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

I've just come back from your page. I thought I'd try to visualize some suitably mobile something or other, but I'm no good. I'd never make a designer. I did notice you're still busy changing things. Your Pharaoh Ants article has moved to the top of the pile again so I had a look to see what you've done to it. The wasp link works now so I had a look at the wasp entry. Poor wasps! They do sterling work you know, eating aphids and the like. I'll say nothing of how, about 2/3 of your article has become a heading because you'll be well aware of that and may even have been editing while I was reading it.

How about some ants in camouflage combat gear parachuting down the page?

Parachuting ants! I like it. I'll work on it.

The Pharaoh Ant article is now in the editing process which is why it has moved to the top of the list. I no longer have an edit button, which is a shame because I'd like to get in there and correct the heading tags (the GuideML was perfect -- why'd they want to mess with it?). John the Gurudener (the editor) has also added some crappy footnotes and removed the scientific description of pharaoh ants. Dumbing down? And he's introduced some highly questionable punctuation. Since when has it been ok to put semi-colons before the word "and"?

I'm keeping a close eye on it. I may call for reinforcements in the near future.

If you're looking for reinforcements, I'm your Mugwump!

Slime mould link

http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/sci/tech/newsid_944000/944790.stm

Ta for the link Amy. Of course, being daft doesn't make someone a bad person, but I fear that slime mould may be brighter than some people I've met.

I've done my cicada entry. The draft's there if you'd like to have a look. Now I have to find out how to do notes and references in GuideML. Any comments or advice you can offer would be appreciated. I mentioned your long-lived leaf-cutter queen. It's bracketed at the moment, ready for when I find out how to do notes.

I'll read your Cicada entry after lunch. The GuideML tag you need is . It goes like this:

...my friend Salamander the MugwumpA great guy.. Visit his page...

This will produce

...my friend Salamander the Mugwumpª. Visit his page...

---- End of Page ----
a. A great guy.

Where a is the number of the footnote (this will be figured out autimatically by the system).



I have sent a message to Mark Moxon whinging about the editing of my Pharaoh Ants piece. I tried to resist but I really couldn't cope with those silly footnotes and the punctuation errors.

Any support gratefully received.

Amy

It seemed to have the desired effect. There is only one dodgy bit of punctuation now and I suspect it wasn't deliberate.



The article is now pending!!!!

Perhaps it will make the weekend slot.

Good news indeed! Doesn't it take a long time?!

So now they've stopped mangling your very nice writing style, I don't have to accost a guru or ace or fellow researcher of any description and shout "STOP MURDERING AMY'S ANT ARTICLE YOU BUNCH OF PHILISTINE FASCISTS" or anything like that, after all. Jolly good.

Thanks for tags. I'm off to tag and edit now. Maybe this time next year there'll be an edited cicada entry (more or less totally different to the one currently attached to my page).

I hope they leave your beautiful article alone. Submit it for Peer Review whenever you feel like it. It's ready.

That's it then. I've done it. Gulp!

I feel like that whale in the Hitch Hikers Guide, watching the big round ground hurtling towards him and hoping it would be friendly.

Anyway, the important thing is that you think it's ok! And that makes me feel more confident. Thanks Amy.

I hope you like it.

http://mcbrideweb.future.easyspace.com/sal.gif

It's a 265 wide by 218 high transparent gif.

That's beautiful! It looks just like me. I've added it to my page with a slight little fib. I've labelled it as my photo'. Nobody will ever catch me out though. It could be my twin. Thank you kindly.

My cicada article seems to have been well received so far. John-the-GURUdener and Crescent ACE like it. John-the-GURUdener wants to know more about brood distribution. I have a busy weekend ahead so I'll probably have to mess about with it next week.

By the way Amy, is there a definitive list of all the GuideML anywhere here abouts? I've been using your code from your previous logos like a knitting pattern for size and position instructions. I've found some GuideML stuff here and there but there must be somewhere I can find the whole lot together, mustn't there?

Hey Amy, 2 of my logos have been purloined. The Natural History Museum and Library logos have disappeared from my page. Is there a logo thief about?

Perhaps the server on which they were stored was down for maintenance.

Everything seems ok this morning.

Help is available at

http://www.h2g2.com/C801

Thanks for that Amy. I'll have a look at it after work.

I see my logos are back. That was rather distressing just before going to bed. Might have caused nightmares.

By the way, I've altered my cicada thing in line with John-the-GURUdener's suggestion. I've tried to alert them to the alteration with a message on the Peer Review page and hint that that's enough tinkering and I think it's finished. Do you know how I can tell when they're satisfied and it's entered the queue and I can forget about it for a while?

If your article is picked by a Scout (and we each have a day per month upon which we do so), it goes to Anna at The Towers for approval. If she agrees that the article should be in the edited guide the Scout will be instructed to leave you a friendly message in the Peer Review thread.

If your article hasn't been picked within 2 weeks, post something bland in the thread just to make it rise to the top of the heap.



Amy

I have painted a picture of the Wumbeevil.

http://www.h2g2.redhotant.com/images/weevil.jpg

Do you think he will like it? Is it too pink? I tried to do a tartan one but it looked silly.

What do you think?

Well, I love it. I don't think it's too pink. If Wumbeevil has any weevilsense, he'll love it too. So my guess is that he'll be very moved - if not paranoid, wondering how you managed to get close enough to take the photo' without his seeing you.

Have you seen Wumbeevil's animation of the birth of a Wumbeevil, on his page? I looks a friendly little chap.