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

Hi Jeremy!

Glad you've decided to join Hootoo after all. Welcome! You know where to find me - there's a link to my personal page from your friends list; alternatively, if you click on my name, you'll be magically transported to my page.

Enjoy and have fun!


Far.

PS: Been around the Musicians' Guild?

Thanks for getting me here and for being such a wonderful guide! I'm having a good time exploring the place, though it's still a little daunting in its size. I dropped by the Musician's Guild and your personal space, and tried to figure out what the deal is with Nighthoover

Thanks again, and I'm sure I'll see you around, probably more often than you'd like.

Hi Jeremy,

Glad to see that you're settling in nicely Perhaps you should ask 2legs about prophet Nighthoover, seeing as he's the head priest and all - but be prepared to join the cult or suffer!!!


[quote]I'm sure I'll see you around, probably more often than you'd like[/quote]

Not to worry - I'm always happy to help newbies out around here! (Especially if they're friends I've managed to wheedle into signing up in the first place...)

I can see it now, my first real action around here will be joining a cult. Oh well, I hope they at least pick a good flavor of Kool-aid.

I'm glad you won't mind my constant annoyance too much, and I'm thankful for your wheedling

On a random and unrelated note, laksa for lunch!

Laksa for lunch - again!!! Gosh, you're *really* putting all that cilantro to good use, aren't you? I hope to goodness your brother has equally as resilient a stomach as you and you dad.

So you want to join a cult, eh? You might want to consider the Thingites (A516647. Assuming you can remember all the new names for the days of the week). Sporks are cooler than Kool-Aid! Too bizarre for you? Try the Musicians' Guild (U150368), or maybe the H2G2 Game Addicts Support Group (A1041625). Heck, you could always pay my microbe HQ (A1001854) a visit as well!

Check this out: A630019.



PS: Did you know that to be a real, *hardcore* member of hootoo, you have to come up with some way for your user number to add up to 42? (I hope you know why...) A bit of a challenge there! Mine is 20 x (6/3) + 0! + 0! =42.

Indeed I am. My brother has stuck to eating less exotic foods lately, like sandwiches and pizza, but Dad and I are enjoying the change of pace, so to speak. If I keep it up, I might eventually become a decent cook .

I was taking a look at the Thingites yesterday, actually. You're a crazy lot . I'd have a hard time keeping up with the days, but that titanium spork is looking very appealing compared to my plastic one. Nothing is too bizarre for me . I'd join the Musician's Guild, but I don't qualify as a musician by a long shot. If I visit the Microbe HQ, you aren't going to slip anything in my coffee, are you?

In a desperate attempt to fit in, even though I only have a vague idea of why (I've only just started reading the book), I came up with: 7^0 * 9^3 + 7 + 8 = 42 (provided I can still do basic math).

By the way, Lindberg is nothing short of awe-inspiring! I was just listening to Csardas again, and I can't stop my jaw dropping. You have good taste

*Me*, slip stuff into your coffee? Oh non non non! Erm... unless you mean sugar. And creamer. And coffee. And bacilli.... oops, that came out wrong. No! no, I wouldn't, why?

You didn't happen to read the Musicians' Guild requirements, did you? All that's important is that our applicants love music. (It doesn't matter if they tend to sing in five different keys simultaneously, or don't know the difference between a viola and a violet)

And yeah, Lindberg is good! Erm, check your PM tomorrow... Oh, and by the way, I've heard Csardas (the same version) played on a rotary tuba as well - the Japanese band that came over to perform with us last year played it (tuba solo + band accompaniment).

[quote] If I keep it up, I might eventually become a decent cook [/quote]

In which case I must certainly pay you a visit sometime. Once I'm completely confident that you won't accidentally kill me, that is.

Sugar and creamer? Eww... I think I'd prefer the deadly bacteria! Nothing but black coffee for me, thanks (besides the occasional cappucino).

I'm still listening to Lindberg, and I'm still amazed . Makes me want to dig the ol' banged-up trombone out of storage. It's probably nigh impossible for me to play anything that sounds half-way decent anymore though. I can't even begin to imagine Csardas on a rotary tuba... that's just insane! Maybe someone forgot to tell the band that tubas aren't supposed to have solos I've never even heard of such a thing, but I'm very curious as to how it sounded. Interesting...

As for paying me a visit, be careful, you'd end up getting dragged around all through the mountains (which reminds me, I may have a picture or two somewhere if you're interested). If it's any consolation though, I'm sure that if I do kill you it won't be an accident... err... ouch, Freud-ed. Besides, you'd have to sample all the wonderful Southern cuisine, where "good food" is most anything fried and greasy, where pizza and beer is gourmet dinner, and where Asian buffets have to serve fried chicken, macaroni, corn, and the like to keep from alienating all the people who consider sweet and sour chicken with an egg roll to be an exotic meal. I suppose it isn't too bad though, Mom works at a school further out where Raccoon, Squirrel, and Possum are considered normal fare.

I hope I haven't scared you off

P.S. - Go to bed

Sweet and sour chicken, with an egg roll - too alien?! My good Jeremy, should you ever come around to these parts, we'd have to haul you off by the ear for frogs and venison! And as for the grease and pizza and beer - surely all that tromping through the mountains will cancel out some of their detrimental effect upon one's health?

[Note: I went mountain-climbing with a bunch of friends several years ago. It was just after the rainy season, and the ground was pretty soggy... well, anyway, I managed to horribly ruin my right ankle - I think I tore/damaged half the ligaments and tendons - which means that it's unable to handle much strain now, and has the tendency to collapse. SO unless I'm expected to hop up mountains on one leg... ]

Out of curiosity, what make is your trombone? And are you sure there's anything left of it besides rust?

Scary, no? I live in a world where sushi is the epitomy of exotic. Heh, quite a few people won't even touch cooked fish. Ahh, well, having lunch alone affords me some peace and quiet, at least. Tromping through the mountains would work wonders, I'm sure, but I do it less than I'd like, and much less than I should. One of the downsides to having a car, you develop the habit of driving everywhere. If I ever do make it all the way across to your side of the globe (which is a nice thought, though not very likely in the immediate future), I'd love to be drug around, just go easy on the ears, ok?

That climbing incident is most unfortunate, and it sounds more than a little painful. Sorry to hear it I wouldn't expect you to hop up the mountain on one leg though, crawling might be easier (or biking, though it's been a while since I even rode one, and a looong time since I rode up a mountain). On second thought, maybe we'll drive up the Parkway and stop at a few overlooks. That reminds me, if I didn't mention it already, I could probably dig up a few pictures if you care to see them.

The trombone, which I just realized my brother is playing in the school band (he's 13), is a King. It isn't too terribly rusty, but it's dented and scratched all to hell. It was used when I got it though, I'm sure, and that was 7-8 years ago. It's just a basic entry-level trombone that they give to students starting in the band. Had I played for a short while longer, I might've upgraded to something nicer, like the Bach that I remember a friend having. I picked computer science instead of continuing playing. I suppose I was decent, as high school students go, and I did very much like playing in the jazz band.

Well, if you *do* ever visit, you're going to have to walk everywhere *anyway* because I'm not allowed to drive around unsupervised! (something about my fixation for Formula One, and previously, 500cc bike racing) Did I ever mention that my biological compass is broken as well? (oh, and pics would be great!)

(Speaking of food - I've already told you that this country is all about food. Heck, one of our famous local malls has Vietnamese/ Japanese/ Phillippine/ Taiwanese/ Western food on one floor alone!)

I've never heard of King trombones - I believe the more popular ones among school bands are the Jupiter ones, although many schools today also use Yamaha. Myself, I'm finding my YSL-354 a bit too limiting, and am considering getting an intermediate/professional model that will allow me to do more things.

Not allowed to drive unsupervised? That may very well be another thing we have in common, I probably shouldn't be. I'm not a big fan of racing, but I'm working on a collection of speeding tickets... which reminds me, I have to look for car insurance before mine runs out. I hate insurance . I blame it on my friend Brian, he's a horrible influence. He was driving 30+ miles over the speed limit one morning on a fishing trip... and fishing is one of the most laid-back things to do that I can think of. If your biological compass is broken, there's always those little GPS recievers... or a friend who's handy with a map

Looks like all the pictures on my webspace are either of me, the tree that fell on the house, or my lunatic mother, but I'll try to dig some of the area up when I get home.

Sometimes I think this country is all about food, too, it's just that quite a lot of it isn't any good. Some is quite good, but even then, there isn't much diversity. People mostly eat burgers, hot dogs, fried chicken, steak, and the like, sometimes branching out into either Italian or Mexican food (pizza, tacos, spaghetti, etc.). It gets old quick, as you may have noticed... and I'm sure even home-cooked food from elsewhere isn't up to par, given the lack of fresh ingredients sometimes. You saw the coconuts, I'm sure those aren't the only things that aren't in good shape when they get here... With that much food to try though, I'm sure if I do visit I'll have to buy two plane tickets instead of one to get myself back home!

Never heard of King trombones? Perhaps it's just a deal through the local music store, but that's what all the students in the local school band ended up with to start. I'd post a picture I found googling if I knew how... apparently it's a King model 605. Nothing nice, but it did well enough. What are you looking at upgrading to? By the way, I'll be expecting concert tickets once you're famous and touring the world

[quote]With that much food to try though, I'm sure if I do visit I'll have to buy two plane tickets instead of one to get myself back home!
[/quote]

Have you ever considered the cargo hold?

Somehow I get the feeling that pictures of a house that's been smashed in by an innocent tree would be far more interesting than amateur photographs of landscapes! But I digress.... Carry on; do.

Re: trombones - the Professional YSL-695 (with a smaller mouthpiece size and lightweight slide and 3 interchangeable leadpipes) and YSL-646 (trigger trombone) had initially caught my eye - but then my friend sent me this QuickTime movie of the testing for Yamaha's new Xeno trombones... which I'm not exactly sure I'll be able to afford! And haha... I wouldn't get my hopes up about me going international anytime soon, if I were you. You'd have better luck hoping for water to run uphill under normal earth gravity.

Hmm, hamburgers and hotdogs, eh? Have you had a look at these? A1021825 and A1021834. They might appeal somewhat to your stomach

Cargo hold indeed!

The house wasn't smashed, only the porch. There were only actually two very small places where the house was damaged. I'm glad the tree fell on the house though, if it had fallen where we thought it would, I probably wouldn't be here at the moment, and I definitely wouldn't be feeling too good. I haven't had time to dig up any interesting pictures yet, unless you care to see the tree. I'd just link you to the directory, since I hear you can't actually post pictures, but I'll spare you the trouble of wading through pictures of me (all horrible), my lunatic mother with yarn in her hair, and cooking laksa, so here goes. I'll try to find a few others that are actually worth looking at... I wish I had one of the tree that fell on the truck.

http://webpages.charter.net/jscott999/pics/IMG_0825.jpg
http://webpages.charter.net/jscott999/pics/IMG_0826.jpg
http://webpages.charter.net/jscott999/pics/IMG_0830.jpg
http://webpages.charter.net/jscott999/pics/IMG_0831.jpg

I was looking at Yamaha and King trombones on the net today, and I came across something I'd never heard of before: a valve trombone. I didn't know such a thing existed. I'd like to hear what that Xeno trombone sounds like. I looked at the minisite, but all I found were a few pictures and the features list.

I'm sure water will be running uphill the day Nikki and I are finally together (we already have plans to ice-skate through hell), so perhaps you could schedule a tour date and put a concert on for us

By the way, is there anything you haven't written about, ... Far? (sorry, almost slipped up there, smack me around a bit if I ever do ). You seem to know a lot about most everything... or maybe I just live up to my claims of knowing nothing.

[quote]By the way, is there anything you haven't written about, ... Far? (sorry, almost slipped up there, smack me around a bit if I ever do ). You seem to know a lot about most everything... or maybe I just live up to my claims of knowing nothing.[/quote]

You are simply witnessing the manifestation of hypergraphia, Jeremy, the result of my interest in various unrelated subjects, along with my insane hypergraphic drive. Half the stuff I really didn't know much about; it's just that I was really interested in them (eg. Tetris and hotdogs), and dug up every bit of information I could.

Victim of hypergraphia indeed. It has some excellent byproducts, in the form of your many articles, but I wish you'd get more rest. I don't suppose you have much say in the matter, but it isn't good to stay up so late all the time writing, as you well know. I understand the curiosity though. I have a thing for learning how and why things work, and I remember numerous occasions when I was younger where I just sat down and read through the encyclopedia for hours on end.

Sorry about not having the pictures yet, I've been insanely busy today. I'm horrible for underestimating my time commitments... and I haven't even gotten into school full-swing yet. (It's a miracle I do as well as I do, I'm a horrible procrastinator).

Well, there's four days of public hols coming up (what did I tell you about this place and celebrations? ), so I should be able to repay my sleep debt then! (I fully intend to vegetate for two days)Thanks for being concerned ; the phase will pass... it usually does after several days.

Speaking of which, have you read this?
http://www.guardian.co.uk/life/feature/story/0,13026,1171195,00.html

Re: encyclopaedias - !! I used to read 'em too, and dictionaries! (Didn't help that my grandfather gave me two sets of encyclopaedias - the Grolier, and a 12-volume science one. I used to read the astronomy bits first) Eventually my parents, fearing for my sanity, put a stop to the habit. Grief, you sound a little too much like me for comfort; maybe I should adopt you as my brother

Did you know we have a society for procrastinators here? So now you can make plans to join up... and then procrastinate....

Lucky! Well, make sure you do make good use of the free time, fellow . I haven't more than skimmed the article (came across it trying to figure out what hypergraphia is in a general sense), butI plan to rectify that on my lunch break.

I didn't spend a whole lot of time reading dictionaries (though I have done it), but it's quite strange that both of us read from the encyclopedia... perhaps we do have a lot in common, and I'm honored that you would think so. If you do adopt me though, that could make for an interesting situation elsewhere . I have a feeling you think too highly of me though if you could possibly compare me to yourself (), but I'm honored all the same.

As for that procrastinators' society, I'd love to join... I'll do it tomorrow

Oh, and... I got that guitar yesterday afternoon! (Maybe my mind is going, but I have a feeling I might've told you that already)

Hey, my article on egg-balancing made editor's choice today!

[quote]I have a feeling you think too highly of me though if you could possibly compare me to yourself ()[/quote]

My good sir, it would seem that it is *you* who thinks too highly of me. People have the unfortunate tendency to overestimate me, really! "Interesting situation elsewhere" ... you mean like, 'Hey Nikki, this is my sibling who really isn't really my *biological* sibling you see, but we found out that we had quite a couple of things in common, and so I got unofficially adopted as a brother'?

No, you didn't tell me about the guitar. Perhaps you were asleep and dreamt that you did? You know what deja vu is, don't you?

...
...
...
...


I'm just messing with you. Yeah, you did. And I asked you to make me a sound clip!

Congrats on the article! Maybe I'll have a chance to read that one tonight too. Cross your fingers for me.

As for overestimating you, I highly doubt it . I like to think I'm a fairly good judge of people. I have a feeling you're just underestimating yourself. Completely normal, I do it too

As for the "interesting situation", I can't say, but perhaps if I told you it's somewhat related to a primate and a tub of ice... . I suppose it would create several interesting situations then

As for deja vu, I know all too well... happens all the time. I wonder why that is... You know, you had me going for a second, but now I remember the clip. It's incredible, really, the way the human mind works (or doesn't work, in my case). I can't remember what I was doing an hour ago without difficulty, and yet I can remember almost everyone in the office's password for the network, my aunt's internet password that I haven't had to use in years, and even the phone number of a friend from 10 or so years ago.