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

Hey DT! Thanks for including my bit about Corpus Christi driving. Just one question - why didn't it get its own blue divider? This isn't a complaint, it's just a question.......

Where is Corpus Christi? From the way the post was I assumed it was in Texas somewhere, hence its inclusion in that section. If that's not the case then I'll amend the article as necessary! Please let me know. (I have a feeling I may be missing something here ...)

You aren't missing anything - Corpus Christi is in Texas. I mentioned the blue divider thing because there were other U.S. cities that got dividers, but now I see the reason. The section about Chicago is the only item for Illinois, for instance - sorry about the confusion!

Hey DT! This has nothing to do with the driving article, but I figured it would get your attention......

I was all excited about writing an article about Mystery Science Theater 3000. However, I did a search before I started, and found a brief but well-written article that would appear to be slated for acceptance (since you are listed as the editor).

Here's my question: would it be a waste of time to write my article? I was thinking of focusing on some of the details left out of the article - specifically, the types of movies shown and the cast of characters. Would there be a shot at getting this added to the article? Should I let you know when I get around to finishing it?

thanks in advance
tvf

Write it and then give me the URL. I will then add any salient points to the currently accepted article and include you as a researcher. I also thought the current one was a little brief, but my policy is to accept well written articles and hope someone stumbles upon them and offers to expand them -just as you have

Thanks DT. It may be several days before I can finish it, but I'll let you know.

I lied - I'm finished already.
http://www.h2g2.com/P159662

Okay, thanks. Give it a week or so and it'll be combo'd!

Hi DT, I was quite interested to see the way a completed page would be laid out, especially with the way the information was collected. Well done: easy to follow and well constructed.

I'd like to add a bit to the Vancouver entry that's just occurred to me: motorists appear blind to stops-signs on street-corners....probably because they're actually about 3-4 metres from the corner, just before the sidewalk happens (theoretically, the motorist stops, allowing room for the waiting pedestrian to cross unmolested).
The reality is that 98% of motorists will roll through the stop-sign and actually stop dead just before being struck by an car approaching from the nearest lane. Many don't stop at all if there's no need.
This is as true for motorists entering main roads from sidestreets as it is for those on sidestreets - which many treat like main roads.
Of course, if anyone questions this behaviour, the motorist will swear black's white that they stopped at the stop-sign and not when forced to by a collision.

I've also visited your web-site and was quite intruiged by the idea of presenting a browser-specific edition for each user....never come across that before. Do you think that might work well for a commercial site as well?
While I'm refining HTML, I'm going to start on JavaScript, DHTML and XML, and am interested in any radical ideas for presentation styles.

Fruitbat

Something I forgot to add:
Will any of the information in this forum be used as research material for a forthcoming computer game? There's a huge difference between what's taught in driving-school and what people really do. From what I've seen of computer-games, the unpredictability-factor is what's most important; modern motoring, especially in a foreign country-located game, would be tremendous both as a game and as a teaching aid... although there's probably no money in something that sensible...

Fruitbat

Wow, in the nick of time. I'll be throwing the latest version of Driving Etiquette Mark's way in a couple of hours!!

As for the web-site, browser specific versions were the only solution at the time as every one of them lays out frames differently (curiously, IE on PC is the only one that is 100% accurate - the Mac version is also very close. Netscape doesn't have a clue - try clicking the wrong version to see what I mean).

The site was originally supposed to be Shockwaved, but I never had the time to sort this out - then only one version would have to be made.

Also, a script could be written in JavaScript that when you click [Enter Here] it checks for platform and browser and goes to the correct version automatically. Again, I just haven't got around to that!! Either that or a Shocked/Flash version would be better for a commercial site, although I imagine a few links would also be fine, so long as people knew which browser they were using!

>While I'm refining HTML, I'm going to start on JavaScript, DHTML and
>XML, and am interested in any radical ideas for presentation styles.

I haven't found much of DHTML all that useful - it's not cross-compatible. If you want to add interactivity, you'd be better off getting Flash or, if you can afford it, Director. XML doesn't work in Netscape yet, although it will in version 5. However, very very few people ever upgrade their browser, so it remains to be seen how successful it'll be. JavaScript is, IMO, pretty good. It is actually quite powerful, and I don't know why so many people are against it - I guess one too many people did the annoying scrolly message thing. It's useful for basic interactivity though (mouseOver's, prompts, forms, etc).

Check out http://www.mediaboy.net and http://www.matinee.co.uk for good examples of alternative styles. Also, check out Shocked Site of the Day ay Macromedia's site http://www.macromedia.com

Hey Dancing Tree! Thanks for including my stuff on the MST3K article. One tiny favor though - could you replace the last two sections (Professor Bobo and The Observer) with the more current sections I have in my article? Hardly anything's changed, but the observer stuff is more accurate.

http://www.h2g2.com/A159662

Appreciate it!

I've sent the changes to Mark, and I believe the article is now flagged to go up this Friday (24th).

Thanks

Better in under the wire than forever cursing a near-miss.

This news about JavaScript over DHTML is interesting; I've been perusing the shelves of computer book shops and there's far more about JavaScript (and its various incarnations) than there is about DHTML. As I've already got the JavaScript Bible, and it comes with a complete tutorial (in addition to a web-site that delivers that and more) I'm probably covered.

I think JavaScript will be next on my learning list, then. Most savvy-sites use it and it appears to have a great deal of power. While in Infotec, we were required to buy Director 6, and then the upgrade came along in time; I've got both on the harddrive, although I could really do without learning Lingo.
I also have Flash 3 and am saving pop-bottles for the upgrade to 4; from what I understand, 4 is really neat.
When does Netscape 5 come out? I'm using Communicator 4.6 (although the wrapper says 4.8).

Thanks for the feedback.

Fruitbat

NN 5 is out at the end of this year.

As for Director, learn Lingo - at least the anim stuff. It's very worthwhile, and you'll soon find that you can do so much in Shockwave that you can't even do in Flash.

Even though I've not played it, most of the X-Files computer game was authored in Director...

Interesting...and what manner of man are you that can summon up fire without flint or tinder?

Okay, I'll go back to Lingo; I never really did much with it anyway, I just found its mathematical nature far too much...


Fruitbat