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

Is it too late to post queries here, GB?

in the context about altering the entry yes, you'd have to converse with the sub-ed, who is Gnomon U151503.

If you just want to ask me questions about the place I'd be delighted to have a chat

or ?

There are a couple of typos, but I am mainly interested to know why you seem so confident that the snails found in the caves were left by Frenchmen ("Proving beyond doubt that the inhabitants were French immigrants").

I do know that a great many snails (of far greater variety than served in France) are consumed by the Spanish, and that snails have been found to be part of the diet of early mankind in many parts of the world.

Also, I think it would have been better to link 'Spain' to one of Skanky's much more recent, thorough, well-written, etc suite of Entries - for example http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/alabaster/A27771348 .

I'd be delighted to have a chat with you too! Later perhaps?



ps I don't want to step on Gnomon's toes, but (knowing me) I will check the Entry again once it's Approved.

It was a bit of a stereotypical joke which I don't think has gone down very well, and probably will be removed by the Eds during final polish before it goes live.

Links in the accepted article I can't alter, even as a Curator, I don't have the "Edit" button on recommended or pending articles, only when they've been edited. If Gnomon passes them I can change them once live

Thanks for your interest and I look forward to our chat

I don't think the joke's insulting. (I twigged soon after, but it was too late by then.)

Siesta time!



ps It's snowing quite heavily in Madrid!

For anybody who is interested, the fact that the entry gets "referred to the moderators" when I make a change proves that it wasn't yikesed by anybody. There is some word in the entry that triggers the moderation.

There are two issues with this entry raised by Rudest Elf:

1. It is not immediately obvious that the snails footnote is a joke. If anybody can reword it to make it obvious that it is a joke, I'll use that wording. Otherwise I'll have to remove it, I think.

2. I think the current link to the Edited Entry on Spain is the most appropriate, since that Entry is the "title" one for Spain, so I'm not going to change that link. If that entry needs to be updated, then someone can update it, or curators can add links to it.

Slartibartfast last posted on 9th May, 1999, so I feel free to express my astonishment that you consider this Entry, http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/alabaster/A139493 , to be in any way appropriate. It is outdated, factually incorrect and, frankly, insultingly stereotypical.

If it's that bad, you should update it. It is the Entry for Spain.

I agree with R.Elf, that entry of Rich is far better and should be linked instead of the other, which I didn´t check this time on reading the Nerja entry, otherwise, I would have mentioned it.

I had read it time ago and my impression was more or less the same Paul has mentioned.

It´s an Entry unworthy of being edited, to be honest.

I'm going to leave the link as it is, but point it out to the Editors and let them make the decision.

I'll leave this here for another day to see if anyone suggests an alternative wording for the snails footnote.

I´m sorry to collaborate this way, participating in a confrontation that could be easily solved if we just read that Entry and think coldly whether it could pass Peer Review today. I bet it couldn´t, and surely you don´t need a Spaniard to tell you how ridiculous it sounds, not to mention all the false facts it also contains.

This summer I pointed to the Editors that the picture of the Granada entry wasn´t about the town of Granada. I did that because, first, it´s a good entry and the photo was somehow spoiling it, and secondly, I feel a sort of responsibility or attachment about the image of this site, and I don´t think that the picture was a good signal of profesionality or seriousness.

Now, I¨m not going to point anything, I´m doing it here, for the same reasons I´ve mentioned above.

Sorry GB.

No need to apologise Maria

Gnomon you can remove the footnote.

I'd also like the link changed to Skankyrich's entry, although I defer to you as sub-ed, and am happy to take the ultimate editorial decison. If I had time I'd update the Spanish entry but I'm afraid I don't

Don't apologise, Maria. I'd love it if you could update that Spain entry.

I'll bow to your wishes on the link, GB.

Sorry about the footnote, but the joke just doesn't work as it stands.

Sanity prevails!

If we really can't remove some/any of the early, hastily written Entries, the least we can do is to not draw attention to them unnecessarily.

We can remove the early entries. They can be marked as "Mostly Harmless" by the Eds, or they can be withdrawn completely if they are particularly objectionable. But you'll have to make the case for this with the Eds - I'm busy doing other things.

Thank you Gnomon