The Daily Teaser — 15-5-2016: How To Drop A Bomb and Influence People

You know, I managed to do myself a huge favour, last night.

Watching an episode of House of Cards, as you’re asking.

Which means I managed to avoid catching of this year’s Eurovision Song Contest.

Whether that’s a good thing, I don’t know: I do know, courtesy of the BBC, that the UK’s entry came third from the bottom, and that the competition was won by the Ukraine.

A song about how horrible Josef Stalin was, apparently.

Personally?

I still think the 1991 French entry, Amina, who placed second, was HAD!!

~≈Ê≈~

Just as a quick afterthought, there?

I managed to treat myself, yesterday.

Yep.   I’ve added another book to my reading list.   It’s at the bottom of the pile, by my bedside, so you know.

It’s a collected anthology of the first first books in Ursula K. LeGuin’s Earthsea cycle.

That was, it has to be said, a bit of an impulse buy.

But … ?

Well, I’d read the first of the stories — A Wizard of Earthsea — many years ago.

I remember finding it slightly too deep, at the time: but worth keeping on a shelf, somewhere.

Although I’d borrowed the one I read, from the library.

Thankfully … ?

It’s on my shelf, and ready to go.   As soon as I get to it.

~≈Ê≈~

But let’s move on, shall we?

Yesterday’s Teaser saw Olga* and Debbi† putting in their answers: with both scoring five out of five.

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

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

Q1) Britain tested its first H-bomb.   On 15th May of which year of the 1950s?

Q2) The test device was dropped, where: Easter Island, Christmas Island or Saint Drogo’s Island?

Q3) The series of tests were known as Operation what: Grapple, Grunt or Groan?

Q4) The test explosion weighed in at how big: 300 kilotons, 300 megatons or 300 gigatons?

Q5) In the UK, the tests inspired the founding of a protest group.   Which protest group?

Q6) Finally … the last of these bomb tests was the last bomb test carried out by the UK.   In which year of the 1950s was it carried out?

Here’s yesterday’s questions and answers …

Q1) 14th May, 1897, saw the first public performance of The Stars and Stripes, Forever, America’s National March.   Who composed The Stars and Stripes, Forever?

A1) John Phillip Sousa.

Q2) In the Gregorian version of the calendar, 14th May, 1607, saw the founding of an English colony in what’s now Virginia.   WHICH colony?

A2) Jamestown.

Q3) 14th May, 1889, saw the original launch of the charity, the NSPCC.   The initials stand for the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to … whom?

A3) Children.

Q4) 14th May, 1973, saw NASA launch Skylab: which came back to Earth in 1979.   Which space station has spent the most time in orbit?

A4) It’s still up there: the International Space Station.

Q5) Finally … A Japanese submarine sank the AHS Centaur: on 14th May, 1943.   Was the Centaur an aircraft carrier, hospital ship or mailboat?

A5) Hospital ship.

I’ll leave you with this thought …

“When you see something that is technically sweet, you go ahead and do it and you argue about what to do about it only after you have had your technical success. That is the way it was with the atomic bomb.”

J. Robert Oppenheimer.

And this tune … 

This tune … 

Oh, and just because of one line, THIS one … 

Have a good day … 

*        Actually, Olga, there’s something of an old joke doing the rounds: that’s supposed to show how NASA, and the Russian space agencies work.   Apparently, NASA spent a fortune on developing a pen that would work in space.   Thousands on the alloys for the ball in the nib, thousands more for the barrel of the pen, millions on the ink.   All designed, to make sure the space pen would work in zero gravity, at any angle, AND light weight.   The thing would work in space, and be light enough to take on a rocket trip into space.   The Russians … took pencils … 

†        Actually, I have, Debbi: MANY moons ago!   Fantastic as it was and is, it was the only way you were going to get hold of a copy of Shada, at one point!   Did you ever see The Horns of Nimon?   Shada was originally supposed too be broadcast directly after that!