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

Entry: Wiltshire, England, UK - A6102488
Author: Bagil - Patron Saint of Left Handers. Keeper of mnemonics. Saboteur of boring and banal conversation. - U723247

Well, this is essentially finished - I think, although I don't think I've done it justice.

I'm still wondering how much (if anything) to say about famous residents (e.g. Madonna, Sting). That's why their names are there but without any further information at present.

some quick nitpicks ---

principle towns include the city of sailsbury --- so it isn't a principle town, it is a city


Wiltshire returns five Members to parliament --- doesn't make sence. returns 5 PMs to Westminster/Parliament.

to the work of Isambard Kingdom Brunel. --->the link should be across his whole name


I'd personally dispute that sting has a personality

tjm

principle towns include the city of sailsbury --- so it isn't a principle town, it is a city. I think my meaning here is intrinsically obviou, so this is unnecessarily pedantic.


'to the work of Isambard Kingdom Brunel. --->the link should be across his whole name'. No it shouldn't,as the whole Entry of the link is not about I.K. Brunel, but about his father.

Hi, Big Al!

This is an excellent entry, and deals with all aspects of the county very well.

A few points:
I was amazed that there is no Edited Entry on Stonehenge. The level of detail you have seems too much for what is an entry about the county, and would be better off in a separate entry. I suppose if someone comes along and writes a proper Stonehenge entry then you could update this to cut back on repetition.

When you mention interesting houses, I think you should include Stourhead. The gardens there are regarded as one of the greatest examples of the 18th century classical style, with temples and monuments, and natural tree plantings around a lake.

About Porton Down, I think that you understate its purpose when you say
"...one to research defence against chemical weapons and the other to research defence against biological weapons." The MOD site you link to says that Porton Down was (for a while) involved in the actual development and production of chemical weapons, since use of chemical weapons in retaliation for enemy use was permitted. Its sinister reputation certainly didn't come from purely defensive work. (A linked page mentions the development and production of the nerve gas sarin at the satellite plant in Cornwall, and that in the early 50s they had a stockpile of twenty *tons* of sarin!) CS gas seems to have been developed at Porton Down in the 1950s.

About the entry you link to on the Brunels--it definitely deals with Isambard Kingdom Brunel as well as his father.


Azara

Azara,

I agree wioth what you say on the level of detal about Stonehenge. That is there simply because, as you say, there is no EG Entry on Stonehenge. (I may consider wrtiting one). In view of this and because it's a World Heritage Site, I thought I was justified in putting this level of detail in, without compromising any future Entries.

Stourhead: I agree. I'll deal with it.

About Porton Down, The manufacturing facility was in Cornweall But perhaps I should say s'thing more about its research into development of CW.

Re Brunel: I have since extended the link to include the whole of I.K. Brunel.

I suppose, about Porton Down, the sinsiter reputation it had in Cold War fiction made an indelible impression on me! It certainly ranked up there with the Hereford SAS base as somewhere for harmless Irish tourists not to ask questions about in local pubs.


Azara

Hi Big Al

Well done on this entry which I found very entertaining and learned a few things!

Just a couple of things I noticed:

<> requires a quote mark at the beginning, or - as it ends the section, you could pop it into a blockquote tag.

<> = 19th Century.

Well done on a great entry

I'm interested in the comments here as I'm doing the Lincolnshire entry - it's difficult to know what to include and what to leave out, and it's becoming a

off to do some trimming

GB

Yes, this Entry has already 'grown like Topsy' since I first submitted it to PR.

I'll deal with those points immediately GB

Surprised no-one else noticed, it should be 'principal' towns, not 'principle'

Just after that, you start a section with 'Wilstshire'.

s to correct.

Ref Porton Down and my 'understat[ing] its purpose when you say ...'

The title of Graden Carter's book (Official Historiamn of Porton Down) is 'Chemical and Biological DEFENCE at Porton Down
1916 - 2000'.

Hence I think it is quite legitimate for me to leave what I said alone as to say anything more would unjustifiably expand the amount of words I'm using on this section, and would give the impression of pedantry'. Anyone who wants to know more can read the links.

Well, he would say that, wouldn't he?


Seriously, if the Ministry of Defence are now quite open about the fact that for some years they were actively developing chemical weapons, I think it's worth mentioning--it's not as if there's any dispute about it. I'm hardly the only reader who will automatically make that association, and wonder if the entry is whitewashing things when it's not mentioned.

Azara

Well, I'll bear it in mind. To be honest, I'm being a bit lazy. If I can find a form of words which states exactly the facts withoutr expanding the number of words too much., I'll put it in.

(It's basically because CDE did originally have an 'offensive' remit which gradually moved towards a more defensive remit, whereas MRE was virtually always defensive (although when one is researching 'defensive' measures one can't help but also learn something useful about offensive capability) But all this gets into a bit too much detail, when all I really wanted to say is that there exists on Salisbury Plain two establishments to support the military in the event of Chemical or Biological attack. There is also the deterrence factor' similar to the nuclear capability. If ones foes believe that you can deploy a weapon, they're less likely to precipitate such a response.

"It is thought that there is no possibility that all the complicated patterns that appear are hoaxes."

Actually, it is thought that all the complex patterns are hoaxes. They were done deliberately to prove that all crop circles are hoaxes.

Stonehenge was a "Topic of the Week" back in 2004: A2523188. I don't know if these normally get converted into Entries, or who does it. If you're thinking of writing an entry on Stonehenge, I suggest you discuss it with the eds.

Well, the 'all' is s'posed to be italicised (to indicate that IMO most of them will turn out to be hoaxes). I just didn't want to be too categoric and say that all the complex patterns ARE hoaxes.

BTW Thanks for informing me of the Topic of the Week re Stonehenge, Gnomon. That was marginally before I started on hootoo, so I was unaware of it. Suyrprised noone has 'taken it on board'. However, what's put me off somewhat is that it will be a MONUMENTAL task. . Probably have to wait 'til next summer holiday. (However, I did think of massaging s'one elses Entry on 'How Stonehenge was Built' to get it into the EG.

Doesn't anyone else have anything to say about this Entry? Is there anybody there...?

It's impossible for me to take this seriously because of the section on crop circles. The guys who made the crop circles owned up. Why did nobody believe them?

Because despite what the scientists and atheists say people like to have a bit of magic in their lives.