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

Yeah well lots of us feel we're in the same boat to some extent.

The BBC doesn't give a T*ss about some of its Licence Fee payers basically

On another point raised earlier - the BBC was a natural place for us because they made all the programmes (I remember listening to the first broadcast and the rest of the first series, on Radio 4 I think).

On the current point - this isn't the Beeb's fault, but they are making a right royal Beeb hash of everything, making it feel much worse than it needed to have been. A great shock and muddles between muddled redesign that wasn't necessary (if it ain't broke...) and the shock of the sudden announcement, rather than a planned early announcement followed by thoughtful, considered (considering us!)process.

Jabs

Or is it a case of us being a world-wide community, and the majority of members pay nothing towards the upkeep of the place



GT

Please don't blame the 'foreigners' GT. It's our government that hates the BBC and is happy to cut its budget, and it's our BBC that is dealing with the situation so badly and cackhandedly.

Jabs

The Licence fee issue is that those of us who pay it contribute to the BBC. But what we love is to be part of a worldwide community..that's what we pay for...and yes *politically* that gives us *POWER*

A wonderful thing like h2g2 should be something that the British Broadcasting Corporation should fund without hesitation and see what fantastic potential it has for communication between people the world over.

We shouldn't even have to be getting into all this meaness about who is or isn't a Licence fee payer. The BBC has totally changed its nature though about looking to be creative and innovative.

But as Licence Fee payer myself I shall most certainly use that weapon.

As a foreigner, I don't pay the license fee, but Mr. Nerd and I donate both money and time to our local community radio station, which in turn buys programming from the BBC. Also I do my best to write good quality stuff for h2g2, such as this historical/sociological entry currently in PR: A28880445

These I feel are valuable contributions, although you may disagree.

NOBODY here should feel bad about not being Licence Fee payers. Interacting with people the world over is fantastic for us.

But because of the utter shambles the BBC has become that issue is relevent.

I am NOT blaming 'foreigners' Jabs, far from it!

I was just speculating on whether that was part of the beebs thinking!



GT

...interacting with people all over the world...

First the Great Firewall, then Google follows suit, now this.

Too many lights going out.

I do hope myself h2g2 survives as a BBC institution.

I first came here researching a question the Okapi, was referred to an h2g2 article on the animal by the BBC search engine, became fascinated with the site.

>part of the beebs thinking!<

Wake up. They DON'T think. They count beans.

They should be going to the politicians and raving about fantastic stuff here...and its potential.

The UK should be just so proud of Hitchhikers.

gt

/the beebs thinking!/

Something of an oxymoron there.

But remind me which once honorable organisation now in sad decline has this coat of arms:

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/c/ca/Bbc_logo_before_1970.png/270px-Bbc_logo_before_1970.png

nothing

/They count beans/

Which mostly go to pay the fatcat salaries of its top apparatchiks and often dubious 'talent'

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/8118233.stm

A bit of judicious trimming of that lot should be more than enough to keep h2g2 running. It is after all our money not theirs.

Starts with a B, ends with a C.....


And has a B in the middle!!!

Correct, Bx4???



GT

GT

/Correct, Bx4??/

Indeed. Though I prefer to call it Pravda-in-the-Wen.

Fund raising idea for saving h2g2:

h2g2 complete on DVD or removable memory cassette.

I'm hoping you just mean the edited guide. The whole site would be remarkably large, wouldn't it?


I've thought it would be awfully appropriate if the BBC would at least continue to host the site as a static, searchable object from the date of shutdown to whenever some other interest managed to start the thing up again.

Frankly, the site is a remarkable collection of very good writing on a vast range of subjects. To simply have it disappear would be equivalent to something between burning down a local library branch and burning down the Library of Alexandria. This place is the repository of a vast amount of very good, unique literary work, and so, something far more important than a single library branch full of copies of books which exist all over the place, although perhaps less important than what we all lost when that place in Egypt burned.

If hootoo doesn't continue on as a living entity, it *must* continue as a static text.

Wow.

Simply heart-breaking news.

Apologies, GT.

Jabs

I was kind of hoping that the new H2G2 would raise operating funds by selling stuff like calendars, towels, stuffed dolphins, and smiley toys. I would love to own all of the above.

Thingite day of the week panties. Th*rsd*yites can get theirs at any lingerie shop.