History of The Hitch Hikers Guide to the Galaxy/Babel fish

Difference (from prior major revision) (minor diff, author diff)

Changed: 2,3c2,3

In the novels, the Babel fish was a small fish which, when inserted into the ear translated all languages for the user.
This was both a useful plot device for Adams, and the starting point for a joke about the existence of God.

In the novels, the Babel fish was a small fish which, when inserted into the ear? canal translated all languages for the user.
This was both a useful plot device for Adams, and the starting point for a joke about the existence of God. The Babel fish was put forth as an example for the NONexistence of God. Something that perfect could only exist if there was a god to create it, so the Babel fish proved there was a god. Proof denies faith however, and faith is the standard by which we are to know God. Oops, says God, without faith I have no followers, and disappears in a theological puff of smoke.(At which point humanity goes on to prove ebony is ivory and gets killed at the next zebra crossing)

Changed: 8c8

The Babel fish inspired the name of an on-line translation service (http://babelfish.altavista.com).

The Babel fish inspired the name of an on-line text translation service (http://babelfish.altavista.com) provided by the [web portal]? [Alta Vista]?. The existance of this online service in no way proves or disproves God's existance on the Internet.

Removed: 10,17d9

text from duplicate entry:

The Babelfish in The Hitch-hiker's Guide to the Galaxy was a small fish one implants in the ear? canal in order to understand all spoken languages. The name comes from the Bible, in which God made everyone speak different languages for trying to build a tower to the heavens — the Tower of Babel.

The babelfish was put forth as an example for the NONexistence of God. Something that perfect could only exist if there was a god to create it, so the babelfish proved there was a god. Proof denies faith however, and faith is the standard by which we are to know God. Oops, says God, without faith I have no followers, and disappears in a theological puff of smoke.

The web portal [Alta Vista]? named its free online text translation service Babelfish after this fictional species. The existance of this online service in no way proves or disproves God's existance on the Internet.

	Revision 5 . . (edit) December 10, 2001 4:01 pm by KireiShojo
	Revision 4 . . December 10, 2001 9:07 am by Bryan Derksen [merged entries]
	Revision 3 . . December 10, 2001 9:03 am by Bryan Derksen [moved text over]
	Revision 2 . . (edit) December 5, 2001 3:38 am by Zundark [copyediting]
	Revision 1 . . September 30, 2001 3:55 am by Mincus [Babel fish is two words, not one]