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

Great home page!

Now I realise why it's taking 17 weeks for articles to be submitted!!!

Those poor sub-eds must erupt in tears every day when they see yet another article from guess-who?

Nice chicken, by the way.

I don't think you can blame me just yet...as far as I can tell, none of my entries have made it to the top of the stack yet.

Alternatively, the sub-eds are fighting over the privilege of finding that entry each day, putting it up on the wall, and throwing darts at it. And not even having the common courtesy to send me rejection email.

But really, if I couldn't come up with an entry a day, how could I possibly be making my living as a writer?

Boy, those darts competitions must go on for a lo-ong time each day!

Actually I'm a bit chuffed because it seems (I say this crossing my finger in earnest hope) that someone has just noticed an article I wrote ages ago when I was still a young lad, and it looks like as if they are going to make it official. I can now retire on all the adulation, praise, and fame my article will bring me.

Or possibly not.... Hey hold up a second. Did you say your articles have not even reached the editorial team yet? Whoa! I look forward to 2050 when my next article gets approved! (Or possibly not....)

Yep, as far as I can tell none of the subeditorial crew has actually looked at any of my entries. So it goes. Maybe next millenium

Hi FFM,

It looks like you got your wish granted! Approved entries appearing by the day! Congratulations.

BTW I read your comments on upgrades to H2G2. I particularly like the suggestion for the "Forget" button. Where do we sign the petition?

CR

Damned if I know. Getting ideas through to the Powers That Be is proving to be a difficult thing. Or perhaps they're laughing too hard to write back about them. I've already signed up for the H2G2 guinea pig thingie. I wonder if they'll dare call me?

And yep, entries are getting approved. Not as fast as I can write 'em, though

*ahem*
Hullo, ffmike, et. al.

I just thought I would drop in and introduce myself. We seem to be living in worlds here in the Guide that touch on the edges now and again.

After looking around here and there a little on your page, I have one question: do you sleep?


There are lots of good ideas here, and I wish you good luck with them. I know that some of them have been discussed elsewhere too, and may even be on the list of the PTWVH [Powers that work very hard, cause they dont like to be called Powers that be] One of the frustrating things about the Guide is that it seems to be impossible to get to all the interesting things in here. I have found about 10 new things to do just tonight. Sure wish I had your energy.


BTW, when I got here last May there was already a backlog of something like 10,000 entries in the Guide, and they have been playing catch-up ever since. The sub-editor system has helped a little, but the nice thing is that your entries are 'in' the Guide, even if they aren't "IN" the Guide. And be assured that the PTWVH listen carefully to ideas. Everything here is just evolving at such a rate it is hard to tell sometimes.

Anyway, just wanted to say "hi" and that I have enjoyed your entries.

blu
}:=8

PS Is the cat on your homepage a Russian Blue? He is quite lovely.
PPS er...uh...for future reference, that's MS dragon, not MR.dragon
[hee hee] just thought I ought to mention it.

Oh, dear me. So sorry about the Ms. vs Mr. mixup. Sexing dragons has never been one of my strong points. Er...well...maybe that didn't come out quite right.

I do sleep. Just not much.

This place is way too big & sprawling to see everything. I don't even try. I'm having fun with my own entries, and with my role as self-appointed gadfly. This fulfills some need in me to write stuff in between serious stuff that I'm getting paid for.

And yes, I know they're trying hard. But some of the initiatives seem to be a bit incomplete. Take the sub-eds, for instance. They recruited one batch, and then the volunteers have been piling up ever since. Ah well, it's easy to criticize when you don't need to do the work.

Of course folks like myself and DD are making it ever-harder for the editorial staff to catch up...

If you'd like to chat some more, come over and join us at Onelist.

Oh, almost forgot...don't know which cat picture you saw (they rotate) but all of our cats are mutts, except for one purebred Persian. I expect it was a picture of Owen. He'll be pleased to know that he looks aristocratic.

Yes, you are right, er...'sexing' dragons can be very difficult. Unless you are another dragon. *wink, wink*
That's why I thought I should mention it. It usually isnt that important in the grand scheme of things, and I do enjoy being an ageless, sexless, being. However after the incident on the main page with Shazz, I find the best thing is to clear this kind of thing up immediately.

You do have an important role here; gadfly and curmudgeon. Both are noble pastimes and you are in the company of some of my favorite people. Mark Twain and Oscar Wilde, to name but two.

I would like to say I will join you at Onelist, but I need another list to subscribe to like I need two heads. Of course that worked out ok for Zaphod, didn't it? hmmmm..... Well, OK, then I'll try it for a bit. But my husband wonders what I find so interesting at h2g2 already, as I detest chatrooms.

Oh, and congratulations at being another of the self-admitted over-the-hill-gang at h2g2. [I am older than dirt myself]

blu
}:=8

PS Say hello to Owen for me. I'm partial to Russian Blues cause I had one a long time ago--also a 'mutt'. 'Course it isnt difficult for any cat to look aristocratic...regardless of background.

I would add Ambrose Bierce and H.L. Mencken to that short list of favorite people, myself. And perhaps Dorothy Sayers. Anyhow, I'm enjoying myself, and they haven't cut off my H2G2 access yet so either the PTwhatever are OK with my activities or they suffer from the liberal idea that they're required to provide open access.

We'll look forward to seeing you over at Onelist. It's not an exceptionally high-traffic list...yet. I think our peak day was around 30 messages. Good bunch, though.

I was "talking" with Asteroid Lil the other day, and we noted that, although H2G2 tends to have the usual skewed Internet age curve (most users under 25, probably under 18), we seem to be getting the literate cream of the crop of the young folks. Although my "group" here is tending to be above the age average, I've been impressed at how well cross-generational communication is working in this place.

OK, I'll see you a Dorothy Sayers and raise you a Dorothy Parker and a Fran Lebowitz. So many curmudgeons, so little time...

As far as the PTWVH, there is nothing I can see that would make them 'cut you off'. They really ARE a very open and understanding bunch. The strange thing about all of us is that we have one thing in common... scary isn't it??? And how much more scary for DNA. All of these Researchers, if not with the same wit as DNA, all drawn together with the same appreciation of it.

I will be over at Onelist, but probably just lurking for a bit. [yeah, sure, my husband says I have an opinion about everything; so I will probably have something to say in no time]

And I agree with you about the cross-generational communication here. It is impressive.

}:=8