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submitted 1 week ago by xkcdbot@lemmy.world to c/xkcd@lemmy.world

xkcd #3184: Funny Numbers

Title text:

In 1899, people were walking around shouting '23' at each other and laughing, and confused reporters were writing articles trying to figure out what it meant.

Transcript:

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Source: https://xkcd.com/3184/

explainxkcd for #3184

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What did 23 mean? I thought the post was pointing out it meant nothing? 69 is a position, 420 smoke weed, boobs, 42 was a nonsense joke that meant nothing as well. They just defined it as the meaning of life for no reason from what I know.. so 23, and 67 seem about the same, running closely behind 42

[-] Thaurin@lemmy.world 6 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

42 is from The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams. They built an enormous computer called Deep Thought that was the most powerful ever built to calculate the answer to the Ultimate Question of Life, the Universe and Everything. The computer, after 75 million years of processing, came up with 42. The confused crowd that gathered to hear the answer did not understand. Turns out, 42 is the correct answer, but what is the question?

So after that, they decide to build another computer, which is planet Earth, to figure out the question.

[-] hoppolito@mander.xyz 1 points 1 week ago

Additionally, while technically imbued with 'meaning', even the number 420 itself is somewhat meaningless and was originally used to delineate those who knew from those who don't. It's just that it got famous enough that we now almost all know.

In that sense I would argue it filled more or less the same function as 67.

this post was submitted on 23 Dec 2025
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