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

We're working on an announcement about the Underguide to slip into the Post, and Jodan asked how we should describe the difference(s) between CAC and UG.

Does this sound accurate? I rambled a little bit, but see what you think about the bit in quotation marks near the bottom. Thanks, Deidzoeb



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As for the differences between CAC and UG...

Can you capture the moonlight in your hand and store it in your shoe to enjoy later with a little paprika on top? NO! Such is the ephemerality* of CAC!

Seriously, I'm not sure how to briefly describe CAC except that it seems that CAC would rather promote an unpolished or incomplete piece with a glimmer of original goodness in it, than accidentally polish too much. With CAC, there is a fear that too much organization and processing will hamper creativity, so we try to leave the process very anarchic.

Maybe this is too abstract, but how about something like: "With UG we're finding diamonds in the rough and running them through a system to polish them. CAC occasionally brushes off the mud, but does no real polishing, expecting or allowing readers to see the diamond in raw form."

* Ephemerality really is a word. I checked.

"With UG we're finding diamonds in the rough and running them through a system to polish them. CAC occasionally brushes off the mud, but does no real polishing, expecting or allowing readers to see the diamond in raw form."

Sounds fine to me. But Hell, I woulda gone all the way and repeated the old "diamond in the rough" cliche instead of dragging preformed hamburger into the discussion.

Here try this for the second sentence:

"CAC occasionally brushes off the mud, but does no real polishing, cutting, smuggling, or setting. It is expected that readers will see, if they have the will to see."

Or:
"CAC occasionally brushes off the mud, but does no real polishing, allowing readers to discover any jewellry for themselves."

Or better still:

"It seems that CAC would rather promote an unpolished or incomplete piece with a glimmer of original goodness in it, than accidentally polish too much. With CAC, there is a (fear)/(realisation) that too much organization and processing (will)/(can) hamper creativity, so we try to leave the process very anarchic."


~jwf~

CAC = odd ducks with computers and a willingness to offer two fingers to the establishment. Our revolution is your revelation!

UG = mad moles with computers and a willingness to work together to make sure no one is left out for no reason. Our revolution is your readolution!

As for the gem metaphor, if it don't trip off the top of your head easily, I'd let it alone. Somethings can be too overworked, like metaphors.

How 'bout:
"UG seeks to provide a bit of refinement, an uplifting of the nascent writer into the cold clear light of true respect and regard. They toil to clear the mustiness from the TuTu and make the Writer the god that he once was.

CAC will toss the indigent ego a crust of bread, a paper cup of day old tea and a photograph of a lead florin, but they will tell everyone about what and whom they've found."

Jodan here

I'm rewriting it now. I was planning on using Deidzoeb's last paragraph, "With UG
we're finding diamonds in the rough and running them through a system
to polish them. CAC occasionally brushes off the mud, but does no
real polishing, expecting or allowing readers to see the diamond in
raw form." but I think I'll add in some of ~jwf~'s too.

Simulpost.

Hmm, I think I solved this

There you go!

>> Somethings can be too overworked, like metaphors. <<

Species: metaphor
Genus: cliche

Stop me I'm working too hard.
All this mud to be wiped.


Hold onto your mud!


~jwf~

Yes, I suppose the metaphor has gone a little far

Hello, Popeye Chucklers, GTB here.


I wonder if I could trouble one or more of you for a 2-3 sentence blurb that can introduce the AGG/GAG/CAC to the uninitiated. The context for this blurb can be found at A1095770, where it currently says '[AGG/GAG/CAC blurb]'. We just need a brief summary of each 'alternative publication' we're mentioning.

"AGG/GAG/CAC is a branch of the Cirque de Soleil that evolved gills and migrated to the Internet in 1884. We offer fudge, taffy, and intensive Chinese courses to entries that might otherwise fall through the cracks." You know. Something like that.

Thanks a million.

Oh, and of course, if any of you have comments or suggestions on the rest of the page, feel free to post them here or there.



GTB

AGG/GAG/CAC began as a quiet tete a tete at a coffee shoppe in Fin De Siecle Vienna between two lonely Kosher butchers who were trying to figure out how to get a finer tasting sausage out of the back garden porkers they were forced to work with. It turned out that one of them had a marriageable daughter and the other had a marriageable daughter.
All four moved to Canada and each couple married the other.

AGG/GAG/CAC, which stands for Alternative Galactic Guide, and...(I keep forgetting this one), and Committee for Alien Content, has maintained a high standard of quirky, offbeat, barely readable, and just plain silly editing, selecting and publishing of researchers, entries and sausages that otherwise might not have seen the light of day outside the AWW or the Flea Market.
At the current time, unless something happens, CAC, the people and the column, are on hiatus, or in estrus, I can never remember which.
But they will be back at the end of the summer, as ready and willing as ever to make the Editors of the Post's lives interesting...

Signed
Ian P. Blurd,
Director of Directionles Behavior,
and Donut procurement

It has been moved by tonsil revenge (and my vote makes it unanymous) that the above be the official mission statement of <./>AggGag</.>/CAC until such time as we feel like doing something else. Like coming back in September as AggGag/CAC-UG.

Seriously folks, if the editors don't give you front page status you can always have half our page in . Or all of it, as long as we can CAC on it from time to time.


~jwf~

*sigh*

I'm glad GTB is responsible for producing your blurb

TS, ~jwf~

It's nice to know that I am still respected as the Minister of Information Retrieval.

See ya, later, Jwf!

You'll just have to get used to us, Jodan.
We've had a lot of practice.