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

How much like the 'Hitchhiker's Guide' IS the Edited Guide, anyway?

I quote from DNA:

'In many of the more relaxed civilizations on the Outer Eastern Rim of the Galaxy, the Hitchhiker’s Guide has already supplanted the great Encyclopaedia Galactica as the standard repository of all knowledge and wisdom, for though it has many omissions and contains much that is apocryphal, or at least wildly inaccurate, it scores over the older, more pedestrian work in two important respects. First, it is slightly cheaper; and second, it has the words "DON'T PANIC" inscribed in large friendly letters on its cover.'

Well, we still like that 'Don't Panic' motto, and use it whenever possible. And we are definitely cheaper than, say, the Encyclopedia Britannica, because we don't charge anything for reading any of our content.

We DO contain much that is wildly apocryphal - we like to talk about such things as UFO sightings, and famous hoaxes, and tinfoil hat theories - but, in contrast to the lax editorial policies of Mr Zarniwoop, we try to be as accurace as possible about what we're discussing.

After all, we don't want to mislead the public.

This makes us a bit unusual - at least historically.

I've been checking, and newspapers, for example, didn't alway have such high standards. Back in the 19th century, it was not unknown for newspapers to publish the most ourageous hoax stories, even when it wasn't 1 April. They often refused to retract them, too. Remember the Great Moon Hoax,? Or the 1899 story about the Americans threatening to tear down the Great Wall of China? And those were only the harmless ones. The Hearst papers egged on the Spanish-American War with their yellow journalism.

Oh, and have you ever heard of the Aurora, Texas, UFO? That was probably started by a bored newspaper reporter. We don't do that in the EG. Nossir. Okay, except on April Fools' Day. Then we take it right off there.

As Douglas Adams wrote, though, we DO demand carefully demarcated areas of doubt and uncertainty. To wit, we'll discuss anything, if we can get at some facts and tell the story in a thoughtful way. And that's a good thing.

No wkiality forus, folks. We do our homework. And if we aren't all-encompassing - after all, this is NOT an enecyclopedia, it's a guidebook - we're at least circumspect in our approach. Our questions are:

1. Did this really happen?
2. Is it interesting?
3> Can we learn something from it?

People should read our Guide Entries and say, 'Wow, I didn't know that. But now, I'm much better informed - and I've been mightily entertained in the process.'

So, kudos to the writers, Scouts, subeditors, editors, and readers of the Edited Guide. Long may its wisdom grace the internet.



PS And no, that doesn't mean you have to go and read my PR entry on the Holy Foreskin. You can wait for the illustrated version, if you like. I've learned to expect great things from our beloved Artists.

Dmitri, you have a way with words that I can only ever hope to scale.

A veritable verocity of locution that scales the heights of narrative.

In short: Nice post


The Guide is far more than just the Edited Guide, it's all the wit and wisdom that is given in the forums, all the joy and jubilation of the researchers who have taken this corner of the internet to heart.

We are many, we are far greater than the sum of our parts. We don't forget, but we do forgive. For we make our own mistakes, and we learn from them. For they are the basis, the grounding and the glory. For their are what makes us, the Guide. To Life, the Universe, and Everything

Thanks, Pastey.

And that's true - The Guide is more than the EG. There's lots being shared in the forums, in journals, and in . People should go hunting with the Search button sometime - just unlick the 'Guide Only' part - and see what we mean. There are gems hidden in there. And who else can say that?

One of the major things with the new APIs we're working on behind the scenes is a totally new database structure, which will mean a *much* more powerful search engine. I don't like to boast (a lie) but this is close to artificial intelligence!

Until then, I content myself with clicking the Infinite Improbability Drive button, I've still to find an entry I didn't find interesting in some way And that's just from the *edited* guide!

, although I am from the last millennium, and know nothing about these APIs of which you speak.

Will they do the spell-correcting thing? As it stands, when I mistype - as I frequently do - I get 'can't find'. Whereas old goodle asks me if I didn't want to type something more coherent.

That might help us get more searchers. I bet I'm not the only fumble-fingers on the web.

The spelling thingy is down to your browser, not the site that you're browsing.

What I've been playing around with though is a natural language, semi-self-aware search engine. It basically learns what people are searching for, by listening to what they type elsewhere within the site.

Over a period of time it learns the words you use, and how you use them, and from that takes educated guesses as to what you actually mean when you type in something to search for

That would do it, I think.

APIs are Amy P Irritants, of course! As the only things left that annoy me with the site (dropdowns! And other things that a brain crowded out by sinuses can't remember!) are due to APIs.

I see now. Thanks, my.

"People should go hunting with the Search button sometime"

I get lost in me own P/S





but praise due to all

"kudos to the writers, Scouts, subeditors, editors, and readers of the Edited Guide" I'm proud of my contribution in building the Guide. I think Douglas would've been mighty proud of his legacy

You should be proud, GB. You've done a lot for it.

as a guess can anyone say "how big" is the guide, as in pages ???

You a great contributor to the Guide, Galaxy Babe! And thanks for your contributions to as well. I just wish that there was less light pollution and fewer trees where we are so I had a better view of everything going on up in the heavens.

I think Pastey can. I believe were were over 10,000 a few years ago.

Thanks Dmitri

There are 10,692 edited entries in the Guide.

http://h2g2.com/info

a big WOW!

and thank you WM

Yes, t,hanks for that link, WM!

I'd forgotten how to get there. Also note: That page doesn't only tell you about the Edited Guide. It tells about added entries - which include .


We usually add up to 14 entries a week these days.

Wow. 14 entries a week is very respectable.