h2g2.com/U113604 - go visit her!) found it for me first!! (sorry!)

It's brilliant - perpetual bubblewrap that pops when you move the mouse off the bubbles! and then re-inflates! But it's not real yet. I'll have to try and invent some. Anyone want to help?

¦M¦

D'oh... oh well... and I thought I was so clever. I got it off bored.com.

Oh well, and better luck next time, as they have an annoying habit of saying...

Hey, Magnolia! There's someone new one h2g2 called Lotus, so it's knida lucky you changed! (Or, when I saw them they were Lotus...)

¦M¦

... yep. Maybe it was me?? I am always worried that there might be several versions of me wandering about and if by chance we happen to meet, we'd cancel eachother out. Hasn't happened yet, so I worry less and less about it. But ... ya never know ... Thanks for bringing this (possible) shadow-lotus-person to my attention! I'll look out for her/him too!