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

There's nothing wrong with ending a sentence with a preposition.

Indeed! Not anymore. Sir Winston Churchill put paid to that when he said, "This is the sort of English up with which I will not put."

But, would the Devil let let Will know that?

Barton

Barton, would you please give it another look? There's a new 'taxonomy' section at the beginning and the rest has undergone slight changes.

As to the classification: In a previous version I had such as system but took it out because I thought it wasn't really factual. Anyway, I've put up this section (it dealt only with 'bad loops' as discussion material, at http://www.bbc.co.uk/h2g2/guide/A542431.

Looking good, lots of factual content is good. Though I dont understand the 5 philosophers problem, Are there some extra rules? Why dont they just take turns eating?

About the footnote to 'Dripping Wter Tap 1': there's a whole article on 'Unfiltered Background Noise as an Insomnia Cure':

http://www.bbc.co.uk/h2g2/guide/A293942

However, it doesn't say anything about the theory of why it works. Perhaps the footnote could be inserted into that article instead, with a link in Endless Loops.

I'm much happier now.

Here are some little things I picked up on this reading:

This is not serious, I am joking, but instead of 'loopivity' have you considered loopification?

Users of the software will only realise that their computer doesn't work as expected and reboot it. Again, just a question? This is ambiguous. Do you mean: Users of the software will only realise that their computer doesn't work -- as expected -- and reboot it. Or: Users of the software will only realise that their computer doesn't work as expected -- and reboot it.

I may be just being American here: Scratchy Vinyl Records falls into the dripping faucet I class. Your text makes it clear that you are speaking of Skipping Vinyl Records that skip backward. Skipping vinyl records that skip forward generally meant that the record was brand new and already defective.

People commenting on this movie have very precisely gathered that he was realizing the loss of his future. "Very precisely" suggests that they made careful measurements to several decimal places and "gathered" is simply awkward in this context. Perhaps you might say something like, 'Critics of this movie seem to agree that he was realizing that his future was lost.'

The cycle of seasons which lets the soil recreate in winter and bear fruit in summer. "Recreate" seems seems wrong, perhaps you mean "regenerate" or "renew itself."

Most of this sort of thing would be caught in the sub-editing process, so I won't do anything more like this to you.

I think you have most of this in hand and will soon have yourself an article in the guide, all you need to do is tighten things up so that it flows a bit better.

Another example of endless loops. The little fish that you keep catching even though you keep throwing it back.

Barton

Thanks for having once again read this stuff!!

The Five Philosophers have been fed, so I hope

Loopification...
'-ication' as a word ending sounds to me like an action (magnification, amplification), whereas '-ivity' indicates a property. But I'm not a native speaker and gladly appreciate any advice!

" -- as expected -- " hee hee Should I ask M$ for more examples?

"tighten things up so that it flows a bit better" -- I hope that I've caught where the problems were, shuffled around large bits and made some use of the 'Delete' button. A few new ideas have also been inserted!

You're right. Maybe, loopitivity, loopisicousness, loopy.

Barton

Hi, I'm Dancer, and I'm a scout.

I think this is a good entry on a nice subject and it has more than a few bright observations.

I see you are all working hard on making this entry better, and in fact, this entry was discussed by us once (at the end of January) as a potential edited guide entry, but for some reasons was rejected then.
I see you are still improving it and it's great.

We scouts only get 3 picks every 4 weeks, So I have 4 weeks till my next picking, I belive that if the changes needed for this entry to be guide material are satisfied by then I'd be happy to reccomend it.

The main things that trouble me about the entry could be avoided by sticking to the Writing Guidlines at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/h2g2/guide/Writing-Guidelines

I would reccomend that:

1. The name should be changed so that the content is true to it. This entry isn't about endless loops only, it is also about situation that seem to be endless and despairing ones.

I bet you don't want to cut those out, and I think they shouldn't be, so Just a name change can work this out.

2. I would also add more Desirable Endless Loops, you got more than a few suggestions for ones in the Conversation.

3. You might want to expand the section on "Time" (in the "Indifferent Endless Loops"). I think it short and anigmatic. You only see it necessery to take tha mayan calander. There are many more examples. Try looking for "Futurology" on some search engine (preferably google) or also you can look at [url removed by moderator]
but this is just my oppinion on this one.

Thank you all for all the valuable comments!
Indeed, the entry has considerably improved from when I started with a rather biased piece.

I've amended the Title to contain Deadlocks and Vicious Circles as well, although the next commentator may very correctly state that these aren't covered in depth. If anyone feels the compulsion to write separate entries about them then I'd be happy to donate the introduction.

Anyway, it started as a light hearted view on more nasty instances of endless loops. By and by, it is on the way to degenerate into a heavy philosophical essay about heaven, hell, and eternity; my alarm circuits have fired and I'm not going to make a University project out of it.

Think I'm getting me another drink.

Ok, I'll try to make my point again... 1, Title I tried with 'Endless Loops, Deadlocks and Vicious Circles' but wasn't too happy with it. Anyway, Endless loops are in the focus, and hence the title. Deadlocks are basically covered in 'Catch-22' http://www.bbc.co.uk/h2g2/guide/A291133, and there's work in progress at the 'deja vu' phenomenon (http://www.bbc.co.uk/h2g2/guide/A483572), so I won't cover deja vu in depth here, nor create an overlap in the title. 2, More Desirable Loops Having 8 undesirable loops vs. 6 desirable ones isn't too far out of balance. I don't think there should be more words to explain the sequences of seasons and days and nights. 3, Time There are entries around in the PR and the Workshop which are dealing with time, eternity and infinity. Some don't seem to proceed, perhaps on account of the highly philosophical contents. However, these fields are covered. Time - Concepts and Perception (Edited) http://www.bbc.co.uk/h2g2/guide/A92440 Infinity & the Infinite Hotel Paradox at http://www.bbc.co.uk/h2g2/guide/A414523, in PR at http://www.bbc.co.uk/h2g2/guide/F57153?thread=80374 Time, Reality, Infinity http://www.h2g2.com/A413272, in the WW at http://www.bbc.co.uk/h2g2/guide/F57153?thread=69850 On a side note, there's an entry on Immortality at http://www.bbc.co.uk/h2g2/guide/A341335 Well, here's my invitation to another round of feedback looping! :-)

This entry is experiancing a little endless loop itself


Dancer

Aaaaarggghhh! You surely don't know but you just *blew* it! There was a 'race to the bottom of PR' between me and Lucinda, and I had pole position, so to speak Just have a look at my latest Journal entry: http://www.bbc.co.uk/h2g2/guide/F53347?thread=124772 Yes, this one is doomed to cycle around PR forever, an appropriate place for the subject matter, isn't it? Now where's Lucinda's entry... got to blow it to the top!

Editorial Note: This conversation has been moved from 'Peer Review' to 'Endless Loops'.

This thread has been moved out of the Peer Review Forum because your entry has now been recommended for the Edited Guide.

You can find out what will happen to your entry here: http://www.h2g2.com/SubEditors-Process

Congratulations!

Sorry, but you'll have to write something new, at least as contreversial in order to make it to the bottom again.

Cheers,

Dancer

Nice one
About time it got out of that appropriate endless loop

Well, the endless wisdom of the makers of h2g2 has provided the button as an escape

Hmm, a new entry to sink down to the bottom...

* scratches head *

hmmm....

* scratches again *

hmm, a really boring entry on boredom perhaps?