Stelv wrote:

The joke is they invented a computer to figure out the answer to the universe.  It computed for 200 years and finally announced the answser.  It was 42.  The protagonist asked, "Are you sure?  That doesn't seem like much of an answer." The computer said of course I'm sure but I could recheck.  The protragonist asked, how long will that take?  The computer answered 200 years.  It was funny in the book, honest.

The story gets even better in the efforts to answer /what/ was computed... Then throw in a little rogue DNA and...!

Compulsive reading for those of the right mindset.

Have fun,
Martin