The Murverse
Regarding some of the comments from yesterday:
“iPads are awesome!” Thanks, and I agree, but I don’t want one.
“You should root/strip DRM.” The problem with this solution is that you’re cheerfully burrowing under the wall without addressing the problem that there is no gate. I am slightly above the average user in that I know there are tools to dig under the wall, but I have no idea how to use them. I know that I could become more technologically savvy and break License Agreements to make what’s mine actually mine, but a) the average person doesn’t even know that’s an option, and b) that doesn’t change what’s wrong with the system.
Lastly, I put my Nintendo DS on eBay yesterday. Big step for me in curbing my number of gadgets. And broke my heart a little. If I can handle it, the Kindle goes up today. Sniff. Considering selling the ipod Touch, too, but I kinda hoped I could save that to pass down to my daughter when she gets old enough to appreciate it beyond “can I play Pocket God?”
On another topic, Stephen Fry mentioned on Twitter today that it’s the 10th anniversary of Douglas Adams’ death. This breaks my heart every time I think about it. When asked who my inspirations are, I often forget to mention him. Many people list teen reading of Lord of the Rings or Dune as being a huge influence to either their geek life/fandom/writing life. That’s what The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy was to me. The humor, the absurdity, the heart in those books made me want to give Adams a big hug. I had a chance to meet him once, back about 15 years ago, and I chickened out. I regret that all the damn time. (I know I blogged about this, but I can’t find it on either blog. Weird. Short story is my husband and I happened across him at E3, were too shy to say hi, then realized we didn’t know when we were going to see him again, turned around, but he’d left to catch his plane home. So we remind each other of that any time we’re too chicken to take a chance or meet someone famous.)
We miss you, Douglas Adams.
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6 Responses to Ebook + gadget followup
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I didn’t know today was the anniversary of his death. I’m sort of depressed now as he was my most influential author.
Don’t forget that May 25th is Towel Day.
When Mostly Harmless was coming out Douglas Adams did a book signing in Atlanta. I stood in line for 2-3 hours to get these 2 items signed.
One was a cardboard backing to a paperback stand for his books with a quote from a reviewer. I snagged this when I worked at a book store in high school. I can’t remember the quote but it was something about skating boarding on the universe. I definitely got an odd look from him for that item
The other was a British 1st ed of So Long and Thanks for all the Fish that I picked up in a London bookstore. It has a hologram on the front of the dolphins flying away. He asked, “where did you find this?” and maybe he was impressed that I had that version.
Sorry you never got the chance to meet him.
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Garner! It’s been too long since we’ve talked Douglas Adams. (or at all, actually.)
[...] **Thanks to Mur Lafferty for mentioning today’s signifigance in her post. [...]
Hitch-Hiker’s Guide To The Galaxy nearly didn’t happen. My father used to do amateur dramatics in the 1970s. The director of a play he was doing worked as a producer for BBC Radio 4 and told my father about a friend of his who had written this comic story about a man who escapes the destruction of Earth. The producer kept telling his friend, “Douglas, this stuff is really funny. Write it as a play and I’ll put it on the radio.” Adams’ reply was always, “Nah, it’s just a bit of fun for me and my friends.”
It was about four years later that my Dad called me and my brothers into the living room on a Saturday morning where he had the radio on, saying, “Listen to this programme written by a friend of a friend.”
We loved it, but it remained a radio cult for years.
What a great life lesson to learn from not-quite-meeting Douglas Adams. Thanks for sharing the story!