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

But a small mystery has amused me for a few years. You see, there is a researcher, U247766, who appears on-line 24/7. Never having posted anywhere, the first to appear again after any 'off-line' service times. And with mystical attributes. You see, I have noticed over the time that I have been on h2g2 that this mystical one has had no less than 3 dates of account creation.

Now, there is the possibility that it is an internal quirk of the over-all software structure of 'hootoo' that re-creates this pseudo-random account on every rising from catastrophic ashes.

Myself and another like the notion that it is someone who has posted to another, the other having faded from the scene and the posting vanished as well. And so this one waits interminably, perhaps now a dessicated shell of a person, for that most important reply.

And then, of course, there is the far more believeable prospect that said Researcher is simply a ghostly avatar of the One, that all await the return of. That nightly one, who eradicates all dust mites, and is perhaps the only tenuous connection between 2legs and the rest of the real world. One so mighty, of course, whose name I dare not type.

I understand that you place highly in The Order of The Slanty Titled Ones, with perhaps extra-ordinary powers and resources of your own. And so, trembling a bit, I inquire ... Is this ethereal one a real person? With perhaps some life (and therefore a registration e-mail address in your databases), or as seems far more likely, ... a wraith that exists solely (soully?) within the realm of h2g2?

It's a mystery to me...I'll see if I can look into it.

Personally, I believe everyone should be faced with atleast one really good mystery before lunch-time.

This is a test account used by some automated testing scripts. It's used to log in and test that the system is running properly, hence it's always online.

That DOES seem reasonable, possible, perhaps even probable. But it really carries no mystery, no deep conspiracy, not even any romance for folks so inclined.

I still prefer the image of a faded-away, dried old husk of a Researcher, sitting patiently in some one-room flat, festooned with cob-webs and waiting patiently for that single most important reply which will never come. Because his/her original post drifted off to that inevitable bit-bucket in the electronic heavens.

P.S. For those who don't know - BarnabyTheBear is itself a test account that I use when I need to see how the site behaves to a non-superuser. In case you were wondering who that was.

Traveller in Time not as fast back online as U247766
"And the test account has been online ever since 13th October 2003. "

Oh yeah, there the pair of you go ... looking under the hood, being all sensible about stuff. Nothing like a splash of cold water on a conspiracy or mystery thingie.

I had thought it might be an automatic and yet unintentional creation. Atleast I was nearly half right. , folks.

On an unrelated note ...

I have had something of a hand in an entry that has been recently returned from the Sub-Editor. Entry A24244490 ... Might I point out a few little things?

Firstly, it really was all of the author's research. I was just the word-mechanic. I do not need any credit attached.

Secondly, since the return to your levels, a few minor bits have been noted. And I gather that, besides the sub-Ed being a bit intermittent with sign-ins, perhaps you could 'touch-up' a couple of things. Basically from:

F39183?thread=4353911 ... post 6 and particularly 7

F110204?thread=3677749&skip=1456&show=20 ... post 1467 in particular

Just looking for a tidy product for you.

And another un-related item. I see that you have the Bowie knife entry under your name, atleast for the moment. One bit that I had offered just doesn't seem to flow well:

<>

Perhaps a subtle change, such as <<... Colonel James Bowie. A knife, bearing the ... >>

Thanks for pointing that out, Rev Nick. That's still in-house, so we haven't finished with it.

But as for my name appearing on the Entry...that just keeps happening and I can't figure out why!

That was why I mentioned "atleast for now" ... I seem to recall from a couple of other entries I've stood in as 'sub-sub-editor', your name was initially attached. Maybe your server systems simply like you better.