Nik Nak’s Daily Teaser — 14th August 2025.

14th August, 2025.

Right … I watched a little TV, last night: the first two episodes of a new series called Alien: Earth.

Yes, you’re right: it’s the latest entry in the successful Alien franchise, and set a couple of years before the original film.

To try and summarise?

The first episodes see a child called Marcy, a cancer patient, being transferred in to a new, android, body: and helping others through the same process: whilst yearning for contact with her only brother.

The episodes also see a spaceship crash on Earth, a spaceship that’s been investigating various alien lifeforms: including the franchise’s signature Xenomorph.

Yes: a Xenomorph is loose on Earth … and its brought its friends.

I’ve felt for years that expanding the Alien franchise — by properly exploring its background universe — would be a good thing.

And this series looks capable of doing that.

~≈👽≈~

Talking of TV shows … ?

I’ve going to be watching the next episode of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, tonight.

And going to try And catch the next episode of Foundation, later in the week.

One thing I have noticed?

Is that Strange New Worlds seems to have plenty of merchandise — books, t-shirts, props, what-have-you — but that Apple’s Foundation doesn’t.

That’s a shame: a reproduction Prime Radiant would be nice!

~≈🧊≈~

As a final thought … ?

I was in Romford, yesterday: trading in my old phone at the Romford branch of CeX.

They were offering a better range of prices than the equivalent places in Brentwood.

I walked away from the trip, having sold the phone for thirty-one pounds.

Which therefore meant the new one, effectively, cost me some sixty-eight pounds*.

That’s not a bad price, from where I’m sitting.

~≈💷≈~

Let’s move on.


Yesterday’s Teaser saw Mum†, Olga‡, Irene§ and Debbi¶ putting in their answers: with Olga scoring ten out of ten, Debbi and Mum on eight, and Irene on seven.


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

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

Q1)        14th August is National Navajo Code-Talkers Day.   Where: China, the USA or Germany?

Q2)        The Navaho were what: Uyghurs, Native Americans or Leipzigers?

Q3)        14th August is the feast day of Arnold of Soissons.   He’s the patron saint of home: sugar beet growers, hop pickers or cider makers?

Q4)        Halle Berry was born on 14th August, 1966.   She played Jinx: in which Bond film?

Q5)        Finally … ?   Frank Oppenheimer was born on 14th August, 1912.   He was a what: biochemist, particle physicist or cryptographer?

Here’s yesterday’s questions and answers … 

Q1)        Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne and Carrie-Anne Moss have all been in the Matrix movies.   Who’s the odd one out: Keanu, Laurence or Carrie-Anne?

A1)        Carrie-Anne Moss.   She’s the only right handed one of the three.   (Do I feel smug about writing a genius, context-dependent, question!   I surely do!   😅)

Q2)        In the UK, people drive on the left hand side of the road.   In a standard UK car, the steering wheel is on which side of the car?

A2)        The right.

Q3)        Stage left is from the point of view of an actor on stage: and is the left hand side of the stage.   Stage left is also house right.   In other words, the right hand side of the stage, for whom: the actor or the audience?

A3)        The audience.

Q4)        Name either one of the two left handed members of the Beatles.

A4)        Ringo Starr or Paul McCartney.

Q5)        ‘Sinister’ is the term for the left hand side.   In what: heraldry, fencing or football?

A5)        Heraldry.

Q6)        A knife with an ornamental handle in the shape of a left handed gladiator was found in 2024.   Where: Hadrian’s Wall, the Great Pyramid or Stonehenge?

A6)        Hadrian’s Wall.

Q7)        According to one BBC article, Sulphur-crested cockatoos are right ‘handed’. True or false?

A7)        False.   (I should clarify, there: the article correctly points out they are left-footed, as they use their feet where we’d use our hands.   The article is also a few years old: so may have been superseded.)

Q8)        Lizzo is a left handed rapper and singer.   She’s also a trained what: flautist, violinist or cellist?

A8)        Flautist.   There’s footage of her playing a famous glass flute … 

Q9)        Jeremy the Snail died in 2017.   He had a left handed what?

A9)        Shell.

Q10)        Finally … ?   Anthony Blinken is left handed.   He served as US what: President, Secretary of State or Treasurer?

A10)        Secretary of State.

Here’s a thought …

“I used to smoke marijuana.   But I’ll tell you something: I would only smoke it in the late evening.   Oh, occasionally the early evening, but usually the late evening — or the mid-evening. Just the early evening, midevening and late evening.   Occasionally, early afternoon, early mid-afternoon, or perhaps the late-midafternoon.   Oh, sometimes the early-mid-late-early morning … But never at dusk!   Never at dusk, I would never do that.”

Steve Martin, born August 14, 1945.

And a song …

The next ten question set is on 25th August: it’s about Nottinghamshire.

Comments will be published, tomorrow morning.

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

Decisions about scores are final.

Thank you for coming: have a good day.

*        I could have traded the old phone in, at the time of purchase.   But didn’t: as I was aware that I needed to transfer over the contacts and settings from the old one, to the new: something I could only do if I still had the old phone.

†        Hello Mum!

‡        That it does, Olga: I know maybe three people with the kit to try it: and they’re the staff in repair shops in Brentwood High Street!   The best I could do … ?   Is possibly take a hard drive out!

        I’m just thankful I’ve not block my bank’s number, myself, Olga!   Assuming you’ve got the kit, could two factor authentication help?   I only access my bank accounts, online, from my computer: so that means feeding in a password or fingerprint.   Then — on one account — I have to feed in randomly picked letters from a memorable phrase: and an eight figure number from a card reader, for the other account.

§        Um … You put your answers on the wrong post, Irene: here, rather than here!

¶        I’ll be honest, Debbi, I thought Brosnan was OK as Bond: but felt Dalton should have had more appearances.   The man looked like Bond: utterly savage!

        Oh … Don’t ignore the truck … !