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

The entry I'd like to recommend is at: http://www.h2g2.com/A442333

It's essentially a handbook on how to work out what usernames might mean - and through them get a glance of the user's personality. It's based on an original entry by Magnolia which is at http://www.h2g2.com/A305704 (and is the place to go if you want to see this art in action) She's been through the submission treadmill once, so whe was happy to let me rewrite and try again on her behalf.

So - what do you all think? Is it up to the standards of the guide?

This entry has left me strangely ambiguous.

Yes, I think it's up to the writing standards of the Guide - it's been well structured, and includes a good use of GuideML. It manages to compile a lot of ideas and information together. But it is entirely speculation - and so I'm not sure what to say! I think it's interesting, entertaining and well written, if not necessarily 100% accurate. What do any Sub Eds think?

Thing is - I don't think it's *entirely* speculation - the entry is based on a number of usernames that have been read - with some degree of accuracy...

Put this another way - would an entry on "Reading your future in the tealeaves" not get through, based on the common ideas on what tealeaf patterns are meant to signify what? There's an entry on the Zodiac, certainly...

It seems fairly clear to me that
a) people spend some time selecting their usernames
b) they will have reasons for their selection, consious and unconsious
c) occasionally those reasons can be found out by loking at the name and working backwards

At a very basic level, someone named "Bald Bloke" (and there was one, and he was read) is more likely to be bald, and a bloke, than someone named "Pantene Grrrl". That's not speculation, that's practically a statement of the obvious!

MyRedDice - hurries away to add 'Bald Bloke' to the examples...

True. But my name is, for example, Big Mad Mr T. This might suggest that I am large, black, and insane. I'm not black or particularly well built - the vadility of my sanity has yet to be checked. It's supposed to be ironic, in a lame kind of way.

Your three points are all fairly likely. I think the key word is "occsionally" in point three, and as long as it is stated as such, the article is fine.

Well, I've emphasised the fact that it is only ever the name that is analysed - not the person behind it, in a bit right at the start of the entry. I've also added a section about the rationale of analysing usernames - what it's good for, why to do it - and rejigged the start and end bits somewhat.

As for your own name, Mr. T, would you mind if I quote Magnolia on this one?
"Looking at
the name just on its own, I am not concerned with whether or not he/she is big black or
mad. I would ask myself if someone big black and mad would EVER really describe
her/himself in those terms and would conclude -- no, she/he would most likely NOT be
big-black-mad."

Or, indeed, check out the part of the actual analysis of 'Bald Bloke', which I've just added to the entry under 'Frantic Semantics'... Get the idea? Nobody's trying to claim supernatural abilities here... I'll leave that to a forthcoming entry on Tarot cards... hehe

You're right.
It IS a good article, and very relevant to the community building up around h2g2 itself.

It's also not too unlike the common practice of trying to guess the personality of a person by the personalized license plate on their car.

I'm not sure if all countries allow for personalization of license plates, so this might not be a universal game. Its also a lot more difficult with license plates since you are usually only allowed 6 or 7 letters.

And for those individuals who have been on computers for a fairly long time, this is not a new game either. Back in 1988 I participated in what was then called Relay, and is now known as Internet Relay Chat (IRC for short). While usernames back then were usually assigned by the college you attended (not too much activity on the net outside of colleges and the government at the time) Chat handles showed the same diversity they do today. At that point in time I was Silverlock. I was friends with people named "Cheshire Cat", "Pink", and "Huey Long".

There may also be parallels in the handles of ham radio operators.

Heh, just yesterday, quite spontaneously, some friends started discussing what name some guy in RL had, based on his personality - so I guess it's been done ever since people had names of any kind...

oh well - Magnolia is now the "populiser" not the"inventor"...

This is an excellent entry. Very enjoyable reading! Worthy of inclusion IMHO.

Very enjoyable article - a lot of fun can be had by trying to work out username/personaility profiles, but to me this is on the verge of fantasy. I have also enjoyed following Magnolia's username analyses, but at the end of the day am not convinced that any of this stuff follows the guidelines.

However, sod's law states that if this article gets accepted I will end up as the sub!

Interesting stuff... The actual article itself is quite fascinating amd well written, but should the Edited Guide contain something so self-referential? (in that it refers purely to h2g2, and more pertinently, purely to registered reserachers on h2g2). Beyond this, it has little beyond curiosity value.

However, if this was a valid reason for exclusion from the Edited Guide, then it would be somewhat light on entries.

To come in with my twopeneth ... I think its's a great article, well written & good examples.

If people are out there doing this "reading thing" then there's a level of fact to it, whether or not they are using scientific methods. Isn't the guide about explaining things to the ignorant? Imagine you were down the pub and heard someone talking about people who analyse User Names and wanted to know more. Check the Guide, here's your answer. The article makes it clear that it's not a science purely interpretative.

Also although it does only contain H2G2 user names, there are a lot of chatroom and email addresses out there that people use.

I'm sure everybody asks this .... butI haven't seen it on the thread - what does my username imply about me?

Very interesting and entertaining.

One or two points. The first is the picky one, so I'll get that out of the way: in the first para proper, it should be "definitely". I also couldn't decide whether it should be "popularised" rather than "populised": I suspect that it should.

On the subject of mixed caps, you don't mention the possibility that this is a person who's familiar with Hungarian notation, or at least some sort of programming. Also possible that they are a 'javaProgrammer' if they leave the first word uncapped and the remaining ones capped. I have seen these forms around, but not necessarily on h2g2.

You also don't mention the possibility of anagrams, but I would expect them to pop up somewhere (not that I've ever knowingly encountered them).

You have an underwear fascination?
Only one anchor letter {like me!!!}
You're cheerful, and a leader, not a sheep!

Look how much I've learned!
Now then, NexusSeven: tall, blond, handsome, beautiful eyes, very huggable, generous natured, kind to animals & a very loyal friend

Ok I can see how you got to the underwear part sort of. And I am fascinated by it to the extent of wearing some every day .....

Only one anchor letter, are we talking the "g" in bright here? What are anchor letters I couldn't find it in the entry. If I'm right, don't you have two - g & y, plus a hidden anchor at the start of Galaxy?

Cheerful, ok comes from bright. But a leader, not a sheep?

The leader as in a completely different name to any I have ever encountered on h2g2.
As opposed to the number of "Arthur Dent"s...
I must admit I thought of underwear when I first saw your name, so maybe this is partly about psychology...
Anchor letters, yes, the ones hanging down, did I get the name wrong? Well, they look like Anchor letters. And I *do* only have one, I beg your pardon! The "y" at the end of Galaxy. The capitol G doesn't count.
Oh, what fun
I'm going to analyse some more names now, hehehe

This post has been removed.

"Only a single descender, and lots of ascenders. That suggests a fairly up-in-the-air personality, prone to flights of fantasy" ...
There, sorry I called them "anchors".
I think you meant my title as well, did you?
Archangel was given to me, I didn't choose it. Surely that doesn't count?
I joined h2g2 as Galaxy Babe, plain & simple!
I ~must~ check out my name as scored by Scrabble

Anchors sound nicer and even I managed to work out what they are!

I guess Galaxy Babe means that you're a chocolate loving beauty