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

I nearly always forget mine. But this year I've remembered. So to me for 19 years on the site!

Back in the day I had the U-number 122832.

Oh. I've just had another look at that old PS and discovered I didn't open it until 15 May 2000. So I've got a couple more days to get excited about it yet.

Congratulations! I'd have to look up mine, but I'm not even sure I have reached ten years, let alone 19!!

It's easiest if you switch to Brunel. The date an entry has been created is at the top of the page. This includes personal spaces.

I checked again on the table I mention on my personal space and am sure my U number was issued on 9 May, but it definitely says 15 May. Perhaps I didn't write anything on my space for the first 6 days.

People have a way of coming and going. That's part of the deal with websites. Sometimes the websites themselves leave and don't come back. Robbie Stamp is turning over every rock in the world, looking for funding to give this site the kind of platform that it deserves. The thing is, there may be a niche that would serve us well. I've clued him in to a book or two that might show the way ahead.

If you're a hierarchical site like the very largest ones, what hope do you have of overturning decisions that are just plain bad for the world? Facebook has been found to use addictive methods. They also use people's data in ways that the people would probably not want it used. Google operates as if every problem can be solved if you have a massive enough collection of computers and the "right" algorithms. They seem to operate on faith regarding the eventual development of true artificial intelligence, i.e. AI that has consciousness. The reality, though, is that artificial intelligence requires an "oracle," i.e. a human intelligence that programs it to do what it does. A.I. cannot be its own oracle.

The big Internet companies have had almost twenty years of getting pretty much what they asked for. Governments were no match for their lawyers when it came time to levy taxes on their operations. When Amazon was considering opening facilities in Texas, Texas decided that Amazon should pay fair taxes. Amazon's response? they decided not to opp[en such facilities. Ultimately, Texas caved, and Amazon moved right in with its facilities.

These are some of the heavy lifters in the online world. They decide things from the top, and everyone down below has to hop to it and comply.

H2G2? When you go to the annual get-together, Robbie Stamp is there. Z and Ben are there. They listen to everyone.

It's a small website, and it has a small niche, but did you really want a very large organization that never listened to you or even knew who you were?

Congratulations

Still manage to retain my 5 digit user number - 20 years in October . Weird really, I thought you were here before me. But then I lurked for quite a while before jumping in - h2g2 was the first 'social' website I ever posted to and I'm not a good one for jumping right in at social things, both in real life and online it seems.

Lurking is good.

Congrats!

Brunel suggests that my page was created on 20th January 2011. Not very likely, I'm afraid. I still stick to 2000.

Yes - you were definitely here before 2011!

But you are posting from quite a high user number. Are you sure you didn't have to Re-register at some point in 2011?

Now I've tried again I see user number 127053. Odd.

I've done the calculation and it would seem that you registered on 17 May 2000, Hati.

I don't quite remember exactly how the table works, but I used the 1999 page similar to A1155566 (this link being to the 2000 page) when I was looking for people for the Venerable Reseachers series.

After a while, things seem to blur when you're trying to locate people from the good old days.

That was a great tip about switching to Brunel, TC. I've checked my first user name (Chadsmoor Charlie) & it was set up on 24th January 2002. I was lurking for a while before that (I think I was one of those who came to the site after DNA died) but I now know I've been a proud registered member for over 17 years My current name (obviously when I was ready to commit to being actually me) was set up on 10th August 2004.

The other useful thing that came from switching to Brunel was that I had my faith in Classic Goo as the superior skin reinforced

Deb

yup Hati you were here in 2000, as was I late 2000, under a different nom de plume that got lost in an update early 2002`s

I have an old U number somewhere.

Unfortunately it was on a work PC. When we changed offices I had a new computer and couldn’t remember my (saved) password so had to create a new i.d.

Still here. Sort of.

MMF

2nd membership 21st July 2003.

MMF

I've kept the same account since May 2001.

It's possible that I haven't changed my page enough over the years.....

17th May is my day indeed, Ottox has looked it up for me for few times until I noted it down on my u-page.

I mainly remember because I joined the day before Tom and my 4th anniversary, and then PaperKid was born on my 2nd h2g2 anniversary, so...