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

we have come a long way since the Hindenburg, hydrogen used in the right way may be the answer to a lot of problems

the answer to the rest is of course 42

You'd think with the Hindenburg that the outer skin was some kind of rubberized fabric.

Nope, collodion emulsion (powerful & explosive oxidizing agent) doped with fine aluminum powder (powerful reducing agent suitable for thermite formulations) and a disaster waiting to happen even without the hydrogen fill.

simple answer to a inexhaustible commodity:- use all the hot air from the mouths of every government body throughout the world

Do you know? Did anybody ever solve the Nelson Riddle?

I don't think Nelson Riddle needs to be solved.

Kiss me Hardy or Kismet Hardy?
Should we ask Stan Laurel?

...the theme music for "Route 66", the theme music for "The Avengers"...

I always got a kick out Nelson Riddles laid back, easy listening, 20th century motoring rhythms. Not as pretentious, perhaps, as Richard Wagner's equestrian rhythms from "Ride of the Valkyries", but certainly an excellent document of the times.

He was musical director for "The Julie Andrews Show," bless him.

He did most of the Ella Fitzgerald songbooks. I liked the Itrving Berlin one, but I don't see him mentioned in connection with that.
"High Society" and "Pal Joey" were also among my favorites.

I recall that he was the backing for Frank Sinatra, and Frank liked to be the most important feature of any set up.
In other Big Bands it was the band leader who took the limelight, and employed singers to sing for him.
I am thinking of Ted Heath who had a number of singers who toured with him. People like Lita Rosa never really had their own fame, they were linked to the even more famous name of the band leader.

Should have written Lita Roza, of course, not Lita Rosa.....getting late and I guess I am getting tired.

I've never heard of the person.

http://www.google.com.au/images?hl=en&as_epq=&as_oq=&as_eq=&num=10&lr=&as_filetype=&as_sitesearch=&as_qdr=all&as_rights=&as_occt=any&cr=&as_nlo=&as_nhi=&safe=images&q=Lita+Rosa&um=1&ie=UTF-8&source=univ&ei=YfR1TKmnMJK8sAOglcSgDQ&sa=X&oi=image_result_group&ct=title&resnum=4&ved=0CDcQsAQwAw&biw=1280&bih=592

Okay, now I know *why* I hadn't heard of her. Here in the U.S., it would be Patti Page's rendition of "How much is that doggie in the window?" that would be familiar. "Secret love" and "Young at heart" would be Doris Day favorites. "Hey there" would be Rosemary Clooney's territory.

I had a very strange dream this morning, during my mid-morning nap. It was intensely visual with considerable audio as well.

I dreamed that I had broken into a small glassed in room facing the front door of a house, totally naked, and that there I found, along with a number of other cats, two fire-engine red cats with white patches on their lower backs.

The cats were vocalizing as though they were trying to say something to me. Then they started scratching at my (bare) ankles.

Next, attracted by the commotion, the lady of the house came to the door and wanted to see my ankles. She found one gash opened up by one of the cats 1/2 an inch wide.

At that point I stripped a cover from the settee in the cats' room to cover myself (and begin daubing at the blood).

The other people of the house came to the door and one of the men threw some kind of liquid on to my left arm (and the improvised toga), saying, "That ought to plug it!"

I responded, "What's that supposed to mean?"

To which he responded "You'll see!"

I wandered back out to the street, where I had a sense of gathering hue and cry. One of the people on the street examined the place I'd been splashed and said, "That's acid, see!"

Looking, I saw that that the area did seem to be somewhat scorched.

He redirected my attention to stains on my hands where I'd been clutching at the splashed area.




...all in all, I'd say it was a dream of extremely good omen, except the part where I wrapped myself in the cover from the settee. I shouldn't have done that...

The other night, I dreamed that teenagers had attained technology that could do what Harry Potter's magic might accomplish if it really existed. They could materialize anywhere they wanted, with gadgets that could punch holes in time and space. They could be in more than one places at a time. This creeped me out, but the upside was that they thought me too boring to spend time with, so they left for someplace more exciting.

Very dear Pau;.

well congratulations my friend. that is obviously when my computer went into a decline. !!

I am going to read through the whole of this lovely post and hope to find out exactly what you have been up to.
How wonderful if you retirement could possibly mean that you could pay a visit to all of your friends across the pond. !!

With affection and I am now going to enjoy reading the rest of the first heady period of your retirement.

Christiane
AR80

thursday 9th September 2010 5.30 BST

DEar Frank,

Welocome to our merrie band of friends. When i read your age I thought to myself - well here is someone who is really of my vintage, I shall write to him. !!

I know I am older, but it is nice to have someone around who is nearly as old as I am. !!

So gladyou enjoyed your trip to the States. What a nice brother in law you have. I would dearly love to travel again, but my only ho0e of staying alive longer is I believe not to move out of my flat.!!. I have done quite enough wandering in my life thank you very much.

I have read your home page, and your trip to the States sounds grand. I hope you will write about it.
Go well,

Christiae
AlsoRan80

Thursday 9th september, 2010 6.10 BST

AlsoRan80, good to see you back. Computer trouble all over, seems to hit with every Java update, system wide.

"How wonderful if you retirement could possibly mean that you could pay a visit to all of your friends across the pond"

Hi, Christiane. Welcome back! I'll see what I can do about visiting, though I'm still figuring out what's affordable on my new pension. I don't receive as much as I did when I was working.

Hi Christiane; Hi Paul,
I was retired so long ago I have almost forgotten how awful work was. Now it is just a dream, hopefully an interesting and original one. If I shut my eyes I can recall the time that I could have ruled the world, but was just too lazy to get up that morning.