Tuesday’s glitch (C8) gave nonagenarian Terry O’Brien of North Parramatta the euphoric feeling that he possessed psychic powers,almost sending his pacemaker into overdrive. “My prayer,after Wednesday’s rational explanation,is that Granny’s gremlins not be killed off by inevitable technological improvements but allowed to lay dormant with occasional similar forays,at least for the next decade,to spice up lives of my fellow online C8ers and ward off our initial fears of amnesia or dementia,or both.” Granny feels she can safely assure Terry and others that,despite the best efforts of herself and everyone involved in the production of Column 8,glitches are one of the certainties of life,along with taxes and death.
Reading of the frog in Helen Lewin’s rain gauge (C8) Susan Rowe of Epping asks for advice on “how to deal with a frog who has made its home in the PVC storm water pipe that empties from the edge of our nature strip to the street gutter. It croaks all night and the PVC amplifies the sounds tremendously,disturbing our sleep sometimes. Can I encourage it to move on? If so,how?”
Maurice Collins of Wollongbar notes there are two Australian frogs named after Peron the naturalist (C8). “One of them,the striped marsh frog (L. peroni) makes a real racket at my place. Their repetitive ‘tok’ sound is just like a tennis ball being hit with a racquet.”
Michael Sinclair of Melbourne recalls two levels of yo-yos (C8) from his childhood in the early ’80s. “The Professional was larger,heavier,with a smooth chrome-style axle,good for long-spinning tricks like walk the dog and rock the baby. The Championship was smaller,lighter and had a wooden axle,much better for the obstacle course games we built in the long jump pit.”
Peter Johnson of Hunters Hill has noticed a “fair few recipes that start:‘First,gather the ingredients’. What next? Pick up your knife? These same recipes usually end with ‘Enjoy’. Why does this irk so much?“
Clearly still onboard the Heart of Gold with Zaphod Beeblebrox,George Zivkovic of Northmead says “the news of an Australian poet laureate elevating the status of Australian poetry domestically and internationally should be music to the ears of aficionados of Vogon poetry. Vogon poetry is of course,the third worst in the universe. The second worst is that of the Azgoths of Kria.”
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