logo
How Douglas Adams predicted the future

How Douglas Adams predicted the future

Telegraph17-03-2025

The other day, while gawping in wonderment at the dashboard of a Tesla, Donald Trump coined a memorable phrase: 'Wow – everything's computer!'
I couldn't help thinking of Douglas Adams. Not Adams's ideas on democracy – though they're worth quoting: people who want to rule over others are 'those least suited to doing it... anyone who is capable of getting themselves made President should on no account be allowed to do the job.'
Rather, I was thinking that Trump was right – everything is computer, in a way that would have surprised Adams not one jot. I watched that Tesla video on a touchscreen computer small enough to carry around with me. It's a telephone, television, encyclopaedia and travel guide rolled into one. Perhaps you even have one yourself.
The smartphone is, of course, not entirely unlike the gadget Adams dreamed of one night in the 1970s, while lying drunk in a field on a backpacking holiday, and staring up at the stars: The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.
The title of a new documentary – Douglas Adams: The Man who Imagined Our Future – suggests that the comic novelist was a kind of digital Nostradamus.
Adams didn't want to be seen as a prophet. Hitchhiker's – which he pitched to the BBC aged just 25 – was less a vision of the future than his way of poking fun at a distinctly 1970s, distinctly British present. Its universe is one of petty bureaucrats hell-bent on building bypasses; one where the baffled Englishman abroad struggles to find a decent cup of tea. Technology in his novels is comically unreliable (though often in prescient ways).
'Trying to predict the future is a mug's game,' Adams once wrote, poking fun at other people's predictions. But on the rare occasions when he did risk a prediction, he was often right.
A hunger for high-speed data
In that same article about the 'mug's game' of prognostication, Adams quoted 'a Mr Wayne Leuck, vice-president of engineering at USWest, the American phone company. Arguing against the deployment of high-speed wireless data connections, he said, 'Granted, you could use it in your car going sixty miles an hour, but I don't think too many people are going to be doing that.''
'Just watch,' Adams wrote. 'That's a statement that will come back to haunt him. Satellite navigation. Wireless Internet. As soon as we start mapping physical location back into shared information space, we will trigger yet another explosive growth in Internet applications. At least – that's what I predict. I could, of course, be wildly wrong.'
But Adams was right. This kind of world-to-web mapping is now everywhere. If I want to find a friend in a park, I share a 'live location' on WhatsApp. If I get on a bus, Google Maps notices and asks me how crowded the bus is.
Chatting with paranoid androids
Today I asked a computer for the answer to everything. 'The answer to the ultimate question of life, the universe, and everything is 42,' replied Google's AI Overview, confidently parroting the joke-answer provided by a super-computer in Hitchhiker's. Not a useful answer, but at least not an unpleasant one. Would that all AIs were so amicable.
In 2016, Microsoft launched 'Tay', an AI chatbot with a 'personality' – and its own Twitter account. It swiftly turned into an anti-Semitic, sex-obsessed Neo-Nazi – then was switched off. A similar character-trajectory has bedevilled many chatbots since then. 'Tay' could easily have been a product of Adams's fictional Sirius Cybernetics Corporation, which gives robots 'Genuine People Personalities'.
'Urgh, sounds ghastly!' says Arthur Dent, the hero of Hitchhiker's, when he's told about these 'GPPs'.
'It is. Absolutely ghastly,' replies Marvin, the paranoid-depressive android who's been installed with one. Marvin's anomie is an anomaly; most devices in Hitchhiker's are relentlessly cheerful, even those which categorically don't need a personality, such as the automatic doors.
For instance, Eddie, the spaceship computer, greets its passengers with a chirpy American 'Hey, guys!' – before breezily breaking the news that they're all about to die.
In 2025, Eddie is everywhere. Look for customer services online, and there's a strong chance you'll find yourself typing into a box, arguing with a chatbot that has a real person's name, a shallow imitation of a friendly 'hey, guys!' personality, and zero ability to actually solve your problem.
Something simple you can use in the bath
Writing an article on (and about) a palmtop computer in 1996, Adams correctly predicted that phone-sized computers would become commonplace: 'this is just the beginning of that crucial moment at which something stops being just an entertaining new toy and starts being something you can seriously use in the bath.'
Adams's hatred of faff, of 'dongly things' and cables ('Dickens didn't have to crawl around under his desk trying to match plugs!') made him an advocate for wireless tech and intuitive software. 'We are stuck with technology when what we really want is just stuff that works,' he wrote. 'How do you recognise something that is still technology? A good clue is if it comes with a manual.'
The natural order of things
Adams once set out three rules describing our basic attitude to technology:
Anything that is in the world when you're born is normal and ordinary and is just a natural part of the way the world works.
Anything that's invented between when you're 15 and 35 is new and exciting and revolutionary and you can probably get a career in it.
Anything that's invented after you're 35 is against the natural order of things.
But the reverse was true for him; after 35, Adams fell in love with tech. He once joked that people saw him as a 'turncoat' for mocking technology as a young novelist, then championing it as a middle-aged journalist.
But in one beautifully written and surprising article, he explained that he fell in love with tech around the same time he fell in love with nature. (After meeting the naturalist Mark Cawardine, Adams became a committed conservationist in the 1990s; my favourite Adams book is their co-authored Last Chance to See, in which they tour the world tracking endangered animals.)
Adams was fascinated by evolution, and saw a parallel between DNA (his initials, incidentally) and computer code – in his view, both create something beautifully complex from this simplest possible building blocks, and 'being able to watch complexity blossom out of this primitive simplicity is one of the great marvels of our age, greater even than watching man walk on the moon.'
Instant translation
In Hitchhiker's, Adams imagined a world where a nifty device could seamlessly translate any language into another. The device turns out to be a little yellow fish.
The idea of the 'Babel Fish' is introduced as an aside, and mostly serves as the set-up to a long, brilliant routine about theology, which has become a staple of philosophy classes. Adams's jokes have a way of doing this: no course on ethics is complete without a mention of his 'Dish of the Day', an articulate and intelligent animal specially bred to want to be eaten. (Is this morally better or worse than eating a dumb, unwilling cow?)
Taking inspiration from Adams, the earliest online instant-translation programme was named after his fictional creature: Babel Fish launched nine years before Google Translate. The company that owned Babel Fish was later taken over by another company that was in turn taken over by Yahoo. (The big fish always eats the little fish.)
A hitchhiker's guide to Earth
Before Wikipedia, Facebook or Twitter, there was H2G2: an attempt to create a Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy here on Earth. Adams's website was a sprawling, community-sourced online encyclopaedia – one that also included a social network and microblogging platform for its contributors.
It was launched to great fanfare in 1999, and within a few months became the most visited mobile-phone-compatible website in Europe. Suddenly, backpackers across Europe could pull a little device out of their pockets, and learn about the history of brie, or where to get a good cocktail in Prague. The Guide Adams had dreamt of under the stars was real.
It's easy to imagine a parallel universe where H2G2 became as vast as Wikipedia or Facebook. But when the Dotcom bubble burst in 2000, it ruined Adams's company. H2G2 was passed on to the BBC, which kept the site running (albeit on a much reduced scale). For years afterwards, new articles were regularly added by thousands of writers. (I should disclose here that, in 2006, one of those writers was a spotty and insufferable 13-year-old called Tristram Fane Saunders. I was both peeved and proud to learn, years later, that one of my H2G2 entries had been plagiarised by Wikipedia.)
The future of comedy
Adams – who proclaimed the importance of always knowing where your towel is (his fans celebrate 'Towel Day' in May each year) – died while reaching for a towel, after a gym workout, in 2001, years before Twitter and iPhones and much else besides.
We could wonder how he would have seen those innovations. He might have had ideas on improving them, as he did with Amazon. (In one column, he wrote about getting in touch with Amazon regarding the site's data-gathering, peeved by what he saw as a major flaw – and they took up his suggestion.)
But to treat him as a tech soothsayer is to miss the point; his real legacy is his humour. Every British comic novelist has a little of his DNA; the style and cadence of his jokes is everywhere. Reading Adams for the science would be as wrongheaded as reading PG Wodehouse for the plots. (He was an enormous admirer of Wodehouse, and it shows.)
One moment in the new documentary reminds us how radical Adams's frivolous approach to sci-fi seemed at the time: we hear an archival clip in which an interviewer warns that 'comedy might destroy the seriousness with which this very proper genre should be taken'.
It reminded me of Adams's reply to critics who turned up their noses at Wodehouse, saying 'He's just not serious': 'He doesn't need to be serious. He's better than that.'

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Independent Scotland would break ties with Israel, says Stephen Flynn
Independent Scotland would break ties with Israel, says Stephen Flynn

The National

time22 minutes ago

  • The National

Independent Scotland would break ties with Israel, says Stephen Flynn

Speaking to The News Agents podcast, the SNP Westminster leader also said he does not believe it would "wise" for SNP MPs to visit Israel, but he would be "amazed" if they decided to as they are "not daft". He said the UK's position on the atrocities being committed by Israel in Gaza has been "so weak for far too long". Asked if an independent Scotland under the SNP would close embassies in Jerusalem or Tel Aviv and if it would break off diplomatic relations with Israel, Flynn replied "yes" to both questions. On whether he would advise SNP MPs to not visit Israel, Flynn said: "I don't think they'd be wise to visit Israel. READ MORE: UK sanctions Israeli ministers Ben-Gvir and Smotrich over Gaza "I imagine they would probably get the same response that the couple of Labour MPs did at the airport a few months ago, which was where they got taken aside and turned back home." He went on: "It's up to them to decide what they want to do. I'd be amazed if any of them did, because they're not daft, and they probably know that they would get turned around and stuck on a plane right back out Israel. "Look, I'm deeply, deeply upset and angry about what's happened in Gaza and what continues to happen in Gaza, and the fact that the UK position has been so weak for far too long in respect of this. And I think it's important that you convey your views to people who are rational actors." In April, Labour MPs were denied entry to the occupied West Bank. Abtisam Mohamed and Yuan Yang said they were "astounded at the unprecedented step taken by the Israeli authorities" to refuse British MPs entry. (Image: News Agents) A statement from the pair said they had 'spoken out in Parliament in recent months' on Israel's war on Gaza and parliamentarians "should feel free to speak truthfully in the House of Commons without fear of being targeted'. Flynn's comments come after the UK Government sanctioned two far-right Israeli ministers over their comments about Gaza. Itamar Ben-Gvir, Israel's security minister, and Bezalel Smotrich, finance minister, will have their assets frozen and travel bans imposed. Smotrich approved the expansion of Israeli settlements in the West Bank. He also campaigned against allowing humanitarian aid into Gaza. Ben-Gvir has advocated for the expulsion of Palestinians from Gaza, and said that the Al-Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem should be replaced with a synagogue. Later on in the podcast, Flynn was asked about whether he intends to contest the leadership of the SNP in the future. READ MORE: Freedom Flotilla Coalition gives update on Madleen crew detained by Israel While he is going to campaign to become an MSP, he stressed he backs John Swinney as SNP leader and believes he can "make sure we're fighting fit to go on and win the election" at Holyrood next year. Flynn said: "It is my intention to stand for Holyrood, I'm seeking to be a candidate for the Scottish Parliament elections next year, in an area that's probably similar to the seat I hold at Westminster." He went on: "When Humza Yousaf stood down as First Minister, the first person I called to take over was John Swinney. When Nicola Sturgeon, prior to that, announced that she was standing down again, the first person I called to take over was John Swinney. Now that's a wee bit of an insight into my thinking. "And my thinking is very clear that John Swinney is by far the best person for the job. I think he's the best politician in Scotland. I think he displays that in Holyrood with acumen on a weekly basis. "And I'm pretty confident over the course of next 11 months, he can make sure we're fighting fit to go on and win the election. The polls would indicate that we are going to win the election. "But it can't be about polls. It has to be about policies and people. And when the SNP is focused on that and our ultimate goal of independence, we tend to do well."

Scottish Government demands release of Madleen aid ship crew
Scottish Government demands release of Madleen aid ship crew

The National

time36 minutes ago

  • The National

Scottish Government demands release of Madleen aid ship crew

The Madleen was boarded and seized by Israeli forces in international waters early on Monday morning, after crews sounded an alarm after seeing multiple vessels approach and reporting drones spraying a white "irritant" substance on board. The boat arrived in Ashdod port in Israel late on Monday evening, with Israel's foreign ministry attempting to depict the mission as a publicity stunt, branding the Madleen a "celebrity yacht". READ MORE: 20 more Palestinians killed and hundreds injured by Israel near aid points On Tuesday, the Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC) – the humanitarian organisation behind the Madleen – reiterated that four of the 12 activists have been deported, while eight remain in Israeli detention. The crew members were all asked to sign documents consenting to deportation, which the coalition said was under the guise that they had entered Israel illegally. One of those still in detention is Rima Hassan, a French-Palestinian Member of the European Parliament. Following the abduction and deportation, fresh calls were made for both Westminster and Holyrood to push Israel to lift the aid blockade. Gerry Coutts of Scotland for Palestine said: 'The aid boat was seized by Israel while it sailed in international waters under the British flag and its unarmed crew have been detained. Yet, we have heard no condemnation of this from our governments in the UK. 'The abduction of the crew, the seizing of the boat, the occupation of Palestine, the mass starvation of a people and the siege and blockade are all illegal - and happening in plain sight. 'Both our governments have a legal and moral duty to push their ally, Israel, to allow in life-saving aid to starving Palestinians. They must also push for an end to the cruel siege and naval blockade and more recently a complete blockade imposed on Palestinians.'

There are no ‘journalists' in Gaza. Just Hamas propaganda operatives
There are no ‘journalists' in Gaza. Just Hamas propaganda operatives

Telegraph

timean hour ago

  • Telegraph

There are no ‘journalists' in Gaza. Just Hamas propaganda operatives

Britain and the world's views of the rights and wrongs of the Gaza war are so often shaped by what the BBC reports. That's mattered more than ever in recent weeks, amid the feverishly heated coverage of Israel's new Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) scheme to deliver aid to the Palestinian people and bypass allegedly Hamas-controlled NGOs. Hamas-linked sources claim Israeli soldiers have repeatedly shot and killed Palestinian civilians waiting for GHF food with their families. Stories bearing the bylines of BBC 'journalists' in Gaza largely tell this version of events, albeit including the denials of the IDF. News organisations using Gazan reporters say they have no choice, given the IDF's refusal to allow in outside journalists. But that's no reason not to exercise care and employ the same editorial standards as they would on any other story. For critics of the BBC, the results have been a disaster for the Corporation and its standards. They point to the stories that have not been told, or have been largely overlooked, by these reporters almost throughout the war: of Hamas's tyranny over the people of Gaza, its torture and murder of opponents, and of the courageous Palestinians who defy its rule. And why is there such scant coverage of Hamas using the civilian population as a human shield by placing tunnels under civilian buildings and military bases in hospital? Where are the stories of Israeli hostages being moved across Gaza? Why is there no footage of Hamas firing rockets or their gunmen on the move? There is an obvious answer: it appears that these reporters are either pro-Hamas, or too afraid of reprisals from terrorist gunmen to tell the truth. It is a charge that BBC Global News Director Jonathan Munro entirely rejects. Almost spluttering in disbelief recently at the suggestion that 'some of the people you're using in Gaza might be under pressure, might be restricted in what Hamas allows them to see,' resulting in a 'partial view', he insisted: 'There's no restriction on what they can see, what they can show and what they can film when they're on location. 'There's no suggestion at all that any of those very brave people are under any political influence.' Munro's denial shows an astonishing disregard for the well-documented reality of life in Gaza. Take a recent report from the well regarded NGO the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ). It tears apart the notion that press freedom exists in Gaza. According to the CPJ, journalists there have been subject to 'detentions, assaults, obstruction and raids' going back to the start of Hamas rule almost twenty years ago. While detailing numerous violent assaults on members of the press in Gaza, the analysis warns that violations by Hamas are 'underreported'. Some journalists who have been assaulted are believed to be too afraid to say anything at all; others have gone to the Palestinian Journalists Syndicate (PJS) but say they do not want to go public for fear of retaliation. Note that both the CPJ and PJS are the staunchest critics of Israel. There can be no doubting the credibility and accuracy of their accounts on this matter. The picture they paint is light years removed from Munro's suggestion of unencumbered press freedom in Gaza. Some of the journalists in Gaza used by the BBC have been exposed as having deeply hateful views of Israel and Jews, making them entirely unsuitable as journalists. Yet there is a problem that goes far beyond any individual, if Munro and other executives cannot understand the reality of reporting from Gaza. TV producer Leo Pearlman has proposed the solution: 'The BBC make a huge deal of adding to every news script from Gaza by saying that Israel doesn't allow independent access for journalists. 'What it never says – and maybe should start doing – is that no journalist can operate freely in Gaza under Hamas control.'

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store