DOUGLAS ADAMS: Parrots, the Universe and Everything
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- Опубліковано 21 тра 2008
- Douglas Adams was the best-selling British author and satirist who created The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. In this talk at UCSB recorded shortly before his death, Adams shares hilarious accounts of some of the apparently absurd lifestyles of the world's creatures, and gleans from them extraordinary perceptions about the future of humanity. [5/2001] [Show ID: 5779]
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Check out "Dark Persuasion - The History of Brainwashing from Pavlov to Social Media" here: ua-cam.com/video/bWl8FXhdEio/v-deo.html
An excellent Ted talk from Douglas Adams, thanks for sharing. It even has the puddle analogy!
"We don't have to save the world. The world is big enough to look after itself. What we have to be concerned about is whether or not the world we live in will be capable of sustaining us in it."
Douglas Adams
It's true, when we have finally over fished, over logged, over mined, over reproduced, and finally run out of resources, no fuel to transport food, then we will see who survives.
One of those authors whose mastered the art of opening your mind while making you laugh out loud. 💗
Absolutely agreed. As George Carlin comedically liked to say...”The planet is fine. WE are fucked.”
Engineered scarcity in a world of near infinite abundance.
Burning stuff to make energy is stupid when nuclear physics has shown that we can get as much energy from a kilogram of fissile atoms, as from thousands of tons of any kind of chemical reactants, whether carbon and oxygen, or trinitroglycerine on its own.
The retired fuel of currently deployed civilian reactors is incorrectly called "nuclear waste" because the fission products, the used-up uranium, are a mere 4% of it, the plutonium is NOT an encouraging product for bomb making, and US labs in Idaho showed that a fast neutron, metal fueled, liquid metal cooled reactor could consume all the long-lived isotopes safely and without throwing them away.
It was also shown to be inherently meltdown-immune, three weeks before the infamous Chernobyl stupidity.
Thorium 232 is about as abundant as lead, and can be transmuted to fissile uranium 233. One kilo of that, as fuel for a thermal neutron reactor, can produce 8 million kWh of electrical energy worth at least ten cents/kWh. That's better than turning lead into gold, and the one kilo of fission products loses its radioactivity very rapidly.
In any reactor, for decades the process of retiring the fuel rods has been done with no ill effects using well designed machinery and careful operators. But what they are handling is 400 times as radioactive as it will be in a mere five years
18:00 Dr. Struan Sutherland, that's my grandfather!
he had a hydroponic greenhouse! it took him 12 years to develop that anti venom. and i still have that bow tie!
That description Adam Douglas gives of your grandfather is awesome! You must be very proud!
ditto
Wow very cool that he is your grandfather. Did you inherit all the snakes and anti venom kits?
Your grandfather sounded like an interesting character.
thats amazing. do you know the modern Snake - Guy his name is Steve ... Vice has done a few new series on him
I was there for this talk. It was pretty amazing. I was pleasantly surprised he chose to speak on this book in particular (and glad I had read it a few years earlier!). I worked for the UCSB bookstore at the time and they "made me" work this event (knowing, of course, how much I loved Douglas Adams). Luckily, I was able to slip in to the audience and actually catch the show. I was the last person to get a book signed. He passed away the following week.
Wow. I saw him on his birthday at earls court at Pink Floyd. I never heard of this talk before today despite being a fan since the radio shows. Remarkable man. Very missed.
D4mn :-o
@@wildandbarefoot i dont know if this is a exaggeration in response to the unbelievable story above or if it is a brag..
On a completely diffrent thing, i met Douglas or Douggy as i like to call him at the start ramp of the earlier apollo missions. He ate half my biscuits without knowing me.
@@tobiasschabel5596 nicely done.
@@tobiasschabel5596 Is that a reference to the infamous biscuits on the train story?!
*Who else is here in 2020; the 42nd year after the first broadcast of The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy?*
Beautiful!!!!!
His books make so much more sense when you hear how he speaks
Whoa, I barely made it!
@@DanielCardin_ATX glad you're here
@@ParallelLogic Oh my gosh I can’t tell you how much I agree. It’s actually quite critical to be aware of this sort of “voice” or otherwise the entire premise of his comedy could be lost!
In the beginning the universe was born, this has been widely regarded as a bad move.
LOL
You have 42 upvotes as I type this.
*SORRY FOR THE INCONVENIENCE*
DON'T PANIC and always carry a towel!
@@markkavanagh7377 duh. Gotta know where yer towel is. Never ye know when yer gonna need t' wipe orf yer mouf afta a PanGalactic Gargleblaster has wiped out yer mind..
This was one of the most remarkable men of this planet. He gave me much interesting insights, tons to think of. He left much too early.
Achim Stein yes, Same to me
Dude$!$ seriously you have 3 tucking PanGarg 'll e wh a t . . b out 5ch . um drink?
He left too early, yes; this has been widely regarded as a bad move.
Agreed Wholeheartedly. Brilliant, compassionate, and involved.
Diamonds like him, died too early and cunts like putin , kim jung il etc… continue to breathe.
I’ve lost track of how many times I’ve reread Douglas Adams’s complete oeuvre. I only met him once, very briefly, at a book-signing for “Mostly Harmless”, but when he died I knew I’d lost another ally in a mostly hostile world-and these allies are few.
Exactly same here
So curious if you would declare your top favorite(s)?
I haven’t read them all… but Jitterbug Perfume has permanent hooks in my heart.
This man bears a huge responsibility for my sense of humour. Read hitchhikers guide at the age of 11. A bunch more over the following years. A legend of a man.
I've got an omnibus! Got it as a gift, I can't believe it happened. I read it every year like the bible and learn much more.
I have the same illness. Nobody in this cesspit society gets me. And I don't care. I can cut through the mouth-breathers and find something more fun to do than complain like Marvin the Paranoid Android. I would love to have 5 minutes of Douglas speaking on conspiracy theorists. 😆
"A bunch more..." is a proof how the English language has been shaped by different nations. I've heard an American chemist saying "add a bunch of water" ! ☺️
@@E-Kat it is worth noting that a fast and flippant comment is an indication of language at one level or context, whilst not indicative of it at others. I am a firm believer in possessing the ability to function at multiple levels!
@@Bradles6666 and you do, very well indeed. 🙂
As Adams predicted, the Yangtze River Dolphin is now extinct. This is a great talk, both funny and a call to action. Please take time to listen to this with an open mind. Douglas Adams was an amazing person, how lucky we have been to have been able to share in his wit and wisdom.
Well... He bloody well saved the Kakapo!!
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kakapo
🤯
Well it wasn't really a prediction. They were already in trouble with no likelihood of reprieve as they were being killed in everyday fishing activities. It's why China has had so many new diseases recently, too large a population that needs to be curbed for the sake of the planet.
@@user-yv2cz8oj1k You wrote "They were already in trouble with no likelihood of reprieve as they were being killed in everyday fishing activities." That is literally the basis of the prediction. The fact that something is likely does not make a prediction about it (which is highly likely to be true) no longer a prediction. It just makes the prediction more accurate.
D.N.A is a hero of life. 🏆
Mr. Adams was one of the finest forms of energy to have graced our planet. His thinking shaped a huge part of my life and I do wish he was still around to see the society we have become. He’d be writing a book per week! Thank you for uploading this and making life a little more bearable. And… Don’t Panic.
He'd be STARTING a new book per week, and then fiddling about changing everything, and never finishing them, to the despair of his publisher. I never met him, but the world became a poorer place when he left, far too soon. He had a very large influence on me, growing up all those years ago. Stephen Fry's reminiscences about his friendship with DNA make interesting reading.
Only 49. Passed away suddenly only two days after this. He looked so healthy and relaxed. Died resting after a workout. So he died doing the thing many of us do to extend our life. A tragedy. May he rest in peace.
He drank and smoked heavily...combine that with exercise and you’re asking for trouble
@@rampageclover9788 that's why i never exercise
I think the talk is May 3 and he passed on May 11. None of us know what the future has in store for us.
@@brianbagnall3029 After admiring at the marvellous colours of Australia's Great Barrier Reef, Doug commented that he didn't believe in God, but that if God existed, He was probably Italian. . . 😂
yeah - you never know at that age that you might have eight days left on earth - er - scary stuff@@brianbagnall3029
"We don't have to save the world, the world is big enough to look after itself. What we have to be concerned about is whether or not the world we live in will be capable of sustaining us in it."
-Douglas Adams
He was right, of course. And the latest State Of The Planet reports indicate that sooner than we had expected, it will not.
Went to Highgate a few years ago , I left a pen in respect. Noticed a couple of towels there for teleportation travel. Definitely one of my favourite minds that ever functioned. rip.
Despite being a huge Hitch hikers fan, 'Last Chance to see' has always been my favourite DNA book. So sad for the world to lose such an extraordinary mind. So long Douglas, and thanks for all the fish.
Yeah, I was kinda expecting to be disappointed, but was absolutely pleasantly surprised. It is a great book.
I haven't heard this talk yet and I have no idea what to expect, the title doesn't give anything away, in fact despite having read all of his books numerous times I've never heard Adams speak. I stumbled across this while listening to HHGTTG, if the comments are anything to go by I'm in for a treat. Alright, let's do it........
What a wonderful public speaker. No notes, just charm and the skills of a great racounteur. He was a great asset to humanity.
You think he's got no notes, he did have them, but he keeps them in his head.
I've watched several of his speeches, and I feel this one, ironically a week before his passing, is the most naturally witty and most enjoyable, the timing of his punchlines and story telling are top of the top. Maybe it's true, we shine brightest at the end.
I was so shocked when he passed away, I felt like I lost a favorite teacher or uncle. What made it worse was I felt not enough attention was paid to his passing. Even worse than that, the people I was around, and still am, for the most part, weren't fans of Doug Adams or even knew who he was. I was and still in Japan. His form of humor, his incredible wit doesn't translate well into Japanese, sadly. So, if not for the internet, which DA was so involved in from the outset, I would've suffered his passing entirely alone. But as it was, I found allies who shared my grief and made it a tiny, tiny bit easier to take. Rest in Peace Douglas Adams. Gone way too soon.
i dont find it week at all on the contrary... the audience was though, maybe a couple of company owners
That's heavy!!!
So long....and thanks for all the books!
Thank you University of California Television for making this amazing video free to the public!
If I could have a dinner party with 3 people who have passed on to another dimension I would choose Isaac Asimov, Douglas Adams and Kurt Vonnegut. Can you even imagine how amazing that evening would be?
Douglas Adams was a genius writer and by implication, thinker. Each time I re read his books, I come across a new gem of writing. Wish he was still here !
I AM ONLY 13 AND READ HIS FIRST BOOK IN 2019 , AND IT HAS BEEN REGARDED BY ME A VERY SMART MOVE. WE NEED MORE HUMANS LIKE HIM
I've never thought of Douglas Adams as an author of sci-fi. I have always seen him as an author of philosophy. His writing is my bible is some ways. It is full of anecdotes and stories that make me think about what I am doing as a person and helps me really understand the larger picture.
I feel so very related to this comment
"In what felt like, could only be described as, 'rain.'"
LOL!
Douglas Adams gave us more in that big collection of teachings....than the other big collection of teachings...... Douglas never TOLD us how to think.....he just posited the questions...One of the most inspiring .of men...A true renaissance man.......
"In the beginning the Universe was created. This has made a lot of people very angry and has been widely regarded as a bad move."
It’s been a few years since I watched this last time. Happy towel day 2022.
This video needs to go viral, now more than ever people need to hear this message.
'Forty-two' had been my favorite number since I was a young kid, but I had others I was also fond of over the years. One afternoon passively thinking about that for some reason, it occurred to me that my other favorites, 3, 7, 14 and 21, were all factors of my original favorite, 42, cool!.
When I started the Hitchhiker's Guide a week later, and finally came to 'The Answer', I threw the book and had a massive wave of paranoia that the Universe is conspiring, for and with me, towards the greatest belly-laugh joke of all time that has persisted to this day, some 35+ years later. All I can do is keep looking over my shoulder for the marauding cosmic punchline to land and whisk me away!
Would you like to know the real meaning of the number 42?
I tell no one but if you respond I will tell you. I think very few know….maybe you do already. You deserve to know for sure.
@@CStoph1979👀
@@casparash5370 If you want to know the true meaning behind the number, you need to think of what a hitchiker with a towel would always be wanting.
Something you might do while spending a lot of time trying to think up an answer to an ultimate question perhaps.
(You must think like an Englishman, not an American)
That is all i can say. It really is rather f'in obvious when you understand.
its been far too long. time to read the hitchhiker series again. bravo douglas. R.I.P
Always an amazingly fresh way of looking at just about anything.
Douglas Adams was lost to us far too soon. The Guide is my all-time favorite read.
He got to 49, which is still more than many people.
@@user-yv2cz8oj1k Millions of us live longer than that without achieving anything note-worthy - perhaps the rest of us are just mostly harmless!
Thanks for posting.
What I take with me from this talk: don't go near deadly, venomous animals. If you do go near them, don't get bitten. If you do get bitten, don't do anything. This will not really help, but will at least give you a less flustered passing.
The Dirk Gently books were brilliant as well, everything he wrote was fantastic.
The lesser known book of his which he says he loves the best, "Last Chance to See", is wonderful. Anyone who likes Douglas Adams' style of writing owes it to themselves to pick it up and read it.
Thanks - I was trying to figure out what book it was!
I completely agree
A great author, humorist, and storyteller. Imagine what he would've given us if he hadn't left us so suddenly.
The last of the most rare, amazing, and quite brilliant species on earth had sadly gone extinct 17 years ago. His name was Douglas Adams. None of his kind are left.
He was briefly survived by a distant relative, T. pratchettii, but it was last seen in the company of a seven foot tall hooded figure with a scythe eight years ago.
I like that he is a conservationist and a realist. “Our solutions often times don’t work.”
"...they didn't get there until 15 hundred years ago, due to startling advances in twig technology" You just gotta love Douglas Adams, never before or since have humour and intelligence accumulated in similar amounts in a single
Except from possibly George Carlin
@@nickacelvn Oscar Wilde through to Terry Pratchett come to mind
@@konstantinopoulos33 They had the wit, but not the deep philosophical understanding that Adams did, of how technology affects the human condition.
Kurt Vonnegut perhaps
@@konstantinopoulos33Thank you! You have helped me decide who my guests at the ideal dinner party would be: Douglas Adams, Terry Pratchett, Oscar Wilde, as well as his "representative on earth", Stephen Fry, and Quentin Crisp. I would just sit there and bask in the intelligence and the different manifestations of wit.
Can't believe it's been over 15 years since DA left us on our own. One of my lifelong heroes.
Well there are going to be a lot more things not to believe as we go on.
"And he sent his disciples forth two by two. They needed not cloak nor supplies, for God was with them."
I just hope he remembered to bring his towel. I know I wouldn't want to get to heaven and everybody think I'm not an alright guy.
Our galaxy is moving at 1.3 million MPH yet we had the chance to meet Douglas Adams, So long and thanks for all the fish.
I can't imagine enjoying anything more than watching Douglas Adams giving this lecture, such an incredible man, with all I've seen in the last few years, damn we miss him.
Classic Adams.
My teenage years were greatly enriched with his books, you can't buy that sort of cultural experience, you had to be there.
Thanks.
So you got them from a library?
You can buy anything, though it has generally caused a world of devastation to get the money, so it might not still be there when you pay for it.
First time seeing and hearing Douglas. He seems as fun in real life as his stories. I'm not disappointed, and will mull over what he said for many years, I'm sure.
Keeping you alive Sir Douglas Adams
What a joy to listen to Douglas. I feel much better now, thanks for the fish 😊
I am so glad they recorded this before He died. It might have suffered otherwise.
It would be interesting to check to see after Douglas recorded this lecture, how many people have travelled to the Galapagos Islands just to pick up a Blue-footed Booby and then put it back down like it expects to be! 🤔😉😆
R.I.P. Douglas, you are greatly missed! 😢
"Sadly, it has also forgotten that it has forgotten how to fly..." ;-D Excellent!
This is the best video on UA-cam - by far. So interesting, entertaining, educational and damn funny.
He had such a fabulous way with words . So very sadly missed.
More so, the world NEEDS persons like Douglas Adams.
Dont panic :) The best advice I ever received.
Goodness, what a loss in this man! His clarity of thought and explanation are remarkable.
How mentally challenged a person would have to be to give this brilliance a thumbs down. Envy of genius, I suppose.
I wish we had more enlightened and knowledgable people like Mr Adams in positions of power around the world. This world would be much better for it.
since listening to the hitchikers guide on tape when i was 13.. Douglas Adams has been a major influence. its lovely to hear/see him at last, and such a loss to the world that he went so soon.
I think my friend from Betelgeuse mentioned that Douglas is on 'Milliways' having tea with The Great Prophet Zarquon and dancing with small furry creatures from Alpha Centauri.
This chap is just brilliant and hilarious, love him, miss him!
I well remember listening to HHGTTG in student digs on BBC radio 3.
Rest well Douglas. So long and thanks for all the laughs.
Seeing this during quarantine is fantastic and scary at the same time
Douglas, we miss you!
So long, and thanks for all the fish. So sad it had to come to this. RIP Douglas
What an awesome man! Gone way too soon.
RIP 🕊
The world always needs Douglas Adams
The puddle analogy actually is pretty effective!
What a cruel turn of events that we cannot have Douglas Adams doing nature documentaries with comedic flourishes throughout. One must wonder if this may have been his destiny. He certainly showed an enormous potential for it here.
If it came from Douglas Adams, regardless of medium, you can rest assure that it was brilliant.
The hitch hikers guide has so much truth to what is being uncovered, And theories to what i was thinking back in the 70s. Another film that rounds it all up is God must be crazy. yes We are buggering up the environment, Big time, All this development and wash off from the land, is killing the oceans, that give us 80% of the air we breath. Thank for all you done Douglas!
How we miss him.....
The good, particularly the very good..we lose many of them young don't we.
Such a gift to the place, beloved here in Australia.
One of the best things on UA-cam. Thanks DA.
Superb! Brought realisation and tears to my eyes.
Yes. My wife and I thought the same thing. We are both big fans of Hitch hikers guide but also evolution and nature enthusiasts. The inner grief he must have felt at fielding such questions was almost tangible. But notice he always recovered and delivered well. Such is the plight of one so well known for something else.
I have just watched all of this, this man is truly great man. never have I been so captivated and amused by a lecture. Such a shame he passed so young.
Absolutely, wonderfully, magnificently, fantastically awesome...is one heck of an understatement.
Wonderful speech by a great man. His insights would be a benefit and delight to the world in current times.He is greatly missed.
ua-cam.com/video/uK-fB1Pweas/v-deo.html
I was a student at UCSB and attended (worked at) this event. At the time I didn't know much about Douglas Adams but I had the privilege of sitting with him during the book signing and being his assistant for a few hours. I've worked with all sorts of 'talent' and he seemed like an especially nice guy. If memory serves, he died a month or so later.
I think the talk is May 3 and he passed on May 11. It fills me with sadness knowing that he had no idea his life would come to an end so soon after giving such an entertaining talk. He probably had more nature adventures planned.
How did he die?
Heart attack
Heart attack
Brilliant and enjoyable talk!
I enjoy listening to this every few months. Adams is so charming here, and informative. You can see earlier versions of much of this material elsewhere on UA-cam, but it wasn't quite perfected in those versions--here he has the timing, structure and phrasing nailed down.
He also handles the Q and A quite well. Each of the questioners is annoying in their own way (I particularly despise the geek with the towel question), but Adams handles each with deftness. Such a pity he died so young.
This was a fantastic introduction to Mr. Adams’s work. His literary prowess, humor, & generosity of spirit shine through in his storytelling.
I have just ordered Hitchhiker’s Guide. Looking fwd to it.
Thx for sharing.
Enjoy the ride.
Same! I'm reading it tomorrow ! Got it delivered a couple of days ago. Hardback
@@Eirinen_E34 Jealous of and excited for you both! Wish I could read them for the first time again. Enjoy, and don't panic!
@WinkLinkletter Thank you! I read it, loved it, and need the other 2 books now. There's a trilogy!
Also, you should read them again! 🙂 🩶💜💚
@@Eirinen_E34 There's more than a trilogy. And don't forget the Dirk Gently books.
Sadly the Yangtze River Dolphin was officially declared extinct about 2 years ago.
yes, i just found out. . . The Yangtze dolphin - "The small, nearly blind white dolphin, also known as the baiji, was nicknamed "the goddess of the Yangtze.", is now extinct - i can't believe it. No one did anything - not even an aquarium save. I didn't realize how bad it was. first the pollution of the farms which caused to evolve very sensitive hearing and they were fine - and then the motor boats that completely took over the water sounds. Then the last thing - a dam. I can't believe nothing was done. poor little dolphins. . . to say desolate and sad does not express enough. . .
...and now the vaquita is functionally extinct... and more and more houses being built in the Colorado river watershed it used to call its home...
Well expect more to happen, because people are invariably stupid, and money is happy to go to the stupid even more than the intelligent.
why would you dislike this? hate humor? hate a deceased man? hate critically endangered animals? people are weird. Happy Towel day
World's best story teller, may he rest in peace. May we be blessed with many more like him.
If only all biology lessons were like this one ❤️
If Douglas Adams was alive today, he'd probably be a millionaire. I'd buy every book he wrote (when I get the money for it) and recommend it to thousands of others, who will hopefully recommend it to other thousands of others. His sense of humor paired with wit is ultimately unsurpassed. I just love his writing. I'm planning to single out a shelf with every book written by him, and whoever comes to my house and says, "Who's That?" I'll smack them aside the head in disgust and tell them, "Who're you?"
Or you could just tell them
Pity that wit doesn't always transfer through reading.
A very amusing and interesting talk. The world is a poorer place without this man. Thanks for uploading.
What a story teller!
Whoever gave this video a thumbs down you are equal to or lesser than vogon poetry
I was the 42nd person to like this comment, perfect.
"had there been copies of Twig User Magazine in those days these creatures would have been lining up for it"
@mirotrash Just recently I went to the Highgate Cemetery in London to visit his grave.
I can tell you, my fellow friend: It is a shattering experience to see the name of one of your favourite authors written on a gravestone.
Thank you, I enjoyed this enormously.
DA was a man with a wonderfully innate, irreverent, but very informed slant on things.
+jc333jc *Irreverent.
+Eve Again I said irreverent. :-)
jc333jc
You said irrelevant :)
+Eve Again Prove it! :-P
I actually watched it on my phone and must admit to not properly spellchecking. Thank you.
I am no longer being displayed to the planet as an awful grammarian.....Oh, hang on... bugger! :-)
Man I miss this guy. No one else signed microwave cookery books like he did.
Love this man, one of my all time heroes :-)
Such a good storyteller.
Wonderful, humourous, sad, worth every minute spent listening to this whole clip, and I will definitely do so again.
Absolutely brilliant!!
just like the question "what is the meaning of life". The question why 42 was chosen; is not clear. He lived at number 42... the events in europe at the time... A conversation with Cleese. NO ONE KNOWS! However, people who are aware of the literature. Have been discussing the meaning of 42. And that is his legacy. He created a sense of wonder. RIP big man
UCTV, Thank you for sharing this wonderful speech!