LJ Daily Answers, 5 November 2004
Nov. 5th, 2004 12:36 am![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
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ljdqHappy Friday, Quizlings! And Happy Guy Fawkes Day to the British Quizlings amongst us. I hope you all had a wondrous week re-learning the nuances of the Electoral College & working on the arithmetic skills involved in adding up to 270. You may notice that most of today's commentary comes from CV. This is because AL, who is both more liberal & more politically involved than CV, has spent most of the week numbing her election-related sorrows with large doses of pudding & single-malt whisky. Although not at the same time.
"Never again will I be able to look at my old physics teacher and say 'I never used a single thing I learnt after leaving school' as he taught me the mneumonic 'Many Volcanoes Erupt Much Strawberry Jam Under Normal Pressure'." -![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
m31andy
Another popular mnemonic is "My Very Educated Mother Just Showed Us Nine Planets." And the nine planets of our solar system formed this week's theme. We hope we didn't overwhelm you with ten questions in one week, but we had to do it in order to get the most bang for our buck out of the theme.
1. Which element derives its symbol from the Greek word "hydrargyrum"?
"The element of surprise" -anna_sinistra
(Indeed, I think the Correct Answer is going to surprise many of our Quizlings. -AL)
"Hydrogen. How friggin hard a question is that? The question is practically in the question: HYDRArGyrum ... with an N at the end." -jelymo
"hydrogen. based purely on the very scientific discovery that both words begin with the letters "H-Y-D-R". and contain a G." -reblog
"because i think that i may have derived the theme of the quiz, i say plutonium. just looking at the word, though, i wanted to say hydrogen. i am torn!" -elpblonde
(Be torn no more. They're both wrong. Although plutonium was a good guess. -CV)
"I have no idea... is it some sort of flower?" -allieq
"it might be lilac" -marcyleecorgan
"Geranium" -doomgirl, seolta
(What's with all the flowers?!? The element "Flower" would have the symbol "WTF". -AL)
"The fifth one--namely, Leeloo." -silent_r_infork
"I don't know, but I now have a new favourite word. Best not to say it when feeling queasy though." -fuunsaiki
"Let's see, Hydra was a multi headed snake or something, right? And gyrum is like gyrate. So we have a gyrating, slithery, slippery snake and therefore the answer is clearly mercury." -marasca
(The logic here is ... not discernible. Next time, followgruyere's example. -AL)
"Hydrogen. I mean, duh. That's a pretty easy one. What were you expecting me to say, oxygen?
Oh, I'm just joshin'. The answer's gold ... right?
Of course, thinking of the theme, it must be Mercury. which makes no logical sense whatsoever. so, hereby, I renounce logic entirely!
*renounces logic*
Ooh, that feels gooooooood." -gruyere
"Okay, now I know you guys are just making shit up. That’s not even a word! Hydrgyrum ... it sounds like something a cat hacked up. They have an elemental symbol for hairballs??" -nihilistbear
"Gyronium, which is what the icky white 'sauce' in gyros is made from. Possibly radioactive, definitely disgusting." -bummerfly
"I could tell you that hydra (hudra) means water or liquid, from which also comes the name for hydrogen, and that argyrum (arguros) means silver, from which also comes the symbol for silver itself, Ag, but that would be pretentiously showing off my education, so I'll slink in to the corner and say: MERCURY. (Which, interestingly enough is etymologically dependent on the Romans instead of the Greeks. *cough* right.)" -ataralas
(Could it be? A n00b clinches the coveted Geek of the Week Award? On the FIRST QUESTION? -AL)
(Welcome aboard,ataralas! Here's your -1. -CV)
Correct Answer: Mercury.
"Mercury. That's why its symbol is Hg instead of something logical. Though my favorite name/symbol mismatch is still W for Tungsten." -moocow1985
2. What disarmingly beautiful sculpture was discovered in 1820 on the Turkish island of Melos and later "acquired" by the French?
"the gummi venus di milo" -catgirlkuriko
(+1, The Simpsons. -CV)
"Le Femme Hairee du Armpeets Unshavee." -altoidsaddict
"Are you trying to insinuate by your quotation marks that the French stole that sculpture? C'mon! They wouldn't do that. They're French!" -whiski_sour
"Stupid French. Always acquiring shit that isn’t theirs. Grrrrr ..." -nihilistbear
"And the French never 'acquire' anything - they steal it, or wait for the most recent occupying force to go home, then claim that it'd been there all along." -blu_matt
"Those French again?!?! If they aren't being lazy bastards, they're 'acquiring' beautiful works of art and claiming them as their own."-bummerfly
(Oops, once again I accidentally triggered French hate. My bad, Mr. Kerry. -CV)
"The stunningly gorgeous sculpture of John Madden ... no, wait ... eww." -hollyinpa
(Legions of Quizlings are stumbling to the bathroom to wash their eyeballs in an effort to erase that horrible, horrible image. -AL)
"The thing that chops off your head. Whatsitcalled? The Head-Chopper." -_lucy_
(I believe they're selling The Head-Chopper on QVC for the low low price of $29.95 plus shipping and handling. However, the French did manage to secure the monopoly on that other thing, the guillotine. -CV)
"Did she have arms then? Maybe the sculptor messed them up and just hacked them off in a fit of pique." -v827
"Venus de Milo. I met her once, while I was in Paris. Let me tell you she is one cold lady. Wouldn't shake my hands or anything (maybe that's a French thing?) They always say that the beautiful ones got hearts of stone ..." -mythechan
Correct Answer: Venus de Milo.
"You are trying to take over the world with your puns! I will not cooperate ..." -perkyczarlet
"... isn't "disarmingly" considered a pun? I mean, Venus de Milo has no arms. I thought Ang hated puns." -jelymo
(She does. Probably goes to show that I wrote this question, then. -CV)
"Don't you think "disarmingly" gave it away too much? Wait, now I'm going to lose points for questioning my masters..." -marcyleecorgan
(Not as much asmarasca will lose for judging her masters ... -CV)
"'Disarmingly.' Cute. -1 to CV for that bad, bad pun." -marasca
(Judging your judges can only end in sorrow, young lady. You're sentenced to listen to William Shatner read the entire 9/11 Commission Report. -CV)
3. Gene Roddenberry was responsible for the sci-fi phenomenon that is Star Trek; what television series, produced after his death, was also his concept?
(For everyone who said Andromeda, you can have half credit. Although not within the theme of the quiz, it was still a sort of Gene Roddenberry construct. But come on. Hercules in Space? Hercules? You know what? Forget that half credit. -1 for all y'all. -CV)
"that would be Andromeda-the-fairly-good-show-ruined-by-Kevin-Sorbo." -3jane
(Exactly my point. -CV)
"Star Trek's little-known spinoff, "Spock!", wherein the Vulcan tries out single life as a Chicago newswoman of today." -altoidsaddict
(This answer is either referring to something I don't know about, or is impressively random. -AL)
"When I used to talk about 'E: FC' I would call Boone 'B'oone' because of the character D'aan. I would also say things like, 'What's going on, D'aan? What are you on, D'ann?' Despite all of this, I somehow managed to get laid during those years." -kenshardik
(It's a mystery to us too. -AL&CV)
"Er, not a clue. I was a SW fan growing up. We didn't speak to the Trekkies. It was verboten." -ataralas
"I don't know but I wish to hell they'd put Firefly back on. Wait ... was it that Earth show with the weird looking bald lady?" -doomgirl
(Yes, it was that one. And yes, Firefly kicked ass. -CV)
"American Idol, nooooooooo! The winner's mouth is like a black hole, she'll swallow you up ..." -thinksheknowsya
(Dreadfully true. She sounds like Ruby Rhod from The Fifth Element. Her voice shattered glass in my apartment. How she won this contest is beyond me. -CV)
"I just want to say that the name Roddenberry sounds very unappetizing." -portkey
("Captain Kirk Crunch, now with Roddenberries!" You're right, that just doesn't appeal. -AL)
"Who Wants a Date with William Shatner?" -temima
"I only know Star Trek: Patrick Stewart is Teh Sex, Star Trek: Not Exploring Because We're on a Station, Star Trek: Can't Anyone Read a Map?, and Star Trek: Still Looking for the Leap Home. Beyond that ... bupkus." -_tumbleweed
"If the answer is bablyon 5 i swear ill kill myself! I love B5 too much to discover it was the spawn of gene!" -_j0k3r_
(Rest easy. B5 was the creation of J. Michael Straczynski. Nothing to do with Star Trek or Andromeda or Earth: Final Conflict. Hence the reason that it didn't suck. -CV)
(JMS also wrote a series of kick-ass comic books called Rising Stars. They're fantastic. -AL)
Correct Answer: Earth: Final Conflict.
"Or Final Cornflake. In my head, anyway." -blu_matt
"... Gene Roddenberry is dead? Are you sure?" -goat003
4. Pet food, candy, and vending machines. Somehow one company manufactures versions of all three products, including the thematically appropriate Milky Way bar. What corporation is responsible?
"Some corporation whose vending machines turn out chicken-and-kidney flavored gummi bears." -vanilla_baby
(Maybe you could sell those in the UK. After all, steak-and-kidney pie is a popular dish over there. -AL)
"But the real question is do they sell pet food out of vending machines? On my way into our local Wal-Mart, I noticed that there is a live bait vending machine out front. I kind of suspected that I live in the boonies before, but now I am sure." -chrysoberyl
"If I’m not mistaken its Nestle. Soon coming to a neighbourhood near you to rape your women and desecrate your temples. Indeed they are that EVIL." -matt_ledgerwood
(I think the British Nestle Co. seems to be a bit more hostile than the American Nestle Co. Over here they just make chocolate. -CV)
"I could totally go for some Doggie Chow (the peanut butter/chocolate/chex version, not the extra-meaty kibble version)." -fyreflyblue
"Willy Wonka." -perkyczarlet
"That would be the ACME corporation. Pet food, vending machines, and candy were the only products they were able to make after Wile E. Coyote sued them for billions." -sennical
Correct Answer: Mars Corporation.
5. In the Arthur C. Clarke novel "2010: Odyssey Two", what gigantic object was transformed into a second sun?
"Crap! What planet comes next? Saturn?" -marasca
(And astronomy joins the long long list of Subjects That Confoundmarasca. -CV)
"The monolith. No. Wait, that multiplied in 2001. most. boring. movie. ever. with the possible exception of those educational videos i had to watch in biology." -yueni
"Well, a star is a giant ball of gas burning. Therefore, the object must be a really giant fart. ... Eeeww." -vanbrosia
"J-lo's ass." -deinemuse, ccaretta, portkey
(The link on that photo may be Not Safe For Work. -AL)
"John Goodman" -altoidsaddict
"Roseanne" -lots42
(I always wondered if the two of them collided on that show, would they, in fact, combine to form a star. That might almost have made the show worth watching. -CV)
"A planet would be logical, so planet probably isn't the right answer." -warrame
(Another person renounces logic,gruyere-style. -CV)
(Renouncing logic certainly was a popular activity this week. Particularly in the United States. -AL *sinking back into a sulk*)
"Anna Nichole Smith. (If i'm not mistaken I can hear her now ... 'Cobbler! Pie!'" -matt_ledgerwood
(Mmmmm ... pie. -CV)
(Mmmm ... cobbler. -AL)
"Clarke's eeeeeeeegooooooo (it's the size of Jupiter, man!)" -3jane
Correct Answer: Jupiter.
"I'm sorry, I can't do that Hans." -meandstuff
"Is it just me or when you see that last message from HAL do you immediately go 'All your base are belong to us?'" -richcsigs
(For Great Justice! -CV)
6. Largest U.S. rocket ever. What was it?
"Weren't all the rockets named Apollo?" -rhiannon3j
(Nope. The missions were named Apollo. The rockets were different. -AL)
"Yar." -crowofpain
(+1 if and only if you're referring to the Atari game "Yar's Revenge." -CV)
(Can't we give her a +1 if she was referring to Yar from ST:TNG? I liked Yar. -AL)
"I've got great big amounts in the place where it counts and the feeling's like a sunshiney day" -anna_sinistra
(Impressive. +1, just because. -CV)
"The Death Star." -meandstuff
(Not really a rocket. I mean, that was more of a... rocketball? Rocketsphere? Just didn't have that whole "rocket" quality to it. -CV)
"Bill Clinton." -_lucy_
(We asked for largest, not most used. -CV)
"I actually know this one, because my grandfather was a NASA engineer during the glory days. My mom used to play with Buzz Aldrin's daughter, Linda. It was the Saturn ... did it have a number? I don't actually know the number. Shit. I've dishonored my family name and will be over here committing seppuku." -elsajeni
(We at the LJDQ cannot accept your honorable suicide. It decreases our watcher count. -AL&CV)
"Something withnuculur nuclear in it." - plaidwater
"Gee, I wonder how many 'the rocket in my pocket' responses you're going to get." -djdysfunction
(29%. -CV)
"Saturn V (I'm reminded of the Honda 5)" -newbia
(The Honda 5 is a good engine ... but not quite enough to get folks to the moon and stuff. -CV)
"Buzz lightyear's Ultimate Space Launch Vehicle" -sasscat
(I think you've mixed up some folks' names here... -CV)
"Saturn 5 - one hell of an overpriced overcompensation for an undersized wingwang on the part of some NASA engineer." -demongrrrrl
(Possibly true, but they were still useful for sending things to the Moon. -AL)
Correct Answer: the Saturn V.
7. Which album was released by Blink 182 in 1995, containing only three songs and done on a vinyl record?
"none. any record containing three tracks is an EP, not an album. i win." -reblog
"And it's called an 'EP', not an 'album'" -blu_matt
(Oooh, tricksy. You can revel in your victory this time ... -CV)
"What Blink 182 fan even owns a record player?" -rita
(Notwarrame. -AL)
"Vinyl ... record ... I think my science teacher told me about them once. He mentioned his pet dinosaur that he used to ride to school (3 miles, in the snow, barefoot) in the same lesson." -warrame
"The only planet whos name will turn everybody into giggling 12 year old boys. *snicker*" -fantom07
"Blink 182 recorded an album called 'Uranus'? Did they pronounce it 'your anus' or 'yer a nuss'?" -sskipstress
"No, YOUR anus!" -moocow1985
"Farts make us laugh" -_j0k3r_
(Without fail! Like my grandma always told me, "You want to be a comedy success, stick with the dick & fart jokes." -AL)
"Stupid Blink 182. You used to rock so, so much. And then 1998 came around. And you sucked. Muchly." -xgreenjudasx
(Much morely. -AL)
"Blink182's Greatest Hits." -_lucy_
(That would only have been a single. At best. -CV)
"I bet it's going for 50 cents at garage sales all over the US." -whiski_sour
"'I Missed It' I guess blinking one hundred and eighty-two times could make you miss a lot." -dancingsaracen
"They Came to Conquer Uranus. I think that joke writes itself." -ktnb
Correct Answer: "They Came to Conquer Uranus".
"They Came to Conquer Your Puckered Rosebud" -sasscat
8. Jabberjaw the shark tooled around with which band in his Hanna Barbera cartoon?
"Blink 182" - Many of you.
(And here we were always wondering if we could find someone you all hate more than Sting ... - CV)
(I say +1 for tying questions together. I like themes within our themes. -AL)
"Josie and the Pussycats. Because we all know that cats mix well with fish." -anna_sinistra
"Jabberjaw? What kind of name is that? Jabberjaw?! Can you imagine calling your kid Jabberjaw?" -yueni
(It's ok if your kid is a shark. -CV)
"Let me just say for the record I only got a C in animation history." -marcyleecorgan
"I'm not sure who was more annoying - Jabberjaw or Scrappy Doo. All I know is I'd rather watch The Snorks and they were just annoying aquatic Smurf wannabes." -kenshardik
"Oh god, I haven't seen that one in ages. Why aren't cartoons good anymore? I've gotten off the subject again. God, I'm A.D.D." -doomgirl
"Van Halen. not many people know this, but he was their original lead singer, before even David Lee Roth. In fact, Jabberjaw was the one who gave DLR the idea to wear the spandex jumpsuits. They were a lot more flattering on the shark." -gruyere
"Beware the Jabberwocky, my son! The jaws that bite, the claws that catch! Beware the Jubjub bird, and shun the frumious Bandersnatch!" -meandstuff
(And this week's LJDQ Literary Awareness Award goes to ...meandstuff! -CV)
"I have no idea. All I can remember about that show was being disappointed that Jabberjaws didn't eat people." -whiski_sour
(Well, you have to delve into his past, as_tumbleweed did here... -CV)
"When I was a kid, I always wondered why he never ate those brats. I thought maybe I missed a special episode somewhere when Jabberjaw was attacked in a dark alley by PETA, beaten and left for dead, and was so scarred by the experience he became vegan." -_tumbleweed
"The Rolling Stones ... c'mon, Jabberjaw *was* Mick Jagger - anyone with that big a mouth must have amphibious qualities!" -bunnyfer
(Fair enough. Half credit. -CV)
"The Remoras" -ccaretta
(Now that's comedy. Well done. -CV)
Correct Answer: The Neptunes.
9. A government run by the wealthy is called what?
"Ooh, asking in the election week. I wonder how many of the responses were topical." -v827
(41, 28 of which specifically mentioned the United States of America. Tools! All of you! Tools! -1 for taking the easy route. -AL&CV)
"You really want every one to rise to this one dont you! Well i wont. Nope not going to do it.
...
still not
...
United States of Bush?
Damm!!!! Curse you ljdq masters!" -matt_ledgerwood
(Half credit for attempting to resist the blatantly obvious. -AL)
"plutocracy, syn. chrysocracy, which sounds like a government by butterflies." -elpblonde
"Aristocracy. I feel proud that I'm giving the right answer, rather than some drivel about Dubya, as I'm sure several other quizzers will be doing." -silent_r_infork
(Even though you're wrong, it's still better than bashing on current events. -CV)
"As opposed to what? A goverment run by the POOR? *dies laughing* That's rich. Or ... poor ... as the case may be." -jelymo
(Yes, indeed, we fought the war on poverty. And the poor lost. -CV)
"Oh! I actually know this! An oligarchy, which means government by the few, from the Greek word “oligarkia” (spelling may be really, really off)." -nihilistbear
(An impressive display of knowledge there. Unfortunately, we were asking for government by the wealthy, not by the few. Good effort, though. -CV)
(CV is snickering at you behind his hand. I can see him. -AL)
"It's called a 'Plutocracy', but if you're going to go naming types of governments after Disney characters, I think 'Goofycracy' is more appropriate." -sskipstress
"My favorite is still timocracy. I don't remember what it really means, but it sounds like government by people named Tim, doesn't it?" -elsajeni
(TIMMAY! +1 to me, South Park. -AL)
"A kleptocracy." -drewbeartx
(Full credit. -CV)
"You could be after plousiocracy (plusiocracy?), or chrysocracy/chryoaristocracy, or even argentocracy, but my pet rock is telling me to go with plutocracy. And my pet rock has more money than me." -sasscat
Correct Answer: Plutocracy.
"not to be confused with a Blutocracy which is a Government run by the enemies of Popeye." -m31andy
10. Tell us about your favorite heavenly body.
"Heavenly body? ummmm...... Jesus?" -mythechan
"God is the new hawtness." -altoidsaddict
"I have two of them! They're on my chest and my friends call them the bosom of refuge!" -fantom07
"Call me easy to please, but I'm rather fond of Earth. Pretty trees and flowers and mountains, oceans full of shiny fish, and some sandy and snowy bits too, lots of nify animals... " -marasca
(Damned dirty eco-hippy! I bet you don't shave your legs. -AL)
"Orion. It's just bunch of stars, but they're pretty stars. Plus, they featured in Moonstone, a great Amiga game features knight who beat the crap out of each other and weird little animals. In the end, the best knight turned into Orion. And that Stargate movie was SO wrong when they portrayed Orion with a bow. But then again, Stargate was wrong with other things as well." -dracothelizard
"Hmm. I don't like Mercury much, he always likes being in the middle in the centre of attention. Venus is a uppity vain bitch who smokes too much. Earth is okay, but he's boring. Mars is red-faced jerkoff. Jupiter freaking reeks with all his gas. Saturn - damn it, those hula skirt went out in the 70's. Neptune is just a bubbly ditz, while Uranus is ... well, Uranus. Then Pluto, skulking in the back corner, muttering to itself and writing angst goth poetry. So I vote the moon." -vanbrosia
"I'll try to be a bit original, and mention the moon instead of waxing poetic about [insert celebrity of choice here]'s [insert body part of choice here]. Did anyone else watch the eclipse last week?" -yunami
(I saw it. -AL)
"I am fond of comets, even if crazy cults are built around them." -temima
"It's a toss-up betweenangledge, chaosvizier, and space junk." - moocow1985
(I can't tell if we got flattered here or not ... -CV)
"I think the movement to declare Pluto a non-planet needs to get a life. Pluto's been a planet for decades and has earned its title. LEAVE PLUTO ALONE, PEOPLE." -elsajeni
"Near the Crab Nebula there's a pair of black holes which are on a collision course, and will meet sometime in the next million years or so. When they do, one of the potential effects it could have would not be unlike space being 'unzipped'. what a cool concept. And if you mean 'heavenly body' in a euphemistic manner, that would be Colin Firth. I love him. Why won't you return my calls, Colin? WHY?!?!?!?!?" -beansidhe
"
Whaaaat? I have a crush on the president. He was good looking back then!" - plaidwater
(Too bad for all of us he didn't trade on his good looks & start a career in modeling. -AL)
"Andromeda. Why? Because of the name. What has the name got to do with anything? Well, when I was 5, I thought astronomy was cool and I thought Clash of the Titans was cool. Well, in my little 5 year old eyes, Andromeda was totally hot. Well, I liked her. I didn't know why I liked her, but I did. So, while I can't really say I have a favorite heavenly body, for the sake of the LJDQ I'll say that my favorite heavenly body is Andromeda." -djdysfunction
"the first time i ever actually saw the milky way was the first time i croft sat at The Most Beautiful Croft in Scotland... and in the middle of the night (well 10pm by farming standards) in the dark i switched the house lights off and looked up... and there it was and i was blown away." -seolta
(If anyone wants to see photos of The Most Beautiful Croft in All of Scotland, click here. -AL)
"I like Sailor Saturn the best. She was the best Sailor. You know, with that lethal looking death-scythe thing? Man, oh man wish I had one of those things right about now ..." -rhiannon3j
(Normally I'd probably have to dock you a point for citing Sailor Moon, but you did mention a death-scythe, and that's always worth its salt. Carry on. -CV)
Correct Answer: "I like eggs." -tortoise
Why is that the Correct Answer? Because this week, incomprehensibilities are in vogue. AL will now crawl back into her whisky bottle, & CV will take up his accustomed weekend lodging in a gin bottle. By the way, if any of you have ideas for LJDQ questions or themes, email Ang at angledge (at) yahoo (dot) com. Do not POST them as comments, because then everyone will see your questions & that drastically reduces their usefullness. Don't worry, we're not out of ideas already. We're just lazy.
Rock on,
Ang & Hans.
"Never again will I be able to look at my old physics teacher and say 'I never used a single thing I learnt after leaving school' as he taught me the mneumonic 'Many Volcanoes Erupt Much Strawberry Jam Under Normal Pressure'." -
m31andyAnother popular mnemonic is "My Very Educated Mother Just Showed Us Nine Planets." And the nine planets of our solar system formed this week's theme. We hope we didn't overwhelm you with ten questions in one week, but we had to do it in order to get the most bang for our buck out of the theme.
1. Which element derives its symbol from the Greek word "hydrargyrum"?
"The element of surprise" -
anna_sinistra(Indeed, I think the Correct Answer is going to surprise many of our Quizlings. -AL)
"Hydrogen. How friggin hard a question is that? The question is practically in the question: HYDRArGyrum ... with an N at the end." -
jelymo"hydrogen. based purely on the very scientific discovery that both words begin with the letters "H-Y-D-R". and contain a G." -
reblog"because i think that i may have derived the theme of the quiz, i say plutonium. just looking at the word, though, i wanted to say hydrogen. i am torn!" -
elpblonde(Be torn no more. They're both wrong. Although plutonium was a good guess. -CV)
"I have no idea... is it some sort of flower?" -
allieq"it might be lilac" -
marcyleecorgan"Geranium" -
doomgirl, seolta(What's with all the flowers?!? The element "Flower" would have the symbol "WTF". -AL)
"The fifth one--namely, Leeloo." -
silent_r_infork"I don't know, but I now have a new favourite word. Best not to say it when feeling queasy though." -
fuunsaiki"Let's see, Hydra was a multi headed snake or something, right? And gyrum is like gyrate. So we have a gyrating, slithery, slippery snake and therefore the answer is clearly mercury." -
marasca(The logic here is ... not discernible. Next time, follow
gruyere's example. -AL)"Hydrogen. I mean, duh. That's a pretty easy one. What were you expecting me to say, oxygen?
Oh, I'm just joshin'. The answer's gold ... right?
Of course, thinking of the theme, it must be Mercury. which makes no logical sense whatsoever. so, hereby, I renounce logic entirely!
*renounces logic*
Ooh, that feels gooooooood." -
gruyere"Okay, now I know you guys are just making shit up. That’s not even a word! Hydrgyrum ... it sounds like something a cat hacked up. They have an elemental symbol for hairballs??" -
nihilistbear"Gyronium, which is what the icky white 'sauce' in gyros is made from. Possibly radioactive, definitely disgusting." -
bummerfly"I could tell you that hydra (hudra) means water or liquid, from which also comes the name for hydrogen, and that argyrum (arguros) means silver, from which also comes the symbol for silver itself, Ag, but that would be pretentiously showing off my education, so I'll slink in to the corner and say: MERCURY. (Which, interestingly enough is etymologically dependent on the Romans instead of the Greeks. *cough* right.)" -
ataralas(Could it be? A n00b clinches the coveted Geek of the Week Award? On the FIRST QUESTION? -AL)
(Welcome aboard,
ataralas! Here's your -1. -CV)Correct Answer: Mercury.
"Mercury. That's why its symbol is Hg instead of something logical. Though my favorite name/symbol mismatch is still W for Tungsten." -
moocow19852. What disarmingly beautiful sculpture was discovered in 1820 on the Turkish island of Melos and later "acquired" by the French?
"the gummi venus di milo" -
catgirlkuriko(+1, The Simpsons. -CV)
"Le Femme Hairee du Armpeets Unshavee." -
altoidsaddict"Are you trying to insinuate by your quotation marks that the French stole that sculpture? C'mon! They wouldn't do that. They're French!" -
whiski_sour"Stupid French. Always acquiring shit that isn’t theirs. Grrrrr ..." -
nihilistbear"And the French never 'acquire' anything - they steal it, or wait for the most recent occupying force to go home, then claim that it'd been there all along." -
blu_matt"Those French again?!?! If they aren't being lazy bastards, they're 'acquiring' beautiful works of art and claiming them as their own."-
bummerfly(Oops, once again I accidentally triggered French hate. My bad, Mr. Kerry. -CV)
"The stunningly gorgeous sculpture of John Madden ... no, wait ... eww." -
hollyinpa(Legions of Quizlings are stumbling to the bathroom to wash their eyeballs in an effort to erase that horrible, horrible image. -AL)
"The thing that chops off your head. Whatsitcalled? The Head-Chopper." -
_lucy_(I believe they're selling The Head-Chopper on QVC for the low low price of $29.95 plus shipping and handling. However, the French did manage to secure the monopoly on that other thing, the guillotine. -CV)
"Did she have arms then? Maybe the sculptor messed them up and just hacked them off in a fit of pique." -
v827"Venus de Milo. I met her once, while I was in Paris. Let me tell you she is one cold lady. Wouldn't shake my hands or anything (maybe that's a French thing?) They always say that the beautiful ones got hearts of stone ..." -
mythechanCorrect Answer: Venus de Milo.
"You are trying to take over the world with your puns! I will not cooperate ..." -
perkyczarlet"... isn't "disarmingly" considered a pun? I mean, Venus de Milo has no arms. I thought Ang hated puns." -
jelymo(She does. Probably goes to show that I wrote this question, then. -CV)
"Don't you think "disarmingly" gave it away too much? Wait, now I'm going to lose points for questioning my masters..." -
marcyleecorgan(Not as much as
marasca will lose for judging her masters ... -CV)"'Disarmingly.' Cute. -1 to CV for that bad, bad pun." -
marasca(Judging your judges can only end in sorrow, young lady. You're sentenced to listen to William Shatner read the entire 9/11 Commission Report. -CV)
3. Gene Roddenberry was responsible for the sci-fi phenomenon that is Star Trek; what television series, produced after his death, was also his concept?
(For everyone who said Andromeda, you can have half credit. Although not within the theme of the quiz, it was still a sort of Gene Roddenberry construct. But come on. Hercules in Space? Hercules? You know what? Forget that half credit. -1 for all y'all. -CV)
"that would be Andromeda-the-fairly-good-show-ruined-by-Kevin-Sorbo." -
3jane(Exactly my point. -CV)
"Star Trek's little-known spinoff, "Spock!", wherein the Vulcan tries out single life as a Chicago newswoman of today." -
altoidsaddict(This answer is either referring to something I don't know about, or is impressively random. -AL)
"When I used to talk about 'E: FC' I would call Boone 'B'oone' because of the character D'aan. I would also say things like, 'What's going on, D'aan? What are you on, D'ann?' Despite all of this, I somehow managed to get laid during those years." -
kenshardik(It's a mystery to us too. -AL&CV)
"Er, not a clue. I was a SW fan growing up. We didn't speak to the Trekkies. It was verboten." -
ataralas"I don't know but I wish to hell they'd put Firefly back on. Wait ... was it that Earth show with the weird looking bald lady?" -
doomgirl(Yes, it was that one. And yes, Firefly kicked ass. -CV)
"American Idol, nooooooooo! The winner's mouth is like a black hole, she'll swallow you up ..." -
thinksheknowsya(Dreadfully true. She sounds like Ruby Rhod from The Fifth Element. Her voice shattered glass in my apartment. How she won this contest is beyond me. -CV)
"I just want to say that the name Roddenberry sounds very unappetizing." -
portkey("Captain Kirk Crunch, now with Roddenberries!" You're right, that just doesn't appeal. -AL)
"Who Wants a Date with William Shatner?" -
temima"I only know Star Trek: Patrick Stewart is Teh Sex, Star Trek: Not Exploring Because We're on a Station, Star Trek: Can't Anyone Read a Map?, and Star Trek: Still Looking for the Leap Home. Beyond that ... bupkus." -
_tumbleweed"If the answer is bablyon 5 i swear ill kill myself! I love B5 too much to discover it was the spawn of gene!" -
_j0k3r_(Rest easy. B5 was the creation of J. Michael Straczynski. Nothing to do with Star Trek or Andromeda or Earth: Final Conflict. Hence the reason that it didn't suck. -CV)
(JMS also wrote a series of kick-ass comic books called Rising Stars. They're fantastic. -AL)
Correct Answer: Earth: Final Conflict.
"Or Final Cornflake. In my head, anyway." -
blu_matt"... Gene Roddenberry is dead? Are you sure?" -
goat0034. Pet food, candy, and vending machines. Somehow one company manufactures versions of all three products, including the thematically appropriate Milky Way bar. What corporation is responsible?
"Some corporation whose vending machines turn out chicken-and-kidney flavored gummi bears." -
vanilla_baby(Maybe you could sell those in the UK. After all, steak-and-kidney pie is a popular dish over there. -AL)
"But the real question is do they sell pet food out of vending machines? On my way into our local Wal-Mart, I noticed that there is a live bait vending machine out front. I kind of suspected that I live in the boonies before, but now I am sure." -
chrysoberyl"If I’m not mistaken its Nestle. Soon coming to a neighbourhood near you to rape your women and desecrate your temples. Indeed they are that EVIL." -
matt_ledgerwood(I think the British Nestle Co. seems to be a bit more hostile than the American Nestle Co. Over here they just make chocolate. -CV)
"I could totally go for some Doggie Chow (the peanut butter/chocolate/chex version, not the extra-meaty kibble version)." -
fyreflyblue"Willy Wonka." -
perkyczarlet"That would be the ACME corporation. Pet food, vending machines, and candy were the only products they were able to make after Wile E. Coyote sued them for billions." -
sennicalCorrect Answer: Mars Corporation.
5. In the Arthur C. Clarke novel "2010: Odyssey Two", what gigantic object was transformed into a second sun?
"Crap! What planet comes next? Saturn?" -
marasca(And astronomy joins the long long list of Subjects That Confound
marasca. -CV)"The monolith. No. Wait, that multiplied in 2001. most. boring. movie. ever. with the possible exception of those educational videos i had to watch in biology." -
yueni"Well, a star is a giant ball of gas burning. Therefore, the object must be a really giant fart. ... Eeeww." -
vanbrosia"J-lo's ass." -
deinemuse, ccaretta, portkey(The link on that photo may be Not Safe For Work. -AL)
"John Goodman" -
altoidsaddict"Roseanne" -
lots42(I always wondered if the two of them collided on that show, would they, in fact, combine to form a star. That might almost have made the show worth watching. -CV)
"A planet would be logical, so planet probably isn't the right answer." -
warrame(Another person renounces logic,
gruyere-style. -CV)(Renouncing logic certainly was a popular activity this week. Particularly in the United States. -AL *sinking back into a sulk*)
"Anna Nichole Smith. (If i'm not mistaken I can hear her now ... 'Cobbler! Pie!'" -
matt_ledgerwood(Mmmmm ... pie. -CV)
(Mmmm ... cobbler. -AL)
"Clarke's eeeeeeeegooooooo (it's the size of Jupiter, man!)" -
3janeCorrect Answer: Jupiter.
"I'm sorry, I can't do that Hans." -
meandstuff"Is it just me or when you see that last message from HAL do you immediately go 'All your base are belong to us?'" -
richcsigs(For Great Justice! -CV)
6. Largest U.S. rocket ever. What was it?
"Weren't all the rockets named Apollo?" -
rhiannon3j(Nope. The missions were named Apollo. The rockets were different. -AL)
"Yar." -
crowofpain(+1 if and only if you're referring to the Atari game "Yar's Revenge." -CV)
(Can't we give her a +1 if she was referring to Yar from ST:TNG? I liked Yar. -AL)
"I've got great big amounts in the place where it counts and the feeling's like a sunshiney day" -
anna_sinistra(Impressive. +1, just because. -CV)
"The Death Star." -
meandstuff(Not really a rocket. I mean, that was more of a... rocketball? Rocketsphere? Just didn't have that whole "rocket" quality to it. -CV)
"Bill Clinton." -
_lucy_(We asked for largest, not most used. -CV)
"I actually know this one, because my grandfather was a NASA engineer during the glory days. My mom used to play with Buzz Aldrin's daughter, Linda. It was the Saturn ... did it have a number? I don't actually know the number. Shit. I've dishonored my family name and will be over here committing seppuku." -
elsajeni(We at the LJDQ cannot accept your honorable suicide. It decreases our watcher count. -AL&CV)
"Something with
plaidwater"Gee, I wonder how many 'the rocket in my pocket' responses you're going to get." -
djdysfunction(29%. -CV)
"Saturn V (I'm reminded of the Honda 5)" -
newbia(The Honda 5 is a good engine ... but not quite enough to get folks to the moon and stuff. -CV)
"Buzz lightyear's Ultimate Space Launch Vehicle" -
sasscat(I think you've mixed up some folks' names here... -CV)
"Saturn 5 - one hell of an overpriced overcompensation for an undersized wingwang on the part of some NASA engineer." -
demongrrrrl(Possibly true, but they were still useful for sending things to the Moon. -AL)
Correct Answer: the Saturn V.
7. Which album was released by Blink 182 in 1995, containing only three songs and done on a vinyl record?
"none. any record containing three tracks is an EP, not an album. i win." -
reblog"And it's called an 'EP', not an 'album'" -
blu_matt(Oooh, tricksy. You can revel in your victory this time ... -CV)
"What Blink 182 fan even owns a record player?" -
rita(Not
warrame. -AL)"Vinyl ... record ... I think my science teacher told me about them once. He mentioned his pet dinosaur that he used to ride to school (3 miles, in the snow, barefoot) in the same lesson." -
warrame"The only planet whos name will turn everybody into giggling 12 year old boys. *snicker*" -
fantom07"Blink 182 recorded an album called 'Uranus'? Did they pronounce it 'your anus' or 'yer a nuss'?" -
sskipstress"No, YOUR anus!" -
moocow1985"Farts make us laugh" -
_j0k3r_(Without fail! Like my grandma always told me, "You want to be a comedy success, stick with the dick & fart jokes." -AL)
"Stupid Blink 182. You used to rock so, so much. And then 1998 came around. And you sucked. Muchly." -
xgreenjudasx(Much morely. -AL)
"Blink182's Greatest Hits." -
_lucy_(That would only have been a single. At best. -CV)
"I bet it's going for 50 cents at garage sales all over the US." -
whiski_sour"'I Missed It' I guess blinking one hundred and eighty-two times could make you miss a lot." -
dancingsaracen"They Came to Conquer Uranus. I think that joke writes itself." -
ktnbCorrect Answer: "They Came to Conquer Uranus".
"They Came to Conquer Your Puckered Rosebud" -
sasscat8. Jabberjaw the shark tooled around with which band in his Hanna Barbera cartoon?
"Blink 182" - Many of you.
(And here we were always wondering if we could find someone you all hate more than Sting ... - CV)
(I say +1 for tying questions together. I like themes within our themes. -AL)
"Josie and the Pussycats. Because we all know that cats mix well with fish." -
anna_sinistra"Jabberjaw? What kind of name is that? Jabberjaw?! Can you imagine calling your kid Jabberjaw?" -
yueni(It's ok if your kid is a shark. -CV)
"Let me just say for the record I only got a C in animation history." -
marcyleecorgan"I'm not sure who was more annoying - Jabberjaw or Scrappy Doo. All I know is I'd rather watch The Snorks and they were just annoying aquatic Smurf wannabes." -
kenshardik"Oh god, I haven't seen that one in ages. Why aren't cartoons good anymore? I've gotten off the subject again. God, I'm A.D.D." -
doomgirl"Van Halen. not many people know this, but he was their original lead singer, before even David Lee Roth. In fact, Jabberjaw was the one who gave DLR the idea to wear the spandex jumpsuits. They were a lot more flattering on the shark." -
gruyere"Beware the Jabberwocky, my son! The jaws that bite, the claws that catch! Beware the Jubjub bird, and shun the frumious Bandersnatch!" -
meandstuff(And this week's LJDQ Literary Awareness Award goes to ...
meandstuff! -CV)"I have no idea. All I can remember about that show was being disappointed that Jabberjaws didn't eat people." -
whiski_sour(Well, you have to delve into his past, as
_tumbleweed did here... -CV)"When I was a kid, I always wondered why he never ate those brats. I thought maybe I missed a special episode somewhere when Jabberjaw was attacked in a dark alley by PETA, beaten and left for dead, and was so scarred by the experience he became vegan." -
_tumbleweed"The Rolling Stones ... c'mon, Jabberjaw *was* Mick Jagger - anyone with that big a mouth must have amphibious qualities!" -
bunnyfer(Fair enough. Half credit. -CV)
"The Remoras" -
ccaretta(Now that's comedy. Well done. -CV)
Correct Answer: The Neptunes.
9. A government run by the wealthy is called what?
"Ooh, asking in the election week. I wonder how many of the responses were topical." -
v827(41, 28 of which specifically mentioned the United States of America. Tools! All of you! Tools! -1 for taking the easy route. -AL&CV)
"You really want every one to rise to this one dont you! Well i wont. Nope not going to do it.
...
still not
...
United States of Bush?
Damm!!!! Curse you ljdq masters!" -
matt_ledgerwood(Half credit for attempting to resist the blatantly obvious. -AL)
"plutocracy, syn. chrysocracy, which sounds like a government by butterflies." -
elpblonde"Aristocracy. I feel proud that I'm giving the right answer, rather than some drivel about Dubya, as I'm sure several other quizzers will be doing." -
silent_r_infork(Even though you're wrong, it's still better than bashing on current events. -CV)
"As opposed to what? A goverment run by the POOR? *dies laughing* That's rich. Or ... poor ... as the case may be." -
jelymo(Yes, indeed, we fought the war on poverty. And the poor lost. -CV)
"Oh! I actually know this! An oligarchy, which means government by the few, from the Greek word “oligarkia” (spelling may be really, really off)." -
nihilistbear(An impressive display of knowledge there. Unfortunately, we were asking for government by the wealthy, not by the few. Good effort, though. -CV)
(CV is snickering at you behind his hand. I can see him. -AL)
"It's called a 'Plutocracy', but if you're going to go naming types of governments after Disney characters, I think 'Goofycracy' is more appropriate." -
sskipstress"My favorite is still timocracy. I don't remember what it really means, but it sounds like government by people named Tim, doesn't it?" -
elsajeni(TIMMAY! +1 to me, South Park. -AL)
"A kleptocracy." -
drewbeartx(Full credit. -CV)
"You could be after plousiocracy (plusiocracy?), or chrysocracy/chryoaristocracy, or even argentocracy, but my pet rock is telling me to go with plutocracy. And my pet rock has more money than me." -
sasscatCorrect Answer: Plutocracy.
"not to be confused with a Blutocracy which is a Government run by the enemies of Popeye." -
m31andy10. Tell us about your favorite heavenly body.
"Heavenly body? ummmm...... Jesus?" -
mythechan"God is the new hawtness." -
altoidsaddict"I have two of them! They're on my chest and my friends call them the bosom of refuge!" -
fantom07"Call me easy to please, but I'm rather fond of Earth. Pretty trees and flowers and mountains, oceans full of shiny fish, and some sandy and snowy bits too, lots of nify animals... " -
marasca(Damned dirty eco-hippy! I bet you don't shave your legs. -AL)
"Orion. It's just bunch of stars, but they're pretty stars. Plus, they featured in Moonstone, a great Amiga game features knight who beat the crap out of each other and weird little animals. In the end, the best knight turned into Orion. And that Stargate movie was SO wrong when they portrayed Orion with a bow. But then again, Stargate was wrong with other things as well." -
dracothelizard"Hmm. I don't like Mercury much, he always likes being in the middle in the centre of attention. Venus is a uppity vain bitch who smokes too much. Earth is okay, but he's boring. Mars is red-faced jerkoff. Jupiter freaking reeks with all his gas. Saturn - damn it, those hula skirt went out in the 70's. Neptune is just a bubbly ditz, while Uranus is ... well, Uranus. Then Pluto, skulking in the back corner, muttering to itself and writing angst goth poetry. So I vote the moon." -
vanbrosia"I'll try to be a bit original, and mention the moon instead of waxing poetic about [insert celebrity of choice here]'s [insert body part of choice here]. Did anyone else watch the eclipse last week?" -
yunami(I saw it. -AL)
"I am fond of comets, even if crazy cults are built around them." -
temima"It's a toss-up between
angledge, chaosvizier, and space junk." - moocow1985(I can't tell if we got flattered here or not ... -CV)
"I think the movement to declare Pluto a non-planet needs to get a life. Pluto's been a planet for decades and has earned its title. LEAVE PLUTO ALONE, PEOPLE." -
elsajeni"Near the Crab Nebula there's a pair of black holes which are on a collision course, and will meet sometime in the next million years or so. When they do, one of the potential effects it could have would not be unlike space being 'unzipped'. what a cool concept. And if you mean 'heavenly body' in a euphemistic manner, that would be Colin Firth. I love him. Why won't you return my calls, Colin? WHY?!?!?!?!?" -
beansidhe"
plaidwater(Too bad for all of us he didn't trade on his good looks & start a career in modeling. -AL)
"Andromeda. Why? Because of the name. What has the name got to do with anything? Well, when I was 5, I thought astronomy was cool and I thought Clash of the Titans was cool. Well, in my little 5 year old eyes, Andromeda was totally hot. Well, I liked her. I didn't know why I liked her, but I did. So, while I can't really say I have a favorite heavenly body, for the sake of the LJDQ I'll say that my favorite heavenly body is Andromeda." -
djdysfunction"the first time i ever actually saw the milky way was the first time i croft sat at The Most Beautiful Croft in Scotland... and in the middle of the night (well 10pm by farming standards) in the dark i switched the house lights off and looked up... and there it was and i was blown away." -
seolta(If anyone wants to see photos of The Most Beautiful Croft in All of Scotland, click here. -AL)
"I like Sailor Saturn the best. She was the best Sailor. You know, with that lethal looking death-scythe thing? Man, oh man wish I had one of those things right about now ..." -
rhiannon3j(Normally I'd probably have to dock you a point for citing Sailor Moon, but you did mention a death-scythe, and that's always worth its salt. Carry on. -CV)
Correct Answer: "I like eggs." -
tortoiseWhy is that the Correct Answer? Because this week, incomprehensibilities are in vogue. AL will now crawl back into her whisky bottle, & CV will take up his accustomed weekend lodging in a gin bottle. By the way, if any of you have ideas for LJDQ questions or themes, email Ang at angledge (at) yahoo (dot) com. Do not POST them as comments, because then everyone will see your questions & that drastically reduces their usefullness. Don't worry, we're not out of ideas already. We're just lazy.
Rock on,
Ang & Hans.
