The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy Quiz

Hardcore Guide fans celebrating the anniversary in London (picture from here)


Remember the flying lesson with the 'Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy' a few months ago? There is news about it: on 11 October, hundreds of people celebrated the 30th anniversary of the Guide in London. Look at the picture to see what they were carrying. And do you know why? No??? Go to the end of the post and do the quiz immediately and then get hold of the book as fast as you can. If you have heard about this book and the craze that it stirred up but you haven't actually read it you might wonder why it became so popular. The success of the series probably lies in the strange philosophy and in the abstract humour. It is quite irrational and bizarre. It is dark. At times, it is even cynical but just manages to stay away from pessimism. It's adventure. Fans of Monty Python are often fans of the Guide and vice versa.

The other great news is that Arthur Dent has returned! Although the author, Douglas Adams died in 2001, the literary agency that manages his estate proposed an Irish writer, Eoin Colfer (best known for the Artemis Fowl series), to continue the Guide. The proposal was accepted and now the sixth part of the Hitchhiker's Guide series, titled And Another Thing... , is out on the shelves of bookshops. It is probably a different thing, it may be quite different in fact, but who knows? It might as well be good so why not give it a try and read it? Before you run to the bookshop do this quiz below to freshen up your memory about the characters and the places. If you are a newbie to the Guide you might try it all the same. But whatever you do...Don't panic!

» Free Online Quizzes

Learning to fly with the Hitchhiker's Guide and with the Pythons

Well, looks like we are back to the flying topic again. In dreams, it is not such a big deal. You jump up a bit, stretch your "wings", flap around a bit and then off you go. Sometimes the air has a strange resistance or some wires stop you from getting any higher but usually it works. Reality (meaning when you are awake, or at least when you think you are) is different. Planes, balloons, birds, butterflies, insects and flying squirrels can all fly but humans can't. Or maybe they can too? Douglas Adams, author of the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy suggested a new technique. Let me quote him:

"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, [The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy] 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 the 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 the 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 prize 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."

Well, only try it at home at your own risk! I am not saying you are sure to succeed but who knows? You can read the whole extract about Adams' flying method here.

The next method is the Monty Python way of flying. Some people might say that it is cheating a bit. Nevertheless, I found it hilarious. From this video you will not only learn to fly but you will also be able to master how to pronounce the word "aeroplane" with style. Ok, ready? Well then...up on the table...arms out, fingers together, knees bent, head forward. Now, flap your arms. Go on, flap, flap...faster... faster...

A bit off-topic matter, but now you also know why you should never ever remove an infant's pacifier:-)

You can read the script of the sketch here.

You can find some exercises for the post here.