The h2g2 Scavenger Hunt
Created | Updated Jun 22, 2003
Admittedly, I can't say 'no' to Peta. So when she asked me to throw together a fun community activity like a Scavenger
Hunt, obviously I was committed before I knew it.
Some might argue I should have been committed based on the difficulty of the Hunt. 
Anyway, I tried to remember some of my favourite Edited Entries and started to weave clues around their topics. Before I knew it, I had more than
30 clues!
Peta, Abi, and I then chatted via e-mail to formulate rules, prizes and a start date. Once we had all the details sorted, Abi and
I went around the site under various aliases, hiding clues. A few were discovered before the Hunt got underway, causing some rather confused postings
by a few Researchers1
On 4 April the Hunt was on, with the main page listed on the 'Talk' page. We even had rules:
- Have fun - The whole point of this hunt is to have a good time exploring some of the Edited Guide. Enjoy it!
- No cheating - Rather self-explanatory really. Don't cheat. We don't know how or why somebody might cheat, so we're going to rely on the honour
system.- Beware the Leopard - Always a good idea, especially on a hunting expedition.
- Have fun - Yes, this is listed twice. That's because we want you to have twice as much fun as anything else.
And I hope everybody at least followed the first and fourth rule.
The plan was to have the first three posters with the correct answers win T-shirts, but due to some rather odd circumstances, Peta ruled that four
could be given away. The winners were:
- Nexus Seven,
- Bruce,
- Coelacanth, and
- Dancing Ermine.
Here are all the clues and the Guide Entries to which they referred:
| Clue | Guide Entry |
| Don't panic, help is on the way! Go to this entry which contains a forum to the next clue. | Don't Panic |
| This Guru isn't a physician, but his free clinic will help get rid of headaches. Go there and find the forum to point the way to the next page. | GuideML Clinic |
| If you want to know what's coming up, this is where you'll find out. Find the forum there to go to the next clue. | What's Coming Up? |
| So you've figured out the first three rather easily eh? The next clue is hidden in the last place you would look. And don't get caught napping. | Zzzz |
| Not bad. The next clue is located in the first place you can look. Ask for Jenny. | '867-5309 - Jenny') |
| X to the fourth power is the spot to wet your whistle. We've got a clue buried down under. | XXXX |
| The next clue is hidden in an entry about a white-headed Irishman who helps increase dart throwing proficiency and is thought to be good nutritionally for pregnant women. | Guinness |
| So when a Jack and a female horse reproduce, the offspring shares the name of an important character in Issac Asimov's Foundation Novels. The next clue is located there. | A Guide to Mules |
| The British are reputed masters of this 'art' and Peer Review helped eliminate this from h2g2. | Queueing |
| This Californian lived in a tree for 2 years and 8 days to protect her friend 'Luna'. | Julia 'Butterfly' Hill |
| This political 'Iron Lady' has the next clue. | Margaret Thatcher |
| Get off your Queen Mum and go to this entry for the next clue. | Cockney Rhyming Slang |
| This entry will really get you in the mood for love. | Aphrodisiacs or Other Things to Get You in the Mood |
| There is no excuse for not finding this entry. | Excuses |
| The drivers of these small black automobiles have 'The Knowledge'. | London Black Cabs |
| This big New Jersey elephant has tusks that are 22 feet long. | Lucy the Elephant, Margate City, New Jersey, USA |
| It doesn't get any colder than this, ask Kelvin. | Absolute Zero |
| *Ahem* 42. | The Answer To The Ultimate Question Of Life, The Universe, And Everything |
| Basic ingredients include Butter; Two eggs per person; Milk, cream, or water; and Salt and pepper. And the following basic equipment: 1 mixing bowl; 1 heat-proof bowl; 1 heavy-bottomed pan or frying pan; and 1 wooden spoon. This is a recipe for the next clue. | Scrambled Eggs |
| The next clue is hidden at the entry containing instructions for getting to the land of the Caulkheads. | Getting to the Isle of Wight, England, UK |
| If you need to be able to say 'The check is in the mail' in a dead language, this entry is the place to go. | Handy Latin Phrases |
| Kitty isn't breathing? Believe it or not, the Edited Guide can tell you what to do. Go to this entry and find the next clue. | How to Perform Artificial Respiration and/or CPR on Your Cat |
| If you want to know how to do something, anything, ask away at this page. The next clue is found here. | How do I? |
| You don't get a degree when you graduate from this university. Click on a graduate's badge to be transported here. | The University Field Researchers' Home Page |
| Warts? The Edited Guide has the cure! Go to this entry and find the next clue. | Curing Warts |
| These small, amiable creatures were completely unknown on Earth a few years ago, but once they migrated to the Internet their population exploded. The next clue is hidden here. :-) | Smileys |
| This type of sandwhich is mentioned in a Men At Work song. And don't even think it's Marmite! | Vegemite |
| A carnivorous plant hides the next clue. | Venus Fly Traps |
| This outlaw was a terror in America's Wild West, no kidding. | Billy the Kid |
| This 'italic' was the first to rise from the ranks of Researchers to become a member of The Powers That Be (TBTP). Go to her old personal space and list (in order) all the places you've visited during this game. | Peta's old home page |
On a personal note, I'd like to thank Peta and Abi for helping me pull this whole thing together and all the Researchers who tried the Hunt and
especially those who managed to finish it.
