TiVo Community Forums Archives

TiVoCommunity.com
(c)opyright 1995-2005 All rights reserved
indexcheckTC
This area is a static history of posts in the TiVo Community Forum Archive.
This archive history was made for the simple indexing of search sites like Google.

Pages:1

Sad news.
(Click here to view the original thread with full colors/images)

Posted by: bonehead

Sadly, Doug Adams has died of a heart attack at the age of 49.

Off topic, I know, but it seems that the inhabitants of this forum are the most likely to have an appreciation for his work.

Posted by: Mr. Belboz

Sorry to hear it. He was still too young to go.

I have all of his stuff and thoroughly enjoyed it.

Best thing I can say is "So long and thanks for all the fish".

------------------
Belboz

Posted by: Otto

Perhaps he's only spending a year dead for tax reasons.

Damn. Normally celebrity deaths don't bother me. DA is what turned me on to casual reading in the first place. I'll have to take the time to listen to the radio series again. He died way too young. http://www.avsforum.com/ubb/frown.gif

------------------
Everything I say is my opinion and not necessarily a statement of fact. Deal with it.
Otto, Zen TiVo Master - Moderator - AVS Tivo Forums - Tivo Underground, Tivo Coffee House
"Once you start down the dark path, forever will it dominate your destiny. Consume you it will!" -- Yoda

Posted by: jmoak

where ever his journey takes him now, a quick-thinking hitchhiker such as he, with an attractively road-worn towel, is sure to be welcomed into the fold where ever he goes...

he will surely be missed and remembered.

Jeff

Posted by: Endymion

Sad news indeed. I was introduced to his Hitchhiker's Guide series in college and loved his Dirk Gently series. His humor would come out of left field and slam me in the head like a brick with a twist of lemon.

Where on earth can the radio series be found? I've looked for it for years with no luck.

John

Posted by: Otto

The HHGTTG original radio series was available on CD for a while, but I think it was pulled from the market. Anyway, you can find the MP3's on the internet. It's about 6 hours long, and usually downloadable in 12 parts. It may or may not still be on Napster, but a quick search would probably find it for you. It's worth the trouble, as there's bits in it never put in any of the books and so on.

------------------
Everything I say is my opinion and not necessarily a statement of fact. Deal with it.
Otto, Zen TiVo Master - Moderator - AVS Tivo Forums - Tivo Underground, Tivo Coffee House
"Once you start down the dark path, forever will it dominate your destiny. Consume you it will!" -- Yoda

Posted by: AndyK

Godspeed Doug, don't forget your no tea and pocket lint!

------------------
I am an army of 2.0.1

Posted by: Pan Chun

If you have the 6-episode Hitchhiker's Guide... video tape, Adams is the fellow who strips naked and runs into the sea (no dialogue). That will always be my visual image of him...quirky, funny, willing to go where no author yadda, yadda.

This is awful news. There were only 5 books in the trilogy! Perhaps when the earth is rebuilt he will get another chance.

Of course, the ultimate irony would have been if he had died at 42.

<haiku>

"It's like being drunk."
Not so bad unless you're a
Glass of icewater!

</haiku>

------------------
The I-R Blaster--
Works better than I thought but
I miss DSS

Posted by: rclatter

I read this on Yahoo news this morning at 9am - ruined my day.

I hope he's floating high above us in exactly the same way that a brick doesn't. (<-- my favorite Douglas Adams Analogy from HHG1)

Rob who is still trying to figure out what you get when you multiply six by nine.

Posted by: NoteTaker

Not a good day.
http://www.douglasadams.com/

------------------
14 hours. (need more) Version 2.0.1

Posted by: MannyL

He was one frood dude who always knew where his towel was. I'll drink a pan-galatic-gargleblaster in his memory. Now he knows the Question as well as the answer

[This message has been edited by MannyL (edited 05-13-2001).]

Posted by: Wayne Bundrick

Saw this in another forum:

"So long, and thanks for all the books!"

Posted by: jmccorm

Sad to hear. I loved his works. But at least he'll get an answer to this paradox:

http://arcade.gameshop.com/0020.JPG

Posted by: TK420

This news hit like a Vogon Construction Fleet http://www.avsforum.com/ubb/frown.gif

------------------
Peace ,Love and Decrimanalize!!!!!

Posted by: FourOhFour

quote:
Originally posted by Otto:
The HHGTTG original radio series was available on CD for a while, but I think it was pulled from the market. Anyway, you can find the MP3's on the internet. It's about 6 hours long, and usually downloadable in 12 parts. It may or may not still be on Napster, but a quick search would probably find it for you. It's worth the trouble, as there's bits in it never put in any of the books and so on.

IE sucks. I had a nice reply here but I accidentally hit backspace after the edit field lost the focus...
I got the CDs off of the store linked to from http://www.douglasadams.com , but the store seems to have closed.
This slashdot post mentions that someone is running a shoutcast server constantly streaming the episodes in a loop.
Or, if you want to try to be legal, here are the ISBNs for the CDs, maybe they will help:
Fit the First-Fit the Sixth: 0-563-38974-5
Fit the Seventh-Fit the Twelfth: 0-563-38979-6

It's worth buying.

------------------
.signature: file not found

[This message has been edited by FourOhFour (edited 05-13-2001).]

Posted by: sjf

Well, this is kinda off-topic, but you know if you accidentally (or otherwise) go back a page in ie, you can always just hit the 'Forward" key to get back again -- Won't lose your edits, either.

(Humm, 'forward' to go back... Now I understand the name of that movie!)

------------------
Everything I need to know, I learned from Moe.

Posted by: pschum

I, too, was shocked to hear of his passing. There was a very nice tribute to him this morning on "Morning Edition" (NPR) complete with clips from the HHG radio show, which aired here several times. Of all three of treatments HHG got, I think the radio show was the best -- it was a feast for the imagination!

"Life. Don't talk to me about life."

------------------
Paul Schumann
"Share and Enjoy"

Posted by: CoosCoos

They say famous people die in threes. Perry Como died yesterday.

No connection, I'm sure.

------------------
Cous cous is the food.
CoosCoos is your online hero.

Posted by: FourOhFour

quote:
Originally posted by sjf:
Well, this is kinda off-topic, but you know if you accidentally (or otherwise) go back a page in ie, you can always just hit the 'Forward" key to get back again -- Won't lose your edits, either.

Tried. It lost my edits this is IE 6 in WinXP though, so could be some random bug... (Actually, I used the forward mouse button... I love my trackball)

------------------
.signature: file not found

Posted by: The Weissman

All 12 episodes of HHG are were posted at alt.binaries.sounds.spoken-word on 5/12 and 5/13 by "Misk" in MP3 format. Thought you'd like to know.

Steve

Posted by: willmw

He provided many hours of entertainment to many people (and others)...he shall be missed.

------------------
TiVolutionaries watch TV on their own terms...
...everyone else just wishes they could!

Posted by: David Bolling

quote:
Originally posted by Pan Chun:
If you have the 6-episode Hitchhiker's Guide... video tape....

I have the laserdisc, which I'll be dusting off for another viewing in the near future.

Posted by: jmccorm

For what it is worth, Amazon is selling the VHS video for $17.99. (I could have sworn that I paid around $12 for it a year or two ago.) It is recorded in EXTENDED PLAY and is incredibly long because it is the entire series in one tape.

Wow. I loved it.

quote:
Originally posted by David Bolling:
I have the laserdisc, which I'll be dusting off for another viewing in the near future.

Posted by: Otto

I've seen that video of the TV Series before. It's pretty badly made, low production quality, and just general all around crap. That said, it is funny as heck if you can deal with B or even Z grade material. Many people can't. http://www.avsforum.com/ubb/biggrin.gif

------------------
Everything I say is my opinion and not necessarily a statement of fact. Deal with it.
Otto, Zen TiVo Master - Moderator - AVS Tivo Forums - Tivo Underground, Tivo Coffee House
"Once you start down the dark path, forever will it dominate your destiny. Consume you it will!" -- Yoda

Posted by: David Bolling

quote:
Originally posted by Otto:
I've seen that video of the TV Series before. It's pretty badly made, low production quality, and just general all around crap. That said, it is funny as heck if you can deal with B or even Z grade material. Many people can't. http://www.avsforum.com/ubb/biggrin.gif

It's pretty standard fare for a BBC production, even better than most I might even argue, but that might be because the content is more to my liking.

Posted by: jmccorm

The third arm and extra head is extremely laughable for non-comedic reasons. I think the fact that it was filmed to the BCC's high production standards make it that much more hilarious. The computer graphics probably cost 'em.

Does any Douglas Adams stuff ever come on TV anymore?

quote:
Originally posted by David Bolling:
It's pretty standard fare for a BBC production, even better than most I might even argue, but that might be because the content is more to my liking.

Posted by: Otto

quote:
Originally posted by jmccorm:
Does any Douglas Adams stuff ever come on TV anymore?

No, but if you look hard you might find some hidden tidbits. He was a script editor on Doctor Who for many years and actually wrote three storylines. They've all been released on video, but since been dropped so they are somewhat hard to find.

The Pirate Planet is the most common one to find. It contains a number of references and in-joke to the Hitchhiker's stuff. It's not very good, as it was obviously edited down to incomprensibility. I do recall a planet that ate other planets and an evil robotic parrot. http://www.avsforum.com/ubb/smile.gif

Shada was never actually finished or aired when it was made, but it was later finished and reworked and released on video by the BBC. There are very deep similarities between it and Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency, and for good reason. Since it was never finished, DNA just took all the good bits and incorporated them into his book later. It features the character of Chronotis, the retired Time Lord, who has turned his TARDIS into his study (sound familar?). The character of Chronotis is the only good thing about this story, as the villians and the plot are pretty badly done.

The City of Death is the other one he wrote, and it was actually released under the name David Agnew due to writer's guild rules at the time. It's the best of the Doctor Who items he penned, and even has a cameo appearance by John Cleese. If you get any of them, get this one. You'll also recognize bits from Dirk Gently, including all life on Earth having been created by the explosion of an alien spaceship, which the Doctor must go back in time to prevent being prevented. There's also a detective that should be familiar. In any case, this is the best writing he did for the series.

------------------
Everything I say is my opinion and not necessarily a statement of fact. Deal with it.
Otto, Zen TiVo Master - Moderator - AVS Tivo Forums - Tivo Underground, Tivo Coffee House
"Once you start down the dark path, forever will it dominate your destiny. Consume you it will!" -- Yoda

Posted by: Pan Chun

I don't know if it is still available in general release, but those interested in learning more about Adams (along the lines of Otto's missive above) should hunt down a copy of the book Don't Panic! by yet another celebrated author, Neil Gaiman. It is, essentially, the definitive history of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy through all of it's incarnations (up until 1993, anyway) and of Douglas Adams' struggles to maintain a certain integrity between the versions.

In fact, I think I'll go see if I can find MY copy...I can't think of a better reason to re-read it.

------------------
The I-R Blaster--
Works better than I thought but
I miss DSS

Posted by: Corey140

quote:
Originally posted by CoosCoos:
They say famous people die in threes. Perry Como died yesterday.

MY wife says the same thing all the time... (

------------------
What is popular is not always right.
What is right is not always popular.
It is better to be quiet and thought a fool than to speak and remove all
doubt.

Posted by: pv

quote:
Originally posted by jmccorm:
The computer graphics probably cost 'em.

Actually, all the guide graphics were done the old fashioned way, with no computers involved.

I have to disagree with Otto about the quality of the TV show. True, must of the production values are about up to the grade of a late-seventies Doctor Who program (with good reason; same people). But it's a good adaptation overall. It's worth it even if you just zip through to the guide entries.

To this day (and I've listened to it a dozen times), the bit from the radio show where the Sirius cybernetics robots sing the complaint section anthem still makes me scream out loud laughing. PV

P.S. Go stick your head in a pig.

Posted by: Advisor

I can't believe he's gone.

But wait! Take a look at this link! It says his passing was just a publicity stunt and,

no, just kidding, he really is gone.

Mr. Adams will be greatly missed, indeed.

------------------
Real advice for real people, always free. Help is just a click away.

Sony DirecTIVO 2.0 of course, was there ever anything else?

Posted by: HTH

At least he now knows who this "God" person is anyway. http://www.war-of-the-worlds.org/tivo/sad.gif

Posted by: Endymion

Thanks to all who replied on how to find the radio series. Although the old CDs are no longer available, a new release is available and can be found at the UK Amazon.com site at these URLs:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos...chbooksinterne/
http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos...chbooksinterne/

The CDs are on their way to me along with, for reasons I can't phantom, a Chesterfield sofa.

John

------------------
John

Posted by: Pan Chun

quote:
Originally posted by HTH:
At least he now knows who this "God" person is anyway. http://www.war-of-the-worlds.org/tivo/sad.gif

Do you mean the "God" who vanished in a puff of logic? http://www.avsforum.com/ubb/wink.gif

------------------
The I-R Blaster--
Works better than I thought but
I miss DSS