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

I don't know whether B'Elana mentioned it to you, but she's persuaded me to write for the Post. I'll write a regular series of articles entitled 'Notes from Around the Sundial' if you'll have them. Here's the first one: A36514055. Is that enough or does it need to be padded out?

Do I have to e-mail it to you?

Fantastic! I hadn't heard, so this is a great surprise for me

The first thing to mention is that we have a blob for each column, wherever possible. In time, I'm trying to make everyone their own personal banners, but in the meantime I can either use a photo that you've provided, or we could use something like the blob on A558353 for now. Once I've worked through our more established columnists, I'll be able to look at making you your own banner.

A couple of stylistic points: we generally don't need the date in the title of the article, because it's presumed that it's around the date of publication, and we always use centred subheaders rather than headers.

To make life easy for you and us, I'll send you a template for your column, so all you'll need to do is enter the body text. You can just edit it and preview it, then send us the ML. We prefer, in general, that our writers don't put their columns onsite, but let us 'publish' them for the first time with the issue. Is your email address still the indigo one?

Thanks very much for this. I always get really excited when we have new columnists!

Right, I have a template for you at A14662730. All you need to do for each issue is change the title and body text. I'd suggest for this issue that we use the first two paragraphs as an introduction, and title the column 'My New Telescope'.

If you could use the template, that would be brilliant. Just enter the bosy text and change the title, and send in the ML. We'll take it from there.

Bel has also made your archive at A36700805. At the moment, the column title for the first instalment is just 'Notes from Around the Sundial', but we'll change that to the title of each column. I notice you've started your own archive, but we'll keep updating ours as each is published. We'll also make new A-spaces for the 'official' version and, as I said in the last posting, we do prefer that contributors let us publish them first, particularly now that people can subscribe to Researchers' articles. It just means that readers are more likely to read The Post to see your articles rather than finding them on your Personal Space.

Thanks again, and if you have any questions, give us a shout!

I found your response to my last journal fascinating, you know. I tend to look at a photo like that and try to see a wider context; how such a place can move me, how it relates to my own experiences and thoughts about conservation, the importance of the Last Great Wilderness, all quite basic and emotive feelings.

I rarely look at a photo of somewhere like Boreas and wonder about how it was formed, where that beauty comes from, what mechanics were involved and over what time period. I've realised recently that the 'classical' way of viewing aesthetics has just as much power and intrigue as a more emotive analysis of it. Each component of the mountain's creation is as astonishing as the result.

Thanks, Gnomon. It's been quite a lesson to me, in fact

I wasn't trying to teach anyone anything, just wondering, as I never stop wondering, how the world works. If you learnt something too, then well and good.

I remember David Attenborough saying that there were places in Antarctica where it was too cold for snow. It appears that Mt Boreas is one such. But why is it called "Mountain of the North"?

I know you weren't 'trying' to teach me anything I just thought you'd be interested to know you had!

Where did you find that moniker? I'm starting to think I should start to write some of this info down...

I remember someone saying it to me about Ben Bulben, Ireland's most unusual mountain, in Sligo:

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Image:Benbulbenmount.jpg

They may not have been right though.

WB Yeats is buried in a little graveyard at the foot of Ben Bulben.

Here wrote a poem about it, too, and mentions that he will be buried there:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Under_Ben_Bulben

It certainly is a strange mountain. The Brecon Beacons are similar, but not on all sides. I can't help but wonder what the view must be like.

I've never been up it.

Hi Rich. Did you get a chance to do any sub-editing? Do you think you will be a sub-editor, or was it just a passing hope that you'd have some free time soon?

I can take back the two entries I sent you if you like.

If you do want me to take them back, let me know. Don't click the Return to Editors link, as that will mark them as completed and then we'll have a job keeping track of them.

Hi Gnomon,

Thanks for your message and apologies for the delay in my subbing. You did take me by surprise a little bit - when I emailed you I wasn't quite ready to take any on as my latest OU course was about to start, and all the preparation work takes quite a bit of time. And as you know, a baby can suddenly take up all of your spare time at any moment and without notice, which is where most of my last week has gone

All being well I will have them back to you by the middle of next week at the latest. They're both very good entries and shouldn't take very long, it's just that all my spare time just runs away at the moment. If I can't dso them within that timescale I will let you know as soon as I realise I've run out of time. Is that ok?

That's fine. I wasn't trying to put you under any pressure. Just trying to put you in a position where you could help if you got the chance. In future, I'll leave it to you to request them, rather than me pressing them on you.

Any progress on these?

Hi Gnomon,

Sorry for the lack of progress. Our little boy has been suffering from a lot of colic and digestion problems the last couple of weeks (we were so concerned we took him up to the hospital at one point), and added to that we've all had stinking colds the last week, so my time hasn't really been my own over the last couple of weeks! I have a quiet couple of starts at work over the next two days so I should be able to get at least one of them done by tomorrow (I'll do La Cucaracha first as it's the first one on my list). The other I'm struggling a bit because my first OU assignment of the term has to be in next Tuesday and as I'm now playing catchup I need to prioritise that. Up to you - I can either give the other one back to you if you need it back quickly or I should be able to have it back to you around Friday 9th if you can wait a bit longer.

Hold on to Star Trek Onlin for the moment, as I haven't got another sub-editor lined up to take it. If one becomes available, I may contact you again.

La Cucaracha should be back with you now. I'll start on the Star Trek entry as soon as my TMA is in, which should be early next week, and as I say I should be able to get it back by March 9th. If you want to take it back and give it to someone else before then, just leave me a message here