Last night was the opening of the new movie version of Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy,and if you're a fan like me (or like Kos), you've already seen it. For those that haven't, it's definitely worth it--Hitchhiker's Guide is arguably the best science fiction satire ever written, and I predict that in a hundred years it will be in the canon alongside Gulliver's Travels, Alice in Wonderland, etc. As for this movie version, the verbal witticisms aren't pulled off quite as well as in some of Hitchhiker's previous incarnations, but the bundle of new visual gags makes up for it; and for the most part, the various actors absolutely nail their characters (particularly Slartibartfast, IMHO). Plus, those that were familiar with the old TV-version will recognize a couple cameos.

The movie has also made Hitchhiker's Guide ripe for some Worldchanging, open-source-media style: The various entries in The Guide appear in the film as little block-color Flash animations; these animations are short, cute, and could stand on their own if they were sitting on a website somewhere for perusal. What's more, these animations are simple enough to create that anyone with Flash and some wit & style could make their own. There's no need to limit yourself to Hitchhiker's Guide entries that were actually in the books / radio show / TV show / etc. (though there's more than enough material there to make a nice collection); you could make up new entries yourself.

So who's going to create the Multimedia Wiki Hitchhiker's Guide?

> So who's going to create the Multimedia Wiki Hitchhiker's Guide?

That would be DNA's own company, TDV, in the late 90s. Subsequently sold to the BBC, still living at h2g2.com.

Posted by: quinn on April 30, 2005 3:07 PM

i put up some Hitchhiker's Guide toys i found* on my blog if you find anymore i'd love to know!

Posted by: TrendyDNA on May 1, 2005 4:01 PM

Well, I'm still waiting to see it in Panama. Too bad DNA missed one of his dreams.

Posted by: Taran on May 3, 2005 11:02 AM