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

Hi Pegasus! I was updating the H2G2 Vegetarian Society to include a tribute to Douglas, and noticed the appropriate addition on your name. Thinking of you, it finally dawned on me that you don't know the BBC login for the HVS! It's "h2g2veg" and the password is the same as the old one. Feel free to log in and do some "renovation" if you are so inclined. We really need to update the "News" section one of these days.

BTW, I want to thank you for helping me find the Colour of Magic. As I said before, I thouroughly enjoyed it. Now that I am finished with my first year of college ("Uni" to you), I have time to catch up on some books, and I am reading "Small Gods" now. Terry Pratchett is great, and I want to thank you for helping me get introduced to him. Of course, right now its hard to think of any comedy novelists except DNA. I'm still getting over the shock.

Hi W. *gonna take me some time to get used to that... why the change?*

Glad you enjoyed TCoM... 'The Light Fantastic' is even better! I'm in the process of reading 'Mort', although truth be told, I've not read it for a while. Out of the books I've read so far, I like the ones with Rincewind in best!

On the subject of DNA, I expect you've already paid your tributes to his page (U42). It was such a shock... still is... can't take it in yet. I've made this t-shirt with his pic on, but each time I look at it, I just don't believe what it's telling me! The thought of no more of Douglas' books... no more of his foresight and humour... and his absence on the set of the forthcoming film... it's all too much to bear.

Have you read 'Last Chance to See'? If not, it's highly recommended. I intend to give it as gifts to as many people as possible, as I know it was DNAs favourite book, and not enough people are aware of it. I also recommend 'Don't Panic - Douglas Adams and the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy' by Neil Gaiman, which is a sort of biography of DNA and the Guide. It's jolly interesting and full of humour, although it may be hard to get hold of. Saying that, I've just remembered that Gaiman's American, so you may have more success in finding it in print. I borrowed it from a library years ago, and am currently searching bookshops for it.

Anyway... on to the subject of HVS. I read a short but interesting article on the benefits of eating Tofu recently, so I'll try and sort out a link for that, and a bit in the news section. I think the HVS home page could really do with some reworking, as it's jolly long and doesn't quite grab the eye. I've been snowed under with various demands on my time, and all the catching up to do since becoming 'computerised' again! Don't feel I've forgotten though... I have looked in, although not logged in... but of course, I couldn't have, as you say! How do you feel about my re-organisng the HVS front page? I won't dispose of anything, just re-position it, with suitable links and hopefully sort out the GuideML for those targets we talked about. If I don't hear from you before I get around to it, I'll copy the front page to a new page (so nothing is lost or changed), and then re-work the front-page.

I've taken on a project for the h2g2 uni (almost single-handedly unfortunately... I would've liked more volunteers), and also have some Sub-editing to complete, plus I have to (IRL) hand in two photographic modules (mounted photos & tech notes, essay and further tech notes, for each module) in June, PLUS I'm responsible for a lot of organising and admin for the school summer fair (also in June), PLUSPLUS I am possibly going on a South American expedition next spring... the list goes on! Hence, I'm starting to feel somewhat snowed under, but I have every intention of sticking with HVS, as it is something very close to my heart (and stomach), and I feel that our combined efforts will be something to be jolly proud of.

How was your first year? Are you on holiday/vacation now then? Any plans? Are you still using the zarquon e-mail address? I'll try and mail you sometime and we can catch up!

Take care and all the best. And always carry your towel with pride.

Pegasus ~carrying a black towel~

Yes, by all means reorganize away! I've been spoiled with direct internet connections for too long--I forgot how mind-boggingly slow my mom's computer is. It literally takes 5 minutes just to load my email! It won't be long before I won't be able to go online with it at all anymore (given the progressive nature of internet technology). I feel like taking out behind the shed and putting it out of its misery. That means working on the website becomes an all day thing and something that I can only do occassionally.

My first year of college? Great! My life and the way I think have both changed quite a bit in the past year. High School seems like a past life. Anyway, I've been involved in a lot of activist stuff and I'm really privileged to have been a part of the successful campaign to get an anti-sweatshop code of conduct and a monitoring system for Kent State's aparrell products. I'm the webmaster for that group's website (check my home space for the address--We wouldn't want to upset the gods of the BBC by disobeying their sacred House Rules again).

So go ahead and work on the website. I completely agree about the sprawl. Also, I don't know why the logo's not displaying--maybe that website expired. Maybe you could do something with the newer logos that whatshername made for us. Anyway, take your time. There's no rush.

Oh, and the name--I never used the internet much until I found Floor 42 a few years ago. When I joined there I didn't know what name to pick and I saw some other people picked theirs from the book, so I picked Zarquon. And then when they created h2g2 I just carried it over. But now hardly anyone has names from the books and it seems kind of silly (maybe even egocentric?). Besides, I don't really identify with the Great Prophet anymore. I've had something of a revelation of my own--but of the agnostic kind (sort of). So I figured I would go with the new nickname I've aquired of late. See, I have a great admiration (some would say obsession) for wolves. They are such wonderful and misunderstood creatures and they symbolize the wild majesty of nature to me. I contribute (mostly financially) to the wolf restoration project taking place in the Western U.S., and I have all kinds of wolf-related things I have received from relatives at Christmas. So my fellow activists have started to call me wolfman--and I figured why fight it?

I hope all is well with you and I stand in solidarity with you in your struggle against the tyranny of screwed-up computers.

Bye!

Oops, managed to miss some of your questions afterall. Yes I am on summer vacation and no I no longer use that email address. My new email address is [email protected] Er, is that against the House Rules? If it gets censored go to my home space, there is an email address there--but its not the one I prefer you to email me at if you can read the one in this post.

Hi then W. No longer will HVS go from ~A~ to Z!

The pics have disappeared because the BBC will only allow h2g2s own graphics on-site (in case others are copyright!), so they've been moderated away.

Sounds like you've had a busy and productive year. I realised that we can't have talked much since you went to college, and I can 'see' a difference in you.

Keep well. I'll e-mail you soon *adds item to very long list*

~A~