Douglas Adams Continuum (DAC)

Dr Nicholas Joll, a philosopher at the University of Essex, is trying to interest a publisher in a book about Philosophy and Hitchhiker's. The publisher would be Open Court who have a series called Popular Culture and Philosophy which already covers topics like Pink Floyd, Monty Python and Buffy, see http://www.opencourtbooks.com/categories/pcp.htm

Anyway, Dr Joll has a poll (run by polldaddy so a cookie ensures you only vote once per computer) at http://najoll.wordpress.com/popular-philosophy/ in order to help convince the publisher there is interest.

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(... don't piss us off)

Presumably there is some deep meaning to the fact you can vote yes and no?

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I'm going to start a new company. It's going to be called 'Easy McApple.' The revenue stream will be based on betting who will sue me first...

also that name and e-mail-adress are required, but you can vote without providing them just fine. i think the project is off to a good start!

i´d buy it, one for me and one for my brother (who´s a philosopher).

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"The human gene pool needs more lifeguards!
Either that or stronger chlorination...." (Pitbull)

Is his name Bruce?

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www.nocandyasses.com

"The urge to save humanity is almost always a false front for the urge to rule."--H.L. Mencken

www.campaignforliberty.com

Hi, Nicholas J. here. (That's 'Nicholas', not, as ventured above, 'Bruce'. . ) I had not been aware of the voting problem - but I have now fixed it. As to the request for email address: hmm, that doesn't happen on my system . . Perhaps someone would be good enough to supply details. Finally, news about publishers: in an attempt to chivvy the publisher that I was first involved with, and as a possible alternative, I have started speaking to a SECOND publisher. I will post news on my site as soon as I have it. Cheers.

So we now have two Nicholas. Botti and Joll. Bottijoll. Jollbotti.

Welcome, mr Philosopher! Hey, I'd buy your book! Good luck!

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Before long now, I'll reach the age where farting will be an essential part of propulsion.
(...don't piss us off)

Dear Duke

Thanks! And I liked the signature-line joke. It reminds of a sketch called 'Business Time', by a Canadian comedy due called 'Flight of the Concords' (available on YouTube).

Nicholas

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NJ

Hah! Buggery! And here I was, thinking I had come up with an original joke!

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Before long now, I'll reach the age where farting will be an essential part of propulsion.
(...don't piss us off)

So, about being a philosopher. 34 seems a bit young, isn't there a lower age limit? Don't you have to be 103? And have you got a beard that reaches all the way down to the lining of your toga?

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Before long now, I'll reach the age where farting will be an essential part of propulsion.
(...don't piss us off)

Properly considered, it is a bit young, yes - at least for some areas of philosophy. (For probably one can work on logic, say, or even the theory of knowledge, perhaps, without much wisdom or experience.) But for someone trying to get a first real foothold in Academe, as I am, it is, if anything, too old. Universities like people that they hire to have been working in universities since as innocent an age as possible. As to beards, the odd thing is that stupendous appendages of hair are most popular with the most science-impressed philosophers of the USA. The reason that is odd, is that it makes them look like Old Testament patriarchs. Or Marx. Or - and he's not science obsessed, or American - the inimitable, and wonderfully named, Slavoj Zizeck.

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NJ

The "Bruce" question was actually aimed at Nell and her brother (who's a philosopher).

Nicholas is a fine name for a philosopher. Err, do you mind if we call you "Bruce", just to avoid any confusion?

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www.nocandyasses.com

"The urge to save humanity is almost always a false front for the urge to rule."--H.L. Mencken

www.campaignforliberty.com

Dear Whiskey and Soda (I think I am deciphering the HITCHHIKER jokes around here):

I prefer 'Nicholas'. It means victory of the people, which is pretty grand. By the way: did Roosevelt really say that? I do hope so.

Nicholas

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NJ

Alright. Nicholas it is then.


I can't say for sure that he did, as I wasn't there at the time. I do like the quote tho, and his name was attached to it when I found it.

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www.nocandyasses.com

"The urge to save humanity is almost always a false front for the urge to rule."--H.L. Mencken

www.campaignforliberty.com

OZ, like many here, has a bizarre sense of humour. Then again, perhaps you a have a tsar sense of humour?

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D.
The Thirteenth Triskaidekaphobe
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Or, to disturb a perfectly valid line of reasoning; Ronnie Drew of the Dubliners. But he had the voice, and in the end, the age...

Peace
&
I welcome any philosopher dealing with hitchhikers, shaw nuff.
Skei (the out of age and rather short bearded one)

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Ophelia was a preference, not humanly accessible, not as such.

Sounds like a good idea. I would most definetly buy it. I hope he can get it published!

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"Madness is the first sign of dandruff." - Dr. John "Winston O'Boogie" Lennon

"I'm a pacifist. I don't believe in imaginary violence." - Paul Rudd in Role Models

Q: How many surrealists does it take to screw in a light bulb?
A: Fish.

I'd like to resurrect this threat - if I may - to point out that the book now exists. It has been published by Palgrave Macmillan, and is available via Palgrave's websire, via Amazon, and elsewhere. My thanks to the contributors to this thread for their support! May you never lose your towel!

Nicholas

This is just to say two things.
(1) The Kindle edition of my book will be released within a couple of weeks (and so until then - until a little way into September - it will be hanging in the air in the way a brick doesn't ).
(2) Recently the book went on sale in the United States (and soon it will be available in Canada).

Nick

PS: Surely the e-book format is one Hitchhiker's was made for. Or should it be the other way around (in that the Guide anticipated e-books)?