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

http://www.bbc.co.uk/h2g2/guide/A682229

I am recommending this entry for all other people who enjoy the sport of skiing. I think it should be edited, because on searching the guide I found no other entries pertaning to ski care. I believe that care of ones skis is very imporant.


heart of Darkness

Hello Ba'alzamon!

I haven't any comments about the content of this, as I know little about the subject.

I would however strongly advise you to run this entry through a spell checker and a grammar checker. I think even the title is misspelled. It should be ski tuning, shouldn't it?

I started making a list, but there were just too many for me to tackle.

I'm sure there's a place for it once it has been cleaned up, so to say.

Hi, Ba'alzamon!
I have to agree with Zarquon's Singing Fish that a little extra work would greatly improve this. The basic information in this looks very good and very useful, but I find the layout makes reading it very heavy going.

If you know something about Guide ML, the I really think you should put Sharpening, Waxing etc as headers or sub-headers, and re-arrange your numbered sets of instructions as numbered lists.

If you don't know Guide ML, then you can still divide up the text by putting the words like this:

Sharpening

Step 1
Step 2

Waxing

etc - keep it in ordinary text and just put in enough Enters and empty lines to divide out the text more clearly. If it is accepted, the Sub-Editor will convert it all to Guide ML.

If you make any changes, please post here to tell us. In that case, I'll have another, more detailed look.

Good luck!
Azara

Thanks guys. Its my real guide entry. And I have really, really, really, bad spelling. All your comments are much apreciated (I think thats how its spelled).


heart of Darkness

Let us know when You've amended the entry by posting here, and we'll have another look at it them.

Hey:

As you know, this has grammer/spelling mistakes. If you want, I'll gladly go over a hard copy of this, making the appropriate corrections, and give it to you IRL (in real life). Just pop on over to my place anytime.

Also, you wanted to know why anybody would ever use the tag instead of the tag. Here's why: Your paragraphs are all too close to your headers, giving the entry a kind of cramped look. Surounding your paragraphs with tags will correct this.

As you know, I know nothing about the subject. Looks good, though!

Thanks man you're always a help, but I just popped it over to Word and fixed the stuff myself. (you should be proud).

Ok for everyone else I think its better now


heart of Darkness

It looks much better now.

I'm not entirely clear about sharpening, particularly about degrees of bevel, but it probably makes sense to someone who skis. Is there any way of putting this more clearly?

I would suggest two other changes. The bit about getting an old iron from your mum/wife sounds sexist. It implies that women don't ski. I'd take it out. Secondly, as guide entries are meant to be in the third person, I'd amend the last sentence. Just take out 'I wish you a' and you'll have cracked it.

Thanks, But the statment of mum/wife wasn't ment to be sexist at all. I barrowed my mom's iron to wax my ski's and got seriously b*tch at for it because the wax will ruin the iron. Or I would use it again on any clothes.

heart of Darkness

I didn't think you meant to be sexist, but that's how it will look.

Better, perhaps, to say something like 'Make sure you use an old iron that will not be needed again to iron clothes; other people using the iron may get annoyed' or something like that.

Hi, Ba'alzamon!

The entry is a lot easier to read now.

First, I'd agree that that remark sounds sexist - it seems to imply that men don't iron, that women don't ski, and that moms and wives don't read h2g2! Why not just say 'you will need an old iron that won't be used again on clothes'. (Getting hold of an old iron that still works could actually be quite difficult.)

With regard to the bevel tool: if this is a particular specialised tool whose only job is to sharpen skis, I think you should say so. Are they sold in ski shops?

I think you should say in the introduction *why* people should tune their skis. How much difference does it make to speed and manoeverability? Does it make the skis last longer?

Keep up the good work!

Azara

ACtually, I've just thought that given the general price range of skis and ski-ing gear it might be better to put 'if you can't find an old iron, you will need to buy a cheap and basic iron since once used on wax the iron can't be used for clothes'.

Azara

I want to pick this ... let's test DNA, shall we?

I'm a bit surprised that you want to pick it when there are still questions that have not been resolved! Once they are, it will be fine.

Oops.

Sorry guys I know its been here a long time, I'm trying to get it off. School start, me really busy.

heart of Darkness

Ok. I think I got it now.

heart of Darkness

P.s. white lettering was to monotonis (bad spelling) for me

Hmm. I'm afraid you'll have to change that back...

I think the Powers That Be like the default colour and fonts.

Thats Ruddy but I'll have to live with it.

heart of Darkness

Yeah, Sorry...