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

http://www.bbc.co.uk/h2g2/guide/A614954

What to you think, my style is crap but?

Hey TC Good evocative basis for an Entry. However, most Edited Entries need to be in the third person, to make it easier to add to later. However, that does not mean that you should get rid of what you have written - I will come back to this later.

I never saw 'Threads' (actually leaving the dream, protecting Europe from the Red Peril at the time ) so I want more info about the film itself. Ok, too give an example of what I mean take a shuftey at the Ultraviolet Entry - http://www.bbc.co.uk/h2g2/guide/A590843 - a look at the classic C4 vampire series. I would like to see more about Threads, give the background, a look at the characters, the story, the episodes. A sort of subsection on each would be a natural structure for the Entry. Of course you may not feel this, it is up to you, this is just what I would like to see about it

Another subsection would be on how it affected you, this could be easily adapted from what you have written already, the feelings, the impact etc. As always t'is up to you, no matter what the Entry will remain part of the Unedited Guide. I hope this is helpful Let me know what you think Until later...
BCNU - Crescent

Cheers for that Mate, I've re-written it, Do you think it might go in ?
I am also thinking of doing synopsis of the film (as a separate entry)
is the a limit (apart from good taste), on how long a guide entry can be? :->

There is no limit on how long an Entry can be, but if you start getting up to 20 A4 pages long, most peeps will get bored with it, so good taste is the key - I would say you could probably triple this Entry and still have plenty of room before that happens I would probably put the synopsis in with this Entry, as it seems to lead right on to it (but that may just be me). You know a lot about this film, The Guide needs that knowledge

OK some stuff to read to help with what becomes Edited Guide Entries, these pages will explain it a lot better than I can

http://www.bbc.co.uk/h2g2/guide/Writing-Guidelines
http://www.bbc.co.uk/h2g2/guide/SubEditors-Style
http://www.bbc.co.uk/h2g2/guide/SubEditors-GuideML

You have virtually all of what they say down pat, and don't worry about the rest - spelling, GuideML can be sorted by the SubEds, the important thing is to get what you want to say down.

For this Entry, if I knew about Threads I would probably lay it out like this....


The Introduction - Most of the first and second paragraphs would be ideal for this, remove the first couple of sentances in paragraph two, and keep them for the summary. Tweak the rest to fit as an intro.

Characters - A look at the characters in Threads. (as they are mentioned in the first paragraphs, they make an ideal lead for this section.)

The Threads World - Where are characters? How did the nukes start falling etc.

The Consequences - Return to the intro and look at the consequences and how the characters were affected. Nuclear Winter, leading to starvation, leading to disease. The psychological trauma and the mutations.

How it affected you - How it changed your life, what it was like watching it at age 9. Look in the 'Aftershock' section of the Roskilde 2000 Tradgedy Entry - http://www.bbc.co.uk/h2g2/guide/A442874 - for one way of doing it.

Summary - The bits left out of the first and second paragraphs (including the first two sentances of paragraph two) and how the world was at the time (1983?), and how it has changed since then.

Of course this is just me, and it may be that the Entry could get through Peer Review as is. But I want to know more, I have never seen Threads so I am pushing for more Remember this is only what I would do, you have good style, and it is your Entry, you do what you think is best Also, if you want, I could try and get another Researcher to come along and see what they have to say? I hope this helps, and isn't too pushy and if there is anything, just yell Until later....
BCNU - Crescent

Good Points mate, I will keep working on it.

If you want to show anybody else it, feel free. It's something I feel that the guide needs to have as it was so much a part of mine (our) childhood.

Let me know when the next revision is up or if you need any help I will go and see if there is any one else to come and give a different point of view Until later...
BCNU - Crescent

Just finished some more, still got a lot to do.

I will go have a shuftey Until later....
BCNU - Crescent

Did the changes you suggested posted it in the peer review.

Kick ass man I like the timeline approach and it is receiving goodness in PR, cannae go wrong If I think of anything else I would like to see in it I will post Well, until later....
BCNU - Crescent

Thanks mate .

Hopefully it will make the guide.

Thinking of starting an article on AI (I promised to do it ages ago)

Any feelings on how it should go.

Hmmm, I take it this isn't the film So where would I start? Start with why we would want AI. Go on to look at things from a problem solving angle, probably (as AI's are meant to be able to solve problems for us), so look at the common problem solving machine sytems we use now - expert systems, genetic algorithms, neural nets etc. Move on to what can be expected from them in the future. Then another section on if true AI sentience is possible or not. Finally upside/downside, giving us a far future of Matrix, or maybe Culture proportions. This is just shoved together in 2 mins as a starter, if you want I will give it a bit of thought and come back to you Hope this helps, until later...
BCNU - Crescent

Seems like a plan .

Editorial Note: This conversation has been moved from 'The Writing Workshop' to 'Threads and Nuclear War'.