Media 111 – Module 10 – Weekly Essay

My Final Thoughts on H2G2

Before I took this course, I had only ever briefly heard of the “Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy”. I had never experienced the story. I’ll admit, when I first started reading the book, it seemed confusing, and not my type of read. However, as I progressed through it, it started to grow on me. It wasn’t after finishing the book, watching the film, and reading up on the influence and impact it has had over the years, that I really began to realize how special this story truly was. The story parodies our natural, endless, undying pursuit of knowledge. Our thirst for information is ingrained in our very nature. We don’t like not knowing the answers to our questions.

The H2G2 device that Ford Prefect is updating throughout his galactic travels also bears great resemblance with something that we use in real life to this day. It’s all around us. We all use it almost every day. The internet. The worldwide web is basically humanity’s version of the H2G2 and we are all constantly contributing to it in our own way. Scientific research, customer experiences, many different forms of art, statistics, and data are just a handful of examples of things that are contributed to our version of the H2G2 on a daily basis.

Douglas Adams’ story has touched many people and has what you could call a cult-following. The story has been reproduced in many different mediums including radio, television, and film. I would highly recommend this book to others! To this day, whenever I am in a stressful situation, I calmly tell myself, “Just don’t panic, Jesse.”

Hyperland

I took it upon myself to watch the short video, “Hyperland”, featuring Douglas Adams, the author of “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy”. I found it very interesting, not only because of the information it provided, but because of how the video was filmed. The video was filmed in a way that replicated a person’s experience when using a personal computer. It also kind of had a H2G2 vibe going on there. It was at this point that I realized that Douglas Adams was very big on futuristic technology and science-fiction. I also found it interesting how the operating system of this hypothetical computer that Adams was using was represented by a person who appeared to be a butler.

The video really showcased the internet and all of it’s potential. They delved into history, art, science, and technology. I found the history aspect of it to be very intriguing. The internet is an overabundance of information, if you think about it. It helps us gain a deeper understanding of life, the universe, and everything. It assists us in our endless pursuit of knowledge, just like the H2G2 book and super computer in the H2G2 book, but in a way more helpful way.