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Erland's Occasional Quiz: Odd One Out
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Erland Sommarskog
Jan 21, 2020, 3:16:33 PM1/21/20
to
It's time for one of my occasional quizzes again. I'm doing another
"odd one out" as that idea seemed popluar.
For each question you get five items that all have some relation to
the given label. Four of them have something in common which the
fifth has not and your task is to identify the odd one.
You can motivate your answer, but you don't need to. However, if
you don't give a motivation, your answer *must* be the item I have
in mind. If you give a different answer, but your motivation is
correct, I will give you a point if I find what you put forth
significant enough. (If you give the correct answer, but a motivation
that is wrong - don't worry, you will get the point anyway.)
Hint: My thinking is that that is rather that the four have something
"special" in common and the fifth is commonplace, than the other way
round. (Don't take this *too* literal. Sometimes the fifth is just
in a different category.)
I plan to score this on Sunday 26th. Post your answers to the
newsgroup. Only use your own knowledge. Don't Google, don't look
up sources, don't ask the wife or the dog. Have fun!
1. Country names: Bosnia, Congo, Jordan, Malawi, Uruguay
2. Fruits: Golden Delicious, Granny Smith, Jazz, McIntosh, Seville
3. Music: "Helter Skelter", "Here Comes the Sun", "Something",
"Taxman", "While My Guitar Gently Weeps"
4. Japan: Ginza, Nara, Nihonbashi, Shibuya, Shinjuku
5. Film: "Amarcord",
"Brutti, sporchi e cattivi" ("Ugly Dirty and Bad"),
"La dolce vita",
"Prova d'orchestra" ("Orchestra Rehearsal")
"Roma"
6: Lakes: Caspian Sea, Lake Baikal, Lake Chad, Lake Eyre, Great Salt Lake
7: Chemistry: Barium, Calcium, Cesium, Magnesium, Strontium
8: Sports: Cycling, Fencing, Riding, Shooting, Swimming
9: Computing: Pascal, Perl, PHP, Powershell, Python
10: History: Deng, Qing, Song, Tang, Yuan
11: Business: Boeing, Costco, Microsoft, Nike, Starbucks
12: New Zeland: Haast, Kaka Point, Lumsden, National Park, Seddonville
"odd one out" as that idea seemed popluar.
For each question you get five items that all have some relation to
the given label. Four of them have something in common which the
fifth has not and your task is to identify the odd one.
You can motivate your answer, but you don't need to. However, if
you don't give a motivation, your answer *must* be the item I have
in mind. If you give a different answer, but your motivation is
correct, I will give you a point if I find what you put forth
significant enough. (If you give the correct answer, but a motivation
that is wrong - don't worry, you will get the point anyway.)
Hint: My thinking is that that is rather that the four have something
"special" in common and the fifth is commonplace, than the other way
round. (Don't take this *too* literal. Sometimes the fifth is just
in a different category.)
I plan to score this on Sunday 26th. Post your answers to the
newsgroup. Only use your own knowledge. Don't Google, don't look
up sources, don't ask the wife or the dog. Have fun!
1. Country names: Bosnia, Congo, Jordan, Malawi, Uruguay
2. Fruits: Golden Delicious, Granny Smith, Jazz, McIntosh, Seville
3. Music: "Helter Skelter", "Here Comes the Sun", "Something",
"Taxman", "While My Guitar Gently Weeps"
4. Japan: Ginza, Nara, Nihonbashi, Shibuya, Shinjuku
5. Film: "Amarcord",
"Brutti, sporchi e cattivi" ("Ugly Dirty and Bad"),
"La dolce vita",
"Prova d'orchestra" ("Orchestra Rehearsal")
"Roma"
6: Lakes: Caspian Sea, Lake Baikal, Lake Chad, Lake Eyre, Great Salt Lake
7: Chemistry: Barium, Calcium, Cesium, Magnesium, Strontium
8: Sports: Cycling, Fencing, Riding, Shooting, Swimming
9: Computing: Pascal, Perl, PHP, Powershell, Python
10: History: Deng, Qing, Song, Tang, Yuan
11: Business: Boeing, Costco, Microsoft, Nike, Starbucks
12: New Zeland: Haast, Kaka Point, Lumsden, National Park, Seddonville
Joe Masters
Jan 21, 2020, 3:41:21 PM1/21/20
to
On 2020-01-21 20:16:33 +0000, Erland Sommarskog said:
> It's time for one of my occasional quizzes again. I'm doing another
> "odd one out" as that idea seemed popluar.
>
> For each question you get five items that all have some relation to
> the given label. Four of them have something in common which the
> fifth has not and your task is to identify the odd one.
>
> You can motivate your answer, but you don't need to. However, if
> you don't give a motivation, your answer *must* be the item I have
> in mind. If you give a different answer, but your motivation is
> correct, I will give you a point if I find what you put forth
> significant enough. (If you give the correct answer, but a motivation
> that is wrong - don't worry, you will get the point anyway.)
>
> Hint: My thinking is that that is rather that the four have something
> "special" in common and the fifth is commonplace, than the other way
> round. (Don't take this *too* literal. Sometimes the fifth is just
> in a different category.)
>
> I plan to score this on Sunday 26th. Post your answers to the
> newsgroup. Only use your own knowledge. Don't Google, don't look
> up sources, don't ask the wife or the dog. Have fun!
>
>
>
> 1. Country names: Bosnia, Congo, Jordan, Malawi, Uruguay
Uruguay. Wild guess.
> It's time for one of my occasional quizzes again. I'm doing another
> "odd one out" as that idea seemed popluar.
>
> For each question you get five items that all have some relation to
> the given label. Four of them have something in common which the
> fifth has not and your task is to identify the odd one.
>
> You can motivate your answer, but you don't need to. However, if
> you don't give a motivation, your answer *must* be the item I have
> in mind. If you give a different answer, but your motivation is
> correct, I will give you a point if I find what you put forth
> significant enough. (If you give the correct answer, but a motivation
> that is wrong - don't worry, you will get the point anyway.)
>
> Hint: My thinking is that that is rather that the four have something
> "special" in common and the fifth is commonplace, than the other way
> round. (Don't take this *too* literal. Sometimes the fifth is just
> in a different category.)
>
> I plan to score this on Sunday 26th. Post your answers to the
> newsgroup. Only use your own knowledge. Don't Google, don't look
> up sources, don't ask the wife or the dog. Have fun!
>
>
>
> 1. Country names: Bosnia, Congo, Jordan, Malawi, Uruguay
>
> 2. Fruits: Golden Delicious, Granny Smith, Jazz, McIntosh, Seville
>
> 3. Music: "Helter Skelter", "Here Comes the Sun", "Something",
> "Taxman", "While My Guitar Gently Weeps"
>
> 4. Japan: Ginza, Nara, Nihonbashi, Shibuya, Shinjuku
>
> 5. Film: "Amarcord",
> "Brutti, sporchi e cattivi" ("Ugly Dirty and Bad"),
> "La dolce vita",
> "Prova d'orchestra" ("Orchestra Rehearsal")
> "Roma"
>
> 6: Lakes: Caspian Sea, Lake Baikal, Lake Chad, Lake Eyre, Great Salt Lake
>
> 7: Chemistry: Barium, Calcium, Cesium, Magnesium, Strontium
>
> 8: Sports: Cycling, Fencing, Riding, Shooting, Swimming
only, no cycle, sword, horse or gun.
>
> 9: Computing: Pascal, Perl, PHP, Powershell, Python
>
> 10: History: Deng, Qing, Song, Tang, Yuan
>
> 11: Business: Boeing, Costco, Microsoft, Nike, Starbucks
>
> 12: New Zeland: Haast, Kaka Point, Lumsden, National Park, Seddonville
not the answer required but anyone who has ever worked in engineering
and had the misfortune to use a Lumsden grinder will never forget it.
I think I may have got one right there.
--
“To err, as they say, is human. To forgive is divine. To err by
withholding your forgiveness until it’s too late is to become divinely
fucked up.” ― Jonathan Tropper, The Book of Joe
Joe Masters
Jan 21, 2020, 3:43:28 PM1/21/20
to
On 2020-01-21 20:41:19 +0000, Joe Masters said:
> On 2020-01-21 20:16:33 +0000, Erland Sommarskog said:
>
>>
>> 3. Music: "Helter Skelter", "Here Comes the Sun", "Something",
>> "Taxman", "While My Guitar Gently Weeps"
>
> "While My Guitar Gently Weeps". Only one written by George.
Damn. Just realised. Only instrumental.
> On 2020-01-21 20:16:33 +0000, Erland Sommarskog said:
>
>>
>> 3. Music: "Helter Skelter", "Here Comes the Sun", "Something",
>> "Taxman", "While My Guitar Gently Weeps"
>
> "While My Guitar Gently Weeps". Only one written by George.
Mark Brader
Jan 21, 2020, 4:47:59 PM1/21/20
to
Erland Sommarskog:
> 1. Country names: Bosnia, Congo, Jordan, Malawi, Uruguay
Congo. (Name of two different countries.)
> 2. Fruits: Golden Delicious, Granny Smith, Jazz, McIntosh, Seville
Seville. (Orange, not apple.)
> 3. Music: "Helter Skelter", "Here Comes the Sun", "Something",
> "Taxman", "While My Guitar Gently Weeps"
"Something".
> 4. Japan: Ginza, Nara, Nihonbashi, Shibuya, Shinjuku
Shinjuku.
> 5. Film: "Amarcord",
> "Brutti, sporchi e cattivi" ("Ugly Dirty and Bad"),
> "La dolce vita",
> "Prova d'orchestra" ("Orchestra Rehearsal")
> "Roma"
"Roma". (Not Italian.)
> 6: Lakes: Caspian Sea, Lake Baikal, Lake Chad, Lake Eyre, Great Salt Lake
Lake Baikal. (Not salt water.)
> 7: Chemistry: Barium, Calcium, Cesium, Magnesium, Strontium
Cesium. (Different group.)
> 8: Sports: Cycling, Fencing, Riding, Shooting, Swimming
Fencing. (Matches are one-against-one.)
> 9: Computing: Pascal, Perl, PHP, Powershell, Python
Pascal. (Compiled, not interpreted.)
> 10: History: Deng, Qing, Song, Tang, Yuan
Deng.
> 11: Business: Boeing, Costco, Microsoft, Nike, Starbucks
Costco. (Not founded in US Pacific Northwest.)
> 12: New Zeland: Haast, Kaka Point, Lumsden, National Park, Seddonville
Haast.
--
Mark Brader, Toronto | "Damn! Damn! Damn! Er, I mean thanks, Mark."
m...@vex.net | --Steve Ball
My text in this article is in the public domain.
> I plan to score this on Sunday 26th. Post your answers to the
> newsgroup. Only use your own knowledge. Don't Google, don't look
> up sources, don't ask the wife or the dog. Have fun!
(Oh good, he didn't say I can't ask the cats.)
> newsgroup. Only use your own knowledge. Don't Google, don't look
> up sources, don't ask the wife or the dog. Have fun!
> 1. Country names: Bosnia, Congo, Jordan, Malawi, Uruguay
> 2. Fruits: Golden Delicious, Granny Smith, Jazz, McIntosh, Seville
> 3. Music: "Helter Skelter", "Here Comes the Sun", "Something",
> "Taxman", "While My Guitar Gently Weeps"
> 4. Japan: Ginza, Nara, Nihonbashi, Shibuya, Shinjuku
> 5. Film: "Amarcord",
> "Brutti, sporchi e cattivi" ("Ugly Dirty and Bad"),
> "La dolce vita",
> "Prova d'orchestra" ("Orchestra Rehearsal")
> "Roma"
> 6: Lakes: Caspian Sea, Lake Baikal, Lake Chad, Lake Eyre, Great Salt Lake
> 7: Chemistry: Barium, Calcium, Cesium, Magnesium, Strontium
> 8: Sports: Cycling, Fencing, Riding, Shooting, Swimming
> 9: Computing: Pascal, Perl, PHP, Powershell, Python
> 10: History: Deng, Qing, Song, Tang, Yuan
> 11: Business: Boeing, Costco, Microsoft, Nike, Starbucks
> 12: New Zeland: Haast, Kaka Point, Lumsden, National Park, Seddonville
--
Mark Brader, Toronto | "Damn! Damn! Damn! Er, I mean thanks, Mark."
m...@vex.net | --Steve Ball
My text in this article is in the public domain.
Dan Blum
Jan 21, 2020, 5:24:13 PM1/21/20
to
Erland Sommarskog <esq...@sommarskog.se> wrote:
> 1. Country names: Bosnia, Congo, Jordan, Malawi, Uruguay
Bosnia
> 1. Country names: Bosnia, Congo, Jordan, Malawi, Uruguay
> 2. Fruits: Golden Delicious, Granny Smith, Jazz, McIntosh, Seville
Seville
> 3. Music: "Helter Skelter", "Here Comes the Sun", "Something",
> "Taxman", "While My Guitar Gently Weeps"
> 4. Japan: Ginza, Nara, Nihonbashi, Shibuya, Shinjuku
> 5. Film: "Amarcord",
> "Brutti, sporchi e cattivi" ("Ugly Dirty and Bad"),
> "La dolce vita",
> "Prova d'orchestra" ("Orchestra Rehearsal")
> "Roma"
> 6: Lakes: Caspian Sea, Lake Baikal, Lake Chad, Lake Eyre, Great Salt Lake
> 7: Chemistry: Barium, Calcium, Cesium, Magnesium, Strontium
> 8: Sports: Cycling, Fencing, Riding, Shooting, Swimming
> 9: Computing: Pascal, Perl, PHP, Powershell, Python
> 10: History: Deng, Qing, Song, Tang, Yuan
> 11: Business: Boeing, Costco, Microsoft, Nike, Starbucks
> 12: New Zeland: Haast, Kaka Point, Lumsden, National Park, Seddonville
--
_______________________________________________________________________
Dan Blum to...@panix.com
"I wouldn't have believed it myself if I hadn't just made it up."
Calvin
Jan 21, 2020, 7:03:59 PM1/21/20
to
On Wednesday, January 22, 2020 at 6:16:33 AM UTC+10, Erland Sommarskog wrote:
> It's time for one of my occasional quizzes again. I'm doing another
> "odd one out" as that idea seemed popluar.
:-)
> It's time for one of my occasional quizzes again. I'm doing another
> "odd one out" as that idea seemed popluar.
> 1. Country names: Bosnia, Congo, Jordan, Malawi, Uruguay
Only one to have hosted an Olympic Games
> 2. Fruits: Golden Delicious, Granny Smith, Jazz, McIntosh, Seville
the others are apple varieties
> 3. Music: "Helter Skelter", "Here Comes the Sun", "Something",
> "Taxman", "While My Guitar Gently Weeps"
Only one I've never heard of :-)
> 4. Japan: Ginza, Nara, Nihonbashi, Shibuya, Shinjuku
> 5. Film: "Amarcord",
> "Brutti, sporchi e cattivi" ("Ugly Dirty and Bad"),
> "La dolce vita",
> "Prova d'orchestra" ("Orchestra Rehearsal")
> "Roma"
>
> 6: Lakes: Caspian Sea, Lake Baikal, Lake Chad, Lake Eyre, Great Salt Lake
It's freshwater
> 7: Chemistry: Barium, Calcium, Cesium, Magnesium, Strontium
Only one named for a person
> 8: Sports: Cycling, Fencing, Riding, Shooting, Swimming
Not part of Modern Pentathlon
> 9: Computing: Pascal, Perl, PHP, Powershell, Python
Only one I've never heard of :-)
> 10: History: Deng, Qing, Song, Tang, Yuan
Made up
> 11: Business: Boeing, Costco, Microsoft, Nike, Starbucks
act ethically
> 12: New Zeland: Haast, Kaka Point, Lumsden, National Park, Seddonville
Only one I *have* heard of! :-)
cheers,
calvin
Pete Gayde
Jan 21, 2020, 7:54:45 PM1/21/20
to
Erland Sommarskog <esq...@sommarskog.se> wrote in
news:XnsAB4BD86E1...@127.0.0.1:
> It's time for one of my occasional quizzes again. I'm doing another
> "odd one out" as that idea seemed popluar.
>
> For each question you get five items that all have some relation to
> the given label. Four of them have something in common which the
> fifth has not and your task is to identify the odd one.
>
> You can motivate your answer, but you don't need to. However, if
> you don't give a motivation, your answer *must* be the item I have
> in mind. If you give a different answer, but your motivation is
> correct, I will give you a point if I find what you put forth
> significant enough. (If you give the correct answer, but a motivation
> that is wrong - don't worry, you will get the point anyway.)
>
> Hint: My thinking is that that is rather that the four have something
> "special" in common and the fifth is commonplace, than the other way
> round. (Don't take this *too* literal. Sometimes the fifth is just
> in a different category.)
>
> I plan to score this on Sunday 26th. Post your answers to the
> newsgroup. Only use your own knowledge. Don't Google, don't look
> up sources, don't ask the wife or the dog. Have fun!
>
>
>
> 1. Country names: Bosnia, Congo, Jordan, Malawi, Uruguay
Jordan
>
> 2. Fruits: Golden Delicious, Granny Smith, Jazz, McIntosh, Seville
Jazz
>
> 3. Music: "Helter Skelter", "Here Comes the Sun", "Something",
> "Taxman", "While My Guitar Gently Weeps"
Helter Skelter
>
> 4. Japan: Ginza, Nara, Nihonbashi, Shibuya, Shinjuku
Nara
>
> 5. Film: "Amarcord",
> "Brutti, sporchi e cattivi" ("Ugly Dirty and Bad"),
> "La dolce vita",
> "Prova d'orchestra" ("Orchestra Rehearsal")
> "Roma"
La dolce vita
>
> 6: Lakes: Caspian Sea, Lake Baikal, Lake Chad, Lake Eyre, Great Salt
> Lake
Lake Eyre
>
> 7: Chemistry: Barium, Calcium, Cesium, Magnesium, Strontium
Calcium
>
> 8: Sports: Cycling, Fencing, Riding, Shooting, Swimming
Cycling
>
> 9: Computing: Pascal, Perl, PHP, Powershell, Python
Powershell
>
> 10: History: Deng, Qing, Song, Tang, Yuan
Deng
>
> 11: Business: Boeing, Costco, Microsoft, Nike, Starbucks
Costco
>
> 12: New Zeland: Haast, Kaka Point, Lumsden, National Park, Seddonville
National Park
>
>
>
Pete Gayde
news:XnsAB4BD86E1...@127.0.0.1:
> It's time for one of my occasional quizzes again. I'm doing another
> "odd one out" as that idea seemed popluar.
>
> For each question you get five items that all have some relation to
> the given label. Four of them have something in common which the
> fifth has not and your task is to identify the odd one.
>
> You can motivate your answer, but you don't need to. However, if
> you don't give a motivation, your answer *must* be the item I have
> in mind. If you give a different answer, but your motivation is
> correct, I will give you a point if I find what you put forth
> significant enough. (If you give the correct answer, but a motivation
> that is wrong - don't worry, you will get the point anyway.)
>
> Hint: My thinking is that that is rather that the four have something
> "special" in common and the fifth is commonplace, than the other way
> round. (Don't take this *too* literal. Sometimes the fifth is just
> in a different category.)
>
> I plan to score this on Sunday 26th. Post your answers to the
> newsgroup. Only use your own knowledge. Don't Google, don't look
> up sources, don't ask the wife or the dog. Have fun!
>
>
>
> 1. Country names: Bosnia, Congo, Jordan, Malawi, Uruguay
>
> 2. Fruits: Golden Delicious, Granny Smith, Jazz, McIntosh, Seville
>
> 3. Music: "Helter Skelter", "Here Comes the Sun", "Something",
> "Taxman", "While My Guitar Gently Weeps"
>
> 4. Japan: Ginza, Nara, Nihonbashi, Shibuya, Shinjuku
>
> 5. Film: "Amarcord",
> "Brutti, sporchi e cattivi" ("Ugly Dirty and Bad"),
> "La dolce vita",
> "Prova d'orchestra" ("Orchestra Rehearsal")
> "Roma"
>
> 6: Lakes: Caspian Sea, Lake Baikal, Lake Chad, Lake Eyre, Great Salt
> Lake
>
> 7: Chemistry: Barium, Calcium, Cesium, Magnesium, Strontium
>
> 8: Sports: Cycling, Fencing, Riding, Shooting, Swimming
>
> 9: Computing: Pascal, Perl, PHP, Powershell, Python
>
> 10: History: Deng, Qing, Song, Tang, Yuan
>
> 11: Business: Boeing, Costco, Microsoft, Nike, Starbucks
>
> 12: New Zeland: Haast, Kaka Point, Lumsden, National Park, Seddonville
>
>
>
Pete Gayde
Joshua Kreitzer
Jan 21, 2020, 9:49:01 PM1/21/20
to
> For each question you get five items that all have some relation to
> the given label. Four of them have something in common which the
> fifth has not and your task is to identify the odd one.
>
> the given label. Four of them have something in common which the
> fifth has not and your task is to identify the odd one.
>
> 2. Fruits: Golden Delicious, Granny Smith, Jazz, McIntosh, Seville
Seville (the rest are apples)
> 3. Music: "Helter Skelter", "Here Comes the Sun", "Something",
> "Taxman", "While My Guitar Gently Weeps"
> 4. Japan: Ginza, Nara, Nihonbashi, Shibuya, Shinjuku
> 5. Film: "Amarcord",
> "Brutti, sporchi e cattivi" ("Ugly Dirty and Bad"),
> "La dolce vita",
> "Prova d'orchestra" ("Orchestra Rehearsal")
> "Roma"
> 8: Sports: Cycling, Fencing, Riding, Shooting, Swimming
> 10: History: Deng, Qing, Song, Tang, Yuan
> 11: Business: Boeing, Costco, Microsoft, Nike, Starbucks
Boeing is based in Chicago)
--
Joshua Kreitzer
grom...@hotmail.com
Erland Sommarskog
Jan 26, 2020, 8:32:39 AM1/26/20
to
This quiz is over and MARK BRADER emerges as the winner (although
there is some uncertainty, as he may have asked the cats).
Congratulations, and the glory is yours for the entire Sunday!
(And since it's late in Brisbane, Calvin is asked to stretch
until Monday.)
Here is the full scoreboard:
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Total
Mark - 1 - - 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 - 8
Dan B - 1 1 1 1 - - 1 1 1 - - 7
Joshua - 1 1 1 1 - - 1 - 1 1 - 7
Calvin - 1 - 1 - 1 1 1 - - - - 5
Pete G - - 1 1 - - - 1 - 1 - 1 5
Joe - 1 - - 1 - - 1 - 1 - - 4
Here are the answers:
> 1. Country names: Bosnia, Congo, Jordan, Malawi, Uruguay
Intended answer: Malawi. Not named after a river. And while there
is a lake with the same name, it appears that it is not named after
the lake either, but as I understand Wikipedia, the name comes from
a local people.
I did not award Congo "Name of two different countries", because
there is nothing particular about only being the name of one country,
As for the suggestion on the Olympics, that has no relation to the
*name*.
I suspect that at least someone would have gotten this, if I had
left out Bosnia and instead take any of the other river countries
in Africa, but I wanted some diversity. The river in question is called
Bosna.
> 2. Fruits: Golden Delicious, Granny Smith, Jazz, McIntosh, Seville
Intended answer: Seville. It's an orange, whereas the others are
cultivars of apples.
>3. Music: "Helter Skelter", "Here Comes the Sun", "Something",
> "Taxman", "While My Guitar Gently Weeps"
Intended answer: "Helter Skelter" is written by (Lennon-)McCartney. The
others were all penned by George Harrison.
> 4. Japan: Ginza, Nara, Nihonbashi, Shibuya, Shinjuku
Intended answer: Nara. Nara is the old imperial capital, pre-dating
Kyoto. The others are all areas within Tokyo.
>5. Film: "Amarcord",
> "Brutti, sporchi e cattivi" ("Ugly Dirty and Bad"),
> "La dolce vita",
> "Prova d'orchestra" ("Orchestra Rehearsal")
> "Roma"
Intended answer: "Brutti, sporchi e cattivi", directed by Ettore Scola.
The others were all directed by Federico Fellini, born 100 years ago.
Also approved: "Roma" (Not set in Italy, not Italian). So this was a
goof of mine. The entrants who gave this answer had a different film
in mind, a Mexican film that came out in 2018 (and which I should have
been aware of). I should have picked another Fellini title, or just
simply added the release year to the titles to resolve the ambiguity.
> 6: Lakes: Caspian Sea, Lake Baikal, Lake Chad, Lake Eyre,
> Great Salt Lake
Intended answer: Lake Baikal, the only lake to be drained in the normal
way through a river. However, not the only freshwater lake - Lake Chad
is also freshwater. But instead of a river, the waters percolates
into the Soro and Bodélé depressions, Wikipedia says.
Lake Eyre is in Australia and is a few metres below sea level.
> 7: Chemistry: Barium, Calcium, Cesium, Magnesium, Strontium
Intended answer: Caesium. This is an alkali metal (+1), whereas the
others are in the group of alkali earth metals (+2). However, it is not
named after a person, from what I can tell from Wikipedia. My excuse
for using the American spelling "cesium" is that this is also the
spelling used in Swedish.
A case could also be made for magnesium: it appears that this is the
only of the five that can be stored in open air, whereas the others
all will corrode or catch fire.
When it comes to radioactivity, they all have stable isotopes.
> 8: Sports: Cycling, Fencing, Riding, Shooting, Swimming
Intended answer: Cycling, not part of modern pentathlon.
Also approved: Swimming, no extra equipment.
Fencing: only game with one-to-one matches.
I purposely did not analyse this question for alternative answers,
but I thought it would be fun to see what people would come up with.
When it comes to fencing, one-to-one sports are not particularly rare,
so one-to-one and competing-many-in-parallel can be seen as different
categories.
> 9: Computing: Pascal, Perl, PHP, Powershell, Python
Intended answer: Pascal. Only language to be fully statically typed.
Arguably, it is also the only compiled language, although Python
typically compiles the scripts to some intermediate format behind
the scenes.
Some entrants did not seem to be familiar with Powershell. This is a
language from Microsoft, and originally it was only available on
Windows, but it is now also available as open source on other platforms.
You could say that it is a scripting interface to .NET.
> 10: History: Deng, Qing, Song, Tang, Yuan
Intended answer: Deng, not a Chinese dynasty. (But the surname of a
recent Chinese ruler.)
> 11: Business: Boeing, Costco, Microsoft, Nike, Starbucks
Intended answer: Nike, the only company with no relation to the
Seattle area. Nike are in Beaverton, outside Portland, OR.
Also approved: Boeing (headquarters not in Pacific Northwest)
Costco (origin not in Pacific Northwest)
Not one of my best questions. I should have picked the odd one from
elsewhere in the US, maybe Chicago. And throwing in Costco last
minute was really stupid. Costco has its headquarters in Issaquah,
which is in greater Seattle, and the Costco part of the company
has its origin in Seattle. However, the Price Club part,
which is the older one, started in San Diego. These two parts were
originally competitors, but merged. (All this based on my reading
of Wikipedia.)
I could of course have used Amazon instead of Costco, but I wanted
some diversity, so I did not like having two IT companies on the list.
I was considering Nordstrom, but then I would have had to pick an odd
company that only has business in US and Canada, and that would have
made the question difficult for people from elsewhere.
While Boeing has its headquarters in Chicago, it is still very stronly
associated with Seattle, so I felt that it was a fair entry on the list.
Several entrants gave Costco without a motivation. I feel sorry for
you, but I stand by my original plan. You were after all encouraged
to give a motivation.
> 12: New Zealand: Haast, Kaka Point, Lumsden, National Park, Seddonville
Intended answer: National Park. It's on North Island. The others are
on South Island.
So the devil caught me on this one. I had absolutely to reason to
expect that any entrant would know any of these places - not even
Kiwis are likely to know all of them. Thus, it was equal for all.
All five are small unassuming places, but as it happens, I've been to
all five.
Haast is on the west coast. This is where road 6 leaves the coast to
turn up the mountains towards Wanaka and Queenstown. I stayed here for
two nights, although it was not in my plan. But heavy rain caused
mud slides and other issues which closed the road in both directions
from Haast.
Kaka Point is along the Southern Scenic Route between Invercargill
and Dunedin. I stopped here for dinner after having been to the Nugget
Point lighthouse. I was at the restaurant around 20:45, but the kitchen
had closed 15 minutes earlier (as often is the case in these small
places). Thankfully, they had a bar menu with some mixed grill.
Lumsden is on road 6 between Queesntown and Invercargill. I was heading
towards Te Anau, but took a short detour, since at the time I had a
neighbour whose last name was Lumsden. There is nothing to see here,
but I had lunch at a café with an attitude, and it was also here I
got the T-shirt with their motto "This is as Lumsden as it gets!".
With 400 souls, this is probably the biggest place on the list.
National Park is in the Tongariro National Park, and it is a good
base if you want to do the Tongariro Alpine Crossing, "the best
one-day walk in New Zealand".
Seddonville is also on the west coast, a few km off the road between
Westport and Karamea. There are only a couple of houses here, but
there is a hotel. The surroundings are just immensly beautiful. Here
is a sample:
http://privat.sommarskog.se/NZ2018/04-Seddonville/Stor-0140_IMG_0331.jpg
The blue houses on the right is the hotel. I'm surprised that Calvin knew
about this place. When I have mentioned the name to Kiwis, I have only
gotten blank stares back.
Thanks to everyone for playing!
there is some uncertainty, as he may have asked the cats).
Congratulations, and the glory is yours for the entire Sunday!
(And since it's late in Brisbane, Calvin is asked to stretch
until Monday.)
Here is the full scoreboard:
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Total
Mark - 1 - - 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 - 8
Dan B - 1 1 1 1 - - 1 1 1 - - 7
Joshua - 1 1 1 1 - - 1 - 1 1 - 7
Calvin - 1 - 1 - 1 1 1 - - - - 5
Pete G - - 1 1 - - - 1 - 1 - 1 5
Joe - 1 - - 1 - - 1 - 1 - - 4
Here are the answers:
> 1. Country names: Bosnia, Congo, Jordan, Malawi, Uruguay
is a lake with the same name, it appears that it is not named after
the lake either, but as I understand Wikipedia, the name comes from
a local people.
I did not award Congo "Name of two different countries", because
there is nothing particular about only being the name of one country,
As for the suggestion on the Olympics, that has no relation to the
*name*.
I suspect that at least someone would have gotten this, if I had
left out Bosnia and instead take any of the other river countries
in Africa, but I wanted some diversity. The river in question is called
Bosna.
> 2. Fruits: Golden Delicious, Granny Smith, Jazz, McIntosh, Seville
cultivars of apples.
>3. Music: "Helter Skelter", "Here Comes the Sun", "Something",
> "Taxman", "While My Guitar Gently Weeps"
others were all penned by George Harrison.
> 4. Japan: Ginza, Nara, Nihonbashi, Shibuya, Shinjuku
Kyoto. The others are all areas within Tokyo.
>5. Film: "Amarcord",
> "Brutti, sporchi e cattivi" ("Ugly Dirty and Bad"),
> "La dolce vita",
> "Prova d'orchestra" ("Orchestra Rehearsal")
> "Roma"
The others were all directed by Federico Fellini, born 100 years ago.
Also approved: "Roma" (Not set in Italy, not Italian). So this was a
goof of mine. The entrants who gave this answer had a different film
in mind, a Mexican film that came out in 2018 (and which I should have
been aware of). I should have picked another Fellini title, or just
simply added the release year to the titles to resolve the ambiguity.
> 6: Lakes: Caspian Sea, Lake Baikal, Lake Chad, Lake Eyre,
> Great Salt Lake
way through a river. However, not the only freshwater lake - Lake Chad
is also freshwater. But instead of a river, the waters percolates
into the Soro and Bodélé depressions, Wikipedia says.
Lake Eyre is in Australia and is a few metres below sea level.
> 7: Chemistry: Barium, Calcium, Cesium, Magnesium, Strontium
others are in the group of alkali earth metals (+2). However, it is not
named after a person, from what I can tell from Wikipedia. My excuse
for using the American spelling "cesium" is that this is also the
spelling used in Swedish.
A case could also be made for magnesium: it appears that this is the
only of the five that can be stored in open air, whereas the others
all will corrode or catch fire.
When it comes to radioactivity, they all have stable isotopes.
> 8: Sports: Cycling, Fencing, Riding, Shooting, Swimming
Also approved: Swimming, no extra equipment.
Fencing: only game with one-to-one matches.
I purposely did not analyse this question for alternative answers,
but I thought it would be fun to see what people would come up with.
When it comes to fencing, one-to-one sports are not particularly rare,
so one-to-one and competing-many-in-parallel can be seen as different
categories.
> 9: Computing: Pascal, Perl, PHP, Powershell, Python
Arguably, it is also the only compiled language, although Python
typically compiles the scripts to some intermediate format behind
the scenes.
Some entrants did not seem to be familiar with Powershell. This is a
language from Microsoft, and originally it was only available on
Windows, but it is now also available as open source on other platforms.
You could say that it is a scripting interface to .NET.
> 10: History: Deng, Qing, Song, Tang, Yuan
recent Chinese ruler.)
> 11: Business: Boeing, Costco, Microsoft, Nike, Starbucks
Seattle area. Nike are in Beaverton, outside Portland, OR.
Also approved: Boeing (headquarters not in Pacific Northwest)
Costco (origin not in Pacific Northwest)
Not one of my best questions. I should have picked the odd one from
elsewhere in the US, maybe Chicago. And throwing in Costco last
minute was really stupid. Costco has its headquarters in Issaquah,
which is in greater Seattle, and the Costco part of the company
has its origin in Seattle. However, the Price Club part,
which is the older one, started in San Diego. These two parts were
originally competitors, but merged. (All this based on my reading
of Wikipedia.)
I could of course have used Amazon instead of Costco, but I wanted
some diversity, so I did not like having two IT companies on the list.
I was considering Nordstrom, but then I would have had to pick an odd
company that only has business in US and Canada, and that would have
made the question difficult for people from elsewhere.
While Boeing has its headquarters in Chicago, it is still very stronly
associated with Seattle, so I felt that it was a fair entry on the list.
Several entrants gave Costco without a motivation. I feel sorry for
you, but I stand by my original plan. You were after all encouraged
to give a motivation.
> 12: New Zealand: Haast, Kaka Point, Lumsden, National Park, Seddonville
Intended answer: National Park. It's on North Island. The others are
on South Island.
So the devil caught me on this one. I had absolutely to reason to
expect that any entrant would know any of these places - not even
Kiwis are likely to know all of them. Thus, it was equal for all.
All five are small unassuming places, but as it happens, I've been to
all five.
Haast is on the west coast. This is where road 6 leaves the coast to
turn up the mountains towards Wanaka and Queenstown. I stayed here for
two nights, although it was not in my plan. But heavy rain caused
mud slides and other issues which closed the road in both directions
from Haast.
Kaka Point is along the Southern Scenic Route between Invercargill
and Dunedin. I stopped here for dinner after having been to the Nugget
Point lighthouse. I was at the restaurant around 20:45, but the kitchen
had closed 15 minutes earlier (as often is the case in these small
places). Thankfully, they had a bar menu with some mixed grill.
Lumsden is on road 6 between Queesntown and Invercargill. I was heading
towards Te Anau, but took a short detour, since at the time I had a
neighbour whose last name was Lumsden. There is nothing to see here,
but I had lunch at a café with an attitude, and it was also here I
got the T-shirt with their motto "This is as Lumsden as it gets!".
With 400 souls, this is probably the biggest place on the list.
National Park is in the Tongariro National Park, and it is a good
base if you want to do the Tongariro Alpine Crossing, "the best
one-day walk in New Zealand".
Seddonville is also on the west coast, a few km off the road between
Westport and Karamea. There are only a couple of houses here, but
there is a hotel. The surroundings are just immensly beautiful. Here
is a sample:
http://privat.sommarskog.se/NZ2018/04-Seddonville/Stor-0140_IMG_0331.jpg
The blue houses on the right is the hotel. I'm surprised that Calvin knew
about this place. When I have mentioned the name to Kiwis, I have only
gotten blank stares back.
Thanks to everyone for playing!
Mark Brader
Jan 26, 2020, 6:01:30 PM1/26/20
to
Erland Sommarskog:
countries (Republic of Congo and Democratic Republic of Congo); this does
not apply to Bosnia, Jordan, Malawi, or Uruguay. How does that not
qualify under the terms of the contest and what do you mean by "there
is nothing particular"?
> Intended answer: Lake Baikal, the only lake to be drained in the normal
> way through a river. However, not the only freshwater lake - Lake Chad
> is also freshwater. But instead of a river, the waters percolates
> into the Soro and Bodélé depressions, Wikipedia says.
Huh, interesting.
> > 8: Sports: Cycling, Fencing, Riding, Shooting, Swimming
>
> Intended answer: Cycling, not part of modern pentathlon.
>
> Also approved: Swimming, no extra equipment.
> Fencing: only game with one-to-one matches.
>
> I purposely did not analyse this question for alternative answers,
> but I thought it would be fun to see what people would come up with.
>
> When it comes to fencing, one-to-one sports are not particularly rare...
Indeed, but it was the only one of that type on the list. See Congo.
> > 9: Computing: Pascal, Perl, PHP, Powershell, Python
>
> Intended answer: Pascal. Only language to be fully statically typed.
> Arguably, it is also the only compiled language, although Python
> typically compiles the scripts to some intermediate format behind
> the scenes.
So does Perl.
> > 11: Business: Boeing, Costco, Microsoft, Nike, Starbucks
>
> Intended answer: Nike, the only company with no relation to the
> Seattle area. Nike are in Beaverton, outside Portland, OR.
>
> Also approved: Boeing (headquarters not in Pacific Northwest)
> Costco (origin not in Pacific Northwest)
Well, you can take this point away from me if you give me the one
for Congo. Howzat? :-)
--
Mark Brader, Toronto | "It's been proven. Places stay clean until somebody
m...@vex.net | drops the first piece of litter." -- TTC poster
> > 1. Country names: Bosnia, Congo, Jordan, Malawi, Uruguay
>
> Intended answer: Malawi. Not named after a river...
>
> I did not award Congo "Name of two different countries", because
> there is nothing particular about only being the name of one country,
I don't undersatnd that ruling at all. Congo is the name of two different
> there is nothing particular about only being the name of one country,
countries (Republic of Congo and Democratic Republic of Congo); this does
not apply to Bosnia, Jordan, Malawi, or Uruguay. How does that not
qualify under the terms of the contest and what do you mean by "there
is nothing particular"?
> Intended answer: Lake Baikal, the only lake to be drained in the normal
> way through a river. However, not the only freshwater lake - Lake Chad
> is also freshwater. But instead of a river, the waters percolates
> into the Soro and Bodélé depressions, Wikipedia says.
> > 8: Sports: Cycling, Fencing, Riding, Shooting, Swimming
>
> Intended answer: Cycling, not part of modern pentathlon.
>
> Also approved: Swimming, no extra equipment.
> Fencing: only game with one-to-one matches.
>
> I purposely did not analyse this question for alternative answers,
> but I thought it would be fun to see what people would come up with.
>
Indeed, but it was the only one of that type on the list. See Congo.
> > 9: Computing: Pascal, Perl, PHP, Powershell, Python
>
> Intended answer: Pascal. Only language to be fully statically typed.
> Arguably, it is also the only compiled language, although Python
> typically compiles the scripts to some intermediate format behind
> the scenes.
> > 11: Business: Boeing, Costco, Microsoft, Nike, Starbucks
>
> Intended answer: Nike, the only company with no relation to the
> Seattle area. Nike are in Beaverton, outside Portland, OR.
>
> Also approved: Boeing (headquarters not in Pacific Northwest)
> Costco (origin not in Pacific Northwest)
> Costco has its headquarters in Issaquah,
> which is in greater Seattle, and the Costco part of the company
> has its origin in Seattle....
> which is in greater Seattle, and the Costco part of the company
Well, you can take this point away from me if you give me the one
for Congo. Howzat? :-)
--
Mark Brader, Toronto | "It's been proven. Places stay clean until somebody
m...@vex.net | drops the first piece of litter." -- TTC poster
Erland Sommarskog
Jan 27, 2020, 2:26:47 PM1/27/20
to
Mark Brader (m...@vex.net) writes:
>> Intended answer: Malawi. Not named after a river...
>> I did not award Congo "Name of two different countries", because
>> there is nothing particular about only being the name of one country,
>
> I don't undersatnd that ruling at all. Congo is the name of two different
> countries (Republic of Congo and Democratic Republic of Congo); this does
> not apply to Bosnia, Jordan, Malawi, or Uruguay. How does that not
> qualify under the terms of the contest and what do you mean by "there
> is nothing particular"?
>
As I said in the original post:
>> Intended answer: Malawi. Not named after a river...
>> I did not award Congo "Name of two different countries", because
>> there is nothing particular about only being the name of one country,
>
> I don't undersatnd that ruling at all. Congo is the name of two different
> countries (Republic of Congo and Democratic Republic of Congo); this does
> not apply to Bosnia, Jordan, Malawi, or Uruguay. How does that not
> qualify under the terms of the contest and what do you mean by "there
> is nothing particular"?
>
My thinking is that that is rather that the four have something
"special" in common and the fifth is commonplace, than the other way
round.
But being a name which is shared by more than one country is quite special. A name which is used by only one country on the other hand is certainly commonplace.
It is evitable that in this type of quiz there will be some subjective judgement. But I would say that there was a hint that you should have looked further than Congo.
Mark Brader
Jan 27, 2020, 3:05:56 PM1/27/20
to
Erland Sommarskog:
> It is evitable that in this type of quiz there will be some subjective
> judgement. But I would say that there was a hint that you should have
> looked further than Congo.
On the other hand, the fact that your list included four countries that
were clearly identified and one that was obviously ambiguous meant, to
me, that there was no need to look further. It was apples and oranges.
--
Mark Brader | "Some societies define themselves by being open to new
Toronto | influences, others define their identity by resisting.
m...@vex.net | In either case, they take the consequences."
--Donna Richoux
>>> Intended answer: Malawi. Not named after a river...
>>> I did not award Congo "Name of two different countries", because
>>> there is nothing particular about only being the name of one country,
Mark Brader:
>>> I did not award Congo "Name of two different countries", because
>>> there is nothing particular about only being the name of one country,
>> I don't undersatnd that ruling at all.
Erland Sommarskog:
> As I said in the original post:
>
> My thinking is that that is rather that the four have something
> "special" in common and the fifth is commonplace, than the other way
> round.
Ah, now that makes sense. Thanks.
>
> My thinking is that that is rather that the four have something
> "special" in common and the fifth is commonplace, than the other way
> round.
> It is evitable that in this type of quiz there will be some subjective
> judgement. But I would say that there was a hint that you should have
> looked further than Congo.
were clearly identified and one that was obviously ambiguous meant, to
me, that there was no need to look further. It was apples and oranges.
--
Mark Brader | "Some societies define themselves by being open to new
Toronto | influences, others define their identity by resisting.
m...@vex.net | In either case, they take the consequences."
--Donna Richoux
Erland Sommarskog
Jan 27, 2020, 4:31:46 PM1/27/20
to
Mark Brader (m...@vex.net) writes:
> On the other hand, the fact that your list included four countries that
> were clearly identified and one that was obviously ambiguous meant, to
> me, that there was no need to look further.
Nah, there was one more name that was a bit lax. The is not really any
> On the other hand, the fact that your list included four countries that
> were clearly identified and one that was obviously ambiguous meant, to
> me, that there was no need to look further.
country called Bosnia - it's Bosnia-Hercegovina-
> It was apples and oranges.
Mark Brader
Jan 28, 2020, 4:29:43 AM1/28/20
to
Mark Brader:
No big deal; thanks for discussing.
--
Mark Brader "Do YOU trust US?"
Toronto "YES!! Well, we try to."
m...@vex.net -- A Walk in the Woods, by Lee Blessing
> > On the other hand, the fact that your list included four countries that
> > were clearly identified and one that was obviously ambiguous meant, to
> > me, that there was no need to look further.
Erland Sommarskog:
> > were clearly identified and one that was obviously ambiguous meant, to
> > me, that there was no need to look further.
> Nah, there was one more name that was a bit lax. The is not really any
> country called Bosnia - it's Bosnia-Hercegovina-
True, but it was still clearly identified.
> country called Bosnia - it's Bosnia-Hercegovina-
No big deal; thanks for discussing.
--
Mark Brader "Do YOU trust US?"
Toronto "YES!! Well, we try to."
m...@vex.net -- A Walk in the Woods, by Lee Blessing
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