Hitchhiker's Guide to the Future: Douglas Adams and the digital world

Douglas Adams was a passionate technology enthusiast who predicted the World Wide Web in 1990 and hosted Radio 4's The Internet: The Last 20th Century Battleground and The Hitchhikers Guide to the Future. Mitch Benn revisited Adams' predictions in Did Douglas Get it Right? in 2015, finding them to be both prescient and fascinating.

Format: CD-Audio
Publication date: 05 March 2020
Publisher: Transworld Publishers Ltd

Technology has a profound impact on our daily lives, presenting both exhilarating and daunting possibilities. This collection features two radio documentaries that delve into Douglas Adams' vision of the digital future. The first documentary, "Douglas Adams' Digital Future," explores Adams' ideas about technology and its potential for shaping the world. It includes interviews with experts and enthusiasts who share their perspectives on Adams' predictions and the impact of technology on society. The second documentary, "Did Douglas Get it Right?" presented by Mitch Benn, examines whether Adams' predictions about the digital future were accurate or not. Benn interviews individuals who were involved in the development of technology during the time Adams wrote his novels and films, and assesses whether his visions came true or not.

Douglas Adams was a passionate technology enthusiast who had a deep understanding of the potential of technology to shape the world. His bestselling novel "The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy" is full of futuristic tech, and in 1990, he predicted something very like the World Wide Web in the BBC2 film "Hyperland." In 1999, Adams was the natural choice to present Radio 4's "The Internet: The Last 20th Century Battleground." In this program, he looked at the explosion in online communication, the evolution of cyberspace, and the risks and opportunities of the new virtual world.

A year later, Adams hosted "The Hitchhikers Guide to the Future," in which he and his guests discussed how music, publishing, broadcasting, and society in general would be transformed in the 21st century. Sadly, Adams' death in 2001 meant he would never see if his visions came true. However, in 2015, Mitch Benn dipped into the archives for a follow-up program, "Did Douglas Get it Right?" revisiting Adams' predictions to discover how prescient (or otherwise) they turned out to be.

The three programs in this collection are a wonderful tribute to Douglas Adams and a treat for fans and futurists alike. They provide a fascinating insight into Adams' vision of the digital future and offer a thought-provoking examination of the impact of technology on society. The production quality is excellent, and the interviews are engaging and informative. Whether you are a fan of Douglas Adams or simply interested in the future of technology, these programs are well worth a listen.

Weight: 198g
Dimension: 142 x 126 x 28 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781529128925
Edition number: Unabridged ed