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

Hi MJ

This thread ia a circle. Once you get on to it you'll go round and round never getting any closer to your destination. Like a hamster.

Andy

One way of getting round the bu**er problem is used by Morticiaa on R3 wafflers - she always writes 'bugler' which makes me chortle.

Hi Andy,
I'll have to write something (though ISIHAC what this thread is about) so that it will appear on my Discussions list. You're showing off aren't you with your fancy algebra?!! What does that little hat mean? No doubt you've had a lurk on my h2g2 threads with Achilles in which he very patiently explains, in post after post, mathematical doodahs which must be so terribly elementary to anyone who's done more than O level maths. (I'm proud to say that I did get a B in mine which, considering how I'm not a natural with numnbers, was quite an achievement!)

Well I've managed to waffle on a bit about nothing at all so that'll do. I like the bit about the hamster but I haven't seen one scuttling round here yet. Yes, bugler's quite a good one but so far no-one's objected to strategically placed asterisks. I quite like "Oh butter!" too - of course that could have caused confusion over on your What's for tea tonight MJ? thread.

Having said nothing worth reading at all, I'll go now.

MJ

Sorry MJ, I'm not showing really off - I was trying to come up with a title that would be of no interest to anyone (other than a mathematician). I did start to read some of yr Achilles threads when you referred me there but soon lost interest. As it happens, I've just been listening to a Bob Dylan track called Temporary Like Achilles off an album called Blonde on Blonde (he was a popular folk singer in the 1960's )

hat = squared

x squared + y squared = r squared is the equation of a circle

right I shall never mention maths again - is that OK?

Andy

Tee hee I was only teasing! Write about maths whenever you like - I won't understand it but you're welcome to try to explain it! So you lost interest in Achilles and my threads did you?!! Did you see the bit about the coloured names instead of ID no's? Or don't you want to bother? It does mean that you can spot another poster's (or your own) posts v quickly if you're looking for them, apart from making the page v. colourful. My colours have returned now on the downstairs computer now the old disc is back but for some reason I can't work out I can no longer add colours so your posts still have your ID no. and no colour. I also can't work out why I can't make jont's scripts work on this computer. Too complicated for my poor little struggling brain.

Where am I? Oh the hamster in a wheel thread.

MJ

42?

Is that the answer?

>>Sorry MJ, I'm not showing really off<< not quite what I meant to write!!!

>>Did you see the bit about the coloured names instead of ID no's?<< No, I've seen you refer to that but have never found out what you're talking about - do share.

I've saved all of M! B! using Scrapbook - SB is really very good (I'm not on commission!!). My Scrapbook is enormous - can't throw anything away.

Oooh I must say I feel a lot jollier now than I did this afternoon - must be yr witty repartee has cheered me up. Thanks.

A.

I still can't find the original post in which Achilles instructed me in how to do it but I've found some saved bits eg


MabelJane

which can be pasted by clicking on my ID no. I have all the colours and their codes which came from the internet. Try this one anyway and meanwhile I'll try to find the relevant posts! (It's probably in a Beethoven thread if you want to have a search! There were several posts about it.)

I think these messsageboards cheer everyone up but thanks for your kind words.

I've just been listening to my Callas recording of La Trav - end of Act 1. Absolutely stunning, even though the recording is fairly poor being a live radio broadcast from 1958 Portuguese Radio.

What a contrast with Nellie Melba's Sempre Libera.

You might say that you don't like her (as do lots of people) but when I discovered all of her recordings in the late 80's, when EMI released them all on CD, I just bought everything I could and used to listen to them all the time.

Used to have me in heaps of tears.

Andy

Oh I do like Maria Callas. Not that I sit and listen to her these days. I have a video of her in the remarkable recording of Act 2 of Tosca with Tito Gobbi. Although my dad didn't hear the pair of them together he did hear Gobbi's Scarpia - he'd go into the wings to watch him in Act 2. I do like live recordings - they sometimes capture an electric atmosphere. I have a treasured cassette of some of a scene my dad very daringly recorded, standing in the wings during a performance of Don Carlos.

As teenagers my sister and I used to tune into an Eire radio station on, I think, Saturday nights for a programme of old recordings of singers - I haven't thought about that for years! We even had a request played. We also listened regularly to the Italian radio for live and recorded opera broadcasts. Thinking about it now, we were absolutely obsessed by opera!

MJ

>>As teenagers my sister and I used to tune into an Eire radio station on, I think, Saturday nights for a programme of old recordings of singers<<

Such sophistication!

All I used to listen to as a teenager was John Peel on Radio London - the Perfumed Garden.

Opera came much later.

A.

I appreciated your Sir Granville Bananatock Andy even if no-one else did! Nice bananas too! Do you know, I can't type bananas without making mistakes? Banasan bansnas bnanana banansna bananas - done it!!!

I've been chuckling away here as I've been rereading lots of my archived old WOM board threads. I won't inflict them on you unless you request a sample to read. Did you ever read the old boards with their threading and posters' post numbers? They look funny now that I'm used to these new boards.

I wish I'd been a bit at least into pop music too as a teenager as I felt alienated from my friends not so much then but as a student. But I really didn't hear any at home and I loved classical so much I didn't want anything else at the time. I wasn't consciously being sophisticated! Just a bit odd I suppose. Still am!

MJ

Thanks MJ, slipping into slough of despond here, glad you're still here

Was trying to post but couldn't - whereas usually I've got far too much to say

>>Do you know, I can't type bananas without making mistakes?<<

not true surely - the evidence is before your eyes

>>Did you ever read the old boards with their threading and posters' post numbers?<<

I did visit R3 boards on a few occasions - certain people (eg Bryn) used to love pouncing on a new poster and saying welcome to my board.

Never went on any of the R4 boards.

A xxx

>>Just a bit odd I suppose. Still am!<<

Not at all! <obsequious toady<<

I was complete opposite - hated classical music at school, couldn't wait to give up music lessons after 3rd year.

>>Do you know, I can't type bananas without making mistakes?<<

not true surely - the evidence is before your eyes

Copious corrections Andy! If we couldn't edit my posts would be unitelligible! How's your typing? I can just about touch-type as I went on a typing course with my brother, however he dropped a boat on his fingers and couldn't type after that but that's another story, but I'm not very accurate - more a case of brain rushing ahead and fingers not quite keeping up. I'll try a bit now without looking at my hands at all:
Ate upu sti;; ;ostening tp Matia Callas? Oops not so giid! Must try harder anh that;'s better. Wonder if you're still there@? I;m impriving aren;t I? I really shoudl tractice this more since I can do it if I make hte eggprt.

OK no more I promise.

Goodnight, well soon anyway!

MJ
xx

I've never learnt to touch type but years of using a qwerty keyboard means that I can manage reasonably well - but I have to look what i'm doing. A bit like my piano playing!!

Andy

PS How's the sore throat, have you succumbed?

>>if I make hte eggprt<<

love it!!!

But do you use the correct fingers like wot I do? Or do you type and play the piano using just 2 fingers?!!

(eggprt)

Throat's OKish now that I'm not speaking, thanks, but reading Mary Poppins aloud was hard going tonight. (R's bedtime story) It's a bit odd anyway but I was so croaky little R made me repeat unintelligible bits. Just realised I haven't read it for about 33 years!