Tuesday, July 20, 2010
Ken Jennings Tuesday Trivia - July 20
THIS WEEK'S QUESTIONS
1. The website for what 2010 film contained nothing but the image of an endlessly spinning toy top for the first four months of its on-line life? Inception. After watching it this weekend, one of my first thoughts was "Bad guys are always terrible shots." Another thought was don't let Dileep drive the bus.
2. What nation will be the site of the Winter Olympics for the first time in 2014, when the city of Sochi plays host? Russia
3. What word for an animal in family Talpidae is also a unit of measurement: 6.022 x 10 to the 23rd particles of some substance? mole
4. What novelist had hits with the recent sequels Son of a Witch and A Lion Among Men? Is CS Lewis still writing? Otherwise, I don't know who is penning what appear to be sequels to The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe.
5. What profession has appeared in more Monty Python sketches than any other, with 51 appearances to its credit? You mean somebody has inventoried this information? A lovely question. I can think of shopkeepers, religious figures, military men, policemen. But I think the most common profession would be newscaster/talk show host/announcer/tv personality.
"Hello. Tonight on 'Face the Press' we're going to examine two different views of contemporary things. On my left is the Minister for Home Affairs who is wearing a striking organza dress in pink tulle, with matching pearls and a diamante collar necklace. The shoes are in brushed pigskin with gold clasps, by Maxwell of Bond Street. The hair is by Roger, and the whole ensemble is crowned by a spectacular display of Christmas orchids. And on my right - putting the case against the Government - is a small patch of brown liquid..."
6. Which modern country is, by treaty, the successor state to the defunct Ottoman Empire? Turkey
7. What unusual distinction is shared by all these musical artists? Aaliyah, the Beach Boys, Black Sabbath, Blur, Brooks & Dunn, Dave Matthews Band, Cole Porter, the Hives, Pink Floyd, Three Dog Night.
LAST WEEK'S ANSWERS
1. What U.S. president's first inaugural address produced the most famous maxim ever coined on "phobophobia"? A little knowledge of psychology (or etymology) will tell you that phobophobia is the fear of fear itself, famously warned against by Franklin Roosevelt in 1932. correct
2. The orange "smile" icon below the Amazon.com logo connects what two letters in the company's name? They have everything from "A" to "z," get it? Alex knew this. Nice
3. Chang and Eng Bunker died in North Carolina in 1874. In what modern-day country were they born, in 1811? Chang and Eng (or Eng and Chang...not sure how they decided on billing) were the original Siamese twins, born therefore in modern-day Thailand. correct
4. Who is the last surviving member of TV's four "Golden Girls"? Betty White is funnier than ever at 88. Unfortunately, Estelle Getty is also as funny as she ever was, and she's been dead for over two years. (I'm kidding, Estelle Getty fans!) correct
5. What Greek wrote the important treatise "On Floating Bodies," and supposedly discovered one important principle of buoyancy while taking a bath? Aristophanes supposedly yelled "Eureka!" after realizing that water displacement could be used to calculate volume. Actually, that probably never happened, but it's more interesting than any other water displacement story in history. I think KJ means Archimedes. I'm going to consider this correct unless KJ has uncovered evidence that someone else did Archimedes' work.
6. What musical star took her stage name from the word for "birch tree" in her native language? The Icelandic word for "birch" is "Bjork," apparently a not-uncommon name there. correct
7. What is the significance of these ten nations, listed in this order? Cuba, Syria, Slovenia, New Zealand, China, Australia, Tajikistan, Venezuela, Tuvalu, Dominica. Cuba has one star on its flag, Syria has two, Slovenia has three, and so on up until ten. Hugo Chavez added an eighth star to the Venezuelan flag in 2006, making this trivia question possible. Thanks, Hugo Chavez! Well done, Dave!
1. The website for what 2010 film contained nothing but the image of an endlessly spinning toy top for the first four months of its on-line life? Inception. After watching it this weekend, one of my first thoughts was "Bad guys are always terrible shots." Another thought was don't let Dileep drive the bus.
2. What nation will be the site of the Winter Olympics for the first time in 2014, when the city of Sochi plays host? Russia
3. What word for an animal in family Talpidae is also a unit of measurement: 6.022 x 10 to the 23rd particles of some substance? mole
4. What novelist had hits with the recent sequels Son of a Witch and A Lion Among Men? Is CS Lewis still writing? Otherwise, I don't know who is penning what appear to be sequels to The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe.
5. What profession has appeared in more Monty Python sketches than any other, with 51 appearances to its credit? You mean somebody has inventoried this information? A lovely question. I can think of shopkeepers, religious figures, military men, policemen. But I think the most common profession would be newscaster/talk show host/announcer/tv personality.
"Hello. Tonight on 'Face the Press' we're going to examine two different views of contemporary things. On my left is the Minister for Home Affairs who is wearing a striking organza dress in pink tulle, with matching pearls and a diamante collar necklace. The shoes are in brushed pigskin with gold clasps, by Maxwell of Bond Street. The hair is by Roger, and the whole ensemble is crowned by a spectacular display of Christmas orchids. And on my right - putting the case against the Government - is a small patch of brown liquid..."
6. Which modern country is, by treaty, the successor state to the defunct Ottoman Empire? Turkey
7. What unusual distinction is shared by all these musical artists? Aaliyah, the Beach Boys, Black Sabbath, Blur, Brooks & Dunn, Dave Matthews Band, Cole Porter, the Hives, Pink Floyd, Three Dog Night.
LAST WEEK'S ANSWERS
1. What U.S. president's first inaugural address produced the most famous maxim ever coined on "phobophobia"? A little knowledge of psychology (or etymology) will tell you that phobophobia is the fear of fear itself, famously warned against by Franklin Roosevelt in 1932. correct
2. The orange "smile" icon below the Amazon.com logo connects what two letters in the company's name? They have everything from "A" to "z," get it? Alex knew this. Nice
3. Chang and Eng Bunker died in North Carolina in 1874. In what modern-day country were they born, in 1811? Chang and Eng (or Eng and Chang...not sure how they decided on billing) were the original Siamese twins, born therefore in modern-day Thailand. correct
4. Who is the last surviving member of TV's four "Golden Girls"? Betty White is funnier than ever at 88. Unfortunately, Estelle Getty is also as funny as she ever was, and she's been dead for over two years. (I'm kidding, Estelle Getty fans!) correct
5. What Greek wrote the important treatise "On Floating Bodies," and supposedly discovered one important principle of buoyancy while taking a bath? Aristophanes supposedly yelled "Eureka!" after realizing that water displacement could be used to calculate volume. Actually, that probably never happened, but it's more interesting than any other water displacement story in history. I think KJ means Archimedes. I'm going to consider this correct unless KJ has uncovered evidence that someone else did Archimedes' work.
6. What musical star took her stage name from the word for "birch tree" in her native language? The Icelandic word for "birch" is "Bjork," apparently a not-uncommon name there. correct
7. What is the significance of these ten nations, listed in this order? Cuba, Syria, Slovenia, New Zealand, China, Australia, Tajikistan, Venezuela, Tuvalu, Dominica. Cuba has one star on its flag, Syria has two, Slovenia has three, and so on up until ten. Hugo Chavez added an eighth star to the Venezuelan flag in 2006, making this trivia question possible. Thanks, Hugo Chavez! Well done, Dave!
