12 May 2010

DON'T PANIC

DON'T PANIC (always upper-case) is a phrase written on the cover of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. The novel explains that this was partly because the device "looked insanely complicated" to operate, not unlike our Blog and partly to keep intergalactic travellers from panicking.
It is said that despite its many glaring (and occasionally fatal) inaccuracies, just like our Blog, the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy itself has outsold the Encyclopedia Galactica because it is slightly cheaper, and because it has the words 'DON'T PANIC' in large, friendly letters on the cover.

Arthur C. Clarke said Douglas Adams' use of 'DON'T PANIC' was perhaps the best advice that could be given to humanity.