You can say what you will about the rest of the movie, but I think they handled the second head right. Zaphod's second head is perfect for print or radio, where the audience can forget about it when it's not relevant. Actually putting two heads on Zaphod's shoulders for the TV series meant writing extra material for…

I dunno which side of the Windows/Mac debate White Ninja is on. This seems like something he'd do either way.

Where's the love for Astra and Flondrix by Seamus Cullen?

Isn't anyone else disturbed by the fact that a sushi restaurant apparently has enough Geiger counters laying around to accomodate every customer who comes in during the lunchtime rush?

@Gameboy70: There are a number of reasons that could happen, and the shortest answer I can give is that the ATM was probably having network connectivity issues, which could stem from just about anything. PIN-based transactions are processed through a different network than signature transactions, and the financial…

@Fierock: Ah, okay. I'm vaguely familiar with Interac, but didn't realize that's what we were talking about. Interac is a different network and has its own operating regulations. I'm told it's a major headache to deal with, but the very same people who tell me this also tell me it's a much better system.

@Joryn: Woah, woah, hold on. Debit purchases aren't exactly instant. What's instant is the authorization that ensures you have enough money to cover the transaction. The actual transaction generally takes about two days to process through Visa or MasterCard networks, and the difference between the authorization…

@Gameboy70: I worked in debit card fraud investigations/disputes for 9 years, and I can tell you that this is usually just dumb luck on the part of whoever committed the fraudulent transaction. It it possible that you swiped your card at an ATM with a cardskimmer, but more likely, somebody is churning out counterfeit…

I used to work in the private sector, where my signature was either "Thanks!" or "Please contact me if you have any questions," followed by my name and contact information. In my experience, this is the best customer service, but it encourages "problem clients" to make you their primary contact. "Can you bend the…

Sounds like one of Joseph Curwen's experiments got away from him. Like I keep telling him: Doe not call up Any that you cannot put downe.

Doubtful. That thing randomizes eight variables. Modern Hollywood is playing with four, at best.

@bookling: I'd recommend trying to get a copy of Machine of Death signed, but given that it's a paperback and Beck's book is a hardcover, they might not let you through the line.

Where's the love for Henry Armitage?

@TheFu: I suppose it may depend on the financial institution issuing your card, but the differences between geographical regions are disappearing. Visa and MasterCard's dispute regulations do occasionally make a distinction between domestic and international transactions, but over the last few years both companies…

Your financial institution's customer service mileage may vary, but they still work within Visa and MasterCard's well-defined regulations and dispute processes, which absolutely address this situation (and others like it). If this happens to you, attempt to resolve with the merchant, document your attempts, and…

Glancing through the other replies I can see that mine is on the quicker and simpler end of the quick and simple spectrum, but I'm a big fan of that old, British standby, baked beans on toast. The trick is that the beans MUST be the British ones from the Ethnic Foods aisle, which contain less sugar than American…

@bibulb: ...sure.

Off the top of my head I can't think of a good contemporary actor to play Dirk, but twenty years ago the perfect fit would have been Mel Smith. You know him as the albino from The Princess Bride, but in 1992's (otherwise abysmal) Brain Donors, he plays a character named Rocco Melanchek whose voice, manerisms, and…

I think you're thinking of the Tandy 1000 there. The IBM PCjr's 600x200 mode had a maximum of two colors, and one of KQ1's major selling points was that it had "vibrant," "realistic" 16-color graphics. The chunk, double-wide pixel look of Sierra's old AGI games resulted from the fact that the original King's Quest…

@Kogo: I dunno, is The Lurker on the Threshold even canon? Lovecraft only wrote about 2.48%, the rest being the inane (no S) dribblings of August Derleth, whose work I'm liking less and less as I read more of it...