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

You don't have to answer if you don't want to.
Are you communicating on h2g2 with computer, laptop, mobile or digibox?

A Mac Powerbook G4 using Wi-Fi. Why - if it is that some characters come out 'odd' it is that it is a) a Mac and b) has a French keyboard éèç etc.

It was nothing to do with the characters.
As it happens I can read everything you have written perfectly.
I have tried accessing h2g2 on my mobile phone, without much luck, which in some ways is likely to be a blessing.

If viruses can spread themselves via computer, do you know whether it is possible for them to spread through the mobile phone lines?

If this were the case, it could prove disasterous.
What do you think?

Sorry for the delay in replying. There are - I think - viruses that attack mobile phones. However, most are designed to attach Microsoft. One of the advantages of Macs is that there are only a few that attack them (I have been using Macs since 1988 and the only problem I have ever had is having them stolen). However, Macs can hold the viruses and if you forward a document, it can transfer the virus to a PC.

Thank you for your reply.
Seeing as we have to keep our mobiles switched off most of the time these days I suppose it doesn't really matter about the mobile virus.

Sorry to hear you've had your Macs stolen
I hope you managed to claim back on the insurance.
I have never used a Mac myself, only a 'famous blue raincoat'

I have a mobile phone - in fact several - none of them can make calls (unless I buy a card) just receive them. I hate the things but - sometimes - people need to contact me. I talk to my 86 year-old mama on Sundays using Skype. The only insurance that I have ever paid is that which is legally necessary, eg cars TPF&T - even that is a rip-off. When my computers were sold by the British Conulate in Aden - in 1994 - I did try and claim against them, but they were all too busy distributing Christmas turkeys and booze to the overworked staff and assessing the damage to war graves, that the likes of me paled into insignificance. I don't really care if anyone steals my computer now - the valuable part - the information on it - is all somewhere else as well and it is a perfect excuse to buy a nice new one. What I am writing this on is seven years old and still better than most. I would love one of the latest but can't justify it until someone steals this one. Could that be the reason that I never lock the front door? If you haven't used a Mac, you haven't lived. Using a Pee-See is like driving a Trabant and thinking that you have driven a car.

And another thing - the world has yet to understand the technology we have available. We are addicted to the damned telephone - particularly the mobile ones. My laptop operates using CDMA - which means I can use the Internet anywhere in Casablanca, and soon, all of Morocco. I can use VOIP (Spype) and talk to any other (connected) computer in the world - free. However, you have to make an appointment - 'sorry we were having lunch' - 'I'm in a meeting'. However, if I telephoned the same person on their GSM (at vast expense), they would answer whether in the middle of lunch, a meeting, or a concert.
When working in the Middle East - I used to forcibly remove people's mobiles during meetings and put them all with the Indian secretary with the instruction "If his wife or childre have died, you can interrupt - anything else, just take a message and tell them that whoever will call back later.
I have travelled thousand of miles to keep an appointment with someone, only to be kept waiting for an hour while they talked on the telephone. It is ridiculous.

I have had several mobile phones but have had such strange experiences with them that I have practically stopped using mine altogether. I switch it on a couple of times a week to see if anyone has left me any messages, but they never do. People got fed up with the cryptic attempts at trying to warn them of things that were going to happen in the World (somewhere). I never know where which can be quite infuriating.

Are you still in Aden and Middle East. Is your wife called Fatima?
Is there a piano in your bar?

I think it is extremely rude of people to talk on the phone to someone else. That was very rude and impolite of them to ignore you after you had travelled so far. Did they apoplogise when they 'did' finally come off the phone?

I live in Morocco now and have done since the enfd of 1999 - Casblanca, to work and a shantytown called Benshasha, to relax. It is a lovely country. Fatima is my wife - she never went to school and cannot read nor write. However, she speaks four languages (sort of) and is one of the wisest and most intelligent people that I have ever met. She is the matriarchal head of her family - a dubious gift she inherited from her grandmother? This will be passed on to Nezha (aka Badmini) who is Fatima's twin sister's granddaughter and who now lives with us - not adopted - but I am now her legal guardian (whist she is here). It is VERY complicated and Fatima has supported the entire tribe.
There is no piano in the bar - YET.
If/when I build the house I want, all the rooms will be Faraday cages.

Please tell me more...

About what?

On second thoughts - if you send me an e-mail - I can send you my book about life in a Moroccan shantytown ([email protected]). If you want to make your living room (or any other room) into a Faraday Cage - ie a place where mobile phones cannot receive of send signals - there is now (I think) wallpaper available that will do the trick. Otherwise you have to re-plaster the entire room - walls and ceiling.

I've already got one of those.
Perhaps you would like me to send you some of my music?
It's playing at the moment (there is also a little tyke biting my heels) must go....

Got one of what?

I have just discovered it likes eating teabags

I am lost!!!

I am extremely sorry to hear that PBS hopefully you will find yourself again one day and then everyone will live happily ever after

This conversation is becoming inane - I shall stop.

I am sorry.
please forgive me

Forgiven - this started off as a reasonable question and degenerated into insanity.