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

OK, when you've done your final bit of minor tweaking I'll hit the ol' ACCEPT button on Monday! As for the pic question you've addressed Jimster, I'm not too sure... Can I wait till Monday when he's back andrthen either one of us will give you a (hopefully) coherent answer?

Cheers.

Coherency is good. It can wait until then

Hi Gordon,

How have you created your image? Is it in ASCII art or in some other format?

I've just had a quick scan and you don't explain the acronym GIS, everyone I've spoken to about GIS has gone and had to have the concept explained....maybe define the term in a footnote and link to somewhere with examples? (http://www.gis.com/whatisgis/index.html ?)

I can generate it in almost any image format. Just let me know which is the preferred format.

I added a footnote with a reference the edited entry on GIS (which is in need of revision, btw.) Thanks!

Ah, I see where the confusion's coming from. You see, we don't automatically select every entry to get a graphic - that's usually reserved for the Editors' pick of the day (and if you want to hold out for that, it might take it longer to get into the Edited Guide). Occasionally, if someone's done a diagram in ASCII form we can adapt these for a graphic, which is why I was asking you what format you'd done the graphic in.

Is there an existing page you can link to with an example of the graphic you're after?

We don't currently accept on-spec graphics from Researchers - mainly because it's unfair on those Researchers who don't have the skills to illustrate their own entries - but if you're feeling artistic, we do run a CommunityArtists scheme where you can apply to become a Community Artist (you can find more information on this by clicking the link there).

Your Guide Entry has just been picked from Peer Review by one of our Scouts, and is now heading off into the Editorial Process, which ends with publication in the Edited Guide. We've therefore moved this Review Conversation out of Peer Review and to the entry itself.

If you'd like to know what happens now, check out the page on 'What Happens after your Entry has been Recommended?' at EditedGuide-Process. We hope this explains everything.

Thanks for contributing to the Edited Guide!

Incidentally:

"We don't currently accept on-spec graphics from Researchers - mainly because it's unfair on those Researchers who don't have the skills to illustrate their own entries"

Is it fair that we don't accept entries from Researchers who don't meet the writing guidelines? So it's ok to discriminate against writing skill, but not against artistic skill? This just seems a strange reason

Oh I don't want to give the impression we're discriminating. Sorry if that's how it came across. I just thought it was fluffier than saying 'We don't let Researchers upload pictures in case someone uploads porn'.

The thing is, we don't discriminate against either group. Anyone is free to write an entry (though they have to conform to the guidelines if they want their work to enter the Edited Guide), and anyone is free to apply to be an artist (though they have to conform to similar conditions). But as we're primarily not an art site, the writing's naturally our priority. Them's the breaks I'm afraid...

A blank reply... brilliant

Check out the graphics at http://www.pinetree.org/~gordon/thiessen_images -- that's the graphic I had in mind. The pink dots represent the points the polygons were based on.

Good diagram - I should think that'll help a lot. I'd maybe prefer it a little bit more 'random' on the placements of the dots - its a bit too gridlike.

Something like:

http://puddle.mit.edu/~glenn/kirill/SAGAPIC/voronoi2.gif

or this is cool:

http://www.cs.utexas.edu/users/amenta/powercrust/unionspix/voronoi.gif

Yeah, it did start off as a regular grid of points for something else I was doing. I could shift some of the points around in a pseudo-random manner. Watch the URL I posted earlier for a new image.

Yeah thats better. Lines maybe a little bit thinner?

I can make the lines thinner, but let's see what the bold italics think, first.

Thanks for the feedback!

Hi Gordon

I'm just subediting your Entry - it's at A901937. Let me know if you spot any problems, otherwise I'll send it back to the Editors. Also, how are the graphics coming along - if they're ready I can drop a note in when I send it back. Alternatively I can add a link to an external page with suitable illustrations. Let me know what you think



Danny B.