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

My space is due for an overhaul.

I have started this process by changing the title to reflect the Guide as I see it at the present time. Things will change, slowly, surely, and the Shrine will be free from persecution.

I've also removed the artwork on my page. Peta's suggestion that a skull wasn't friendly is probably fair enough, seeing as I want to participate in the volunteer schemes. I'll have to find a more socially acceptable image of dissent. (paradoxical, maybe?)

Keep an eye for more changes - notably the length... compression is the order of the day. I'll probably try to include some more links, since they've been banned from fora - though I managed to secure freedom of speech on one occasion...

Carry on (as if anyone's reading this anyway).

PS My girlfriend's going to East Timor to teach English for a month. I'm happy for her - but upset for me... two reasons - I'll be without her for a month and I could have gone (didn't hand in the forms, found out I would have been chosen...)

Were you asked to remove the ASCII skull because it was too unfriendly? I hope they're not being that clearly inconsistent.

What do you think about the idea of modifying the banned "Zaphodista recruiting poster" to show a big flower in the hands of the soldier? Would you mind if I modified your image like that? I know it's sort of a cheesy idea, and makes me feel like I've been infected with self-censorship, but it will still be a cool poster, and it might be a way of expressing how stupid the current level of censorship is.

(How to survive several weeks without female: drink plenty of liquids. Occasionally nag at yourself and wake yourself up in the middle of the night.)

Yeah, because I'm an ACE (although I handed in my resignation ages ago, and they haven't done anything about it...) they thought my page wasn't friendly enough in case any newbies visited.

I can see their point. Much as I'm upset with the current regime, I don't want to stop new members joining... every new Guide member is a potential Zaphodista! (or they're at least a potential entertaining entry or two...)

Go ahead and change the picture. It's there for everyone to use... I'd have done it myself but I don't have a lot of time on my hands right now.

I noticed you haven't been around for a while...

Cheers,
Rob.

More update news: Bruce's drop-down list has made its first appearance as a record of and link to all the Zaphodista members.

I'll be using another one to link to my guide entries.

And I'm working on a new ASCII poster that stands for the Zaphodistas and almost any other cause you can think of... and it is not offensive, as far as I know...

Rob.

Where can I find the code for the drop-down list of Zaphodista members? Is this some kind of java? How can we keep it updated every few days as more members sign on?

I'm off to search for Bruce (Bruce who?) and for a place that shows code to put up the drop-down list. I just saw it mentioned on the LEAVE YOUR NAME HERE forum, but the link you gave now goes to a deleted entry.

I think it's definitely time for you to start a separate home page on another site, if only as a backup for all the stuff they keep deleting here. It's getting perilously stupid around here.

Never mind about the code. I can copy and paste it from viewing the page source. That drop-down menu isn't something that would be against the house rules, is it? Just regular HTML? Revealing my ignorance of languages. Sorry, but almost everything I know about HTML came from tripod and webmonkey.

By the way, in all those other questions about details, I neglected to say YES PLEASE make some more ASCII art! Easy images for researchers to decorate their pages will be much appreciated, with or without Zaphodista subject matter.

There's no java in it...

The code for the box is available from:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/h2g2/guide/A517330

I just pulled the list from the Zaphodistas main page and adapted the code. It's a bloody long list!

If you want, I'll try posting the code to another page, or I could email it to you...

Rob.

Or I could post it to this forum... assuming there's no obscure censorship - ooh, er, moderation law against it:



Choose a revolutionary


Subcomandante Insurgent Deidzoeb
Fat Mammoth
Marc
Average Joe
Kasia
Amy the Revolting Ant
Munchkin
Garius Lupus
Arhuaine
Shea the Sarcastic
Ottox
Anne of a Thousand Days
NYC Student
GreyDesk
Ormondroyd
Linus
Santragenius V
Jk the unwise
Pheroneous
Rocket Rod
The Corrupt One
Bagpuss
Galaxy Babe
Mother of God, Empress of the Universe
:X [formerly The High Duke of Mars]
Zeb
Zorpheus
EtherZev
Eternity
Imaldris
magrat
Wumbeevil
TowelMaster
Evil One
Titania
Raver
Orcus
Pierce the Pirate
Inanna
Tefkat
The Nitpicker
soeasilyamused
Ardzil MkII
Big Mad Mr T
eatsmice
Comrade Rumble
Androyd Ace
st. broelan
Sporkulious Eglon
Gwennie
Lady K
shazzPRME
Taleisin
Zmrzlina
Elly
Mr K H Jordan
Wowbagger
Go-Go Girl
Little Mischief
Kheldar
DrGoofLithium
Baldrick
the other omylouse
Bob
Granny Weatherwax
Afgncaap5
Andy
Professor Christopher Tonks
The Unmentionable Marauding Pillowcase Mark Two
GTBacchus
Melinda the Basketcase
Yossarian Prefect
Bumblebee
Hatifnat
One-eye
Soapylou, Logic Skipper
Freaky Cheeze
Pastey
Anon
Yowuzupman
KT
Goshoogoshoogosh
Arutha
SchrEck Inc.
YK's Entire Company
SpaceCadette
Jane Muse of Bad Girls
'nette
ringo
Sergeant Mushroom and Cleo
Psybro
rangerjustice
Zero Reali-Tea Entity
mari-rae
Uncle Heavy
George (the babbling) Brooke
iopgod
Magnolia Thunderpussy
Kierkegaardvark
Iceraven
Eeyore
V
Helium Bandit
TIMELORD
Earthman
Twinkle
Frizzychick
Boring Guy
Metal Chicken
Jeremy FS JBB
Weatherwax
Xerces
The Toxin Avenger
Engländer, Tschörmen and E´s Alter Ego
Wolfman
Jeff
Mandarb
Courtney
Matt
Kristina, the Flamenco Dancer
Contemplation
GinTonyx
Niwt
Dr. Kareem El Kandossy Zivana
Tabitca
Dastardly
Zarniroop
Ioreth
Suz
Zed
Kumabear
Freedom
St. Trin
Sakki
Red Dog
wizard
Netter
Notquiteallhere
Jamie
Terri
RedFish
Stella
Sylvia
Bossel
Siguy
The Oppressed Pipe of Great Magnitude
Peet
Burn
E_G_Mel
Mickey Thomas' Right Foot
plaguesville
Captain Kebab
Babel
Joe aka Arnia
some bloke who tried to think of a short, catchy, pithy name
Almighty Rob
Jimmy the Evil Scar
MadMunk?¿
the phantom of the web (part time)
Pandora






Just cut and paste that lot into whatever you want... it should work, and like I said there's no javascript. It's sort of like BBCmL...

Cheers,
Rob.

"... assuming there's no obscure censorship - ooh, er, moderation law against it..." Don't worry, they'll take the liberty to add rules whenever they feel like it. Did you take note of the discussion about M2M2 blacklist being censored? It's at http://www.bbc.co.uk/h2g2/guide/F63734?thread=109935 From the way Mark Moxon talked about it, there was a ruling handed down to them by the legal dept, then the h2g2 staff removed the page in question, and Mark said they would decide the following business day whether to revise the house rules in order to reflect this! Then the next day he was able to RATIONALIZE the action they took by explaining that a blacklist or boycott could seem like "harassing" people, therefore it must be removed as any harassing or law-breaking communication must be removed. Which reminds me, I have to check out whether Lucinda coaxed a clearer answer out of them about this crap. Does a boycott against a product or corporation somehow equal "harassment" now? Or only if you're gay? Some days I just get madder the more I type.

The word boycott - I'm telling you this because I just learned it in Irish History - comes from General Boycott, who was a landowner in Ireland. The peasants, when fighting against British control over them, decided that a good way to do it would be to pretend he wasn't there - don't go to his shops, don't pay the rent, just ignore him.

So a boycott is not harassment, but standing up *against* harassment. It's the same when people boycott a product or a company - they don't arbitrarily decide not to buy it or use it, they are responding to some grievance.

To argue that a boycott harasses people is a contradiction of the history of the term...

Cheers,
Rob.

"To argue that a boycott harasses people is a contradiction of the history of the term..."

You were expecting logic from them suddenly?

I just figured they were re-interpreting "harass" in the broadest possible terms in favor of corporations, products, and people with images to protect and/or people who can afford lawyers.

I just wonder how long before "campaigning" in any way becomes "harassment" in the eyes of BBC. Aren't the Zaphodistas "harassing" them by asking them to change, or calling together others for possible boycott? (And we've been discussing boycott of h2g2 on and off for 4-5 weeks now, not yet very seriously.)

I thought maybe we had made some progress after they pulled back the ridiculous policy against all discussion of UK General Election, and revised it to say that only HEAVY discussion (? still up for interpretation) would be removed, or asked to go to that Debate concentration page (Debate internment page?).

But now they almost talked about making a new rule against "campaigning." How could anyone seriously consider h2g2 an appropriate forum for political discussion if that kind of rule went into place?

Guide to Life, the Universe and Whatever the legal dept hasn't crossed off yet.

Forgot to mention, I modified the Zaphodista recruiting poster and emailed a link for it to Peta, asking if she would find the version with sunflower acceptable. If you look for the link to "awkwardly" in my personal space, then look for [Zaphodista Recruiting Poster] on that page, you can check it out. Notice the barrel of the rifle also.

Great idea!

I think actually writing sunflower on it makes it impossible to confuse it for anything else...

My only fear is that they'll ban it because the man is shooting at flowers, and flowers have feelings, too (lol).

Cheers,
Rob.

Actually if you squint at the image, the flower looks like a burst of green and yellow at the end of the gun barrel. Oh well. If they won't accept this one either, it's just another click along the continuum towards ending communication by researchers.

Here's the ad for the petition that I'm spamming all up and down on people that I think might want to hear about it:

Got Moderation?
Show how you feel about it. Sign the
Petition for Greater Freedom on h2g2.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/h2g2/guide/A544943