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

"The Italics have clearly signalled"

That's a bit disingenuous, H. I think it was not so much an intentional signal as a complete lack of careful thought on their part about possible consequences of their actions/inactions. That doesn't negate the need for a reminder of course but I'm sure they would take one of the sort you propose badly. So far I haven't found any way of pointing out the staff's bad behaviour or judgement calls which they don't take badly. It seems they are very determined not to learn from experience at all.


That reminds me again of something which ought to fit somewhere in the intelligence project. I didn't immediately spot an obvious place for it though. So I probably need to read the whole lot again and try to figure out where it might fit in the current paradigm of the project.

I'm not sure that multiplying conversations would help matters. I *assume* that TPTB are already aware of this thread, and given the current lack of information about why it is thought that Symphony is (or is posting on behalf of) Lekz, there isn't a lot to be said beyond people registering their discomfort at what seems to have happened in an odd way.

While I quite understand different people view TPTB through their own filters of experience and personality, I'm sure there must be *some* reasons for their doing what they appear to have done. Without knowing what the reasons were, I can't form any opinion on the quality of that judgement, *or* about the wisdom of apparently keeping the reasons secret so far.

Preferring to give the benefit of the doubt, I'd like to think that
a) Symphony is innocent
*and*
b) There were good reasons for the apparent ban

It is possible that none, one (or even both) of the above are true, but I really don't have enough information on which to form a solid opinion. People who have more personal knowledge of Symphony are obviously in a different position to me in this respect.

Even if there is a good (secret) reason why the reasoning can't be explained, I'd feel *fractionally* easier if someone in power just stated that there *is* a good reason but that it can't be divulged.

I think we should learn a bit from the "Clone Wars" about HVL camcorder article. Namely that trying to irritate the Towers staff into action is not likely to work.

I suggest that those people who wish to complain about what has happened make use of polite and well written E-Mails to named towers staff (a la Peet); I feel sure that this is mopre likely to provide a positive answer than multiple convo's.

P.S. I will read the E-Mails mistdancer has forwarded to me this weekend so that I can make an informed descison about what happened myself; would have done this last night but I had football training, ouch!

One-off polite personal emails seem a good idea as long as they go to the appropriate person, and are basically statements of disquiet and requests for some kind of enlightenment.

Yes that was the kind of thing that I meant.

While I don't know how polite the original request was, post 220 in this very thread already shows the likely response (quick link <./>T303269&post=3905644#p3905644</.&gt.

I do not doubt that the reply we get will be the same; I personally feel that as a method of protest polite emails are more likely to provoke the kind of action we require than stuff that irritates TPTB.

By showing that we are unhappy with the status quo; but doing it in a sensible and mature way I personally think we are much more likely to get a desirable outcome.

I spent last night and this morning doing backups, de-installations and service/security updates. The re-installations may follow.

How goes it at your and Symphony's end, Mistdancer?

Mistdancer, I would also appreciate email documentation of what's going on. My email is [email protected]

I'm still working my way through the thread, and have quite a ways to go, but thought it worth mentioning--I'm the one Symphony asked if I knew who it was (re Count Zero's research, mantioned in post 68) As Arpeggio was banned 2 days after I found h2g2, and I hadn't even *heard* of LeKZ until the Silent Lucidity affair, no one's going to find correspondence from me with that account. Now, I *was* friends with wallflowergirl (for that matter, still am). But I *know* Symphony is nowhere physically near LeKZ, much less in the same body! Yeah, I know Symphony from online (rather hard to know them IRL, since I'm in California, have never left the US, and they're in the UK...) and I recognized the name right away. If that's what led (or even contributed to) this whole in' ...

*sigh*

Yea, sorry 'bout that Amy. That was pure speculation on my part. It still is. We're still working in a vacuum here in this thread. This "Banning" if that's what it should be called has never been explained satisfactorily. Heck, TPTB haven't even bothered to officially close the account (which has also lead to other speculation and skepticism). I've gone through quite a bit of backlog and from that I KNOW you didn't know LeKZ. I've given up speculating on the reasons for Symphony's "banishment". I'm just hoping it gets straitened out soon. About the only "official" reply I've seen on this thread is Peta saying this thread had nothing to do with her and unsubscribing. I don't know what else to say... so I won't.

Count Zero, Slumping back into his bean bag chair and continuing his reading.

No problem, Count (at least not with you) I'm just wondering if us having fun with an inside joke had anything to do with anything...

Playing gentle devil's advocate on what little postings there seem to have been (assuming no unsubscription has taken place) I'd have thought that rather than the "you guess who I am" stuff itself raising suspicions, if anything the enigmatic section about coming back to the site after a longish absence, under a (presumably) different, albeit supposedly *more real* identity, and the mention of being restrained in postings for a while might make someone mildly curious, but without some other reasons to doubt, I'd have thought mild curiosity would be the limit.
For all *I* know, a UK-based Symphony may have one or more forthright sides to their nature, and their previous off-site communications (or on-site experience) might well have led them to think that being too much themselves might be taken the wrong way.

Whatever. There's so little information around that I could generate hypotheses right across the spectrum of possibilities without having any way of knowing which ones are better than others, and since rather few would involve everyone being right and the world being a lovely place, I think I'd better not even start.
Given even my presence may be unwelcome for some, I think I'll just lurk from here onwards in case enlightenment is forthcoming.

"I'd have thought mild curiosity would be the limit."

You would think so if one were dealing with reasonable people but it is self-evident that there are a lot of unreasonable people.

There seem to be a number of people round here who are so anti-LeKZ that it is not only possible that some might go looking for anyone who could be the same person but one of them didn't even see anything wrong with posting in this thread that they would rather have innocent people thrown off the site than risk a return. Unfortunately this also necessarily means the staff are willing to give credence to such apparently unfounded accusations. The specific source and prior relationship probably matters a lot, judging by other cases where an unreliable source was preferred over a reliable one.

Would someone with a little more time and a lot more credence than me please examine the T&C and other pertinent public statements of TBTB to see what promises have actually been made to any of us that we should have the 'right' to any fair treatment at all.

As far as I can recollect, all that is said is, if we publish anything, that it no longer belongs to us alone and that this is their private sandbox and not a public facility. Registration is required but access is not guaranteed under any circumstance.

In short, my thesis is that we have no individual rights whatsoever save those charitably granted by those in charge.

Thus, there is no need, on their part, to ever justify any action they take.

Presumably, they have an obligation for the sake of their own continuing employment to encourage people to use the sandbox so that the BBC will continue to find h2g2's continuing existence to be in support of their general mandate or profitability index.

This would indicate that the only powers that we might have are the somewhat dubious and imaginary ones of collective bargaining.

To that end, I have to wonder what possible value there is to this vigil other than the slight chance that someone in the Tower might become enough concerned to respond without becoming so seriously upset that they might just quietly close the accounts of anyone who indicates that they aren't merely here to make sand castles and watch the ripple patterns in the pool.

I'm still camped out here, though I'm having my tent replaced with a lovely three bedroom bungalow and I have made arrangements for the dairy and newspaper to deliver on a regular basis. (Still, despite my complaints, the dairy refuses to tint the milk cartons day-glow orange and the newspaper will not consent to print on better quality paper.)

Does anyone know when the road company of "Cats" is due? And, have the Rolling Stones finally consented to do that concert in my living room?

Symphony, I'm sure you're reading this. Tell the munchkins that Bozo the Clown couldn't make it this week but he sends his love and some cute balloon animals.

We all miss you, but how about 'Concerto' or perhaps, 'Oratorio'. 'Synphonia Concertante' is a bit unwieldy but would still be suggestive.

On the other hand, perhaps you could just send in your finger prints and your collection of 'Supergirl' comic books. That should be enough for Scotland Yard to make a positive ID and to track you down in that resort in Bath or wherever. (The location has been changed to protect people in the witness protection program.)

Have a lovely scone on me and email if you want me to say anything here on your behalf. You have not been exiled as far as anyone can tell, so I couldn't possibly get into trouble transmitting an entire dissertation by one or several of you.

Barton

By the way, SEF,

Do I know you from some other life?

Barton

Hi Mistdancer and all, although I have not posted I have read every posting. It seems to me that Symphony is UK based and therefore cannot be Lekz, its quite simple and I don't understand how this could have happened.

Count Zero... Moving his beanbag chair closer to Barton's bungalow in case the Rolling Stones or the road company of 'Cats' show up.

Well if you are planning to get all existential and reincarnated at me, Barton, then I think that will have to remain your delusion. It is just about possible you may have met me (though I doubt it because I would expect you to be more certain) or come across my work (much more probable though you are far less likely to have realised it).

Count,

Please don't sit out there in snap dragons, mandrakes, and mantraps.

Come on up here on the porch (with your beanbag) and feel free to use the bar. (The mandrakes get restless occassionally. Just whack them right there, below the ear, with the bar and they'll go back to pestering the snap dragons.)

I still haven't heard from the "Cats" road manager but it could be any day now. Jagger is currently in the hot tub with a "Do Not Disturb" sign on the door. (His lips aren't nearly so big after he's been soaking for a while -- uh, don't tell him about the spy hole, okay?)

Barton