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

Since this is the last time I'm ever going to have an entry of mine go into the Edited Guide, it would have been nice if the editing process didn't introduce errors which weren't there in the original. It would have been nice...

The original entry said "your friend has to pay for that gimmicked coin somehow". The verb "to gimmick" is common among magicians and their suppliers who do things like carefully saw two coins in half and glue the head sides together to form a double headed coin. "Gimmicked" would therefore be the past tense of that word. Therefore a "gimmicked coin" is a coin which has been subjected to this process.

The "Edited" entry has "that gimmick coin" - which doesn't mean anything. Please return it to its original, correct state.

Also, the original entry referred to a doctor testing the "efficacy" of a new treatment. This is the correct term. I assume it has been replaced because someone who didn't bother to check a dictionary took it for a typo.

The Editor has changed this word to "efficiency" - NOT the correct term. Medical treatments do not have an "efficiency". Please consult a dictionary. Then return the word I used, correctly, in the original entry.

Thank you.

H.
Glad I'm never going to have to bother correcting this kind of mistake again.

Hi Hoovooloo,

Thanks for pointing this out before the entry goes up on the front page. I've done the changes you suggested.

Anna

OK. To clear up:

'Efficacy' - whether something works or not.
'Efficiency' - how well it works.

Whoami?

Anna, since you'r esubscribed here, I think the H2G2 Eds have messed up A873830, which is pending. Specifically in para 4;

".... (Although excavation for the foundations had commenced on 22 January, 1930.) One ..."

The original, in A854237 had;

"... 1930 (although excavation for the foundations had commenced on January 22, 1930). One ..."

which I think anyone with an ounce of literacy in their soul will agree is better punctuated.

Please advise.

Thanks.

Dr Trout

Dear Dr Montague Trout,

We broke up the sentence because otherwise it would be a whopping one. As it now stands the sentence is a complete one and the full-stop should be where it is - inside the brackets. Therefore, I can't see the difficulty with the punctuation in this case. Or perhaps I don't have an ounce of literacy in my soul

If you're not keen on the brackets where they are, that sentence could always go in as a footnote.

Anna

Sounds like a possible solution to me, Anna!

Whoami?
Proposed Revision to Writing-Guidelines at A873074 (hint, hint )

I am no grammar-fundy, but I'm not convinced that the bracketed clause can stand alone. "Although" is a conjunctive, and as such should be used to link two clauses together. Yes or no?

Dr Trout (Putting literacy back into soul!)

Well, I was wondering about that, too. But in informal(ish) English you can begin sentences with a conjunctive. Although I don't believe we should allow it too often. However if you'd like me to change it over to a footnote or remove the 'although' then I'm happy to do that

Anna

My 'hint, hint' didn't work very well...

Sorry Whoami! going over there now

I wasn't trying to nag!