So long, and thanks for all the fish
by Douglas Adams · first published 1984
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Preceded by: [Life, the Universe and Everything][1] So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish is the fourth book of the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy "trilogy" written by Douglas Adams. Its title is the message left by the dolphins when they departed Planet Earth just before it was demolished to make way for a hyperspace bypass, as described in The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. Followed by: [Mostly Harmless][3]
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…it. I read it until it fell apart. His proof of the non-existence of god was probably my first Mobius loop, at least until I discovered Hofstadter in the library. Teenage me was unexpectedly charmed by So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish and was perhaps a little hopeful of meeting someone like Fenchurch one day. So, a part of my nerd hustory I guess - albeit not something I've thought about for a while. Thank you Mr Adams.
on “The Later Years of Douglas Adams” ↗…and especially, where possible, the more corrupt ones, this. The previous sentence makes sense. That is not the problem. This is: Change. Read it through again and you'll get it.” -- Douglas Adams, So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish Any information repository eventually comes to face the problem that the phenomena it is describing is no longer the same, for intrinsic or extrinsic reasons.
on “Bay Area woman is on a crusade to prove Yelp reviews can’t be trusted” ↗…that had so far lost its head as to need to include a set of detailed instructions for use in a packet of toothpicks, was no longer a civilization in which I could live and stay sane." — Douglas Adams, So Long and Thanks for All The Fish, Pan Books (1984)
on “Apple Vision Pro Headset to Launch in US Stores by Appointment” ↗I definitely felt like the series dropped off hard after Life, The Universe, And Everything. So Long And Thanks For All The Fish was kind of meandering, and Mostly Harmless was just plain depressing and a terrible ending for the series. So my personal advice would be to stop after the third book.
on “So Long and Thanks for All the Words: A Toast to Douglas Adams” ↗…we do representative democracy. But of course, that has its own issues, as what to understand moves from "the issues" to "the candidates". Somehow, this reminded me of this bit by Douglas Adams From "So Long and Thanks for all the Fish" (in part): "They've all got the vote, so they all pretty much assume that the government they've voted in more or less approximates to the government they want." "You mean they actually…
on “America's High School Graduates Look Like Other Countries' High School Dropouts” ↗…ever done was muck about in the water having a good time. But, conversely, the dolphins had always believed that they were far more intelligent than man -- for precisely the same reasons." Douglas Adams, So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish.
on “Killer Whales: 'Transient' Orcas Are Thriving” ↗It's worth mentioning that this story is prior to 1984, when So Long and Thanks for All The Fish was published. That also happens to be the year when the Mac came out, and Adams was an ardent Mac enthusiast -- indeed AFAIK he was the first person in all of Europe to buy a Mac. So as he transitioned…
on “The Berkeley Hotel Hostage of Douglas Adams” ↗…"of course." "But," said Arthur, going for the big one again, "why?" "Because if they didn't vote for a lizard," said Ford, "the wrong lizard might get in. Got any gin?" ― Douglas Adams, So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish
on “Only 9% of America Chose Trump and Clinton as the Nominees” ↗In Douglas Adams''So Long And Thanks For All The Fish', Wonko the Sane resided either outside or inside, depending on your point of view, an inside-out house that he had built as an asylum for the world, after reading the instructions on a packet of toothpicks.
on “What is the highest point on Earth as measured from Earth's center?” ↗…ever done was muck about in the water having a good time. But, conversely, the dolphins had always believed that they were far more intelligent than man— for precisely the same reasons." (Douglas Adams, So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish)
on “Orcas are breaking rudders off boats in Europe” ↗In "So Long and Thanks for All the Fish", there's a forward Douglas Adams wrote for a book by another author which was unfinished. He related two stories: the first about an ancient Greek poet who would spend the morning reciting verse, which…
on “Just Build It” ↗The title is an allusion to "So long, and Thanks for All the Fish", a book by Douglas Adams. (For those HNers not steeped in the HHGTTG trilogy of six books)
on “So long, and thanks for all the bytes” ↗…done was muck about in the water having a good time. But, conversely, the dolphins had always believed that they were far more intelligent than man -- for precisely the same reasons." - Douglas Adams, So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish.
on “Are animals conscious? New research” ↗I am reminded of the humorous quote from Douglas Adams' novel "So Long and Thanks For All the Fish": Eskimos had over two hundred different words for snow, without which their conversation would probably have got very monotonous. So they would distinguish between thin snow and thick snow, light snow…
on “Linguists find proof of sweeping language pattern once deemed a 'hoax'” ↗