Discworld & Terry Pratchett Wiki - User contributions [en]

Talk:Hex

2019-10-31T23:32:00Z

Lhspanner:

Broken umbrella with herrings: some kind of antenna?
I still wonder about the beach ball thing that goes parp, though.
--[[User:Confusion|Confusion]] ([[User talk:Confusion|talk]]) 20:18, 27 November 2012 (PST)

Amusingly, a prototype computer-like structure has in fact been built which is driven by soldier crabs. It has a long way to go before becoming complex enough to rival conventional PC's, but the idea shows promise. Scuttling crabs powering a low-tech computer... Google on [[http://www.i-programmer.info/news/112-theory/4071-a-crab-based-computer.html|Lucy Black and “A Crab-Based Computer”]] There is also a Java program called "Shellfish".[[User:AgProv|AgProv]] ([[User talk:AgProv|talk]]) 16:33, 14 August 2014 (UTC)

The cookie thing is not a virus its from UK GEC computers used for telecom engineering such as system x. It was based on the idea of fortune cookies and besides the syntax described had commands to add to the database via the bake command
The reason I haven't referenced in main text is because its hear-say. I was told it many years ago by an ex-GEC engineer who was working in the city using the then ultra new operating system from IBM/Microsoft OS/2 version 1 [[User:Big Kate|Big Kate]] ([[User talk:Big Kate|talk]]) 14:47, 10 February 2017 (UTC)

The android in Red Dwarf (Kryten) who briefly called himself 'Rameses Niblick III Kerplunk Kerplunk Whoops! Where's My Thribble?' did so as a result of external trauma, i.e. an axe being forcibly buried into his 'spinal column', rather than computer senility. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AOE7qTAK87o] [[User:Lhspanner|Lhspanner]] 23:17, 31 October 2019 (GMT)

Talk:Hex

2019-10-31T23:17:38Z

Lhspanner:

Broken umbrella with herrings: some kind of antenna?
I still wonder about the beach ball thing that goes parp, though.
--[[User:Confusion|Confusion]] ([[User talk:Confusion|talk]]) 20:18, 27 November 2012 (PST)

Amusingly, a prototype computer-like structure has in fact been built which is driven by soldier crabs. It has a long way to go before becoming complex enough to rival conventional PC's, but the idea shows promise. Scuttling crabs powering a low-tech computer... Google on [[http://www.i-programmer.info/news/112-theory/4071-a-crab-based-computer.html|Lucy Black and “A Crab-Based Computer”]] There is also a Java program called "Shellfish".[[User:AgProv|AgProv]] ([[User talk:AgProv|talk]]) 16:33, 14 August 2014 (UTC)

The cookie thing is not a virus its from UK GEC computers used for telecom engineering such as system x. It was based on the idea of fortune cookies and besides the syntax described had commands to add to the database via the bake command
The reason I haven't referenced in main text is because its hear-say. I was told it many years ago by an ex-GEC engineer who was working in the city using the then ultra new operating system from IBM/Microsoft OS/2 version 1 [[User:Big Kate|Big Kate]] ([[User talk:Big Kate|talk]]) 14:47, 10 February 2017 (UTC)

The android in Red Dwarf (Kryten) who briefly called himself 'Rameses Niblick III Kerplunk Kerplunk Whoops! Where's My Thribble?' did so as a result of external trauma, i.e. an axe being forcibly buried into his 'spinal column', rather than computer senility. [[User:Lhspanner|Lhspanner]] 23:17, 31 October 2019 (GMT)

Talk:Hex

2019-10-31T23:17:22Z

Lhspanner:

Broken umbrella with herrings: some kind of antenna?
I still wonder about the beach ball thing that goes parp, though.
--[[User:Confusion|Confusion]] ([[User talk:Confusion|talk]]) 20:18, 27 November 2012 (PST)

Amusingly, a prototype computer-like structure has in fact been built which is driven by soldier crabs. It has a long way to go before becoming complex enough to rival conventional PC's, but the idea shows promise. Scuttling crabs powering a low-tech computer... Google on [[http://www.i-programmer.info/news/112-theory/4071-a-crab-based-computer.html|Lucy Black and “A Crab-Based Computer”]] There is also a Java program called "Shellfish".[[User:AgProv|AgProv]] ([[User talk:AgProv|talk]]) 16:33, 14 August 2014 (UTC)

The cookie thing is not a virus its from UK GEC computers used for telecom engineering such as system x. It was based on the idea of fortune cookies and besides the syntax described had commands to add to the database via the bake command
The reason I haven't referenced in main text is because its hear-say. I was told it many years ago by an ex-GEC engineer who was working in the city using the then ultra new operating system from IBM/Microsoft OS/2 version 1 [[User:Big Kate|Big Kate]] ([[User talk:Big Kate|talk]]) 14:47, 10 February 2017 (UTC)

The android in Red Dwarf (Kryten) who briefly called himself 'Rameses Niblick III Kerplunk Kerplunk Whoops! Where's My Thribble?' did so as a result of external trauma, i.e. an axe being forcibly buried into his 'spinal column', rather than computer senility. [[User:Lhspanner:Lhspanner]] 23:17, 31 October 2019 (GMT)

Talk:Hex

2019-10-31T23:16:39Z

Lhspanner:

Grimethorpe

2019-10-31T21:13:43Z

Lhspanner: /* Annotations */ added more detail to annotations

A town which is located somewhere in the North of England and has [[Blackbury]] has a close neighbour - both are served by the same local newspaper, the soaraway [[Blackbury Guardian|Blackbury Evening Post and Gazette]]. Grimethorpe, Blackbury and Newtown may all be part of the same conurbation - ie, three formerly separate towns which, like inkblots on filter paper, have spread out to overlap each other.

[[Johnny Maxwell]] and his family and friends live in this general area. There must be something in the air locally, as it is also remarkable for the presence of Mrs. [[Tachyon]] the very strange bag lady, and - were they to have sought fame, which they didn't - the [[Nomes|Nome]] population hiding under the floorboards of [[Arnold Bros (est. 1905)]], a long-established local department store, which to them is a Paradise graciously conferred by the [[The gods|Gods]]. Until they have to leave it, that is...

'''Books:'''
*{{OY}}
*{{JATD}}
*{{JATB}}
*{{T}}
*{{D}}
*[[Book:Wings|''Wings'']]

== Annotations ==

There is actually a Roundworld {{wp|Grimethorpe|Grimethorpe}}, but it is located in South Yorkshire between Barnsley and Wakefield, on the far side of the Pennines from the conurbation of {{wp|Greater Manchester|Greater Manchester}}, where (supposedly) the fictional Grimethorpe is based. It is a former colliery village, which has a {{wp|Grimethorpe Colliery Band|brass band}}, formed in 1917 to provide a leisure activity for miners, and the band is notable for being the first brass band to play at {{wp|The Proms|the Proms}}. The 1996 film {{wp|Brassed Off|Brassed Off}} is a dramatised account of the trials and tribulations of its members following the systematic destruction of the mining industry in the 1980s, and the consequent mass unemployment which blighted a multitude of small colliery towns across Yorkshire, Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire.

[[Category:Bromeliad|Grimethorpe]]
[[Category: Locations|Grimethorpe]]

Blackbury

2019-04-26T22:14:10Z

Lhspanner: /* Annotation */

'''Blackbury''' is the fictional town where the [[:category:Johnny Maxwell Series|Johnny Maxwell Series]] books take place. Judging by the BBC TV adaption it is not far from Manchester.

It is also the location of the [[Arnold Bros (est. 1905)]] department store (demolished and replaced by the Arnco Leisure Centre). It is also referred to in later books of the ''[[Bromeliad]]'' (''[[Truckers]]'' trilogy, which gives the town's name as [[Grimethorpe]], but does mention the Neil Armstrong Shopping Mall). Several of the stories in {{DCC}} take place in Blackbury.

==Notable places==
* Blackbury Hill
* The [[Neil Armstrong Shopping Mall]]
* The old church, now a community centre
* The Cemetery
* [[Paradise Street]]
* The Blackbury Preserves pickle factory
* The [[Joshua N'Clement]] Block
* The site of the former [[Arnold Bros (est. 1905)]] department store, which mysteriously burnt down in a way the police were never quite able to work out;
* The site of the [[Grimethorpe Dye and Paint Company]], also closed down by the [[Arnco Group PLC]] as surplus to requirements;

==Annotation==

Towns "not far from Manchester":- '''''Black'''''burn; '''''Bury'''''.
Please note that in colloquial British English the ''e'' in the word ''berry'' is a ''schwa'', hence "blackberry" (the fruit, ''Rubus fruticosus'', not the computerised whatnot) is pronounced "blackbury" or "blackb'ry" by most British people.

In [[Book:Johnny_and_the_Bomb|Johnny and the Bomb]], the Blackbury bypass is described as carrying multiple HGVs "taking a million English razor blades from Sheffield to Italy", which would suggest it is located somewhere in northern Nottinghamshire between the M1 (the most direct north-south route between Sheffield and London) and the A1 (the most direct north-south route between Sheffield and the major European container ports). Based on this, its most likely real-life counterparts or near-lookalikes are Worksop, Newark and Mansfield.

Grimethorpe is a small former colliery village in South Yorkshire, located between Barnsley and Wakefield. It has never been a major population centre, and has never been big enough to have its own police station.

[[Category:Johnny Maxwell|Blackbury]]
[[Category:Locations|Blackbury]]

Blackbury

2019-04-26T22:10:48Z

Lhspanner: /* Annotation */

'''Blackbury''' is the fictional town where the [[:category:Johnny Maxwell Series|Johnny Maxwell Series]] books take place. Judging by the BBC TV adaption it is not far from Manchester.

It is also the location of the [[Arnold Bros (est. 1905)]] department store (demolished and replaced by the Arnco Leisure Centre). It is also referred to in later books of the ''[[Bromeliad]]'' (''[[Truckers]]'' trilogy, which gives the town's name as [[Grimethorpe]], but does mention the Neil Armstrong Shopping Mall). Several of the stories in {{DCC}} take place in Blackbury.

==Notable places==
* Blackbury Hill
* The [[Neil Armstrong Shopping Mall]]
* The old church, now a community centre
* The Cemetery
* [[Paradise Street]]
* The Blackbury Preserves pickle factory
* The [[Joshua N'Clement]] Block
* The site of the former [[Arnold Bros (est. 1905)]] department store, which mysteriously burnt down in a way the police were never quite able to work out;
* The site of the [[Grimethorpe Dye and Paint Company]], also closed down by the [[Arnco Group PLC]] as surplus to requirements;

==Annotation==

Towns "not far from Manchester":- '''''Black'''''burn; '''''Bury'''''.
Please note that in colloquial British English the ''e'' in the word ''berry'' is a ''schwa'', hence "blackberry" (the fruit, ''Rubus fruticosus'', not the computerised whatnot) is pronounced "blackbury" or "blackb'ry" by most British people.

In [[Book:Johnny_and_the_Bomb|Johnny and the Bomb|]], the Blackbury bypass is described as carrying multiple HGVs "taking a million English razor blades from Sheffield to Italy", which would suggest it is located somewhere in northern Nottinghamshire between the M1 (the most direct north-south route between Sheffield and London) and the A1 (the most direct north-south route between Sheffield and the major European container ports). Based on this, its most likely real-life counterparts or near-lookalikes are Worksop, Newark and Mansfield.

[[Category:Johnny Maxwell|Blackbury]]
[[Category:Locations|Blackbury]]

Talk:Gawain Gaiter

2019-04-26T21:20:36Z

Lhspanner: /* Annotation quibble */

==Annotation quibble==
{{wp|The Simpsons|''The Simpsons''}} predates this wiki by more than a decade; someone considered Homer? --[[User:Old Dickens|Old Dickens]] ([[User talk:Old Dickens|talk]]) 02:58, 19 April 2019 (UTC)

:I think they mean {{wp|Homer|Homer}}, author of the {{wp|Illiad|Illiad}} and The {{wp|Oddysey|Oddysey}}. -[[User:Jagra|Jagra]] ([[User talk:Jagra|talk]]) 10:10, 19 April 2019 (UTC)

Well, sure, but you'd think ''The Simpsons'' killed any demand for the name. Know any English-speaking Homers under the age of twenty? "Hannibal" might be another example. --[[User:Old Dickens|Old Dickens]] ([[User talk:Old Dickens|talk]]) 15:41, 19 April 2019 (UTC)

Both Gawain and Wayne come from the same source: Gawain is an ancient British name, i.e. the ancestor of modern Welsh and Cornish, and Wayne is anglicised from the modern Welsh Owain, which ultimately comes from the Bible (being a cambrianised form of John.) --[[User:Lhspanner|Lhspanner]] ([[User talk:Lhspanner|talk]]) 22:20, 26 April 2019 (GMT)

Talk:Gawain Gaiter

2019-04-26T21:20:16Z

Lhspanner: /* Annotation quibble */

Talk:Gawain Gaiter

2019-04-26T21:19:22Z

Lhspanner: /* Annotation quibble */

Charles Venturi

2019-04-26T19:45:07Z

Lhspanner: /* Annotation */

[[Image:Venturi.jpg|240px|thumb|right|Lord Charles Venturi, as drawn by Matt Smith]]
Lord Charles Venturi was the head of his [[Venturi|household]] in the court of [[Lord Winder]] during the events of {{NW}}. He and [[Lord Selachii]] cordially detested one another. Or at least, their families traditionally did. He was also much married, all to the same woman. When talking to [[Lady Roberta Meserole]] he was acutely aware that his wife's radar 'could fry an egg at fifty paces'.

He is also Colonel-Commander of at least one regiment raised by family money, [[Clive Mountjoy-Standfast|Lord Venturi's Medium Dragoons]], which effectively means problems if the Ankh-Morporkian Army calls for it to work alongside any [[Tom Wrangle|Regiment]] raised by Selachii family money and commanded by Lord Selachii. As we effectively see in {{NW}}.

==Annotation==

Very impressively, on [[Roundworld]], a "Venturi" meter is to do with controlling the flow of jets and "Selachian" means "of sharks". '''Sharks''' and '''Jets'''. Gettit? The warring factions in ''West Side Story'', based on the Capulets and the Montagues of ''Romeo and Juliet''. Very, very clever indeed.

A ''venturi'' is also the exhaust on a recoil-less cannon (such as the 120mm WOMBAT anti-tank system) which allows what would otherwise be the recoil of the weapon to blast itself out as hot air and flame; it is vitally important not to stand immediately behind a WOMBAT system when it is fired. Pink steam may result for the unwary.

Conversely, the main section of the carburettor on an internal combustion engine, where air and fuel are mixed together prior to entering the combustion chamber, is also called a venturi, as it uses the same principle to reduce the vapour pressure of the fuel, thereby vaporising it. (In the automotive and aviation industries, carburettors have mostly been superseded by fuel injection.)

Both are named after Giovanni Battista Venturi (1746-1822), the Italian physicist who first characterised the effect.

[[Category:Discworld characters|Venturi,Charles]]
[[de:Charles Venturi]]

Charles Venturi

2019-04-26T19:42:46Z

Lhspanner: /* Annotation */

[[Image:Venturi.jpg|240px|thumb|right|Lord Charles Venturi, as drawn by Matt Smith]]
Lord Charles Venturi was the head of his [[Venturi|household]] in the court of [[Lord Winder]] during the events of {{NW}}. He and [[Lord Selachii]] cordially detested one another. Or at least, their families traditionally did. He was also much married, all to the same woman. When talking to [[Lady Roberta Meserole]] he was acutely aware that his wife's radar 'could fry an egg at fifty paces'.

He is also Colonel-Commander of at least one regiment raised by family money, [[Clive Mountjoy-Standfast|Lord Venturi's Medium Dragoons]], which effectively means problems if the Ankh-Morporkian Army calls for it to work alongside any [[Tom Wrangle|Regiment]] raised by Selachii family money and commanded by Lord Selachii. As we effectively see in {{NW}}.

==Annotation==

Very impressively, on [[Roundworld]], a "Venturi" meter is to do with controlling the flow of jets and "Selachian" means "of sharks". '''Sharks''' and '''Jets'''. Gettit? The warring factions in ''West Side Story'', based on the Capulets and the Montagues of ''Romeo and Juliet''. Very, very clever indeed.

A ''venturi'' is also the exhaust on a recoil-less cannon (such as the 120mm WOMBAT anti-tank system) which allows what would otherwise be the recoil of the weapon to blast itself out as hot air and flame; it is vitally important not to stand immediately behind a WOMBAT system when it is fired. Pink steam may result for the unwary.

Conversely, the main section of the carburettor on an internal combustion engine, where air and fuel are mixed together prior to entering the combustion chamber, is also called a venturi, as it uses the same principle to reduce the vapour pressure of the fuel, thereby vaporising it. (In the automotive and aviation industries, carburettors have mostly been superseded by fuel injection.)

[[Category:Discworld characters|Venturi,Charles]]
[[de:Charles Venturi]]

Agnes Nutter

2019-04-26T19:25:11Z

Lhspanner: /* Geographical Error */

{{Character Data
|title= Agnes Nutter
|photo=Blank.jpg|
|name= Agnes Nutter
|age=
|race= Human

|occupation= [[Witches|Witch]]
|appearance=

|residence=

|death= 17th century, at the stake
|parents=
|relatives= [[Anathema Device]]
|children=
|marital status=

|books= [[Book:Good Omens|Good Omens]]
|cameos=
}}
As the author of the only truthful book of prophecy called [[The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, witch]] (which she wrote in order to get the author's free copy, the book was a commercial failure), she plays an important role in the background of ''[[Book:Good Omens|Good Omens]]''. Her descendants try to make sense of the prophecies; which though being completely accurate were frequently cryptic as she had no knowledge of modern technology; the last one in line being [[Anathema Device]]. She was burned at the stake for witchcraft, but didn't seemed too upset about it (going so far as to berate the mob for being late), which somewhat mystified the townspeople until they all perished in a mysterious explosion that was seen from the next town over. This may be due to divine or infernal interference, or the fact that she had concealed over a hundred combined pounds of gunpowder and roofing nails under her dress.

The person responsible for her burning was [[Thou-Shalt-Not-Commit-Adultery Pulsifer]] an ancestor of [[Newton Pulsifer]]. The remains of his hat were later found in a tree.

==Character Annotations==
There was an Alice Nutter who was tried as a witch in the real world. She was one of the famous [[wikipedia:Pendle_witches|Pendle Witches]] in Lancashire (Lancre?), as indeed were three members of the [[Anathema Device|Device]] family.

==Geographical Error==
In Good Omens, it is claimed the explosion "was seen as far away as Halifax". However, between east Lancashire and Halifax there is a very high range of hills called the Pennines, which are the nearest thing England has to a mountain range. They act as a formidable natural barrier, with only a handful of navigable passes - even today, many of these passes are frequently closed in winter due to snow and ice. Also, in pre-industrial times, the town of Halifax lay entirely at the bottom of a very deep valley. For both these reasons, it is extremely unlikely that an explosion in east Lancashire would ever be visible in Halifax. It is quite possible neither author was familiar with the geography of the area.

[[Category:Good Omens characters|Nutter, Agnes]]
[[de:Ein gutes Omen:Agnes Spinner]]

Agnes Nutter

2019-04-26T19:24:05Z

Lhspanner: /* Geographical Error */

{{Character Data
|title= Agnes Nutter
|photo=Blank.jpg|
|name= Agnes Nutter
|age=
|race= Human

|occupation= [[Witches|Witch]]
|appearance=

|residence=

|death= 17th century, at the stake
|parents=
|relatives= [[Anathema Device]]
|children=
|marital status=

|books= [[Book:Good Omens|Good Omens]]
|cameos=
}}
As the author of the only truthful book of prophecy called [[The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, witch]] (which she wrote in order to get the author's free copy, the book was a commercial failure), she plays an important role in the background of ''[[Book:Good Omens|Good Omens]]''. Her descendants try to make sense of the prophecies; which though being completely accurate were frequently cryptic as she had no knowledge of modern technology; the last one in line being [[Anathema Device]]. She was burned at the stake for witchcraft, but didn't seemed too upset about it (going so far as to berate the mob for being late), which somewhat mystified the townspeople until they all perished in a mysterious explosion that was seen from the next town over. This may be due to divine or infernal interference, or the fact that she had concealed over a hundred combined pounds of gunpowder and roofing nails under her dress.

The person responsible for her burning was [[Thou-Shalt-Not-Commit-Adultery Pulsifer]] an ancestor of [[Newton Pulsifer]]. The remains of his hat were later found in a tree.

==Character Annotations==
There was an Alice Nutter who was tried as a witch in the real world. She was one of the famous [[wikipedia:Pendle_witches|Pendle Witches]] in Lancashire (Lancre?), as indeed were three members of the [[Anathema Device|Device]] family.

==Geographical Error==
In Good Omens, it is claimed the explosion "was seen as far away as Halifax". However, between east Lancashire and Halifax there is a very high range of hills called the Pennines, which are the nearest thing England has to a mountain range. They act as a formidable natural barrier, with only a handful of navigable passes - even today, many of these passes are frequently closed in winter due to snow and ice. Also, in pre-industrial times, the town of Halifax lay entirely at the bottom of a very deep valley. For both these reasons, it is extremely unlikely that an explosion in east Lancashire would ever be visible in Halifax. It is quite possible neither author was famililar with the geography of the area.

[[Category:Good Omens characters|Nutter, Agnes]]
[[de:Ein gutes Omen:Agnes Spinner]]

Agnes Nutter

2019-04-26T19:22:41Z

Lhspanner:

{{Character Data
|title= Agnes Nutter
|photo=Blank.jpg|
|name= Agnes Nutter
|age=
|race= Human

|occupation= [[Witches|Witch]]
|appearance=

|residence=

|death= 17th century, at the stake
|parents=
|relatives= [[Anathema Device]]
|children=
|marital status=

|books= [[Book:Good Omens|Good Omens]]
|cameos=
}}
As the author of the only truthful book of prophecy called [[The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, witch]] (which she wrote in order to get the author's free copy, the book was a commercial failure), she plays an important role in the background of ''[[Book:Good Omens|Good Omens]]''. Her descendants try to make sense of the prophecies; which though being completely accurate were frequently cryptic as she had no knowledge of modern technology; the last one in line being [[Anathema Device]]. She was burned at the stake for witchcraft, but didn't seemed too upset about it (going so far as to berate the mob for being late), which somewhat mystified the townspeople until they all perished in a mysterious explosion that was seen from the next town over. This may be due to divine or infernal interference, or the fact that she had concealed over a hundred combined pounds of gunpowder and roofing nails under her dress.

The person responsible for her burning was [[Thou-Shalt-Not-Commit-Adultery Pulsifer]] an ancestor of [[Newton Pulsifer]]. The remains of his hat were later found in a tree.

==Character Annotations==
There was an Alice Nutter who was tried as a witch in the real world. She was one of the famous [[wikipedia:Pendle_witches|Pendle Witches]] in Lancashire (Lancre?), as indeed were three members of the [[Anathema Device|Device]] family.

==Geographical Error==
In Good Omens, it is claimed the explosion "was seen as far away as Halifax". However, between east Lancashire and Halifax there is a very high range of hills called the Pennines, which are the nearest thing England has to a mountain range. They act as a formidable natural barrier, with only a handful of navigable passes. Also, in pre-industrial times, the town of Halifax lay entirely at the bottom of a very deep valley. For both these reasons, it is extremely unlikely that an explosion in east Lancashire would ever be visible in Halifax. It is quite possible neither author was famililar with the geography of the area.

[[Category:Good Omens characters|Nutter, Agnes]]
[[de:Ein gutes Omen:Agnes Spinner]]