Question for Monday, November 30th

X was a movie based on a 1998 graphic novel. A.O. Scott of the New York Times described it as "about as violent as Apocalypto and twice as stupid". Kenneth Turan wrote in the Los Angeles Times that "unless you love violence as much as a ___, Quentin Tarantino or a video-game-playing teenage boy, you will not be endlessly fascinated." Roger Ebert, in his review, gave the film a two-star rating, writing, "X has one-dimensional caricatures who talk like professional wrestlers plugging their next feud.".

X has been spoofed in various media, and spawned off a very popular internet meme. Skits based upon the film have appeared on Saturday Night Live and Robot Chicken and both 20th Century Fox and Universal have released (or are planning to release) spoofs of the movie.

What's X? What is/are the blanked out word(s)?

November 25- Sativa and Indica

Fig:1

Fig: 2

The pictures above are pop culture and taxonomic references to X. X was used millenia ago in Central and South Asia from where it spread to be popular around the world. Morocco and Latin America are its largest producers. The United States has the most lucrative market for X, which prompted activities as described in Fig: 1. These activities involved hybridising the Sativa and Indica types to obtain a new type which is short like Indica and hence suited to growing indoors but retains many desirable properties of Sativa. The per capita consumption of X is highest in some Pacific Island nations. Identify X, and as a bonus, Fig: 1.

Question for Nov 24, 2009

Connect the following.

Faye Dunaway (1976, 1981); Marlon Brando (1954, 1996); Charlton Heston (1959, 2001); Laurence Olivier (1948, 1980); Roberto Benigni (1998, 2002); Halle Berry (2002, 2004); Liza Minnell (1972, 1988).

The list is neither exhaustive nor in order. Also, the years shown are only examples, there can be other years as well for some of them.

Question for Nov. 23rd - Dev

Identify X and Y.

X was conceived and largely built by Danish architect Jørn Utzon, who in 2003 received the Pritzker Prize, architecture's highest honour. X is considered to be his masterpiece.

X is an iconic monument, which is mostly famous for its Y, the design for which involved one of the earliest uses of computers in structural analysis, in order to understand the complex forces to which it might be subjected. The parts of Y were all created as sections of a sphere.

Among other things, X also houses the largest mechanical tracker action organ in the world, which has over 10,000 pipes in it.

Question for 22nd November

Completed in the late 17th century, X is a work of art renowned for its colossal size , the effective use of light and shadow, and the perception of motion.
Although originally named differently, for much of its existence, X was coated with a dark varnish(only recently removed about 50 years ago) , leading to the name by which it has been commonly known.
In 1715, when it was moved to a different location, X was down-sized. This resulted in the loss of two characters on the left-hand side of X.
Identify X - bonus points for giving its complete original name !

Question for November 21st, 2009

An old favourite of mine...

Though far apart in their political thought and philosophy, these two people (or rather, their namesakes) were made inseparable by a literary piece of work. Identify them.

Question for November 20

The South China tiger or South Chinese tiger (Panthera tigris amoyensis), also known as the Chinese, Amoy, or Xiamen tiger, is a subspecies of tiger native to the forests of Southern China and is the most critically endangered of any living tiger subspecies. In 2001, Chinese Zoologists tried something very unusual to address the depleting population of the tigers. In fact, what they tried is commonly used to address something related but completely different problem in humans. Though, even in humans that is not the only use, it is often used to help football players cope with high altitudes in South America. What did they try?

Hint: It helps footballers by improving their blood flow.

Textured, anyone?

Although X had been known to be used for various purposes in China in the 2nd century BC, the first use of X as Y dates back to the 6th century AD, in early medieval China.

X dare not be used as Y if it had on it the names of sages.

Y now-a-days comes in varieties of thickness, colors and smells.

X and Y, please?

Question for Nov 18 - PS

Here's another Time Person of the Year themed question.

As we all know, "Time Person of the Year" (formerly Man of the Year) is an annual issue of the United States newsmagazine Time that features and profiles a man, woman, couple, group, idea, place, or machine that "for better or for worse, ..., has done the most to influence the events of the year.

The Person of the Year title has often been conferred upon a group of people, for example the Whistleblowers in 2002, represented by Cynthia Cooper, WorldCom; Coleen Rowley, FBI; and Sherron Watkins, Enron (Kiran's question from a few weeks ago).

Today's question: identify the largest group of people were conferred the title, and the year and the reason.

Bonus points for also identifying the second and third largest group of people that were conferred the "Time Person of the year".

Question for Nov 16

History is written by the victors, but what of those who called in sick that day? Or those who opted not to play? What of the individual who performed one small act that set in motion a great, grand tumult of actions that changed history?

Consider X (the assassin in the visual), a 19-year-old Serbian student, whose actions on the morning of 28 June 1914 in Sarajevo, ignited the conflagration of World War I, making him unwittingly one of the most influential people in 20th century history since he was indirectly responsible for sparking the chain of events that led to both World Wars, the Cold War, the rise of Communism , and other problems that continue to be an issue to this day.

X, too young (at the time of the assassination) to receive the death penalty, died due to tuberculosis, while serving the maximum sentence of twenty years in prison. At the time of his death, X weighed around 40 kilograms, weakened by malnutrition, blood loss from his amputated arm, and disease.

X, Trigger of the 20th Century.

Identify X.

Reader Question

X is most commonly known by the name of its class, although there are more than 1500 varieties that come under this class. X is the most common organism used as a genetic model for studying various human diseases including neurogenerative disorders like Parkinson's, Huntington's and Alzeimer's disease. About 75% of known human disease genes have a recognizable match in the genetic code of X and 50% of its protein sequences have mammalian analogues. Its entire genome was sequenced in 2000 and many people have won Nobel Prize based on research using X as a model. Another reason why it is a preferred model in genetics is that it's easy to breed (the female of the species lays 500 eggs that can develop in 8 days) in a laboratory setting. X is considred as a serious agricultural pest and is the main reason why you can't carry fruits on international flights.

Name X.

(Question submitted by Varsha)

Question for November 15-Gaurav Kane

X has been included by Time Magazine as one of the world's most influential people for the year 2009.

Allegedly when X was a twelve year old kid in the slums of General Santos city, he ran away from home after his drunken father killed and ate his beloved dog. This left X with some unresolved anger issues which undoubtedly helped in his career choice.

X is the most famous person from his country. In his native country, X endorses among other things, brands of socks,gin, health food, vinegar, a vitamin supplement for fighting roosters, and a kind of karaoke microphone.

There is a drop in crime in his country when he is broadcast on TV. On Nov 14 2009, In the strife-torn southern part of his native country, troops fighting Al Qaeda-linked Abu Sayyaf militants silenced their guns to watch him on TV on from the trenches. (definitely should be a nominee for the Nobel Peace prize next year :) just my take...)

Who is X?

Question for Nov 14, 2009

This term was first used in its current context in a Wired magazine article in 2004. However the statistical concept has been studied since at least 1946. The term has also been used in the insurance business for many years. The term is now used in online business, mass media, micro-finance, user-driven innovation, social network mechanisms, economic models, and viral marketing.

An Amazon employee once described it as follows: "We sold more books today that didn't sell at all yesterday than we sold today of all the books that did sell yesterday.". What term?

Sartorial Elegance- November 13th

Connect the pictures below -

While the first picture is known for notoriety, the latter two are/were famous and fashionable.

Question for Nov 12, 2009

Connect the following people together (list neither exhaustive nor ordered):
Ellis Achong, Saqlain Mushtaq/Sonny Ramadhin*, Clarrie Grimmett, Bernard Bosanquet, Jack Iverson, Sarfraz Nawaz
* There is some debate on which of the two should be on this list.

Quiz Question for 10th Nov 2009

Link the following pictures :

Question for Nov. 11th - Dev

What is X?

X is included in the flag of Mozambique and its coat of arms, an acknowledgment that the country's leaders gained power in large part through the effective use of X. It is also found in the coat of arms of Zimbabwe and East Timor and the flag of Hezbollah. Western cultures, especially the United States, have seen X most often in the hands of nations and groups the United States condemns; first the Soviet Army, then its Communist allies during the Korean and Vietnam Wars. After the fall of the Soviet Union, Xs were sold both openly and on the black market to any group with cash, including drug cartels, dictatorial states, and terrorist organizations.

The inventor of X (also X's namesake) was recently awarded the prestigious Hero of Russia award. He designed X after being wounded fighting the Nazis during World War II.

Question for November 9th, 2009: Connect the following

The audio at this link: http://research.rutgers.edu/~ishanic/quiz

Question for November 8

What does this map depict?

Indian art form?

The ephemeral nature of its creation is thought to be a metaphor for the impermanance of life in Hindu philosophy. It is one of the most commonly found art forms in India and is known by different names in different parts of the country.

What am I talking about?

Question for Nov 5

Analogy:
The X Effect

Points of the Analogy:
1. The analogy links the economic success of _____'s financial services industry (especially around _____'s capital city) to the success of X.
2. The basis of the analogy is that X is highly successful despite the lack of strong native competition.
3. The analogy is typically used to spark a debate over whether domestic ownership of an industry matters if foreign ownership and increased global competition (as a result of easing foreign ownership restrictions) benefit the host economy.

Example of Usage:
The analogy is used in discussing Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) in India.

Identify X.

Hint: The colours in the visual hint to X.

Question for November 4 - Kiran

X is a specific term used for a person performing a specific act. It is derived from a practice followed by English policemen to alert fellow officers and/or public of a crime. The term X also made it to TIME magazine's 'person of the year' list in 2002 and was collectively represented by Cynthia Cooper of WorldComm, Coleen Rowley of the FBI and Sherron Watkins of Enron. It is debatable whether people assume the role of X for personal glory or in the interest of the public.
What is X?

Reader Question

This question is courtesy Anuj. Table representing what?

Question for November 3-Gaurav Kane

Identify X and Y:

The name X is a cognate of Aryan, and means "Land of the Aryans"

As the New York Times explained at the time,

"At the suggestion of the Y Legation in Berlin, the Y government, on the Y New Year, March 21, 1935, substituted X for Y as the official name of the country. In its decision it was influenced by the Nazi revival of interest in the various Aryan races, cradled in ancient Y.

Question for Nov 2 - PS

X (1931-1987) was an American painter, filmmaker, record producer, author and public figure. He founded the visual art movement called as pop art. Among his accomplishments are designing iconic American products such as the Campbell's Soup cans, and Coca-Cola bottles. In the mid 1960s, X adopted and helped found the band Velvet Underground. Influenced by X, David Bowie recorded a song called X for his 1971 album Hunky Dory. The X Museum, one of the Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh, is dedicated to X's life and artwork, and is the largest American art museum dedicated to a single artist, holding more than 12,000 works by the artist.

X is most famous for coining the widely used expression "Y" (a phrase, not a single word).

Valerie Solanis, the founder and only member of Society for Cutting Up Men (SCUM) shot to fame by nearly killing X by firing 3 bullets at close quarters. The incident inspired X to come up with the memorable quote: 'In the future, everyone will get their Y'. X's comment and the insight it expressed emerged from his own fascination with media and celebrities. The phrase Y is often used in reference to figures in the entertainment industry and other areas of popular culture. "X"ian is often used as a synonym for Y. In 1986, X had a short-lived MTV television series, X's Y, featuring celebrities, artists, musicians, and designers.

Identify X and Y.

Question for Novermber 1st

Y is a "fact" about X. Identify both X and Y.

One of the earliest known references to Y appears in a letter written in 1754 by the English antiquary William Stukeley. It appeared in the Ripley's Believe It or Not!'s cartoons from 1930s and Richard Halliburton's 1938 book Second Book of Marvels makes a similar claim. Y has achieved an urban legend status sometimes even appearing in school textbooks. Arthur Waldron, has speculated that the belief might go back to the fascination with the "canals" once believed to exist on Mars.

William Pogue spotted X with binoculars, but said that it wasn't visible to the unaided eye. U.S. Senator Jake Garn claimed to be able to see X with the naked eye, but his claim has been disputed by several U.S. astronauts. Ed Lu, Expedition 7 Science Officer, said that, "it's less visible than a lot of other objects. And you have to know where to look.".