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

You did a theoretical physics degree? That's what I wanted to do, but, thankfully, didn't. I do like pure maths though.

Actually I did mathematics at Cambridge. They spent a term convincing us that we knew nothing. I spent the entire course believing them. Also I didn't sleep very much, partly from unrequited love and partly from a couple of very unpleasant neighbours, who induced paranoia in me by actually acting like paranoids think everyone acts.

So a good time was had by all then. I don't like it when people try and convince me of that. I already think I know nothing, so when people say that, I truly believe them. Half my clarinet lessons are spend by my teacher trying to convince me that, no, I can actually play that.

Most of the time, it's true.

What they were actually trying to tell us was that we didn't really understand why integration and differentiation worked like that, which was sort of true ... unfortunately, having lost all faith in what I had been taught at school, I forgot elemntary techniques which, having appeared to debunk thoroughly, they then used next lecture.

Final conclusion:

I *hate* analysis. And I know why it begins with those four letters.

never seen that before.. the same goes for musical anaylsis!

Ah well ... I've looped my way out now, so all's well I guess!

I spent a significant portion of my university career doing this sort of thing

http://www.ripe-fruit.co.uk/photos/html/photos.htm
http://www.ripe-fruit.co.uk/cartoons/data/bogdryer.gif

I wouldn't necessarily recommend it, though ....

The photos are really good. Simple, but somehow good.

Thank you -- I think they have a certain minimalistic charm

The cartoon is very, very old. More recent (scribbled about two years ago) is http://www.ripe-fruit.co.uk/cartoons/data/mucho.jpg

What do you do when not being musical, filing boring stuff, or flirting outrageously online?

Hmm. Bellringing, swimming, singing (sorry, musical...) Erm.. *coughcough* Playstation occasionally, and thats about it. Flirting in RL too

Oh yes, you're a campanologist.

Know who my Dad is?

Given my name, care to guess?

I'm not sure what RL is, but I imagine I shall have fun finding out ...

And when you get to Brum you could check out a guy called Edwin Carter (I got a very strange drunken phone call on his mobile from some Colin Wyld fan friends of his once ... I can the number out for you) who is doing a physics PhD there and rings.

From what I've heard I'll be in good company! I presume you don't ring; has it just put you off?

I do ring, just not very often. To be honest with all that violin playing, physics, and a total lack of social life to boot, in my later years I tended to want to keep my Fridays free for meeting people, drinking and even watching the occasional film. I always enjoyed it, but other interests took over ...

... and Dad certainly never forced us into it so there wasn't that, either!

I'd like to have another go. I always enjoyed ringing down in rounds ... a surprising amount of skill.

And then attepting to strike in Queens- only had to do that but it sounded great! I'm not that good. I can only ring Plain Bob, Grandsire, and Stedman on the Treble. I've Treble bobbed once to Cambridge though! That's it. I#m sure I'll learn a lot more in the next three years!

Tragically I scarcely ever got beyond hunting ... I think I could cope with more complex stuff now, though. To be honest I was beginning to get bored a bit by then, partly because there was nobody my own age to talk to except a girl called Tracey who flirted a lot until I asked her out (OK, to be fair she'd been assaulted the week before and rescued by the guy she fancied, but have you ever waited in a dental surgery on a first date? Thought not).

I did do the computer graphic for the slide in Dad's talk to the institute of physics, though (it turns out he'd reinvented Cayley colour graphs ... strange but true).

If you're still in Birmingham, maybe you could come and ring with us, wherever we ring? My brother gave up for the same reason.

Ooh! On the 'my dad did this' theme, my dad ivented (or did the early work) on Clear Blue pregnancy yesting. And I was the first baby to be predicted with it! How is that??

I'm not in Birmingham -- Edwin Carter is. Otherwise I'd love to. But I could easily wander across and visit if you want (or in reverse -- St Albans is not too bad to get to).

Oh yeah. (duh, I heven have your address!) Have you got the package yet or will it be waiting for you at home?

It will be waiting ... my brother will probably hide it under a pile of other mail (accidentally -- and not very deeply), but my Amazon book should be coming through ("how to draw really great-looking women" -- believe me I need the help) so it may end up near that.

I shall return it with a cartoon.

Actually, I could try drawing you ... what do you look like?