General Knowledge Quiz

[Cowley]

He wrote a song called "Cat food" had to google it

How does this work then? According to the rules on page one of this quiz it says no googling as that would be cheating. You can find pretty much anything out within a couple of minutes if you use Google which I haven't been doing. This is probably why I hardly ever get anything right and am left wondering at the vast knowledge of the people on here!
Am I missing something or am I just being naive?

 

[DaleCooper]

How does this work then? According to the rules on page one of this quiz it says no googling as that would be cheating. You can find pretty much anything out within a couple of minutes if you use Google which I haven't been doing. This is probably why I hardly ever get anything right and am left wondering at the vast knowledge of the people on here!
Am I missing something or am I just being naive?

For a start this isn't a competition it's a bit of fun and chance to learn new things. In ComUtoR's case he has done some research based on the clues I gave which I think is acceptable. If the question had been "Who wrote Cat Food" then googling "Cat Food"would have been unfair but I, and perhaps other contributors, try to pose questions that can't be directly googled in that way.

 

[Cowley]

Ah right, thanks for clarifying. I haven't been on here very long and that does make sense. I may even get the odd question right now knowing that. I realise it's just a bit of fun, I wasn't expecting to win a speedboat or anything like that.

 

[DaleCooper]

Ah right, thanks for clarifying. I haven't been on here very long and that does make sense. I may even get the odd question right now knowing that. I realise it's just a bit of fun, I wasn't expecting to win a speedboat or anything like that.

It's often more like a puzzle than a straightforward quiz, I remember one question where it involved trawling through lots of films on IMDb trying to work out how two things were connected. If you really want to win a speedboat you need to try Cryptic clues = station name http://www.railforums.co.uk/showthread.php?t=41316&page=293 although you might end up with a pet's abode.

 

[Gutfright]

Somewhere in your alternative answer is the answer. Helen Horton would have been a better name to link to find the relationship

Oh right, in that case Alien starred Helen Horton who was in The Benny Hill Show with Benny Hill who was in The Italian Job with Michael Caine who was in Interstellar with Jessica Chastain who was in Zero Dark Thirty with James Gandolfini who was in The Sopranos with Max Casella who was in Doogie Howser M.D. with Neil Patrick Harris.

 

[DaleCooper]

Neil Patrick Harris was in Starship Troopers with Jake Busey whose father Gary Busey was in Predator 2, the Predator was also in Alien vs Predator and the Alien was in Alien.

 

[ComUtoR]

I thought this was gonna be easy. Helen Horton was kinda in Alien.. She was...

HMS Cowley , yes this is just for fun. I googled Toyah and his face came up.

 

[Cowley]

HMS Cowley , yes this is just for fun. I googled Toyah and his face came up.[/QUOTE]

Haha. I'm nothing to do with him, opposite ends of the country, know nothing about the navy, hardly get any questions right and don't wear wastecoats. Plus I tried to answer quite a few of his questions (incorrectly) before he disappeared.

 

[DaleCooper]

HMS Cowley , yes this is just for fun. I googled Toyah and his face came up.

Haha. I'm nothing to do with him, opposite ends of the country, know nothing about the navy, hardly get any questions right and don't wear wastecoats. Plus I tried to answer quite a few of his questions (incorrectly) before he disappeared.

I think HMS Google would be a good name for an aircraft carrier.

 

[Gutfright]

I thought this was gonna be easy. Helen Horton was kinda in Alien.. She was...

Helen Horton's surname is Horton. Horton Hears a Who is a film which features the word "Who" in the title. Dr Who is played by Peter Capaldi who was in the film Magicians. As well as being an actor, Neil Patrick Harris is also a magician.

 

[DaleCooper]

Helen Horton played Mother in Alien, Neil Patrick Harris has a mother

 

[ComUtoR]

Mother it is.

Neil Patrick Harris was in how I Met your Mother. Gutfright, suffice to say I'm gu... but yes, he can be linked in many amusing ways.

Dale has the Flight Deck...

 

[DaleCooper]

Mother it is.

Neil Patrick Harris was in how I Met your Mother. Gutfright, suffice to say I'm gu... but yes, he can be linked in many amusing ways.

Dale has the Flight Deck...

That makes a change, my facetious answers don't normally bear fruit.

Next question:

What is the missing number?

¼, ½, 1, 3, 6, 12, 24, ?

(Bonus question - no prizes: "facetious" has all five vowels in alphabetical order, what other word(s) share that property?)

 

[DasLunatic]

This looks like the expansion of psi(-q^3) / psi(-q)^3 in powers of q where psi() is a Ramanujan theta function. Therefore, the next number will be 45.

 

[ComUtoR]

(Bonus question - no prizes: "facetious" has all five vowels in alphabetical order, what other word(s) share that property?)

abstemious

Did you just watch the same repeat of 8/10 cats as me ?

 

[DaleCooper]

This looks like the expansion of psi(-q^3) / psi(-q)^3 in powers of q where psi() is a Ramanujan theta function. Therefore, the next number will be 45.

What a good answer! Unfortunately it's the wrong answer. The correct answer requires only the most basic arithmetic.

abstemious

Did you just watch the same repeat of 8/10 cats as me ?

No, that's one I came across many years ago; don't forget I'm an old codger.

 

[DasLunatic]

I feel like 48 may trigger a QI siren, but I'll suggest it anyways...

 

[DaleCooper]

I feel like 48 may trigger a QI siren, but I'll suggest it anyways...

That's not it either. Can I ask that reasons are given with suggestions (as DasLunatic did on his first attempt) otherwise someone could just guess the answer?

 

[DasLunatic]

Okay then, a look on OEIS shows another potential answer of 35 - the sequence being the growth function of an infinite cubic graph (number of nodes at distance n from fixed node)?

 

[DaleCooper]

Okay then, a look on OEIS shows another potential answer of 35 - the sequence being the growth function of an infinite cubic graph (number of nodes at distance n from fixed node)?

No, as I said only basic arithmetic is required and possibly not even that.

BTW what is a QI siren?

 

[ComUtoR]

No, as I said only basic arithmetic is required and possibly not even that.

BTW what is a QI siren?

The "gameshow" QI hosted by Stephen Fry. They ask simple questions and the blindingly obvious answer is usually the incorrect one. QI "Quite Interesting" big loud siren and the predicted word flashes up behind the comedic panel member.

Its a bit pretentious but funny at times.

 

[Gutfright]

That makes a change, my facetious answers don't normally bear fruit.

Next question:

What is the missing number?

¼, ½, 1, 3, 6, 12, 24, ?

(Bonus question - no prizes: "facetious" has all five vowels in alphabetical order, what other word(s) share that property?)

It's the ridiculous system of money Britain used to have for some mad reason until we came to our senses and abolished it...

Farthing = 0.25d
Halfpence = 0.5d
Penny = 1d (nowadays 1d is a terrible boy band)
Thruppence = 3d
Sixpence = 6d
Shilling = 12d
Florin = 24d

Next is a half crown which is worth 30d because logic used to be against the law.

 

[DaleCooper]

It's the ridiculous system of money Britain used to have for some mad reason until we came to our senses and abolished it...

Farthing = 0.25d
Halfpence = 0.5d
Penny = 1d (nowadays 1d is a terrible boy band)
Thruppence = 3d
Sixpence = 6d
Shilling = 12d
Florin = 24d

Next is a half crown which is worth 30d because logic used to be against the law.

Correct.

The 6d (sixpenny bit) and Florin (2s) were usually known as "tanner" and "two bob bit" respectively.

The half crown wasn't illogical, it was worth 2/6d (two shillings and sixpence, two and six or two and a tanner) which is half the value of a "crown" (5s, five shillings or five bob) and at 32.31mm diameter and weighing 14.14g it really felt like it was worth something, in comparison today's 50p is 27.3mm x 8.0g.

Your turn...

 

[krus_aragon]

I think HMS Google would be a good name for an aircraft carrier.

Ideal for search and rescue missions?

 

[Gutfright]

Correct.

The 6d (sixpenny bit) and Florin (2s) were usually known as "tanner" and "two bob bit" respectively.

The half crown wasn't illogical, it was worth 2/6d (two shillings and sixpence, two and six or two and a tanner) which is half the value of a "crown" (5s, five shillings or five bob) and at 32.31mm diameter and weighing 14.14g it really felt like it was worth something, in comparison today's 50p is 27.3mm x 8.0g.

Your turn...

The past is a foreign country: they have different money there.

Sort the following things into the correct order:

1. You and I
2. A British river
3. Busey's innards
4. A fictional doctor
5. A former subway symbol

Ideal for search and rescue missions?

You win the internet!

 

[DaleCooper]

Sort the following things into the correct order:

1. You and I
2. A British river
3. Busey's innards
4. A fictional doctor
5. A former subway symbol

They are in order: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

alternatively:

5. UG
2. Ure
1. us
3. use
4. Who

although you probably wanted a Dr. U... but I don't know one.

 

[Gutfright]

5. UG
2. Ure
1. us
3. use
4. Who

although you probably wanted a Dr. U... but I don't know one.

You've got 2/5 clues right, but not in the correct positions.

You've also inadvertently annoyed any Whovians reading this (probably). The main protagonist in Doctor Who is not called Dr Who, his name is the Doctor.

 

[DaleCooper]

You've also inadvertently annoyed any Whovians reading this (probably). The main protagonist in Doctor Who is not called Dr Who, his name is the Doctor.

If they object I will...

 

[D6975]

It adds a letter each time
1. A fictional doctor - S
2. You and I - US
3. Busey's innards - USE
4. A British river - OUSE
5. A former subway symbol - MOUSE?

 

[Gutfright]

It adds a letter each time
1. A fictional doctor - S
2. You and I - US
3. Busey's innards - USE
4. A British river - OUSE
5. A former subway symbol - MOUSE?

Close. You've got three right answers, all of which are in the correct positions.