Darren New wrote:
> Do you have the authority to prevent them from doing it? If not, then 
> you don't have the authority.

Err, if not, you don't have the responsibility, that is.


-- 
   Darren New, San Diego CA, USA (PST)
   My fortune cookie said, "You will soon be
   unable to read this, even at arm's length."

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Darren New wrote:
> Orchid XP v8 wrote:
>> ? OK, well that's pretty random... So if there are no girl graduates, 
>> where do all the girl PhDs come from?? o_O
> 
> Many were from other countries. Those who weren't? Dunno. Maybe other 
> majors?

Or a higher percentage of female undergraduates go on to graduate 
school?  I think the gender ratio does depend a fair bit on which 
graduate school you're talking about though.

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On Sun, 22 Feb 2009 19:07:23 +0000, Bill Pragnell wrote:

> Jim Henderson wrote:
>> It's kinda a mix of the radio version and the BBC TV version.  You get
>> the "dish of the day", for example, which appears in the TV version.
>> Personally, I prefer the Hagunennons to Hotblack Desiato
> 
> Agreed - the idea of disaster area was very funny, but I thought the
> hagunenons (far too many 'n's in that name) were better too.

:-)

>> was interesting to see David Prowse outside the Darth Vader outfit -
>> and to hear why Lucas had to use James Earl Jones to do the voice for
>> that character in the Star Wars films.
> 
> *grin* I reckon Prowse's broad west accent sound is about the least
> suitable voice for Vader I could possibly imagine!

Eddie Izzard in his routine where Darth Vader orders Penne Arrabiata. :-)

>> But Mark Wing-Davey nailed the role in the radio version and the TV
>> version.
> 
> Completely. "Hand me the rap-rod, plate captain!"

"Sheesh, you guys are so un-hip it's a wonder your bums don't fall off".

>> I expected Mos Def to do much better than he did.  His interpretation
>> was just flat, though.  I preferred Geoffrey McGivern's interpretation
>> over all of them, though I understand why he couldn't do the TV version
>> (hard to be an "impoverished hitchhiker" given how large he is).
> 
> Haha, interesting, I never knew that. I don't think I've ever seen what
> he looks like IRL... :)

He appeared in an episode of Blackadder (third series IIRC).

>> I was surprised, though, that I felt that Martin Freeman did an
>> outstanding job as Arthur.  Given that Adams wrote the part essentially
>> just for Simon Jones (kinda like the part for the book was written for
>> someone with a "Peter Jones-y sort of voice"), I didn't think anyone
>> could do the role justice.
> 
> He was very different. It didn't really spoil it for me, but I did have
> trouble linking him in my mind to the character.

He was different, no doubt about it.  But he brought the right amount of 
everything Simon Jones brought to the role.  It probably helped that 
Simon Jones was available to coach him on the character as well. :-)

>> Of all the Trillians, though, I preferred Susan Sheridan.  She came
>> across as the most believable when it came to holding a degree in
>> astrophysics.
> 
> Yes, the improbably-named Deschanel (how fitting!) was good in the film,

I thought she was only OK.  Not bad like Rockwell for Zaphod, but just 
OK.  The Point of View gun was an interesting idea and she did well with 
that.

> but the girl in the TV series was terrible. Far too ditzy and shallow.

Yes, but I have to admit that bring her in (Sandra Dickenson) in the 
later radio series as the alternate Tricia McMillian was a stroke of 
genius on the part of Dirk Maggs.

> As you say, the original was pretty definitive. She had such a sexy
> voice too!

There is that as well, of course. :-)

Jim

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On Sun, 22 Feb 2009 19:27:00 +0000, Orchid XP v8 wrote:

>>> You think *that* is bad?! I used to be able to sleep properly...
>> 
>> Heh, I've never been able to sleep properly.  Better now than it used
>> to be, but still pretty restless.
> 
> Oh man, I used to be *awesom* at sleeping!
> 
> Like, I'd go to sleep, and wake up the next day even if my alarm clock
> was switched off, and feel wide awake and not tired at all. Like, I'd be
> standing outside the university building at 7:30 AM on a Sunday waiting
> for the sleepy-eyed [and most likely highly under-paid] technitions to
> show up at 9 AM to open the building so I could get into the computer
> room, hit the Internet, and code some serious Smalltalk. (Or possibly
> Java. Or, hell, maybe just sit around all day and write LaTeX? Who
> knows.)
> 
> Now I just seem to be permanently tired, and every now and then I become
> almost totally unable to sleep at all... I *suck* at sleeping! >_<

I've only just started waking up before the alarm goes off - about the 
past 3 months or so.

Not sleeping well is often associated with being stressed - that probably 
comes as no surprise to you (it certainly didn't me).

Jim

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Jim Henderson wrote:
>>> was interesting to see David Prowse outside the Darth Vader outfit -
>>> and to hear why Lucas had to use James Earl Jones to do the voice for
>>> that character in the Star Wars films.
>> *grin* I reckon Prowse's broad west accent sound is about the least
>> suitable voice for Vader I could possibly imagine!
> 
> Eddie Izzard in his routine where Darth Vader orders Penne Arrabiata. :-)

Indeed.

("broad west accent sound"? Proofread, Bill, proofread!)

>>> But Mark Wing-Davey nailed the role in the radio version and the TV
>>> version.
>> Completely. "Hand me the rap-rod, plate captain!"
> 
> "Sheesh, you guys are so un-hip it's a wonder your bums don't fall off".

:-)

>> He was very different. It didn't really spoil it for me, but I did have
>> trouble linking him in my mind to the character.
> He was different, no doubt about it.  But he brought the right amount of 
> everything Simon Jones brought to the role.  It probably helped that 
> Simon Jones was available to coach him on the character as well. :-)

He even appeared, too, as the voice of ancient Magrathea... but of 
course you knew that.

Bill

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On 22-2-2009 20:47, Orchid XP v8 wrote:
> 
> Heh. My mum's first reaction was "and what are you going to do after 
> that?" Not that my mum's opinion is especially important. I was just 
> wondering how much she'd freak out. ;-)

Wrong question. If you know that there is no need to do the PhD because 
you already know what will come out of your studies. It is precisely 
this where a PhD differs from a e.g. a BSc.

>> It doesn't matter if you finish or not, any more than running a 
>> marathon is about whether you come in first.
> 
> I never understood this... The ENTIRE POINT of a marathon is to finish 
> it! How is not finishing it still OK? Weird people...

With a PhD, people know you have been trough the process. Just as with a 
marathon the only important thing about having finished one is that that 
signifies that you have run an entire one. The actual moment of 
finishing itself is actually not important.

>> That's fair.  Part of the fun is living in a different country, mind. 
>> (Not that I did, but ...)   I can completely understand if it isn't 
>> fun, tho. Do take advantage of the fact that you speak one of the 
>> languages that ran rampant all over the world not too long ago, so you 
>> can get by language-wise pretty much anywhere. China was the only 
>> place I've been that people generally didn't know enough English to 
>> get by.
> 
> Ah. Is *that* why every country in the EU speaks English, but the 
> English can't speak any damned language except English? :-} I often 
> wonder about that...
> 
Well, there are the French of course as a counterexample.

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On Sun, 22 Feb 2009 22:57:15 +0000, Bill Pragnell wrote:

>>> He was very different. It didn't really spoil it for me, but I did
>>> have trouble linking him in my mind to the character.
>> He was different, no doubt about it.  But he brought the right amount
>> of everything Simon Jones brought to the role.  It probably helped that
>> Simon Jones was available to coach him on the character as well. :-)
> 
> He even appeared, too, as the voice of ancient Magrathea... but of
> course you knew that.

Oh yes, that was one of the high points of the film for us. :-)

Jim

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>> Heh. Not so much. It's more... I'm held responsible for a bunch of 
>> stuff, but other people like to change it around without asking me 
>> beforehand, or telling me afterwards. :-/
> 
> Do you have the authority to prevent them from doing it? If not, then 
> you don't have the authority.

I have no power to prevent them changing things (either through 
technology or politics). I don't even really have the ability to detect 
changes when they happen. But I definitely *am* held legally responsible 
for this.

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> I have no power to prevent them changing things (either through technology 
> or politics). I don't even really have the ability to detect changes when 
> they happen. But I definitely *am* held legally responsible for this.

I don't think you would be held legally responsible if they are changing 
things without you knowing, any half-decent lawyer would get you out of that 
one.

If you want to be on the safe side, then draft a document that states any 
consequences of changes made without your consent will not be your 
responsibility.  Then get your boss to sign it, if he refuses announce that 
therefore you must take measures to prevent physical and electronic access 
to all the systems you are responsible for.  Then disconnect the internet 
line to the US and see how long before he agrees to sign it :-)

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scott wrote:
>> I have no power to prevent them changing things (either through 
>> technology or politics). I don't even really have the ability to 
>> detect changes when they happen. But I definitely *am* held legally 
>> responsible for this.
> 
> I don't think you would be held legally responsible if they are changing 
> things without you knowing, any half-decent lawyer would get you out of 
> that one.

It's more that when auditors walk in and demand to know why X happened, 
you're not really allowed to say "well that's because some idiot who 
doesn't know the correct authorisation procedure decided to change it 
without bothering to notify me". Because, see, these people are our 
customers, and we *want* their business. So I can't actually admit to 
them that the company I work for is completely incompetent. So the net 
result is that they walk away thinking *I* am completely incompetent. 
This makes me very angry.

> If you want to be on the safe side, then draft a document that states 
> any consequences of changes made without your consent will not be your 
> responsibility.  Then get your boss to sign it, if he refuses announce 
> that therefore you must take measures to prevent physical and electronic 
> access to all the systems you are responsible for.  Then disconnect the 
> internet line to the US and see how long before he agrees to sign it :-)

Cute, but I suspect they'd simply summarily fire me.

OTOH, Fathead will probably sign anything... Hmm, maybe I should hand 
him a cheque?

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