STATISTICS: THE UNIVERSE
From the works of Douglas Adams
- Area: Infinite.
Definition of infinite: bigger than the biggest thing ever
and then some, much bigger than that, in fact really amazingly immense,
a totally stunning size, real "Wow, thats big!" time.
Infinity is just so big that by comparison, bigness itself looks
really titchy. Gigantic multiplied by colossal multiplied by
staggeringly huge is the sort of concept we are trying to get across
here.
- Imports: None.
It is impossible to import things into an infinite area, there being
no outside to import things from.
- Exports: None.
See imports.
- Population: None.
It is known that there is an infinite number of worlds, simply because there
is an infinite amount of space for them to be in. However, not every one of
them is inhabited. Therefore, there must be a finite number of inhabited
worlds. Any finite number divided by infinity is as near to nothing as makes
no odds, so the average population of all the planets in the universe can
be said to be ZERO.
From this it follows that the population of the universe is also zero,
and that any people you may meet from time to time (or RealHHG Web
Sites, come to that) are merely the product of a deranged imagination.
- Monetary units: None.
In fact there are three freely convertible currencies in the universe,
but none of them count:
- THE ALTAIRIAN DOLLAR has
recently collapsed,
- THE FLAINIAN POBBLE BEAD
is only exchangeable for other Flainian Pobble Beads, and
- THE TRIGANIC PU has its own very
special problems. Its exchange rate of eight Ningis to one Pu is simple
enough, but since a Ningi is a triangular rubber coin six thousand eight
hundred miles along each side, no one has ever collected enough to own
one Pu. Ningis are not negotiable currency because the galactibanks
refuse to handle fiddling small change. From this basic premise it is very
simple to prove that the galactibanks are also the product of a deranged
imagination.
See also The History of Money
- Art: None.
The function of art is to hold a mirror up to nature, and there simply
isn't a mirror big enough.
- Sex: None.
Well, in fact there is an awful lot of this, largely because of the total lack
of MONEY, TRADE, BANKS, ART, or anything else to keep all the non-existent people
of the universe occupied. However it is not worth embarking on a long discussion
of it now because it really is terribly complicated, for further imformation see
most of the rest of the Guide.
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