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

Hello Shea,
I'm Elwood (taken from the Jimmy Stewart character in the film "Harvey" you know the gentle soul who sees six-foot tall invisible rabbits). I've noticed alot of cool stuff happening around your page and after reading it we have some things in common (going for the comfort zone here) We're both Americans, (if New Yorkers consider Michigan part of the US) you're involved in graphics (I've been a designer/illustrator for 20 years - LONG LIVE MACs)(sorry about that)(hey can you have a parenthetical phrase followed by another parenthetical phrase?)(oh darn did it again) and my father and brother both have had the surgery that yours just did (hope he's doing well it's worked out great for mine - it's been 17 years since my Dads heart attack, still going strong) and I've found your entries fun and interesting. Which leads us to my delema -

I've been knocking about here at h2g2 off and on for about a week. I've enjoyed it, so, I guess I should know how to do it correctly. (here's where you come in I think) Looking at your US/UK dictionary inspired my first guide entry (at least that what I think I did, maybe I ordered Chinese food). Anyway I entered something about US/UK cross-culturism, but, my entry was assigned a number not the title I gave it. So I am assuming I have to learn this GuideML I've looked at in the clinic, but, doesn't seem like much fun. Is there a quick way to do this? Like how to do the bare minimum to get by? You know get the little blue line below my headline? And most importantly how do you spell delema?
Yours gratefully, Elwood

Hi Elwood!

My Dad's doing great, thanks! We've been going through this for about 17 years as well ... seems to never end ...

We do have a lot in common! Except for the fact that you're a man ... and from Michigan ... and ... well, never mind ...

About Guide Entries: They're always given a number, which is the number that's in the URL. The header you gave it "US/UK Cross-culturization" is still the name of it. If you look at the very bottom of your user page (in Goo ... I'm not sure exactly where it is in Alabaster), it says "Most Recent Guide Entries", and there it lists that Entry as: "A576515 US/UK Cross-culturization". The number really doesn't mean anything.

The GuideML Clinic isn't too much fun, but here are the basics ...
In fact, here's parts of your entry with a dab of GuideML. You can copy and paste it into an Entry Text box and hit "Preview" just to see what it will do. To put something in a "Blue Bar" just put it between your text here . The ordered list between the and is just another way of putting in lists. I did it both ways for you.



In the week since becoming a researcher at H2G2 I've noticed the varied national backgrounds of the other researchers. Especially the preponderance of British and Americans. One entry is a US/UK dictionary which I enjoyed and thought helped bridge the cultural divide. In further effort to engender peaceful co-existance here at H2G2 I'm proposing we compile a list of all things we are thankful for the other country having shared with us. Being from the US myself I would be thanking England for (I thought I would start with some Pop Culture items):
Books
Of course Douglas Adams "Hitchhikers Guide", "The Lord of the Rings", "Alice in Wonderland", Watership Down", the Harry Potter books
Old Rock

The Clash
Elvis Costello
XTC
Kate Bush
Joe Jackson




I hope this gives you a little better idea about how it's done. Another good way of learning GuideML is to see how other people made their pages work, and then swipe the code!

To see how the GuideML looks for someone's page use this:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/h2g2/guide/testuserpageXXXXXX

Where XXXXXX is the person's U number up in the URL. Just take off the U and use the numbers. So if you wanted to see the GuideML on my page, just use:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/h2g2/guide/testuserpage63974

That's how I learned!

Let me know if this helped at all, or if I just confused you even more!

Oh, and I looked it up for you ... it's spelled dilemma!

splleen ihnt inporshat <sily

sorry couldent resist that

Thank you very much Shea
Tank ooo berry mooch Bob
I'll give it a try on my next break in my work flow.

hi
any thin els you need help with??

Yeah ... I need a , Bob ...

Hiya guys, I still don't have time to try it yet but I'm excited about people talking here. Is this what is call a thread? (and I started it!)
By the way what is all the talk about 42 or getting to 42?

I assume that you know that 42 is the answer to the Ultimate Question of Life, the Universe, and Everything? Well the theory is that to prove we all belong here as Researchers, our U numbers have to equal up to 42!

If you want to find out more about it, visit the Myth of 42

http://www.bbc.co.uk/h2g2/guide/A530560

You've got your work cut out for you as a Guardian Angel. If you visited my home page you would have seen me ask the question of how important it is for me to re-read the "Hitchhiker" series before I blunder into an error such as that. Here is where I would insert a shame faced smiley - if I knew how. Maybe I better stop all this before I'm run out of h2g2 by torch wielding villagers.

Don't worry! There was actually a Researcher that asked who Douglas Adams was ...

There are some people that stumble across the site and really enjoy it without ever having read the books!

*waves to elwood*

I've worked your researcher number into 42 for you

U178938: 1x7x8-sqrt(9)-3-8 = 42

That sort of thing just makes my head hurt!

Makes YOUR head hurt? I haven't had to use any of that kind of math in 20 years. (and I don't think I ever knew what a squirt 9 is) Thats why I went to art school - so I would never have to use that part of my brain again.

Sorry. How rude of me. Thank you Shea for not running me out of town and special thanks to GreyDesk for working out my 42. (it would have taken me months and I'm sure I would have run out of fingers and toes first)

I'm an artist too ... I don't think I've ever been required to use that part of my brain to do those calculations! I'm just making an assumption, and correct me if I'm wrong GD, but is sqrt(9) the square root of 9? You can almost bet money that I'll be wrong though ... and then I'll give you back the wrong change! I'm just lucky that my U# was only + and - and I figured it out myself! You may GD, but that's a biggy for a right-brainer like myself!

And elwood, you are very, very welcome! I'm just glad I had an answer for you! If you'd like, I could be your GA for good, then you don't ever have to worry about me "running you out of town"!

So making you my Guardian Angel for good? I like that. Lord knows I need all the help I can get! But I fear there would be some crazed or painful initiation ( or is it just alot of paperwork and red tape like an adoption?)

I tried your GuideML tips on my home page and it previews great, but, it still looks like a huge block of type when I update introduction. Do you know what I might of forgot?

So if you take me on as a Guardian Angel does my name become something like Elwood the Sarcastic?

In "Edit Entry" mode, underneath the "Content" box, there are two radio buttons: "Plain text" and "GuideML" and then a button that says "Change style". Click the "GuideML" radio button, then "Change style". This should give you a preview of the Entry in GuideML. If you're happy wth that, then click on the "Update Introduction" button, or change it, and click "Preview" until you're happy with it. Don't forget the "Change style" button, though. That's the key.

Okay, are you ready for the painful initiation? Are you sitting down? Here, have a first ... you ready? You say "yes" ... I'll put you on my homepage ... you come bug me anytime you want. That's about it. Of course, if you don't want to do that, you can still bug me anytime you want.

Thanks I feel honored. Consider yourself bugged.
That stiff drink might be too painful of an initiation. I never was much of a drinker (I tended to fall asleep and wake up covered in whipped cream - it doesn't feel as good as it sounds) I'll go for that OJ smiley.
As far as the tip goes the steps you describe is the route I took. Maybe it's my screen? My eyes? My unbalanced psyche?
Well it's off for home and no h2g2 'til Monday. It almost makes me look forward to work.

*Almost* makes you look forward to work?

Here ...

Have a good weekend!

*GD wanders back in again and finds the place deserted*

Shea,you are quite correct about "sqrt" meaning the square root, so you're not as dumb with numbers as you thought. Me I remain the uncreative and unartistic sort But I have worked up another couple of solutions for the pair of you

Shea (U63974): 6x3!+9-7+4 = 42
elwood (U178938): -1+78+sqrt(9)-38 = 42

*Drinks abandoned and leaves*