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

Hello and welcome to the wonderful community of h2g2 , also called 'hootoo '
I am your <./>ACE</.> and have come to meet you and to greet you and to help you with your first steps on this site.
First things first :
, there's always somebody near to help you with whatever your problem might be. For example you can reply to this message and/or ask me a question by simply pressing the reply button. Or you can click on the name above this message, which will bring you directly to my Personal Space ( recommended ), where you can leave a message for me.

Here is the Welcome Message from DNA, the founder of the site: A157349

Emmily has created a shiny new page : h2g2 in a nutshell here A8468742


Feisor has set up a wonderful page with hints and links, so please, go and explore them here: A719840




Things you should know before you start :
This is an open forum, so everything you post can be seen by everybody else, and you cannot delete it, nor can you correct it once it is sent. This is where the 'preview' button below your answering box comes in handy
The only thing you can edit or delete, is any guide entry you create,( go here for more info : A53209 ) which includes the introduction on your Personal Space.
If you reply to this message and tell me a bit about your interests, I can most certainly point you directly to the best places to go.
This is where I would explain a few site-specific things, but my friend said it was too long, so I'll wait until you ask

Take your time, have a look around the site, and enjoy yourself
P.S. I'm certainly prone to having forgotten something vital to you, so please don't be shy, hit the reply button below this message

Bel

Hi Bel,

Thank you for your warm welcome.

My interests are

gardening, cooking, languages, natural history, ancient sites and buildings, Baroque music.

Have been a fan of H2G2 for years.

Sincerely,

electric Egyptian

Hi EE,
here are a few links to sites that may be of interest to you:

The Language Thing A1145477

Gardeners' Guild A3461898

The h2g2 Musician's Guild U150368

http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/brunel/Search?searchstring=cooking

http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/brunel/Search?searchstring=recipes

http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/brunel/Search?searchstring=romans

<./>thepost</.>

The Post Links Page A660304

For anything else, just use the 'advanced search'

Hope this helps

Bel

Many thanks, once more.

Shall get more involved as time goes on.

In that case, prepare yourself for a battle over the PC

Bel

Just bringing the conversation up to date.

Ooh, good idea.
So, how are you, have you managed to explore the site a bit more by now?

Yes, thank you. I have enjoyed finding a discussion on the Ashes on Radio Four. It was a pity that England lost and critics forget how hard it is to play to such a high standard in sizzling heat.


I find the pieces written by contributors on the main H2G2 to be very well constructed. However, I have to admit that I find the fact that posts may be used by the BBC in contexts not chosen by posters to be a bit overwhelming. I have worked in journalism and have developed the habit of checking everything from every possible angle, probably to the point of inertia. It has led to thinking about how any medium directs behaviour.

It was nice of you to reply so quickly to my post. Here's hoping your day is going well.

I happened to be online when you posted, which is why I saw your posting. An hour or two later, and I might have missed it.
I agreed to the Terms and Conditions when I signed up here (so did you, btw), and I haven't yet heard of any case where the BBC has used its right to use things people have written here, leave alone abuse it, so I'm not worried about that, to be honest.
I have heard that the cricket team had to do without quite a few people who were injured etc, and that the team which lost the Ashes was mainly composed of young players. There is a thread on <./>askh2g2</.> somewhere, if you want to join.
My day is going ok, tank you, but I'll have to go and cook tea soon.
Hope you're having a good day yourself.

Bel

Thanks, Bel.

I'm not worried about the BBC abusing my trust and I have no problems about having entered into the terms agreed. I'm surprised by people who get angry on chat rooms when they feel their freedom of expression has been curtailed.

Our chat has given me ideas for my personal blog, proving that dialogue is always helpful in leading to clear expression.

Tea is a very good idea. I'm off to make some sunflower seed and golden raisin scones.

Ooh, scones
Do you have a good (ie easy ) recipe? Maby I'd give it a go if it's not too complicated.

I don't really know much about chat rooms, do you have o agree to rules when joining them? My son once joined one which is thought for kids, there was a moderator present at all times.

The simplest way with scones is to find a very basic simple recipe and vary from day to day by adding different fruit.

I usually whip two or three eggs with about a tablespoon of honey or sugar to start. Different sugar gives different flavour. I no longer use milk, but a dash cream or mascarpone cheese gives a richer dough. This can be stirred into the egg mixture

Anybody using butter or margarine (about 1 or 2 oz) will get a very light texture if they grate it into the flour and avoid touching the dough. 12 oz of flour is a good proportion for the egg mix I describe. Self raising flour can be mixed with rye or wholemeal flour. (Proportions 10 oz self raising to 2 oz of a more robust flour.) This week's choice has been to add 2 oz brown rice flour as the weather is so cold. Semolina, as used in Middle Eastern confectionary, is a very good choice for children as it it nuitritious.

Mix everything together. Add raisins or any preferred dried fruit. Dip spoonfuls of the mixture into sunflower seeds, muesli or any grated nuts that one likes (if nuts are a safe option). Place on a preheated metal tray. If no coating is used on the scones, grease the tray with oil.

Bake in a very hot (preheated) oven for about 7 minutes and then reduce the heat to medium. This is a moment of personal choice, as starting the scones off in a medium oven can give a different texture. Experimentation is part of the fun. Keep an eye on the cooking process, as this varies with humidity in the air.

Another possibility is to start the scones off by frying quickly on both sides on a pan or griddle coated in olive (or any) oil.

Everybody has their own favourite recipe, so perhaps others could like to post here?

Almost forgot the chat room query. I have learned how to manoeuvre through some very carefully chosen ones without having problems. They can be a bit alarming, as replies are so instantaneous and there is a lot of banter. It's a bit like taking public transport; anything can turn up. I would not feel comfortable in any chat situation where there was not a moderator, so your son is sensible.

They are one of the best ways to develop computer skills, if you post to the technology threads. Photographers and graphic designers are exceptionally generous with their time, I have found.

I like Kiwirant, a New Zealand forum, which is small enough to get a sense of community going. Asking younger people is the safest, as they will tell you what to avoid.

Thanks for the recipe and instructions. I hope I'll get a moment soon, it doesn't really sound too complicated.

I've just found a very useful program that makes Web surfing more reassuring. It could be useful for choosing reputable chat rooms:

http://www.filehungry.com/english/product/windows_software/network_&_internet/web_browser_tools/link_advisor

I'm not quie sure what to do with that site, to be honest.

I have tried out the program Calling ID Link Advisor, as described on the page posted.

Basically it lets you know if a page visited on the Web is what it says it is. Some pages are shown to be "high risk", so give an indication of what to avoid. Useful when joining a site, especially when sharing ideas and information.

Oh, ok, I see.
Thanks for that.

This site is also useful when considering buying on the net. It is being discussed, as any site not validated by CallingID would probably come under more scrutiny by the average consumer.

The following link is helpful. It shows how to ensure that a site has the information needed for "bona fide" inclusion on the system:

http://forum.callingid.com/forums/84/PrintPost.aspx

The BBC has no problems and comes up as "validated".

In fact the exact description is:

"verified as safe to access"

Very reassuring.