4 ms·

I did not know about this. It immediately made me think of South Park.

by lernerslaw 10y ago

beefsack 10y ago
If you haven't yet read The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, I'd do so when you've got the chance.
- smhenderson 10y ago
  “A towel, [The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy] says, is about the most massively useful thing an interstellar hitchhiker can have. Partly it has great practical value. You can wrap it around you for warmth as you bound across the cold moons of Jaglan Beta; you can lie on it on the brilliant marble-sanded beaches of Santraginus V, inhaling the heady sea vapors; you can sleep under it beneath the stars which shine so redly on the desert world of Kakrafoon; use it to sail a miniraft down the slow heavy River Moth; wet it for use in hand-to-hand-combat; wrap it round your head to ward off noxious fumes or avoid the gaze of the Ravenous Bugblatter Beast of Traal (such a mind-boggingly stupid animal, it assumes that if you can't see it, it can't see you); you can wave your towel in emergencies as a distress signal, and of course dry yourself off with it if it still seems to be clean enough.” ― Douglas Adams, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
  - mattmanser 10y ago
    You can't omit the second paragraph when quoting that, it's the punchline: More importantly, 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.
    - smhenderson 10y ago
      Agreed, thanks for filling the gap. For what's worth I just copy/pasted from a HHG quote site... https://www.goodreads.com/work/quotes/3078186-the-hitchhiker-s-guide-to-the-galaxy https://www.goodreads.com/work/quotes/3078186-the-hitchhiker...
- dspillett 10y ago
  I usually recommend seeking out the original radio series first. That usually gets people hooked enough that they don't need encouraging to go find and digest most of the rest of they have time.
  - cyberferret 10y ago
    Yes. I am glad I did it in (sort of) order. The radio series, then the books, then the TV series. Loved them all. Jury is still out on the movie - it was OK I guess, but I thought the portrayal of Marvin, Deep Thought, Magrathea etc. were closer to the books/radio and my imagination in the TV series rather than the movie
- glaberficken 10y ago
  I first listened to it as an audio-book (the version narrated by Stephen Fry) I highly recommend it, the narration is excellent. (note: I never listened to the original radio series, that might be even better)

I did not know about this. It immediately made me think of South Park.

beefsack 10y ago

If you haven't yet read The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, I'd do so when you've got the chance.

smhenderson 10y ago
“A towel, [The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy] says, is about the most massively useful thing an interstellar hitchhiker can have. Partly it has great practical value. You can wrap it around you for warmth as you bound across the cold moons of Jaglan Beta; you can lie on it on the brilliant marble-sanded beaches of Santraginus V, inhaling the heady sea vapors; you can sleep under it beneath the stars which shine so redly on the desert world of Kakrafoon; use it to sail a miniraft down the slow heavy River Moth; wet it for use in hand-to-hand-combat; wrap it round your head to ward off noxious fumes or avoid the gaze of the Ravenous Bugblatter Beast of Traal (such a mind-boggingly stupid animal, it assumes that if you can't see it, it can't see you); you can wave your towel in emergencies as a distress signal, and of course dry yourself off with it if it still seems to be clean enough.” ― Douglas Adams, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
- mattmanser 10y ago
  You can't omit the second paragraph when quoting that, it's the punchline: More importantly, 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.
  - smhenderson 10y ago
    Agreed, thanks for filling the gap. For what's worth I just copy/pasted from a HHG quote site... https://www.goodreads.com/work/quotes/3078186-the-hitchhiker-s-guide-to-the-galaxy https://www.goodreads.com/work/quotes/3078186-the-hitchhiker...
dspillett 10y ago
I usually recommend seeking out the original radio series first. That usually gets people hooked enough that they don't need encouraging to go find and digest most of the rest of they have time.
- cyberferret 10y ago
  Yes. I am glad I did it in (sort of) order. The radio series, then the books, then the TV series. Loved them all. Jury is still out on the movie - it was OK I guess, but I thought the portrayal of Marvin, Deep Thought, Magrathea etc. were closer to the books/radio and my imagination in the TV series rather than the movie
glaberficken 10y ago
I first listened to it as an audio-book (the version narrated by Stephen Fry) I highly recommend it, the narration is excellent. (note: I never listened to the original radio series, that might be even better)