Journal Entries
Rhino Climb 2006
Posted Feb 14, 2006
There's just over a week to go till I leave on my challenge to conquer the summit of Kilimanjaro in aid of Douglas' favourite charity, Save the Rhino.
Check out my progress on http://www.rhinoclimb2006.com
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Latest reply: Feb 14, 2006
Hitchhiking Kilimanjaro with The Adams Family
Posted Feb 14, 2006
Some years ago Douglas Adams wrote The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, a story about the world being unexpectedly demolished by hideous creatures from another planet. It was meant as a joke... Now, animal by animal, tree by tree, the world is being demolished around us; not by Vogons, or people from other planets, but by humans.
Douglas decided it was time to think about the absurdities of life on Earth, and what we are doing to it, and so wrote “Last Chance to See,” a book chronicling his journey around the world looking for animals on the brink of extinction.
Then in 1994 Douglas joined Save the Rhino International on their first Kilimanjaro Challenge to help raise money and awareness of the plight of the worlds few remaining rhinos. A founder Patron of the charity, Douglas continued actively supporting their work until his untimely death in 2001.
Now, in Douglas’ memory his sister and brother, Jane and James Thrift are preparing to take on the challenge of Africa’s highest peak, and Climb Mount Kilimanjaro, all 19,340 feet of it. The aim of the expedition is to carry on Douglas’ work in raising money and awareness for Save the Rhinos crucial projects in Africa.
Douglas had many interests, and like everything in his life, he never did things by halves. His passion for music led to him owning 26 left handed guitars, and a place on stage with Pink Floyd for his 42nd birthday, for computers saw him become an Applemaster and inveterate authority on ways in which technology should be integrated into our lives, and on conservation to be described by Mark Carwardine, world renowned zoologist and co-author of "Last Chance to See" as " the person who has done more for wildlife conservation than anyone else I know."
James Thrift said, "Douglas' passion for things was infectious, and I suppose that is why I can no longer sit by and watch the wholesale destruction of such a magnificent species as the Rhino that has been around for 45 million years. For them to be virtually wiped out in under a century is unforgivable, and for what, to make Yemeni dagger handles. This isn't animal cruelty, it's animal genocide."
“In the last year we’ve appeared in the movie of Hitchhikers, walked the red carpet at the premiere, so climbing Kilimanjaro was the logical next step,” James said, adding “It’s going to be a tough climb, the effects of altitude sickness at that height can be very unpleasant, but if it helps raise awareness of the real effort going on in Africa to save the rhinos then it will have been worth it.”
To support Jane and James in their challenge please visit www.rhinoclimb2006.com.
Thank you
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Latest reply: Feb 14, 2006
The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy movie - A family view
Posted Sep 2, 2005
By James Thrift, Douglas Adams' Brother
As a young boy, I used sit in the bedroom down at the end of the corridor watching Douglas tap away at his typewriter, occasionally stopping to gaze out of the window, the odd wry grin followed by furious typing. Hitchhikers was being born for the first time.
As the years progressed that scenario was oft repeated as Hitchhikers was born into each new medium, the books, TV series, album, stage production and computer game. The typewriter became an Apple Mac, the bedroom became Islington, and some would say the gaps between the wry grins became longer, but sadly for Douglas despite writing numerous screenplays, the jewel in the Hitchhikers crown evaded him, the movie.
Now 20 years after Douglas leapt onto that first plane to Hollywood, the family having decided that we really did want to see this film made, the movie is finally here, it’s finished, the world premiere is on Wednesday, the global release only a week or so away.
I saw the finished product last week, I must say it was nerve racking going into the screening knowing what Douglas wanted to achieve with the film, how he envisaged dealing with this, how he wanted to portray that, and wondering if it was ever going to live up to that expectation.
I needn’t have worried, the only un-Douglas thing about this film is that it was finished on time.
The story is unequivocally Hitchhikers, but in true Douglas style it is Hitchhikers with a difference, new characters, new plots. Don’t expect to be spoon fed a new rendition of the radio/book/tv/stage/cereal packet version, you ain’t gonna get it. What you’re going to get is a film that is funny, hilarious at times, evocative, visually stunning, and something that Douglas would have loved.
The characters are bang on the mark, Zaphod is so hip it hurts and Arthur is, well Arthur. Polly and I ended up arguing over who gets to keep Marvin, well we were till Warwick made it clear we’d have to fight him first, methinks he became a bit attached to his character! The visual effects are simply outstanding, the Vogons, the Heart of Gold, I know Douglas wanted big, but wait till you see the Magrathean factory floor!
As a family we are going to walk up that red carpet with an enormous amount of pride, masked only by the sadness that the big man’s not here to see it.
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Latest reply: Sep 2, 2005
Thrifty Boy
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"The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy is a wholly remarkable book. It has been compiled and recompiled many times and under many different editorships. It contains contributions from countless numbers of travellers and researchers."