21 Questions

I will confess that I am not a rap fan, but I do like "21 Questions" by 50 Cent. "21 Questions" is a song in the form of questions posed by a tough but insecure young man to the girl of his dreams. Some of the questions are downright sweet: "Do you trust me enough to tell me your dreams?" Others reflect the harsh urban reality that is 50 Cent's milieu: "If I ain't rap 'cause I flipped burgers at Burger King would you be ashamed to tell your friends you feelin' me?"

All of the 21 questions, whether sweet or plaintive or gritty or even risqué, reflect a heartfelt yearning for reassurance by a lovesick young man who yearns to know that his love is reciprocated. It is the merging of all these styles of questions into a fully integrated whole that makes this song so lyrically brilliant, in my opinion.

"21 Questions" was released in 2003, so I'm sure most of you are probably already familiar with it. But if, like me, you are behind the times with respect to rap music, I urge you to give "21 Questions" a listen. It is an unusual love song that I think you will find beautiful and moving.

November 5, 2008

WikiTrivia Is Here!

We promised it a while ago, and now we have it. It's WikiTrivia, YOUR online trivia repository.

Share your trivial knowledge with the entire Number 1 in 21 community. Just login with your username and password (you get these after you play the Number 1 in 21 trivia competition) and you're ready to contribute to WikiTrivia.

The format of your trivia contribution is up to you. Remember, it's your trivia forum. You can enter some trivia into one of the existing categories, or, if you would like to start a new category, just contact us and we'll be happy to start it for you. You can enter a question and answer, a single sentence, or a whole essay about your trivial fact and how it came to your attention. Number 1 in 21 gives you complete freedom to design your trivia the way you want to.

I'm looking forward to seeing what comes in. I bet it will be interesting.

September 18, 2008

Six Categories of Trivia

As you probably notice by now, we have expanded the website and doubled the number of trivia categories from three to six. September's trivia competitions are in Soccer, Movies, Baseball, Cricket, Entertainment, and Bollywood. With twice as many categories, there is twice as much chance that you'll find one that you are interested in and knowledgeable about. In other words, twice as much chance to have fun and win prizes with Number 1 in 21 trivia. So good luck and have fun!

September 4, 2008

21 Strikeouts

On September 12, 1962, Washington Senators right-hander Tom Cheney struck out 21 batters in a 16-inning 2-1 victory over the Baltimore Orioles. Cheney's Major League Baseball record of most strikeouts in a game has never been equaled.

What makes Tom Cheney's feat so extraordinary is — paradoxically — the fact that he was so ordinary. If the single-game strikeout record had been set by Sandy Koufax or Nolan Ryan, you would say: "Well, of course. He's a superstar." But Tom Cheney? Who the heck is Tom Cheney?

Tom Cheney (1934–2001) pitched 8 seasons of major league baseball for the St. Louis Cardinals, the Pittsburgh Pirates, and the Washington Senators. He finished his career with a decidedly unspectacular record of 19 wins and 29 losses. Not exactly Hall of Fame material. But on that one September day, Tom Cheney taught us that even an ordinary man can accomplish extraordinary things.

That's why the story of Tom Cheney's 21 strikeouts thrills me so much. I know I'm not a superstar. I know I'll never be elected to any Hall of Fame. But maybe one day — if the stars are properly aligned and I eat a good breakfast — I will do one special thing that is so spectacular it will amaze the world. Tom Cheney showed me that it's possible.

August 28, 2008

Doing Something About Gas Prices

Everybody's complaining about the high price of gas these days, and the politicians are giving the usual speeches about feeling our pain, but the only ones who are actually doing something about the situation are my good friends over at Wild Jack. What they are doing is not making gas a little bit cheaper, they are making it free. That's right, they're giving away free gas for a month to five lucky people. Not only are they giving away some free gas to lucky winners, but they are also promoting ways to save gas too. It is amazing how many little things you can too that make a big difference to your gas bill. With just a bit of knowledge and some effort you can actually use less gas and save money. Now is the time to head over to the Wild Jack website to check out the details and to register for the free gas giveaway. Happy driving on your free gas!

August 19, 2008

The August Competition Has Begun

The August Number 1 in 21 Trivia Competition has begun, with three new categories to compete in.

First, of course, the Olympics. Once every four years, the whole world comes together to marvel at the amazing performances of the world's finest athletes. The Beijing Olympics open on August 8, but our Olympic trivia competition is already in progress. Join the celebration and test your Olympic trivia knowledge.

We also have Cricket trivia. Cricket is one of those funny games. Half of the world seems to be cricket fanatics - they really really love their cricket. The rest of the world doesn't understand it and couldn't care less. If you are in the first category, this is the trivia competition for you.

Finally, there is Entertainment. Everybody likes to be entertained. If you love movies and television, you'll love Entertainment trivia.

And don't forget, we make it easy for you. In all three trivia competitions, you are free to search for the correct answer in Google or any other search engine. The grand prize is $2,100, plus a $500 referral prize to the person who refers the grand-prize winner, plus free iPods to the three players who refer the most friends.

Good luck to everyone, and have fun playing the August Number 1 in 21 trivia competition.

August 6, 2008

Debajit Got His Money

I am pleased to let you know that Debajit B. stepped forward and claimed his $2,000 referral prize. Debajit tells me that he intends to donate a portion of his winnings to charity. I honor and respect that. Way to go, Debajit.

Our New Look

I reckon a lot of you have noticed the new look of our website. It features brighter colors and a sleeker design. I might be biased, but I think it looks good.

You might have also noticed the new format of the trivia competition. It's no longer all 21, all the time. Now we're mixing 21 trivia with other trivia categories. For July, it's fashion and sports. For August — well, I don't want to spoil the surprise. But here's a hint: the Beijing Olympics start on August 8.

Wiki Pages Are Coming Soon

Here's another exciting change that's coming soon to Number 1 in 21: Wiki pages. That means that you, the readers, will have a chance to post articles about the topics that interest you. It will make the site more interactive, more vibrant, and more interesting. I'm really looking forward to it, and I hope you'll all participate.

July 28, 2008

"Why Not Catch-21?"

Why not, indeed? Seeing as how 21 is my favorite number, and "Catch-22" is my favorite book, wouldn't it have been great if they could have gotten together and created "Catch-21"? But, alas, it was not to be.

"Why Not Catch-21?" is the title of a book about book titles by Gary Dexter. To tell you the truth, it's something I had never really thought about before. I read a book, I either like it or dislike it, but I never think about how the author chose the particular title for his book. But now, after reading Gary Dexter's book, I'm sure it is something I will think about.

The book comprises 50 chapters, each one discussing one famous book and how it got its title. It starts with Plato's "Republic," which was not about a republic but about a dictatorship of the philosophers, and works its way up to such modern classics as "A Clockwork Orange," a disturbing book with an intriguing story behind its bizarre title.

Now back to our title question. It seems that Joseph Heller's comic masterpiece was originally titled Catch-18, and evolved through Catch-11 and Catch-14 before Heller and his publisher finally settled on Catch-22. In Gary Dexter's opinion (and I have to agree) it was a brilliant choice. One of the themes running through Heller's book is repetition: events occur twice, things are said twice, there is a soldier who saw everything twice. The digit 2 signifies repetition, and a repeated 2 (22) strengthens the association. I have to admit, I have read "Catch-22" several times (it really is my favorite book), and I had never thought about that.

Anyway, now that it's summer and you might have some time for leisure reading, I have two great books to recommend to you. First read "Catch-22" by Joseph Heller, then read "Why Not Catch-21?" by Gary Dexter. I guarantee that you'll love them both.

Bastille Day
Liberté, Egalité, Fraternité
July 14, 2008

Good News for Debajit B.

For some reason, Rvijay did not respond to my repeated emails, and he has unfortunately forfeited his $2,000 referral prize. I didn't want to keep the money myself (that wouldn't be right), so we held a random drawing. And the winner is: Debajit B. Bad news for Rvijay turned out to be good news for Debajit. Congratulations, Debajit B! June 22, 2008