h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

In the spirit of Dirk Gently A45377553 and "his tendency to navigate by following any convenient vehicle that looks like it knows where its going, trusting that, while he probably won't get where he's going, he is likely to end up where he needs to be" let's see how far into the Edited Guide we can get by following the links to other Entries

I used the Infinite Improbability Drive and aptly found A86808540 UK National Cycle Route 23: Part 5 - Alresford to Basingstoke, Hampshire

From there I went to A61403690 UK Roundabouts: A Cyclist's Guide

Your turn - starting from A61403690 where do you want to go next?

From the roundabouts, I followed the light to A686784 "Bicycle lights", pushing through to A12737649 "The shoulder" and grinding to a halt at A94417 "cricket, an apology".

(but how do I get the entry numbers to turn blue?)

A944417

And they do turn blue, just not in preview

Excellent Zen Navigation there

From A94417 I went to A629219 How the Ashes got its name, which led to Queen Victoria - Mrs Melbourne A13915613

Then a strange twist to the "Blood, Bandages and Barber Poles - the History of Barbers" entry in A896664 (The trepanning entry didn't have any follow up links, so I reverted back to Queen Victoria)

Let us now go to France A297083.

Did I tell that I started watching Dirk Gently on Netflix the same day this thread started? ) Talking about interconnectedness of all things. (I own a Dirk Gently omnibus on paper for ages)

And from France we go to the low number A4960 Alcohol (I would have expected that in the low ten number entries)See if someone else can pick something of his/her/its liking there as a follow up.

That is very interconnected that you just happened to start watching the Netflix series on the day I just happened to start this thread

Are you enjoying the Netflix series? The paper version is excellent and I really enjoyed the 3 part series on the BBC, too

More excellent zen navigation there The Alcohol Entry is very comprehensive

I enjoyed Mead when I went to a re-enactment of a Tudor Banquet a few years ago, so from Alcohol I shall go to Honey A36869485

I like the Netflix series. Finally an Elijah Wood that doesn't immediatly radiate "Frodo"

The Honey brought me to an unexpected "Singing Saturn's Hexagonal Mystery" A31367946. Who would have thought...

"Finally an Elijah Wood that doesn't immediatly radiate "Frodo""

Ah

That is the very essence of zen navigation to get from honey to Saturn in one step

I go from Saturn to A2451430 The Wonder of the Human Ear

An thus we get to "Heavy metal" A353134.

Ever heard about the theory that within (I think) seven handshakes you are (statistically) connected to anyone else in the world? (except for some undiscovered people hiding under rocks in the jungle. There's always someone who wants to spoil the game...)
For me this seems valid, when I think about it. My boss' boss was on golfing terms with at least one (former) President of the USA (three steps), who will probably be one of the world biggest handshakers with a huge international network.

Someone on Twitter in France mentioned Dirk Gently on Netflix yesterday, so the interconnectedness continues

I'd not heard that theory of handshakes before, but it does make sense that it creates a large network like the A640171 Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon I once shook the hand of a Member of Parliament who had shaken hands with the then-Prime Minister, who had shaken the hand of a President of the USA!

Heavy Metal takes me to A378137 Pink Floyd, which of course goes to The Dark Side of the Moon A2848386 before heading towards Money and the Power of Belief A827381

So that makes five or six steps between us. (depending on whether we had direct or inter-presidential shaking).

As for the zen, the choice of Sir Terry Pratchett A4643895 is a no-brainer for me. My bookcases contain 30+ works of this fantastic author. These certainly have a significant influence in my approach and understanding of the English language and its nuances.

We drive on in the direction of the A476723, How a Nuclear Plant Works, obtain critical mass A180875 and end up in A126424 traffic jams, which turn out to be a dead end without links (how appropriate). So we get the conversation in reverse all the way back to Sir Terry and take the bypass to some Handy Latin Phrases at A218882.

Yes, that is impressive that there are only five or six handshakes between us

Good choice of Terry Pratchett I can't say I managed to get into his work, strangely enough, but I do like that sort of style - I prefer the works of Robert Rankin.

You've dome more excellent Zen Navigation there

From Handy Latin Phrases, I go to A30777799 Spaghetti Westerns - The 'Dollars' Trilogy and encounter Ennio Morricone - Film Composer A596559

I intended to follow the coyotes, but thought better of it and went for Jerry Goldsmith - Film Composer A610787. There we turn left for some Klingon Weapons, Honour, Pain and Sex A56209287. That should give sufficient leads for the follow up journey.

One of the good things of Pratchett's work is that you can keep rereading it and find new layers every time.

The Klingons resulted in A26560424 How to Extract Your Own DNA

Ah, that does sound good about Terry Pratchett - like Douglas Adams, too, that rereading enables you to see new details I'm in the middle of reading a Tom Holt book as it happens, but I'm very tempted to choose a Terry Pratchett next - Guards Guards has been recommended to me

The DNA unravels into Carbon and its Inorganic Compounds A6359060.

Regarding the Discworld novels, there are several returning main themes. Guards Guards! is the first of the watch novels.

For a (sort of) comprehensive summary, it is best to google for images on "discworld reading order guide". The flowcharts show which novels belong to which series and in which order. The alternative is to read everything chronologically, so that you don't miss inter-series connecting information.

My personal favourite is "Thief of time".

Your choice of series may depend on whether you like high magic / low magic / CSI / folklore most

Ah, that's really helpful information about Terry Pratchett's work

Linking to the Hitchhiker's Guide, Carbon leads to Molybdenum - Element Number 42 A73091216

The attempt to speed things up with jet engines A593174 probably lacked Zen , because no further linking possibilities were found, so going for Gold A3327103 instead. There is a world of possibilities there...

Yes indeed - I'll choose to go into Egypt and find A28808571 Tutankhamun's Borrowed Tomb and Recycled Treasure