Cool Jazz

Cool Jazz was a reaction to the very fast and frenetic Bebop. Here is one of the most important "Cool Jazz" albums, The Birth of Cool: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL7gp579CMkT9Fmt5d0-Yn35BAKOfc0Oy0

I personally like Modal Jazz the most, which is an offshoot of Cool Jazz.  Kind of Blue is labeled as Modal Jazz, and is considered by many to be the greatest jazz album of all time: https://youtu.be/8uUCIQ50e-4

-Jesse

Re: Debbie Day 5

Finally a 3/6! Happy weekend!

1 :( Laos. Didn't work my way that far west... was thinking had to be east asia as they would have said if it was southeast asia, and didn't even consider going west of there. Would think of Jordan as middle east? But clearly most of you got it

2 :( Acid. And I was convinced this was right.  Will need to google to see if that's a thing.

3 :) Marine Le Pen. One of my rare global gets.

4 :( transportation.  Which I think was another decent guess, even if wrong.

5 :) altimeter. Glad this came to me.

6 :) state names. Assume that works.  Spent a LONG time on this. Knew Jonny Utah (that ends up being one we catch a lot on tv) and also glad to think of My Own Private Idaho... but then was wondering if he was in movies like Jonny Dangerously or Jonny Mnemonic. And there's also John Wick?  From the wording it seemed more like states though.

Brian Day 5 vs Dave M

 3/6.   I gave a 3(3) to Mirkin, hopefully he assumed I got the same three he and everyone else got.

1) Jordan.  0/0 Took awhile since I started from the east and worried it would be Laos or somewhere I had no idea about, but this was obvious when I got to Jordan.  Hoping for some points since geography is one of my worst subjects, but Mirkin may not fall for that bait given the Israel connection.

2) Bebop 2/3  no chance here

3) Desimone 3/1  Should have thought on this longer instead of assuming i had no clue.  Very gettable

4) Telephone 1/1  Thought it was obvious, defended low, and will prob wish I hadn't

5) Altimeter 1/2  Gimme?

6) U.S. States 2/2  Have only heard of, not seen, the movies, but I knew this was referencing My Own Private Idaho, and I thought there might have been a Johnny Utah in Point Break.  No idea of the Soundgarden song.

Dave M day 5

In a bit of a rush today. Got the same 3/6 as everyone else – Jordan, Le Pen, Altimeter. Looks like we all lined up pretty closely on knowledge today (except Jesse).

Ben Day 5

3/6.

1 :) Jordan. I was scared there might be another bigger river in Jordan because the Jordan itself is kinda small and pathetic, but I went through Asia and had no better candidate. Also I'm not sure that I would say the Jordan is in Jordan rather than on the border.

2 :( classical gas. I don't know what my answer means, nor the correct answer.

3 :) Le Pen. Fascist Apple doesn't fall far from the fascist tree

4 :( teamsters.  Mcw

5 :) altimeter. Lots of flight sims in my youth.

6 :( Hawaiian. I got confused and thought Keanu's character was called Bodhi, not Swayze's

Jesse day 5

5/6

1. While several African nations share a name with their principal rivers (e.g., Congo, Niger, The Gambia), what one Asian country has a name in English that is identical to that of its main and longest river?
Correct Answer: JORDAN
Your Answer: Jordan
Points Assigned: 2

I went West to East across Asia in my brain, so this took 2 minutes for me to solve. 

2. In the early 1950s, trumpeter Miles Davis played and recorded arrangements in a novel style known as what type of jazz? The description was used in the title of a compilation album by Davis in 1957.
Correct Answer: COOL JAZZ
Your Answer: Cool Jazz
Points Assigned: 2

I was very into Miles Davis in college. 

3. Name the polarizing leader of the French far-right political party now known as National Rally (Rassemblement national), who holds the position previously held by her even-farther-right father when the party was still known as the National Front (Front national).
Correct Answer: MARINE LE PEN
Your Answer: La Pen
Points Assigned: 1

I assume I am OK missing the first name and going with La instead of Le. 

4. What does the "T" stand for in IATSE, the abbreviation of a labor organization encompassing over 150,000 members in over 375 local unions across North America? The word in question generally describes the industry the union's members worked in at its founding in 1893 (it has since expanded).
Correct Answer: THEATRICAL
Your Answer: Tomatoes
Points Assigned: 3

I had no idea. Tomatoes was not a great guess. 

5. What is the name of the scientific instrument that measures and indicates the height above sea level at which an airplane or other object is currently located?
Correct Answer: ALTIMETER
Your Answer: Altimeter
Points Assigned: 0

Seems like a gimmie.

6. The title of a 1991 film starring Keanu Reeves is taken from a song by the B-52's, and the title of a 1996 film starring Keanu Reeves is taken from a song by Soundgarden. What, most notably, do these two titles have in common—a commonality they share with the name of Keanu Reeves's character in 1991's Point Break?
Correct Answer: US STATES
Your Answer: US State name
Points Assigned: 1

I got it from Johnny Utah.  

brad day5

3/6 vs seif

1) jordan d3/1

kept going through east asia countries and nothing made sense until i thought of this, outside of this group i bet this plays tough

2) bluegrass d1/3

no idea

3) le pen d2/0

politics gimme?

4) teamsters d2/2

nope

5) altimeter d1/1

straightforward

6) ted d0/2

no idea

looks like a 2(3) - 2(3) tie

Seif Day 5 vs. Brad (LLL)

3/6.  I was sure I had a fourth when I submitted.

1. Jordan :), D31.  I suspect that there will be a lot of people who don't manage to think of this who will kick themselves when they see the answer.  It took a while before it came to me.

2. Blues :(, D03.  No clue.  D0 only because my LL opponent is great at all things music.

3. Le Pen :), D20.  Gimme.  Should give Brad no problems given, among other things, his years of working at a French bank.

4. Teamsters :(, D12.  I can't believe this wasn't right.  I didn't even consider anything else.  Knowing the answer would have almost certainly changed my defense.

5. Altimeter :), D11.  I've heard this word many times.  Seems like this might play kind of easy.

6. One word :(, D22.  No idea.

Brian day 4 vs TasanM

 4/6 i found defense very difficult today

1) Paisley 3/2 I hoped Prince founded an art museum

2) Gazprom 1/3 No clue how easy this is

3) rye 0/1 completely blanked on this. both opponents strong in food/drink

4) periwinkle 2/1 took awhile, eventually thinking of a Crayola box of 64 helped.  Also, no idea how to defend

5) Gregorian 1/0 I think this is easy, what links a song and a calendar? 

6) Knickerbocker 2/2 luckily I realized right away that the current New York group was intentionally not described as literary, which made this easy. Again, no idea on defense

 

Re: Debbie Day 3

Another 2 (not feeling my smartest this season) but I was happy to even get these 

1 :( Johnson.  Unfortunately never heard of this woman and can't think of too many female artists :(

2 :( Petrochem. Never heard of this so don't feel bad I missed it.

3 :) Tennessee.  Almost went with West Virginia given coal, but vaguely associated whiskey with TN.

4 :) periwinkle.  Yay - almost missed it! And didn't think it was right - thought periwinkle was a shell?  Was going to do violet or hydrangea. But went with this based on the color, one of my faves.

5 :( Julian. Boo. wrong calendar name.

6 :( Guggenheim.  Had no idea the derivation of knickebocker.

Dave M day 4

3/6 on the same questions everyone else seemed to get

 

1 : ( Bourgeois. I went with 20^th C female artists rather than someone who might have a gallery named after them. D21

2 : ) Gazprom. Energy gimme. D00

3 : ) Tennessee. Almost put Lynchburg but thought Tennessee would cover it. D13

4 : ( Violet. Now I know the origin of periwinkle. D12

5 : ) Gregorian. Got it via the calendar clue. D21

6 : ( Stuyvesant. Would never have got this. D32

Ben Day 4

Seems like a strong showing for me. 5/6. Thorsten went pretty wordy today! I found D hard

1 :( No idea. D21. Strong art opponents. Guessed Carnegie as someone who might have an art museum named after them in the midwest.

2 :) Gazprom. D33 Very related to my work, so no idea how hard this plays for regular folk with middling  BUS/ECON like my opponents. Went with D33

3 :) Tennessee. D12 I wasn't aware that there was a particular process for Tennessee whiskey, but I assumed it had to be right.

4 :) Perriwinkle. D22. I happen to know what the color Perriwinkle is because it was my wife's favorite childhood Crayola color. For some reason I thought it had to do with a color of shells, but I had no better guess for a lavender-blue color.

5 :) Gregorian. D01. Obviously a date jump like that has to do with calendar convention, and Gregory is the eponymous source of our calendar name so seemed like a no-brainer once I ignored the confusing Latin term.

6 :) knickerbockers. D10. Current NY group gave it to me. I was thinking something along the lines of 'Gotham' half way through the clue.

Jesse day 4

4/6. I am somehow 3-0 and in first place in B even though I feel like I have left a lot of gettable answers out on the table. 

1. 2007's My Complement, My Enemy, My Oppressor, My Love, which included its creator's signature room-sized black paper silhouettes, was the first full-scale museum survey for an acclaimed American artist. What name is (coincidentally) both the last name of this prolific artist and the name of the Minneapolis art center where her work was featured?
Correct Answer: WALKER
Your Answer: Target
Points Assigned: 3

I had no idea, so went with a well-known business from Minnesota. 

2. Viktor Chernomyrdin, who served as Prime Minister of Russia under Boris Yeltsin (and 23 hours as Acting President during Yeltsin's heart surgery in 1996), was the leader of the Ministry of Gas Industry in 1989 when it transformed into the country's first state-corporate enterprise, under what name?
Correct Answer: GAZPROM
Your Answer: Gazprom
Points Assigned: 2

I first put down Lukoil, but then changed it to Gazprom. 

3. Nathan "Nearest" Green, the first known African-American master distiller in the United States, was a pioneer of the "Lincoln County Process", which produces whiskey using the same process as Kentucky bourbon with an added final step of filtering it through thick chips of sugar maple charcoal before bottling. The resulting whiskey is a type named after (and closely associated with) what other location?
Correct Answer: TENNESSEE
Your Answer: Tennessee
Points Assigned: 0

The only other American whisky that can be associated with a state that I know about. 

4. What is the popular ground cover of the dogbane family, in the genus Vinca and also known as creeping myrtle, that gives its name to the shade of lavender-blue that matches a common color of its flowers?
Correct Answer: PERIWINKLE
Your Answer: Perywinckle
Points Assigned: 1

No idea how to spell it, but I added ground cover to part of our front yard and periwinkle was in consideration. I knew periwinkle was a shade of purple. 

5. What eponymous adjective describes a certain cantus firmus attributed to a man from the 6th/7th century, as well as a modification (introduced by a similar man) that caused, two belated centuries later in England, Wednesday, September 2, 1752, to be followed immediately by Thursday, September 14?
Correct Answer: GREGORIAN
Your Answer: Gregorian
Points Assigned: 1

I got it from the second part. 

6. A group of writers in and around New York in the first half of the 19th century took its name from Washington Irving's fictional Dutch historian and "author" of A History of New York from the Beginning of the World to the End of the Dutch Dynasty. What was that character's last name (and that writers' group's name, and a current New York group's name)?
Correct Answer: KNICKERBOCKER
Your Answer: Crane
Points Assigned: 2

Shoot, this was very gettable. 

Day 4 LL Kay M. LLL SeifD

1 :( 3/3 I guessed Moses as in Grandma Moses.  I don't think Kay or Seif know art particularly well.

2. :( 1/1  I had no idea whatsoever so i put energsky.  Something tells me Seif knows this.

3. :) 2/2. A strong guess got me tennessee.  I toyed with Ireland but that didn't seem right. So if not far away, why not try close to home!

4. :( 2/2 Nope, now that I see it, that would have been a good guess.  Just one of many things out of my wheelhouse today.

5. :) 0/0 Proud to have figured this one out.  I was debating between Julian and Gregorian as a descriptor of a calendar, and then I realized gregorian chants also worked for the first part.

6. :( 1/1 I had no idea about the first part so focused on the second part of a "current New York group" and opted for Yankees.  That was wrong. 

brad day4

3/6 vs meyerE

1) guggenheim d2/3

no idea

2) gazprom d0/2

biz gimme?

3) tennessee d1/2

im more a scotch guy, but am aware of this and kentucky as the two main types of us whiskey

4) lilac d2/0

thought this had a chance

5) gregorian d1/1

seemed like a reasonable guess

6) stuyvescant d3/1

nope

Seif Day 4 vs. Steiny (LLL)

3/6.  I guessed what I thought was the "obvious" answer twice today, which worked out once.

1. Odeon :(, D23.  No clue at all.

2. Gazprom :), D31.  Business gimme.

3. Tennessee :), D11.  As far as I know, Tennessee is by far the most closely associated state with a type of liquor after Kentucky, so this was the obvious answer.  However, I almost overthought it and put down Vermont due to the maple sugar and the person's name being "Nathan Green."  I would have kicked myself about that all day, so I'm glad I didn't.

4. Lilac :(, D12.  I had no idea other than a vague sense of the color.  I never would have come up with periwinkle.

5. Gregorian :), D00.  I got it from the calendar.  I don't think I could have just from the chant clue.  But I think the calendar part of the question will be enough for many people.

6. Van Winkle :(, D22.  Ugh.  This was gettable.  Wasn't there a similar question to this some seasons ago?  I focused right in on the most well known Irving character and didn't look back.

Re: Debbie Day 3

Not off to my best start this season with another 2, but such is life

1 :( Campania. Never heard of this answer so don't feel too badly (and also happy I managed to come up with A region of Italy. I think?)

2 :) Lady Bird.  Thought of this pretty quickly (and brings me back to the one LL day where I got 6/6 and one answer was Greta Gerwig for directing this) BUT I kept thinking it was neither a movie nor nursery rhyme, so extra happy to get it.

3 :) China.  I knew it was an Asian country and figured China is pretty good at most things Olympics-wise. Sort of?

4 :( Luger.  Thought this might be German but was proud I could think of some sort of gun name.

5 :( tesseract. Was thinking this or tetramer.  Fractal now sounds familiar but not sure I would have guessed it.

6 :( Milky Way.  Thought this was likely wrong too but didn't have the energy to work my way through candies.  Maybe would have come up with this if I'd tried more? BUt I'm a chocolate girl - fruity candies meh.

Ben Day 3

3/6. I'm unhappy to let Mirkin break away to clear TCA dominance in D. 

1 :( Etrusca. Never heard of this term. Feels like something I should know!

2 :( Twinkle Twinkle. I tried to get it from the nursery rhyme angle, which was a mistake because I probably could have gotten Lady Bird if I approached from that angle. Never heard of the British film. Never heard of Ladybird Ladybird.

3 :) Gina. They crush diving.

4 :( Remington. I have heard of Browning, and I should have realized the R was rifle. Poor showing on this one.

5 :) fractal. math gimme.

6 :) starburst. not sure why Seif defended this one based on food scores as opposed to science scores.

Dave M day 4

Another great day on the quiz for me – 5/6.

 

1 : ) Mezzogiorno. Kind of a political geography question – I’ve seen it most often referred to in the way Americans talk about the Rust Belt. D31

2 : ) Lady Bird. I loved the 2017 movie and it clearly fit the nursery rhyme clue. D12

3 : ) China. Diving=China. Kind of thought this might be a trick question. D20

4 : ( Remington. Focused on the wrong part of BAR. D23

5 : ) Fractal. Simplish math. D02

6 : ) Starburst. Spent too long focused on Milky Way, Galaxy, Whatchamacallit… then it finally hit. D11

Brian Day 3 vs FlisserA

A very satisfying day, could easily have been a 2 but wound up with 5/6

1) Tuscany  1/2 I had no idea, but remembered the Diane Lane movie Under the Tuscan Sun.  Really thought I had a good chance here.

2) Lady Bird 1/2 Was convinced this was older than 2017, but I had no other option and I thought it could start a nursery rhyme.  

3) China 2/3  My first thought, I could picture Chinese women diving for some reason, and since I really had no idea, I stuck with it. 

4) Browning 3/1   Had to be the B in BAR (B Automatic Rifle), and again, the first thing to pop into my mind.  The other option was Baretta, which is a handgun. Another answer I was not at all sure about, but had no other option.

5) Fractal 0/0 Finally, a gimme.  And with both opponents over .600 in math, a gimme for defense as well.

6) Starburst 1/1  Should be the easiest of the day for non-mathematicians, with a few Milky Ways thrown in the mix

brad day 3

2/6 vs friedlandmj and steiny

common d

1) umbria d2

tried to think of a wine term that might fit

2) twinkle d1

nope

3) china d0

i knew this and figured would be guessable

4) baretta d3

nope

5) fractal d1

also knew this

6) skittles d2

ugh

Jesse day 3

3/6

1. What is the Italian term for the region known in English as Southern Italy, roughly equivalent geographically with the pre-unification Kingdom of Naples? This term refers to the intensity of the midday sun in the southern portion of the Italian peninsula.
Correct Answer: MEZZOGIORNO
Your Answer: Calabria
Points Assigned: 3

I lived in Italy, but have never heard of that term. I knew Calabria was just the far south. 

2. The title of a critically acclaimed, Oscar-nominated coming-of-age film from 2017, when its two words are combined into one and repeated, becomes the title of a 1994 British film taken directly from the first words of a nursery rhyme. What is the title of either film?
Correct Answer: LADY BIRD/LADYBIRD, LADYBIRD
Your Answer: La La Land
Points Assigned: 2

I had no idea.

3. In the history of the Olympic Games, the winners of the gold medals in women's springboard diving (since 1988), women's synchronized platform diving (since 2000), and women's synchronized springboard diving (since 2004) have all hailed from what country?
Correct Answer: CHINA
Your Answer: China
Points Assigned: 2

I am very into the Olympics and remembered the Chinese dominate this event. 

4. The gas-operated rifle that served as the standard light machine gun in the U.S. Army until the late 1950s was known by the abbreviation BAR, and was designed in 1917 and named after a man with what last name?
Correct Answer: BROWNING
Your Answer: Remmington
Points Assigned: 1

Ohhhh, yup. 

5. What word was coined by French mathematician Benoit Mandelbrot to refer to an irregular pattern that's self-similar in scale (i.e., where any section resembles the whole)?
Correct Answer: FRACTAL
Your Answer: Fractals
Points Assigned: 0

Pretty easy. I remember Mandlebrot screensavers from my old Mac. 

6. What candy is named after (or could plausibly have been named after, at least) a phase in a galaxy's evolution when it is converting gas into luminous celestial objects at an exceptionally high rate?
Correct Answer: STARBURST
Your Answer: Starburst
Points Assigned: 1

I went through a bunch of candies in my head until I came up with Starburst. 

Steiny Day 3 LLL v Belsky

An expected but disappointing as always loss to Ben yesterday.  I thought today was going to go better, but some surprise wrongs

1. :( 2/3 Amalfi - I was pretty sure I was wrong about this, but Amalfi was my best guess.  One of my all time favorite vacations was to Positano on the Amalfi coast.  If you have not been there, that should be a post-covid priority.

2. :) 2/2 Lady bird.  I saw this movie and when i was thinking of coming of age movies in recent memory, once I thought of ladybird it seemed to make sense with the rest of the question (i.e the nursery rhyme part)

3. :( 3/1 South Korea.  I really associated diving success with an Asian country and for some reason had it is in my head it was SK.  I guess from a geographic sense I was very close, not that that counts

4. :( 1/2 Beretta. Biggest dissapointment of the day.  I was sure I was correct on this once I thought of the name.  Didn't question it for a second, not that I would have come up with the correct answer anyway

5. :)1/0  fractal. I feel like there have been many mandelbrot questions over the years, so I now know enough about him to answer basic questions.  I also can't stop thinking of Seinfeld "Mandelbaum, mandelbaum, mandelbaum"

6. :) 0/1 Starburst.  After thikning through the big candy names, milky way and starburst were the only two that made any sense and while I thought there was a chance mily way was descriptive rather than just a name, starburst seemed to make more sense.

Seif Day 3

4/6.  For me the questions got easier as they went along today.

1. Medirone :(, D11.  I didn't give the Italian term (which I didn't know), nor did I even get the non-Italian term correct.

2. Twin Kill :(, D23.  No idea.  I was going for "Twinkle" as the other word.

3. China :), D21.  This was a guess, but clearly China should be the default guess for a question like this.

4. Browning :), D32.  Unclear to me how hard this is.  I know my WWII trivia pretty well, but this may be tough.

5. Fractal :), D12.  I didn't know the history, but this seemed like the only possible answer.

6. Starburst :), D00.  Not sure this is all that easy, but D00 b/c my opponents are both really good at food/drink.

Re: Debbie Day 2

Glad I was in good company for this being a tough day, with 1/6 

1 :( Risky Business. Knew this probably wasn't right, but forgot about Color of Money, which I've heard of but never seen (and love that Clapton song from it, "Its in the way that you use it" even if he is apparently a racist?). Also knew it was around the time of Top Gun but knew it wasn't that, or All the Right Moves, and knew it was too early for Interview with a Vampire which could have fit with the clue

2 :( Mr. Peanut.  At first considered Jell-o which seemed 50s ish and maybe fit with something moving around?  Then got closer, but still no cigar, with Mr. Peanut. Don't actually remember the Jif controversy but maybe my subconscious made that peanut connection?

3 :( Radium.  Can't you get irradiated by the sun? Maybe? 

4 :( Crucifixion.  Was at first thinking a person but had to be a what not a who, so was thinking of things...  impressed by the use of Hebrew to figure this out. 

5 :( Webster.  I know it's a hall

6 :) Carson McCullers. Happy to be the only one so far to get this! Never read the book but associate the name with Heart is a Lonely Hunter

Brian Day 2 vs Will

 2/6 Tough day

1) The Color of Money 2/2  I had a hot date with Fran Bromley at this movie, no way I'd forget it.  I think it's a lesser-known Cruise movie and should be a tough one

2) Planters 1/1  I have no idea what loop animation is, but I remember people being annoyed at the mascot dying and being reborn.  I have no idea what JIF did to get involved. (Ohh, now I see from your posts.  I still don't remember the ad campaign.)

3) Radium 1/3 Very frustrating.  I just couldn't believe helium hadn't yet been discovered on Earth, so thought maybe this had to do with Curie.

4) Peter 3/1  I was fixated on people; this might play very easy.

5) Ben (Benjamin)  0/0  Public Buildings and his height should make this the easiest of the day (Reading your answers, this played pretty tough. I guess you either saw the connection or you didn't.)

6) Bradbury 2/2 no chance

Ben Day 2 v Steiny

I see Steiny's post st the top of the blog so I'll try to read it as I go along. Before looking, I thought today was hard.

1 :( Rainman. D21. I initially assumed the long velvet case contained a weapon, but that didn't help or hurt because I do not know this movie. Almost gave Steiny a 0 here. Wish I had. 0(0)-1(1)

2 :( Pop tarts. D22. I was sure I had this right, because of the Nyan Cat gif, and I assume Steiny is not sufficiently up to speed on internet culture to be able to get it, though in hindsight that was a dangerous assumption because he spends so much time with teens. As it turns out I had the answer all wrong. Of course, it would never have occurred to me that Jif was the answer because it is clearly the incorrect pronunciation of gif. 0(0)-3(2).

3 :) helium. D00. I think this will play easiest of the day, with it being a fairly known science thing, as well as the language derivation. Waste of my 0. 1(1)-3(2).

4 :) Christmas. D12. Woot. I leaned on my hebrew here. I figured nabi was prophet like eliyahu hanavi, mawlid passed your noled (birth) so went with Christmas because prophet birth. 3(2)-3(2).

5 :) Ben. D11. Classic LL derivation here. Why was Thorsten asking this question? He must either be famous for something else, or the namesake of something. Went through a couple of bad ideas of things before focussing on the 6'7 -> tall/big and voila. 5(3)-3(2).

6 :( Conrad. D33. I went with Joseph Conrad thinking that Deart of Darkness might have been a sequel to Heart of Summer. 5(3)-3(2).

So Steiny correctly predicted the TCA and margin, but gave us both too much defensive credit. If only I could beat Steiny like this in regular LL rather than LLL. He leads that important tally 8-0-2, and I don't get a chance this season because of the C/D divide!

Steiny Day 2 - LLL v Carrben12

Harder day today for sure:

1. :) 1/1 Tom Cruise in a movie about pool....very gettable if you know Cruise's early career. 

2. :) 0/0 I have not seen the ads or anything about this but once I realized what they meant by looping animations it was the only thing that made sense

3. :( 1/1 I guessed Selenium thinking Sol like solar.  Obviously Helium makes a ton of sense I would have just figured they had it before 1895.  I feel dumb about missing this one. Only gave Ben 1 point for something I am now sure he will get right

4. :( 2/2 I guessed Apostles...wasn't even sure exactly what they were looking for here

5. :( 2/2 I guessed Tall knowing it was wrong, but Tall Hall is a funny name.  Now that I see the answer, I guess that Big Ben makes sense but I had no idea the tower was named for someone

6. :( 3/3. I have heard of the book the heart is a lonely hunter but I had no idea who wrote it...and I am guessing either does Ben.  

Without looking at blog yet, I predict I will lose to ben 1(2) - 3(3)

Dave M day 2

Happy with my 3/6 today as I found these questions tough. Jesse I got a decent chuckle out of Tajma Hall, thanks.

 

1 : ( Valkyrie. Knew it wasn’t Top Gun and too early for Interview with a Vampire, was prepared to kick myself for missing an obvious answer. But I’ve never heard of Color of Money so I don’t feel so bad about it. D31

2 : ) Jif. Looping Animation – gif so must be Jif. In the UK/NZ world Jif is a kitchen cleaning product so it always seems a bit weird seeing it as an edible item here. D01

3 : ) Helium. Weird timing, literally 2 days ago my husband watched a video on youtube describing the origin of Helium, and I heard it in the background. (‘The History Guy’) D20

4 : ( Holy Ghost. Random guess. D12

5 : ) Ben. I knew the Houses of Parliament were mid-19^th C so (Big) Ben was a wild guess based on that. Very happy about it. D23

6 : ( Steinbeck. No idea. D12

Color Of Money Scene

BTW, here is the scene: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZrjSqK7xPLE

Jesse day 2

3/6

1. The title of the video game Doom comes from a line in what 1986 film, when Tom Cruise's character Vincent Lauria responds to a question about what's in his long velvet-covered case with that word ("Doom").
Correct Answer: THE COLOR OF MONEY
Your Answer: The Color of Money
Points Assigned: 1

This is one of my favorite films of all time. 

2. An advertising campaign beginning in February 2020 saw a popular food brand, established in 1958, wade into a polarizing debate regarding looping animations. What is that brand?
Correct Answer: JIF PEANUT BUTTER
Your Answer: JIF
Points Assigned: 0

I did not see the campaign, but the answer came to me right away. 

3. What element was first detected as an unexpected line in the spectrum of the Sun in 1868, and discovered on Earth in 1895 (in the uranium mineral cleveite)?
Correct Answer: HELIUM
Your Answer: Plutonium
Points Assigned: 2

Shoot, I had heard this somewhere but got thrown off by the Uranium. 

4. As they relate specifically to the religions' central figures, what is the Christian equivalent of the Islamic Mawlid an-Nabi?
Correct Answer: CHRISTMAS
Your Answer: Christmas
Points Assigned: 1

Total guess.

5. The man who served as the First Commissioner of Works and Public Buildings within the government of the United Kingdom from 1855 to 1858, who was believed to be upwards of 6'7" in height, had the last name of Hall, and was elevated to the peerage as Baron Llanover in 1859. What was his first name?
Correct Answer: BENJAMIN (BEN)
Your Answer: Tajma
Points Assigned: 3

I have never heard of him. 

6. Deep in the heart of Summer, sweet is life to \ me still, \ But my heart is a lonely hunter that hunts on \ a lonely hill. \ These lines from "The Lonely Hunter", by a Scottish poet writing under the pseudonym Fiona MacLeod, are the origin of the title of what American novelist's 1940 debut?
Correct Answer: CARSON MCCULLERS
Your Answer: Hemmingway
Points Assigned: 2

I had no idea. 

brad day2

1/6 

1) top gun d0/0

nope but i suspect mcw

2) lucky charms d2/1

no idea

3) helium d1/1

thought this was discovered earlier, but when mentioning the sun this became the obvious guess to me

4) peter d2/2

nope

5) lloyd d3/3

great question

6) kerouac d1/2

no idea

Seif Day 2

2/6.  I found today very tough and am happy I didn't get even fewer.

1. Top Gun :(, D21.  This really lays bare how little I know about 80s pop culture...

2. Oreos :(, D01.  No clue.

3. Helium :), D13.  Happy to get this.  I spent a while thinking about it.  I thought helium had likely been discovered earlier, but since hydrogen clearly had, I didn't see what else could have been discovered in the sun over 150 years ago.

4. Christmas :), D12.  A birthday holiday was the only thing I could think of that revolved around the central figure of Christianity and could also work for most other religions.

5. Charles :(, D22.  Probably should have realized this was "Big Ben," but I didn't.  So I started off the season with a better record in pop music than in world history.

6. Smith :(, D30.  No clue.

Debbie Day 1

Happy to be back!  

And didn't do great but 3/6 is better than I'd expected

1 :) Caterpillar.  Wasn't sure but thought this could be right

2 :( Velvet Sneakers. Never heard of this though I'm sure I will now!  And did vaguely recall a reference to a new song on SNL but couldn't remember it.

3 :) Ergometer.  Lots of friends who rowed in college.

4 :( Whistlin' Andy. Why not?  

5 :) Concorde.  Last minute guess - yay!  All I can think of with the Concorde is Phil Collins taking it back and forth between LiveAid concerts

6 :( Valdez Pipeline .Figured this was something in Alaska or Russia and this was all I could think of 

Brian Day 1 vs AndurS

 LearnedLeague is back!   5/6 to start the season off right.

1) Caterpillar 0/0 I know Lepidoptera, Fortune 100 cinched it

2) Driver's License 1/2  My daughters are obsessed with this song and the drama behind it.  Also, it was the subject of a funny SNL skit this weekend, which could help some otherwise clueless players.

3) Erg 1/1  The only cardio I ever did in college.

4) Digideroo Drew 3/3  Best wrong answer attempt

5) Concorde 2/1  The owner of the company I worked for out of college flew it a lot. The very specific wording of the question and the dates all seemed to fit.

6) Transsiberian Railroad 2/2 I assume Railroad pays.   Pretty sure this was a question in a Just Images Map one-day recently.  It was a picture of a stone structure with Cyrillic letters.   I briefly considered the Iditarod given the root 'Aleut', but between the one-day and the word terminus, I felt pretty confident.

Certificate in HVAC Repair

New first verse of the song.  I kind of like where it's going...

I got my certificate in HVAC repair last week
Just like we always talked about
'Cause you were so excited for me
To finally fix the AC in your house
But today I fixed HVAC systems in the suburbs

Crying 'cause you weren't around 

Jesse Day 1

4/6. Good way to start off. 

1. The common term for the larva of the insect order Lepidoptera is also the name of what Fortune 100 corporation?
Correct Answer: CATERPILLAR
Your Answer: Catepillar
Points Assigned: 0

I spelled it wrong, but this immediately came to mind. I knew Lepidoptera was a butterfly. 

2. The lyrics to the chart-topping debut single by Olivia Rodrigo from January 2021 begin with her recent acquisition of what?
Correct Answer: DRIVER'S LICENSE
Your Answer: Certificate in HVAC Repair
Points Assigned: 2

I don't listen to much music. I had no idea. 

3. In the 1970s, rowing machines were developed that provide a simulation of a rowing stroke as well as a means to measure and compare the amount of work done. Thus, to this day, these machines are also commonly referred to by what term?
Correct Answer: ERGOMETER/ERG
Your Answer: Index machines
Points Assigned: 2

I had no idea. I don't work out. 

4. Bush balladeer Andrew Barton Paterson, Australia's most popular poet at the turn of the 20th century and author of "Waltzing Matilda", is best-known by what instrumental nickname?
Correct Answer: BANJO
Your Answer: Banjo
Points Assigned: 3

Total guess, but for some reason banjo came to my mind. 

5. Identify (by name) the ambitious innovation that was tested in 1969, placed into regular service in 1976, the cause of 113 deaths in July 2000, and ultimately withdrawn from service in 2003.
Correct Answer: CONCORDE
Your Answer: The Concorde
Points Assigned: 1

I watched a NOVA episode on the Concorde, but I think I still would have gotten this otherwise. 

6. A stone structure whose construction began in May 1891 on a thoroughfare known as Ulitsa Aleutskaya remains today best-known as a terminus of what?
Correct Answer: TRANS-SIBERIAN RAILWAY
Your Answer: Trans-Siberian Railroad
Points Assigned: 1

I took the Trans-Mongolian Railway from Beijing to Moscow in 2006. Ulitsa Aleutskaya definitely sounds Russian so that plus terminus added up to the Trans-Siberian,

Dave M day 1 vs Pelc LLL

Hi everybody! Good to be back though glad that Thorsten delayed a week; I was without power/internet for much of last week. Back up and ready to go now though!

 

5/6 and looks like an easy day for most here.

 

1 : ) Caterpillar. I went the easier larva route rather than company route. D11

2 : ( Bentley. No idea. Covid-19 would have been an excellent answer Ben. D32

3 : ) Ergs. I’ve used them in the past! D21

4 : ) Banjo. Even though not Australian I picked this up along the line in NZ somewhere. Wouldn’t have got it without the musical clue. D23

5 : ) Concorde. Gimme with the dates. D00

6 : ) Trans-Siberian Railway. Clearly Russian and Aleutskya = Alaska/Aleutians so must be somewhere on the Russian pacific coast… can only be the railway. D12

Ben Day 1 v Belsky in LLL

Ahhh - The winter break is far too long. 5/6. Welcome back Steiny.

1 :) Caterpillar. D00. 0D for equities vol man Belsky.

2 :( Covid 19. D13. Perhaps a little contemporary. googling reveals that if I hadn't skipped snl this week I might have seen this.

3 :) Ergometer. D12. I wasn't 100% here but it rang a bell

4 :) Banjo Patterson. D31.  Throw a bone to the Aussies on D1. Love it. Wasn't sure if Brad might have picked this up from his years in Australia, so only D1.

5 :) Concorde. D21. I'm perpetually surprised when I see that the Concorde crash was in 2000 as opposed to a few years later, but all the other dates made sense

6 :) Trans Siberian Railroad. D22. This took a little thinking to try and catch other Russian termini, but despite following the Moskva down to Gorky Park, I couldn't think of any other contenders.

Steiny Day 1 - Is this still on?

Hey guys,

My triumphant return to the blog for 2021!!! (At least for day 1)

A nice day today 5/6

1. :) Immediately popped into my head and seemed so correct that didn't bother putting any more thought into it

2. :) Pretty popular song this year...

3. :) I wrote erg machine, assume I will still get credit

4. :( I put Harmonica Monica, thinking it was a clever name but knowing it was wrong

5. :) This one took the longest, and I was the least sure, but I asked myself, why would 113 people die from one thing and plane crash made the most sense, then put the pieces together

6. :) Name sounded russian so it was the only logical guess.  What else has a terminus besides a train? 

brad day1

great to be back!

3/6 vs meyere and ben

1) caterpillar d0/1

took the company angle so this took longer to get than it should have

2) a spac d2/3

still wfh, had i been commuting i would have likely got this

3) ergometer d1/1

used to work out on one of these

4) digeredoo drew d3/0

vbwa attempt

5) concorde d1/2

reading a book that references this, otherwise this would have probably been in the group of questions where i had a shot but couldnt think of it

6) military parades d2/2

no idea

Seif Day 1

So great to be back.  It's been a long winter for many of us, I suspect...

Solid 5/6 to start out the season.

1. Caterpillar :), D02.  I got this once I started thinking of types of larva I knew instead of trying to go through all the companies.

2. Driver's License :), D23.  If even I've heard of this song, everyone should have :).  I may have to quit right now with a perfect pop music record for the season.

3. Erg :), D11.  I didn't know the history of the name, but I was familiar with the machine.

4. Didgeridoo :(, D31.  No clue.  Tried the Australian angle.

5. Concorde :), D10.  I doubt this will be one of the harder ones, but it was the one that took me the longest to get.

6. Trans Siberian Railway :), D22.  Very curious to see how hard this will be.  I was just watching Fiddler on the Roof, and but for that movie's train scene keeping the Trans Siberian Railway on my mind, I probably would have put Iditarod as my answer here.