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

Time for a lesson my precious, lest ye run away with the wrong idea. These BBC boards, the whole hootoo dna thing really is full of surprises. Most of them nice. But it is very helpful to learn your way around a bit. For example, if I just give you a link to a thread then how do you know which page, which message to look at? You don't, unless I tell you. But, have a look at this link: http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/mble/F2712585?thread=4848718?show=1&skip=3 See? I've identified a specific message. Try another: http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/mble/F2712585?thread=4844517?show=1&skip=12 That's one more specific. How do I do that? Look in the link for the 'F' number. That identifies the 'Forum' or the specific 'board' as we call it. Still, it's easier to remember 'F' as 'Forum' After that is the thread number or as we call it, the conversation - see that? The ?thread######## Now here's the good bit. We want to 'show' only 1. And we want to skip all those which came before so we show the right 1. Let's try what we've learned with a third and look at the url before you click on it: http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/mble/F2712585?thread=4755897?show=1&skip=4 OK, now try it with one more: http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/mble/F2712585?thread=4846479?show=1&skip=5 See how these work to identify specific posts? Good, isn't it? There are other good things for another time so make sure you hang around long enough to learn them.? OG

Marvellous, OG!

You have your unique and innovative ways of saying things. Frankly, in the beginning, I had no idea what lesson I was going to learn, but the moment I clicked on the first link and laid my eyes on the message there, I realised what it was all about!

You would agree, though, that that wasn't a silly question, really. Between you and me, I still have some niggling doubts you know. Don't know if I'll be able to overcome this ominous feeling. Oh, never mind! I think I'll deal with it somehow.

You take care of yourself and it was fun to read you today on the A/Q' board!

Minnie.

One more thing, OG.

It'd be really nice if you could tell me about this "Gay Whale" thing. What exactly is it about? I'm afraid I've missed Robert's point completely. I've never heard of something like this in the context of globalisation, but I suppose the comment wasn't really related to globalisation. Please shed some light.

Thanks.

Don't overlook the 'lost' msg I left for you the other day.

The boards can be fun. It used to be that they usually were. It's harder to find fun in Bedlam. I took the comment from SoCal simply as general agreement that while one should reject criticism of globalisation one should equally not assume all is right in the world and each issue should be judged on merit. I don't always understand him and think occasionally I misunderstand him. In this whale thing he is for sure making sideways comment about gays, homophobes, pressure groups of all kinds. His comments are virtually ALWAYS related to the topic in hand. But he's as clever as we think and it isn't always obvious what the topic is! Just have fun!

I loved Jay's Royal allusion! Now I'll go back and have a look at your earlier response...

Not a bit silly. Fear is fear, danger present or not.

People are different. Everyone says that but few seem to have any useful idea of what it means or what difference is should make to them but doesn't.

You seem to be a person who cares what others think of you. Nothing wrong in that. Hard, though, because it makes you prey to the whim of others.

I'm one of the fortunate few who gives not a jot what others think, I just plod along trying to do the best I can with what I have.

That you could speak of it with someone here, in a not altogether private forum, is positive. Let's just hope as time goes by your experience will allow you to view your place in the world in a fairer more constant light. It is a place full of fools. Thank your lucky stars you aren't ALWAYS among them, that's at least as good as any of us can do.

OG

Thanks for explaining things in detail, OG. I’m grateful to you.


"It is a place full of fools. Thank your lucky stars you aren't ALWAYS among them"

Which means SOMETIMES I am! How do you know that, OG? I thought I was the only one who knew and hence it was a well-kept secret. Now all I can think of is “great minds think alike”---no matter in which part of the world they are!


I liked the expression “put the wood in the hole”. I’ll tell you how we use it. It’s a way of saying, “Shut the door, will you?” and if no one pays attention then: “or were you born in a field, mate?”. But what were you implying when you used it in that thread? My guess is you were probably referring to the info about “Julius Caesar” I had given out. Perhaps you wanted to say how come I chose the ‘LE’ and not the ‘hootoo’ to share this piece of info.

The other possibility could be: your way of telling me why had I not removed the ‘h2g2’ thread titled “lost and....?” from my ‘list of discussions’? It's a dead giveaway as far as my ‘h2g2’ personal space is concerned---not that anybody would be interested in it any way even if they had the address.

So which one is it, OG? Or would you say “none of the above, my friend; I’m afraid you’re dead wrong!”

Please let me know.

And now it’s Learners’ Lounge all the way for you, eh? I see many people are already happy to participate in constructive discussions and are asking language related questions, as they know you and others are there to help them out. That’s a good sign I would say. Maybe the closure of the ‘LE’ board will not hit the learners as hard as we think it would.

I’m thoroughly enjoying The Bard. I’ve listened to the audio version of “Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears…….” and on and on it goes. Superb audio drama I must say, OG!

It's quite late here. I’m off to bed now. You can have some and to enjoy your evening.


Best regards,

Minnie.


PS. I’ll answer the ‘lost and…’ thread very soon. I’m thinking hard about something!

PPS. “Patience of a saint”---- hardly! I can bet my bottom dollar that you'd agree!

Re the 'wood in the hole' yes, of course you understood the meaning perfectly. But the reason is none of the above. I wasn't being quite that devious! I was simply commenting on the fact that the subsequent post by the guy following you was from principal pest. OTMR has it exactly right. Any response to any of them is fuel to the flame. I've tried every way, trying to treat them as real learners. But 3 of the 4 I gave you are simply Internet trolls. (HC47242 is in a different category - knowledgable and well meaning but makes too many mistakes with too much authority.) The subject of such trolls is quite well researched and some of the results of that research can be found here
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Troll_%28Internet%29

DNFTT = do not feed the troll. Don't respond in any way. I say this not because I think they are nasty evil people because I happen to know that some (It is a very small some, but it is some.) are not evil at all but are in fact only mentally ill. No, I say it because there are no winners and can be no winners in the game they play.
_______________
Of course you're sometimes among the fools! We all are. The trick is to climb out and remember how it was you fell in. That works till next time. As a very good friend used to say, show me the man who never made a mistake and I'll show you a man who never did anything. I've done quite a few things and because of that I know it's inevitable one of these days I'm gonna make my mistake - there's just no way I can avoid it!

On the subject of well-kept secrets and great minds here's food for thought which of course you may have consumed and digested years ago: XX "I wonder why so many people for so many centuries thought the world was flat and everything revolved around it!" YY "Because it looked as if it was like that!" XX "Oh! I wonder what it would have looked like if the world was round and in orbit around the sun!" (Actually, Aristarchus of Samos, a Greek and Seleucus of Seleucia, Babylon, two or three centuries BC knew and published a more accurate description which itself says something interesting about secrets!)

I don't intend to stay long in the Learner's Lounge. It will either get going or it will fail. Either way, it won't need me so why hang around? Who wants to do the same thing for ever?

There's no question The Bard could write! I love the bits and pieces I've read. I've never been able to get my head into the details of the storylines and I think that's mostly because they're historical fiction. It's also true that most of the really interesting people I've known over the years have been far more familiar with his works than I am. Clue, somewhere!

You don't need the patience of a saint! You just need enough for the moment. More is a waste!Oh! Oh! Wait!


Thanks!

OG