The Daily Teaser

I’ve got to admit, I’m actually up late, today!

I’ve got the day off, today, which mean’s I’ve slept in. And after last night’s staff meeting! Oy!

Strange atmosphere … Oh well!

Anyway, here’s today’s questions …

Q1) June the 30^th saw the UK hand over control of Hong Kong to China; in which year of the 1990s?

Q2) June 30^th, 1859, saw acrobat Charles Blondin make a tightrope crossing of where?

Q3) June 30^th, 1905, saw Albert Einstein publish which version of his theory of Relativity?

Q4) Keeping scientific, June 30^th, 1860, saw the Oxford Union debate what theory?

Q5) And finally, Margaret Thatcher took her place in the House of Lords; as the Baroness of where?

And here‘s yesterdays questions and answers …

Q1) June 29^th, 1920, was the birthday of Ray Harryhausen; what was the name of his last successful film?

A1) “Clash of the Titans”.

Q2) June 29^th, 1914, saw a failed assassination attempt on which notorious Russian monk?

A2) Grigori Rasputin.

Q3) June 29^th was also the day that the BBC open BBC Television Centre, in Shepards Bush; but in which year of the 1960s?

A3) 1960.

Q4) Today in 2001 saw the go-ahead given for the Princess Diana Memorial Fountain; in which London Park is it?

A4) Hyde Park.

Q5) And finally, 29^th, 2003, saw the death of which American actress?

A5) Katherine Hepburn.

Enjoy those, and I’ll see you tomorrow … !

A thought for creatives …

Actually, that’s a point …

Remember I mentioned Kelly, the other day?

Kelly, and a friend of hers, Ronnie, are both a bit … a bit arty, bless ’em. And I’ve got to admit, I was telling Kelly — guitarist and singer that she is — that, as she’s thinking of getting a computer, she’d really be better off with a Mac.

Mostly on the basis of one particular piece of software that new Mac comes with.

GarageBand.

Which, if you didn’t know, is part of the iLife suite that new Mac’s come with. (iLife’s made up of four programs at the mo; GarageBand, itself, iWeb, for basic website design, iPhoto, which is a basic photo cataloguing and manipulation program, iMovie, for home movie editing, and iDVD. The last of which I know Kelly will be familiar with, as it’s something I used to put together a DVD for her, and some mutual friends.)

But GarageBand is the one that will interest her, and other musicians.

Now, I’m no musician, myself, although I have used GarageBand to do some very basic sound editing. It looks a little overwhelming for me.

However, I’ve met a few musicians, over the years, many of whom use Macs, as a basic tool, combined with Logic Studio, Apple’s own in-house pro studio suite.

And, while only a few of them use GarageBand, now, they usually all agree that GarageBand is a good piece of kit to be starting with; certainly as far as making a halfway decent demo tape’s concerned.

Or whatever a demo tape happens to be actually called, these days!

But, as ever, it looks like there’s an open source alternative, around … !

Which is why I’m also going to mention Ubuntu Studio, here …

Now, as you may know, I’ve been an enthusiastic user of various pieces of open source software, Ubuntu included, over the years. So it was nice to know they’re experimenting with an artier bent of the OS. I’m assuming it’s aimed at those of us who’d like or need a Mac, but can’t necessarily afford one; and from the look of the Ubuntu Studio home page, that’s exactly what Canonical, the folk behind Ubuntu, are trying to do with with this version of it.

Now I know that Denny — who I gave a copy of the main version of Ubuntu to, about a week back — is happy with his new operating system; bar the very occasional crash — and crashes that are less frequent than the version of Windoze he had on there — he’s got a functioning laptop.

So, with that in mind, I’m going to suggest that, if you’re any kind of creative, you give serious thought to getting a Mac; at the least the basic software included with new ones is fairly good, for starting musicians and artists.

But I’d also suggest getting hold of Ubuntu Studio, as well, and playing around with it, to see what you can do. Just do one thing …

Let me know how it goes. I’ve not seen that one in action …

The Daily Teaser

Phew! Quiet morning, so far.

Although, saying that, I do know I’ve got to head into work, this evening; we’ve a Staff Meeting, this evening, which — given some of the media reports about the company I work for — could be very bad, or very good.

I do know it’s timed, rather awkwardly, right at the time episode three of “I’m Sorry I Haven’t A Clue” is broadcast.

That’s a bugger, if Karen’s reader’s will excuse the phrase!

At any rate, here’s today’s questions …

Q1) June 29^th, 1920, was the birthday of Ray Harryhausen; what was the name of his last successful film?

Q2) June 29^th, 1914, saw a failed assassination attempt on which notorious Russian monk?

Q3) June 29^th was also the day that the BBC open BBC Television Centre, in Shepards Bush; but in which year of the 1960s?

Q4) Today in 2001 saw the go-ahead given for the Princess Diana Memorial Fountain; in which London Park is it?

Q5) And finally, 29^th June, 2003, saw the death of which American actress?

And here’s yesterday’s questions and answers …

Q1) June the 28^th, 1880, saw the capture and arrest of which notorious bushranger?

A1) Ned Kelly.

Q2) Several years earlier, June 28^th, 1838 saw the coronation of which British monarch?

A2) Queen Victoria.

Q3) June 28, 1914 saw the assassination of the Austrian Archduke that started World War One; who was that Archduke?

A3) Archduke Franz Ferdinand.

Q4) 28^th June, 1919 saw the signing of the Treaty that ended World War One; in which French city was this signed?

A4) Versailles.

Q5) Today in 1948 saw Britain’s first champion Afro-Carribbean boxer win his first belt; that boxer shared his name with which highwayman?

A5) Dick Turpin.

And, just for those struggling quiz master’s, out there, here’s the other sample I prepped up, just recently.

ROUND ONE: – GENERAL KNOWLEDGE.

Q1) According to a survey in February, 2007, what North-eastern town was declared England’s noisiest?

A1) Newcastle.

Q2) In that same survey, which Devon town was named England’s quietist?

Q2) Torquay.

Q3) Which “Doctor Who” actor was the 1st guest on the 1st episode of “Swop Swap”?

A3) Tom Baker.

Q4) Dipsophobia is an unreasoning fear of what?

A4) Drinking.

Q5) Agar-agar is a type of gelatine made from what; – seaweed, algæ, or lichen?

A5) Seaweed.

Q6) What do you add to rum, to make grog?

A6) Water.

Q7) What device is used over a guitar’s fretboard, to raise the pitch of the strings?

A7) A capo.

Q8) What is another name for a ships load mark?

A8) Plimsoll Line.

Q9) Astrologically speaking, two of the three fire signs are LEO and ARIES. Which is the third?

A9) Sagittarius.

Q10) On board ship, where would you find the scuppers?

A10) On deck. They’re the holes that allow water to run off.

ROUND TWO: – FOOD AND DRINK

Q11) Which catchphrase of tv chef Jamie Oliver’s comes from a Sanskit word, meaning simply – and rather ironically – ‘cooked’?

A11) Pukka.

Q12) With the aid of a civet’s digestive tract, Kopi Luwak sells for anything between 120 and 600 US dollars per pound making it the most expensive what in the world?

A12) Coffee.

Q13) What six letter name is given to the substance used as a setting agent in many jams and marmalades?

A13) Pectin

Q14) What type of food advertising was banned on January 1st, 2008?

A14) Junk food ads.

Q15) What sort of meat is used in the Greek dish Kleftiko?

A15) Lamb.

Q16) From which continent does Couscous originate?

A16) Africa.

Q17) What distinguishes Gruyere cheese from most other cheeses; – holes, a wax coating, or blue veins?

A17) Holes.

Q18) What general name is given to Indian food cooked in a clay oven?

A18) Tandoori.

Q19) What was the very first cargo to be regularly transported by train in Germany?

A19) Beer.

Q20) Pork from which European country was withdrawn in 2008?

A20) The Republic of Ireland.

ROUND THREE: – ALL THROUGH HISTORY.

Q21) Of which people was Atahualpa the last leader; – the Inca, Aztec, or Toltec?

A21) The Incas.

Q22) Which battle of 1805 is sometimes referred to as The Battle of the Three Emperors; – the Battle of Austerlitz, the Battle of Bunker Hill, or the Battle of Waterloo?

A22) Battle of Austerlitz.

Q23) Henry 8th got married in the Chapel Of The Observance Friars on June 11, 1509; – to which of his wives?

A23) Catherine of Aragon.

Q24) The Rye House Plot was a plot to kill which British monarch?

A24) Charles II.

Q25) Which delivery service operated in the USA from April 1860 to November 1861?

A25) The Pony Express.

Q26) Who is the oldest British Monarch to have ascended to the throne?

A26) William IV aged 64.

Q27) Who, according to the opening lines of the book of the same name, was born in York in 1632?

A27) Robinson Crusœ. (Written by Daniel Dafoe.)

Q28) Who was the leader of France’s Vichy government during WWII?

A28) Marshal Henri Petain.

Q29) What name was given to the process of killing every tenth man in a mutinous Roman Legion?

A29) Decimation.

Q30) Which famous mutiny took place in 1789?

A30) The Mutiny on the Bounty.

ROUND FOUR: – BLINDED WITH SCIENCE.

Q31) What part of your body would a trichologist be concerned with?

A31) Hair.

Q32) For most vertebrates, which organ produces Bile?

A32) The liver. (stored in the gallbladder).

Q33) What is the official unit used for measuring the depth of water?

A33) The metre. (Not fathom, as I am sure many would suggest; – the fathom is the old imperial measurement).

Q34) Deep Thought was an IBM-produced chess computer, named after the super

computer in which famous work of fiction?

A34) “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy.”

Q35) What was the name of Yuri Gagarin's space capsule; – Soyuz II, MIR, Sputnik II, or Vostok I?

A35) Vostock I.

Q36) What, in 1781, became the first new planet to be discovered since the ancient times?

A36) Uranus.

Q37) ENIAC was the worlds first digital what?

A37) Digital computer. (It stood for Electronic Numerical Integrator And Calculator.)

Q38) In biology which word means ‘living together’; – symbiosis, parasitic, or bipedal?

A38) Symbiosis.

Q39) Titan is the largest moon of which planet; – Jupiter or Saturn?

A39) Saturn.

Q40) Which radioactive metal was discovered at Berkeley University in California in 1940 and named after one of the nine planets?

A40) Plutonium.

ROUND FIVE: – BY THE NUMBERS.

Q41) How many clubs made up the English Football League, when it was 1st formed?

A41) 12.

Q42) Excluding children’s books, how many discworld novels has Terry Pratchett written?

A42) 31.

Q43) Moving anticlockwise on a dartboard, what number is next to 11?

A43) 8.

Q44) How many days in two non–leap years?

A44) 730.

Q45) What’s the approximate distance from London to Paris, in miles?

A45) 200.

Q46) How many balls are used in a game of pool?

A46) 16. (15 object balls, plus the cue ball.)

Q47) How many members are there in a water polo team?

A47) 7.

Q48) If a team at bridge wins a grand slam, how many tricks have they won?

A48) 13.

Q49) What are the odds of rolling a double 1, on two six sided dice; 1 in 36, 1 in 18, or 1 in 9?

A49) 1 in 36. (Equal to 35 to one).

Q50) In pre-decimal money how many farthings were in a penny?

A50) Four.

ROUND SIX: – GENERAL KNOWLE IGNORANCE.

Q51) “No, No, No” was the debut single for which American girl band?

A51) Destiny’s Child.

Q52) Jack Ryan invented which doll?

A52) The Barbie Doll.

Q53) The Angel, in Venezuela, is the world’s highest what; water fall, cliff face, or inland sea?

A53) Waterfall.

Q54) The Cavy is better known as which rodent?

A54) The Guinea Pig.

Q55) What was the 1st decimal coin to be released in the UK?

A55) The 50p piece.

Q56) Harriet Quimby was the 1st woman to fly over what?

A56) The English Channel.

Q57) Mother Theresa was noted for her work with the poor of which country?

A57) India.

Q58) What would a mural be painted on?

A58) A wall.

Q59) What’s Britain’s largest species of predatory fish?

A59) The pike.

Q60) A sudden rush of snow down the side of a mountain is known as what?

A60) An avalanche.

Enjoy those, everybody. I’ll see you tomorrow!

The Daily Teaser

Whoah!! I’m still buzzing from last night’s movie!

I’ve got to admit, “Fight Club” was definitely enjoyable. But it’s a shame I couldn’t make Glastonbury. Stringsteen looked like he did a gig and a half!!

Anyway, here’s today’s questions …

Q1) June the 28^th, 1880, saw the capture and arrest of which notorious bushranger?

Q2) Several years earlier, June 28^th, 1838 saw the coronation of which British monarch?

Q3) June 28, 1914 saw the assassination of the Austrian Archduke that started World War One; who wazs that Archduke?

Q4) 28^th June, 1919 saw the signing of the Treaty that ended World War One; in which French city was this signed?

Q5) Today in 1948 saw Britain’s first champion Afro-Caribbean boxer win his first belt; he shared his name with which highwayman?

And here’s yesterday’s questions and answers.

Q1) June 27^th, 1844, saw the death of Joseph Smith Jr; which religion (or church, strictly) was he the founder of?

A1) Mormonism. (Or the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints; if you want to be picky.)

Q2) In the previous century, 27^th June, 1759, saw General Wolfe of the British Army, lay siege to which Canadian city?

A2) Quebec.

Q3) June 27^th saw the world’s first ‘hole in the wall’ cash machine install; in a wall in which area of London?

A3) Enfield.

Q4) June 27^th, 1969, saw the Stonewall riots, in Greenwich Village, New York; which Civil Rights movements is this generally considered the start of?

A4) The Gay Rights movement.

Q5) And finally, June 26^th, 2002, saw the death of which member of The Who?

A5) Bassist, John Entwhistle.

Enjoy those. I’ll see you tomorrow.