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

Welcome to h2g2. We're rivals in Greebo's quiz then! Don't worry about answering before being accepted as a contestant. That sort of this is bound to happen with the time zones etc. We're all quite friendly here. Just read through a few threads and you'll see.
I notice you've been missed by one of the official 'Aces' who meet and greet newcomers, but you seem to be finding your way around. The Aces page is here:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/h2g2/guide/A214796

Thanks Coelacanth, it is nice to meet you.

And actually, Greebo welcomed me in a way, which is how I found my way to her (his?) contest.

I hope your not too competitive, 'cause I get hives

Oh dear. I'm _very_ competitive!
Greebo is a lady cat, and she loves doughnuts.
Nice to meet you too.

Hello d'Elaphant, Coelacanth said you had not been greeted by an ACE!
However, ou mentioned Greebo said hello, which means you have
So I shall just add in my tuppenceworth too.

Greetings fellow Researcher. Just thought I would drop by and
welcome you to h2g2. It can be a bit daunting at first as there
is much to see and do on h2g2.
I am an ACE or Assistant Community Editor (all be it a new one)
and it is our job to meet and greet new researchers and try and
help them out, so here are a few links to get you going:
(this bit you know )
The ACE's (Assistant Comunity Editors) reside here:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/h2g2/guide/A214796, any problems just ask us by clicking
on this link and posting a message, or click on my name above and
leave a message at my homepage, or just reply to this
What could be easier?

There is a newcomers page here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/h2g2/guide/A5752
Full of good info.

Feel free to browse around and post in any forums you find
interesting.

Also feel free to write an article about anything that interests
you. Use the search facility, just in case someone has already
written it. But don't be disheartened if they have, there is
always room for improvement here. If you see an article that
you feel you could contribute to, write it, then ask an ACE
to have a look at it. If they feel it would add to the existing
entry, then they might suggest you submit it. Of course if you are
not afraid of getting a knockback, submit it anyway. You never know
unless you try
List of Guide Entries that need to be written:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/h2g2/guide/A237241
List of Guide Entries that haven't been written, but should:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/h2g2/guide/A234677

Also if you fancy a coffee and a chat, drop in to
The Aroma Cafe:http://www.bbc.co.uk/h2g2/guide/A202924

The main thing is to have fun!Oh and have a fish

Also If you click on the HG logo top left of page, it will
take you to the main page, with many a link on it!
See you around,
B-17

Oops. Sage advice, B-17. I've already gone and submitted an entry (A396209). I wrote most of it in my first week here, I think. How long before I can expect the knockback?

And is an ACE's knockback gentler than the other kind?


I'll see you around.

*rubs hands in glee*

He he - two Salonistas in one go - I'm beginning to get a bit exhausted visting everyone's user pages...

I'd like both of you to have a look at the GuideML in this entry: A966189

*squats and gives Zeppo a tummy rub*

* to look*

* back, (wondering why doesn't work when does*

T you are so clever!

*waves to d'elaphant*
(mostly in hiding at the moment)

Oh, and d'elephant, I have a mystery question for you. Red or green?

Green, naturally.


What are we talking about, by the way?

?

Ah, Thank you.

And guess what came in the mail today? Thank you again.

Now you need to tell me, is marmite best for breakfast, tea, or late night snack?

Happy belated birthday, early St Patrick's day or you choose what.

The answer to your question would be yes. Breakfast, tea or late night. Whenever you think "I feel like some Marmite" or your body craves vitamin B.

This might help: A184097, especially the bit about not making the mistake of putting too much on.

Children get started on it by having bread and butter strips with Marmite on to dip into a soft boiled egg yolk. These are called Marmite soldiers. My friend who posted the letter (and who obviously didn't get arrested at Newark for Marmite smuggling) likes to spread it on cream cheese on a bagel.

You can't beat the hot buttered toast as far as I'm concerned. So, enjoy it whenever!

It's OK to hate Marmite as well. The slogan here is that you either love it or hate it. There seems to be no middle ground. However, 100% of questioned love it.

My friend is back and said she posted the letter in some kind of mobile Post Office. How do they work? People are quite happy about handing letters over to someone driving what she described as a milk float? However, it sounds a great idea!

Mobile post office? That's something new to me. Perhaps she bumped into a mail carrier in his truck, many of whom will gladly accept mail directly so you don't have to drop it in the mailbox. The mail trucks are usually white. The mailboxes are always blue.

I haven't tried the Marmite yet. We are expecting snow tomorrow, and I'm figuring it will make a good snow day snack.

I shall quiz her more closely on this mobile Post Office! Is this what you have? http://www.cleancities.com/new_homepage_imgs/mail_truck.jpg
Are they electric powered?

Our milk floats are electric powered and usually white so it sounds like she did find the mail carrier in his truck. For some milk float pictures look at: http://www.milkfloats.org.uk/random2.html
The second one down is delivering parcels but I can't say I've ever seen one that looks that futuristic - or that delivers the post. The one that has just stopped in my street is more like the 1st and 3rd.

For more on the fascinating history of milk floats:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/the_economy/401934.stm

We have thick fog this morning. But I don't care. It's still Half Term so I don't need to go anywhere early. Also, Sunshine and Moonlight seems to be operating on NY time which means getting up for breakfast at noon. They've only seen a morning once all week!

I shall quiz her more closely on this mobile Post Office! Is this what you have? http://www.cleancities.com/new_homepage_imgs/mail_truck.jpg
Are they electric powered?

Our milk floats are electric powered and usually white so it sounds like she did find the mail carrier in his truck. For some milk float pictures look at: http://www.milkfloats.org.uk/random2.html
The second one down is delivering parcels but I can't say I've ever seen one that looks that futuristic - or that delivers the post. The one that has just stopped in my street is more like the 1st and 3rd.

For more on the fascinating history of milk floats:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/the_economy/401934.stm

We have thick fog this morning. But I don't care. It's still Half Term so I don't need to go anywhere early. Also, Sunshine and Moonlight seems to be operating on NY time which means getting up for breakfast at noon. They've only seen a morning once all week!

Yes, those are the standard postal trucks. None of them are electric, although that would make great sense. Milk trucks all but disappeared around here when I was child, but there are still some. I was surprised to see one delivering milk on a regular basis to someone in my old apartment complex. At that point it had been at least 20 years since I had seen one, and I didn't know there were any left.

All our local milk links seem to be broken this morning except for this one http://www.pacpubserver.com/new/business/1-30-01/delivery.html but that is not the truck I saw. The truck I saw is now owned by Parmalat, and I don't know if tbey continued the delivery business.

We also used to have milk machines. Much like coke machines, you put in your money and out dropped a gallon of milk in a huge cardboard carton that would explode all over your feet as often as not.

There were street vending milk machines when I was a child, certainly in the London area, although I've asked friends of my age and they don't remember. They would dispense a triangular carton of milk, but nowhere near a gallon! Small, maybe half a pint.

The electric milk floats are very slow, but also very quiet, as they arrive early in the morning. Imagine a giant golf buggy and you get the idea. I used to live backing onto a dairy and during the day there were rows of floats lined up charging, but I never used to be woken by them leaving the depot in the early hours. The bottles are glass so they make more noise clanking about than the float itself!

Doorstep delivery has been under threat for a few years. It's cheaper to buy large cartons from the supermarket and that's what most people do but the floats are still seen every day. The picture in your link looks more like a truck than our floats. Its a shame they don't have many left.

Oh! Triangular milk cartons! Finally someone who remembers them!
People look oddly at me when I claim that there *were* triangular ones (in Sweden) when I was a kid, but nobody else seems to remember them!