Trivia

[myst_riven08]

I don't know if anyone here is in to trivia, but thought I'd give it a shot once, just to see. If someone else enjoys this type of thing, feel free to post other trivia questions on this thread.

Sinking Of The Real Titanic

This is a 10-question trivia quiz I wrote for another website about the Titanic. I saw the movie several times.....it is a great movie. But, how much do you know about the sinking of the REAL Titanic? ***The link at the bottom will take you to the answers, along with a bit of information about each question.***

(1) All four of 'Titanic's smokestacks were functional.
True
False

(2) On the evening of April 13 and throughout the day of April 14, 'Titanic' received how many warnings of
icebergs and ice masses from other ships?
a. 7
b. 6
c. 5
d. 8

(3) After leaving the port at Southampton, 'Titanic' made two more stops before sailing toward her destiny. What
ports were these?
a. Cherbourg, France and Queenstown, Ireland
b. Devon, England and Queenstown, Ireland
c. Cherbourg, France and Belfast, Ireland
d. Liverpool, England and Belfast, Ireland

(4) 'Titanic' carried a total of how many lifeboats?
a. 14
b. 20
c. 16
d. 18

(5) 'Titanic' sank early morning of April 15 at what time?
a. 1:50
b. 3:10
c. 2:40,
d. 2:20

(6) What was the name of the shipping line associated with 'Titanic'?
a. White Dove,
b. White Star
c. White Lines,
d. White Elephant

(7) What was the last name of 'Titanic's captain?
a. Smith,
b. Murdoch,
c. Jones,
d. Devon

(8) What was the name of the first rescue ship on the scene of the 'Titanic' disaster?
a. Californian
b. Brittanic
c. Carpathia
d. Olympic

(9) What was the greatest danger faced by 'Titanic' survivors who were still in the water?
a. More icebergs
b. Sharks
c. Frigid water temperature
d. Killer whales

(10) How many distress flares were fired from 'Titanic' as she sat taking on water after the accident?
a. 10
b. 7
c. 8
d. 9

NOTE: This is a Word document.....I hope it opens OK....If not, I will just post the answers.....please let me know :) --- click Open From Current Location

[BrianT1701]

I knew most of these answers from the Titanic movie with Leo. :doh:

[myst_riven08]

Just curious.....did the Titanic movie give the explanation for the answer to no. 10 as is in my answer? I don't remember that part, and I saw the movie 3 times.....

[amb141]

Re: Answer 6. The Titanic's sister ships were the Olympic and the Brittanic. What was the original name of the Brittanic (changed after the Titanic disaster.)

And what became of the Olympic and the Brittanic?

Most people believe that the Titanic sinking was the greatest shipwreck (measured by loss of life) in history. But at least 2 other ships sank with much greater loss of life and both occured within no more than a couple hundred FEET of land! Anybody?.

alan

[myst_riven08]

Hmmmm.....no, I don't know about the other two, but would be interested in knowing. As for Olympic and Britannic, I don't know what became of them. I'm guessing they just got old and were retired. Would you care to enlighten me? :lol:

Actually, I find it interesting that two others could sink with greater loss of life, but not be as well known. Why history would pick the Titanic to remember so well, and the others go into obscurity, I'm not sure. Maybe it was the fact that Titanic was supposed to be a "super ship" (of its time) and was on its maiden voyage that made it stand out? In any case, it would be interesting to know about the others. Thanks for posting.....I'll watch for your reply :)

[amb141]

Larry

The two disasters that I am thinking about are the "Gen'l Slocum" fire and sinking in the East River in 1904 with perhaps 1500 killed -- no one knows for sure since it was an excursion ship and sailed without a passenger manifest -- (http://www.general-slocum.com/0acc.htm) and the boiler explosion and sinking of the troopship "Sultana" in 1865 in the Mississippi with loss of life of over 1700 liberated Union prisoners of war who were being returned to their homes in the north (http://www.rootsweb.com/~genepool/sultana.htm) .

After the sinking of the Titanic, the Olympic was refitted for a third time at Harland and Woolf's Queens Island Yard to address the shortcomings which doomed the Titanic. This third refit seems to have done the trick. After service in World War I as a troopship (which included the ramming and sinking of a German submarine which had attempted to torpedo her) the Olympic continued to carry passengers for many years until she was sold and broken up in 1935. But her career was not without further incident. In the 20's she rammed and sank(accidentally this time, of course) the Nantucket Lightship.

The Brittanic, originally "Gigantic" (!) was not so lucky. Serving as a hospital ship during the First World War, Brittanic either struck a mine or was torpedoed and sank in less than an hour with 30 killed out of 1100 on board (most when 2 prematurely launched lifeboats were sucked into the still turning screws.) Ironically, the damage to Brittanic was approximately in the same location and nearly the same in extent as the damage to Titanic which took around 3 hours to go under.

>>Maybe it was the fact that Titanic was supposed to be a "super ship" (of its time) and was on its maiden voyage that made it stand out?<<

Yes, that, and the "Unsinkable" tag that was attached to her (sorta.) The new watertight hull compartment design of the Titanic was described in the shipbuilding press as making her "practically unsinkable" but after she sank, the popular press picked up the "unsinkable" part and left out the "practically."

As perhaps you can tell, you have posted about a particular interest of mine (transportation disasters.) Sorry if I have rattled on to excess.

alan

[myst_riven08]

That wasn't excess, Alan! I appreciate hearing about these things. I enjoy trivia, but I do like to have my facts straight. Especially the part about Olympic ramming a submarine after it tried to torpedo her. I think that part is ironic. Anyway, thanks for the bit of history. I find it fascinating! Best.....Larry

[carolj100]

I, too, find it fascinating, Alan! You are such a fount, though, Bubble. Got any more tidbits?

[Amie]

Just like to say thanks for this thread I have found it very interesting reading and have learnt quite a few things in the process. :thLt:


Amie :amie:

[L e s]

GUSTLOFF

Sinking of the Gustloff (http://www.militaryhistoryonline.com/wwii/articles/wilhelmgustloff.aspx)

With all cabins occupied and passengers jammed into passageways, the GUSTLOFF got underway at 1230 on January 30th for Kiel and Flensburg in western Germany. There were over 6,000 passengers--more than three times above capacity. Most were women and children, elderly men and about 1,200 wounded soldiers. Last to come aboard was the mayor of Gotenhafen and his family.


Sunk by the 780-ton Soviet sub S-13




Name Date Lives Lost Notes

Wilhelm Gustloff Jan 30th 1945 5,900 to
7,000 German steamer of 25,484 tons. Torpedoed by Russian submarine S-13 about 28 n/miles NNE of Leba, Baltic. It is estimated that this number of persons may have been on board the vessel during the evacuation of German troops and personnel from Baltic ports

Goya Apr 16th 1945 6,200 German steamer of 5,230 tons. Torpedoed by Russian submarine L-3 off Rixhoft, Baltic. It is estimated that this number of persons may have been on board the vessel during the evacuation of German troops and personnel from Baltic ports

Junyo Maru Sept 18th 1944 5,620 Japanese steamer 5,065 tons. Torpedoed by British submarine HMS Tradewind off coast of Sumatra. Vessel carrying 2,300 Dutch, British, American and Australian POW's and 4,200 Javanese slave laborers for work on a railway in Sumatra.

Toyama Maru June 29th 1944 5,400 Japanese steamer 6,000 tons. Torpedoed by American submarine USS Sturgeon. Bound for Okinawa. Vessel carrying 6,000 plus members of the Japanese 44th Independent Mixed Brigade. About 600 survivors rescued by escorts

Cap Arcona May 3rd 1945 5,000 to
7,000 German steamer of 27,561 tons. Attacked and sunk by British aircraft at Neustadt Bay, Baltic. Included in the number are 2,300 forced embarkees from the concentration camps

Lancastria June 17th 1940 3,000 to 4,500 British Troopship 16,243 tons. Sunk by German air attack off St Nazaire while engaged in troop evacuation. Site is a designated war grave. Some lists show up to 9,000 on board with up to 7,000 killed. Official British report on loss will not be released until the year 2040. So who or what was on board to warrant a 100 year closed file

Dona Paz Dec 20th 1987 4,341 Philippine passenger ferry. Foundered in collision with tanker Vector about 110 miles South of Manila

Kiangya Dec 3rd 1948 2,750 to
3,920 Chinese steamer 2,100 tons. Struck a mine off Woosung, China while fleeing the Red Chinese

Provence 11 Feb 26th 1916 3,100 French auxil' Cruiser 13,753 tons. Torpedoed by U-35 West of Kithira Island, Greece.

Thielbek May 3rd 1945 2,800 German steamer of 2,815 tons. Burned and sunk after British air attack at Lubeck Bay. Passengers included inmates from Neuengamme Concentration Camp. There were no survivors

General von Steuben Feb 10th 1945 2,700 German steamer 14,666 tons. Torpedoed by a Russian submarine S-13 off Stolpe Bank, Baltic. It is estimated that this number of persons may have been on board the vessel during the evacuation of German troops and personel from Baltic ports

Yamato Apr 7th 1945 2,500 Japanese battleship 64,000 tons. Sunk by US air attack between Japan and Okinawa at N:30.43.17. E:128.04.

Neptunia Sept 18th 1941 2,500 Italian transport 19,475 tons. Torpedoed by British submarine HMS Upholder about 58 miles off Tripoli carrying Italian military

Oceania Sept 18th 1941 2,500 Italian transport 19,507 tons. Torpedoed by British submarine HMS Upholder near Tripoli carrying Italian military

Sinfra Oct 19th 1943 2,098 French steamer 4,470 tons. In German hands, sunk by aircraft attack North of Crete. Vessel carrying 2,664 prisoners on board, mostly Italian.

Ural Maru Sept 27th 1944 2,000 Japanese transport 6,374 tons. Torpedoed by USS Flasher about 150 miles West of Masinlik, Philippine Islands at N:15.40. E:117.18. Had been carrying 2,340 persons on board.

Scharnhorst Dec 26th 1943 1,964 German battleship 38,092 tons. Sunk by British naval action off North Cape of Norway
Rigel Nov 27th 1944 1,833 Norwegian transport 3,828 tons. Sunk by aircraft from

HMS Implacable North of Namsos while Southbound from Norway to Germany. Crew and 2,248 Russian prisoners were on board. Vessel was in German hands
Arisan Maru Oct 24th 1944 1,777 Japanese steamer 6,886 tons. Torpedoed by American submarine USS Snook in the South China Sea. Carrying 1,786 US prisoners from Manila to Japan.

Taiho June 19th 1944 1,650 Japanese aircraft carrier 29,300 tons. Torpedoed at N:12.22 E:137.04. West of Guam by USS Albacore SS-218. Burned and foundered 6 hours later

Laconia Sept 12th 1942 1,649 British transport 19,695 tons. Torpedoed by U-156 at S:04.52. W:11.26. without realizing vessel was carrying 1,800 Italian prisoner of war. Assistance in rescue operation by U-156, 506 and 507. During these operations an American aircraft from the Ascension Islands depth charged the U-boats and the rescued causing the U-boats to submerge and protect themselves.

[amb141]

Les

Of course, most of the disasters you cite were casualties of war.

There was another peacetime ferry disaster though, more recent than the Doña Paz, but the name of the ship escapes me at the moment. In this one the captain put to sea with the doors for loading automobiles still open. The ferry turned turtle and sank with ghastley loss of life. Do you (or anyone) happen to remember the name?

alan

[L e s]

Alan

There was of course The Herald of Free Enterprise

Herald Disaster (http://business.unisa.edu.au/cobar/corpresp/case_studies/study3.htm)

This one was particularly close to home for us, as a year or so after this whilst house hunting we almost bought a house from a family that survived this tragic accident.

Then there was the Estonia which sank in the Baltic sea when its bow doors sheared off in heavy weather with the loss of 852 lives

Estonia (http://www.balticsww.com/news/features/msestonia.htm)

[Eve]

I can remember my mother and her grandmother speaking of the sinking of the Lusitania. It was torpedoed in 1915, with a loss of over 1000. My mother was born in 1919. Her grandmother would have had first hand memories of it though.We lived in Liverpool so she would have been very familiar with it. They called her the Lusi.
Larry you will like this site http://www.lostliners.com/Lusitania/

Lusitania
Lusitania was built by John Brown & Co. of Clydebank and was launched in 1906. The first British four-stacker, Lusitania was also the world's first quadruple screw steamer and the first ship to exceed 40,000 tons. Substantial modifications were made to the Liverpool Landing Stage to accommodate her great size. Lusitania made her maiden voyage from Liverpool to New York on 7 September 1907. She was at that time the largest ship in the world, a distinction she would hold until her sister Mauretania entered service two months later.
Holder of both Blue Ribands, Lusitania set westbound crossing records in October 1907, July 1908, August 1908 and September 1909 and an eastbound record in October 1907.

At sea when World War I broke out, Lusitania arrived home safely, and unlike Mauretania was kept in her regular service during the war, making monthly sailings between Liverpool and New York. However, on 7 May 1915, while heading east off the Old Head of Kinsale, Ireland , Lusitania was torpedoed without warning by U-20 and sank within 18 minutes. (Two explosions rocked the ship. The first was clearly caused by a torpedo from U-20. The cause of the second explosion has never been definitively determined and remains the source of much controversy.)

Of those on board, 761 were rescued, while 1,198 perished. Lusitania's sinking, and the sinking of White Star's Arabic a few months later, vividly demonstrated that prior concepts of the rules of war no longer prevailed, and that unarmed merchant ships were no longer safe from attack.

Sources: Haws' Merchant Fleets; Bonsor's North Atlantic Seaway; Williams' Wartime Disasters at Sea.

[L e s]

Originally posted by Eve@Jan 18 2004, 08:53 PM


Of those on board, 761 were rescued, while 1,198 perished. Lusitania's sinking, and the sinking of White Star's Arabic a few months later, vividly demonstrated that prior concepts of the rules of war no longer prevailed, and that unarmed merchant ships were no longer safe from attack.


Unfortunately the Lusitania was not quite so innocent


The LUSITANIA, a British ship sunk during WWI by a u-boat, may have been carrying civilian passengers, but she was carrying war material as well. So this qualifies her as a war loss, too. The fact that the passengers had no knowledge of having been made "fair game" for u-boat attack may compound the tragedy--and bring into question the morality of the British government at the time--but does not affect the ship’s obvious status as a war loss.


The Greatest Marine Disaster in History*
...and why you probably never heard of it.
by Irwin J. Kappes



Les

[misterhy]

Getting away from the blood and guts, here is a trivia question pertaining to a very useful household product. I don't know if it is sold in Britain, if not Amie and Les and Linc can expand their trivia knowledge.

Many of us use this for a variety of things. The name of the product is "WD40". What does the name stand for?



Hy

[Eve]

:idea:It stands for "water displacement, 40th attempt."

In 1953, the three-person Rocket Chemical Co. of San Diego tried over and over to perfect a rust-prevention solvent for the aerospace industry.

On the 40th try they got it right, and unceremoniously labeled the product by its use and batch number.

Would it be a household name today if chemists had succeeded on the 27th try?

WD-40 was initially used to protect the shells of missiles in the mid-'50s. It worked so well to prevent rust and corrosion that people in the aerospace industry started sneaking it home for use around the house.

The Rocket Chemical Co. put WD-40 into aerosol cans and it first hit stores in 1958.

Today, WD-40 is sold in 160 countries and used by millions of people every day. There's even a 63,000-member official WD-40 Fan Club. (THAT would look slick on a resume.)

Despite this huge success, the WD-40 formula is known by only a handful of people and is mixed at the corporate headquarters in San Diego by a single "brewmaster."

Weirdest uses of WD-40? The company singles out the bus driver in Asia who used WD-40 to remove a python that had coiled itself around the undercarriage of his bus. Or when police used WD-40 to remove a naked burglar trapped in an air-conditioning vent.

Despite the lube job, the burglar failed to give police the slip.


Go here http://www.twbc.org/wd40.htm for 2000 uses!

[Breezy]

I have that list... it is an incredible one! http://www.addis-welt.de/smilie/smilie/lachen/excited_smilie.gif

[misterhy]

Thank you Eve. I now know more about WD40 than I really had in mind. The information can also be found at: www.howstuffworks.com which is a very,very informative website indeed.


Hy

[swmbo]

WD40 is the acronym used for "Water Displacement, 40th attempt."

http://www.wd40.com

**they have a website for Everything~!**
:bow:

[L e s]

Most people believe that the Titanic sinking was the greatest shipwreck (measured by loss of life) in history. But at least 2 other ships sank with much greater loss of life and both occured within no more than a couple hundred FEET of land! Anybody?.

alan


The greatest ever loss of maritie life, I believe was the Goya, which was hit by torpedoes amidship and stern. Almost immediately the ship broke in half, her masts crashing down upon the passengers crowding the decks. Before anyone could escape from the holds, the onrushing sea quickly drowned out the anguished screams of the refugees below. The vessel sank in just four minutes, resulting in the loss of almost 7,000 lives. There were only 183 survivors.

[amb141]

Ooohhhh! Thread resurrection! Les, do you have a link?

And while we are asking trivial questions ...

How many stitches are there on a baseball?

alan

[L e s]

Ooohhhh! Thread resurrection! Les, do you have a link?


alan


http://members.tripod.com/Tenika/tragedy.htm

Wilhelm Gustloff, General Steuben, Goya, Cap Arcona and and Thielbeck.

Three of these ships were sunk by torpedoes fired from two Russian submarines, and two were despatched through attacks by British R.A.F. aircraft.

When linked together, the loss of life from the sinking of these five vessels added up to between 25,000 and 30,000.





And while we are asking trivial questions ...

How many stitches are there on a baseball?

alan




There are actually 108 double stitches on a MLB Baseball. Which some people might call 216 stitches.

[amb141]

>>There are actually 108 double stitches on a MLB Baseball. Which some people might call 216 stitches.<<

Dingdingdingding ... we have a WINNAH!


Thanx for the link.

alan

[L e s]

What is the only substance on earth to be found in three forms?

[Eve]

Water?

[L e s]

well done, go to the top of the class and give the pens out :jig:

[Eve]

The thickest skin is located in what part of the human body?

[L e s]

Sole of the foot?

[Eve]

Correct :)

[L e s]

Ok then, lets go 'Beatles' with two questions

Which Beatles song is the only track that the Beatles didn't play on

if you get that one,

which Beatles song only features one Beatle, vocally and instrumentally. (Song title, singer and instrument gets you a big pat on the back)

[amb141]

Pure guesses based only on hearing ...

If by "play on" you don't include the vocals -- "Eleanor Rigby"

Well, "Yesterday" is famously a Paul solo. I would say that he might play his own guitar on that one, too. Paul took up the bass only when George joined the group. But there are strings on that track so maybe not.

if it isn't Yesterday (and I guess it isn't) maybe one of those George sitar tunes?

AHHHH! How about "Her Majesty", Paul, Guitar

If these answers are correct allow me a followup. Buddy Holly and the Crickets were an obvious influence on the Beatles even as far as their name (despite John's invocation of a "man on a flaming pie".) And one of John and Paul's earliest existing tapes is a livingroom rendition of "That'll Be The Day". But the Beatles only released one Buddy Holly cover on any of their official albums. What?

I'm off to Florida till Friday, I'll check back then.

alan

[L e s]

Well done Alan

Eleanor Rigby instrumentals were by a string quartet with no Beatles playing instruments

Yesterday was again a string quartet with Paul singing and playing an acoustic guitar

[amb141]

Les

How about the question about only one Beatle, song Instrument. And my guess.

alan

[Eve]

the Beatles only released one Buddy Holly cover on any of their official albums. What?

Album - Beatles For Sale
Track - Words Of Love

:) :?: :)

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v238/lynevempc/mvbeatles.gif

[amb141]

Eve

Dingdingding ... we have a winnah!

Your turn.

And apropos of nothing ...

Do South Islanders tell "Polish jokes" about North Islanders and vice versa?

alan

[L e s]

Les

How about the question about only one Beatle, song Instrument. And my guess.

alan


Yesterday was again a string quartet with Paul singing and playing an acoustic guitar


Correct on both :)

[L e s]

For and about who, did John Lennon write Dear prudence, and how did he know her?

[Eve]

Do South Islanders tell "Polish jokes" about North Islanders and vice versa? Alan, We on the 'Mainland' tend to look down on North Islanders, especially JAFA's (Just another ******* Aucklander)They on the other hand think civilization stops south of Wellington and that we are all morons living in sub arctic conditions. (Then they come down for a visit and never go back.)


For and about who, did John Lennon write Dear prudence, and how did he know her?Prudence was Prudence Farrow (sister of Mia) and was in India at the same time as John Lennon when they were studying Meditation. I think she was a bit mad. Late 60's I think.


What was the first Beatle song to break the 3:00 minute mark?

What Beatles hit was recorded in Paris?

[amb141]

"Can't Buy Me Love" was originally recorded in Paris -- in fact, in the instrumental break you can hear George's original, Paris guitar break in the background which gives it a remarkable play-along quality that I just love. But whether the finished product that we know was also recorded in Paris, I dunno.

My .mp3 version of "You Really Got a Hold On Me" is 3:01 and "She's a Woman" is 3:03. But those are not necessarily the official timings. My .mp3 of "Ticket to Ride" is 3:14 so my guess is that is the tune you are looking for.

alan

[Eve]

Can't Buy Me Love and Ticket to Ride correct answers - you sure know your Beatles Alan - congratulations!
But did you ever actually SEE them? :cjlol: I did :)

I am off to think of a question you may not know the answer to
:)

Heres one to be going on with - What year did the Beatles tour NZ?

[amb141]

>>But did you ever actually SEE them?<<

Yes -- and thereby hangs a tale (one I've told here before -- so this is the Readers Digest version.). On the Beatles first trip to America the first concert they played (I think) was in DC.. The local radio stations were given promotional tickets, but at that time there was a backlash against these English usurpers to Elvis' crown and some of the stations literally could not give the tickets away. So the first concert did not even sell out! Anyway, somebody got their hands on tickets and I was among a group that went. Of course I remember the concert vividly -- even driving to the National Guard Armory, and parking in the DC Stadium parking lot and walking to the door, and so on and so on ...

Only problem ... The Beatles DID NOT PLAY at the National Guard Armory that night. They played at another hall called the Uline Arena in a completely different part of town. So my memories which are completey vivid and palpable to this day CANNOT BE ACCURATE!

So, what are YOUR memories of the Fab Four in NZ?!


The Beatles toured NZ in June 1964 -- but I will confess that I had to look that up.

alan

[Eve]

So, what are YOUR memories of the Fab Four in NZ?! You dont really want to hear about that :) But 2 of them did SPEAK to me :) - I had a contact, my cousin,who had known them b4 they became famous which got a friend and I to their hotel - good heavens I must have been a 'groupie'. Do not remember hearing much of the concert above the noise of the screaming and do remember unceremoniously falling off the seat I was standing on :cjlol:


Who played lead guitar on "While my Guitar Gently Weeps"?

Where are Penny Lane and Strawberry Fields located?

[L e s]

Who played lead guitar on "While my Guitar Gently Weeps"?
A: 'Eric slowhand Clapton'

Where are Penny Lane and Strawberry Fields located?
A: Stawberry fields was a 'Sally Army' home close by to johns home,

Penny lane is close by to Wavertree and Sefton Park in Liverpool



What instrument was used by Paul to play the distinctive opening notes of John's "Strawberry Fields Forever?"

[Eve]

Correct

What instrument was used by Paul to play the distinctive opening notes of John's "Strawberry Fields Forever?" the mellotron - a sort of modern day keyboard thingy

[Eve]

What Beatles songs are these lyrics from?



1.Fussing and fighting

2.I think I disagree

3.Broken wings

4.It's been a long, cold, lonely winter

5.Bottle of wine

6.Working for peanuts

[amb141]

1. We Can Work It Out
2. Strawberry Fields
3. Blackbird
4. Here Comes the Sun
5. When I'm 64
6. Drive My Car

And I'm proud to say that that was ALL from memory (although I did listen to the tunes just to make sure.)

[Eve]

Well done Alan :clap:

[L e s]

Schneemandl and Roni were followed by...

Who?

Where?
and
When?

[amb141]

Vuchko -- Sarajevo, 1984 and

Howdy and Hidy -- Calgary, 1988

I will admit that I had to look these up.

Now for a baseball trivia question that I don't believe can be Googled (too obscure) ...

Everybody knows that Babe Ruth hit the first home run at Yankee Stadium. Who hit the first home run at RFK Stadium (then known as DC Stadium) in Washington. I happen to know the answer because I remember when it happened -- but I would guess that this utterly meaningless feat is not chronicled anywhere on the web!

alan

[Eve]

Shortstop Bob Johnson :?:

[amb141]

>>Shortstop Bob Johnson<<

Yup. He ended up with 12 homers that year (1962).

Was the answer Google-able?

alan

[Eve]

Was the answer Google-able?
Not at all Alan - just plucked it from my vast brain full of 'utterly meaningless' facts about Bob Johnson :cjlol: :cjlol:

:) Not really - Google gave me this http://jay.typepad.com/william_jay/2005/01/return_to_rfk.html
Before that I had never heard of him, so have learned something today :)

[tbonager]

What was the ship wreck in the great lakes in nov. 1975?

[L e s]

I didnt know the answer, so I googled it, then read all about it. A real tragedy brought about from a bad storm, bad luck and greed :(

[tbonager]

So what's the answer?

[benhenry]

So what's the answer?

The Edmond Fitzgerald? If it is... everyone went down.

There was a very good popular ballad written about it by Gordon Lightfoot, I think.

Gosh, I never knew this thread was here... I will go study the rules...

I didn't find the rules... but I found a post from Amie expressing her gratitude for this thread.

Me, too, please!


It seems that you answer a person's question and then may ask one of your own? Trying to avoid an easily googled answer?

If I have the flavor of the game correct... I am fairly certain about the Wreck of the Edmond Fitzgerald... My uncle and cousin from Chi. were both merchant marine and worked the oar carriers across the lakes. The Fitzgerald is odd for having a male name... not so lucky.

What is the band and song title... very popular band today! But not so well-known at the time in the USA... who wrote an epic song almost 30 minutes long, based loosely on the Rhyme of the Ancient Mariner?

[L e s]

So what's the answer?

I wanted to give people who knew the answer first go rather than myself looking it up :)

The load line had been raised by over 3 feet since it's launch and in a fierce storm the ship had lost both radars. Leaking hold seals allowed the sea crashing over the decks to soak into the taconite pellet cargo which invisibly swallowed the sea water like a sponge. The ship settled deeper and deeper in the water, allowing more and more waves to crash over the decks, a one way ticket to the bottom of the lake. When the end came it was fast and without much warning.

[Eve]

What is the band and song title... very popular band today! But not so well-known at the time in the USA... who wrote an epic song almost 30 minutes long, based loosely on the Rhyme of the Ancient Mariner?

Iron Maiden wrote The Rime Of the Ancient Mariner. It was part of their album Powerslave released in 1984

[benhenry]

What is the band and song title... very popular band today! But not so well-known at the time in the USA... who wrote an epic song almost 30 minutes long, based loosely on the Rhyme of the Ancient Mariner?

Iron Maiden wrote The Rime Of the Ancient Mariner. It was part of their album Powerslave released in 1984

Cool... Eve! I had forgotten about that... But the one I was thinking of was Pink Floyd's song called "Echoes" from the Meddle album in 1971-72 I think... when they were almost unknown over here except for a devoted following of discerning hippies.

Eve... weren't you supposed to post a question?

[Eve]

Eve... weren't you supposed to post a question?
Sorry, was I?
Will get back with one.

[Eve]

Pretty ornaments are made from the colorful pearly shell of which edible sea animal?

Edit: There are two correct answers to this :)

[L e s]

oysters and mussels

[Eve]

No - or perhaps yes if things are made from those shells - but are they colourful? not really. The two correct answers I was thinking of are the same thing with different names, and are used for jewelery, ornaments etc.

[L e s]

I was thinking of the Nacre (Mother of Pearl) which is taken from the inside of the shells pf Oyaters and Mussels

[Eve]

Well you get half a point :)

Full points to anyone who gets the correct answer - or one of them
But no one seems interested so I shall post the right one later on today :)

[benhenry]

Well you get half a point :)

Full points to anyone who gets the correct answer - or one of them
But no one seems interested so I shall post the right one later on today :)

Abalone is pretty... and tasty, too! If it is smoked or pickled...

[Eve]

Well Done Ben - Abalone is correct in your part of the world. In mine it is Paua. I have never tasted it picked but have in patties - supposed to be a delicacy but - well, yuk:)
Paua jewelery in recent years has become much sought after here, I have always liked it even before it became popular. I love the peacock colours. At one time years ago almost every house here had a collection of paua shell ashtrays.

[benhenry]

Well Done Ben - Abalone is correct in your part of the world. In mine it is Paua. I have never tasted it picked but have in patties - supposed to be a delicacy but - well, yuk:)
Paua jewelery in recent years has become much sought after here, I have always liked it even before it became popular. I love the peacock colours. At one time years ago almost every house here had a collection of paua shell ashtrays.

OK... I love abalone. Anything that comes out of the ocean really. Or grows on the land for that matter. Or moos or quacks or gobbles. darn. I lost about 20 pounds and started a strict workout and now I'm always hungry. I'm going to be ready for some seriously fun traveling soon...

Anyway... when I was just a noisy kid, I would get quiet... sometimes...

I used to stare into the abalone shells and see ships on the sea... you know, from the lines and etchings that each one has, like fingerprints? and see animals and pirates... like people see shapes that only make sense to them while looking at clouds? and if you tilted the abalone shell, you could change the colors in your story... like a hologram sort of!

Trivia question: If you could only have one tool to take with you for survival in the mountains... what would it be? And if you answer that as I would have... who invented the best one for the purpose?

[Eve]

I am thinking about which tool - suppose a cell phone would not be the correct answer lol Perhaps a Swiss Army Knife complete with s set of instructions of course.
In the meantime here is a pic I just took of some beautiful Paua found around the house.

[L e s]

I would take a mirror :tongue2: and not for reasons of vanity

[benhenry]

I would take a mirror :tongue2: and not for reasons of vanity

Ok... I should have stipulated that you wanted survival in the mountains, not survival in terms of getting off. And that mirror wouldn't do you much good in the Rockies in the winter... you might not see the sun until spring. :eek:


Gorgeous shells, Eve. I especially like that blue heart. Your paua looks a little different than our abalone... more colorful, and the "etched" area is smaller...

But that same area on our abalone also has some color; maybe it just didn't show in the photo?

The swiss army knife would have been my second choice... I never had much use for all-in-one type stuff. It seems that each inidvidual tool has to suffer in qulaity to allow for the inclusion of many others.

I was thinking of a Bowie knife, with which you can manufacture almost anything else you would need. Jim Bowie was quite a resourceful person in the 19th century, and nobody has come up with a better design for a survival knife in all this time. Even the Rangers and Seals use a modified Bowie knife, not much different than the original.

It has been on my mind because I can't get mine to Europe, and I can't stand to travel without it. I was thinking of mailing it to myself somewhere over there, but it is a catch-22 on me again. I'll need the knife to prevent potential trouble, but the knife itself is potentially going to cause me trouble.

Both were great answers; but L e s' answer only works in certain weather conditions so the points have to go to Eve... I would give you full kudos, but you didn't mention who developed the swiss army knife...

Aw well... on with the fun, Eve!

[Eve]

but you didn't mention who developed the swiss army knife
I thought I posted a message here saying Carl Elsener invented the Swiss Army Knife in 1891. I must have been dreaming.

[benhenry]

I thought I posted a message here saying Carl Elsener invented the Swiss Army Knife in 1891. I must have been dreaming.

You put it in a different thread... I came across it this afternoon when there was a big flurry of posting... I'm sorry...I can't find it now!

Anyway... how 'bout a new question Eve? Full kudos for SAK and Eisenhower... :thumbs:

[Eve]

You put it in a different thread... I came across it this afternoon when there was a big flurry of posting... I'm sorry...I can't find it now!

Anyway... how 'bout a new question Eve? Full kudos for SAK and Eisenhower... :thumbs:

Yes I found it - and edited it out. A serious lapse of attention :)

I will wait a while until my brain is working to post a question.
Parhaps someone else has another one?

[Eve]

What was the Title of the Rolling Stones song used to publicise MS Windows95 ??

[L e s]

Start Me Up ????

and it was later used by Ford

[Eve]

Correct :)

[L e s]

ok then

will have to think :thinking:

[L e s]

I spoke to some one on the phone about a problem.

They said yes we can help you.

just come in to any of our establishments and ask to go to 005.446

Called in and asked as instructed, there was even a choice, but the number given to me was exactly right for helping me with my problem


What were we talking about and where was I?

[Eve]

I know:)

[benhenry]

I know:)

I sure don't!!! :huh: :call: :?:

[Eve]

:whistle2: I know it I know it. Something I learned in High School between detentions lol.
It has been around since 1851 :)

[Breezy]

I have no clue!

[Eve]

Does anyone else know? Because I am going to tell soon :)

[benhenry]

Does anyone else know? Because I am going to tell soon :)

He's got me completely stumped... I don't even know where to start over! I have tried finding that same pattern of digits in emergency access numbers all over the world and nothing fits...

I give. :eek: I'm saying "Uncle." :)

[Eve]

Ok, Beans are about to be spilt :) the 005 gave me the clue

What were we talking about and where was I?

Talking about the Dewey Decimal System in a library :)
Not quite sure what 005.446 is the category for but think it is something to do with computers.


The Dewey Decimal System is a system we use toclassify books by grouping them in 10 categories. Created by Melvil Dewey in 1851,one of the greatest librarians of all time.

This is a very excellent site if you are interested http://library.thinkquest.org/5002/index.shtml



Be funny if I was wrong :cjlol: Will have to wait for Les to confirm

[benhenry]

Ok, Beans are about to be spilt :) the 005 gave me the clue

What were we talking about and where was I?

Talking about the Dewey Decimal System in a library :)
Not quite sure what 005.446 is the category for but think it is something to do with computers.




This is a very excellent site if you are interested http://library.thinkquest.org/5002/index.shtml



Be funny if I was wrong :cjlol: Will have to wait for Les to confirm


Cool beans!!!! :thumbs:

[Eve]

is 'spilt' a word I wonder, should have been 'spilled'

I am about to do some beans for dinner though :)

[benhenry]

is 'spilt' a word I wonder, should have been 'spilled'

I am about to do some beans for dinner though :)


Hi Eve, you know how the kids' slang changes almost daily... I said "cool Beanhs" because it fit with the spilt (alternative spelling) beans comment you made, plus, the kids' sayt it all the time the way we would have used "far out" or "right on"

By the way... you always make me hungry!! One of my favorite things to cook for the family is three bean soup in my little pressure cooker...

[Eve]

Cool beans - yes I hear it here too. I do have some young friends who keep me up to scratch.

The (hot)beans here are with Cauliflower, baked potato (with sour cream - yum) AND Scotch Fillet steak and mushrooms & onion.And gravy. Followed by..........Hokey Pokey ice Cream, banana and Chocolate sauce...followed by Irish Cream Coffee

My pressure cooker is kaput - the little thingy you put on the top went missing.

[Eve]

BUT do I win the prize for guessing the trivia question - that is the question.

[Silly Billy]

Yes Eve, you have the correct answer. You spent your time wisely in the library gaining extra credits.

I remember a speaker at my secondary school sometime before 1959 with the message that the up-and-coming field to enter would be COMPUTERS.

I did a search and found that there are more subdivisions within 005.446 You can see them at http://mcpl.monroe.lib.in.us/search/c005.446/c005.446/13,16,218,E/2browse

This one should be easy for Eve and Breezy. When, where, and why were the Summer Olympic Games held in two different countries on different dates of the same year.

[benhenry]

Yes Eve, you have the correct answer. You spent your time wisely in the library gaining extra credits.

I remember a speaker at my secondary school sometime before 1959 with the message that the up-and-coming field to enter would be COMPUTERS.

I did a search and found that there are more subdivisions within 005.446 You can see them at http://mcpl.monroe.lib.in.us/search/c005.446/c005.446/13,16,218,E/2browse

This one should be easy for Eve and Breezy. When, where, and why were the Summer Olympic Games held in two different countries on different dates of the same year.


heeHaw! This is such a great question, I am getting lost in reading about all the summer olympics through the ages... I think I have a small part of the answer. But not the whole thing, yet... I'll check back tonight, and if people are stuck...(hard to stump these, aces, though!) I'll give my guess on a "when"...

[Silly Billy]

And I thought it would be one of the simpler trivia questions. I thought the clue regarding Breezy and Eve would lead the "aces" in the correct direction.

[LightningMk6]

1956 Melbourne, Australia, due to quarantine regulations the equestrian events were held in Stockholm, Sweden

[benhenry]

And I thought it would be one of the simpler trivia questions. I thought the clue regarding Breezy and Eve would lead the "aces" in the correct direction.

I was waaaay off; I thought it was the LA games in 1984 that were boycotted by the Soviet Block... I was trying to find what events were split apart.

What was the quarantine about though? Something wrong with the horses in OZ or were they worried about something coming in?

[Silly Billy]

David, you are correct. The 1956 Games were held from Nov. 22-Dec. 8 with 67 nations represented. Australian quarantine laws caused the equestrian laws to be held in Stockholm, Sweden from June 10-17.

I don't know the reason for Australia to have such strict quarantine laws, but the country has had bad experinces with dingos, feral camels, feral rabbits, feral goats, and the infamous Cane Toads. The erection of a miles-long fence to restrict access to these feral animals is a good indication that the Australians got stung once too often. Of course, the laws may have had to do with animal illnesses rather than the horses escaping to the wilds.

There were two boycotts. Egypt, Iraq, and Lebannon withdrew to protest the Israeli-led take-over of the Suez Canal, and Holland, Spain, and Switzerland boycotted to protest the Soviet invasion of Hungary. Actually, public pressure was so great that the Swiss Oylmpic Committee changed its mind and voted to participate, but by then it was too late. On the brighter side, the I.O.C. scored a major coup by convincing West and East Germany to enter a combined team. This practice continued for the next two Olympics, but since 1968, the German nations have sent separate teams. That's now changed.
Another innovation of the 1956 Olympics was in the closing ceremonies. Following a suggestion by a 17-year-old Chinese boy, it was decided to let all the athletes march together instead of by nation, as a symbol of gobal unity.

reference: The Complete Book of the Olympics by David Wallechinsky

Someone will enter a new trivia challenge.

[LightningMk6]

Ok

This should be easy, what is a Sgian Dubh and what does the gaelic translate to in english? Where is it worn? And yes I do wear one myself

[L e s]

Is that what I have always thought was a Skien doo.


A knife worn by kilted gentlemen, normally in a calf length sock

[Silly Billy]

For those who know classical Greek Mythology this should be not much of a challenge. What is the story that the Greeks used to explain the two seasons of summer and winter? Who were the characters involved?

[benhenry]

For those who know classical Greek Mythology this should be not much of a challenge. What is the story that the Greeks used to explain the two seasons of summer and winter? Who were the characters involved?


This may be part of it ... Persephone was a good and faithful wife to Hades, the God of the Underworld, but I remember that he had to let her out of his realm (I can't remember why?) to visit her family for part of the year, and this brought the spring after the "deadness" of winter.

[Silly Billy]

Yes Ben, you are correct thus far. Pluto, identical with Hades, was the of the god of the nether world. Later the name, Hades, was used to designate the gloomy subterranean land of the dead.

Now we need to know why he agreed to allow her to leave for part of the year. Another god and goddess were involved.

[LightningMk6]

Hi Les

Yes that is indeed the item, but what do these gaelic words mean in English?


Is that what I have always thought was a Skien doo.


A knife worn by kilted gentlemen, normally in a calf length sock

[Silly Billy]

David,

The literal translation of the words to English is

Sgian - knife

Dubh - black, dark

Thus the phrase may be translated as a black knife. However it may be an idiom.

Let us know please.

[benhenry]

David,
The literal translation of the words to English is
Sgian - knife
Dubh - black, dark
Thus the phrase may be translated as a black knife. However it may be an idiom.
Let us know please.

Cool new signature, Bill... hey you're going to ressurect the dragon for special occassions, won't you? I miss the old girl...

Anyway, I read some Bullfinch and now have refreshed my knowledge of the myth... I loved it. I might reread the Odyssey, or maybe the Illiad sometime. I did love them so much at one time in my life. All the bloodshed is a little too close to home right now, though.

So Helios finked on Hades and the perpetrator of the abduction of Persephone was found out by her Mom, Demeter, the Goddess of Harvest.

So... no more growing season until her daughter comes home.

Hades gets pressured by Zeus, because his subjects complain about not eating, which they need to do because they are not lucky enough to be immortal and Hades must give up his bride to Mother-in-law.

Hades gives persephone a pomegranate which forces her to return for a time every year... to the Highness of Lowness and Netherness... which of course becomes our dead season of winter.

so mother-in-law happy=spring and summer
... mother-in-law unhappy=fall and winter


thanks for the cool bean trivia question, Bill!

I think L e s or you should go here now because youse guys answered the groovy question about the Scottish knife... :) :thumbs:

[Silly Billy]

Ben, thanks for the compliment about the new siggy.

Bullfinch is a good resource for mythology of different cultures. Questions about topics in this reference book will be too easily answered. I'll consider another trivia challenge.

David, by the way, is my translation of Sgian Dubh correct?

[LightningMk6]

Yes indeed the translation is correct.



David,

The literal translation of the words to English is

Sgian - knife

Dubh - black, dark

Thus the phrase may be translated as a black knife. However it may be an idiom.

Let us know please.

[Silly Billy]

Most students have had some experience with the writings of William Shakespeare, such as the play, Macbeth. In the play, Macbeth asks the 3 witches to answer his questions about the future. They ask if he would rather hear from them or from their masters. He chooses the masters.

The first apparation warns, "Macbeth! Macbeth! Macbeth! . . . beware the Thane of Fife.

Question #1 - Who is the Thane of Fife?

The second apparation foretells, "Be bloody, bold, and resolute! Laugh to scorn the pow'r of man, for none of woman born shall harm Macbeth."

The third apparation predicts, "Macbeth shall never vanquished be until Great Birnam Wood to high Dunsinane Hill shall come against him."

Questions #2 and #3 - Macbeth figures that he is safe from harm for the last two prophecies cannot happen. How did Shakespeare overcome each of these to cause Macbeth's downfall?

[Silly Billy]

Have I stumped the "aces"?

[Eve]

#1 I think The Thane of Fife was McDuff, hence the phrase 'Lead On McDuff'

#2 Once again I think this was overcome by McDuff having been born by Ceasarean section

and finally

#3 the army was disguised as trees and appeared to be moving?

One of my favourite books as a child was Lambs Tales from Shakespeare. It was a prize my mother won at school and was greatly treasured. She also had The Complete Works, also a prize and a very handsome book.
However, my memory is very vague after all this time :)

Double, double, toil and trouble;
Fire, burn; and caldron, bubble. :eek: :eek:
Many people misquote this as Bubble Bubble toil and trouble

[Silly Billy]

Eve, you are correct on every one. What a memory!

Regarding #2, Macduff tells Macbeth as they are fighting,
"Despair thy charm,
And let the angel whom thou still hast served
Tell thee, Macduff was from his mother's womb
Untimely ripped."

Regarding #3, Siward asks Mentieth, " What wood is this before us?". Mentieth answers, "The Wood of Birnam."

Malcolm orders,
"Let every soldier hew him down a bough
And bear 't before him. Thereby we shadow
The numbers of our host, and make discovery
Err in report of us."

Who will pose the next trivia?

[benhenry]

You guys are amazing... wheels within wheels.



Who will pose the next trivia?


It should be, Eve, right?

[Eve]

OK, a quick and easy one :)

In the early 1960's John Steinbeck and his dog hit the road, and John published a book about the adventure. What was it?

[benhenry]

OK, a quick and easy one :)

In the early 1960's John Steinbeck and his dog hit the road, and John published a book about the adventure. What was it?

Of Mice And Mutt?



oh... sorry... Travels With Charley

My road partner, Zorro, will feature in some short prose like his... and I think my dog is better, even if my writing is poorer.

Edit: I probably shouldn't have answered this... I have to go... I'll be back as soon as i can to post a trivia question... or the first person that wants to can take my place...

[Eve]

Correct :)
Travels with Charley: In Search of America is a novel by American author John Steinbeck. It documents the driving trip he took with his poodle Charley around the United States in the 1960s. He wrote that he was moved by a desire to see his country on a personal level, since he made his living writing about it. However, he found that the "new America" did not live up to his expectations.

Time for a new question

[benhenry]

Correct :)


Time for a new question

What great American (usa) football player and illustrious coach changed the entire way the game was played by introducing a superior strategy for moving the ball quickly down the field?

[Eve]

Count me out of this one :)

[benhenry]

Count me out of this one :)

Because you know it so quickly... or the other way around? You are so good at rugby I thought this wouldn't hurt...

Clue: Our Lady

[Eve]

The only Americanl football player I know is Babe Ruth

[benhenry]

The only Americanl football player I know is Babe Ruth


:cjlol: see there? You got it in one... :cjlol:

[Eve]

:cjlol::cjlol::ljlol:
My brilliance amazes me

[Silly Billy]

Knute Rockne of Notre Dame introduced the forward pass.

Knute Rockne was also the man behind the Four Horsemen. They were introduced by Rockne in the 1924 season. This great backfield of Harry Stuhldreher, Don Miller, Jim Crowley, and Elmer Layden led Notre Dame
to a 28-2 record. The Four Horsemen stand unique as a continuing com-
bination in the backfield.

Rockne's refinements to the game, such as the forward pass and the back-
field shift, created controversies and changed the face of college football
forever.

There was a movie, entitled Knute Rockne, All-American, starring Ronald Regan and Pat O'Brien - see attachment.

[benhenry]

Knute Rockne of Notre Dame introduced the forward pass.

Knute Rockne was also the man behind the Four Horsemen. They were
introduced by Rockne in the 1924 season. This great backfield of Harry
Stuhldreher, Don Miller, Jim Crowley, and Elmer Layden led Notre Dame
to a 28-2 record. The Four Horsemen stand unique as a continuing com-
bination in the backfield.

Rockne's refinements to the game, such as the forward pass and the back-
field shift, created controversies and changed the face of college football
forever.


Thank you very much, Bill! :thumbs: I visited his memorial in Matfield Green, Kansas not long ago. He is one of my favorite Kansans. :)

Please give us a question now... but have mercy on those of us who don't always get it... ---> Ben <---

[Silly Billy]

The quality of mercy is not strained . . .Too Easy !

I'll start with a few oblique clues. Ask questions to narrow the possibilities, or posit answers and I'll reply about your guess. I hope I get this right.

1. It is named as a body of water.

2. It is fully contained within a very large body of water.

3. It is not a bay, atoll, river mouth, estuary.

4. It was first mentioned by Christopher Columbus, who thought he was near land, based on its appearance.

[benhenry]

The quality of mercy is not strained . . .Too Easy !

I'll start with a few oblique clues. Ask questions to narrow the possibilities, or posit answers and I'll reply about your guess. I hope I get this right.

1. It is named as a body of water.

2. It is fully contained within a very large body of water.

3. It is not a bay, atoll, river mouth, estuary.

4. It was first mentioned by Christopher Columbus, who thought he was near land, based on its appearance.

The Sargasso Sea?

[Eve]

I agree, and Columbus he thought he was near land because of the seaweed therein :)

Portugese 'sargaco' means grape - resembling seaweed.
Mentioned in Jules Verne's 'Twenty Thousand Leagues Under The Sea'

[Silly Billy]

Congratulations Ben, and confirmed by Eve, you are winners again.


The Sargasso Sea is part of the North Atlantic Ocean, lying roughly between the West Indies and the Azores. Here, the heart of the Bermuda Triangle is covered by the strangest and most notorious sea on the planet -The Sargasso Sea so named because there is a kind of seaweed which lazily floats over its entire expanse called sargassum. Catching sight of these huge mats of seaweed have always marked the perimeter of this peculiar sea. Columbus himself made note of it. Thinking land was nearby, he fathomed the sea, only to find no bottom. The bottom is, in fact, miles below on the Nares Abyssal Plain.
The Sargasso Sea occupies that part of the Atlantic between 20 to 35 degrees North Latitude and 30 to 70 degrees (the horse latitudes (http://shs.westport.k12.ct.us/chia/Caribbean/sargasso_sea.htm#Some)), West Longitude. It is in complete contrast to the ocean around it. Its currents are largely immobile yet surrounded by some of the strongest currents in the world: The Florida, Gulf Stream, Canary, North Equatorial, Antilles, and Caribbean currents. These interlock to separate this sea from the rest of the tempestuous Atlantic, making its indigenous currents largely entropious. Therefore anything that drifts onto any of its surrounding currents eventually ends up in the Sargasso Sea amidst its expansive weed mats of sargassum. Because of the entropious currents, it is unlikely anything would ever drift out. The Sargasso Sea rotates slightly itself and even changes position as its surrounding currents change with weather and temperature patterns during different seasons.


entropious in this context means hardly moving. The Sargasso Sea is like the eye of a storm.


Ben, Your turn to pose a question.

[benhenry]

Thanks, Bill. Very interesting explanation of the Sargasso Sea. When I was a kid we used to swim out to the huge kelp beds off the coast of Santa Monica... if you were strong enough to get there; you could rest on top for a while... then try to pick an old, big one and pull yourself down like divers in the tropics to get as deep as possible on one breath. Gawd, I miss the ocean.

When I first joined the flow of this thread, I thought I would have lots of questions to contribute, if I ever solved something... but now I've seen some really good ones... and I'm not so sure!

Anyway:

There exists a time machine. It is an actual time machine, functioning indefinitely, and the credentials for this time machine are well-established among the most erudite physicists of our era. Unfortunately, it only provides a one-way ticket.

[Silly Billy]

Ben, here is my try at an answer.



One type of time travel occurs routinely here and now: our inexorable one-way drift into the future. Einstein's special theory of relativity revealed the possibility of accelerated travel into the future.



Suppose a person spends a year in a rocket that's traveling slightly less than the speed of light. Because motion at such enormous speeds drastically slows the clock for the traveler, that person could return to Earth to find that many years had elapsed at home. In that way, a traveler could leap into the future.

Retreating into the past is another matter, but one that relativity theory also suggests might be possible. The theory shows that gravity curves space-time and slows clocks. That's why time-travel theorists have proposed that regions of space-time might naturally, or by human intervention, be made to curve back onto themselves. Someone moving around such a loop could travel back in time.

[L e s]

I go for a Telescope,

when you view the furthest of stars you are looking at the past of millions of years ago

[benhenry]

Ben, here is my try at an answer.



One type of time travel occurs routinely here and now: our inexorable one-way drift into the future. Einstein's special theory of relativity revealed the possibility of accelerated travel into the future.



Suppose a person spends a year in a rocket that's traveling slightly less than the speed of light. Because motion at such enormous speeds drastically slows the clock for the traveler, that person could return to Earth to find that many years had elapsed at home. In that way, a traveler could leap into the future.

Retreating into the past is another matter, but one that relativity theory also suggests might be possible. The theory shows that gravity curves space-time and slows clocks. That's why time-travel theorists have proposed that regions of space-time might naturally, or by human intervention, be made to curve back onto themselves. Someone moving around such a loop could travel back in time.

Excellent... on the first part. Unfortunately, Stephen Hawking's examinations of the conditions of the "Event Horizon" around an object with mass enough for the gravity to distort the s-t continuum sufficiently for that; or the event horizon around a singularity show that the time relative to the frame of reference of matter near to the horizon will decrease to an asymptote.

So the universe outside the event horizon would pass a potential observer by, as his clock appeared to grind to a halt. The observer, if one could survive the tidal forces of the gravity well, would see the entire evolution of the universe until the end of time. A one-way ticket to the future.

I think it is fair to assign 50% success to you, for the future part of the time machine, and 50% to L e s for looking at the time machine traveling to the past; the telescope.

[benhenry]

I go for a Telescope,

when you view the furthest of stars you are looking at the past of millions of years ago

Yes, and looking at quasars, and emission galaxies in remote regions of the universe can take us back almost 4.5 american billion years.

When you look at some nearby interesting stars, like Vega, for instance, you are only looking back 26 years. The light that strikes your eyes from Vega left the star the year I was married. Traveling 26 years across unimaginable distances, fast enough to orbit the earth 7 times in one second, passing through stellar debris, cast off remnants of exploded stars; through churning atmosphere; to land at the receptor in the surface of the retina at the back of your eye. What a lucky photon to end its life in L e s, huh? :)

In honor of that Lucky Photon, and since L e s has not had a chance for fun here in a bit, I think he should be awarded the tie-breaker and submit the next trivia question...

[L e s]

Most people in the civilised world have had 7x at sometime in their life.

Some dislike it

others love it, cannot get enough of it

What is it and from that where would you find it.

Personally I haven't had 7x for about a month :tongue2:

[Silly Billy]

I understand that Stephen has recinded the theories that he proposed in A Brief History of Time. I don't know yet if this applies to the space-time continuum at the Event Horizon.

Okay, he has admitted that he was wrong about information loss at a Black Hole.

At the GR17 (http://www.gr17.com/) conference in Dublin, Professor Hawking gave a controversial lecture on his new calculations regarding Black Hole Information Loss.
Press Release:
One of the most intriguing problems in theoretical physics has been solved by Professor Stephen Hawking of the University of Cambridge. He presented his findings at GR17, an International Conference in Dublin, on Wednesday 21 July.
Black holes are often thought of as being regions of space into which matter and energy can fall, and disappear forever. In 1974, Stephen Hawking discovered that when one fused the ideas of quantum mechanics with those of general relativity, it was no longer true that black holes were completely black. They emitted radiation, now known as Hawking radiation. This radiation carried energy away from the black hole which meant that the black hole would gradually shrink and then disappear in a final explosive outburst.
These ideas led to a fundamental difficulty, the information paradox, the resolution of which is to be revealed in Dublin. The basic problem is that black holes, as well as eating matter, also appear to eat quantum mechanical information. Yet the most fundamental laws of physics demand that this information be preserved as the universe evolves. The information paradox was explored and formalised by Hawking in 1975. Since then, many have tried to find a solution.
Whilst most physicists think that there must be a resolution of the paradox, nobody has really produced a believable explanation. In fact, seven years ago the issue prompted Hawking, together with Kip Thorne of Caltech, to make a wager against John Preskill also of Caltech, that the information swallowed by black holes could never be recovered.
On Wednesday, Hawking conceded that he has lost the bet.
The way his new calculations work is to show that the event horizon, which is the surface of the black hole, has quantum fluctuations in it. These are the same uncertainties in position that were made famous by Heisenberg’s uncertainty principle and are central to quantum mechanics. The fluctuations gradually allow all the information inside the black hole to leak out, thus allowing us to form a consistent picture. The information paradox is now unravelled.

[benhenry]

I understand that Stephen has recinded the theories that he proposed in A Brief History of Time. I don't know yet if this applies to the space-time continuum at the Event Horizon.

Okay, he has admitted that he was wrong about information loss at a Black Hole.

At the GR17 (http://www.gr17.com/) conference in Dublin, Professor Hawking gave a controversial lecture on his new calculations regarding Black Hole Information Loss.
Press Release:
One of the most intriguing problems in theoretical physics has been solved by Professor Stephen Hawking of the University of Cambridge. He presented his findings at GR17, an International Conference in Dublin, on Wednesday 21 July.
Black holes are often thought of as being regions of space into which matter and energy can fall, and disappear forever. In 1974, Stephen Hawking discovered that when one fused the ideas of quantum mechanics with those of general relativity, it was no longer true that black holes were completely black. They emitted radiation, now known as Hawking radiation. This radiation carried energy away from the black hole which meant that the black hole would gradually shrink and then disappear in a final explosive outburst.
These ideas led to a fundamental difficulty, the information paradox, the resolution of which is to be revealed in Dublin. The basic problem is that black holes, as well as eating matter, also appear to eat quantum mechanical information. Yet the most fundamental laws of physics demand that this information be preserved as the universe evolves. The information paradox was explored and formalised by Hawking in 1975. Since then, many have tried to find a solution.
Whilst most physicists think that there must be a resolution of the paradox, nobody has really produced a believable explanation. In fact, seven years ago the issue prompted Hawking, together with Kip Thorne of Caltech, to make a wager against John Preskill also of Caltech, that the information swallowed by black holes could never be recovered.
On Wednesday, Hawking conceded that he has lost the bet.
The way his new calculations work is to show that the event horizon, which is the surface of the black hole, has quantum fluctuations in it. These are the same uncertainties in position that were made famous by Heisenberg’s uncertainty principle and are central to quantum mechanics. The fluctuations gradually allow all the information inside the black hole to leak out, thus allowing us to form a consistent picture. The information paradox is now unravelled.

Thanks, Bill, unfortunately the leak of quantum information at the event horizon does not allow for the curving back of space-time on itself... the 'worm hole into the past' holy grail. In fact, it is more conjecture in the opposite direction... a black hole not only leaks energy, but also leaks information about the quantum state of particles... which means it is even farther from the closed system necessary for traveling to the reverse future. :cjlol:

But thanks again for the info about that lecture... this guy is truly amazing. He is a hero among heroes. And now we can see he has avoided the vanity of many giants of physics.... too proud to admit a mistake.

Even, if Hawking's mistake was... that he shouldn't have doubted himself all along.... he should have trusted that since he had shown black holes could leak mass and energy, they should also leak information... Just like Einstein fudging his general theory by introducing the "cosmological constant" and then working so hard to remove it.

[Silly Billy]

Thanks for the reply. I'm working on 7x. My mind is over-loaded this evening.

[benhenry]

Thanks for the reply. I'm working on 7x. My mind is over-loaded this evening.

Me, too. L e s has me baffled. Again.

[Silly Billy]

During undergraduate Psychology I wrote a paper for which I used an article in Scientific American entitled The Magic Number 7 Plus or Minus 2. Seven has a mystical significance in many cultures. I can't seem to get past this connection.

[benhenry]

Most people in the civilised world have had 7x at sometime in their life.

I know this can't be correct; but I can't stand it anymore :eek: , I have to try something. :)

Take the first two letters from 7 and leave the x alone at the end. Just so you know we are talking about the same thing, here. :wink:

Some dislike it.

Priests? Nuns? I don't think it is so much that they dislike it; I think they voluntarily gave it up. So my guess is already implausible.

others love it, cannot get enough of it

Well. Evidence, finally, that I am right about 7x.

What is it

I think I know what it is, but I'm just not sure anymore...

... where would you find it.

I haven't got a clue on this one. But I'm not giving up.

... Personally I haven't had 7x for about a month :tongue2:

I wish I could say that. A month seems like a moment since I've had 7x.

[Eve]

7X- I know it, I know it. http://smilies.neo101.nl/smilies/discosmilie.gif (http://www.maxthon.com/)
After much detective work with the assistance of my friend Mr Google I know the answer.

I last had it about 2 weeks ago, if my memory serves me correctly:)

Normally I don't like it all that much.
Can take it or leave it, but it was offered and I did not like to refuse :)

I still can not tell you what is is. I would if I could. But I know where I could find it and what I would do with it. :jig:

[benhenry]

7X- I know it, I know it. http://smilies.neo101.nl/smilies/discosmilie.gif (http://www.maxthon.com/)


I still can not tell you what is is. I would if I could. But I know where I could find it and what I would do with it. :jig:


ARGGGGGGGGHHHHHH!!!!

Does it have anything to do with: Diophantus of Alexandria? :?:

[Eve]

Does it have anything to do with: Diophantus of Alexandria? http://smilies.neo101.nl/smilies/114.gif (http://www.maxthon.com/) No

They would not have had any. At the moment I do not have any either. I could get some though. http://smilies.neo101.nl/smilies/059.gif (http://www.maxthon.com/)

[Eve]

http://smilies.neo101.nl/smilies/monkeydance.gif (http://www.maxthon.com/)
I wonder when I should tellhttp://smilies.neo101.nl/smilies/kidding.gif (http://www.maxthon.com/)

[benhenry]

http://smilies.neo101.nl/smilies/monkeydance.gif (http://www.maxthon.com/)
I wonder when I should tellhttp://smilies.neo101.nl/smilies/kidding.gif (http://www.maxthon.com/)

Please tell. I will behave for 23 minutes and 37 seconds. :)

[Eve]

http://smilies.neo101.nl/smilies/drinky.gif (http://www.maxthon.com/) This is a clue

http://smilies.neo101.nl/smilies/bye-drop.gif (http://www.maxthon.com/)

[benhenry]

http://smilies.neo101.nl/smilies/drinky.gif (http://www.maxthon.com/) This is a clue

http://smilies.neo101.nl/smilies/bye-drop.gif (http://www.maxthon.com/)

What's Randy got to do with it?

I know now... how could I have missed it? It's beer. 7x... 7 grain beer? That sounds delicious!

:thumbs:

It IS beer, isn't ???

[Eve]

Nope http://smilies.neo101.nl/smilies/icon4.gif (http://www.maxthon.com/)

[Eve]

Ok Ok I have to go to the house of pain (aka dentist) now so will reveal all http://smilies.neo101.nl/smilies/icon7.gif (http://www.maxthon.com/)

7X is the code name for the secret ingredient in Coca Cola http://smilies.neo101.nl/smilies/1828.gif (http://www.maxthon.com/)



Next Question
What oversized onomatopoeically-named mechanism was put on display for people to use at the British Empire Wembley Exhibition in 1924, in order to reassure the public as to its safety and reliability?
http://smilies.neo101.nl/smilies/utfsey.gif (http://www.maxthon.com/)

[benhenry]

Ok Ok
7X is the code name for the secret ingredient in Coca Cola http://smilies.neo101.nl/smilies/1828.gif (http://www.maxthon.com/)


Not a chance! I'm sure you think you're right , but... it IS beer. It has to be. Lovingly fermented by 7 vestal virgins from 7 grains and hops. L e s will explain it to you... sorry, Eve.

I'll go think of a trivia question now. :cjlol:

[Eve]

The true source of Coke's unique flavor, the company contends, lies not in the coca/cola combination but in the special mix of oils and flavorings added thereto, including the mysterious ingredient known as Merchandise 7X. More here http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a2_033.html

Any ideas on the last question? Anyone? Onomatopoeically-named mechanism ?

[L e s]

Coca Cola was correct, 7x is the secret ingredient

I know, I know but http://www.wdisneyw.com/forums/images/smilies/zipped.gif http://www.wdisneyw.com/forums/images/smilies/zipped.gif http://www.wdisneyw.com/forums/images/smilies/zipped.gif http://www.wdisneyw.com/forums/images/smilies/zipped.gif http://www.wdisneyw.com/forums/images/smilies/zipped.gif http://www.wdisneyw.com/forums/images/smilies/zipped.gif

[benhenry]

Next Question
What oversized onomatopoeically-named mechanism was put on display for people to use at the British Empire Wembley Exhibition in 1924, in order to reassure the public as to its safety and reliability?

Dynamos? the Canadians had a working scale model of Niagara and their hydorelectric plants.

Ok..ok... but I had to get started somewhere...

[Eve]

Les has his lips zipped and Ben gave the wrong answer http://smilies.neo101.nl/smilies/bolt.gif (http://www.maxthon.com/)

[benhenry]

Les has his lips zipped and Ben gave the wrong answer http://smilies.neo101.nl/smilies/bolt.gif (http://www.maxthon.com/)




I think I am disturbed with Eve just slightly more than L e s;
I'm still thinking about it.
It could go either way.
It seems distressing that these two take such pleasure
in my discomfort. :eek:

[Eve]

http://smilies.neo101.nl/smilies/utfsey.gif (http://www.maxthon.com/)


Clues
It was developed to replace something else.
Everyone I know uses them
They have been known to cause embarrassment on occassions for some
They come in many sizes

[Eve]

As I am feeling generous - some more clues

A larger person would not necessarily use a larger one

http://smilies.neo101.nl/smilies/2136.gif (http://www.maxthon.com/) This clue may be a bit obscure but a clue nevertheless

Without being part of something else they are as useless as a chocolate teapot

Early verions were used in WW1

If you look into the 'archives' (clue, clue) of your mind you will see the answer, but my lips are zipped too.

[benhenry]

As I am feeling generous - some more clues

A larger person would not necessarily use a larger one

http://smilies.neo101.nl/smilies/2136.gif (http://www.maxthon.com/) This clue may be a bit obscure but a clue nevertheless

Without being part of something else they are as useless as a chocolate teapot

Early verions were used in WW1

If you look into the 'archives' (clue, clue) of your mind you will see the answer, but my lips are zipped too.

OMIGOD!!!

They didn't actually show a guy using one of these so guys would not be scared of them?!?!?!?!??

Well, if they did.. It didn't work for everyone. There are some of us who are still scared. My jeans have buttons. :)

[Eve]

http://smilies.neo101.nl/smilies/icon14.gif (http://www.maxthon.com/) Correct


http://ncnc.essortment.com/zipperzip_rnqc.htm

[benhenry]

http://smilies.neo101.nl/smilies/icon14.gif (http://www.maxthon.com/) Correct


http://ncnc.essortment.com/zipperzip_rnqc.htm

You had to give me so many clues, I don't feel right about taking a turn here.
So I'll just use an ancient one that will be solved quickly.

What walks on four in the morning, two in the afternoon, and three in the evening?



.

[Silly Billy]

A human does in the morning of life (crawling), in the afternoon (walking), in the evening (with a cane).

Where was I when the Canadian question was asked? (retorical)

[benhenry]

A human does in the morning of life (crawling), in the afternoon (walking), in the evening (with a cane).

Where was I when the Canadian question was asked? (retorical)

Hey, Bill! I knew you couldn't resist Theseus' answer for the Sphinx... absolutely correct.

And "Yours is next," said the interlocutor...

[Silly Billy]

This writer/poet is said to be "among the five greatest poets of the English Language."

The work I am thinking of has been called, "the most noticed, most read, most criticized, and finally the most exaulted poem in the English Tongue."

It originally consisted of ten books but was later extended to twelve.

The sequel has a similar name but is shorter.

What amazed me as I studied parts of it as an undergraduate was that the poet was blind when he dictated it to his secretary. (Although some historians say that parts of it were penned prior to him becoming blind.)

1. Name the poet.

2. Name the work.

[benhenry]

This writer/poet is said to be "among the five greatest poets of the English Language."

The work I am thinking of has been called, "the most noticed, most read, most criticized, and finally the most exaulted poem in the English Tongue."

It originally consisted of ten books but was later extended to twelve.

The sequel has a similar name but is shorter.

What amazed me as I studied parts of it as an undergraduate was that the poet was blind when he dictated it to his secretary. (Although some historians say that parts of it were penned prior to him becoming blind.)

1. Name the poet.

2. Name the work.



1) H.W. Longfellow?
2) The Song of Hiawatha...? but darn...22 "books"

I bet the author is correct, though...

[Silly Billy]

Sorry, not Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. American poet, educator, linguist. Born: February 27, 1807, Portland, Maine Died: March 24, 1882, Cambridge, Massachusetts.

[L e s]

Milton

Paradise lost


????

[Silly Billy]

Congratulations to Les, you're absolutely correct. The sequel, of course, is Paradise Regained.

[L e s]

"Yesterday", One of the most covered songs ever from the Beatles had a culinary working title, what was it?

[Eve]

Scrambled Eggs :egg:

[L e s]

Spot on

so over to you :thumbs:

[Eve]

:)
What do these Shakespeare plays have in common?... Julius Caesar, Richard III, Hamlet, Macbeth.

[benhenry]

:)
What do these Shakespeare plays have in common?... Julius Caesar, Richard III, Hamlet, Macbeth.

They are all written by Shakespeare; therefore, the main protagonists all have tragic ends. :cjlol:

[Silly Billy]

Does this mean they are tragedies? No, Richard III is listed as History.

There must be more.

[Eve]

Keep thinking :)

[Silly Billy]

Each of the titles is a male name.

[Eve]

Well Bill, that is true but there is another answer.
Think :)
Ooooo Think plots, characters

[Breezy]

They have ghosts in the plays?

[benhenry]

They have ghosts in the plays?

I think you got it Breezy! But I'm not so good with riddles... I can't stay away from them and I can't get them. Jeez. no wonder they say women are riddles. :cjlol:

[Eve]

Well done Breezy :thumbs:

http://smilies.neo101.nl/smilies/bye-drop.gif (http://www.maxthon.com/)

[Eve]

Breezy's turn to popse a question when she is here again. In the meantime an easy one to be going on with......


What is the only word in the English language that ends in 'mt'?

[Silly Billy]

dreamt

[Eve]

Nothing Silly about you Billy :) I never dreamt it would be answered that quickly

Do you have a question?

[Silly Billy]

A word I know
Six letters it contains.
Subtract just one
And twelve is what remains.
What is the word I know?

[Eve]

I know that one :) Ive heard it dozens of times :)

[Silly Billy]

Well Eve, you are quick.

[Eve]

But I am not telling :)

[benhenry]

But I am not telling :)

hahaha... I got it now. Jeez. I hate riddles. :)

[Silly Billy]

A man once had to go by bicycle 12 miles to the bus station to catch a bus. (He had no license to drive. He was old.) He reasoned in the following manner:
I have an hour and a half to catch the bus;
Four miles is uphill, which I must walk, and can do it four miles an hour;
There are four miles downhill, where I can coast at twelve miles an hour;
And there are four miles of level road, which I shall do at eight miles an hour.
This is an average of eight miles an hour, so I will be just in time.
What was wrong with his reasoning?

[benhenry]

A man once had to go by bicycle 12 miles to the bus station to catch a bus. (He had no license to drive. He was old.) He reasoned in the following manner:
I have an hour and a half to catch the bus;
Four miles is uphill, which I must walk, and can do it four miles an hour;
There are four miles downhill, where I can coast at twelve miles an hour;
And there are four miles of level road, which I shall do at eight miles an hour.
This is an average of eight miles an hour, so I will be just in time.
What was wrong with his reasoning?

Averaging speed over distance and neglecting time. The 12 mph is taken as an equal factor even though it lasted only a small fraction of the trip.

[Silly Billy]

You said you didn't like riddles. You are correct.

To calculate how long the trip took, consider the following.
He spent one hour going uphill, 30 minutes (1/2 hour) going on the level, and 20 minutes (1/3 hour) going downhill. This adds up to one hour and fifty minutes.

[benhenry]

You said you didn't like riddles. You are correct.

To calculate how long the trip took, consider the following.
He spent one hour going uphill, 30 minutes (1/2 hour) going on the level, and 20 minutes (1/3 hour) going downhill. This adds up to one hour and fifty minutes.

But I like algebra. I'm actually doing much better on riddles in this forum than I ever have in my life. I think it is because it is relaxing here; and usually riddles put me on the spot.

Here's one I like... anybody who has partied with Filipinos and Filipinas, or probably anywhere in the South Pacific, will get this one right away.

What takes even longer the faster you work, and gets done sooner if you slow down?




.

[Eve]

Roasting Meat (on a rotisserie or spit thing)

[benhenry]

Roasting Meat (on a rotisserie or spit thing)

It's not a spit thing! It's a spit. And don't fergit it. :)
You are corrict.

It's a mighty tasty way to cook, if you have plenty of people to take turns, and that also brought beer. :wink:

[Eve]

I just bung my roasts in the oven - no spit for my meat :cjlol:


How many times would a football rotate if rolled around the middle circumference of another football of the same size?

[benhenry]

I just bung my roasts in the oven - no spit for my meat :cjlol:


How many times would a football rotate if rolled around the middle circumference of another football of the same size?

I must be missing something here, but I'll bite in the dark.
One revolution around the stationery football while making one rotation about its own axis...



.

[Silly Billy]

I agree. The circumferences are the same.

[L e s]

Twice as a quick guess

[Eve]

Les is correct :) I do not know if Ben and Bill are as words such as circumference and axis cause mind blankness for me. :)
You can quickly test it with two identical coins.

[benhenry]

Les is correct :) I do not know if Ben and Bill are as words such as circumference and axis cause mind blankness for me. :)
You can quickly test it with two identical coins.

Eve, I put one quarter on my desk and lined up the top of the head with the top of the head of a second one. I rolled the first quarter carefully around the second quarter, and when it got all the way around the top of the heads were lined up again.

This is also a good demonstration of how the moon orbits the Earth and why there is a "dark" side of the moon... the same face is always turned toward the earth... (the top of the heads line up every night for the Earth-moon coins).

[Eve]

:hmm:So is it once or twice?
This is what it said on my 'secret source' page. Of course it is all beyond me :)
How many times would a football rotate if rolled around the middle circumference of another football of the same size?
Twice exactly - try it with a couple of the same sized coins.

Could someone please pose another question. :)

[Silly Billy]

We can't leave this question without a full discussion of the facts which support a correct answer.

The distance around the football at the middle can be represented by a string placed around the outside. This is the circumference of the football. The distance from the original point back to it.

Since both footballs have the same circumference,(by definition) both circumferences can be represented by the same length of string. Even if both footballs are kept in contact and rotated about each other the distance travelled is the same, the circumference.

Another way of determining the distance travelled would be to roll each of the footballs along the floor, marking the initial point of the ball where it contacts the ground and the point where it returns to the ground. The distances are the same. This is true because the distances around the footballs are the same (they have the same circumference).

Similar denomination coins have the same circumference and thus react as above.


Once is the correct answer.

Anyone have empirical evidence to support another answer?

[Eve]

How many times would a football rotate

So - is the distance the same as the number of rotations ?

http://smilies.neo101.nl/smilies/114.gif (http://www.maxthon.com/)

[benhenry]

We can't leave this question without a full discussion of the facts which support a correct answer.



Another discussion which may help; A consideration of the language
in addition to the math.
It is possible that someone edited the original problem...
maybe there was some play on words where the question was
asked, " ...how man times does it go around?"

Then you could answer "twice"... Once for the rotation about its own axis and once for the revolution around the other football.

In any case, I am afraid it is my turn to try a riddle.


What famous observatory will always be associated with a mule skinner?




.

[Eve]

Question was how many time does the football rotate ? -so I think the answer is 2 :)


Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory ?

[Eve]

Another try -
Mount Wilson?

[Eve]

Further to Mount Wilson:

Humason, Milton Lasell (1891-1972)

US astronomer who carried out a spectroscopic study of distant galaxies, determining their velocities from their red shift.

Humason, born in Dodge Centre, Minnesota, dropped out of school at 14 to hang around Mount Wilson Observatory, California. For a while he was a mule driver for the pack trains that carried construction materials to the observatory from the Sierra Madre. In 1917 he joined the observatory staff as a janitor, but was quickly promoted, becoming assistant astronomer 1919. From 1954 he was astronomer at the Mount Wilson and Palomar Observatories.

[benhenry]

Question was how many time does the football rotate ? -so I think the answer is 2 :)


But a rotation and a revolution are not the same, Eve... it only rotates once. the head goes upside down and then right side up again... that is a rotation about the center of the moving quarter.

It revolves once also... the fact that it "goes around" the outside of the stationery quarter.

That is the only way you can get 2... If you ask how many times does it "go around"... it only rotates once.



Mount Wilson ?

Yep!

Mount Wilson Observatory (http://www.mtwilson.edu/his/art/g1a4.php)


Another important user of the 100-inch telescope was already close at hand long before it was built, but at that time he did not seem destined to become one of the great figures in astronomy. Milton Humason quit school at the age of 14 and went to work on Mount Wilson in 1905. He worked at the Mount Wilson Hotel and as a mule driver. In 1911 he married the daughter of the observatory's chief electrician. Humason moved to the valley floor to be foreman on a relative's ranch, but went back to the mountain six years later to join the observatory staff. The annual report of the Director for 1918 announced the completion of the 100-inch telescope, but in the back of the same report the name of Milton Humason appeared for the first time -- as janitor. Within a few years Humason had become a night assistant on the telescopes, and even began taking some photographic plates himself. By 1924 he had become Hubble's chief assistant, using the 100-inch telescope in the search for variable stars in spiral nebulae. He became a member of the research staff and worked with Hubble to chart the expansion of the universe. As one of astronomy's most skilled observers, he used the 100-inch telescope to great advantage, reaching further into space than anyone had thought possible. He was eventually recognized with an honorary doctorate from the University of Lund in Sweden. Hubble the former boxer and lawyer, and Humason the one-time mule skinner, formed perhaps the most unusual team in the history of astronomy, and one of the most important.


.

[Eve]

But a rotation and a revolution are not the same, Eve... it only rotates once. the head goes upside down and then right side up again... that is a rotation about the center of the moving quarter.

It revolves once also... the fact that it "goes around" the outside of the stationery quarter.

That is the only way you can get 2... If you ask how many times does it "go around"... it only rotates once. http://smilies.neo101.nl/smilies/donder_frown.gif (http://www.maxthon.com/) http://smilies.neo101.nl/smilies/bonk3.gif (http://www.maxthon.com/) Not even going to try and understand it :)

[Eve]

What 15-letter word contains the letter 'E' five times and no other vowels?

[benhenry]

What 15-letter word contains the letter 'E' five times and no other vowels?

http://smilies.neo101.nl/smilies/donder_frown.gif (http://www.maxthon.com/) http://smilies.neo101.nl/smilies/bonk3.gif (http://www.maxthon.com/) Not even going to be able spell it write right correctly :)

[Silly Billy]

What language? I'm looking for a trick question since the last one has not been answered to my satisfaction.

preemergenced - 5 e's but only 13 letters

preemergencents ?? I don't know what it means.

[Eve]

It is an English word I am looking at.
It is not an obscure word.
It is not a trick question.
:)

[Silly Billy]

Thanks for the clarification.

[L e s]

I couldn't even put up a struggle against that one :tongue2:

[Eve]

What 15-letter word contains the letter 'E' five times and no other vowels?

Further clue: Four of the other 10 letters are the same.

[Eve]

Further Clue: there is a further clue in this thread if you look closely

[Eve]

No one have any ideas? I suspect Les knows it - look at his post and think http://smilies.neo101.nl/smilies/1036949204_0.gif (http://www.maxthon.com/)

[benhenry]

No one have any ideas? I suspect Les knows it - look at his post and think http://smilies.neo101.nl/smilies/1036949204_0.gif (http://www.maxthon.com/)

But he is so diabolical... I am always struggling with his traps.

If you have any Filipino/a friends, tell them the Tagalog version of this riddle... I am thinking of a word; it has 27 "a" s ....

and they will laugh. I promise.

[L e s]

defencelessness

n : the property of being helpless in the face of attack


My turn now :jig:

what or who were the Honkettes

[benhenry]

defencelessness

n : the property of being helpless in the face of attack


My turn now :jig:

what or who were the Honkettes

Oh... I GET IT! :thumbs:

L e s said he "couldn't struggle" so therefore.. "defenceless" and of course

defencelessness would follow from that... hey; a nod's as good as a

wink, aye?

Blimey! :)

Now, you don't think I'm just going to innocently search for "Honkettes" do you?
HAH!
Not a chance... I will not be whisked away
to wander about defencelessly
in female duckdom or geeseness... nope.
Not gonna doot.

[Breezy]

Sorry for the major delay in getting here... have been extra busy of late. Glad you all kept it going and didn't wait!

[benhenry]

My turn now :jig:

what or who were the Honkettes

Man. He tricked me by giving an easy one. The direct approach would have gotten it for me right off.

Sweet Home Armadillo (http://www.austinchronicle.com/issues/dispatch/2003-10-17/music_feature3.html)
BY MARGARET MOSER
October 17, 2003:


The Honkettes



Lynyrd Skynyrd wasn't hip in 1976. The band sold millions, but it wasn't cool. My ears were tuned to local blues, away from the last gasp of progressive country and the prevailing sound of Seventies rawk. My younger brothers listened to Skynyrd in all its fist-pumping, lighter-holding, beer-bellied glory. I razzed them, yet I secretly loved "Sweet Home Alabama."

Nov. 28, 1976. Promoting their double live album One More From the Road, Skynyrd played the Armadillo in a show so crowded it would be shut down by the fire marshall today. The classic sixpiece lineup plus a new guitarist and the recently added Honkettes, who were eye candy as well as backup singers, filled the stage. I remember very little except for the glorious, sweating, steamy, stomping finale of "Sweet Home Alabama."

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a17/GentleBenHenry/ForFun/honkettes.jpg

Backstage, promo photo in hand, I asked for autographs for my 16-year-old brother Bill. Bill had requested rock star autographs to prove his sister really was a rock journalist. Artimus Pyle and Leon Wilkeson hunkered in the hall, Billy Powell relaxed in the dressing room with Steve Gaines, Ronnie Van Zant popped a beer can and handed it to Allen Collins, who was next to Gary Rossington with a joint in his mouth. All obliged.

The Honkettes -- Jo Jo Billingsley, Leslie Hawkins, and Cassie Gaines -- were in the bathroom drying off, dabbing at smeared mascara, and chattering as they fluffed sweaty hair and curls. Dressed in tiny scraps of doeskin with feathers, fringe, and beads hanging off them, denim skirts, Frye boots or wooden platforms, they cooed and ahhed that I was such a good sister and eagerly scribbled their names.

"I love working with my brother," Cassie sweetly confided, struggling with a black felt-tip on the slick photo paper.

Less than a year later, three of the band members lay dead in a Mississippi swamp, victims of a plane crash. For years I've thought about Cassie, who died with her brother Steve and Ronnie Van Zant, and her comment, knowing that if I lost any of my brothers I might go mad.

The autographed photo of Lynyrd Skynyrd was destroyed by accident in 2000. Completely. Water leaked into the box it was packed in, and the ink (from those pre-Sharpie days) obliterated. The glass shattered, and what was left of the photo dried to the shards, stuck forever. Bill cradled its remains, nearly 25 years of his life in that long-treasured picture, then threw it away.

[benhenry]

L e s, am I right? I hope you haven't tricked me again... anyway if it is my turn-

How does webfish's magic link work? (Thank you webfish! I can't keep up with these riddles... you saved me.)

Here is a link to his link: Flash Mind Reader (http://www.mypcclinic.com/forums/showthread.php?t=10488)

If you just can't get it...
I will post a solution in a text file attachment;
so those folks who want to keep it a mystery can-
well, "not look"
and that will keep it magic... :wink:


Better late then never Ben, Yes, the Honkettes are the backing singers to the resident Band in my Van, Lynyrd Skynyrd

Les

[Silly Billy]

I found ways to make it not work.
1. I covered the circle and random graphics appeared.
2. I did not do any math, but concentrated on the graphic, and then on the circle.
3. I didn't do anything except Try Again, and click on the circle. Random graphics appeared.

[benhenry]

I found ways to make it not work.
1. I covered the circle and random graphics appeared.
2. I did not do any math, but concentrated on the graphic, and then on the circle.
3. I didn't do anything except Try Again, and click on the circle. Random graphics appeared.

Heh... ok now cut that out, Bill and play fair!
Darn Shakespeareans always lookin for ways to cheat arncha? :wink:

[Silly Billy]

By looking for ways that do not work one can often be led to ways that do work.

I also noticed that the graphics change to a different number.

[benhenry]

By looking for ways that do not work one can often be led to ways that do work.

I also noticed that the graphics change to a different number.

I think Holmes said something like;

"... once you have cast out all the impossible solutions, whatever remains, no matter how improbable, must be the truth. "

[Silly Billy]

Veni, vidi, feci, intellexi.

I came, I saw, I did, I understood.

To give a clue but not to spoil the "eureka" of arriving at the answer, I'll provide this clue.

Let the two digits of the number be represented by x and y.
Remembering the concept of place value, the number is represented by 10x + y.
Adding the two digits and subtracting from the original number gives the expression
(10x+y) - (x+y) = 10x + y - x - y = 9x
That is 9 times the first digit.

Now consider what values x can be, and then what the values 9x can be.

Additional help will come on Saturday, if no one else has had that "eureka" moment.

[benhenry]

Veni, vidi, feci, intellexi.

I came, I saw, I did, I understood.

To give a clue but not to spoil the "eureka" of arriving at the answer, I'll provide this clue.

Let the two digits of the number be represented by x and y.
Remembering the concept of place value, the number is represented by 10x + y.
Adding the two digits and subtracting from the original number gives the expression
(10x+y) - (x+y) = 10x + y - x - y = 9x
That is 9 times the first digit.

Now consider what values x can be, and then what the values 9x can be.

Additional help will come on Saturday, if no one else has had that "eureka" moment.

Well, Bill, you are all the way there. And a very nice explanation, too, I must say. There is the one thing left to notice about the "chart' but that is (what you left for "eureka") incidental to the "casting out nines" variation that you explained.

[Silly Billy]

Now consider what values x can be, and then what the values 9x can be.

Clue #2
The only values of x are 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9.

Thus the only values of 9x are 9, 18, 27, 36, 45, 54, 63, 72, 81, 90, 99.

Hint: All the other numbers and their associated graphics are extraneous. Look at the chart, and Try Again a few times to see a pattern.

Post if you have the answer. I'll let Ben finish the explanation.

[benhenry]

Now consider what values x can be, and then what the values 9x can be.

Clue #2
The only values of x are 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9.

Thus the only values of 9x are 9, 18, 27, 36, 45, 54, 63, 72, 81, 90, 99.

Hint: All the other numbers and their associated graphics are extraneous. Look at the chart, and Try Again a few times to see a pattern.

Post if you have the answer. I'll let Ben finish the explanation.

I can see that Bill and I both hate to explain the magic out of this one...
the website is so nicely done and the effect is very dramatic.
I will post the final nail to pin it down in a little text attachment
so if you want to keep it magical, just don't click on the thumbnail.

Bill, it's your turn to tie our brains in knots again... :wink:

[Silly Billy]

Ben used a partial quote in the previous post and prefaced it with I think Holmes said something like;
"... once you have cast out all the impossible solutions, whatever remains, no matter how improbable, must be the truth. "

The actual quote is "How often have I said to you that when you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth?"

In what stort story did Sir Arthur Conan Doyle write this memorable sentence,
and (for an extra point) to whom was Holmes talking?

Ben, I still can't access the Quote message in reply? checkbox.

[Eve]

The story was The Sign Of The Four

Was he speaking to Watson? or is that too elementary ? :)

[Eve]

Thaddeus Sholto???

[benhenry]

Ben used a partial quote in the previous post and prefaced

Ben, I still can't access the Quote message in reply? checkbox.

Yes, I misquoted it as a clue for the "casting out" nines trick...

The Sign Of Four was always my favorite... and partly in the usa, too.



Try to change your preferences to use a different editor and then change back... and if that doesn't fix it, I'll need a sixpack of mooseheads and directions to your house :)

[Silly Billy]

Eve, you are correct. Congratulations!

However, there is a disturbing problem regarding the title. Some references have it listed as The Sign Of The Four while others name it The Sign Of Four. I don't have a definitive answer, but will add this comment. In chapters 4 and 5, the notes left at the scenes read "the sign of the four".

Regarding the person to whom Holmes was talking, the answer is found in chapter 6. Holmes and Watson are in the room where the crime was committed. Holmes says that they have some time to themselves and directs Watson to sit in the corner while Holmes investigates. He doesn't want Watson to contaminate the crime scene.

Thaddeus and Bartholomew Sholto are twin brothers of the victim Major John Sholto.

If you are inclined to read some of the works, I found this site to be comfortable. While googling, if you come across an answer to the tiltle problem, I for one will be pleased to have a reference. The site below names the novel, The Sign Of Four.

http://www.citsoft.com/holmes.new/novels/sign_of_four/sh0015.html

[Eve]

A note about the title
"The Sign of the Four" in Lippincott's; The Sign of the Four in the early book editions. Modern editions vary: Doubleday uses the four-word title, Oxford the five-word title.
This was all I could find regarding the title ffrom here http://www.sherlockian.net/canon/stories/sign.html

[Silly Billy]

Thanks Eve. I noticed that site also. This site has a graphic of the cover with the title The Sign of Four http://print.google.ca/print?q=holmes%2Bthe+sign+of+four&oi=print

This site has it listed as The Sign of the Four http://sherlock-holmes.classic-literature.co.uk/book-store/Books/Keywords-shop-Sherlock-Holmes-The-Sign-Of-The-Four--1.html

Maybe this is one of those "Did Shakespeare write the plays or was it another man named Shakespeare?" questions.

Your turn.

[Eve]

:) Three short answers

1.What famous literary figure´s real name is Oscar Zoroaster Phadrig Isaac Norman Henkle Emmanuel Ambroise Diggs?

2.In Tchaikovsky´s ballet "The Nutcracker", who is the Nutcracker´s main enemy?

3.Leprechauns are known for hiding a pot of gold, but what do they spend most of their time doing?

[Silly Billy]

I still can't do the Quote Message in Reply thing.

1.What famous literary figure´s real name is Oscar Zoroaster Phadrig Isaac Norman Henkle Emmanuel Ambroise Diggs?
The Wizard of Oz

2.In Tchaikovsky´s ballet "The Nutcracker", who is the Nutcracker´s main enemy?
The Mouse King

3.Leprechauns are known for hiding a pot of gold, but what do they spend most of their time doing?
They are called fairy cobblers, because they make shoes for elves, but only one shoe, never a pair. After work they organize wild feasts when they drink a lot of Guinness.

[Eve]

I think I shall apply to be a Leprachaun :cjlol:

That was quick Bill - your turn now

[Silly Billy]

What king of France was never crowned and never ruled?

[benhenry]

What king of France was never crowned and never ruled?

I remember liking the Man In The Iron Mask but I thought he got to be King in the end...

anyway, your check box...
try to change your forum preference to a different skin and then back again...
that cured a problem for me that I got when I was trying to duplicate your problem. :)

[Eve]

The Dauphin, Marie Antoinette's son - Louis 17th
Became King when his father was guillotined in 1793, and he apparently died 2 years later.

The above I remembered - those history lessons must have stuck in my mind :) but have googled further and discovered this (dated 8/6/04)which I found very interesting

PARIS - A solemn ceremony for French monarchists played out on Tuesday near Paris, as the heart of Louis XVII was buried alongside France's other royalty.


The glass-encased heart of Louis XVII

The pickled heart of the boy king who died in a prison cell at the age of 10 was placed in the royal crypt at the cathedral of Saint Denis, next to his parents Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette.

Hundreds of French and foreign dignitaries attended the two-hour mass that preceded the burial. No members of ruling royal families or senior French government officials were present.

The burial closes a chapter of history that until a few years ago was one of the deepest mysteries left over from the French Revolution.

Louis became the uncrowned king of France when his father was guillotined by revolutionaries in 1793. Marie Antoinette was later beheaded, too.

Shortly after the boy king died of tuberculosis in 1795, rumours began to circulate that he had been spirited away, and that another child's body was left in his place.

For nearly 200 years, theories abounded about the Dauphin's fate – about his life in America, or Germany, or Britain.

Then, DNA testing put all those theories to rest.

The boy's heart, which had been cut out during an autopsy at the prison, had been preserved. It was tested in 1999 against DNA samples from family members, living and dead. DNA from the shriveled organ was even compared to a sample taken from a lock of Marie Antoinette's hair.

Once science had proven the heart belonged to a king, it could be buried among its kin.

[Silly Billy]

No need to confirm your research. I know you're in a different time zone, but do you ever sleep?

[Eve]

I know you're in a different time zone, but do you ever sleep? Oh yes, about 6 hours a night :tired: I even manage to go to work too :eek:



These are opening Lines of well known novels, can you give their names? One point each :)

1.As I walked through the wilderness of this world, I lighted on a certain place where was a Den, and I laid me down in that place to sleep: and, as I slept, I dreamed a dream.

2.Mr. Utterson the lawyer was a man of a rugged countenance, that was never lighted by a smile; cold, scanty and embarrassed in discourse; backward in sentiment; lean, long, dusty, dreary and yet somehow lovable.

3.She stands up in the garden where she has been working and looks into the distance.

4.On the morning of August 8, 1965, Robert Kincaid locked the door to his small two-room apartment on the third floor of a rambling house in Bellingham, Washington

5.On an evening in the latter part of May a middle-aged man was walking homeward from Shaston to the village of Marlott, in the adjoining Vale of Blakemore or Blackmoor.

6.My father's family name being Pirrip, and my christian name Philip, my infant tongue could make of both names nothing longer or more explicit than Pip.

[amb141]

6 is Great Expectations
5 is Tess of the D'Urbervilles
2 is Dr. Jeckyll and Mr. Hyde
and
1 is The Pilgrim's Progress

The others, I dunno.

alan

[Eve]

Well done Alan, just as I expected - Take 4 points :)

The other two 3 & 4 are more recent novels, both have been made into films.

[Silly Billy]

#3 The English Patient by Michael Ondaatje

#4 The Bridges of Madison County by Robert James Waller

[Eve]

The Pilgrim's Progress - John Bunyan
Tess of the D'Urbervilles - Thomas Hardy
Great Expectations - Charles Dickens
and
Just to be nitpicking Alan, the correct answer to #2 is 'The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde' - Robert Louis Stevenson


#3 The English Patient by Michael Ondaatje

#4 The Bridges of Madison County by Robert James Waller


http://smilies.neo101.nl/smilies/512.gif Well done

[amb141]

>>the correct answer to #2 is 'The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde'<<

Ever see the Spencer Tracy movie version? He does the transformation with no makeup. Just great!

alan