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

He used to work in Notting Hill as the head boffin at a place called Polar Video. That's not a rental shop, it was a place where serious things went on with eproms, soldering irons and Quantel consoles. Nice bloke, about 5 foot 11, blue eyes. Used to smoke Gitanes. His name is Fred Conrad Smith. The last time we talked, he was about to get married to an Irish journalist with a flat in Kensington.

I'd just like to say hi and share news but I don't know where he is. You try finding a Smith who MIGHT be in London, when you live in the US!

Lil

Did you ever find him again?
Just curious. Hope you don't mind.

No, but I wasn't surprised. Like a lot of really creative people, Fred always tended to leave the details of getting by till last, and he is not good at keeping in touch. I should say, he wasn't 20 years ago! I'll follow some old connections if and when I get to London.

Wouldn't it be strange if you finally do track him down, and due to work he had moved to the States! That would have been the cutting edge in the technological stakes back then. Of course, location is now dictated by money, and how cheap the things can be produced.
However, if he was in the R&D side of things, who knows where he might be. Have you ever tried a search on somewhere like hotmail or Yahoo, you know, the 'search for a friend' option that a lot of these places offer these days, just for curiosity value, to see how many people with his name are registered around the world? If you use his full name, the odds are drastically cut down.

Fred Smith.

There are 5 Sandra Smiths that I know of right here in Lakeland. And I tried the British directories a while back, and found hordes of Fred C Smiths and even Fred Conrad Smiths. We had talked aout hyphenation when we first got married, jokingly, but now I kind of regret it every time the pharmacist mixes me up with some other Sandra Smith and tells me I'm uninsured.

Totally aware none of my business, but have you tried bigfoot? (www.bigfoot.com) If he possesses any sort of e-identity, you might be lucky. If I remember, and it's a year or two since I used it, you have to join up before you get the full service.

he was sat next to me in the bus stop.

Then the renault has crapped out.