42 - Whatever you want it to be

A take on my turning of age...

I remember leaving my teens
I remember turning 30
Turning 40 wasn't as big a deal. My hair is definitely getting lighter or shocks of grey.

But 42 ... that's something special.

Somehow, when I was young I was influenced / inspired by British humour. Python, Blackadder ... I would listen to radio shows at late night and (i remember recording them and I'm sure there are a couple where my dad coming in and telling me to turn off the radio and go to bed) from that they would also play The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. So I went and got all those books.

I dove in to the world of Douglas Adams. Amazing. Loved every last humours and science geeky bits. More than just 'sci fi'. It was awesome.

A moving moment in the books was that the computer, "Deep Thought" came up with the ultimate answer. 42.

Now, Adams, being asked why 42, he has said "just needed a number ... 42 will do".

But, a deeper theory says that Adams had a background in some computers, and in that day understanding of ASCII was very important - and in the ASCII table the 42nd character is *

In programming, the * is used as a 'wildcard'. Basically representing 'whatever it is that you want it to be'.

So, in essence, Deep Thought came up with the ultimate answer is 'whatever you want it to be'.

I like that. Did Adams unknowingly (i.e. was the Earth's computer matrix working with him unconsciously to use that), coincidentally come up with that, or is he just that fantastic.

I had originally stumbled across the ASCII first.  So I was a little let down when I found Douglas' own answer in an interview.  I still like to believe the first.

Anyways,... I'm 42.

Does that mean it's time for me to 'be whatever [I] want it to be'. We'll see.