Conference noted::sf

    I'm pretty sure I read a week or two ago that Adams was quoted as
    saying something about a sequel to Dirk Gently in the works which
    would be the concluding story in his two-book "trilogy".  (He said
    he felt he should write a two-book trilogy to balance his earlier
    four-book trilogy...and that quote is what makes me remember the
    incident at all!)  Don't think it said the expected release date,
    though.   I take it Dirk is worth reading???

Sequal....  (Well its a Dirk G novel)

The Long Dark Tea time of the Soul

    Yes, the book DON'T PANIC mentions that he intends to "deleve" into
    that series now and then.
    

    
    
    I wasn't overly impressed with DGHDA, I must admit.    Seems to
    consist largely of Mr. A namedropping a few bits of technology that
    could *just* be the sort of expensive toy he's surrounding himself
    with, then showing off his literary education.
    After all, you have to know the story behind the writing of the
    "Ancient Mariner" to appreciate a number of the jokes.
    One shining pearl, though....  the piece of software that works
    decisions backwards, and gives you an ironclad excuse for the decision
    you'd already reached !
    
    
    Comments ?
    
    Ian

                Tea time is the sequal?  I've seen it, but didn't
                realize it.  Besides, DGHDA was *BORING*
                
                Yawn........zzzzzz
                
                

    
    Tea-time is *sort of* the sequel.  That is, it's got one or tow
    of the same people in it, and a couple of throw-back references
    to HHG and other books.
    You get to find out what Thor does between visiting "disreputable
    parties" in flying buildings, and re-read Mr. A's opinions on people
    who live in Islington.
    
    Hummmm...

    I recently received "Tea time of the" as a present in hard back,
    and was kinda obliged to read it.  Although definately not up to
    Hitch hiker's type of quality, I got through it with the occasional
    giggle.  I would not recommend buying this in hardback but if you
    can find it cheap in paper back, it would occupy the mind on a flight
    over two hours...
    
    Bob

    I agree that the two Dirk Gently books have not a good as HHG. The
    first couple of Hitchhicker books had me in stitches. But there
    were good bits in it. I thought they were harder to read because
    they are different than the HHG books. I think Adams is trying not
    to go stale by doing something different. He's "stretching".
    
    But they are worth reading! I read them twice, and found them more
    enjoyable the second time around. You can see how Adams weaves all
    the different elements of his story together. And the endings make
    more sense.
     
    Adams has the greatest sentence structures I've ever seen! He's
    like a writing acrobat! Reread DG's musings about the lurking
    refrigerator. 
    
    Looking forward to #3.
     
     Domenic

    I also agree that the DG books are not as good as HHGTTG but some
    bits had me in absolute stitches.... especially in the context of
    electric monks and lurking refrigerators....
    
    A tird reading further improves one's viewpoint ....
    
    Tahi

From:	VAXUUM::EBIT_NEWS "17-Apr-1992 1254" 17-APR-1992 13:09:46.33
To:	@EBIT 
CC:	EBIT_NEWS
Subj:	Ebit Number 359, - REMINDER! - Douglas Adams ITCC Keynote Address in 
                                       Babbage, April 20

From:	JARETH::KANE "Suzy Kane, 381-0624, M/S ZKO3-4/U08  10-Apr-1992 1129" 

          Date:  April 20

	  Time:  11:45-1:00

          Place: Babbage Auditorium (ZKO1)

          Videotape of the 1991 ITCC Keynote Address by Douglas Adams
          -----------------------------------------------------------
          
          Douglas Adams is author of "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the
          Galaxy" and several other books, and author and narrator of
          several BBC science documentaries.  One reviewer called his
          address "brilliant, very funny, and disturbing."

          In his address, he describes our species' reliance on sight
          as the primary source of our version of reality, in contrast
          to other species' reliance on other senses.  In discussing
          evolution, he said it is the nature of human beings to respond to 
          immediate threats and not to notice changes that occur over
          longer periods of time.  This is his explanation of why it
          has taken us, as a species, so long to recognize the
          destruction that we have wrought on the environment.  Adams
          believes that with the computers presently available and those
          soon to be come, and the emergence of artificial reality as a
          credible technology, we have the tools to address our major
          environmental problems.
      
          This videotape showing is arranged and presented by the
          Northern New England chapter of the Society for Technical
          Communication (NNE STC).  Douglas Adams keynote speech was
          made on April 15, 1991, at the STC's International Technical
          Communication Conference in New York City.  

    Hey, I'd buy the premise that if we had a better sense of smell
    we never would have had the Industrial Revolution.  For that
    matter, we might never have done anything with fire.  Smoke
    smells terrible after all.  
    
    I remember one story where someone
    discovers a cure for the common cold, and thus makes city living
    impossible.  The cold virus is what enables us to live in groups.
    Anybody remember the title and author?  /jlr

    Re: .11
    
    I think the story is 'Telempath' by Spider Robinson.  What the 'cure'
    did was enhance people's sense of smell so greatly that they could
    barely stand one another's smell, much less that of such things as
    internal combustion engines.  Quite a good read if you can find it.

FTW  in this sundays papers it said that "Mostly Harmless" was
to be released "later this year"

    Regarding .13
    
    The book "Mostly Harmless", is this a third Dirk Gently book or
    possibly a follow up to the Hitch Hiker series as the term "mostly
    harmless" was used to discribe the planet earth in the HHGTTG???
    
    Sean.

    If I remember rightly, "Mostly Harmless" is the fifth book in the Hitch
    Hikers Guide to the Galaxy trilogy.
    
    Clive

    re .11,.12
    
    Could be 'The Coffin Cure' by Alan E. Nourse.