Month: April 2013

Even More Metallic People

The initial 1963 versions were made from ultra-fine 3-D knit iron alloy, powered by flat linear armature DC motors (rechargeable via any electrical outlet), short-wave radio (even a rotary phone was used once), collapsible roller skates. Most functions were controlled by miniature electronic switches mounted on the insides of various pieces; by pressing various combinations of them (using even the tongue), different systems were engaged.
The modern version is almost unrecognizable when compared to that.
Actually it looks almost exactly the same.
What is being talked about here?

Hard to Swallow?

A history buff receives a call from a radio jockey asking,” Who shot A in that famous duel? “. Answering the question will win him 10000 dollars. He seems more than capable of answering the question (B) as his house is full of artifacts pertaining to the duel. However his mouth is full of peanut butter and all he can say is “Awwon Buww”, as he doesn’t have C to wash it down.

This is the first instance of an award winning advertise campaign and was directed by D. However these ads are more fanservice than trivia nowadays.

What ad campaign? Answer everything.

Last Man Standing

X is a philosophical idea concerning the existence of oneself. It is quite wacky to say the least an thus has been referenced in many works(read satirized). In Iain Banks’ Against A Dark Background, a hovercraft full of Xist mercenaries makes an appearance. Their philosophy however keeps them from being a cohesive unit.

“I used to be called Elson Roa”.

“Elson Roa”, she repeated.

“But then I became God”,he nodded. “Or rather realized that I always had been God. God in the monotheistic sense that I am all that really exists”.

“But if you’re God,” Sharrow said to Elson Roa, “why do you need the others?”

‘What others?” Roa said.

Sharrow looked exasperated. “Oh, come on.”

Elson Roa shrugged. “My apparences? They are the sign that my will is not yet strong enough to support my existence without extraneous help. I am working on this.” Roa coughed. “It is, indeed, in a very real sense, an encouraging sign that we lost six of our number at the Log-Jam, as this indicates my will is becoming stronger.”

“What about the others? Do they – the apparences – all call themselves God, too?” she asked.

“Apparently,” Roa said, without the hint of a smile.

“Hmm.” She bit her lip.

Roa looked suddenly confused. “Um, apart from one, who’s an atheist,” he said suddenly.

“I beg your pardon?”

“We all call ourselves God except for one apparence, who is an atheist.”

“Ah-ha,’ she said, nodding slowly. ‘And what does this person call themself?”

‘”Me.”

“Uh-huh.”

 What is X?

Anybody?

 X is Latin for ____ , and also Greek for “I give what is due“. It is, moreover, the Latin rendering of Ancient Greek Outis , the pseudonym Odysseus employed to outwit the Cyclops Polyphemus.
X was the name of a few other fictional characters-

A seafaring Indian Prince

A Fish

The protagonist of the movie “ Mr. ____”, thus making his name ___ ___.

What is X?

___é___

Apologies for the …..wall of text. Pretty simple connect though. All answers have inspired something. What is it?

1. 
The first known mention of the word was in the third century AD in a book called Liber Medicinalis by the physician to the roman    emperor Caracalla, who prescribed that malaria sufferers wear an amulet containing the word written in the form of a triangle. This, he explained, diminishes the hold over the patient of the spirit of the disease.
It was used as a magical formula by the Gnostics in invoking the aid of beneficent spirits against disease and misfortune. It is found on Abraxas stones which were worn as amulets. It was probably derived either from Hebrew or Aramaic language (אברא כדברי) meaning “I will create as my words“. Londoners posted the word on their doorways to ward off sickness during the Great Plague of London. Aleister Crowley regarded it as possessing great power.
2.
X is well known as a flower found in a few rain forests in Southeast Asia, although it breaks many of the rules we associate with flowering plants. Its members have no leaves, stems or visible roots. The only visible feature that they have in common with other flowering plants is the flower itself… and even that is only in bloom for brief periods of time. For the rest of the time, the only evidence of the plant’s existence is a closed-up, dark-colored bud.
They can’t photosynthesize as they are parasites. Their roots have evolved into appendages called haustoria, which burrow into the tissue of other plants and suck out nutrients.
In addition, the flowers give off an extremely pungent smell similar to rotten meat. They seem to resemble rotting flesh visually, too. This is to attract flies for pollination instead of butterflies.
3.
In medieval times, cotton plants were depicted as strange half-plant, half-sheep hybrids. Likewise, one popular view of Xs was that they represented a sort of intermediate stage between plants and humans as their roots are very thick and are often forked in a way that makes them resemble a human torso and legs. This led to myths that Xs were a primitive form of humans.

They are very poisonous and produce a class of chemicals (and its most potent variety), which interfere with the nervous systems of humans and other animals. The plants most likely evolved these chemicals as a defense against being eaten, but in sufficiently small quantities, they can be used for medicinal purposes, ranging from asthma to Parkinson’s disease, while in ancient times they were mostly used as a form of anesthetic, since disrupting the activity of the nervous system does have the effect of numbing pain.

4.
Once upon a time, there was a priest who maintained a temple. The priest kept a cat, and though he was very poor, he would often share his food with it. One day, though, the priest found that there was no food left, and in his hunger, he shouted at the cat: “I’ve always fed you in spite of my poverty, so couldn’t you do something for this temple for once?” The cat got up and wandered out of the temple.
As it happened, the lord of the district was out riding near the temple at the time. It started to rain heavily, prompting him to take shelter beneath a tree. He then noticed the cat sitting in front of the temple, _________ to him. The cat’s behavior puzzled him, and so he approached it with interest. As he walked, a bolt of lighting struck the tree he had been underneath and brought it crashing down. It had saved his life.
He picked it up and rushed into the temple. When he discovered that the priest was the owner of the cat, he was filled with gratitude. The temple was adopted as his family temple, and went from being dilapidated to a place of splendor.
5.
One of the primary reasons the fish is symbolic in Japanese culture is because it is known for swimming upstream no matter what the conditions are. These fish are even said to swim up waterfalls. This is viewed as an absolute show of power because they will continue to swim upstream as if on a mission. Their swimming downstream is considered bad luck.
According to Japanese legend, if a X fish succeeded in climbing the falls at a point on the Yellow River, it would be transformed into a Y. Based on that legend, it became a symbol of worldly aspiration and advancement.
Another legend states that the X climb the waterfall bravely, and if they are caught, they face their death on the cutting board bravely like a samurai.

More Metallic People

Excerpt from a Yes Minister script. Which famous person wrote it?

PM: Yes. It’s all very simple. I want you to abolish economists.

JH: [Mouth open] Abolish economists, Prime Minister?

PM: Yes, abolish economists ….. quickly.

SH: [Silkily] All of them, Prime Minister?

PM: Yes, all of them. They never agree on anything. They just fill the heads of politicians with all sorts of curious notions, like the more you spend, the richer you get.

JH: [Coming around to the idea] I see your point, Prime Minister. Can’t have the nation’s time wasted on curious notions, can we? No.

SH: [Sternly] Minister.

PM: Quite right, Jim. Absolute waste of time. Simply got to go.

JH: [Uncertain] Simply got to go?

PM: [Motherly] Yes Jim. Don’t worry. If it all goes wrong I shall get the blame. But if it goes right – as it will – then you’ll get the credit for redeploying a lot of underused and misapplied resources. Probably get promotion too.

SH: [Indignantly] Resources? Resources, Prime Minister? We’re talking about economists.

PM: Were, Sir Humphrey. Were.

JH: [Decisively] Yes Humphrey, were. We’re going to get rid of them.

PM: Well, its all settled then. I’ll look forward to receiving your plan for abolition soon. Tomorrow, shall we say? I’d like you to announce it before it all leaks.

JH: [Brightly] Tomorrow then, Prime Minister.

PM: Yes. Well, go and sort it out. Now, Sir Humphrey ….. what did you say your degree was?

 

Thumbs Up!!!

Kinda like a Stage 2, i.e. answer each question and connect in the end.

All these movie terms were coined by someone. Name the terms. Who coined them? (that’s the connect)

  1. In a high speed chase, a car shifts more gears than it actually has. In the movie this term is named after, the hero upshifts more than 16 times.
  2. As American movies ended the long frontier trek and began to look inward for sources of inspiration, this dialogue replaced “Westward ho!”
  3. Any film using a plot which can be summarized by saying “One’s a…” For example, “One’s a cop. One’s an actor.” Or “One’s a saint. One’s a sinner.”
  4. In every movie with Italian-American characters, one must be named X.
  5. Coined after a scene, where X is taking a bath, and a guy bursts in the room, promising him how he plans to have his revenge, only to have X kill him. X then advises the corpse, “If you have to shoot, shoot don’t talk.”

More Heinlein?

Pretty obscure…….

This story tells about the journey of a mechanical genius from his self-imposed exile from the rest of humanity to a more normal life, conquering the disease myasthenia gravis as well as his own contempt for humans in general.

Being born a weakling, he channeled his intellect, and his family’s money, into the development of the device patented as “Synchronous Reduplicating Pantograph”. Wearing a glove and harness, he could control a much more powerful mechanical hand simply by moving his hand and fingers. In the story, these devices became popularly known as “Xs”. In reference to this story, the real-life remote manipulators that were later developed also came to be called Xs. Specifically; an “X” is a device which is controlled by moving a model of the device; usually a pair of robotic hands that are controlled by sensors in a pair of gloves.

No relations to that other X, though .What is X?

Anti what?

Anti-X is a board game made by San Francisco State University Professor Ralph Anspach in response to X. The game was originally to be produced in 1973 as Bust the Trust.
The original game begins with the board in a “Xed” state, effectively the “result” of a completed X game. Players take the role of federal “case workers” bringing indictments against each business in an attempt to return the state of the board to a free market system.