In all seriousness, fans o' Goats, take a moment and do something outside of the confines of your computer. If any of Mr Adams' work touched you, be it his original radio drama of The Guide or the old Infocom game, the Dirk Gently series or Starship Titanic, get up right now and buy a card of condolences. Write in it what Mr Adams meant to you and send it to his family. I am sure in days to come there will be an address to send such things to (and I will post it here).
But while you grieve for this funny Englishman in whatever way you might, send something to his wife and child. Let the people in his life know what his passing means to you.
And dammit, I got the Babel Fish. But it doesn't make me feel any better.
UPDATE: Well, your trusty tracker of addresses have come up empty. So here, instead, are my suggestions for fitting tributes:
- Take part in Towel Day. Why not? Give others an idea of how much his writing meant to you, and meet 'fellow travellers'...or something.
- Take part in Douglas Adams' online Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. DNA started it... continue his odd dream.
- If you don't have a copy of the Guide, buy a new copy. Chances are that the money from the sale will go to his family.
- Enter your words into the tribute at his company's website, The Digital Village. Adams was a big proponent of using electrons rather than atoms. Tell your stories there.
- Give to his favorite charities, Save the Rhino and The Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund.
- Finally, if you want send a card (which I still think would be a fine idea), send it to his family care of Ballantine Books, the publisher of the Guide books.
Their address is: The Ballantine Publishing Group, 201 East 50th Street, New York, NY 10022