Cal 42.

Chapter 25. There are of course many problems connected with life. Some of the most popular are: Why are people born? Why do they die? Why do they want to spend so much of the intervening time wearing digital watches?Many many millions of years ago a race of hyperintelligent pan-dimensional beings (whose physical manifestation in their own pan-dimensional universe is not dissimilar to our own) got so fed up with the constant bickering about the meaning of life which used to interrupt their favourite pastime of Brockian Ultra Cricket (a curious game which involved suddenly hitting people for no readily apparent reason and then running away) that they decided to sit down and solve their problems once and for all. And to this end they built themselves a stupendous super computer which was so amazingly intelligent that even before the data banks had been connected up it had started from I think therefore I am and got as far as the existence of rice pudding and income tax before anyone managed to turn it off. (...)
On the day of the Great On-Turning two soberly dressed programmers with brief cases arrived and were shown discreetly into the office. They were aware that this day they would represent their entire race in its greatest moment, but they conducted themselves calmly and quietly as they seated themselves deferentially before the desk, opened their brief cases and took out their leather-bound notebooks. Their names were Lunkwill and Fook. For a few moments they sat in respectful silence, then, after exchanging a quiet glance with Fook, Lunkwill leaned forward and touched a small black panel. The subtlest of hums indicated that the massive computer was now in total active mode. After a pause it spoke to them in a voice rich resonant and deep. It said: "What is this great task for which I, Deep Thought, the second greatest computer in the Universe of Time and Space have been called into existence?" (...)
"O Deep Thought Computer," he said, "the task we have designed you to perform is this. We want you to tell us ..." he paused, "... the Answer!"
"The answer?" said Deep Thought. "The answer to what?"
"Life!" urged Fook.
"The Universe!" said Lunkwill.
"Everything!" they said in chorus.
Deep Thought paused for a moment's reflection.
"Tricky," he said finally.
"But can you do it?"
Again, a significant pause.
"Yes," said Deep Thought, "I can do it."
"There is an answer?" said Fook with breathless excitement."
"A simple answer?" added Lunkwill.
"Yes," said Deep Thought. "Life, the Universe, and Everything. There is an answer. But," he added, "I'll have to think about it." (...)
Fook glanced impatiently at his watch.
"How long?" he said.
"Seven and a half million years," said Deep Thought.
Lunkwill and Fook blinked at each other.
"Seven and a half million years ...!" they cried in chorus.
"Yes," declaimed Deep Thought. " (...)

(Seven million and a half years after).

Chapter 27. (...) A man standing on a brightly dressed dais before the building which clearly dominated the square was addressing the crowd over a Tannoy.
"O people waiting in the Shadow of Deep Thought!" he cried out. "Honoured Descendants of Vroomfondel and Majikthise, the Greatest and Most Truly Interesting Pundits the Universe has ever known ... The Time of Waiting is over!"
Wild cheers broke out amongst the crowd. Flags, streamers and wolf whistles sailed through the air. The narrower streets looked rather like centipedes rolled over on their backs and frantically waving their legs in the air.
"Seven and a half million years our race has waited for this Great and Hopefully Enlightening Day!" cried the cheer leader. "The Day of the Answer!"
Hurrahs burst from the ecstatic crowd.
"Never again," cried the man, "never again will we wake up in the morning and think Who am I? What is my purpose in life? Does it really, cosmically speaking, matter if I don't get up and go to work? For today we will finally learn once and for all the plain and simple answer to all these nagging little problems of Life, the Universe and Everything!" (...)

"We are the ones who will hear," said Phouchg, "the answer to the great question of Life ...!"
"The Universe ...!" said Loonquawl.
"And Everything ...!"
"Shhh," said Loonquawl with a slight gesture, "I think Deep Thought
is preparing to speak!"
There was a moment's expectant pause whilst panels slowly came to life on the front of the console. Lights flashed on and off experimentally and settled down into a businesslike pattern. A soft low hum came from the communication channel.
"Good morning," said Deep Thought at last.
"Er ... Good morning, O Deep Thought," said Loonquawl nervously, do you have ... er, that is ..."
"An answer for you?" interrupted Deep Thought majestically. "Yes. I have."
The two men shivered with expectancy. Their waiting had not been in vain.
"There really is one?" breathed Phouchg.
"There really is one," confirmed Deep Thought.
"To Everything? To the great Question of Life, the Universe and Everything?"
"Yes."
Both of the men had been trained for this moment, their lives had been a preparation for it, they had been selected at birth as those who would witness the answer, but even so they found themselves gasping and squirming like excited children.
"And you're ready to give it to us?" urged Loonquawl.
"I am."
"Now?"
"Now," said Deep Thought.
They both licked their dry lips.
"Though I don't think," added Deep Thought, "that you're going to like it."
"Doesn't matter!" said Phouchg. "We must know it! Now!"
"Now?" inquired Deep Thought.
"Yes! Now ..."
"Alright," said the computer and settled into silence again. The two men fidgeted. The tension was unbearable.
"You're really not going to like it," observed Deep Thought.
"Tell us!"
"Alright," said Deep Thought. "The Answer to the Great Question ..."
"Yes ...!"
"Of Life, the Universe and Everything ..." said Deep Thought.
"Yes ...!"
"Is ..." said Deep Thought, and paused.
"Yes ...!"
"Is ..."
"Yes ...!!!...?"
"Forty-two," said Deep Thought, with infinite majesty and calm. (...)

The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. Douglas Adams.1979

4 comentaris:

  1. Nano!!!
    Bon any a tu també: he rebut la felicitació/calendari i m'agrada molt.
    També m'agraden molt le feines que tens penjades.
    Tenim previst ser pares a finals març-principis d'abril, no abans.
    Cuida't molt, maco.

    ResponElimina
  2. Hola Marc,
    M'alegro de que t'hagi agradat.
    Espero que ens veiem aviat, si és possible abans de que siguis pare.
    Si no és així us desitjo molta felicitat als tres.
    Fins aviat!

    ResponElimina
  3. Hola Xaaavi!
    Moltes gràcies per visitar el nostre bloc "Xalesteam", els nens ho veuen i els fa il.lusió, a mi també.
    El teu bloc esta curradet, m´agraden molt les fotos.
    Em vaig fer un tip de riure en percatar-me que tot venia del 42 del "autoestopista galàctico", jo tenia un company de pis que n´era forofo, però em vaig comprar la peli i és un desastre.
    A veure si et ve de gust que fem alguna interacció bloguera, no et sembla?
    Una abraçada i a veure si ens veiem aviadet!
    Santi

    ResponElimina
  4. Ep, Santi!
    Gràcies pel teu comentari.
    De fet, el 42 no ve, ni tan sols, de La Guia de l'Autoestopista Galáctic. És més absurd encara. Fa anys, em vaig decidir a fer-me una samarreta amb el número 40 a l'esquena, paranoies meves. LLavors vaig anar a l'Escuin amb una samarreta perquè me l'estampéssin. Però llavors només em podien estampar el 44 o el 42, i vaig escollir el 42. Així va anar. Un parell d'anys més tard, una amiga em va veure una motxilaa la qual portaca cosit un 42, i em va preguntar si tenia res a veure amb el llibre del Douglas Adams, i és clar, jo no en tenia ni idea.
    Així que realment el 42 és un sense sentit total.
    Espero que ens veiem aviat. Una abraçada i felicitats pel teu blog. Està fent una gran feina amb la canalla!

    ResponElimina