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

http://www.bbc.co.uk/h2g2/guide/A229231

I've posted this article for peer review, because it is informative, and those that have read the article enjoyed it. This particular article is the culmination of quite a bit of research. I have spent more time on this article than any other I have written for the guide. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I did writting it!

A great article, IMHO.

But! A couple of typos - in the 'Tom Swifty' paragraph, there appears the word 'dialouge'! And, not much later in the article, there is a reference to a Dr. Suess (apologies to the good doctor if this is indeed is name!).

Also, one first-person reference in the final footnote, but I guess that's just me being picky.

Great work!

NQAH

From the headings list at the top of your page it looks like a comprehensive article and I wish I could read it. Sadly, I am one of those old fashioned gits who uses an alabaster page.
I suspect you must be using 'goo' because the rest of your article is a fuzzy blue halftone with insufficient contrast to be readable.
This is not just a question of effort on my part, I'd like to read it. It looks very promising, but all I get is the headings, the rest is too faded out on a white background.

Go ahead, tell me to 'switch to goo or be gone'. OK I'm gone.

But I'll be back to see if you get any more complaints from people who grew up reading black ink on white pages... but, hey, don't change anything on our account.

peace,
~ jwf ~ (an alab*****d)

Hello,

Yes, I'm one of those people who uses Alabaster too, and it's completely unreadable there. Switching to Goo I'm able to read it (it's a fine entry!), but I recommend going to basic GuideML without any color tricks for the future. It will make the life of a poor sub ed much easier.

Yours,
Jake

I'm an alabaster user who won't read the entry just to spite the GuideML challenged.

A tip for Alabaster users. If you are having difficulty reading a Goo page, just go to your toolbar (in IE 5), click edit, then 'select all'. This reverses the contrast and makes the text quite legible.

A tip for Alabaster users. If you are having difficulty reading a Goo page, just go to your toolbar (in IE 5), click edit, then 'select all'. This reverses the contrast and makes the text quite legible.

Any unstandard formatting will be ironed out in the editing.

Then you can all read it. It is a good solid piece of work, although I am not sure it is not already all covered elsewhere.

I haven't placed any color codes in there, so if the color is showing odd on alabaster, then I'm not sure why. I can try putting the article in alabaster, and then viewing it both ways.

And BTW, Dr. Seuss is in fact a real author. He wrote children's books (under the pen-name of Dr. Seuss) He is responsible for such classics as "Fox in Sox", "Cat in the Hat", "The Grinch that Stole Christmas" and "There's a Wocket in My Pocket". He is famous for clever rhymes, and made up, ridiculous words.

Hrmmm...

As was suggested by others, you can select "Select All" for the Toolbar, or just hit Ctrl+A, which does the same thing (or, just select the text with the mouse)

Hitting Ctrl-A is all very well here (although still a tad annoying) but most researchers probably wouldn't put up with it. I strongly recommend changing it if you want to avoid driving interest away from this otherwise very good entry.

I'm not sure that the index at the top is really neccessary either, as most of the headings they link to are only a paragraph long anyway. Also, I've read longer entries than this which aren't indexed in this way and do just fine. This is just my opinion but I think they make the entry look at bit messy.

Does the edited Guide even accept indexing? I'd be interested to hear another Scout's thoughts...

As I said though, nice entry!

Excellent entry
I loved the 306 word palindrome - honestly, who would write such a thing! Some of the links don't work though - the spoonerisms links is lacking an A, and the pangrams article seems to have been deleted.
I actually think the index is useful if you're looking for something specific, then you can go directly to what you want.
By the way, would you say anonomatopoeias (what i'm trying to spell describes words that sound like the thing they describe, like 'drip' or 'bang') are word play?

No colour codes? What do you call ~THIS~!?

Exhibit A:

Also, I believe Notquiteallhere was referring to a spelling error. "Suess" =/= "Seuss".

Yes. I was indeed referring to that very small error.

NQAH (less words = less confusion from me)

*slaps on Pedant hat for a moment *

"FEWER words = LESS confusion.."

Oh, ..'indexing' seems to be a 'web' sort of thingy for 'front pages'. It's handy, surfers know how to use it. So maybe each indexed article should be on another page, then clicking the topic takes you to the appropriate entry. It IS a long article... better suited to regular referencing than a single read. Don't try to shorten it, just spread it around a bit.
Thanks for the tip on 'select all'. A trepidacious move on my part because it leaves me one careless click away from 'delete' or 'print'. That's not a criticism btw, just a fact of life for clumsmy fingered surfers like me.
And, I still encourage you to lose the 'colour code'.

I sit corrected.

NQAH (I ain't stoopid, I just writes wot I finks)

Editorial Note: This thread has been moved out of the Peer Review forum because this entry has now been recommended for the Edited Guide.

If they have not been along already, the Scout who recommended your entry will post here soon, to let you know what happens next. Meanwhile you can find out what will happen to your entry here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/h2g2/guide/SubEditors-Process

Congratulations!

Yay! And it's readable now, which means I have to read it!