Sunday 15 June 2014

The Daily Teaser — 15-6-2014

Oh, that’s something … 

Or, at least, something eye catching, in  the midst of the frenzy about the World Cup*.

Britain is ALSO looking at the Queen’s Birthday Honours List has been released: with its array of traditional gongs, all round.

One of them … ?   Went to a chap called David Braben: one of the co-designers of the Elite game for the BBC Micro, back in the day.

And also worked on the Raspberry Pi.

Which is what caught my attention, frankly.

I grew up in the 1980s: when Britain really WAS leading the world in knocking out programmers.

And the Pi†’s default mission, of encouraging kids to programme … ?

Looks very familiar!

~≈Â≈~
But let’s move on, shall we?

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

Let’s see how everyone does with today’s set, shall we?

Here it is, along with the How ToLicense and video … 

Q1) 15th June, 1877, saw Henry Ossian Flipper become the first African American graduate of the United States Military Academy.   The Academy is in which area of New York state … ?
Q2) 15th June, 1954, saw the founding of UEFA: the governing body of European Football associations.   How many Football Associations are members of UEFA: 44, 54 or 64?
Q3) 15th June, 2012, saw daredevil acrobat, Nik Wallenda, become the first person to tight rope walk over which US/Canadian landmark … ?
Q4) 15th June, 2008, saw the death of noted special effects man, Stan Winston.   He won his first Best Visual Effects Oscar for which 1986 film … ?
Q5) Finally … 15th June, 1804, saw New Hampshire ratify the 12th Amendment to the US Constitution: governing the election of two US Federal Officials.   Name either of those officials.
Here’s yesterday’s questions and answers …
Q1) 14th June, 1951, saw the formal dedication of the UNIVAC computer: at the US government Bureau that was using it.   Which Bureau are we talking about … ?
Q2) That bureau is headquartered in which US state?
A2) Maryland.
Q3) The fifth Univac to be built was for the US Atomic Energy Commission: and famously predicted a landslide victory in the 1952 US Presidential Election.   For whom … ?
Q4) The US Airforce also had a UNIVAC: in their shared HQ building in Arlington, Virginia.   What’s the name of that HQ building … ?
A4) The Pentagon.
Q5) The UNIVAC used 5200 what: vacuum tubes, electron tubes or valves?
A5) Strictly speaking?   All three, as they’re the varied American English and British English terms for the vacuum tube.
Q6) Finally … UNIVAC is short for Universal Automatic … what … ?
A6) Computer.
I’ll leave you with this sober tune … 


And this thought …
“I don’t deal with death very well. My brother, John Candy, my dad, my mom, Brandon Tartikoff just a couple of weeks ago. I mean, you lose a lot of people in your life, and that’s one thing I am constantly working on - pain management.”
James Belushi, born June 15, 1954.
Have a good day.








*        England lost its first group match, last night, 2-1, against Italy.   I’m no fan … but not surprised … 

†        The Pi’s aimed at school-kids, and supposed to interest them in programming and adding bits to a computer.   The official site’s here.   (I helped a friend, recently, to dismantle his old PCs: his daughter was fascinated to see all the bits.)

‡        Actually, Debbi, today’s was relatively easy: Noddy and the boys are usually guaranteed to get people bopping!

1 comment:

Debbi said...

Good to hear. Glad I'm able to keep doing these. It's been a tough time, but I'm hanging in there.

1. West Point
2. 54
3. Niagara Falls
4. Aliens
5. the President and the Vice President