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

Hi,

Well first I have to tell you that I'm posting online because I killed my computer a couple of weeks ago and can't download email from my POP server at the moment. This also makes a convenient excuse for not finishing the sailing ships project.

Actually I've also been hopelessly busy, disorganised, and currently have nowhere to live. I'm at a friend's place today and have managed to tidy up the three existing entries, but the chances of me getting the remaining two online today are slim. I'll try and work them out on paper in the coming week, but as I'll be on a beach in Fiji I can't make any promises.

Hopefully I'll be able to get my act together once I land in New Zealand at the end of the month. Can you give me an extension? Dr Frankenstein has promised me he'll have the laptop back from the dead when he picks me up to go to the airport, so I should be able to retrieve the data that's on there if I have access to electricity.

On a more positive note, I sailed the Star of India this weekend and some friends of mine took some pretty cool shots. Should the account of this be a regular entry or do you think I should talk to Shazz about putting it in the Post?

Well, must go. Bet I get everything finished before you find me a decent sub.

ttfn
SB

LOL! I can't feel sorry for your computer problems, because it sounds like you're having a much better time than I am!

Of course you can have an extension - no problem. And if your recent experiences are of a 'journal' format, I should go for The Post - sounds perfect.

Happy sailing!

Can't feel sorry for me!?!?!

I'm having a better time than you?!?!

You get to be a cyber-god at the hitchhiker's guide to the galaxy - and earn a regular salary - while I have to go out and do all the actual work researching these articles. Do you have any idea how much of my time has been spent pretending to enjoy learning to sail a tall ship? Can you imagine what hardships I endured over the weekend? One can only eat so many meals before being actually forced to turn away chocolate brownies! Plus I had to drink alcohol with the crew to show solidarity. (I hate the stuff, honest)And then there's all that sunshine as well.

Now I have to go and get sand between my toes (yuk), lounge around in yet more sunshine (more yuk), and probably start researching the updates to the scuba diving entry as well. It's a real hard life and I really think you need to send me a new laptop - or at least call compaq and give 'em hell.

Well, enjoy the rain and cold while it lasts. I'll have a word with Mark and see if I can get him to send you out in the field for a while so you have more sympathy for us hard-working buggers in future.

ttfn
SB

PS I'm fairly happy with the intro and history pages as they are. In fact I'll prbably grumble if the subs change them at all. The terminology entry is still a bit, er, well it doesn't flow. I can't seem to get it right and a bit of input there is really needed. Or maybe the graphics people can help?

You're right - I *should* be sent out into the harsh world you describe, if only just to thrash some discipline into me. It'll be 'character-forming' to face the terrors of such a hostile and uncomfortable environment.

I shall have words with the budget people.

Watcha

Well as you didn't turn up at Tavewa I guess that the budget people have no idea how to run an organisation like this either. Still, being massaged with coconut oil by scantily clad young nubiles turned out not to be as bad as I thought it would. It probably wouldn't have helped you learn to appreciate your good fortune in being where you are.

Anyway, I'm now in Loonytuneses homeland (don't tell him) and finally got the laptop up and running last night. All data has disappeared, although some backups may exist in San Diego and the emails are flying as I speak. So, I'll have to restart the remaining entries from scratch. But I am finally *almost* working on them. Do you/peta still have the fotos? I don't think I have copies anywhere.

I'm only getting online at internet cafes right now, but I've set up a hotmail account that picks up my popmail - you can actually send me messages again if you wish. For instance you could write and say "Hey, I've found you a sub...."


yours in the rain
SB

Heh - your hardship continues apace!

Yes - I have all your photos: no worries there.

Enjoy the land of Oz!

Oz?!? Ouch! I'm in kiwi-land.

Was prevented from doing any work on the entries today by a free trip on the R Tucker Thompson - [URL removed by moderator]- do you think it's worth adding to the workload by doing an entry on a modern working ship to compare with the Star of India?

T

It's almost certainly worth it if you can do a good entry. Nice to have some comparison...

I'll be lynched if I get Oz and Nz mixed up!

Turns out that the Loony was in Oz anyway, but that temporary aberration has been resolved and I'll be hooking up with him for a beer between Xmas and New Year. I guess I'll have to ask him to sub the project, as you're studiously ignoring my references to needing one.

I've promised Mikey the whatever that I'll take one last crack at my entry on naked people this week, but I'll be straight back into the project thereafter. I'm finally online properly again, probably, and even have some spare time to start being creative again.

Six months isn't a long time in any case. Sailing are meant to be slow and unreliable, it's part of their charm!

SB