I have watched numerous TV programmes & have several Books on Subject. Unfortunately, they often become 'Out of Date' all too quickly. A bit like the PC market (I put this bit in because within 5 months of buying my PC I saw its Price go down by over £250.00. Not that I bear a Grudge...... Much! I suppose I must add that the 'Windfall' Shares I sold to Fund the Purchase had Dropped in Price by £300.00. So I suppose there's some kind of 'Karma' in that).

The Point I'm trying to make, if I could stick to it long enough, is that Technology is Continually Increasing our 'Knowledge' of the Universe around us. By greatest Regret (from a Very Long List of Regrets) is that I will Never get to leave the Confines of our Small Planet and Experience Space Exploration myself.

I will have to settle for programmes like The Sky At Night (click Here to visit their Web Pages), the Written Word & Illustrations.

• It makes the Main Books Page look a little better, i.e. 3 Authors per box,
• That He may well be Right,
• Douglas Adams & Co. have a Real Online Guide called h2g2. So it is Becoming Reality!
• It does make the Main Books page look better ;-)

Finally went to the Library and got the book. I never expected to experience such humour in written form. I could 'hear' the voices of the characters in the words (TV can be a useful supplement to books rather than replacing them, sometimes).

The part I like Best is, well, damn near all of it in fact. I will often find a Phrase or Situation popping into my head as I go about my day (now where did I put that Towel? :-)

The whole Scenario about Deep Thought and the Construction of the '...the Computer that is to Follow...' was Excellent. Just think of the Consequences to Our Sanity if the Answer really turns out to be 42 ... My Shoe Size!

I went on to buy the Trilogy in Four Parts, the Fifth Instalment, Mostly Harmless, plus the Dirk Gently Stories. I found the 'Guide' more to my 'Taste' as it has a more 'Sci-Fi' content. The 'Guide' is on my Very Short List of Books that I have Read more than Once.

The Hitch Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy	Don't get up from in front of that Bulldozer. Always know where your Towel is!
The Restaurant at the End of the Universe	Don't talk to your Food, Dear. Please welcome the Mighty ZARQUON!
Life, the Universe and Everything	What is Six times Eight? Tough One. I'll have to think about it.
So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish	Please feed the Dolphins. Sorry for the Inconvenience!
Mostly Harmless	The Result of 10 years Studying, and that's it! I think I'll put on a little light music instead.

Other

Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency & The Long Dark Tea - Time of the Soul has some familiar themes and ideas, it just doesn't match up, I'm sad to say. That's no reason not to read them though. I would suggest reading these Books before you read Hitchhikers that way you'll be saving the Best for last ;-)

Just to prove that there is no holding back someone with Talent. Douglas Adams has also gone into the Games Software Business & brought out Starship Titanic. There is a Book based on the Game which was Written for Adams by Terry Jones, of Monty Python Fame. Name - Dropper ;-)

I still haven't managed to grasp everything Stephen Hawking has written in his Book A Brief History of Time. Some of the concepts are difficult to conjure up, even for someone who had previously thought his imagination was "better than the average bear, Boo Boo".

That combined with the 'Lectures' on Chaos Physics I receive occasionally from Rob (male Sibling of the genus, 'tu'smartbee harfmeela'do' - I'm sure to get some Sibling Feedback for this one ;-), my 'Intellect' is pushed way beyond it's maximum safety level. I may have to 'Dump the Warp Core'.

My main areas of concern are the niggling doubts I have about Black Holes and the concept of Dark Matter. I do Favour the 'Expanding / Contracting Universe' Theory of the Big Bang. It just seems to make more Sense to me. Several more 'Martian Years' of Deep Thought (Sorry! Wrong Author see above ;-) may be needed before I can settle in the Knowledge that may never Understand :-!

I still don't see why the poor ole cat has to be put inside that dang ole box!

It has come to my Attention that the Dark Matter Theory may be on its Way Out (more Updated Technology!). So let's hope that the Big Bang and Black Holes, in fact the whole Singularities business goes the same way. This would save me an awful lot of Headaches.

To read more about Stephen Hawking visit his Official Web Site

It was very useful when 'Explaining the Basics' to Liana (7 year old female Offspring of the genus 'wa'tu'smartbee harfmeela'doess' - fortunately, for me, not yet 'smart' enough a reader to give 'feedback' about this Comment - yet! ;-)

It surprised me how much she managed to understand. Hopefully within the next 15 years, or so, she may be able to explain some of the finer points of Cosmology to me (see above for details).

Definitely a good Purchase for the Beginner, or for any who are unable to keep up with Moore's Rate of Information Exchange on the TV (click Here for Web Site).