HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: chrisc@debra.dgbt.doc.ca (Chris Camfield)
Subject: Re: TP research                             
Organization: Communications Research Centre, Ottawa
Date: Wed, 30 Dec 1992 04:51:52 GMT

In article <2b3c96abwnr070@ark.abg.sub.org> ralf@ark.abg.sub.org (R.Stephan) writes:
>tpratchett@cix.compulink.co.uk (Terry Pratchett) writes:
>> What is the troll equivalent of a drug?
>> [...]  It would be NICE if its something
>> commonplace, like the sour milk 'drug' in Alien Nation.
>
>With some writers suggesting alpha radiation and TP calling for a
>commonplace thing, why not just let them smoke cigarettes?  The
>subject of the alpha emitter polonium in cigarettes has been beaten
>to death in sci.chem und would give the problem a real-world linkage.

THIS would be cute... assuming the trolls make their own.  Since they
have only one word for vegetable matter (oograh) .....   :)
-- 
Chris Camfield (chrisc@debra.dgbt.doc.ca)

No musical quote here - for now.  Don't you feel lucky? :)
Newsgroups: alt.fan.pratchett
From: peter@NeoSoft.com (Peter da Silva)
Subject: Re: TP research                         
Organization: NeoSoft Communications Services -- (713) 684-5900
Date: Sun, 27 Dec 1992 04:06:14 GMT

In article <memo.829760@cix.compulink.co.uk> tpratchett@cix.compulink.co.uk writes:
> I like the idea of trolls haning around outside schools trying to hook young
> trolls on boron ('Dis are yore brane.  Dis are your brane on boron
> phosphide'...) The trouble with radiation and electricity, as Niven pointed
> out re 'wireheads', is that they're free...economically, a good drug is
> something hard to come by.

OK, let's say they need an alpha-emitter to get themselves high (think up a
good excuse: the extra helium in their skulls produces an effect through
sympathetic magic, or they need a positive charge), and since alpha particles
don't penatrate very well, they need to ingest a strong source. Strong alpha
emitters have a relatively short half life, so they need to get more...

Downsides: the gamma radiation has the same effect as direct sunlight, so
they need to make sure they don't get strong gamma emitters, plus the gamma
given off by the alpha emitters slows them down and makes them cranky. Tainted
"dope" would have more gamma emitters.

What beta decay does to them is up to you.
-- 
Peter da Silva.  <peter@sugar.neosoft.com>.
 `-_-'   Oletko halannut suttasi tnn?
  'U`    
Tarjoilija, tm ateria el viel.
From: dan@dunaad.co.uk (Dan Hunter)
Newsgroups: alt.fan.pratchett
Subject: Annotation in Wyrd Sisters
Date: 3 Jan 93 16:58:40 GMT
Organization: Dunathad


Hi i don't think this is a known one and wether it really counts is
debatable, but in Wyrd Sisters (sort of the end middle part of the the
book) Margrat says to another witch "did you know that the average man has
about 5 pounds of undigestid red meat in his intestines" or something like
that, anyway this is straight from Beverly Hills Cop 1 (Rosewood says it
to the other cop,e, except intestines is exchanged for bowels, but this is
not all that important).Anyway i think it counts,
Later, DAN
-- 
          DD      AAAAA   NN     N
          D  D   A     A  N N    N
          D   D  AAAAAAA  N  N   N
          D   D  A     A  N   N  N
From: dominic@natcorp.ox.ac.uk (Dominic Dunlop)
Newsgroups: alt.fan.pratchett
Subject: Goons and peers [was Re: Another Witches Abroad Annotation]
Date: 22 Dec 92 14:15:04 GMT
Distribution: eunet
Organization: British National Corpus, Oxford University, GB
Originator: dominic@onions.natcorp.ox.ac.uk

Talking of radio comedy first broadcast over 30 years ago, I've just
realised that Vimes in the Radio 5 G! G! is being played as a poor
imitation of Tony Hancock.  (Currently to be found on Radio 4 two
hours later.)
-- 
Dominic Dunlop
Newsgroups: alt.fan.pratchett
From: tpratchett@cix.compulink.co.uk (Terry Pratchett)
Subject: Seasonal stuff                          
Cc: tpratchett@cix.compulink.co.uk
Reply-To: tpratchett@cix.compulink.co.uk
Date: Wed, 23 Dec 1992 19:20:00 +0000

This probably won't arrive on a.f.p. until Jan 1, but:

A MERRY SOLSTICE TO ALL MY READERS...

The rest of you, just do the best you can...

Terry
From: jschmidt@oolong.Tymnet.COM (John Schmidt)
Newsgroups: alt.fan.pratchett
Subject: Trolls gots rocks in the head!
Date: 23 Dec 92 02:10:52 GMT
Organization: BT North America (Tymnet)


Yah, well, it's known.  But what do they have in their veins?  What do
they have in their bowels?  And why is troll love best expressed with
a club on the head (from Moving Pictures)?  If trolls really eat rocks,
why are they on the surface instead of down where the better rocks are?

They turn to stone when dead.  They look like stones when alive, but
in sunlight.  Best solution (IMHO) is magic; well, we don't have many
trolls about here (I've never seen one) and don't have much magic.  With
a stomach full of acid (lined with gold?) to digest rocks to elements,
and a capillary sort of action for the nutrients, it could work. Diamond
teeth?  Well, the magic uses carbon deposited into the mouth--slowly.

I just read Lords & Ladies (thanks Martin!) and the elves seem to see
by magnetism, or at least have a sense of it.  If the troll thought process
involved any sort of switch...

If a troll really has a doped silicon brain, then the ionizing radiation
theory is my favorite: sun comes up, troll's brain takes alpha radiation,
ionizes, troll can't thing, loses control, becomes rocklike.  Hmm.  Then
the troll brain is actually controlling the magnetism and suchlike in
the body, perhaps.

...but what does it matter as long as we get a new book?  By the way, am
I the only one to notice Ponder's take on the Newton quote towards the
end of the book, or am I still dazed from reading it to note that everyone
has talked about it!

Merry Sheepwatchday!

John
Newsgroups: alt.fan.pratchett
From: mwlucas@vela.acs.oakland.edu (Michael W. Lucas)
Subject: Re: TP research                         
Organization: Oakland University, Rochester MI.
Date: Wed, 23 Dec 1992 12:59:52 GMT


If troll brains work like computers, how about electricity?  Don't electrical
charges do funky things to computers?  Perhaps static electricity would do it.
And it might be rather funny to see Detrius hit by lightning and staggering
around drunk afterward.  And don't rub your feet of the carpet before shaking
hands with a troll, especially if he's a nasty drunk...

So do we get credit in the next book for this?  8-)



-- 
"No, no, no!  Slash _parallel_ to your arm, not across!"
	-Leck's Suicide Hotline (from Ivan Brunetti's _Misery Loves Comedy_)
		mwlucas@vela.acs.oakland.edu
From: davet@uk.sun.com (Dave Tong - Sun UK - Tech Support)
Newsgroups: alt.fan.pratchett
Subject: Re: Bits and pieces (Good Omens)
Date: 22 Dec 92 12:30:46 GMT
Reply-To: davet@uk.sun.com
Organization: Sun Microsystems Ltd.

In article 724986312@aurora.cc.monash.edu.au, damiene@aurora.cc.monash.edu.au (Eccles) writes:

> b) Who did the hoopy letter Illustrations. Look at the start
> of each chapter, and there is a letter drawn, in the style 
> of medieval writings, but with a twist (like an angel's hand
> has a digital watch on it).

You'll find that the drawing has some (albeit tenuous) relevence
to things that happen in that chapter.

My candidate for best line of the book:
	"I DON'T CARE WHAT IT SAYS. I NEVER TOUCHED HIM."


Newsgroups: alt.fan.pratchett
From: alansh@microsoft.com (Alan Shield)
Subject: Re: TP research                         
Date: 30 Dec 92 00:13:48 GMT
Organization: Microsoft Corporation

In article <memo.829760@cix.compulink.co.uk> tpratchett@cix.compulink.co.uk writes:
>I like the idea of trolls haning around outside schools trying to hook young
>trolls on boron ('Dis are yore brane.  Dis are your brane on boron
>phosphide'...) The trouble with radiation and electricity, as Niven pointed
>out re 'wireheads', is that they're free...economically, a good drug is
>something hard to come by.
>
>Which reminds me that I always used to grin at that regular bit on cop films
>where the cop finds the mysterious packages of powder, dips a finger in, and
>says, "Yep, that sure is..." whatever.  I'm waiting for the time when he dips
>in the finger and says "Yep, that sure is...weedle aaargh oink..."
>
>Terry


This has already happened on TV. In the series Star Cops, David Calder finds
a white package in his hotel room, dips his tongue into it and 'weedle aaaargh
oink'!

On the subject of electricity and radiation, i can see radioactive rocks being
quite expensive for trolls, and also being difficult to purify - maybe trolls 
will start practising alchemy. As someone else suggested, they may also start
sniffing radon.
Hmmm, maybe we'll come across a troll with made out of a high proportion of 
Uranium or something similar - he should have quite an effect on other trolls,
not to speak of him/her-self. "I'd giv my right arm for a hit." - Rrrrrip!
(Or should he and another similarly structured troll ever fight...)

Electricity won't be all that cheap, this is the discworld after all! Perhaps
there is some interraction between magic and radiation - what does the High-
Energy-Magic department of the UU experiment with, apart from anti-pasta?


With all these doping suggestions, maybe trolls will start having doped-
silicon(e) implants?!!

Bye for now,
Alan
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Alan Shield ----- alansh@microsoft.com
I don't speak for Microsoft, and they don't speak for me.
From: markc@compnews.co.uk (Mark Cooper)
Newsgroups: alt.fan.pratchett
Subject: Re: A'Tuin is Male...?
Date: 31 Dec 92 15:22:29 GMT
Organization: Computer Newspaper Services, Howden, UK.
NNTP-Posting-Host: cassia.compnews.co.uk
X-Newsreader: Tin 1.1 PL4

Hmm... You can just imagine...

  "Did the Disc move for you too, darling?"

--
================================================================================
=             Mark A Cooper - E-mail: markc@annatto.compnews.co.uk             =
=        Smile, they said, life could be worse - so I did and it was...        =
================================================================================
From: rpratt@novell.com (Robert Pratt)
Newsgroups: alt.fan.pratchett
Subject: Re: TP research
Date: 22 Dec 92 20:22:52 GMT
Organization: Novell Inc., San Jose, Califonia

In article <Bzo62p.Iov@apollo.hp.com> johnf@apollo.hp.com (John Francis) writes:
>In article <memo.825134@cix.compulink.co.uk> tpratchett@cix.compulink.co.uk writes:
>>This is a question for all you godless scientists out there:
>>
>>What is the troll equivalent of a drug?
>>What is the troll equivalent of alcohol?

>Bearing in mind the fact that addition of these elements to silicon is
>refered to as 'doping', I think we have found the troll equivalent of a drug.
>so we have the following rules for trolls:
>    1)  Stay away from matches
>    2)  Don't cook in Aluminium vessels.
>John Francis                                 johnf@apollo.hp.com
>with 9 cats to feed, I don't have time to think up a clever .sig

  It seems to me that the natural extension of this is that trolls smoke
aluminum joints :-), or maybe eat aluminum 'shrooms that human types might
want to use for lawn decorations.

Bob

Bob Pratt                               | voice     : (408) 473-8274
Network Management Products Division    | Fax       : (408) 435-1706
Novell, Inc.                            | more voice: (800) 243-8526
2180 Fortune Drive, San Jose, Ca. 95131 | Internet  : rpratt@Novell.com
"It isn't that I can't help these people, it's that I don't want to."
Disclaimer:  I do not speak for Novell in any way, shape, or form.
Newsgroups: alt.fan.pratchett
From: myers@cs.scarolina.edu (Daniel Myers)
Subject: Re: TP research 
Organization: USC  Department of Computer Science
Date: 22 Dec 92 21:28:28 GMT

I've been working for a company that makes silica based glass for laser
components.  They usually dope the glass with rare-earth elements like
Neodymium or Erbium (that's what makes the lasers go).

BTW, I'm not godless.  I worship Herne the hunted. ("squeek!" CRUNCH!)

- DM
--
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dan Myers (Madman)		| If the creator had intended us to walk 
myers@usceast.cs.scarolina.edu	| upright, he wouldn't have given us knuckles
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
From: cc@dcs.ed.ac.uk (Chris Cooke)
Newsgroups: alt.fan.pratchett
Subject: Re: Mort and Reaper Man
Date: 22 Dec 92 09:32:28 GMT
Organization: Department of Computer Science, University of Edinburgh, Scotland

In article <724995472snx@warren.demon.co.uk> leveret@warren.demon.co.uk (Nick Leverton) writes:

   In article <memo.821380@cix.compulink.co.uk> kjackson@cix.compulink.co.uk writes:
   >The doggerel is spoken around here with the word 'wake' instead of thick 
   >(strong i'th'yarm 'n wake i'th'yead) but there's the rub. Wake could be 
   >(a)wake or weak, as both would end up with a similar pronunciation.

   Or it could be a third word such as the one I mentioned, as recently
   discussed in sci.lang.

"Weak" clearly makes most sense: strong and weak.  I've known people to
pronounce it "wake", even if you haven't.
--
	-- Chris. 	cc@dcs.ed.ac.uk   (on Janet, cc@uk.ac.ed.dcs)
From: brown@dgaust.dg.oz (Fred Brown)
Newsgroups: alt.fan.pratchett
Subject: Re: sydney vs MELBOURNE vs tasmania
Date: 22 Dec 92 00:32:23 GMT
Organization: Data General Australia, Melbourne

rmv@dcs.ed.ac.uk (Robin Vickery) writes:
> Terry, give up, go to NZ instead.
> 
> 	-rob
Ahhhhhhh....but where would Terry go to in NZ ???
Auckland or Windy Wellington ??? Oh my god, I hope this doesnt start 
Another city vs. city flame war...>  
>   =========================================================================
>       / Rob Vickery  \
>     / rmv@uk.ac.ed.dcs \ 	M U R P H Y   W A S   A N   O P T I M I S T
>   =========================================================================
Newsgroups: alt.fan.pratchett
From: damiene@aurora.cc.monash.edu.au (Eccles)
Subject: Re: TP research
Organization: Monash University, Melb., Australia.
Date: Thu, 24 Dec 1992 01:00:19 GMT

ssammy@cs.strath.ac.uk (Paul Sammy 4th Year iE/CES) writes:

>>Regarding TP research; tpratchett@cix.compulink.co.uk (Terry Pratchett) adds:


> What about magnetic lodestones? Not strictly analogous to a real-world
> computer though...maybe the Trolls' memory is based on magnetic coils?
> Thus being around a high level of magnetism might cause a troll to become
> forgetful- or remember the wrong thing.

Did anyone see the episode of Red Dwarf where Kryten landed near the
magenetic coils after a crash, casuing him to lose his short term memory,
which was caused by landing near the coils?

Eccles
From: page@student.physics.upenn.edu (Chris Page)
Newsgroups: alt.fan.pratchett
Subject: Re: TP research
Date: 22 Dec 92 20:57:20 GMT
Followup-To: alt.fan.pratchett
Organization: University of Pennsylvania

In article <Bzo62p.Iov@apollo.hp.com>, johnf@apollo.hp.com (John Francis)
wrote:
> 
> The most obvious impurities found in silicon would be the ones that cause
> silicon to function as a semiconductor in the first place. [Examples would
> be Phosphorus and Alumin(i)um].  Presumable excesive quantities of these
> additives would interfere with the functioning of semiconductor devices.
> Bearing in mind the fact that addition of these elements to silicon is
> refered to as 'doping', I think we have found the troll equivalent of a drug.
> 

Yes, enough of the dopant will turn a semiconductor into an insulator - but
first you have to get the impurity inserted in. Also, I think that at
first adding dopant might increase the conductivity giving more donor/hole
pairs. As to how to get it in there, how about acid? (leaving plently of
pun latitude as well) Sulfuric or hydrochloric  acid would mess up the
outside of a troll pretty bad, but I think there might be such a thing
as phosphiric acid. Having no experience in chemistry, however, I'm not
sure.

-Chris Page
page@student.physics.upenn.edu
Newsgroups: alt.fan.pratchett
From: damiene@aurora.cc.monash.edu.au (Eccles)
Subject: Re: Stealing TP books, playing muds
Organization: Monash University, Melb., Australia.
Date: Tue, 22 Dec 1992 01:14:10 GMT

ST102315@brownvm.brown.edu (Jake) writes:

>In article <1g7jk5INNg8h@Germany.EU.net>, bs@qwerty.Germany.EU.net (Bernard
>Steiner) said:
>>Ever since I got home with those books they have shown a tendency to disappear
>>at other people's places. The book I got rid of /* :-( */ most recently was
>>TCOM which actually went back to Harrogate.

>Anyone else have this problem?  I've had to buy about half of the Discworld
>books twice now...Evidently, they appeal even to the criminal element!  :-)

Mine disappear constantly.... they come back eventually, but a lot
of the time I don't seem to have them..... currently the majority
of my collection is 400kms away, eastwise (wow! thats almost NZ :))

But the local library loses them constantly.... its very annoying, b/c
I can't afford to buy most of them.... TP books are the most common one
at the library to have the 'book missing' tag on the computers.
*sigh* The price of popularity

Eccles

Newsgroups: alt.fan.pratchett
From: berry@ccsua.ctstateu.edu
Subject: Re: Map
Organization: Yale University, Department of Computer Science, New Haven, CT
Date: Thu, 31 Dec 1992 18:36:17 GMT

In article <1992Dec30.174826.14652@scorch.apana.org.au>, jimgar@scorch.apana.org.au (Jim Garner) writes:
> None of the editions I've seen in Oz (and we're up to "Small Gods")
> has a map of the Discworld in it. Is there such a thing? It woukd be
> good to figure out Klatch in relation to Ankh, Tsort  Ephebe. And
> where is Quirm?
> 
> -- 
> Jim Garner B.Math (Newcastle NSW Australia) - jimgar@scorch.apana.org.au
> 


SORRY I MET TERRY PRATTCHET AT A CONVENTION,I ASKED HIM THE SAME QUESTION.
THE ONLY MAP THAT EXSISTES IS ON HIS WALL IN ENGLAND 

Newsgroups: alt.fan.pratchett
From: klaus@snarc.gold.sub.org (Klaus Weidner)
Subject: Re: Question about Guards!Guards!
Organization: none
Date: Tue, 22 Dec 1992 19:50:05 GMT

In article <1992Dec21.094816.18091@arbi.Informatik.Uni-Oldenburg.DE> Onno.Meyer@arbi.informatik.uni-oldenburg.de (Onno Meyer) writes:
>I've just read the german translation of G!G! and was surprised
>to read the dragon speaking in capital letters. I always assumed
>only death does this.

I checked my english copy - the dragon speaks in italics and Death in
CAPITALS. I think it is quite a nice touch that Death is instantly
recognizable - remember the scene where the Brothers were talking and
he enters the conversation, with nobody knowing what was going on.

What the dragon does is different, `It wasn't telepathy. [...] This
was like hearing a voice in your body.' (G!G!, pg. 226). I guess
nobody could mistake her for a human.

I think that the german translation doesn't do justice to Terry's
style. I read the german version of `Pyramids' a year ago and wasn't 
very impressed by the book, but I loved the english ones I read later
on.

chow, Klaus
-- 
Klaus Weidner (klaus@snarc.gold.sub.org)
Internet: kweidner@physik.tu-muenchen.de | Fido: Klaus.Weidner@2:246/55.4
Illungshofstr. 21 / D-8000 Muenchen 40 / (089) 3599987
Newsgroups: alt.fan.pratchett
From: sgcclmj@citec.oz.au (Liz Jones)
Subject: Re: Another Witches Abroad Annotation
Organization: CITEC
Date: Tue, 22 Dec 1992 06:06:33 GMT

damiene@aurora.cc.monash.edu.au (Eccles) writes:
: 
: >p30 (UK Paperback), "You can't get the wood" - this was Henry Crun's
: >excuse for not actually building anything he'd invented, in the Goon Show.
: 
: Or you can't get the anything, really :)
: My favorite was
: Henry: He can't get the wood either.
: Ned: What does he do?
: Henry: He's an undertaker. He has to put them in cardboard boxes 
: 
: Or summin like that :)
: 
: Eccles
: 
:
uh oh.  is there a definite connection between people who enjoy tp and people
who enjoy the goon show?  some of the humour is definitely appealing to similar
tastes...

"now don't go spreadin' this around, but oi'm the coal-man!"
"but man, it's 3 in the morning!" 
"yop.  never too late to be a coal-man."

eccles is one of the best, specially along with bluebottle.

liz :)

Newsgroups: alt.fan.pratchett
From: leveret@warren.demon.co.uk (Nick Leverton)
Subject: Re: Annotation: inconsistencies
Reply-To: leveret@warren.demon.co.uk
Distribution: world
X-Mailer: cppnews $Revision: 1.20 $
Organization: Indexed; Access: Random.
Date: Mon, 21 Dec 1992 20:30:43 +0000

In article <RSHOLMES.92Dec19124636@rodan.syr.EDU> rsholmes@rodan.syr.EDU
(Rich Holmes) answers me, re. Nanny Ogg's seasonal ablutions:

>I'm sure Australian readers have no problem with this.

I *knew* as I posted it that someone would bring up the Australian
answer :-)

A masterly analysis, Rich, and I have only one quibble:
>given that the only month-names used appear to be the English ones.

"Grune" seems to be the name of the month in which "Guards! Guards!"
takes place: Carrot reads out all the charges in the form "On or about
18th Grune you did ..."

Nick.
Newsgroups: alt.fan.pratchett
From: Onno.Meyer@arbi.informatik.uni-oldenburg.de (Onno Meyer)
Subject: Question about Guards!Guards!
Organization: University of Oldenburg, Germany
Date: Mon, 21 Dec 1992 09:45:26 GMT

I've just read the german translation of G!G! and was surprised
to read the dragon speaking in capital letters. I always assumed
only death does this.

Any comments?
-- 
* Onno Meyer - Kastanienallee 40 - 2900 Oldenburg - Deutschland  *
*     e-mail: Onno.Meyer@arbi.informatik.uni-oldenburg.de        *
* Mathe-Student, und auch etwas Informatik...                    *
From: chuahl@ocf.berkeley.edu (Chua HakLien)
Newsgroups: alt.fan.pratchett
Subject: Re: TP is OZ
Date: 25 Dec 1992 15:21:37 GMT
Organization: U.C. Berkeley Open Computing Facility
NNTP-Posting-Host: sandstorm.berkeley.edu

In article <memo.787314@cix.compulink.co.uk> tpratchett@cix.compulink.co.uk writes:
>
>>What's a Wollongong?
>
A Wollongong is
[a] What you call a platypus after it's been hit by a truck.
[b] A move in cricket involving two dwarves, a duck, a chicken and five of 
	it's eggs.
[c] The name of a Turkish restaurant in Botswana.
[d] Rather painful and unsanitary.

=)

Chua
+==+
From: davet@uk.sun.com (Dave Tong - Sun UK - Tech Support)
Newsgroups: alt.fan.pratchett
Subject: Re: TP research
Date: 23 Dec 92 16:13:05 GMT
Reply-To: davet@uk.sun.com
Organization: Sun Microsystems Ltd.

#include <two_penn'orth.h>

The problem here is that we know so little about the physiology
of trolls - for example, they don't seem to have a bloodstream.
So therefore you need some kind of "drug" that will permeate
solid rock and foul up an object like a computer.

Radiation is a good one here, as is magnetism. These have the
advantage that they are naturally ocurring - radioactive or
magnetic pebbles could be ingested as normal rock.
In fact, I think of the two I'd go for magnetism as the alcohol,
as the effects might well similar and temporary. Radiation is
more likely to have a permanent result. (like Heroin?)

I don't think you could get away with using Phosphorus or
Aluminium unless you can think how the substance could get to
the silicon at an atomic level. Although they do have the
advantage of being soluble in water as Ions - so you could have
hippy or dance-crazed trolls out of their minds on (Phosphoric) Acid!