Ooops, almost forgot my towel
Back a few years ago, there was a a BBC Radio program called “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy” broadcast in two Phases of 6 episodes each. This program spawned two novels (with a slightly altered plot), a computer game (with a further altered plot), a TV series (with a even more altered plot), a towel (with no plot to speak of), and an upcoming Hollywood film (three guesses).
There were three more “Hitchhiker’s” novels which have not been adapted into any other form and thus needed no plot alterations… until now. BBC Radio has posted streaming audio of Phase Three, Epsiode One on their “Listen Again” website. Episode Two will be streamed live tomorrow, and posted to “Listen Again” sometime Thursday.
If you have a little trouble following the plot at the beginning of the first episode, worry not. We all are (see above).
Add another picture to the Rec Deck
The transport, entertainment, and communications group Virgin has commissioned Bert Rutan to begin construction of the VSS Enterprise next year. This vessel is intended to take passengers on suborbital flights at $200,000 a ticket as part of the new, whimsically named “Virgin Galactic”.
In the past 40 years, the cost of putting a human into space has lost 4 zeros off the right end; perhaps it won’t be too much longer before we lose another two. It may turn out that Heinlein and others were right – space will not belong to countries, but to companies. No matter what, it’s fun to watch.
And a note to rubinpdf – now that we’re putting Rutans into space, can Sontarans be far behind?
