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

Hi Jodan
New thread : hope you don't mind, but the "Serious" one was getting crowded.
I feel moved to ask you a question, because I'm confused.
A few weeks ago you and others seemed genuinely pleased when you persuaded me to become a Miner. Now I read something "very tired and cynical" which just strikes me as a dead-handed closure of debate.
So - are you going to tolerate me questioning the way things are done round here?
Just tell me, yes or no.
I'm sorry if I stir things up more than you like, Jodan. It's because I believe we need to change.
Pin

Pin, how could I have not known you would shake things up when we invited you and celebrated your induction? Yes, I tolerate and invite it.

As for the closure of that debate, I find myself agreeing with you and nadia, and so I close the debate of the geographers in favor of nadia's argument - see F112262?thread=408688&latest=1.

That's why I throw these things to the miners... I need people to tell me I'm wrong and when I should be thinking things over more. I could stock the mines with Yes-men and people who agree with me constantly, but - above war, poverty, greed, disease and prejudice - I hate Yes-men.



No need to worry, Pin. You're safe. We do need change, and you're one of the people who can really help bring some change about.

Thinking back, what did you mean closure of debate? I think the debate on the Geographers is done because I told them to go off to the Post, but don't let me hinder other discussion.

Or you could just go ahead and call me a snob too. I don't know what I am, but it can't be far off from a snob.

I have to say I'm very relieved.
(short pause to unpack suitcase)
So where do we debate this stuff, Jodan?
I have suggestions, but I detect some concern on your part about tact - or the lack of it.
Where would you have me say what I think? Right here? Yahoo? Somewhere else?
Pin
(yours to command, my liege. Well, more yours than most people's, anyway...)

Simulpost...
You got me doing the snob-calling, maybe? That was nadia. Mine was the post below that one.
No - don't go read it. Answer the question, yeah?

You can email me anytime. The details are on my personal space under Contact me subheader.
Then I can forward it to Tube and Waz and see what they have to say. That's how most proposals are made, so that we can iron out some details before the miners chew it to bits.

Oh, and the snobbery. Yes, I read nadia's post correctly. I just didn't write that post quite as well.

You got, it Jodan. I'll work something up, and send it that way.

And you couldn't possibly be a snob. In your part of the world, they don't get that far west.

You'd be surprised how many California snobs I found.

Any progress Pin?

(this is a management technique called nagging)

You mean progress in sorting out the relative merits of MSN and Yahoo usergroups for exchanging databases?
...that would be a 'no' then...

(this is an anti-management technique called obfuscation)


Here, let me help you. You know the page in your handbook that says "the way to deal with unco-operative workers is to give them a task that focuses their ideas and harnasses their energies in productive effort"?
Well, check the bit at the bottom that adds "but first make sure that they're not completely incompetent"

I think someone forgot to give me a notebook I have a few 'Dilbert' Books. Will they do?

But needless to say, I have adhered to both rules as you name them.

I'm going to look at MSN now for myself...

I've set one up at http://groups.msn.com/UnderGuideLode
I'll email you with an invitation, if you will show me how this might work

Deal?

O..kay...

'Cept how can I show you how it might work if I can't get in and find out what it does?
If I said all this before, apols, but my previous e-mail is stored on a scorched computer (lemonburner indeed...)
If it's completely different to what I said before, well, that would be just typical, wouldn't it?

We want a group-accessible file in this space. Let's keep the application simple - it's an Excel spreadsheet. The first few columns are replicas of the AWW list fields. The last fews are the scores from the system. You remember the system? Hope so, 'cos my copy of it got fried...

Each miner/polisher posts, say, ten favourite Entries, either from AWW or anywhere else. We sort the list on the 'max of 3' rule etc (there was one of those too, yeah?)

And the master editor consolidates all these little spreadsheets into the main one, and we have a Lode.

Then there's two weeks or something when all UGers can contest the scores, then they're frozen.

Or something like that.

Honest sir, the dog ate my homework...

Pin

Hey Jodan
I have to go fix a meal or the Weddell will kill me.
She's very believable on these matters sometimes.
I'll be back in an hour or so.
OK? Don't give up on me just yet.
Pin

You have to be invited before you get into this. Same with the Yahoo Group. It keeps people from knowing what we're up to.

What kind of a name would 'UnderGuide' be if we weren't shrouded in secrecy?

Ok, so I assume you have some sort of a different email now. You email me, I'll email you back with an invite. I prefer to keep discussions in one place, so if nothing else we can use this to keep discussions from becoming confusing, if/when I invite more people to the group.

(in other words, h2g2's forums are nice for chatting, but email's the blood of the UG)

No problem Pin.
Things that require work are things I can be patient about.

29 minutes. Pretty good, eh?
(no, we don't eat out of the tin. It was nearly prepared already. OK, the Weddell did all the work, I admit it)

I see what you mean now. No, it's still the same e-mail address. I'll just rush off and fire up Outlook then, right?

Pin (wondering what this 'work' thing can mean)

I left. Not voluntarily, I took a cat-nap

Email sent.

Wo Jodan
Long time, no wotsit, yeah?
Thanks for the kind word for Gerrard.
So...you gonna draw on the fleece and board this bus, then?
And maybe talk that hick librarian into coming along too?

What bus?

Hypatia owes me a few favors, and luckily I haven't been betting my baseball team against hers, so I'm sure I can cajole her along. Wherever.

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