Brian Day 10 vs Dave Seif

4/6, I think spelling won't cost me, though I should know better.  Four gimmes, 2 gettables. Unfortunately, Dave also has 4 gimmes and 2 gettables.   I"m forecasting a 6(5)-4(4) Seif victory.  Would have loved to give him 4 zeroes.  Would not be suprised by a 9(6).

1) Brexit (UK exit from EU)  Of all the zeros I wanted to assign Dave, this is the zeroist.  1/0

2) Phillipines currency (exchange rate)  'Formulated' threw me off and into something numerical.  This was a desperation throw.  Sure to be another Seif gimme.  3/1

3) Hibachi.  Kicking myself.  Knew i hadn't satisfied the 'gloss' aspect of the question, but didn't care.  Most likely a gimme for Dave, but I ran out of 1s and 0s.  1/2

4) Salt and Pepa.  Can't you feel the music pushing hard, like I wish you would?   Dave could get this with either a guess or if he has read old LL seasons.  He'll D0 me on either this or the next one.  2/2

5) mechanic.  Love this question, lots of points of entry, one each for the 70s (Taxi), 80s (Dukes of Hazzard), 90s (Seinfeld), 00s (Firefly).  If it had just asked for Puddy's profession, I would have gone with professional New Jersey Devil's fan.  Uh huh that's right.  I wonder if anyone will lose points answering car mechanic, as Kaylee is, as far as i know, only a spaceship mechanic.  2/3

6) Tensile.  Felt good to make up for my pneumatic failure with a gimme, makes me wanna shoop.  0/1

Let's see how Dave did...   Oh no, he assigns me a 3 for a science question and I escape with a 6(4)-6(5) tie!  Whatta man.   My 5th tie in my last 6 LLL matches. A nice present heading into Chanukah.

Dave M day 10 v Steiny LLL

A 4/6 against Steiny’s 4/6, should be close scoring wise.

 

1 : ) Brexit, think this is a gimme for most. Still hoping it won’t happen! D00

2 : ) Panama Canal was the only thing given up by the US in that period of the 20^th C from what I can recall (and I think the actual date was 1999). D21. Pleasantly surprised Steiny D3ed me on this one. D21

3 : ) Teriyaki was the only ‘yaki’ that made sense. D11

4 : ( I guessed C&C Music Factory. D33. Definitely should have defended stronger here.

5 : ( I guessed doctor – didn’t recognize any of these names. D22

6 : ) I picked the concept of tensile strength up somewhere at work years ago. D12

 

So both of us get a 6 (4) today – a close one!

Steiny DAy 10

After some blog-shaming by Ben, I am able to post for today:

1. :) Seems farily obvious given timeframe 1/1

2. :) Didn't know I was right, but just seemed right 1/3

3. :( I put what will prbably be the most guessed wrong asnwer, hibachi.  Wish I had thought of the word teriyaki, i definite;y would have gone for it 3/2

4. :) Gimme 0/2

5. :) Puddy and Latka gave it away for me 2/1

6. :( I guessed elasticity and felt good about it 2/0'

9th in LLL despite good TCA and DE....some bad luck!

Jesse day 10

2/6 A very sloppy day. Rushed the answers. 

1. David Davis, Dominic Raab, and Stephen Barclay are British politicians who have served as Her Majesty's Principal Secretary of State for what purpose, in a role that was created in July 2016?
Correct Answer: EXITING THE EUROPEAN UNION/BREXIT
Your Answer: Brexit
Points Assigned: 0
Points Assigned to Private Opp: 0

I knew a bunch of them have quit so there was a lot of turnover and 2016 was when the Russians were most successful in using social media to undermine the west. 

2. In 1977, after years of negotiations, President Jimmy Carter received congressional approval to relinquish control of what, which had originally been formulated via the Hay–Bunau-Varilla Treaty in 1903?
Correct Answer: PANAMA CANAL ZONE
Your Answer: Phillipines
Points Assigned: 1
Points Assigned to Private Opp: 1

Probably should have read the question more carefully. I saw Bunau and Varilla, which looked like Filipino names. 

3. What common term from Japanese cuisine combines a term for "gloss" and one for "grilling"?
Correct Answer: TERIYAKI
Your Answer: Yakitori
Points Assigned: 1
Points Assigned to Private Opp: 1

Teriyaki was my first thought, but then I thought that was a specific sauce. Considered Hibachi, then went with Yakitori. 

4. In the mid-1980s, Brooklyn-born rappers Cheryl James and Sandra Denton achieved stardom in what R&B group, which, despite its name, was actually a trio (with DJ Spinderella)?
Correct Answer: SALT-N-PEPA
Your Answer: Salt and Peppa
Points Assigned: 2
Points Assigned to Private Opp: 2

Hope I get credit for this one. Again, was not really thinking. 

5. The television characters Latka Gravas, Cooter Davenport, Kaylee Frye, and David Puddy all held, at one time or another, what occupation?
Correct Answer: MECHANIC
Your Answer: Inspector
Points Assigned: 2
Points Assigned to Private Opp: 2

Shoot, I just now made the connection to Futurama. Still, I would have guessed delivery person. 

6. What term is used most often in science and engineering to describe the strength of a material regarding its capacity to be stretched/elongated? The term is used in opposition to compressive strength (the capacity of a material to be compressed), and this type of strength determines a material's ductility.
Correct Answer: TENSILE
Your Answer: Durability
Points Assigned: 3
Points Assigned to Private Opp: 3

Oh, yeah, also rushed this answer. Very gettable. 

Ben day 10

4/6

1 :) brexit. Date made it obvious.

2 :( Guantanamo bay. I figured this had something to do with Cuba. Figured wrong. Isn't Everyone's favorite palindrome "A man. A plan. A canal. Gitmo."?

3 :) teriyaki. Shiny on the grill. I knew yaki was grill from teriyaki, yakitori, teppanyaki. As an only child who was frequently dragged to ethnic restaurants, I used to try and read the foreign language menus to work out the translations of various items. Eg aloo palak has potatoes but palak paneer doesn't so aloo must be potato. Aha, so gobi must be cauliflower from aloo gobi etc.

4 :) salt n pepa. I had no other guess, and thought they were also around in the 90s. 

5 :( car dealership. I doubt I get points here. I know Puddy worked in a car dealership and thought he might be a mechanic because he didn't like the term grease monkey, but I wasn't sure about all the other names so I guessed I needed to broaden.

6 :) tensile strength. 2 Engineering questions in a week. Nice 

brad day10

3/6 after an embarassing buckner draw yesterday 5(4)/5(2)

1) brexit d0

current news gimme

2) tijuana d3

was thinking spanish american war due to timeframe and couldnt come up with anything better

3) hibachi d1

saw grill, immediate thought of this and didnt consider anything else

4) salt and pepa d2

seemed like could fit and didnt have a better answer

5) teacher d2

no idea

6) tensile strength d1

knew this most recently from a dvr'd episode of blaze and the monster machines that my kids watch over and over

Seif Day 10 vs. Brian (LLL)

5/6, I think, with 3 gimmes for me. In the case of two of the 5 I think I got right, if Thorsten is in a harsh mood, he could mark them wrong. I had a lot of trouble deciding on D for Brian here, and I'm curious to see how that aspect goes. 

1. Brexit Secretary :), D12. Super gimme for me. 

2. Panama Canal :) I think, D02. Well, this was also a gimme, but I left out Zone. I assume most people will do so and that this will get marked right. 

3. Teriyaki :), D21. I considered yakitori and hibachi, but this seemed to fit better for "glaze."

4. Salt and Pepper :) I think, D21. This was, to put it mildly, a total and complete wild guess. I had no clue and have never heard of this group. However, I suspect that this gets marked right under the "sounds like" rule.

5. Taxi Driver :(, D10. I had no clue except for having watched the movie Man in the Moon, but I really thought I had this. Too bad. 

6. Tensile strength :), D33. Gimme for me, but I think this is pretty hard overall. I think even many people familiar with this area will get tripped up and put "malleability." I'm curious to see if that's true. 

Dave M day 9 v Brian

Well this is spooky. I got 4/6 with the exact identical answers as Seif (and almost the same as Ben), right down to the same wrong answers. I think that's the first time that's happened to me before. Defense is moot given Brian's perfect 6.

 

 

Brian Day I vs Mirkin

​My first 9(6) of the season should break my 4 game tie streak in LLL.

1) Clubber Lang.  80s movie gimme.  Have to think that even if my opponents know it was Mr. T, they won't remember his character's name. 3/3

2) mustard.  Had to go down a list of possibilities, but was obvious once I got to it.  It was common in high school to roll down your window and ask the car next to you if they had any Grey Poupon.  Once we did this to another friend, and he actually had a jar in his glove compartment for just such an occasion. Hilarity ensued. 

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tvDazrJuSdA  (Searching for this video, I rediscovered that Wayne's World spoofed it as well.)  0/2

3) Nova Scotia.  Toughest of the day for me.  Figured had to be one of the smaller northeastarn coastal provinces, and couldn't be PEI, leaving New Brunswick, Nova, and Newfoundland and Labrador.  Pretty sure the island portion of N&L was Newfoundland itself, and too big anyway, leaving me with two choices.  I always get NB and Nova Scotia confused, but I figured lox would come from the province closer to the ocean,hence peninsular.   Good to have a back door Jewish question. 2/1

4)General Motors.  A gimme since GM has been in the news this week for closing plants and incurring the wrath of the First Tweeter. Had it not been in the news, the only clue in the question is 'three corporations', leading to the Big Three automakers regardless. 1/0

5) Pakistan.  Muslim + India pre-independence = Pakistan 1/1

6) UCLA won almost every championship in the 60s, had to be them.   I'll be very impressed if the Aussies know this.  2/2

Jesse day 9

What's my prediction? Pain! 6/6, back to back. I don't think I have ever done that before.

1. Give the full name missing in this chronological list: Apollo Creed, Apollo Creed, __________, Ivan Drago, Tommy Gunn, Mason Dixon.
Correct Answer: CLUBBER LANG
Your Answer: Clubber Lang
Points Assigned: 1
Points Assigned to Private Opp: 1

I would not have gotten Mason Dixon, but Clubber Lang is an icon.

2. In the mid-19th century, Frenchman Maurice Grey invented a steam-driven mill for pulverizing and sifting the seeds of what plant? Doing so enabled him to build a successful food company and a brand that still bears his name today.
Correct Answer: MUSTARD
Your Answer: Mustard
Points Assigned: 0
Points Assigned to Private Opp: 0

Good bit of trivia that was very much guessable. I had no idea, but Grey led me to the answer.  

3. Cape Breton Island makes up approximately 19% of the total land area of what Canadian province, with most of the remainder on the province's peninsular mainland?
Correct Answer: NOVA SCOTIA
Your Answer: Nova Scotia
Points Assigned: 2
Points Assigned to Private Opp: 2

I knew much of Nova Scotia was a Peninsula. I considered Newfoundland too. 

4. Name any one of the three corporations led by CEOs Mary Barra, Jim Hackett, and Michael Manley.
Correct Answer: GENERAL MOTORS, FORD MOTOR COMPANY, FIAT CHRYSLER
Your Answer: GM
Points Assigned: 3
Points Assigned to Private Opp: 2

I was not familiar with any of those CEOs. Three corporations -> Big Three + GM is in the news = GM.

5. "Now or Never—Are we to live or perish for ever?", a pamphlet written and issued by Muslim nationalist Choudhary Rahmat Ali in early 1933, shortly after the conclusion of conferences organized to discuss constitutional reforms in India, contains the first documented use of what name?
Correct Answer: PAKISTAN (PAKSTAN)
Your Answer: Pakistan
Points Assigned: 1
Points Assigned to Private Opp: 1

I considered Bangladesh too, but knew Pakistan was an acronym and it made sense that the name itself was a modern creation. 

6. The 1976 NCAA Men's Basketball champion Indiana Hoosiers are the most recent Division I men's basketball team to finish the season undefeated, but at the time it was not such a remarkable feat, as four of the prior twelve champions were undefeated. All four of those were teams representing what school?
Correct Answer: UCLA
Your Answer: UCLA
Points Assigned: 2
Points Assigned to Private Opp: 3

UCLA was great in the 60s and 70s. I am halfway through the 20 hour ESPN documentary, Basketball: A Love Story. 

Ben day 9

Triumph of the will was good fodder for blog posts yesterday. GIDEON's made me LOL on the train and brian's made me grimace.

4/6. Almost identical answers to Seif.

1 :( rocky balboa. I would never have remembered clubber Lang. I don't hunk I've ever watche d rocky movie start to finish.

2 :) mustard. Once I got my mind off earl grey, this came relatively quickly.

3 :) Nova Scotia. Love me some Canadian maritime province folk music.

4 :) GM. Embrassingly I had no name recognition here and just got to it from there being 3 names. I'm especially surprised I didn't recognize a name given the recent plant closures.

5 :) Pakistan. Was slightly concerned it might be a Bangladesh trick. 

6 :( Kentucky. I had Duke then switched it out, which wouldn't have helped me in the match but would have given me an exact match on LL questions with Seif.

brad day9

4/6 - mostly in my wheelhouse

1) clubber lang d2

i pity the foo

2) sunflower d1

trying to think of an obscure brand and missed the obvious

3) nova scotia d3

work for a canadian bank now, would be problems if i missed this (or a hockey question)

4) gm d0

pretty sure i am getting 0 for this between university of michigan on profile and biz/econ score

5) gandhi d1

nope

6) ucla d2

college sports gimme

Seif Day 9 vs. Pelc (LLL)

4/6. Definitely had some guesses break my way today. Had an epic 9(5)-8(5) victory yesterday, showing that it doesn't matter if I get a science question right as long as my opponent thinks I'll get it right. 

1. Rocky Balboa :(, D00. I consider this answer a small victory despite getting it wrong. I had no clue when I saw the question, but then I correctly guessed that it had something to do with Rocky. But I still had no clue. I'm thinking this is very easy for most people. 

2. Mustard :), D31. "But of course." Actually, I had to think about this for a while before it hit me. Would have been annoyed at myself to no end if I'd missed it. 

3. Nova Scotia :), D12. Phew. Should have been a gimme for me, but I attempted to overthink this.

4. General Motors :), D22. I was sure I was right here because I recognized the names, but at the same time, I don't think I could have come up with any of them from scratch. 

5. Pakistan :), D13. I debated between this and Mahatma (Gandhi), but at the end I had to go with the Muslim nationalist clue. There have been a couple articles I've read about how Pakistan as a name is relatively new, so this was on my radar screen. 

6. Duke :(, D21. Nope!

Gideon Day 8

6/6 today. Every question right in my strike zone. 

1 :) D1 TKTS - I’ve been to NYC
2 :) D3 Pneumatics - I’ve had a chance to work with both pneumatic and hydraulic systems recently. 
3 :) D0 Hammurabi - Code of Hammurabi 
4 :) D1 Triumph of the Will - Not to be confused with Triumph the insult comic dog. 
5 :) D2 Fencing - I took a semester of fencing in college to fulfill a pe requirement. It was fun. 
6 :) D2 Tehran - I’ve heard of this book. 

Brian Day 8 vs WinnR

3/6 Very frustrating day.  Two I should have gotten, but also one I got lucky on.  Very difficult to defend correctly.

1)TKTS.  New York gimme.  Defense a conundrum. My LL opponent has school and home in flyover country, but an .818 theater score. WinnR lives in NYC, but with a .273.  I went with geography over the category score 2/0

2)molecular dynamics.  So frustrating.  I should have been able to get to pneumatics but just couldn't.  Even in retrospect, I don't think it's that obvious though. 3/3

3)Hammurabi.  Got lucky. His name popped into my head, it sounded good, and I couldn't think of a reason to change it.  1/1

4)Strength of the Will. Even more frustrating than pneumatics.  I know this, and it was on the tip of my tongue all day, I finally decided to submit even though I was pretty sure it was wrong. I'm just a little less pissed than Ben.​  I think it's relatively common knowledge. I'm looking forward to an Americanized remake of it to air on the forthcoming United States National Broadcast Network. 1/0

5) Fencing. Took me forever to figure this out.  Piste gave me no clue, so I pictured the dimensions, considered and ruled out curling and jai alai, and was very close to settling on the surely incorrect not-a-sport answer of shuffleboard.  Took another go at 'piste', it reminded me of 'riposte', whew! Close call. Seems easy now that I got it, but because of how long it took I wasn't sure how to defend.  0/2

6) Kabul.  Was between Kabul, Baghdad and Mecca.  No regrets, but have heard of the book.  2/2

brad day8

3/6

1) tkts d1

ny gimme

2) thermodynamics d1

thought i had this too

3) hammurabi d1

think pretty common knowledge

4) eich berliner d2

never heard of this

5) shuffleboard d3

leaving for mexico next week ... this is where my mind is at

6) tehran d2

a guess, but thought name sounded persian

Will Day 8

1. Easy for a NYer
Your Answer: TKTS

2. Agonized over this all day. Never would have gotten this
Your Answer: gaseous

3. Curious to see how people do with this, but felt like an easy history question
Your Answer: Hammurabi

4. Thanks Leni Reifenstahl!

Your Answer: Triumph of the Will

5. Really, really thought I had this
Your Answer: curling

6. This was a big bestseller
Your Answer: Tehran

Jesse Day 8

6/6. Everything is coming up Jesse. 

1. Booths operated by a non-profit known as the Theatre Development Fund, including its flagship in the heart of Times Square, which offer discount admissions to Broadway shows, are prominently branded by what four letters?
Correct Answer: TKTS
Your Answer: TKTS
Points Assigned: 2
Points Assigned to Private Opp: 1

I haven't been in NYC in a while. I initially had TKNY, like a play on DKNY. But that did not seem like it would work in other cities. I then broke down the word and made the correct guess.

2. The applied science of hydraulics involves the behavior of liquids, their mechanical properties, and uses in engineering. What is the equivalent term for the applied science that meets this definition replacing liquids with gases?
Correct Answer: PNEUMATICS
Your Answer: Pnuematics
Points Assigned: 3
Points Assigned to Private Opp: 2

My first thought was hydraulic lift, followed pneumatic lift. 

3. A basalt slab was found in 1901 at the site of the ancient city of Susa on which was inscribed a code of laws enacted by (and today named after) what Babylonian king?
Correct Answer: HAMMURABI
Your Answer: Hammurabi
Points Assigned: 0
Points Assigned to Private Opp: 0

Gimmie, right?

4. A 1935 Leni Riefenstahl film is widely considered one of the most effective pieces of propaganda and iconography of its kind. What is the name of this influential and infamous work, which documented the second Nazi Party Congress, held in Nuremberg the previous year?
Correct Answer: TRIUMPH OF THE WILL (TRIUMPH DES WILLENS)
Your Answer: Triumph of the Will
Points Assigned: 1
Points Assigned to Private Opp: 1

As a Jewish film major this was a gimmie.

5. A piste 46 feet long and around six feet wide constitutes the playing area in what sport?
Correct Answer: FENCING
Your Answer: Fencing
Points Assigned: 1
Points Assigned to Private Opp: 2

I wasn't sure what a piste was, but the area sounded right for fencing. 

6. Azar Nafisi's 2003 bestseller subtitled A Memoir in Books narrates the author's teaching, forming a book club, and "Reading Lolita" in— and eventually emigrating from—what city?
Correct Answer: TEHRAN
Your Answer: Teheran
Points Assigned: 2
Points Assigned to Private Opp: 3

Bad spelling, but I thought I recalled a book called Reading Lolita in Tehran. Also, that is an Iranian name. 

Dave M day 8 v Carr

A very poor 2/6 today with questions largely in my wheelhouse. Clearly the victory goes to Ben with his 5/6. Ds were same for LL and LLL

 

1 : ) I’ve seen this everywhere in NYC so pretty simple. D0

2 : ) Husband is an engineer – but I knew this anyway. D1

3 : ( Brain freeze. Knew it probably wasn’t Nebuchadnezzar but couldn’t think of another Babylonian king. Carr wastes his D0 not that it matters. D1

4 : ( I haven’t watched this, or thought about it much in the past couple of decades, so ended up going with ‘the Nuremberg Rallies’. D2

5 : ( I was convinced I had it right with Petanque. French name for a French sport, right? D2

6 : ( I thought of Tehran but the name sounded more Arab than Persian to me. So I went with Baghdad. D3

Ben day 8

What if the only thing standing between you and 6/6 was a movie that you watched 2 months ago?

1 :) tkts. My LL opponents lives in NYC and has a perfect theatre score. Perhaps the easiest 0 of my career. D01

2 :) pneumatics. Engineer by training. D22

3 :) Hammurabi. Center of the plate world history question. Here Mirkin, have a 0. D10.

4 :( triumph of the spirit. I've known of this movie for many years. It got mentioned as 'triumph of the spirit' on Marvelous Mrs Maisel which I watched in October. I thought 'that sounds wrong' and googled to find that it is indeed called triumph of the will. I then watched a good chunk of it. But that fucking tv show broke my brain and I could not remember what the actual name was and what the wrong name was. I agonized for a long time. I had will down first then switched to spirit. FML. D12

5 :) fencing. What else could it be? D21

6 :) Tehran. Heard this guy on NPR talking about this book this year. D33

Seif Day 8

First, a plug for the forecasting contest I posted about below. Roughly 25 people have said they're going to participate, so if you want to join and haven't emailed me, please do so at dgseif@gmail.com. 

5/6, unless Thorsten is in the mood to grade harshly, in which case 4. Had some good educated guesses. 

1. tkts :), D00. NYC gimme, and unfortunately both my opponents today are New Yorkers. 

2. Aerosolics :(, D23. Rare that I can't even venture a reasonable guess on a science question, but I really had no clue. Annoying that a science question (probably) cost me a 9(6). 

3. Hammurabi :), D11. History gimme for me. I'm worried that this is actually harder than I thought and that I wasted D1s. 

4. A Triumph of Will :/, D22. I'm thinking Thorsten lets the prepositions go, especially since it's a translation, but we'll see. I think I learned about this film over 20 years ago and haven't really thought about it since. I had to dig down in my memory for it. I'm curious whether others found this easy or not. 

5. Fencing :), D11. Seemed like the only sport that could work for something so narrow. 

6. Tehran :), D32. Educated guess. The name sounded Iranian, but I did consider both Kabul and Baghdad given the year referenced. 

Gideon Day 7

6/6 on a long travel/work day!

1 :) D0 Tippicanoe - and Tyler too.
2 :) D2 Pyranees - Guessed based on the languages. 
3 :) D3 Arbus - Her name popped into my head. 
4 :) D1 Prince - Got it from the pronouncability clue. 
5 :) D2 Mann Booker Prize
6 :) D1 Ellipse

brad day7

2/6

1) sitting bull d3

gettable, knew this a long time ago, opponent non-american

2) pyrenees d0

straightforward geography q

3) lennox d1

no idea

4) prince d2

never would have guessed this without the clue

5) newbury d2

no idea, but after seeing the answer think there was a previous q about this (got it wrong then too)

6) arc d1

ugh

2019 Forecasting Contest

From David Seif (dgseif@gmail.com)

I'm considering running a forecasting contest and am looking to see who would be interested in participating.  It would be just for fun/bragging rights and take place throughout the course of 2019.  The contest would work as follows:

We will decide (I will crowdsource questions from participants, then come up with a final list) on a list of 30 potential events from 6 categories: Business/Markets (6 events), International Affairs (6 events), US Politics (6 events), Pop Culture (6 events), Science (3 events), and Sports (3 events).  Each event will have a clear binary outcome—either it does or does not occur.  On or before December 31, 2018, each player submits a number between 0 and 100 stating the likelihood of the event happening.  This ends the work that has to be done on a player's end.

Once each event is resolved, a player receives the SQUARE of the difference between the number the player assigned and, if the event did occur, 100, and if the event did not occur, 0.  (Points are bad.)  So, if a player gives an event 70 and the event does occur (100), the player receives 900 points (30 squared).  If a player gives an event a 70 and the event does not occur (0), the player receives 4,900 points (70 squared).  Just to be clear, submitting a 50 for any question will result in a definite 2,500 points no matter the result.  Submitting a 0 or 100 will result in either 0 or 10,000 points.  At the end of the final event, the person with the fewest number of points wins. 

The goal will be to space out events throughout the year so that there are no more than a couple of weeks between one being decided. (Some events may be decided before their possible end date, such as a 2018 question written as, "The US president and North Korean leader will meet by July 4, 2018," which would have been resolved affirmatively on June 12, 2018.)  I will email out updates regularly with results as event are resolved.

Please let me know if you're interested in participating and, if I get a critical mass within a few days, I'll run the contest. Also, this is by no means meant to be exclusive, so feel free to invite anyone else you think might be interested. 

Brian Day 7 vs Jesse

4/6 when I was expecting only 2, pleasant surprise. Congrats to Ben on the tie yesterday!  Perfect defense gives me and Jesse a 4(4) tie, well played! 

1)Tippecanoe.  Think it's a gimme for most, but my LL opponent has .133, albeit on a small sample size, in US History.  3/0

2) Pyrenees.  A guess, more wild than educated.  The range had to span to two bodies of water, and involve 2 languages, probably French, Spanish, Portuguese or Italian.  I have no idea where exactly any mountain ranges are, but I cleverly ruled out the Rockies, Appalachians, Adirondacks, and Himalayas based on the names of the gulfs. I considered the Andes, for Spanish and Portuguese, and the Alps, French Alps, Italian Alps, any subsection of the Alps.  Finally went with the Pyrenees, as both Pyrenees and Golfe de Gascogne sound French.  And now after submitting I see the Pyrenees span the border of Spain and France.  Who knew?  (all of you on the blog, apparently.) 1/1

3)Sagal.  No idea, but I have heard of Arbus.     Went with Sagal, as I thought to get to the answer through the twins, hoping they were the daughters of the photographer.  The Sagal sisters were minor celebrities in the early 80s, about the right age for the twins in question, with roles in Grease 2, and their short-lived sitcom Double Trouble.  I think one of them was a love interest for Jason Bateman in an episode of  Valerie/Harper Family.  Also, Jean and Liz are the little sisters of Katey Sagal.  And that's how you get from Diane Arbus to Sons of Anarchy. I hope you enjoyed the digression.  1/3

4)Prince.  Wasn't sure this was correct, but who else could it be?  Pop music songwriter, prolific music legend,  with at least one unpronounceable pseudonym. I couldn't think of anyone else, but wasn't confident for some reason. 0/1

5)Caldecott. no clue.  Sounded more British than Newberry.  But not British enough.  Have heard of Man Booker though. 2/2

6) Ellipse.  Geometry gimme. Facing sub .200 math opponents, but worried this is guessable.  2/2

​

Question

I wrote Man Prize. Should/will I get credit? I'm inclined to think not.

Jesse day 7

4/6

1. While governor of the Indiana Territory, future U.S. President William Henry Harrison defeated Shawnee chief Tecumseh's forces in 1811 at what battle, whose name would serve as a nickname for Harrison during his presidential campaign?
Correct Answer: BATTLE OF TIPPECANOE
Your Answer: Tippecanoe
Points Assigned: 2
Points Assigned to Private Opp: 1

Tippecanoe and Tyler too. Considered "Ironsides."

2. Name the mountain range that runs from the Golfe de Gascogne in the west to the Golf del Lleó in the east.
Correct Answer: PYRENEES
Your Answer: Pyrenneis
Points Assigned: 2
Points Assigned to Private Opp: 2

Those sounded French and Spanish, so my guess was right. 

3. A photo of seven-year-old twin girls from Roselle, New Jersey, was among the works featured in 1972's Venice Biennale by what photographer (the first such artist to be featured at the exhibition), who committed suicide the previous year?
Correct Answer: DIANE ARBUS
Your Answer: Avendon
Points Assigned: 1
Points Assigned to Private Opp: 3

Nope. Never heard of her. 

4. Jamie Starr, Alexander Nevermind, and Christopher Tracy, who are all credited as songwriters of hit pop music singles, are among the pronounceable pseudonyms of what prolific music legend?
Correct Answer: PRINCE
Your Answer: Prince
Points Assigned: 0
Points Assigned to Private Opp: 1

Pronounceable pseudonyms pointed to prince. I knew he wrote a lot of songs for other artists. 

5. 1968's Something to Answer For, by English novelist P.H. Newby, and 2018's Milkman, by Northern Irish author Anna Burns, are respectively the first and the most recent winners of what prestigious literary prize, which today comes with an award of £50,000?
Correct Answer: (MAN) BOOKER PRIZE
Your Answer: Manbooker
Points Assigned: 1
Points Assigned to Private Opp: 2

This was the first thing that popped into my head. 

6. In geometry, what type of curve can be defined as the set of all points on a plane whose distance from two fixed points (often denoted as F₁ and F₂) add up to a constant?
Correct Answer: ELLIPSE
Your Answer: Parabolic
Points Assigned: 3
Points Assigned to Private Opp: 0

Nope!

Ben day 7

4/6 today after I finally eked out a match point on defense in C rundle yesterday. At this rate i'll be on almost 5MP at season's end!

4/6 today.

1 :( wounded knee. I don't know many domestic American battles. I have heard of tippecanoe but would never have thought of it so no tears here.

2 :) Pyrenees. Spanish and French gulfs? What else could it be. I had to rotate my mental geography which had the range running more latitudinally than longitudinally. TIL. 

3 :( basquiat. I thought this was a legit good guess.

4 :) prince. Symbol. 

5 :) booker. I thought I was wrong here. I D33ed which is a worry. Booker just sounds too obvious for a literary prize.

6 :) ellipse. Math gimme.

Seif Day 6 vs. Pelc (LL) and Will (LLL)

5/6. Hard questions in friendly categories and easy questions in unfriendly ones is a great combination. 

1. Tipecanoo :), D10. American history gimme. I don't think this is all that easy, but both my opponents are strong in this category. Apologies to Thorsten for butchering the spelling. 

2. Pyrenees :), D22. Great question. I'd never heard of the gulfs, but one sounds French and the other Spanish, so this can only be the Pyrenees. 

3. Barbieri :(, D31. No clue. I went with an Italian sounding name due to the question, but even that was wrong. 

4. Prince :), D01. I'm terrible at pop music, but who else could this possibly be? 

5. Man Booker :), D12. I knew this immediately, which is surprising. But I remember reading about how its eligibility was recently expanded from Commonwealth only to all English language. 

6. Ellipse :), D23. Math gimme. High D because this is a weakness for both opponents. 

Brian Day 6 vs Andy

3/6 and happy with it, but not liking my soccer defense. 

1)Osteopathy.  A lucky, but educated, guess. My close friend became a DO years ago, and another friend and I made fun of her for not being a real doctor.  For some reason, she has remained friends with us.  Despite the description and comparison to chiropractic, Doctors of Osteopathic Medicine are indeed real doctors and you've probably visited one not realizing he/she was not an MD.  2/1

2)Utah.  Even I knew this.  Please gimme some points in one of my weakest categories.  1/0

3)Wailers.  Bob Marley and the Wailers. 0/2

4)potatoes, cheese. Pleased I got this half right. Once day I'll study up on these British dishes, there's usually one every season and I've yet to get one correct.  1/1

5)Shadow. Same wild guess as Dave M.  Almost went with Blanket, I knew some celebrity named their kid that.  I played soccer for years growing up, I followed the New York Cosmos and Arrows in my youth, I'll be coaching my daughters team next year, and I have never ever heard the term 'mark'.  Very worried about the 3/3, thought they're both very weak in sports. 

6) Oliver Twist.  Again matching Dave M with a wild guess. 2/2

Dave M day 6 v Pelc (LLL)

A miserable 1/6 today, thought I had a better shot at several.

 

1 : ( I went with Kinesiology and was optimistic. Osteopathy I thought was more general than musculo-skeletal. D22

2 : ( 50/50 between Utah and New Mexico and went the wrong way. Looking at the map right now there is a tiny (2-3 mile) strip near El Paso where the New Mexico border with Texas follows the Rio Grande. Apart from that it’s boxy all the way around. D11

3 : ( Never heard of the wailers. D32

4 : ) It (bubble and squeak) usually tastes better than it sounds. D01

5 : ( Of course it’s Mark in retrospect. I went with Shadow. US first names can be weird so you never know. D10

6 : ( I was optimistic with Oliver Twist. Out in timing by 15 years. D23

Jesse Day 6

3/6

1. The theory that bodily disorders can be caused by abnormalities or imbalances in the musculoskeletal system, and that these disorders can be remedied by various manipulative techniques, forms the basis for what system of medicine founded by Andrew Taylor Still in the 1870s, which has similarities but distinct differences from chiropractic?
Correct Answer: OSTEOPATHY
Your Answer: Plyometrics
Points Assigned: 3
Points Assigned to Private Opp: 3

I had no idea.

2. There are three U.S. states with no natural borders, only surveyed borders (i.e., mostly straight lines, with occasional slight kinks). Two are Colorado and Wyoming. What state is the third?
Correct Answer: UTAH
Your Answer: Utah
Points Assigned: 1
Points Assigned to Private Opp: 1

I have been to Utah and knew it was pretty boxy.

3. What was the name of the band formed by Bob Marley, in 1963, with a group of childhood friends from West Kingston, Jamaica, that included Peter Tosh and Bunny Livingston? The band was so named because, as Marley reportedly stated, "we started out crying."
Correct Answer: THE WAILERS
Your Answer: Wailers
Points Assigned: 0
Points Assigned to Private Opp: 0

I thought this was a pretty easy one, at least for my generation.

4. The traditional recipe for the British dish bubble and squeak, as well as a common version of the Irish dish colcannon, both call for what two primary ingredients?
Correct Answer: POTATOES, CABBAGE
Your Answer: fish and mouse
Points Assigned: 2
Points Assigned to Private Opp: 2

Absolutely no clue. 

5. What is the verb used to describe the action in soccer (association football) where a player covers a specific opponent closely in order to prevent that opponent from receiving the ball? The word is also the first name of the American who became, in 2014, the first to referee a knockout stage match in FIFA World Cup competition.
Correct Answer: MARK
Your Answer: Mark
Points Assigned: 1
Points Assigned to Private Opp: 1

We use the same term in ultimate.

6. Life Among the Lowly is the alternate title of what massively popular 1852 novel?
Correct Answer: UNCLE TOM'S CABIN
Your Answer: Oliver Twist
Points Assigned: 2
Points Assigned to Private Opp: 2

I had no idea. 

Ben day 6

Getting back into the posting groove.

3/6. Disappointing because I thought I had a shot at all of them.

1 :( chranio sacchral. This one was an embarrassing gap in my knowledge. I thought osteopathy was a real legit form of medicine. I think I had assumed osteopaths were the same things as osteopathic surgeons. One time a chiropractor did something called 'chranio-sacchral' to me. It put me right to sleep.

2 :) Utah. I wasn't sure but I could think of anywhere the border wasn't straight. That's Probably true for a bunch of other states too but Utah was my gut. 

3 :) The Wailers. This seems like very easy music question to me.

4 :) potatoes cabbage. Colcannon has come up before in LL. Sounds unappetizing. Bubble and squeak always sounds like fried eggs and bacon to me. 

5 :( Tag. That's the term from AFL so I was hoping it was the same in soccer. Admittedly not a compelling first name. I use The term 'mark' very naturally across all sports, so it never occurred to me that it was a soccer term.

6 :( crime and punishment. They're all pretty lowly in that book but I was off by 14 years on the date. Uncle toms cabin never occurred to me.

Seif Day 6 vs. Jesse (LLL)

2/6, with an easy one left on the table.

1. Homeopathy :(, D32. Total brain freeze here. I totally knew this. Frustrating...

2. Utah :), D10. Gimme. 

3. Sad Band :(, D02. I had no clue here. 

4. Potatoes, beef :(, D11. One out of two...

5. Mark :), D21. Gimme for someone who played soccer for many years growing up. 

6. Les Miserables :(, D23. Spent a long time debating between Les Miserables and A Tale of Two Cities, but I never considered Uncle Tom's Cabin. 

Ben Day 5

Another annoying day for me 3/6 missing 2 gettables.

1 :) Guggenheim. I thought maybe 'New Museum' but couldn't see that being a foundation. I didn't realize there were so many Guggs.

2 :( Geldoff. Grr. Obama crossed my mind as a Nobel Peace prize winner and likely having lots of honorary degrees, but I couldn't see how he had a grammy. I didn't realize there was an audibook grammy which would have made it an obvious choice.

3 :) Hanson. Thanks to Taylor

4 :( Jan Bach. No idea. Figured she shared a surname with another composer and know there were two Bachs

5 :( Sumatra. Talked myself out of Java. 

6 :) Julius Caesar. No trouble here.

Brian Day 5 vs FriedlandMJ

4/6  Made one coin flip, missed the other.  

1) Guggenheim.  Gimme for a NYer, hoping my .179 art gets me a some points.  3/0

2) Obama.  Barack/Mandela coin flip worked out, figured Obama more likely to get an audio book Grammy.  Got scared when I saw two names, thought I didn't RTFQ.  I take it Thorsten discovered an alternative answer sometime today.  1/2

3) Hanson.  MMMMBop!   Isaac, Taylor and Zac can only be one family. The rest of the question will hopeful confuse my opponents. 0/3

4) Gregor Handl.  no clue. 3/1

5) Sumatra.  A Sumatra/Java coin flip, I lost this one. 2/2

6) Caesar.  I missed the Gregorian calendar question last year, I wasn't missing the Julian. Except who was Julian named for?  Had to be Caesar.  1/1

Steiny Day 5

LLL v. Pelc

5/6 today

I imagine a tie is coming from Pelc unless he happened to know Clara Schumann which I doubt given his classical music history

1. :) only possible answer 1/1

2. :) 0/0

3. :) Only two options for me to guess were hanson and jonas brothers and I knew Joe jonas was a jonas brother, so it had to be hanson 2/2

4. :( Nope, guessed grieg for fun 3/3

5. :) Had to be 2/2

6. :) Julian calendar...not a large leap to julius  1/1

Jesse Day 5

5/6

1. The cities of New York, Venice, Berlin, Las Vegas, and Bilbao are current or previous homes to art museums established by what foundation (after which the museums are all named)?
Correct Answer: GUGGENHEIM
Your Answer: Gugenheim
Points Assigned: 0
Points Assigned to Private Opp: 0

Bilbao made this easy. 

2. Two Grammy Awards, a Nobel Peace Prize, and over a dozen honorary Doctor of Laws (LL.D) degrees are among the laurels bestowed upon what individual?
Correct Answer: BARACK OBAMA, JIMMY CARTER
Your Answer: Obama
Points Assigned: 2
Points Assigned to Private Opp: 2

I considered Bob Dylan, but his Nobel wasn't a peace prize. I didn't think any musician had one a peace prize, so I then considered people I knew had peace prizes. That is when I thought of Obama and Carter. I knew Obama had Dreams from my Father and the Audacity of Hope, so I figured he might have done audio books for them. I could not think of the equivalent for Carter. 

3. Isaac, Taylor, and Zac are the names of the three brothers who form what namesake music group whose eleventh studio album, a symphonic double-album titled String Theory, was released on November 9, 2018?
Correct Answer: HANSON
Your Answer: Hanson
Points Assigned: 1
Points Assigned to Private Opp: 1

I met the two older brothers in an Italian restaurant at the Sundance film festival in 2001 after they got kicked out of a party Radiohead was having. I guess they were still underage. Taylor was busking for cash at the piano in the restaurant. I got them to autograph a postcard and forge their little brothers signature as a gift for a friend.Nice guys. Later, the waitress tried to sneak them into the party through a back staircase. I never actually got to see Radiohead at their party. 

4. Give the first and last names of the composer, piano virtuoso, and former child prodigy of the Romantic era, née Wieck, who was one of the first pianists to perform the now-standard practice of playing from memory. 
Correct Answer: CLARA SCHUMANN
Your Answer: Wolfganag Amadeus Mozart
Points Assigned: 3
Points Assigned to Private Opp: 3

Nope! Glad I 3'd this. 

5. With an estimated population of more than 140 million, what island is the world's most populous, though only the fifth-largest in its country in area?
Correct Answer: JAVA
Your Answer: Java
Points Assigned: 2
Points Assigned to Private Opp: 2

Easy geography question.

6. The Gregorian calendar, named after Pope Gregory XIII, who promulgated it in October 1582, reformed the pre-existing calendar slightly, and one way of doing so was by altering the rule for leap years (no Feb. 29 in years divisible by 100, unless also divisible by 400). This corrected the previous calendar proposed and enacted by (and named after) whom?
Correct Answer: JULIUS CAESAR
Your Answer: Julius Caesar
Points Assigned: 1
Points Assigned to Private Opp: 1  

I had a moment where I thought, "was there a Justinian calendar?" It went back and forth and decided it was Julian. 

---------------------------------------

Jesse Weisz Executive Director, GEEO Teacher Travel Programs Phone: 1-877-600-0105 Email: jesse@geeo.org Website: www.geeo.org Address: 700 East Main Street, Norristown, PA 19401

brad day 5

5/6

thought d was tough to assign today, nothing really in my wheelhouse, but thought today was more gettable than usual

1) guggenheim d0

just finished reading the last dan brown book that includes the bilbao location 

2) obama d2

wasnt sure about this, but had no chance if wasnt him

3) hanson d1

going to have mmmbop stuck in head all day now

4) amadeus mozart d3

no idea, and didnt pick up on the clue either (wouldnt have helped)

5) java d2

think most will get, opponent just weak at geography

6) caesar d1

think most will also get this

Seif Day 5 vs. Mirkin (LLL)

4/6. Had no chance at the others. I am second-guessing my defense. 

1. Guggenheim :), D32. Gimme for me, which I attributed at first to New York-specific knowledge. Now I'm not so sure and am regretting the high D. 

2. Obama :), D01. Seems like it should have been a gimme, but I actually struggled on this one for a while. I think I was right to give this a low D, as I think this is the best guess. (No chance on Carter.)

3. Jonas Brothers :(, D22. And I'm back to having no idea on pop music questions. Order has been restored in the universe. 

4. Wolfgang Mozart :(, D13. No chance here. I missed the clue that the answer was a woman and did D1 on the defense just in case it was Mozart. I regret the low D. 

5. Java :), D10. Gimme. Should be even more of a gimme for Mirkin. 

6. Julius Caesar :), D21. That the calendar was called the Julian was a gimme. That Julian corresponded to Julius Caesar was a guess, but I was very confident about it. 

Gideon Day 4

1 :( D1 McDonalds
2 :( D2 Banking
3 :/ D1 Normal - Not sure if this is enough of an answer
4 :) D0 Julliard
5 :) D3 Charlie’s Angels
6 :) D2 Maroon

Brad day 4

1/6

1) arbys d2

have never had a breakfast sandwich from any of these places, but seems like might be general knowledge

2) hospital d3

no idea

3) champaign d0

also no idea, but thought opponent might know this

4) juilliard d1

simple enough

5) powerpuff girls d2

considered the answer but thought their were only 3 of them

6) pearl d1

ugh ... considered a bunch of darkish colors and of course not this despite them having every other song on the radio 

Brian day 4 vs Steiny

4/6  I really thought I had figured out the two impossible (for me) questions and had chance at 6, but was nowhere in the ballpark.  

1) Burger King. Introduced after McD's breakfast success.  A pale imitation. 2/1

2) Seance.  Have been beating myself up all day trying to figure this out.  Thought Thurn and Taxis was just a title, and their actual name was Scrabble or Stratego or something. Was hoping it was a childrens' game as I have not delved deep enough into Ben's board game luggage.  Almost went with "feeding hungry hippos."  Was so happy after I finally came up with Ouija, I was convinced that was it, despite ouija not sounding German in the least.  What a waste of my time.  3/3

3) Decatur. Another I spent too much time on and was ecstatic when I got there.  The Chicago Bears were formerly the Decatur Staleys, Decatur sounds like educator, that must be it!!!  Oy.  1/2

4)Juillard.  French, music conservatory.  1/0

5)Charlie's Angels.  I love Cheryl Ladd.  And Jaclyn Smith.  Not to mention Lucy Liu. 0/1

6)Maroon.  Thought of shades of red, Maroon 5 jumped out at me.  Not liking the defense. If even Seif got it... 2/2

Jesse Day 4

1/6. Yikes. Ben may have some bragging rights this Thanksgiving as I have a feeling he is going to best me in the private rundle today. 

1. The "Croissan'wich" is a breakfast sandwich innovation introduced in 1983 by what fast food restaurant chain?
Correct Answer: BURGER KING
Your Answer: Dunkin Donuts
Points Assigned: 1
Points Assigned to Private Opp: 1

I don't recall seeing these at Burger King, but I haven't had fast food breakfast often. 

2. A German noble family known as the Princely House of Thurn and Taxis was, in 16th-century Europe, instrumental in the development of what type of service, which is at the center of a popular modern board game named after the family?
Correct Answer: POSTAL/MAIL SERVICE
Your Answer: Transportation
Points Assigned: 2
Points Assigned to Private Opp: 0

I am sure Ben has played this and may very well own it. I have heard of it, but somehow never had a chance to play it. 

3. What term was historically used for an educational institution whose primary function was the training of teachers? The term endures in the name of the Illinois city where that state's main teachers' college was founded in 1857 (and remains today, now called Illinois State University).
Correct Answer: NORMAL SCHOOL
Your Answer: Peoria
Points Assigned: 2
Points Assigned to Private Opp: 1

I sort of work in education and had no idea. Should have marked this for more points as I think this was a hard one. 

4. A wealthy textile industrialist and philanthropist born at sea in 1836, while his parents were en route to the United States from France, has a name that lives on today in the name of an American performing arts conservatory that is widely considered one of the world's premier institutions of its kind. What is that name?
Correct Answer: JUILLIARD
Your Answer: Du Pont
Points Assigned: 0
Points Assigned to Private Opp: 2

And this was a lot easier than I thought it would be. I should have thought about this longer. Guessing this is how Ben beats me. 

5. Sabrina Duncan, Jill Munroe, Kelly Garrett, Kris Munroe, Tiffany Welles, and Julie Rogers were television characters who were known collectively, at various times, by what name?
Correct Answer: CHARLIE'S ANGELS
Your Answer: Genie
Points Assigned: 3
Points Assigned to Private Opp: 3

I have never seen Charlie's Angels. Maybe if I were 3 years older. 

6. What color represents the highest level ("Hazardous") on the EPA's Air Quality Index, is included in the name of pop music band whose last five studio albums have reached the top 2 on the Billboard 200 album chart, and is the name of a student newspaper at the University of Chicago?
Correct Answer: MAROON
Your Answer: Maroon
Points Assigned: 1
Points Assigned to Private Opp: 2  

Got this through Maroon 5. 

Ben Day 4

I'm back baby!

Started the season in Europe and struggled to remember to get my answers in, let alone post here. I did advance access for day 1 and was displeased with my performance, so decided to not advance access the next 2 days, which unfortunately did not help my performance either.

day 1: I had Bills at first because I knew they made 4 superbowls in quick succession in the 90s and haven't done anything since I moved here, then changed away because I thought they had some sort of success earlier. also missed the Asian tiger economy.

day 2: thought about das boot, didn't write it. thought about communist manifesto and didn't write it, instead writing origin of species assuming the government reference was a reference to suppression of the counter-biblical narrative of the text.

day 3: hadith rather than surah and missed Cyrus, should have civved that one.

So kicking myself on 6 of the questions. Very poor indeed.

On to today, where only 1 has me kicking myself. 3/6

1 :( dunkin donuts. I don't know my US fast food evolution. D00 because I assume Americans do.

2 :) mail carriage. I have played the game. D11 for my MIT opponent and Jesse.

3 :( Acadia. Acadia sounds so right to me. My oponent is from Ilinois do D12.

4 :) Juilliard. D21. Didn't know what else it could be. Maybe should hae D'ed lower but I was afraid it was something obscure i hadn't heard of.

5 :( Charlie's Angels.  D33. I had Charlie's Angels but wasn't happy with the number, so I switched to the Bachelorette. Kicking myself.

6 :) Maroon. D22. Dark red in a band name. Maroon it must be.

Seif Day 4

3 or 4/6. I'm quite happy with this since I found these very hard. 

1. Burger King :), D10. I've seen a million BK commercials. 

2. Delivery Service :/, D21. Based on how Thorsten grades, I think I probably get this. Whether I think I deserve it is another story. Kind of a weak answer, in retrospect. I had no idea, but if I could come up with "delivery," postal was clearly a better more descriptive answer. 

3. Academy :(, D12. I felt pretty confident here, but nope. 

4. Julliard :), D01. Had to be this. I lived right next to it in NYC for a while, too. 

5. Jan Brady :(, D23. No idea. 

6. Maroon :), D32. This is the third LL question I've gotten from my year of listening to 20 minutes per day of pop music. Hard to describe how satisfying it is. 

Gideon Day 3

5/6 today

1 :) D1 Multimeter - I used one a couple days ago. 
2 :( D2 Portion 
3 :) D0 Halloween - I almost put high anxiety for lack of any other guesses, but on further reflection figured that Janet Leigh’s daughter would be pretty young during filming, remembered that Jamie Lee Curtis had celebrity parents, was about the right age, and that Halloween was the right genre for a psycho tribute. Then I remembered that the new movie just came out around the 40th anniversary of the original, which confirmed it for me. 
4 :) D2 Darius - I think I remembered the name from Dan Carlin. 
5 :) D3 Cosecant - A couple years ago I put this incorrectly for the Secant question. I looked it up afterwards, and I guess it stuck well enough. 
6 :) D1 Baseball - Lucky guess.  They sounded like Japanese baseball teams to me. 

Brian Day 3 vs. MeyerE

4/6 with 4 easy ones and 2 impossible ones.  Facing opponents with the opposite strengths as me.  Looking forward to Yale beating Harvard tomorrow.

1)multitester.  I'm not that handy, but I do install my own light fixtures, and use a multitester to make sure the power is off. 3/3

2)verse.  No clue. 1/0

3)Halloween. I know that Jamie Leigh Curtis is Janet Leigh's daughter, the year and a horror tribute fit Halloween.  The sequel just came out, again starring JLC, opponents could get this despiter weaker film scores.  0/1

4)Ozymandias.  no idea. considered Xerxes, which wouldn't have helped. Worried you all knew it.  2/2

5)cosecant. Yes, Andy, arcsin is a thing, just not this thing.  But it's a good guess. 2/2

6)baseball. Swallow, Carp and Giants are Japanese baseball teams that I know of.  I considered putting Japanese in parentheses, but question didn't seem to require it, and I'm not sure if the other teams are Japanese.  Lions could throw off some people.  I think if a random person with no sports knowledge were to take a guess, it would be baseball, hence 1/1

November 16 Andy

Disappointing day for Andy.

1. Omnitool.  

2. Sura. Assume this gets credit.

3. No clue. Last minute guess with Close Encounters of the Third Kind.

4. Xerxes. I'm kicking myself. Should have known Cyrus.

5. I said arc sine. Is that a thing?

6. Wasn't sure. Then at last minute pictured carp in a pond or something which made me think of Japan. Thus baseball.

Jesse day 3

3/6

1. The electrical measuring device that combines a voltmeter, an ammeter, and an ohmmeter (and sometimes other tools) is most commonly known by what name, appropriately so given its various uses?
Correct Answer: MULTIMETER/MULTITESTER
Your Answer: Omnimeter
Points Assigned: 1
Points Assigned to Private Opp: 2

I was sure it was omnimeter. It sounded familiar. I am thinking I was thinking of omnitheater.

2. What is the formal term for a chapter of the Quran, of which there are a total of 114?
Correct Answer: SURAH
Your Answer: Chapter
Points Assigned: 3
Points Assigned to Private Opp: 3

Nope!!! I had no idea. 

3. The names of Alfred Hitchcock film characters Sam Loomis (Psycho) and Tom Doyle (Rear Window) were later used, as a tribute, for characters in what 1978 film, which also starred the daughter of Psycho star Janet Leigh?
Correct Answer: HALLOWEEN
Your Answer: Halloween
Points Assigned: 0
Points Assigned to Private Opp: 0

I got this not by watching the movie but because Bill Simmons talks about Halloween all the time on his podcast. I did consider Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. 

4. During the 220 years of the unified Achaemenid Empire's existence, the empire had a total of 13 kings. Give the name (regnal number not required) of either the first, who founded the empire, or the last, who was defeated by Alexander the Great in 330 BCE.
Correct Answer: CYRUS, DARIUS
Your Answer: Cyrus
Points Assigned: 1
Points Assigned to Private Opp: 1

Initially entered Xeres, but I knew he was towards the middle of the empire. Then I thought about Sid Meier's Civilization leaders and came up with Cyrus. 

5. What is the name of the trigonometric function that is defined as the ratio of the length of an angle's hypotenuse to the length of its opposite side (i.e., the reciprocal of its sine)?
Correct Answer: COSECANT
Your Answer: Tangent
Points Assigned: 2
Points Assigned to Private Opp: 1

Nope! I know so little about math, including whether this is a hard or easy question. 

6. The Tigers, Lions, Giants, Hawks, Buffaloes, Fighters, Dragons, Swallows, and Carp are names of professional clubs in a league playing what sport?
Correct Answer: BASEBALL
Your Answer: Baseball
Points Assigned: 2
Points Assigned to Private Opp: 2

I went to Carp game in Hiroshima in 2006. 

Steiny Day 3 LLL v. L himself

To answer your question Will, I have NEVER received an errant email meant to be sent to the blog! Now that I think about it, that seems odd

1. :( Close, I guessed multitool with zero idea 3/3

2. :) Suras, took a lot of islamic courses in college1/1

3. :( And I just watched it too!  I wrote High Anxiety which is a fantastic Hitchcock send up btw 2/2

4. :( Guessed Xerxes 2/2

5. :) Easiest math question in a while 0/0

6. :) Carp and swallows I have heard of.  I am surprised they didn't ask country as well

Seif Day 3

4/6, which is better than I expected, but I'm also surprised by what I got right and wrong. I'd have done defense differently had I known the answers in advance. 

1. Multimeter :), D22. This was basically just a throwaway answer that turned out to be right. If I'd known it was so guessable, I'd have given lower D. 

2. Sura :), D11. I was pretty sure this was right. I've heard the term enough that I guess it's stuck. 

3. The Haunting :(, D32. No clue at all. 

4. Cyrus :), D20. Phew. I thought of Cyrus, Darius, and Xerxes, and then realized I didn't know which of them was neither the first nor the last. Basically had a 2/3 chance of getting this. 

5. Cosecant :), D01. I actually think this is pretty hard because a lot of people will put secant instead of cosecant. But I had to do low D given my opponents' strengths. 

6. Cricket :(, D13. Huh? There's a team called the carp that plays baseball?!

Gideon Day 2

4/6 today

1 :) D1 Bee Season - The only thing I knew about this book was the title. 
2 :( D2 Boxing Helena
3 :) D2 Guinea
4 :( D3 Oblong
5 :) D0 Communist Manifesto
6 :) D2 Tort - I got to sit in on a torts lecture once. 

Will Day 2

Almost sent this to Steiny’s personal email. How many of those do you get a season? Anyway a decent 3/6 recovery after my poor 1/6 showing yesterday.

1. I thought I had a 1 in 4 chance on this
Your Answer: Summer

2. Knew this
Your Answer: Das Boot

3. Should have known this, but just didn’t.
Your Answer: Congo

4. Still feel closer than my first answer “hippo”
Your Answer: fist

5. Seems pretty easy
Your Answer: Communist Manifesto

6. Struggled but eventually got there.
Your Answer: tort

I'll sign my name on Day 10...

​... when I kick your butt.

- Anonymous

Two days in a rows

Two days in a row that Brian couldn't deign to put his name on his post. 

Signed,

Seif

Day 2 vs Pelc

Before I begin, CarrBen what the F were you thinking with your defense on me yesterday?!?  Giving me a 2 for a science/movie question?!? A 2 for television?!? 0 for world history?!?  That's the exact opposite of how you should defend me.  And of course you won 3(2)-2(3).  Well played sir.

4/6 today.  No regrets, couldn't have gotten the other two. 

1)Bat Mitzvah.  I've heard of this, but no way I could have gotten it.  Steiny, great minds think alike.​ 2/3

2)Das Boot.  I own the DVD, though I haven't watched it yet. Gimme for me, but I think it's not too well known a movie.  3/2

3)Guinea.  A gimme, eventually.  First thought was Zambia, as being in Zimbabwe and Mozambique, but that didn't work.  Than Mali in Malawi and Somalia.  But Mali was an answer last year, and would he really ask for the letters of the country's name in the other countries? Doesn't make sense. I'd better RTFQ... oh, contained as a word?  That has to be Guinea.  I'm just glad I didn't have to find a phrase that anagrammed Sao Tome and Principe again.   0/0

4)Sphere.  Again, heard of the olfactory bulb, but couldn't have gotten there. Jesse, love the olive pit. 2/1

5)Communist Manifesto.  Wasn't sure​ of the year, but what else could it be?  Didn't like giving Pelc 2 on it.   1/2

6)tort.  Between LA Law, The Practice, and Suits, this was a gimme.  Wish I knew my opponents' professions, I don't know how hard this will play. 1/1

November 15, Day 2, Andy

Welcome back everyone!

1. I put Autumn.  No clue

2. At the last minute I was struck with the realization that claustrophobia must be a reference to Diary of Anne Frank, which there must be a movie of, and maybe Wolfgang was trying to exorcise the demons of his parents' generation. Nope. I should have gotten this too, b/c I was at an Oktoberfest party and people were drinking out of boots, shouting Das Boot, which really bothered me because I wanted them to know that boot doesn't mean boot, and I ended up looking up Das Boot and learning about it.   

3. Knew Seif would get this. I didn't. I was walking up Park Avenue this morning saying all the African countries I could think of which probably made people think I'm a weirdo (I was saying it out loud to get the mind working better). I also just reviewed a map of Africa and there are WAY too many countries. Wouldn't there be some efficiencies (much needed efficiencies) with fewer national governments to maintain?  

4. Don't know how, but bulb came to me. 

5. The Communist Manifesto. Assume this is pretty easy. Maybe some people would think Das Kapital, but I think more people know Communist Manifesto than Das Kapital. 

6. Tort. Seems easy to me. As a show of how much I know Seif loves his geography, I gave this a 1 (and the Africa question a 0). I knew he was getting both right anyway.

Andy

Dave M day 2 v Jesse LLL

A poor 2/6 today to what seems like a certain loss to Jesse's 4.

1 : ( I guessed Fall. D23

2 : ( I also guessed the Shining, which seems claustrophobic to me. D01

3 : ) Geography gimme. D10

4 : ( Guessed Diamond. D22

5 : ) I thought this would be harder but everyone seems to be getting it. Year was the giveaway for me. D31

6 : ( Guessed Malfeasance. D12

So its a 1 (2) - 4 (4) win to Jesse. At least I defended as well as I could have.

Steiny Day 2 LLL v. CarrBen

1. :( I was sure I thought of the right answer having never heard of any of this...I figured it was bat mitzvah season given how jewish everyone's names were...2/2 Doubting Ben gets this

2. :( Nope, couldn't think of this.  Not sure I ever would have.  Hunt for red october woul dhave been a decent guess but submarine didn't cross my mind 3/3 Doubting Ben gets this

3. :) Guinea and congo crossed my mind initially and there is no "congo" so guinea had to be it 0/0 I am sure Ben will get this

4. :( Sphere.  Oh well 2/2

5. :) Had to decide between comunist manifesto and das kapital.  Had I known das boot was an answer it would have made it easier as there was no way he would have put two das's but since it said document, the manifesto made more sense anyawy  1/1

6 :) I mean, I am a lawyer 1/1

Jesse Day 2

4/6

1. A best-selling 2000 novel by Myla Goldberg tells the story of the esoteric and fracturing Naumann family, with a focus on eleven-year-old Eliza as she navigates through what titular season?
Correct Answer: BEE SEASON
Your Answer: Season of the Itch
Points Assigned: 2
Points Assigned to Private Opp: 3

I had no idea. Took a wild guess.

2. What acclaimed and Academy Award-nominated 1981 Wolfgang Petersen film could credibly hold the record for most critical reviews that include the word "claustrophobic"?
Correct Answer: DAS BOOT
Your Answer: Das Boot
Points Assigned: 3
Points Assigned to Private Opp: 2

German, 1980s, Claustrophobic. That was enough for me. 

3. The name of what African country is contained as a word in the names of two other African countries?
Correct Answer: GUINEA
Your Answer: Guinea
Points Assigned: 1
Points Assigned to Private Opp: 0

I memorized all of the countries a while back so this was a gimmie for me. 

4. The structure of the human brain responsible for olfaction (the sense of smell) has roughly what shape, which is normally included in the name of the structure itself?
Correct Answer: BULB
Your Answer: Olive Pit
Points Assigned: 0
Points Assigned to Private Opp: 2

I had no idea.

5. What document, arguably one of the most influential works in the 20th century, fell into decades-long obscurity not long after its initial publication, following (and due to) the failure of the European revolutions of 1848?
Correct Answer: THE COMMUNIST MANIFESTO
Your Answer: Communist Manifesto
Points Assigned: 1
Points Assigned to Private Opp: 1

Only answer that made sense for the time period and its relationship to revolutions. 

6. While a "crime" is legally defined as conduct that is prohibited and has punishment prescribed by law, what is the corresponding term for a wrongful act (other than breach of contract) that harms another and for which courts impose civil liability?
Correct Answer: TORT
Your Answer: Tort
Points Assigned: 2
Points Assigned to Private Opp: 1

I am aware of tort law. 

Brad day2

2/6

1) winter d2

no idea

2) the shining d3

figured was a horror movie and couldnt think of anything better

3) mali d0

good question, immediately thought mali/somalia and didnt give it another thought

4) cone d2

nope

5) communist manifesto d1

didnt think this could be anything else

6) tort d1

watching tv law shows finally useful for something

Seif Day 2 vs Andy (LLL)

3/6. So close to a 4th. 

1. Winter :(, D32. No clue.

2. Das Submarine :(, D23. So close. I knew the movie but had the name wrong. 

3. Guinea :), D22. Love this question. 

4. Lobe :(, D11. Nope! I thought I'd get this. Too bad. 

5. The Communist Manifesto :), D01. Seemed like the only possible answer. 

6. Tort :), D10. Easy enough for Andy, and not that hard overall. 

Gideon Day 1 LL79

Hey, welcome back!  I missed the deadline to register for LLL, so I’m cheering for everyone from the sidelines. 

5/6 Today

1 :) D1 Saint Elmo - Got it from the movie. Now I’ve got both this theme song and Q4’s theme song alternately stuck in my head. Seems like a very boring radio station. 
2 :) D0 Buffalo Bills - Hey, I got a sports question!
3 :) D2 Stone, Bronze, Iron
4 :) D1 The Dick Van Dyke Show - I don’t think I’ve ever actually seen an episode. 
5 :) D2 South Korea 
6 :( D3 Johnson 

Steiny Day 1

Welcome back everyone

1. :( I guessed Peter who I thought was like the patron saint of basically everything...

2. :) Gimme for NFL fan

3. :) Had to figure out which was first, bronze or iron (this is actually one of my questions on WWTBAM)

4. :( Guessed perfect strangers

5. :) I took a number of international politics and economy courses in college so this was very simple stuff

6. :( guessed Dubois and was wrong

3/6 not a bad start to the day, expecting to lose to SeifD in LLL

Brad day1

Was odd man out for lll, so get a season off from being the doormat

4/6 - good start to season

1) st elmo d2

only knew this because it was a q a few seasons ago (maybe 1d or ml?) and it stuck

2) buffalo bills d1

sports gimme

3) stone, bronze, iron d1

seemed simple enough

4) simpsons d2

didnt seem right, but couldnt think of another show where opening was different

5) south korea d0

only way would expect anyond to miss this is with a japan guess

6) hurston d3

no idea

LL79 Day 1 vs Ben

Welcome back everyone.  Starting off with 3/6, hoping to win on defense

1) St Eligius.  Very frustrating, I knew this but just couldn't pull it out.  Especially kicking myself after seeing the answer, given my defense. D3(LL)/2(Ben)

2) Buffalo Bills. Gimme. I think Ben is familiar enough with American football to know this.  1/1

3) Stone,Bronze,Iron.   Stone and bronze were easy, then almost went with steel instead of iron until I reread the question.  2/1

4) Three's Company.  Almost a defensive calamity.  Ottoman--->couch, couch and changing opening credits = Simpsons, which would be a 0 for Ben.  Had it typed in, but couldn't picture an ottoman in those opening scenes.  Took a guess on Jack Ritter, and adjusted defense.    Hopefully I got D0ed.  2/2

5) South Korea. Luckily I was more confident of South Korea than Japan.  Was worried Singapore and Taiwan were tiger cubs. 0/0  Shit, Ben has <.500 in business?  possibly another defensive screw up.

6) Dubois.  Pretty sure he lived until much later, but had no other option.  1/3

Dave M Day 1

Happy LL79 everyone! I’m out next week without internet access so got a sneak peek at Monday and Tuesday’s questions next week. I won’t tell!

 

3/6 to get things rolling today.

 

1 : ) Saint Elmo – I can’t remember where I learnt this. If I had to guess a random novel or plane crash documentary. D22

2 : ( This was going to be a total guess from all except maybe 5-6 teams I could rule out. I guessed Detroit Lions. Close geographically at least. D11

3 : ) I know the order from the technology tree in the various Civilization games. D10

4 : ( I guessed the Simpsons, presuming that in recent seasons (I stopped watching nearly 20 years ago) Homer worked out how to dodge the couch. D02

5 : ) I too would have known all four. 1960s seems awfully early to say that was when they rose to prominence. For me Japan was 1950s-80s and Tigers were late 1970s-1990s. IIRC North Korea had higher GDP per capita than South Korea in 1970, for example. (I put down South Korea.) D21

6 : ( No idea in the slightest. D33

Jesse day 1

4/6... Still super busy with work so will be keeping my posts short.

1. The luminous and sometimes audible electric discharge projecting from the end of a pointed object (e.g., the wing of an airplane, spire, or mast of a ship) during an electrical storm is a phenomenon most commonly named after what individual, the patron saint of sailors?
Correct Answer: ST. ELMO
Your Answer: St Elmo
Points Assigned: 2
Points Assigned to Private Opp: 2

Got this from the movie. 

2. What was the first and is still the only NFL team to appear in four consecutive Super Bowl games? The team did not appear in any Super Bowls before the streak and has not appeared in any since the streak ended.
Correct Answer: BUFFALO BILLS
Your Answer: Buffalo Bills
Points Assigned: 1
Points Assigned to Private Opp: 1

I watched these Super Bowls

3. The three-age system of epochs, as established by Danish antiquarian Christian Jürgensen Thomsen and still common today for the division of prehistory into discrete periods, names these periods based on the materials used for tools and weapons during each time. What are these three materials, in order from earliest to most recent?
Correct Answer: STONE, BRONZE, IRON
Your Answer: Stone, Bronze, Iron
Points Assigned: 0
Points Assigned to Private Opp: 0

Seems gimmie-ish. 

4. During what television series' opening credits does the main character sometimes pratfall over an ottoman and other times step around it with a satisfied grin?
Correct Answer: THE DICK VAN DYKE SHOW
Your Answer: Family Matters
Points Assigned: 2
Points Assigned to Private Opp: 2

I had no idea. I pictured Urkle tripping over an ottoman and figured that was an OK guess.

5. The "Four Asian Tigers" rose to prominence in the 1960s with high growth economies focused on exportation, rapid industrialization, and high rates of savings, and today remain among the world's most advanced economies. Name any one of these Four Asian Tigers.
Correct Answer: HONG KONG, SINGAPORE, SOUTH KOREA, TAIWAN
Your Answer: Singapore
Points Assigned: 1
Points Assigned to Private Opp: 1

I knew all four. 

6. Identify the prolific American writer, dubbed by Booker T. Washington in 1909 as "the first representative poet of my race" and his race's "poet laureate," who published numerous books of poetry, short story collections, and novels (including The Sport of the Gods and Lyrics of Lowly Life) before his death from tuberculosis in 1906 at age 33.
Correct Answer: PAUL LAURENCE DUNBAR
Your Answer: Hughes
Points Assigned: 3
Points Assigned to Private Opp: 3

I went with Langston Hughes. I have heard of Dunbar, but there is no way I could pull that.