Thursday, October 31, 2013
Ken Jennings Tuesday Trivia - October 22
THIS WEEK'S QUESTIONS
1. The National Women's Hall of Fame is located, appropriately enough, in what town in the Finger Lakes district of New York state? Seneca Falls
2. Recurve and compound are two common types of what piece of athletic equipment? hockey sticks?
3. In Stephen King's Carrie and its movie adaptations, what animal's blood is dumped on the title character at her prom? swine
4. The DSM-5 is the most recent version of the standard reference work used by members of what profession? psychologists/psychiatrists
5. Equatorial Guinea is the only African country to have what as its national language? Other African countries would have French or English as their national language. The answer is probably a European or African language. Dutch, Spanish, Portuguese, German? Swahili, Bantu, Zulu? I'll guess Swahili
6. Moore's Law is a rule of thumb predicting that the performance of what doubles approximately every two years? computing speed/computing power
7. What unusual distinction is shared by all these movies? Adaptation, ...And Justice for All, Blood Simple, Clerks, Crazy Stupid Love, Good Night and Good Luck, I'm Not There, Snatch.
LAST WEEK'S QUESTIONS
1. What colorless Italian brandy is distilled from "pomace"--the pulp, stems, and seeds left over when wine is made? Grappa Alex knew this potent potable
2. For the new 2013 season, Amber Tamblyn was the surprising choice to play one of the title characters of what TV series? Two and a Half Men "she plays Charlie's previously unknown daughter" I like Amber Tamblyn but this is a long way from Joan of Arcadia
3. What former head of state returned to his home country in 2011 to enter El Renacer prison, after two decades of prosecution in Florida and France? Manuel Noriega correct
4. The obelisk placed in Paris's Place de la Concorde in 1836 is often incorrectly named for what person, who lived over 1,000 years after its carving? Cleopatra correct
5. What kind of fish, order Siluriformes, is named for the barbels it uses as sensory organs? Catfish correct
6. What country's traditional folk dances include the Mazurka and the Krakowiak? Poland correct
7. What unusual distinction is shared by all these famous people? Tom Bradley, Calvin Coolidge, Thomas Edison, Michael Faraday, Doug Flutie, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Florence Nightingale, Louis Pasteur. They all have an "effect" in some field named for them. The Bradley effect, for example, refers to voters' reluctance to vote for minority political candidates. The Florence Nightingale effect causes nurses to fall for their patients. The Coolidge effect is...well, look it up. Let's just say President Coolidge might not be happy about his new claim to fame. correct!
1. The National Women's Hall of Fame is located, appropriately enough, in what town in the Finger Lakes district of New York state? Seneca Falls
2. Recurve and compound are two common types of what piece of athletic equipment? hockey sticks?
3. In Stephen King's Carrie and its movie adaptations, what animal's blood is dumped on the title character at her prom? swine
4. The DSM-5 is the most recent version of the standard reference work used by members of what profession? psychologists/psychiatrists
5. Equatorial Guinea is the only African country to have what as its national language? Other African countries would have French or English as their national language. The answer is probably a European or African language. Dutch, Spanish, Portuguese, German? Swahili, Bantu, Zulu? I'll guess Swahili
6. Moore's Law is a rule of thumb predicting that the performance of what doubles approximately every two years? computing speed/computing power
7. What unusual distinction is shared by all these movies? Adaptation, ...And Justice for All, Blood Simple, Clerks, Crazy Stupid Love, Good Night and Good Luck, I'm Not There, Snatch.
LAST WEEK'S QUESTIONS
1. What colorless Italian brandy is distilled from "pomace"--the pulp, stems, and seeds left over when wine is made? Grappa Alex knew this potent potable
2. For the new 2013 season, Amber Tamblyn was the surprising choice to play one of the title characters of what TV series? Two and a Half Men "she plays Charlie's previously unknown daughter" I like Amber Tamblyn but this is a long way from Joan of Arcadia
3. What former head of state returned to his home country in 2011 to enter El Renacer prison, after two decades of prosecution in Florida and France? Manuel Noriega correct
4. The obelisk placed in Paris's Place de la Concorde in 1836 is often incorrectly named for what person, who lived over 1,000 years after its carving? Cleopatra correct
5. What kind of fish, order Siluriformes, is named for the barbels it uses as sensory organs? Catfish correct
6. What country's traditional folk dances include the Mazurka and the Krakowiak? Poland correct
7. What unusual distinction is shared by all these famous people? Tom Bradley, Calvin Coolidge, Thomas Edison, Michael Faraday, Doug Flutie, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Florence Nightingale, Louis Pasteur. They all have an "effect" in some field named for them. The Bradley effect, for example, refers to voters' reluctance to vote for minority political candidates. The Florence Nightingale effect causes nurses to fall for their patients. The Coolidge effect is...well, look it up. Let's just say President Coolidge might not be happy about his new claim to fame. correct!
Friday, October 25, 2013
Ken Jennings Tuesday Trivia - October 15
THIS WEEK'S QUESTIONS
1. What colorless Italian brandy is distilled from "pomace"--the pulp, stems, and seeds left over when wine is made? yum! I can only think of slivovitz or schnapps or ouzo, none of which is Italian. Pomacetto? Amaretto? But amaretto has an almond flavor.
2. For the new 2013 season, Amber Tamblyn was the surprising choice to play one of the title characters of what TV series? No idea, so I will guess the show that my friend Kevin Garnett is working on - Back In The Game
3. What former head of state returned to his home country in 2011 to enter El Renacer prison, after two decades of prosecution in Florida and France? Manuel Noriega?
4. The obelisk placed in Paris's Place de la Concorde in 1836 is often incorrectly named for what person, who lived over 1,000 years after its carving? Cleopatra?
5. What kind of fish, order Siluriformes, is named for the barbels it uses as sensory organs? catfish?
6. What country's traditional folk dances include the Mazurka and the Krakowiak? Poland?
7. What What unusual distinction is shared by all these famous people? Tom Bradley, Calvin Coolidge, Thomas Edison, Michael Faraday, Doug Flutie, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Florence Nightingale, Louis Pasteur. each has an "effect" named for him or her. Thanks to wikipedia, I now know about the Coolidge Effect.
LAST WEEK'S ANSWERS
1. Before the mid-1970s, 85% of what industry was controlled by a consortium of American and European companies known as the Seven Sisters? The Seven Sisters were Gulf, Texaco, Shell, Standard, and the other large petroleum companies of the pre-OPEC era. computers, steel, oil - lots of oligopolies in that era
2. The Holy or the Broken is a 2012 book about the history of what song, originally written in 1984 but better known in a series of more recent cover versions? "The holy or the broken" is a lyric from Leonard Cohen's song "Hallelujah," later popularized by John Cale, Jeff Buckley, and many, many hacky TV drama montages. an entire book about one song?
3. What largest tributary of the upper Missouri River, flowing through Montana and Wyoming, is named for the pale color of the sandstone bluffs that line its canyons? Those cliffs are the "yellow stone" that gave the Yellowstone River its name. correct
4. This fall, Ralph Fiennes will play what author in the movie The Invisible Woman, as well as playing the author's character Abel Magwitch in a second film? Abel Magwitch is the menacing escaped convict in Great Expectations, by Charles Dickens. correct
5. What is a person performing his or her "ablutions" doing to him- or herself? Ablution means "washing." correct
6. Since 2005, the world record for fastest men's 100-meters has been owned by runners from what nation? The two record-holding sprinters are Asafa Powell and Usain Bolt, so the nation, of course, is Jamaica. correct
7. Based on what they all have in common, what once-and-future TV show is most obviously missing from this list? Dark Angel, Ed, The Family Guy, Friday Night Lights, Glee, Joan of Arcadia, Justified, Lost, Oz, Private Practice. Each of these shows has or had a character in a wheelchair. Perhaps TV's most famous wheelchair-bound protagonist was Raymond Burr on Ironside, which is being revived by NBC with Blair Underwood. correct! But really, is Ironside more famous than Artie from Glee?
1. What colorless Italian brandy is distilled from "pomace"--the pulp, stems, and seeds left over when wine is made? yum! I can only think of slivovitz or schnapps or ouzo, none of which is Italian. Pomacetto? Amaretto? But amaretto has an almond flavor.
2. For the new 2013 season, Amber Tamblyn was the surprising choice to play one of the title characters of what TV series? No idea, so I will guess the show that my friend Kevin Garnett is working on - Back In The Game
3. What former head of state returned to his home country in 2011 to enter El Renacer prison, after two decades of prosecution in Florida and France? Manuel Noriega?
4. The obelisk placed in Paris's Place de la Concorde in 1836 is often incorrectly named for what person, who lived over 1,000 years after its carving? Cleopatra?
5. What kind of fish, order Siluriformes, is named for the barbels it uses as sensory organs? catfish?
6. What country's traditional folk dances include the Mazurka and the Krakowiak? Poland?
7. What What unusual distinction is shared by all these famous people? Tom Bradley, Calvin Coolidge, Thomas Edison, Michael Faraday, Doug Flutie, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Florence Nightingale, Louis Pasteur. each has an "effect" named for him or her. Thanks to wikipedia, I now know about the Coolidge Effect.
LAST WEEK'S ANSWERS
1. Before the mid-1970s, 85% of what industry was controlled by a consortium of American and European companies known as the Seven Sisters? The Seven Sisters were Gulf, Texaco, Shell, Standard, and the other large petroleum companies of the pre-OPEC era. computers, steel, oil - lots of oligopolies in that era
2. The Holy or the Broken is a 2012 book about the history of what song, originally written in 1984 but better known in a series of more recent cover versions? "The holy or the broken" is a lyric from Leonard Cohen's song "Hallelujah," later popularized by John Cale, Jeff Buckley, and many, many hacky TV drama montages. an entire book about one song?
3. What largest tributary of the upper Missouri River, flowing through Montana and Wyoming, is named for the pale color of the sandstone bluffs that line its canyons? Those cliffs are the "yellow stone" that gave the Yellowstone River its name. correct
4. This fall, Ralph Fiennes will play what author in the movie The Invisible Woman, as well as playing the author's character Abel Magwitch in a second film? Abel Magwitch is the menacing escaped convict in Great Expectations, by Charles Dickens. correct
5. What is a person performing his or her "ablutions" doing to him- or herself? Ablution means "washing." correct
6. Since 2005, the world record for fastest men's 100-meters has been owned by runners from what nation? The two record-holding sprinters are Asafa Powell and Usain Bolt, so the nation, of course, is Jamaica. correct
7. Based on what they all have in common, what once-and-future TV show is most obviously missing from this list? Dark Angel, Ed, The Family Guy, Friday Night Lights, Glee, Joan of Arcadia, Justified, Lost, Oz, Private Practice. Each of these shows has or had a character in a wheelchair. Perhaps TV's most famous wheelchair-bound protagonist was Raymond Burr on Ironside, which is being revived by NBC with Blair Underwood. correct! But really, is Ironside more famous than Artie from Glee?
Wednesday, October 09, 2013
Ken Jennings Tuesday Trivia - October 8
THIS WEEK'S QUESTIONS
1. Before the mid-1970s, 85% of what industry was controlled by a consortium of American and European companies known as the Seven Sisters? I thought that the computer industry was IBM and the 7 dwarves. I'll guess that the Seven Sisters controlled the steel business.
2. The Holy or the Broken is a 2012 book about the history of what song, originally written in 1984 but better known in a series of more recent cover versions? this is a cryptic question to me. I cannot imagine a book written about a pop song. Must have some broader social impact.
3. What largest tributary of the upper Missouri River, flowing through Montana and Wyoming, is named for the pale color of the sandstone bluffs that line its canyons? the Yellowstone River. nicely written question
4. This fall, Ralph Fiennes will play what author in the movie The Invisible Woman, as well as playing the author's character Abel Magwitch in a second film? isn't Abel Magwitch a character from a Dickens novel?
5. What is a person performing his or her "ablutions" doing to him- or herself? washing him- or herself
6. Since 2005, the world record for fastest men's 100-meters has been owned by runners from what nation? Jamaica
7. Based on what they all have in common, what once-and-future TV show is most obviously missing from this list? Dark Angel, Ed, The Family Guy, Friday Night Lights, Glee, Joan of Arcadia, Justified, Lost, Oz, Private Practice. the "once-and-future" part of the clue is helpful. An actor friend of mine is on tonight's episode of Ironside. All shows had a wheelchair bound character.
LAST WEEK'S ANSWERS
1. What famous American wrote the bestselling 1928 autobiography Marching Along: Recollections of Men, Women, and Music? The "March King" himself, John Philip Sousa. correct
2. What's the only letter of the alphabet that appears in lowercase on a Boggle cube? The 'Q' in Boggle (unlike Scrabble) comes with a helpful 'u' attached, so 'u' is the only lowercase letter that can show up in the grid. Alex knew this.
3. In what country were hundreds killed in the June 16, 1976 Soweto uprising? Soweto started out as an apartheid-era township of Johannesburg, South Africa. correct
4. Since 1881, the standard unit of electrical current has been named for what French "father of electrodynamics"? The "amp" is named for Andre-Marie Ampere.correct I did not get this correct. I guessed the other French physicist whose name is a unit of measure, Coulomb
5. In 1953, who was forced to find a new name for his magazine after legal threats were made by the men's adventure magazine Stag? Originally, Hugh Hefner planned to have the servers at his clubs wear little antlers. He switched to bunny ears after Stag magazine made him rename his "Stag Party" magazine "Playboy." correct
6. What ends on Eid al-Fitr? For Muslims, that religious feast ends the month of fast called Ramadan.
correct
7. What increasingly unusual distinction is shared by these musicians? James Blunt, Johnny Cash, John Fogerty, Jerry Garcia, Hammer, Jimi Hendrix, Ice-T, Willie Nelson, Elvis Presley, Bjorn Ulvaeus. They all served in the military--some famously (Elvis), some with distinction (Ice-T was an Army Ranger!) and some, uh not (Jerry Garcia, discharged for going AWOL too many times). I am trying to picture Hammer in the Navy wearing parachute pants
1. Before the mid-1970s, 85% of what industry was controlled by a consortium of American and European companies known as the Seven Sisters? I thought that the computer industry was IBM and the 7 dwarves. I'll guess that the Seven Sisters controlled the steel business.
2. The Holy or the Broken is a 2012 book about the history of what song, originally written in 1984 but better known in a series of more recent cover versions? this is a cryptic question to me. I cannot imagine a book written about a pop song. Must have some broader social impact.
3. What largest tributary of the upper Missouri River, flowing through Montana and Wyoming, is named for the pale color of the sandstone bluffs that line its canyons? the Yellowstone River. nicely written question
4. This fall, Ralph Fiennes will play what author in the movie The Invisible Woman, as well as playing the author's character Abel Magwitch in a second film? isn't Abel Magwitch a character from a Dickens novel?
5. What is a person performing his or her "ablutions" doing to him- or herself? washing him- or herself
6. Since 2005, the world record for fastest men's 100-meters has been owned by runners from what nation? Jamaica
7. Based on what they all have in common, what once-and-future TV show is most obviously missing from this list? Dark Angel, Ed, The Family Guy, Friday Night Lights, Glee, Joan of Arcadia, Justified, Lost, Oz, Private Practice. the "once-and-future" part of the clue is helpful. An actor friend of mine is on tonight's episode of Ironside. All shows had a wheelchair bound character.
LAST WEEK'S ANSWERS
1. What famous American wrote the bestselling 1928 autobiography Marching Along: Recollections of Men, Women, and Music? The "March King" himself, John Philip Sousa. correct
2. What's the only letter of the alphabet that appears in lowercase on a Boggle cube? The 'Q' in Boggle (unlike Scrabble) comes with a helpful 'u' attached, so 'u' is the only lowercase letter that can show up in the grid. Alex knew this.
3. In what country were hundreds killed in the June 16, 1976 Soweto uprising? Soweto started out as an apartheid-era township of Johannesburg, South Africa. correct
4. Since 1881, the standard unit of electrical current has been named for what French "father of electrodynamics"? The "amp" is named for Andre-Marie Ampere.
5. In 1953, who was forced to find a new name for his magazine after legal threats were made by the men's adventure magazine Stag? Originally, Hugh Hefner planned to have the servers at his clubs wear little antlers. He switched to bunny ears after Stag magazine made him rename his "Stag Party" magazine "Playboy." correct
6. What ends on Eid al-Fitr? For Muslims, that religious feast ends the month of fast called Ramadan.
correct
7. What increasingly unusual distinction is shared by these musicians? James Blunt, Johnny Cash, John Fogerty, Jerry Garcia, Hammer, Jimi Hendrix, Ice-T, Willie Nelson, Elvis Presley, Bjorn Ulvaeus. They all served in the military--some famously (Elvis), some with distinction (Ice-T was an Army Ranger!) and some, uh not (Jerry Garcia, discharged for going AWOL too many times). I am trying to picture Hammer in the Navy wearing parachute pants
Tuesday, October 01, 2013
Ken Jennings Tuesday Trivia - October 1
THIS WEEK'S QUESTIONS
1. What famous American wrote the bestselling 1928 autobiography Marching Along: Recollections of Men, Women, and Music? Sousa
2. What's the only letter of the alphabet that appears in lowercase on a Boggle cube? never played Boggle so I have a 1 in 26 chance of guessing correctly. I'll guess "b" so that there is no confusion with "8".
3. In what country were hundreds killed in the June 16, 1976 Soweto uprising? South Africa
4. Since 1881, the standard unit of electrical current has been named for what French "father of electrodynamics"? Coulomb
5. In 1953, who was forced to find a new name for his magazine after legal threats were made by the men's adventure magazine Stag? Hefner
6. What ends on Eid al-Fitr? Ramadan
7. What increasingly unusual distinction is shared by these musicians? James Blunt, Johnny Cash, John Fogerty, Jerry Garcia, Hammer, Jimi Hendrix, Ice-T, Willie Nelson, Elvis Presley, Bjorn Ulvaeus. tax problems? name their guitars?
LAST WEEK'S ANSWERS
1. When education policymakers fret over America's struggle to compete in the acronymic "STEM" fields, what four fields are they talking about? Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics. correct
2. What is by far the largest Greek island, more than twice as big as runner-up Euboea? Crete is the fifth-largest island in the Mediterranean. grrr
3. Rockatansky is the unusual last name of what iconic movie character who made his debut in 1979? Mad Max--soon returning to a theater near you in the form of a Tom Hardy remake. this is a fair question. I had heard it before.
4. What color is the cover of a current American passport? They were changed from green to blue in 1976 for the nation's Bicentennial. correct
5. Three of the NFL's four current oldest players, including 40-year-old Adam Vinatieri, play what position? They're placekickers. (And the fourth is a punter, Washington's Sav Rocca.) correct
6. What four-word sentence does Westinghouse factory worker Geraldine Hoff appear to be a saying in a famed 1943 propaganda poster by J. Howard Miller? She's the sexy Rosie the Riveter type flexing her bicep and saying, "We Can Do It!" I thought of the poster of Rosie, but I could not recall the phrase that went with it. Also I thought that the model for Rosie worked at the Kaiser Shipyard.
7. What unusual distinction is shared by all these animals? Antelope, buffalo, cod, deer, elk, moose, sheep, shrimp, squid. These are among the few animals--mostly seafood and game--where the preferred plural form is also the singular. When it comes to animals, either we catch and eat them, or we pluralize them. Not usually both. correct
1. What famous American wrote the bestselling 1928 autobiography Marching Along: Recollections of Men, Women, and Music? Sousa
2. What's the only letter of the alphabet that appears in lowercase on a Boggle cube? never played Boggle so I have a 1 in 26 chance of guessing correctly. I'll guess "b" so that there is no confusion with "8".
3. In what country were hundreds killed in the June 16, 1976 Soweto uprising? South Africa
4. Since 1881, the standard unit of electrical current has been named for what French "father of electrodynamics"? Coulomb
5. In 1953, who was forced to find a new name for his magazine after legal threats were made by the men's adventure magazine Stag? Hefner
6. What ends on Eid al-Fitr? Ramadan
7. What increasingly unusual distinction is shared by these musicians? James Blunt, Johnny Cash, John Fogerty, Jerry Garcia, Hammer, Jimi Hendrix, Ice-T, Willie Nelson, Elvis Presley, Bjorn Ulvaeus. tax problems? name their guitars?
LAST WEEK'S ANSWERS
1. When education policymakers fret over America's struggle to compete in the acronymic "STEM" fields, what four fields are they talking about? Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics. correct
2. What is by far the largest Greek island, more than twice as big as runner-up Euboea? Crete is the fifth-largest island in the Mediterranean. grrr
3. Rockatansky is the unusual last name of what iconic movie character who made his debut in 1979? Mad Max--soon returning to a theater near you in the form of a Tom Hardy remake. this is a fair question. I had heard it before.
4. What color is the cover of a current American passport? They were changed from green to blue in 1976 for the nation's Bicentennial. correct
5. Three of the NFL's four current oldest players, including 40-year-old Adam Vinatieri, play what position? They're placekickers. (And the fourth is a punter, Washington's Sav Rocca.) correct
6. What four-word sentence does Westinghouse factory worker Geraldine Hoff appear to be a saying in a famed 1943 propaganda poster by J. Howard Miller? She's the sexy Rosie the Riveter type flexing her bicep and saying, "We Can Do It!" I thought of the poster of Rosie, but I could not recall the phrase that went with it. Also I thought that the model for Rosie worked at the Kaiser Shipyard.
7. What unusual distinction is shared by all these animals? Antelope, buffalo, cod, deer, elk, moose, sheep, shrimp, squid. These are among the few animals--mostly seafood and game--where the preferred plural form is also the singular. When it comes to animals, either we catch and eat them, or we pluralize them. Not usually both. correct
