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

Just heard the news on the radio about DNA's sudden passing.
It's tragic that the world has lost someone who gave so much pleasure to so many people. My deepest sympathies to his family.
I don't know what else to say. Words seem so useless.

Sitting in Denmark... suddenly a ton of briks hits me with you news...

What happened???

Apparently it was a heart attack. Poor man. Condolences to his family.

Heart attack, apparently.

Dammit.

There was just a brief announcement on the radio news 1/2 hours ago, and no more details on BBC news website, but I found teh following : http://www.bbc.co.uk/h2g2/guide/F20651?thread=111574

thats sad we have lost one of the best writers ever, I wunder if there would be a way for us to get a message of condolece to his family, from the whole ssite I mean

Yes.
My kids have just informed me

This is so sad

Our Great Leader has left us

And I just read that he had a little 7 year old girl, the poor thing loosing her daddy like that

I woke up today thinking what a beautiful day.

The sunshine can't dry my tears.

(by the way I'm also known as Bob Herald to the Aces)
I've just opened a kind of tribute article on my space. please come and add to it in honour of the great man
Bob

I have just started a letter of condolence as per the suggestion of the earlier Bob (wearing black arm band).

If people want to add their names and feelings to it, here's the address:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/h2g2/guide/A546815

It might be a nice gesture if you sign off with your actual name and where in the world you live - just to show how many and varied his fans are.

I will inform Peta of the letter in case the staff at h2g2 want to do anything with it.

Actually Douglas' page at http://www.bbc.co.uk/h2g2/guide/U42 is a better place to leave messages of condolence. People have already been leaving messages here, and it seems the right place.

I was shocked and horrified to hear of the news. The world is much poorer because of the loss of this wonderful man.

I had the great privilege of meeting him three years ago at the Disney Studio.

Here is an edited version of an email I sent on September 29, 1998.

I extend sympathies to his widow and daughter, and am sorry that we never got to tour the studio together.

--woodears

September 29, 1998

After months of email and phone conversations, Douglas Adams
agreed to visit Disney's as my guest today. He's been making
frequent trips to Los Angeles because of the live action
production Disney is doing of THE HITCH HIKER'S GUIDE TO THE
GALAXY. For the record, it will be released in 2000, which
sounds appropriate. Adams is writing the screenplay and the guy
who directed AUSTIN POWERS is directing.
I waited nervously by the phone. Suppose my directions from
Beverly Hills were defective?
My worst fears were borne out when the phone rang.
"I seem to be lost," Adams said. "I can't find the sign that
says Glendale/Pasadena."
This was because he had gone the wrong way on the freeway and
was nearly into Ventura County. It seems he was so fond of Santa
Barbara, he told me later, that he just automatically turned the
car northward.
Eventually Mr. Adams arrived at the studio and TREASURE PLANET directors John Musker, Ron
Clements, Ian Gooding (art director) and myself accompanied him
to The Rotunda, the executive dining room where they serve
decent food (as opposed to what you get in our cafeteria.) Here
we were wowed by funny anecdotes about British and American
cartoonists, and one very comic story about James Cameron (with
whom Adams was having dinner later that evening.) It seems that
Cameron and Adams shared a whitewater raft a few weeks ago, and
Cameron turned to Adams and inquired whether 'two TITANIC
authors should attempt to steer a boat?'
There were other stories, one about an $8 million dollar party
thrown by billionaire Paul Allen, who reportedly was the only
person at the party without a date. I said that if he needed an
'extra woman' for the next one I was emphatically available, and
I'd even bring a caricature pad if they needed entertainment. (Adams smiled and the others pretended they hadn't heard anything.)
I walked Adams all through the studio. He turned to me as we headed over to the "Hat Building" and asked, "What do one of these things cost?"
"HERCULES came in at around $75 million," I said.

"Good God, you can't be serious!" Adams said, with a shocked expression on his face. He came to a complete stop.

I think I was able to show the
reason for this by the sheer amount of work that goes into one.
He was particularly impressed with the work of English artist
John Watkiss, who wasn't able to make the connection with The
Book when I introduced them.

"I can't match the name to the title," John told me afterward,
when he asked me "who that guy was." Of course he'd heard of the
books, everyone has. Not everyone at Disney has read them, which
I think should be required for everyone on TREASURE PLANET.

Many of the artists knew people who were
friends of Mr. Adams, which of course helped to break the ice.
He himself suggested we contact the owner of Kai's Power Goo
computer graphics company about creating a distinctive look for
our film. I can bring up the matter with the producer tomorrow,
but being ignorant of these things, I am bringing Floyd Norman
along to explain why this could be a good thing. Floyd is a
story man with a good knowledge of the computer graphics world.
Floyd and Adams also rhapsodized about the MacIntosh. Adams was
so eloquent it almost made me wish I had bought one.

He also mentioned that the commuting from England to L.A. was so
taxing that he and his wife were probably going to move to Santa
Barbara. He hated L.A. when he lived here (can't say I blame him
for that.)

Most of the animators and story people were over the moon to be
meeting a famous author. Brian Ferguson was the only one tall
enough to look Adams in the eye. All the rest of us were nearly
a head shorter. Brian stood there with a rhapsodic grin on his face and said nothing. We pretended he was all right!

There are plans to have Douglas Adams do a LunchBox lecture at
the studio. At lunch the young man who arranges such things
tapped me on the shoulder and I gave him an introduction. Adams
seemed very excited about the prospect at the end of the tour;
and much mention was made of his sole nonfiction book, LAST
CHANCE TO SEE, a wonderfully moving book about endangered
animals. "What if I did a presentation on that?" he asked me. "I
think that would be ideal for Disney, and the studio would
really appreciate it," I said.

So we will certainly be hearing from him again and it was a very
exciting and interesting day at work for me and many other
people at Disney. And Mr. Adams enjoyed his trip and managed to
get down to Beverly Hills again afterward without incident.
Friends at Dreamworks naturally wanted Adams to visit them too,
but I explained that I couldn't arrange that for them! They can
reach Douglas Adams, as can anyone, at his homepage,
http://www.douglasadams.com
And check out the STARSHIP TITANIC game when it comes out on Mac
next month!
Cheers for now,

woodears