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

SEF - I like the idea of a memorial page for MIA Researchers, but I'm afraid we would find lots of nighthoover cultists hanging around there

Something I wrote a long time ago on this subject:

F124?thread=12214

I would never have imagined that the person who would need it first would be Douglas.

I know tuc fortuneswell has a memorial page... I think Floh set it up for him.

There was tuc fotuneswell (U183120) who died in a motorbike accident last spring. His page is something of a memorial to his life, and friends in the Anti Cat Federation set up a really nice memorial page on A743294.

A funny guy, sorely missed

* waves to Amy P *

I see you got in first whilst I was off hunting down the links for my post

Perhaps someone could explain the nighthoover thing without invoking the legions. I've noticed the frequent passing references but had clearly missed all the action by the time I arrived.

SEF

It all started HERE >> F19585?thread=143046

it wont take you long to work it out

manda

I can tell you the basics--although I'm not a nighthoover devotee, many of my friends are (heck, my best friend is the high priest)

Once upon a time, there was a newbie who actually changed his/her name from Researcher#whatever to nighthoover. The person didn't activate the personal space, though, and the only thread ever posted to by nighthoover was one that nighthoover started in Ask h2g2 about how to cancel an h2g2 account. The cult started with the attempt to get nighthoover to stay on h2g2. Like many things here, it got from there...

That's how I worked it out, manda! I just searched for "nighthoover" and discovered that thread

~

I have read the first few pages a few time, and it alway puts a on my face to think what can come from a single post,


manda

That's so weird. It's exactly the question I wanted answered but, being extra stubborn, I made a point of not joining just in order to find out - even though the site wouldn't let me post the question without joining. So instead I dug up an email address for the h2g2 support team and also pestered some of the message board hosts. I even made the same reference to it being like Hotel California and they said they'd never thought of it like that before! Short memories I suppose as they could have just referred me to the nighthoover thread then. In the end as they all kept assuring me that you lot were mostly harmless, I did join. I'm still not entirely convinced though...

Is anyone thinking the same thing as me here?

Could SEF = nighthoover?

Is it perhaps SEF that has the short memory, and actually posted that message when he was not a member of the site?

Ooooooooh a conspiracy theory!

~

PS I'm only kidding, SEF!

its,sad,about,barry,sheene,dieing

I'd be honoured to be mentioned on an obituary page. If I die, I'll try my best to get in touch with the H2G2 staff

Jim,
This idea's a bit outta left field, but would Auntie Beeb consider setting up a DNA obituaries site as a public service? Tastefully done, it could only be a credit to the corporation.

It would mix both celebrity obituries written by staff, and those submitted by the public in general, with threads where people could pay their respects.

Peet
(not being quite as cynical as usual...)

All this talk about death and dying, you lot are making me all depressed.

Marvin the Paranoid Android could host the obituaries site!

Peet
(cynical as ever)

Or Colin.

"would Auntie Beeb consider setting up a DNA obituaries site as a public service?"

It sounds like a nice idea. However, I can imagine the editorial policy conversations that would go on.

We've had glimpses of this on September 11th and when the Queen Mother died. There will always be some bozo who thinks it's OK to slag off someone when they've died. And because of the permanently open nature of h2g2, a few months after someone's death, people can still post, and that's often when people feel enough time is past, and they can criticise. After all, nobody is above reproach. But an obituaries page would always be an inappropriate place to do that.

So while I think it's a good idea, there are plenty of obstacles to it.

Perhaps in the future it could be something that starts from the users, if we had appropriate tools (like giving users the ability to move or hide threads from certain places, for example). You can do it already (as described earlier in this thread).