Better Than Life

Better Than Life is a science fiction comedy novel by Grant Naylor, the collective name for Rob Grant and Doug Naylor, co-creators and writers of the Red Dwarf television series, on which the novel is based. The main plotline was developed and expanded from the Red Dwarf episode of the same name, as well as the Series 3 and 4 episodes: White Hole, Marooned, Polymorph, and Backwards.

The book is a sequel to Red Dwarf: Infinity Welcomes Careful Drivers, and was the first Red Dwarf novel to receive its first print run in hardback edition. Like the first novel, Better Than Life became a best seller and was reproduced in paperback, omnibus and audiobook versions. Two further novels, Last Human and Backwards, were each created as alternate sequels by the writers, and followed in 1995 and 1996 respectively.

Plot

Following on from Infinity Welcomes Careful Drivers, Lister, Rimmer and The Cat have discovered a cache of 'Better Than Life' headbands in one of the sleeping quarters. They fantasise that they board the Nova 5 and use its Duality Jump drive to return to Earth.

Better Than Life (Red Dwarf)

"Better Than Life" is the second episode from Red Dwarf series two, and the eighth in the series run. It was first broadcast on BBC2 on 13 September 1988. Written by Rob Grant and Doug Naylor, and directed by Ed Bye, this episode introduces the total immersion video game "Better Than Life", which features in both the first and second Red Dwarf novels.

Plot

The post pod arrives 3 million years late, which, as Holly observes, is about average for second class mail. Among the usual bills and junk mail is the "Better Than Life" total immersion video game. Rimmer receives a large tax bill from Outland Revenue, along with a letter from his mother informing him that his father is dead. Although he knew his father (and in fact, everyone he knew on Earth) is already long dead, seeing the news in writing upsets him, mentioning that he looked up to the man. However, he stated that he loathed him, due to his strict requirements for his kids to get into the space corps to make up for his failure to get on the corps. (Rimmer wound up emancipating himself at age 14.)

Better Than Life (song)

"Better Than Life" was the third single released by Liverpool dance act Ultrabeat. It was written by Mike Di Scala and professional boxer Paul Smith. It was released in 2004 and reached #23 in the charts, which was much lower than the previous Ultrabeat single "Feelin' Fine".

The song was brought out on CD and vinyl formats and the remixes for this track were done by CJ Stone, Flip & Fill, Styles & Breeze, and Mike Di Scala's other alias, Rezonance Q.

Track listing

Music video

The video is set on a tropical island somewhere and features three young women and Ultrabeat. The three women are shown running down a beach and as they get close to the camera the video switches to Mike Di Scala who is singing. The video then shows Ultrabeat at a table eating and looking at photos of the girls. The video then goes in on a particular photograph and shows the girls on a beach and switches between the girls and Mike Di Scala singing.

Then the girls drive past Ultrabeat in a silver convertible. Ultrabeat get in a small 4x4 and follow them. The video shows the girls on the beach and Mike Di Scala singing for the last time before showing the girls walking into a bar, and dancing next to Ultrabeat.

Better Than

"Better Than" is a song by John Butler Trio from their fourth studio album, Grand National. Produced by John Butler and Mario Caldato Jr., it was released in the United States on 20 February 2007 as an online single, the third single in Australia and the first overseas single from the album.

The EP includes two previously unreleased tracks recorded in the Grand National sessions, and a special radio mix version of "Better Than" from US sound man, Chris Lord-Alge. To this day, the radio mix version still receives moderate airplay from adult alternative stations.

The EP debuted at number sixteen in the ARIA Singles Chart on 3 September 2007. "Better Than" was also popular in the Triple J Hottest 100, 2007 being voted at #4 and appearing on the compilation CD.

On 31 July 2007 the song was performed on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno.

Music video

An accompanying music video for "Better Than", which utilizes the "Chris Lord-Alge radio mix" has been released on YouTube on August 1, 2007. In this video, members of the John Butler Trio band perform the song while on animated posters and performing on various spots of the streets with various pedestrians and skateboarders going by. Throughout, 2 messages (which reiterate the lyrical content in the song itself) are shown in a style of graffiti saying "The best things in life...aren't things!" and "Art changes people... people change the world."