And to this end, they built themselves a stupendous super computer which was so amazingly intelligent that even before the data banks had been connected up it had started from 'I think, therefore I am' and got as far as the existence of rice pudding and income tax before anyone managed to turn it off.
It said: "What is this great task for which I, Deep Thought, have been called into existence?"
"O Deep Thought Computer, the task we have designed you to perform is this...
We want you to tell us The Answer; to Life, The Universe & Everything!"
[.....7.5 billion years later]
"There really is one?"
"There really is one," confirmed Deep Thought,
"though I don't think... that you're going to like it."
HHGG