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

Hi Jim!
Thank you for your comments on my entry "Contact - the film".
I've now done all the changes, and corrected the mistakes.
I wonder if you would like to give it another once-over?
Thanks so much...

The pics on your page are just adorable!
How did you put them there, please?
My pics all disappeared with the move to the BBC.
Your babyis gorgeous!

The pictures are resident as blobs on the h2g2 servers (that's how I've always put pictures on my page) so they aren't classed as off-site. It's my one perk for designing h2g2 in the first place

I'm only nit-picking about your article now. You should use standard parentheses (like this) and not curly brackets {like this}.

"As they are tracking down the signal, it stops, only to restart again, this time counting out prime numbers." I think the signal was always counting primes, but since they only found it in the middle of its broadcast the pattern wasn't obvious. Your sentence implies the first broadcast was different, when actually it was just repeated (as the film states).

"Ellie and David are on the list" should probably be "Ellie and Drumlin are on the list" since you previously refer to him as Drumlin. It's important to be consistent about things like this.

It's a personal thing, but I'd avoid using exclamation marks. They are rarely necessary, and can look a bit amateurish.

I'm not sure your final summation is correct - the feeling I got was that Ellie did *absolutely* make the journey. The final irony was that she, who had up until then then relied absolutely on evidence over faith, was now asking that others take her account on faith without evidence. But as presented in the movie, she unequivocally made that journey, wherever it took her to. But your interpretation is just as valid as mine.

Have you read the book? Because the biggest disappointment in the movie for me was the loss of the best idea from the book - the location of God's message to his creation. I won't say any more here in case you haven't read it and want to, though.

Sorry if I've been pickier than you expected - none of these points are particularly severe - but you did ask

Thanks Jim.
Any constructive critisizm is good.
I am already getting glowing reports & I want all my entries to be spectacular, even if it means starting again from scratch.
Your comments are very welcome.
I've not read the book, but it's now on my list for my next visit to my local library.
Going to the entry to make the changes now.
Thanks again!

You're welcome. Enjoy the book - it's quite a bit different in many respects, so you might find it odd, but the ideas are fabulous.

The alterations are done.
Although I am not sure whether to change the personal opinion.
I thought that was open to interpretation anyway.
There must be as many people who believe there *is* intelligent life out there, as there are people who scoff.
When you sum up all the variables, there must be other species out there. But then you look at what a fluke it was that we {mankind} are even here...and we *could* just be the only ones. An awful waste of space!

I read a quote just the other day, but I can't find it now.

It was from Carl Sagan, I think, and it said that there are two possibilities: That there *is* intelligent life on other worlds, or that we are utterly alone in the Universe.

And that both of these possibilities is amazing.

I liked the quote from the film:
"Absence of evidence is not evidence of absence".
That makes a lot of sense!
I forgot to put it in my original review, but it's there now!

In my mind, there *must* be other life out there. Even if it is vastly different to what we know {just look at the diversity on Earth!}.
The chances of other intelligent lifeforms having the means to cross vast distances of inhospitable space is the low quotient.
I'm watching the "Destination:Mars" programmes. Mars is a relative short distance away compared to other galaxies.
And just look at the problems they are having, preparing to send a manned crew to our neighbouring.
I love having an excuse to post thatsmiley!

OK.
I've got the book from my library.
I'm struggling.
So far I don't recognize the Ellie I know and love...
I'm on Chapter 3 and thinking of taking the book back.
Why was the film made so differently?
I was shocked that it was Ellie's dad who died, then her mother remarried...when in the film, it's mum who died in childbirth.
There's no Pensicola mentioned in the book, no blind Kent Clark...
???
And what's a "booby hatch"?? {Mentioned in the first chapter}.

Who knows, if I'd read the book first, I may have hated the film.
But I doubt it

I'm still struggling....
Palmer Joss has *just* been mentioned, well after the signal has been received.
It's like a totally different story.
I'm ploughing on though.
Currently up to where they are still receiving the message & can't decipher it.

Keep going... It *is* very different. You'll be even more surprised when it comes to the trip through the machine.

I'd agree that Palmer Joss is one of the characters that changes most. I hadn't read the book for years when I saw the movie, and I too was surprised how different he was when I re-read the book.

Please bear in mind that to translate a book to film well, you have to cut out *an awful lot* of stuff, and often that means radically restructuring the story. It's very common to amalgamate characters, lose others, and introduce others. The difficult question is 'does it make as good a film (or better)?' I'd probably argue that, on the whole, the film is dramatically better than the book (mainly because of the significant change they make to the journey) but you can see why a film has to make the choice. The only place where the book beats the movie is in the central idea which you'll find out when you get to the end of the book (and which I have no intention of spoiling for you). But again, it's very easy to see why the filmmakers chose to ignore that idea (you'll probably realise when you read it).

Do keep reading - even if you end up hating it. And it's fun to hear your status reports. Is there a reading group anywhere on h2g2 where more people can join in, all read the same book, then talk about it?

I intend to keep reading!
I'm managing about two chapters a night.
I only have time to read in bed, and reading puts me to sleep!
I'm glad I borrowed it from the library, and didn't buy it.
Thank you for not spoiling the ending.
I didn't know all this.
I'm actually only discussing the book with you!
I don't know of anyone else currently reading it.
I'll get back to you after the next few chapters
I'll also post this url at the write-up I did, so if anyone wants to discuss the book they can join in.

{I think I probably will end up hating the book}

Got quite a bit more read last night....it's very bitty, I don't know whether she is still with van der Heer or not! The Machine just got blown up & they just had Drumlin's funeral. Hard going....I keep wondering about her love affair with van der Heer. I can certainly tell a man wrote this book.

Don't tell anymore GB (sorry for butting in!). I think I'll read this book too, as to be honest I hated the film, but loved the idea of it, so maybe the book will suit me better.

(I only came over to find out what these blob things are that GB was telling me about.)

Gorgeous Babes by the way Jim!

I got it from the library, hon.
I'm trying to finish it by next week, so I don't have to book it out again.
I'll hold off any more comments then, until you've read it.
Then we can get a good discussion going.
I wonder if Jim will keep us supplied with&??

Sounds good to me, I'll try and grab the book by the end of the weekend.

A reading group is a brilliant idea for the Community Team or The Post to organize.

That's a really great idea! Positively genius!!

Jim, when you next see Peta and Abi, perhaps you could talk to them about it?

- X

I'm still trying to finish the book & it's due back today.

I will have to book it out again.

I booked it out again, finished it.
Sorry, Jim.
I really didn't like the book.
It left too many loose ends for me.
What happened between Ellie & her lover?
That was never explained.
And no wonder the Hollywood producers don't like writers being on the set of filming!
The film was nothing like the book.
I know Carl Sagan helped with the film.
But as he wrote the book, I don't think he would have been happy with the film.