It's been 42 years since 'The Hitchhiker's Guide' answered the ultimate question • Hacker News Board

Re: It's been 42 years since 'The Hitchhiker's Guide' answered the ultimate question

#41

Post by geoduck14 » Sun, Oct 17, 2021, 4:34 PM UTC

toyg wrote: post #36

After hitting my 42nd birthday this year, I thought for a while that Douglas Adams had layered the joke with a bit of truth: at 42, a man is more or less confident in his skin, having lived through enough to feel somewhat unflappable; he's probably raised kids, bought a home, got a decent job, and can pretty much choose what he wants to do for the rest of his life. Hence "the answer" - the answer is to be 42. ... Ala…

You sought for meaning where there was none, and you found it. Then you lost it when you realized it was never there to begin with. I'm sure there is a lesson to be had here.

Re: It's been 42 years since 'The Hitchhiker's Guide' answered the ultimate question

#42

Post by mattowen_uk » Sun, Oct 17, 2021, 4:34 PM UTC

freedomben wrote: post #39

beardyw wrote: post #21

It seems a year out to me. The original radio series was broadcast in 1978, so 42 is now 43. --Spoiler alert-- And the answer 42 turned out to be "What do you get if you multiply six by nine" in The Restaurant at the End of the Universe.

wouldn't six by nine be 54? Is this one just soaring over my head?

That's the joke within the joke. Without giving away the plot of the book in question, it's incorrect for a reason.

Re: It's been 42 years since 'The Hitchhiker's Guide' answered the ultimate question

#43

Post by geoduck14 » Sun, Oct 17, 2021, 4:35 PM UTC

freedomben wrote: post #39

beardyw wrote: post #21

It seems a year out to me. The original radio series was broadcast in 1978, so 42 is now 43. --Spoiler alert-- And the answer 42 turned out to be "What do you get if you multiply six by nine" in The Restaurant at the End of the Universe.

wouldn't six by nine be 54? Is this one just soaring over my head?

That's the joke. Everyone in the book thought it was THE ANSWER - but it wasn't. It was wrong.

Re: It's been 42 years since 'The Hitchhiker's Guide' answered the ultimate question

#44

Post by mattowen_uk » Sun, Oct 17, 2021, 4:40 PM UTC

Right now there's 42 comments on this post about 42.

This is comment 43. I broke it.

Re: It's been 42 years since 'The Hitchhiker's Guide' answered the ultimate question

#45

Post by zorr » Sun, Oct 17, 2021, 4:44 PM UTC

mattowen_uk wrote: post #44

Right now there's 42 comments on this post about 42. This is comment 43. I broke it.

I made a screenshot because I noticed the same

https://ibb.co/nPx4kFc

Re: It's been 42 years since 'The Hitchhiker's Guide' answered the ultimate question

#46

Post by Ajay-p » Sun, Oct 17, 2021, 4:44 PM UTC

42

Re: It's been 42 years since 'The Hitchhiker's Guide' answered the ultimate question

#47

Post by mhh__ » Sun, Oct 17, 2021, 4:55 PM UTC

capableweb wrote: post #29

Extigy wrote: post #25

I like the theory that 42 was chosen because ASCII 42 is *, as in the wildcard character. It matches everything!

> On 3 November 1993, he (Douglas Adams) gave this answer on alt.fan.douglas-adams: > > The answer to this is very simple. It was a joke. It had to be a number, an ordinary, smallish number, and I chose that one. Binary representations, base thirteen, Tibetan monks are all complete nonsense. I sat at my desk, stared into the garden and thought '42 will do' I typed it out. End of story. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/P…

So the "Cow Tools" school of narrative-building? Great minds think alike.

TVTROPES WARNING!

https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/CowTools

Re: It's been 42 years since 'The Hitchhiker's Guide' answered the ultimate question

#48

Post by vletal » Sun, Oct 17, 2021, 5:08 PM UTC

WarOnPrivacy wrote: post #11

giantg2 wrote: post #10

I would have hoped to see the tech take on "42". It's ascii for the widely used wildcard, the asterisk.

Yesterday I noticed 42 is shorthand for 420. Today I'm annoyed.

You mean the Czech Republics dial up prefix?

Re: It's been 42 years since 'The Hitchhiker's Guide' answered the ultimate question

#49

Post by codr7 » Sun, Oct 17, 2021, 5:10 PM UTC

sysadm1n wrote: post #40

Seen a few Ask HNs where people asked that question: `What is the meaning of life?`. Well one thing I believe is: `The meaning of life is to find meaning in life ` Another quote I live by is, by Bukowski: “Find what you love and let it kill you” – Charles Bukowski I mean it makes sense right? Many people just haven't found their passion and go round like headless chickens!

The older I get the more I feel that the point of living is experience, not meaning.

The stories we make up inside our fish bowls most likely have very little to do with reality.

Re: It's been 42 years since 'The Hitchhiker's Guide' answered the ultimate question

#50

Post by filoeleven » Sun, Oct 17, 2021, 5:16 PM UTC

beardyw wrote: post #21

It seems a year out to me. The original radio series was broadcast in 1978, so 42 is now 43. --Spoiler alert-- And the answer 42 turned out to be "What do you get if you multiply six by nine" in The Restaurant at the End of the Universe.

Some comment I read ages ago convinced me that the real Ultimate Question is “pick a number, any number.” The two bits of evidence for this are paraphrased below.

Marvin talking to the mattress: “I’m roughly a billion times smarter than you. For example, pick a number. Any number.” Mattress: “Ummmm…seven?” Marvin: “Wrong. You see?”

Arthur, while aboard the Heart of Gold, says, “I’m disappointed we never figured out that Ultimate Question business.” Eddie the ship’s computer immediately after says, “Pick a number, any number!”

Given the abilities of each of those characters, it’s a plausible theory. It’s also how the author chose the Answer, so at least at a meta level it is true.