Monthly Musings
On this page you will find an article each month submitted by one of the WORK PLACE CHAPLAINCY Scotland Team. Normally it will be topical and reflect the area of chaplaincy undertaken by the contributor.
“Life, the Universe etc…”
Hitch-hikers Guide to the Galaxy fans would have noticed the reference in my Getting To Know You article. click here
As you will recall, a race of super-intelligent beings had built an enormously powerful computer and tasked it with finding the answer to “Life, the Universe and Everything.” The computer whirred and hummed away for ages, then at last came up with the answer “42”.
Those super-intelligent beings could have saved themselves all the bother and expense, because you can solve the problem using a humble pocket calculator. Don’t believe me? Grab your calculator and try this:
First, you need to program it to handle this task, so,
- Key in the number of years in a century
- Add to that, the date from a movie title about a computer named HAL that took over a space ship
- Press the M+ key to store that total in the memory
Your calculator is now primed and ready to reveal this important information. Next,
- Key in the number of letters in Life the Universe and Everything (this is the intellectually challenging bit)
- Subtract from that, the number of letters in True answer
- Now, multiply that by the number you had previously stored in the memory (hit x then the Recall Memory button twice, then =)
Having done all that, rotate the calculator through 180 degrees, so you can read the display upside down. If you’ve followed these instructions correctly, you will now find the answer to Life, the Universe and Everything.
Allan Webster
Previous Musings - Click on the date to read the article
December 2007 by Elisabeth Spence
January 2008 by Cate Adams
February 2008 by Douglas Wright
March 2008 by Lewis Rose
April 2008 by Lewis Rose