Thursday 28 January 2016

The original script had E.T. lured by M&Ms, but Mars turned the opportunity down

Your targets this week:

1+ out of 10: Well done, you beat us!
4+ out of 10: We'd have won with you on our team!

The attendees
1) The statistician
2) The doctor
3) The secret German
4) The rich-person otherkin

The ones that got away
1) Within 10%, what is the total distance covered in an Ironman triathlon? (You can answer in miles or kilometres)
2) What brand of beer did E.T. get drunk on in the movie E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial?
3) Which of these is not a real lizard: a) Australian Thorny Devil; b) Legitimate Night Lizard; c) Mutilating Gecko; d) Ornate Crevice Dragon; e) Variable Blood Sucker
4) Prior to the recent relocation of the St Louis Rams (back) to Los Angeles, which NFL team had most recently relocated?
Questions 8 and 9
5) Which 2 films earned the most Oscar nominations (12 and 10) this year? You need both for the point.
6) According to the US Department of Agriculture, how hot should the internal temperature of chicken be to consume safely?
7) The quote "Old and busted, new hotness" is from which film and said by what actor? You need both for the point.
8) Name this character, played by Alan Rickman in the movie Galaxy Quest.
9) 2 point question: Name the character played by Alan Rickman here, and the movie. 1 point for each.

The answers


The doctor's excuses


How did you do? Would you have beaten us (1 or more point)? Would you have helped us win (4 or more points)? Let the world know with the poll below, then read on for my alternative questions (loosely) inspired by this week's Ones That Got Away!


Our alternative questions
1) As with more standard triathlons, there is no 'overall' world record for the Ironman. However, records are kept for the annual Hawaiian Ironman, considered one of the most prestigious events. With that in mind, what is the current fastest recorded time for this Ironman? You get the point if your time lies between the men's record and the women's record. (Hint: the women's record is 48 minutes, 18 seconds slower.)
2) The Coors Brewing Company boasts a large portfolio of other beer brands. What beer, whose name is the portugese word for 'snake', did it buy a controlling interest in in 2011?
3) Lizard Point is, of course, the most southerly point on mainland Britain. But in which country can you find Cape Froward, the most southerly point of any 'mainland' territory? (For clarification: I'm looking for the country whose southernmost mainland point is more southerly than any other country's - so forget about islands and overseas territories and Antarctica.)
Question 4
4) Before they relocated and became the Tennessee Titans, the Houston Oilers shared their nickname with the NHL's Edmonton Oilers. Pictured are the logos of two more pairs of teams who each share an animal nickname. For 1 point each, I need the nickname of each team. As a bonus hint, the two NFL teams pictured played each other this past weekend!
5) Attempts were made to shoot Fury Road in 2001 and 2003, but were postponed. The first delay was caused by the September 11th attacks, while the second was caused by what, amid fears it would now be considered a 'politically sensitive' film?
6) Give the first name of either the Celsius or Fahrenheit after whom the tempreature scales are named. (If you know both then feel free to show off, but it's still only worth 1 point!)
7) What 3-syllable word completes this couplet from the Men in Black rap: "But yo we ain't on no government list, we straight don't exist, no names and no ________"?
8) Alan Rickman's final film role will be in an upcoming adapation of Lewis Carroll's Through the Looking-Glass. What animal, given the name Absolem in Tim Burton's films, does he voice?
9) Austen's first novel, Sense and Sensibility was written under what two-word pseudonym? (Hint: if you place an 'M' in front of the pseudonym, and ignore the space between the words, you get a 6-letter word for a disease or ailment.)

The answers


How did you do on my alternative questions? Have another poll!

Thursday 21 January 2016

The picture on Wikipedia for 'friend zone' is great


Your targets this week:

1+ out of 10: Well done, you beat us!
3+ out of 10: We'd have won with you on our team!

The attendees
1) The statistician
2) The doctor
3) The secret German
4) The metallurgist
5) The rich-person otherkin
6) The fire spitter
7) The whiskey guy

The ones that got away
1) 2 point question: which TV series popularized the term 'friend zone', and which character in that series was called the 'mayor of the friend zone'? (1 point for each.)
2) Which of these is not a real dating website: a) 420 Dating; b) Cheapskate Match; c) Gluten Free Singles; d) Meet an Inmate; e) Salad Match
3) Which former French international soccer player is now the coach of Real Madrid?
Question 7
4) During 2015, only two movies grossed more than Star Wars: The Force Awakens. For 1 point, name both. (To clarify: Star Wars has subsequently grossed more than the other 2 films, but we're just talking about revenue during 2015 itself.)
5) The top 'how to' search by Canadians using google in 2015 was 'How to vote'. What app completes "How to use _____" to give the second-most searched?
6) 2 point question: Which US state is the only one where execution by firing squad remains an option? (N.B. This question does not concern Oklahoma, where the firing squad is an option if lethal injection is found unconstitutional.)
7) 2 point question: Which major talking point or meme of 2015 is represented by this 'abstracted' image?

The answers


The doctor's excuses


How did you do? Would you have beaten us (1 or more point)? Would you have helped us win (3 or more points)? Let the world know with the poll below, then read on for my alternative questions (loosely) inspired by this week's Ones That Got Away!


My alternative questions
Question 1
1) Unsurprisingly, Friends has won many awards over the years. Pictured are two examples of awards the show has won - for 1 point each, can you identify them? (I just want the generic name of each award, rather than the specific category.) 
2) Which religious group is served by the dating website LDSsingles.com?
3) Zidane is nicknamed 'Zizou', which sounds a bit like 'Zazu', the bird (pictured) voiced by Rowan Atkinson in Disney's The Lion King. What type of bird is Zazu?
4) At time of writing, the 3rd most-watched YouTube video is the song See You Again recorded for the soundtrack of Furious 7, by Wiz Khalifa featuring Charlie Puth. For 1 point each, name the two artists behind the videos that occupy second and first place.
Question 3
5) What video/voice chat application was embroiled in legal issues last year, when an EU court ruled its name was too similar to that of a broadcasting company?
6) Of the 6 US cities to have hosted an Olympic Games (summer or winter), only 2 are currently state capitals. Salt Lake City (capital of Utah) is one, what's the other?
7) Also the term for a historical Italian chief of state, what four-letter term is used to describe this meme (pictured)? For a second point, what breed of dog is featured?

Question 7
The answers


How did you do on my alternative questions? Have another poll!

Thursday 7 January 2016

Despite looking like one, the BB in BB-8 maybe doesn't stand for basketball

Your targets this week:

We won this week, but could you have done even better?

The attendees
1) The statistician
2) The doctor

The ones that got away
1) What disease has killed more people in human history than any other?
2) Name the 3 main leaders of the Axis Powers for the majority of World War 2. You need all 3 for the point.
3) Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa is thought to be a portrait of who?
4) Last month, Star Wars: The Force Awakens broke the record for opening weekend sales. Which movie did it overtake?
5) Meaning 'attendant' or 'sexton', what is the name of the extra light in a Menorah typically set higher than the other eight?
6) In order, name the top 4 all-time points scorers in the National Hockey League. You need all 4, in the correct order, for the points.

The answers


My excuses


How did you do? Would you have beaten us (1 or more point)? Let the world know with the poll below, then read on for my alternative questions (loosely) inspired by this week's Ones That Got Away!


My alternative questions
Question 2 (click for a bigger version!)
1) Essential quizzing knowledge to start. The word 'malaria' derives from the Medieval Italian for what two-word phrase, describing quite literally what was originally thought to cause the disease?
2) Very few countries remained neutral throughout World War II, with those that did highlighted in grey on this map. Most of these were either European nations or their colonies, along with the (unrecognized) state of Tibet and the former Kingdom of Yemen. Which Asian nation (highlighted) also maintained neutrality?
Question 4
3) What da Vinci drawing is based on the work of an ancient Roman architect?
4) This (very) minor character in the latest Star Wars installment went a little bit viral. It was later discovered (from one of the books, no less) their official designation was FN-2199, but the Internet initially gave them the name TR-8R because they utter what word?
5) What is the interior angle of a regular hexagon? If you can't remember the formula from school, you could try sketching a Star of David and make use of each 'point' being an equilateral triangle.
Question 6
6) Which Premier League football club were left red-faced earlier this season, after presenting Wayne 'The Great One' Gretzky with this mis-spelled shirt? (If you think you have no idea, a closer look at the picture may reveal a clue or two.)

The answers


How did you do on my alternative questions? Have another poll!