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

how ru today sam u ok hun??
hope so

Oooops...

It seems that I have neglected this thread for far too long...

Hi everyone...

No gems today I'm afraid... Not that I haven't seen any, but because I haven't got the time to look for the links right now...

Emmily's entry regarding PCs for Digibox Users is starting to look rather good...

Quite a lot of useful infos there...

So, it might be time to intensively plug it...

Here is the code for the advert to put on your space and/or any other pages you want/can/etc add it on:

<SMILEY TYPE="wah"/>Desesperately Needing A PC?!<SMILEY TYPE="wah"/>
<SMILEY TYPE="magic"/>Try <SMILEY TYPE="magic"/>


Or, of course, you could just add the link A2297667

Thanks in advance...

Another entry in the making is one regarding the Yahoo Group...
Some tips will be added so that people with an Activemail account can make the best of it...
[For those who don't know, Telewest email "service" does not make the use of a Yahoo Group straight forward...]

That seems to be all for now...

Talk soon...

loup

Hi Loup, I've added it to my page, hope that helps..

S

I'm sure that will help...

It can also be useful to PC users on a tight budget needing to replace their machines...

So it could eventually provide a service to a vaster section of the h2g2 Community in the process...

I know that I for one will have to look into replacing my PC pretty soon as it seems to be more and more unable to cope with my net surfing activities...

Talk soon...

And thanks again...

loup

I hope so Loup, but there is still something that concerns me, I'm sure there must be people out there who just can't operate a computer and are just frightened to try, you know the old phrase 'i'm frightened I press the delete button by mistake' well, we know that doesn't delete the programmes but if you've never used one it may be a bit daunting for some.

Is there any news on the Telewest front re adding hootoo to their existing services?

S

>well, we know that doesn't delete the programmes<

Actually, I have crashed a few PCs in my time by pressing the wrong key [ok I was like being curious and looking at things I was not supposed to but still]...

As far as I know the proposal has made it through an initial meeting and is now studied by one of TW's departments...
But it could take some time before an official answer is given...

The frustrating thing is that they are pratically able to implement such a proposal with their TVnet pilot thingy and all that in the past...

Making the whole BBCi officially accessible for their customers would be a good business coup for them considering that it appears that with Freeview people can access the net through their TV...

If TW take too long making up their mind, it might be worth investigating this other possibility [Freeview] and starting advising people to switch providers...

loup

The Freeview thingy seems too good to be true, my Mum and Dad have it but I must admit I can't see how you can access the net through it, they don't even have e-mail facility with theirs. Maybe you get better quality versions of it? and on the new televisions it comes as standard too. Telewest had better get a wriggle on or they will be too late, and that wouldn't surprise me one bit! Mind you if I had their problems I suppose the h2g2 access would be a fair way down the list.

S

I've got the info regarding Freeview by lurking on someone's space on here...

I might have to confess having done so and ask them directly about it...

Should not be too much a problem as they are ok...

Well, the more info we get regarding helping our friends coming back on here the better anyway...

-------------------------------------------

I'm quite in a good mood right now: I've got a great comment about an entry of mine I submitted to the UnderGuide...

Now it's fingers crossed for what happens next, but _at least_ that gave me the courage I needed for submitting some more in a near future...

So it's virtual for me tonight...

loup

Sorry for not replying sooner and i'm pleased to hear about your entry, i'm sure it will be brilliant, definately due a for that.

I've had people asking me about the Freeview so any info you can pass on will be great.

I've also sent you an e-mail as I have found somebody else who wants to join the Yahoo Group.

S

i'll join the yahoo group but plz can u email me 1st n explain properly how it works??thx

Alleycat... Yep, I've got some good feedbacks about it and I didn't even have to change a thing...
Shame that there is still not much traffic in the AWW though... I think that the Underguide is a great idea especially for those like me who prefer writing fiction...

Got your email... Will do the registration as soon as possible...

RE: Freeview... Should not take too long before I get some kind of news [hopefully good ones]...

WestMidsBabe... No problem... just need your email addy sent to
[email protected] [we usually ask for the U number as well but we know you're a friend so it's ]...

We usually explain how it works when we send the email telling about the registration... Don't worry if you make a few mistakes at the beginning... It has happened to the best of us...

Talk soon...

loup

Loup, I had a lurk on your page but I couldn't find your entry, wouldn't mind having a read if thats ok, could you point me in the right direction Please? I'm a bit embarrassed to say this but i'd not even heard of the Underguide until you mentioned it.

Will look forward to the Freeview news, it could be the breakthrough that people are looking for.

Thanks for adding Crazyhorse, it's sad to think there are still some out there who are with no contact.

WestMidsBabe.... I didn't realise you were not part of the yahoo group when I sent you the links, I should have checked..

S

A1141075 It's a kind of alternative "How to..." entry...

It was more or less a tester...
The next one should be even more alternative...

The UnderGuide hasn't been advertised enough yet somehow... But it is a relatively new thing so it's bound to take some time before it's well known...

The Alternative Writing Workshop [AWW] is where we have to submit the entries...
Some great stuff there...
I will add a link on my page soon anyway, but you can have a look at the entries submitted in the AWW by clicking on the "Currently in Alternative Writing Workshop" link on the right hand side of the entry...


Talk soon...

loup

Thanks Loup, s to have a look >>>>

S

Loup, congratulations on a very fine first entry, I loved it, I thought it was funny and well written, the way you took it from the believable, to wondering, to totally unbelieveable was very well done, I look forward to reading more from you in the future.

I have now subscribed to the AWW and I shall save it for a story before bedtime.

S

It was nerves wrecking until the feedback started to come in though...

I actually have two or three entries in the making [at the same time ]right now, but one of them is almost finished so, once I've got the links I need to make it informative as well, it will be cut and paste from Word to GuideML time soon...

, on my way to do some more ACEing for a while...

Talk soon..

Thanks again...

loup

i'm thinking og of gettin a freeview box soon there is also something called a bushbox that is supposedto give accesss

Iain, this is true about the Bush Box but from the two people I know who have used them they didn't think too much of them i'm afraid but I don't have first hand knowlege of them.

Lets hope the forthcoming news on Freeview will be the answer.

S

yes that would be be nice

That could be it...

I've just visited a website about Freeview TV...

Had a look at the digiboxes ooops meant Freeview set top boxes in offer and the NetGem one seems to be _the_ one for accessing the net..

I've cut out the bits about TV programmes and TV Interactive as it's not what we want to know right now [it will be the parts where I wrote blah blah blah ]...

Two things first: people will have to check [apart from having to make sure their antenna is good enough] if Freeview is available in their area [I will post the BBC site addy for that part in a moment] and they will have to dump TW for BT []...

Here is what they say about the NetGem:

" We reviewed the BT-branded version of the NetGem, and are very impressed with this little piece of kit. Installation was a breeze - plug into the TV SCART socket, plug in the TV aerial, plug into the mains, and switch it on. The box asks you if you want widescreen, takes a few minutes to scan for channels (blah blah blah), and then gives you the option to dial the net (if you have a phone line plugged in), to check for software updates.

[More blah blah blah here....]

Blah blah blah... although the remote can be used for Internet and email, the keyboard (free with the BT offering) makes all the difference.

We were initially sceptical about accessing the web and email via the TV screen and the built-in modem (blah blah blah), but setup and access was very straightforward. We opted to use an existing Tiscali dialup account, rather than taking advantage of the free account that BT offer. [some blah blah blah about connecting etc..]Once this was done, we could set up our own ISP and get surfing. The browser is remarkably well specified, supporting HTTP1.1, and secure browsing (using SSL2 and SSL3). And a bit more of blah blah blah here..."

The good news is that the box is less than £70 at the moment in the BT shops...

"s to get the link to the BBC Freeview site..."

Back soon...

loup