What makes the number 42 so special and unusual?

Have you ever thought about the meaning of life, the universe, and everything? So have we! That is why this week of the year (this week is very special since it is the forty-second week of the year), we decided to explain the real meaning of our name and the reason why 42 is a part of it.  

Every person, at least once in their lifetime, has thought about the deeper meaning of existence, the secrets of the world and the universe. It is in our nature to wonder, imagine and think about things that have mystical and mysterious connotations.

Douglas Noel Adams, an English author, screenwriter, and computer nerd, who wrote the famous The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, said that the number 42 was the answer to the meaning of life, the universe, and everything. He meant it as a joke at first, but a new book demonstrates how the number 42 has played a significant role in history.

The book revolves around a super-intelligent race of beings that builds a computer, called Deep Thought, to get an answer to the universe’s ultimate question: “What is the meaning of life, the universe, and everything?”, and in response to this question Deep Thought gives a very simple and unexpected answer: “42”.

Deep Thought answers in the only language it knows (the primary programming language at the time was ASCII), it says “42” giving life an equivalent meaning to that of a variable or wildcard. In essence, Deep Thought is saying that the meaning of life is whatever you want it to be.

42 = life is anything you want it to be

There are several interesting theories and stories about the number 42. Some of them are strange, and some very compelling. Over the years, 42 has continued to appear in history, math, science, and pop culture, which made everyone wonder: Could it be the ultimate answer to everything?

Author Lewis Carroll (who was also a mathematician) also had a fascination with this particular number. It is referenced a couple of times in his well-known book Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. A couple of popular TV shows such as Lost, Doctor Who, and Supernatural all showcase the number subtly, but never leave a strong message behind it.

 In the tech world, specifically the American Standard Code for Information Interchange (ASCII), 42 is the code for the asterisk symbol, which signifies a wildcard character on the keyboard.

One of the most bizarre and intriguing conformations of the statement is this: Donated blood lasts only 42 days!

To DIBS42, the number 42 symbolizes the answer to all your BIM questions.