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

Curious people want to know. What browser are you using?

(My other computer is an Amiga. If you have to ask, you'll never understand.)

Barton

Er... actually I use about six different computers to log on to h2g2 and I can't remember which one I was using when I wrote that previous reply, I use both IE (varying versions) and Netscape (varying versions) can't really be more precise I'm afraid.

Does how it looks not also depend on the screen resolution you're using?

Soz

Yes, screen resolution and the size of the window on that screen. All coupled with the particular flavor of browser. This is why people should either use the generalized formatting tags, like , and let the system format the screen as the programmer saw fit or take complete control with and let the browser cope with it as best it can. Mix and match can end up with strange results.

Barton

Ha well, good job I put a paragraph spacing in then

(Not a bad chat for keeping this up the top of the conversation list eh? -Any scouts out there?)

Oh, there's lots of us scouts out here. it's just that there's SO many really good entries, and we only get to recommend 3 a month. with me, personally, if there are 2 equally good/interesting entries, I tend to go for the one that has been waiting the longest.


Mikey

Well this query is a little conceptual, primarily because you are a PhD. If the problem with drug resistance is restricted to hospitals and the like, why is the effort in stopping this menace concentrated on frivolous prescriptions and widespread use of antibiotics which reckon would be for outpatients, prevention etc. Has it actually made any difference.

Hi, well for a start its not necessarily just being concentrated in that area but really the idea is to slow the rise in it down in general. It does tend to be restricted to hospitals and other medical type facilitied but there is a real possibility that it may spread outside them into the whole world and tht really would be a nightmare. I think there has been the odd isolated case of an MRSA infected patient just walking in off the street. So its just not a good idea to give someone antibiotics is they have a cold as it won't do anything except contribute to an evolutionary pressure on the bacteria to be drug resistant.
Don't think I'm going to jump down your throat becaese I have a PhD BTW, I'm nicer than that, the article is there to be questioned, and I'm here to help answer if I can

Mikey, sorry I din't mean to be pushy, I've been hanging around here a lot recently as I should be becoming a scout myself eventually and I can see the problem. I support your method of reccomendation, I saw one article the other day get accepted after only one day here which kind of prompted me a bit to bump this up the list that's all.

I know that all the articles can't get accepted right away, but this one looks like it's finished to me. And it's certainly worthy of being in the guide.

Maybe we need to add another layer to the acceptance process where good articles that have gone through peer review and been polished can sit and wait for the the final tap of acceptance.

This idea of only being permitted 4 choices per month seems somewhat arbitrary. And, I would imagine that scouts who pick articles that don't fit, get their virtual hands slapped.

If you decided that you have more articles that need attention, I suspect you would create more scouts each with 4 more choices per month. Wouldn't it be better to just give the existing scouts more picks to make?

This article is done and ready to be picked. Someone should pick it.

Barton

Hello,

About limited picks for scouts. Basically, the problem is there's a bit of a pipeline involved. People write entries, scouts pick them, sub editors work on them, and editors sign off. Each scout gets about 3 picks a month for a maximum of 30 picks a week (2 scouts a day). In reality, the schedule isn't filled and scouts don't always make their picks. These picks go to the subeditors who edit about one entry a week, which then go onto the front page. Giving more picks to the Scouts doesn't really help unless you get more Subeditors, and getting more Subeditors is only good if there's a good supply of articles written to go into the pipeline (there's been a little dropoff in Peer Review lately). You're right by the way that Editors get veto power over scout picks. For full details, check out http://www.bbc.co.uk/h2g2/guide/A540262

So, it seems to me that the best places for people to help is to either volunteer to be Subeditors or to keep writing more great entries. Then we can add more scouts.

Yours,
Jake

PS It's true that scouts need to look through Peer Review to find the good articles that have passed approval but have fallen from the top because there's frankly not much more to add. I try to do that myself.

Thanks for the comments guys, I've volunteered as a scout myself but Anna seems to think the list is full enough at the moment so I've no idea when I'll finally get to be one (she did say yes to me). I guess the bottom line is the real editors can only do so much and the staffing levels at h2g2 aren't huge are they. In the end if more scouts and sub-eds appear then they're going to get an even bigger workload than they already have - and having talked to both Abi and Peta personally I suspect they're working their butts off as it is.

I still think it would be a good idea to get the finished articles out of this queue and into another one. Having a finished article that pleases everyone just sit here is depressing to the writers and doesn't encourage them to write more.

Obviously someone has to make the decisions at the top and, equally as obvious, not all the fine articles are necessarily going to be right for the edited guide. So, I have to admit that it might be even more depressing to be accepted at this level and then rejected at this next hypothetical intermediary stage.

My point is just that Peer Review serves a very good purpose but it should not turn into a dumping ground because the higher level staff is over worked. It not only is hard on the authors but is also hard on those of us of feel that we are contributing even when we haven't had that brain storm that turns into a potential article.

I really admire the sense of community here at h2g2 and I am more than willing to exercise patience, particulalrly when everyone is being so open about the problems and issues. I just hate to see good stuff fall to the bottom of an almost bottomless pit.

And this one is definitely good stuff.

Barton

Thankyou.

I personally try not to submit anything (as per the rules) until I consider it finished, I've kind of noticed that the articles that seem to get the most attention here are the ones that clearly aren't. Maybe there should be more harshness in kicking things out to the Writing Workshop until they are finished. This place should really be more for tinkering than adding huge sections and rewiting. Certainly the beginners writing workshop is almost completely unused as far as I can see. Still, maybe that wouldn't go down too well. I dunno, just thinking aloud...

I agree with you and standards should be set, but this article was not one of those. Controversial subjects, such as the Passover entry, and articles like the Gravity entry where large matters are simplified, or any entry dealing with programming among us are going to generate long threads.

The fact is that interesting, funny, or oblique topics tend to attract a crowd. All of us who are here regularly like to add our two cents to something that is already $1.98 worth of article. But, we are too kind hearted to tell an honest effort with a good idea behind that is only worth $0.57 to go away and not bother us for another $0.43.

On the other hand, there are those articles that clearly don't belong here and most of us who are willing to say so, do take the time to try to send them packing.

Maybe we need a voting system, based on Peer reaction if there were some way to prevent it being abused.

Maybe eveyone should go through the Workshop. I'm ashamed to admit that I have never even been there. I will rectify that, but I don't expect that I will enjoy hanging around there as much as I like it here.

Barton

Well, kindheartedness is one of the biggest plus points of h2g2 so I can live with that if its a fault. Actually, on the one or two occasions I've been over to the writing workshop, the articles don't seem to be of any lower a standard than they are here, I think you just get the more nervous writers there.
Quirkiness is certainly something that attracts me to articles at h2g2 as much as anyone. Some subjects don't lend themselves too well though. Personally I think that Gravity article is excellent - its not a topic that is easy to write about without suddenly descending into super-advanced physics. Its a shame the author Hell never commented about this article over here - he did back at my own page and came up with more pertinent points than some have here.

I'm just back from the Writer's Workshop and I have to say that I agree with your observation.

The question is, do we want to encourage them to come here or encourage people here to go there.

When dealing with the timid folk, I have to worry more about crushing them with candor. Here, if they are crushed they have some place to run to.

Barton

What a brilliant article! I have nothing else to say. As far as I can see, it's all been said. I join you guys in wondering why a Scout hasn't picked it yet.

Shorn Canary!

Hi, Orcus - you're right, this entry's gotten plenty of accolades, and except for a few minor typos, this baby's ready to go. As to why it hasn't been picked yet - like Mikey said, us scouts tend to go for the oldest postings first. Be patient - there's no question about this being acceptable for the guide. It's acceptable for the Britannica, in my opinion!

Now, here's my nits that I picked for you:

First of all, I spotted some misspellings: hopsital ward, anitibiotic drugs, gut-wrencing use, rrepairable, benifits on this issue. You might run it through a spell checker to see if I missed any.

And your conclusion - your sentences are a little odd in this paragraph.

Here's your version:
Doctors in the UK at least will no longer prescribe antibiotics for any old infection, you will not get a course is you have a cold or the flu as they are viral infections and so will not be affected by antibacterial drugs. It is important to completely kill the bacterial infection to prevent the regrowth of a drug resistant strain so if one is given a course of antibiotics COMPLETE THE COURSE! This cannot be stressed enough, not only will one possibly become unwell again if this does not happen but one is also contributing to the possible growth of drug resistance.

Here's what I recommend:
Doctors, at least in the UK, will no longer prescribe antibiotics for just any old infection. You will not get a course if you have a cold or the flu, as they are viral infections and so will not be affected by antibacterial drugs. It is important to completely kill the bacterial infection to prevent the regrowth of a drug resistant strain, so if one is given a course of antibiotics COMPLETE THE COURSE! This cannot be stressed enough. Not only is there a chance of becoming sick again if the full course of antibiotics is not taken, but it also contributes to the growth of drug resistance in bacteria.

(just some minor sentence splitting and comma additions...)

This entry answered a question of mine - it seemed that every time I got a prescription for antibiotics, it was something different. Erythromycin one time, something called Zyrtec (?) the next.

You've probably already heard this - doctors in the US will no longer prescribe antibiotics for upper respiratory infections. I'm not sure why, but it probably has something to do with the building of bacterial resistance.

Hey Barton: I read up at the top where you're using an Amiga - which one? I just purchased an Amiga 4000 toaster from e-bay, but one of the boards seems to be out (probably the 68040 daughtercard)

I'll post the answer on your page.

Barton

Thanks for that Lentilla, I'll get on those corrections.

BTW, I *could* point out to you about ten reccomendations that have gone through on my homepage in the last two or three days - nearly all were submitted to Peer Review much more recently than this. Some were only here for a day or two before being reccomended. Please don't blame me for getting a little impatient when I see this - it is frustrating, if people had told me this was rubbish then I wouldn't have been worried. You and Barton may go for the older entries but I fear a lot of scouts don't.

If I didn't follow Peer revies so closely the time scale wouldn't have worried me