Back in January, I somehow got to thinking of some what – ifs in my life, including what if I'd not found h2g2, which morphed into what if h2g2 didn't exist at all? Then I started wondering who else had lives that would've been different. And then, the dangerous part – I decided to ask¹.

If h2g2 never existed...

It's funny isn't it. Hootoo changed me profoundly, but in subtle ways.



I was (still am) young for my age as a whippersnapper. And I learned so much, and grew up so much because i got to talk to like actual adults about "serious things" (and get admonished by them a fair few times).



I went form being a dreadful writer to a competent one who just cant'/won't proof read properly² therefore dragging me back down to bad (I think PR helped my skill, but sub editing ruined my finesse!)



And yeah all the people.



And I really must fix my log in so I can actually post on site again³.....

Ferrettbadger

And then, something that is likely true in essence for just about everyone that has spent any time on h2g2...

Without H2G2 I'd have been more productive at work in my mid to late twenties. That the sort of quote you are after?

kelli

Lives that were a bit more obviously changed than kelli's...

Well, obviously the people, lots of lovely people. Most particularly the one I've shared my life with since the 2001 Spring Onion and my home with since about 2003. On other matters, I might not have had some of my writing published without the experience of H2G2 articles to prove my writing abilities to publisher & myself. And more, I'll think on.

Metal Chicken

I'll admit, this was something like what I'd hoped for, but didn't expect!

Without h2g2, I wouldn't have ever seen Ipswich, or Cleethorpes, or the Isle of Wight, or the inside of Bush House for that matter.



Without h2g2, I wouldn't have become an administrator on Wikipedia for five years, arbitrating disputes about such varied topics as the definition of abortion, the name of Taiwan, and the role of "rule of law" on a Wiki.



Without h2g2, I wouldn't have known anything about how laser printers work, so I wouldn't have offered to help fix one in an office that I heard was broken, so I wouldn't have been hired by a certain NGO in Nairobi, so I wouldn't have had half of the adventures I did while living in Kenya.

GTBacchus

Now, the next two demonstrate what can happen when the compiler decides to gather up quotes and place them in order of any one person's first response, and putting any subsequent response of theirs with the first. Sometimes a conversation starts. Fortunately for me, 'twas the very next person, chronologically, that was part of the conversation!

Pros?

– People, people, mammoths and people.

– Insights into mental health and identity

– writing and thinking


Cons

– I would have started blogging years before I did, and probably joined Twitter sooner too

– I decided not to join Second Life which I think would have been very interesting

– Ditto Wikipedia



I've been thinking about this on and off all day. Thank you for your comment, Maggie⁴.



Without h2g2 I doubt I would have got to know my grandparents as they were in their 20s and 30s. It is certainly possible that I would not have been able to get The Berryman Family Letters online. There are 650 of them, 600 of which were transcribed by Chris Miller. I don't know if I could have managed that myself.



A couple more – without h2g2 I would probably have had a less nuanced view of the USA and not have known so truly that there are still gentle, thoughtful, intelligent, questioning people across America. This is important to me for my understanding of the world and the many crises we face. I assume there same is true for international hootizens watching the Brexishambles.

Ben

Without h2g2 I wouldn't have



a) a lovely few years with 'The black kitteh'


b) taken loads of random Skylanders to neuro rehab and photographed them.


c) met a lovely random batch of peeps


d) even heard of The Berryman Letters.



I may not be there much at the mo, but I'm glad that I was.

Magwitch

Stay tuned for Part Three!

Amy Pawloski

29.04.19 Front Page

Back Issue Page

¹Order doesn't matter for this series, so you can read this first, then go to Part One.²Post Editor's Note: It was at this point that the Post Editor made the executive decision not to proofread anything on this page. Thank you for saving me work!³Everyone that expressed a similar sentiment was advised to email the Moderators⁴See below...