Towel Day - May 25th - In Honor of Douglas Adams

[Wowbagger]

Let us all praise and honor a great author, by carrying a towel around with us, wherever we may go, tomorrow (May 25th, 2007)!!

Those of us who know a thing or two about Douglas Adams will understand why.

Special thanks to Rebecca, for this excellent post on her Blog, offering a Skeptic's Guide to the Galaxy:
http://skepchick.org/blog/?p=570


I am also going to celebrate by ripping apart some of the HHGG movie posters I had collected over the years, for it hath mostly dishonored DNA's good name. Everyone else can join me, if they have any they need to destroy.

[Redtail]

Let us all praise and honor a great author, by carrying a towel around with us, wherever we may go, tomorrow (May 25th, 2007)!!

Those of us who know a thing or two about Douglas Adams will understand why.

Special thanks to Rebecca, for this excellent post on her Blog, offering a Skeptic's Guide to the Galaxy:
http://skepchick.org/blog/?p=570


I am also going to celebrate by ripping apart some of the HHGG movie posters I had collected over the years, for it hath mostly dishonored DNA's good name. Everyone else can join me, if they have any they need to destroy.

{Puts on UnderArmor. Puts on shin, hip, shoulder, and back pads. Puts on leathers. Dons helmet. Douses self in flame retardant gel. Takes deep breath.}

I liked the movie. (There... I said it!) :boxedin:

[Wowbagger]

I liked the movie. (There... I said it!) :boxedin:Oh, that's all right. There are worse things in the world.

The movie did a small handful of things right: the Vogon puppets, the casting of Trillian and Slarti (but not the casting of anyone else).

If only they put in the punch lines of the jokes, and did some other stuff, and took out other bits, and shoved a thing or two more in there, then it would have been nearly perfect.

[patchbunny]

"I'll handle this. I'm British. I know how to queue."

One of the few lines that made me laugh. Nice visuals, though.

[Susan Gerbic]

Thanks for the info. My youngest son just went and found a towel. He picked out a plain white one but he is planning on wearing it around his neck so he can talk about it all day. He's a brave fellow, 16 and in high school.

Guess I will go and find a nice flowery towel. No one will probably notice anything odd about it though.

Susan

[Susan Gerbic]

The movie wasn't all THAT bad. I hated the love interest parts. it was really distracting and gave it that "feel-good" experience that I think they could have given a miss to.

The best special effects were when they met up with Hamkabula (sp?) When he takes off his specks and walks across the table that was so cool.
Personality I liked the BBC characters better

Susan

[The Great Hairy One]

{Puts on UnderArmor. Puts on shin, hip, shoulder, and back pads. Puts on leathers. Dons helmet. Douses self in flame retardant gel. Takes deep breath.}

I liked the movie. (There... I said it!) :boxedin:


KILL THE HERETIC!!!!!! RRRAAAAAAGGGHHH!!!

:hit: :duel :viking1

;)

Cheers,
TGHO

[MG1962]

It is funny I have celebrated towel day for a few years. This was the first time anyone asked me ................why the towel

[Piscivore]

I loved the movie. I loved the old TV series. I didn't expect it to be like the book.

The movie did a small handful of things right: the Vogon puppets, the casting of Trillian and Slarti (but not the casting of anyone else).
Not even Marvin? C'mon...


If only they put in the punch lines of the jokes, and did some other stuff, and took out other bits, and shoved a thing or two more in there,
There are a few things I might have done a bit differently, but then there are few movies I don't feel that way about.

then it would have been nearly perfect.
Is the gulf between utter crap and nearly perfect so narrow, yet so deep? :)

Instead of tearing up the posters you could send them to my kids, they loved the movie. It was a great way to introduce them to DA, especially for my son who is not the born reader my daughter and I are.

[Wowbagger]

"I'll handle this. I'm British. I know how to queue."

One of the few lines that made me laugh. Nice visuals, though.Yeah, too bad that sort of line could have been written by anyone, for any movie.

Thanks for the info. My youngest son just went and found a towel. He picked out a plain white one but he is planning on wearing it around his neck so he can talk about it all day. He's a brave fellow, 16 and in high school. It'll make him look athletic.

The movie wasn't all THAT bad. I hated the love interest parts. it was really distracting and gave it that "feel-good" experience that I think they could have given a miss to.I do not object to the love-interest aspect, in principal. There are ways they could have made that work. They just chose to cornball it.

The best special effects were when they met up with Hamkabula (sp?) When he takes off his specks and walks across the table that was so cool.
Yeah, the visual effects were cool, but the character was a total waste!

Not even Marvin? C'mon...Okay, Marvin was cast fairly well: both the body (Warwick Davis), and voice (Allan Rickman). But, Marvin still came off badly. He lacks the wit he gave off in the books and TV series. Although, he does look nicer in the movie, than the old clunky thing from the TV series. (BTW, the old, clunky TV Marvin appears in the queue scene.)

Is the gulf between utter crap and nearly perfect so narrow, yet so deep? :) As a scientist, I avoid making committal statements, whenever possible.

Instead of tearing up the posters you could send them to my kids, they loved the movie. It was a great way to introduce them to DA, especially for my son who is not the born reader my daughter and I are.So, you are saying HHGG was only good as kids' movie?!
I might still have a poster left. I'll have to take inventory at the end of the day.

---------------------------------------------------------

Anyway, could we now please forget about the movie, and focus on his books?!
I know it was my fault, for bringing up the movie, in the first place. But, if we are to honor the memory of DNA, properly, we should all say something about his writing and other noteworthy stuff he has done. This is, after all, in the Literature section of the forum, for that reason.

Douglas Adams was such a consistent genius with humor, you could open up any Hitchhiker's Guide novel, to any page, and chances are, you will find something to laugh out loud at.
For example, I just happened to open up to the page, in Book 3, where a journalist is describing Prak's testimony:


"They were eventually forced to administer a drug to make him tell the truth, a truth drug."
His eyes rolled helplessly in his head.
"They gave him too much," he said in a tiny whimper, "they gave him much too much." He started to cry.
(snip)
"And when the trial continued, " he said in a weeping whisper, "they asked Prak a most unfortunate thing. They asked him " - he paused and shivered - "to tell the Truth, the Whole Truth, and Nothing but the Truth. Only, don't you see?"
(snip)
"They'd given him too much of the drug!"
(snip)
"What happened?" said Zaphod at last.
"Oh, he told it all right," said the man savagely, "for all I know he's still telling it now. Strange, terrible things..."
(snip)
"Incomprehensible things," he shouted, "things that would drive a man mad!"
He stared wildly at them.
"Or in my case," he said, "half-mad. I'm a journalist."
"You mean," said Arthur quietly, "that you are used to confronting the truth?"
"No," said the man with a puzzled frown, "I mean that I made an excuse and left early."

I snipped out some of the more redundant or irrelevant parts, for brevity, and to avoid property rights hassles. It comes off even better, in the context of the entire novel. But, my point is that you can laugh at this kind of stuff, even when yanked out of context.

[Piscivore]

Anyway, could we now please forget about the movie, and focus on his books?!

Douglas Adams was such a consistent genius with humor, you could open up any Hitchhiker's Guide novel, to any page, and chances are, you will find something to laugh out loud at.

But, my point is that you can laugh at this kind of stuff, even when yanked out of context.

He was a genius, no question. The only beef I can even begin to make against him is his shoddy treatment of Fenchurch.

[Solus]

I should have been informed of towel day earlier, now it's almost too late!

[Wowbagger]

He was a genius, no question. The only beef I can even begin to make against him is his shoddy treatment of Fenchurch. They can't all be winners.

I should have been informed of towel day earlier, now it's almost too late!There's always next year.

We'll try to plan something bigger.


Another excerpt from his works, this is from Book 4:
He glanced around at the motley collection of thugs, pimps, and record company executives that skulked on the edges of the dim pools of light with which the dark shadows of the bar's inner recesses were pitted. They were all very deliberately looking in any direction but his, carefully picking up the threads of their former conversations about murders, drug rings, and music publishing deals. They knew what would happen now and didn't want to watch in case it put them off their drinks.Douglas Adams was way ahead of his time.

[UnrepentantSinner]

I wish I had known about this. Unfortunately I did not leave my residence yesterday because I was afraid a crew was coming to demolish it.

[Wowbagger]

I wish I had known about this. Unfortunately I did not leave my residence yesterday because I was afraid a crew was coming to demolish it.
Now you'll know for next year.

Just encourage the foreman to sit in the mud, in front of your house, and it will stay up, at least until you are just within earshod.

[Susan Gerbic]

Stirling (my son) and I made it through the whole day with our towels. Only my employees noticed but they think I am normally strange everyday. I wore it to the grocery store and OSH but I don't think anyone noticed. Only on my lunch break did two men take a double take when I walked by them.

The really sad part of the day was that no one had heard of the author, and only one of my employees said, "isn't there a movie?". She hadn't watched it either. So I was really bummed.

Stirling had better results, being a Sophomore in high school. Most people had heard of the book but none had heard of the author. He managed to tell everyone he could about towel day.

Here is a picture of us watching the sky...

http://i205.photobucket.com/albums/bb319/sgf8/TowelDay3.jpg

[Wowbagger]

Welcome to the Forum, sgf8! And, thanks for the pleasant story.

My Towel Day was a whole lot of nothin'. No one asked me what the towel was for, not even at work. Some weeks earlier I was talking to them about getting more athletic. I guess that's what they thought it was for.

[The Whether Man]

I went to a bar dressed in pajamas, dressing gown and carrying a towel around my neck. I didn't get thrown out, but I did get asked if I was Hugh Hefner. I can't believe the ignorance of young people these days.

[Susan Gerbic]

Would you believe it is that time of year again?

Brush off you favorite towel, re-read your favorite Adams, win over a new convert.

But wear your towel May 25.

Bump

Susan

[Wowbagger]

Ah, yes. That bittersweet day of the year, is soon upon us, again.

Is it too late to plan a party?

I'll be reinforcing the seams on my towel, for the occasion!

[Damien Evans]

gets best towel ready for the occasion.

[The Whether Man]

Is it too late to plan a party?

If it's any decent sort of party, it should still be carrying on from last year. Preferably mobile, with liquor raids.

[Pope130]

Is it too late to plan a party?


Of course, the best parties are not planned.

[Eskarina]

If it's any decent sort of party, it should still be carrying on from last year. Preferably mobile, with liquor raids.

Unless you get hit by it in the small of the back. :D

'Tis a pity that Towel Day this year is a Sunday. It would be so much fun to scuttle around my work-place with a towel and completely confuse my colleagues.

[Susan Gerbic]

Tis a pity that Towel Day this year is a Sunday. It would be so much fun to scuttle around my work-place with a towel and completely confuse my colleagues.

Last year I carried it all around work and several stores afterwards. I did have to deal with an upset customer at one point with the towel on my shoulder. She didn't even ask. Only got some looks at lunch.

Guess because it is a Sunday we should try to make sure we are amongst people. Bookstores are a great idea, just stand by his books and point at the books then the towel. Then get thrown out I suppose. Actually it would be really cool if bookstores would make encourage employees to wear their towels.

Ideas?

Susan

[I Ratant]

One of my barmaid friends would wear -only- a towel to work.
I did love that gal! :)
She did make that towel look good!

[Susan Gerbic]

Hope you are all wearing your towels today. So far we have gone grocery shopping and to pizza, both with no strange looks.

Susan

[JoeEllison]

Got one draped over my head. Of course, in Florida you're never more than about 90 minutes from a beach, so hardly anyone would notice a towel...

[Damien Evans]

Damn, I forgot.

{whips self}

[Wowbagger]

I remembered, but I didn't do much.

Maybe next year, it will be during a work day, and it will thus be more eventful.

[Susan Gerbic]

My son threw a surprise birthday party for his girlfriend at our house that afternoon. One of their friends showed up with his towel. Two other people had their towels earlier in the day but forgot them somewhere. I think this year was a bigger success than last year.

Susan

[Susan Gerbic]

BUMP

It's that time to find your towels

I'm working all day and having dinner with someone I haven't seen for almost 30 years. We are going to catch up and see who is "most changed" I think having a towel over my shoulder will bump up the points in my favor whatta ya think?

Susan

[MattusMaximus]

Cool :cool:

I shall don my towel in Adams' honor. Remember... Don't Panic!

[Wowbagger]

Now, why did everyone think I was some sort of fitness guru, yesterday?!

[Chris H]

It's come in handy.

Spilt tea. Oh look! How convenient! I have my towel.

Bathroom hand dryer not working. Never fear! Absorb, my old friend.

I have a life drawing class this afternoon. I'm sure I'll be able to find something to use it for then too.

Cheers,

Chris

[Eskarina]

It's come in handy.

Spilt tea. Oh look! How convenient! I have my towel.

Bathroom hand dryer not working. Never fear! Absorb, my old friend.

I have a life drawing class this afternoon. I'm sure I'll be able to find something to use it for then too.

That's because you're a really hoopy frood. ;)

Have a nice Towel Day, everyone! :)

[MG1962]

Last year I wore my towel to work, draped it over my office chair and in an office of nearly 100 people - not one of them asked me why?

I have a BBQ to attend today - hopefully people will show some curiosity

[Susan Gerbic]

I wore it all day around work, we were swamped with people and no one asked. Damn guess I'm just too weird normally!

I did tell one of my employees about the books and she said she would look them up. We shall see. Rode my Harley to see an old friend as I mentioned before and left the towel in the saddle bag. But I knew where it was!

Susan

[Chris H]

It's come in handy.

Spilt tea. Oh look! How convenient! I have my towel.

Bathroom hand dryer not working. Never fear! Absorb, my old friend.

I have a life drawing class this afternoon. I'm sure I'll be able to find something to use it for then too.

Cheers,

Chris

It rained in the afternoon. Whatever will I use to protect myself from the cold, moist Melbourne weather...?

Cheers,

Chris

[Wildy]

CRAP!!!!

I forgot...

[Dave Rogers]

Anyway, could we now please forget about the movie, and focus on his books?!

Personally, I'd rather focus on the original radio series. Every incarnation of THHGTTG has been not quite as good as the previous one, and the radio series was the first; it's only because it was such a work of genius that the film was even tolerable.

As for Towel Day, I observed it completely by accident; the only time I left the house yesterday was to go swimming.

Dave

[Susan Gerbic]

Yeah! Page Three!

[Wowbagger]

Damn you, sgf8! You just had to grab the 42nd post, before me, didn't you?! :mad:

Personally, I'd rather focus on the original radio series. Every incarnation of THHGTTG has been not quite as good as the previous one, and the radio series was the first; Eh, I disagree. The books were constructed with a tremendous amount of hindsight. Douglas was able to keep the jokes that worked, ditch the ones that didn't, tighten and tweak the story (which will only get unraveled, a little, in subsequent books), etc.

And, the "production values" are only limited to your imagination. You're not held back by cheesy sound effects they couldn't quite master, in that time period.

it's only because it was such a work of genius that the film was even tolerable. That, and the nifty logo they designed for it.

[Susan Gerbic]

Damn you, sgf8! You just had to grab the 42nd post, before me, didn't you?! :mad:

Ha Ha! Life has been good to me lately!

[MattusMaximus]

I wore nothing but a towel yesterday...

after I got out of the shower ;)

[Rogue Primate]

Brilliant! I wish I had read this thread earlier. Mentioned it at work and opened a half hour discussion on THHGTTG . Sorry boss! :D

Next year.

[six7s]

BBC Radio 4: I was... Douglas Adams' Flatmate (http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00fzblz)

Availability: 4 days left to listen

Andrew McGibbon presents a series of interviews analysing great artists from the perspective of someone who knew them.

Jon Canter shared a flat with his friend Douglas Adams while the latter struggled for success and then coped with the fame he found following the success of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. Jon reveals the business of sharing a flat with his fiercely loyal, manically obsessive, loveable giant of a friend, who is still greatly missed after his sudden death ten years ago. Featuring contributions from other flatmates and Douglas' friend Professor Richard Dawkins.

Link: www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00fzblz (http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00fzblz)

[Wowbagger]

Douglas Adams was immensely tall, and perpetually clumsy. Other biographers have noted that the secret to sharing a room with him was to learn to duck a lot.

[pakeha]

I've missed not only towel day this year, but the tv series and the film.
I've only known the books and the radio series.
Thanks for the up-date!

[Wowbagger]

I've only known the books and the radio series.
Just so you know: It kinda goes downhill from those. :(

[ejk]

I'm glad this thread was bumped. Towel Day has now been added to my Outlook calendar at work, so I can end my unbroken streak of forgetting to observe it. Outlook has to be good for something, right?

[pakeha]

Just so you know: It kinda goes downhill from those. :(
Ah, well.
The radio series was brilliant.
And the books?
Worthy of inmortality.
I'll heed your post, Wowbagger, and give the movie and the tv series a miss for the moment, then.
Back to reading my own favourite of the four part trilogy-
The Restaurant...

[Susan Gerbic]

Bump!

[ShadowSot]

Bump!

I'm going to remember this year!

Remember what?

Er... something about towels!

[six7s]

Hoopy Froods Unite!

[Damien Evans]

Got my towel ready to go.

[lionking]

Good bump. Any requirements on the size of the towel?

[Helen]

it's also my dog's fifteenth birthday, so double towels, I think. And a gin and tonic.

[six7s]

Good bump. Any requirements on the size of the towel?Big enough so that:you can wrap it around you for warmth as you bound across the cold moons of Jaglan Beta; you can lie on it on the brilliant marble-sanded beaches of Santraginus V, inhaling the heady sea vapours; you can sleep under it beneath the stars which shine so redly on the desert world of Kakrafoonwww.towel-day.com (http://www.towel-day.com/en/)

[six7s]

it's also my dog's fifteenth birthday, so double towels, I think. And a gin and tonic.I'd opt for a smaller dog and a double G&T ;)

[Wowbagger]

I just had my towels cleaned for the occasion.

Grebulous baterial agents can do nasty things to your Excel spreadsheets!

I wish it was Wednesday, so it could coincide with NYC's Drinking Skeptically. But, I guess you can't have everything.

[Susan Gerbic]

I wish it was Wednesday, so it could coincide with NYC's Drinking Skeptically. But, I guess you can't have everything.

Take a picture of you and your towel and show it to everyone. Who says that you can't continue to take it with you everywhere?

I'm going to have to take it to my pool tournament where everyone thinks I'm cool. So now they are about to learn the truth, I'm REALLY cool.

Susan

[six7s]

I just had my towels cleaned for the occasion.

Grebulous baterial agents can do nasty things to your Excel spreadsheets!

I wish it was Wednesday, so it could coincide with NYC's Drinking Skeptically. But, I guess you can't have everything.Have a Jinnantonix, anyhoo

=IF(WEEKDAY(TODAY())=5,"This must be Thursday. I never could get the hang of Thursdays","SNAFU")

[The_Fire]

Going to work in a couple of hours. Got a towel picked out. Have to work up courage....

[MG1962]

I'm good to go - got my whole team involved. I do have a fairly high level leadership meeting tomorrow. Not sure if the towel will be allowed to attend.

[Wowbagger]

I hope everyone is having a happy and healthly, if somewhat solemn yet silly, Towel Day!

[Wowbagger]

I know where my towel is! It's in the wash.

Do you know where yours is?!

[Dave Rogers]

I left it over the banister rail to dry this morning. I'm quite certain of that.

Dave

[pakeha]

I remember following the radio show when it came out, reread the books every once in a while and never saw the movie.
But I know where my towel is.

[Bram Kaandorp]

It must be with the other laundry.

So sad that Douglas Adams isn't really popular in the Netherlands (from what I can gather).

[Wowbagger]

The link in the opening post, being 4 years old, no longer works.
Here is a replacement:
http://skepchick.org/2007/05/the-61st-skeptics-circle-2/

I guess "permalinks" ain't so permanent, are they?!

[Mojo]

I know where my towel is! It's in the wash.

Do you know where yours is?!


On the rail in the bathroom. Of course, in the old days it would (if I was travelling) have been neatly folded* in the top of the rucksack, making sure nothing could fall out.






*ETA: everything underneath it was a mess, but the towel was always neatly folded.

[DrDave]

*Bump*

Where's Wowbagger?

[Dave Rogers]

I'm glad I put clean towels out in the bathroom this morning, because as a result I know exactly where they are. I have another towel, which is in my swimming bag in the back of my car, so I know where that one is too.

Dave






PS. I still like the radio series more than the books.

[Dave_46]

<snikp>


PS. I still like the radio series more than the books.

I do too. I am going to see the original radio cast members perform scenes from the radio series at a local theatre in July.

I must remember to take my towel.

Dave

[commandlinegamer]

Today's towel is navy blue. Haven't sucked it to see if it's clean or not, though.

http://forums.randi.org/imagehosting/thum_353054fbf6607291f2.jpg (http://forums.randi.org/vbimghost.php?do=displayimg&imgid=26173)

[Wowbagger]

*Bump*

Where's Wowbagger?

I don't know. Let me check the linen closet...

[Wildy]

See post #40.

[Wowbagger]

I found Wowbagger!! He was having trouble deciding between the "Don't Panic" bath towel, the Babel Fish beach towel, and the electronic thumb hand towel.

He decided to order the new(ish) radio drama version of Shada before making his final decision.

See post #40.
Luckily, you remembered in time to still celebrate with us, this year!

[TjW]

My wedding gift to my nephew was an embroidered set of bath towels:
"Real Men"
"Real Women"
"Real small furry creatures from Alpha Centauri"

They went over well.

[UnrepentantSinner]

A number of my Facebook friends who I would not expect to be Hitchhikers fans have posted about towel day and I responded the only way I knew how... Vogon poetry.

[Dave Rogers]

A number of my Facebook friends who I would not expect to be Hitchhikers fans have posted about towel day and I responded the only way I knew how... Vogon poetry.

How many survived?

Dave

[Piscivore]

I carry mine every day:
http://forums.randi.org/imagehosting/28504fbfbe0507b9f.jpg
http://forums.randi.org/imagehosting/28504fbfbe0520cc5.jpg

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001Q3KLAY/ref=oh_details_o06_s00_i01

[Monketey Ghost]

Let us all praise and honor a great author, by carrying a towel around with us, wherever we may go, tomorrow (May 25th, 2007)!!

Those of us who know a thing or two about Douglas Adams will understand why.

Special thanks to Rebecca, for this excellent post on her Blog, offering a Skeptic's Guide to the Galaxy:
http://skepchick.org/blog/?p=570


I am also going to celebrate by ripping apart some of the HHGG movie posters I had collected over the years, for it hath mostly dishonored DNA's good name. Everyone else can join me, if they have any they need to destroy.


too busy willowmying

[Wowbagger]

My wedding gift to my nephew was an embroidered set of bath towels:
"Real Men"
"Real Women"
"Real small furry creatures from Alpha Centauri"



:D Awesome!!!

A number of my Facebook friends who I would not expect to be Hitchhikers fans have posted about towel day and I responded the only way I knew how... Vogon poetry.

:mad: You're sick!

I carry mine every day:

What groovy dude or hoopy frood doesn't?!

[BenBurch]

You know where carrying a towel around wherever you go comes from, right?

Nudists.

[TjW]

:D Awesome!!!



:mad: You're sick!


What groovy dude or hoopy frood doesn't?!

A truly hoopy frood doesn't have to carry it with him. He just has to know where it's at.

[Piscivore]

A truly hoopy frood doesn't have to carry it with him. He just has to know where it's at.

A TRULY hoopy frood knows that he (or she or it) is always where it's at.

[Wowbagger]

A lot of people kept telling me 5 + 25 + 12 = 42. The problem is that the year is 2012, not 12. So, the math didn't really work. What is wrong with you people?!!!

[Susan Gerbic]

I had my towel with me all day but didn't really go anywhere. I did go to the store but left it in the car while I shopped. Didn't want anyone to think I was stealing it. I'm in LA afterall.

But I knew where it was.