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

Hi Toy Box,

I've edited your wonderful Entry, and the results are here: A27125840

As you've not posted in the last week, and the editors are desperate for material, I've returned it to them. If you think I've misunderstood anything and it needs further changes, then I'm sure the curators will be able to do them.

I hope this is OK. Don't forget to subscribe to this version so that you catch the conversations when it hits the Front Page.

Icy

I always thought authors are automatically subscribed to the edited versions of their entries.

Again the new version looks better

Let's point out a typo first:

"he first introduced primitive terms.....straight lines)", there is an extra parenthesis



And now for nitpicking:

(Here I'm not sure, I leave it up to you) "When Euclid wrote his Elements" - would "When Euclid wrote the *Elements*", with italicised title, sound better?

"figures shouldn't be drawn at random, and we will give a precise" - I quite liked the semi-colon instead of ", and". Why did you replace it? (I don't mean you need to put it back, I'm just curious. This might be due to a different use of semi-colons in French and English, or just my amateurism in typography)

"However, if you are drawing a picture it is advised to also draw the sides because it looks better." - Maybe "Of course" instead of "However" would be better.

"For example, THIS is a constructible number" - there is a link to a W*kipedia image, but I would gladly devise my own constructible number if required.

Also, a remark of Big Al made me think of the following: should we also include a little paragraph in the end inviting the readers to suggest constructions (or ask for details) in the forums below? After all, involving everybody was one of DNA's initial ideas of h2g2

Hi Toy Box - I could have guessed that you'd appear if I returned it to the Eds!

The typo - well spotted! I'll drop a note to the curators shortly.

On the nitpicks:

Maybe "When Euclid wrote Elements" would do?

Semicolons: It's a judgment call, really. I prefer a conjunction here, but I'm not too bothered either way, and we can mention it to the curators.

"Of course" rather than "however": Yes, I'm happy with that. I'm not a big fan of "of course" as it can seem dismissive (but it's not here).

I'd prefer to leave the Wikipedia number for the moment - it's a good example, and it's difficult to format those in Guide-ML.

I don't agree with the paragraph at the end, for the same reason that we had to remove a similar one from the Nicknames entry. The vast majority of readers are lurkers and have no intention of signing up and leaving comments. I wanted to keep it, but this was the Editors' decision in the end.

What do you think?

Icy

You're lucky, I'm popping in almost every day. Not for next week though, I'm away (or back) to Germany for a conference talk.

Hi Toy Box - I could have guessed that you'd appear if I returned it to the Eds! laugh

Maybe "When Euclid wrote Elements" would do?

As you wish, for some reason the possessive struck me as odd this time

Semicolons: It's a judgment call, really. I prefer a conjunction here, but I'm not too bothered either way, and we can mention it to the curators.

Don't bother them with this, it's not like tampering with a piece of poetry.

"Of course" rather than "however": Yes, I'm happy with that. I'm not a big fan of "of course" as it can seem dismissive (but it's not here).

Yes, "however" makes it look like an unfortunate restriction.

I'd prefer to leave the Wikipedia number for the moment - it's a good example, and it's difficult to format those in Guide-ML.

I meant that I could produce one in a pdf file with no effort at all. heaven forbid, I don't want people to believe we are copying Wikipedia

I don't agree with the paragraph at the end, for the same reason that we had to remove a similar one from the Nicknames entry. The vast majority of readers are lurkers and have no intention of signing up and leaving comments. I wanted to keep it, but this was the Editors' decision in the end.

Indeed indeed. Actually I had not even noticed it had been removed from the Nicknames entry. However, maybe it could work as an incentive for people to register, or for registered lurkers to write a comment? But let this be a topic for a separate discussion, I'm not trying to make a revolution in h2g2.

The problem with creating your own PDF file is where do you host it? Wikipedia content changes, but it should be a fairly stable host site. I have no worries about linking to Wikipedia in the right circumstances, and I see no problem with this.

Thinking about it, there's no reason why h2g2 shouldn't host our own files for links, is there? Maybe it's another subject for debate...

I'll write to the curators on the other points.

Did I mention earlier that I really enjoyed the Entry? I was never really interested in geometry before, but I found it a fascinating introduction.

Have a good trip to Germany!

Icy

Hosting the file? I thought that the internet worked with little imps

Thanks for the comment

Hi Toy Box,

Just to say that the Eds have incorporated those changes now.

Icy

Not strictly part of this conversation, so forgive (please) A matter of interest, as my Master is/used to be a mathematician (once>>always??) but can't do 'sums'. Do M'ticians regard arithmetic as a world apart, or do I have a phenomenon on my hands? Or perhaps he expects numbers to do themselves up, much as he expects the bed to make itself.

Forgiven

So, I'm not sure I understand your question, so I will try to answer in several directions.

When you say he can't do 'sums', do you mean that he is bad at computing with explicit numbers? Alas, this is a frequent trait among mathematicians, they are quite bad at that for some reason. Maybe they try to use some fancy rules to, ahem, simplify computations? Maybe non-scientists just take more time and write out all the details of the computations, so they get it eventually right? In any case, don't let a mathematician be in charge of the score-sheet when you play cards with one

On the other hand, Arithmetic is also a world apart in mathematics. Or rather 'Number Theory', actually: it is considered very difficult and very prestigious (maybe because of a very long history starting with the Greeks and continuing all over the ages with big names such as Euler, Fermat and Gauss).

It has the amusing particularity that you can always understand the statement of the results, but the methods can be very obscure.



So you are new here? How did you discover this site?

That's fine. It looks as if he's almost normal!

I zapped on the communications of my ACE-person, to see to whom he or she'd been talking, and found your bit. Sorry to intrude, but I find the whole concept absolutely fascinating, and one day curiosity is going to kill this cat. I'm far too old to be considered computer-literate, but I can do what I want to do. Mostly.............

Nice chatting to you. Happy New Year.

PS: I tried to put (s)he, but the wretched thing defied me, so had to tolerate the clumsier option!!
HicDig

You're not intruding, really I'm always happy to see new people popping by. Curiously enough, it must have been the first time I posted anything on Feisor's space

Anyway, branching out from your ACE's conversations seems a good idea (I think I did it too). H2g2 seems such a huge place at first!

I'm a fan of 'he or she'; the alternative s/he, (s)he or sie don't really do it.

Happy new year to you too

It's amazing to find all these friendly people! I was a little nervous of spreading my wings, so to speak, and thought Feisor's place was the best for starters. I could always run home in a tizzy!

You seem to share my own preference for the formal touch (in pronouns at least!) This has led me into some awkward situations in the past, but who cares.

Off for a spell at our 'Shed' tomorrow, where I shall bone up on the smileys I've copied to a .doc page. Master permitting..
'Bye. HD

I love languages

So should you be called seraphic 'Two Sheds' Digitalis now?

Wow, a happy newbie!

We should have them stuffed and placed in the lobby.

Happy New Year, all