Tuesday, September 27, 2011
Ken Jennings Tuesday Trivia - September 27
THIS WEEK'S QUESTIONS
1. In the United States, what are Leavenworth, Lewisburg, and Lompoc? I believe they are/were US military forts or military bases
2. What did Alfred Butts first call "Alph" and "Criss-Cross" when he invented it in 1948? an additional clue would help. Is it a game? A consumer product? Electronic device? Something military?
3. What major U.S. company that went out of business in December 1991 shares its name with a new ABC TV series? Pan Am. I live 2 blocks from Sony Pictures Studio and there is a 20 foot high ad on the wall of one of the buildings for this show.
4. What industry was decimated in 2006 by a syndrome called colony collapse disorder? beekeeping
5. The world's largest sperm bank has just announced it will no longer accept donations from men with what easily apparent physical characteristic? I don't tend to pay attention to sperm bank news so this will be a guess. Easily apparent ---> red hair? Are gingers unpopular among people looking for sperm donors?
6. Joe Sumner, the bassist for the band Fiction Plane, is the son of what musician? Gordon Sumner, aka Sting
7. What unusual distinction is shared by these people, both real and fictional? George Bailey, Lewis Carroll, Shakespeare's Julius Caesar, Stephen Colbert, Holly Hunter, Jane Lynch, Yao Ming, Nico, the Wife of Bath, Brian Wilson. This really is an unusual distinction - each is deaf in one ear.
LAST WEEK'S ANSWERS
1. What two U.S. states' most populous cities share the same name? Lots of guesses for various Kansas Citys and Charlestons, but the correct answer is Maine and Oregon, both Portlands. correct
2. What kind of body tissue can be either "yellow" (fatty) or "red" (where blood cells are produced)? There are two kinds of marrow in your bones, if you haven't looked lately. correct
3. Cameron Crowe's new film Twenty is a documentary about what rock band, both a reference to the band's first album and the number of years since its release? It's been twenty years since Pearl Jam recorded Ten. Unfortunately, it's also been over ten years since they turned into a terrible jam band... correct
4. Before 1993, what was divided into a "Prince of Wales" half and a "Clarence Campbell" half? The NHL used to have frillier, more confusing names for its conferences. correct
5. In Rudyard Kipling's poem, what is Gunga Din's job with the British army? He was a water-carrier, or "bhishti." Also some light typing, filing. correct
6. What famous woman, who died in Cambridgeshire in 1536, was the youngest daughter of Columbus's patrons Ferdinand and Isabella? That's where Henry VIII's first wife, Catherine of Aragon, got the "of Aragon" part of her name. correct
7. What unusual distinction is shared by all these movies? Contempt, Fahrenheit 451, The Magnificent Ambersons, The Naked City, Nashville, She's Gotta Have It. In a very weird device you don't see much anymore, they all have somebody reading the credits OUT LOUD. I am sure that they are all worthy, but if you had to have actually seen the movies to know the answer I was not going to get this Q7.
1. In the United States, what are Leavenworth, Lewisburg, and Lompoc? I believe they are/were US military forts or military bases
2. What did Alfred Butts first call "Alph" and "Criss-Cross" when he invented it in 1948? an additional clue would help. Is it a game? A consumer product? Electronic device? Something military?
3. What major U.S. company that went out of business in December 1991 shares its name with a new ABC TV series? Pan Am. I live 2 blocks from Sony Pictures Studio and there is a 20 foot high ad on the wall of one of the buildings for this show.
4. What industry was decimated in 2006 by a syndrome called colony collapse disorder? beekeeping
5. The world's largest sperm bank has just announced it will no longer accept donations from men with what easily apparent physical characteristic? I don't tend to pay attention to sperm bank news so this will be a guess. Easily apparent ---> red hair? Are gingers unpopular among people looking for sperm donors?
6. Joe Sumner, the bassist for the band Fiction Plane, is the son of what musician? Gordon Sumner, aka Sting
7. What unusual distinction is shared by these people, both real and fictional? George Bailey, Lewis Carroll, Shakespeare's Julius Caesar, Stephen Colbert, Holly Hunter, Jane Lynch, Yao Ming, Nico, the Wife of Bath, Brian Wilson. This really is an unusual distinction - each is deaf in one ear.
LAST WEEK'S ANSWERS
1. What two U.S. states' most populous cities share the same name? Lots of guesses for various Kansas Citys and Charlestons, but the correct answer is Maine and Oregon, both Portlands. correct
2. What kind of body tissue can be either "yellow" (fatty) or "red" (where blood cells are produced)? There are two kinds of marrow in your bones, if you haven't looked lately. correct
3. Cameron Crowe's new film Twenty is a documentary about what rock band, both a reference to the band's first album and the number of years since its release? It's been twenty years since Pearl Jam recorded Ten. Unfortunately, it's also been over ten years since they turned into a terrible jam band... correct
4. Before 1993, what was divided into a "Prince of Wales" half and a "Clarence Campbell" half? The NHL used to have frillier, more confusing names for its conferences. correct
5. In Rudyard Kipling's poem, what is Gunga Din's job with the British army? He was a water-carrier, or "bhishti." Also some light typing, filing. correct
6. What famous woman, who died in Cambridgeshire in 1536, was the youngest daughter of Columbus's patrons Ferdinand and Isabella? That's where Henry VIII's first wife, Catherine of Aragon, got the "of Aragon" part of her name. correct
7. What unusual distinction is shared by all these movies? Contempt, Fahrenheit 451, The Magnificent Ambersons, The Naked City, Nashville, She's Gotta Have It. In a very weird device you don't see much anymore, they all have somebody reading the credits OUT LOUD. I am sure that they are all worthy, but if you had to have actually seen the movies to know the answer I was not going to get this Q7.
Wednesday, September 21, 2011
Ken Jennings Tuesday Trivia - September 20
THIS WEEK'S QUESTIONS
1. What two U.S. states' most populous cities share the same name? Oregon and Maine (Portland)
2. What kind of body tissue can be either "yellow" (fatty) or "red" (where blood cells are produced)? bone marrow?
3. Cameron Crowe's new film Twenty is a documentary about what rock band, both a reference to the band's first album and the number of years since its release? Pearl Jam. I appreciate music questions that don't involve hip hop or rap.
4. Before 1993, what was divided into a "Prince of Wales" half and a "Clarence Campbell" half? the NHL
5. In Rudyard Kipling's poem, what is Gunga Din's job with the British army? he was the water boy
6. What famous woman, who died in Cambridgeshire in 1536, was the youngest daughter of Columbus's patrons Ferdinand and Isabella? was this one of Henry VIII's wives? Catherine of Aragon perhaps
7. What unusual distinction is shared by all these movies? Contempt, Fahrenheit 451, The Magnificent Ambersons, The Naked City, Nashville, She's Gotta Have It. All classic movies made by strong directors but I don't know that I have seen any of them.
LAST WEEK'S ANSWERS
1. On a Risk game board, which continent is made up entirely of territories that share their names with actual countries? A toughie! The answer is South America, which is divided into Argentina, Brazil, Peru, and Venezuela. The other continents are full of iffy regions like Alberta, Scandinavia, North Africa, Kamchatka, and Eastern Australia. it was a toughie. I had the correct hemisphere
2. According to one recent listing, Bodoni, Garamond, and Univers are among the top ten most popular what? They are typefaces or fonts. (The ubiquitous Helvetica tops the list.) correct
3. The title of what hit 1970s TV show, if translated into French, becomes the town where a hit 2000s TV show, True Blood, is set? You didn't know True Blood was set in La Femme Bionique? No, just kidding. The town is called Bon Temps, which means "Good Times." Dyno-mite! Though "Jours Heureux" would have been good too.
4. What color wax is used to seal both Maker's Mark bourbon and Babybel cheeses? The red wax is each brand's trademark look, though I'm informed that both may come in other colors to mark special products or occasions. correct
5. What 444-day event from 20th-century history ended with the signing of the Algiers Accords? The Iran hostage crisis of 1979-80 lasted 444 days. And gave us Nightline! correct
6. What has a stem called a "stipe" and gills called "lamella" on the underside of its "pileus," or top? That's a mushroom (or, if you're a glass-half-empty type, a toadstool). correct
7. What unusual distinction is shared by these world cities? Dublin, Jakarta, Liverpool, Lubeck, Manila, Maputo, Mobile, San Francisco, Tampa, Tokyo. All these cities sit on namesake bays. Not on the dock of the bay--just on the bay itself. I'm still trying to locate Cheddar Bay, the place where Red Lobster's delicious all-you-can-eat biscuits come from. This was a bay-sic, relatively gettable Q7.
1. What two U.S. states' most populous cities share the same name? Oregon and Maine (Portland)
2. What kind of body tissue can be either "yellow" (fatty) or "red" (where blood cells are produced)? bone marrow?
3. Cameron Crowe's new film Twenty is a documentary about what rock band, both a reference to the band's first album and the number of years since its release? Pearl Jam. I appreciate music questions that don't involve hip hop or rap.
4. Before 1993, what was divided into a "Prince of Wales" half and a "Clarence Campbell" half? the NHL
5. In Rudyard Kipling's poem, what is Gunga Din's job with the British army? he was the water boy
6. What famous woman, who died in Cambridgeshire in 1536, was the youngest daughter of Columbus's patrons Ferdinand and Isabella? was this one of Henry VIII's wives? Catherine of Aragon perhaps
7. What unusual distinction is shared by all these movies? Contempt, Fahrenheit 451, The Magnificent Ambersons, The Naked City, Nashville, She's Gotta Have It. All classic movies made by strong directors but I don't know that I have seen any of them.
LAST WEEK'S ANSWERS
1. On a Risk game board, which continent is made up entirely of territories that share their names with actual countries? A toughie! The answer is South America, which is divided into Argentina, Brazil, Peru, and Venezuela. The other continents are full of iffy regions like Alberta, Scandinavia, North Africa, Kamchatka, and Eastern Australia. it was a toughie. I had the correct hemisphere
2. According to one recent listing, Bodoni, Garamond, and Univers are among the top ten most popular what? They are typefaces or fonts. (The ubiquitous Helvetica tops the list.) correct
3. The title of what hit 1970s TV show, if translated into French, becomes the town where a hit 2000s TV show, True Blood, is set? You didn't know True Blood was set in La Femme Bionique? No, just kidding. The town is called Bon Temps, which means "Good Times." Dyno-mite! Though "Jours Heureux" would have been good too.
4. What color wax is used to seal both Maker's Mark bourbon and Babybel cheeses? The red wax is each brand's trademark look, though I'm informed that both may come in other colors to mark special products or occasions. correct
5. What 444-day event from 20th-century history ended with the signing of the Algiers Accords? The Iran hostage crisis of 1979-80 lasted 444 days. And gave us Nightline! correct
6. What has a stem called a "stipe" and gills called "lamella" on the underside of its "pileus," or top? That's a mushroom (or, if you're a glass-half-empty type, a toadstool). correct
7. What unusual distinction is shared by these world cities? Dublin, Jakarta, Liverpool, Lubeck, Manila, Maputo, Mobile, San Francisco, Tampa, Tokyo. All these cities sit on namesake bays. Not on the dock of the bay--just on the bay itself. I'm still trying to locate Cheddar Bay, the place where Red Lobster's delicious all-you-can-eat biscuits come from. This was a bay-sic, relatively gettable Q7.
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
Ken Jennings Tuesday Trivia - September 13
THIS WEEK'S QUESTIONS
1. On a Risk game board, which continent is made up entirely of territories that share their names with actual countries? I think I played Risk once or twice. Not enough to remember the board that well. The easiest continent to represent in this way would be North America which could be comprised of Canada, US, Mexico
2. According to one recent listing, Bodoni, Garamond, and Univers are among the top ten most popular what? type fonts
3. The title of what hit 1970s TV show, if translated into French, becomes the town where a hit 2000s TV show, True Blood, is set? I am not a fan of questions about tv shows on pay cable channels that most people don't have. A guess - Happy Days. I don't think it would be Laverne and Shirley.
4. What color wax is used to seal both Maker's Mark bourbon and Babybel cheeses? red
5. What 444-day event from 20th-century history ended with the signing of the Algiers Accords? 444 days --> the Iranian hostage crisis
6. What has a stem called a "stipe" and gills called "lamella" on the underside of its "pileus," or top? stem and gills ---> mushroom
7. What unusual distinction is shared by these world cities? Dublin, Jakarta, Liverpool, Lubeck, Manila, Maputo, Mobile, San Francisco, Tampa, Tokyo.
LAST WEEK'S ANSWERS
1. In 1993, who became the only pro football coach ever named Sports Illustrated's Sportsman of the Year? Don Shula is the winningest coach in NFL history. Sadly, his steakhouses are only okay. his memory has faded. The Dolphins have been so mediocre since he retired. One playoff appearance in the last 10 years. Maybe he should do more commercials like Dennie Green.
2. What late movie director set much of his oeuvre in the fictional suburb of Shermer, Illinois? Ferris Bueller, The Breakfast Club, Sixteen Candles...all the John Hughes classics are Shermer-based. correct
3. Which U.S. presidential surname is also a top ten name for baby girls at the moment, according to the Social Security Administration? Please stop naming your baby girls Fillmore or Nixon! Only Madison is socially acceptable. correct
4. What nation, Europe's 10th largest by area today, was actually Europe's largest country for much of the 16th and 17th centuries? At its largest extent, Poland was over a million square kilometers, over three times its present size. correct
5. What are you doing if you're using an "orange stick"? Your nails, presumably. Or, possibly, beating an Orange Julius employee. I don't understand this answer. Is that an emery board? The only thing I use on my nails is a set of clippers.
6. The Chordettes and Lil Wayne both recorded hit odes to what sweet treat? Lollipop, lollipop, oooh lolly lolly lollipop. Lil Wayne should move on to oreos or twinkies to see what song they inspire
7. What unusual distinction is shared by all these writers? Dante, Heine, Hugo, Carlo Levi, Ovid, Pushkin, Sappho, Thucydides. All were sent into exile at some point. Sort of like James Frey did after Oprah exiled him. nailed it
1. On a Risk game board, which continent is made up entirely of territories that share their names with actual countries? I think I played Risk once or twice. Not enough to remember the board that well. The easiest continent to represent in this way would be North America which could be comprised of Canada, US, Mexico
2. According to one recent listing, Bodoni, Garamond, and Univers are among the top ten most popular what? type fonts
3. The title of what hit 1970s TV show, if translated into French, becomes the town where a hit 2000s TV show, True Blood, is set? I am not a fan of questions about tv shows on pay cable channels that most people don't have. A guess - Happy Days. I don't think it would be Laverne and Shirley.
4. What color wax is used to seal both Maker's Mark bourbon and Babybel cheeses? red
5. What 444-day event from 20th-century history ended with the signing of the Algiers Accords? 444 days --> the Iranian hostage crisis
6. What has a stem called a "stipe" and gills called "lamella" on the underside of its "pileus," or top? stem and gills ---> mushroom
7. What unusual distinction is shared by these world cities? Dublin, Jakarta, Liverpool, Lubeck, Manila, Maputo, Mobile, San Francisco, Tampa, Tokyo.
LAST WEEK'S ANSWERS
1. In 1993, who became the only pro football coach ever named Sports Illustrated's Sportsman of the Year? Don Shula is the winningest coach in NFL history. Sadly, his steakhouses are only okay. his memory has faded. The Dolphins have been so mediocre since he retired. One playoff appearance in the last 10 years. Maybe he should do more commercials like Dennie Green.
2. What late movie director set much of his oeuvre in the fictional suburb of Shermer, Illinois? Ferris Bueller, The Breakfast Club, Sixteen Candles...all the John Hughes classics are Shermer-based. correct
3. Which U.S. presidential surname is also a top ten name for baby girls at the moment, according to the Social Security Administration? Please stop naming your baby girls Fillmore or Nixon! Only Madison is socially acceptable. correct
4. What nation, Europe's 10th largest by area today, was actually Europe's largest country for much of the 16th and 17th centuries? At its largest extent, Poland was over a million square kilometers, over three times its present size. correct
5. What are you doing if you're using an "orange stick"? Your nails, presumably. Or, possibly, beating an Orange Julius employee. I don't understand this answer. Is that an emery board? The only thing I use on my nails is a set of clippers.
6. The Chordettes and Lil Wayne both recorded hit odes to what sweet treat? Lollipop, lollipop, oooh lolly lolly lollipop. Lil Wayne should move on to oreos or twinkies to see what song they inspire
7. What unusual distinction is shared by all these writers? Dante, Heine, Hugo, Carlo Levi, Ovid, Pushkin, Sappho, Thucydides. All were sent into exile at some point. Sort of like James Frey did after Oprah exiled him. nailed it
Tuesday, September 06, 2011
Ken Jennings Tuesday Trivia - September 6
THIS WEEK'S QUESTIONS
1. In 1993, who became the only pro football coach ever named Sports Illustrated's Sportsman of the Year? Bill Walsh was my first thought but he moved to Stanford in 1992. Next would be Bill Parcells.
2. What late movie director set much of his oeuvre in the fictional suburb of Shermer, Illinois? John Hughes
3. Which U.S. presidential surname is also a top ten name for baby girls at the moment, according to the Social Security Administration? Madison
4. What nation, Europe's 10th largest by area today, was actually Europe's largest country for much of the 16th and 17th centuries? I remember on old maps that Poland used to dominate eastern Europe
5. What are you doing if you're using an "orange stick"? Is that what they call the sticks used by airline workers who direct planes into and out of gates?
6. The Chordettes and Lil Wayne both recorded hit odes to what sweet treat? No idea so I will guess everyone's favorite crossword triple layer treat - oreo. I am mostly useless on the rap/hip hop questions.
7. What unusual distinction is shared by all these writers? Dante, Heine, Hugo, Carlo Levi, Ovid, Pushkin, Sappho, Thucydides. I think they were all exiled. I started with Dante because I know that he was exiled from Florence. The others appear to have been vanquished from one location or another as well.
LAST WEEK'S ANSWERS
1. Green Bay (of "Packers" fame) is an inlet of which Great Lake? Wisconsin's east coast lies on Lake Michigan. correct
2. Which two major U.S. movie releases of 2011 are both adapted from, of all things, Belgian comics? Why are Belgian cartoonists taking over our tentpole movies? This summer saw the unfortunate return of the Smurfs, and this Christmas there's a billion-dollar Tintin movie for some reason. Also, why do I keep asking Smurf questions on Tuesday Trivia? Note to self... correct although not quite fair to ask about movies not yet released
3. The pigment called "sepia" comes from what kind of animal? The brownish ink called sepia originally came from cephalopod ink--specifically cuttlefish, but we accepted "squid" also, because wtf is a cuttlefish? a good question. I was thinking of some aquatic animal and should have hit on a cephalopod
4. London's Ticketshare giveaway for the 2012 Olympics will allow lucky schoolchildren to see any sport but one. Which one? Shooting is apparently the non family-friendly Olympic sport, but that's only because nude Jell-o Twister won't be an exhibition sport until 2016. another good question. But what about modern pentathlon that includes shooting?
5. On reality TV, Duff Goldman is the "ace" and Buddy Valastro the "boss" of what food? Cake. Let's compare America's BMI over the decades to its number of television shows about cake and then start arguing correlation and causation. correct (with unintended assistance)
6. What title was held by Grand Princes of the Rurik dynasty, beginning in 1547? They were the first Tsars of Russia. You probably remember all those Tea Party protests complaining about why Russia needed all those czars. makes sense now. In fact I should have remembered that shah means king. Tsar is prince.
7. What unusual (for celebrities) distinction is shared by these celebrities? Antonio Banderas, Kirk Cameron, Harry Connick Jr., Sam Elliott, Ed Harris, Michael J. Fox, Hugh Jackman, James McAvoy, Keith Urban, Denzel Washington. All are married to older women. Should I have left off Ashton or not? I'm fairly certain I did the right thing. Semi-interesting factoid
1. In 1993, who became the only pro football coach ever named Sports Illustrated's Sportsman of the Year? Bill Walsh was my first thought but he moved to Stanford in 1992. Next would be Bill Parcells.
2. What late movie director set much of his oeuvre in the fictional suburb of Shermer, Illinois? John Hughes
3. Which U.S. presidential surname is also a top ten name for baby girls at the moment, according to the Social Security Administration? Madison
4. What nation, Europe's 10th largest by area today, was actually Europe's largest country for much of the 16th and 17th centuries? I remember on old maps that Poland used to dominate eastern Europe
5. What are you doing if you're using an "orange stick"? Is that what they call the sticks used by airline workers who direct planes into and out of gates?
6. The Chordettes and Lil Wayne both recorded hit odes to what sweet treat? No idea so I will guess everyone's favorite crossword triple layer treat - oreo. I am mostly useless on the rap/hip hop questions.
7. What unusual distinction is shared by all these writers? Dante, Heine, Hugo, Carlo Levi, Ovid, Pushkin, Sappho, Thucydides. I think they were all exiled. I started with Dante because I know that he was exiled from Florence. The others appear to have been vanquished from one location or another as well.
LAST WEEK'S ANSWERS
1. Green Bay (of "Packers" fame) is an inlet of which Great Lake? Wisconsin's east coast lies on Lake Michigan. correct
2. Which two major U.S. movie releases of 2011 are both adapted from, of all things, Belgian comics? Why are Belgian cartoonists taking over our tentpole movies? This summer saw the unfortunate return of the Smurfs, and this Christmas there's a billion-dollar Tintin movie for some reason. Also, why do I keep asking Smurf questions on Tuesday Trivia? Note to self... correct although not quite fair to ask about movies not yet released
3. The pigment called "sepia" comes from what kind of animal? The brownish ink called sepia originally came from cephalopod ink--specifically cuttlefish, but we accepted "squid" also, because wtf is a cuttlefish? a good question. I was thinking of some aquatic animal and should have hit on a cephalopod
4. London's Ticketshare giveaway for the 2012 Olympics will allow lucky schoolchildren to see any sport but one. Which one? Shooting is apparently the non family-friendly Olympic sport, but that's only because nude Jell-o Twister won't be an exhibition sport until 2016. another good question. But what about modern pentathlon that includes shooting?
5. On reality TV, Duff Goldman is the "ace" and Buddy Valastro the "boss" of what food? Cake. Let's compare America's BMI over the decades to its number of television shows about cake and then start arguing correlation and causation. correct (with unintended assistance)
6. What title was held by Grand Princes of the Rurik dynasty, beginning in 1547? They were the first Tsars of Russia. You probably remember all those Tea Party protests complaining about why Russia needed all those czars. makes sense now. In fact I should have remembered that shah means king. Tsar is prince.
7. What unusual (for celebrities) distinction is shared by these celebrities? Antonio Banderas, Kirk Cameron, Harry Connick Jr., Sam Elliott, Ed Harris, Michael J. Fox, Hugh Jackman, James McAvoy, Keith Urban, Denzel Washington. All are married to older women. Should I have left off Ashton or not? I'm fairly certain I did the right thing. Semi-interesting factoid
