Audio blogging and podcasting and all that jazz comes to DaveWilliams.co.uk. We speak with my good buddy Rob on a slightly suspect mobile connection, and what do you know Rachel K calls in via Skype from Aus.
On Saturday afternoon the time had finally arrived for me to get myself over to the cinema and checkout the Hitchhiker’s guide to the Galaxy movie. The UCI 10 here in Preston is as the name suggests a ten-screen multiplex showing all the latest offerings from Hollywood and and Hollywood and elsewhere. It has been a long time since I went to the cinema alone, and I was quite looking forward to the experience. Although I did have some nagging doubts in the back of my mind about what to expect from the silver-screen adaptation of what was truly one of the seminal books of my early teens. However, I tried with every will in the world to put my best foot forward and not be influenced by the mixed reviews I had read thus far.
The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy started life as a BBC Radio series in the late 70s. The books and TV series followed shortly after. And more than a quarter of a century later the eagerly anticipated movie. This was going to be big, I mean you won’t believe how mind bogglingly big … ok enough. You already know all that stuff right?
The Hitchhiker’s Guide story has been chopped and changed any number of times over the years, and to some extent the over-all plot isn’t really critical to having even a basic appreciation and understanding of the Hitchhiker’s experience. In the various Hitchhiker’s Guide retellings, details are revealed at different stages in the story; Plot points have been reworked; Different perspectives have been emphasised; And even key sections of dialog had been tweaked. For me continuity is not important in Hitchhiker’s. You can take all the little pieces, mix them up and you still have the basic premise. This illustrates the simplicity yet genius of using a reluctant Englishman as the protagonist, and infinite improbability as a plot device. Each time Hitchhiker’s has been adapted it has been enhanced. In all of the previous formats I have found a new and refreshing perspective on material with which I had previously become extremely familiar. So there was a part of me very much looking forward to seeing Douglas Adams’s epic at the cinema. Hitchhiker’s in a new format? Not a problem. This is exactly what the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy legacy is all about.
What is important for me and so many others about hitchhiker’s are that certain core elements are there, and are there in just the right quantity, not entirely unlike making a good cup of tea. For example, Arthur’s sarcastic and whimsical nature and his faint disgust leading to occasional indignation at the events taking place around him; Marvin’s enduring boredom. Not just depression, but sheer boredom at having a brain the size of a planet and nothing to think about. And so on. And while the actors turned in perfectly respectable performances, These attributes amongst others are things which fans of the previous incarnations of this story will seriously have to let go if they are going to even attempt to enjoy this film.
I have no problem with Arthur having a cell phone, this is the 21st century. Or even that they cut some of my favourite jokes, maybe they weren’t everyone’s favourites. And that not long after everyone reaches the Heart of Gold the plot takes a huge trans-galactic detour from which no one, including the audience, ever really recovers. Digressions are part of the Hitchhiker mentality. Nor do I have a problem with the predictably cheesier than cheese happy happy ending with the earth being rebuilt and everyone flying off into the universe complete with racing car sound effects. Or even the introduction of the “Point of View Gun” which I think is a brilliant yet sadly misused plot device.
In my humble opinion, Arthur is meant to be a slightly tragic figure and he would not in a thousand years declare his feelings in a genuinely romantic way to Trillion. At least not without having had a couple of drinks first, in which case he definitely would have messed it up. Arthur is slightly dysfunctional and is a tragic lonely figure, for goodness sake don’t give him meaningful relationships. This is why we like Arthur because he represents a tiny part of our selvs which just craves acceptance. This is why we have the irony that Arthur’s only friend in the world is not from this world. Ford is the equivalent to an imaginary friend. An imaginary friend which we would all like to have.
The last thing Arthur is is a superhero, and several times throughout the film we witness him finding himself in very physical situations. Any heroics on the part of Arthur are purely accident, and on the few occasions Arthur Dent saves the day he should be just as surprised as everyone else.
Why is ford an American? A point for which the script even has to apologise as it completely destroys the Guildford joke. And why does Zaphod sound not unlike George W.
Dear reader, I was expecting a train reck. And what I got was much much worse.
There are a couple of gems amongst the wreckage, most notably a visit to the Jatravartid world where we find the natives praying to the The Great White Handkerchief in a hilarious sketch worthy of Python. The other laugh out loud moment is when one of the mice (pan dimentional beings) shrilly exclaims “bollocks” much to the amusement of a little girl sitting somewhere in the cinema off to my left.
Look people if your expecting a movie version of the radio series forget it.
This has been through the Disney machine good and proper. I’m sure it will appeal to someone somewhere and will likely clean up at the box office. If this draws people in, who then go on to read the books etc then it’s a good thing. The existence of this film doesn’t detract from the radio series which incidentally restarts on Tuesday. Don’t take it too seriously. It’s like sex, you’ll enjoy it much more if you relax. But I don’t know about you, I can’t enjoy crap sex. And for me this is worse. Apparently Adams himself approved the script, although I’d be fascinated to know what if any difference he could have made once the cookie cutter movie industry got their teeth into this. Sadly that’s what it boils down to. It doesn’t matter if me and people like me don’t enjoy this film. We are not who this film was made for. Go see it if you’re curious and don’t mind handing over your £5.60 just remember when you’ve stopped spitting teeth you can bask in hours of radio drama and hundreds of pages of prose which in the opinions of many embody the true spirit of the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy.
Geoff asked me why I bought my Mackie 1202 mixer, as he’s in the market. I figured I hadn’t blogged anything substantial for a while, I’d kill two birds with one stone.
Well I did shop around a little, but there was a little bit of the impulse buy about my getting the Mackie. Before I make any significant purchase I usually try to do two or three things.
First, try and find some reviews of the product I intend buying, and some reviews of similar products. I did look very seriously at mixers from Behringer and Soundcraft, especially the Spirit Folio Notepad. Sites like www.soundonsound.com have a wondrous archive of reviews of audio hardware and I spent many an hour loosing myself on sites like this one.
Second visit the manufacturer website and learn a little about the company and whether I can get documentation in a format I could access. I was able to get a PDF of the 1202 manual before I spent a penny and, and save for a couple of inaccessible diagrams (to be expected in mixer documentation) I found it to be very well written.
Dig around on Usenet and the web to see if the product has a user community. Users will tell you how it really is without the marketing, and the extent to which people are bitching about the product you are interested in buying can be very telling.
And finally compare prices from at least 3 outlets. I can’t remember if I did this with the Mackie. But there are usually lots of deals out there and now more than ever it’s worth shopping around if you’re on a budget. In the event I actually spent over the odds paying around £300GBP and didn’t spend enough time shopping around. Some sites are now showing the 1202 for around $300US.
In an ideal world I also try to get to see the product I’m going to buy. I’m always worried about things like build quality, design and accessibility, so it’s a good idea to try to spend as much time as possible making sure you’re getting exactly what you want. It is the worst feeling in the world to lay out a load of cash on something which you realise a month down the line isn’t what you really wanted. I had 3 pretty lengthy sessions playing with a Mackie 1202 in Alabama last year, and the Mackie really sold itself to me. That’s not to say another mixer wouldn’t have made an impression, but this one felt right and met pretty much all my criteria:
1. It has the best mic preamps in a mixer of it’s class. See: www.musiciansnews.com/recording/46/1202vlz_pro.shtml
2. It’s very rugged. I think my having dragged it all the way to South Africa and back has proved that.
3. It has a small footprint making it pretty portable. I took it in my hand luggage when I went to Cape Town.
4. It can do mix minus, ideal for use with a telephone hybrid. although I haven’t spent time figuring this out yet.
Good luck with your purchase Geoff and let us know how you get on.
Ah well there’s a shocker. Not. Someone’s going to make a few quid for sure.
For the sake of it.
I’ll take two thank you very much!
The mind boggles!
Well it’s not the complete 7 series run including some 178 episodes, but this will do to be going on with as it includes many of the highlights. And at time of purchase I got it for £26.97 which is pretty good for 18 hours of classic Trek.
Disability Policy from the three main parties contesting the 2005 UK election shapes up as follows.
Conservative Party
The only section of the Conservative manifesto to mention disability is a paragraph on Social Services.
“As we live longer and expect more treatment and care to be available at home and in the community, social services willinevitably face greater demands. We will give people more control over their social care and introduce a partnership scheme so that no one is compelled to sell their home to pay for long-term care.Carers who look after elderly or disabled relatives, including those suffering from long-term conditions, deserve more support. We will boost respite for carers and give them more choice andinformation about the support available.”
Labour Party:
Three references to disability appear in the Labour manifesto. These fall under: equality at work, Sport in the community, and A voice for all.
Promoting equality at work
“A strong economy draws on the talents of all.We have extended legislation to protectpeople from discrimination at work to cover not only gender, disability, race and ethnicity but also religion and sexual orientation and– from 2006 – age. Labour has transformed legal rights for disabled people.We will empower disabled people further by joining-up services and expanding personalised budgets.”
Sport in the community
“Government will ensure that children who have had little access to play facilities and those with a disability have much better access to safe, modern playgrounds.”
A voice for all
“We will continue to promote civil rights for disabled people, ensuring full implementation of the new positive duty on the public sector to promote equality of opportunity for disabled people.”
Liberal Democrats
Of the three manifestos the Lib Dems have the most references to disability. Although like the other parties, disability is usually mentioned along side other minority interests as part of a more general statement on equality. A good example of this is a paragraph entitled “Strengthen the fight against discrimination”.
“We will introduce a Single Equality Act to outlaw all unfair discrimination, (including on the grounds of race, gender, religion or belief, sexual
orientation, disability, age or gender identity), thus giving equal protection for all.”
In a section entitled Trust freedom and fareness the Lib Dems have the following to say on disability:
“.. ill-health, disability, poverty, environmental pollution and the fear of crime curtail freedom, just as much as discriminatory laws or arrest without trial. So we want government
to provide the essential requirements that everyone needs to make real choices in their lives.”
Under the Lib Dems spending plans, they promis to introduce:
“free personal care for elderly and disabled people” they say that this would cost £1.7 billion per year paid for from a new rate of tax for those earning over £100,000 per year. What is meant by “personal care” is not clearly defined.
In a letter from Steve Webb Liberal Democrat Shadow Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, Webb claims to have received:
“Letters from people with severe disabilities who are at their wits’ end because of the bureaucracy and complexity of the benefits system.
We are all growing older. Anyone can be suddenly disabled.”
Having identified these issues, Webb’s letter continues:
“Before entering Parliament, I was Professor of Social Policy at Bath University, studying the
mistakes governments kept making. Since being elected, I have sought to use my professional skills
to develop alternatives that will work – plans that will guarantee everyone a decent old age, help
when they are disabled …”
Steve WebbLiberal Democrat Shadow Secretary of State for Work and Pensions”
Finally on disability the Lib Dems make the following pledges:
“We will help severely disabled people of working age with their
fuel bills by giving them the same £200 a year Winter Fuel Payment that pensioners receive.”
“Free off-peak local bus travel for all pensioners and disabled people.”
“in addition provide all pensioners, disabled people, families and young people with their rail discount cards free.”
It is worth noting that the promis of “free off-peak local bus travel” was also announced by the Labour Party in their spring budget, although not included in their manifesto.
These are the highlights, and complete copies of the party manifestos can be downloaded from the respective web sites:
Conservative Party: http://www.conservatives.com
Labour Party: http://www.labour.org.uk
Liberal Democrats: http://www.libdems.org.uk
Well amongst trying to do some work stuff over the weekend, I had Martin as a houseguest. I’d blog all about it, but he’s beaten me to it. So read all about it at his blog.