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Forum Index : Microcontroller and PC projects : Hitch Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy?

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Phil23
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Posted: 10:59am 26 Mar 2020
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Douglas Adams.
Who here has read it? Or seen the TV series.

Fascinating to find out why the Super Computer came up with an answer of "42", in relation to the meaning of "Life, the Universe & Everything".

Anyone realised yet why the answer is 42?


Phil.
 
SimpleSafeName

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Posted: 12:16pm 26 Mar 2020
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Read it, watched the BBC TV series, listened to the radio show, and still thinks the movie with Sam Rockwell, Mos Def, Zooey Deschanel, Martin Freeman, Bill Nighy was awesome (not a stickler for accuracy - especially with a Douglas Adams script).

As for 42, you'd have to ask Deep Thought. And keep the Vogons at bay long enough to get an answer.
 
Poppy

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Posted: 01:09pm 26 Mar 2020
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One explanation:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RQH1i_zZ-_M

ok, the explanation:
https://medium.com/@ryanskinsgrove/the-real-meaning-of-42-ae433114a28f

42 = *

Could there be any meaning of "Deep Thought" (1978) pointing on "Deep Throat" (1972)?

The new film-version isnīt really bad at all, on first sight I thought it was very boring and lame, but after watching it a second or even third time, it is quite nice now.
Andre ... such a GURU?
 
Tinine
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Posted: 01:23pm 26 Mar 2020
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4+2=6 which fits in with Tesla's 3,6,9.
 
Poppy

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Posted: 01:35pm 26 Mar 2020
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  Tinine said  4+2=6 which fits in with Tesla's 3,6,9.


as well as in Snow White and the seven Dwarfs ...
She married one of them and 6 were left and Tesla wasnīt a tall guy, was he?

And it is all about love, if we reach Level 42:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9x1RcVrGjGM

and there even is a scientific basis:
"42 (forty-two) is the natural number that follows 41 and precedes 43"

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/42_(number)

so much stuff about ...
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Volhout
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Posted: 06:23pm 26 Mar 2020
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Mathmaticians have their own thougths about 42, but are intrigued....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D6tINlNluuY
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zyG8Vlw5aAw
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ASoz_NuIvP0

Volhout
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Phil23
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Posted: 07:04pm 26 Mar 2020
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The one I'd come across recently was also *= ASCII code 42.

Anything you want it to be.

Thought it rather intriguing as Dir *.txt would have been a very scarcely known statement back then.
 
Poppy

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Posted: 07:53pm 26 Mar 2020
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Probably this is just Adamīs definition of best-aged women ... being bored of young groupies !?!?!

Who knows, but this nerdy wildcard explanation therefore seems to fit ... I like it and it was not my idea, good idea to question this here, just a week ago I was wondering exactly about this issue here at home myself with my non-42-aged wife.  
Andre ... such a GURU?
 
Poppy

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Posted: 07:54pm 26 Mar 2020
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By the way currently each time a send a reply I get an error-screen, but the postings get successfully through.

PS:
  Quote  
Fatal error: Uncaught PDOException: SQLSTATE[42000]: Syntax error or access violation: 1064 You have an error in your SQL syntax; check the manual that corresponds to your MySQL server version for the right syntax to use near 's Guide to the Galaxy?<br/><strong>Author :</strong>Poppy<br/><br/>By the way cu' at line 1 in C:\inetpub\wwwroot2\TheBackShed\forum\PostMessage.php:77 Stack trace: #0 C:\inetpub\wwwroot2\TheBackShed\forum\PostMessage.php(77): PDO->exec('insert into ema...') #1 {main} thrown in C:\inetpub\wwwroot2\TheBackShed\forum\PostMessage.php on line 77

Edited 2020-03-27 05:54 by Poppy
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TassyJim

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Posted: 08:42pm 26 Mar 2020
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First heard it as a radio play.
Then read all the books in the series.
Then the movies.
The first movie version was good, the remake a let down.

To answer your question, I will ask the mice next time I see one, which shouldn't be long this time of the year.
It might take some time to get an answer though...

Jim
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palcal

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Posted: 10:29pm 26 Mar 2020
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Never read it or seen it, don't even know what it's about. Don't know if this has been covered above as I did not open the links.

  Quote  Meaning and Symbolism
The number 42 is always associated with suffering and the duration of time the suffering will last. In the Bible, 42 also represents the kinetic struggle between good and evil. According to R. ... Boehme calls this number “the Sky, place of the divine desire”.May 14, 2018


PS I'm not religious, just came across it.
Edited 2020-03-27 11:47 by palcal
"It is better to be ignorant and ask a stupid question than to be plain Stupid and not ask at all"
 
Volhout
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Posted: 07:59am 27 Mar 2020
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I always summarize the first chapter, to bring up a point. For those who haven't read the book, in short it goes as follows:

Man wakes up in a house from noise of demolition machines, that start taking his house down. He tries to stop the demolition of his house, but gets reply that his house will be torn down because of a highway, and the announcement has bee at the town hall for 3 month... he could have known, if he just went to town.

Next moment the sky darkens as a gigantic spacecraft blocks the sun, and a voice informs that the earth will be demolished in few seconds, to make way for an intergalactic highway. The demolition was announced 3 month ago at Aplha Centauri. We could have known if we just went there.

That is the end of the earth, and the beginning of the book.


I bring this up every time, very common these days, a company stops sending specified bills, and inform you that the specification of the cost can be found on such and such website or page.
My health ensurance send me a letter through the mail, informing me of hundreds of euro's cost I made, and where taken out of my bank account. If I wanted to see the specification of that cost, I had to go to my personal webpage on their site.
That was the moment I decided to changed my health ensurance.....

I asked for the printed version, and could not get it. I gave in, checked the web page, and they made a mistake. It was cost my son made, they took it from my bank account.

They say it is because of privacy...

Now I pay 1 euro more, and get every specification ON paper, send to me.

In Dutch we use the words "brengplicht" and "haalplicht". Indicating, if you want something, you have the obligation to specify what and inform the one you want it from.

Intergalactic highway is the result of the alternate....

42
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Poppy

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Posted: 10:35am 27 Mar 2020
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  Volhout said  

In Dutch we use the words "brengplicht" and "haalplicht". Indicating, if you want something, you have the obligation to specify what and inform the one you want it from.


Generally you are right, but exactly this is one of the reasons why small printed, overlong and unclearly nested standard business conditions were invented, inclusively reversing the obligation to act and therefore the burden to proof for the customerīs disadvantage!

I think this metaphor is better for politicianīs work, if they want to decide something the citizens (meaning all of us being their employers!) are supposed not to recognize they always do it when all people are not concentrated on this rather than something stupid like any world cup or anything currently more important ... letīs see what else supporting or even pampering any lobbying will have been changed during this Corona issue.

But all in all The Hitchhiker is a great sarcastic social criticism!
Andre ... such a GURU?
 
JohnS
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Posted: 12:29pm 27 Mar 2020
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  Poppy said  but exactly this is one of the reasons why small printed, overlong and unclearly nested standard business conditions were invented, inclusively reversing the obligation to act and therefore the burden to proof for the customerīs disadvantage!


We're lucky enough to have the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008, Unfair Contract Terms Act 1977 and so on, which help somewhat.

John
 
Poppy

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Posted: 03:11pm 27 Mar 2020
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  JohnS said  
  Poppy said  but exactly this is one of the reasons why small printed, overlong and unclearly nested standard business conditions were invented, inclusively reversing the obligation to act and therefore the burden to proof for the customerīs disadvantage!


We're lucky enough to have the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008, Unfair Contract Terms Act 1977 and so on, which help somewhat.

John


In Germany we do have such regulations as well, but the devil always is in the details otherwise there wouldnīt be a social gap for lawyers to exist.

But you are generally right, it is not a hopeless situation, both sides do have working tools, the average consumer just needs some basics for understanding and using them the right way ... and very, very much patience to read all this small-printed stuff we all get slapped into our faces whenever we sign a contract. Just take some time to read all conditions from facebook or ebay ...

Coming back specifically to the Hitchiker, the funny thing about this issue generally is that mankind did not even know about the outer existence being threatening, but we know about economy and politics.

"What is a dead lawyer?"
"A good beginning!"
Andre ... such a GURU?
 
TassyJim

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Posted: 10:11pm 27 Mar 2020
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  Volhout said  I always summarize the first chapter, to bring up a point. For those who haven't read the book, in short it goes as follows:

42

You left out the most important part.

The "Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy" is a guide book like the "Lonely Planet" series of books.

It's cover has advice which is very useful now: "Don't Panic"

Jim
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Malibu
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Posted: 09:19pm 02 Apr 2020
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I have the books and read them many times, have the BBC series and recently watched it again - watched the movie, but was a bit disappointed by that (As I am with most movies these days!)

According to The Independent...
  Quote  "The answer is very simple," Adams said.  "It was a joke.  It had to be a number, an ordinary, smallish number, and I chose that one.  Binary representations, base 13, Tibetan monks are all complete nonsense.  I sat on my desk, stared in to the garden and thought 42 will do.  I typed it out.  End of story"


I'm kind of disappointed now!  

The reason Deep Thought calculated 42 as the answer, I doubt anyone will work that out anytime before a hyper-space bypass gets built. Who knows, maybe Deep Thought figured out 6 x 7 was a good starting point?

(According to Steven Fry, he knows the real answer but will take that to his grave.)

John
 
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