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

EMR has taken over main editorship of . Therefore I would love it if everyone can think of something they could enter and write it. I'm very happy to check anyone's spelling and grammer before it goes forward and will put any article into Guide-ML for anyone.

Go forth and being creative!! We're school-kids! We're supposed to be bursting with youthful enthusiasm and ideas!

Kat

"Hello to the new kid!"

I've always been amused by the fact that Americans (like me) call burgers "hamburgers", when they aren't actually made of ham. The British, as I understand it, call them "beefburgers", which for some reason sounds so, well, British.

You seem to know this things before I quite do, Kat.

Deadline for this week's issue is midnight GMT on Sunday. Submissions please to [email protected].

We are starting to call burgers hamburgers more now...the slow poisonous seep of Americanism But it's definitely still beefburger mainly which...now I say it out loud...does sound a bit quaint! I never can understand why British phrases sound quaint whilst American ones sounds good Very random

I'm a lucky duck aren't I? Always with a finger on the pulse of H2...actually that's not true. Like you I'm rather out of touch with the community side and never have any idea what's going on when everyone gets all up in arms about things.

Anyone want to comment on all that btw? I know it's unlikely that many researchers will be inclined to listen to young people all that much so...or perhaps none of it has affected you particularly?

It all just came to a head very suddenly. The first inkling I got was when a couple volatile emails arrived from the sub-editors' group. Then all of a sudden people were leaving the site and everyone was saying, "Read Shazz's journal!" "Read EV's journal!" And then I read Reefgirl's journal and Jodan's journal (that's an awesome entry, by the way) and slowly began to get a handle on the situation.

And then I figured I'd better do something about it, which is why I'm now getting the Post together.

It really, really got on my nerves how everyone suddenly got all depressed and became convinced that, because two long-standing researchers had left the site, the BBC was going to shut us down. And this all, of course, sparked observations that h2g2 is and had been headed for disaster since 2003. Now, I haven't been here since 2003, but that seems to be coming on a bit strong. Since the summer we've had loads of improvements to the site. The FP got a revamp, the University re-opened, there's another button in the left-hand brunel navigation bar, we've changed stuff in the Scouts and Subs, we've had two Scouts' picking frenzies (which has allowed us to go back up to three entries a day).

Of course, most of that is focused on the contribution side of the site. But I still think that is the most important part and the real reason why this site is here. It's also a place to have a community (which is what makes us different from Wikipedia) but we should be a community of *Researchers* - and what remain most important to me on this site are the EG, the UG and (even though I don't help out with the UG). That's really what we started out to be about and that's what we're still about, and as long as those continue to improve (which they have) then there's no possible way we can be doomed.

Besides, no matter how bad things might get here, I would never leave the site because of that. I may have to leave someday - perhaps when I'm an adult, but certainly not till after uni. But when I leave it will not be because of disgust or anything like that. If the apocalypse does happen (and I'm not saying it will!), I will be the one to start the Yahoo group and keep hootoo alive. Because it's almost like h2g2 is a part of my soul and I could never, ever imagine leaving it.

(Apologies for the rant. What you just got was an extended, more volatile version of my article for the next Post.)

if i had a soul, h2g2 would be a part of it. unfortunately school overwhelmed a lot of it. i'm so horrible with deadlines, though i'm rather good at making excuses for myself

I appear to have a slight thread lurker....hullooo if you're reading this thread, I have noticed that you appear to be subscribed to my journal, my maths thread, some of the YRC threads...if you come out and say hello then I'll be nice to you!

So, how's everyone doing then? Our boiler is broken and keeps switching itself off just as you get in the shower.

There was also so little in the house today that my dinner consisted of half a piece of smoked mackeral, a lump of goat's cheese, and three cream crackers.

I've also been told that drinking carbonated drinks is bad for your bones So anyone drinking coke etc, you're all going to get osteoporosis when you're a bit older.

Kat

My mum was at one of my sister's school functions, so I made my own dinner! (Instant mac and cheese, but it was still dinner.) This is a major accomplishment in taking care of myself.

I am also in the process of cleaning up my room, which it was insisted that I do.

Instant mac and cheese? That was one of the lesser pleasant things that I tried out when in the US. Does cooking not really happen for you? Is that because you don't care about food, or you never need to cook or what?

I haven't had much cooking experience: my mum cooks just about everything for the family. I can do very basic things like boil water and put things in the microwave and turn on the oven, but that's just about it. Though I could probably read from a recipe if I had to.

Actually, the brand of mac and cheese that we get, 'Annie's', is very good. It's all-natural and organic and tastes far more 'real' than most kinds.

I've been told to come over here to introduce myself, so I'm Orange, a 13 year old male from Australia.

Concerning The Post, I've been meaning to contribute for a while, and this afternoon wrote up a piece on dance lessons at school, which I've just e-mailed off to the Post e-mail address. I hope I can help the post by becoming a fairly regular contributer.

I love seeing other young people around h2g2!

*waves to Orange*

Thanks for submitting something to The Post! I'll go respond to the email now.

Hey Orange!

So...we know that EMR is rushing around looking at all the Post entries...Kat is trying to write an essay (still!) and has written 240 words in 3 hours and now I have work! 4 hours of selling alcohol to people on a Sunday. The sort of person who buys alcohol on a Sunday makes me wonder.

Has everyone seen http://www.postsecret.blogspot.com/

I think it's important for people to see...in my mind it's something that everyone should see.

Man, that PostSecret thing is awesome.

What's your essay on, Kat?

Still the Philip Larkin I've only written 1150 words so far and it has to be in on Tuesday!!!

I hate that feeling of counting every word and just waiting for it to be over.

*prod prod*

Hello? Anybody here? Well, I'll just talk to myself if not

Somebody mistook me for a girl at work today! He was an old bloke, I'd just booked him in for his appointment, and he sat in the waiting area, and then said to me, "'Scuse me, miss?" It's the hair, methinks.

I'm taking next Saturday off

long hair hm...

what do you do for work?

I've gotten mistaken for a guy before. It's the short hair, methinks. (Though it's not short at all, really, merely just above my shoulders.) I do wear male clothes, though.

So one day I was walking across the school and a teacher came walking towards me and he said, 'Hey, Neil!' I got a bit closer to him and he said, 'Oh, sorry' and walked away very quickly.

My question is: are my boobs *that* invisible?

I'm a receptionist I work part-time for a private ambulance service too, but I've never been mistaken for a girl there...

Hey, guess what? I've won the lottery! Really! *nods*