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

Sorry, not hungry at the moment... enjoying a beer instead.

"Let's face it. No one can really do what hasn't been done before...we live in an age where everything has been done! Might as well forget about what others have done, and just go and do it for yourself."

There are still things left undone. Noone's been to Mars, or built a starship, or proven the Reiman Hypothesis, or created a concious computer...

You just have to find something you have a shot at succeeding t. I'm not really a good choice for an explorer, but it seems that travelting in known places is just not interesting enough to really be that worth it.

Since I find our history fascinating I love visiting places that have been much visited. Hungary was a wonderful country to visit with rich culture, good food and wine, and an eventful history to learn about. Istanbul next and then Peru.

Well, the farthest away I have been was Mongolia and I don't really care how many people have been there before. It was still a great feeling to discover that the hills look as soft and bluish in reality as on photos.

I would love to go to New Zealand. I've heard that there are no bugs which I sincerely doubt but that would be great. I always thought, bugs could have been replaced by tiny mice with wings but yeah...

Walking around GB, following the coastline sounds great, too. Just walking, not going by car. Sounds really nice. You'd have time to stop and you would be able to see more stop-worthy things and places because you would be going so slow. I like the idea.

At the moment though, I would love to go somewhere warm and even more important sunny and bright. I'm sick of the grey and darkish February weather here in Germany.

Methos

Yes Saturnine, I saw your photo, and it looks pretty amazing, if cold.

Now let me see...

I suppose I could trot out the old one about the patent office manager in the 1890s(?) about how the patent office should be closed because everything had already been invented. Now obviously he was wrong then, and anyone who thinks everything has been done now is obviously wrong in the same way.

If anything there's more opportunity to do things because there are more fields of exploration that are open. The only hinderance is that in some cases they've been taken over by organisations and systems, for instance no-one makes discoveries about sub-atomic particles in a home laboratory, but that is a small obstacle to anyone with talent, drive and imagination.

Lemmon Blossom, I believe you will find the world a much more interesting and entertaining place than you believe it to be.

So, Tabs, when can I come up to sit in front of your (electric) real fire and drink wisky? Who fancies going on a traveling trip then?

I've just recieved a note telling me to go see this frood Zarniwoop, in his office

hello, just looking how my little thread developes
about "there are no new places left to explore on earth", does that matter? I think it's only important that you discover things for yourself. I know people have actually been to america, does it stop me from wanting to go there? I know the thought of discovering something no man has ever seen before is a popular dream, but I think it's a bit naive, the places no man has seen before (space...) are so far away, who would really atempt to go there? in the old times, another continent was as far away as the next solar system and for everyone (exept the minority of the actual explorers)unreachable.
but what am I writing about, I started with my desire to travel...oh yes, at least this year will probably bring me three capitals(only one new): probably Amsterdam for one day in march, I have an offer to go there nearly for free, two days Paris with my french course in july, and 5 days London in autumn as my study trip with my english main course(that will be expensive...)
but it's not really the capitals that atract me, I love wide landscapes and I hope that I'll be able to go to some ocean in the summer...

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The distance isn't unconquerable. Mars is only six months away with contemporary propulsin and could be made closer with better engines.

Even Proxima Centuri could in theory be reached in 5 or 6 years.

If one could build a Bussard ramjet, one could travel to the Andromeda galaxy in 20 or 30 subjective years.

Well. Get on with it then.

Like I said, I am travelling lots, for business and for vacation. Like last year, I simply booked for my daughter and me a flight to UK and explored for 10 days Scotland. A girls out.

Mars would be definetly to far for me. Boring trip.

The trip would be what you make it I suppose. Though if anyone thought of the current airline style conditions for a trip to Mars and you couldn't pay me enough to get on board. Even if the expierence would be more than worth it - I like my creature comforts

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I'd just sit and read for a few months. I could even possibly figure out how to post to the guide without much problem from the time delay. It wouldn't be that boring.

If you did travel to Mars and had limited space to bring things and were limited to one book - what would you take?

Commercial airliners! Oh dear, especially sitting cramped into back killing seats, getting worst food... noway!

Readin books, listening to music, chatting with my friends... I doubt I get that on a flight to Mars.

Depends on if you dragged your friends on with you

As for the commercial airlines my main complaint is the lack of leg room - the person in front of you puts the seat back and feels like broken kneecaps

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In practice irrelivent--I'd take a laptop or the like or use a built-in terminal and bring books stored digitally--or have them transmitted from Earth.

Therefor, I'll assume the existance of such a system and assume you mean what one paper book as opposed to the various things I'd have access to electronicly.

I don't know--something long. Maybe the complete works of Asimov in one volume. I'd probably find soething so condensed I'd need a magnifying glass to read it.

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Books and music would be digitized and carried on the shipboard computer or a personal laptop.

In the near future, it wouldn't be airline accomodations--it would be more like the space shuttle's crew compartment but probably with a slightly smaller crew.

As for friends--you'd use email to talk to those on Earth. But you'd have a chance to make friends with your crewmates and you can be sure that whatever space agency was running it would make sure you got along well with them before launch.

Oh emailing or IM ing from a shuttle to the Mars? Man, the boards are sometimes slow as it is, imaging...

As I am from modest height, I can cope with the space between the rows, but my back and neck not. I'd be a candidate for surgery after a long flight like that.

I stand corrected by logic and technolgy *graious bow out*