Angry geek
What makes a geek angry? I'm sure we're all usually pretty affable types, most of the time. Until we see a programming or grammar error, that is, or in some cases, people see red at the mere sight of a mis-filed CD. But what really gets me, is the number 42. There is a reason for this, as Prak was once told, but he later forgot.

Why is it that people think that Douglas Adams was trying to make a valid philosophical point, or writing jokes in base 13? Or for that matter... Tibetan monks? WHAT?? The true fact of the matter is far simpler... it was something he thought of on the way to work one morning. How do I know? I asked him myself, of course, when I was lucky enough to interview him for Radio 4. However, when I tried to put this on Wikipedia, they bloody deleted it!

Spurned by the Arch-Geeks!

Incidentally the time in question was "Book Club", broadcast 4th January, 2000, presented by Jim Naughty (or however you spell it).
( jim_bob can herd cats., Mon 10 Mar 2008, 12:42, 6 replies)

I remember reading an interview with Stephen Fry
where he said he knew the true meaning of 42, and therefore the question, and it actually does make sense.
(Half of Stephen Fry's right buttock pissed on your dog on, Mon 10 Mar 2008, 12:59, closed)

Slaughter...
It was on the BBC news site last week. Fry is just doing a Mornington on it.

Piston's story fits with what I heard, which is that Adams and a BBC producer spent a morning trying to decide what was the funniest number.

EDIT: They're still at it at the Beeb. newsvote.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/7287255.stm. Inevitably, there's a couple of religious nutters who think that 42 really is significant, and significant of God at that.
( Enzyme is powered by sunlight, Mon 10 Mar 2008, 13:01, closed)

Jim Naughty
Och Charlotte, that's a fine hemline on your skirt, it fair gets me a' hot'n'bothered etc
( writerblock ... embedding disabled by request on, Mon 10 Mar 2008, 15:01, closed)

That's the bunny!
Religious significance? That's a new one... either way there is no meaning to it. I think Steven Fry is just trying to wind us all up!

Fair play to him in that case...

Besides Slaughter- doesn't having knowledge of both the Question and the Answer cancel each other out, causing the Universe to be replaced by something even stranger?
( jim_bob can herd cats., Mon 10 Mar 2008, 15:21, closed)

I know a nerd can confirm this for me
Is 42 the ascii code for multiplication?
Or is that the base 13 thing you're talking about?
(oneinthepink is at your cervix m'lady, Mon 10 Mar 2008, 16:19, closed)

I wouldn't know
As my computer knowledge kind of ends at basic RAM upgrades, HTML and css. But the number itself? Meaningless.
( jim_bob can herd cats., Mon 10 Mar 2008, 16:54, closed)