Guide to the Galaxy

Followers of Douglas Adams (and interplanetary travelers) have long bewailed the absence of a real-world equivalent to the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. Of late, it has been claimed that Wikipedia now fills that niche. It probably does. But we were thrilled to discover that two years before his death (and the birth of Wikipedia), Adams participated in the creation of h2g2, a user-written online guide to Life, the Universe and Everything.

Classified under those three blanket headings, the articles are by no means as all-encompassing as Wikipedia's, but there is plenty to explore. We, of course, made a beeline for the travel section, where entries ranged from the practical (what to do if you're stranded at Heathrow) to the offbeat (gift suggestions for homesick friends living abroad). IT's favorite? Instructions for an in-car game to play on UK roadtrips. We'll never again be bored on the motorway.