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

The hootoo T-shirt that just came through the post gives me a good feeling. It might have been given for one particular Entry, but it feels like recognition for a wider and more enduring contribution. I do believe that I've made one.

So it really made me stop and think when, on the very same day, someone slung their hook, and blamed me for it.

U7880242

For a while I entertained the thought of replacing the (admittedly rather self-indulgent) text in my PS with this little outburst. Then I decided that wouldn't be funny.

I don't know where he got 'hate-filled' from, and the inference that I've never written anything worthwhile is a tad galling. I confess I was a little bit terse in AWW, though :
F74130?thread=3998625&latest=1

That's all I actually said, believe it or not. A further couple of Researchers, commenting on other pieces he posted to AWW, made more diplomatic 'I quite like this, but...' sorts of comment. I guess I should have done the same, but he seemed to be asking for straightforward crit rather than preening, and his journal-comment about Graham Greene wasn't exactly endearing. I quite admire GG. People who dismiss him with contempt are at risk of unceremonious dissection.

Less about how I feel, though, and less about justifying my innocence. Our fleeting visitor was obviously upset, and he'll say bad things about hootoo now to anyone in RL who'll listen. It doesn't matter if the way he reacted was way out of proportion to the snub he received.

We should never any of us be proud of putting people off writing, so today a little contrition is in order. Even as I try out my new T-shirt.

Pin

Well I agree about not wanting to put people off writing, but the out of proportionness does matter - there must be more to this than meets the eye.

It would be a pity if the real crit we've been getting in the AWW lately lessened in case we hit nerves we've no way of knowing about. I'd have taken that Graham Greene journal and the lack of reply to previous welcome messages to suggest someone who'd appreciate straight talking.

I shan't say what setting such store on the opinion of one fish-breathed gestalt of marine lifeforms suggests.

Congrats on a well-earned T-shirt .

There are maybe some attributes that people feign more than others. Straightforwardness seems among the most pretended, perhaps because we admire it in an edgy kind of way. When people do pretend it, though, they need to be ready for what they're inviting, ie the raw opinions of others, with a minimum of niceties.

But I think you're probably right. There must be stuff going on here that we can't see, for their to be that much anger. I hope the guy's OK

The slants were cool, btw. I dared them to send the shirt to the Weddell, and they did

In spite of family-wide claims to the thing ("it was our time you wasted, so we've earned it" principles), I think it'll be mine after all. Reasons run as :
Weddell - I'm not in denial about my age
Scrof - I don't hang out with nerds
Verm - it'd make me look fat

Hi Pin, excuse me for butting in here.
As I told you before, it was not your fault that U7880242 reacted as he did. I can't recall a single word of that article, all I recall is, that I sent him from PR to the AWW - and I don't feel guilty about it, so why should you? I've seen that he has had quite a few reactions now, with yours and mine being the most diplomatic this time.
Enjoy your t-shirt, it is well deserved; I for one feel that I really earned mine, no matter whether others approve of my writings or not, and so should you do.

If only he had known you as a child.

on your well-deserved t-shirt what colour is it?Any chance of a piccy?

Imagineering: Just cut and paste the logo onto Dudley Moore's bod.

It's blue, with white writing, and I'll work on the piccy.

In which I will look nothing like Mr Moore, being considerably taller for a start.

...and while we're at it, I am so not scared of Gnomon

Enjoy your shirt. You're one of the best writers on h2g2. That's not flattery. It's a fact. Your detractor has a long way to go to prove himself here. Maybe he'll accomplish that one day.

Having received many Pin critiques of my modest output I just want to say that in my humble (ok, ok not so humble, but no matter!)opinion .... you combine encouragement with insightful realism on a regular basis, and I have never neem anything other than helped in my writing journey by what you have added to my stuff...

as to GG ... well yes, he is pretty good ... not one of my 5 favourite authors (David Mitchell, Haruki Murikami, Douglas Coupland, Jonathan Saffron Foer & Ben Okri for the record) but very much up there in the chasing pack .... and probably much more durable than any of the above

keep on wearing the t shirt and don't stop the comments......

ps ... what are these t-shirts of which you speak anyway?

"neem" above = "been" .... a rather attractive typo