Question for June 30th - Dev

Apologies for the late late post...

Identify X. From the book:

"There was only one ____ and that was X, which specified that a concern for one's safety in the face of dangers that were real and immediate was the process of a rational mind. Y was crazy and could be grounded. All he had to do was ask; and as soon as he did, he would no longer be crazy and would have to fly more missions. Y would be crazy to fly more missions and sane if he didn't, but if he was sane he had to fly them. If he flew them he was crazy and didn't have to; but if he didn't want to he was sane and had to. Z was moved very deeply by the absolute simplicity of X and let out a respectful whistle."

Bonus points for identifying Y and Z.

The practice of X? -- June 29

In ancient economies X was in the form of people helping each other. X, in the mordern sense of distributing risk, was practised by Chinese and Babylonian traders as early as 2000 BC.

"Chinese merchants travelling treacherous river rapids would redistribute their wares across many vessels to limit the loss due to any single vessel's capsizing. The Babylonians developed a system which was recorded in the famous Code of Hammurabi, c. 1750 BC, and practised by early Mediterranean sailing merchants."

Benjamin Franklin helped to popularize and make standard the practice of X. He also started a company for the same.

What's X?

Question for June 28 - PS

In keeping with the soccer fever, here's today's question:

West Germany v Austria (25 June, 1982) was a 1982 FIFA World Cup game held in El Molinón, Gijón, Spain, that changed the rules of future World Cup tournaments ever since. In German the match is known as Nichtangriffspakt von Gijón or Schande von Gijón. In Algeria it is known as the Anschluss.

What happened in the game, and what was the subsequent rule change introdued by FIFA, to prevent such an event ever occurring again?

Question for Jun 25

What is the claim to fame of the location shown in the visual?

Question for 24th Jun, 2010

The company X was formed in 1902, at the dawn of the twentieth century. Its founder, Henry Leland, named the company after his ancestor, Antoine de la Mothe _____, the founder of Detroit. Antoine is also the inspiration for the company’s crest, which is based on his family’s historic coat of arms. X is first of it's kind from America to win the prestigious Dewar Trophy in England and adopt the slogan “Standard of the World”.

X=?

To June 23rd, with stars

Connect the following-

1. The video clip below, taken from a recent episode of the TV show Glee.


2. An Ex-RAF Engineer of West-Indian origin teaches high school in a difficult neighbourhood in London.

3. The Academy Awards for Best Actor in 1963 and "in recognition of his remarkable accomplishments as an artist and as a human being" in 2002.

Question for June 22, 2010

The X index is an informal measure to determine the purchasing power parity (PPP) between two currencies by using a slightly unusual measure of the relative cost of goods in those two countries. X was chosen as a measure because it is availabile in many countries, and the raw materials needed for creating X encompass a wide enough basket of goods to be reliable enough to atleast provide a ball-park figure of PPP. This theory was later expanded to include the amount of time an average worker has to work to earn enough to buy one X. This method fails for certain countries because the social status of X is different in different nations (for example, higher in India than USA). Also, in some countries, X has been modified to adapt to local preferences making a direct comparision of PPP difficult.

The five most expensive X are from Norway, Switzerland, Denmark, Sweden and France. The five least expensive X are from India, Hong Kong, China, Thailand and Malaysia.

Identify X.

QOTD - 21 June 2010 - Hari

X received his Bachelor's from Caltech and and Master's degrees from Stanford majoring in Low Power VLSI design. His employers include Apple, Firepower Systems Inc. and Y. Along with his colleague Jack Smith from Apple he founded Z, the first of its kind with funds from Draper Fisher Ventures. Z was launched on July 4th 1996 and due to its immense popularity and revenue potential, Z was acquired by Y on X's birthday, December 30, 1998.

X went on to launch multiple ventures with mixed fortunes. He wishes to replicate the success of Silicon Valley in his home country by developing a place called Nanocity, that would be a hotbed of innovation and entrepreneurial activity.

Identify X,Y and Z.

Question for June 16, 2010

A precursor of X was present in 1958 World Cup and was dubbed "giganternas kamp" by the local press. The term itself was coined in Spanish by Mexican journalists in the 1970 World Cup. It was used again in Mexico during the 1982 World Cup in Spain. It was popularized after the draw for the 1986 FIFA World Cup. The label was widely repeated by the English-language media. After a game in the 1986 tournament, Uruguay were criticized for persistent foul play in the decisive match with Scotland; Scotland's coach Borrás was suspended for retorting, "The X? Yes, there was a murderer on the field today. The referee."

Identify X.

Greatest health tool or a hazard? - June 16

X?

A few facts about X quoted below:

X became one of the greatest public health tools of the 20th century.

Overuse harmed its efficacy -- and made it politically unpopular.

Population control advocates blamed X for increasing third world
population. In the 1960s, World Health Organization authorities believed there
was no alternative to the overpopulation problem but to assure that up to 40
percent of the children in poor nations would die of the disease that X
controlled spread of. As an official of the Agency for International Development
stated, "Rather dead than alive and riotously reproducing."

X amongst other things was alleged to have thinned bird egg shells.

Question for June 15 - PS

What do these graphs represent?

Question for Jun 14

The visual shows a snippet from a NY Times article. Identify the word in question.

Movie for 11th June 2010

____ is a 1984 movie directed by John G. Avildsen and written by Robert Mark Kamen. The movie was a commercial success and spawned a franchise of related items and memorabilia such as action figures, head bands, posters, T-shirts and a video game. A short-lived animated series spin-off aired on NBC in 1989. It launched the career of X and revitalized the acting career of Y, the 2 main stars of the movie (Y was previously known for his role on Happy Days as Arnold). The song "Sweep the Leg" by No More Kings was inspired by the movie, and the music video for the song features much of the original cast. The movie has been recently relevant again. What movie?

Question for June 9, 2010

X is a global city that has been destroyed and rebuilt multiple times over the years. It is surrounded by eight mountains and the level lands of the river, Y, which is no longer used for navigation due to political constraints. It was first settled around 18 BC and city walls from that period are still found within X. Despite being invaded multiple times, X was in relative isolation till the late 19th century when it opened its gates to foreigners and began to modernize. In the 1950s, X changed hands four times between opposing forces and was almost completely destroyed. It was, however, rebuilt yet again. X boasts no fewer than five major palaces. Both, the historical architecture, and the modern architecture reside side by side with each other.

Identify X.

8th June 2010 - QOTD - Hari

Connect A, B, C and D

1. A


2. B



3. C said of D

"My inspiration for the design came from two basic elements – the athlete and the world. I had it in my mind to create something that z effort and exertion, while at the same time expressing harmony, simplicity and peace. The silhouette had to be linear, in order that the observer's attention would be drawn to the protagonist, that is to say, the footballer; a man who, at the moment of victory, would take on the aspect of a giant, without appearing superhuman. He had to be a hero, but a hero with the qualities of someone who has worked hard and suffered, who his fellow humans will identify with every day in life and whose arms, which seem to embrace the entire world, are the embodiment of the universality of sport".

Question for June 07, 2010

Born in 85 B.C., X is a diminutive but fearless and cunning warrior, ever eager for new adventures. He lives around 50 BC in a fictional village in northwest Armorica. This village is celebrated as the only one in the area still not conquered by Julius Caesar and his Roman legions. He is one of the smartest (and sanest) members of the village, and so he is usually chosen for any dangerous, important or exotic mission. Unlike most of the other villagers, he does not start or join brawls for the fun of it, although he does enjoy a good fight when there's cause. He rarely resorts to weapons, preferring to rely on his wits, and when necessary, his fists — though he carries his shortsword with him at all times, he is shown to be an occasional swordsman at best. What he does for a living is never truly known, though he is often shown going on missions, quests, or hunting.

Identify X.

A Masterpiece --- Question for June 4

A trademark identified with Y is the white stylised six-pointed star with rounded edges, representative of the X snowcap from above, the symbol being adopted in 1913. The number "4810," an attribute of X, is also a commonly recurring theme.

What are X and Y? What is X's claim to fame?

Hint: Y is mightier than the sword.

Question for June 3 - Is X a Y or a Z?

Nix v. Hedden, 149 U.S. 304 (1893), was a case in which the United States Supreme Court addressed whether X was classified as a Y or a Z and decided it was a Z.

The Tariff Act of March 3, 1883 required a tax to be paid on imported Z, but not Y. The case was filed as an action by John Nix, John W. Nix, George W. Nix, and Frank W. Nix against Edward L. Hedden, Collector of the Port of New York, to recover back duties paid under protest.

At the trial the plaintiffs' counsel, after reading in evidence definitions of the words 'Y' and 'Z' from Webster's Dictionary, Worcester's Dictionary, and the Imperial Dictionary, called two witnesses, who had been for 30 years in the business of selling Y and Z, and asked them, after hearing these definitions, to say whether these words had "any special meaning in trade or commerce, different from those read."

Technically, X is a Y. The court, however, unanimously ruled in favor of the defendant, that the Tariff Act used the ordinary meaning of the words "Y" and "Z" – where a X is classified as a Z – not the technical meaning.

In 2005, supporters in the New Jersey legislature cited Nix as a basis for a bill designating X as the official state Z.

Identify X, Y and Z.

Question for Jun 2

Identify the writer of the note shown in the visual.

Question for 1st June 2010

This is an unofficial, unverified ordered list of something. What's it about and who's at #2?

10. Bill Wyman (Rolling Stones bassist) - 1,000

9. Earvin (Magic) Johnson (basketball star) - 1,000

8. Lemmy Kilmister (Motorhead frontman) - 1,200

7. Jack Nicholson (actor) - 2,000

6. Ilie Nastase (tennis star) - 2,500

5. Engelbert Humperdinck (singer) - 3,000

4. Julio Iglesias (singer) - 3,000

3. Gene Simmons (Kiss frontman) - 4,600

2. ___________ - 5,000

1. Umberto Billo (Venetian hotel porter) - 8,000