I love to see the biter bit, so really enjoyed this little caper on the scambaiting website 419 Eater. And it’s satisfying to see my old friend, Arthur Dent, brought back to life in such an effective way. Slartibartfast or Zaphod Beeblebrox might have been even funnier, but I’m not sure that even such greedy morons as the 419′ers he did suck in would have fallen for those names.
Believe it or not, I actually remember the first Hitchhiker episodes on Radio 4, back in the age of steam-driven radio. It was on in the background all the time in my flat, and I picked up all sorts of useless knowledge about Ukrainian tractor drivers, clog-dancers, bird-watching, and train-spotting, in between amazing dramas and side-splitting comedies. There is no equivalent to Radio 4, for the depth and range of its offerings, on this side of the pond (or none that I’ve ever been able to find), and I miss it still.
Many years and miles later, I gave #1 Son a fit of the giggles when I mentioned Slartibartfast one day, which piqued his interest in the story of the Hitchhikers. Although he was very young, maybe seven years of age, I gave him the first book in the series to try, and he was instantly captivated. I probably scarred him for life.
Israel’s Supreme Court ruled in favor of the destruction of parts of an ancient Muslim cemetery, where some of Saladin’s warriors are buried, to make way for a new Frank Gehry-designed $250 million Museum of Tolerance. (emphasis mine)
The gorgeous, feisty, wonderful South African lady, Miriam Makeba, has died at age 76. See her obituary in the NYT here. I remember watching this glorious black woman singing on television, when I was about 16 years of age, many, many moons ago, and turning to my mother to say, “gosh, she’s beautiful.” Her response? “But, she’s black. How can you think she’s beautiful?”
Their iPhone may be rubbish (okay, MY iPhone may be rubbish – see earlier post) but Apple has its heart in the right place. From Apple’s Hot News comes the following:
No on Prop 8
October 24, 2008
Apple is publicly opposing Proposition 8 and making a donation of $100,000 to the No on 8 campaign. Apple was among the first California companies to offer equal rights and benefits to our employees’ same-sex partners, and we strongly believe that a person’s fundamental rights — including the right to marry — should not be affected by their sexual orientation. Apple views this as a civil rights issue, rather than just a political issue, and is therefore speaking out publicly against Proposition 8.
I (heart) Apple. And, as an Apple shareholder, to boot, I heartily approve of this message
I’m guessing that she won’t need those Google mail goggles . . . Although, being unable to distinguish between Facebook and a blog may not be the best qualification for becoming a Net Head. For those not familiar with modern Brit slang, I should explain that “ligger” means a freeloader or hanger-on.
So happy to read the good news this morning. Being seriously innumerate, I never thought I would ever find myself becoming a big fan of the writings of a practitioner of the dismal science. But Paul Krugman’s blog for the NYT has been appointment reading for me since he began it, and I have copies of most of his Times articles since way back when. And I’ve been quoting his 2005 article on the housing bubble to the First Husband ad nauseam. Well, he’s sick of it. I’ll never be – best damn’ article on the issue that I’ve ever read. And he was so right.
IMHO, if by some miracle Obama makes it to the White House, then Krugman is a shoo-in for Secretary of the Treasury. Although I have my doubts that he would take the position if offered.
Those would be the days, before I drove onto the great information highway to nowhere, when my broker’s statement arrived every month by snail mail. I would toss them, unopened, into a corner of the towering pile that is my desk, where they would molder until I had to go through and file them at year’s end. “Wow, look at that!” I would girlishly trill. “The market’s been up and down like a hoor’s drawers since the last time I looked!”
Now, I get the bad news every twenty minutes, courtesy of my laptop or, if I’m away from home, my iPhone. And, as I watch the market slide ever deeper into the toilet, I hear commentators on the radio telling me that it’s all due to the “irrational fears” of the market players. That’s supposed to make me feel better? Knowing that my life’s saving are in the hands of a bunch of scaredy cats, spooking every time a mouse stirs in the stock exchange?
I’m guessing that 
