(November 10, 2017 at 4:13 pm)Aroura Wrote:(November 10, 2017 at 3:54 pm)The Gentleman Bastard Wrote: Speaking of life and the meaning thereof, does anyone know the inspiration for Douglas Adam's 42?
I've heard he told Stephen Fry why he chose 42, and Fry says he'll take the secret to the grave. Likely we'll never know.
Well, it seems the story I was told is wrong*, but here it is. Considering Adams wrote one of the greatest stories in geekdom, the geekiness of the story still makes sense whether true or not...
According to the Hitchhiker's Guide, 42 is the answer to life, the universe and everything else. In the world of computing, the asterisk is the most commonly used wild card character, used to represent anything the user wants. The ASCII code for the asterisk is 42, so the meaning of life the universe and everything else is whatever you want it to be.
Regardless of the truth or falseness of the story, the world needs more people like Adams!
*According to Wiki. Of course, Wiki's celebrity pages are the ones that give it a bad rep (so hope springs eternal.
). Wiki, when dealing with more factual topics it's about as accurate as Encyclopedia Britannica.
Thief and assassin for hire. Member in good standing of the Rogues Guild.
