Thursday, December 31, 2015

31 Dec, 2015: Day 21

Question 1:
Which virtue do Socrates and Thrasymachus try to define in Book I of The Republic? Answer: justice.


Socrates's main argument with throughout this section of The Republic is on virtue and shortcomings of justice. This is not as hard as it seems. It just requires a little bit of reading and patients. Plug into the search field Socrates Thrasymachus virtue Republic for the answer. Read carefully through the search results.

Question 2:
What explosion in the upper solar atmosphere releases about as much energy as millions of 100-megaton hydrogen bombs exploding simultaneously? Answer: Solar flares.


Please see Day 12 for the explanation.

Question 3:
What does the name given to the Aldabra giant tortoise, considered one of the longest-living animals on record at the time of his death, mean in English? Answer: One and Only.


Please see Day 11 for the explanation.

Wednesday, December 30, 2015

30 Dec, 2015: Day 20

Question 1:
In the Ke$ha hit song in which she uses the word "love" twelve times in the refrain, what does she say she likes in the very last line? Answer: your beard.


I never heard of her, but I live in a basement, like a true geek. Try Ke$ha song love lyrics. The song referenced has "love" in it so much it should be the first result on page. Look at the refrain to confirm then look at the end of the song for the answer.

Question 2:
Who is the narrator of Conrad's novel that involves a boat trip up the Congo River to Inner Station? Answer: Marlow.


For those who didn't see Apocalypse Now and fell asleep in English class, the book is Heart of Darkness. Let's find it: try Conrad Congo fiction. One of those search results should be the Wikipedia page on Heart of Darkness. Read the plot summary for the answer.

Question 3:
What is the binomial name of the horsefly species that’s golden backside inspired a 24-year old researcher to name it after a pop star in January 2012? Answer: Scaptia beyonceae.


Start by inputting horsefly species 2012. Why so simple? One, it not like they find multiple species of horseflies every year. Two, any species named after a musical artist whose famous work is Bootylicious is bound to rate high in results.

Tuesday, December 29, 2015

29 Dec, 2015: Day 19

Question 1:
The south end of what footbridge is very near the famous theater where Ann Hathaway's husband staged his plays? Answer: Millennium Bridge.


Please see Day 6 for the explanation.

Question 2:
What traffic circle with a "square" name is located just south of the site where the author lived while writing "The Seven Pillars"? Answer: Smith Square.


First we have find the author of "The Seven Pillars" Take "The Seven Pillars" and place it in the search field. The output is the soldier, scholar and adventurer T.E. Lawrence. One of those search results should be his Wikipedia page. You want to go there to get the rest of the information.

What Google was leaving out was that T.E. Lawrence lived in two places while writing The Seven Pillars of Wisdom. Around the time he wrote his experiences of World War I he received a research fellowship at All Souls College, Oxford University. He also stayed at 14 Barton Street, London SW. You have to check out both places. Both locations were gleaned from looking at his Wikipedia page.

Take All Souls College, Oxford and 14 Barton Street, London and place them individually into Google Maps' search field. Once you have a pen on the location pull the zoom out. You'll eventually come across a square that's really an expansive traffic circle.

Question 3:
What is the name of the older sister of the actor who won a Tony for his part in Neil Simon's Broadway hit that earned Simon a Pulitzer that same year? Answer: Julie.


Look up Neil Simon's Wikipedia entry. Once there look at awards. In 1991 he won the Pulitzer Prize for his work Lost in Yonkers. Now since we have the title place it into Google with the theatrical award: Lost in Yonkers Tony Awards. Look for articles describing who won the awards that year. The featured actor award for that year went to Kevin Spacey. Look up Kevin Spacey's Wikipedia entry. Looking at his early life he's the youngest of three children, the two older siblings are Julie and Randy.

Monday, December 28, 2015

28 Dec, 2015: Day 18

Editor's note: I already knew the answers to these questions. Two of the questions I knew because I grew up during that time. The last because I read The Prize : the epic quest for oil, money, and power. But the reason you're reading this is to get help in finding your own answers, right?

Question 1:
What was the more popular name for the Strategic Defense Initiative? Answer: Star Wars.


Type into the search field Strategic Defense Initiative other names and various page results come up on what is now known as Missile Defense Agency.

Question 2:
The Challenger mission that carried the first African-American into space deployed a multipurpose satellite for what country? Answer: India.


Type African-American astronaut Challenger in the search field, which will give you Guion "Guy" Bluford, who flew on STS-8. Replace the previous search query with sts-8 satellite to get the information of Challenger's payload, which included INSAT-1B.

Question 3:
What New England industry quickly collapsed with the discovery of oil in Pennsylvania? Answer: Whaling.


Using before petroleum was used in our search tells us that necessity is truly the mother of invention. "Rock oil" was a substitution product. Some say it worked wonderfully, others gripe a bit too well.

Sunday, December 27, 2015

27 Dec, 2015: Day 17

Question 1:
What is the name of the movie by Amy Heckerling that is based on a classic novel about the perils of misconstrued romance? Answer: Clueless.


Type amy heckerling movie based on classic novel into the search field will get page results on that remake of Jane Austin's novel.

Question 2:
In January 2012, a west coast newspaper reported what movie to deal in "illicit fun, not substance"? Answer: Contraband.


Take the quote "illicit fun, not substance" with quotations and place it into the search field. You'll see an article-like literature review of Mark Wahlberg's film. The critics mostly panned the movie.

Question 3:
What Chinese territory continued its common law system, even after it reverted to Chinese rule in 1997? Answer: Hong Kong.


Look at Day 13's post.

Saturday, December 26, 2015

26 Dec, 2015: Day 16

Question 1:
What is the most famous design in Rome by the architect credited with introducing High Renaissance style to the city? Answer: St. Peter's Basilica.


I must emphasize that Google is asking for the most famous design by the architect credited for introducing high Renaissance style to Rome. This is a two-part question. One, who is the architect that brought high Renaissance designed to Rome? Two, what was his masterpiece? Depending on how you phrase the question you could probably answer them both. Typing high renaissance architecture rome" into the search field will get you answer. Hint: look for Donato Bramante, who designed the Tempietto di San Pietro in Montorio.

Question 2:
What notable river was close by the campaign in which Lee defeated the much larger army led by Major General Joseph Hooker? Answer: Potomac.


Look up Robert Lee Joseph Hooker Civil War. On the first page of results you will have pages referring to the Battle of Chancellorsville. Take any web mapping service and find the Chancellorsville battlefield(for the neophytes that it is located in Spotsylvania County, Virginia). Expand out to you see a prominent river.

Question 3:
In "Eats, Shoots and Leaves", what analogy does the author say that grammarians use for the relationship of punctuation to words? Answer: stitching.


Apparently I'm not the only one looking for the answer to this question. The search parameters are not completely mine. Typing Eats Shoots and Leaves analogy basting(basting is a type of tack to be removed at a later time) will get page results that sufficient to answer this question.

Friday, December 25, 2015

25 Dec, 2015: Day 15

Question 1:
What year was the term that refers to the four-year period between Olympic Games first used? Answer: 1896.


For clarification, Google is asking for the modern Olympics, not the ancient Olympics. it would help to know what the four year span between Games is called. That way you can find out when it was first used, historically and contemporarily. four-year period between "Olympic Games" will get the answer Olympiad. Looking further into the results one runs across the first modern Olympics, which was held in Athens, Greece.

Question 2:
In the Roger Federer biography, "Quest for Perfection", the author describes her first meeting with Federer in what year? Answer: 1996.


Look up rené stauffer roger federer meeting. On the first page of results Google have a list of results that described a meeting between the author and the tennis phenom. One of those sports articles has the age of Federer at the time the meeting and the byline date. You can extrapolate the year they met from that information.

Question 3:
What former Baltimore Colt inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1968, published an autobiography in 1987? Answer: Art Donovan.


FYI: I use Wikipedia to crack this question. First, look up the list of players in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Next, you want to find all the inductees for 1968(there are seven). I looked at every single Wikipedia entry for a player who wrote a book in 1987. Hint: Fatso is the title of the book.

Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night!

Thursday, December 24, 2015

24 Dec, 2015: Day 14

Question 1:
Who was the principle author of the law that was intended to amend the National Labor Relations Act? Answer: J. Mack Swigert.


For those not familiar with how Congress works a bill is seldom written by the representative or senator that sponsors it. A lot of times bills are written by staffers, a few times by lobbyists. You would need to first look up information on the National Labor Relations Act and amendments. "National Labor Relations Act" amendment will get you the Labor Management Relations Act. It's not easy to see, but this part is on several results of the first page. Insert "Labor Management Relations Act" author into the search field to finalize the search. In this instance it was written by a former colleague of Sen. Taft.

Question 2:
Of the Romans "group of three" gods in the Archaic Triad, which one did not have a Greek counterpart? Answer: Quirinus.


Look up Archaic Triad. Google will tell you the three gods with in this triad are Jupiter, Mars and Quirinus. For those unfamiliar with Greco-Roman mythology you can use Google to quickly give a complimentary Greek deities. Using the Roman goddess Venus for example, type Venus Greek mythology. On that first page of results you'll find out the Greek counterpoint to Venus is Aphrodite. You can do the same for the Archaic Triad.

Question 3:
In what Broadway musical did the wife of the star of "Ferris Bueller" have the lead role for one year, beginning in 1979? Answer: Annie.


Start by looking up "Ferris Bueller". Google will respond by telling you the full name of the film, Ferris Bueller's Day Off. On the first page you'll see the IMDb page for this movie, which includes the actor who plays the character Ferris Bueller, Matthew Broderick. His Wikipedia page cites that he's married to Sarah Jessica Parker of Sex and The City fame Sarah Jessica Parker Broadway should give you a page of results leading to the answer.

Wednesday, December 23, 2015

23 Dec, 2015: Day 13

Question 1:
What British Queen watched and promoted a lacrosse game in 1867? Answer: Victoria.


There was only one British Queen in the 19th century, just like there's one British Queen in the 20th. Insert Britain queen 19th century into the search field to quickly come up with the answer, which is on the first page of search results. No digging required.

Question 2:
The actor who played handyman George on "Facts of Life" earned a 2012 Oscar nomination. What state is the setting for the movie that earned this actor the nomination? Answer: Hawaii.


First, look up George "Facts of Life". You will get the actor George Clooney. Type in the search field "George Clooney" 2012 Oscar nomination. On that first page of results is his IMDb page of awards. For the 2012 Academy Awards there are two films. The Ides of March which takes place in Ohio, nominated for Best Writing, Adapted Screenplay. A film set in Hawaii called The Descendants, nominated for Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role.

Question 3:
What Chinese territory continued its common law system, even after it reverted to Chinese rule in 1997? Answer: Hong Kong.


The big news in China for 1997 was the handover of Hong Kong from Britain to China. Insert China 1997 into the search field to come up with the answer. There is a link at the bottom concerning a financial crisis going on there, but the page is dominated by the territorial exchange.

Tuesday, December 22, 2015

22 Dec, 2015: Day 12

Question 1:
What tactics did Germany use in France, forcing a desperate British withdrawal at Dunkirk? Answer: blitzkrieg.


Most people heard of blitzkrieg in relation to the early days of World War 2, but not knowing it was part of the shock and awe inflicted on the British that lead to the evacuation at Dunkirk. Insert Dunkirk German tactics into the search field. It's not visable on the first page of results, but it's there.

Question 2:
What new malware hacked 45,000 Facebook accounts early in January 2012? Answer: Ramnit.


Search for malware hacked Facebook January 2012. You will see in the first page of search results the name of the computer worm.

Question 3:
What explosion in the upper solar atmosphere releases about as much energy as millions of 100-megaton hydrogen bombs exploding simultaneously? Answer: Solar flares.


Type explosion upper solar atmosphere into the search field. A number of results on the first page name solar flares.

Monday, December 21, 2015

21 Dec, 2015: Day 11

Question 1:
A few weeks after the birth of Michelangelo, his family returned to an Italian city that is the capital of the what region? Answer: Tuscany.


biography Michelangelo will state how and when Michelangelo's family returned to Florence. From there is a simple search to find out that Florence is the government seat of Tuscany.

Question 2:
What is the name of the German scientist whose law says that the affliction known as the "Royal Disease" is carried by women, but affects only men? Answer: Christian Friedrich Nasse.


Type german scientist royal disease law and you will see a result from Dartmouth College Undergraduate Journal of Science leading in with Prince Leopold, Duke of Albany and his condition.

Question 3:
What does the name given to the Aldabra giant tortoise, considered one of the longest-living animals on record at the time of his death, mean in English? Answer: One and Only.


This is tricky, ambiguous because they are referring to a particular tortoise. The only way out of this is to brute force your way into a solution. Try aldabra giant tortoise longest living deaths and start inserting names.

Sunday, December 20, 2015

20 Dec, 2015: Day 10

Note: I went out to the movies last night with some friends and I didn't return home until 3 A.M. EDT. The only puzzle I was thinking about at that time was a shower and bed. Will have the search guides up around the same time as the next post.

Question 1:
What element on the periodic table is named after the European capital where it was discovered in 1923? Answer: Hafnium.


This is very easy. Type element discovered 1923 into the search field. You will see a Wikipedia entry on the element.

Question 2:
Who was appointed to the High Court of Australia on the same day that the first woman was appointed to that bench? Answer: John Toohey.


Type first woman appointed "High Court of Australia" into the search field. You will see a Wikipedia entry Mary Gaudron (which you will need) and list of judges of the High Court of Australia in order. Follow down to her name.

Question 3:
The creator of the first fantasy baseball league draft kept track of the players by hand and pulled statistics from what sports magazine? Answer: The Sporting News.


This is a hard one, the creator was a sports writer and that will throw off your searches. First find the creator of fantasy baseball. Next type "daniel okrent" fantasy baseball statistics magazine into the search field. You will see a result from a blogger with the information.

Saturday, December 19, 2015

19 Dec, 2015: Day 9

Question 1:
Richard Petty Motorsports created a team for Michael Annett to compete in the 2012 Nationwide Championship, with what chain of truck stops sponsoring his car? Answer: Pilot Flying J.


Insert Michael Annett 2012 sponsor into the search field. A number of results on the first page have the sponsor listed.

Question 2:
Which landmark pictured on Segovia’s coat of arms is believed by local legend to have been built by the devil? Answer: aqueduct.


There are several ways to solve this. The easiest way is to look at Segovia’s coat of arms. Type Segovia coat of arms into the search field. If you want to make sure it is the aqueduct, or you're just in doubt, Segovia coat of arms landmark devil.

Question 3:
According to the Australian government, the state that has the longest border equals what percent of the country's total border length? Answer: (unable to solve)


The solution could be rather troublesome. For example do they mean the internal borders, or the demarcation on the shoreline? Is that also include the islands? That's what I mean by being troublesome. FYI: math was never my strong suit.

Friday, December 18, 2015

18 Dec, 2015: Day 8

Question 1:
What industry is the primary user of perchloroethylene, a chemical that researchers at Boston University have linked to mental illness, like bipolar disorder? Answer: dry cleaners.


Full disclosure: my cousin ran a dry cleaner for number of years and I wrote a paper describing an alternate use of PERC. For the uninitiated, perchloroethylene uses is a quick way of resolving the question. FYI, it's known as tetrachloroethylene or tetrachloroethene, depending on what bottle you are reaching for.

Question 2:
What Frankish ruler is associated with the Carolingian Renaissance? Answer: Charlemagne.


It's hard not to remember a ruler who was crowned Emperor of the Romans by the Pope on Christmas Day, 800 C.E. but I paid attention in world history class, I'm a geek like that. Getting to the information just as fast just type Carolingian Renaissance into the search field. You have to do some digging, but the answer is contained on one of the results on the first page.

Question 3:
Whose likeness reportedly served as the artist's inspiration for the figure of Plato in "The School of Athens"? Answer: Leonardo da Vinci.


This is one of several paintings they teach in art school, this painted by the master Raphael. If you look up this painting in Wikipedia you'll come up with the same answer.

Thursday, December 17, 2015

17 Dec, 2015: Day 7

Question 1:
Who presented Tonga's royal family with the animal that, when he died, was believed to be one of the longest-living animals on record? Answer: Captain James Cook.


oldest tortoise tonga will direct you straight to several pages describing the radiated tortoise and the gentleman who brought it to Tonga's royal family as a gift.

Question 2:
In season eight of "House", in the first episode after the holiday break, Foreman has to make a decision on whether or not to remove what device? Answer: ankle monitor.


This was a Wikipedia hack. I looked up a page that had a list of the television episodes for the series. Every episode had a plot description.

Question 3:
What Swedish taxonomist created binomial nomenclature? Answer: Carolus Linnaeus.


The fastest way to figure this out is inserting in the search bar: binomial nomenclature creator. You will have to play around with the name, so be sure to use LC Name Authority File for optional names. \(*_*)/

Wednesday, December 16, 2015

16 Dec, 2015: Day 6

Question 1:
The south end of what footbridge is very near the famous theater where Ann Hathaway's husband staged his plays? Answer: Millennium Bridge.


After looking up Adam Shulman on a variety of sites I asked for a hint and threw a Hail Mary for the answer. I tried to find a link between a Millennium Bridge and Adam Shulman by looking first for sources on American built versions. Found two, on in Chicago and the other in Denver. Both not near theatres.

Question 2:
Stewart-Haas Racing made an agreement with Tommy Baldwin Racing that guaranteed what female driver a spot in the 2012 Sprint Cup Opener? Answer: Danica Patrick.


"Stewart-Haas Racing" "Tommy Baldwin Racing" 2012 Sprint Cup. Look at one of the racing teams web sites that was on the first page for a press release to announce Ms. Patrick.

Question 3:
What series of four bills was signed into law by John Adams to squash the activities of radicals who sympathized with the French Revolution? Answer: Alien and Sedition Acts.


"John Adams" French Revolution four laws lead to a few sites that referred to the Acts. All relevant information was on the first page.

Tuesday, December 15, 2015

15 Dec, 2015: Day 5

Question 1:
The north end of what footbridge is very near the magnificent baroque cathedral that is famous for the dome added by restorer Christopher Wren? Answer: Millennium Bridge.


baroque cathedral and Christopher Wren. That will get St. Paul's Cathedral in the City of London. Replace the previous search with St. Paul Cathedral footbridge. Several articles on the Millennium Bridge.

Question 2:
What is the birth name of the man interviewed by the chairman and CEO of OWN in the debut episode of "Next Chapter?”  Answer: Steven Victor Tallarico.

OWN is the Oprah Winfrey Network, operated by Oprah Winfrey. Her television show was called Next Chapter. next chapter oprah debut is which you want to put in the search field. In oprah.com there is an article describing her show's premiere with Aerosmith's Steven Tyler. That was considered the wrong answer, though I double checked it using the Library of Congress. Under LC Name Authority File rules his stage name supersedes his legal one(like Mark Twain supersedes Samuel Clemens), but Google was being an asshole. I had asked for the first letters on this one, went to Wikipedia to answer the rest. 

Question 3:
The youngest child of Amasa Coleman Lee based a book character on which of her childhood friends? Answer: Truman Capote.


Amasa Coleman Lee was the father of author Harper Lee. harper lee mockingbird friend based and the fourth result from biography.com yields the name Truman Capote.
 

Monday, December 14, 2015

14 Dec, 2015: Day 4

Question 1:
In 1972 the wrath of Hurricane Agnes resulted in the evacuation of a Pennsylvania town due to the rising water of what river? Answer: Susquehanna.

Hurricane Agnes Pennsylvania river gives many results, some on the first page describing the Susquehanna River rising near a record 41 feet.

Question 2:
What modern dance company was founded by the co-director of the musical that premiered January 5, 1964, at New York City's Sanctuary Theatre? Answer: Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater.


January 5, 1964 Sanctuary Theatre yields Jerico-Jim Crow. Replace previous search with Jerico-Jim Crow 1964 Sanctuary Theatre playbill. Click Images to see a scan of the playbill. One of the co-directors is the black choreographer Alvin Ailey. Having your settings set for Google Instant predictions helps, one space after Alvin Ailey coughs up a bunch of options, one of them being the dance company he founded.

Question 3:
What was the name of the pet that often traveled with the artist of "Tuna Fishing"? Answer: Babou.


"Tuna Fishing" artwork yields a Wikipedia entry on Salvador Dali's painting called Tuna Fishing. Replace the previous search with salvador dali pet name. A Telegraph news article on things I didn't know about Salvador Dali, including the name of his pet ocelot.

Sunday, December 13, 2015

13 Dec, 2015: Day 3

Question 1:
What star in the Milky Way passes all five tests scientists require for it to be a candidate for extraterrestrial life? Answer: Alpha Centauri A.


After inputting 5 tests life on planet star and getting Tau Ceti, I tried 5 tests life on star "Milky Way". One of the first pages was from Lawrence Berkeley National Labs with the correct answer.

Question 2:
Who played, Delores, the girlfriend of the eponymous lead character in the mostly-true Tim Burton film about the legendary director of notoriously bad movies? Answer: Sarah Jessica Parker.


Okay this one was easy because I was a mass media minor in college and Ed Wood was covered in the first day's class of film history(he was also extra credit for an exam).What if you didn't know Ed Wood or seen the film?  Try character Delores "Tim Burton". The first page is IMDb about the 1994 film Ed Wood. Look in the list of characters for Dolores Fuller.

Question 3:
In a famous King Crimson debut album cover, the character's terrified eyes are looking down towards what side of his body? Answer: Right.


Using Google Image, king crimson covers. Plenty of images that match that description, I used the image from English Wikipedia.

Saturday, December 12, 2015

12 Dec, 2015: Day 2

Question 1:
What award was won by the actor who played the title role of the musical that premiered in 1986 at the theater located at 57 Haymarket, London SW1Y? Answer: Oliver Award.


Start with the address, 57 Haymarket London SW1Y. That will get you Her Majesty's Theatre in the West End. Replace with award 1986 Her Majesty's Theatre in the search field and you will find the answer. The actor who won the award was Michael Crawford for The Phantom of the Opera.

Question 2:
What two northernmost territories of India lie 1,100 km southeast of Calcutta? (In alphabetical order)  Answer: Andaman and Nicobar Islands.


This was tricky and I only solved it by plugging in every territory south of  Kolkata before I realized I was going the wrong direction. Once you get a good idea how far from Kolkata is 1100 km, look for a territories map instead. I was looking southwest, on the subcontinent. Southeast was in the Indian Ocean. And there is only one territory out that far in that direction.

Question 3:
What 2011 updated book on the NHL includes 30 interactive facsimiles of memorabilia creatively inserted into the pages? Answer: The Official NHL Hockey Treasures.


Search for book NHL 2011 memorabilia. There are a few items that pop up, but this is the first.
*** 
My question, related to Question 1. 
A porn star auditioned for the Juliet in a West End production of My Fair Lady. She didn't get the role, but she had a part in a 2007 movie starting a well known Canadian comedian. Who was the porn actress? Leave your answers below in the Comments.

Friday, December 11, 2015

11 Dec, 2015: Day 1

Question 1:
The renowned football, basketball and baseball player and coach who stated, "It is how you show up at the showdown that counts", was born in what southern state? Answer: Alabama.


Place the quote "It is how you show up at the showdown that counts" in the search bar. You will get a reply of Homer H. Norton. Find his Wikipedia page and you will see the state he was born in was Alabama.

Question 2:
Who, along with her daughter Caroline and others, stitched the original stars and stripes that inspired the words, that were put to music by John Stafford Smith? Answer: Mary Pickersgill.


Insert John Stafford Smith in search bar. On the page of results you'll see references to the Star-Spangled Banner. Go to Wikipedia and look up the song. "For the flag that flew over Fort McHenry, see Star-Spangled Banner (flag)," on the page for The Star-Spangled Banner. Look for history > design. The maker was Mary Young Pickersgill, and she had a daughter named Caroline. She helped her mother, who was commissioned by the commander of Fort McHenry, to make the flag.

Question 3:
Off what state route was the location of the Lakeview Oil Company gusher that resulted in the largest single oil spill in history? Answer: State Route 33.


Search for "Lakeview Oil Company". There was only one site, according to Wikipedia, on an article on the Lakeview Gusher. The company when bankrupt drilling the well. Wikipedia has the location of the well, a half-mile east of State Route 33.