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

*Prod*

I rediscovered my prodding stick lying by the side of the road the other day, and in the absence of Jimi X and his rather more intrusive poking stick, it will have to do...

What dost thou, oh neverable one...?

Cartoon by the late B. Kliban:
A large woolly mammmoth stands, looking to the side and considering a caveman, who stands, back to the artist, looking back at the mammoth. A rudimentary spear is sticking from the side of the mammoth.

Title - "HISTORY"

I had a party at the Atelier, which is still sputtering on despite h2g2 site earthquakes, ISP problems, major thunderstorms and now sunspots. It was a going-away party for Mike A, who is on his way to Australia this morning BST. Virtual parties are as nerve-wracking to host as real ones, perhaps more so. IRL you can at least count heads.

I had another go at Billy the Kid this past fortnight. Being aware that some editors were not swallowing the Billy-moved theory about the tintype, I backed off from the heavy restoration and created a facial portrait in which I did little more than rearrange the existing features to make his face symmetrical. The result was quite startling, unexpectedly 3-dimensional, and I actually like it better than the ratherly painterly version that I did earlier. I emailed the new work to a friend in the town of Lincoln as well as to the judge who's the president of the Historical Society there, and it's being passed around for comment. To hell with True West magazine.

That's mainly what I've been up to. What about you?

True what?

True West magazine, whose owner-publisher told me he wanted to print my restoration and an accompanying article that I would write. We shook hands on it. Last I ever heard from him or his new executive editor. And that's all the public comment I'll make about it. I have finally got the matter rolling forward again, down other avenues.

Glad to hear it. Billy the Kid Rides Again.
ps email winging its way to you.

That was a rhetorical question- I already knew the question, for one

SO... I checked out your little ole sprynet account and didn't see a new billy the kid- where he at?

He's a work in progress. This time I am actively engaging the opinions of members of the Lincoln County Historical Society as I go. There are some visible "digital surgery" lines still on him, rather deliberately, as I make sure the critics understand exactly that I am not INVENTING Billy.

The crop of the head alone is 114 KB, at the moment. A little bit much for that space you like to visit

Hmm... if you're ever lacking space, give me a holla. I have it up the ying yang- and then some. I believe I am clogging up 3,807,106, 048 bytes of space online. 114 kb won't do much harm

Good news on the subject of Billy. Billy and the Restorations -- great name for a rock group. That's not the news....

I got an email from the President of the Lincoln County Historical Society, Judge Marsh. He's really excited over the new portrait work and is wondering how to get it publicised.

Excellent, will keep all extremities corssed

'Billy and the Restorations' - I think I've just had my first band named...-P!

Good news, Lil, all of it, even the bit about the trials of the Atelier's party. I'm glad it came off, anyway!

Not much to report for myself, except for bubster's Commonwealth Republic, and that maybe I think I'm falling in love. The 'love' thing is not so much of an event as it might be, however, as the one I'm maybe falling in love with is not nearly so excited about it. It's still nice, though...

I've been to your page. Check http://www.h2g2.com/F16120?thread=64268 I read the journal entries. And I really hope it goes well. Make sure she gets a chance to admire your legs.

Saw it. Now if our courageously tardy leader could pull his head out of wherever he keeps it, some 'offical' response could be forthcoming (I'm in a real 'anti-bureaucracy' mood today; don't really know why...).

I arrived at your page with the intention of returning your greeting saw the thread and posted on impulse. Now it's turning out to be quite fun. I've even thought of a reason for being on an expedition in those parts.

The expedition seemed to come to an ignominious end, unless it's continued in threads I haven't unravelled!

What have you been up to, Lil?

bubsterland didn't seem to be equipped to handle incoming explorers.

Here on h2g2, the campaign has taken a lot of my online time; our ticket has undergone some interesting experiences.

The Billy thing -- the Sistine Billy, as I have taken to calling him, took a new twist last week when I suddenly had a major epiphany about the content of the image, the purpose of the photographer and what the subject was doing. If that sounds a bit enigmatic, well, the image keeps making a fool of me. So I'm delaying further pronouncements. I will say, though, that I am absolutely confident of impressing the people in New Mexico whom I go to meet next month.

And you? I hope that your expectations were not disappointed in re your personal life.

Yeah, there wasn't much to explore, at that stage - not that I think there ever will be that much to explore, 'cause it's all treated as so much of a given by the inhabitants...! I was intrigued to note that bubsterland had only been in existence about two weeks before its first (ongoing) revolution - there could be an opening there for an opportunistic contender.

Photographs - the ultimate primary historical documents, and just as confusing as all the textual ones! I enjoy epiphanous moments, and if the enigma is hiding a fundamental confusion or discrepancy, then so much the better. What's the conference, again?

Re the personal life: no expectations, so no disappointment, but everything is on hold until she gets back from Europe....

Ah, then you subsist in the realm of sweet possibility...

I'm not going to anything so formal as a conference. I intended to treat myself to a big cross-country train trip all year, and this will be it, but now with a business angle; a fellow who works for the Hubbard museum has talked with his boss, and they would like to do an exhibit based on my work, based on what I knew about the tintype at the end of July. Thing is, my understanding of the processes within the tintype absolutely unfolded AFTER that, and I have something much more bombshell-like, which is why I am being rather coy about spelling it out in public. So I am doing some organizing from here in Florida, for key people to be on hand when I "informally" describe my findings. This little meet will be taking place in downtown Lincoln (population approx.50), at an adobe building where Billy was once kept in house arrest.

I look forward to seeing their faces as the evidence flowers on the laptop screen.

Sounds like 'subsisting in the realm of sweet possibility' is an activity common to us both....

Cross-country train trips are always fun, the longer the better. To have a good excuse to do one makes it that much more worthwhile, I suspect. 'Informal', my ass - I've no doubt you've expended more effort on this than a Roman legion could on building their nightly lodgings! Good luck with it - you're almost certainly the first photographic archaeologist I've ever heard of, anyway...!