h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Entry: UPDATE - Etiquette for Travellers on the London Underground - A27733494
Author: Eco Worrier - U290

This is an update for A688232.

I've slightly tweaked the bit about Buskers, as there are now licensed sites, tidied up and added some links, added a bullet point to "The Ticket Barrier", added lots to 'Physical Contact', a bit of a tweak to Newspapers to include the new free papers and the 'compact' broadsheets, and also to recommend taking the papers away, not leaving them there.

I think that's it!

I'm not sure how much meddling we are allowed to do with an Update, but since Witty Ditty seems to have left us, I'll list my queries:

Asking for Directions end 2nd para: [anticlockwise]

Buying a Ticket 3rd line: [here, as they are]

The Ticket Barrier end 2nd para: [Do not on any account:]

Walking to the Platform end: (and not expecting you to stop so abruptly.)? To avoid using the phrase 'sudden drop in speed' twice in the same sentence.

Entertainment 1st line: [asked again and again]

Eye Contact 2nd para 1st line: [suchlike]

Physical Contact 2nd dot 3rd line: [not only to the person]

Physical Contact 8th dot 3rd line: [more room there]

Physical Contact 8th dot 6th line: [may ever have done before]

Verbal Contact: Is the dot necessary when there's only one point?

Scents 2nd para 1st line: [antiperspirant]

Reading Material: Can we not update this? {For instance, the latest Harry Potter is 'Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows' (2007)}

Newspapers 1st para last line: (close to your sides)?

Newspapers 2nd para last line: [just choose]

Newspapers 3rd para: (As with books, both types of newspaper are)?

Newspapers 5th para 1st line: [fellow-travellers' shoulders]

Newspapers 5th para 2nd line: (downright annoying)?

Rubbish: [or]

Rubbish: [keep them]

Baggage: [If you are carrying a backpack, take it off upon entering the carriage]

Falling Asleep: Not quite a sentence...

Generic Advice 1st dot: (use any available door.)?

Generic Advice 1st dot: [to get on]

Generic Advice 3rd dot 3rd line: Change comma to dash or semicolon.

Footnote 2: [to be]

Beggars: "Another sign" when was the first?

Opening umbrellas: why on earth would a closing umbrella create a jerky stop?

No flash photography: a friend of mine snapped a shot of an incoming train, only to hear an announcement requesting that pathetic tourists refrain from popping flashbulbs in the eyes of the conductor while he's attempting to stop a train. Well, without the "pathetic". But whoever sits there spying on the platforms is quick on the uptake. There's nothing like that in NY.

Scents: enclose and *non-air conditioned*. Ventilation? You're kidding. My week in London corresponded exactly to a one-week heatwave, so I never saw the famous overcast chilliness. All I remember is that the Underground reeked. As did the buses.

Reading Material: we're beyond Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.

Falling asleep: stick to one seat. I don't know about in London, but in New York, the homeless and the obnoxious sometimes conk out across several seats, which can restrict seating and be very annoying.

Some of this looks odd because I didn't check that my changes weren't referred to later in the entry, which it looks like they were.

I'll get to these changes tomorrow morning, if not later on today.

I'm sorry, didn't manage to get to these changes, and first thing tomorrow I'm away for the weekend. I'll do them as soon as I get back.

Thanks for letting us know.

By the way, it isn't a public holiday in the UK tomorrow, is it? It's a holiday over here.

Just bumping.

I haven't forgotten, was busy yesterday and today was finally having a day off having to do anything. Normal service will be resumed tomorrow.

"Walking to the Platform end: (and not expecting you to stop so abruptly.)? To avoid using the phrase 'sudden drop in speed' twice in the same sentence."

That's supposed to be the same, so I've left it.

All others are done.

"why on earth would a closing umbrella create a jerky stop?" I've no idea about that either, but it must have got through PR the first time and I'd rather not remove things just because I'm not entirely sure of why they are in there.

Other tweaks done.

Well, we disagree on a few points, but I won't pursue them here.

I'd rather you did, because I'd hate for this to go through, then you to get them changed on EF because another Curator wasn't aware of any differences of opinions.

I'll be polite, promise.

Well, I'm no authority, but I'll express my opinion frankly.

<<Walking to the Platform end: (and not expecting you to stop so abruptly.)? To avoid using the phrase 'sudden drop in speed' twice in the same sentence.>>
"That's supposed to be the same, so I've left it. "
Sorry, but that kind of repitition is simply boring; the fact that it's "supposed to be the same" makes it no less so.

<<Newspapers 3rd para: (As with books, both types of newspaper are)?>> 'either type' means one type, and should be followed by a verb in the singular - I think it reads better using 'both'.

<<Generic Advice 1st dot: (use any available door.)?>> You can only use one door at a time - you can't use them all.

<<Footnote 2: [to be]>> I think you might just have missed that one. It read much better with the 'to'.

"repitition" = repetition (before anyone pounces).

I've changed the footnote, which I did miss, and the bit about newspapers/books.

I've left in the repeated bit because it's supposed to be a joke, and one person's boredom is another's quite amusing.

I wanted to leave in 'use all available doors' because although it's wrong (unless you've a couple of clones), it's what the platform staff say, so wanted to leave it in as it's a real bit of underground life. I've tweaked it a bit and put it in italics, does that help?

I'm happy with that.

"it's supposed to be a joke" Just a thought (I'm not trying to disuade you), but, in that case, do you think that exchanging the full stop for an ellipsis might add to the effect?

Done!

How did my name end up on this entry?

I like it

The only thing I'd like to add is that small children (up to about 7 or 8 I'd guess - maybe a bit younger - find it difficult to keep their feet when trains stop and start and they are "valid" people (along with doddery old biddies like me and heavily pregnant women) to give up a seat to.

Also, the first part, about buying the ticket seems to be trying unnecessarily hard to use as many different words as possible. But that could just be that I'm in a bad mood.

I can remove it if you like, but I quoted you, and it's traditional to credit when that much content is added word for word. Well, it is for me, anyway.

I'll have another look at the ticket buying bit, and add something about giving up seats, but children under 7 or 8 can sit on laps? J was sitting on my lap up until about 9, but he was much skinier than most kids.