Happy Belated Birthday, Douglas Adams

I meant to post this yesterday, but, ironically, was tied up with deadlines. How can you not celebrate the birth of a man who said, "I love deadlines. I love the whooshing noise they make as they go by."

Check Wikipedia for a short biography of the author of the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, the name of which he apparently came up with while flat on his back, drunk in an Austrian field. Although many people are familiar with the book and movie, I think the ultimate form of the piece was the original BBC radio series, which was funny as all get out, although here's a tip of the hat to Alan Rickman's portrayal of Marvin, the miserable robot with a brain the size of a planet.

Mystery Research is Murderous

Polish author Krystian Bala has received a 25 year jail term in his country for murder - that seemed to have inspired the writer's latest novel. Even the brief accounts in the BBC story of the 7-year-old murder sound grizzly:

The body of Dariusz Janiszewski, the young, well-liked owner of a small advertising agency, was spotted by fishermen seven years ago on the banks of the River Oder, near the Polish city of Wroclaw.

He had been tortured, starved and tied up in a way that made it impossible to swim.

Apparently, Bala's novel, recently published, uses similar details that he claims were from news account of the time - but that doesn't explain his having called the victim on the last day he was seen, nor the prosecution's assertion that he was jealous of Mr Janiszewski for having an alleged affair with Bala's estranged wife. There obviously is such a thing as over-researching a book.

Nudist Author to Bare All at Signing

The author of "Nudity & Christianity" is scheduled for a clothing-optional book signing in Vermont tonight. According to various accounting, including this one in the Rutland Herald, Jim Cunningham is inviting patrons to remove their clothing when they get inside The Tempest Book Shop in Waitsfield. Guess there will be little judging books by their covers - but where do you keep the pens for the actual signing?