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

You may have noticed my absence over the past few days. If you haven't, just pretend you have - it makes me feel like an important member of the community. Anyway the reason I wasn't here was that I was between ISPs. One housemate moved out and the other wanted to get some sports channels, which is why we today had an engineer from a company henceforth referred to as Beardie Media round.

Things didn't go entirely smoothly. For a start my housemate, out at work until almost three o'clock, abandoned his original plan of "I'll leave my room open so he can put the TV cable and stuff in there," in favour of "I don't trust people so I'm going to lock my door and hope to be back before the engineer gets here." The Beardie Media van pulled up outside at 1.30 and housemate was uncontactable by phone. So the Beardie box is now installed in the front room, which is annoying because I don't really want the sports channels and may well want another channel on opposite the match.

We also now have a telephone account, with assigned telephone number etc. The one thing we don't have is an actual telephone.

As for the old broadband internet, I tried putting the CD in my computer, but it complained that I don't have an ethernet card. After my housemate got home and finished cussing the engineers earliness we tried it in his machine with a little more success, which is to say we got further through the setup process before encountering an error. This error was along the lines of being unable to connect to the Beardie Media exchange and were we sure the cables were plugged in. After checking the cables and swapping them around to no effect I put them back how they were in the first place and everything worked. Yay.

So, now I'm back I guess I should get on with yon North Yorkshire article that's been sitting in PR for weeks. Or I could look up some hints for the Fleur-de-Lys puzzle in Broken Sword: The Angel of Death.

Glad it is working, Bagpuss. And I had noticed your absence.

Between the house and the library, I always have something that isn't working properly. It gets old. I don't know why everything has to be a hassle.

Glad you're back - it wasn't the same without the ol' cloth

Just don't attempt the backlog

I missed you, Bagpuss. Glad you are back.

You were gone for a few days? You could at least have alerted the media, so we could have had a big picnic with all the foods you don't like.

Anywa, I promise not to comment on your absences if you won't comment on mine.

Nice to see you back, Baggers. We was about to organise a search party

Now you're just making fun of me.

I'm pleased to report that the internet connection seems as good as it ever was, though I haven't tried downloading any large files. On the telly text is "temporarily unavailable". Must see if housemate can find the remote control for his big telly (which is now in the front room because he doesn't want to watch footie on the little one - I must admit this is a good aspect of the situation, coz I can now play Wii Sports tennis in great big widescreen) then I can look at ye olde analog text.