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

That made me laugh.

I guess I often think that people have been on h2g2 much longer than me because it took me so long to get involved with everything, whereas all the (mostly) younger native speakers didn't have to surmount the hurdles like language and no idea about the internet and jumped right in.

To be fair, I think I did first register on this site in Sept '02 (with a U-number starting with 18), though this account in Jan '03. I had been lurking around without doing much for a few months. But then I exploded a bit in activity. There's nothing quite as exciting as something new and I can remember the excitement I felt about this place that first year.

I never had language issues to overcome, which is good because I'm awful at foreign languages. But even over the internet there is some culture shock between US and British natives. I'm still getting used to it a bit.

When did you start to get more involved?

I think that was in January 2006, when I told Natalie (at the winter meet) that I'd like to become an Ace. My first guide entry was a bit later, but not much, I wrote it in February of the same year.
And in July three years ago I got really involved:

F127730?thread=3222757

I think you were a scout at the time, too, but I don't remember it exactly.

Jan 06... I think I was a scout around that time, yes. Being a scout was the only scheme I was ever really interested in, other than the UnderGuide, but I have had some... *ahem* differences in approach with other scouts.

The question is, would you do it again?

Being a scout, you mean? Yes, if I had the time to dedicate, why not?
Trouble with me is, I do things 100% or not at all. Or at least that's my aim, and if I see I'm far off those 100% with no chance of even getting near, I stop. That's why I stopped scouting: I just couldn't read AND comment on enough entries to make me feel I deserved the badge. (That it is still on my PS is probably due to the bug or whatever).

Would you do it again? I take it you're more 'mature and sophisticated' now than you were back then?

Well, that's the point. Could you have used your time more effectively or done something better?
As for me, I sort of wish I had been more selfish with my time... more time writing and less reading, commenting and arguing about the wording of help pages for the UG. I've discovered, since that cold January day () that writing has been the most rewarding and stimulating thing I've found to do with myself.

Getting really into writing took until the Stretcher, actually.
I needed my the time I did scouting and subbing to improve my: English, writing, understanding...

It wasn't a conscious process, but if I look back, I see that the time wasn't wasted at all, on the contrary. I couldn't do what I do now without it.

I started writing my Post column in January 2007 (what is it about winter? ). I never thought I'd still write it two years later, that was never my intention. In some ways, it prepared the ground for my forays into the AWW - that took 'only' two further years.

It's because I watch the terrain first before I decide what to do.

Probably wise. I wish I had done that more here.

I must say I'm impressed with how expressive and effortlessly clear you seem to be in English, it not being a native language of yours. I say that, again, because of how poor my other language skills have always been (Latin and French). There's no doubt that you're much more capable with the language than a lot of English native-speakers. But that's probably just as much a reflection on them as on you.

Of course, if I were you, I would have preferred to master my English on an American website, so I could learn how it's properly used.

(only kidding!)

Maybe it's an age thing (the watching) as much as anything else.
I was 41 when I joined here, and the medium internet was completely new to me (apart from emails and the odd google search for something).

If you'd read some of my first posts here, you'd notice how clumsy I was in expressing myself, using odd words (something I still do occasionally), wrong grammar... but my spelling was correct.



I'm sure if you'd been a member of a similar website in French for that long, your French would be very fluent by now. You're the educated type who strives to learn, plus you like to express yourself in a coherent way. It is something that isn't given to everybody and I try not to be a snob when I come across really poor English (from native speakers). I'm not always successful, mind.

If h2g2 had been an American website (and I didn't realise it was British when I joined), I would now have much more insight into American culture and language, which would be nearly as well.
I say 'nearly' because it is unlikely that I'll ever go to America, whereas I've been to England various times now, and it helps to have a deeper understanding of what's going on there.

Practically everything about my first few years here is now embarrassing to me. It's natural; you just had a different, greater adjustment to make.

I don't know. I only got by in French when I was in school by making friends with the teachers so that they would go easy on me. I don't know why, foreign languages have just absolutely never come easily to me (along with math and science). The vocabulary is easy enough, so I can get an *idea* of what a sentence says just from the words, but I can't string a coherent French sentence together to save my life.

I like the fact that it's not all Americans. I interact with Americans enough on a daily basis. Plus, if this was an American website, practically all of my entry ideas would be taken.

You made friends with your French teachers? That worked?

Must have been your large head and bright blue eyes then.

I don't think practically all of your ideas would have been taken. The persidents, maybe, but what about your language project?

That reminds me: I though of you last week. I did a bit of window book shopping at our local book store, and discovered a book titled:

Hobo Blues: Ein amerikanisches Nachtbild von William T. Vollmann und Thomas Melle (there is no German word: Nachtbild. It means as much as 'picture/image of the night)
(original title: Riding Toward Everywhere)

I thought there aren't probably very many people here who know what a 'hobo' is (but maybe that's just me who was ignorant until I read your entry, and everybody else here knows).

I always made an effort to befriend instructors in subjects I struggled with, and I usually argued a lot with the history and English instructors. I think that was a pretty good balance.

Probably 80% of my entries are American history related (I just made that number up, but it sounds about right). I kind of like that I've been allowed to fill in so many gaps and write about the grand story I'm so interested in.

Hobos are very interesting. You should get that book. I didn't use any book for my entry, because I don't know of any good ones. But I'd definitely read a book like that.

When I wrote that entry, I found out there was a Supreme Court Justice that was a hobo for a time. I've been meaning to order a biography I found about him from Amazon for a while now, actually. I can imagine the entry title now, "William O Douglas - Supreme Court Justice, Hobo".

I wondered about trying to order the original. I'm very wary of German translations (although there are good ones, but you never know that before comparing).

I'll think about it (critics are mixed, but the essence seems to be that it's more a navel show than anything else, although the photos are nice. )

I like history entries - if they're more than just a list of facts, and yours certainly are much more than that.

I'm not sure if or how many of my entries you've read, but they usually contain some history bits. I'm pretty sure that nobody expected the Karmann Ghia entry to be all about recent German history. It was the most difficult-to-write entry (well, the batteries entry comes close) so far, because I had to include all that boring techie stuff, too.

It's much more effective to write about broader history from a particular perspective. So, you took a car and considered German history in that light. I like that. A entry simply about German History would have been tough to rescue from the pits of boredom (believe me, I wrote this: A3851066).

The toughest entry I've had to write is an entry I'm still working on, and have been working on, off and on, for an entire year. Hope to finish it in the next few weeks, but I was thinking along those lines a year ago also

You'll have to post to EF to include Obama's election (I guess you could probably link to dmitri's entry about those elections).

You've started a year ago and still haven't given up on it? That's stamina. If I start writing and then stop for too long I lose momentum and never finish it.
What is it about then?

Or rather the inauguration, not the election.

Have you ever heard of Pickett's Charge? In the US Civil War, the climax of the entire thing came out at Gettysburg, and the climax of Gettysburg was this great big charge when thousands of southerners ran headlong, crazily, into an open field, unguarded from the enemy artillery, and died in droves. The climax of the Civil War - the climax, as far as I'm concerned, of American history, though that's a bit overdramatic.
An American Charge of the Light Brigade, if you like, though the only poem I've found about Pickett's Charge isn't really on the level of Tennyson's.

It's really a fascinating story. So many stories, really. I intended to research the entry over the course of a week or two, but I ended up buying and reading several books about it and watching a few documentaries, before I could even think about writing. Then I wrote about 20 drafts of the entry - I've written many more drafts of Pickett's charge than I've written actual entries in the past year. Easily.

I stopped writing most of this year, but I kept reading. So it's not been non-stop, obviously, or I think I would be closely resembling Jack Nicholson from The Shining...

You're right. I should post to EF. That entry ends saying we'll have to judge George Bush's Presidency. As if he is still President (Thank Bob...).

No, I've never heard of it. Gettysburg rings a bell, albeit a distant one. Will be interesting to read your entry.

I'm not good at history (or geography, come to think of it), so maybe that's the reason why I am so fond of 'history' entries? I like many things, but I'm a fan of Elentari's Romans in Britain entries amongst others), or Gnomon's Byzantium ones to mention but a few.

I can't remember details (ie dates), but still, I feel better educated for reading all those entries.

Yeah, I can't remember very specific details like dates either. I happen to think that the historians who can remember things like that are wasting valuable brain space when something like the date of a battle or coronation or whatever can be easily looked up.

I can't stomach much European history, unfortunately, but I am very fond of reading about ancient history. After American history, it's what I've read most about. Maybe it's because ancient history sets a foundation for all future western civilization, and American history sets the foundation for my life. But European history is just irrelevant bickering to me

You may have to wait a few more years for Pickett to make his charge into PR. Or not.

European history is absolutely chaotic. Just take Germany: there wasn't anything like a united 'Germany' until 1871 - which, in historic terms, isn't long ago. Shortly before that there was Prussia (in a union with Austria, and very powerful as the largest political and economical unit), and there were all the tiny principalities.
I guess I really should write a guide entry about Martin Luther (who profited of the rivalry between the various principalities), but I don't feel I'm up to that.