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

no prob!

Just a quick thought:

I had another read through and I remembered that someone somewhere in the PR thread mentioned the possibility of hinting at the importance of the discovery earlier, and, I agree.

If it were me, I would add something to the second sentence to the effect of 'waving their tiny legs about in the stream' and then add a short sentence to the effect of 'who would have thought what mighty contests from trivial Pyrenean springs?'

You see? Mention the important discovery in passing and then drop a hint that it is important, but then spend the rest of the entry explaining why the little waving legs are important.

But, that's just what I would do. This piece is yours, and I will strenuously insist that I am only offering suggestions. If I were writing this entry, which I'm not, I would do something like I suggested above and then add a few witty headers to forestall any sub-ed or editor idiocy and then I'd say 'there it is, if you notice any typos or minor grammatical issues, I'll fix 'em, but the thing is done.'

Hey thanks. Good food for thought. I don't take it literally but I get what you're saying because its how you say it...to do with the *structure*.

Such a relief to be away from the crazy bear pit of PR

I'm going to take my time now

It's fun again.

I think I'll go to sleep now.

I can do the gML if you want to put in headers and such.

kea.

I do hope all this experience of mine could be useful in the future in learning to help people to feel able to contribute to the Guide.

I like the mentor, one on one idea. Want to mention it in the Stockholm thread?

Effers, here's what the entry looks like in gML A81059088

I've put in a couple of headers (just made up some titles, so tell me what you want). I've also joined a couple of paragraphs, and added italics, hypens etc to match the h2g2 house style (there's more to do on this that the sub-editor will do eg the style of apostrophe is probably wrong, and the gML for the external links needs to be tidied up).

Nothing is set in stone, so please let me know if you want anything changed (I'll tell you if I think it fits the house style or not, or you can check it out here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/alabaster/SubEditors-Style )

Really I just wanted you to see what it would look like once gmL-ed. I've only seen it in alabaster

(oh, and my name will come off it. I'll give you the gML to cut and paste into the entry you already have).

kea. I'm not sure about the repeated sub heading thing you see in so many articles. I'm not sure it fits this.

But thanks so much in making the effort to do this. I'll keep it in mind as I try to re-write.

No worries, I can take those out (or you can). Let me know when you want any changes or the cut and paste

Having just read BigAl's really *nasty* post, I'm not bothering with that any more. It's not worth it for me psychologically. I may go back some time in the future when the guide has new guidelines.

I've just posted my thoughts in that thread, talking about your psych disability. Hope that hasn't overstepped a mark, but I really think there is a big gap in understanding there about what is happening for you and the perceptions of some people. I'm really happy to keep talking about that there (or more likely to start another thread elsewhere), because I feel that there isn't a huge amount of tolerance or even understanding at the moment (and that's annoying me).

I also said that some of us who know you would talk about your own reactions

You do what you need to to keep yourself safe I still think we can find a way to get your entry into the EG that is ok for you, it just may take some time. Stepping back from it for a bit is good.

Personally, I think the other lot are stupidly over-reacting. I didn't notice anything much in your posts, Effers, which I would have taken offence to.

It's the bloody internet, for goodness sake!


Effers, I hope you'll take the entry up again when you feel up to it. It's a good piece.

I've made a clear decision now that I want nothing more to do with that set-up. kea I really think you're flogging a dead horse if you think anyone there has the imagination to really get that post about my difficulties.

I find it to be a stifling, uncreative, unimaginative, no risk taking place. I'm never going to get along there because I simply don't have the tolerance for that kind bureacratic mentality.

I find the whole thing a waste of time in terms of encouraging risk taking. It's a conveyor belt. Christ even this thing that you should break up an article into sub-headings.

It brings me down..and I can little deal with that at present. So leave it both of you, dear friends.

I want nothing more to do with that place unless there's a big change in direction towards pushing boundries, risk taking, imagination etc.

I've never got on very well with the varieties of life's town clerks.

Reminds me of something.

A741647.

A926345.

F103896?thread=230481.

A731477 (and the various PR and WW convos hanging off it).

That was a long and drawn-out process.

There's more where that came from at A13114739.

TRiG.

>> kea I really think you're flogging a dead horse if you think anyone there has the imagination to really get that post about my difficulties.

I disagree on that (based on both my experiences in RL and on h2, I do see people being willing to learn, and able to learn to varying extents).

Would you like me to remove my PR posts? I can ask the mods to hide them.


>>Christ even this thing that you should break up an article into sub-headings.

There's no should (except in long entries where it makes it easier for most people to read). Someone suggested headers, I offered to do the gML so you could see what it's like, you didn't like it and I've said I'll remove them. There's no problem with that, so please don't add it to the other stuff that is upsetting you


TRiG, not really following the connection there. Care to say a bit more?

Just to flog a dead horse over the head(er)


When I first started writing entries all those years ago, I thought the whole header idea was pretty stupid and sort of infantile, but I've come to find them useful and an opportunity for creativity in a new location. I think, for example, of the entry I'm working on now on Dinosaur Provincial Park, in which one of the headers is a quote from a Canadian poet quoting an American fossil hunter, and another includes a translation of the Siksika name of a legendary African-Canadian rancher. The headers don't have to be dry, dry, infantile cut-and-pastes from an initial outline. Consider the entry on the Red Needle, the drink which Leonard Cohen invented A2773316 (the second from the top on a Google search for 'Red Needle', BTW, right below Mr. Cohen's own webpage) in which the headers are lines from his song 'The Future' the recording of which was rumoured to have been lubricated by large quantities of Red Needle.

Headers are not required, of course, but I have come to find them to be one more location for creativity, not a stifling constraint.

But, most importantly:


Whatever you decide, Effers, I support you. I think it was a fine piece, better than most of what heads for the Edited Guide, certainly better than the dry dust of wikipedia. There are lots of places it could find a home.

Just dropping by with a . I really like your Entry, and would love to see it in the EG. The biggest problem with PR as I see it is that there are too many people who think the writing guidelines are set-in-stone rules... which they're not, hence why they're called guidelines.

After our initial run ins, I'm determined to be more patient and understanding with you (I am, for unrelated reasons which I won't go into here, studying your illness at the moment anyway so have a better insight tham most), and I wish that others would extend you the same courtesy because if we are to be a truly inclusive site, we must be inclusive of *everybody* regardless of whether their views and needs conflict with someone elses!

Hi all...and lovely to see you here Mr. D - You were excellent in the PR thing.

I feel extremely psychologically smashed about, completely out of proportion to what a 'normal' would probably feel Seriously I do. I've been trying to be really honest with myself about what actually happened. I can't quite fathom all the detail of it, the bizarre journey of that thread..I know bits and pieces. But the main points I think are,

1. My entry was an intensly personal experience, the caddis fly adventure..actually I've realised just how deep it goes in me, and has connections with my childhood and the place I grew up in, in the countryside that was cruelly ripped from me at the age of seven, and

2. I was trying to *give* something to h2g2, something special.

This is all quite embarassing to admit to, but I think it's quite near the truth.

I really should have started with Dukes versus Kookaburras instead.

I feel very scared about even being here because of the battered feeling. But I wanted to drop by here and thank all of you posting here.

kea I don't mind about those posts staying really or not. I presume the caddis fly thread has now finished as I asked; I don't even want to go and check. And if it helps others in the long run all to the good.

Mr D. I really appreciate what you posted.

and a for Effers
... and if you do ever figure out waht it is that 'normals' feel... please let me know
I came to the PR thread a bit late to comment (I know I could have but I always feel once there's been a fair few messages that its kinda awkward to then jump in...) I liked it though when I did get round to reading it... err yesterday or the day before I thinks Probably about time I wrote another entry, but my concentration seems shot to pieces at the moment and its difficult enough to just try and finish a complete err thing

I don't think you have to be embarrassed about that Effers. It strikes me as a brave thing to have done.

One of the things that pisses me off is that when people start going on about your behaviour there's never any mention of how much work you do - work to even be able to stay on site sometimes, and work in response to whatever conflict is going on. I see that, how much effort you put into sorting things out from your side

I'd also like to know what normals are when you figure it out I know there are a whole bunch of people who think they are normal but as far as I can see they're just as weird as the rest of us. Weirder sometimes.

Anyway, I wish I knew you better and could wish for you the best things that will help you find a way out of the smashedness. and