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

What I'd like to see is Forum dedicated to discussing the works of DNA. Participation would be for all levels from those who do not yet know the joys that await them in the adventures of Arthur Dent, to serious academic literary criticism (even if it means having to explain several times a week that 'criticism' isn't bad thing).

~jwf~

I left out two 'A's there. The indefinite articles before 'Forum' and 'bad thing'. Can this be a sign?

Definitely.


~jwf~

Definitely less popular with the seedy chatroom types who want the world to mould itself around them - namely the World of h2g2. There's a quote about that, but I can't remember it.

Of course the more DNA/HHGG fans, or potential fans, the better - but the ones who don't care about what site means, or why it is here, and have no desire to learn are but a wasted record in the very database the site lives on. I know they'll eventually 'fall off the edge' of the site, but the wait is becoming painfully intolerable.

Oh, and, the views expressed in this posting are those of the poster and unless specifically stated are not those of the BBC.

Well, go on then, ~jwf~! Sounds like you're volunteering yourself!

>> Well, go on then...<<

Ah, 'tis the plaintive cry of the SEP, an early bird who gits the worm.
Or,
Your enthusiasm is, I hope, but a mere hint of others to follow.


What's the best way to proceed then?
Might as well "Ask h2g2"...

Perhaps the new CAC Continuum column being published in under the auspices of <./>AggGag</.>/CAC-C could collect some of the better tributes people have written so far.

I've always been fond of this one:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/alabaster/U148781

But we'd need to have people suggest a few more here to have enough to build an issue of CAC-C based on the DNA 'review' idea.

In we have enough readership that we could invite further essays on the subject and begin assembling these in a DNA think tank forum of some sort.

We could even start a volunteer group called the Krikkits who would descend on every newbie page and demand they write at least 100 words on the subject or something related to the subject within 90 days of joining h2g2.


~jwf~

Wait. There isn't a place dedicated to DNA?

No DNA Memorial Garden?



That's terrible. Someone get one up already.

I don't actually even know what DNA was...was it the original H2 site?

D = Douglas
N = Noel
A = Adams

DNA is the site thingy named after his initials.

ohhh i see!!!

Was that the previous site to this one then?

I think the original site was called h2g2.com, but it's before my time.

DNA is the search engine/database system that the site runs on now.

Noggin

I remember Mr Adam's interview on the Tomorrow's World programme and he definitely referred to the site as h2g2.com.

As I understand it, DNA was a technology developed by the original H2G2.com site, which was owned by one Douglas N. Adams. H2G2.com and DNA was bought by the BBC when Douglas Adams died. H2G2.com was incorporated into BBCi, and DNA (the technology) is now used for other BBCi sites as well as H2G2.

My ...

I would like to see more users who contribute activly to the guide and discussion, you know the more the merrier (is that a spelling mistake?).

However I have noticed recently that the number of flame wars popping up all over the place is alarming... that chat room comment from earlier in the thread rings true for me.

My personal take is this. More members will keep the site alive, but the focus needs to be on the compilation of the guide and the sharing of knowledge and experience (DNA's dream) as opposed to what we seem to have now, which is the chatroom whingers and L3375P33K3RZ. Some of the more established and quirky groups are great, like the Thingites and some of the societies, but people coming here to "find hot pussay" or "meet Chickz" is most definately not good.

Just my twopennorth.

Psyc.

"Wait. There isn't a place dedicated to DNA?"

Try U42.

I definately think more (in this instance only) is better. But those people need to know fully what is going on before they sign up.

I recall the first time I came across the site. To be honest it didn't initially catch my attention. I only gave it a cursory glance after stumbling upon it after looking at <./>http://www.bbc.co.uk/hitchhikers</.>.

It was only later, on one very slow day during my part time summer job that I went back to it and found out what it truely was.

Strangely enough, at a similar time I started reading the book of the HHGTTG... and well the rest you can probably find out by reading my backlog .

I have grown weary of having to work hard to get things going on here though. Perhaps because I have so many projects I have thrown myself in to (strangely for a "Guide" these are not Peer Review (well one, which isn't there yet), but instead many groups) I have too many things to focus on one - that and I'm in my final year at uni.

But I digress. And perhaps that is one problem. Not many people feel they have time to add constructively to the guide, and so they develop SEP's so huge that it would take a Vogon constructor fleet to move it (or you could give it a pan-galactic gargle blaster, but you would probably have to stand back).

As for the CAC, I think more people should get involved. It is certainly one of the most interesting groups on here.

Oh, I knew about U42

Who didn't?

* to U42 to see if it is what he thought it was.*

Well, firstly, I'd like to clarify a few points from a historical point of view:
this site was set up by Douglas Noel Adams (who was proud to have the initials DNA) and his friends (calling themselves "The Digital Village Ltd") as a real-life incarnation of a fictional book that was at the centre of a series of stories he wrote. (In various, often conflicting, forms).
that's right, h2g2 *is* the Hitch-Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy, not a discussion *about* the Hitch-Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy. It is intended as a "live, voluminous, self-organising, and individually responsive" (Douglas' words, on <./>Welcome-DNA</.&gt guide to Life, the Universe, and Everything. Nothing more, nothing less. It has always been made clear that it is *not* intended as a Douglas Adams fan-site - it is far, far, more than that.
building the site into a community has always been seen as, basically, a good thing - "If h2g2 were a peach - and we very much hope that it is - then the Guide is the stone at the middle and the Community is the fleshy bit. Or something like that..." That is to say, it's not supposed to be like the editing room of an encyclopedia - it's far, far, more than that, too.
the original site, h2g2.com, was run on software called Llama, then software called Ripley. However, when the original management realised they were going to run out of money, the BBC took over the site - including all current content, and all technology. Part of their motive for this was that they could generalise the technology used to run h2g2 to run other sites as well. Eventually, this generalisation required such a rewrite of the software that they needed a new name, and they settled on DNA - as a homage to Douglas, who had passed away shortly before.

so, am I going to have an opinion or am I just going to give you all a history lesson? [Well, both...] Personally, I see nothing wrong with people using the site for random chat - they are helping to build a community, and a network of information and helpfulness, or just plain friendliness. The site has evolved a lot over time, and individual users' usage also varies over time. I share the concerns of those who feel the central Guide (the stone of the peach) is becoming too small a proportion of the whole, but maybe we just need better ways of tapping the knowledge of the Community. I also share the interest of those who would like to talk more about the ouevre of a certain writer named Douglas Adams, but it should be remembered that this is no more or less important to the guide than, well, a game of Mornington Crescent.

To sum up, here's another quote from Douglas: "And when you write in something as simple as 'The coffee here is lousy!' the Guide will know exactly what to do with that information and where to put it. And if you see, a few seconds later, a note which says 'Yes, but the cheesecake is good' it might be worth looking round the other tables to see who you've just made contact with." [A550955]


[IMSoP]

For politeness to the rushed & lazy, here is a summary of my rather long post above:
Douglas Adams (known as DNA) set up this site (known as h2g2) as a guide to Life, the Universe and Everything, and included in that definition the makings of a community based around sharing information. Therefore I see nothing wrong with as many people as possible using this as a place to meet and chat, although it would be nice if we could also tap their knowledge - whether or not they have heard of Douglas Adams.

In answer to a discussion above, the post-BBC-takeover software that runs h2g2 plus other things is called DNA in homage to h2g2's late founder.

[IMSoP]