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

http://www.bbc.co.uk/h2g2/guide/A656886

I could put some annoying paradox here, but the only one's I can think of are old ones, so I'll leave the lying jokes out of it.

Anyway, it is no doubt full of typos and spelling mistakes, I have no excuse for that. I'm not dyslexic, merely incompetant. But see what you think.

What about sodium pentothal?

Very informative and balanced, with the exception that the majority of the entry deals solely with polygraphs. Perhaps a title change to reflect this would be in order. Frankly, the current title gave me the impression that by reading, I would learn how I could detect when other people are telling me lies.

Other than that, as an entry about polygraphs it is good reading, the typos you mentioned notwithstanding.

Good job!

'that do nobody harm and generally' that do nobody any harm?
'their blinds mystriousely pulled down in the' mysteriously?
'Very few people, either' Very few people can, either.
'Although a study conducted entirly on mothers of teenagers may well' entirely?
'what a polygraph is- it meansures several ' measures?
'patholigical liars pften fool lie detector' often?
'Often meausred are heart rate' measured?
'measuring tremorsin the voice or rate of movement' tremors in?
'would, so it owuld dron out the response to' would drown?
'use deoderant on their' deodorant?
'to the point where the difference between the reactions truth and lies is so small' the difference between the reaction to truth?
'several relavent questions and' relevant?
'although lawyers are allowd to' allowed?
'United States, with federal government' with the?

There is also a possible over-use of hyphens, so consider putting some of these extra bits in footnotes or putting in some commas instead.

You might also consider changing the title, as it does seem based on the polygraph rather than other lie-detecting methods.

I feel this is a well written entry. There are probably some improvements that could be made, but overall this is suitable for the guide. I have spotted a few spelling mistakes:

"The pain would prompt a greater phsiological response than a lie would, so it owuld dron out the response to the lie, and would mean that the response to the test would be the same every time."

Phsiological should be physiological, and as Nightshade pointed out, owuld dron should be would drown.

Overall, I think that this is the sort of thing that wants to be edited. I will probably have another look at this entry at some point, possibly when you have made some changes.

I think some mention of sodium pentothal, aka truth serum, would also be in order.

Recent research using functional magnetic imaging resonance has determined that different brain areas are active during generation of falsehoods than when veracious statements are made.

This is all quite experimental at this stage, and has some technical shortcomings. Results indicate it may be far more reliable than the polygraph...

I can provide you more information if needed, or you could do a search using keywords such as 'fMRI,' 'magnetic resonance imaging,' etc..

BTW, looks like being a good article


Tal

Good article.

I have nothing to add.

...MMM... Except for:

In the beginning you mention it's better to have lies because knowing the whole truth could mess people up (cf. HHGTTG)... Then you mention that things would be easier if people would be able to detect lies. This seems contradictory.

Well, it's just me being pedantic anyways, so... never mind.

Great article. I learned a lot (eg. that contrary to what we see in secret agent films, the evaluation is done afterwards, and is probably not an easy thing.)

HELL

Thanks for all your comments, and sorry it's taken so long to reply. I'll be working onthe article a bit tonight, and then tomorrow.

This is *rubbish*.





( see if you can detect the lie there )

I agree that it's rubbish so I haven't recommended it

*lie detector going wild*

*suddenly quietens down*
Top entry - so I've suggested that it's put into the EG.

Whoami?

Sodium Pentothal!!!!!!!!!

You're all hilarious.
And thanks WhoamI?

Anyway, yesterday I added some on people detecting lies, different types of lies, sodium pentathol and corrected the spellings. So I should think it's pretty much complete. But pretty long now. Anyone think they deserve co-author credit?

Editorial Note: This conversation has been moved from 'Peer Review' to 'Detecting Lies'.

This thread has been moved out of the Peer Review Forum because your entry has now been recommended for the Edited Guide.

You can find out what will happen to your entry here: http://www.h2g2.com/SubEditors-Process

Congratulations!

then! (I was waiting for the Scout who picked it to post here, but they don't seem to be coming around).


Did you know I am about to resign as Scout?








(now watch that meter!)

Hi Bossel. I *did* post - see above! You've moved house again! Hope the weather's better at Bosselhiti than it is here! Keep up that scouting! *meter stays still*

I think I'll stop scouting as well... *meter goes wild*

Whoami?
ace, guru, sub-ed and scout forever...

Oh, you're right! I didn't scroll back past the 'h2g2 messages' posting.

Yepp, Bosselhiti is *the* place to be now! Dancing Bosselhula all the time

*continues scouting*

I'm stuck here in ing Whoami?ley, Oxfordshire. Luckily, will be in Whoami?worth, Whoami?shire for Christmas. Still won't get a tan from it tho'.

Whoami?