The 1st Question 49.75 - 5 May 09

Quotes

The reward for work well done is the opportunity to do more.
Jonas Salk

Perfection is not attainable, but if we chase perfection we can catch excellence.
Vince Lombardi

Questions

For the answers go to The 1st Question blog at SLCN

1) This is a one-of-a-kind scientific display located at the University of California, Santa Barbara. It is 3-story structure and one of the largest immersive chambers in the world. There are soon to be multiple high-resolution video projectors for it, and 3-D audio. Other clusters include simulation, sensor-array processing, real-time video processing for motion-capture, render-farm/real-time ray-tracing and content and prototyping environments. What is this which a team of physicists could stand in and be inside of an atom, or a team of doctors observe within the brain?

2) Dutch film maker Theo van Gogh, made a controversial film about Islamic culture, was stabbed and shot dead in Amsterdam. What film was he killed for?

3) See Moon, it is a Moody, cerebral thriller set on hyper-realistic one-man lunar base. Starring Sam Rockwell, apparently all by himself. It's Cast Away meets Solaris! Except maybe good! Who is the Director? The director’s father was a well known space oddity himself.

4) The emperor of this book is Paul Atreides and features the following- the Axolotl Tank - A device to regenerate or reshape organic material, The Ghola , A living, functioning person who is regrown or recreated from the tissues of a dead person. Face Dancers who have the ability to Mimic through genetic manipulation and Stillsuit Desert Boots Special boots that offered parasitic power harvesting. What book did these come from?

5) These are new fangled kitchen utensil designs, For example, with a simple bouncing motion, the Chop Chop is a plastic ball with a lid, you can efficiently slice and dice whatever is thrown into it The designers have come up with additional tops for mashing softer vegetables and tenderizing meat. Also The Pear, a flexible ring embedded with a cutting blade and board. By squeezing the ring with your hand, the blade pares, slices or chops. Kitchen Cruiser looks and works a little like a child’s toy. Drive it over a block of cheese like a car and it grates as you go, spitting grated cheese out the sides. What is the name of this kitchen utensil design company?

6) The words “global economic downturn” are not a part of Bellperre’s vocabulary, as evidenced by the release of its new high-end Nero Gold series. The Netherlands based company offers handcrafted tailor made items using “0% plastic”, The Nero Gold collection is available in six casings including silver, and gold. Add to this the option of choosing between alligator, shark, lizard or buffalo skin Precious gemstones like diamonds, rubies and sapphires are also available to decorate these one-off creations. What does Bellperre make?

7) This is a software and hardware platform for reading electronic books developed by Amazon.com, you can download books from a variety of sources, for various prices. New York Times bestsellers go for $10. While classic can be had for $1.99 and you can get subscriptions through it too. And self publish- What is this?

8) She was an English biophysicist and X-ray crystallographer who made important contributions to the understanding of the fine molecular structures of DNA, viruses, coal and graphite. Her pictures of DNA have been called, "amongst the most beautiful x-ray photographs of any substance ever taken". The possibility that she played a major role in the discovery of the true structure of DNA was not revealed until her colleague wrote his personal account, The Double Helix. She died at 37. Who was she?

9) Though the validity of the text may not be called into question, sometimes who wrote it is. In Antiquity this was "an accepted and honored custom practiced by students/admirers of a revered figure. This word includes falsely attributed works, texts whose claimed authorship is unfounded; and whose real author attributed it to a figure of the past. What is this false attribution of authorship called?

10) Although made every effort to gain the secret of the philosopher's stone, this man was not thought to have been successful. He was a Polish alchemist, philosopher, and medical doctor. A pioneer of chemistry, he developed ways of purification and creation of various acids, metals and other chemical compounds. He discovered that air is not a single substance and contains a life-giving substance-later called oxygen-170 years before Scheele and Priestley. He is said to have used this philosopher's stone to convert large amounts of gold from quicksilver, including during an exhibition in the presence of the Emperor Rudolph II. Who was this man?

11) It is known as The devil’s cigar, when it emerges from the ground, it somewhat resembles a dark brown cigar, and in maturity it splits open into 4–6 rays to form a star-shape. This is often accompanied by a distinct hissing sound, and the release of a smoky cloud of spores. It’s a unique mushroom and is found in only two places. Name one?