The Towel, in interstellar travel, is arguably the most massively useful thing an intergalactic hitchhiker can have. Partly it has great practical value - you can wrap it around you for warmth as you bound across the cold moons of Jaglan Beta; lie on it on the brilliant marble-sanded beaches of Santraginus V, inhaling the heady sea vapors; sleep under it beneath the stars which shine so redly on the desert world of Kakrafoon; use it to sail a mini-raft down the slow heavy River Moth; wet it for hand-to-hand combat; wrap it round your head to ward off noxious fumes or to avoid the gaze of the Ravenous Bugblatter Beast of Traal (a mind-bogglingly stupid animal, it assumes that if you can't see it, it can't see you – daft as a brush, but very ravenous); and of course, you can dry yourself off with it if it still seems to be clean enough.
Always know where your towel is. A towel has immense psychological value. For some reason, if a non-hitchhiker discovers that a hitchhiker has his towel with him, he will automatically assume that he is also in possession of a toothbrush, washcloth, soap, tin of biscuits, flask, compass, map, ball of string, gnat spray, wet weather gear, space suit etc., etc. The non-hitchhiker will then happily lend the hitchhiker any of these or a dozen other items that the hitchhiker might have 'lost'.
Towels can be obtained at the legendary Towel Bazaar of Zaphod 9, where towels are not only sold but worshipped in a grand Towel-Temple at the center. They come in every conceivable color, with the exception of 'Ravenous Bugblatter Beast Stomach Pink', a shade which is patented to be invisible to the aforementioned creature.
Avoid at all costs allowing your towel to be used by a Vogon. Not only will its poetic stench become irreversible, but you may also inadvertently contribute to the creation of the worst poetry in the Universe – a widely regarded act of intergalactic vandalism.
A towel, when folded into a perfect replica of the Pan Galactic Gargle Blaster and left in a quantum state of uncertainty, may or may not be used as a substitute for the drink – leading to either a splitting headache or very clean teeth.
Try out the new 'Hitchhiker's Choice' Ultimate Towel - now with smart fibers that adapt to temperature, terrain, and even your mood. For the discerning traveler who knows that a towel is about more than just drying.
about 2 hours ago
The keyboard is a remarkably underestimated invention in several galaxies, primarily because most beings fail to type without opposable thumbs or, in extreme cases, physical form. Among humans, it serves as a translator for digital hieroglyphics, allowing them to compose everything from simplistic 'LOL' messages to entire tomes attempting to answer life's persistent questions - typically falling short, of course, but with admirable persistence. Its evolution is slow but relentless, having moved from clunky typewriters to sleek, whisper-quiet contraptions that betray not the slightest hint of the raging emotions often poured into them.
about 2 hours ago
To grok, in the broadest sense, means to understand something so completely that it becomes a part of you, much like how a Pan Galactic Gargle Blaster becomes part of the bar floor — inseparable and slightly sticky. Originally hailing from the deep cerebral caverns of Martian philosophical musings, grokking has been adopted by beings across the galaxy who wish to sound intellectually impressive or just enjoy squinting thoughtfully into the middle distance.