Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Ken Jennings Tuesday Trivia - July 29
THIS WEEK'S QUIZ
1. In Greek myth, whose son drowned in the Icarian Sea? Daedalus. Icarus was his son.
2. From what port city did the Mayflower pilgrims finally leave England on September 6, 1620? Portsmouth (I think); hence the town of Portsmouth, VA
3. What first line of Sam Cooke's song "Wonderful World" also names a 1990 bestseller about cultural literacy? "Don't know much about history"
4. Who are the five "Fuwa": Beibei, Jingjing, Huanhuan, Yingying, and Nini? are those the names of panda bears? Or sumo wrestlers?
5. What medical procedure is a type of keratomileusis, which lends it the 'K' in its name? Lasik
6. What name did Austrian-born draftsman Moses Teichman adopt in the 1920s when he devised a series of paper footprints he could sell by mail?
7. What unusual distinction is shared by all these newspaper comics strips? Apartment 3-G, Blondie, The Born Loser, The Captain and the Kids, Hagar the Horrible, Hi and Lois, Mary Worth, The Wizard of Id, and Ziggy.
LAST WEEK'S ANSWERS
1. What literary title character of 1992 was based on Hungarian aristocrat Laszlo Almasy, who received the Iron Cross from Rommel for his military missions in North Africa? The English Patient was based on a real guy. Who, needless to say, wasn't English. correct
2. Who was the only one of TV's "Friends" never Emmy-nominated for their work on the hit sitcom? Courtney Cox, with or without the Arquette. Maybe someday she'll get that honorary Emmy for the "Dancing in the Dark" video. which is more surprising - Courtney Cox was not nominated or Matt LeBlanc was?
3. What group of over 100,000 people did President Jimmy Carter pardon in January 1977? Vietnam-era draft dodgers. Not all of them went to Canada, of course. Somebody probably would have noticed 100,000 extra Canadians. I think it would have tripled their population. correct
4. Whose company is run by CEO Lucius Fox? Bruce Wayne's company. Fox is the mentor/Q figure played by Morgan Freeman in the recent Batman movies. I have seen Batman Begins but I never paid attention to the character's name.
5. Manolete and Juan Belmonte were among the world's most famous members of what profession? Bullfighting. correct
6. How many toes do most birds have on each foot? Four, just like The Simpsons. There are exceptions, though: emus have three, and ostriches have only two. incorrect
7. What unusual distinction is shared by these world capitals, and no others? Cairo, Lima, Montevideo, Rome, Sucre, Suva, Tokyo, Vaduz, and maybe Brazzaville. These are the world capitals that share no letters in common with the names of their countries: "Cairo" has none of the same letters as "Egypt," "Lima" has none of the same letters as "Peru," and so on. (The ambiguity with "Brazzaville" is whether it's the capital of just "Congo" or "the Republic of the Congo.") It's rare that I use a Question Seven based on wordplay--in fact, I think I've only done it once--but I rationalized to myself that there's a trivia element here as well, since you obviously have to know the countries involved to solve it. I do know the trivia of the US state capital with no letters in common with its state - Pierre, South Dakota.
1. In Greek myth, whose son drowned in the Icarian Sea? Daedalus. Icarus was his son.
2. From what port city did the Mayflower pilgrims finally leave England on September 6, 1620? Portsmouth (I think); hence the town of Portsmouth, VA
3. What first line of Sam Cooke's song "Wonderful World" also names a 1990 bestseller about cultural literacy? "Don't know much about history"
4. Who are the five "Fuwa": Beibei, Jingjing, Huanhuan, Yingying, and Nini? are those the names of panda bears? Or sumo wrestlers?
5. What medical procedure is a type of keratomileusis, which lends it the 'K' in its name? Lasik
6. What name did Austrian-born draftsman Moses Teichman adopt in the 1920s when he devised a series of paper footprints he could sell by mail?
7. What unusual distinction is shared by all these newspaper comics strips? Apartment 3-G, Blondie, The Born Loser, The Captain and the Kids, Hagar the Horrible, Hi and Lois, Mary Worth, The Wizard of Id, and Ziggy.
LAST WEEK'S ANSWERS
1. What literary title character of 1992 was based on Hungarian aristocrat Laszlo Almasy, who received the Iron Cross from Rommel for his military missions in North Africa? The English Patient was based on a real guy. Who, needless to say, wasn't English. correct
2. Who was the only one of TV's "Friends" never Emmy-nominated for their work on the hit sitcom? Courtney Cox, with or without the Arquette. Maybe someday she'll get that honorary Emmy for the "Dancing in the Dark" video. which is more surprising - Courtney Cox was not nominated or Matt LeBlanc was?
3. What group of over 100,000 people did President Jimmy Carter pardon in January 1977? Vietnam-era draft dodgers. Not all of them went to Canada, of course. Somebody probably would have noticed 100,000 extra Canadians. I think it would have tripled their population. correct
4. Whose company is run by CEO Lucius Fox? Bruce Wayne's company. Fox is the mentor/Q figure played by Morgan Freeman in the recent Batman movies. I have seen Batman Begins but I never paid attention to the character's name.
5. Manolete and Juan Belmonte were among the world's most famous members of what profession? Bullfighting. correct
6. How many toes do most birds have on each foot? Four, just like The Simpsons. There are exceptions, though: emus have three, and ostriches have only two. incorrect
7. What unusual distinction is shared by these world capitals, and no others? Cairo, Lima, Montevideo, Rome, Sucre, Suva, Tokyo, Vaduz, and maybe Brazzaville. These are the world capitals that share no letters in common with the names of their countries: "Cairo" has none of the same letters as "Egypt," "Lima" has none of the same letters as "Peru," and so on. (The ambiguity with "Brazzaville" is whether it's the capital of just "Congo" or "the Republic of the Congo.") It's rare that I use a Question Seven based on wordplay--in fact, I think I've only done it once--but I rationalized to myself that there's a trivia element here as well, since you obviously have to know the countries involved to solve it. I do know the trivia of the US state capital with no letters in common with its state - Pierre, South Dakota.
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
Ken Jennings Tuesday Trivia - July 22
THIS WEEK'S QUIZ
1. What literary title character of 1992 was based on Hungarian aristocrat Laszlo Almasy, who received the Iron Cross from Rommel for his military missions in North Africa? The English Patient
2. Who was the only one of TV's "Friends" never Emmy-nominated for their work on the hit sitcom? I believe all the women were nominated. I don't know if Matt LeBlanc ever was.
3. What group of over 100,000 people did President Jimmy Carter pardon in January 1977? US draft dodgers who fled to Canada
4. Whose company is run by CEO Lucius Fox? is the CEO's name a clue? or is this a know it or don't know it one?
5. Manolete and Juan Belmonte were among the world's most famous members of what profession? bull fighters - matadors
6. How many toes do most birds have on each foot? I think they have three
7. What unusual distinction is shared by these world capitals, and no others? Cairo, Lima, Montevideo, Rome, Sucre, Suva, Tokyo, Vaduz, and maybe Brazzaville.
LAST WEEK'S ANSWERS
1. What are the only two U.S. state capitals that have teams from all four major North American sports organizations playing within their city limits? Denver at Atlanta have all four. Boston and Phoenix nearly do, but the Patriots play in Foxboro and the Cardinals in Glendale. correct
2. What 1974 James Grady spy novel had its title literally chopped in half when Sydney Pollack made it into a movie? Six Days of the Condor somehow became Three Days of the Condor on its way to the screen. I blame budget problems...when PETA gets involved, those condor-days can run into money. had no idea
3. What's the only Western Hemisphere country that sings its national anthem in Dutch? Suriname, which was once Dutch Guiana. probably should have worked this out
4. What semi-controversial title is shared by the biggest hit song of two different singer/songwriters: Jill Sobule and Katy Perry? "I Kissed a Girl," currently (at this writing) the #1 single in America, in its second incarantion. guess I don't listen to top 40 radio anymore to know these things
5. What world religion is divided into the Theravada and Mahayana schools? Buddhism. I'll give myself credit for that one. I think I would have chosen Buddhism from my final two possible answers.
6. The American fighter pilots that volunteered for the French air force during the early days of World War I were known as whose "Escadrille"? They were the Lafayette Escadrille. Paybacks, Lafayette! is he making this stuff up?
7. Based on the unusual distinction they all share, name a TV show that could be added to this list of movies. The Butcher Boy, A Christmas Story, Inventing the Abbotts, Life Is Beautiful, Radio Flyer, A River Runs Through It, To Kill a Mockingbird, Young Sherlock Holmes. All these movies are narrated by an older, more adult version of one of the young characters, so the obvious answer was The Wonder Years, but we also accepted Everybody Hates Chris, How I Met Your Mother, and The Waltons.
1. What literary title character of 1992 was based on Hungarian aristocrat Laszlo Almasy, who received the Iron Cross from Rommel for his military missions in North Africa? The English Patient
2. Who was the only one of TV's "Friends" never Emmy-nominated for their work on the hit sitcom? I believe all the women were nominated. I don't know if Matt LeBlanc ever was.
3. What group of over 100,000 people did President Jimmy Carter pardon in January 1977? US draft dodgers who fled to Canada
4. Whose company is run by CEO Lucius Fox? is the CEO's name a clue? or is this a know it or don't know it one?
5. Manolete and Juan Belmonte were among the world's most famous members of what profession? bull fighters - matadors
6. How many toes do most birds have on each foot? I think they have three
7. What unusual distinction is shared by these world capitals, and no others? Cairo, Lima, Montevideo, Rome, Sucre, Suva, Tokyo, Vaduz, and maybe Brazzaville.
LAST WEEK'S ANSWERS
1. What are the only two U.S. state capitals that have teams from all four major North American sports organizations playing within their city limits? Denver at Atlanta have all four. Boston and Phoenix nearly do, but the Patriots play in Foxboro and the Cardinals in Glendale. correct
2. What 1974 James Grady spy novel had its title literally chopped in half when Sydney Pollack made it into a movie? Six Days of the Condor somehow became Three Days of the Condor on its way to the screen. I blame budget problems...when PETA gets involved, those condor-days can run into money. had no idea
3. What's the only Western Hemisphere country that sings its national anthem in Dutch? Suriname, which was once Dutch Guiana. probably should have worked this out
4. What semi-controversial title is shared by the biggest hit song of two different singer/songwriters: Jill Sobule and Katy Perry? "I Kissed a Girl," currently (at this writing) the #1 single in America, in its second incarantion. guess I don't listen to top 40 radio anymore to know these things
5. What world religion is divided into the Theravada and Mahayana schools? Buddhism. I'll give myself credit for that one. I think I would have chosen Buddhism from my final two possible answers.
6. The American fighter pilots that volunteered for the French air force during the early days of World War I were known as whose "Escadrille"? They were the Lafayette Escadrille. Paybacks, Lafayette! is he making this stuff up?
7. Based on the unusual distinction they all share, name a TV show that could be added to this list of movies. The Butcher Boy, A Christmas Story, Inventing the Abbotts, Life Is Beautiful, Radio Flyer, A River Runs Through It, To Kill a Mockingbird, Young Sherlock Holmes. All these movies are narrated by an older, more adult version of one of the young characters, so the obvious answer was The Wonder Years, but we also accepted Everybody Hates Chris, How I Met Your Mother, and The Waltons.
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
Ken Jennings Tuesday Trivia - July 15
THIS WEEK'S QUIZ
1. What are the only two U.S. state capitals that have teams from all four major North American sports organizations playing within their city limits? Denver and Atlanta
2. What 1974 James Grady spy novel had its title literally chopped in half when Sydney Pollack made it into a movie?
3. What's the only Western Hemisphere country that sings its national anthem in Dutch? Aruba or Netherlands Antilles
4. What semi-controversial title is shared by the biggest hit song of two different singer/ songwriters: Jill Sobule and Katy Perry?
5. What world religion is divided into the Theravada and Mahayana schools? sounds like Hindu or Buddhism
6. The American fighter pilots that volunteered for the French air force during the early days of World War I were known as whose "Escadrille"?
7. Based on the unusual distinction they all share, name a TV show that could be added to this list of movies. The Butcher Boy, A Christmas Story, Inventing the Abbotts, Life Is Beautiful, Radio Flyer, A River Runs Through It, To Kill a Mockingbird, Young Sherlock Holmes.
LAST WEEK'S ANSWERS
1. What's the common name for speakers of the Romany language? Romany is spoken by (go figure) Roma, still more commonly known as gypsies. correct
2. What actress, who's had to deal with self-destruct computer countdowns in two different movies, now herself voices the self-destruct countdown computer in the film Wall-E? The countdown is voiced by Sigourney Weaver, who did battle with spaceship self-destruct countdowns in Alien and Galaxy Quest. I might have known this if I had seen the movie
3. Of the very few songs with three-letter titles ever to have topped the Billboard pop chart, who sang lead on three of them? Michael Jackson sang "Ben," "ABC," and "Bad." (The other non-Michael #1s are "Why," "War," "SOS," and "Low.") correct
4. What British mathematician is today commemorated with a stained-glass window in his Cambridge college, depicting three overlapping circles? John Venn, inventor of Venn diagrams. correct
5. If you're "intestate," what, by definition, do you not have? A last will and testament. No credit to smart-aleck answers like "a pulse." correct
6. What's the only nation with two territorial claims on Antarctica, despite being further from Antarctica than almost any other country on earth? Norway, thanks to early Antarctic explorers like Roald Amundsen. correct
7. What unusual distinction is shared by these sports and hobbies? Baseball, birdwatching, car racing, cricket, darts, golf, poker, and soccer. Each has (or had) a World Series. Some of them are even more bogus in their global-ness than Major League Baseball's so-called "World" Series.
Tuesday, July 08, 2008
My GraphJam Submission
GraphJam invites people to construct humorous graphs. A few are clever. Most are a riff on some pop culture elements - songs, tv shows, movies, etc.
I was listening to Lynyrd Skynyrd when I had an inspiration for a graph. This was the result.
more song chart memes
I was listening to Lynyrd Skynyrd when I had an inspiration for a graph. This was the result.
more song chart memes
Ken Jennings Tuesday Trivia - July 8
THIS WEEK'S QUIZ
1. What's the common name for speakers of the Romany language? I would call them gypsies. Isn't that considered a slur nowadays?
2. What actress, who's had to deal with self-destruct computer countdowns in two different movies, now herself voices the self-destruct countdown computer in the film Wall-E? a guess - Ally Sheedy
3. Of the very few songs with three-letter titles ever to have topped the Billboard pop chart, who sang lead on three of them? an answer just came to me in the shower - Michael Jackson. I can think of Ben and ABC. Surely there is another three-letter #1 in his catalog. Addendum - yes, he does - Bad.
4. What British mathematician is today commemorated with a stained-glass window in his Cambridge college, depicting three overlapping circles? Venn
5. If you're "intestate," what, by definition, do you not have? a will
6. What's the only nation with two territorial claims on Antarctica, despite being further from Antarctica than almost any other country on earth? Norway?
7. What unusual distinction is shared by these sports and hobbies? Baseball, birdwatching, car racing, cricket, darts, golf, poker, and soccer.
LAST WEEK'S ANSWERS
1. Whose was the only jersey number ever retired by the Arizona Cardinals, despite the fact that he never started a playoff game or played in a Pro Bowl? This is Pat Tillman, honored not for anything he did on the field, but for being killed by friendly fire in Afghanistan. correct
2. What Parisian slang word for "sparrow" did Edith Gassion adopt as her stange name in 1935? Edith Piaf means Edith Sparrow. Or so I gather from that biopic of last year. correct
3. What striking color is the big number 5 on the back of the new U.S. $5 bill? The $5 is now easily the most metrosexual piece of U.S. currency, with that big purple five on the back. correct
4. What future sitcom star co-wrote the theme songs to 1980s TV hits Diff'rent Strokes and The Facts of Life? Alan Thicke, with his then-wife, soap star Gloria Loring. Thicke also wrote a bunch of game show music, including cues you might recognize from The Joker's Wild and Wheel of Fortune. correct!
5. In what country was the ubiquitous typeface Helvetica created in 1957? Switzerland: "Helvetica" is actually the Latin word for "Swiss." correct
6. What's the only Indiana Jones movie set entirely on a single continent? Temple of Doom opens in Shanghai and ends in India; it's all set in Asia. correct
7. Based on the unusual distinction shared by these U.S. Presidents and no others, which of the two presumptive major-party nominees could be added to this list if he wins in November, and why? Tyler, Fillmore, Benjamin Harrison, Theodore Roosevelt, Wilson, Reagan. These are all the presidents who've been married twice (all were widowed except for Reagan, who divorced). John McCain, also divorced, is the 2008 candidate who qualifies.
6 of 7 may be my best score yet.
1. What's the common name for speakers of the Romany language? I would call them gypsies. Isn't that considered a slur nowadays?
2. What actress, who's had to deal with self-destruct computer countdowns in two different movies, now herself voices the self-destruct countdown computer in the film Wall-E? a guess - Ally Sheedy
3. Of the very few songs with three-letter titles ever to have topped the Billboard pop chart, who sang lead on three of them? an answer just came to me in the shower - Michael Jackson. I can think of Ben and ABC. Surely there is another three-letter #1 in his catalog. Addendum - yes, he does - Bad.
4. What British mathematician is today commemorated with a stained-glass window in his Cambridge college, depicting three overlapping circles? Venn
5. If you're "intestate," what, by definition, do you not have? a will
6. What's the only nation with two territorial claims on Antarctica, despite being further from Antarctica than almost any other country on earth? Norway?
7. What unusual distinction is shared by these sports and hobbies? Baseball, birdwatching, car racing, cricket, darts, golf, poker, and soccer.
LAST WEEK'S ANSWERS
1. Whose was the only jersey number ever retired by the Arizona Cardinals, despite the fact that he never started a playoff game or played in a Pro Bowl? This is Pat Tillman, honored not for anything he did on the field, but for being killed by friendly fire in Afghanistan. correct
2. What Parisian slang word for "sparrow" did Edith Gassion adopt as her stange name in 1935? Edith Piaf means Edith Sparrow. Or so I gather from that biopic of last year. correct
3. What striking color is the big number 5 on the back of the new U.S. $5 bill? The $5 is now easily the most metrosexual piece of U.S. currency, with that big purple five on the back. correct
4. What future sitcom star co-wrote the theme songs to 1980s TV hits Diff'rent Strokes and The Facts of Life? Alan Thicke, with his then-wife, soap star Gloria Loring. Thicke also wrote a bunch of game show music, including cues you might recognize from The Joker's Wild and Wheel of Fortune. correct!
5. In what country was the ubiquitous typeface Helvetica created in 1957? Switzerland: "Helvetica" is actually the Latin word for "Swiss." correct
6. What's the only Indiana Jones movie set entirely on a single continent? Temple of Doom opens in Shanghai and ends in India; it's all set in Asia. correct
7. Based on the unusual distinction shared by these U.S. Presidents and no others, which of the two presumptive major-party nominees could be added to this list if he wins in November, and why? Tyler, Fillmore, Benjamin Harrison, Theodore Roosevelt, Wilson, Reagan. These are all the presidents who've been married twice (all were widowed except for Reagan, who divorced). John McCain, also divorced, is the 2008 candidate who qualifies.
6 of 7 may be my best score yet.
Wednesday, July 02, 2008
Ken Jennings Tuesday Trivia - July 1
THIS WEEK'S QUIZ
1. Whose was the only jersey number ever retired by the Arizona Cardinals, despite the fact that he never started a playoff game or played in a Pro Bowl? Pat Tillman. I think he wore 42.
2. What Parisian slang word for "sparrow" did Edith Gassion adopt as her stange name in 1935? Piaf
3. What striking color is the big number 5 on the back of the new U.S. $5 bill? is it sort of purplish?
4. What future sitcom star co-wrote the theme songs to 1980s TV hits Diff'rent Strokes and The Facts of Life? Alan Thicke?
5. In what country was the ubiquitous typeface Helvetica created in 1957? Switzerland
6. What's the only Indiana Jones movie set entirely on a single continent? Temple of Doom is set entirely in Asia (I think China and India).
7. Based on the unusual distinction shared by these U.S. Presidents and no others, which of the two presumptive major-party nominees could be added to this list if he wins in November, and why? Tyler, Fillmore, Benjamin Harrison, Theodore Roosevelt, Wilson, Reagan.
LAST WEEK'S ANSWERS
1. What American university gained its familiar sports mascot through a special agreement with Walt Disney? This is why the Oregon Ducks mascot looks suspiciously like Donald in green and yellow. correct
2. Who performed Frozen in Time, Vertigo, Above the Below, Drowned Alive, and Revolution? These are some of the recent, uh, performances of street magician/attention whore David Blaine. 3. On standard cubic dice, what's the sum of the numbers on any pair of opposite faces? Seven. (Six and one, two and five, three and four.) correct
4. What 1954 novel's chapters include "Painted Faces and Long Hair," "Beast from Air," "The Shell and the Glasses," and "Castle Rock"? Lord of the Flies. Now the clues make sense. But it was cryptic beforehand. Maybe the answer would have come more easily if I had read the book.
5. What Irish immigrant's barn, at 137 DeKoven Street, made headlines on October 8, 1871? That was the address of Catherine O'Leary, whose cow was famously (and maybe wrongly) blamed for the great Chicago fire. correct
6. What does the 'L' stand for in the acronym LASER? Light--though technically a laser can amplify any kind of radiation, not just visible light. correct
7. What unusual distinction is shared by these movies? European Vacation, Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex, Love and Death on Long Island, Magnolia, Mallrats, Requiem for a Dream, Sisters, Time Bandits. Each has a scene set on the stage of a fictional game show. correct! It is always a little thrill when I answer a Q7 correctly.
1. Whose was the only jersey number ever retired by the Arizona Cardinals, despite the fact that he never started a playoff game or played in a Pro Bowl? Pat Tillman. I think he wore 42.
2. What Parisian slang word for "sparrow" did Edith Gassion adopt as her stange name in 1935? Piaf
3. What striking color is the big number 5 on the back of the new U.S. $5 bill? is it sort of purplish?
4. What future sitcom star co-wrote the theme songs to 1980s TV hits Diff'rent Strokes and The Facts of Life? Alan Thicke?
5. In what country was the ubiquitous typeface Helvetica created in 1957? Switzerland
6. What's the only Indiana Jones movie set entirely on a single continent? Temple of Doom is set entirely in Asia (I think China and India).
7. Based on the unusual distinction shared by these U.S. Presidents and no others, which of the two presumptive major-party nominees could be added to this list if he wins in November, and why? Tyler, Fillmore, Benjamin Harrison, Theodore Roosevelt, Wilson, Reagan.
LAST WEEK'S ANSWERS
1. What American university gained its familiar sports mascot through a special agreement with Walt Disney? This is why the Oregon Ducks mascot looks suspiciously like Donald in green and yellow. correct
2. Who performed Frozen in Time, Vertigo, Above the Below, Drowned Alive, and Revolution? These are some of the recent, uh, performances of street magician/attention whore David Blaine. 3. On standard cubic dice, what's the sum of the numbers on any pair of opposite faces? Seven. (Six and one, two and five, three and four.) correct
4. What 1954 novel's chapters include "Painted Faces and Long Hair," "Beast from Air," "The Shell and the Glasses," and "Castle Rock"? Lord of the Flies. Now the clues make sense. But it was cryptic beforehand. Maybe the answer would have come more easily if I had read the book.
5. What Irish immigrant's barn, at 137 DeKoven Street, made headlines on October 8, 1871? That was the address of Catherine O'Leary, whose cow was famously (and maybe wrongly) blamed for the great Chicago fire. correct
6. What does the 'L' stand for in the acronym LASER? Light--though technically a laser can amplify any kind of radiation, not just visible light. correct
7. What unusual distinction is shared by these movies? European Vacation, Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex, Love and Death on Long Island, Magnolia, Mallrats, Requiem for a Dream, Sisters, Time Bandits. Each has a scene set on the stage of a fictional game show. correct! It is always a little thrill when I answer a Q7 correctly.
