Douglas Adams would've been 60 today. Happy Birthday Chap!

roo-ster · 6 months

The ships hung in the sky in much the same way that bricks don't.

deadeyesight · 6 months

"In the beginning the Universe was created. This has made a lot of people very angry and been widely regarded as a bad move." -Douglas Adams

mindtapped · 6 months

There is an art, it says, or rather, a knack to flying. The knack lies in learning how to throw yourself at the ground and miss.

-DNA

zhirzzh · 6 months

"He hoped and prayed that there wasn't an afterlife. Then he realized there was a contradiction involved here and merely hoped that there wasn't an afterlife" - Douglas Adams

Other favorite quotes?

root · 6 months

Ah, DNA, now there was a hoopy frood who really knew where his towel was.

Kubaker1 · 6 months

Ah . . . ! What's happening? it thought. Er, excuse me, who am I? Hello? Why am I here? What's my purpose in life? What do I mean by who am I? Calm down, get a grip now . . . oh! this is an interesting what is it? It's sort of . . . yawning, tingling sensation in my . . . my . . . well, I suppose I'd better start finding names for things if I want to make any headway in what for that sake of what I shall call an argument I shall call the world, so let's call it my stomach. Good. Ooooh, it's getting quite strong. And hey, what about this whistling roaring sound going past what I'm suddenly going to call my head? Perhaps I can call that . . . wind! Is that a good name? It'll do . . . perhaps I can find a better name for it later when I've found out what it's for. It must be something very important because there certainly seems to be a hell of a lot of it. Hey! What's this thing? This . . . let's call it a tail - yeah, tail. Hey! I can really thrash it about pretty good, can't I? Wow! Wow! That feels great! Doesn't seem to achieve very much but I'll probably find out what it's for later on. Now, have I built up any coherent picture of things yet? No. Never mind, hey, this is really exciting, so much to find out about, so much to look forward to, I'm quite dizzy with anticipation . . . Or is it the wind? There really is a lot of that now, isn't there? And wow! Hey! What's this thing suddenly coming toward me very fast? Very, very fast. So big and flat and round, it needs a big wide-sounding name like . . . ow . . . ound . . . round . . . ground! That's it! That's a good name- ground! I wonder if it will be friends with me? And the rest, after a sudden wet thud, was silence.

WatRedditHathWrought · 6 months

"Thor was the God of Thunder and, frankly, acted like it."

CHR1597 · 6 months

"If you try and take a cat apart to see how it works, the first thing you have on your hands is a non-functioning cat."

hmcneil · 6 months

"This must be Thursday. I never could get the hang of Thursdays." -Douglas Adams

KicknP · 6 months

A common mistake that people make when trying to design something completely foolproof is to underestimate the ingenuity of complete fools.

crackbabydaddy · 6 months

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy defines the marketing division of the Sirius Cybernetics Corporation as "a bunch of mindless jerks who'll be the first against the wall when the revolution comes," with a footnote to the effect that the editors would welcome applications from anyone interested in taking over the post of robotics correspondent.

Curiously enough, an edition of the Encyclopaedia Galactica that had the good fortune to fall through a time warp from a thousand years in the future defined the marketing division of the Sirius Cybernetics Corporation as "a bunch of mindless jerks who were the first against the wall when the revolution came."

denjin · 6 months

More popular than the Celestial Home Care Omnibus, better selling than 53 More Things to Do in Zero Gravity, and more controversial than Oolon Colluphid's trilogy of philosophical blockbusters: Where God Went Wrong, Some More of God's Greatest Mistakes, and Who Is This God Person, Anyway?

hmcneil · 6 months

I just read Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy for the first time. I've never laughed so much while reading a book. He is my new favorite author.

Pedipalp · 6 months

The full quote:

Imagine a puddle waking up one morning and thinking, 'This is an interesting world I find myself in, an interesting hole I find myself in, fits me rather neatly, doesn't it? In fact it fits me staggeringly well, must have been made to have me in it!' This is such a powerful idea that as the sun rises in the sky and the air heats up and as, gradually, the puddle gets smaller and smaller, it's still frantically hanging on to the notion that everything's going to be alright, because this world was meant to have him in it, was built to have him in it; so the moment he disappears catches him rather by surprise. I think this may be something we need to be on the watch out for.

WatRedditHathWrought · 6 months

“In the end, it was the Sunday afternoons he couldn’t cope with, and that terrible listlessness that starts to set in about 2:55, when you know you’ve taken all the baths that you can usefully take that day, that however hard you stare at any given paragraph in the newspaper you will never actually read it, or use the revolutionary new pruning technique it describes, and that as you stare at the clock the hands will move relentlessly on to four o’clock, and you will enter the long dark teatime of the soul." Life, The Universe and Everything - Douglas Adams

ThinkingWithPortal · 6 months

"This is what I said.' I said, `I would like to say that it is a very great pleasure, honour and privilege for me to open this bridge, but I can't because my lying circuits are all out of commission. I hate and despise you all. I now declare this hapless cyberstructure open to the unthinkable abuse of all who wantonly cross her.' And I plugged myself into the opening circuits.'' -Douglas Adams

desitexan · 6 months

The world is a thing of utter inordinate complexity and richness and strangeness that is absolutely awesome. I mean the idea that such complexity can arise not only out of such simplicity, but probably absolutely out of nothing, is the most fabulous extraordinary idea. And once you get some kind of inkling of how that might have happened, it's just wonderful. And … the opportunity to spend 70 or 80 years of your life in such a universe is time well spent as far as I am concerned.

The tragedy is that he passed away too young. :(

alialo88 · 6 months

The Complete Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: The Trilogy of Five is today's Kindle deal in the UK (coincidence?). £2.19 for the lot:

Here.

notoriousmunkee · 6 months

TIL me and Douglas Adams have the same birthday

maffian357 · 6 months

I know his daughter. It is sad to know that her mother passed away from cancer recently as well.

Kamoda · 6 months

THIS IS MY HOLE, IT WAS MADE FOR ME

MrBokbagok · 6 months

I didn't know he was dead. Huh.

KnavishSprite · 6 months

I met the great man, many years ago. And I'm happy to say he was genuinely nice and friendly and remarkably unassholeish.

He also gave me a quote that, if I ever get published, I'll use on the dustjacket.

Blizik · 6 months

It took me a while to figure out how good of an analogy this really is. The puddle fits into it's environment, just as life does with it's environment. It's not that the Earth is tailor made for life, it's just that life is crafted through natural selection to fit the Earth.

Wow. That's awesome.

knighmare · 6 months

“It is known that there are an infinite number of worlds, simply because there is an infinite amount of space for them to be in. However, not every one of them is inhabited. Any finite number divided by infinity is as near nothing as makes no odds, so the average population of all the planets in the Universe can be said to be zero. From this it follows that the population of the whole Universe is also zero, and that any people you may meet from time to time are merely products of a deranged imagination.” Its almost the same as saying we never lost him

MagicalDogbert · 6 months

For anyone missing DNA and wanting to get a quick fix, check out The Private Life of Genghis Khan if you haven't already. Probably his most historically correct work. Also, Wowbagger the Infinitely Prolonged makes an appearance.

The Private Life of Genghis Khan

Happyginger · 6 months

Douglas Adams is my favorite British author ever, and probably wrote the funniest book of the last 50 years. He is missed dearly.

AwesomeSocks · 6 months

Loved his books, I like to think that he was in the redditors mind set before reddit could even be created.

BrettLefty · 6 months

What a transcending observation. The puddle wakes up in a hole, and assumes it's been made for him because it fits him so well. Little does he know, it is he who fits in the hole, and not the hole which fits around him.

This is not unlike religious humans of our day, who think that because the earth is so conveniently designed for life and, especially, human life, it must have been deliberately designed that way.

The reality, of course, is that humans (and all life) have evolved to survive and thrive on earth. Over billions of years we have taken shape alongside the planet, so it should come as no surprise that it accommodates us well, since we and it evolved together.

egg651 · 6 months

Inventory: No Tea.

alsoodani · 6 months

He died young. Now all we have left of a similar brilliant caliber is Terry Pratchett and he has Alzheimer's.

TheImmenseFence · 6 months

I've just found out he's dead from this post. Thats why no more Hitchhikers were coming out :'(

rocketshipotter · 6 months

Brilliant man. He had a brain and sense of humor way ahead of his time. I like to think that if he were still alive, he'd probably be the heart of all good humor on the internet.

anarchyreigns · 6 months

I just ordered my iPad 3 with the words "DON'T PANIC" engraved on the back. Love ya DNA.

dontrustu · 6 months

...unless he had died at 58.

kegman83 · 6 months

Happy Birthday you magnificent bastard.

N4U534 · 6 months

Fucking love Bop Ad

clashmo · 6 months

Shit is it towel day? I always miss it

Edit: nvm 25 May, 2 weeks after his deathday

lampshad · 6 months

Books I never tier of reading over and over.

nickfury27 · 6 months

Now I have to start reading the whole Hitchhikers Guide To The Galaxy series again!!

pali6 · 6 months

Is it just me or there isn't Google doodle for this today?

chapalap · 6 months

warranted.

Areion · 6 months

I love Douglas Adams, and I also noticed you didn't write "would of been". That deserves an upvote.

FestiveSideburns · 6 months

A man I am proud to share my birthday with. Or rather, proud that he shares it with me.

shyloque · 6 months

'Let us think the unthinkable, let us do the undoable, let us prepare to grapple with the ineffable itself, and see if we may not eff it after all'

Motto for life

deadshotkeen · 6 months

I was born in the same hospital as Douglas Adams. Mill Road Maternity Hospital in Cambridge. Quite a few years apart I should stress...

Happy Birthday indeed!

ramilehti · 6 months

I don't have many celebrity autographs, but I'm glad I have Douglas Adams'.

moseses · 6 months

This is such a powerful idea that as the sun rises in the sky and the air heats up and as, gradually, the puddle gets smaller and smaller, it’s still frantically hanging on to the notion that everything’s going to be alright, because this world was meant to have him in it, was built to have him in it; so the moment he disappears catches him rather by surprise. I think this may be something we need to be on the watch out for.

Luke90 · 6 months

Since we appear to have a bunch of Douglas Adams fans gathered together*, y'all might like to know that the BBC are currently showing a new series of Dirk Gently. For any Brits here, it's available on iPlayer but I'm sure the rest of you would be able to find alternative means of acquiring it.

*though, on reflection, this probably isn't an uncommon occurrence on Reddit

krowface · 6 months

I think it's wonderful testimony to Mr. Adams that so many of us from so many different walks of life can come together and just share quotes and laugh every step of the way.

1upforever · 6 months

You know, considering the situation he currently finds himself in, that is a terribly morbid choice for a quote.

WatRedditHathWrought · 6 months

"It was his subconscious which told him this - that infuriating part of a person's brain which never responds to interrogation, merely gives little meaningful nudges and then sits humming quietly to itself, saying nothing."

kickpants · 6 months

Come on now, the fine-tuning argument is on a completely different level than a "puddle fitting a hole." On a magnitude which a famous response theory (which I read in TIME once) is that of a "universe generating machine" in order to account for the STAGGERING odds against life this universe should be. Even though there is zero evidence, the theory is actually being entertained because the issue is so pertinent.

Please don't downvote this because you disagree, I'm just trying to be constructive.

techniqular · 6 months

Tl;DR If Douglas Adams fits, he sits

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