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

Don't take this the wrong way. I had to warn you of that because I'm often too blunt for my own good. Oh, what you shouldn't take the wrong way... Your article on Mandarin Chicken is good, you've got a nice writing style, slightly laid back but not too much to loose interest, BUT, actually it's not that big a but, you've submitted that article pretty quickly. I know that you've been browsing what's already in the guide as you've been online for a while and not put many entries into forums, so you must be reading. You've got the style of the article right, but I've found that given a couple of weeks, and a few people discussing it, you tend to find things that you think, "Yeah, I should include a bit about that." But by then, the article has already gone for submission and you think Doh!
After all that though, it's still a good article.
Peta's the one to talk to about the articles, she's one of the sub-editors.

Pastey,

Thanks for the advice. I'm gonna let the chicken article try to make its way through the editing process for now, but in the future I'll let them sit and congeal for a while.

-PJR

You might wait a while for it to get through, they've a notorious back log.

I thought as I was reading the mandarin chicken article that I wished my first submission (which was, incidentally, rejected, and rightfully so) had been as coherent and interesting as the mandarin chicken article.

You have a point, Pastey, about the forum posts being incorporated, but that's something that can be done after an entry is inducted.

On an only slightly related note, I don't think I've ever had Mandarin Chicken, and it's not likely I ever will unless they start making it out of tofu, but I have had sesame chicken, which was divine. I found *that* made out of tofu once, but it wasn't as good as my memory of the real thing...

Kate,

Thx for the compliment. Get yourself some Mandarin chicken (although I get the impression you've become a vegetarian) first chance you get. Great stuff. Sesame is good too.

-Peter

Welcome to H2G2 Peter!

I agree that your chicken article is well-written, especially for a first attempt. As you make your way around h2g2, you might ask some of your fellow researchers to read it and offer advice. I know that my articles have gotten steadily better thanks to the advice of others.

Incidentally, I think you want to stay away from submitting entries like your "Belgium" article. If it comes straight from the books, it doesn't stand a chance, and since the back log is running over 10 weeks right now, it's probably best to not send in these kind of articles. On the other hand, your RX7 article is a great starting point. If you add some detail to it, it would be exactly what the editors are looking for (I think).

Of course, I haven't had anything accepted yet, so take all this with a grain of salt.

Hey Frink,

Thanks for the advice. I noticed an article on Earth (mostly harmless ) and since nobody had submitted Belgium yet I thought I'd give it a miss. I'll refrain from future posts of that nature. I'm not happy with the RX7 article either, it'll hopefully get better once I think of more things to say.

-Peter

I just took a look at the "earth" entry you mentioned. It was written by Slacker, one of the people who work here. It was also written a long long time ago when the site was first starting up and no one knew what to expect. I don't even think the editors knew what they were looking for back then, but I can't imagine they would publish something like "earth" now.

It seems to me it is a bad influence. I think I'll mention that to Slacker.......

The Earth reference seemed fitting to me. Then again, I've been on the system for less than a day. :D LMK if I make any more errors in protocol, Im grateful for the guidance.

-Peter

If you haven't seen them yet, here are two useful pages:

A brief discussion on submission guidelines:
http://www.h2g2.com/A53209

A brand new page that covers just about everything on h2g2:
http://www.h2g2.com/dontpanic.cgi?name=

enjoy......

Peter -

I'll put Mandarin Chicken on the "in case I fall off the vegetarian wagon" list

Best,
Kate

Kate,

It only took me a month to fall off that particular wagon. When I realized I didn't like vegetables and was starving to death I gave it up. I have a lot of resepct for anyone with that kind of willpower tho, more power to ya.

-Peter

Funny you should mention that, I'm often critised for being a vegetarian who doesn't like vegetables. It's fun demonstrating to people that you can be a vegetarian and eat complete crap at the same time

I actually had an encounter with "almost off the wagon" about three weeks ago. It was very strange. I've chosen not to eat meat for about six years, and while I've had the occasional craving and/or dream that I accidentally ate meat, I've never seriously considered jumping ship. But then a few weeks ago, I really was entertaining the thought - for no particular reason. I wasn't hungry, or upset, or drunk - I just had the strangest urge to eat a chicken sandwich. In retrospect, it makes a bit more sense, for reasons that are a bit too boring to go into. Anyway, I didn't, but - close call!

Hm. I'm on about 2 1/2 months I think. Anyway, I just have to say... Seasame chicken made with tofu!?!? I don't think so. Seasame chicken is great, great stuff. It couldn't possibly be right without the chicken. I remember trying sesame beef once, too. The sauce style and flavor just goes right with chicken.

LOL, well, good job on beating down that chicken craving. Maybe we should start a vegetarian-support string. I love junk food but a month of eating nothing but was starting to wear down my energy. I work at a science museum which is largely staffed by vegetarians (go figure..) so I am constantly being sneezed at over my balogna sandwich. The fake meat just doesnt do it for me, and tofu makes me want to run away and hide. So it looks like I'm gonna stay a red-blooded American with a passion for hot-dogs.

-Peter

But hot dogs are about the easiest things to fake convincingly. Or bologna for that matter. I mean, those are pretty much fake meat already.

You forget, I'm an American. You can't fake a hot dog.

-Peter

Okay, for one, so is he. For two, I hate hot dogs. They're filthy, disgusting, and full of really scary ingredients. I have perhaps one a year to remind myself why I don't eat them. And for three, the vegi ones taste just like the real things, which is to say, in my opinion, filthy. But at least they're not made out of really spooky and icky things.

Exactly. Pretty much what he said. But the best way to eat the veggie ones is as a veggie corn dog. I haven't been much for hot dogs since I was much younger anyway. But veggie ones taste similar, and whatever plant material is in there seems certainly less revolting than the absolute garbage parts of meat that go into a regular hot dog.

I still think they taste filthy.