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

How am I supposed to find the winners for the Word of the Day? There's not even a link to them from the Word of the Day page. Ick!! No like new format. Go back.

Also, it would be helpful if a pronunciation would accompany the Word of the Day.

I have to agree. I was enjoying trying to use the words, tho some of the words were a little too esoteric. Please indulge our erudite predilections. Perhaps you could put wsfn in charge?

I -do- like the list of words/meaning thing.

I agree with the suggestion of an added pronunciation.

I question the exclusivity of the Oxford Dictionary... Webster may not have known how to spell colour, but hey.. not everyone has access to primo Englés.

I wonder if the "You say it best, you win," scenario is still operational... No mention of it on the new page (or I missed it ).

And I -definitely- want a link to past winners.

Ah good, feedback. That's why I changed the formet: it got to the stage where nobody was actually using the words in conversation, and it was either admit that the response wasn't enough, or change format. Now I can still run the WoTD even if the response is, well, lukewarm. I'm glad you were enjoying it, but without active input (as opposed to lurking) the old system wouldn't work.

The winners live in the top right corner. I was always a bit worried about putting the winners' details in the body text because they're not dynamic that way: if someone changes their name (and one winner already has since we started) it's not reflected if the name is hardwired into the body, but it is in the researcher list.

As for pronunciation, HTML doesn't support the standard pronunciation alphabet, and I don't have the time to invent a new phonetic system just for WoTD.

Next week I will be increasing internal staffing and there will be someone else looking after this area. Suggestions are, of course, more than welcome, but currently I prefer the change of emphasis: now we're constructing an easy-to-read list of interesting words, rather than having a competition on usage, and as it's the words that are interesting it will work better.

Besides, most of the words people suggested were far too esoteric to be slipped into conversation. Now it doesn't matter if the words are specialist: it's still interesting.

(I'm willing to be swayed on the changes, but I prefer the new format, It's clean, is more useful and it's easier to manage if the traffic level dips.)

solipsism personified, homunculus

no offence intended!

I think what we meant (I know I did ) by past-winners list was a link to the past usage competition winners.

Oh yeah... If enough folks want to go back to the original format that you decide to do it.. you might consider making the word-usage thing a weekly deal rather than daily... Perhaps keep selecting a word-of-the-day, then use one of the previous week's words for that week's usage?

Just suggestions.

I like the new format...but I would like to see an offshoot of the original intent perhaps? I was enjoying using these words (a hobby of mine anyway...see my page). Sorry I was away for a few days...I think I missed out on 4 or 5 wotd. Good words.

Can we have some Webster as well as OED? Most will be in both, but my ex and I found that to play scrabble for instance, we required both. Ah the world of the 7 letter word!

Have a Lovely Weekend Mark!

wsfn

How about a front page in the new format with links to individual pages for each wotd, created when the wotd is put up, where the responses/winner etc are posted? The best of both worlds, possibly


;^)#

Erm.. I think the idea is that he's not -doing- the competition any more... Sad, since I enjoyed it. Maybe the lack of interest was really just everyone getting lost in all the other traffic.

How come I'm not listed in the winners section?

HTML does contain codes for phonetic characters. Try looking at http://www.cs.indiana.edu/elisp/entities-list.html

There's a winners section? Where??

Read the message I replied to.

Good to see lots of feedback. Points:

1. Sorry Sorcerer, you're in there now. Slip of the finger.

2. I don't have the time to do the competition-based WoTDm especially given the fact that there were only one or two uses per word to choose from (and without wsfn, where would we have been). I'm happy to muck around with the concept, but not this week; I have a new satff member joining on Wednesday who will take control of this page when she's got to grips with the job, so we can always think of expanding it then.

3. Websters is cool, too. I'll amend the article text. I only chose the OED beacuse I happen to have one, but any reputable dictionary would be fine.

4. I don't trust HTML entities: most browsers don't handle them all. If they did h2g2 would have en-dashes, em-dashes, smart quotes and all the other things I love from DTP. But while it's unreliable, I won't put them in.

Hmmm. Gotta go to an all-day meeting. See why I'm too busy to spend time on it? All, however, will be sorted out soon. Promise!

Oh those... I thought you were referring to the old winners of the competition.

Care to point out where the dipthongs are? Or the various sounds for long and short vowels are?

Ah. Thought so...

Nobody likes a poor winner


;^)#

Not to sure what the old format was but I feel that a new word should be discussed and the word is floccinaucinihilipilification
- setting little or no value
from the latin genitives flocci,nauci, (at a trifle)nihili,(at nothing)pili, (at a hair) and factere (to make).

How about that then for a word.

Many moons ago whilst carrying out building surveys on schools and social housing - providing reports on the condition of to councilers, it was realised that the survey reports were unread.

Instead of condition survey to start the introduction this word became the standard with this word as follows.

The floccinaucinihilipilificatin (of a property) was carried out blah blah blah.

I cannot ever recall anyone being asked what was meant.

SimonAsh