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

Re:It's been 42 years since 'The Hitchhiker's Guide' answere... by nwatson on Sunday October 17, 2021 @10:30AM (#28896719)

Why is the answer to "the Ultimate Question of Life, the Universe, and Everything" the number 42? An interesting Christian twist might be ...

    * GIVEN ...

    * the number of (hu)mankind, 3x for emphasis in some contexts where
      humans want to stand completely alone, is "666"

    * the atom for human is "6"

    * the number most often associated with divinity in the bible is "7"

    * THEN ...

    * the product of interaction of the divine with humanity is 7 * 6 = 42
      (of course this firmly puts humanity at the apex of earthly, and perhaps
      universal, entities, and many would object)

EDIT: clarification on first GIVEN

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Re:It's been 42 years since 'The Hitchhiker's Guide' answere... by dekken_ on Sunday October 17, 2021 @10:45AM (#28896827)

Rainbows.

> Indeed, it is impossible for an observer to see a rainbow from water droplets at any angle other than the customary one of 42 degrees from the direction opposite the light source.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rainbow

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Re:It's been 42 years since 'The Hitchhiker's Guide' answere... by Causality1 on Sunday October 17, 2021 @10:50AM (#28896867)

I don't get it. Is this a joke? It reads like Time Cube.

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Re:It's been 42 years since 'The Hitchhiker's Guide' answere... by dane-pgp on Sunday October 17, 2021 @10:53AM (#28896892)

Rather than working backwards from "666", isn't it more direct to observe that Man was created on the 6th day of Creation?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_6th_Day

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Re:It's been 42 years since 'The Hitchhiker's Guide' answere... by drawqrtz on Sunday October 17, 2021 @10:32AM (#28896732)

I thought it's that you have to cross 42 bridges in your life.

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Re:It's been 42 years since 'The Hitchhiker's Guide' answere... by nickthemagicman on Sunday October 17, 2021 @11:06AM (#28896999)

Not trying to brag but I've crossed hundreds of bridges.

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Re:It's been 42 years since 'The Hitchhiker's Guide' answere... by hutzlibu on Sunday October 17, 2021 @11:17AM (#28897078)

Ah, but how many metaphorical bridges?

(but btw. the parent comment was a reference to the book, where someone tried to come up with a fake question, matching the answer)

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Re:It's been 42 years since 'The Hitchhiker's Guide' answere... by nickthemagicman on Sunday October 17, 2021 @11:31AM (#28897175)

I don't think metaphorically I think meta42ically. It's topical.

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Re:It's been 42 years since 'The Hitchhiker's Guide' answere... by dylan604 on Sunday October 17, 2021 @11:14AM (#28897057)

But which ones and in which order? And in whose shoes?

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Re:It's been 42 years since 'The Hitchhiker's Guide' answere... by nickthemagicman on Sunday October 17, 2021 @11:32AM (#28897182)

Some guy who told me to try walking a mile in his shoes. So I beat him up and took his shoes.

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Re:It's been 42 years since 'The Hitchhiker's Guide' answere... by dylan604 on Sunday October 17, 2021 @02:06PM (#28898390)

If he was suggesting to walk in his shoes, did you really need to use the violence? It sounds like he was offering them? Are you a really just the troll from under the bridge?

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Re:It's been 42 years since 'The Hitchhiker's Guide' answere... by selimthegrim on Saturday October 23, 2021 @06:41PM (#28973085)

At least then he didn't ask you where you got them.

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Re:It's been 42 years since 'The Hitchhiker's Guide' answere... by dudul on Sunday October 17, 2021 @12:22PM (#28897559)

Wasn't it how many roads a man must travel instead?

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Re:It's been 42 years since 'The Hitchhiker's Guide' answere... by hutzlibu on Sunday October 17, 2021 @11:18AM (#28897081)

You would have fallen to a scam then ...

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Re:It's been 42 years since 'The Hitchhiker's Guide' answere... by anon321321323 on Sunday October 17, 2021 @11:34AM (#28897189)

I've got a bridge for sale...

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Re:It's been 42 years since 'The Hitchhiker's Guide' answere... by nickthemagicman on Sunday October 17, 2021 @11:17AM (#28897077)

How come there were seven horsemen of the Apocalypse in the Bible?

and 12 disciples of Jesus?

and ten commandments?

It's real confusing.

maybe what it means since there's seven horsemen of the Apocalypse and six is the number for the human...7*6=42.

Maybe it means the horseman of the apocalypse and the human beings are going to be friends and the humans can get a ride on the back of the cool apocalypse horses.

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Re:It's been 42 years since 'The Hitchhiker's Guide' answere... by linkdd on Sunday October 17, 2021 @01:52PM (#28898283)

4 horsemen, 12 apostles, 10 commandments, 7 deadly sins, 7 holy virtues, 3 aspects of the trinity (the father, the son and the holy spirits), 36 Lamed-Vav Tsadikim, ...

Numerology has been heavily used by the Torah and the Bible.

According to the Talmud, there are meanings behind numbers: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Significance_of_numbers_in_Jud...

So, 6 (days of creation) * 7 (completion) = 42 (one of the letter in one of the name of God)

Or any other combinations you want, because numerology has no true meaning. It's just playing with numbers.

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Re:It's been 42 years since 'The Hitchhiker's Guide' answere... by webreac on Sunday October 17, 2021 @11:51AM (#28897316)

4 horsemen: sword, famine, wild beasts, and plague

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Re:It's been 42 years since 'The Hitchhiker's Guide' answere... by comrh on Sunday October 17, 2021 @10:36AM (#28896764)

Humans rank 3rd on even their own planet, behind mice and dolphins. So long and thanks for all the fish!

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Re:It's been 42 years since 'The Hitchhiker's Guide' answere... by mrunkel on Sunday October 17, 2021 @01:57PM (#28898316)

They aren't even supposed to be here.

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