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

Golly I thought what you did with your nearest and dearest in the comforts of your own home was quite legal now in this enlightened age.

I might have to write to my MP!

Some places aren't as enlightened. I believe I stated that I didn't agree with this. And if I didn't state this earlier I'll state it now.

This is only my opinion, ...I could be wrong.

Just so I am getting this correct, home made porn is illegal in the uk?

No, of course it's not. Otherwise we would all know why this entry was removed and this conversation would be pointless.

Porn is not illegal unless it crosses some definite boundaries. Of course it is quite possible for home made porn to cross those boundaries accidentally - then it would be illegal to distribute it. Since some perfectly legal situations would be illegal on film you would be well advised to keep your home videos to yourself. I'm surprised H didn't point this out in his article.

F

No.

But BBCi is not only accessable in the UK. (Porn of any kind is definitely illegal in certain mideastern theocracies.) I think they (the Eds and Ed Pol) are going to far. I don't agree with the decision. All I'm saying is that with the lack of info from the Eds regarding this decision, this is my theory. I thought I saw a pattern, maybe I was mistaken. I think we're on the same side here.

I would also like to read the article about what to do when you lock the keys in your car, but now it's gone.

the "No" was a reply to the previous post, not to yours Fathom.
Sorry bout that.

However hootoo is based in the UK so surely it cannot be expected to adhere to all legal codes around the world.

I rather feel that only stuff illegal in the UK should be banned.

I agree

Actually, no I don't. Just cause something is illegal I don't feel I should be kept from reading about it. But yes, I agree that if that's their criterium then it should be by local statutes.

Yet another member of indecisive's anonymous!
There really ought to be an h2g2 club/society but no-one would be able to decide on the official name.

I'm not sure how I feel about that.

"you would be well advised to keep your home videos to yourself. I'm surprised H didn't point this out in his article."

Um... I did. Pretty clearly.

First of all, it was, I thought, fairly obvious that the whole article was about making stuff for yourself, rather than for other people. Indeed, the concept of making it with a view to distribution never even occurred to me. And I did say, specifically, at one point, that it should go without saying that you don't show the tape to anyone else - and even footnoted "This DOES go without saying, right?" for even more emphasis.

It's difficult to see how much clearer I could have made it.

Indeed, now I look at it, my original title was in fact, in that context, better than the Editors' "toned down" version.

My original title was "A Gentleman's Guide to Making Your Own Pornography" - i.e. porn FOR YOU.

The Editors "toned it down" to 'A Gentleman's Guide to Home Made Adult Entertainment', which is far more ambiguous about the intended audience.

Editors, eh?

Yes, I thought it was a very thoughtfully and carefully written article, which went to a lot of trouble to emphasise the importance of being responsible. However, I don't agree that the original title is as exclusive as you think. "Making Your Own" does not exclude the possibility of then selling it on (not that I've thought of a better title at the moment!). The bad thing about the Editors' ambiguous title is that it might get people to read the article who wouldn't want to read it, whereas the original would have warned them off straight away.

Sorry FB, since the article has disappeared it's a while since I read it.

Nonetheless I seem to recall that: "Indeed, the concept of making it with a view to distribution never even occurred to me" is reflected in the way the article is written i.e. the likelihood of showing the tape to anyone else is treated as if it would be most probably accidental rather than deliberate.

Some people may however wish to distribute their artistic creation to a wider audience. Professional porn manufacturers are well aware of the limits that the law allows and (usually) carefully stay within them. Some of these are a bit arbitrary (we will not go into detail here) and could quite innocently (sic) turn up in a home movie turning it from a bit of private amusement to serious crime. It was this aspect that I felt you could have mentioned - that you could film something actually illegal during an otherwise harmless bit of amusement.

No offence meant. I thought the article was highly entertaining and perfectly acceptable for the Girl Guides, let alone the Edited Guide.

F

*wonders what they would put on the badge*

More worrying is how the badge achievement would be judged (and by whom). I would vote that it *isn't* suitable for the girl guides in that context (though I'm not sure what age girl guides are supposed to be).

I wasn't really thinking in terms of a badge - just in terms of a member of the organisation reading the entry. Sadly I'm no longer familiar with the GG badges so there may well be a suitable one already - home entertainment perhaps.

Look out for 'A Girl Guide's Use of the Camcorder' appearing in PR shortly.

F

he he he!

I rather feel now that a line in the sand has been drawn over this particular entry. If it were allowed into the guide in any guise it would involve a lot of "loss of face" from TPTB; therfore I have come to think that we might well be banging our heads against a brick wall on this one....

Still I might pass a copy of the entry to a family friend who runs a troop of Girl Guides and ask her what she thinks of it!

I do hope you'll tell us all if you do. I'd like to know what Brown Owl makes of it.

Actually I think the entry warned about banging your head on the brick wall...

F