Thursday, June 29, 2017

Digest for rec.games.trivia@googlegroups.com - 16 updates in 4 topics

Bruce <bbowler@bigelow.org>: Jun 28 01:37PM

On Wed, 28 Jun 2017 00:35:28 -0500, Mark Brader wrote:
 
> reason in a sentence or so, in layman's terms.
 
> 1. In "Star Wars", TIE fighters in space shoot laser cannons whose
> shots look like giant glowing arrows.
 
You can't see laser light. What you see is the light interacting with
particles in the air. In space there are no particles to interact with.
 
> Hint: Laser beams are made of light.
 
> 3. "Star Wars" again. The sound a TIE fighter makes in space is
> the mix of an elephant bellow with a car driving on a wet road.
 
Quoting from another movie's tagline "In space, no one can here you scream"

> church tower, but Batman saves them by throwing a grappling hook.
> After falling about 200-300 feet, they stop, and he is holding the
> grappling rope with one hand.
 
Even though he's a super hero, his body can't defy the laws of physics
 
> environment.
 
> 7. Also in "Waterworld", the sea level has risen about 25,000 feet
> and almost all of Earth is underwater.
 
Where did all the water come from, there's not that much ice to melt.
 
> 8. In "Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back", the Millennium
> Falcon's hyper-drive fails and they must travel from the Hoth system
> to the Bespin system at sub-light speeds.
 
They're too far apart, it would take "forever" to get between the 2 systems
 
> 9. In "2001: A Space Odyssey", Dave survives a brief
> depressurization by taking a deep breath and holding it.
 
And his lungs should have exploded during the depressurization
 
> 10. In too many action movies to name, the villain throws a lit
> cigarette into a pool of gasoline to blow up a car, building, etc.
 
Gas burn, but is not explosive. In fact, only the vapor can burn, the
liquid would extinguish the source of ignition.
tool@panix.com (Dan Blum): Jun 28 02:13PM


> * Game 6, Round 4 - Canadiana - Western Canada
 
> 1. According to the Saskatchewan Bureau of Statistics, what was
> the third-largest city in the province by 2011 census population?
 
Moose Jaw
 
> 2. According to Municipal Affairs Alberta, what was the
> third-largest city by population in the province as of 2015?
 
Edmonton
 
> * Game 6, Round 6 - Science - Impossible Scenarios in Movies
 
> 1. In "Star Wars", TIE fighters in space shoot laser cannons whose
> shots look like giant glowing arrows.
 
lasers are only visible if they pass through a medium so there are
particles to reflect light; they are invisible in vacuum
 
> 2. Also in "Star Wars", invisible shields protect against lasers.
> Hint: Laser beams are made of light.
 
visible light passes through anything transparent by definition
 
> 3. "Star Wars" again. The sound a TIE fighter makes in space is
> the mix of an elephant bellow with a car driving on a wet road.
 
sound requires a medium and so doesn't exist in a vacuum
 
> 4. In The Matrix, living humans are kept as a massive electricity
> generating system.
 
they would require more energy to stay alive than they could possibly
produce (even assuming there were a good way for humans to produce
electricity)
 
> church tower, but Batman saves them by throwing a grappling hook.
> After falling about 200-300 feet, they stop, and he is holding
> the grappling rope with one hand.
 
the force at that point would make it impossible for him to hold on,
and if we posit that he could anyway (because he's Batman) his arm
would have come off
 
> 6. In "Waterworld", Kevin Costner's character has developed gills,
> which implies that he has evolved in response to a changing
> environment.
 
evolution on that scale requires many, many generations - too many for
the movie's timeline
 
> 7. Also in "Waterworld", the sea level has risen about 25,000 feet
> and almost all of Earth is underwater.
 
not enough ice in the world to raise the sea level that much
 
> 8. In "Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back", the Millennium
> Falcon's hyper-drive fails and they must travel from the Hoth
> system to the Bespin system at sub-light speeds.
 
traveling between any two systems would take at least a few years even
at just below the speed of light
 
(Technically I don't think they started that trip in the Hoth system,
but it's still impossible.)
 
> 9. In "2001: A Space Odyssey", Dave survives a brief
> depressurization by taking a deep breath and holding it.
 
lack of oxygen isn't the main problem for that short a period, it's
what the vacuum does to everything else (eyes, for example)
 
> 10. In too many action movies to name, the villain throws a lit
> cigarette into a pool of gasoline to blow up a car, building,
> etc.
 
gasoline vapors are highly inflammable and can be explosive, liquid
gasoline is much less so
 
--
_______________________________________________________________________
Dan Blum tool@panix.com
"I wouldn't have believed it myself if I hadn't just made it up."
Marc Dashevsky <usenet@MarcDashevsky.com>: Jun 28 09:31AM -0500

In article <TeGdnao01IC93c7EnZ2dnUU7-IXNnZ2d@giganews.com>, msb@vex.net says...
> explain the reason in a sentence or so, in layman's terms.
 
> 1. In "Star Wars", TIE fighters in space shoot laser cannons whose
> shots look like giant glowing arrows.
light travels in a straight line -- how do you get an arrow shape?
 
> 2. Also in "Star Wars", invisible shields protect against lasers.
> Hint: Laser beams are made of light.
If visible light can pass though the shields, so can LASER light
 
> 3. "Star Wars" again. The sound a TIE fighter makes in space is
> the mix of an elephant bellow with a car driving on a wet road.
No sound is transmitted through the void of space.
 
> church tower, but Batman saves them by throwing a grappling hook.
> After falling about 200-300 feet, they stop, and he is holding
> the grappling rope with one hand.
The force absorbed by his hand/arm/shoulder would easily overcome his grip.
 
> 6. In "Waterworld", Kevin Costner's character has developed gills,
> which implies that he has evolved in response to a changing
> environment.
species evolve -- not individuals
 
> 7. Also in "Waterworld", the sea level has risen about 25,000 feet
> and almost all of Earth is underwater.
There are not enough water molecules on the planet to make a global ocean five miles deep.
 
> 8. In "Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back", the Millennium
> Falcon's hyper-drive fails and they must travel from the Hoth
> system to the Bespin system at sub-light speeds.
that journey would take hundreds or thousands of years
 
> 9. In "2001: A Space Odyssey", Dave survives a brief
> depressurization by taking a deep breath and holding it.
his pulmonary alveoli would burst
 
> 10. In too many action movies to name, the villain throws a lit
> cigarette into a pool of gasoline to blow up a car, building,
> etc.
uncontained pools of gasoline do not explode -- they burn
 
 
--
Replace "usenet" with "marc" in the e-mail address.
Erland Sommarskog <esquel@sommarskog.se>: Jun 28 08:03PM +0200

> 1. In "Star Wars", TIE fighters in space shoot laser cannons whose
> shots look like giant glowing arrows.
 
Ain't much arrowshape of a laser, it's a straight beam and you don't
see it from the side as the light is going in one direction only.

> 2. Also in "Star Wars", invisible shields protect against lasers.
> Hint: Laser beams are made of light.
 
Obviously, they would not be invisble when the laser falls on them.
Or if they are - they protect very well, as the laser apparentlyh
goes right through.

> 3. "Star Wars" again. The sound a TIE fighter makes in space is
> the mix of an elephant bellow with a car driving on a wet road.
 
Sound requires air. Not much of that in space.

> 4. In The Matrix, living humans are kept as a massive electricity
> generating system.
 
Well, humans generate heat, so if you pack them together in theory.
Then again, you would need to feed them, or else they would die.
And to feed them, you need electricty somewherem, so...
 
> church tower, but Batman saves them by throwing a grappling hook.
> After falling about 200-300 feet, they stop, and he is holding
> the grappling rope with one hand.
 
The force when they stop is very strong, and Batman is not that
strong to withstand it, is he?

> 6. In "Waterworld", Kevin Costner's character has developed gills,
> which implies that he has evolved in response to a changing
> environment.
 
He certainly cannot evolve that personally - that takes generations.

> 7. Also in "Waterworld", the sea level has risen about 25,000 feet
> and almost all of Earth is underwater.
 
Even if all ice in Antartica would melt, the sea levels would not raise
that much. I don't recall exactly, maybe 300 m. (Which is still is
quite a deluge.)
 
> 8. In "Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back", the Millennium
> Falcon's hyper-drive fails and they must travel from the Hoth
> system to the Bespin system at sub-light speeds.
 
Don't know the distance, but it takes an awul time to travel in
space at sub-light speeds.

> 9. In "2001: A Space Odyssey", Dave survives a brief
> depressurization by taking a deep breath and holding it.
 
Don't do that - you will explode when the pressure inside of you is
much higher than on the outside.
 
> 10. In too many action movies to name, the villain throws a lit
> cigarette into a pool of gasoline to blow up a car, building,
> etc.
 
So wasn't that what happened in Pakistan last week? Was not fun at all.
 
 
--
Erland Sommarskog, Stockholm, esquel@sommarskog.se
Gareth Owen <gwowen@gmail.com>: Jun 28 07:20PM +0100


> 1. In "Star Wars", TIE fighters in space shoot laser cannons whose
> shots look like giant glowing arrows.
 
Light does not emit light. (Are they actually ever called lasers on TIE
Fighters? I only recall the Turbo Lasers on the Death Star)
 
> 2. Also in "Star Wars", invisible shields protect against lasers.
> Hint: Laser beams are made of light.
 
Light passes through invisible things - that's kind of the big deal
 
> 3. "Star Wars" again. The sound a TIE fighter makes in space is
> the mix of an elephant bellow with a car driving on a wet road.
 
Space is a vacuum - no sound propagates. Also, elephants can't drive.
 
> 4. In The Matrix, living humans are kept as a massive electricity
> generating system.
 
All kinds of "conservation of energy" and "perpetual motion" problems.
They'll need more fuel than they'll provide.
 
> church tower, but Batman saves them by throwing a grappling hook.
> After falling about 200-300 feet, they stop, and he is holding
> the grappling rope with one hand.
 
That's a lot of impulse travelling through the hand/rope interface. On
a good day, he loses grip. On a bad day, it rips the arm from the socket.
 
> 6. In "Waterworld", Kevin Costner's character has developed gills,
> which implies that he has evolved in response to a changing
> environment.
 
Evolution doesn't work that quick.
 
> 7. Also in "Waterworld", the sea level has risen about 25,000 feet
> and almost all of Earth is underwater.
 
Where was all that volume of water (and it is a LOT) previously hiding?
 
> 8. In "Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back", the Millennium
> Falcon's hyper-drive fails and they must travel from the Hoth
> system to the Bespin system at sub-light speeds.
 
Interstellar travel at sub-light speeds takes years.
 
> 9. In "2001: A Space Odyssey", Dave survives a brief
> depressurization by taking a deep breath and holding it.
 
High pressure in lungs + rapid decompression = explodey Dave.
 
> 10. In too many action movies to name, the villain throws a lit
> cigarette into a pool of gasoline to blow up a car, building,
> etc.
 
Gasoline^W Petrol burns kinda slow, and tends not to explode. You
combustion engine relies on it only really going pop when compressed in
a cylinder.
msb@vex.net (Mark Brader): Jun 28 01:40PM -0500

Mark Brader:
>> 10. In too many action movies to name, the villain throws a lit
>> cigarette into a pool of gasoline to blow up a car, building,
>> etc.
 
Erland Sommarskog:
> So wasn't that what happened in Pakistan last week?
 
This is one type of disaster that's occurred several times in recent
years, but news reports understandly tend to focus on the outcome
rather than the specific details of ignition. This time at least
some sources are saying:
 
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/pakistan-oil-tanker-explosion-fire-blast-crash-bahawalpur-punjab-killed-dead-injured-a7806856.html
 
that it happened when "somebody tried to light a cigarette". For
this one in 2012, I could not find any mention of the specific
source of ignition:
 
http://www.ndtv.com/world-news/nigeria-oil-tanker-fire-kills-at-least-95-492334
 
For this one in 2011, involving a pipeline leak rather than a tanker
crash:
 
http://www.nation.co.ke/news/100-killed-in-Nairobi-fuel-fire/1056-1235082-330gj1z/index.html
 
they say that reports are conflicting but "some say it was caused by a
man smoking a cigarette.
 
 
Presumably either lighting a cigarette or drawing on it while smoking
involves a higher temperature than the smoldering of a cigarette end.
--
Mark Brader, Toronto | "We are full of digital chain letters and
msb@vex.net | warnings about marmalade." --Matt Ridley
 
My text in this article is in the public domain.
Calvin <334152@gmail.com>: Jun 28 05:41PM -0700

On Wednesday, June 28, 2017 at 3:35:33 PM UTC+10, Mark Brader wrote:

> * Game 6, Round 4 - Canadiana - Western Canada
 
Pass
 

> explain the reason in a sentence or so, in layman's terms.
 
> 1. In "Star Wars", TIE fighters in space shoot laser cannons whose
> shots look like giant glowing arrows.
 
Light can't be propelled by a cannon.
 
> 2. Also in "Star Wars", invisible shields protect against lasers.
> Hint: Laser beams are made of light.
 
Light would be able to pass through them
 
> 3. "Star Wars" again. The sound a TIE fighter makes in space is
> the mix of an elephant bellow with a car driving on a wet road.
 
They would be silent as noise cannot travel in the vacuum of space.
 
> 4. In The Matrix, living humans are kept as a massive electricity
> generating system.
 
Static electricity cannot be captured.

> church tower, but Batman saves them by throwing a grappling hook.
> After falling about 200-300 feet, they stop, and he is holding
> the grappling rope with one hand.
 
His hand would not have been able to retain its grip due to momentum.
 
> 6. In "Waterworld", Kevin Costner's character has developed gills,
> which implies that he has evolved in response to a changing
> environment.
 
Gills would replace lungs, not complement them.

> 7. Also in "Waterworld", the sea level has risen about 25,000 feet
> and almost all of Earth is underwater.
 
Water cannot be created, and there is insufficient ice to generate such rises even if it all melted.
 
> 8. In "Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back", the Millennium
> Falcon's hyper-drive fails and they must travel from the Hoth
> system to the Bespin system at sub-light speeds.
 
It would take many years.
 
> 9. In "2001: A Space Odyssey", Dave survives a brief
> depressurization by taking a deep breath and holding it.
 
His body would explode regardless.
 
> 10. In too many action movies to name, the villain throws a lit
> cigarette into a pool of gasoline to blow up a car, building,
> etc.
 
Incorrect fuel:oxygen ratio for an explosion.
 
cheers,
calvin
Joshua Kreitzer <gromit82@hotmail.com>: Jun 29 02:07AM

msb@vex.net (Mark Brader) wrote in news:TeGdnao01IC93c7EnZ2dnUU7-
 
> * Game 6, Round 4 - Canadiana - Western Canada
 
> This is a round about the four provinces west of Ontario.
> (Provinces only, not territories.)
 
I'm not getting anywhere with this one.

> explain the reason in a sentence or so, in layman's terms.
 
> 1. In "Star Wars", TIE fighters in space shoot laser cannons whose
> shots look like giant glowing arrows.
 
Laser beams travel in straight lines.
 
> 2. Also in "Star Wars", invisible shields protect against lasers.
> Hint: Laser beams are made of light.
 
Light is blocked by opaque things, not transparent things (like windows,
for example).

> 3. "Star Wars" again. The sound a TIE fighter makes in space is
> the mix of an elephant bellow with a car driving on a wet road.
 
Sound doesn't travel in the vacuum of space.
 
> 4. In The Matrix, living humans are kept as a massive electricity
> generating system.
 
The energy needed to keep the humans alive would be much greater than
the amount that could be generated from them.

> 6. In "Waterworld", Kevin Costner's character has developed gills,
> which implies that he has evolved in response to a changing
> environment.
 
Evolution doesn't work on the individual level, but over generations via
natural selection.
 
> 7. Also in "Waterworld", the sea level has risen about 25,000 feet
> and almost all of Earth is underwater.
 
Even if all the ice on Earth (in Antarctica, Greenland, etc.) melted,
that wouldn't be enough to raise sea level by 25,000 feet.
 
> 8. In "Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back", the Millennium
> Falcon's hyper-drive fails and they must travel from the Hoth
> system to the Bespin system at sub-light speeds.
 
Traveling at slower than the speed of light, the journey would take
years to complete.

--
Joshua Kreitzer
gromit82@hotmail.com
Jason Kreitzer <jk71875@gmail.com>: Jun 28 08:27PM -0700

On Wednesday, June 28, 2017 at 1:35:33 AM UTC-4, Mark Brader wrote:
> the third-largest city in the province by 2011 census population?
 
> 2. According to Municipal Affairs Alberta, what was the
> third-largest city by population in the province as of 2015?
Regina?
> explain the reason in a sentence or so, in layman's terms.
 
> 1. In "Star Wars", TIE fighters in space shoot laser cannons whose
> shots look like giant glowing arrows.
There's no air in space.
> Hint: Laser beams are made of light.
 
> 3. "Star Wars" again. The sound a TIE fighter makes in space is
> the mix of an elephant bellow with a car driving on a wet road.
No sound in space
Gareth Owen <gwowen@gmail.com>: Jun 28 07:11PM +0100


> 1 Which US state is home to the Vikings (NFL), Twins (MLB), and
> Timberwolves (NBA) sports teams?
 
Minnesota
 
> 2 Irene Heron, Montague Dartie and Prosper Profond are characters from
> which John Galsworthy trilogy?
 
The French Lieutenants Woman??
 
> 3 Aboard which ship did Jason search for the golden fleece?
 
Argo
 
> 4 Robert Mitchum and Gregory Peck co-starred in which 1962
> psychological thriller?
 
Night Of The Hunter
 
> 5 Tom Cruise's breakout role came as Joel Goodson in which 1983 Paul
> Brickman film?
 
Risky Business
 
> 6 Which foodstuff is extracted from the root of the cassava plant
> which is native to Brazil?
 
Cassava extract
 
> 7 Which letter of the alphabet transforms an Italian luxury fashion
> house into a Russian newspaper?
 
v
 
> 8 Which royal is currently the Duke of York?
 
Prince Andrew
 
> 9 Which hit song of 1968 includes the following line: "I'll be sittin'
> when the evenin' comes"?
 
Dock of the Bay
 
> 10 Which 8 letter word is both a Beatles' album and a Cluedo murder weapon?
 
Revolver
tool@panix.com (Dan Blum): Jun 28 02:02PM


> "To Live and Die in L.A." 4 for Joshua, Stephen, Dan Blum, and Marc.
 
> As Dan_Blum noted, Peterson's character is not actually a cop;
> he's a Secret Service agent Sorry about that; I haven't seen this one.
 
It's also Willem Dafoe, not Defoe, but I think we all knew who was meant.
 
--
_______________________________________________________________________
Dan Blum tool@panix.com
"I wouldn't have believed it myself if I hadn't just made it up."
msb@vex.net (Mark Brader): Jun 28 12:38PM -0500

Dan Blum:
> It's also Willem Dafoe, not Defoe, but I think we all knew who was meant.
 
Maybe his French cousin took over for him. :-)
--
Mark Brader, Toronto "Verbose better."
msb@vex.net -- David M. Sherman
Don Piven <don@piven.net>: Jun 28 07:20AM -0500

On 6/27/17 20:24, Dan Blum wrote:
> from Kaliningrad to Berlin is due to land.
 
 
 
> 2. This early 20th-century English author is these days best known for
> his children's stories, but he shot down many a Fokker in his day.
 
A. A. Milne
 
> 3. This 19th-century American entrepreneur and showman may think
> you're a sucker but will still help you exercise that bad knee.
 
P. T. Barnum
 
> 4. This American author of an iconic novel about teenagers was
> extremely reclusive for much of his life, which must have made it hard
> to practice law.
 
J. D. Salinger
 
> 5. This early 20th-century English author of upper-class humor may not
> be entirely suitable for children.
 
P. G. Wodehouse
 
> 6. This 20th-century Swiss artist known for his bizarre biomechanical
> paintings and sculptures can explain your vacation policy to you.
 
H. R. Giger
 
> 7. This American musician known as "The King of the Blues" might shoot
> your eye out.
 
B. B. King
 
> 8. This Chinese-American architect might ping you on Facebook Chat or
> ICQ.
 
I. M. Pei
 
> 9. This 20th-century Dutch artist known for his tessellations also
> recorded a number of hip-hop tracks.
 
M. C. Escher
 
> 10. This 20th-century English author best known for his Napoleonic
> naval novels can explain how to construct a binary tree.
 
C. S. Forester
tool@panix.com (Dan Blum): Jun 28 01:58PM

> > from Kaliningrad to Berlin is due to land.
 
> I can't see what two letters the hint is indicating here, and I don't
> know the answer. I'll guess Tchaikovsky.
 
I didn't actually say it was two letters.
 
--
_______________________________________________________________________
Dan Blum tool@panix.com
"I wouldn't have believed it myself if I hadn't just made it up."
tool@panix.com (Dan Blum): Jun 28 01:59PM

> that it didn't fit the pattern.
 
> > I guess this is the guy who wrote "Master and Commander"...
 
> Well, sheesh. How many of that type of author *are* there?
 
At least two.
 
> Good contest, Dan.
 
Thanks!
 
--
_______________________________________________________________________
Dan Blum tool@panix.com
"I wouldn't have believed it myself if I hadn't just made it up."
Marc Dashevsky <usenet@MarcDashevsky.com>: Jun 28 11:30AM -0500

In article <oiv0h3$51t$1@reader2.panix.com>, tool@panix.com says...
> from Kaliningrad to Berlin is due to land.
 
> 2. This early 20th-century English author is these days best known for
> his children's stories, but he shot down many a Fokker in his day.
Dahl
 
> 3. This 19th-century American entrepreneur and showman may think
> you're a sucker but will still help you exercise that bad knee.
Barnum
 
> 4. This American author of an iconic novel about teenagers was
> extremely reclusive for much of his life, which must have made it hard
> to practice law.
Salinger
 
> 5. This early 20th-century English author of upper-class humor may not
> be entirely suitable for children.
Wodehouse
 
> paintings and sculptures can explain your vacation policy to you.
 
> 7. This American musician known as "The King of the Blues" might shoot
> your eye out.
King
 
> 8. This Chinese-American architect might ping you on Facebook Chat or
> ICQ.
Pei
 
> 9. This 20th-century Dutch artist known for his tessellations also
> recorded a number of hip-hop tracks.
Escher
 
 
--
Replace "usenet" with "marc" in the e-mail address.
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