On the topic of HHGttG, I should inform you that the BBC is continuing the radio plays of the book series-- the Tertiary Phase aired in 6 parts late last year, covering _Life, the Universe, and Everything," and the Quandary phase begins next week, May 3rd, on, I believe, Radio 4, with a Quintessential phase on the horizon:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/hitchhikers/
(You can also play the text adventure featuring fan-submitted illustrations, but I think that has come up in Kisrael before.)
They have the same cast as the original series (or nearly so-- I think the actor who voiced the original book has passed away) and the tertiary phase even included Douglas Adams as Agrajag (sp) because he had recorded his own glorious spittle-soaked version either recently before his death perhaps contemporarily to the original radio series.
BBC also recently "launched" H2G2 in celebration of the movie, as though it hasn't been around for about a decade.
--
Excellent review of Friedman-- I never paid much attention to his metaphors, and now I know why. Still, "From Beirut to Jerusalem" was a good read, and a fair account of the Lebanese Civil War, which I dimly recall from the headlines of my youth.
You can name the sidebar "Revenge of the Screen Savers." <a href="http://leoville.com/blog/index.php/TLR/comments/episode-2-the-revenge-of-these-green-saviors1/">These green saviors</a> can't use it.
Sorry Nick...I screen out HTML.
But still...I don't get it.