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

Today there is irony in the air, and it is bitter. It is deeply ironic that Douglas Adams' death has caused more registrations to H2G2 than could have possibly occurred in the previous year.
It is appalling that such a vital person has left. And how dare the human condition be such that those that are left can do nothing, save feel frustrated, angry, upset and bereft, in their own ways.

I saw him from the stairs once at TDV. I never had the balls to actually meet him. Especially at the BAFTAS when I was on a judging panel that denied TDV the obvious and without a doubt deserved honour of the first interactive entertainment comedy award.

We listened to Hitch Hikers' when it was on the radio in 1978 and I couldn't understand half of it (being eight years old) but I loved it just the same. He's been around in my head in one form or another ever since and I didn't even realise I was a "fan" until the last few days.

When I found out that someone I knew socially (a bit, you know how it is) had, way before he did other apparently more prestigious comedy jobs, actually produced Hitch Hikers I was so bowled over, Geoffrey immediately became more elevated in my eyes, simply because of his association with this luminous, timeless piece of genius. I stood enraptured listening to several well worn tales about quite how near to the end of his writing tether Douglas was (apparently) when he started writing HH, and other far funnier and ludicrous stories I now, and I kick myself hard for this, can't remember.

And another thing about Douglas Adams was his tireless enthusiasm for this thing - the internet. Back in 1996/97, there wasn't that much of it about that was genuinely organised in the UK, but where there was anything that involved interaction with users, you could see Douglas's name in the very short archive of live chats - it almost got to the point where you couldn't go anywhere without seeing his name. The reason? The people who worked on the sites were of course big fans, and who could resist being called upon to evangelise once more about this amazing, life changing event of the net? How chuffed he must have been, how ridiculously excited.

Ah, nuts, this is a terrible thing. What more is there to say.