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30 April, 2009
Apr 30, 2009

A very happy 10th birthday to h2g2

I may be late, but I still love ya!

(No replies)

2 February, 2008
Feb 5, 2008

Phil has spoken.

Pennsylvania's prognosticating rodent has seen his shadow, foretelling another 6 weeks of winter.

I'm perfectly happy with Phil's prediction this year. I was out golfing last weekend and I've discovered that I *love* playing golf in the winter.

For example, I hit a ball into a pond but since the water was frozen the ball bounced back into the fairway and rolled 150 yards toward the hole.

I can't figure out why we play in the summer after a result like that!

(3 replies, Latest reply: Feb 10, 2008)

15 January, 2008
Feb 5, 2008

I'm officially a student again.

After a long hiatus, I've returned to university to pursue my master's degree in communications/journalism.

I reckon it's past time for me to actually learn how to do what I've been doing for the last nine years.

It's only an hour commute to my college every Tuesday night. Should be an interesting class - it's all about doing research in mass communications.

I'm thinking that will mean loads of statistical homework and projects, but I should be able to use this knowledge to measure the effectiveness or lack of effectiveness of some of the tasks I'm assigned at work.

I'm asked to do some bloody stupid things at times and if I can *prove* they're pointless maybe I'll be allowed to stop doing them!

Yay education!

(2 replies, Latest reply: Feb 5, 2008)

The Guide and Me...
Nov 28, 2007

It's hard to believe I've been active on this site for more than 8 years now...

The reason that I first came to h2g2 still brings me back - I want to learn things and the Edited Guide still provides me bits and pieces of education about the wide world around me.

As my way of paying back to the Guide, I've written, edited and contributed to a fair share of entries. But in the last few years I've written less.

Why?

I suppose the primary reason is that I'm writing so much in my real-life job that it's been difficult to sit down at the computer at night and feel inspired to do more writing.

Plus as the webmaster for my work's Web site, I've lost some of the thrill of being published on the world wide web. It may be hard to believe, but back in 1999 it was exciting to know that people in Australia could see my writing and respond to it in real-time (as an ex-newspaper guy, folks couldn't read my work outside my own county).

Another reason would be that my children are much older now (my little one isn't quite so little anymore), and I find myself running after them a lot more than when they were preschoolers.

But do I still love h2g2?

Yes. I think Douglas had a brilliant vision for the site. And while wikipedia might have co-opted some of that vision I still feel we're the better product.

So after all the hue and cry about the site's declining standards, I've decided to recommit myself to the Edited Guide. I'm not going to write another hundred entries in the next week, but I am going to contribute my fair share.

I reckon I owe that much to the site and to Douglas for providing me so much entertainment over the years.

(5 replies, Latest reply: Nov 29, 2007)

17 November, 2007
Nov 28, 2007

My 34-year old brother finally took the plunge and got married.

What a whirlwind of a day! My daughters were junior bride's maids and I was the best man so it was quite an X-family affair for us.

As his best man, I did the obligatory toast to the happy couple. I don't remember exactly what I said, but I spoke from the heart and it made my mother cry so I guess it was okay. I stayed sober throughout the night and ensured that he and his spouse had a good time until they left for Niagara Falls for their honeymoon.

And in a fun bit of convergence he got married at the exact time I was born 39 years ago.

(7 replies, Latest reply: Dec 3, 2007)