barth@tellab1.UUCP (Barth Richards) (09/10/85)
Charlie, the mice had nothing to do with the reconstruction of the Earth.
Remember, Frankie mouse and Benjie mouse (the only surviving mice from the
Earth project) invented the ultimate question "How many roads must a man walk
down?" in order to have enough material for when they did their tour
of the 5D tv chat-show and lecture circuit. So, having come up with "an
ultimate question that sounds good," they abandonded the Earth project and
cancelled their contract with the Magretheans for the construction of the
Earth Mark II.
It was the dolphins who had the Earth reconstructed from the Magrethean's
original blueprint (see SO LONG AND THANKS FOR ALL THE FISH, chapter 32).
"Maybe I was a bit too subtle (about the reconstruction of the Earth and who
paid for it.)" (Douglas Adams talking about SO LONG AND THANKS FOR ALL THE FISH
on "Extension 720" radio talk show, WGN, Chicago.) Indeed he was; it may take
two (or even three) rereadings of the chapter to get it.
Barth Richards
Tellabs, Inc.
Lisle, IL
p.s. to James Armstrong/Nyssa of Traken:
Not many of us on the net have a copy of Dr. Dan Streetmentioner's TIME
TRAVELER'S HANDBOOK OF 1001 TENSE FORMATIONS. When I try to order it at my
local bookstore, the sales clerk acts as if she has no choice whatsoever but
to thrash at me about the face and neck with a hard cover edition of ROGET'S
THEASAURUS and a gift edition of FIFTY-THREE MORE THINGS TO DO IN ZERO GRAVITY.
So, in deference to those among us who are without Dr. Streetmentioner's tome,
please refrain from using grammatical constructions of a temporally convoluted
nature (e.g. wioll taken place). Thanks.
"Why not have a seance? Why not go mad?"
-Ford Prefect
"6 x 9 = 42"
-The Earth
"Ford, do you know that robot can hum
like Pink Floyd?"
-Arthur Dent