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

Gonna have to turn in, though. Sorry.
(Not so much that it's a quarter to three. More that Scrof's just rolled in with friends in tow, and I'm cramping her style)

The Stretcher is pretty good. I'm not sure it's direct enough, though. 'One Floor...' does, but you're right that it's pretentious. I was thinking something along the lines of 'The Seekers' - something that suggests a quest for improvement. A true seeker, of course, is generally looking for spiritual truth and, although they'll never find it, it's the looking that's important. But I don't think that sounds like a completely convincing name, either.

The 'goal', J, is entirely personal. It's just to become better ourselves. It's up to the individual how they wish to use their powers

And I found a quote the other night in 'Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance', and it was, very oddly, on the next page I read after having this discussion:

'Every teacher tends to grade up students who resemble him the most. If your own writing shows neat penmanship you regard that as more important in a student than if it doesn't. If you use big words you're going to like students who write with big words...

The students I like the most, the ones I really feel a sense of identity with, are all failing!'

The Stretcher is suppose to suggest a quest for improvement, albeit slightly Jodaned.
Forgive me for any egg-suck-teach, but the 'Stretch' is a widely-used term in writing circles (including the UG community) for going out of your comfort-zone. I interpreted the Stretcher as meaning going so far out of your comfort zone that you get carried off to hospital.

Sorry if my poems suggestion to the AViators was out of order btw. It's just that some of the poems suggested from AWW are frankly not very good. It's surprising how many uncertain writers try poetry because they seem to assume it's a more forgiving medium than prose. They're just wrong. You know how in singing that if you're off-key, it's awful? Same with poetry. The transition between fine and execrable is digital. You can cut some slack with clunky prose, because there's often something else to redeem it. With bad poets, though, you have to tell them straight. You cerainly don't want to go broadcasting them.

Yeah, Pin's right. I took it from a post he wrote to me a week or so ago. I must admit, though, that I'm not sure of the meaning of his verb "Jodaned". And while I do recommend something completely pretentious, the name isn't the most important thing.

The only substantial difference between The Seekers or some such and a name like One Floor is whether it's to be more of an open forum or a group-like atmosphere. "Seekers" suggests the latter, while I would tend more towards an open forum.

Yeah, you're both right. I haven't got a clue about naming stuff like this, as you can tell by the imaginative name I came out with for the Researchers' Group. The Stretcher it is, then.

Your suggestion wasn't out of order at all, Pin, far from it. I just threw some suggestions out because none were forthcoming when I mooted the idea. There's no reason at all why we can't do some of the UG poems but, as I said, as Post Editor I also have to consider how our issue is going to look. It would be helpful if you could contact the other UG miners and get some suggestions for poems that you guys think are ready, bearing in mind that, to be ready for September, we are a little short of time. It's not just a case of having poems read and then sequenced; 2legs and Roymondo will be putting a lot more work into each than that.

Hi Rich

Just to say, I read your Aviators participation thing, and I'm sorry I haven't measured up. Of course I think it's a good idea and wish you all the best with it, but I admit I'm unlikely to do anything anytime soon, so you should drop me off the list.

Mi Amigo and other stuff in audio aren't forgotten. There's a sniff of a chance of getting some stuff on radio and/or schools media, and I feel like that's what I should put (any) effort into.

Thanks anyway, no hard feelings I hope, and see you around.

Pin

For a start, the email group isn't the be-all and end-all of Aviating. I'm working on a bit of Aviation with an ex-member right now, and I know someone else who is making a clip totally independently of the group itself. So this isn't the end of Mi Amigo by any means. It's just that I need to know where we stand. I've been basing my plans on having x active member when in reality there are less than half of x, and the lack of feedback is a problem. You know yourself how it feels to come up with something you think is brilliant only to be greeted with general apathy.

There are absolutely no hard feelings at all; on the contrary. I'm glad you wanted to get involved in the first place, fact - anything Pin wants to join has to pretty damn good. If you do decide you want to do Mi Amigo, we're still here to help you put it together (as long as we can host a version on h2g2aviators, of course).

Thanks for being so honest and understanding, anyway

Likewise thanks, complete with matching adjectives.

When I saw the AViators idea, I wondered what it would take for the BBC to let its communities make material for broadcast: radio or even television. There's stuff here that's good enough, and quite a lot of it too.

Should the invite ever come, it'd probably be you that received it. That said, I'm at a bit of a loss to understand the landlord's motivation right at the moment.

Being persona non grata in current Slant circles might just possibly have something to do with that perception, mind

I understood more a year or so ago, when AV on the rest of the BBC was rarer. Now the 'lack of server space' excuse is less easy to swallow. And if all AV was routed through a volunteer group that understood copyright law and licensing, copyright wouldn't be an issue. It's much easier to track down a clip that breaches copyright than a photo nabbed from another site, and we seem to be able to get photos onsite with no problems.

I don't know where it's all going, but it's fun finding out

F47997?thread=5739127&skip=20#pi29

Warming this thread up again, for tangents and similar purposes.

It's always been a good thread.

I've just read through the latest Stretcher (though not many of the submitted pieces). I especially liked the next challenge.

This whole thing makes me want to get back into PR.

The Stretcher is going very well, I think. Much better than I would have expected, in fact.

I'll come back to this, J - but I really appreciate your enthusiasm