The Daily Teaser: 31-7-2011

You know, I’ve got to admit I’m blowed if I know what happened …

But …

AHEM

Mr Strict managed to put his answer for yesterday’s Teaser …

Which then managed to — somehow — get eaten by Google.

Although I’ve got a nasty feeling I may have hit the wrong button … !

On the up side, though … ?

On the up side, I’m just glad I do have Word Verification turned on.

It meant I was able to copy and paste his answers from the email I’d got to let me know Mr S had commented, into a new comment …

My actual response to all of this … ?

Was basically to go “PHEW” … !

Let’s get moving on, shall we … ?

Yes, lets …

»»·««

Yesterday’s Teaser saw Mr Strict — after a bit of metaphorical ball-fumbling from your genial host — putting his answers: and, along with bagging 6 out of 6, he also managed to dig up a quick tune, from a well known Tenor.

Let’s see how he — and everyone else — does with today’s question, shall we? Here they are, along with the ‘How To’, License and video …

Q1) 31st July, 1975, saw the birth of actress Emilia Fox: what’s the name of her character in the series, Merlin … ?

Q2) More to the point, which Jackal is her father … ?

Q3) 31st July, 781AD, is the date of the oldest recorded eruption of which volcano?

Q4) 31st July, 1658, saw Aurangzeb named as emperor of where … ?

Q5) 31st July, 1976, saw NASA release the famous — or infamous — Face on Mars photo: the Face is in which region of Mars … ?

Q6) And finally … 31st July, 1998, saw the UK government announce a total ban on landmines: which member of the Royal family championed this … ?

And here‘s yesterday’s questions and answers …

Q1) 30th July, 1966, saw England win the final of the World Cup: who were they playing … ?

A1) West Germany.

Q2) More to the point, who collected the Jules Rimet Trophy on behalf of the team … ?

Q2) Bobby Moore.

Q3) 30th July, 1729, saw the founding of which US city … ?

A3) Baltimore, Maryland. (And if you’ve got that one wrong, Debbi … )

Q4) On a similar theme … 30th July, 762, saw the founding of the city of Baghdad: by which Caliph … ?

A4) Abu Ja’far Abdallah ibn Muhammad al-Mansur: better known in the west as Al Mansur, and بو جعفر عبدالله بن محمد المنصور in Arabic.

Q5) 30th July, 2003, saw the last old style Volkswagen Beetle roll off the assembly line: in which country … ?

A5) Mexico.

Q6) And finally … 30th July, 1991, saw who celebrating 30 years in the business, with a free concert in Hyde Park … ?

A6) Luciano Pavarotti.

Enjoy those, everyone: I’ll catch you later …

Battle: Los Angeles: Blood, Guts … And not a lot else…

Hmmm …

You know, I’ve got to admit, I’ve just seen a film.

But, given I’ve just posted up a poster and screen grab from the film concerned … ?

You’d probably guessed that, hadn’t you … ?

Hadn’t you … ?

»»·««

Well …

If you hadn’t guessed that Kevin D and I had got together — after a while — to catch a film, you’d probably not been paying attention … !

But, at any rate, we’d managed to grab ourself a spare evening with a lot of M&M’s and quite a bit of tea.

And a copy of the 2001 DVD release, Battle: Los Angeles.

Hmmm …

Can I be frank … ?

I think we’ve something of a tough film to chew over …

»»·««

Hang on …

Let me grab a cuppa …

»»·««

Ooooooh, that’s better … !

Now, where was I … ?

Oh, yes, Battle: Los Angeles …

Battle: Los Angeles sees Aaron Eckhart as Staff Sergeant Michæl Nantz, a Marine on the point of retirement, and looking forward to some much needed R and R.

Unfortunately … ?

Unfortunately, on the morning of the day that the Earth get’s invaded … by ALIENS …

»»·««

Hmmm …

Now, I’ve GOT to admit, Battle: Los Angeles left both Kevin and I …

Well, making assorted “Hmmm” noises.

You see, while Battle: Los Angeles has some very good action scenes, that’s really all there is too it.

Oh, granted, they’re realistic and gritty action scenes.

But watching a whole film of one gritty action scene after another … ?

As nicely shoot and choreographed as they are, does begin to pall, after a while.

Which will probably tell you why both Kevin and I gave Battle: Los Angeles the ratings that we did.

Battle: Los Angeles

☆☆☆☆

The Daily Teaser: 30-7-2011

You know, I’ve got to admit, I’ve got the BBC’s news channel on in the background, at the moment.

And I can’t help but notice a lot floating past me.

I mean … They’s just shown the short version of technology show, Click: which has just had a fascinating thing about 3d printers. (I want one: I don’t have a USE for it, but … !)

And the US Debt Ceiling problem is rolling on. Complete with a bit of news that caught my: to the extent that Apple has more working capital than the US federal government. Here’s come that cyberpunk future that everyone was banging on about, back in the 1990s.

And what’s more … ?

It seems that the police investigation into journalistic phone hacking* …

Has been expanded into journalistic computer hacking … !

Including into trojans sent as innocent looking email attachments: hmmm … I think I’m going to have to start scanning mine, I think, just to be on the safe side …

Let’s get moving on, shall we … ?

Yes, let’s …

»»Ω««

Yesterday’s Teaser saw Debbi — bless ’er — putting in her answers: and, along with posting her own thoughts about the Debt Ceiling, she also managed to bag 6 out of 6.

Lets see how she — and you — do with today’s questions, shall we … ?

Here they are, along with the ‘How To’, License and video …

Q1) 30th July, 1966, saw England win the final of the World Cup: who were they playing … ?

Q2) More to the point, who collected the Jules Rimet Trophy on behalf of the team … ?

Q3) 30th July, 1729, saw the founding of which US city … ?

Q4) On a similar theme … 30th July, 762, saw the founding of the city of Baghdad: by which Caliph … ?

Q5) 30th July, 2003, saw the last old style Volkswagen Beetle roll off the assembly line: in which country … ?

Q6) And finally … 30th July, 1991, saw who celebrating 30 years in the business, with a free concert in Hyde Park … ?

And here’s yesterday’s questions and answers …

Q1) 29th July, 1793, saw John Graves Simcoe decide to build and fortify what’s now which Canadian city … ?

A1) Toronto.

Q2) 29th July, 1958, saw Congress formally ratify the laws that created NASA: what does NASA stand for … ?

Q2) National Aeronautics and Space Administration.

Q3) 29th July, 1981, saw the wedding of Prince Charles and Lady Diana: but at which London cathedral … ?

A3) Saint Paul’s Cathedral.

Q4) More to the point … who designed that cathedral?

A4) Sir Christopher Wren.

Q5) 39th July, 1848, saw the start of the Tipperary Revolt, an attempted Irish Nationalist revolt against British rule: during which period of Irish history … ?

A5) The Irish Potato Famine.

Q6) And finally … 29th July, 1976, saw the world’s longest pier destroyed by fire: in which Essex town was that pier … ?

A6) Southend.

Enjoy those, everyone: I’ll leave you with a tune from birthday boy, Paul Anka …

* I keep telling people, it’s computer hacking, and phone phreaking, but do they listen … ? Do they … ? Give you three guesses …

The Daily Teaser and the Friday Question Set: 29-7-2011

Ooooooh …

Crikey … !

I …

Am …

Tired … !

And I’ve got to admit, it’s not due simply to being up late, adding a post about Torchwood, last night.

It’s because I couldn’t get to sleep, last night.

Nerves, I think.

Because I’ve an interview, today, in Romford.

Wish me luck on that.

Ok, granted, it’s both something to look forward to, and something to be nervous about. after all, even with some six years of doing pub quizzes — and lord knows how many interviews, before this — I still get stage-fright.

Oy … !

Lets get moving on, shall we … ?

Yes, lets …

»»·««

Yesterday’s Teaser saw Debbi — all on her ownsome — putting in her answers: and, along with bagging 5 out of 5, she also managed to get me double checking my answers.

Lord knows why I thought that answer was Andrew Jackson … !

But lets see how she — and you — do with today’s questions, shall we? Here they are, along with the ‘How To’, License and video …

Q1) 29th July, 1793, saw John Graves Simcoe decide to build and fortify what’s now which Canadian city … ?

Q2) 29th July, 1958, saw Congress formally ratify the laws that created NASA: what does NASA stand for … ?

Q3) 29th July, 1981, saw the wedding of Prince Charles and Lady Diana: but at which London cathedral … ?

Q4) More to the point … who designed that cathedral?

Q5) 39th July, 1848, saw the start of the Tipperary Revolt, an attempted Irish Nationalist revolt against British rule: during which period of Irish history … ?

Q6) And finally … 29th July, 1976, saw the world’s longest pier destroyed by fire: in which Essex town was that pier … ?

And here’s yesterday’s questions and answers …

Q1) 28th July, 2008, saw the Grand Pier burn, for the second time in an 80 year period: in which English seaside resort?

A1) Weston-Super-Mare.

Q2) 28th July, 2008, saw who declare it was ending its armed campaign … ?

Q2) The Provisional IRA.

Q3) 28th July, 1868, saw the 14th Amendment to the US Constitution — granting citizenship to freed slaves — passed: who was US president at the time … ?

A3) Andrew Johnson.

Q4) 28th July, 1955, saw the founding of the Union Mundial pro Interlingua: which language does it promote … ?

A4) Interlingua.

Q5) And finally … 28th July, 1943, saw the UK taking part in Operation Gomorrah: the campaign to bomb which German city?

A5) Hamburg.

And — covered by the same Creative Commons License as always — here’s the 60-question-set for struggling pub quiz masters …

Online 114

Round One. General Knowledge.

Q1) T. S. Elliot once wrote a poem about which London suburb?

A1) Cricklewood.

Q2) Which company was the world’s first travel agency?

A2) Thomas Cook.

Q3) What’s the world’s smallest species of monkey?

A3) The Pygmy Marmoset.

Q4) Which famously typo-prone broadsheet is occasionally nicknamed The Gridiron?

A4) The Guardian.

Q5) Subligaria is the Latin word for which item of clothing?

A5) Underpants.

Q6) In The Addams Family what’s the first name of Mrs Addams?

A6) Morticia.

Q7) In computing, what does the O stand for, in the contraction, OS?

A7) Operating.

Q8) What’s the difference between the highest dart’s treble, and the lowest?

A8) 57. (60-3)

Q9) Who was the original presenter of University Challenge?

A9) Bamber Gascoigne.

Q10) Which spaghetti western star also appeared in Coogans’ Bluff?

A10) Clint Eastwood.

ROUND TWO. HOBBIES AND LEISURE.

Q11) Which company made the original version of Sonic The Hedgehog: Sega, Atari or Sony?

A11) Sega.

Q12) In which decade were books first issued as CD-ROMS?

A12) The 1990s

Q13) Which comic is older: The Beano or The Dandy?

A13) The Beano.

Q14) The Kelvingrove Art Gallery is in which Scottish City?

A14) Glasgow.

Q15) Steiff are famous for making which toys?

A15) Teddy Bears

Q16) How many pieces does each player have at the start of a game of Backgammon?

A16) 15.

Q17) What is one round of play called, in a hand of Bridge?

A17) A trick.

Q18) In which English county is Alton Towers?

A18) Staffordshire.

Q19) What is the number to aim for, in a game of Cribbage?

A19) 31.

Q20) How many dice are used in a game of Craps?

A20) Two.

ROUND THREE. THE ROYALS.

Q21) Who was the first royal bride to have her family motto on her married coat of arms: Princess Anne, Princess Diana or Queen Victoria?

A21) Princess Diana.

Q22) Which royal prince once famously said, “…we live above the shop”?

A22) Prince Phillip. (Better known as Phil the Greek)

Q23) Which club was Prince Charles not allowed to join at Cambridge: the Labour Club, the Communist Club, or the Debating Society?

A23) The Labour Club.

Q24) Princess Anne was the only competitor not to get what test at the Montreal Olympics?

A24) A sex test.

Q25) On which occasion did the Queen make her last curtsey?

A25) Her father’s funeral.

Q26) What gets tied into a Windsor Knot?

A26) A necktie; - the knot was introduced by Edward the 8th, when Prince of Wales.

Q27) Who said “…she’s more than the rest of us” about Princess Michael of Kent?

A27) The Queen.

Q28) In which year of the 1930’s were there three Kings of the UK?

A28) 1936.

Q29) Prince Charles once described Captain Mark Phillips as which weather condition?

A29) Fog. (Because Charles thought he was thick and wet.)

Q30) What musical instrument did Princess Margaret want as her luxury on Desert Island Discs?

A30) A piano.

ROUND FOUR. FOOD AND DRINK.

Q31) On average, what do we eat 2 teaspoons of, each day?

A31) Salt.

Q32) What mammal is the logo of Bacardi?

A32) A bat.

Q33) The prune is the dried version of which fruit?

A33) The plum.

Q34) Which brand of sugar has Mr Cube on its bags?

A34) Tate & Lyle.

Q35) What is the literal translation of the German dish, Sauerkraut?

A35) Sour Cabbage.

Q36) If an egg floats, is fresh or stale?

A36) Stale.

Q37) Which biscuit is named after an Italian revolutionary?

A37) The Garibali.

Q38) Which Australian opera singer has at least two dishes named after her? (Extra point for one of them).

A38) Dame Nellie Melba. (Melba Toast, and the Peach Melba.)

Q39) What kind of fruit are Green Williams?

A39) Pears.

Q40) The Americans call it broiling: what do we call it?

A40) Grilling.

ROUND FIVE. THE WRITTEN WORD.

Q41) Pocket Books were the US version of what?

A41) Penguin Books

Q42) The Common Sense Book of Baby and Child Care was a best seller by which Doctor?

A42) Dr Benjamin Spock.

Q43) In which shorthand system did Samuel Pepys write his diary?

A43) Shelton’s System

Q44) Back in 1950, and according to the UN, how many pages did a book have to have, to qualify as a book?

A44) 49.

Q45) In which year of the 1880’s was the Oxford English dictionary first Published?

A45) 1884.

Q46) What was the name of the French cryptographer, in The DaVinci Code?

A46) Sophie Neveau

Q47) Renè Goscinny was the man behind which comic book character?

A47) Asterix

Q48) Which writer’s first book was called The Mysterious Affair at Styles?

A48) Agatha Christie

Q49) Myfleet, Stowerton and Cheriton Forest are found in which crime-writers works?

A49) Ruth Rendell’s

Q50) Who did C. S. Lewis dedicate The Lion, The Witch, & The Wardrobe to?

A50) His god-daughter, Lucy.

ROUND SIX. GENERAL KNOWLEDGE.

Q51) Cheryl James is the real name of which member of Salt & Pepa: Salt, Pepa or Mike?

A51) Salt.

Q52) Galton and Simpson were the regular scriptwriters for which radio comedy star?

A52) Tony Hancock

Q53) Who was the first Republican president of the USA?

A53) Abraham Lincoln.

Q54) Which vegetable is used to make saurkraut?

A54) Cabbage.

Q55) What do the Chinese call their spacemen?

A55) Taikonauts.

Q56) What does the U stand for, in VDU?

A56) Unit.

Q57) What shape is a pie chart?

A57) Circular.

Q58) Who hasn’t guest starred on Friends: Prince Charles, George Clooney or the Duchess of York?

A58) Prince Charles.

Q59) True or False: Tony Blair hasn’t been on The Simpsons.

A59) False. He has.

Q60) What sort of creature is a mandrill?

A60) A monkey.

Enjoy those, everyone. I’ll leave you with a song from Mama Cass Elliot who died 37 years ago, today …

Newzbin: Breaking News

Hmmm …

I’ve got to admit, I’ve a BIT of news, I’m going to share, that’s been on both the BBC News channel …

And on their website.

But I’ve got to admit, I’ve just had the rather sad news an old friend has died: of pneumonia, arising from a complication of cancer.

From what I’m told … ?

From what I’m told, it was actually mercifully quick: something the family concerned are grateful for.

Knowing the person concerned, they would have hated a slow and debilitating death.

The irony is … ?

Literally, I’d just had a phone call to tell me I’ve an interview, tomorrow.

And to find out that, then of a friend’s death … ?

Well …

You have to assume they’re funny.

You really do.

Because you’d be crying even harder, if you didn’t … … … …

So …

This one’s for Jen: hoping she’d’ve appreciated it.

»»·««

Lets get moving on, shall we … ?

Before I get too depressed … !

At ANY rate, I do know I managed to see this article go past on the BBC’s news-site, this morning, informing us that the British government were being officially ripped off by its various IT suppliers.

Surprise, surprise … !

Now, in spite of the amount of support that George Osbourne gave to the open source movement whilst in opposition, I’ve a funny felling they won’t be switching en masse to Ubuntu.

And I’m also going to point out that Labour weren’t the only ones to spend serious cash on IT.

Look around Nik Nak’s Old Peculiar for anything to do with Eric Pickles, MP for Brentwood, and have a read about the £7500 Laptop.

»»·««

The OTHER bit of news doing the rounds on the BBC’s news channel* and website … ?

Is the news that a High Court, today, has ordered British Telecoms — BT, in other word’s, Britain’s biggest Internet Service Provider — to block access to file sharing site, NewzBin.

And I’ve got to admit, I’m thinking I’m … hmm …

Well, annoyed is possibly one way of putting it.

Because I’m thinking this has implications.

Lots and lots of implications: probably than just one layman can come up with.

But there’s one that springs to mind, here: or possibly several.

Now, I’m quite happy to admit that I’ve used peer-to-peer BitTorrent clients in the past.

In fact, I occasionally still do.

I’ve always encouraged people to experiment with various different operating systems: mostly various different distributions of Linux.

And I’ve usually used a BitTorrent client called Transmission to do this.

Even with the broadband download limit I have through BT, using peer-to-peer technology.

It takes longer to download a file, like this, but doesn’t chew up as much bandwidth.

So I can’t help but be interested in this sort of thing.

Interested …

And worried …

You see, it strikes me that insisting an ISP automatically blocks a website?

Is understandable, given that Newzbin seems to be devoted to illegally file-sharing copyrighted materiel: after, I think I’d want to keep out of trouble, in their situation.

Possibly.

But I’m also wondering why on earth it’s BT’s job to police the internet: in what seems to me to be the first step on a long slippery slope towards censorship of the ’Net.

When the various movie studios could be doing something a touch radical.

Like …

Oooooh …

Maybe give their movies away?

After all, for anyone with a DVD or PVR hooked up to their TV, and a way of getting them to their computers …

That’s what they’re effectively doing, already …

* Just who ARE the newsreaders, today … ? They aren’t the regulars, I know that … !

The Daily Teaser: 28-7-2011

Hmmm …

You know, I’ve got to admit, I have spam.

In this day and age, I don’t think I know that many people that don’t.

And, like many people, I’ll check my spam folders, just to make sure that nothing I’m waiting for’s turned up in them.

I’m thankful nothing has, just recently.

But have to admit, I also had a spam mail, yesterday, that I’m glad DID end up in the spam box.

From a website called TwinLinks, that offers to pair a site with various others.

Like I say, I’m glad the original email ended up in my spam folder.

It sounds too good to be true.

You know what they say, of course: “If it sounds too good to be true … ” …

Lets get moving on, shall we … ?

Yes, lets …

»»·««

Yesterday’s Teaser saw Debbi putting in her answers: and bagging 5 out of 5.

Lets see how she — and you — do with today’s questions, shall we?

Here they are, along with the ‘How To’, License and video …

Q1) 28th July, 2008, saw the Grand Pier burn, for the second time in an 80 year period: in which English seaside resort?

Q2) 28th July, 2008, saw who declare it was ending its armed campaign … ?

Q3) 28th July, 1868, saw the 14th Amendment to the US Constitution — granting citizenship to freed slaves — passed: who was US president at the time … ?

Q4) 28th July, 1955, saw the founding of the Union Mundial pro Interlingua: which language does it promote … ?

Q5) And finally … 28th July, 1943, saw the UK taking part in Operation Gomorrah: the campaign to bomb which German city?

And here’s yesterday’s questions and answers …

Q1) 27th July, 1955, saw the end of the post-WW2 Allied occupation of where … ?

A1) Austria.

Q2) 27th July, 1694, saw the Bank of England issued its founding Royal Charter: in which year was it nationalised … ?

Q2) 1946.

Q3) 27th July, 1549, saw the a ship carrying which missionary reach Japan … ?

A3) Frances Xavier.

Q4) 27th July, 1940, saw the first screening of a cartoon to feature Bugs Bunny: who provided the voice of Bugs, for many years … ?

A4) Mel Blanc.

Q5) And finally … 27th July, 2003, saw the death of Hollywood legend, Bob Hope: how old was he, at the time … ?

A5) 100.

Enjoy those, everyone: I’ll catch you later …

The Daily Teaser: 27-7-2011

Oh, heck, that’s …

A strange one, to say the least …

Now, I’m sure I’ve mentioned, a time or two, that I’ll get a song or two, float around my head.

Saying that …?

There WAS an article about the way human memory and the internet interact.

Which possibly explains why I managed to look up the video for the song I’m talking about on YouTube.

The song … ?

Was an old sketch from Not The Nine O’Clock News, called Nice Video, Shame About the Song.

Either way … ?

Well, either way, and despite the fact I’m thinking Griff Rhys-Jones’ singing is flatter than a flat thing on a very flat day, I’m also thinking the song itself, isn’t that bad.

The show did manage to hit a point or two, after all …

Lets get moving on, shall we … ? Yes, lets …

»»·««

Yesterday’s Teaser saw both Alexandra and Debbi putting in comments: Alexandra broadly agreeing with me on a point I’d made, and Debbi scoring 5 out of 5.

Lets see how everyone does with today’s questions, shall we? Here they are, along with the ‘How To’, License and video …

Q1) 27th July, 1955, saw the end of the post-WW2 Allied occupation of where … ?

Q2) 27th July, 1694, saw the Bank of England issued its founding Royal Charter: in which year was it nationalised … ?

Q3) 27th July, 1549, saw the a ship carrying which missionary reach Japan … ?

Q4) 27th July, 1940, saw the first screening of a cartoon to feature Bugs Bunny: who provided the voice of Bugs, for many years … ?

Q5) And finally … 27th July, 2003, saw the death of Hollywood legend, Bob Hope: how old was he, at the time … ?

And here’s yesterday’s questions and answers …

Q1) 26th July, 1936, saw Axis powers jointly decide to intervene in the Spanish Civil War: name either of the two informal members of the Axis, at the time …

A1) Germany and Italy.

Q2) 26th July, 1953, saw Arizona’s governor — John Howard Pyle — order a raid on the town of Short Creek: what was he cracking down on?

Q2) Polygamy.

Q3) 26th July, 1887, saw the publication of Unua Libro: which language does this describe … ?

A3) Esperanto.

Q4) 26th July, 1952, saw the death of Eva Perón: who first played her in the 1978 West End musical, Evita … ?

A4) Elaine Paige.

Q5) And finally … 26th July, 1963, saw the launch of the world’s first geosynchronous satellite, the Syncom 2: who popularised the of geosynchronous satellites, in a 1945 magazine article … ?

A5) Arthur C. Clarke.

Enjoy those, everyone: I’ll catch you later …

The Daily Teaser - 26-7-2011

You know, I’ve got to confess, I’ve just seen last night’s episode of QI.

Now, I don’t know if there’s a version where you are, but I’d urge checking the original, as and when you get the chance: Stephen Fry — Mac fan boi, National Treasure, and the Nation’s Favourite School Swot — makes for one hell of a Quiz-master.

But last night’s … ?

Well …

You’d’ve had to see it.

Because one quite interesting fact that crops up from time to time on it … ?

Is the simple fact that the Giant Tortoise didn’t get a scientific Latin name for quite a long time.

Mostly off the back of the fact that it was — and presumably still is — both edible …

And described as delicious.

Quite a few didn’t make it back to London.

I’ll be honest …

I’m trying to avoid a cynical remark about coming in their own bowl, but I might just save it for later …

Lets move on, shall we … ?

Yes, lets …

»»·««

Yesterday’s Teaser saw both Debbi and Alexandra putting in their answers: and, with both seemingly fascinated by the word ‘snog’*, it also saw Alexandra bagging 2 (sort of) out seven, with Debbi bagging 6º.

Lets see how they — and you — do with today’s questions, shall we? Here they are, along with the ‘How To’, License and video …

Q1) 26th July, 1936, saw Axis powers jointly decide to intervene in the Spanish Civil War: name either of the two informal members of the Axis, at the time …

Q2) 26th July, 1953, saw Arizona’s governor — John Howard Pyle — order a raid on the town of Short Creek: what was he cracking down on?

Q3) 26th July, 1887, saw the publication of Unua Libro: which language does this describe … ?

Q4) 26th July, 1952, saw the death of Eva Perón: who first played her in the 1978 West End musical, Evita … ?

Q5) And finally … 26th July, 1963, saw the launch of the world’s first geosynchronous satellite, the Syncom 2: who popularised the of geosynchronous satellites, in a 1945 magazine article … ?

And here’s yesterday’s questions and answers …

Q1) 25th July, 1978, saw the birth of the world‘s first test tube baby: what was her name … ?

A1) Louise Brown.

Q2) More to the point, how much did she weigh at birth … ?

Q2) 5lbs, 12 oz.

Q3) Equally to the point, who famously raised concerns that the procedure could lead to women becoming ‘baby factories’, whilst refusing to condemn the parents … ?

A3) Patriarch of Venice, Albino Luciano: later to become Pope John Paul 1st. (Rather than the whole Church.)

Q4) Moving on … 25th July, 1898, saw the USA begin its land invasion of where … ?

A4) Puerto Rico.

Q5) 25th July, 1603, saw James 6th of Scotland be crowned as James 1st of England: what did he dub the union … ?

A5) Great Britain. (Strictly speaking, this was just a union of the crowns: in other words, the crowns England, Scotland and Ireland shared a monarch. They didn’t become politically united until 1707.)

Q6) 25th July, 1992, saw the Olympic Games open with a record number of nations, attending: but in which Spanish city … ?

A6) Barcelona.

Q7) And finally … 25th July, 1965, saw who notoriously pick up an electric guitar … ?

A7) Bob Dylan.

Enjoy those, everyone.

I’ll leave you with Queen hit, Those Were The Days Of Our Lives, written by birthday boy, Roger Taylor. And I’ll make a confession, here … I still find it painful to watch, seeing how ill Freddie wasª …

* As I said to Alexandra, I wouldn’t’ve minded … except I’d’ve probably ended up getting arrested … !

º Q3, Debbi: strictly, it was the late Cardinal Albino Luciano, while he was still Patriarch of Venice, before being elected as Pope: rather than the church as a whole.

ª Something I find bloody annoying is the amount of people who I’ve seen, over the years, who come out with a variation of “well, ’e woz a poofta, he’s only got ’imself ta blame.” Whilst stubbing out a cigarette. (I’m a bit left wing, and don’t see how someone’s choice of bed-partner’s important. And, while I’ll happily admit gay men were notorious for risky behaviour … But ALSO point out we’ve ALL done something, whether it’s smoked, drank, indulged in risky sex, what-have-you.)