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

Entry: How to build a house from coal - A43987800
Author: Rockhound - U889233

For your review. It's been a while, so I may have forgotten some of the conventions and niceties.

This is a short-ish piece, I could get into the chemical formulae for the various gas scrubbing processes, but I kind of like the way it runs at the moment, without getting too involved in all the various gubbins.

I'm also aware of the controversial nature of coal-fired generation, but I've tried to stay factual/neutral and not get anywhere near the political.

<>
Fossil bands not only confirm the marine nature of the mudstones, but also help date the strata and correlate between different mines and localities.

<> remove the *was*

1950’s – 1970’s >> 1950s – 1970s

<> strictly >> strict

It would help to remove some of the acronyms as well. For example ESP is used subsequently only once, at the beginning of the next paragraph. This could just as easily say and drop the ESP altogether. Also FGD is never used again and is superfluous.

Thanks h5ringer

I've made all the changes except the acronyms. I'll have a think abut those, they're the standard terms in the industry so in some ways I'd like to keep them, but I can see they're a bit over the top in a short piece like this.

That's what footnotes are for - define them the first time you use them!

Can I just say I like the Bowie references

This is a wonderful Entry, so good I read it twice. I love your style and like the fact you note what things are in brackets for those of us less familiar with the terminology etc. There are three little nitpicks I have encountered though these being:

Capital letter for 'Entry'

I'm unsure of the use <> ...perhaps a 'the' should proceed these two words too

<> should be due

Keep writing

Malabarista - thankyou I'd forgotten about footnotes. Silly Rockhound!
Matt -
Opti - nitpicks are welcomed, it's easy to miss things when you've written them.

I've had a bit of a tinker - what do you all reckon?

sub tropical >> sub-tropical

but the basic principle is *to* burn the coal and use the heat

apprearance >> appearance

larger ares >> larger areas

footnotes 2 and 3 need full stops at their ends

Footnotes 1 and 3 need to begin with a capital letter

Very good You've made the subject quite accessible

Your link to the "clean air act" is misbehaving. Try replacing A127367582 with A12736758

h5ringer, GB, pailway - changes made, and thank you.

Neat

I don't know if this is going off-topic, but you could consider developing the volcanic ash bit.

PFA is (possibly more often?) referred to as fly ash, though that's a broader term that includes naturally-occuring pozzolans. As you mentioned, they include some forms of volcanic ash. The word 'pozzolanic' comes from Pozzuoli where the Romans found such ash that when mixed with lime gave decent concrete. There are concrete buildings from the Roman period made from fly ash concrete, and they include some notable ones, like the dome of the Pantheon.

So you could certainly attest to the durability of these building materials, if you want to.

Great guide entry.
You wrote SOx for Sulphur Dioxide it is actually written as SO2 and the 2 is bellow the letters. This also applies to your footnote about Nitrogen Dioxide you need to write the two bellow the letters.



Good luck with this guide entry.

The Guide ML for that is:

SO2

NO2

Pinniped - thanks, I thought that part was a little thin. I will have a play with including that over the weekend

Jhawkesby - you're right, it was sloppy language on my part - sulphur dioxide is SO2 (subscript), the oxides of sulphur are SOx in the industry jargon. I will tidy that up this weekend.

GB thanks for Guide ML

You're welcome

Is it just me, or should it be Ch- Ch- Ch- Changes?

Depends if you take the first line or the third line, but it definitely needs the dash:

Ch-ch-ch-ch-Changes
(Turn and face the strain)
Ch-ch-Changes
Oh, look out you rock'n'rollers
Ch-ch-ch-ch-Changes
(Turn and face the strain)
Ch-ch-Changes
Pretty soon you're gonna get a little older
Time may change me
But I can't...

Rightho...
Added pozzolanic detail - do you want a credit Pinniped?

Sox changed (and washed <wink&gt to SO2 with subscript.

Ch- Ch- Changes made to the subheader


anything else?

Well, I missed the Bowie references, but I loved the entry. It's the sort of thing that h2g2 does better than anyone else out there, so it good to see it in Peer Review.

TRiG.