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

I just wrote an entry on boredom that might interest people. Mainly because I was bored.

Just wrote an entry? This was posted weeks ago...?

Anyway, a sound idea for an entry with good content, but I think that a lot of explanation is needed to fill out statements that are made in an offhand (or bored) fashion.

For example:

In Definition - what variations in personality, habit, and experience cause differences in the critical level that is the "boredom threshold"?

In Physical effects - what chemicals/neural signals/whatever cause this change in the body's state? What changes cause the drowsiness and lethargy?

In Causes - far enough, but the three suggestions aren't the only causes and they aren't worded as best they might be. Could be worth considering bulleting at this point to show the clear division between causes.

In Effects - how does boredom diminish life quality? Any articles on the subject in scientific journals that can be mentioned or referenced to online?

On a formating note the bullets mentioned above would be good and paragraphing would be appropriate in a couple of the sections (it looks like the article has been copy/pasted from Notepad and the formating on the lines has shifted or something?).

go to http://www.h2g2.com/A99524 -> you've been beaten to it, I'm afraid!

You should talk to the editor (not researcher) of the old piece, and ask him to add your piece to it...

Or, you might want to approach the whole article from a different angle and make it something about the debilitating effects of disinterest or something. The problem with updating entries is that it takes a while.

I have made some slight changes in my entry according to your advise, but I will not have opportunity to finish it until I return from Spain in about 2 weeks.

I don't mean to bore you, but your time is up. The 2 weeks has passed and there's editing to be done here. This article on boredom is interesting but it needs to be run through a spell checker and it needs a bit more research. Can you find out anything more definite about how boredom works. Currently the article seems based almost entirely on personal impressions - as valid as they may be, a bit of support from psychological or physiological study would be a definite plus.

I think you may be addressing the departed Salamander. Khetil doesn't seem to have spoken to anyone for about 5 weeks. If you do come back, Khetil, you could mention about the disproportionate number of men who die soon after they retire. That may have something to do with boredom.

Editorial Note: This thread has been moved out of the Peer Review forum because it's already in the Edited Guide.