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

But writing is art isn't it? Even if you write a scientific paper which I did once you still have to decide which word to put in front of the other. There are no rules.

But also its about what you decide to write about. lets be honest there's plenty none of us would dare write about here.

I've been trying of late to express some stuff honestly that is fairly autobiographical. Not especially experimental in style though.

But everyone can write autobiographically.

There's a whole English tradition of diary and journal writing.

I think this could be a specific feature of this site.

Then people could take one of those aspects into the guide..but only after they had been quite playful and uninhibited in exploring stuff that was important to them.

What will the situation be in noohootoo regading yikesing of posts in journals?

I just had one in mine yikesed and it feels horribly invasive. Its not like it was anything outrageous. And I'm trying really hard to use that as a very personal way to avoid hurting others on site generally.

Obviously if people write outragous or libellous stuff it should be yikesed.

But it makes you feel *unsafe* if people are going to be able to do that. I think more leeway should be given to journals.

Hello

I've been meaning to drop by here and have an off-topic conversation about ... anything really. And here we are, back on topic before I manage it.

>> What will the situation be in noohootoo regading yikesing of posts in journals?

Same as anywhere else on h2g2, posts will have to abide by the House Rules. I'm not subscribed to your journal so I didn't see it, but if you were venting about another researcher, then it could have been yikesed for defamation or for threatening behaviour.

It's hard when things like that happen in the spaces that feel more private, but everywhere on h2g2's on the open internet, so there has to be one set of standards across the whole of the site.

I know you find it difficult that your journal was yikesed, but we all have to abide by the house rules wherever we post, and this applies to you, me and everyone here.



I worry that you are expecting more of me than I can provide.

Some time ago I said that the Community Editors will keep alert to patterns of behaviour, and they will. But that doesn't mean that they will always assume that you are right. When you fell out with kea recently, that was not because kea was a bad person or because she was persecuting you. It was because your judgement went awry and you felt out with her.

So if you have problems with anyone's behaviour in the new world, yikes their post. Same as this world really, except that the Mods and CEs are members of the site and will know more about the context. I do believe that will make it fairer for all in the long run, but if your judgement's awry and you aren't seeing straight, then some times the decisions will go "against" you. I am saying this now so you are not shocked and surprised when it happens.

I worry this isn't want you wanted to hear from me. I do wish you well though. Please look after yourself, and look after yourself when you don't feel well.

Ben

You don't need to worry. i always like people to be up front and to the point.

There appears to me to be a lot of silly yikesing going on at present...especially at weekends.

I thought my post was within House Rules.

But its good to know the hard truth that journals will be taken as the same as elsewhere. It just astonishes me that people would bother to intrude like that on a journal. Others here have got frustrated about journal posts being yikesed.

But knowing how the land lies is always good.

And yes you don't need to explain the kea thing I'm 100% aware of my behaviour being in the wrong..

I am looking after myself.

And now for the post I meant to post but didn't get the time for.

>> But writing is art isn't it? Even if you write a scientific paper which I did once you still have to decide which word to put in front of the other. There are no rules.

I so disagree with that! Yes, you have to decide what words to use, but some words and sentence structures help make what you mean clearer, and some just confuse things. And it really can be very mathematical. And now I am going to have to look out for some examples. Luckily (luckily, ho ho!) my next job this evening, the one I as going to start at 5:00pm, is reading the first cut of my Literature Review, so I'll keep an eye out for examples.



I am glad to know you are taking care of yourself. I'd like to know more about what that means.

Ben

PS - my point wasn't "bad Effers was wrong about poor kea", my point was "Effers' judgement was awry for a while which caused a ruckus, and came back to bite her in the bum".

I really don't want to get into the kea thing. it's extremely complicated...and we haven't yet sorted it all out between ourselves yet...and reasons after 5 years of an excellent relationship.

I'm still very sensitive on that matter and also realisations about our relationship. I hope you can respect that.

***

Yeah have you ever written a scientific paper? Ironically I did for that caddis fly larva thing that caused so much problems for me getting into the guide...which never did

My tutor at uni told me the style expected. But I still had to decide which word to put in front of the other. it still felt creative. he thought I did a great job on it.

Maybe I could submit the purity of that for the noohootoo guide?

I'm more than happy to respect the kea thing. I didn't see that much of it, anyway, and I'm glad that you are both working on building bridges.



I've not written a scientific paper. I am writing a social sciences one. The social sciences are crazy, because at one end you've got self-indulgent-pomo w**k (did you see my journal - F1599166?thread=8272648 - created by the pomo generator but worryingly accurate) - and at the other end you've got economics and stuff that is 3/4ths equations and 1/4th intimidation. I try to write lucidly and hope for the best.

I didn't read your Caddis Fly paper, but I know you had a dreadful time in Peer Review. I do hope the Guide will be wider and more inclusive when the dust has settled after the move.

Ben

I'm really wanting to submit the full McCoy of the scientific paper..if I can still find the damn thing..I think it maybe on my bookshelf next to my Luton Town footie programme with Sir Alf Ramsay's autograph on it...i keep precious things together.

Actually I can't find the bloody thing. I'll look tomorrow when I'm sober.

Will things be disappeared in the same way on noohootoo?

It's just I started a message thread with someone today in a perfectly reasonable way to do with their unpleasant behaviour towards me. There were 2 replies. Both were disappeared.

Now its been wiped from the face of the earth.

I'm starting to think Tony Blair is now running this place. Will he be running noohootoo?

Well, we'll have the same mechanical tools, so from that point of view, if something like that happens now, it could happen in the future.

But you are asking about content, really, aren't you?

I strongly, strongly recommend that if you've a problem with someone's behaviour you yikes their posts and explain why it's a problem.

Sometimes you'll be right and their behaviour is unacceptable.

Other times when a Community Editor who's not directly involved takes an impartial look, they might conclude that the other person was harsh but fair, or that the other person wasn't talking to you at all, or that you are jumping at shadows for some other reason.

So what happens all depends on the situation at the time.

If you really want to take an issue to someone's personal space (and I recommend you don't) then open up notepad and draft it there. Then save it for 24 hours and - hopefully - sleep on it.

You wouldn't believe the number of posts I save to my desktop in text files and never actually post. And you certainly wouldn't believe the trouble that's kept me out of!

Ben

Yes i won't be that stupid again to do the civilised things and approach someone on their ps.

And I simply can't get my head around all the bureacracy of what to do about things.

I'll either stay or I'll leave is what it'll come down to for me.

Well, that's true for all of us.

There'll be no bureaucracy really, just a Yikes Button...

Well if the way things have gone of late for me I'll be yikesing a lot in the new site.

And even the subtle stuff I get a lot of I'll be calmly explaining in a reasoned way why it hurts.

Yep. That's the right thing to do. That way it'll get passed to the Community Editors.

I got in a panic earlier when I couldn't find that scientific paper..and thought I'd lost it. But then what's one more thing to lose?

But I've found it and will submit it for the guide for noohootoo.

I would hate to lose any of my academic stuff. I've lost the soft copies of some of my assignments, but I do still have the hard copies of them all.

I'm not sure where the best place to submit it will be. For the time being the Edited Guide will be the same, though we do hope to extend it to include a wider range of genres. If you've your heart set on the Guide, then hang fire for a while. If not, then Dimitri and Bel in the Post, perhaps. There will be other places too.... more will be revealed!

Good to see you feeling better.

Ben

wherever a scientific paper fits in best will be fine by me.

I don't call it pomo. I only came across that term used on h2g2.

I like post modernism in relation to the arts. Modernism was all about the big male heroic artist. In the Arts post modernism has allowed lots of female artists to come to the fore,

The narrative is fragmented in postmodernism...so that language itself is questioned.

But I don't know if you are familiar with the French philosopher Jaques Lacan..who re-wrote Freud but in terms of language. Language is always to do with the phallus.