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

I'll have a look tomorrow

Wow. I almost felt like I was watching Dr Strangelove there.

We were just amazed. Think about it - something you've got sitting on your desk - or, if you're Pastey, in your back pocket - will do much more than that.

Notice they didn't list any prices.

Yeah, before I watched it I was wondering who they were pitching it at - NASA? The US army? But turns out it wasn't a "hey, buy this!" ad - it was a "look how cool OUR stuff is!" ad.

Heh-heh, yeah. Probably bragging in the general direction of IBM.

http://voyager.jpl.nasa.gov/mission/didyouknow.html
read just above heading - Voyager Spacecraft
a watch

and apparently, a calculator has more memory than the voyagers had

*writes in from the vicinity of Neptune *

I always feel slightly guilty when asking you to explain things, Dmitri, but I also will never stop, because I think it's a great way of getting all this knowledge across the cultural divides (and I would always expect others to do the same to me). Only by asking and explaining can we become the go-to place for everyone, not just Brits and Anglo-philes.

Amen, Vip. What an opportunity.

And since I'm around...

Just wanted to share this lovely article:
http://www.cracked.com/blog/5-moments-that-prove-mr.-rogers-was-greatest-american/

Cracked are usually rather cynical in their general outlook, but this is just a lovely, optimistic, tear and smile-inducing piece.


And it's also related to what you're talking about; I never watched Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood. We didn't have that, over here. I've learned about it through pop culture (and through American friends), but it probably would have been wonderful to have something like this to grow up with.
But, to keep the spirit of optimism going (and to keep this related to your _main_ point) - we're all different, but that only means we all have something to share with other people, and something to learn from them.

That's a very good point, Lady P. Well put!

Thank you!

One thing that I thought about, later, is that while I did not grow up with Mister Rogers, I _did_ grow up with the stories of (and about) Janusz Korczak, the Polish-Jewish writer and pedagogue. There seems to be some basic similarity between them; perhaps not in their methods, exactly, but in their basic world view. Korczak was also the kind of man who thought it's important to listen to children - not because of some romantic notion about them being 'better' or 'purer', but because they were purer. In his orphanage in Poland he created a democratic children society, where the kids actually had a say in how to run things. They still had boundaries, and there were rules and jobs within the place, but he *listened* to them. In the early 20th century this was practically revolutionary.

And perhaps the most famous story about him, at least over here, is about his death. Notice how I mentioned 'early 20th century', and 'Poland', and 'Jewish', earlier? After the Nazi occupation, he was set to be sent to the concentration camp with the rest of his orphanage. Because he was such a beloved writer, the Polish authorities offered him a sort amnesty, but he refused. He did not want 'his' children to go alone. He went with them, and died in Treblinka in 1942.


I'm sure he and Mister Rogers would have gotten on very well together, if they could have met; and they probably would have had beautiful and fascinating conversation.

I'm so glad you like Mister Rogers, Lady P. <smiley. Our favourite Pittsburgh neighbour. We passed by where he worked on our way to university one day, and saw him.

He smiled and said, 'Hi, neighbour.' What a man.

Do you know what Koko the gorilla did when she first met him? She took off his shoes.

And yeah, you made a great point there.

Of all the stupid miswrites I could have made...

>>but because they were PEOPLE<<

That was the whole point of the whole thing, there, and I got distracted and crewed it up.

Thank you.


How could anyone _not_ like him? He seems to have been a fundamnetally good person.