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

The intitial idea of a Guide based on the Guide was quite intriguing although probably like most people I clicked the "I Agree" check box before knowing what I was actually agreeing to. The main thing that I find so fascinating about the Internet is the ability of the ordinary Joe to communicate their opinions with the rest of us proles. The porn and the Napster thing may get all the press but they are just a small part. The sooner that people stop believing the corporate line that the Internet is the panacea for the masses, as long as you use their software, the better. It is certainly more that just dirty pictures and free music. (And ebay!).
So lets get connected, swearing is NOT clever(unless your Billy Connolly), and Increase the Peace.

Any spelling mistakes and or bad grammer are probably due to my disinterest in English class and the naturally sweet wine made from Muscat grapes grown in the Gisbourne region.(9.5%)

It was a different kind of place before BBC bought it up and dumped restrictions. There were rules before, but certainly no one would have suggested that conversations about the war in Afghanistan, or ELECTIONS for god's sake, might be censored to protect readers (mainly to protect the BBC). They're actually afraid that someone will read an opinion from a member of the public here, see that it's a website affiliated with BBC, and claim that the official BBC position on Tony Blair is that he was cloned from a nugget of Hitler's earlobe. This in spite of the disclaimer at bottom of every page, "The majority of content on h2g2 is generated by h2g2's Researchers, who are members of the public. The views expressed are theirs and unless specifically stated are not those of the BBC."

"The porn and the Napster thing may get all the press but they are just a small part."

Well, when you look at the history of the camera, motion pictures, video camera (affordable motion pictures at home) and the internet, you'll find that porn fans took advantage and in some ways promoted the new devices quite early in their development. But you're right that there are more important uses for it than some people see. Lots of people were pumping out zines in the 80s and 90s because xeroxing made it cheap to publish anything you wanted. Now the zine scene is practically dead, because things can be published even more cheaply on the web, never any need for second printings, no limits to your audience except for the number of people you can attract to your website.

"swearing is NOT clever"

My concern is not that it's "clever" necessarily, but that it's real. They allow swearing here sometimes, when quoting people, or for "editorial purposes." But for example, Norman Mailer got stuck writing "fugging" throughout The Naked and The Dead because he couldn't be allowed to use the proper word. There are issues of Rolling Stone in the public library, in school libraries right now that allow swearing vocabulary that we can't use in h2g2. Worse, I saw a print ad for "BBC AMERICA" in Rolling Stone -- "Comedy: British Men Behaving Badly". Let's see how much of this ad for a BBC tv show can get through without censorship on a BBC website:

"B******s. S***e. W****r. Shag. Find out what they mean before the censors do." Page 77 of the 22 NOV 2001 Rolling Stone.

The problem with a ban on swearing is that it's not quite up to speed with 2001. A 12 year old can go into any public library across North America and check out Stephen King books or dozens of others containing words banned at h2g2. Who is really being protected?

Oh well. The worse problems are that languages other than English on h2g2 may be censored until they get translators to read over our shoulders, and the political censorship like this junk about the Afghanistan crisis and the UK General Election. They're protecting BBC from ludicrous lawsuits or complaints by prudes.

Meanwhile, you might consider reading the Petition for Greater Freedom on h2g2 http://www.bbc.co.uk/h2g2/guide/A544943 and consider sending them a copy with your signature. We've had hints that only paper copies of the petition reaching Bush House will be taken seriously, although the 120+ signatures online are vaguely acknowledged.

Christ, I'm wordy. ugh

Better out than in

As the actress said to the Bishop.