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Phrases from The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy is a comic science fiction series created by Douglas Adams that has become popular among fans of the genre and members of the scientific community. Phrases from it are widely recognised and often used in reference to, but outside the context of, the source material. Many writers on popular science, such as Fred Alan Wolf, Paul Davies, and Michio Kaku, have used quotations in their books to illustrate facts about cosmology or philosophy.

The Answer to the Ultimate Question of Life, the Universe, and Everything is 42
In the radio series and the first novel, a group of hyper-intelligent pan-dimensional beings demand to learn the Answer to the Ultimate Question of Life, The Universe, and Everything from the supercomputer Deep Thought, specially built for this purpose. It takes Deep Thought $7 1/2$ million years to compute and check the answer, which turns out to be 42. Deep Thought points out that the answer seems meaningless because the beings who instructed it never knew what the question was.

When asked to produce the Ultimate Question, Deep Thought says that it cannot; however, it can help to design an even more powerful computer that can. This new computer will incorporate living beings into the "computational matrix" and will run for ten million years. The computer is revealed as being the planet Earth, with its pan-dimensional creators assuming the form of white lab mice to observe its running. The process is hindered after eight million years by the unexpected arrival on Earth of the Golgafrinchans, and is then ruined completely, five minutes prior to completion, when the Earth is destroyed by the Vogons to supposedly make way for a new hyperspace bypass. In The Restaurant at the End of the Universe, this reason is revealed to have been a ruse: the Vogons had been hired to destroy the Earth by a consortium of psychiatrists, led by Gag Halfrunt, who feared for the loss of their careers when the Ultimate Question became known.

Lacking a real question, the mice (pan-dimensional beings) decide not to go through the whole process again and instead settle for the out-of-thin-air suggestion "How many roads must a man walk down?", a lyric from Bob Dylan's song "Blowin' in the Wind".

At the end of the radio series, the television series and, Arthur Dent, having escaped the Earth's destruction, potentially has some of the computational matrix in his brain. He attempts to discover The Ultimate Question by extracting it from his brainwave patterns, as abusively suggested by Ford Prefect, when a Scrabble-playing caveman spells out "forty two". Arthur pulls random letters from a bag, but only gets the sentence "What do you get if you multiply six by nine [sic]?" "'Six by . Forty two.'

'That's it. That's all there is.'

'I always thought something was fundamentally wrong with the universe.' [This final line appears in some but not all editions of the work.]"

Six times nine is actually fifty-four; the answer is deliberately wrong for that question because the question was miscomputed. The program on the "Earth computer" should have run correctly, but the unexpected arrival of the Golgafrinchans on prehistoric Earth caused input errors into the system—computing the wrong question (because of the garbage in, garbage out rule). Therefore, the question in Arthur's subconscious was invalid all along.

Quoting Fit the Seventh of the radio series, on Christmas Eve, 1978:

"Narrator: There is a theory which states that if ever anyone discovers exactly what the Universe is for and why it is here, it will instantly disappear and be replaced by something even more bizarre and inexplicable.

There is another theory mentioned, which states that this has already happened."

Some readers who were trying to find a deeper meaning in the passage soon noticed a certain veracity when using base-13; 610 × 910 = 5410, which can be expressed as 4213 (i.e. the decimal expression 54 is encoded as 42 in base-13). When confronted with this, the author claimed that it was a mere coincidence, stating that "I may be a sorry case, but I don't write jokes in base 13."

In Life, the Universe and Everything, a character named "Prak", who "knows all that is true," confirms that 42 is indeed The Answer, and that it is impossible for both The Answer and The Question to be known in the same universe, as they will cancel each other out and take the Universe with them—to be replaced by something even more bizarre (as described in the first theory) and that it may have already happened (as described in the second). Though the question is never found, 42 is the table number at which Arthur and his friends sit when they arrive at Milliways at the end of the radio series. Likewise, Mostly Harmless ends when Arthur stops at a street address identified by his cry of, "There, number 42!" and enters the club Beta, owned by Stavro Mueller (Stavromula Beta). Shortly after, the Earth is destroyed in all existing incarnations.

Reasoning
Douglas Adams was asked many times why he chose the number 42. Many theories were proposed, including that 42 is 101010 in base 2, that light refracts through a water surface by 42 degrees to create a rainbow, or that light requires 10−42 seconds to cross the diameter of a proton. Adams rejected them all. On 3 November 1993, he 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."

Adams described his choice as "a completely ordinary number, a number not just divisible by two but also six and seven. In fact it's the sort of number that you could without any fear introduce to your parents."

While 42 was a number with no hidden meaning, Adams explained in more detail in an interview with Iain Johnstone of BBC Radio 4 (recorded in 1998 though never broadcast) to celebrate the first radio broadcast's 20th anniversary. Having decided it should be a number, he tried to think what an "ordinary number" should be. He ruled out non-integers, then he remembered having worked as a "prop-borrower" for John Cleese on his Video Arts training videos. Cleese needed a funny number for the punchline to a sketch involving a bank teller (himself) and a customer (Tim Brooke-Taylor). Adams believed that the number that Cleese came up with was 42 and he decided to use it.

Adams had also written a sketch for The Burkiss Way called "42 Logical Positivism Avenue", broadcast on BBC Radio 4 on 12 January 1977 – 14 months before The Hitchhiker's Guide first broadcast "42" in Fit the Fourth, 29 March 1978.

In January 2000, in response to a panellist's "Where does the number 42 come from?" on the radio show Book Club, Adams explained that he was "on his way to work one morning, whilst still writing the scene, and was thinking about what the actual answer should be. He eventually decided that it should be something that made no sense whatsoever – a number, and a mundane one at that. And that is how he arrived at the number 42, completely at random."

Stephen Fry, a friend of Adams, claims that Adams told him "exactly why 42", and that the reason is "fascinating, extraordinary and, when you think hard about it, completely obvious." However, Fry says that he has vowed not to tell anyone the secret, and that it must go with him to the grave. In an interview at the Sydney Opera House in 2010, two minutes before the end of the show, Fry appears to be ready to reveal the answer, but remains inaudible due to an apparent failure of the microphone. John Lloyd, Adams' collaborator on The Meaning of Liff and two Hitchhiker's fits, said that Adams has called 42 "the funniest of the two-digit numbers."

The number 42 appears frequently in the work of Lewis Carroll, and some critics have suggested that this was an influence. They note, in particular, that Alice's attempt at her times tables (chapter two of the 1865 novel Alice's Adventures in Wonderland) breaks down at 4 × 13 answered in base 42, which virtually reverses the failure of 'the Question' ("What do you get if you multiply six by nine?"), in that the latter would equal "42" if calculated in base 13. They find further evidence of Carroll's influence in the fact that Adams entitled the episodes of the original radio series of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy "fits", the word Carroll used to name the chapters of The Hunting of the Snark.

There is the persistent tale that 42 is Adams' tribute to the indefatigable paperback book, and is the average number of lines on an average page of an average paperback. Another common guess is that 42 refers to the number of laws in cricket, a recurring theme of the books. Yet another possible reason relates to Adam's background in the ASCII character encoding, where the number 42 can be represented by an asterisk (*). The asterisk, in turn, essentially represents "input whatever the user would like". This leaves the symbolic meaning that the answer to life, the universe, and everything is anything you, the user, would like it to be.

42 Puzzle
The 42 Puzzle is a game devised by Douglas Adams in 1994 for the United States series of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy books. The puzzle is an illustration consisting of 42 multi-coloured balls, in 7 columns and 6 rows. Douglas Adams has said,

"Everybody was looking for hidden meanings and puzzles and significances in what I had written (like 'is it significant that 6×9 = 42 in base 13?' As if.) So I thought that just for a change I would actually construct a puzzle and see how many people solved it. Of course, nobody paid it any attention. I think that's terribly significant."

In the puzzle the question is unknown, but the answer is already known to be 42. This is similar to the book where the "Answer to the Ultimate Question of Life, the Universe, and Everything" is known but not the question. The puzzle first appeared in The Illustrated Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. It was later incorporated into the covers of all five reprinted "Hitchhiker's" novels in the United States.

Adams has described the puzzle as depicting the number 42 in ten different ways. Six possible questions are:

On the Internet and in software
The number 42 and its associated phrase, "Life, the universe, and everything", have attained cult status on the Internet. "Life, the universe, and everything" is a common name for the off-topic section of an Internet forum, and the phrase is invoked in similar ways to mean "anything at all". Many chatbots, when asked about the meaning of life, will answer "42". Several online calculators are also programmed with the Question. Google Calculator will give the result to "the answer to life the universe and everything" as 42, as will Wolfram's Computational Knowledge Engine. Similarly, DuckDuckGo also gives the result of "the answer to the ultimate question of life, the universe and everything" as 42. In the online community Second Life, there is a section on a sim called "42nd Life". It is devoted to this concept in the book series, and several attempts at recreating Milliways, the Restaurant at the End of the Universe, were made.

In OpenOffice.org software (prior to version 3.4) if "=ANTWORT("Das Leben, das Universum und der ganze Rest") (German for =ANSWER("life, the universe and everything")) is typed into any cell of a spreadsheet, the result is 42.

ISO/IEC 14519-2001/ IEEE Std 1003.5-1999, IEEE Standard for Information Technology – POSIX(R) Ada Language Interfaces – Part 1: Binding for System Application Program Interface (API) , uses the number 42 as the required return value from a process that terminates due to an unhandled exception. The Rationale says "the choice of the value 42 is arbitrary" and cites the Adams book as the source of the value.

The standard for Tagged Image File Format TIFF defines in its Image File Header bytes 2 and 3 to denominate a 'version number' 42. In revision 5.0 the specification explained the choice with "This number, 42 (2A in hex), is not to be equated with the current Revision of the TIFF specification. In fact, the TIFF version number (42) has never changed, and probably never will. If it ever does, it means that TIFF has changed in some way so radical that a TIFF reader should give up immediately. The number 42 was chosen for its deep philosophical significance." The later versions have eliminated the lengthy description, but kept the number fixed at 42 anyway.

The random seed chosen to procedurally create the whole universe of the online multi-player computer game EVE Online was chosen as 42 by its lead game designer in 2002.

In the 2001 computer game Gothic, "42" is a code that deactivates all activated cheats. After typing "42" in a right place, the text "What was the question?" appears.

The OpenSUSE team decided the next version will be based on SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop and named "Leap 42". The number 42 was chosen as a reference to the answer to life, the universe and everything.

The Google 1st generation Chromecast has the model number H2G2-42 referencing Douglas Adams' book.

Cultural references
The Allen Telescope Array, a radio telescope used by SETI, has 42 dishes in homage to the Answer.

In the American TV show Lost, 42 is the last of the mysterious numbers 4, 8, 15, 16, 23, and 42. In an interview with Lostpedia, producer David Fury confirmed this was a reference to Hitchhiker's.

The British TV show The Kumars at No. 42 is so named because show creator Sanjeev Bhaskar is a Hitchhiker's fan.

The band Coldplay's 2008 album Viva la Vida includes a song called "42". When asked by Q if the song's title was Hitchhiker's-related, Chris Martin said, "It is and it isn't."

The band Level 42 chose its name in reference to the book.

The 2007 episode "42" of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who was named in reference to the Answer. Writer Chris Chibnall acknowledged that "it's a playful title".

Ken Jennings, defeated along with Brad Rutter in a Jeopardy! match against IBM's Watson, writes that Watson's avatar which appeared on-screen for those games showed 42 "threads of thought," shown as colourful lines spinning around Watson's logo, and that the number was chosen in reference to this meme.

The Hitchhiker knitting pattern, designed by Martina Behm, is a scarf with 42 teeth.

In The Flash, Season 4, Episode 1, Cisco in trying to decipher what Barry is writing explicitly says that what Barry says might solve answer to the Life, the Universe and Everything, which Caitlin suggests is 42.

In The X-Files, Fox Mulder lives in apartment 42. This has been acknowledged by the show's creator, Chris Carter, as a reference to Hitchhikers.

The number 47 appears often throughout the Star Trek franchise. When producer Rick Berman was asked about the unusual frequency of the number, he stated, "47 is 42, corrected for inflation."

In season 2, episode 4 of A Discovery of Witches, an auction lot bearing drawings of the series' two main leads is numbered 42 and the number's connection to Douglas Adams is recognized in a conversation.

Don't Panic
In the series, Don't Panic is a phrase on the cover of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. The novel explains that this was partly because the device "looked insanely complicated" to operate, and partly to keep intergalactic travellers from panicking. "It is said that despite its many glaring (and occasionally fatal) inaccuracies, the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy itself has outsold the Encyclopedia Galactica because it is slightly cheaper, and because it has the words 'DON'T PANIC' in large, friendly letters on the cover."

Arthur C. Clarke said Douglas Adams' use of "don't panic" was perhaps the best advice that could be given to humanity.

British rock band Coldplay's debut album Parachutes contains a song called "Don't Panic" in reference to the series.

On 6 February 2018 SpaceX launched the Falcon Heavy rocket, carrying Elon Musk's Tesla Roadster which had "DON'T PANIC!" written on the screen on the dashboard as a reference to the series.

Knowing where one's towel is
Within the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy universe, towels are regarded as indispensable equipment for experienced travellers, since they can be put to a wide variety of uses. Consequently, a person who can quickly adapt to virtually any new situation is said to know where their towel is. The logic behind this statement is presented in chapter 3 of the first novel in the series thus:

"... a towel has immense psychological value. For some reason, if a strag (strag: nonhitchhiker) discovers that a hitchhiker has his towel with him, he will automatically assume that he is also in possession of a toothbrush, washcloth, soap, tin of biscuits, flask, compass, map, ball of string, gnat spray, wet-weather gear, space suit etc., etc. Furthermore, the strag will then happily lend the hitchhiker any of these or a dozen other items that the hitchhiker might accidentally have 'lost'. What the strag will think is that any man who can hitch the length and breadth of the galaxy, rough it, slum it, struggle against terrible odds, win through, and still knows where his towel is, is clearly a man to be reckoned with."

Adams got the idea for this phrase when he went travelling and found that his beach towel kept disappearing. In the 1985 book The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy -The Radio Scripts, his friends describe how he would always "mislay" his towel. On Towel Day, fans commemorate Adams by carrying towels with them.

Mostly Harmless
The only entry about Earth in the Guide used to be "Harmless", but Ford Prefect managed to change it a little before getting stuck on Earth. "Mostly Harmless" provoked a very upset reaction from Arthur when heard. Those two words are not what Ford submitted as a result of his research—merely all that was left after his editors were done with it. The term is the title of the fifth book in the Hitchhiker "trilogy". Its popularity is such that it has become the definition of Earth in many standard works of sci-fi reference, like The Star Trek Encyclopedia. Additionally, "Harmless" and "Mostly Harmless" both feature as ranks in the computer game Elite and its sequels. Also, in World of Warcraft, there is a rifle that fires (mostly) harmless pellets. In the MMORPG RuneScape, there is an island called Mos Le Harmless (Mostly Harmless). Low-scoring players in the multiplayer version of the game Perfect Dark and GoldenEye 007 are awarded with the designation "mostly harmless". In the 2008 edition of the board game Cosmic Encounter, the human race is given the attribute "Mostly Harmless". In the game Kerbal Space Program, there is an atomic rocket motor with the description "mostly harmless". Another reference is in the book title Mostly Harmless Econometrics.

Not entirely unlike
In chapter 17 of, Arthur Dent tries to get a Nutrimatic drinks dispenser to produce a cup of tea. Instead, it invariably produces a concoction (which most people found unpleasant) that is "almost, but not quite, entirely unlike tea".

One of the primary goals of the player, as Arthur Dent, in, is to thwart the machine and find some decent tea, a mission that the player is constantly reminded of by the inventory item "no tea". According to the Jargon File, the briefer "not entirely unlike" has entered hacker jargon.

Share and Enjoy
"Share and Enjoy" is the slogan of the Sirius Cybernetics Corporation Complaints Division. In the radio version, this phrase had its own song (sung in ), which was sung by a choir of robots during "special occasions". The Sirius Cybernetics Corporation tends to produce inherently faulty goods, which renders the statement ironic since few people would want to "Share and Enjoy" something that was defective. Among the design flaws is the choir of robots that perform this song: they sing a tritone out of tune with the accompaniment. The Guide relates that the words "Share and Enjoy" were displayed in illuminated letters three miles high near the Sirius Cybernetics Complaints Division, until their weight caused them to collapse through the underground offices of many young executives. The upper half of the sign that now protrudes translates in the local tongue as "Go stick your head in a pig", and is lit up only for special celebrations.

The episode features a personal computer OS booting sound (à la The Microsoft Sound) set to the tune of "Share and Enjoy". Furthermore,, the last episode in the adaptation of , features a polyphonic ringtone version of the tune. The "Share and Enjoy" tune also is used in the TV series as the backing for a Sirius Cybernetics Corporation robot commercial (slogan: "Your plastic pal who's fun to be with!").

So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish
After mice, the second most intelligent species on Earth were the dolphins. "The dolphins had long known of the impending demolition of Earth and had made many attempts to alert mankind to the danger...The last ever dolphins message was misinterpreted as a surprisingly sophisticated attempt to do a double backward somersault through a hoop whilst whistling 'The Star-Spangled Banner', but in fact the message was this: 'So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish.'" The line was also the title of the fourth book in the trilogy, and appears in that book as a message inscribed on crystal bowls left as parting gifts from the dolphins to selected members of the human race. Its popularity was such that it was the title of the opening song for.

The phrase was spoofed for the 1997 NOFX album So Long, and Thanks for All the Shoes.

The phrase was also spoofed for the All Time Low track "So Long, and Thanks for All the Booze", from the appropriately-titled album Don't Panic.

This is also the title of a track by A Perfect Circle on their 2018 album Eat the Elephant. At their concerts this track was dedicated to the people in the crowd who knew where their towels are. Also, the video features flying dolphins in reference to HHGTTG.

In the 2020 video game Factorio, there is an achievement titled "So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish", which is achieved by launching a raw fish into space.


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Mie (pose)

The mie (見え or 見得, ), a powerful and emotional pose struck by an actor, who then freezes for a moment, is a distinctive element of aragoto Kabuki performance. Mie means 'appearance' or 'visible' in Japanese, and one of the primary purposes of this convention is to draw attention to a particularly important or powerful portion of the performance. It is meant to show a character's emotions at their peak, and can often be a very powerful pose. The actor's eyes are opened as wide as possible; if the character is meant to seem agitated or angry, the actor will cross his eyes. In Japanese, the mie pose is said to be "cut" by the actor (見得を切る, mie wo kiru). Audience members will shout out (kakegoe) words of praise and the actor's name at specific times before and after the pose is struck.

The practice of mie is said to have originated with Ichikawa Danjūrō I in the Genroku era, along with the aragoto style itself. There are a great many mie, each of which has a name describing it, and many of which are associated with particular lines of actors.

In the Genroku mie, one of the most famous or well-known, the actor's right hand is held flat, perpendicular to the ground, while his left hand is pointed upwards, elbow bent. At the same time, the actor stamps the floor powerfully with his left foot. This mie is most strongly associated with the character Kamakura Gongorō Kagemasa, the hero of the play Shibaraku, and is said to have been invented by Ichikawa Danjūrō I.

Two mie cut by the priest Narukami, in Narukami Fudō Kitayama Zakura, are the "post-wrapping pose" (柱巻きの見得, Hashimaki no mie), in which the actor wraps his arms and legs around a post, column, or long weapon such as a naginata, and the Fudō no mie (不動の見得), which is meant to resemble the Buddhist figure Fudō Myoō, is a very strong pose, meant to evoke anger and power.

In Kanjinchō, the monk Benkei cuts the Fudō no mie while holding a scroll (the play's titular "subscription list" or kanjinchō) in one hand and Buddhist prayer beads in the other. Another pose taken by Benkei in this play is the so-called "rock-throwing pose" (石投げの見得, Ishinage no mie), which is meant to look like its namesake.

The term tenchi no mie (天地の見得), or "heaven and earth pose," is used when two actors, one low on the stage and one high above, on a rooftop or other set-piece, strike a pose simultaneously.

license: Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

title: Mie (pose)


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Bill Gudgeon

Wiremu Mulligan "Bill" Gudgeon is a former New Zealand politician. He is a member of the New Zealand First party.

Early years
Gudgeon is of Ngāti Porou descent and was raised on the East Coast and in the Waikato. He studied at the University of Waikato and the University of Hawaii. Gudgeon served in the New Zealand Army, and was part of deployments in Malaya, Thailand and Borneo. He eventually became a lecturer at Waikato Polytechnic.

Member of Parliament
Gudgeon stood in the in the  electorate. He was ranked 25th on New Zealand First's party list, which was too low to be elected. He was elected to Parliament as a list MP in the, having been ranked twelfth on the New Zealand First list. He lost his list seat following a large decline in New Zealand First's vote in the 2005 election.

title: Bill Gudgeon


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Public diplomacy of Israel

Public diplomacy in Israel refers to Israel's efforts to communicate directly with citizens of other nations to inform and influence their perceptions, with the aim of garnering support or tolerance for the Israeli government's strategic objectives. Historically, these efforts have evolved from being called "propaganda" by early Zionists (when the term was considered neutral), with Theodor Herzl advocating such activities in 1899, to the more contemporary Hebrew term "hasbara" introduced by Nahum Sokolow, which translates roughly to "explaining". This communicative strategy seeks to justify actions and is considered reactive and event-driven.

In recent times, Israel has shifted toward calling its efforts "public diplomacy", indicating a strategic move away from a defensive posture to a more proactive and comprehensive approach. This involves various forms of communication and interaction with foreign publics, including mass communication through social media and traditional media, as well as cultural diplomacy. Key Israeli government bodies involved in public diplomacy include the IDF Spokesperson's Unit, the Prime Minister's Office, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and pro-Israeli civil society organizations.

The history of Israeli public diplomacy dates to the early 20th century, with notable efforts during the pre-statehood period, the establishment of the state, and significant developments in response to changing geopolitical challenges. Methods employed range from traditional media outreach to digital campaigns, with a focus on shaping foreign public opinion, particularly in the United States, and coordinating with diaspora Zionist organizations to promote a favorable narrative of Israel. This multifaceted approach reflects Israel's ongoing efforts to navigate complex international dynamics and bolster its global standing.

Terms and types
Different terms have been used to describe Israel's and other actors' efforts to reach audiences abroad.

Among early Zionists it was common to label communicative efforts propaganda. Theodor Herzl used the term at the 3rd Zionist Congress in 1899, where he asked fellow Zionists in the audience "to engage in propaganda". At the time the term "propaganda" was considered neutral. The term is now pejorative. Propaganda is now typically used for official government statements or by critics of pro-Israeli advocacy groups to portray the communication as misleading and manipulative.

Hasbara was formally introduced to the Zionist vocabulary by Nahum Sokolow. Hasbara (הַסְבָּרָה) has no direct English translation, but roughly means "explaining". It is a communicative strategy that "seeks to explain actions, whether or not they are justified". As it focuses on providing explanations about one's actions, hasbara has been called a "reactive and event-driven approach". In 2003, Ron Schleifer called hasbara "a positive sounding synonym for 'propaganda'".

Today, Israeli practitioners tend to label their communicative efforts "public diplomacy", not hasbara, indicating a shift in strategy. They consider a focus on "explaining" too defensive and prefer to actively determine the agenda by being less reactive and more proactive, moving to a more comprehensive, long-term strategic approach.

Israeli public diplomacy encompasses different forms of communication and other forms of interaction with the public abroad. For instance, Israel engages in open and fully attributable, unidirectional mass communication that targets so far unaffiliated civil populations in other countries (a form of communication Hirschberger defines as "external communication" ), both via social media and traditional mass media. The Israeli government uses this type of communication especially to depict Israel positively (a communication strategy Hirschberger calls "branding"). The Israeli government and pro-Israeli groups also use interventive communication to counter what they see as attempts at delegitimisation of Israel, e.g., in the context of BDS. The Israeli government also engages in activities beyond communicative efforts in social media and the traditional mass media, e.g., in the form of cultural diplomacy. The communicative efforts of pro-Israeli civil society groups are partially also called "advocacy".

Sources for disseminating information
Various branches of the Israeli government as well as pro-Israeli civil society organizations engage in public diplomacy efforts:
 * IDF Spokesperson's Unit: The spokesperson's unit of the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) plays a central role in the Israeli government's public diplomacy. The IDF's English-language Facebook page is one of the most-followed army social media worldwide. The unit has become Israel's largest spokesperson unit, with more than 400 officers, civilians and soldiers. There is also a reserve unit of almost 1,200 soldiers and officers. As of 2017, the unit has 15 staff members that are responsible only for the IDF's social media platforms to reach audiences abroad. As of 2015, the IDF is active on 30 different social media platforms.
 * Spokesperson's Unit of COGAT: The Coordination of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT), the IDF unit responsible for coordination and liaison with the Palestinian Authority, has a spokesperson's unit of its own as well as its own social media channels in English and Arabic.
 * Prime Minister's Office (PMO): Within the Israel Prime Minister's Office, the Government Press Office (GPO), the Public Diplomacy Directorate and the National Information Directorate are involved in public diplomacy efforts. The National Information Directorate is in charge of coordinating "the public diplomacy activities of various governmental bodies in foreign and security affairs, and on socioeconomic issues" (Israel PMO s.a.). The Public Diplomacy Directorate is responsible for communicating the Prime Minister's and the government's policies and decisions. The directorate is headed by the Prime Minister's Media Advisor.
 * Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA): The Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs also has a Public Diplomacy Directorate. "The directorate consists of the Media and Public Affairs Division, the Division for Cultural Affairs and Scientific Cooperation and the Bureau for Religious Affairs and Relations with the Jewish Diaspora. The Media and Public Affairs Division comprises one department in charge of 'branding', a department in charge of collecting information, producing visual media content such as videos and drafting policy papers for briefing Israeli missions all around the world, as well as the spokesperson's bureau, which is in charge of the relationship with the press. Furthermore, the division also has an academic department and a small department dealing with issues of civil society affairs, especially the battle against BDS. Finally, the ministry has also a Digital Diplomacy Department, which is in charge of all digital channels of the ministry".
 * Pro-Israeli civil society organizations: Various civil society organizations and initiatives from Israel and abroad support the Israeli public diplomacy efforts. Prominent examples are StandWithUs, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), the Washington Institute for Near East Policy (WINEP), the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), Christians United for Israel (CUFI), the Israel on Campus Coalition, the AMCHA Initiative and "The David Project".
 * Masbirim Israel: In 2010, the Israeli Ministry of Information and Diaspora Affairs launched the PR campaign "Masbirim Israel". The campaign intended to encourage Israeli citizens to contribute to improving Israel's image by talking with their international contacts about the country.

1970–1999
Early mentions of the term hasbara in English mainstream print media date from the late 1970s and describe it as "overseas image-building". According to The Washington Post, this work "is called hasbara when the purpose is to reshape public opinion abroad". In the early 1980s, hasbara was defined as a "public relations campaign". In Newsweek it was described as "explaining". In 1986, The New York Times reported that a program for "communicating defense goals" was started in the late 1970s, and a 1984 implementation of a "Hasbara Project" to "train foreign-service officers in communications by placing them with American companies". Carl Spielvogel, chairman of Backer & Spielvogel, traveled to Israel to advise the government on communicating its defense goals. The trip led to the Hasbara Project, an internship program established to train foreign-service officers in communications by placing them with American companies.

Shmuel Katz's book Battleground: Fact and Fantasy in Palestine, published in 1973, was described as "an encyclopedic source-book for those involved in Israel's hasbara (public relations) effort" by Moshe Phillips, a national director of Herut North America's U.S. section. In 1977, Prime Minister Menachem Begin named Katz "Adviser to the Prime Minister of Information Abroad".

In May 1992, The Jerusalem Post reported that American Jewish leaders hardly reacted to news that the Foreign Ministry's hasbara department would be eliminated as part of a sweeping reorganization of the ministry. Malcolm Hoenlein noted there had been talk of streamlining the ministry's hasbara functions for some time. He said that merging the hasbara department's functions with those of the press department did not portend any downgrading in the priority the Likud government gives to hasbara abroad. Abe Foxman reacted similarly, saying he was "not distressed or disturbed", and noted that disseminating hasbara has always been the responsibility of every Foreign Ministry staff officer, especially those working abroad; if eliminating one department means everyone will assume greater responsibility for his or her own efforts in distributing hasbara, then he is all in favor. It also reported that personnel in foreign hasbara departments would be shifted to press departments, which is where much of the work currently done by hasbara officials properly belongs. He explained that Israel's efforts to provide hasbara abroad would focus on media communications.

2000–2009
In 2001, Shmuel Katz published a retrospective of Israeli hasbara efforts and said that hasbara "must be tackled not by occasional sudden sallies but by a separate permanent department in the government." Sharon did increase hasbara efforts, but did not create a cabinet-level ministry for that purpose.

Also in 2001, the Israeli Foreign Affairs Ministry, the diplomatic arm of the Government of Israel, was a co-sponsor of the Hasbara Fellowships activities of Aish HaTorah. In May 2007, the Fellowships' website called for volunteers for a team of Wikipedians to make sure Israel is presented fairly and accurately".

In 2002, the Israeli State Comptroller's office issued a report critical of Israel's PR efforts. "A lack of an overall strategic public relations conception and objective" and lack of coordination between the various organizations were mentioned. Funding levels are modest; the Ministry of Foreign Affairs spent about US$8.6 million on these efforts in 2002, and the Government Press Office was budgeted at US$100,000.

In 2008, the Jewish Agency for Israel's Department for Jewish Zionist Education had a webpage titled "Hasbara, Israeli Advocacy, Your Guide to the Middle East Conflict".

In 2008, Yarden Vatikay was appointed to coordinate Israel's domestic and foreign media policy.

In 2009, Israel's foreign ministry organized volunteers to add pro-Israeli commentary on news websites. In July 2009, it was announced that the Israeli Foreign Ministry would assemble an "internet warfare" squad to spread pro-Israel messages on various websites, with funding of ₪600,000 (about $150,000).

2010 to present
A 2010 report produced for the Israeli cabinet by the Reut Institute and cited by the newspaper Haaretz exemplifies the common Israeli view that hasbara efforts are needed to respond to what it describes as a diffuse "delegitimization network" of anti-Israel activists. As Haaretz put it, "The network's activists—'delegitimizers' the report dubs them—are relatively marginal: young people, anarchists, migrants and radical political activists." The newspaper also cites the report as saying this network promotes pro-Palestinian activities in Europe as "trendy", and calls for it to be monitored by Israeli intelligence services, and for the cabinet to treat the network as a strategic threat. It concludes that Israel was not prepared to meet the threat this network posed and that a counter-effort must be more vigorously undertaken to respond to it.

Neil Lazarus said in 2012 that what he calls "low budget, grassroots Hasbara 2.0" has come of age, and commends websites that keep track of what supporters see as anti-Israel media bias, and that promote email campaigns on Israel's behalf. He observes that "Israel's hasbara seems to be becoming more dynamic, as the Diaspora takes responsibility", and that "Even day schools and MASA programs have been conscripted to the task."

Methods
An article once on the World Union of Jewish Students website described methods it attributed to Palestinian activists, and offered advice on how to respond. Describing demonstrators as "youths", for example, creates a different impression from calling them "children". The article drew attention to the subtle differences of meaning between words such as demonstration and riot, terror organization and Palestinian political organization. It advised against name-calling and point-scoring.

Edward Said wrote in 2001 that hasbara methods used during the Second Intifada included lunches and free trips for influential journalists; seminars for Jewish university students; invitations to congressmen; pamphlets and donation of money for election campaigns; telling photographers and writers what to photograph or write about; lecture and concert tours by prominent Israelis; frequent references to the Holocaust; advertisements in the newspapers attacking Arabs and praising Israel.

In 2007, the Israel Citizens Information Council (ICIC) said its purpose was "to assist efforts to explain Israeli life from the vantage point of the average Israeli citizen. Towards that end, the ICIC enlists Israelis from all walks of life to participate in its various projects ... One of our major activities is the production of special Powerpoint presentations which we post on our website. These presentations review specific aspects and issues related to Israel and the Middle East."

In 2012, the Israeli Foreign Ministry published new guidelines on the appropriate use of social media methods by its diplomatic staff. There have been multiple instances of embarrassing and inappropriate tweets and posts by Israeli embassies, such as one in Ireland criticizing a Knesset member.

Shaping foreign public opinion
Israeli officials have emphasized the importance of molding American public opinion to influence U.S. foreign policy favourably toward Israel. For example, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said, "In the last 30 years, I appeared innumerable times in the American media and met thousands of American leaders. I developed a certain ability to influence public opinion." Netanyahu made this statement in the context of the Israeli government's decade-long effort to pressure for military action against Iran. He added that this "is the most important thing: the ability to sway public opinion in the United States against the regime in Iran."

Coordination with diaspora Zionist organizations
According to The Israel Lobby and U.S. Foreign Policy by John Mearsheimer and Stephen Walt, major American Jewish organizations have played a significant role in advancing an Israeli state narrative to the American public. They quote Rabbi Alexander M. Schindler, former chair of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, saying "The Presidents' Conference and its members have been instruments of official governmental Israeli policy. It was seen as our task to receive directions from government circles and to do our best no matter what to affect the Jewish community." Similarly, they quote Hyman Bookbinder, a high-ranking official of the American Jewish Committee, as saying "Unless something is terribly pressing, really critical or fundamental, you parrot Israel's line in order to retain American support. As American Jews, we don't go around saying Israel is wrong about its policies."

Mitchell Bard has written, "by framing the issues in terms of the national interest, AIPAC can attract broader support than would ever be possible if it was perceived to represent only the interests of Israel. This does not mean AIPAC does not have a close relationship with Israeli officials; it does, albeit unofficially. Even so, the lobby sometimes comes into conflict with the Israeli government".

According to Shivi Greenfield and Nachman Shai, the Israeli government (particularly the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the former Ministry of Public Diplomacy & Diaspora Affairs, and the Ministry of Tourism) has worked with various Israeli and international non-government organizations to promote Israeli public diplomacy within the global Jewish diaspora and international community. Notable Israeli NGOs involved in public diplomacy have included the Jewish Agency for Israel, Israel Project, HonestReporting, the Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI), and Palestinian Media Watch (PMW). The Israeli government has also partnered with several Jewish and Christian Zionist NGOs in the U.S. and abroad, including the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), American Jewish Committee (AJC), the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, Christians United for Israel (CUFI), the Jewish Federations of North America (JFNA), and the Zionist Organization of America (ZOA).

According to Greenfield and Shai, the Israeli government and sympathetic NGOs, including Hillel International, B'nai B'rith, Israel at Heart, and StandWithUs, have sought to promote sympathy for Israel among university students through study tours (such as Birthright Israel and Masa Israel, talks, meetings, distributing educational materials, distributing educational materials, gift packages, fundraising, and blood donations. These campus outreaches seek to strengthen ties between Israel and the Jewish diaspora and support efforts by Jewish students to combat so-called "anti-Israel" activism on campus such as Israeli Apartheid Week. Shai identifies the "Israel on Campus Coalition" as the umbrella organization for most pro-Israel American campus organizations. It is funded by the Schusterman Foundation and Hillel.

According to Shahar Burla, the Israeli Foreign and Public Diplomacy ministries worked with local Australian Jewish community and Zionist organizations such as the local chapter of the United Israel Appeal, the Australasian Union of Jewish Students, the Zionist Council of New South Wales and the New South Wales Jewish Board of Deputies to mobilize Australian Jews into supporting Israeli hasbara efforts during the 2010 Gaza flotilla raid. The Ministry of Public Diplomacy and Diaspora Affairs established a "Communications Room" to circulate pro-Israel information to the global Jewish diaspora. These mobilization efforts via email messages, websites, traditional media, meetings and demonstrations. Pro-Israel sympathizers were encouraged to share pro-Israel videos and articles on social media platforms, respond to blogs and TV shows, and write editorial letters.

title: Public diplomacy of Israel


text:
James Conant

James Conant is the name of:

 * James B. Conant (1893–1978), American chemist and educational administrator
 * James B. Conant High School, a public high school in Hoffman Estates, Illinois named after James B. Conant
 * James F. Conant (born 1958), American philosopher
 * James Wallace Conant (1862–1906), American amusement manager for Schenley Park Casino and Duquesne Gardens

title: James Conant


text:
KCDSA

KCDSA (Korean Certificate-based Digital Signature Algorithm) is a digital signature algorithm created by a team led by the Korea Internet & Security Agency (KISA). It is an ElGamal variant, similar to the Digital Signature Algorithm and GOST R 34.10-94. The standard algorithm is implemented over $$GF(p)$$, but an elliptic curve variant (EC-KCDSA) is also specified.

KCDSA requires a collision-resistant cryptographic hash function that can produce a variable-sized output (from 128 to 256 bits, in 32-bit increments). HAS-160, another Korean standard, is the suggested choice.

Domain parameters

 * $$p$$: a large prime such that $$|p| = 512 + 256i$$ for $$i = 0, 1, \dots, 6$$.
 * $$q$$: a prime factor of $$p-1$$ such that $$|q| = 128 + 32j$$ for $$j = 0, 1, \dots, 4$$.
 * $$g$$: a base element of order $$q$$ in $$\operatorname{GF}(p)$$.

The revised version of the spec additional requires either that $$(p-1)/(2q)$$ be prime or that all of its prime factors are greater than $$q$$.

User parameters

 * $$x$$: signer's private signature key such that $$0 < x < q$$.
 * $$y$$: signer's public verification key computed by $$y=g^\bar{x} \pmod{p},$$ where $$\bar{x}=x^{-1} \pmod{q}$$.
 * $$z$$: a hash-value of Cert Data, i.e., $$z = h(\text{Cert Data})$$.

The 1998 spec is unclear about the exact format of the "Cert Data". In the revised spec, z is defined as being the bottom B bits of the public key y, where B is the block size of the hash function in bits (typically 512 or 1024). The effect is that the first input block corresponds to y mod 2^B.

 * $$z$$: the lower B bits of y.

Hash Function

 * $$h$$: a collision resistant hash function with |q|-bit digests.

Signing
To sign a message $$m$$:

 * Signer randomly picks an integer $$0 < k < q$$ and computes $$w = g^k \mod{p}$$
 * Then computes the first part: $$r = h(w)$$
 * Then computes the second part: $$s = x(k - r \oplus h(z \parallel m)) \pmod{q}$$
 * If $$s=0$$, the process must be repeated from the start.
 * The signature is $$(r, s)$$

The specification is vague about how the integer $$w$$ be reinterpreted as a byte string input to hash function. In the example in section C.1 the interpretation is consistent with $$r = h(I2OSP(w, |q|/8))$$ using the definition of I2OSP from PKCS#1/RFC3447.

Verifying
To verify a signature $$(r, s)$$ on a message $$m$$:

 * Verifier checks that $$0 \le r < 2^{|q|}$$ and $$0 < s < q$$ and rejects the signature as invalid if not.
 * Verifier computes $$e = r \oplus h(z \parallel m)$$
 * Verifier checks if $$r = h(y^s \cdot g^e \mod{p})$$. If so then the signature is valid; otherwise it is not valid.

EC-KCDSA
EC-KCDSA is essentially the same algorithm using Elliptic-curve cryptography instead of discrete log cryptography.

The domain parameters are:
 * An elliptic curve $$E$$ over a finite field.
 * A point $$G$$ in $$E$$ generating a cyclic subgroup of prime order $$q$$. ($$q$$ is often denoted $$n$$ in other treatments of elliptic-curve cryptography.)

The user parameters and algorithms are essentially the same as for discrete log KCDSA except that modular exponentiation is replaced by point multiplication. The specific differences are:
 * The public key is $$Y=\bar{x}G$$
 * In signature generation, $$r=h(W_x || W_y)$$ where $$W=kG$$
 * In signature verification, the verifier tests whether $$r=h(sY+eG)$$

title: KCDSA


text:
Talk:Phrases from The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

"The answer is simple: there is no spoon. Follow the white rabbit" should be removed or supported.
The final sentence of the first paragraph of section 1 seems to be a quote from The Matrix. Without additional knowledge, a reference or an explanation, it makes no sense in a HGttG context, and comes across as an "in" joke. Either it should be removed, or enhanced so that a casual reader will understand its relevance to the topic of the article. -- Dan Griscom (talk) 11:07, 5 April 2015 (UTC)
 * Subtle vandalism of the sort that gives Wikipedia a bad name. Thanks for spotting it!  Serendi pod ous  11:46, 5 April 2015 (UTC)

42 and six times nine
Of course, this answer is deliberately wrong: six times nine is, in fact, fifty-four - a misunderstanding entirely too common in those that fail to recognise that the universe is based on misfortune, the decimal number of which is thirteen. (If it still needs spelling out in black and white, six times nine base thirteen is, of course, 42.) — Preceding unsigned comment added by 84.63.77.35 (talk) 03:54, 3 May 2015 (UTC)
 * Adams made clear that base 13 was a coincidence.  Serendi pod ous  08:53, 3 May 2015 (UTC)

42
When one looks at the number 42 something seems to be missing. However, since 0 literally equals nothing, then nothing is missing, making the answer to life, the universe and everything 42(0) :) — Preceding unsigned comment added by 101.161.37.55 (talk) 22:08, 23 November 2015 (UTC)
 * The Ultimate Question to Life, the Universe and Everything is "how many cups of tea should a person drink each month?" Scientists are constantly researching tea-drinking and will eventually come to this conclusion. Jack N. Stock (talk) 17:40, 20 September 2018 (UTC)

External links modified
Hello fellow Wikipedians,

I have just added archive links to 3 one external links on Phrases from The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. Please take a moment to review my edit. If necessary, add after the link to keep me from modifying it. Alternatively, you can add to keep me off the page altogether. I made the following changes:
 * Added archive https://web.archive.org/20070523005850/http://www.douglasadams.se:80/stuff/qanda.html to http://www.douglasadams.se/stuff/qanda.html
 * Added archive https://web.archive.org/20120405171149/http://www.cosmosmagazine.com/features/print/3593/silent-witness?page=0%2C0 to http://www.cosmosmagazine.com/features/print/3593/silent-witness?page=0,0
 * Added archive https://web.archive.org/20090715213748/http://news.qthemusic.com:80/2008/05/coldplay_viva_la_vida_1.html to http://news.qthemusic.com/2008/05/coldplay_viva_la_vida_1.html

When you have finished reviewing my changes, please set the checked parameter below to true to let others know.

Cheers.—cyberbot II  Talk to my owner :Online 14:28, 11 February 2016 (UTC)

Don't panic
Did Adams get this phrase from the 1960s/1970s BBC comedy series Dad's Army? It was one of the best-known catchphrases from this very popular tv series (as shouted (usually) by Corporal Jones), and I wonder if Adams ever talked about his use of the phrase and whether he 'borrowed' from Dad's Army? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 86.170.37.219 (talk) 13:49, 7 February 2018 (UTC)
 * Perhaps this has a point. See also below, where 42 in context of the German V1 attacks on London plays a role.--79.199.181.159 (talk) 18:11, 20 September 2019 (UTC)

Ascii
I explained my reason for removing it; you did not explain your reason for reinstating it. This is just some guy off the street's headcanon about a possible origin of 42. The citation does not mention HHGG and merely backs up the fact that 42 is the ASCII for *. The connection with HHGG is purely in this person's head.  Serendi pod ous  23:53, 21 November 2018 (UTC)
 * User:Serendipodous You have a legitimate concern that there is not a source directly connecting it to the book.
 * User:RogierBrussee I found your information useful. Whether by design or serendipitous coincidence, 42 as an ASCII wildcard was an amusing and worthwhile connection.
 * You are both respected and experienced editors.
 * I reduced it to a note. It is context, and its inclusion at that level benefits the reader, and does no harm to the article.  This was a compromise; both of you are sincere and acting in AGF.  We should consider our readers first, and err on the side of too much of the irrelevant, rather than too little of the relevant.
 * Some fights are not worth fighting. I suggest you both think about WP:Dead horse.
 * Have a happy Thanksgiving (depending on where you are). Let us all give thanks for working together and producing a great encyclopædia.  Cheers.  7&6=thirteen (☎) 13:18, 22 November 2018 (UTC)
 * I'm sorry, but Wikipedia discussions don't work that way. You can't just shut one down because you think it's silly. If material shouldn't be on here, it shouldn't be on here. If we include any random reference to the number 42, then why not include every reference to the number 42 ever published? And I live in London; I won't be seeing turkey til Christmas.  Serendi pod ous  17:33, 22 November 2018 (UTC)
 * I allowed for your geographic difference.
 * I think it belongs here; and this is an saddle point in the discussion.
 * Nor was I 'shutting down' the discussion.
 * You don't own this article. Neither do I.
 * We will have to wait for consensus to build, and agree to disagree. 7&6=thirteen (☎) 19:25, 22 November 2018 (UTC)

 * I am a mathematician, and I think I know what I am talking about (case in point: I fixed up the page on Hurwitz automorphism theorem just to have something correct and easy to follow to refer to). Many of my non mathematics friends and all of my mathematician friends (several of whom are math professors), agreed immediately that the characterisation of 42 is the "right" one, and makes it actually a rather _interesting_ number. They urged me to put it on Wikipedia for several years, and I eventually succumbed. Riemann surfaces are really a core thing in more advanced mathematics, and very similar arguments crop up elsewhere, for example in the ADE classification of Lie groups, which is another really central thing in math(it doesn't quite give 42 so I didn't include it but it is a very similar idea). It is perfectly ironic that even most mathematicians think 42 is a "boring" number. In fact there is a Numberphile video (a popular you-tube channel on mathematics) where the first sentence is that 42 is not a very interesting number mathematically but very special in nerd culture https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D6tINlNluuY . They even explain 1/2 + 1/3 + 1/7 + 1/42 = 1 as an example of "pseudo perfect numbers" (see 4:20) but unfortunately they miss the importance of having just 3 factors which makes it look a bit artificial. The importance of being the largest of the form 1/ (1- 1/p - 1/q - 1/r) and its connection to Hurwitz automorphism theorem is pointed out in the remarks, but I was the one doing that (my earlier halfhearted attempt to make it better known), so it doesn't really count.

 * The little paragraph has grown a bit when I reworked it a bit to make Hurwitz automorphism theorem a "Life, the Universe and Everything" question. I don't particularly mind having it reverted to its earlier slightly shorter state, except I don't recall if I fixed small typos and link thingies. I have no connection with the ASCII asterisk paragraph, other than seeing it, and thinking that a bit of math was at least as much on the topic for the number 42.

 * User:RogierBrussee
 * We're not talking about that. I'm not qualified to make a judgement on that. What we are talking about, specifically, is the reference to the 42 "*" ASCII code.  Serendi pod ous  11:52, 23 November 2018 (UTC)
 * Yes, you may not be talking about that, but you removed it. Threw out the Baby with the bathwater?  7&6=thirteen (☎) 15:02, 23 November 2018 (UTC)
 * No, I didn't remove it. I only removed the ASCII line. Please do not accuse me of doing things I did not do.  Serendi pod ous  19:11, 23 November 2018 (UTC)

Sorry, if I got it wrong. I guess there was no collateral damage by you. 7&6=thirteen (☎) 00:17, 24 November 2018 (UTC)

The ASCII part seems irrelevant to me, and of the kind of trivia that would fill up this article with useless information. The ASCII table can not count as verification, as it makes no mention of HHGG. This is WP:ORIGINAL and numerology. Hurwitz's automorphism theorem has at least been mentioned in the context of HHGG. Maybe one can defend to mention it in a half sentence. I wouldn't support the mention, and much less spending an entire paragraph on it. The reference is almost certainly a joke making use of the Strong Law of Small Numbers (there is a Numberphile video for this, too, if you like that). There is no denying that the number 42 appears in serious mathematical contexts; but that can be said of any sufficiently small number. If Adams had chosen 41 or 43, this discussion would be about lucky numbers of Euler instead of Hurwitz's automorphism theorem. The fact that "mathematicians found a question whose answer is 42" is irrelevant for that reason, as that is true for every number that is small enough. The "hint at the fact that 42 is mathematically not just any random number" is in fact just that: A hint that 42 is too small to be random. Renerpho (talk) 00:20, 24 November 2018 (UTC)

 * Did you notice that 42 is enclosed by the two prime number of 41 and 43? How many other numbers are like this? Only a few in the range below 100 and there are relatively more of them in the lower end, such as there are primes. *gg* --Alexander.stohr (talk) 18:21, 3 February 2022 (UTC)

 * To a large extent, you are right: all small numbers are special in some sense. But 42 and (2,3,7) really are rather more pervasive than the numbers 41 or 43 which are essentially just a boring pair of twin primes and not very special twins at that. Try finding halfway interesting _questions_ that give them as an answer. Note for example that you don't have to ask for the largest _integer_ n such that 1 - 1/p - 1/q - 1/r = 1/n but any _rational number_ for which there are obviously an infinite number of small ones to choose from. Sure that blog by John Baez (who is not just a prolific blogger but a very good and well respected mathematician) mentions 42 in relation to the HHGG because he likes an informal tone in his blogs, but he really wants to talk about hyperbolic tilings, the Klein quartic and Hurwitz. It is a complete coincidence that Adams chose 42 as any stupid integer number, and it turns out to be not a stupid number at all. I am biased but I find that all cute and ironic in a fitting way.

User:RogierBrussee
 * This is all very subjective, and unless you back it up with reliable sources (rather than personal opionions/preferences), the argument that any number is more pervasive than any other is void. I understand your fascination for the mathematical topic, but as you said yourself, you appear to be biased. Remember that Wikipedia is not a blog, it is an encyclopedia. I think the paragraph about Hurwitz in its current form is unencyclopedic (subjective,unsourced and irrelevant). On that ground, it should be replaced by a single sentence that links to Hurwitz's automorphism theorem and the blog post by Baez. Renerpho (talk) 13:37, 28 November 2018 (UTC)

Another false myth of the origin of 42
A recent internet meme is saying since Douglas Adams was a software engineer, and the ASCII symbol at position 42 (decimal) is an asterix, therefore the answer is "*", where "*" in mathematical expressions is multiply, and in regular expressions means 0 or more, and in SQL can mean "anything", or "all". TimeHorse (talk) 15:39, 13 March 2019 (UTC)

Connect Four
This Connect Four set was from a mental ward in SCUH, Australia, between Jan and March 2019. At the time I thought that the meaning of life, etc, (Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy) was 42, and the question was "what's 6x7?" (according to the movie script). For some reason I thought I'd count the pieces and the result was unexpected. I wonder how often sets are like this - 1 in 1000? And it was the first time I'd ever tried counting the pieces. There should be 21 of each because tied games are possible.

 * There were ages and place where you got adult at the age of 21. So think about two persons waiting for getting adult. What would allow this to happen? A one-on-one multiplication? At least it sums up to 42 - and this means its life, the universe and everything of course for the involved ones. --Alexander.stohr (talk) 18:30, 3 February 2022 (UTC)

42 in V1 bombing of London in WW II
Decades before Adam's novel, the number "42" played a crucial role in World War II. Nazi Germany started to use V1, their first V-Weapon on June 15, 1944. According to David Irvings book "The Mare's Nest" from 1964 the order for the 55 German launchpads reads (p. 189 bottom): >>> All catapults open fire on Target Forty-two with salvo synchronised at 11:18 p.m. (Impact at 11:40 p.m.) Uniform range 130 miles. Then sustained fire until 4:50 a.m. <<<

42 was the codename for London. Would it be appropriate to mention this coincidence in the article? --79.199.181.159 (talk) 15:05, 20 September 2019 (UTC)
 * No, it would most certainly not be appropriate. Unless you have reliable secondary sources which explicitly draw a straight line from the Nazis' "42" to Adams' "42", which I sincerely doubt that you have. Anything else is original research and prohibited here on Wikipedia. Elizium23 (talk) 17:31, 20 September 2019 (UTC)

Diameter of a proton
or that light requires 10−42 seconds to cross the diameter of a proton. - actually, it takes light 10-24 seconds to cross the diameter of a proton. Should I remove it? --Upquark (talk) 12:10, 24 May 2020 (UTC)
 * Well, the statement is still factual. That was a genuine proposed rationale for the use of 42, regardless of whether it was based on fact.  Serendi pod ous  15:27, 24 May 2020 (UTC)

Connection with ASCII code 42
Regarding my, I summarized the introduction of Asterisk. I just followed the style already present in Phrases from The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. SYNTH is not mere juxtaposition: I did not do any fancy ordering, I just added facts to the end. If you see a connection, then maybe there is a connection, and it looks like people think there is one.

msmvps.com is good enough for and. Is this source good enough for you? 84.120.7.178 (talk) 13:00, 24 September 2020 (UTC)

 * This is a source from Coast (radio station). 84.120.7.178 (talk) 13:20, 24 September 2020 (UTC)

 * This is a source from Sourcecon. The website is good for . 84.120.7.178 (talk) 13:55, 24 September 2020 (UTC)

 * This is an archived source from Viralthread.com. Website is good for . 84.120.7.178 (talk) 14:20, 24 September 2020 (UTC)

 * This source is from SAGE Open. Do I need to continue? 84.120.7.178 (talk) 14:35, 24 September 2020 (UTC)

 * Reliable sources discussing the ASCII character and the novels are on topic. Sources discussing the character that do not discuss the novels are off topic and WP:OR.

 * How are they OR? They are being included to imply they have something to to with "phrases from Hitchhiker's" (the topic of this article) which the sources do not state.

 * Similarly, sources about Tom Cruise's 42nd birthday party, the year 1942 (or 42 A.D. or any other year), a math equation leading to 42, etc. are all off-topic and should not be included unless they specifically discuss the topic of this article.

 * "To demonstrate that you are not adding OR, you must be able to cite reliable, published sources that are directly related to the topic of the article, and directly support the material being presented."- Sum mer PhD v2.0 21:20, 24 September 2020 (UTC)

 * I disagree with some of your rationale: there is something called editorial judgment that modifies your interpretation. If you maintain that I tried to imply anything, then you are wrong. On another hand, thank you for the explanation. Now, could you tell me whether the five sources I have presented are reliable for you? 84.120.7.178 (talk) 22:30, 24 September 2020 (UTC)

 * If the sources don't directly relate to the topic, the question of reliability is essentially moot. Reliability can also depend on context, especially for self-published sources like blogs or reddits. I would agree with the first respondent that the sources do not directly relate to the topic of the subsection. All the other examples are of instances post-H2G2 where 42/the Answer/the Question has been included as an homage or reference to H2G2. ASCII predates H2G2, so any mention doesn't fit in this subsection.
 * I will say it may (with appropriate sources) fit in the preceding "Why the number 42?" subsection. The 1st, 2nd, and 5th sources listed above merely support the claim of "here's a weird/funny/interesting coincidence with ASCII" which is not what this is article is about. Only the 4th source, which is quoted by the 3rd source, makes the claim that there is a theory that Adams chose 42 because that was the ASCII code for the asterisk and it's used as a wildcard symbol in computers. IMO, viralthread source though is insufficient to determine if this is a significant or prevalent enough fan theory to be included per WP:WEIGHT. --FyzixFighter (talk) 23:54, 24 September 2020 (UTC)

 * I am not here to fight censorship in this article. Thank you for your replies. 84.120.7.178 (talk) 00:30, 25 September 2020 (UTC)
 * Who said anyone was censoring anything? We are saying sources which do not directly discuss the subject of this article are not reliable sources for this article.
 * Yes, by including sources about 42 that do not discuss the subject you certainly intend to imply there is a connection. Otherwise, why would we include those sources and not a random newspaper article from Tokyo in 1958? Whatever connection you intend to imply is not in the sources. That is original research.
 * You need to either present a solid argument that this is not OR (it clearly is) or establish a consensus here to ignore one of the pilars of the project because this issue is some kind of a special case. Other than that, the sources off-topic and simple do not belong here.
 * (If a newspaper editor removes random comments about tea in China from an article about Walt Disney, that's not "censorship" (suppressing information deemed obscene or somehow dangerous to society) it's "editing" (correcting, condensing or otherwise improving material for publication). - Sum mer PhD v2.0 02:56, 25 September 2020 (UTC)

 * You are still talking about the sources I included firstly; forget them. I presented five new sources which were systematically discarded:
 * "not what this is article is about."
 * "not what this is article is about."
 * quotes 4th source
 * WP:WEIGHT
 * "not what this is article is about."
 * If you do not agree, then we are talking. If you do agree, then we are over; consensus does not mean unanimity and I stated my conclusion. 84.120.7.178 (talk) 21:55, 25 September 2020 (UTC)
 * I agree that sources that do not discuss the topic of this article cannot be used as sources in this article. The consensus seems to be against you. - Sum mer PhD v2.0 01:36, 26 September 2020 (UTC)

You are beating around the bush; please be clear. Do the five new sources discuss the topic of this article or not? Is consensus against me or not? 84.120.7.178 (talk) 21:05, 26 September 2020 (UTC)

 * Hitting the bush squarely and solidly with a cricket bat:
 * Windows Server Clustering & PCNews is apparently a blog. With a limited number of exceptions (described at WP:SPS), blogs are not reliable sources.
 * Drive with Jon Dunstan seems to be a blog post by a radio DJ. He gives a just so story without a hit that it is anything other than a casual guess. I'd classify it as another self-published source, i.e., not reliable.
 * SourceCon, as described at is "a daily blog" (with instruction on how you can contribute a post). It's another self-published source. Additionally, as noted above, what it's actually saying about the subject is quoted (though not cited) from another source. As such, it isn't a source for any of that info.
 * An archived page from viralthread gives exactly the same wording as the previous source. Is one quoting the other or are they quoting a shared source or sources quoting other sources? I don't know. "Viralthread" doesn't sound like a reliable source. Does it meet the criteria at WP:RS?
 * SAGE Open is an open-access, "pay to publish" journel. I'd see a hard road to having it declared a reliable source, but my main complaint is WP:SYN. Yes, the author did start his digging for "what 42 means in different contexts" because he chose the number 42 from the novel for an unrelated use. The ASCII code for an asterisk being 42 the author relates as one of the answers. He does not in any way discuss that meaning (or any of the others) as having anything to do with the novel. Including the material here would be meant to imply that there is a connection between ASCII and the novel -- a connection not directly made by the source. The source would be on-topic (in found reliable) to say 42 is the author's favorite number because of its association with the number. I cannot, however, imagine why it being a non-notable economics professor's favorite number would be worth mentioning in any context. It's not a significant fact about the number, the novel or (really) even the professor. - Sum mer PhD v2.0 05:42, 27 September 2020 (UTC)

 * Thank you for the review. FyzixFighter and you might accept the source from Viralthread.com. Would you settle on this claim in "Why the number 42?"?
 * There is one fan theory stating that, since Douglas Adams was a computer geek, Deep Thought's answer was connected to ASCII code 42, which represents an asterisk.
 * 84.120.7.178 (talk) 23:30, 27 September 2020 (UTC)

 * IMO, viralthread.com does not look like a reliabe source. I can find only one other article - one in the entirety of all of wikipedia - where this website is referenced as a source. I don't know, maybe I missed some. However, I don't think it really rises to the quality of reliable sources that we generally look for. If you want to get a wider audience of editors to weigh in, you might try WP:RSN. If this is actually a common, notable, and non-fringe fan theory, than we should be able to find other sources. --FyzixFighter (talk) 03:08, 28 September 2020 (UTC)

 * Thank you again. Censorship in Wikipedia is no novelty. Let us leave this horse. 84.120.7.178 (talk) 22:35, 28 September 2020 (UTC)
 * "Censorship" is a fun word, but does not apply here. No one is saying the guess about Adams' use of 42 because of ASCII is "objectionable, harmful, or sensitive". We do, however, have plenty of content that many would find objectionable, harmful, sensitive, or all three. Next time you're afraid Wikipedia is censored, check out Ejaculation or Nitroglycerin. - Sum mer PhD v2.0 22:54, 28 September 2020 (UTC)

 * I am referring to Wikipedia censorship. You are talking about outside censorship and you are right. 84.120.7.178 (talk) 23:15, 28 September 2020 (UTC)

word counting
When yesterday using https://www.dcode.fr/word-value a little, I suddenly came to the bold idea and entered this word into the dialog - after hitting the submit button i got this pairing:
 * fish - 42

No, its not guessing. Its just plain fact. Having the answer in my hands sounds interesting. And it sounds pretty in tune with the religious background of the Monty Python group, such as "Life of Brian" and how it was all time meant to be a pun towards strict "bible belt" style Christian power people in the UK. What's the symbol of Christ? Indeed Ichtys, the fish. Of course there can always be other meanings like a phonetic one: 42 = for two, such as found in "i want to book a hotel room for two persons" - Adams denied telling you its about an adultery story? But think again... the legendary Babel Fish is also meant "for two" persons, for communications with one sender and one receiver. - Its all about the fish. Thanks. --Alexander.stohr (talk) 18:06, 3 February 2022 (UTC)

"Don't Panic (Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" listed at Redirects for discussion
An editor has identified a potential problem with the redirect Don& and has thus listed it for discussion. This discussion will occur at Redirects for discussion/Log/2022 October 27 until a consensus is reached, and readers of this page are welcome to contribute to the discussion. Steel1943 (talk) 19:56, 27 October 2022 (UTC)

fan theories about 42 in the Reasoning section
The Invisible comment is "Please do not add your own speculations about the significance of the number 42. Sourced examples only. Thank you." but I note that the existing theories listed aren't well sourced. The "42 laws in cricket" links to a Guardian article, but that article doesn't mention cricket. Maybe there was a comment buried deep that mentioned it, but I'm sure I could find a random comment from alt.fan.douglas-adams or similar if needed. More interesting to me though is more clearly refuting these theories.

It wasn't a cricket reference - at the time Douglas wrote the 42 joke, there were in fact 47 laws of cricket (http://archive.acscricket.com/research/Laws_of_Cricket/1947_fourth_edition.html) and likewise it's clear it was not an ASCII/wildcard reference - Douglas wrote on a typewriter at the time, some years later described his attitude towards computers at the time as "I was a real technophobe" (youtube: qa2vDmgiEaM from 2:40)

There are other common fan theories that pop up from time to time too.

IMHO, none of them are worth space on wikipedia unless they are SO common in fandom to be notable for that aspect, in which case any clear and obvious refutation should be included in the text. (I delve pretty deeply in Hitchhikers fandom, and dont think any of these should be listed here)

Thoughts? …/NemoThorx (💬 • 📜) 16:46, 29 January 2024 (UTC)
 * Some articles accrue a lot of fancruft. Any theories or mentions not properly referenced by independent reliable sources should be removed from the article. The "On the Internet and in software" and "Cultural references" sections could use some scrutiny. But the article's purpose is not refuting any theories, unless there's an RS that says "here's this theory and here's why it's wrong", in which case both could be summarized.  Schazjmd   (talk)  17:02, 29 January 2024 (UTC)
 * I agree the articles purpose is not to refuse those theories, but to list them without refutation gives them an elevated status, and I dont think the article should be doing that either. As said - my preference would be to not give any of them credence at all - except perhaps as you say: ones that can be cited and refuted in a summary with a quality cite.
 * I think I'll start looking into drafting up a reworking of some of these sections. I'd not given an editing thought to the Internet and Software or Cultural References sections, but they do read as a bit of a crufty list! …/NemoThorx (💬 • 📜) 12:15, 30 January 2024 (UTC)


text:
Craig McNair

Craig McNair (born 1975) is a former New Zealand politician. He was a New Zealand First member of parliament from 2002–2005.

Early years
Before entering politics, McNair was a marketing manager. He also holds a pilot's licence.

Member of Parliament
He was elected to Parliament as a list MP in the 2002 election, having been ranked in eighth place on the New Zealand First list. He was his party's youth affairs spokesman and was on the finance and expenditure select committee.

In 2002, McNair had a brief relationship with the parliamentary executive secretary for Labour MP Clayton Cosgrove, the secretary was sacked for a conflict of interest, but rehired in the office of the Minister of Conservation.

At the 2005 election he was ranked 11th on the party list. New Zealand First gained enough party votes to elect seven MPs, so McNair missed out on being returned as an MP. After being an MP he worked in real estate in Auckland.

In the 2008 election he stood for Waitakere and was ranked 17th on the New Zealand First list, but he did not win the electorate and the party did not make the threshold of five percent of votes to get any list candidates elected.

title: Craig McNair