Tuesday 30 June 2009

The 1st Question 56 - 30 Jun 09

Quotes

I am only one, but still I am one. I cannot do everything, but still I can do something; and because I cannot do everything, I will not refuse to do something that I can do.
Helen Keller

If you don't like what you're doing, you can always pick up your needle and move to another groove.
Timothy Leary

Winning Word Up of the week
"Inworldly" - knowing and of inworld society
Malburns Writer

Audience Quote of the Week- (taken from the chat log of actual show)
Doubledown Tandino: silver surfer is stealing lines from Helen Keller?!?!?!
Hayduke Ebisu: Edward Everett Hale did say it first
Doubledown Tandino: thats gotta be blogged

Questions

For the answers go to The 1st Question blog at treet.tv

1) It is a famous star among amateur and professional astronomers. it is the fifth brightest star in the sky only 25 light years away. And twice as massive as the Sun, bright and nearby, it rotates in less than a day, the Sun's rotation period is 27 days. The force induced by this rapid rotation generates temperature variations of more than 1000 degrees also surrounded by a disk of dust, which in this case suggest the presence of planets, what is this star which also possesses a magnetic field?

2) Juniper Networks has announced what it says is the industry's first 100 Gigabit Ethernet router to address what the company calls the “new generation of scale” Providing an order of magnitude increase 100 GbE interfaces should also make it easier to deploy high-capacity services like video and high gig wireless broadband. "What Telecommunications company is poised to commercially deploy this?

3) The word is a brand name that Buckminster Fuller used for several of his inventions. It is a portmanteau coined for Fuller approximately in 1928 by Waldo Warren, an advertising expert who had previously become known by inventing the word "radio" for what people used to call "the wireless" A brand name was needed for the display of Fuller's first architectural model, and Warren spent two days listening to him, trying to get a feel for the type of language he used and played randomly with syllables from typical Fuller words, until this word was born, what is it?

4) The two countries share a common history and have often joined forces with Japan to resist international calls to reduce commercial whaling. Both countries have resisted signing the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species. One of these countries was colonized by the other in medieval times, The first wave probably started in 860. And when the colonized country had a 2008–2009 financial crisis, the colonizing government provided a €500 million 5-year loan. What are these two countries that still hunt whales for food.

5) She was born in Dundee, Scotland, and at the age of 14, became a pupil-teacher. She married, moved to the U.S. and settled in Boston, when she was 21. While pregnant with her son, her husband abandoned her, and she had to find work to support herself. She worked as a maid in the home of a Professor at Harvard College Observatory When he became frustrated with his male assistants he famously declared his maid could do a better job. So she did. Hired to do clerical work at the observatory, she devised and helped implement a system of assigning stars a letter according to how much hydrogen could be observed in their spectra. 1888, she discovered the Horsehead nebula, edited the observatory's publications and In 1899, was given the title of Curator of Astronomical Photographs. Who was made an honorary member of the Royal Astronomical Society of London, and the first American woman to be so elected?

6) Founded in the late 1940s in California, likely through an amalgamation of different motorcycle clubs, such as the Boozefighters. they are "one percenters"
a response to the American Motorcyclist Association comment that 99% of motorcyclists were law-abiding citizens and the last 1% were outlaws. The full requirements to become a member of this outfit are the following: a valid driver's license, working motorcycle and cannot be a child molester or have applied to become a police officer or prison guard. Who is this group, incorporated in the US and Canada that sued Disney in 2007 for using its logo in Wild Hogs?

7) No television personality of the 1950s enjoyed more clout or fame than he until an on-camera incident undermined his folksy image - he helmed two CBS-TV weekly series and a daily mid-morning show through most of that decade. He found that one way to enhance his pitches was to poke fun at the sponsors and it grew the sales. His immense popularity and the trust placed in him by audiences was noticed not just by advertisers but by his friend U.S. President Dwight Eisenhower, who asked him to record a number of public service announcements to be played on American television in the case of nuclear war. Luckily we never had to hear them. He was against racism, pro-environment, the first man to ever make the cover of Cosmopolitan magazine-Who was the man who acted as inspiration for A Face In The Crowd?

8) His father was an illustrator of Mad Magazine and Weird Science. His primary residence is a hexagonal, shed style mansion- with such things as hallways resembling mine shafts, a collection of vintage wheelchairs, secret passages, a torture chamber, and a huge cast-iron steam engine which once belonged to Henry Ford built into the house which he had converted into kinetic sculpture. He is well down the road in the development of a new bike that combines electric power and a radical generator which will allow it to burn almost any fuel. Who is this man head of Deka, and known for inventing the Segway human transport? he is about to unveil a car that also will burn on any fuel..

9) Not that it's particularly likely, but as long as nuclear bombs exist, there's the chance - however slim - that one might go off somewhere near you. This little Google Maps overlay might be a bit morbid, but it's also pretty fascinating. It shows you the heat, pressure and fallout spread of a range of different nuclear bombs detonating anywhere in the world. This map shows the damage caused by a nuclear explosion.
Search for a place, pick a weapon and press "Nuke It!" For the fallout map, it assumes a light breeze over about 6 hours. What is it called?

10)A tamper-proof control that allows the setting and enforcement of time limits to game playing, simply by plugging the games unit into a timer. “Just 10 minutes more” and “when I’ve get to the next level…” are familiar refrains, often causing friction and arguments. Especially when your child wants their dinner. An ESA study also stated that 49 percent of those playing games are aged between 18 and 49 years of age and 26 percent are over 50, which suggests that the game timer may also work just as well on partners and spouses. With 40 percent of today's gamers being female, it's just as likely to be girlfriends and wives. Which company has made the GameDr Video Game Timer?

Thursday 25 June 2009

The 1st Question 55 - 23 Jun 09

Quotes

Books are men of higher stature; the only men that speak aloud for future times to hear.
Garson Kanin

Knowledge of what is possible is the beginning of happiness.
George Santayana

Dramshackled: Held back by ennui; "His dull life left him dramshackled.”
Word-UP winner - Dusan Writer

Questions

For the answers go to The 1st Question blog at treet.tv

1) Repliee R-1 is a robot child created by roboticists at Osaka University. Based on a five-year-old girl; her lifelike silicone skin, 50 sensors and lots of motors allow her to come close to human. If you think Repliee is a bit creepy, you're not alone. Japanese roboticist Masahiro Mori remarked in 1970 that, as robots become more humanlike in appearance, people will respond more positively. However, a point will be reached where people will be strongly repulsed; acceptance will fall. What is this area called where things that are too real are perceived as repulsive?

2) A non-typical galaxy, known as a ring galaxy, it has interested amateur astronomers as much as its uncommon structure has fascinated professionals. The galaxy is named after the man who discovered it in 1950 and identified it as either a planetary nebula or a peculiar galaxy with 8 billion stars. A nearly perfect ring of young hot blue stars circle the older yellow nucleus of this ring galaxy ~600 million light-years away in the constellation Serpens. What is it?

3) Nicknamed Parisot, he was born into a noble French family. In 1541 he was captured and made a galley slave by Barbary pirates. He became a Grand master of the Knights Hospitaller, commanding the resistance against the Ottomans at the Great Siege. His fortification soon became the home port of one of the Mediterranean's most powerful navies and the island's hospitals were the finest in the world The Church of St. John the Baptist, boasted works by Caravaggio and others. who was this Great Knight of Malta, legend of the seas and more?

4) This product from Contech is a novel way to keep in touch your dog or cat while you’re out of the house. The bowl allows you to record a personal message for your pet and plays it back to them whenever they approach the bowl. The design incorporates a removable electronic "Talkbox" for recording messages and a photoelectric cell which detects changes in light when your pet approaches triggering playback. What is this called?

5) This describes the observation in physical cosmology that the velocity at which various galaxies are receding from the earth is proportional to their distance from us. The law was first formulated in 1929 after nearly a decade of observations. It is considered the basis for the expanding space paradigm and today serves as one of the pieces of evidence most often cited in support of the Big Bang model. What is this law we all must obey?

6) Seemingly straight out of Q’s arsenal this features a full color 1.8-inch LCD screen as well as a voice recorder and tiny camera that can record video and take photos. A mini-USB port is used to transfer files to and from the device, which supports MP3, and JPG multimedia formats and has a memory capacity of 4GB. The rechargeable battery provides roughly 8 hours of audio playback, what is it?

7) In quantum physics this states that certain pairs of physical properties, like position and momentum, cannot both be known. That is, the more precisely one property is known, the less precisely the other can be known. The more precise the position, the less precise the momentum, and vice versa. What is this principle called?

8) It efficiently transfers human pedal power to drive wheels enclosed within a monorail track. The designer describes it as a high efficiency, no emission urban transport system. It is part of the Race thru Space adventure park ride in world famous Agrodome in New Zealand, and could come to a city near you. What is this person powered bicycle monorail called?

9) This story has died in the US-but it’s a tale worth telling- Two men are detained in Italy after allegedly attempting to take $134 billion worth of US treasury bonds over the border into Switzerland. Details are maddeningly sketchy and this is news- only 3 nations could move that amount of debt one of them the US of course, one of the others is china, In the absence of clear explanations coming from the Treasury, conspiracy theories are filling the void. What was in their suitcase makes them the 4th largest holders of US government debt in the world. What is the third country which could have this much US treasury debt, and also the nationality of these two men??

10) Researchers at the University of Central Florida have engineered nanoparticles that can target and destroy cancerous cells, delivering a drug directly to a tumor without harming healthy cells. Research into nanoparticles for cancer treatment has shown increasing promise in recent years. Loaded with a cancer fighting drug called Taxol, which were then “clicked” together with folic acid molecules, cancer cells like to consume them in large amounts. If treatment is successful what could this mean the end of for cancer patients?

11) The Wikimedia Foundation plans to launch an editable, video encyclopedia to complement its text-based online encyclopedia. . The aim is to revolutionize the existing site by allowing open-source video to be accessible to the general public. In the future, users may also be able to be import video content directly from the web. At first, the videos will be sourced from three repositories: the Internet Archive; Wikimedia Commons, and where else?

12) This company claims to have come up with a quick and easy solution for the legions of stressed out workers who are missing out on meals because they are tied to their desks. A portable microwave oven called the Beanzawave with miniature dimensions and it’s power provided by connecting it to a USB port on a desktop PC or laptop. This offers numerous scenarios for enjoying hot meals on the go. What company developed the Beanzawave to make sure workers didn’t skip meals?

13) Ever wished you were a 7-foot tall semi-centaur with the body of a human and a horse's legs? Seattle-based fantasy artist Kim Graham has come up with a killer Halloween costume that makes you 14 inches taller and gives you uncanny-looking equine legs and spring-loaded cloven hooves. The effect is quite amazing, and even a bit sexy. A set of legs like these can be yours for under USD$1000. What are they called?

14)He is an English computer game designer and game programmer. He is responsible for well known God games Dungeon Keeper, Populous, and Black & White, among others, as well as Theme Park and Fable . His Lionhead Studios, bought by Microsoft is behind Project Natal which is the code name for "controller-free gaming on the Xbox 360. It enables interaction without the need to touch anything using voice recognition and body movements. .Anyone who saw the Milo & Kate video and was wowed will certainly be looking forward to it – Who announced and is the legend behind it?

15) The launch of the European Space Agency’s mission, on May 6, put into orbit a new tool —the microwave equivalent of polarized sunglasses — that may offer a view of the dawn of time. Before the first galaxies, before the first stars, there was light —the brilliant glow of radiation created during the Big Bang, 13.7 billion years ago. Instruments on this craft will explore this radiation in exquisite and unprecedented detail. The mission is named after a great Nobel Prize winning physicist – what is it called?

16) Tree shaping, known under a variety of names, is the art and technique of growing and shaping trunks, branches and roots of trees and other woody plants. By grafting, shaping, and pruning or guiding branches, trees are made to grow into ornamental or useful shapes. A method of tree shaping was developed by artists Peter Cook and Becky Northey. They have made chairs, figures and even mirrors. They called their work by this name- what is it?

17) This hydrogen-powered two-seater capable of 50mph and traveling more than 200 miles without refueling, was unveiled in London this week. Listen to this alternative business model driven by five fairly uncompromising principles: design a new kind of car; make its design and development completely open source; don't sell cars, but lease them; distribute manufacturing to small, local factories; and enable broader and more participatory ownership. The car is just 772lbs and produces greenhouse gas emissions 33% less than the latest hybrid cars. What is the name of this car with Wikipedia-like open collaboration?

18) This tag game often played in a swimming pool where the players have to seek out others using sound not sight. This has inspired robots who study changes in the sensory output of their targets, and use the information to predict where their targets are likely to go. So far, it has allowed robots to apprehend targets moving in a straight line at a constant speed, but researchers hope they can get the robots to compensate for evasive action. What game of tag is this named after?

19) Universalis Cosmographia, is a wall map of the world drawn by a German cartographer originally published in 1507. It was one of the first maps to chart latitude and longitude precisely, following the example of Ptolemy, and was the first map to use the name "America". The map depicts North and South America as two large continents. . The name "America" is placed on South America, this being the first map known to use this name. As explained the name was bestowed in honor of Amerigo Vespucci. What is this map which was bought for 10 million dollars by the Library of Congress?

Thursday 4 June 2009

The 1st Question 53 - 2 Jun 09

Thanks to Jasmine Night for her Word-UP “Phonesia" which means when you pick up the phone to make a call and you have forgotten who you have dialed!

Quotes

Believe that life is worth living and your belief will help create the fact.
William James

Life does not cease to be funny when people die any more than it ceases to be serious when people laugh.
George Bernard Shaw

I used to be a heavy gambler. But now I just make mental bets. That's how I lost my mind.
Steve Allen

Questions

For the answers go to The 1st Question blog at treet.tv

1) Professor Peter Davis instilled discipline in and provided musical training to this otherwise self-taught man. Eventually making him a band leader. His Home band played around New Orleans and this thirteen year old musical genius began to draw attention by his cornet playing, starting him on a musical career. He left New Orleans in 1922, joining the exodus to Chicago, where he had been invited by his mentor, Joe "King" Oliver, to join his Creole Jazz Band and where he could make a sufficient income so that he no longer needed to supplement his music with day labor jobs. It was a boom time in Chicago. Who was this great coronet player?

2) In the MMORPG Tabula Rasa, it refers to a mysterious power. However in Ancient Greece, Aristotle defined this as argument from reason, one of the three modes of persuasion. The other two modes are pathos persuasion by means of emotional appeal, and ethos, persuasion through convincing listeners of one's moral competence. An argument based on this third mode implies numbers, polls, and other mathematical or scientific data. It was also the name of a ship in The Matrix. What word is this?

3) A 360-degree spherical panorama of a beach in Saint Martin, from 9 images which uses stereographic projection to create a globe is called the "little planet" effect. In geometry, this projection is a particular mapping function that put a sphere onto a plane, with some inevitable compromises.
In practice, the projection is carried out by computer or by hand using a special kind of graph paper. What is this paper called?

4) He first became corporate lawyer for the railroad company but His next move was to "cross the tracks," and represent Eugene V. Debs. However He was indicted later on in his career on bribery charges and labor unions dropped him from their list. He devoted himself to opposing the death penalty, which he felt to be in conflict with humanitarian progress. In one of his last trials, he gave a 'Speech that Changed the World' given the name 'I Believe in the Law of Love'. He is, best known for defending teenage thrill killers Leopold and Loeb and defending John T. Scopes, (the Scopes trial resulted in a $100 fine.) Who was this “sophisticated country lawyer", and civil libertarian?.

5) “They were the inevitable end product of that striving for realism which began when men started to reproduce moving images and to record sounds, and then to use these techniques to enact scenes from real or imaginary life. In the sagas
The entranced spectator was cut off from reality as long as the adventure lasted; it was as if he lived a dream yet believed he was awake.” This came from The City and the Stars, it is a very early reference to Virtual reality by this famous science fiction writer-Who proposed satellite communication systems in 1945 and retired to Sri Lanka to pursue a passion for scuba diving?

6) The Voice Interactive Alarm Clock lets you set the time and alarm with voice commands alone. This clever clock will respond to verbal queries like "What time is it?" it is the first alarm clock that is voice responsive. Responding to a total of 12 commands. It will appeal to all people that want to interact with their alarm clock. The IVR Alarm Clock is continuously screening conversations, waiting for the user to initiate by saying, “Hello Moshi. " What is country is the clock from?

7) In philosophy, it is an element used in a variety of thought experiments intended to draw out certain features of our ideas of knowledge, reality, truth, mind, and meaning. It is drawn from the idea, common to many science fiction stories, that a mad scientist might remove a person's brain from the body, suspend it in life-sustaining liquid, and connect its neurons by wires to a supercomputer which would provide it with electrical impulses. The person with the "disembodied" brain would continue to have perfectly normal conscious experiences without these being related to objects or events in the real world. What is this called?

8) It is a new service just introduced minutes ago and is a tool that combines email and messaging, keeping track of conversations. It has a feature that allows you to bring in new users immediately. The entire conversation, or portions thereof, can be placed immediately into you blog as well. They showed four people simultaneously editing a document; pretty cool stuff. It also handles different languages in the same document, for those global multilingual conversations. An early read the Joymaker device from the 1965 novel The Age of the Pussyfoot, also offered strong collaborative features. What is this new service from Google they will introduce in the fall called?

9) He was the youngest of ten children and went to Transylvania University at Lexington, Kentucky, in 1821.he served as a U.S. Senator from Mississippi. As a senator he argued against secession but believed each state was sovereign and had an unquestionable right to it. When offered him a Federal commission as a brigadier general, He declined the appointment, arguing that the United States Constitution gives the power of appointing militia officers to the states, and not to the Federal government. Yet he urged the preservation of the Union. Though he resisted demands to secede, he was elected, never completing his term of President Who was the man who did complete A Short History of the Confederate States of America?

10) It is a toy-like biomorphic robot preprogrammed with moves; it also can be controlled by an infrared remote control included with the toy, or by a personal computer, or an infrared transmitter-. Mark Tilden designed it to be easily modified or hacked. A growing community of hackers has devoted themselves to adding new functionality to the robot. Some hacks have added a live video camera, others an LED belt that displays text, headlights, a coil gun, speech synthesis, a "flamethrower" (a small torch) and Homer Simpson. What is this toy from WowWee?

11) Your dream of taking a ride into space just took a big step forward with Virgin Galactic announcing the completion of phase one testing on the rocket motor that will propel SpaceShipTwo into suborbital space. The innovative rocket motor uses the largest hybrid Nitrous Oxide system of its kind in the world to achieve speeds over 2,500 mph and send amateur astronauts to heights over 65 miles above the Earth. Although the first space tourists will be shelling out a pretty penny (read US$200,000) for the right to be one of the first to take a commercial trip into space, they may be funding the next generation of high-speed international flights. SpaceShipTwo will be launched from the Virgin MotherShip or VMS What ?

12) Here the scenery is brought inside the home, or table, to be precise. Creating a very distinct ambience, this table is designed to defuse stress and create a peaceful, relaxed environment. It does this by running a river of water across the desk, under a glass top, and there’s even a sort of mini rapids effect so the water swishes on the pebbles. Claimed to be able to calm any room, what is the name of this table?
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