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

[Hope you don't consider this to be unwanted spam, but it seemed like the best way to contact Zaphodistas directly. If you've already signed the Petition, please consider this a THANK YOU note.]

In a recent column in the h2g2 Post, Fragilis noted that the Petition for Greater Freedom had collected 76 signatures, and appeared to be slowing down. Where are the 180+ researchers who signed the original Zaphodista page?

If you felt compelled to sign that first rant in order to show BBC how you feel, please draw your attention to http://www.bbc.co.uk/h2g2/guide/A544943 and consider signing this petition. It's toned down, it's serious, it bears a little more credibility because it was written and sorta "workshopped" by some non-Zaphodistas too (especially Lucinda/MyRedDice, the unwilling Thomas Jefferson of the Zaphodistas!). We even asked Peta for advice on how we might modify and finally present the petition, and she gave it!

Signing the Petition for Greater Freedom on h2g2 is the best way to show BBC how many people still oppose their extraordinary restrictions. This time, it's not about the Goo Berets or the Revolution. It's about the restrictions.

Thanks for your time,
Deidzoeb

Hello Deidzoeb,

I will read the article carefully when I get back from England on monday. I have not involved myself in this matter after the initial two weeks because I think that, although it is a good idea, it might backfire on h2g2. Furthermore, the movement's manifesto kept changing with regular frequency so it became a bit murky as to what we had all signed up for...

So yes, I will read the article and then decide whether or not to sign. I will let you know my decision in this thread whatever the outcome is.

In the current situation, with a couple of pretty aggressive new researchers on the block, I think we have to be a bit careful. Not your fault or mine, lets just blame it on the circumstances...

Thanx for letting me know, I'll get back to you in a couple of days.

CYa,

TM.

I understand a lot of people don't like the over-the-top tone of some of my earlier writings, but I don't think there have been any substantial changes to the main Zaphodista page at A520769 after signatures were posted to it. As far as I remember, there was one major change within the first few days of the page going up. It is the section linked to FOOTNOTE 2. I had thought that all past guide entries would be "hidden pending moderation." Jim Lynn corrected me, saying that old entries could be refreshed or edited again, and they would no longer be hidden. Jim's comment was made within 24 hours of first posting the page, and I made that correction within a day or two, possibly the same day. Please see the discussion in this thread http://www.bbc.co.uk/h2g2/guide/F63734?thread=102102 and note that both of those messages were posted on the same date that the main Zaphodista page was posted. Furthermore, the first person who expressed an interest in joining the Zaphodistas was Ormondroyd, two days after that correction was made. His name was not the first signature, which came five days after the correction. So everyone who signed did so after this one correction. The only other changes to the main Zaphodista page have been links at the top and the bottom of the page to other guide entries and to the Petition, adding names to the bottom of the page, and adding the ASCII picture. I do not think any of those constitute changes to the body of the manifesto or to the intent of it. Finally, there have been about six or seven people who later requested that their names be removed from the Zaphodista page. Most of them were angry over the ways I had behaved as the founder and main representative of the Zaphodistas. I don't remember any of them complaining that the manifesto had changed after they signed it. This option is always open to anyone who wants to remove their name, and I wouldn't want to coerce anyone to stay who didn't feel right about it. I hope this doesn't prevent you from signing the petition. Several people have signed it who are not Zaphodistas, even Mikey the Humming Mouse (who created some pages as a supposedly "constructive alternative" to the Zaphodistas). Signing the petition is not supposed to signify an endorsement of or membership in the Zaphodistas. I don't want to start any bad feelings here, but I do not think it is true to say that "the movement's manifesto kept changing with regular frequency so it became a bit murky as to what we had all signed up for..." I was very conscious of the potential for changing or misrepresenting what people had signed, and I don't think there were any substantial changes to the text of that page after the signatures went up.