Radio telescope image of the universe.

A few days ago, I took my new Nikon D 3000 digital camera into National Camera Exchange on Hennepin Avenue, where I had bought it, to get instructions from their expert staff on a particular function of my camera. The two women behind the counter, very adept in their knowledge while apparently very early in their photographic lives, quickly answered my question, then one of them asked me, “Do you have any more questions?”

“Not about the existence of God,” I replied.

One of them quickly replied, “Anything you need to know about that can be found in the ‘Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy.” She was referring to the comic science fiction series, written by Douglas Adams, which has become popular among sci-fi and computer enthusiasts. In the book is this passage:

‘I refuse to prove that I exist,’ says God, ‘for proof denies faith, and without faith I am nothing.’

I had read that Douglas Adams book many years ago at the prompting of my daughter Carla during her high school years, but what I remembered most was the all-significant question in this quixotic and humorous science-fiction book – “What is the meaning of life, the universe, and everything?” Then I tried to remember the nonsensical answer, which I thought was “54,” but wasn’t sure.

When I got back to my computer, I googled “What is the meaning of life, the universe, and everything?” The Google Search quickly gave me my answer at the very top of the page, heading the numerous entries:
the answer to life the universe and everything = 42

More about calculator. So I had it all wrong. Thank god for Google.