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

This may sound like a half baked idea or far too time consuming to consider but how about doing a version of H2G2 (text based, obviouosly) that can be downloaded and put on to the iPod. I don't know if it's just me, but the iPod (especially the 3G iPod) looks frightningly like a realisation of Adam's Guide. Personally I would love to be able to carry round an offline copy of the guide as it can be costly to go through it on a mobile phone. I realise that it wouldn't be 100% up to date, heck even if there was a 'lite' version each year or something like that might be an idea. Already I've seen wine guides, books, games etc for the iPod and I believe H2G2 would be a welcome addition to the current software family. I would be happy to do a basic "mock up"/demo if there is of any interest.

Traveller in Time on his head

"Sounds great, no wait
You mean a static Guide
Without the pulse and pride
Of the living community
That would be pity

Please do not do this,
We want to live here,
Not on a frozen disk

"

Don't get me wrong, I don't mean instead of this. Half (if not more of) the draw is the wonderful community. However, I see it as more of a companion to this. Emphasising the 'guide' side of the site more than the community. At present it would have to be static simply because you can't use the iPod online. It would be great though if it was constantly updated so you could keep it as current as possible.

Wouldn't it be great to be able to take at least part of it on the road with you?

Traveller in Time on his head
"There are mobile phones capable of browsing plain . . ."

There is indeed, but what do you do when it eats all your credit or you have no signal? This certainly wouldn't be intending to compete (for want of a better word) with the online form.

Traveller in Time on his head
"Please just trust me: 'a static Guide is a dead Ghost town'.

It is just fun for one day.
The second day you find out there are no supplies in the stores. There is nobody else. You are in an incredible big complex city with no way out. And hardly no transportation, forever wandering, forever lost, alone.

No it seems fun but on second thoughts, please do not."

Okay, thanks for your point of view.

I'm not really pitching it as a 'game' or something to play around with for fun, more as a tool for example there's some useful info on languages. Wouldn't it be useful to just be able to check it out here if you don't really want to carry round a phrase book. Or there's info on the planets etc, that could be useful for a school project the uses are endless.

Sorry, I'm babling...Need sleep... Sorry if I don't respond

Might it be possible to set up a program that would let you update the Ipod, or whatever,'s copy of the guide whenever you got online. That way you'd get an always-current copy of the guide--useful when hitchhiking where there isn't an internet connection and computer available.

You're thinking something on the lines of an AvantGO (mobile content subscription service) channel? I believe the idea was being bounced around years ago, but the way I see it there's no need for it. You see an increasing number of mobile devices (smartphones, Pocket PCs, etc) are capable of displaying proper web content using GSM/GPRS/3G or Wi-Fi networks. At least these technologies still allow you to use the Guide dynamically, the way it's suppoed to be.

Can't really comment on the capabilities of that specific product (except I've got one of the original models and I love it), but a handheld version of h2g2 is something we've always been keen to develop. For now, let's just say 'stay tuned'...

Could we record ourselves reading our own entries aloud, and save that in portable format of choice? Then we really would have the Guide to carry about - that talks! I could follow my own entries about as I wander through various lcalities.

I'll do that! I love the sound of my own voice of my own words.

Wasn't there something called h2g2 on the move? A228007 and A438464 were deleted before my time, so it might be totally irrelevant.

Traveller in Time on the record
"Does anyone have a website where we can collect such audio entries.

And how do you pronounce < A2941391 > ?"

Anyone remember the suggestion of 'h2g2 radio'? This is possibly as blue-sky - but a similarly top-notch idea!

Traveller in Time brewing his own coffee
"Do I hear a voice writing words in blue sky ?"

I've got an Ipaq with a 1Gb SD card ... so happy to download H2G2 as anything. Could simply be set up as an AvantGo stream, but that would be tad crummy.

Does anyone know whether it's possible to get direct access to the database as GuideML data?? And whether it's possible to get a list of the changed entries??

If so then there could be some fun (ie. something to do at work when pretending to do whatever it is that is supposed to be happening & when it's not possible to browse pr0n off the internet) to write a simple browsing app against a db that's constructed from GuideML downloads (already have been involved with something similar for Briish-Gas ... they do it to download maintenance manuals for boilers ... same theory, different content & I'll leave it up to you to work out which is more interesting).

Also would be good to knock up a wuick editor on the iPaq so that entries can be put together online and uploaded.