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

This is a great opportunity to provide a source of information that's reliable, web-based, and comes from the 'Global Village.' There's nothing like this on the Web today. There's several search engines that were created to gather information, (like Ask Jeeves.) But most of the people who own web pages do so to earn money, and so the information is suspect.

Don't blame the search engines - it's not their fault. They're working with the existing information available on the Internet. However, the chance of finding a website that actually exists for the purpose of providing accurate information is slim.

Which is why the Guide provides such a great opportunity. This place seems to be filled with people who know exactly what they're talking about, and I like that.

I am not at all sure, Lentilla, that you have this right. I too have recenytly discovered this strange place, but am convinced that most entries are written by humans or humanoids, and are therefore well-meaning but wrong. To err, after all, is human!

Well, now, you may have a point - but remember that whatever information you may post to a forum, you'll have five other people correcting you if you're wrong. As a group, humanity can be pretty intelligent. Or pretty stupid. It seems to flip around at random.

Nope, cant agree. The more humans you get together the less intelligence is demonstrated. Look at Political Parties, or in the UK, Soccer Hooligans. You could conduct an experiment by taking a lot of clever people, for example economists, put them in a large room and ask them for an answer to a simple question eg "What is money for?" Collectively they cannot answer, individually they can! QED

You may find the search engine 'google' (www.google.com, or www.boogle.com) more efficient than most, and at the risk of appearing to condescend, it is always better to think of a longer phrase to search for (e.g. "teaching grandmother to suck eggs" (dont forget the quotation marks) rather than 'grandmother + suck + eggs', and both the above rather than 'grandmother suck eggs'.

Hmmm... yeeessss... kinda. Maybe we should say that the Guide is a pool of information/knowledge. As more people contribute to the Guide, the chances increase that the information in it is accurate. There are many examples of the "mass stupidity" phenomenon. Get a group of people together - physically - and they seem to descend to the lowest IQ in the room. But so far, I haven't seen that mass stupidity phenomenon here. Maybe it's because we aren't in a physical group - only an ethereal one.

I'm not sure if I expressed myself properly... Your average browser is only able to access the information that's available on the net. There's no "gatekeeper" to tell you whether the page that you're accessing is accurate or reliable.

Once I typed in "cellulite" on the Ask Jeeves website, and got several pages that were trying to sell me something. All you had to do was take this pill/buy this cream/buy this hand sponge to solve all your problems with cellulite (Results not guaranteed!) Worse yet, they were disseminating misinformation! At least two of the pages said that cellulite was a result of waste toxins and water being stored in the flesh. Cellulite is actually caused by the fibers that bind your skin to your muscle groups. When you get too fat, the fat gets around those fibers, and causes the skin to bulge out. If there were problems with toxins in the skin, then all these women with cellulite would have jaundice or liver failure!

So I've been a little disappointed with the information available on the net - don't get me wrong, much of it is reliable, informative, and there for no other purpose than to inform the passing viewer. But money makes the world go 'round...

BTW: you did hear about the Basketball Hooligans over here in Vespucci-land, right? Los Angeles - I think the Lakers won. A few cars were turned over, shop windows bashed in; you know, the usual for California.

Well, as u know, ur right on all counts, and surprising on one. This h2g2 thing, which I am only just beginning to explore, is not a group at all, but a notice board on which we can all post our passing thoughts. However, be warned, the information is only as accurate as the contributor wants it to be, or can make it. Already I have noticed inaccuracies, or rather information that doesnt coincide with that already available to me, even in the driest informative pieces.

You will have noticed, and indeed obviously have noticed, that just because something is written down, be it on the net, in the library, in a book or university thesis, does not make it true. And just because a lot of humans say or repeat the same thing, it does not become more true! (Is that grammatical??) But, if we are to assess these humans from looking at their news media, the majority do not seem to notice or take account of this.

I would say that items on the net from companies, or commercial interests, are in a sense the most reliable, because it is clear where the contributor's interests lie, and you can allow for that in your evaluation. What is more dangerous is the information from apparently unbiased sources (e.g. 'Pheroneous', or charities/pressure groups) for you are never sure of their agenda and the depth/accuracy of their background research!

The gatekeeper is you, your mind, your cynicism, your education etc.. There is no-one else to do it for you, and if anyone appears to, trust them not!

The surprise is your talk of sports related hooliganism in the city of angels. This is not what we expect at all! I thought they just shot each other! Please add to my knowledge by explaining vespucci-land reference. Haven't come across it before.

P S Dont think of it as cellulite, just multiple dimples. Dimples are good things.

Sometimes I have my own private jokes (and I'm the only one in on the joke!)

America's named after Amerigo Vespucci - there but for the grace of a cartographer go I... Would people have wanted to emigrate to this country if it had been named Vespucci-land? Hmmm...

Don't worry - I'm not obsessed with cellulite (not more than the average female, anyway!) However, there should only be TWO dimples on my behind.

H2G2 researchers take their reports seriously. I make sure my information is reliable, I may not be a Human per se, but Elves are Humanoids, or Humaninies or sumpthin like that. Any way I dare you to find anything Un-reliable about this post on the Yosemite Area: http://www.h2g2.com/F48113?thread=68334&post=507203

Zagros, Yose very well might, but I didn't. To my eternal shame when visiting California some years ago I never went. Unfortunately, my instructions are to appear as human as possible, and have therefore elected to live in a 'family' which is a democracy. When the motion 'shall we go to Yosemite Park for a few days or shall we visit Disneyland (or 'world'...whatever)?' I was outvoted, in fact a minority of one. But I will, one day I will, and then I shall gather the undoubtedly unbiased and comprehensive information suggested to take with me.

But if I may quibble, and why shouldn't I. Your entry is passing on a 'selected' number of information sources. And, in that very selection process you are biasing the seeker of wisdom in one direction. I can't imagine that there are any bad things to say about Yosemite - maybe desecration of Nature by human tourists - but if there are, then you dont refer to them. However, it is a quibble, for surely your enthusiasm is both transparent and fair, and can easily be taken onboard by the aforementioned seeker.

And heres me thinking California had given up cars and taken to riding around on little Italian scooters.

I have had some contacts with females, though wasn't aware that any were average. I shall have to do some serious research on dimples, their quantity, shape, size and whereabouts. This may involve long hours studying female anatomy at very close quarters. Curiously, however, this may not be as tedious as it may seem.

Hi there. Delete this and type your message here...

Whoops I typed in the wrong number