Nik Nak’s Daily Teaser — 9-12-2021: The Mother of All Demos

9th December, 2021.

Right … I’ve had a quick — ha! — look outside: and the weather seems OK.

Given it’s December!

So that means I can head to town, and pick up some needed paperwork.

Paper that should help with the Job Centre assessment I’m due to have … when they finally give me a date … 

~≈♩≈~

In sad news for music fans … ?

Today saw the sad announcement that Robbie Shakespeare — producer, bassist, and one half of Sly and Robbie, the best rhythm section on the planet, and possibly one of the world’s most influential musicians — died yesterday: after kidney surgery.

Someone that influential?   Is going to be missed.

~≈♩≈~

I’ve ALSO got to confess that yesterday’s interview didn’t go well.

The job itself sounded like something I could do.

But unfortunately?

The travel distance was seriously out of my travel distance: there were no buses, which meant an hours walk from Chelmsford Station.

Blow that!

~≈♩≈~

Let’s move on, shall we?

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

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

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

Q1)        Douglas Engelbart held the Mother of all Demos: on 9th December, 1960.   In which US city: San Francisco, Los Angeles or Seattle?

Q2)        It demonstrated what was called the oN-Line-System.   In other words, a prototype version of a modern what: computer, mobile phone or car?

Q3)        The Demo also introduce what was then called screen windowing, but is now called a GUI, a Graphical User … what? 

Q4)        The Demo introduced Hypertext.   Hypertext contains what: hyperspace, hyperlinks or hyper frogs?

Q5)        Finally … ?   The Demo was funded — in part — by ARPA.   ARPA was an agency of which US body: NASA, the FBI, or the Department of Defense?

Here’s yesterday’s questions and answers … 

Q1)        Margaret Hughes — or Anne Marshall — was the first woman to publicly appear in one of Shakespeare’s plays: on 8th December, 1660.   As which character: Juliet, Ophelia or Desdemona?

A1)        Desdemona.   (Samuel Pepys recorded seeing Hughes in his diary.   Others have claimed Marshall played the part.)

Q2)        The first successful launch, orbit and recovery of a private spacecraft — by a private company — took place on 8th December, 2010.   Which company: Virgin Galactic, SpaceX or Microsoft?

A2)        SpaceX.

Q3)        The Galileo spacecraft flew past Earth for the first time: on 8th December, 1990.   It did it again, on 8th December, 1992.   The probe was actually heading where: Mars, Jupiter or Saturn?

A3)        Jupiter.

Q4)        Kim Basinger was born on 8th December, 1953.   She was one of the singers on the Was (Not Was) song, Shake Your Head.   Who was the other?

A4)        Ozzy Osbourne.   (The Basinger/Osbourne version was the 1992 remix produced by Steve ‘Silk’ Hurley.   The original 1982 album version — from 1983’s Born to Laugh at Tornadoes — is very different.   I also heard — somewhere — that Don and David Was were trying to pitch the song to Madonna: but got nowhere.   From what I recall from another interview?   Ozzy, apparently, rattled when he walked.   He was wearing considerably more jewellery than Mr T.)

Q5)        Finally … ?   The Doors frontman, Jim Morrison, was born on 8th December, 1943.   Who played Morrison in the 1991 film, The Doors?

A5)        Val Kilmer.

Here’s a quote … 

“The demonstration was highly influential and spawned similar projects at Xerox PARC in the early 1970s.”

From the Wikipedia entry about the Demo.

And some music …

Today’s questions will be answered in tomorrow’s Teaser.

The quizmaster’s decisions about scores are final.

Thank you for coming: have a good day.

*        Gotcha, Olga: that would explain things just as well.   The phone interview went well enough … until the vital transport question came up.   I don’t regret not learning to drive … until situations like this come up!

        And you’re right: the hygienist appointments are cursed.   Or possibly doomed!

†        Hello, Mum!

‡        Root canal work!   I’ll keep my fingers crossed for you, Debbi!   (As for the interview?   Well … !)