Saturday, August 31, 2013
Ken Jennings Tuesday Trivia - July 16
THIS WEEK'S QUESTIONS
1. What does one add to lemonade to make the (non-alcoholic) drink called an Arnold Palmer? iced tea
2. Actor Krishna Pandit Bhanji, born in Yorkshire in 1943, is better known by what stage name? Ben Kingsley?
3. The Log Cabin Republicans are a conservative U.S. lobbying organization advocating for what? gay rights
4. What Spanish word for "straight" is also a meteorological term for a straight squall line of thunderstorms? my Spanish fails me here.
5. Is This the Real Life? was a 2011 book telling "The Untold Story of" what band? Queen
6. In what country is Serengeti National Park? Kenya
7. What unusual distinction is shared by Jeb Bush, Edward VIII, George Foreman Jr., Connie Francis, Ira Gershwin, Captain Kirk, Liberace, Stuart Little, Telly Savalas, Ron Weasley, and Angus Young? I wish my brother George was here. All have brothers named George.
LAST WEEK'S ANSWERS
1. What world leader used to take an immense Bedouin tent wherever he went, which Central Park refused to let him erect there in 2009? The late Muammar Gaddafi eschewed hotel rooms in favor of his portable shelter. He erected it next to the Kremlin in 2008, but ran into permit problems the following year during a visit to the U.N. he's only been gone a year and the world has already forgotten about Gaddafi (well, I have)
2. "Forkies" are fans of what TV series that ran on CBS from 1978 to 1991, and was revived in 2012? Forkies are the Trekkies of Dallas, which took place at the Ewings' SouthFORK ranch. correct
3. In his first draft of a 1913 story for All-Story magazine, what author created a new character then called "Zantar"? Eventually, Edgar Rice Burroughs turned the syllables around and Zantar became Tarzan. that's a good question, a nice fact to know
4. According to Newton's second law of motion, the net force on an object is equal to its acceleration times what quantity? F=ma...or, in other words, force is equal to mass times acceleration. correct
5. Johnny Sylvester, a Long Island executive who died in 1990, was best known for having briefly met, while ailing from a childhood disease in October 1926, what famous man? Sylvester was the little boy who wanted Babe Ruth to hit him a homer in the 1926 World Series. Ruth hit three in that game, and Sylvester lived fifty-three more years. (That's almost 18 years / homer.) correct
6. What title ship of an 1878 operetta is skippered by Captain Corcoran, whose daughter Josephine wants to marry able seaman Ralph Rackstraw? Corcoran commands the HMS Pinafore. It's a Gilbert and Sullivan thing. I don't know, ask Aaron Sorkin, I didn't go to Yale. correct
7. What unusual distinction is shared by all these movies? After Earth, Armageddon, Bride Wars, Bully, Frances Ha, Igby Goes Down, Mirror Mirror, The Roommate. Each features the daughter of a rock musician in its cast. (Respectively, the music stars are Lenny Kravitz, Steven Tyler, Bill Hudson, John Phillips, Sting, Mick Jagger, Phil Collins, and Rick Dufay. Did you know Minka Kelly from Friday Night Lights was Rick Dufay's daughter? Yeah, me neither.) who is Rick Dufay?
1. What does one add to lemonade to make the (non-alcoholic) drink called an Arnold Palmer? iced tea
2. Actor Krishna Pandit Bhanji, born in Yorkshire in 1943, is better known by what stage name? Ben Kingsley?
3. The Log Cabin Republicans are a conservative U.S. lobbying organization advocating for what? gay rights
4. What Spanish word for "straight" is also a meteorological term for a straight squall line of thunderstorms? my Spanish fails me here.
5. Is This the Real Life? was a 2011 book telling "The Untold Story of" what band? Queen
6. In what country is Serengeti National Park? Kenya
7. What unusual distinction is shared by Jeb Bush, Edward VIII, George Foreman Jr., Connie Francis, Ira Gershwin, Captain Kirk, Liberace, Stuart Little, Telly Savalas, Ron Weasley, and Angus Young? I wish my brother George was here. All have brothers named George.
LAST WEEK'S ANSWERS
1. What world leader used to take an immense Bedouin tent wherever he went, which Central Park refused to let him erect there in 2009? The late Muammar Gaddafi eschewed hotel rooms in favor of his portable shelter. He erected it next to the Kremlin in 2008, but ran into permit problems the following year during a visit to the U.N. he's only been gone a year and the world has already forgotten about Gaddafi (well, I have)
2. "Forkies" are fans of what TV series that ran on CBS from 1978 to 1991, and was revived in 2012? Forkies are the Trekkies of Dallas, which took place at the Ewings' SouthFORK ranch. correct
3. In his first draft of a 1913 story for All-Story magazine, what author created a new character then called "Zantar"? Eventually, Edgar Rice Burroughs turned the syllables around and Zantar became Tarzan. that's a good question, a nice fact to know
4. According to Newton's second law of motion, the net force on an object is equal to its acceleration times what quantity? F=ma...or, in other words, force is equal to mass times acceleration. correct
5. Johnny Sylvester, a Long Island executive who died in 1990, was best known for having briefly met, while ailing from a childhood disease in October 1926, what famous man? Sylvester was the little boy who wanted Babe Ruth to hit him a homer in the 1926 World Series. Ruth hit three in that game, and Sylvester lived fifty-three more years. (That's almost 18 years / homer.) correct
6. What title ship of an 1878 operetta is skippered by Captain Corcoran, whose daughter Josephine wants to marry able seaman Ralph Rackstraw? Corcoran commands the HMS Pinafore. It's a Gilbert and Sullivan thing. I don't know, ask Aaron Sorkin, I didn't go to Yale. correct
7. What unusual distinction is shared by all these movies? After Earth, Armageddon, Bride Wars, Bully, Frances Ha, Igby Goes Down, Mirror Mirror, The Roommate. Each features the daughter of a rock musician in its cast. (Respectively, the music stars are Lenny Kravitz, Steven Tyler, Bill Hudson, John Phillips, Sting, Mick Jagger, Phil Collins, and Rick Dufay. Did you know Minka Kelly from Friday Night Lights was Rick Dufay's daughter? Yeah, me neither.) who is Rick Dufay?
Friday, August 30, 2013
Ken Jennings Tuesday Trivia - July 9
THIS WEEK'S QUESTIONS
1. What world leader used to take an immense Bedouin tent wherever he went, which Central Park refused to let him erect there in 2009? Ahmadinajad from Iran? Was it 2009 when he spoke at the UN and Columbia?
2. "Forkies" are fans of what TV series that ran on CBS from 1978 to 1991, and was revived in 2012? South Fork ---> Dallas
3. In his first draft of a 1913 story for All-Story magazine, what author created a new character then called "Zantar"? I don't know his name, but is this the author who created Zorro? Or perhaps L Frank Baum and Zantar was an Oz character?
4. According to Newton's second law of motion, the net force on an object is equal to the product of what two other quantities? F = ma ---> mass and acceleration
5. Johnny Sylvester, a Long Island executive who died in 1990, was best known for having briefly met, while ailing from a childhood disease in October 1926, what famous man? Babe Ruth! Sylvester must have been the kid for whom Ruth promised to hit a HR
6. What title ship of an 1878 operetta is skippered by Captain Corcoran, whose daughter Josephine wants to marry able seaman Ralph Rackstraw? operetta --> Gilbert and Sullivan ---> HMS Pinafore
7. What unusual distinction is shared by all these movies? After Earth, Armageddon, Bride Wars, Bully, Frances Ha, Igby Goes Down, Mirror Mirror, The Roommate. No idea.
LAST WEEK'S ANSWERS
1. What figure of speech is a word derived from the Greek words for "sharp" and "dull"? Even the word "oxymoron" is oxymoronic! I might have had a chance if KJ has said "derived from the Greek words for sharp or keen and foolish." Still, a fun question. I got it wrong but enjoyed it.
2. Name one of the three countries that's never had a woman on its Olympic team. Saudi Arabia was the easy one, but I'm even more impressed if you guessed Qatar or Brunei. This is not correct. In fact, under pressure from the IOC, all three brought female athletes to London last year.
3. Because they're all owned by the same outfit, American Media, Inc., the leading U.S. supermarket tabloids are all published in what state? Boca Raton, Florida has long been the center of the U.S. checkout-lane gossip industry. correct
4. What's the lightest of the noble gases on the periodic table? The noble gases are stable, inert ones like neon, argon, and the like. The lightest one is helium--which Earth is apparently running out of, by the way. Have you heard about this? No more party balloons, kids. correct
5. What kind of animal lent its name to Damon Albarn and Jamie Hewlett's "virtual band" and appears on the cover of Bruno Mars' album Unorthodox Jukebox? The band is the Gorillaz, and it's a gorilla trying to operate the titular Bruno Mars jukebox. I had no chance at this one.
6. Three American presidents with the same first name were born in the exact same county. What is the shared name? Tiny Norfolk County, Massachusetts has, remarkably, been the birthplace of FOUR presidents: three of which were named John (Adams, Adams, and Kennedy). George H. W. Bush was the fourth. correct
7. What unusual distinction is shared by these nations and no others? Australia, Austria, Brazil, Burma, Ethiopia, Germany, India, Malaysia, Mexico, Micronesia, Nigeria, Palau, South Sudan, Sudan, the U.S., Venezuela. These are all the world's countries that are subdivided into states. So quit saying you're from "the States," Americans overseas. Micronesians and Burmese could say that too. correct!
1. What world leader used to take an immense Bedouin tent wherever he went, which Central Park refused to let him erect there in 2009? Ahmadinajad from Iran? Was it 2009 when he spoke at the UN and Columbia?
2. "Forkies" are fans of what TV series that ran on CBS from 1978 to 1991, and was revived in 2012? South Fork ---> Dallas
3. In his first draft of a 1913 story for All-Story magazine, what author created a new character then called "Zantar"? I don't know his name, but is this the author who created Zorro? Or perhaps L Frank Baum and Zantar was an Oz character?
4. According to Newton's second law of motion, the net force on an object is equal to the product of what two other quantities? F = ma ---> mass and acceleration
5. Johnny Sylvester, a Long Island executive who died in 1990, was best known for having briefly met, while ailing from a childhood disease in October 1926, what famous man? Babe Ruth! Sylvester must have been the kid for whom Ruth promised to hit a HR
6. What title ship of an 1878 operetta is skippered by Captain Corcoran, whose daughter Josephine wants to marry able seaman Ralph Rackstraw? operetta --> Gilbert and Sullivan ---> HMS Pinafore
7. What unusual distinction is shared by all these movies? After Earth, Armageddon, Bride Wars, Bully, Frances Ha, Igby Goes Down, Mirror Mirror, The Roommate. No idea.
LAST WEEK'S ANSWERS
1. What figure of speech is a word derived from the Greek words for "sharp" and "dull"? Even the word "oxymoron" is oxymoronic! I might have had a chance if KJ has said "derived from the Greek words for sharp or keen and foolish." Still, a fun question. I got it wrong but enjoyed it.
2. Name one of the three countries that's never had a woman on its Olympic team. Saudi Arabia was the easy one, but I'm even more impressed if you guessed Qatar or Brunei. This is not correct. In fact, under pressure from the IOC, all three brought female athletes to London last year.
3. Because they're all owned by the same outfit, American Media, Inc., the leading U.S. supermarket tabloids are all published in what state? Boca Raton, Florida has long been the center of the U.S. checkout-lane gossip industry. correct
4. What's the lightest of the noble gases on the periodic table? The noble gases are stable, inert ones like neon, argon, and the like. The lightest one is helium--which Earth is apparently running out of, by the way. Have you heard about this? No more party balloons, kids. correct
5. What kind of animal lent its name to Damon Albarn and Jamie Hewlett's "virtual band" and appears on the cover of Bruno Mars' album Unorthodox Jukebox? The band is the Gorillaz, and it's a gorilla trying to operate the titular Bruno Mars jukebox. I had no chance at this one.
6. Three American presidents with the same first name were born in the exact same county. What is the shared name? Tiny Norfolk County, Massachusetts has, remarkably, been the birthplace of FOUR presidents: three of which were named John (Adams, Adams, and Kennedy). George H. W. Bush was the fourth. correct
7. What unusual distinction is shared by these nations and no others? Australia, Austria, Brazil, Burma, Ethiopia, Germany, India, Malaysia, Mexico, Micronesia, Nigeria, Palau, South Sudan, Sudan, the U.S., Venezuela. These are all the world's countries that are subdivided into states. So quit saying you're from "the States," Americans overseas. Micronesians and Burmese could say that too. correct!
Sunday, August 25, 2013
Ken Jennings Tuesday Trivia - July 2
Returning after taking much of the summer off. Awkwardly, the "e" key on my keyboard is sticky. I blame all incorrect answers on the mal-functioning E key.
THIS WEEK'S QUESTIONS
1. What figure of speech is a word derived from the Greek words for "sharp" and "dull"? adjective?
2. Name one of the three countries that's never had a woman on its Olympic team. didn't Saudi Arabia notably have a woman on its team last summer? How about Syria.
3. Because they're all owned by the same outfit, American Media, Inc., the leading U.S. supermarket tabloids are all published in what state? the anthrax attack in 2001 hit the tabloid offices in Florida
4. What's the lightest of the noble gases on the periodic table? helium
5. What kind of animal lent its name to Damon Albarn and Jamie Hewlett's "virtual band" and appears on the cover of Bruno Mars' album Unorthodox Jukebox? no idea
6. Three American presidents with the same first name were born in the exact same county. What is the shared name? John - Adams, Quincy Adams, Kennedy?
7. What unusual distinction is shared by these nations and no others? Australia, Austria, Brazil, Burma, Ethiopia, Germany, India, Malaysia, Mexico, Micronesia, Nigeria, Palau, South Sudan, Sudan, the U.S., Venezuela. Divided into states?
LAST WEEK'S ANSWERS
1. In 1886, who described his most famous painting this way: "The Seine flooded with sunshine . . . under the trees closer to us many people are strolling, others are sitting or stretched out lazily on the bluish grass"? He goes on to describe the kids, dogs, parasols, "ultramarine monkey," etc. It's "Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte," by Georges Seurat. once more, I answered after reading only part of the question - "the Seine flooded with sunshine." The rest clearly would have led me to Seurat.
2. In what U.S. state would you find the intersection of Bullion Boulevard and Gold Vault Road? That's the actual address of the U.S. gold repository at Fort Knox, Kentucky. correct
3. The PCR is a financial ratio that measures the proportion between what two type of stock options that have been purchased on any given day? The two kinds of options: puts and calls. correct
4. Who's the only villain to appear in all three of Christopher Nolan's Batman movies? Cillian Murphy survives as the Scarecrow through all three. correct
5. Since the 1930s, what mythical creature has been a symbol for Mobil gasoline? A red Pegasus--though he/she/it hasn't been seen much since the Exxon merger. correct
6. What entertainment uber-award acronym, coined by Miami Vice actor Philip Michael Thomas, caught on when it became a running gag on TV's 30 Rock? Yup, Philip Michael Thomas coined the word "EGOT"--for those who have won an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, AND Tony. Sadly, Mr. Thomas is no closer to his goal than he was in 1986. I think GOET could be as catchy as EGOT
7. What What unusual distinction is shared by all these songs? "Bennie and the Jets," "Diamond Dogs," "Dirty Diana," "Get Ready" (Rare Earth), "Run Like Hell," "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band," "The Spirit of Radio," "Train Kept A-Rollin'" (Aerosmith) Each is a studio recording on which the (canned) sound effect of crowd applause can be heard. correct!
THIS WEEK'S QUESTIONS
1. What figure of speech is a word derived from the Greek words for "sharp" and "dull"? adjective?
2. Name one of the three countries that's never had a woman on its Olympic team. didn't Saudi Arabia notably have a woman on its team last summer? How about Syria.
3. Because they're all owned by the same outfit, American Media, Inc., the leading U.S. supermarket tabloids are all published in what state? the anthrax attack in 2001 hit the tabloid offices in Florida
4. What's the lightest of the noble gases on the periodic table? helium
5. What kind of animal lent its name to Damon Albarn and Jamie Hewlett's "virtual band" and appears on the cover of Bruno Mars' album Unorthodox Jukebox? no idea
6. Three American presidents with the same first name were born in the exact same county. What is the shared name? John - Adams, Quincy Adams, Kennedy?
7. What unusual distinction is shared by these nations and no others? Australia, Austria, Brazil, Burma, Ethiopia, Germany, India, Malaysia, Mexico, Micronesia, Nigeria, Palau, South Sudan, Sudan, the U.S., Venezuela. Divided into states?
LAST WEEK'S ANSWERS
1. In 1886, who described his most famous painting this way: "The Seine flooded with sunshine . . . under the trees closer to us many people are strolling, others are sitting or stretched out lazily on the bluish grass"? He goes on to describe the kids, dogs, parasols, "ultramarine monkey," etc. It's "Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte," by Georges Seurat. once more, I answered after reading only part of the question - "the Seine flooded with sunshine." The rest clearly would have led me to Seurat.
2. In what U.S. state would you find the intersection of Bullion Boulevard and Gold Vault Road? That's the actual address of the U.S. gold repository at Fort Knox, Kentucky. correct
3. The PCR is a financial ratio that measures the proportion between what two type of stock options that have been purchased on any given day? The two kinds of options: puts and calls. correct
4. Who's the only villain to appear in all three of Christopher Nolan's Batman movies? Cillian Murphy survives as the Scarecrow through all three. correct
5. Since the 1930s, what mythical creature has been a symbol for Mobil gasoline? A red Pegasus--though he/she/it hasn't been seen much since the Exxon merger. correct
6. What entertainment uber-award acronym, coined by Miami Vice actor Philip Michael Thomas, caught on when it became a running gag on TV's 30 Rock? Yup, Philip Michael Thomas coined the word "EGOT"--for those who have won an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, AND Tony. Sadly, Mr. Thomas is no closer to his goal than he was in 1986. I think GOET could be as catchy as EGOT
7. What What unusual distinction is shared by all these songs? "Bennie and the Jets," "Diamond Dogs," "Dirty Diana," "Get Ready" (Rare Earth), "Run Like Hell," "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band," "The Spirit of Radio," "Train Kept A-Rollin'" (Aerosmith) Each is a studio recording on which the (canned) sound effect of crowd applause can be heard. correct!
