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

Probably asked a load of times, and the answer changed each time the Beeb changed larger hat people

But what is is today? There is a huge and broad header on the Front Page

The
Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy
Earth Edition

That piece alone should describe what the current-day goal is

well if you have to ask, clearly you haven't had enough

How about you start us off Nick? What do you think it is?

You'd make a great shrink Pastey!

That or a politician I've been told.

Mind you, I've also been told I should be locked away for the good of society

We're always looking at what people think h2g2 is though, and what it should be too. I'll certainly be hanging around here to see what people think, what works, what doesn't, what would you like to see?

Would it be easier to discuss what it isn't?

There's a whole load of things it isn't.

It isn't a cream doughnut for a start. But now I want a cream doughnut

Seriously though, yes feel free. Knowing what people don't want it to be or become is just as vital, and often easier to start from, than what they do.

But it could easily be a cream doughnut, if I write about one.

Certainly. In fact most of the energy around h2g2 is centred in the thousands of people who are, day and night, reading your Entries.

They're there, reading about how to pickle onions, and facts about Egyptians, dice rolling and as many obscure things that you can think of. So write about cream cakes in the way that h2g2 does best and you'll have an audience. A perpetual audience.

The life of an Entry does not end after Peer Review, that is merely the beginning.

There is no beginning, there is no end, its teh giant non ending circle of the donut of life, cream or otherwise

We need to adopt some of the techniques employed by those scientolologists dudes - set up a celebrity recruitment unit - we could head hunt the equivalent of Tom Cruising, or John Trevolting. Reckon we should try getting some entries from guest "speakers" - I mean writers - e.g. ask Richard Dawkins to add an entry on education in the 21st century or something, get the Archbishop of Westminster to add a piece on Humanism, etc.

I could be the pope... and no one would know...

I would know, because I am the pope.

I would know that I wasn't the pope, that is as far as I have got

I'm the Pope, and so's his wife.

So long as you are not her sister that is probably ok right?

Well I'm Ozymandias, king of the kongs: Look on my works, ye plebs & despair!

I find myself in the unusual position of wanting to rush
to the defense of the new Pope Francis who is turning all
the old preconceptions on their head by being - not just
pretending to be - a Christian in the ideal way, a model
of humanity, caring and loving, modest and forgiving.

Of course like St Francis himself he's still for the birds.

And this is not really offtopic, since the papacy of Francis
might be seen as a metaphor for h2g2 - a return to basic values,
the routing out of cliquishness, getting back in touch with the
community, encouraging innovation, supporting the anguished,
forgiving transgression, guiding the wayward and gently guiding
the youthful toward greater ambitions. Or to put it concisely -
leading by example.

~jwf~

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-24638430

Come on folks, lets get back to basics and keep it hyperreal (as in baud rate real 'ard)..