Journal Entries
Pull da plug
Posted May 22, 2005
It's now about 10 after midnight on Monday, 23rd August 2005.
If all has gone to plan, then the plugs will have been pulled on h2g2, and will stay that way for the next 24 hours, whilst the staff have a bit of a strike.
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Latest reply: May 22, 2005
Twenty-Five Years Ago
Posted May 18, 2005
It was twenty-five years ago today, the 18th of May.
Twenty-five years ago in the early hours of the morning; which I guess right now makes it pretty much to the very hour.
"There was a young man"
Cheers, Ian... 
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Latest reply: May 18, 2005
Editorial Blandness
Posted May 5, 2005
This - http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/vote_2005/frontpage/4514981.stm - is the front page of the BBC's Election 2005 news sub-site as of about lunchtime on polling day.
I feel that it is worth preserving in a 'cut and paste' form below as an example of the utter blandness that is required of the broadcast media when reporting any events whilst the polls are open on election day.
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Britain's voters heading to polls
Voting is under way in the UK general election after a 30-day campaign.
Polls remain open in 645 constituencies until 2200 BST, with the first results due at 2345. It will not be clear who has won until early on Friday.
Tony Blair has cast his vote in his Sedgefield constituency. Lib Dem leader Charles Kennedy voted in Fort William. Michael Howard is yet to vote.
Voting has been postponed in the 646th constituency, Staffordshire South, because one of the candidates died.
Any of the record six million people who elected to vote by post, but have not yet sent in their ballots, can hand them in at polling stations.
Leaders' votes
Local elections are also taking place in 34 county councils and three unitary authorities in England. There are also four mayoral contests.
There are also elections in all 26 councils in Northern Ireland.
Labour leader Mr Blair cast his vote, along with his wife Cherie and two sons Euan and Nicky, at the Trimdon Colliery Community Centre.
Mr Kennedy cast his vote along with his wife Sarah at the Caol Community Centre in Fort William in his Ross and Skye constituency.
Conservative leader Michael Howard will be voting in his Folkestone and Hythe constituency later.
There will be an increased police presence near polling stations in Westminster and other parts of London.
At the end of the last Parliament, Labour had 410 MPs, the Conservatives 164 and the Liberal Democrats 54.
The Three-Toed Sloth is an arboreal mammal, native to the tropical rain forests of Central and South America.
The Scottish National Party also have five seats, Plaid Cymru four, the Democratic Unionists seven, the Ulster Unionists five, Sinn Fein four, the SDLP three, and one each for Respect, Independent and Independent Kidderminster Hospital and Health Concern.
Postal votes
To gain a majority at this election, when boundary changes mean there are fewer seats available, one party needs to win 324 seats.
Sunderland South was the first to declare its result in 2001, just 43 minutes after the polls closed.
But the national picture of how the parties stand will not emerge until at least 0100 BST on Friday.
Attention will also be on turn-out, which in 2001 fell to 59%, the lowest level since 1918.
Election organisers hope postal voting will help turn-out, although there have been concerns about the security of the system against fraud.
Weather effect?
Voters taking the traditional polling station route are asked to take their voting cards, although other types of identification may be allowed.
People who have been sent postal ballots can still vote by delivering them by hand to a local polling station or the address on their envelope.
Previous elections suggest weather may have an impact on turn-out.
Cloud and patchy rain is forecast across much of the country on Thursday, although it should be dry in southern England.
Temperatures should range between 13 and 17 degrees centigrade.
In 1992, turnout was 78% on a generally dry and sunny day. Turnout was 71% in 1997, when again it was dry, sunny and very warm.
In 2001, the weather was very cool, with a brisk wind and blustery showers across the UK.
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Latest reply: May 5, 2005
Pushing Seven Million!
Posted May 5, 2005
Almost three years ago to the day, I started a thread in Askh2g2 - F19585?thread=182335 - commenting on the fact that we were fast approaching the 2,000,000th post on the DNA platform.
As of right now (2:50pm on Thursday, 5th May) we are only about 6,000 post shy of making 7,000,000 
Now I know that a fair few of the posts in the intervening three years will have been made to our sister sites of 360, GetWriting, Collective, WW2, the Hub, Cult, 1Xtra, 6Music, Points of View and even the Parents Music Room. But going from 3 years to make the first 2,000,000 posts to 3 years to make the next 5,000,000 is the sort of inflation that I approve of. 
Happy milestone, DNA 
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Latest reply: May 5, 2005
Campaign Bumph
Posted May 3, 2005
Here is the butcher's bill as to what election campaign gubbins has been either stuck through my letter box or passed onto me over the phone.
Labour - 2 modest sized identical leaflets and one phone call. The caller of which seemed quite offended when I told him to f*ck off as I'm registered with the TPS.
Conservative - 2 small identical glossy leaflets; one A3 poster, as if! A phone call from someone who at least had the good grace to go, "Ah" when I mentioned the TPS.
Green Party - 2 small different leaflets; a canvasser (
); an eight page copy of the local Green Party's newspaper. It's a bi-monthly thing that we're used to receiving. This time though it is double the usual length and in full colour.
UKIP - one A4 leaflet banging on about the pound.
Socialist Labour Party - one small photocopied leaflet, smudged.
Alliance For Green Socialism - one small photocopied leaflet, on green paper.
There are three other candidates standing in the Brighton Pavillion constituency - two Independents, and a Liberal Democrat - who I have yet to hear anything from.
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Latest reply: May 3, 2005
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