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

hi Ben I'm a ACE (Assistant Community Editor that you can find more out about at the Aces page if you want) and we greet new researchers to h2g2 and answer any questions that we can. You can call me Quille or any other name you can possibly think of...I will reply no matter what! Aww and I'm in IB too! (well Pre-IB anyhow). YAY!

First off, here are some links to help you around:

~The <./>Welcome bit</.>, which is somewhat obvious (considering it says welcome)!

~ Also you may want to take the H2G2 tour ( A317459 ) if you haven't yet!

~Some help pages for new researchers-
A725500 - is a Guide entry made made by Rocket Man
A719840 - is a Guide entry made by Feisor

A534953 - has a wonderful list of links made by Shea

There is also the <./>Guide-ML Clinic</.> to learn the computer language that many pages here are written in (it's alot like html I'm told).

After you've taken a look at the Clinic, you may wish to Spice up your user page using GuideML, so here's a page to help A690518

Also, the smileys are rampant upon hootoo (h2g2), so you may want to use some. To see the full list click <./>Smileys</.> there or you can click any smiley.

You might also want to check out <./>The Post</.>, h2g2's newspaper full of everything from serial fiction to current news updates ( A572979 )

Now, that we're through with that...Have some and and relax. Go as quickly or as slowly as you want...we'll all still be here tomorrow (probably). If you've got any questions, don't hesitate to ask by clicking my name at the top of this post (where you will be transferred to my user page with info about myself) or pressing the reply button. Also, feel free to ask anyone else here, most will be more than happy to answer, because everyone here is just so incredibly nice. Have fun searching through the Guide...It gets addictive!


Quille the

Thank you very much Quille, for your ACEing!

Good to hear that you are one person that I don't have to explain the IB to, where are you and what are you doing it in?
Thanks also for the links, I have been a bit of a regular of h2g2 for a while though, it is just I have only gotten around to registering today But I had no idea about the wide variety of smilies!
I'm afraid the problem with it now is that I have nothing to write.. well I have lots of ideas and silly little thoughts but none that a) would constitute an article or b) haven't been done before! I am sure it'll come, I might look around for resources on the IB on here and, if nothing is forth coming then I may decide to write on that! I have plugged it so many times at open evenings for the college I go to that I could just say all of the subjects without thinking, but there ya go
Hope to hear from you soon.

Ben

I'm in Florida (I have to go to a school 20 miles away to even be able to access the IB program..) I'm only a freshman, but my brother's a senior and has been in the Pre-IB/IB program since he was in 10th grade. I sometimes help him with homework etc. so I know somewhat about the actual program and not all the crap they tell freshman (though they are rather forthcoming). There's a yahoo users IB group and then there's www.Ibscrewed.com (or something like it) for IB resources if you need them. How bout you?
Aww yes, they wouldn't be much help then would they..They're great aren't they!!!? The community of H2G2 really is very interesting.
There's a few enttries on IB, but they aren't very explicit. MAking a real contribution to the guide is not necessary, and if you really want to, you can just wait until you think of an idea. Youc an participate in the community or just read until then. Also, the journal is a good place to write down those silly ideas so that you can build them up and other researchers can contribute their thoughts on the subject. You prolly know this, so I'll just be quiet now. I haven't yet made a worthwhile contribution to the Guide (though I'm slowly working on one). Aww yes and clubs are fabulous...perhaps I should make na IB club sometime.
I'd be very interested to see what you write about IB if you make an entry. I'm sure it will be insightful!
Hope to talk soon,

Hello again Quille!

Have written the essay on the IB, rather extensive and it took me about two and half hours thinking about it and writing about it but that is ok cos I reckon I can wangle it to count for creativity in the CAS section
What have been your best almost-contribution to the commuinity then (and don't worry, i wont steal ideas! lol)? Oh, and a question - you seem like an agreeable person and certainly a cool ACE to have and for this reason I shall probably keep on messaging ya but are you still in contact with your ACE? there are really friendly people on here but are they all as nice as you?

Hear from ya soon

Ben

OoO I'm gonna go read it right away! I'm sure it can count for CAS! I guess Creativity would be the closest category .
My almost best contribution? Oh I don't know. (I guess I didn't contribute so much as participate) Probably all of the clubs I'm in..er..I went around before I was an ACE and just welcomed people. 3 of them that I welcomed are now some of my VERY best friends on here. Also, I am a big participator in the League of Thundercats (which is basically all the members talking to each other about things and being in all the same clubs and having a couple of wars now and then. I even started a page for it). I also made some clubs, that sort of stopped working, mostly because I ran out of time.
Well I had two ACEs. Zog, whom I haven't spoken to since my first week on here (not that I don't like him, just that our activities don't correlate and he seemed a bit busy.) Then I had manda I didn't talk to him much earlier, but since then have started talking a bit more. So, I guess the answer to that ACE question is yes. I also talk to tons of other ACEs that never ACEd me, so ther we are . Yes there are! There's tons with a real sense of humor too (unlike myself). Most of them are probably quite a bit nicer than me, and won't continually say pointless things that bore the people they are talking to.
By the by...Do you know about the statistics page? It has some interesting recent H2G2 statistics on it if you ever wanted to know:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/classic/Info

Off to read your entry!

Hey Quille!

lol, thank you for your enthusiastic advocations about my article, much appreciated! I have spent a lot of today improving the look and changing some aesthetic text so it now looks and hopefully reads better! Hopefully it'll get into the edited guide which'd be nice. But that's my problem you see, i am too much of a perfectionist. I wouldn't be overly disappointed if not all of my serious works get into the edited guide but i would probably work towards it! But there ya go, certainly not a bad aim just a time-consuming one!
Glad to hear you have a lot of contact with lots of people and, if I become a full time h2g2 junky, I mite put some serious time into becoming an ACE or scout or something. At the moment that dastardly IB pulls me back into a full circle of work and more work. I am procrastinating wildly at the moment because it is the last day of half term.. i wrote up a list of thing i should do over the holidays but only half of them got done. Luckily the most important of them all (the (duh-du-duh) Extended Essay) got done easily. But I also have an english essay i should've done, i think it would be ok to do it for next week cos my english teacher loves me (last year she confidently told me that i'd get a 7 with ease).
Anyways, prattling on so i'll say thanks for the enthusiasms again and hear from you later

BenniBi

lol I remembered as soon as I posted that one up, i was going to ask you a question or two about gml.
First, in these sort of conversation messages do the gml tags work like normal? Shoudl you put the guide tag at the start or the body tag?
Secondly, in articles, when you try and put an emote such as < bleep > (sic) it asks you for a closing tag such as < / bleep > and then, the tag satisfied, it does nothing.. what am i doing wrong?

Thanks.

BenniBi

GuideML first-It doesn't work in conversation threads. Though I do believe that there is on nifty gadget that does, where you can put an intro at the top of a conversation.

The tags in an entry should read



all the stuff in the middle



They don't have to be capitalized but I do it anyway.

For guideML smileys the tags (such as ) <SMILEY TYPE="bleep"/>
Will give you a smiley. Also, if you are planning to write alot of edited entries you may wish to scroll down to the bottom of your page and look at where the edited entries are listed (bottom of the page if you are in Goo anyhow) and it should have How to write and Edited Entry, Writing Entries, and Peer Review Guideline links around there somewhere. They give you a general overall feel of what really is looked for in an entry (well at least the technical bits..)
Have you looked at the GuideML clinic by the by? I just figured out tables yesterday.
Also, if you'd like to see someone's user page in GuideML coding go to your address bar in your explorer browser and type in instead of U...testuserpage.
Ex-
http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/classic/testuserpage196603

That's mine, though it really isn't that good.
Hopre that helped

Aww yes. I used to have that problem, but lately whenever I do something I really don't care much. For example..I have now turned in 2 English poems for grades this year. They were both written last year and I do all the pre-poem writing work in class a few minutes before I turn them in. ANd I still got A's on them, so there. I'm sure most of your serious work could get in to the edited guide. By submitting it to peer review you have to do alot less editing and you get to find out what people really want, though it still takes a massive amount of time.
Yes. I can see that. You'd be good . Yay go you! What's your Extended essay on? an English teacher that says that is cool. Though, I believe her. I'm sure she won't mind! Perhaps you should join the Procrastinator's Society (then again it takes forever to get accepted and you don't do much, but it's cool anyhow). I currently have to write my research paper for inquiry due in December with 30 more notecards due this Friday, and I haven't even got a real definite topic yet . Aww well. What science are you taking by the way?

Heylo again Quille

You must have a natural talent to be able to get such good marks in such short time with so little (apparent) care! Good for you!

My Extended Essay is on "the effects of an industrial kitchen detergent on the inhibition of E.coli growth" which was very fun indeed.. well, not really seeing as my first crack at the experiment failed dismally and I didn't have the time nor the resources to do it again quickly... but ah well, it is all done now and ready to be handed in on Wednesday!
My sciences are Biology and I elected Chemistry (or the other way round) and I do them both at higher. I also do English and Maths at higher (yeah, four highers, am I stupid or what!?) and I do Psychology and German at standard.
Tell me about the pre-IB programme, I have absolutely no idea as to what it entails or anything about it in fact! Maybe you could do an article on it lol
Happy net-ting!

BenniBi

p.s. I thought about investigating the Procrastinator's Society but something else caught my eye so I did that instead

No prolly not. Crazy stuff that. Teachers insane.
WOW! I actually have wanted to do something like that at one time, but I can't be controlled so there we are..that down the tubes! Wednesday?...hmm I think that's a bit later than here...you should make an entry on it!
OI! both of them? I think I'll take one and do a Physics. Wait..they allow German in your IB? They won't do that here. We have some pre-chosen higher levels for us already because that's all our school offers etc.
Perhaps...it's basically a preperation for IB. 9th and 10th grades. In 9th grade you are required to take a class called Inquiry for a semester of your social studies class, where you learn study skills and all about the IB. You also do a whole bunch of time management, finding your best talents crap, and some busy work. The main aspect of the entire Inquiry class is a 1,000 word research paper on an issue or current affair (though not too current) and you have to do notecards and such all correctly in MLA format. Otherwise Pre-IB is sort of like any other high school class with tons of more work and harder everything. I think they try to weed you out. I'm in Spanish 2 Pre-IB with a bunch of Sophomores and then Algebra 2 and Bio 1 then we have English 1 and Inquiry and 2 electives.
DITTO!



What was that something else?

Or, on the other hand, that down the petri dishes.. dreadful Ben, shut up (absolutely just shut up!) lol..
I find it pretty bad that you have some pre-selected subjects because that just cuts down on the entire broad-base-ned-ness of the IB (which is what I thought the point was..) but I guess that it is all a matter of availability. I am lucky to be a part of the best college in the entire region I live in (which just happens t be the only college in the region to do the IB) and thus it is one of the largest. Although the IB is now only in the fourth year of intake (or in-patients.. no Ben, your humour isn't needed here!), every year we have had new subjects being made available to us. Our full quota of subjects is as follows:

English Higher(H)+Standard(S)
Maths studies and maths methods (S) as well as Higher Maths
Biology, Chemistry, Physics and Environmental Systems all at both H+S
Geography, History, Psychology and Anthropology all at H+S
French, German and Spanish all at H+S as well as Italian and Spanish ab initio (from scratch) at S and
Music, Art and Drama.

Quite a lot of subjects but some lessons (like Chemistry) are taken for both sets by one lecturer and Psychology is split so that standards and highers go to the first year and then highers only go to the majority of the second year. Works well with me in my second year
Ok, my girlfriend's about to phone me for our nightly natter, so will sign off for now and speak later.. probably!

BenniBi!

that other thing was anything else, hence procrastination. It was an attempt at humour but, as you have seen at least twice in this message alone, it just doesn't work. lol

please do not shut up!
Well, I talked to my brother (who is an IB senior this year so actually knows what our school is doing) and it turns out I was wrong. The only limiting thing our school has is Standard Maths and no higher level (Calc. or statistics are the standard level..). College? Eh..that like HS? COOLIO...our school rankings last year were as follow:
3rd largest IB school in USA
6th largest IB school in World
100% of students go on to college. With largest amount being determined by amount of students that get their IB diplomas, but our school isn't only IB, indeed only about 1/3 of the class size in each grade level are actually IB students. I think our school has had IB for 7 or 8 years.
I'm not sure about all of our subjects, but I don't believe we have IB music and Drama, though we definately have IB art and a kick-arse marching band and drama program that many IB kids are in. I also don't think we have higher Psychology, but we do have S and H Economics. We don't have German or Anthropology either. Though we do have Latin, which is supposed to become an IB available language next year. That's pretty cool!
Ok then ta ta..enjoy.
As for humor-It actually is extremely funny once I know that's what it is--->Wasn't going to laugh if you didn't mean it to be a joke. And also I think of procrastinating as more of a deliberate act, but all in all I think my sense of humor is lacking today. Please do keep up with the jokes my bedraggled unconcieving mind will finally get it one of these days (Also, I'm American. That should make up for everything ...Your entry looks fab!)

lol I made a mistake as well, our college doesn't offer higher maths to new IBers anymore cos of the disappointingly low scores that have been gotten in the entire of england. it isn't considered a good use of resources and so they now offer two maths standard levels and the chance to get an a-level in maths as well.
College isn't the college like it is in the US, it is the two years before college (or university as it is in england) which I think are your grades 13 and 14.
WOWEE to your stats - 6th largest in the world?? lol that'll impress our IB co-ordinator, that I am speaking to a pre-IB female, half way cross the world who goes to the sixth largest IB school in the world And 1/3 of all students is still brilliant seeing as our IB group take up what must only be about one fourtieth of the entire population. There are only 37 in our group this year and only marginally more in the year below.
I would like to learn latin, it woudl give me a great basis for what I want to go into (I wanna study Medicine at college/university) - knowing the roots for most of the words in the western world would probably help a bit!
And, lol, humour, funny... maybe. Certainly, spoken humour for me doesn't have that certain je ne sais quoi or.. I don't know... lol
Ah yes, American... the answer to all of the world's questions, whether they be "Whodunnit?" or "Who rules?"
lol, being American I am guessing you can't avoid the topical questions from us non-yanks like, do you agree with George W and the fight on terrorism thing? And so there ya have... you know, until you said that you were American, the thought (or distinction) had never actually crossed my mind. Not there is that much of a difference. But there ya go.
Lol.



BenniBi!

Oh..Well that sorta sux!
Umm..college in U.S. has many different forms, ranging from university to community colleges. Sounds about right to me, but you needn't go to college if you go to university.
It seems like it should be overstated...our IB senior class has about 140-160 kids in it, and about 500 that aren't in IB, but then again the IB class is somewhat small that grade...37!? that's small! Our school publishes a directory with all IB kids telephone numbers, adresses, e-mails, etc. for all grades so we can converse easily (despite our IB Honor Code [which I've been told is only in the U.S.] where we are only allowed to talk about school work [ANY school work] in school monitored by trained IB teachers. It really isn't followed very strictly
Me too! What medical field do you want to study? I wanna be a psychiatrist type with the 12 full years of uni..

Hmm..or 'who ruins the world with multiple commercialism and evironmental polutants'
Nope. I actually I haven't ever been asked that question by a non-American (and if you didn't know, in America 'yanks' are Northerners while Southerners are generally thought of as backwaters hicks...just I find that interesting). And I live in Florida..so I've got both the Shrubs of Politics here . G.Dubya came and hugged my friend's mom and shook her son's hand *shiver* And aww yes. I absolutely am ADAMENT in disagreement with Bush on his policy of war

Oh didn't get to finish that...
Adament in disagreement on Bush's policy of war...We seem to have 2 wars going on now. I understand the political needs of the war on terrorism so that Americans don't go insane (not too much is actually being done), but this war with Iraq thing is insane. It isn't even part of the war on terrorism..they're just trying to tie it in and it's still from Don Bush's reign as inept leader of our country. Bush basically said that no matter what intelligent people said he was going to have this war, which I thought was somewhat humorous...
If you can't tell yet, I despise Bush (the man that has trouble pronouncing the word 'egg', and actually have started making a book about things I hate him for.) Aww so do you agree? now you've reminded me of moose her humor so..

Heylo, sorry for the lack of posting, had quite a busy day today although it seems that i have done nothing!
The first three lectures i had free because of a lecturer's union strike so i took the time to go into my old school and get my GCSE certificates. GCSEs are the equivalent to the IB Middle Years program btw and I did mine about a year and a half ago and still didn't get the certs for them. what with uni interviews coming up, they might be important if they want proof of what i have done!
So yes, trying to remember what you said in the post before the one below this.. ah yes, no 37 i think is actually the largest year we have had, but it is a relatively unknown qualification in the UK, gaining more and more credibility as time goes by
The Honor code system? lol must be american, never heard of it. I don't know whether I would like my address and e-mail addy known to all of the IB people.. sort of a lack of privacy that might ensue but then maybe I am just being paranoid.. i guess with the smallness of the group, it isn't necessary - everyone knows everyone else anyway. I am one of the few people who, last year, shared a lesson with everyone in the IB (whether it be tutor or ToK needless), but I think I was the only one...
And to politics.. yes i disagree with war, both terrorism and the war on terrorism.. ying and yang may have had to fought to create peace but there is no ying and yang here, just some very angry people.. it is too late to shake hands though and that is what gets me. for the sceptic in me says that this world is f****d and the only way of doing anything is by ignoring it.. passiveness is the key. by not reacting to anything and not doing any further harm then both the war on terrorism would end (terrorists are just fighting for something that is theirs, usually) the iraq/pakistan thing would end because there would be no more stupid idiots simply blowing themselves up and peace would somewhat be attained... yeah, b-s.. i know, not gonna happen. But there ya go.

Oh I remember what you asked me, what area of medicine i want to go into.. It is funny that you are wanting to go into psychiatry cos i initially wanted to go into psychiatry/psychotherapy and I probably still would love to but at this stage there are so many options that i am simply overwhelmed by it all - i think that general practioning would be cool cos i am a perfectionist and thus would want to know everything, instead of one specific field.. but there ya go I already have a certificate for an "Introduction to Counselling" from the counselling authority here in england. I also have a website which is quite simple and allows people to use an e-mail addy to get to me if they want impartial advice or help or just someone to talk to (look i've gone into saleman mode!). it is (hopefully) still found at www.youragonyuncle2002.tk but that just redirects to www.geocities.com/youragonyuncle so, if ya like it puleeese tell people cos i haven't had much traffic through it recently, i want something to do! i really enjoy helping people, especially when i get it right. Do i assume that, as you are also liking this field of medicine that you have a bit of a talent for it as well?; do people come to you for advice and help?
I'll bet they do, you are very easy to talk to
Message me when ya have time, i think i'll copy a few more CDs (i have about 12 more to do! ARGH!) and then off to bed, happy days!

BenniBi

Just got home. It was one of those 13 hour days where I've only eaten an apple so far and have hours of HW (math, english poems to write, and 2 tests to study for), so I will post anyhow, but short posting.
WOW! That's quite smart thinking.. and it does seem as though you have done quite a bit today!
Strange...well the credibility can only help you though can't it, so that's another plus.
Well, you can choose what to include, but no reason not to really, I mean most Americans have caller ID etc and can either answer or not and get you back if they do. I help and offer my homework/tests to anyone who wants it (well ahve done)..I'm not ever confident they're correct though.
Idealistic, but I do agree. It would be nice wouldn't it? But then without war we'd have very little if you look back into history..human essence would be crushed.
COOL! Ok...I WILL go look at that site soon! *promises*
And yes people have and do come to me for most types of help whether academic or otherwise...still don't know why. They normally go away laughing or at the very least somewhat fixed. Love it!

Ooo wow! That's a way lot! What you putting on them? Sleep tight...

again that was so quick..if I ever find time I'll improve but midterm grades are ending this week so I'm somewhat screwed for time..

13 hour days? Don't like the sound of those! lol. Although, saying that, I have them quite a lot! what are your schools hours btw? Ours are from 9 in the morning to quarter past four afternoon. Luckily most of the students have a fair few free periods in that space and so they aint working all of those hours. However, IB works wonderfully at filling up those free slots.. naw aint that bad, sometimes gets to me though! I shall survive
And yeah, caller ID would work nicely but quite a lot of people in the UK don't have caller-id enabled phones (although mobiles are wonderful things! lol)
Agreed with the whole crushing of human essence (although other things might have to go with it as well.. too ideal and too unreal). Thanks for saying you'll look at the site, it's no big deal really but if you are having a long day like today and someone comes to you for help it mite be nice to, y'no, just refer them! But I am sure you cn work your magic over people, as much as you may deny having such magic! lol
And I am putting everything on those CDs.. well i did put everything on those CDs (not everything but a fair bit). I did 24 CDs in the end and have the widest range of music on them so i won't get bored.. i just have to find a CD wallet so that i can transport them eveyrwhere - that's where money and the weekend come in handy! lol.
Am very happy, seeing Bryher tomoz - haven't seen her for two whole weeks cos she has been away so i should be happy. she's also staying over the weekend (friday and hopefully saturday) so if i don't reply until sunday you know why!]
Hope you got all your homework done, mail me back with news and stuff! have fun now, be well!

BenniBi !!

Hehe..yeah they are rather awful. Of course I don't sleep, so there we are (not that I am an insomniac, but that I don't have enough time to...well actually I sleep a good bit-nearing 27 hours/5 days.) Our school starts at 7:35 AM (though I'm supposed to get up at six so we can get there in time, but I don't usually get up until 6:30 or :40 and we leave at 50 after getting there at 7:34 most days ) unti 2:40PM (but our school is crazily overcrowded [twice the population that should be there I think] so you're lucky to get out of there by 3:00PM. Luckily, I don't have to take the bus, otherwise my hours would be 4:30AM to 5:00PM until I even got home! So I'm rambling on again *chokes herself to make her stop* Hehe is it? I would never get free spots anyhow..most free time I have is lunch and that's only 40 minutes and all the clubs meet then and so do alot of other things, so it isn't exactly an eating period. Well, how many free periods do you generally have then?
Really? I think that Americans might just be being paranoid, not actually having it for useful reasons. Are there alot of telemarketers in the UK?
I did look, but I do need to go back and read it again as comp committed an illegal operation while doing so. (It's common practice, so no worries ), but I will... Aww well idealism didn't ever hurt too many people...
OoOo sounds like me . My last CD I burnt had everything from Antiflag to techno to Queen to humorous monologues...BUT 24? Hell! That's a LOT! I haven't even got that many on MP3! So what's your favorite kind of music? Indeed they do! (planning to write an essay and read a book during my weekend *chuckle* aww the life)
COOL! Where's she been away at? Two weeks? Gawd...long time! YEEHAA! Have fun my fellow IBer
at finishing Homework...