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:''"Spurn" can have other meanings, see the [[wikt:spurn|Wiktionary entry]].''
{{HHGTTGproject}}
[[Image:Spurn_point_with_lighthouse.kirin.jpeg|thumb|right|A photograph of Spurn in May, showing the lighthouse and sand-dunes.]]
==Google Calculator==
'''Spurn''' is a narrow sand [[spit (landform)|spit]] on the tip of the coast of [[Yorkshire]], [[England]] that reaches into the [[North Sea]] and forms the north bank of the mouth of the [[Humber]] estuary. It is over 3 miles (5 km) long, almost half of the width of the estuary at that point, and as little as 50 yards (45 metres) wide in places. The southernmost tip is known as '''Spurn Head''' or '''Spurn Point''' and is the home to an [[RNLI]] lifeboat station and disused lighthouse. It forms part of the [[civil parish]] of [[Easington, East Riding of Yorkshire|Easington]], [[East Riding of Yorkshire]].
: Google's calculator feature displays the number 42 when asked, "What is the answer to life, the universe, and everything?" [1] (only works with all lower-case letters). '''MSN's calculator does the same thing.'''
Spurn, owned since 1960 by the [[Yorkshire Wildlife Trust]] and covering 113 [[hectare]]s (1.13 km²) above high water and 181 hectares (1.81 km²) of foreshore. It is a designated [[National Nature Reserve]], [[Heritage Coast]] and is part of the Humber Flats, Marshes and Coast [[Special Protection Area]].
I'm wondering about MSN's calculator, because:
# I can't find the calculator
# I can't believe Microsoft would have such a cool easter egg
# Since I can't find the calculator, I can't test it
# I did test search.msn.com, which returns an answer for simple questions like 9 * 6, but not 'Life, the Universe, and Everything'.
That's why I'm going to remove the MSN refernce in a couple of weeks.
==Wildlife==
Joost, [[User:213.93.227.195|213.93.227.195]] 15:17, 15 August 2005 (UTC)
The mud flats are an important feeding ground for [[wader|wading birds]], and the area has a [[bird observatory]], for monitoring [[bird migration|migrating]] [[bird]]s and providing accommodation to visiting birdwatchers. Their migration is assisted by east winds in autumn, resulting in [[drift migration]] of [[Scandinavia]]n migrants, sometimes leading to a spectacular "fall" of thousands of birds. Many uncommon species have been sighted there, including a [[Cliff Swallow]] from North America, a [[Lanceolated Warbler]] from Siberia and a [[Black-browed Albatross]] from the Southern Ocean. More commonly, birds such as [[Wheatear]]s, [[Whinchat]]s, [[Common Redstart]]s and [[Old World flycatcher|flycatcher]]s alight at Spurn on their way between breeding and wintering grounds elsewhere. When the wind is in the right direction migrants are funnelled down Spurn Point and are counted at the Narrows Watchpoint, more than 15000 birds can fly past on a good morning in autumn with 3000 quite normal.Spurn point is one of the spcialist places that was ever made
[[Image:Spurn_point_lighthouse.jpg|thumb|left|Spurn Point Lighthouse in the distance]]
==Geography==
:Interestingly, if you type "What is the answer to life, the universe, and everything?" WITH quotation marks in MSN search, a Douglas Adams audiobook link is the first sponsored link, and the link back to Google is the first search result! MSN doesn't do anything like "the answer to life, the universe, and everything = 42" as Google does, though. --[[User:JohnDBuell|JohnDBuell]] | [[User talk:JohnDBuell|Talk]] 15:28, 15 August 2005 (UTC)
The peninsula is made up from sand and shingle eroded from the [[Holderness]] coastline washed down the coastline from [[Flamborough Head]]. Material is washed down the coast by [[longshore drift]] and accumulates to form the long, narrow embankment in the sheltered waters inside the mouth of the Humber estuary. It is maintained by plants, especially [[Marram grass]] (''Ammophila arenaria''). Waves carry material along the peninsula to the tip, continually extending it; as this action stretches the peninsula it also narrows it to the extent that the sea can cut across it in severe weather. When the sea cuts across it permanently, everything beyond the breach is swept away, only to eventually reform as a new spit pointing further south. This cycle of destruction and reconstruction occurs approximately every 250 years.
The second of the ''Six Studies in English Folk Song for Cello'' composed in 1926 by [[Ralph Vaughan Williams]], the ''Andante sostenuto'' in E flat "Spurn Point" celebrates this peninsula.
The drinksmaker recipe could go to [[Pan Galactic Gargle Blaster]] page... --Kakurady 11:06, 29 August 2005 (UTC)
It was featured on the television programme ''[[Seven Natural Wonders]]'' as one of the wonders of Yorkshire.
:I'll have to remember that when I'm not at work, the site is blocked at work. ;) --[[User:JohnDBuell|JohnDBuell]] | [[User talk:JohnDBuell|Talk]] 18:44, 29 August 2005 (UTC)
== Pan Galactic Pizza Port ==
== History ==
I've been on a tour in Japan, and there's a pizza restaurant in [[Tomorrowland]] in [[Tokyo Disneyland]] called '''Pan Galactic Pizza Port''', which seems to be a reference to [[Pan Galactic Gargle Blaster]]. But I don't know where this infomation can fit. --Kakurady 10:20, 25 August 2005 (UTC)
The [[lifeboat]] station at Spurn Head was built in 1810. Due to the remote ___location, houses for the lifeboat crew and their families were added a few years later. The station is now the only one in the UK which has full-time paid staff.
In [[World War I]] two [[coastal artillery]] 9.2" [[Artillery battery|batteries]] were added at either end of Spurn Head, with 4" and 4.7" QF guns in between. The emplacements can be clearly seen, and the northern ones are particularly interesting as coastal erosion has partly toppled them onto the beach, revealing the size of the concrete foundations very well. The Information Centre has a leaflet describing the defences.
:I'd say under "Phrases," since the original was the name of a drink. --[[User:JohnDBuell|JohnDBuell]] | [[User talk:JohnDBuell|Talk]] 11:11, 25 August 2005 (UTC)
{{commonscat|Spurn}}
==External links==
* [http://www.britainexpress.com/countryside/coast/spurn.htm Spurn Head Heritage Coast]
* [http://www.fortunecity.com/greenfield/ecolodge/25/spurn.htm Spurn Point- A cyclic coastal landform], showing an excellent aerial photograph
* http://www.eastcoastline.co.uk/
* http://www.spurnpoint.com/
* [http://www.spurnbirdobservatory.co.uk/ Spurn Bird Observatory]
<!--Categories-->
[[Category:National Nature Reserves in England]]
== References in computer games ==
[[Category:Special Protection Areas in England]]
[[Category:Peninsulas of England]]
In the computer rpg/adventure game Quest for Glory: Dragonfire, at the beginning of your quest
[[Category:Holderness]]
you are asked "What is the answer to life, the universe, and everything?" You can get the
answer by trial and error, but if you've read the books, of course, you already know. And of
course, 42 is one of the answers you can choose from (multiple choice).
--[[User:Otaku83|Otaku83]] 12:17, 31 August 2005
In the old computer game Zak MacKracken and the Alien Mindbenders (LucasArts, 1988), one of the characters in the game asks you what a Pan-Galactic Gargle Blaster is. You are given four choices, and of course the right answer is "a drink".
--[[User:Otaku83|Otaku83]] 12:19, 31 August 2005
:If anyone else still has a copy of either of these games (!) and if either or both statements can be verified, these can/should be entered onto the main page in the appropriate category. --[[User:JohnDBuell|JohnDBuell]] | [[User talk:JohnDBuell|Talk]] 11:34, 31 August 2005 (UTC)
In [[Zork Zero]], sometimes the jester says for no apparent reason at all "So long, and thanks for all the fish". Ironic, because Douglas wrote HHGTTG (the IF game) in collaboration with Infocom, and Steve Mertzky was the implementor for HHGTTG. Doubly ironic, because Steve implemented Zork Zero. --[[User:70.93.58.57|70.93.58.57]] 22:42, 8 October 2005 (UTC)
:I wouldn't call that ironic. Steve reused the 'footnote' command from the H2G2 game in Stationfall and made no apologies for it. --[[User:JohnDBuell|JohnDBuell]] | [[User talk:JohnDBuell|Talk]] 01:52, 9 October 2005 (UTC)
Please cite a source the Maud reference before adding again.
:Referenced. Not that it was hard to find if you looked up Oolon Colluphid right here on Wikipedia. :P --[[User:JohnDBuell|JohnDBuell]] 17:26, 16 December 2005 (UTC)
::Sorry for lack of clarity, but I meant that you need a citation to prove your claim, not to clarify the idea. Just because the two quotes rhyme and have words in common does not mean that the Nethack quote was inspired by the HHGTTG quote. Please find some evidence that they are connected and cite it on the page before adding again.{{unsigned|68.183.21.91|17:00, 20 December 2005}}
==Page rename==
For clarity, I suggest moving the page to [[Cultural references to The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy]]. --[[User:Kwekubo|Kwekubo]] 00:56, 8 September 2005 (UTC)
==Wikipedia references==
Can I start linking other, seemingly unrelated Wikipedia pages that quote H2G2? [[WP:3RR]] is a good candidate: "...will be sent in, sent back, queried, lost, found, subjected to public inquiry, lost again, and finally buried in soft peat for three months and recycled as firelighters." --[[User:JohnDBuell|JohnDBuell]] 13:16, 5 December 2005 (UTC)
:[[WP:AUTO]] has another good example. ;) --[[User:JohnDBuell|JohnDBuell]] 23:32, 13 December 2005 (UTC)
::I'm afraid that would run afoul of the guideline to [[Wikipedia:Avoid self-references|avoid self-references]]. - [[User:EurekaLott|EurekaLott]] 00:38, 14 December 2005 (UTC)
:::Awwww. I had a feeling someone would say that, but it does illustrate the influence that the various series has had on pop culture, even Wikipedia's culture. :) --[[User:JohnDBuell|JohnDBuell]] 00:42, 14 December 2005 (UTC)
==Deep Thought parody==
An anon editor posted something on [[The Answer to Life, the Universe, and Everything]] which, if true, would best be suited here. Allegedly the "Clock Crew" (a group of Flash animators - [http://www.newgrounds.com/collections/clockcrew.html see website]) has one flash animation that parodies the entire Deep Thought story, computing for 7.5 million years and coming up with an answer of "B" - if anyone can verify this down to which exact cartoon of theirs this describes, feel free to add it to the main page. --[[User:JohnDBuell|JohnDBuell]]
== This is good. ==
We are told in the article that Wikipedia has been compared to the Guide (the object in the story, not the story itself CMIIW). I personally feel this is a high compliment to Wikipedia. <small>—This [[Wikipedia:Sign your posts on talk pages|unsigned]] comment was added by [[User:Phase Theory|Phase Theory]] ([[User talk:Phase Theory|talk]] • [[Special:Contributions/Phase Theory|contribs]]) {{{2|}}}.</small><!-- [Template:Unsigned] -->
:Wait a minute... does this mean it "contains many passages that simply seemed to his editors like a good idea at the time", or that it "will employ anybody who is willing to walk in off the street and get ripped off"? Surely Wikipedia isn't as immoral or corrupt as the ''Guide''. [[User:Phase Theory|CMIIW]] 21:04, 17 April 2006 (UTC)
::Well, it does contain much that is apocryphal (or at least wildly inaccurate) --[[User:86.144.60.46|86.144.60.46]] 17:07, 25 May 2006 (UTC)
:::NO it doesn't - what do you think Notability and Verifiability are for? If something is apocryphal (or wildly inaccurate) it tends to get removed very quickly by the RC people et al. However, Wikipedia could use a statement on the front page of "''Wikipedia'' is definitive. Reality is frequently inaccurate." [[User:Phase Theory|CMIIW]] 21:46, 31 May 2006 (UTC)
== Valid reference? ==
"On the television show South Park, the character Towelie often says, "Don't forget to bring a towel," which is similar to the Guide's hitchhiking advice." Is this really a valid reference? He's a towel, I don't see it being a HGTTG reference for telling people to bring a towel. Have the creators made any remarks confirming this is an actual reference and not say, common sense for the character.
--[[User:Crossmr|Crossmr]] 18:50, 3 May 2006 (UTC)
== Boy meets World references ==
Are we sure that 42 was selected because of the Hitchhiker's reference, and it's not just a coincidence? --[[User:JohnDBuell|JohnDBuell]] 17:08, 21 June 2006 (UTC)
:unless some evidence is actually provided for that I'm going to remove them.--[[User:Crossmr|Crossmr]] 15:09, 15 August 2006 (UTC)
== Lord of the Rings reference ==
I am reasonably sure that the count of 42 slain orcs comes from the original book which was written long before HGTTG.
:Good, I'm glad I'm not the only one who's doubted this. It's been claimed that the slayings were either 41 or 43 originally and changed to 42 by Peter Jackson for the movie.... --[[User:JohnDBuell|JohnDBuell]] 02:18, 13 July 2006 (UTC)
:: Here's the quote from the book (NOT the movie)
'Forty-two, Master Legolas!' he cried. 'Alas! My axe is notched: the forty-second had an iron
collar on his neck. How is it with you?'
'You have passed my score by one,' answered Legolas. 'But I do not grudge you the game, so glad
am I to see you on your legs!'
:: --[[User:Haxflo|Haxflo]] 04:06, 23 July 2006 (UTC)
:::Thanks for that. Now we'll be sure to leave LOTR references off of this page, as it predates ''Hitchhiker's'' by years. --[[User:JohnDBuell|JohnDBuell]] 13:57, 23 July 2006 (UTC)
== Monty Python ==
'Douglas Adams in his first Monty Python appearance, in full surgeon's garb in episode 42.'
Would that be merely coincidence, or worth adding? [[User:Lovok|Lovok]] 16:09, 17 July 2006 (UTC)
:Utter coincidence. The appearance predates '42' in ''Hitchhiker's'' by about four years. --[[User:JohnDBuell|JohnDBuell]] 20:46, 17 July 2006 (UTC)
::Maybe it's the other way around? Maybe Adams chose 42 because of this?? --[[User:evil_oatmeal|evil_oatmeal]]
:::No, there's a radio interview that said it had to do with a film John Cleese made for his Video Arts company. No direct Python connection. --[[User:JohnDBuell|JohnDBuell]] 15:16, 28 July 2006 (UTC)
== References ==
Any references which appear to be nothing more than a coincidence will be removed. We don't need to keep a running commentary on everytime someone uses the number 42 if there is no evidence that it was actually a reference to HGTTG.--[[User:Crossmr|Crossmr]] 15:16, 15 August 2006 (UTC)
== Lost ==
Why shouldn't the fact that 42 is one of the numbers in [[Lost|Lost (tv)]] (4 8 15 16 23 42) be added? [[User:67.188.180.58|67.188.180.58]] 04:07, 20 October 2006 (UTC)
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