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

Ah – that explains why I couldn't find any pictures. I'll look forward to seeing some photos later.

I hope the weather didn't make bird spotting difficult and that you enjoyed the classic car show. Were there any Jaguars there? Hopefully at the start of next month I'll be going to the annual Isle of Wight Steam Railway's 1940s weekend, although that's never had a flypast. Apparently the Spitfire that crashed on its way last year has been repaired and should be there again this year.

So what's your latest Futurelearn course on?

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I sent you some pictures

Luckily it was "nice weather for ducks" so we saw the Little Egrets and Cattle Egrets that were on Springwatch last night as well as the Avocets

There was just one Jag at the car show, and sadly it wasn't shown off to best advantage as the bonnet was open so we couldn't see the badge. I took a photo anyway, and it might come in useful There were plenty of Aston Martins and Lotuses though, as well as cars like the ones my dad had in the past that he enjoyed reminiscing about

I hope you do get to see the Spitfire this year

This Futurelearn course is the second part of the other one, so all about team building and leadership. Very interesting so far, as micromanagement has been mentioned and will be covered in more detail soon, as well as other available styles.

I've got more forms to do tonight, but I might have time to say hello to Cleverbot before I log off...

Thanks for the photos – I appreciate you taking time out from fighting files to send me them. It looks like it was a lovely day, even if the background looks a bit like a building site – did you appear in the local press and everything? Whereabouts were you? How did it come about - were you nominated or did you apply? Tell me more!

Sadly I didn't get to watch 'Springwatch' – I spent my time ironing (I normally iron on Sunday evenings, but felt too tired last weekend when I got back home) and also did some sewing repairs on a shirt and a pair of shorts. I also watched 'Gremlins 2: The New Batch' while ironing. The children have found my wife's Gizmo toy from 'Gremlins' and think he is really cute and our daughter in particular is very fond of him. So we were trying to see if there are scenes in the film we can show them that are age-appropriate and not scary.

You'll have to let me know what they say about micro-managing.

I hope you do get a chance to chat to Cleverbot (only the agreed ten questions, remember!) but if not we've got plenty of time to get it prepared. My writing this quiz series for has really cut down the amount of h2g2 writing I'm doing at the moment, and there are some entries I'd like to write. I also considered doing an update on the Crazy Golf Courses entry as it is a bit out of date now, but it is one of the few Isle of Wight entries that's not by me. And talking of out-of-date entries, the new series of 'Doctor Who' means that about a half dozen Doctor Who entries need to be updated too…

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It was very serendipitous, that the event was organised by my local council when I worked there, so I saw the leaflets when they were hot off the press as my colleague made them. I had to be nominated (my parents did my nomination) but I was successful as I was considered to be someone who is "influential" in the local area As well as being a disabled person in employment, I volunteer for a few things and also do a bit of work in Equality and Diversity, so that all counted.

The event took place in the town - the morning relay ran from the council building to the new local college (which sadly hadn't quite finished being built in 2012). In the afternoon I received the Flame and then the second relay went round the college and into the auditorium where the flame was presented to the Mayor and there were speeches, dancing and sport demonstrations! An excellent day indeed

Good idea to watch Gremlins 2 first - your daughter wouldn't like the toy so much if she got it wet, indeed...

In yesterday's discussion in the course micromanaging was not people's favourite style - it doesn't help with the 4 Rs of job satisfaction (Responsibility, Reasons, Relationships and Reward) and a number of people mentioned they had lost self-confidence when restricted to doing tasks that were very prescriptive. Another unpopular style was the football manager Alex Ferguson's technique "if a good player doesn't fit in, sell them" - people preferred to try to find out why the player wasn't fitting in first before 'selling them'! Popular styles were "supportive", where a manager would delegate tasks but be available to support staff with problems, and "coaching/mentoring", where a manager would work with staff to help them develop new skills for the benefit of the organisation as a whole.

Your Post Isle of Wight Quiz series is a good idea - like QI, you've got a way to go, though, so no wonder it's keeping you busy! I need to finish my next Entry for Peer Review in June, because there is a link to Create - it should be doable, but it might end up being close to the end of the month, as I still have more forms to fill in and need to get motivated with them first... Procrastination may help with this...

And yes, once an Entry has been written, an update often becomes necessary... Good luck with what you decide to do

Nothing like being in the right place at the right time, eh? I'm still very impressed.

Today I went up to Southampton Common to collect my race pack for tomorrow's Gung-Ho fun, and when I was there the guy who handed me the pack looked and sounded remarkably like Alex, the former CBeebies presenter. I had great fun eating my lunch and reading my book in the park as they set up and test-inflated all the obstacles, and when I got back to work I thought 'I wonder what Alex Winter from CBeebies is doing now he's not on CBeebies', and lo and behold he's set-up Gung-Ho the inflatable obstacle course company, so it was him. And I didn't have my camera with me – a photo of him would have looked perfect on the CBeebies Panto entry…

I've started looking at some of those updates, and the series hasn't finished yet… Good luck with your next entry, I look forward to hopefully reading it soon! Have a great weekend.

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That's good that you got to see the obstacles being set up! Impressive to meet the owner, too, and recognise him from the TV! Reminds me a bit of the time I saw a bloke jogging, and said, "He looks like Robbie Fowler" - turned out it was him! He didn't stop, but I found that out because someone else knew that he lived near there, so your encounter with Alex is much more impressive!

I've made good progress with the forms, but the Futurelearn course is taking longer than the 3 hours a week it was supposed to... I'm only half way through Week 1 and Week 2 starts today... I guess it isn't too much of a problem as I'm really enjoying it so far, which is the main thing, and I'm learning loads.

I had a productive weekend overall, as well as going A87833875 to enjoy a concert and some art. In particular I liked the Henry Moore paintings from the Isle of Wight and a textile art exhibition

Good to see you made progress with Doctor Who updates as well as running around in the heat... I need to make more progress on the course tonight, but I shall hopefully be able to find at least a few minutes to have a look at my Entry for Create and get that moving I need to book my summer holiday, too...

Robbie Fowler
Google

Sorry, I must admit I've no interest or knowledge of sport, but as he's played for England that's impressive. The only footballer I think I'd recognise would be the great Matt le Tissier, and I know 'cos I've seen him twice. I think I told you about the time on the bridge? Oh, and Gary Linnekar of course.

When we went back the following day to do the run, Alex Winter was there hosting the event. He happily posed for a photo or two with the kids, so they've met him too. Apparently when I was off running the course he was mobbed by a group of screaming teenage girls who were excited to meet him, but I've not found anyone at work who has heard of him!

I often found that that some Futurelearn courses take longer than the times they say – particularly if you want to be thorough and go through everything, take part in the conversations etc. As you say, enjoying it is the important thing, and getting out what you want out of it.

I keep meaning to finish off the entry I planned to write while I was on holiday, but writing entries for is keeping me busy. Which is probably for the best as Peer Review doesn't need to be clogged of my entries. I do intend to do more subbing, though, so that's next. (Talking of which) Still, the entry should involve a mention of artists including Turner, as well as poets and a princess.

I'm glad you had a productive weekend – Sunday was much more relaxing than Saturday and I wasn't buried beneath foam, as we went to Moors Valley Country Park. It's about 30 miles away along the motorway and dual carriageway but it took us 2 hours to get there as it is the road to Bournemouth, which was clogged by Londoners heading to the beach.

Good luck with booking your holiday!

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I'm not a massive football fan these days - the Robbie Fowler era at Liverpool was the peak period, as I enjoyed visiting stadium museums and went to a couple of matches that weren't overfull - but I still like Match of the Day on a Saturday night so I know a few people's faces. Robbie has had a few injuries in his time, so his nose is particularly distinctive!

You got excellent photos of Alex Very impressive!

Yes, the Futurelearn courses are a mixed bag. I started the Team Building one late, and finished the first 2 weeks in the space of 1 week so I caught up easily. I started this Leadership one on time luckily, otherwise I would be finishing it very late - I did well with it last night, completing 25% of the week in one session. The last 25% should be even quicker as it is mostly a summary of the week. Week 2 looks good, too, all about Personal Development Planning, so I suspect it may also take more than 3 hours to complete... Very educational, though - I'm glad I'm doing it.

Glad you had a good day out on the Sunday, but that is a shame about the traffic... Not good on a hot day, but I bet your children enjoyed the park even more after that...

I'm crossing my fingers about the holiday situation - I liked the sound of that train event you ticked on FB, so if I could get the time off I would like to go, and I might see you and your family there, maybe...

Ah – I never really followed football or cricket; the Isle of Wight doesn't have a national team so it never seemed particularly relevant, and they don't broadcast the Island Games – which is a shame, especially as the biannual international event starts this weekend. Gotland is due to host this year. When I was at school we got a whole new sports track because the Isle of Wight was hosting the Island Games.

Yes, I managed to get a photo or two of Alex, as well as with the kids. So even though he definitely isn't doing a pantomime, I have a relevant photo I can use for the CBeebies Pantos entry (Oh no you've not! Oh yes I have!). He was very friendly and only too happy to pose for photos with children, which you'd expect for someone who played Prince Charming in CBeebies' highest ever rated programme. I'm convinced that he read out our birthday cards for the children that we'd sent in live on CBeebies at least twice, though I doubt he'd recognise them. He also says 'Gung ho!' and 'Yazoo' far more in real life than he did on the telly.

Sadly it is unlikely that I'll be at that train event – I ticked it on the hope that if lots of people show interest they'll repeat it in the future. I was also wondering that if the engine's supposed to be there on Saturday and Sunday, it might just be around on Friday evening or Monday morning. That weekend I've agreed to do another walking weekend for Peregrin, as everyone involved enjoyed it last year. Lots seems to be happening that weekend – if I wasn't walking I'd considered signing up for either the Wantage2Winchester Alfred to Alfred bike ride – which is cycling from the statue of King Alfred in Wantage to the statue of King Alfred in Winchester, and Winchester also has the 'Pedal Paddle Pace Race' that day, which is a 5k run, 20k cycle and 2k canoeing race around the city. That's the second year in a row I've wanted to sign up for them but not been able to – I'll have to try to persuade them to change the date next year. Then the weekend after is the h2g2 meet-up in London, but I doubt I'll be able to get away with a trip to London if I've spent the weekend before camping.

I hope that my wife would take the children to see the train in my absence – but it wouldn't interest her. Still, if you're around then I'll be about during the week, just not the weekend.

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Ah, thanks for letting me know about the event. I might go by myself, then, depending what plans my Southampton family have that weekend... I'll let you know my whereabouts on other days and we can hopefully meet up It's definite ice cream weather today, but we'll see what it is like then...

That is excellent that the event for Peregrin is happening again So difficult when there is more than one thing on one day, though - amazing how often that seems to happen, and other days are completely empty... Have you canoed much before, or would you have had to train if you were available for that event?

I'm hoping to go to Manchester rather than London this time - it's years since I've been to MOSI, but I had a good time then, so I expect it is at least as good if not better now - I enjoyed your Entry about the last MOSI meet.

Ah yes, c'est la vie when it comes to trying to fit everything in – and no matter what you do, there never seems to be time enough to spend with family and friends and all the nearest and dearest, alas. And we'll meet again, don't know where, don't know when, but I know we'll meet again some sunny day, as Vera Lynn famously put it. Apart from that weekend I should be free – unless my wife makes unexpected changes. Since the start of the year I've had this evening booked out for me to do an RR10, but no, she's changed it so she's out and I'm staying home. Oh well…

You're right, it is definitely ice-cream weather again – been either side of 30 for about a week now – I'm melting, I'm melting! The rattling greenhouse that is our office doesn't have air conditioning and I wish I had an oscillating fan.

I used to hire waveskis (cross between a canoe and surfboard) when I was a child down at Sandown Bay, but not really done canoeing that often as they can't cope with the waves of a beach. I imagine it would be about the same – I would only be doing it for fun and not being competitive. I'd be left way behind at the start for the bike ride, for though I cycle a lot, my bike's a cheap and heavy hybrid and would be instantly overtaken by anyone half as fit as me on a reasonable racing bike. Still would be fun, though. And different. I'm trying to find new challenges, especially scary ones that'll put me off comfort eating.

Let me know what MOSI's like. I know that a few years ago it was announced that due to the new Ordsall Chord railway line between Manchester Piddadilly and Manchester Victoria, the line MOSI has run on would be in the path of construction leaving it only a tiddly bit left. So that's sad. Still, I hope you enjoy being there – is the meet in MOSI again?

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That is challenging, 30 degrees without even an oscillating fan for company... I'm very lucky that our building is falling to bits at the moment but the air con is functioning so we can worry about the rest later...

Ah, that is a good philosophy to just have fun doing different activities and not worrying about the time taken. It fascinates me how you and I are so similar in many ways, and yet completely opposite in others... I have the tendency to comfort starve, so I am aware I have lost weight recently what with one thing and another, but I sympathise totally with your efforts to find distractions and it is no wonder we get on well with each other Good luck with it all

I am interested to see what MOSI looks like now - I hadn't heard about the railway changes, but when I went last time I wasn't as interested in the industry as much as the science, so I will pay more attention to it now. The part of the meet I can get to is at MOSI, and hopefully it won't be too much of a challenge for me to find the others after they have finished the walking tour... I will have my mobile phone with me, though, so that will help like it did in London last time!

The good news about this heat is that the wind isn't howling at the moment. It's a little cooler today, as long as it stays dry I'll be happy. I'm airing my tent out at the moment – it got a little damp when stored last year and there are a few black spots I suspect might by mould spores on it. I've erected the inner layer and sprayed it with white vinegar – not sure how you demould a tent, but when I looked up 'remove mould from fabric' it said soak with white vinegar and put in the washing machine, so I've done half the steps. The trouble with spraying it with white vinegar is that I really fancy a chippy now.

Yep, we've definitely got a lot in common but are also different in other ways. It keeps life interesting in that we've got different interests but are able to share them in a way the other can relate to. You know what they say in that if everyone was identical, the would be a much duller place – although I can't help but feel that if everyone was the same as me there'd be a lot less crime and more on the telly.

The Uni here has achieved its aim of being Bronze http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-40356423 - did I tell you about the VC's aim of cutting staff in order to maintain a bronze ranking while making more money, rather than aim to be a better-ranked institution?

Let me know what MOSI is like now – I didn't get a chance to see all of it when there last, alas, so I concentrated on the Industry rather than the science I can’t believe I've not been to an official meet since 2014. Which reminds me, I missed my 18th h2g2 anniversary.

How is your work/interviews and Futurelearn going? Our quiz is scheduled for 10th July, so a bit longer to wait than I was expecting, but probably because I've overloaded with quizzes lately

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Sorry to hear about the spots on the tent, but the vinegar should stop any mould indeed - I guess the washing machine part is mainly to stop things smelling like a chippy

Thanks for that link - I hadn't heard how everyone got on in the new rankings. Some fascinating results indeed... I'm slightly amazed that the uni here got Silver, but I am rather amused that Liverpool only got Bronze. I had a good time there when I was 11 and won a maths competition, but when I was 18 I discovered that there was no wheelchair access to the lecture theatre, so I chose a different uni instead... I have been back since, and it is better now, but it took a disappointingly long time to get there... The VC's aim is disappointing, too - that kind of attitude isn't likely to encourage people to spend more money there... Plus the rankings show that it is possible for any uni to go for gold, no matter how big, small, old or new it is...

Futurelearn is going well - I finished Week 1 on Wednesday, and managed to get a third of the way through Week 2 last night, which is good. They like to use football managers as case studies! As well as Alex Ferguson the other day, we looked at Brian Clough, who worked well with players as he got results but in the media he came across as a bit of a dictator, and he was also violent at times, which is not to be emulated. Last night I did SWOT analysis, which was enjoyable - I've done that before, but got different results in different contexts so it is a useful exercise.

Thanks for letting me know about the scheduling for the quiz. No problem - it is good to know there will be other quizzes in the meantime

I hope you have a good weekend. I've got my quarterly haircut booked in and I hope to get some h2g2 work done as well as trying to finish Week 2. I'll see how I get on, but whatever I do, it will be interesting stuff

Sorry to hear about the spots on the tent, but the vinegar should stop any mould indeed - I guess the washing machine part is mainly to stop things smelling like a chippy

Thanks for that link - I hadn't heard how everyone got on in the new rankings. Some fascinating results indeed... I'm slightly amazed that the uni here got Silver, but I am rather amused that Liverpool only got Bronze. I had a good time there when I was 11 and won a maths competition, but when I was 18 I discovered that there was no wheelchair access to the lecture theatre, so I chose a different uni instead... I have been back since, and it is better now, but it took a disappointingly long time to get there... The VC's aim is disappointing, too - that kind of attitude isn't likely to encourage people to spend more money there... Plus the rankings show that it is possible for any uni to go for gold, no matter how big, small, old or new it is...

Futurelearn is going well - I finished Week 1 on Wednesday, and managed to get a third of the way through Week 2 last night, which is good. They like to use football managers as case studies! As well as Alex Ferguson the other day, we looked at Brian Clough, who worked well with players as he got results but in the media he came across as a bit of a dictator, and he was also violent at times, which is not to be emulated. Last night I did SWOT analysis, which was enjoyable - I've done that before, but got different results in different contexts so it is a useful exercise.

Thanks for letting me know about the scheduling for the quiz. No problem - it is good to know there will be other quizzes in the meantime

I hope you have a good weekend. I've got my quarterly haircut booked in and I hope to get some h2g2 work done as well as trying to finish Week 2. I'll see how I get on, but whatever I do, it will be interesting stuff





I'd quite like to keep my tent as it is a classic 20th Century tent, they don't make tents like it any more as they're all dome tents, not the classic ridge tent. Admittedly the ridge tent is at least 5 times heavier than a comparable dome, but my tent and I have been

Yes, it's quite funny the way they've done the rankings, with a fair number of the Russell Group unis ranking silver or bronze and not Gold as they'd all expect. It's just a shame that our VC has decided that he wants our uni to be Bronze and rather than attempt to make us qualify for silver, is determined to cut costs to keep us bronze, but more profitable.

I hope you have a good weekend – I could do with a haircut too, but this weekend is quite busy. Tomorrow my wife's taking us somewhere for something as she's doing an away day course thing and she volunteered me to look after children while we're there – not that I know who these children are. Still, it is north of Portsmouth somewhere so I said I'll go, but I'll want a lift to a Parkrun first. On Sunday Southampton has City Ride, the new name for Sky Ride as the sponsor's changed, and for the first time we're all doing it as a family. As we can't fit all the bikes in the car I cycled to work on my wife's bike today; that was an odd experience, it wasn't at all comfortable. Just like wearing someone else's shoes. I'm leaving the bike in the uni's secure bike shed and will cycle here on my bike on Sunday. Tonight I'll be catching the train home as I'm off to the cinema to see 'Wonder Woman'. I'm hoping it'll be good enough to convince Hollywood studio bosses that films starring women can be profitable and bring attitudes to sexual equality into the 1960s…


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Yes, I like a good proper canvas tent, but I know they are rather heavy, especially when damp... I need to remind myself to send you the picture of the Home Guard bell tent I saw the other weekend

I hope you had a good weekend, especially with the family cycle ride. I hope you enjoyed the cinema too. I went out for dinner on Friday night, which was very pleasant - a bit of an effort not to go straight home after a long week at work, but worth it when you get there I also got a decent haircut and finished Week 2 of the course so it was a very satisfying few days

I typically type my replies in Word and then copy/paste them into h2g2 - you might have noticed I copy/pasted what I was replying to too

Thanks for e-mailing me the tent picture – and from pictures of tents I'll mention the tent-pole film that was 'Wonder Woman', which was a very well made example of the superhero subgenre (still a subgenre that comes under 'Science Fiction'). As well as enjoying the film itself, I am also delighted that the film is doing very well financially which means it should be proving to Hollywood studios that not only can films with a largely female cast do well, but also films directed by a female director can be successful too. They should also realise that the reason 'Catwoman' and 'Elektra' flopped wasn't because they had a female main character, but because they were very poor films. It's shocking how limited female roles in Hollywood films have been and so a genre film doing well is actually a big step in the right direction (although of course it still leaves lots of questions with regards actresses providing unachievable standards of appearance, not to mention the armpit hair controversy etc).

I'm glad you had a satisfying weekend with meals out and course completion and everything. Our weekend was enjoyable with both children enjoying the city ride, particularly my daughter who is definitely the most confident on a bike and was cycling the fastest, while my son was quite nervous to begin with but gained in confidence by the end. They both did the whole 8.5K loop.
I definitely need a haircut now, not sure when there'll be time, though…

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Yes, I did notice, and was a bit puzzled at first, thinking I'd double posted somehow! I tend not to copy the text I'm replying to, but I do like writing in a Notepad file and then copying the reply across

That is good that Wonder Woman is doing well at the box office. I had heard about some of the questions about the film, but it is still a step forward so that's something indeed. Can't say I have heard about this armpit hair controversy, but I remember the Julia Roberts one, where the paparazzi got her to wave at them, then photoshopped her armpit to make the hair even more visible than it was in real life... Very odd the things they use to criticise people about

What is a tent pole film? The phrase is very visual, but I'm not sure the pictures I'm imagining match what it means...

Glad you all managed to complete the bike ride - very impressive

I'm subbing Cilla A87888965 - please subscribe. I like how you spell Liverpudlian - like a Liver Puddle rather than a Liver Pool I've made a few tweaks to break up long sentences and I deleted a television from the television programme that was broadcast on television with a television appearance by Ringo Starr I hope it is all still OK for you but let me know if there is anything you'd like me to tweak again.

Ah, I copy the text I'm replying to and then reply to it – hence the example above.
The 'Wonder Woman' trailer attracted criticism on the grounds that when Diana raised her arms up above her head during a battle scene, no armpit hair or trace thereof was visible, and some people thought this was unrealistic. Why that is more unrealistic than the same demi-goddess walking across No Man's Land in the middle of the Great War with the machine-guns, barbed wire, heavy artillery and minefield not even so much as causing a hair on her head to fall out of place I'm uncertain about. Apparently this is sexist, however I can't think of any examples in a recent DC's Extended Universe film in which male characters have displayed armpit hair, so to my knowledge there is a no armpit hair policy being applied equally. Warner apparently released a statement to say that at no point has prominent armpit hair been a defining characteristic of Wonder Woman since she was created in 1941.
What I think the important thing to acknowledge is that 'Wonder Woman' is a better film than the previous films in what is titled DC's Extended Universe: 'Man of Steel', 'Batman vs Superman: Dawn of Justice' and 'Suicide Squad' and it deserves to do well.
I think people know that film studios employ numerous people in hair, make-up and visual effects departments to ensure that the stars look their very best in every second of every shot, which people in everyday life don't. Hopefully the next film in the series will have no plot but have gratuitous shots of both male and female ear and nasal hair instead.

A 'tent-pole film' is an expensive one that is expected to support a film studio and also lots of merchandising concessions, with the studio's fate resting on its success. The idea being that if the film does well, the studio makes lots of money and the companies that have invested in merchandising also do well, but if the tent-pole film does poorly then the studio may well collapse. This is different from a blockbuster in that a blockbuster is by definition a successful film (a blockbuster is one where the queue to see the film goes out the doors to the cinema and stretches beyond the end of the block the cinema is located on, hence the block is 'busted'.)

It looks great to me, thanks – although feel free to add a few more televisions

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How very fascinating, criticising the absence of armpit hair this time... I certainly didn't know about that. Very true that body hair is not a feature for leading men in these films, either...

Thank you for the explanation of the types of films - I didn't know that, either, but it makes sense

I'll send your Entry on its way to the next stage later

Today's task is to investigate the Isle of Wight. I remember saying to you a while ago that there was something that I really would like to see there, but I can't remember what it was now and I couldn't find anything when I searched h2g2 I have the choice of staying in Sandown and Newport. Is that magnificent lift from the clifftop to the beach located in Sandown?