3. • First designed and produced in 1946 in Canada.
• 1964 -- a lightweight and stackable design.
• 1965- Joe Colombo (pictured) designed a(5-piece) version
(so it could ship dissembled and tooling costs were cheaper).
• The popular single-piece version (hence the name) was
brought into mass production in the 1970s, and a
polypropylene resin version in the 1983, cemented its
legendary status.
• No patents were filed.
• Random “expert” opinion: “..one of the few objects I can
think of that is free of any specific context. Seeing a white
plastic chair in a photograph offers you no clues about
where or when you are.”
• Identify this truly ubiquitous object.
1.
6. 2. Another sitter
• The Sacco chair was designed by some Italians in 1968.
• This has been described as an example of an anatomical chair, because the
shape of the object is ‘decided’ by the user.
• From the design company website: ”Nowhere, in the written history of
design, is this object not positioned among the top ten icons that changed the
perspective of our beloved field forever and for everyone.”
• From a design museum website: “In an era characterized by the hippie
culture, apartment sharing, and student demonstrations, the thirty-something
designers created a non-poltrona (non-chair) and thus launched an attack on
good bourgeois taste.”
12. 4.
• Titan Arum aka corpse flower
• largest unbranched inflorescence in the world.
• Warm “like a corpse”.
• Smells “like roadkill, a barnyard, a dirty diaper, very strong,
a little bit of mothball smell too”.
• Strong smell attracts fetishists insect pollinators.
• Urban legend suggests that the name was coined by Sir David
Attenborough as he thought a literal translation of the Latin
name was "too rude" for TV. (Untrue)
• What does it’s Latin name mean? (applies to the entire genus)
18. 6.
• As the standard of living increased in the UK during the 1970’s so did the demand for Prestige’s
well-designed household and kitchen products. By 1976 the company’s turnover had increased from
£650,000 in 1946 to £42 million and it was now employing more than 4,000 people. Overseas
markets were also growing at a dramatic rate and selling offices, warehouses and factories were set-
up in countries all over the world to cope with demand.
• Prestige’s success continued throughout the 80’s, through its ambitious plan of company
acquisitions, product design and development of overseas markets.
• Prestige plans to continue to provide excellent products for the home with an extensive product
portfolio. In addition to cookware, available either as stainless steel or non-stick, it produces a wide
ariety of products all to the same exacting standards.
• Prestige’s reputation for great quality and design extends to bakeware, kitchen knives, a fantastic
selection of tools & gadgets for all your food preparation needs and the famous Prestige Pressure
Cooker, one of the most iconic products of its generation. In the recent past we have introduced a
range of small electrical products to our assortment including kettles & toasters and innovative
counter top cooking appliances.
21. 7.
• The following is a picture of a rock painting from Maser in
Madhya Pradesh.
• Thought to be Upper Paleolithic (40000-10000 years BP)
• The scene depicted is very rare, with only two known from
India, and one from Mexico. Both of these are much, much
more recent (IMO).
• What makes it so rare?
• Picture and ‘enhanced’ picture follow.
26. 8.
• The English name for this architectural element comes from Hindi.
• It’s unclear whether the Hindi word came from Portuguese, or the
Portuguese word came from Hindi.
• Related to the Spanish word for railing, which in turn may be related to the
Latin for ‘barrier’ (‘barra/barre’).
• A ‘scholar’ on Quora theorises that the word actually comes from the tamil
“thaazhvaaram” (after a very athletic jumbling of syllables).
• Which word?
29. 9.
• The Danes have communists in the fun house.
• The English have landed in France .
• The Germans have Russians in the basement.
(Many European countries refer to an invasion by the Russian
army)
• The Finns have a rude case of mad cow disease.
• What?
32. 10.
• In Italy, they employ fava beans on pigeons.
• In Poland, meat meets fire.
• In Portugal, sticks, rabbits- same fate.
• In Norway, Germany, Nederland, Austria, and Switzerland, they
like slapping flies.
• How do we overachieving English speakers do it?
35. 1. Is 30+ years old and still lives at home.
2. Is scolded by elders for doing things.
3. Is scolded by elders for not doing things.
4. Attempts to communicate concerns to leaders
typically result in dismissal of feelings and/or
receipt of bootstrap narratives.
5. Is forced to rely on moping, complaining, and
melancholy as defense mechanisms.
6. Is saddled by forebears with a debt that cannot
reasonably be discharged.
7. Is constantly paralyzed by indecision for lack
of good choices to be made.
8. In an on-again-off-again relationship with
someone they will never be able to marry.
9. Majority of problems can be blamed on the
prior generation’s incompetence.
10. Has been prepared for none of the problems
life presents after years of supposedly
necessary schooling.
11. Likely suffers from an undiagnosed anxiety
disorder, and lacks the support network to
treat or cope with it.
12. Strongly disagrees with one of their uncles
about who should be running the country.
13. Is promised a great kingdom, but has it stolen
by spoiled older people who quickly close
ranks to maintain their stranglehold on power.
14. Dies — along with every other young person in
acquaintance — as a direct result of said older
people’s machinations, pettiness, or outright
stupidity.
15. New government of home country is installed
by a hostile foreign power.
Hamlet: 1-15; American Millennial: 1-13, 15, probably 14
11. Who he,
38. Some men like Jack
and some like Jill;
I'm glad I like
them both; but still
I wonder if
this freewheeling
Really is an
enlightened thing–
or is its greater
scope a sign
of deviance from
some party line?
In the strict ranks
of Gay and Straight
What is my status?
Stray? Or Great?
– Vikram Seth
12. Dubious
Pick a line!
Choice removed
39.
40.
41. Answer Some men like Jack
and some like Jill;
I'm glad I like
them both; but still
I wonder if
this freewheeling
Really is an
enlightened thing–
or is its greater
scope a sign
of deviance from
some party line?
In the strict ranks
of Gay and Straight
What is my status?
Stray? Or Great?
– Vikram Seth
42. 13. “Wiki Titles Singable to TMNT Themesong”?
Readme from the bot’s github:
• For fun! Inspired by https://xkcd.com/1412/
• When it runs, it:
• Pulls 10 random Wikipedia article titles
• Checks if they are in trochaic tetrameter
• If not, pull 10 more articles ad infinitum until a match is found
• Create a faux-TMNT logo containing the wiki title
• Post the title and generated logo… on Twitter
Pinned tweet: “Reminder: you can also sing everything here to Daft Punk's "Harder, Better, Faster,
Stronger””
Other examples include: “Wash Your Hands for Twenty Seconds”, “Legal Status of Alaska”, “Fiji
Human Rights Commission” “Leaders of the Labour Party”, etc.
Trochaic tetrameter is
a meter in poetry. It refers to a line
of four trochaic feet. The word
"tetrameter" simply means that the
poem has four trochees. A trochee
is a long syllable, or stressed
syllable, followed by a short, or
unstressed, one.
52. 16.
The film received mixed reviews but achieved Superhit
status at the end of its theatrical run.[1][2] One of the
strongest criticisms was that despite the title, there was
neither a stain nor a fire. Raj Kanwar claimed that the title
was a reference to the dualism intrinsic to nature, such as
the Yin and the Yang. This was however lost on viewers.
64. 20.
9 October 2018 – On 9 October 2018, a stabbing occurred at the Bellingshausen Station (станция
Беллинсгаузен), a Russian research station on King George Island.[18] The perpetrator was Sergey
Savitsky (Сергей Савицкий), a 54-year-old electrical engineer.[19] He stabbed Oleg Beloguzov (Олег
Белогузов), a 52-year old welder, in the chest[19] multiple times.[20] According to some sources, the attack
occurred because Beloguzov was giving away the endings of books that Savitsky checked out at the
station's library.[21] Other sources say that the attack occurred in the dining room when Beloguzov teased
Savitsky by telling him that he should dance on top of the table to make money.[20] Both accounts say that
Savitsky was believed to be intoxicated at the time of the attack.[20][21] They had worked together at the
station for about six months,[18] and Savitsky was apparently having an emotional breakdown.[22] Being in
a confined space may have been a major cause for this.[22] Both Beloguzov and Savitsky had had
problems with each other for several months.[20] Beloguzov was sent to a hospital in Chile.[18] Savitsky
surrendered to the manager of the station,[19] and 11 days later was placed on a flight back to
Russia,[19] where he was placed on house arrest until December 8 or 9.[18][22]
70. 22. Philip and Steve?
Idea for a sitcom: Philip and Steve's Furniture Removal
Company. Based on the early lives of Philip Glass and Steve Reich
in New York in the 60’s. Many hilarious gags about the repetitive
nature of the work and the phases that Steve's life goes through.
Theme tune would be a bit like this: Philip and Steve's furniture
removal company
Philip and Steve's furniture removal company (x22)
If you live in New York City in the 1960's
And you're tired of having your stuff scuffed
And tossed about by some Boulez-loving lout
Who is out to make your home all atonal
Call Philip and Steve's Furniture Removal Company
They will, with minimal disruption to
Your routine, change your whole scene
They'll take it apart, put it back together
Strangely familiar but never quite the same again
They'll do it again, and again, and again
Philip and Steve’s Furniture Removal
Company, from the album Office Politics by
The Divine Comedy (2018)
76. 24. Description of?
• Fillet or ribbon headband with circular inlay ornament on the forehead and similar but smaller ornament on the
right upper arm.
• The two ends of the fillet fall along the back and though the hair is carefully combed towards the back of the
head, no bun is present. The flat back of the head may have held a separately carved bun as is traditional on the
other seated figures, or it could have held a more elaborate horn and plumed headdress.
• Two holes beneath the highly stylized ears suggest that a necklace or other head ornament was attached.
• The left shoulder is covered with a cloak decorated with trefoil, double circle and single circle designs that were
originally filled with red pigment.
• Drill holes in the center of each circle indicate they were made with a specialized drill and then touched up with
a chisel.
• Eyes are deeply incised and may have held inlay.
• The upper lip is shaved and a short combed beard frames the face.
• The large crack in the face is the result of weathering or it may be due to original firing of this object.
• Material: white, low fired steatite
• Dimensions: 17.5 cm height, 11 cm width
79. 25.
• This word A, in English comes from the Latin word for a mask
worn by an actor.
• It replaced the Old English word B, which is still used to refer to
a (non-human) creature/thing/being.
• Interestingly, B possibly derives from the same Proto-Indo-
European root as the word in Hindi/Sankrit, C, which means
the same as A. (i.e. C sounds somewhat similar to B)
• A,B,C?
82. 26.
Robert Pattinson on what?
“I always say about people doing Method acting, you only ever
see people doing Method when they’re playing an asshole. You
never see someone just being lovely to everyone going, ‘I'm
really deep in character’.”
87. • This lady, Ossa, a character in Greek and Roman mythology, has another
name.
• One translation of it refers (in English) to what happens when you win her
favour, while another (again in English), her wrath.
• To the Greeks, she was a daughter either of Gaia or of Elpis (Hope), was
described as "she who initiates and furthers communication" and had an
altar at Athens.
• To the Romans, she had multiple tongues, eyes, ears and feathers, and
according to Virgil, "had her feet on the ground, and her head in the
clouds, making the small seem great and the great seem greater”
• Much later, in Elizabethan theatre, she became a ‘stock personification’,
most popularly remember from the opening of Henry IV Pt. II:
27. Name and Shame!
Rumour is a pipe
Blown by surmises, jealousies, conjectures,
And of so easy and so plain a stop
That the blunt monster with uncounted heads,
The still-discordant wav'ring multitude,
Can play upon it. But what need I thus
My well-known body to anatomize
Among my household?
111. Anthony Madrid in the Paris Review rants about a quote by Hans Gruber from Die Hard.
This quote has existed in this form since at least 1579. But it’s unlikely to be based on true events
(Original quotes from 1st c. CE, paraphrased):
1. Alexander hears about the many-world hypothesis from his philosopher friend, and is heartbroken.
2. Alexander’s Daddy is a high-achiever, and he’s afraid there’ll be nothing left for him to do once Daddy’s finished.
3. Julius Caesar, remarks (enviously) that, at his age, Alexander had already achieved so much.
However, when these three quotes are put together, and mistranslated, the version we are (kinda) familiar with today takes
form.
Mr. Madrid’s refutation: This is not a picture of a man at the end of a career; he’s at the beginning. “Look at all these
throats—and I haven’t even cut one!”
Evidence: His men are tired, the river is deep, he can’t swim. Across the river: some vast Indian army, refreshed and ready.
Alexander’s guys beg him to call it a day. “Call it a day, call it a campaign, call it an empire. Anyhow let’s go home.” And for
once, Mr. Won’t-Listen-to-Anybody says okay.
Which person, what quote did he not say?
42.
114. 43.
• Conium maculatum
• Conium comes from Greek ‘to whirl’ i.e. referring to the
effects of consuming it.
• Famous third-person account of a famous man bravely
consuming some:
• The man ... laid his hands on him and after a while
examined his feet and legs, then pinched his foot hard
and asked if he felt it. He said "No"; then after that, his
thighs; and passing upwards in this way he showed us
that he was growing cold and rigid. And then again he
touched him and said that when it reached his heart, he
would be gone. The chill had now reached the region
about the groin, and uncovering his face, which had been
covered, he said – and these were his last words – "Crito,
we owe a cock to Asclepius. Pay it and do not neglect it."
"That," said Crito, "shall be done; but see if you have
anything else to say." To this question he made no reply,
but after a little while he moved; the attendant uncovered
him; his eyes were fixed. And Crito when he saw it, closed
his mouth and eyes.
• Which person, what plant did he consume?
117. 44.
• Silphium is an extinct herb used in classical antiquity, coveted
by everyone around the Mediterranean- among the Egyptians,
Cyrenians, Minoans, Romans, etc.
• Speculated to be a part of the fennel family, it was used as
seasoning, and to treat cough, sore throat, fever, indigestion,
aches and pains, warts, and all kinds of maladies.
• Also as a contraceptive, abortificient, and aphrodisiac (by
sniffing).
• So important to Cyrenian economy that it featured on all their
currency.
• Considered “worth its weight in gold”
• Demand was so high it went extinct in the 2nd -3rd c. CE due to
overharvesting, overgrazing, desertification of N. Africa,
uncultivability etc.
• How is it popularly remembered today?
120. 45.
• Another (thankfully extant) Ferula (from Asia) was considered almost identical to the famed silphium—
though less tasty. ’Discovered’ by Alexander.
• Dioscorides, in the first century, wrote, “the Cyrenaic kind, even if one just tastes it, at once arouses a
humour throughout the body and has a very healthy aroma, so that it is not noticed on the breath, or only
a little; but the Median [Iranian] is weaker in power and has a nastier smell.”
• It could be substituted for silphium in cooking, which was fortunate, because a few decades later, the true
silphium became extinct, and asafoetida became more popular amongst physicians, as well as cooks.
• Not so popular in Europe any more. (Sad.)
• Which prince among condiments, heralded more often for its surfactant properties?
131. 48.
• This building is the Palazzo
della Civiltà Italiana, in the
EUR quarter of Rome.
• It was built for the 1942
World’s Fair.
• An example of Fascist
architecture.
• What nickname is it known
by?
138. 50.
• Satellite tracks of?
• Longleng is named after a district
in Nagaland.
• Chiulan, Barak and Irang are
named after a town and two rivers
in Manipur.
143. 51.
Hydrophasanius chirurgus:
Pheasant-tailed Jacana
• Hydophasanius=
‘hydro’=water +
‘phasanius’=pheasant
• Chirurgus= ‘chiro’=hand +
‘ergos’=work
• The specific name alludes to a
certain profession, whose
English name also has the
same origin. Which?
149. 53.
Alcedo atthis: Common Kingfisher
• Alcedo comes from Greek.
• The Greeks believed the
kingfisher built its nest on the sea.
• The Gods loved it, and hence
calmed the waves whilst it
incubated and raised its young.
(The people approved of these
good times.)
• What’s the Greek for Kingfisher?
152. 54.
Accentors are birds of the genus Prunella.
• Dunnock in English
• Prunella comes from German, and
means the same as ‘dunnock’
• The French translation of the same is
‘fauvette’, but they use it to describe
warblers.
• Dunnock=Prunella=fauvette=?
Solve for a genre of bird.
Prunella modularis Prunella himalayana
Misc. fauvettes
155. 55.
Amandava amandava
• Red Avadavat aka strawberry finch
aka red munia
• Breeds in the Indian subcontinent.
• Popular as pets in the past.
• The common, specific (and generic)
name comes from?
161. 57.
• This bird’s common and specific names come from the Latin for
‘traveller’, named so for its migratory ways.
• The Indian subspecies is called the shaheen (by some taxonomists),
and the subspecies name is also based on ‘traveller’. (The Indian
subspecies does not migrate.)
• Shaheen comes from Persian, means majestic, and depending on the
language, may refer to the entire genus, or to another species.
• Shaheen appears on the logo of the Pakistan Air Force, and is also
the nickname of the Pakistan cricket team.
• What bird?
164. 58.
Morus bassanus: Northern Gannet
Sula (top)
Sula nebouxii: Blue-footed booby (bottom)
• Northern gannets normally nest in
large colonies, on cliffs overlooking the
ocean or on small rocky islands.
• Boobies spend most of their time on the
wing in equatorial waters.
• Morus and booby come from Greek and
Spanish, respectively, and mean the
same.
Why are they named Morus and booby?
