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

I wrote like there was no tomorrow. Then I slowed down and stopped - I'd written about all the easy things, and the other things I wanted to write about would take a lot of writing - I didn't feel like it.

So I took to sub-editing and it turned out I was rather good at it. The BBC Editors saved up the really thorny ones for me to deal with, and since h2g2 became independent, I've taken my share of difficult entries, along with the 10-minute jobs.

Put I'm tired of sub-editing now. I've done about 410 entries, and some of them were not easy - one or two took me months of work. Today, Bluebottle's project on UK National Cycle Route 23 was published, although it hasn't been promoted on the front page yet. I had those six entries in my queue for nearly a year - but when I finally got around to starting them, there was a huge amount of work involved.

Oh, and I was a Guide Editor for a while, too. That was hard work, because I'm not good at delegating. I ended up doing a lot of things myself that could have been done by other people if I'd have been willing to wait a few weeks. So I Lived the Guide for a while.

I've one more task to do, as a curator. It's not arduous. I've identified about 200 entries that need the link to the BBC Music page removed from them. The BBC links have become unreliable, and though the Music page is still there, it no longer has much of any use on it. So I'm removing them all. That can be done whenever I get a moment, and I can do them 10 and 20 at a go. It's easiest done just by ploughing through my spreadsheet.

With that one exception, I've done everything I said I would. Now I'm going to take a rest. I don't know how long the rest will be... it could be a few days, or it could be for ever.

So what will I do?

I bought an interesting introduction to Proto-Indo-European a few weeks back and I'm reading it. This might lead to an Entry. Or it might not. Who knows?


I've now done everything I said I was going to do, so I'm taking a little rest.

So I feel now I've

Looks like I'm going to start my rest by rambling and repeating myself. Or did I say that already?

You got right ahead and repeat yourself. You're entitled.

You can say that again, Gnomon

(Oh, I see you just did)

Gnomon before you go ... could you consider writing a guide entry on delegating and burn-out

It seems you have been putting in a phenomenal amount of work and effort ... enjoy your rest

Here is something from Bertrand Russell (I plan to read it myself when I get the time)
http://www.zpub.com/notes/idle.html

Thank you for all you have done. Many people will benefit from the tidiness, correctness and accuracy of all the entries written here. I hope many people will continue to come and read them, too.

Thank you, Gnomon

There will be a waiting for your return


lil x

Great article by Russell! "I think that there is far too much work done in the world, that immense harm is caused by the belief that work is virtuous, and that what needs to be preached in modern industrial countries is quite different from what always has been preached."

He certainly was witty and hard to refute, even if his life choices were tragic.

But congratulations Gnomon! You were my first guide and inspiration here, and I am delighted to know you however slightly in RL.

I have tried my hand at subediting and crashed spectacularly on the minor arcanity of the process. Your achievements are simply flabbergasting.

You definitely deserve your rest.

Since I left I've found other interesting things to do, so I hardly ever even remember h2g2. (I do remember my friends, though.)

glad to hear that Bel

Oh and enjoy your rest Gnomonyou deserve it and make sure you don't forget your friends either.

for your return as and when.

GB - also semi-retired.

Well-earned, Gnomon.

I've now finished that Curating work, tidying up the BBC Music links. Just in time for the long weekend.

Good!

And enjoy the .

TRiG.

clink!

The sun is shining too! enjoy!

Enjoy your bank holiday weekend!

Now all you need is decent weather.

Certainly no chance of that here, although yesterday, Thursday, Corpus Christi, was a holiday here and the sun soldiered through the day quite nicely thank you. No rain till night time. And it still hasn't stopped. I'm wondering whether to start building an ark.