Musings of a Dead Parrot

THIS WEEK'S QUESTIONS
1.  What 2011 best-seller by Ernest Cline about 1980s geek culture takes its title from the phrase that opened many old coin-operated video games?  no idea.  All Your Base Are Belong To Me?
2.  A tachyon is, by definition, a hypothetical particle that possesses what unusual ability?  We had a question about tachyons at the Dreambuilder quiz a few years ago but I cannot recall exactly its unique property.  No mass?
3.  The 2018 Winter Olympics are scheduled to be held at Pyeongchang, in what country?  South Korea
4.  An 1878 dispute near present-day Williamson, West Virginia, over the distinctive notches in a hog's ears was one of the earliest flare-ups in what American conflict?  American conflict in WVa ---> Hatfields and McCoys
5.  BAO, the Benny Anderssons Orkester, is the latest project for a musician who owes his entry into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame to his membership in what other band?  ABBA
6.  What country currently has the only pregnant CEO of any on the Fortune 500?  Marissa Meyer is the pregnant CEO for Yahoo
7.  What unusual distinction is shared by all these TV characters?  Bamm-Bamm on Flintstones, Dexter on Dexter, Kutner on House, Lindsay on Arrested Development, Locke on Lost, Rachel on Glee, Rose on The Golden Girls, Steve on 90210, Sylar on Heroes, and Worf on Star Trek.  Bamm-Bamm and Rachel are the keys that helped to unlock this one.  All are adopted.

LAST WEEK'S ANSWERS
1.  Luckiest Man and Iron Horse are the title of two biographies of what athlete?  Lou Gehrig, the self-proclaimed "luckiest man on the face of the earth."  correct
2.  The world's only four countries without an airport are all located on which continent?  When you think about it, a country has to be very small indeed to do without an airport--and the four airport-free countries are where you'd expect to find tiny little made-up countries: Europe.  (The four nations are Vatican City, Monaco, Andorra, and Liechtenstein.)  I was thinking of countries that might not have the infrastructure to support an airport
3.  If you believe his nickname, the blues musician who made the song "Midnight Special" famous had a belly made of what?  Huddie William Ledbetter was nicknamed "Lead Belly."  correct
4.  What title character of a 2007 movie gets called "the cautionary whale" by her classmates at Dancing Elk High School?  I'm sorry, I can't answer this question, I'm on my hamburger phone.  This is Juno MacGuff, the pregnant title character of Juno.  correct
5.  What layer, lying below the stratosphere, is the lowest part of the Earth's atmosphere?  We all live in the troposphere.  correct
6.  Hagiography is the study of what kind of people?  Hagiography means "writing of the holy" and is used to refer to the lives of the saints.  silly me.  I should have realized that Hagia Sofia probably means St Sofia.  Hagia = saint.
7.  What unusual distinction is shared by all these movies?  Avatar, The Freshman, Hud, In the Cut, Mildred Pierce, Monkeybone, No Country for Old Men, The Specialist, That's My Boy.  A toughie: these are movies that had two stars with the same initials.  For the record: Sam Worthington and Sigourney Weaver, Marlon Brando and Matthew Broderick, Paul Newman and Patricia Neal, Joan Crawford and Jack Carson, Brendan Fraser and Bridget Fonda, Josh Brolin and Javier Bardem, Sylvester Stallone and Sharon Stone, Adam Sandler and Andy Samberg.  yes, that was a toughie especially if you only know one or two of those movies

THIS WEEK'S QUESTIONS
1.  Luckiest Man and Iron Horse are the title of two biographies of what athlete?  Lou Gehrig
2.  The world's only four countries without an airport are all located on which continent?  must be Asia or Africa.  I'll guess Africa.
3.  If you believe his nickname, the blues musician who made the song "Midnight Special" famous had a belly made of what?   Lead(belly)
4.  What title character of a 2007 movie gets called "the cautionary whale" by her classmates at Dancing Elk High School?  after some brainstorming, the answer came to me - Juno!
5.  What layer, lying below the stratosphere, is the lowest part of the Earth's atmosphere?  weather occurs in the troposphere.  I'll guess the troposphere.
6.  Hagiography is the study of what kind of people?  writers?
7.  What unusual distinction is shared by all these movies?  Avatar, The Freshman, Hud, In the Cut, Mildred Pierce, Monkeybone, No Country for Old Men, The Specialist, That's My Boy.  Which The Freshman and which That's My Boy does he mean?  There are multiple movies with those titles.

LAST WEEK'S ANSWERS
1.  What animal is popularly known in North America as a polecat?  In Europe, the polecat was a type of weasel, but in North America, as far back as the 17th century, the term's been borrowed to refer to the skunk.  correct
2.  The chorus of what 2012 hit song begins, "Hey, I just met you and this is crazy, but here's my number"?  ...So call me maybe.  I'm sorry I got this stuck in your head again.  correct
3.  From his 1306 coronation until his 1329 death, who led the Wars of Scottish Independence against England?  Robert the Bruce.  If you got this because of Braveheart, that's okay.  guess I should pay more attention to the characters (and the question - I should have realize that William Wallace was killed at the end of that movie and was not crowned).
4.  What device, invented at Bell Labs in 1947 by Bardeen, Brattain, and Shockley, made possible the next half-century of miniaturized radios and other electronics?  Those three shared a Nobel Prize for inventing the transistor.  correct
5.  Mohammed Mursi and Ahmed Shafiq are recent political rivals in what nation?  They recently vied for the presidency of Egypt.  This was a little more current a month ago when I wrote it before leaving on vacation.  correct
6.  Brick, lumber, wool, grain, and ore are the five original resources found on what imaginary island?  Catan, as in "Settlers of" and its Euro-board game sequels.  Michael Rooney would have answered this correctly in his sleep
7.  What unusual distinction is shared by these countries, listed in this order?  Sudan, Serbia, Serbia and Montenegro, Indonesia, the United States, Ethiopia, Czechoslovakia, Yugoslavia, the USSR.  These are the countries from which the world's newest independent nations were carved: respectively, South Sudan, Kosovo, both Serbia and Montenegro, East Timor, Palau, Eritrea, both the Czech Republic and Slovakia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Kazakhstan.  (Admittedly, I left off Germany, a merger that didn't really fit the list.)  I am calling this correct.  Did not know that Palau separated from the US in the recent past.  I am learning US history from Ken Jennings!

THIS WEEK'S QUESTIONS
1.  What animal is popularly known in North America as a polecat?  polecat = skunk
2.  The chorus of what 2012 hit song begins, "Hey, I just met you and this is crazy, but here's my number"?  Call Me, Maybe
3.  From his 1306 coronation until his 1329 death, who led the Wars of Scottish Independence against England?  could this be anyone other than Mel Gibson William Wallace?
4.  What device, invented at Bell Labs in 1947 by Bardeen, Brattain, and Shockley, made possible the next half-century of miniaturized radios and other electronics?  transistor
5.  Mohammed Mursi and Ahmed Shafiq are recent political rivals in what nation?  Egypt
6.  Brick, lumber, wool, grain, and ore are the five original resources found on what imaginary island?  Myst?
7.  What unusual distinction is shared by these countries, listed in this order?  Sudan, Serbia, Serbia and Montenegro, Indonesia, the United States, Ethiopia, Czechoslovakia, Yugoslavia, the USSR.  Are these countries that subdivided to create other countries (South Sudan, East Timor, Eritrea, Czech Republic and Slovakia, etc)?  The US does not fit however.

LAST WEEK'S ANSWERS
1.  The title family on TV's Party of Five shared what literary surname?  Neve Campbell and Jennifer Love Hewitt and Matthew Fox and then the other less famous ones too I guess were all "the Salingers."  this is good tv trivia to know
2.  In what state is the Preakness Stakes, one third of horse racing's Triple Crown, run?  The Preakness is always run at the Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Maryland.  correct
3.  Who composed the 1905 Suite Bergamasque for piano, with a famous third movement inspired by a Paul Verlaine poem about moonlight?  That movement is "Clair de lune," by Claude Debussy.    correct
4.  Which Kardashian is the oldest child of Robert and Kris Kardashian?  Kourtney is the oldest.  I actually respect you more if you DIDN'T know that.    this is not good tv trivia to know.  I draw the line at knowing anything about the Kardashians.
5.  CQ, which organizes annual RTTY and DX contests, is the most popular magazine for American devotees of what hobby?  "CQ" is the "calling any station" code used by amateur radio operators, or hams.  I still like the answer of Croquet Quarterly.
6.  How many oxygen atoms are there in a molecule of sulfuric acid?  The chemical symbol for sulfuric acid is H2SO4, because there are four oxygen atoms in a sulfate ion.   correct
7.  What unusual distinction is shared by these U.S. presidents, and no others?  Washington, Adams, Jefferson, Madison, Monroe, Jackson, Polk, Taylor, Grant, Truman, and Carter?  These are the presidents who were farmers in their pre-Oval Office life.  I predict Carter will be the last one for a while.    correct

THIS WEEK'S QUESTIONS
1.  The title family on TV's Party of Five shared what literary surname?  Austen?
2.  In what state is the Preakness Stakes, one third of horse racing's Triple Crown, run?  Preakness is run at Pimlico in Baltimore -> Maryland
3.  Who composed the 1905 Suite Bergamasque for piano, with a famous third movement inspired by a Paul Verlaine poem about moonlight?  1905 is too late for Tchaikovsky and much too late for Beethoven.   Bergamasque is French.  Debussy? I don't think I know any of his work other than Clair du Lune.
4.  Which Kardashian is the oldest child of Robert and Kris Kardashian?  I pay no attention to this stuff.  Kim?
5.  CQ, which organizes annual RTTY and DX contests, is the most popular magazine for American devotees of what hobby?  Tough week with a lot of guessing.  CQ probably = "something" Quarterly. Croquet?
6.  How many oxygen atoms are there in a molecule of sulfuric acid?  This one I know.  H2SO4 --> 4 atoms
7.  What unusual distinction is shared by these U.S. presidents, and no others?  Washington, Adams, Jefferson, Madison, Monroe, Jackson, Polk, Taylor, Grant, Truman, and Carter?  A lot of the early presidents plus a sprinkling of the more recent ones.  The one that helped is Carter.  I think that these presidents were farmers.

LAST WEEK'S ANSWERS
1.  What reggae-inflected hit was the only a cappella song ever to top the Billboard Hot 100, in September 1988?  This was "Don't Worry, Be Happy," a surprise pop hit for the one-of-a-kind jazz vocalist Bobby McFerrin. correct
2.  Kosovo and Cyprus are the only two nations whose map can be found where?  On their flags.  I guess it's possible that, like, there's a map of the Vatican on its flag too, but it's just too small to see?  an oddly worded question that would have been better as a Q7
3.  According to a famous quote in Nietzsche's Beyond Good and Evil, what will also gaze into you if you gaze too long at it?  According to Nietzsche, the abyss gazes back.  Well, the "Abgrund," actually, since he was German. I guess so.  I'm not really familiar with this quote.
4.  What two actors, currently playing the same character in one of the biggest movies of summer 2012, also played reluctant antagonists in the Best Picture-winning film of 2007?  Josh Brolin and Tommy Lee Jones, who faced off in No Country for Old Men, are now both playing "Agent K" in the new Men in Black sequel.  A collaborator definitely would have helped with this question.  It was gettable.
5.  What Elizabethan term for the lowest-paying members of a theater audience was appropriated by a legendary Los Angeles comedy troupe?  Because these financially challenged theater fans had to watch the play from the dirt floor in front of the stage, they were called "groundlings." correct
6.  In humans, over 90% of digestion and absorption takes place in what organ?  The small intestine does the real heavy lifting.  Quit hogging all the glory, stomach.  guess the large intestine is mainly just an expressway from the stomach to the small intestine
7.  What unusual distinction is shared by these Shakespearean characters?  Coriolanus, Falstaff, Henry IV, Kent, Prospero, Romeo, Rosalind, Valentine.  They're outcasts--B.O., probably.  In their respective plays, all are banished from one court/city/state or another.  Interesting.

THIS WEEK'S QUESTIONS
1.  What reggae-inflected hit was the only a cappella song ever to top the Billboard Hot 100, in September 1988?  Don't Worry, Be Happy
2.  Kosovo and Cyprus are the only two nations whose map can be found where?  this is confusing.  A map that only includes Kosovo and Cyprus?  Very mysterious question.  Is this a reference to a book like The Da Vinci Code?
3.  According to a famous quote in Nietzsche's Beyond Good and Evil, what will also gaze into you if you gaze too long at it?  the sun?  your soul?  the sun?  your navel? Is this where the term "navel gazing" comes from?
4.  What two actors, currently playing the same character in one of the biggest movies of summer 2012, also played reluctant antagonists in the Best Picture-winning film of 2007?  Best Picture winner in 2007 was The Departed, I believe.  Leo DiCaprio was in it and it is about Boston gangsters.  Don't know much else about the movie.  One of the biggest summer movies of 2012 would seem to be The Avengers.  A reference to The Hulk?  I think Mark Ruffalo plays Bruce Banner, but I don't know which actor is The Hulk.
5.  What Elizabethan term for the lowest-paying members of a theater audience was appropriated by a legendary Los Angeles comedy troupe?  Groundlings
6.  In humans, over 90% of digestion and absorption takes place in what organ? large intestine?
7.  What unusual distinction is shared by these Shakespearean characters?  Coriolanus, Falstaff, Henry IV, Kent, Prospero, Romeo, Rosalind, Valentine.  They appear in disguise?  This would not seem to be very unusual in Shakespeare plays however.

LAST WEEK'S ANSWERS
1.  What are you calculating if you subtract course rating from five scores, multiply each by 113, and then divide by the appropriate slope rating?  This is part of the (surprisingly algebra-intensive) process of computing your golf handicap.  (In the American system, anyway.  The rest of the world uses a slightly different formula.)  correct
2.  The "Denmark Strait" is actually located over a thousand miles away from Copenhagen, and lies between what two islands?  Iceland and Greenland--which is, after all, an overseas territory of Denmark. correct
3.  In the U.S., federal inmates in prison or on furlough must agree not to eat baked goods containing what (generally harmless) ingredient?  Poppy seeds.  The thing about them producing false positives on drug tests is absolutely true. correct
4.  Shale, limestone, and sandstone belong to which of the three basic categories of rock?  Sedimentary, since all three are formed from the compaction of accumulated minerals (and organic shells and stuff, in the case of limestone). correct
5.  What TV show's characters often repeat the slogan "Clear eyes, full hearts, can't lose"?  This is the locker room mantra of the Dillon Panthers, on Friday Night Lights.  Whose house?  THEIR HOUSE.  correct
6.  On April 18, 1975, President Ford visited what building to light in one of its windows a lantern that still hangs there today?  Ford was visiting Boston's Old North Church, to commemorate the bicentennial of Paul Revere's famed ride, which began, as you might recall, with a lantern signal from that very church. correct

7.  What unusual distinction is shared by these bands?  Alabama, Backstreet Boys, the Beach Boys, the Dandy Warhols, Gladys Knight and the Pips, Kings of Leon, the Miracles, Rascal Flatts.  All these bands have or had a pair of cousins in them.  (Some have siblings too, but not all.) correct