Posted on 03/14/2002 5:07:26 AM PST by HairOfTheDog
This is a continuation of the infamous thread New Zealander Builds Hobbit Hole originally posted on January 26, 2001 by John Farson, who at the time undoubtedly thought he had found a rather obscure article that would elicit a few replies and die out. Without knowing it, he became the founder of the Hobbit Hole. For reasons incomprehensible to some, the thread grew to over 4100 replies. It became the place for hobbits and friends of hobbits to chit chat and share LoTR news and views, hang out, and talk amongst ourselves in the comfort of familiar surroundings.
In keeping with the new posting guidelines, the thread idea is continuing here, as will the Green Dragon Inn, our more structured spin-off thread, as soon as we figure out how to move all the good discussion that has been had there. As for the Hobbit Hole, we will just start fresh, bringing only a few mathoms such as the picture above with us to make it feel like home, and perhaps a walk down memory lane:
Our discussion has been light:
It very well may be that a thread named "New Zealander builds Hobbit hole" will end up being the longest Tolkien thread of them all, with some of the best heartfelt content... Sorry John, but I would have rather it had been one with a more distinguished title!… post 252 - HairOfTheDog
However, I can still celebrate, with quiet dignity, the fact that what started as a laugh about some wacko in New Zealand has mutated and grown into a multifaceted discussion of the art, literature, and philosophy that is Tolkien. And now that I've managed to write the most pompous sentence of my entire life, I agree, Rosie… post 506 - JenB
Hah! I was number 1000!! (Elvish victory dance... wait, no; that would be too flitty) … post 1001 - BibChr
Real men don't have to be afraid of being flitty! Go for it. – post 1011 – HairOfTheDog
Seventeen years to research one mystical object seems a bit excessive… post 1007 - JenB
Okay...who's the wise guy who didn't renew Gandalf's research grant?… post 1024 – Overtaxed
To the very philosophical:
…Judas Iscariot obviously was a good man, or he wouldn't have been chosen to be one of the Apostles. He loved Jesus, like all of the Apostles, but he betrayed him. Yet without his betrayal, the Passion and Crucifixion would never have occurred, and mankind would not have been redeemed. So without his self-destruction infinite good would not have been accomplished. I certainly do not mean this to be irreverant but it seems to me that this describes the character of Gollum, in the scenes so movingly portrayed above… Lucius Cornelius Sulla
To fun but heartfelt debates about the integrity and worth of some of the characters…
…Anyone else notice how Boromir treats the hobbits? He's very fond of them but he seems to think of them as children - ruffling Frodo's hair, calls them all 'little ones'. He likes them, but I don't think he really respects them… post 1536 - JenB
Yes... Tolkien told us not to trust Boromir right off the bat when he began to laugh at Bilbo, until he realized that the Council obviously held this hobbit in high esteem. What a pompous dolt… post 1538 - HairOfTheDog
…I think almost every fault of his can be traced directly back to his blindness to anything spiritual or unseen. He considers the halflings as children, because that is what they look like. He considers the only hope of the ring to be in taking it and using it for a victory in the physical realm. He cannot see what the hobbits are truly made of, he cannot see the unseen hope of what the destruction of the ring might mean--the destruction of Sauron himself, and he cannot see the unseen danger that lies in the use of the ring itself… I just feel sorry for Boromir--he is like a blind but honorable man, trying to take the right path on the road but missing the right path entirely because he simply cannot see it… post 1548 - Penny1
Boromir isn't a jerk, he's a jock… post 2401 – Overtaxed
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Oh, I think by the time Frodo reaches the Cracks, he's not even himself anymore! I think he's not only on the brink of a dangerous place physically, he's on the brink of losing himself completely during the exchange with Gollum. But for some reason, the take-over isn't complete till he actually has to throw the Ring in. The person speaking to Gollum is not Frodo, but the "Wheel of Fire" that Sam sees. After the Ring is destroyed, Frodo not only comes back to himself, but comes back with the unbearable (to him) knowledge of what it's like to be completely without compassion. I think that's why it's so important to him to be compassionate in the Shire… post 2506 - 2Jedismom
…Regarding Frodo's compassion... it's a little too much at the end. Even Merry tells him that he's going to have to quit being so darn nice. But you're right. He's learned a lesson about evil that very few ever learn since it wasn't an external lesson but an internal one. (Those kinds of lessons have the greatest impact) Not only did he totally succumb to it, but he was rather ruthless to my little Smeagol… post 2516 - carton253
Well that Frodo was a big mean bully! (to Smeagol)… post 2519 – Overtaxed
So as you can see, everything JRR Tolkien (and Peter Jackson) is welcome here in our New Row, our soon-to-be familiar New Hobbit Hole…; philosophy, opinion, good talk and frequent silliness.
This post composed on a Dell Inspiron 8100...
One other thing...my Dell was a reconditioned system. It still has a warranty and all the good stuff that comes with a new system, but it was quite a bit cheaper. They have a link on their website somewhere for refurbished systems - might be a good thing to check, if you aren't overly attached to the idea of configuring your own and have a little bit of knowledge about what you're looking for.
On their website, that is. Oops.
Now to begin today's crap production!
Search for "GCC-4320B" on PriceWatch. It is a quality drive made by LG. You can burn CDs at 32x and watch DVDs at 16x. It can be had for less than $100.
and hubby wants to be able to burn DVDs so we can use our MiniDV camcorder to create DVD home movies.
Um, that is tricky. There isn't a clear standard for DVD burners yet (and the drives are still fairly expensive).
With the appropriate video card you could capture the video from your camcorder, then burn movies as a Video-CD. (However, VCDs only hold ~60min of video.)
If you decide to purchase a drive, be aware that the DVDs you burn may not be compatible in other DVD players.
Dell is a good choice if you don't care to tinker. If you have a family member that is familiar with computers, consider having him/her build one for you.
The farm I grew up on in Virginia was swimming in oaks...we never cut them down for firewood, just took ones that were hit by lightning or about ready to die anyway. There's always plenty of them in the woods that have gone down in an ice or windstorm. Always were enough of these to get plenty of firewood.
Just got out a little venison from last year's hunt that I found in the freezer. Heated some butter in a cast iron skillet, threw in a sliced red and green pepper, when they began to soften, threw in the sliced venison dipped in flour, when it was almost ready, poured in half a cup of vermouth, let it boil just a second, then put it on a plate and ate it...washed it down with some Bacardi...heaven on earth.
ooooooh man....
The four pointer I got on Friday is a freak... 17 1/2" main beams, 13" spread, 18" widest spread, 1 3/4 dia at the base... forks tart at about 12"... thought he was a nice young 6 pointer, but he didn't have brow tines... so basically, he was a 4 1/2 y/o buck with a lousy freak rack... good thing I cleared the gene pool...
I do have a sister who is fully capable of building one for me, but I hesitate to ask her for two reasons.
One - she would take forever to actually complete it.
Two - since she built it (regardless if I pay her), she would feel entitled to help herself to its guts whenever she needed them. That is what happened to our first PC - now it is merely a dust-ridden shell that whirs and beeps.
I am keeping my mind open in terms of buying a different brand. Although my sister wouldn't be a good choice for building my PC, I would trust her completely in the service and repair area.
yup... prayer works... as long as yer prayin' in His will...
Gateway still offers "support" for my parents' aging machine -- which they contract out to some firm in India. (It is fun watching my dad attempt conversation with a foreigner.)
Also, if you don't buy all your components and some software from the company that built your PC, they may try to void your support contract.
I'm hoping to get DSL as well, but I don't think it is available in my area yet. :(
Maybe I should re-think my position on letting her build me one. I could always install an alarm on the casing in case she tries to break in! LOL!!
I've got to go. I won't have time to stop at Best Buy today, but I hope to see what they have on sale tomorrow!
Have a great evening everyone!
On the other hand, if you don't upgrade often, it may be a non-issue. Mail-order companies are definitely more convenient!
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