Date: Wed, 19 Jan 2000 00:35:15 +1000 From: Stephen McKay <syssgm@detir.qld.gov.au> To: Iain Templeton <iaint@css.tuu.utas.edu.au> Cc: freebsd-chat@freebsd.org, syssgm@detir.qld.gov.au Subject: Re: 42 (was Re: Microsoft go it right ;-)) Message-ID: <200001181435.AAA42995@nymph.detir.qld.gov.au> In-Reply-To: <Pine.BSF.4.21.0001181617350.27180-100000@depravitas.tuu.utas.edu.au> from Iain Templeton at "Tue, 18 Jan 2000 16:19:55 %2B1100" References: <38851E6F.23416412@outpost.co.nz> <Pine.BSF.4.21.0001181617350.27180-100000@depravitas.tuu.utas.edu.au>
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On Tuesday, 18th January 2000, Iain Templeton wrote: >Although six by nine is 54, which if expressed in a base 13 number system >does come out at 42 (4 x 13 = 52 + 2 = 54). I happened to have the chance to put this thesis to Douglas Adams in person. He was touring in the early 80s and I had a copy of Hitchhikers I wanted him to sign. When I walked up smugly and asked "Did you know that six times nine is 42 base 13?" he sort of groaned and rolled his eyes, signed the book and handed it back. So, he'd .. um .. heard it before. It must be a special sort of hell to meet nothing but enthusiastic newbies over and over and over again. :-) >> The incorrect Question is explained by the fact that the presence of the >> Golgafrincham settlers on Earth killed off the native pre-human >> population, distorting the original setup conditions for the experiment. >> >Makes far more sense. I'm not sure it needs to make sense. Stephen. PS I've just had a frustrating time with the Information Super Highway. All I wanted to know was when the damn book was first published. You'd think that Douglas Adams' site would have it. Or that Amazon would have it. But, surprisingly, their version is from 1995. And 1997. And 1994... And the Douglas Adams FAQ? Full of fascinating trivia, but not that. To Unsubscribe: send mail to majordomo@FreeBSD.org with "unsubscribe freebsd-chat" in the body of the message
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