Nik Nak’s Daily Teaser — 16th February 2024.

16th February 2024.

It has to be said: my copy of the Cost of Living payment is going fast.

But … ?

A few bits are very needed: including some new shoes.

I’ll possibly have to keep an eye out for some cheap t-shirts, too, I think.

At any rate … ?

I treated myself to a set of seriously odd dice.

The three-sided dice — the cube with the Roman numerals — is nice: although the opposite sides don’t seem to add up to four*.

The five-sided one?   Looks roughly prism shaped.

The seven-sided dice one … ?

Is a very odd shape: and seems to be weighted so the numbers have an equal chance of cropping up.

That — I believe — is why most dice have an even number of sides†: it’s to make sure that each number has an equal chance of being rolled.

At any rate … ?

This one dice makes the set it’s in, an interesting purchase.

~≈🎲≈~

Let’s move on, shall we?


Yesterday’s Teaser saw Mum§, Olga¶ and Debbi¹ 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)        16th February is the Day of the Shining Star.   It’s a public holiday, where: Vietnam, North Korea or China?

Q2)        Fidel Castro was sworn in as Prime Minister, on 16th February, 1959.   Prime Minister of where?

Q3)        Rupert 1st died on 16th February, 1390.   He was one of a small group that elected whom: the Holy Roman Emperor, the Roman Catholic Pope or the Prime Minister of Turkey?

Q4)        LeVar Burton was born on 16th February, 1957.   Who does he play in various Star Trek episodes?

Q5)        Finally … ?   16th February, 1862, saw General Ulysses S. Grant capture Fort Donelson: during the American Civil War.   Fort Donalson was in which US state?

Here’s yesterday’s questions and answers … 

Q1)        Megan Pete was born on 15th February, 1995.   She’s better known as Megan Thee … what?

A1)        Megan Thee Stallion.

Q2)        Matt Groening was born on 15th February, 1954.   Groening created the USA’s longest running sitcom.   What is that sitcom: Curb Your Enthusiasm, The Simpsons or Friends?

A2)        The Simpsons.

Q3)        15th February, 1925, saw the start of the Serum Run to Nome.   The serum was a treatment for what: pneumonia, diphtheria or Spanish ’Flu?

A3)        Diphtheria.

Q4)        The last country in Europe to adopt the Gregorian Calendar, did so on 15th February, 1923.    Which country was it: Bulgaria, Greece or Hungary?

A4)        Greece.

Q5)        Finally … ?   Author, Sax Rohmer, was born on 15th February, 1883.   His best known creation was a Chinese super-villain called what?

A5)        Fu-Manchu.

Here’s a thought …

“My first day as an actor, Cicely Tyson played my mother, Maya Angelou played my grandmother.   I was 19, and they embraced me as a peer.”

LeVar Burton, born February 16, 1957.

And an interview …

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

Decisions about scores are final.

Thank you for coming: have a good day.

*        Most of the dice I’ve used over the years have an even number of sides: with those opposite faces add up to one more than the number of sides.   A faces of a six sided dice will add up to seven, for example.   The sixty-sided, and one hundred sided, ones in this set add up to sixty-one and one-hundred-and-one, as another example.   I’m assuming there’s a mathematical reason‡ for that, but don’t know for certain.

†        Arguably?   You could — as some companies have — made a seven sided dice out of the appropriate prism.   Or make a fourteen sided solid with the numbers one to seven, twice!   Isn’t life complicated … ?

‡        Seven is the number thrown most frequently with two six sided dice.   I’m assuming something similar applies to dice with even numbers of faces work the same way.   I’m assuming the opposites sides adding up to seven — or what have you — is something to do with that.

§        Hello, Mum!   (Do you remember Roots, Mum?   The TV series?   LeVar Burton played the young version of Kunte Kinte.)

¶        Cheers, Olga!   The delivery got here: you possibly noticed!   Yes, we’ve got a couple of Amazon lockers near me.   One’s in the nearby hotel, and another’s in the nearest convenience store.   I prefer getting them dropped off to my place: that way, I don’t buy crisps.

¹        Yeap, it’s a straight lift from Hill Street Blues, Debbi.   “Let’s be careful out there” and “Let’s do it to them before they do it to us” always struck in my mind.   As did Belker calling people “Hairball!”