Wednesday 4 May 2016

The Brentwood Gazette’s Weekly Teaser — 4-5-2016: Observing the Observatory


You know … I’ve actually got time off, today!

Believe it or not.

And it’s actually making me miss unemployment.

Not that I don’t miss the money … But I DO miss the lack of job stress.

Oh, granted, I don’t have a job that’s high in the stuff: unlike, say, a nurse, doctor or ambulance driver.

But still, it’s nice to be off.

On the OTHER hand?

I’ve got to post up this, make sure the Gazette’s equivalent go through, sit indoors And wait for Apple to phone, to sort out an issue … … 

And buy my mother a birthday card!

Oy Veh … !

~≈Ê≈~

At ANY rate … ?

Let’s get to this week’s Weekly Teaser, shall we?

Here’s the questions, covered by the Creative Common License* …
Q1) 4th May, 1675, saw the start of construction of the Royal Greenwich Observatory.   By which King … ?
Q2) In which English city is Greenwich?
Q3) The Observatory is the site of the Prime Meridian.   The meridian is the navigation baseline for what: longitude or latitude … ?
Q4) It’s ALSO used as the basis for time in many parts of the world: when it’s known as GMT.   What does GMT stand for … ?
Q5) Who was the first Astronomer Royal … ?
Q6) Who’s the current Astronomer Royal … ?
Q7) At what time — GMT — does the famous Greenwich Observatory Time Ball drop … ?
Q8) At the time of publication, Britain is in what: GMT or BST?
Q9) The Observatory’s Museum house the world’s first Marine Clock: used to keep track of time at sea.   The ‘H4’ was built by whom: John Harrison, William Harrison or Frederick Harrison?
Q10) Finally … the Observatory moved to Herstmonceux Castle, in 1953.   The castle are where: East Sussex, West Sussex or Kent?
Here’s last week’s questions and answers …
Questions.
Q1) The first commercial computer mouse was released, today: by Xerox.   In which year of the 1980s?
Q2) The mouse was released with which computer: the PC, Mac or Star?
Q3) Xerox originally released the mouse with an earlier computer called what: the PARC, the Alto or the Palo?
Q4) The first commercially successful mouse was released with which computer: the PC, Mac or Lisa?
Q5) Those early mechanical mice used a what, to interact with the surface they were on: a laser, ball or spring?
Q6) Most modern mice use various small lasers, or LEDs to detect movements.   They’re called what mice?
Q7) A modern mouse with a cable, connects through what kind of port?
Q8) Many cordless mice connect by which rather blue radio signal?
Q9) Those early 80s mice used two buttons: the same as mice for most modern Windows and Linux based PCs.   How many buttons are there, on mice for the modern Apple Mac?
Q10) Finally … One computer mouse.   Many computer what: mice or mouses?
Answers.
A1) 1982.
A2) The Xerox Star: or Xerox 8010 Information System, in full.   (Strictly speaking the ‘Star’ name refers to the operating system, and bundled software.)
A3) The Alto.
A4) Mac: specifically with what’s now called the Macintosh 128k.   (The Macintosh 128k was one of the first commercially successful computers to use both a mouse, and a graphical user interface.)
A5) Ball.
A6) Optical mice.
A7) USB.   (Early mice used the RS232C serial connection.   Early PCs used the 6-pin PS/2 port, wheres Macs used the daisy-chainable ADB port.)
A8) Bluetooth.
A9) One.   (The Mac has always used CTRL-clicking, instead of a right click: modern versions can be configured to two button use, although I prefer CTRL-clicking.    I’m also left handed: PART of the reason I’m a huge Mac fan?   Is that it’s easy to turn a right hand Mac mouse into a left-handed one.   I simply moved it from the right hand side of the table, to the left.)
A10) Well, whilst I’ve used ‘mice’ as the plural, it seems either is correct.
Enjoy those: I’ll catch you next time!













*        The license means you’re free to copy, use, alter and build on each of my quizzes: including the Teasers, Gazette Teasers and the Friday Question Sets.   All I ask in return is that you give me an original authors credit on your event’s flyers or posters, or on the night: and, if you republish them, give me an original authors credit AND republish under the same license.   A link back to the site — or to the Gazette’s, if that’s where you’ve found these — would be appreciated: as would pressing my donate button, here.   Every penny is gratefully received.

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