A Thought

[keeperx]

In the beginning the Universe was created.
This has made a lot of people very angry and has been widely regarded as a bad move.

-Douglas Adams

[allthatwhichis]

We apologize for the inconvenience...

[Jem]

Read my Sig'

Jem

[T0mmm]

And on the 8th day God created lasers....


and then no one had any spare money, ever again.

[keeperx]

well im going to go throw myself at the ground and see if i can miss

[soforene]

What have you been told about quoting passages without identifying the source !!

[Admin]

Source Identified (Not linkjacked from wikipedia!)

[keeperx]

What have you been told about quoting passages without identifying the source !!

My most recent post in this thread (before this one) is not a direct quote. :P

[Admin]

My most recent post in this thread (before this one) is not a direct quote. :P

You are correct. When one is discussing, as the guide calls them: "Recreational Impossibilities" it is in the best interests of all parties involved to provide full source material.

To your first quote: Chapter 1 - "The Restaurant at the End of the Universe"

To your second quote: Chapter 2 - "Life, the Universe and Everything"

Providing actual page numbers is difficult as they vary between the various reprints but in my 2005 Gramercy / Random House edition they are page 149 and 322 respectively.

Citing ones sources is in the interests of the community as a whole. Let's call this a lesson in not being a tool.

For the curious; I have *always* carried a towel or two in my car and they have come in quite handy on more than a few occasions. Will provide "best effort" references if so requested. For the Curious: "The Hitchiker's Guide to the Galaxy" Chapter 3 / Page 21 ; 2005 Gramercy / Random House.

[keeperx]

well i was not even thinking about that line
i was forming a quote based on this
------------------
There is an art, it says, or rather, a knack to flying.
The knack lies in learning how to throw yourself at the ground and miss.
Pick a nice day, it suggests, and try it.
The first part is easy.
All it requires is simply the ability to throw yourself forward with all your weight, and willingness not to mind that it's going to hurt.
That is, it's going to hurt if you fail to miss the ground.
Most people fail to miss the ground, and if they are really trying properly, the likelihood is that they will fail to miss it fairly hard.
Clearly, it is this second part, the missing, which presents the difficulties.
One problem is that you have to miss the ground accidentally. It's no good deliberately intending to miss the ground because you won't. You have to have your attention suddenly distracted by something else when you're halfway there, so that you are no longer thinking about falling, or about the ground, or about how much it's going to hurt if you fail to miss it.
It is notoriously difficult to prise your attention away from these three things during the split second you have at your disposal. Hence most people's failure, and their eventual disillusionment with this exhilarating and spectacular sport.
If, however, you are lucky enough to have your attention momentarily distracted at the crucial moment by, say, a gorgeous pair of legs (tentacles, pseudopodia, according to phyllum and/or personal inclination) or a bomb going off in your vicinity, or by suddenly spotting an extremely rare species of beetle crawling along a nearby twig, then in your astonishment you will miss the ground completely and remain bobbing just a few inches above it in what might seem to be a slightly foolish manner.
This is a moment for superb and delicate concentration.
Bob and float, float and bob.
Ignore all considerations of your own weight and simply let yourself waft higher.
Do not listen to what anybody says to you at this point because they are unlikely to say anything helpful.
They are most likely to say something along the lines of, 'Good God, you can't possibly be flying!'
It is vitally important not to believe them or they will suddenly be right.
Waft higher and higher.
Try a few swoops, gentle ones at first, then drift above the treetops breathing regularly.
DO NOT WAVE AT ANYBODY.
When you have done this a few times you will find the moment of distraction rapidly becomes easier and easier to achieve.
You will then learn all sorts of things about how to control your flight, your speed, your manoeuvrability, and the trick usually lies in not thinking too hard about whatever you want to do, but just allowing it to happen as if it was going to anyway.
You will also learn about how to land properly, which is something you will almost certainly cock up, and cock up badly, on your first attempt.
There are private flying clubs you can join which help you achieve the all-important moment of distraction. They hire people with surprising bodies or opinions to leap out from behind bushes and exhibit and/or explain them at the critical moments. Few genuine hitch-hikers will be able to afford to join these clubs, but some may be able to get temporary employment at them.

— Douglas Adams, 'The Hitch-Hikers Guide To The Galaxy,'