Today, May 25, as anyone with any decency, self-respect, and common sense knows, is Towel Day.

Towel Day celebrates the beloved British author Douglas Adams, author of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, its attendant volumes, and the Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency books. In the Hitchhiker's books, the towel has a place of pride as a tool both practical and psychological, a baby blanket for the Universe.

On the news of Adams' death, in May of 2001, Clyde Williamson left a message on the Binary Freedom forum:

"Douglas Adams will be missed by his fans worldwide. So that all his fans everywhere can pay tribute to this genius, I propose that two weeks after his passing (25 May 2001) be marked as 'Towel Day.' All Douglas Adams fans are encouraged to carry a towel with them for the day."

Adams is arguably one of the founding fathers of geekdom. Not simply because of his books, which unite an obvious love of science with a virtuoso sense of the absurdity of life. He also acted as a script doctor on uber-nerd scifi show Doctor Who and was instrumental in the development of the Hitchhiker's video game. He wrote with Monty Python's Graham Chapman, even appearing in sketches in episodes 42 and 44. He was an Apple fanboy long before the term gained currency. He was also an environmentalist and animal lover.

Ten years after Williamson conceived it, the holiday is celebrated in at least 30 - and possibly as many as 42 - countries worldwide, including Namibia, Finland, and Indonesia.

So, cavort, my hoopy froods! Gambol, imbibe, declaim! But whatever you do, DON'T PANIC.