Win a Part in the Hitchhiker's Guide

jweatherley writes "The BBC are offering someone the chance to win a part in the forthcoming Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy movie. You just have to send them a picture of somewhere on Earth that deserves to be spared from the Vogons by 25 June - oh and be British!" Python impressions don't count ;)

Comments

Python

[Mz6]

Python impressions don't count ;)

Yeah, but which Python?

... Sorry bad joke.

Re:Python

[ViteTango]

A logic python, not a snakable one (you drive with a car...)

Re:Python

[Anonymous Coward]

The python that you siphon when you siphon teh nohtyp.

Some quotes, perhaps?

[strictnein]

Oh yes... might as well start with some nice quotes from the book:

"Drink up."

He added, perfectly factually:

"The world's about to end."

-------------

"You barbarians!" he yelled. "I'll sue the council for every
penny it's got! I'll have you hung, drawn and quartered! And
whipped! And boiled ... until ... until ... until you've had
enough."

Ford was running after him very fast. Very very fast.

"And then I'll do it again!" yelled Arthur. "And when I've
finished I will take all the little bits, and I will jump on
them!"

Re:Some quotes, perhaps?

[Anonymous Coward]

Paraphrasing: "And the one thing nobody likes.. is a smartass"

Re:Some quotes, perhaps?

[stev3]

There is a theory which states that if ever anyone discovers exactly what the Universe is for and why it is here, it will instantly disappear and be replaced by something even more bizarre and inexplicable.

There is another theory which states that this has already happened.

-------------

The startling truth finally became apparent, and it was this: Numbers written on restaurant checks within the confines of restaurants do not follow the same mathematical laws as numbers written on any other pieces of paper in any other parts of the Universe. This single statement took the scientific world by storm. So many mathematical conferences got held in such good restaurants that many of the finest minds of a generation died of obesity and heart failure, and the science of mathematics was put back by years.

Re:Some quotes, perhaps?

[magefile]

Which is that from? I know it's in Starship Titanic (game for sure, possibly the book, I forget), but is it in H2G2?

The original quote, as I remember it from the game (GUI, natural language, not the book) was "NOBODY LIKES A SMARTASS". As a defusal code, IIRC.

Re:Some quotes, perhaps?

[Scutter]

It's the bit when the narrator is describing the invention of the Infinite Improbability Generator by a lab assistant and the subsequent lynching of same by the scientists who'd been working on it their entire lives.

Re:Some quotes, perhaps?

[GFLPraxis]

It's from Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, not Starship Titanic...

My favorite quote is about the 2nd worst poet in the galaxy, Grunthos the Flatulent. The quote was about his poem...I can't remember the quote off the top of my head, but it was about the poem "Ode to the Small Lump of Green Putty I Found Under My Armpit One Midsummer Morning." During the reading, 5 of the audience died of internal hemmorrhaging, and the president of galactic noble arts survived by gnawing his own leg off.

Oh, and theres the third worst poets in the universe, the Vogons...and the poem, "Oh Freddled Gruntbuggly"...

Thy micturations are to me as plurdled gabbleblotchits on a lurgid bee.
Groop I implore thee, my froonting, turling dromes,
And hooptiously drangle me with crinkly Bindlewurdles,
Or else I shall rend thee in the gobberwarts with my blurglecruncheon,
See if I don't!

Re:Some quotes, perhaps?

[magefile]

I remember now. I read that part and thought, "now I *know* this is a comedy. In the Real World, they'd just steal the credit".

Re:Some quotes, perhaps?

[David Gould]

send them a picture of somewhere on Earth that deserves to be spared from the Vogons

"Go ahead, if it makes you feel better."

"Will it do any good?"

"No."

Re:Some quotes, perhaps?

[magefile]

Read my quote. I'm not sure if it's in the book, but in the game, you have to defuse a bomb. It loses track, counting down from a thousand (at random #s around 200), and has to start over. To get it to STFU, you have to notice that the parrot flying around occasionally says "NOBODY LIKES A SMARTASS", among other things, and type it into the bomb.

Great game, and not just because of the (quite advanced, esp. for the time) natural language processing.

Re:Some quotes, perhaps?

[dosius]

The poem you quote is used in teh game as part of a puzzle. BTW, it reads slightly different there; "micturnations" is read "nacturnations".

Moll.

Re:Some quotes, perhaps?

[mooingyak]

The scene is in the book Starship Titanic (defusing a bomb and distracting the computer while it counts down) but I don't remember the 'smartass' line.

Re:Some quotes, perhaps?

[EvanED]

"But Mr. Dent, the plans have been on available at the local planning office for the last nine months."
"Oh yes, well, as soon as I heard I went straight round to see them, yesterday afternoon. You had'nt exactly gone out of your way to call attention to them, had you? I mean, like actually telling anybody or anything."
"But the plans were on display..."
"On display? I eventually had to go down to the cellar to find them."
"That's the display department."
"With a flashlight."
"Ah, well, the lights had probably gone."
"So had the stairs."
"But look, you found the notice, didn't you?"
"Yes," said Arthur, "yes I did. It were on display in the bottom of a locked filing cabinet stuck in a disused lavatory with a sign on the doory saying 'Beware of the Leopard.'"

Why do I get the feeling it will be possible to reconstruct the entire book from this thread?

Re:Some quotes, perhaps?

[prnz]

Off the top of my head:
Vogon poetry is of course, the third worst in the universe. The second worst is that of the Azgoths of Kria. During a recent recitation by their poetmaster Grunthos the Flatulent of his poem "Ode to a Small Lump of Green Putty I Found in My Armpit One Midsummer Morning," four of his audience died of internal hemorrhaging and the president of the Mid-Galactic Arts Nobbling Council survived by gnawing one of his own legs off. Grunthos is reported to have been disappointed by the poem's reception and was just about to embark on a reading of his twelve book epic entitled "My Favorite Bathtime Gurgles," when his own major intestine, in desparate attempt to save life and humanity, leapt straight up through his neck and throttled his brain.
The very worst poetry of all died along with its creator, Paul Neil Milne Johnstone of Redbridge, England in the destruction of the planet Earth.

I'm remembering this part in Peter Jones' voice and the other part in Douglas Adams', so I'm probably mixing up differences between the radio show and the HHG audiobook.

Paul

Re:Some quotes, perhaps?

[EvilTwinSkippy]

You could do it in one night with enough alcohol.

Here's what the Encyclopedia Galactica has to say about alchohol. It says that alcohol is a colorless volitile liquid formed by the fermentation of sugars and notes it's intoxicating effect on certain carbon-based life forms.

The Hitchhiker's Guide also mentions alcohol. It says that the best drink in existence is the Pan Galactic Gargle Blaster.

It says that the effect of the Pan Galactic Gargle Blaster is like having your brain smashed out by a slice of lemon wrapped round a large gold brick.

The Guide also tells you on which planets the best Pan Galactic Gargle Blasters are mixed, how much you can expect to pay for one and what voluntary organizations exist to help you rehabilitate afterwards.

The Guide even tells you how to mix one yourself.

...

Re:Some quotes, perhaps?

[Anonymous Coward]

Heh, redundant?

Mod Parent Up! Those are two great lines from the book!!

Cool, I have my towel and everything!

[Anonymous Coward]

If they are giving away free Babelfish I am so there.

Re:Cool, I have my towel and everything!

[joeldg]

babelfish.altavista.com is just not quite up to the task is it...

And you really would not want it in your ear!!

Re:Cool, I have my towel and everything!

[Anonymous Coward]

I don't know, it seems to work for Vogon poetry:

OH- frettled gruntbuggly thy micturations sind zu mir wie plurdled gabbleblotchits auf einer lurgidbiene.

El Oh frettled micturations gruntbuggly thy está a mí como plurdled los gabbleblotchits en una abeja del lurgid.

Oh frettled des micturations gruntbuggly thy sont à moi comme plurdled des gabbleblotchits sur une abeille de lurgid.

Oh frettled i micturations gruntbuggly thy è a me come plurdled gabbleblotchits su un'ape del lurgid.

O frettled micturations gruntbuggly thy é-me como plurdled gabbleblotchits em uma abelha do lurgid.

See, in every case the translation is every bit as beautiful as the original.

Re:Cool, I have my towel and everything!

[G-funk]

King oath, who hasn't always wanted a babelfish?...

And somewhat in the spirit of the guide, dozens of slashdotters actually cried "I _AM_ an American you insensitive clod!", and yea they were on topic, and the universe did collapse unto itself.

whoohoo

[nizo]

oh and be British!

I knew there was a reason I haven't gone to the dentist in a few years.

Re:whoohoo

[Anonymous Coward]

this is the stereotype police...

drop the outdated comment and slowly walk away...

AndyboyH

Re:whoohoo

[sydb]

Where does this idea come from? I mean, OK, I'm British and my teeth are a shambles, but I'm only a single data point.

Re:whoohoo

[shigelojoe]

Have you *seen* the Big Book of British Smiles?

"This is a dentist's office, not a house of lies!"

Re:whoohoo

[eggoeater]

My great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-gr eat-great-great-great-great-grandfather was british..... does that count?

Re:whoohoo

[nizo]

I dunno where this came from, but since we 'merkins have pointed heads and our eyes are too close together maybe you Brits got the better end of the deal. Oh and guns, lots of guns.

Re:whoohoo

[Anonymous Coward]

I have, it's like the 'Big Book of American Smiles', but without all the stange metal contraptions stuck in everyones mouths. :)

Re:whoohoo

[Anonymous Coward]

but americans all seem to use orthodontic equipment. That means that american's natural, genetic teeth could be terrible.

Re:whoohoo

[Anonymous Coward]

You have 13 great granparents with 1 grandparent making the total of 15 generations. Either your family gives birth at the age below 11 or your not in America.

Re:whoohoo

[grahamlee]

Because you don't live in a country with a state-funded dental care system, for instance the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

Re:whoohoo

[hambonewilkins]

To be fair, the Brits do get "Hedley and Wyche, the British toothpaste"

Mike Myers: You Yanks have borrowed a lot of things from us Brits. You like our pubs, and you like our fish and chips. Well, let me let you in on another little secret: Hedley and Wyche, the British toothpaste!
Phil Hartman: It's the only toothpaste we ever use. One tube lasts for years!
Kevin Nealon: I've used Hedley and Wyche all my life and I've never had to go to the dentist!
Chris Farley: And it tastes great on a cracker!
Mike Myers: What makes brushing with Hedley and Wyche such a pleasure? The mild cleansing agent is combined with two tablespoons of pure cane sugar, for a smile that says, 'Yum, that tastes good.'
All (singing): Hedley and Wyche, the British toothpaste, it works OK and it tastes real great!
Narrator: Hedley and Wyche, the British toothpaste, for a smile that says: "Yum, that tastes gooood!"

On second thought, maybe you have to see the SNL sketch.

Re:whoohoo

[Anonymous Coward]

Because you don't live in a country with a state-funded dental care system, for instance the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

Er, do we have a state-funded dental care system in the UK? My local dentist stopped taking NHS patients years ago, and now they won't even accept NHS certificates from students and unemployed - it's fully private or nothing.

Re:whoohoo

[Anonymous Coward]

Fine, except that Mike Myers is Canadian:
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000196/

Re:whoohoo

[Anonymous Coward]

umm, so? Phil Hartman, Kevin Nealon, Chris Farley: also not British. Did you miss the bit that says "SNL sketch"?

Re:whoohoo

[t_allardyce]

While we're on the subject can someone explain why every single dentist in london is located in a converted-house surgery allong a very very long road of houses (always on a long road) in the absolute middle of nowhere? sometimes you see 5 in a row on the same road, but in the middle of nowhere - no shops or anything? I think the whole teeth thing comes from the stereotypical english man who is from a time before dentists and electricity. Its kinda like looking at a redneck and saying all americans walk around with shot-guns and say "geet off ma land".

Re:whoohoo

[grahamlee]

Yes, we do. I'm registered to an NHS dentist. Alas I only get subsidised treatment not free treatment - but it was free up until I was 18.

Re:whoohoo

[budly]

so was mine, but I think his leaving on the Mayflower ruined my chances

Re:whoohoo

[glesga_kiss]

Where does this idea come from?

It comes from America, ironically. I've never heard a non-American make a reference to Brits have bad teeth. Kids get a lot of health education over here in schools, including dental health. I got taught how to floss in school, but I have to admit I rarely do it.

The fact of the matter is that it is just not true. Everyone in the UK gets free dental treatment until the age of 16, or as long as you remain in education, so there is really no excuse for bad teeth.

One thing that can be said is that we don't have the same facination with perfectly white, straight teeth, which is completely unnatural. I think it's a throwback from Hollywood, where perfect teeth are a requirement. Quite funny when the actor is playing a period piece, no one in ancient greece had good teeth!!

Of course, the fact that it is in the interest of US dentists do to extra (unnessesary) work has nothing to do with it. Some of the headgear I've seen your dentists give out are clearly just them trying to see how far they can take it!!

PS I have perfect teeth, one filing, none missing or coming out at wierd angles.

Re:whoohoo

[sydb]

Some of the headgear I've seen your dentists give out...

hey, they're not my dentists, mine are British too, except my kiss is of the East Coast class.

Re:whoohoo

[Anonymous Coward]

not necessarily -- he didn't say his 12th great-grandparent was american, did he?

I love HGTG

[stev3]

"You know, it's at times like this when I'm trapped in a Vogon airlock with a man from Betelgeuse and about to die of asphyxiation in deep space that I really wish I'd listened to what my mother told me when I was young!" "Why, what did she tell you?" "I don't know, I didn't listen."

Re:I love HGTG

[EvilTwinSkippy]

"Well? What is your plan for getting out of here?"

"It mostly involved being on the other side of that door."

"So that's it. We are going to die..."

"Wait a minute. that button...Just kidding. Yes we are going to die."

Don't spare THOSE places!

[Shoeler]

Instead of asking places to be spared, can we ask for places to be obliterated?

I won't say which places, of course. I'll be nice. (unless you ask nicely)

Re:Don't spare THOSE places!

[AviLazar]

I won't say which places, of course. I'll be nice. (unless you ask nicely)

Canada?

Re:Don't spare THOSE places!

[Anonymous Coward]

Instead of asking places to be spared, can we ask for places to be obliterated?
You are American, right?

Re:Don't spare THOSE places!

[jburroug]

Houston? Just give me some advanced warning so I can get out. I check the disused storage closet labeled "beware of the leopard" on a weekly basis so leaving the notice there will be fine :)

Re:Don't spare THOSE places!

[ThousandStars]

I won't say which places, of course. I'll be nice. (unless you ask nicely)

Redmond, WA?

Re:Don't spare THOSE places!

[G-funk]

Best. One liner. Evar.

Re:Don't spare THOSE places!

[vsprintf]

You are American, right?

I don't know about him, but I am, and I want to know what this Brit-centric article is doing on Slashdot. (Hey, turnabout is fair play. :)

Re:Don't spare THOSE places!

[Anonymous Coward]

That's 'ever' you illiterate fuck.

Re:Don't spare THOSE places!

[Anonymous Coward]

Nah, we Americans obliterate places for ourselves. We don't have to ask.

Re:Don't spare THOSE places!

[Anonymous Coward]

Congratulations, you missed the reference, big man!

You are teh hero now.

Re:Don't spare THOSE places!

[Woko]

Canberra, which must be the only city in the world built purely for politicians.

Re:Don't spare THOSE places!

[mindsuck]

No, that's the Best. One liner. Evar.

Re:Don't spare THOSE places!

[Anonymous Coward]

gg. /head asplode

Re:Don't spare THOSE places!

[Xilman]

Canberra, which must be the only city in the world built purely for politicians.

Brasilia?

Paul

Washington

[Anonymous Coward]

Washington definitely needs to be sp-- oh, wait. Not "speared", then. Never mind.

Wait a minute...

[th1ckasabr1ck]

... THAT must be how Jerome Blake got the part.

Damnit

[mphase]

I'm usually on the other end of this and now I know how much it sucks. I can't partake because I'm American, arg...I mean bloody hell mate I'm as British as apple pi...umm bangers and mash.

Re:Damnit

[falcon5768]

speaking of which, what on gods holy earth IS bangers and mash!!!!!

Re:Damnit

[mopslik]

as British as apple pi

Isn't that a highly irrational comment?

Re:Damnit

[Anonymous Coward]

Sausages and mashed potato. Usually served with gravy.

Re:Damnit

[Anonymous Coward]

Can't tell you what bangers and mash is, but it only serves to support my theory that British dishes are named for sexual acts. Bangers and Mash, Toad in the Hole... The funny thing is, it's more disgusting to think of them as food. Then again, this is British cooking that we're discussing.

Re:Damnit

[NoNeeeed]

Bangers : Slang for sausages. Presumably because they split when you cook them (if you forget to prick them first). These are not the same a weiners, or hotdogs which tend to be made from much more highly processed 'meat'. British sausages are not smoked, or kept in jars of brine, and are normally burnt to a cinder.

Mash : Mashed potatos.

So, bangers and mash is sausages and mashed potatos.

Mmmmmmmmmm. I suddenly feel very hungry... :->

Re:Damnit

[Anonymous Coward]

And for pudding (or dessert if you prefer) you can have Spotted Dick.

Re:Damnit

[isorox]

I'm as British as apple pi...umm bangers and mash.

Tea and crumpets?

Actually traditional british food is a Curry washed down with a Danish lager

Re:Damnit

[magefile]

Isn't that more Indian and Dani ... dammit, I've gotta grow a sense of humor.

Re:Damnit

[shigelojoe]

Irrationally tasty, you mean!

Re:Damnit

[Anonymous Coward]

I'm usually on the other end of this and now I know how much it sucks. I can't partake because I'm American...

On behalf of my fellow Brits may I be the first to offer our sympathies when I say:

Ha-Ha! Har Har Hhhhhhhhhar!!!

Re:Damnit

[Anonymous Coward]

Isn't that more Indian and Dani ...

We British have a long tradition of rejecting narrow nationalism and accepting the best from the rest of the world. Okay, strictly speaking it was more taking the best at gun point, but the important thing is we don't care whether it started out as Indian or Danish, if it's any good we'll have it thanks.

Re:Damnit

[nacturation]

You should really be asking, "What the hell is Spotted Dick?"

Re:Damnit

[Gulik]

as British as apple pi

Isn't that a highly irrational comment?

Who cares? All I know is that I've been looking far and wide for English food that won't repeat on me.

Re:Damnit

[jpetts]

Isn't that a highly irrational comment?

Yes, but this one is transcendental!

Re:Damnit

[isorox]

Sausage and mashed potato

Re:Damnit

[Anonymous Coward]

A hell of a lot better for you than bubble & squeak, but nowhere near as good as toad in the hole!

Just remember, boys and girls, British cuisine is an oxymoron.

Re:Damnit

[Anonymous Coward]

No, it's because of sausages resemblance to the penis - you
bang 'er. (bang is itself slang for fuck, a dropped initial h is common in many british accents.)

Re:Damnit

[isorox]

We didn't take lager at gun point, and Currys only became popular in the 60's after India's independence. The Balti was invented in brum

Re:Damnit

[Rysc]

Like, say, tea.

Re:Damnit

[StateOfTheUnion]

Not to be confused with "bangers & balls" . . . sausages with meatballs . . . (Yes it really exists . . . As an American visiting Britain I picked up a can of these and brought it to the states . . . for posterity)

Re:Damnit

[falcon5768]

spotted dick, bangers and mash, bangers and balls, FAGS!?!?!?!, and they wonder why Americans dont understand them despite knowing the same language.

Re:Damnit

[Anonymous Coward]

Like, say, tea.

Exactly.

Re:Damnit

[StateOfTheUnion]

Uh, I would guess that the Brits (the originators of the ENGLISH language) would probably say that it was the Americans that turned everyday foodstuffs and tobacco products into euphemisms for potty-mouthed behavior and objects.

The British would probably just say things outright (ever heard a Brit curse? . . . put a sailor to shame (just say no to that Victorian age prim-and-proper stereotype)) . . .

Re:Damnit

[physicsboy500]

unless he actually means p*i, in which case we're just imagining things.

Re:Damnit

[Haeleth]

I'm as British as apple pi...umm bangers and mash.

I'll have you know apple pie is as British a pudding as they come - we were baking them before the Pilgrim Fathers even set sail. Where did you think you Americans got it from?

Re:Damnit

[lurcher]

And what the hell is wrong with bubble and squeak ?

(Football, bugger, mumble, mutter).

Re:Damnit

[Armchair Dissident]

"FAGS!?!?!?!"

Cigarettes? What's that got to do with the price of fish?

Re:Damnit

[kin_korn_karn]

"Spotted Dick? Dick of what??!?"

I am now damned to hell for making a King Ralph reference.

Re:Damnit

[Fizzog]

Well all of the good, civic minded smokers in the US like to throw their (usually still lit...) cigarette butts on the ground.

Where they end up in the gutters.
Where they end up in the drainage systems.
Where they end up in the oceans.
Where they end up in the fish.
Which kills the fish.
Meaning fewer fish.
Meaning higher prices for fish.

That's what cigarettes have to do with the price of fish.

See how easy it is?

Coming soon... What do cigarettes have to do with the price of eggs in China!

Re:Damnit

[Anonymous Coward]

sadly, no. The only f*ers to drop h's are French or from London. I'm from Newcastle. In the North of England, the real North (not Watford), we pronounce h's and many other consonants.

Thus hat = hat, not 'at. Hammer = hammer, not 'ammer etc

USA =! NYC, UK =! London, France =! Paris, etc

Re:Damnit

[FraggedSquid]

It's easy as long as you don't sound like Dick Van Dike.
" Up the apple and pears me ol' china muffin gum an' give yer plates of meat a rest so get those daisy roots orf, Mary Poppins"
and you'll do fine, just avoid words like "actually, old boy" and "I say there", in fact any typical "English" phrase seen in any American film, especially Disney, none of those have been used here for decades.

Re:Damnit

[mlk]

> spotted dick
Except in Safeways (or somerfield), were the name may "cause offence".

Its a pudding, a nice pudding.

> bangers and mash

Sausages and mashed potatos.

> bangers and balls

I have NEVER heard of this before.

> Fag[gots]

Yeap, really.

Re:Damnit

[mlk]

> Toad in the Hole
sausages in batter.

Re:Damnit

[Anonymous Coward]

British 'cuisine' certainly is. We call it the KITCHEN. And bubble & squeak is a wonderful dish if done right - I'll bet most yanks would dig it if experienced.

Re:Damnit

[pilkul]

*groan*. Why must the world's mathematicians torment us with their atrocious poetry?

No pattern has been found in its digits,
Yet it cannot be proven in a finite amount of time that no pattern exists in an infinite number of digits.

ARGH. Worst abuse of free verse ever. I think that link conclusively proves that mathematicians are not artists.

Re:Damnit

[vsprintf]

Then again, this is British cooking that we're discussing.

During my two-week visit to my (partially) ancestral homeland, I saw the sun only for a few hours one day, and that was depressing. But the topper was discovering that the only condiments in a pricey London restaurant were salt and white pepper. Good lord, they bleach the pepper, and it tastes like it! No, we didn't order the mad cow - it was too expensive.

Fish and "chips" floating in malt vinegar is, um, interesting. The grease-soaked "fried toast" was a gastronomic wake-up call for the unaware. However, the Brits do take their cuisine very seriously. While staying in Ipswitch, the newspaper reported that a local Chinese restaurant had been fined for "serving Alsation". (That's serving as in putting on a plate, not serving as in waiting upon.)

Re:Damnit

[Anonymous Coward]

just avoid words like "actually, old boy" and "I say there", in fact any typical "English" phrase seen in any American film, especially Disney, none of those have been used here for decades.

Um, you do realize that the Disney movie version of Mary Poppins was supposed to have taken place during the 1910s, right?

What exactly is your complaint here?

Re:Damnit

[vsprintf]

You should really be asking, "What the hell is Spotted Dick?"

Thanks for the picture (and the allusion). I'm thankful my last meal was several hours ago.

Re:Damnit

[Pope]

It's where the vast majority of the drinking at GoonCon2K3 was done, Bloor St. East, Toronto.

Re:Damnit

[Hittite Creosote]

if you forget to prick them first

The secret to making good sausages is NOT to prick them.

Re:Damnit

[NoNeeeed]

You mean apart from 'my' British accent, and the British accent of everyone I know?

Re:Damnit

[Anonymous Coward]

What the hell's a british accent anyway? The English, Irish, Scottish and Welsh accents sound nothing like each other and even then, the difference in accents from reigions within those countries is vast.

Re:Damnit

[NoNeeeed]

Indeed. Totally agree.

Re:Damnit

[Zilquis]

You forgot the onion gravy

Re:Damnit

[FraggedSquid]

Yes. But it is popular culture (like bread mould) and if you wanted to try to sopund English (as opposed to Scots or Welsh) then this is not the role model to choose.

Re:Damnit

[CProgrammer98]

You forgot the other essential component... Gravy! Bangers & mash just isn't bangers & mash without the gravy!

(oh and you have to pile up your mash into a pyramid type shape and lean the sausages up against it. When we were kids, this was a regular treat, we had a "moat" of gravy around the "castle" and there were green garden peas in the gravy (which we took to be the bad guys who had drowned in the moat after trying to invade the castle)

Ahhh childhood... what fun it was!

Re:Damnit

[CProgrammer98]

Most of the british "indian" dishes such as Tikka Masala were actually invented by the brits in the old Indian colonial days (I heard a story that they were heavily spiced to disuise the flavour of the bad meat - someone once told me they used to use rat sometimes)

Re:Damnit

[o'reor]

Why must the world's mathematicians torment us with their atrocious poetry?

You haven't really suffered until you've heard about Vogon mathematicians...

Re:Damnit

[Anonymous Coward]

Let's not get on to American cuisine.

They refer to McDonald's, Burger King and KFC as "restaurants".
Free clue from your sophisticated European cousins : restaurants don't have pictures of the food.

<Snigger...>

Re:Damnit

[Anonymous Coward]

> spotted dick
Except in Safeways (or somerfield), were the name may "cause offence".



I thought they'd stopped doing that. There was certainly a supermarket that sold "Spotted Richard" for a while, but I thought they'd been rightly laughed into submission...

Re:Damnit

[Gandalf_Greyhame]

Actually it is a very RATIONAL comment, as pi is a rational number, being the ratio between a circles circumference and its diameter

Re:Damnit

[Gandalf_Greyhame]

bloody hell, what was I thinking? I know that the parent post appears to be a troll, but that, I am sorry to say, was a complete accident, brought about by lack of sleep. I had been awake for about 36 hours, and I swear that my brain had shut down.

Must remember to engage brain before I start talking...

The Book

[strictnein]

In case you want to read your favorite chapter:

http://www.totse.com/en/ego/science_fiction/hitc h1 .html

Re:The Book

[strictnein]

and yes... I am an idiot for not linking to it

Terry Gilliam

[fudgefactor7]

Gilliam wasn't a Brit, and he was a Python, and they adored him. But he was *in* Britain, so maybe there's luck that an emigrated Yank could score a roll... Here's hoping, at any rate.

Re:Terry Gilliam

[donscarletti]

You will notice however that throughout all of the flying circus episodes they only actually let him speak twice.

Re:Terry Gilliam

[NoData]

so maybe there's luck that an emigrated Yank could score a roll... Here's hoping, at any rate.

Maybe you've just got to have a real hunger for it...

(where's -1: Groan, right?)

Re:Terry Gilliam

[Kenja]

As he once said, "This is my only line".

Still Python just wouldn't have been the same without the animations.

Re:Terry Gilliam

[fudgefactor7]

Clearly, I've been playing WAAAAY too much D&D...

Sorry about that. And I am a bit peckish. Hmm, off to the snack table I think.

Re:Terry Gilliam

[KlaymenDK]

so maybe there's luck that an emigrated Yank could score a roll...

Why would you want to score a troll? Eh, what's that? Oh, nevermind then.

Re:Terry Gilliam

[BlaKnail]

The eligibility requirement says that you must be a UK resident. Your nationality won't matter if your have a street address in Great Britain.

Re:Terry Gilliam

[magefile]

Just 'cuz you've got an address doesn't make you a resident. Just 'cuz you're a resident doesn't make you an illegal resident.

Re:Terry Gilliam

[Anonymous Coward]

Good! I'm looking forward to Abu Hamza as Zaphod!

Re:Terry Gilliam

[Short Circuit]

Actually, I suspect they're more concerned about the speaker's accent than his residency.

I mean, all the non-aliens in the HGTTG books were British...and it was assumed that the aliens spoke with a British accent.

Re:Terry Gilliam

[AkaXakA]

Actually, you don't have to be a Brit. Being a UK resident will do. Will do meaning is required, so that excludes me, alas.

And I quote:

"The competition is open to UK residents only, of 18 years or over. Overseas players are not eligible. You do not have to be a registered member of h2g2 to enter."

Re:Terry Gilliam

[TomV]

I suspect they're more concerned about the speaker's accent than his residency.

Boring though it is, I suspect that, since this is a competition with a prize of non-trivial value, they're mostly concerned with the Gaming Act 1968 - the blurb about "open to UK residents over the age of 18" is very standard boilerplate text for similar competitions.

Re:Terry Gilliam

[CGP314]

I'm a yank in England, but thanks to slashdot's ever-so-timely reporting there is no time to enter. The submission date is the 25th. : \

Doesn't seem right...

[Anonymous Coward]

Do Perl impressions count?

Re:Doesn't seem right...

[Anonymous Coward]

Yup, just not Minnie Perl

Re:Doesn't seem right...

[dasmegabyte]

My impression of perl: it's an inscruitably complex scripting language playing at being a programming language to somehow legitimize the menial task of batch processing.

Do I win?

Re:Doesn't seem right...

[The Ape With No Name]

My impression of perl: it's an inscruitably complex scripting language playing at being a programming language to somehow legitimize the menial task of batch processing.

Do I win?

No. It is a simple programming language playing at being a scripting language to somehow legitimize the menial task of making shit work.

Re:Doesn't seem right...

[EvilTwinSkippy]

An I always thought the definition of Perl was executable line noise!

Re:Doesn't seem right...

[The Ape With No Name]

An I always thought the definition of Perl was executable line noise!

And it is that also. I think of it more as line-noise that only makes sense to one person, but stops being intelligible, even to it's creator, after about two weeks running amok as a cron job.

Thanks /. !

[Anonymous Coward]

June 25 is in 3 hours in Britain. Timely.

Re:Thanks /. !

[TheUncleBob]

Oh thats great, announce it while everyone in England is watching the footie !

Re:Thanks /. !

[Anonymous Coward]

Yes but then wouldn't it end in 27 hours. That seems like plenty of time to me.

Re:Thanks /. !

[bheer]

June 25 is in 3 hours in Britain.

Exactly. This is about as useful as dropping in a house demolition notice on the day of the bloody demolition. Oh, wait...

Re:Thanks /. !

[Anonymous Coward]

Actually, it was published! Check out the sign in the basement of the public library under that pile of boxes!

Re:Thanks /. !

[EvilTwinSkippy]

I never could get the hang of Thursdays.

Re:Thanks /. !

[Nodatadj]

And then getting drunk cos once again the penalties send them out.

Obligatory on slashdot...

[fred87]

"vogons? imagine a beowulf cluster of those!"

Re:Obligatory on slashdot...

[fred87]

lol i got to say i do agree with the "redundant" moderation - but someone had to say it :)

Re:Obligatory on slashdot...

[Anonymous Coward]

Only someone like YOU!

Being British

[emanuelez]

I guess Norwegian landscapes would perfectly fit. Too bad they don't need an Italian accent speaking guy!

A picture to send

[Anonymous Coward]

Perhaps you have a picture of an animal in its natural habitat that blows you away

goatse comes into mind for some reason...

Re:A picture to send

[Anonymous Coward]

Perhaps you have a picture of an animal in its natural habitat that blows you away

For some reason this quote made me think of Michael Jackson singing....

I'm forever blowing bubbles Pretty bubbles in the air They fly so high They reach the sky And like my dreams They fade and die Fortune's Always Hiding I've looked everywhere I'm forever blowing bubbles Pretty bubbles in the air

Re:A picture to send

[BluBrick]

Goatse guy? Shirley you can't be serious!
If any place on this (mostly) harmless ball of dirt deserves to be preserved from those hitchhiker hating, awful poetry reciting, hyperspace bypass building, officious, lumpy green monsters, it's my arse, not his!
In fact, I believe I have a photocopy left over from the an old office christmas party. Hmmm, it might be time to fire up the fax.
Covernote - "Save this!"

Something tells me...

[Unnngh!]

...that the winner is just going to have a really hot, photogenic girlfriend;)

Re:Something tells me...

[RobertB-DC]

Something tells me... ...that the winner is just going to have a really hot, photogenic girlfriend ;)

You mean, perhaps like Mick Jagger and former "Page 3 girl" Jeri Hall?

I was going to find a link, but I'm at work, so I can't really search for the appropriate picture. However, Jeri Hall is said to have been wooed by a peculiar Texas custom (link probably suitable for work). I was in Oklahoma during high school, so I guess that's why I'd never heard of this ritual.

Re:Something tells me...

[AKAImBatman]

...that the winner is just going to have a really hot, photogenic girlfriend;)

That gives me a good idea. Someone should take a picture of a young lady in a diner looking like she's busy writing something highly intelligent. For the caption write, "Young lady finds the answer to world peace!"

If they're true fans, how could they NOT pcik that one? ;-)

Re:Something tells me...

[AviLazar]

Jeri Hall

Damn

[stinkyfingers]

oh and be British!

Football involved helmets and tackling. All of my teeth are intact and healthy. Tea is best cold and sweet. Cars belong on the right side of the road. Skin should not be as pasty white as the under side of aquatic mammals.

I guess I'm out! Unless thinking George W. is royal-freaking-idiot would help my cause.

Re:Damn

[pclminion]

Tea is best cold and sweet.

I think you're over-stereotyping Americans. In the Midwest, sure, "tea" is almost invariably iced, but on the West Coast if you ask for "tea" you will get the hot stuff.

I don't know about our friends on the East Coast.

Re:Damn

[mmanrrtff]

So I guess a robot has no chance at all!!!! ohhh I'm soooo depressed !!

Re:Damn

[Anonymous Coward]

There are certain bars with rainbows that serve tea on the east coast but otherwise coffee is king.

Re:Damn

[nelsonal]

In the south its served cold and very sweet (I believe it must be boiled to super saturate the tea with sugar). Here in the mountains tea is hot and iced tea is cold (sometimes with a lemon, sweeteners are on the side), but we're pretty plain folk. Also don't know about the Northeast.

Re:Damn

[DAldredge]

If you haven't noticed, not very many people in the South admit to Cali being part of the USA. ;->

Re:Damn

[Anonymous Coward]

The northernmost limit of sweet, iced tea served in restaurants on I-95 is somewhere between Richmond VA and DC.

And, as anybody who was raised in the South knows, you just can't add sugar to iced tea. No matter how much you stir it, it doesn't dissolve in cold tea and just forms this nasty sediment at the bottom of the glass. You have to add it hot.

On the other hand, hot iced tea is the best. Pour hot tea over ice and drink. It's hot and cold in the same mouthful. Just wonderful.

Lemon optional, but it's the only way to make unsweet iced tea drinkable.

Re:Damn

[frodo from middle ea]

True converstion between me and a MickyD slaes rep. in Pittsburgh, PA

Me:- One hot tea please.
MickyD :- One Ice Tea hot
Me :- (after thinking about what I really heard ) :- No I wan't just Hot tea
MickyD:- Yeas, One Ice tea hot, that's what I put in.
Me:- Just how do you make a Ice tea Hot.
MickyD:- Oh its easy Sir, We just don't use ice and use hot water instead of cold.
Me:- I'm lovin it.

Re:Damn

[dosius]

Niagara Falls, NY. If you ask for "tea", by default it will be hot tea.

Moll.

Re:Damn

[code shady]

I don't know about our friends on the East Coast.
we primarily get tea of the long island variety. deeee-licious.

Re:Damn

[_xeno_]

OK, I'm from Massachusetts, so this only applies to New England I guess.

In almost every restraunt if you ask for tea you'll get unsweetened hot tea, usually with cream and sugar available to be added if you wish. If you ask for iced tea you'll get unsweetened iced tea with a slice of lemon and sugar available to be added if you wish.

While coffee does reign as the "hot drink" here for the most part, you can usually get tea at any place that serves coffee. I'm fairly sure you can get hot tea at McDonalds and Burger King here - but I usually don't want tea with fast food (and, based on everything else there, the tea would be crap anyway), so I haven't tried recently. I suppose it could be an interesting experiment...

Most fast food restraunts here don't actually give you a filled cup any more. They give you an empty cup and have you swing by the soda fountain. I know they include a spigget for hot water. I'm fairly sure you can get a tea bag too.

My father is a tea drinker - I usually stick with soda or iced tea :) - so this is mostly based on times I've eaten out with him. (And, IMNSHO, sweetening tea ruins it. I prefer it without cream, too, but cream is OK. Adding sugar to coffee is also an abomination.)

Re:Damn

[CaptMonkeyDLuffy]

Agreement on the over-stereotyping.
Also, as far as tea goes, in my experience that's really a southern US thing...

Re:Damn

[Anonymous Coward]

You're fat, eat burgers all day, pronounce all 'E's like 'A's.. yup, your out of it completely.

btw.. surely FOOTball should be played with FEET? Oh wait, of course, American thinking.. carry on.

Re:Damn

[Anonymous Coward]

Yes, McDs does have tea in Massachusetts. If you can call that stuff tea. Me, I drive to the Cheese Shop in Concord and get the real stuff.

Re:Damn

[Anonymous Coward]

Unless thinking George W. is royal-freaking-idiot would help my cause.
Unless that W stands for Windsor, no Brit is going to listen to you.

Re:Damn

[blane.bramble]

Cars belong on the right side of the road.

Of course - because for the majority of people it's good to take your stronger, dominant hand off the wheel to change gear. Oh, and there's the issue of meeting oncoming horsemen shield-to-shield rather than sword-to-sword, because that's the way the French who chose riding/marching on the right like it.

Re:Damn

[Anonymous Coward]

Somehow I am thinking your post will be stored in archive.org, from where it will be recovered in the future, put in the guide, fall back in time though a black hole and put in the hearth of gold computer. Then when the computer wants to replicate tea the simulation of ancient china, tea leaves and the entire history of teacattles will be done in s split second... But then the computer will realize it may have the recipe to tea after al, look up your comment and have a giant priority inversion processing it ;-)

Ofcourse this may end up being a perfect opportunity to meet with old (and now deceased) relatives, if it werent for those vogon (destructokill?) lasers shooting at your ship.

I am gonna read another book now, doing all of this from memory makes me scare me a little....

Re:Damn

[Anonymous Coward]

Yes, McDs does have tea in Massachusetts. If you can call that stuff tea.

What you mean of course is that McDs offers..."a plastic cup filled with a liquid that was almost, but not quite, entirely unlike tea.".

42

[Kjuib]

...is that enough?

Advice to the winner ..

[MuMart]

Don't forget to bring a towel!

...

You wanna get high?

Where?

[The Subliminal Kid]

I've been thinking and there isn't anywhere that I could make a case for saving

I'll just buy peanuts and learn Dentrassi.

Re:Where?

[irokitt]

I, for one, would like to see my home remain intact!

I'd enter...

[angst7]

But I'm not too sure that Earth does deserve to be spared from the Vogons.

After all, we've never shown much real initiative to get off this dustbowl. (this weeks achievement notwithstanding)

Now where did I put that electronic sub-etha signalling device?

Re:I'd enter...

[nizo]

Actually I was thinking the same thing. Perhaps entering a blank photo would be appropriate (or maybe a picture of a highway would be more humorous).

Re:I'd enter...

[Dr. Evil]

You know, the Earth does get destroyed pretty early on in that book.

Re:I'd enter...

[LMCBoy]

I don't know. Apathetic bloody little planet, I've no sympathy at all.

(cue terrible ghastly silence)...

Re:I'd enter...

[EvilTwinSkippy]

But I'm not too sure that Earth does deserve to be spared from the Vogons.

After all, we've never shown much real initiative to get off this dustbowl. (this weeks achievement notwithstanding)

Now where did I put that electronic sub-etha signalling device?

Get my towel back to me first.

Re:I'd enter...

[Gandalf_Greyhame]

depends on where you are reading... it also gets destroyed very late in the book/series (Mostly Harmless)

Poetry-Reading Amphitheater

[VernonNemitz]

If we had some of those (or declared various places to be such), then that might change a few Vogon minds....

I would take a pic...

[bludstone]

of a brewery. No more earth means no more beer, and thats sad.

Re:I would take a pic...

[dasmegabyte]

"Beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy."

Benjamin Franklin wrote that. I added it to our quote board at work yesterday, when the boss left early and somebody snuck in two cold sick packs.

Re:I would take a pic...

[Anonymous Coward]

But you could still get a gin and tonic...

Re:I would take a pic...

[Gandalf_Greyhame]

"Beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy."

Beer is proof of the non-existence of God.

"The argument goes something like this: `I refuse to prove that I exist,' says God, `for proof denies faith, and without faith I am nothing.'

"`But,' says Man, `Beer is a dead giveaway, isn't it? It could not have been created by chance. It proves you exist, and so therefore, by your own arguments, you don't. QED.'

"`Oh dear,' says God, `I hadn't thought of that,' and promptly vanished in a puff of logic.

The Survivor's Guide to the Galaxy

[sjonke]

Are we *sure* that isn't the title?

GOOGLE

[pyro101]

I would have to say google, they could make a whole description of how google was never actually anywhere it just appeared one day on the internet.

What IS bangers and mash?

[burgburgburg]

Why, it's a A great English family favourite

Sausages and mashed potato, served at the coronation of James II (1685-1688).

Re:What IS bangers and mash?

[lobsterGun]

Why, it's a A great English family favourite

Sausages and mashed potato, served at the coronation of James II (1685-1688).

They must have made a lot of extras to still have any left after 400 years!

Re:What IS bangers and mash?

[Richard_L_James]

Why, it's a A great English family favourite

Oh NO they are NOT!

A Brit would know that Bangers & Mash are infact 2 naughty Chimpanzee brothers who live at number 3 Tree Street. You can see some of their videos here or download one of their games here :-)

Re:What IS bangers and mash?

[NeoSkandranon]

That's kindof interesting, considering my dad loved bangers and mash as a kid, and his family is about as backwoods redneck north carolinian as it gets. Wonder where thy picked up the dish from...

Re:What IS bangers and mash?

[Anonymous Coward]

and his family is about as backwoods redneck north carolinian as it gets. Wonder where thy picked up the dish from...

According to the book The Mother Tongue by Bill Bryson, the people in that region speak closer to Elizabethan English than anyone else on Earth, including Britain itself. It is likely that they would keep other traditions better as well.

Amazing....

[Mz6]

That's amazing that simply linking to the article gets you higher moderation rather than a paste of hte link. I guess we really ARE lazy.

Re:Amazing....

[dasmegabyte]

I think it's amazing that on Slashdot, copyright violation is worth brownie points.

How many would I get for credit card fraud?

Re:Amazing....

[beebware]

Dunno - but there's one way of finding out :)

"Python impressions don't count"

[Trikenstein]

wink:wink nudge:nudge say no more

Brittain

[fishybell]

That's it. This is the last straw!

I've been complaining for a long time, but now I'm finally leaving.

Slashdot is way too U.K.-centric. Where's my news about America (land of the free, home of the brave)? I'm sick and tired of all this "Metres this" and "Stones that" crap.

Give me American, or give me death!

Re:Brittain

[Anonymous Coward]

That could be arranged.

I have some gentlemen from MI6 that wish to have a word in your shell like ear.

Re:Brittain

[Anonymous Coward]

The UK has the second largest online-population in the world (behind the US), it's only to be expected that the UK is going to have a big presence on any and all english-speaking websites.

(extra info)
I think Canada and Australia are continually moving between 3rd/4th.

Re:Brittain

[Paul Lamere]

Yep ... my user number is prime too, hey what's going on, they're all prime!

Re:Brittain

[Zaiff Urgulbunger]

ahem... just the one "t". Okay?

Re:Brittain

[gosand]

Give me American, or give me death!

Usually, if you are a non-American, you get both.

Re:Brittain

[Zangief]

Bah, my user number is not a prime, BUT IS THE PRODUCT OF 2 PRIME NUMBERS!! I think it is almost the same thing, isn't?

Re:Brittain

[Anonymous Coward]

"Give me American, or give me death!"

junk food, clinical obesity, driving on the wrong side of the road... dude, you already have death!

Re:Brittain

[Anonymous Coward]

"Give me American, or give me death!"

I think that's what's known as tempting fate...

Re:Brittain

[antic]

I don't know. Britain seems to be all about tea, and one is never enough.

Re:Brittain

[jellomizer]

Bah, my user number is a product of 5 Prime numbers. which is cool because there is a Prime number of Prime products in my user name. 2*2*5*5*1033 Ohhh Spooky

Re:Brittain

[Anonymous Coward]

Perhaps you may consider that statement when a story about US Patent Law , US College, US government or anything specifically US appears, that has nothing whatsoever to do with any other country in the world.

Why would you want to be so insular in your views and/or reading?

Re:Brittain

[Zangief]

Bah and more Bah. My user number is the product of TWO prime numbers, which is the lowest prime number.

And, to top it off, my prime number is the sum of two prime numbers!!!

You Have to Be British?

[Anonymous Coward]

Oh this is really going to sort out our Asylum Problems

Oh no...beware BBC!

[Call Me Black Cloud]

You just have to send them a picture of somewhere on Earth that deserves to be spared from the Vogons by 25 June

...and the goatse pictures start rolling in...

Re:Oh no...beware BBC!

[torpor]

spared by the vogons, not speared...

Time?

[herrvinny]

Terrific, the 25th is only TOMORROW.

However, the British (at least Londoners) are less than three hours away from tomorrow.

Re:Time?

[radish]

Luckily the whole of the UK sits in one timezone, so it does apply to all of them.

I wonder...

[Hatfieldje]

How often does the average Brit go to the dentist? I think this could be a new slashdot poll (well for all geeks to answer... not just the British ones).

Re:I wonder...

[Anonymous Coward]

Because we lagged behind the US in cosmetic dentistry and even use of braces. I don't think the stereotype is so true now, but used to be. Just look at David Bowie in his early days compared to now...

I have to say it...

[Call Me Black Cloud]

I hate "mod parent up" posts but I'm in a self-loathing mood I guess. Mods, give the parent some love. It is the funniest post of the day...maybe even the week. No, even longer...it's the funniest post I've seen in a fortnight!

Re:I have to say it...

[Anonymous Coward]

Mod parent (calling for its parent to be modded up) up (?!)

Modded off-topic?

I think you're supposed to mod +1 funny, for use of the word 'fortnight'.

Re:I have to say it...

[Anonymous Coward]

And give him +1 bold for not posting AC :-)

Re:I have to say it...

[Call Me Black Cloud]

Thank you for getting the joke.

Wow

[Anonymous Coward]

Is it coincidental that the fortune cookie at the bottom of the page reads -

"I think I'll KILL myself by leaping out of this 14th STORY WINDOW while reading ERICA JONG'S poetry!!"

Reminiscent of the Vogons! :)

Damn.

[Azureflare]

I'm American. No chance for me.

I never could get the hang of Thursdays.

Re:Damn.

[TopShelf]

I for one, am sick of all these Anglo-centric /. stories. Come on, not everybody is a Brit around here!

Be British?

[Turn-X Alphonse]

WTF kinda comment is "Be British". Britian is made up of quite different people, alot of us find it offensive to be roped in together and be told that we're ment to drink tea, eat cucumber sandwichs and say "Halley-ho" or whatever that crap is.

How about we start refering to everyone in the world as "Earthians" and see how soon we piss off two very different countries...

Re:Be British?

[Anonymous Coward]

You can't even spell "Britian".

Idiot.

Re:Be British?

[AviLazar]

Aww stop complaining you limey bastard, you get to enter this contest...well you are limey are you? Hmm? If not, then no HAH!

P.S. For those that lack a funny bone, it's a joke!

Re:Be British?

[StateOfTheUnion]

You complain about British stereotypes . . . what about us Americans? Perhaps the single most diverse country in the world (in terms of immigration and ancestory) and we get categorized and stereotyped as overweight, MTV watching, gun toting, Big Mac eaters.

Re:Be British?

[Anonymous Coward]

What's more, you (in a non-roping-you-all-together sense!) use the collective term 'Americans', which logically ropes in Canadians, Mexicans, Brazilians, Columbians, etc., then complain at the more precise 'USians' as if it's deliberately intended to be some sort of insult.

Re:Be British?

[StateOfTheUnion]

Care to share which countries have the term "America" in the name? To the best of my knowledge, there is only one . . . when refering to countries, 'American' refers to the United States of America. If I were comparing continents, I would see your point . . . but I was comparing to British and the term 'Britain' or 'British' typically refers to the UK.

English grammar dictates parallel structure, if one compares, contrasts, or lists a country it is inferred that one is comparing, contrasting or listing that country to or with another country or countries (when the terms can be interpreted as a country or a continent).

Thus 'American' in the context that I used it refers to the citizens of the United States of America.

Don't believe me, check the dictionary

Re:Be British?

[JudgeFurious]

And I for one don't want to have to go around telling people I'm a "United Statesian".

"American" is fine by me.

Re:Be British?

[Anonymous Coward]

You're missing the point; "be British" doesn't refer to stereotypes as you seem to think, but rather the contest rules. People outside of the UK are not elligible to participate in the competition, IE the large amount of Slashdot-viewing, Douglas Adams-reading Yankees.

So don't complain about it being a sterotype; it's just to prevent a ton of ineligible Americans from trying to participate.

Re:Be British?

[onkelonkel]

Americans are a fiercely proud people. Proud of being ...well... American.

The really cool thing is not one "American" in 50 knows who the country was actually named after. (I saw it on TV, it must be true)

Re:Be British?

[StateOfTheUnion]

Named after Mr. Vespuci . . . Amerigo Vespuci . . . the guy that "discovered" the continent . . . 1 out of 50 . . . that's bad . . . I'm surprised the statistic is that bad; I do remember learning this fact in school (public school mind you).

Re:Be British?

[raym0nd]

Well, not to argue your point. I'm not overweight, but I am an MTV watching, gun toting, Big Mac eater... Actually I prefer Double Quarter Pounders with cheese, supersized with Dr. Pepper...and an extra double cheeseburger on the side.... Hmm... I may be overweight after all.....

Re:Be British?

[wmspringer]

I knew the guy, but I couldn't think of his last name. Not sure WHERE I learned that, though :-)

Re:Be British?

[Turn-X Alphonse]

UK and Britian are two totally different things. Most people ignore that and it bugs me.

Re:Be British?

[jc42]

Well, "United Statsian" isn't a very good term, because someone might think you're a citizen of the United States of Brazil or one of the other countries that uses "United States" (in their own language, of course) as part of the country's name.

"American" is better because there's only one country with that word in its name.

People have funny ideas about language sometime.

Re:Be British?

[Anonymous Coward]

That's the problem with American food - you just described a meal of about 1500 calories. What the fuck is wrong with American portions? You're only supposed to eat about 2000 calories in a DAY.

Re:Be British?

[keefey]

Well, hate to be completely facetious, but "Britain" refers to Britain, and the UK refers to the UK. The UK includes Northern Ireland, Britain does not.

Re:Be British?

[dave420]

'America' is a continent. What you're describing as "America" is actually called "The United States of America", as they are the a unity of states within America. Saying Mexico and Canada aren't parts of America is like saying France and Germany aren't parts of Europe.

Geography isn't a strong point in the US, so I'm sure you'll be forgiven :-P

Re:Be British?

[Red Rocket]

'America' is a continent.

Actually, it's an entire hemisphere -- divided into the "North" and "South" varieties of continents.

Re:Be British?

[dave420]

Actually, "America" is a continental land mass, split into north and south. It can't be a hemisphere, as it's not as big as half the world.

Re:Be British?

[Red Rocket]

Oh, OK. Could you name the continents that reside in the western hemisphere for me? List them all so that I can be fully educated.

Re:Be British?

[Anonymous Coward]

This argument is an utter waste of time, a totally pointless semantic nitpicking.

I don't really care if you like it or not: The term is WIDELY used as a shorthand for "The United States Of America." It does not indicate any disrespect to the other countries with which we share the American continent.

Often!

[Scorchio]

At least every 6 months, and much more when getting treatment, because it was covered by the NHS. Now I live in the US and need to pay, so I haven't been yet. Quite where this stereotype has come from is a mystery to me...

Re:Often!

[Anonymous Coward]

At least every 6 months, and much more when getting treatment, because it was covered by the NHS.

You found an NHS dentist?! I hate you!

Re:Often!

[Scorchio]

Well, these were the days before New Labour(tm) took the helm...

Re:Often!

[terrymr]

All the NHS dentists in my town were gone before the days of new labor.

Re:Often!

[Anonymous Coward]

One thing it could be is that British dentists used to be ethically very against the cosmetic dentistry offered in the states favouring health. Certainly the tooth bleaching regime some American dentists practice was available, although these days the chemicals aren't nearly so bad (they used to be ultimately damaging to teeth).

To be honest my own teeth are naturally rather off-white. I am tempted but wonder if I'd look a bit odd with pearly whites...

Re:Often!

[Anonymous Coward]

New Labour would close 'em.

New Labour is evil.

UK != Earth

[Anonymous Coward]

So when they say "we want you to send us a photograph of the place on Earth you think deserves to survive the planet's destruction", they really mean which part of the UK.

Re:UK != Earth

[Anonymous Coward]

No, because unlike Americans, Brits actually visit other places on the planet.

Re:UK != Earth

[Bill_Mische]

No - someone could live in the UK and have a photo of somewhere else. I could for example have about the house a photo of a small town in Ohio and submit that.

The fact that I don't and wouldn't if I did is besides the point.

I suspect the main reason for the UK resident rule (apart for the Earth based bits being based in the England) is that whilst they might pay a train fare from Boston (Lincolnshire) they have no intention of paying an airfare from Boston (Massachusetts - {sp.?})

Re:UK != Earth

[Altus]

"Massachusetts"

well spelled!

Re:UK != Earth

[Anonymous Coward]

"Spelt"

Non-Brits, don't lose hope!

[Strange_Attractor]

In this thread on the article's BBC website, the Responsible Parties strongly hint that they're working on a similar contest open to all.

Re:Non-Brits, don't lose hope!

[Anonymous Coward]

A more exact link for the lazy people.

Re:Non-Brits, don't lose hope!

[Radish03]

That's excellent news--I've got some amazing shots I took in New Zealand, which I visited just after reading Adams' Last Chance To See , in which he spends a fair amount of time there. I even bought a plush Kakapo to support a wildlife preserve in honor of the part the bird played in the book.

Re:Non-Brits, don't lose hope!

[Miroku]

Exactly. Americans will be included in the movie as extras whose sole purpose is look terrified for five seconds before they are reduced to elementary particles by the Vogons.

Come to think of it... Maybe they could take votes for people the public most wants to see obliterated. I mean, think about the people you could draw to see the movie that way! I mean, we could tell Bush that it's a great publicity stunt- a real good way for him to show what good terms he's on with the Brits- and plus reach those annoyingly liberal geek-types!

Then again... Maybe that isn't such a good idea.

Bah humbug

[isorox]

Couldn't go for the firefly extra, so I get all geared up to win this competition, but I cant enter this either! No fair

Had a great idea for a photo too - an on time train! It's so rare that it's got to be worth saving :p

Damn...

[devphaeton]

oh and be British!

yet another reason to wish i were british.

Dear Moderators

[Hatfieldje]

before you score something as offtopic, will you please RTFP? Not only did I include elements to show that I Read TFA (look at the part about when the contest ends), but I also made a play on the long running Slashdot joke about everything being USA-centric. So mod it +1 funny or -1 overrated, but not offtopic. That's just silly.

Yanks need not apply...

[TiggertheMad]

*sigh* We saved them from the hun twice last century, and (possibly) once from the bolshevik hoards. We buy Harry Potter books by the shipload, and we put up with Hugh Grant's acting. Doesn't that cut us enough slack to get a shot at being vaporised by vogons?

Re:Yanks need not apply...

[Anonymous Coward]

Not when we rename "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone" to "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" because we're afraid kids will think the book is about philosophy and so must be boring. . . .

Re:Yanks need not apply...

[Anonymous Coward]

Doesn't that cut us enough slack to get a shot at being vaporised by vogons?

No.

Re:Yanks need not apply...

[kmac06]

Yeah, but we saved your ass in world war 3! /not even british

Re:Yanks need not apply...

[Anonymous Coward]

"We saved them from the hun twice last century" Please mod, "-1 ignorant of world history".

What about 'Pigboy' from MOTU?

[iamcf13]

A kid won a contest sponsored by Mattel and got a part in Masters Of The Universe (1987)

He had NO lines.

If you blinked fast, you'd miss him when he appeared on screen.

Will this be the fate of the HHGTTG movie part winner?...

Re:What about 'Pigboy' from MOTU?

[Strange_Attractor]

Almost certainly. So?

Re:What about 'Pigboy' from MOTU?

[johnw]

The last Roger Moore Bond film (I forget the name) was preceded by a competition where the prize was to "be a Bond girl". As a result the film is full of pairs of girls standing around showing their complete inability to act. They're there for no reason other than the competition.

OTOH, the film was complete crap in its own right.

John

OT: Licensing Fees

[Anonymous Coward]

Let me get this straight, the brits pay a licensing fee to watch the BBC whereas here in the US we don't have to pay a fee to watch TV. Does that mean that they don't have to put up with commercial ads?

Re:OT: Licensing Fees

[MoonBuggy]

Correct (almost). The BBC which comprises 2 analogue terrestrial channels, ~5 digital channels (I think) and a whole load of radio stations has absolutely no commercial advertising. The other channels, which see no cut from the license fee, do have commercial ads which is IMO quite understandable.

Re:OT: Licensing Fees

[StateOfTheUnion]

What about BBC America (available on some digital cable services in the US)? . . . It does have commercial advertising (It doesn't get license fees in America . . . unless the cable services pay them something)

Is BBC America a separate entity from the BBC per your post?

Re:OT: Licensing Fees

[MoonBuggy]

I'm not sure - my post was purely based on what I know simply from living in England and watching TV. My assumption would be that since Americans don't pay a license fee BBC America has to resort to commercial funding (they aren't gonna give you guys something for nothing) whereas here in the UK we pay them a fee and therefore they don't need the extra advertising revenue to stay running.

Re:OT: Licensing Fees

[StateOfTheUnion]

I had thought that there was talk 4-5 years ago about the BBC/TV license system changing to a somewhat more commercial system . . .

I guess that never happened?

Re:OT: Licensing Fees

[mlk]

The contract between the BBC & the UK.gov TV licensing only lasts X number of years before it needs to be renewed. Its about to expire, thus the talk on it being changed/scraped.
Currently it is not planned.

Re:OT: Licensing Fees

[Wildfire Darkstar]

The BBC is a little bit messy, from a business perspective. BBC America is part of BBC Worldwide, which is the commercial wing of the organization, and is geared towards making a profit. Therefore, BBC America is like any other US cable television network.

The UK stations, on the other hand, are not commercial entities. They are funded by the licensing fee, and are therefore not geared towards making profit. They have certain responsibilities not shared by BBC Worldwide (such as appealing the broadest selection of tastes, not simply the fattest wallet), too.

BBC Worldwide exists to handle the commercial potential of BBC products, which puts them at something of an arm's length from the rest of the organization, but nonetheless still under the same umbrella.

One place not to be destroyed...

[Anonymous Coward]

Any place Douglas Adams has ever lived!

Most deserving place to be spared?

[EvilCowzGoMoo]

If any place deserves to be spared this is it! Its *sniff* beautiful *sniff*

Re:Most deserving place to be spared?

[Richard_L_James]

If any place deserves to be spared this is it! Its *sniff* beautiful *sniff*

Believe me sniffing is the last thing you want to be doing in a British public toilet....!

Apple pi

[Sabaki]

Oh, come. Just think different. ...ly.

Certainly this should be spared ...

[Paul Lamere]

I don't live in the UK, so I can't enter, otherwise I'd submit this picture of the Douglas Adams Memorial

British

[punkin]

I used to work for a British company and I like Bubble and Squeak. Close enough?

Re:British

[Anonymous Coward]

No, for the simple reason you like Bubble and Squeak. We dont eat it we just serve it to naive tourists.

If I was british

[fullmetal55]

I'd carve "Slartibartfast" into a glacier, pretend its Norway, and take a picture of it. afterall Slartibartfast won an award for Norway...

Re:If I was british

[FireFury03]

Oddly enough we don't have that many glaciers here in Britain ;)

Some Ideas:

[irokitt]

o The White House

o Britney Spear's Mansion

o Redmond, Washington

o AOL/Disney/RIAA/$EVIL_CORPORATION headquarters

o Whatever company makes vending machines. I swear, I've lost so much to those things...

Re:Some Ideas:

[DunbarTheInept]

Hey - lots of people live in Redmond who's only crime is being neighbors with evil rather than being part of the evil.

Re:Some Ideas:

[Dark Legend]

668 the neighbour of the devil...

Re:Some Ideas:

[Smidge204]

Don't worry, we'll put the plans on display at the local planning office!

=Smidge=

Re:Some Ideas:

[kalidasa]

I believe the technical name for that topos is "the contractors on the Death Star."

Re:Some Ideas:

[Anonymous Coward]

Save time, just obliterate the whole of America. Then perhaps the world can finally get some peace.

Re:Some Ideas:

[Anonymous Coward]

o Don't forget Lindon.

Re:Some Ideas:

[DunbarTheInept]

The relevant difference is:

The death star: didn't exist until evil people started building it.
Redmond: predates Microsoft.

Re:Some Ideas:

[AllanLembo]

>Whatever company makes vending machines. I swear, I've lost so much to those things...

But they're from Sirius, are they not?

Re:Some Ideas:

[KavitaDrake]

>>Whatever company makes vending machines. I swear, I've lost so much to those things...

And now they emit deadly gasses!

Re:Some Ideas:

[Anonymous Coward]

What was the population of Redmond in 1985? 6,740. Today? 17,450. And that doesn't include the folks who work for MS, but don't live in Redmond - probably at least another 10,000 (can't find a number for the employees at the Redmond campus, which is a sensible number to hide). Plus all the folks who make their livings from selling to Microsoft. All told, I'd be surprised if more than 4,000 people in Redmond weren't in some way tied to the collective. But who cares - the whole thing is a joke, anyway.

As a Philadelphian, my chances of winning a part

[Anonymous Coward]

...appear as dead as this Norwegian Blue.

Just like the Vogons

[Tjp($)pjT]

They even tell you about their contest when precipitous doom or the end of the entry period is too close to do any thing about it.

You don't have to *be* British...

[Freddles]

....you just have to be a British resident.

Re:You don't have to *be* British...

[Anonymous Coward]

In other news right wing UK website migrationwatchuk.org reports a sudden increase in American immigration to the UK!! :)

obvious answer

[Anonymous Coward]

the loss of Nelson's column is lamented wholeheartedly in the books, I'm sure it'd be appropriate for this..

UK Resident

[N7DR]

You don't have to be British to enter. The rules clearly state that you must be a British resident. Not at all the same thing.

Proof?

[AviLazar]

The Producers do not accept any responsibility for late or lost entries due to the Internet. Proof of sending is not proof of receipt

What return receipt doesn't count anymore?

Slough

[T-Kir]

Yep, has to be Slough I'm afraid... (plus The Office is based there).

Re:Slough

[Dark$ide]

Not Slough, my wonderful Citroen was built there.
How about destroying Basingstoke? Basingstoke gets a mention on page 42 of the paperback edition of HHGTTG volume 1.

Re:Slough

[Armchair Dissident]

Basingstoke does, however, have a very nice road leading away from it... :)

Re:Slough

[Anonymous Coward]

Slough rocks.

If it's such a shithole, why are houses there so fucking expensive? And why does it have one of the lowest rates of unemployment in Britain? Why are so many major companies HQ'd there? I was born in Slough, and went to prep school there, it's actually one of the most prosperous and livable locations in the whole of the UK.

Re:Slough

[Nexus Seven]

And I thought David Brent was a fictional character...

Houses are so expensive because it's within spitting distance of London. Unfortunately, the average salary in Slough is well below the regional average, meaning the town suffers from a very low quality of life. Perhaps that's why I want to commit suicide everytime I go there.

Re:Slough

[Anonymous Coward]

If Slough brings on such emotions for you, I'd advise that you never, ever visit Middlesborough, Southampton, East London, South London, Luton, Liverpool, Warrington, Hull, Flint, Oxford, Sunderland etc etc etc

And the average salary is certainly NOT low, wherever did you get such a fanciful notion? People who work at Mars often retire at 50 on a GREAT final salary pension. Jesus, one stupid fucking poem and a comedy show and everyone suddenly thinks they know all about Slough - there isn't even such a town as Slough - it's only the name of the local authority! The town is actually called Upton-cum-Chalvey, Slough refers to the Eton Slough (ie marsh or bog) that used to constitute the majority of the flood plain between Eton and Upton.

Re:Slough

[Nexus Seven]

I've been to all those places (except Boro), and with the possible exception of Liverpool, Slough comes out as the biggest shit-hole.

It's the people who live in Slough that suffer with low wages. The people that work there tend to live in places like Windsor or Maidenhead.

Re:Slough

[Anonymous Coward]

Come, friendly Vogons, and fall on Slough.

Re:Slough

[deathguppie]

you english are so class based, get a grip on life, stop hating someone just because they are from Manchester and drink a cold beer for god sakes!

Re:Slough

[ianpm]

Do you know what the definition of a "slough" is? 1) A depression or hollow, usually filled with deep mud or mire.also slue 2) A stagnant swamp, marsh, bog, or pond, especially as part of a bayou, inlet, or backwater. 3) A state of deep despair or moral degradation. Case closed! From: http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=Slough

I'm a pig.

[runlvl0]

Something tells me... ...that the winner is just going to have a really hot, photogenic girlfriend ;)

You mean, perhaps like Mick Jagger and former "Page 3 girl" Jeri Hall?

No, like Jack Ryan and Jeri "Seven of Nine" Ryan. Now those are pictures that I want to see!

Yes but...

[Anonymous Coward]

I knew there was a reason I haven't gone to the dentist in a few years.

Did you change your underwear lately???

Easily done...

[Anonymous Coward]

My ancestry hasn't been living in England for a few centuries, so I won't qualify, but I'm sure there are some porn shops over there. You'd be guarenteed to win if you snapped a few off in front of Herold House of Homoerotica...

To save the Earth

[AviLazar]

Take a picture of some smoking hot babe - that should get the aliens a thinking.

This seems wrong

[Anonymous Coward]

To convince to Vogon's of beauty, shouldn't it be the most disgusting thing on earth? The contest is asking for the most beautiful thing...

Mod: +5 Irony

[torpor]

Give me American, or give me death!

Uh huh. Thats a pretty broad selection. Sure you wanna narrow your choices?

God save the fjords!

[Anonymous Coward]

As Pinky would definitely agree... Fjord!

I'm thinking the screenwriters at WB, at least the ones that wrote on that one particular episode of Pink and the Brain, must have liked HHGTG... white mice AND fjords? Definitely read HHGTG trilogy.

Never put it together until today.

which Python

[eegad]

/usr/bin/python

sorry... one bad joke deserves another

hm

[EMH_Mark3]

I wonder how many people will send pictures of Douglas Adams.

Re:hm

[EMH_Mark3]

Probably noone, since it asks for pictures of PLACES, not people, and I should really read the whole damn post before replying, and bah :/

shame

[illuminatedwax]

It's a shame only Brits are allowed to compete - I'd take a picture of Chicago from Lake Shore Drive where Lake Shore goes over the Chicago River...it's the most beautiful urban spot in the world as far as I'm concerned.

--Stephen

Beer In Space

[microbrewer]

Being a self confessed Beer Geek and Profesional brewer I know about beer brewing experiments in space also I have been an advocate of Zero Emisions brewing that would be usful as you can then use the spent grain to grow Mushrooms ,Tomatoes and use the treated water for Fish also you could have a Bioreator for energy . http://www.zeri.org/systems/brew.htm http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2001/ast21sep_1 .htm http://www.newscientist.com/news/news.jsp?id=ns999 9276

Gotta be a brit, huh?

[code shady]

So what does that mean exactly (no, I didn't RTFA yet)?

I mean, technically I am a british citizen, since my fater was born there and has me on his passport ( I can keep dual citizenship since i was born in 1982, I guess they changed that at some point thereafter).
Because of that, I have a real british passport, and can use it to travel around like a british citizen.

HOWEVER, I do NOT live in the UK. Is that an actual prerequisite? Or can i just send in some pics, win, and then fly over there to claim my rightful spot in the movie?

Got the winning candidate

[hey!]

Right here.

Hang on, we'll get some American "news for nerds!"

[Anonymous Coward]

Just wait a bit and we'll have some real American Slashdot style news, like interviews with uberhackers Alan Cox and Linus Torvalds, or a story on Alan Turing, or the latest news on Mandrake, SuSE, and Knoppix.

Err wait ...

I hope I am the 42nd person to sign up.

[Iberian]

If not then I hope i get a complimentary towel.

Hawaii

[bigberk]

A friend of mine is doing some geological work in Hawaii and he sent me these photos. Damn, there's an amazing place.

Resident

[gwernol]

oh and be British

No, that's not true:

The competition is open to UK residents only, of 18 years or over. Overseas players are not eligible. You do not have to be a registered member of h2g2 to enter.

You have to be a resident of the UK. I'm British but not a UK resident, so I can't enter. A Frenchman (say) or an American who lived in London would be eligable. That's several million people who you've just misinformed...

Re:Resident

[Macgrrl]

Damn...

I'm Australian, and we are still part of the British Commonwealth.

We have so many fabulous natural wonders that would be ideal examples of why the Earth should be saved from the Vogons..., The Great Barrier Reef, Uluru, etc...

oh well

[NanoGator]

"You just have to send them a picture of somewhere on Earth that deserves to be spared from the Vogons"

Well they're getting a photo of my house. Screw the rest of ya'all.

Trivia

[NanoGator]

Sorry folks, nothing insightful to share about the article. But I do have an interesting bit of info about the Hitchhiker's Guide TV series. There's a scene at the restaraunt where they serve a live talking pig to Arthur and company. That pig is played by... Peter Davison? As in, the fifth regeneration of Doctor Who. I don't know how common knowledge that is, but I was stunned to see his name in the credits. You wouldn't know it was him in the pig suit.

Re:Trivia

[Anonymous Coward]

That'll be Peter Davison, who is (and was) married to Sandra Dickenson (a.k.a. Trillian).

They also went on the be the co-authors/performes of the Button Moon theme music.

Pretty messed up really.

Suggested location to be saved

[Jim74]

I haven't seen any suggestions of locations that deserve to be saved by the Vogons yet. First thing that entered my mind was surely Douglas' birthplace or grave site deserve their reverence.

Re:Suggested location to be saved

[B.D.Mills]

I'm sure we can think of a few.

send them a picture of somewhere on Earth that deserves to be spared from the Vogons

I will assume that Vogons will be doing the judging. (Given that the competition closes in about 24 hours, this is probably correct.) What appeals to Vogons? Administration. Bureaucratic red tape, sealing wax and paperwork. Ugly, drab functionality.

Therefore, I would send in a picture of an administration building on Earth that is the most ugly, greyest, most drab utilitarian administration building in existence, and that also generates great quantities of bureaucratic paper work for no good reason.

That would be worth preserving - to prove to the universe that the Vogons can be matched elsewhere in the galaxy for sheer bloodyminded bureaucracy.

Re:Suggested location to be saved

[Ronald Dumsfeld]

send them a picture of somewhere on Earth that deserves to be spared from the Vogons

I will assume that Vogons will be doing the judging. (Given that the competition closes in about 24 hours, this is probably correct.) What appeals to Vogons? Administration. Bureaucratic red tape, sealing wax and paperwork. Ugly, drab functionality.

Therefore, I would send in a picture of an administration building on Earth that is the most ugly, greyest, most drab utilitarian administration building in existence, and that also generates great quantities of bureaucratic paper work for no good reason.

I see. Then I better get myself off to Brussels and photograph the European Commission buildings. After all they're in Belgium!

What? Did I say a bad word?

Re:Suggested location to be saved

[Julia Cameron]

Then the location to be spared would have to be Glasgow. Glasgow is populated by Vogons anyway. Well... aside from the West End which has been taken over by the Borg.

There's a coincidence..

[wmspringer]

Heh...funny this pops up just now, when I'd just finished a short review of the Ultimate Hitchhiker's Guide for my website :-)

But then, that seems about par for the course for this book..

One thing I'm actually not totally clear on is whether or not this should be in the science fiction section..

Well then

[raym0nd]

In that case I should submit a picture of my bedroom. bastards better leave me alone if I'm sleeping...

Re:Hang on, we'll get some American "news for nerd

[fastdecade]

Just wait a bit and we'll have some real American Slashdot style news, like interviews with uberhackers Alan Cox and Linus Torvalds, or a story on Alan Turing, or the latest news on Mandrake, SuSE, and Knoppix.

Shortly followed by tales of robots playing soccer, the latest in anime, and 5G mobile phones.

I can see a trend ...

This spot should be saved

[MadBurner]

I think this spot should be saved. http://www.oregonbeauties.com/tour/anthmyst/images /anthmyst14744l.jpg **warning not for minors**

Re:This spot should be saved

[alien666]

Request denied! Proceed with demolition, posthaste!

There's nowhere in Britain worth saving!

[Anonymous Coward]

N/T

The Cadillac Ranch

[Rimbo]

Proof positive that reality and H2G2 have merged:

In the barren wasteland of my hometown (Amarillo, Texas, USA), 1974, a bored rich man, Stanley Marsh 3, paid some artists to bury a handful of classic Caddys nose-first in the dirt, all in a line.

http://www.libertysoftware.be/cml/cadillacranch/ ra nch/crabtr.htm

It's the sort of thing you'd expect to see only in a Douglas Adams model. It's the kind of thing a Vogon could truly appreciate. It's batshit insane. It's goofy. It's just South of I-40 on the West side of town.

Be the first to send your photo! I can't; I'm from Texas.

Lucky limey buggers.

Re:The Cadillac Ranch

[EvilTwinSkippy]

Stranger still. The angle of the cars to the ground was chosen to match that of a pyramids of Giza.

Also can't enter. (Philadelphia, PA)

If I were a Brit...

[dnahelix]

If I were a Brit, I'd send 'em a photo of me arse!

Tea

[Anonymous Coward]

Tea is best cold and sweet.

Tea is best served in Boston Harbour

What about Ground Zero

[Dark Bard]

To hell with what should be spared, I say we should be targeting ground zero. What about Washington DC? The Petroleum Lobbyist would have to throw a dinner party to make sure everyone was in town. Could solve most of the worlds problems in one strike. Not sure if Washington is big enough for a hyperspace bypass but we could offer it up and see. Just tell them Bush was a poetry critic before he became President.

Bah - must be UK resident.

[Anonymous Coward]

The competition is open to UK residents only

On http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/F1839197?thread=4373 19 it sez:
Sadly, BBC rules state that competitions need to be directed towards license-fee payers - ie, people in the UK. However, although we can't offer competitions to our oversees members, we are close to announcing a different project along the same lines that will be open to all.

Zewurst

[Anonymous Coward]

I am not eligable to enter the compo, so here is somewhere the Vogons should destroy with great haste.

Does nyone else have any requests for places the Vogons should - ahem - tidy up?

UK Resident

[APDent]

...oh and be British!

Not just British, which I am, but a UK resident, which I'm not. Bugger.

If I were british...

[EvilTwinSkippy]

I'd be running over to the linen section of the department store and snapping shots of towels. Lot's of towels. On clearence!

Improbability

[Jorkapp]

I wonder how many people will have to fire up their Improbability Engines to get so much as a chance in this?

You've got less than 24 hours to enter

[LardBrattish]

Which means I've got to get a flight from Perth to Exmouth, drive down to Corel Bay (which as it's winter at the moment looks below par) hire a boat - throw up like mad & take a photo of the reef then I need to find a phone point so I can e-mail my image to the BBC.

Yeah, like that's going to happen.

Given more time I could have managed a pretty spectacular (and very DNA friendly - for those who have read the Salmon of doubt) shot but in less than a day I'll have to pass. Bugger (as they say in Australia)

Uh oh... bad sign.

[Anonymous Coward]

This makes me nervous that the movie's going to suck :)

Sometimes a Pun, isn't

[100_Monkeys_Typing]

Is this another example of Britsh humor? Please stop.

Re:Sometimes a Pun, isn't

[mopslik]

Britsh humor

I've heard that phrase described as both "redundant" and "an oxymoron". Take your pick, I imagine.

Is the movie in production? Really?

[Anonymous Coward]

I've been hearing that it was in production for like, what, for 10 years! I don't believe it when anyone says that now. Besides, the great D. Adams didn't leave as many novels as I wished...

Adams...

[Anonymous Coward]

I'd rather be in the movie of "Dirk Gentley's Holistic Detective Agency" or "The Long Dark Tea Time of the Soul"! Hitch Hiker's Guide was done on BBC years ago.

oh my luck...

[Stanza]

You guys are evil.

I *am* British, but live in the states.

How could you? I have some nice places I want spared!

Strange...

[johannesg]

...because I've just lost my appetite.

Does it really say "flashlight"? Can't be right

[N Monkey]

"That's the display department."
"With a flashlight."
"Ah, well, the lights had probably gone."

Surely that's not right? I don't recall seeing that in the book and nor can I imagine Arthur Dent saying "flashlight". Surely he'd have said "torch"?

Is it possible the publishers did a translation for the US market?

Ahh: These links (a, and b) tend to agree with me.

Re:Does it really say "flashlight"? Can't be right

[Anonymous Coward]

So, would the translators have taken the irony out as well?

Re:Does it really say "flashlight"? Can't be right

[Anonymous Coward]

I beleive in the UK editions he says torch(and I think he said torch in the radio series... Ill have to relisten to them). Also american version of english books quick often do some translations of terms(and of course with merican to english).

A good example is what I once read on the douglas adams usenet group. Apparently a whole bunch of americans that read the english version had no idea what a zerba crossing was(from the bit where man proves god doesnt exist cause of the babel fish and then proves balc is white and gets kill on the next zebra crossing... BTW if anyone doesnt know what a zebra crossing is it isnt located in africa... its a pedestian crossing with the white stripes).

As some one who is Australian living in London and has lived in the US(and is engaged to a American... yes Im stealing your women :) ) I can see the necessity of this. Hands up who calls cling wrap, cling film or saran wrap :)

Re:Does it really say "flashlight"? Can't be right

[Anonymous Coward]

>> and is engaged to a American

yuk... i can barely stand an hour with that accent let alone 40 years :(

Re:Does it really say "flashlight"? Can't be right

[eshefer]

"Is it possible the publishers did a translation for the US market?"

yes. lifts became elevators, as well, IIRC..

Re:Does it really say "flashlight"? Can't be right

[EvanED]

And also the Ford Prefect. Thus one of the core character's names was completely above out heads. :-p

And FWIW, I copied directly out of my printing of the book, so yeah, they must have separate UK and US printings.

Tea

[Anonymous Coward]

It's something almost entirely but not quite unlike 'T'.

You're a merkin? Really?

[N Monkey]

but since we 'merkins

OT I know, but I've always understood that a "merkin" was a pubic wig; at least I believe that's the definition in the OED.

I am British.

[unknown51a]

But knowing the beeb they'll want an american...

Redmond

[quadrocerebra]

people, please do not post pictures of redmond.

Oh look, a stereotype!

[Stone Pony]

I shouldn't really be bothering with this shit, but as someone who (1) is not from Liverpool; but (2) chooses to live there (to the extent that I actively pursued jobs there), just let me point out that it has all of the benefits of living in a major city - theatres (now emerging from what I admit has been a not-very-glorious period in their history); art house cinema; an excellent library; extremely good museums and art galleries; a good range of restaurants etc.; decent shopping etc. It also has convenient access to Manchester, which has most of the same advantages, and has excellent shopping and restaurants. It also has - and in this it's almost unique among major English provincial cities - easy acces to some really nice beaches. I can be on the beach within five minutes of leaving my house, and on a really nice beach in fifteen.

There are very, very many places which are worse to live in than Liverpool (and I've lived in several of them - Hemel Hempstead, anyone?)

Make as many Harry Enfield "scouser" references as you like: I'm not going to reply to them because I'm too busy. I didn't really have time to write this, but I couldn't bring myself to let it pass.

Unlike Ford Prefect...

[browman]

I do actually come from Guildford.

Damn and I had a winner

[keysman]

Too bad the competition is only open to UK residents only. Fooey!

Re:Hang on, we'll get some American "news for nerd

[Anonymous Coward]

You must mean "robots playing football."

Not only did we come up with the game, we also came up with the language.

Any questions?

They'd love this...

[johnnyblade111]

Since all of Europe is so pleased with our rescent foreign policy, how about a picture of the white house and big GB Mugshot! Joke 'em if they can't take a fu**!

Judging

[Anonymous Coward]

How will the judges pick from all the photos of digital watch stores?