JimDriscoll's Blog

I'm moving again

2009-05-31T22:34:00.003-04:00

I decided to move my blog -- AGAIN!

I you have this page bookmarked, then go to www.thetriviafactory.com/jimsblog, and bookmark it again. Or you can always just type in www.jimdriscoll.net.

There are a bunch of reasons I'm changing. For the past six months I've been using Blogger, a free service from Google. I always knew it would be sort of temporary and I find that it is pretty limiting. I also discovered a great new theme called "Imprezz," designed by Gopal Raju from ProductiveDreams, that will give my new blog a great look. This one will still be around if you want to see something from the past, in the meantime, I'll see you at my new place!

Invisible Movie Hint

2009-05-31T22:09:00.002-04:00

This week's Invisible Movie is a 1996 comedy. It is a remake of a 1963 film starring the legendary comedian who is sometimes referred to as the "King of Comedy." Incidentally, the legend who played the lead in the original, was also a producer of the '96 remake.

Simply identify the movie and turn it in with your first answer at Trivia for five bonus points.

Great Openings Music Trivia Podcast 045

2009-05-28T22:29:00.002-04:00

This episode of my podcast features the songs and clues from our live Music and Entertainment Trivia shows over Memorial Day weekend. Can you identify the song and the artist after hearing only the opening notes? And as always I pass along some trivia about each of our featured classics; nuggets of information about how they came to be written or recorded, about the artist or something unusual that you’re sure to find interesting.

To hear it, use the player in the column to the right (Click on the PLAY arrow)

or download it here:
Download to Windows Media Player, I-Pod or favorite music player

Here are the Shownotes and Answers

RSS FEED

No Memorial Day Trivia at Wings & Things

2009-05-24T23:16:00.001-04:00

I've got the night off!

Wings & Things in Fayetteville is closed for the Memorial Day holiday, so we won't be doing trivia there this week. We'll be back next Monday night to resume our regular schedule.

See everyone next week!

Invisible Movie Hint

2009-05-24T23:06:00.003-04:00

This week's invisible movie was a 1994 drama/horror which starred a cast that included Cruise, Pitt, Banderas, and Dunst. It's based on a 1976 novel by Howard Allen O'Brien, which is the unusual birth name of an author whose pen name is much more well known.

As a bit of trivia about this movie, despite its success, Johnny Depp, Daniel Day-Lewis, Jeremy Irons, Val Kilmer and John Travolta all turned down the opportunity to play a role in the film.

Simply identify the movie and turn it in with your first answer at Trivia for five bonus points.

Friday Fun Site: I Love Traffic

2009-05-24T22:59:00.005-04:00

If you're like me, you've often found yourself yelling at traffic engineers and wondering what they were thinking when they configured traffic lights. It seems like they purposely time the lights to be as inconvenient as possible.

Well here's your chance to try your hand. In this game the object is to change the traffic lights at the right time to avoid accidents. I failed miserably.

Here's the link

Monday Night Trivia at Wings & Things

2009-05-18T00:22:00.004-04:00

Monday Night I'll be hosting trivia, as usual at Wings & Things in Fayetteville. If you can be there to play, join us by way of our live webcast starting at 7:00. See it here, or go to my live page and chat.

Find Five Things That Are Different #02

2009-05-18T00:15:00.004-04:00

I got some great feedback from my first "Find Five" puzzle. So here's a new one.

Our trivia boss Mike took this week's photo this morning while photographing a fire at the Butler St. YMCA in downtown Atlanta. The photos are identical except for five different things. Can you find them?

Click here to see a bigger version and a link to the answers.

Friday Fun Site:Aerial Virtual Tour of New York

2009-05-17T23:37:00.003-04:00

I've seen some tremendous 3-D panoramic photography on the web, but this is really special. It's a series of high quality aerial views of New York City. The controls allow you to pan, zoom and explore. Pretty impressive, especially on a big computer monitor.

Here's the link

Invisible Movie Hint

2009-05-17T23:28:00.001-04:00

This week's invisible movie is an old one. It's a 1960 classic western that was based on an earlier Japanese film titled the Seven Samurai. The film features legendary actors like Wallich, McQueen and Bronson. It starred the actor in the screenshot who also once played the King of Siam.

As a bit of trivia, the famous theme from this movies was used in commercials for Marlboro cigarettes. It was included in the James Bond film Moonraker, on an album by the rock group Yes, and in The Simpsons in the episode titled "Dude, Where's My Ranch?"

Simply identify the movie and turn it in with your first answer at Trivia for five bonus points.

Did Someone Say 'Cheese?'

2009-05-17T18:58:00.003-04:00

I found this new blog today and it's sure to bring a big smile to your face. It's a collection of some of the most unhappy looking people who have ever posed for a camera.

Here's the link

Monday Night Trivia at Wings & Things

2009-05-11T00:44:00.004-04:00

We'll be doing trivia tonight at Wing's and Things in Fayetteville. If you can't be there, we'll do our live video webcast starting around 7 pm. Tune in here or go to my "live webcast page" and chat.

Great Openings Music Trivia Podcast #044

2009-05-11T00:20:00.003-04:00

This is one of the most unusual line-up of featured songs ever on the show. All five of our songs have the exact same name. Can you identify the song and the artist after hearing only the opening notes? And as always I pass along some trivia about each of our featured classics; nuggets of information about how they came to be written or recorded, about the artist or something unusual that you’re sure to find interesting. The clues are from the bonus from our Saturday Music and Entertainment trivia shows.

To hear it, use the player in the column to the right (Click on the PLAY arrow)

or download it here:
Download to Windows Media Player, I-Pod or favorite music player

Here are the Shownotes and Answers

RSS FEED

Find Five Things That Are Different

2009-05-10T23:56:00.004-04:00

I've always enjoyed these puzzles where you try to find the subtle differences in two photos. So I thought I'd created some of my own.

I took this week's photo when I was in San Francisco. It's the carousel at the end of Pier 39 near Fisherman's Wharf. The photos are identical except for five different things. Can you find them?

Click here to see a bigger version and a link to the answers.

Invisible Movie Hint

2009-05-10T20:02:00.003-04:00

This week's Invisible Movie is a 1990 Christmas film written and produced by John Hughes and directed by Chris Columbus. The film centered on the home of Peter and Kate'McCallister and their family, who lived in Chicago.

As a bit of trivia, the young star of this movie, who was eight at the time, is ranked at number-two in VH1's list of the "100 Greatest Kid-Stars." (That's not him in the screenshot)

Simply identify the movie and turn it in with your first answer at Trivia for five bonus points.

Friday Fun Site: Native Names

2009-05-08T22:32:00.004-04:00

National Geographic has a unique interactive map that show what modern-day cities, states and geographic features mean in their Native American words.

"Native American words echo in the names of lakes, rivers, mountains, states, cities, and small towns across the United States. Most of these translations reflect the best scholarly opinion on the meaning of the Indian terms."

A couple of local examples:
- Kennesaw (Georgia) is Native American for "Grass"
- Chattahoochee River is translated as "Marked Rock River"

Unfortunartely, they are not nearly as colorful as some of these:
- Malibu, CA: It makes a loud noise all the time over there
- Topeka, KS: Good place to dig potatoes
- Chicago, IL: At the skunk place
- Yosemite, CA: They are killers

Here's the link

I'm back at Wings & Things this week!

2009-05-03T22:28:00.004-04:00

I'm back in town and will be back at Monday Night Trivia at Wings & Things this week.

If you can't be there, we'll do our live video webcast. Join us right here from 7-9 pm, or go to my "live webcast page" and chat.

Friday Fun Site: Pick the Perp

2009-05-03T22:22:00.006-04:00

I admit. This is one of the strangest Friday Fun Sites that I've ever featured. It's called "Pick the Perp." The idea is to look at five mugshots and a description of the crime. Then guess which person was charged with the crime.

I got 10 our of 30 correct, which I think is pretty remarkable since none of these folks look like upstanding citizens.

Here's the link.

My Tourist Pictures

2009-05-03T22:10:00.004-04:00

I'm back from a couple of weeks of heavy traveling to Florida and California. I did have one afternoon to play tourist around the San Fransisco Bay area and uploaded just few of the pictures I took. You can find them on my tumbelog at jimstumblelog.tumblr.com

Invisible Movie Hint

2009-05-03T19:43:00.003-04:00

This week's invisible movie is a comedy classic from 1981. It features an SNL alum, along with an (at the time) unknown actor who had co-written movies like National Lampoon's Animal House and Meatballs.

One of the movie's most memorable quotes is also one of my favorites: "The name's Francis Soyer, but everybody calls me Psycho. Any of you guys call me Francis, and I'll kill you."

Simply identify the movie and turn it in with your first answer at Trivia for five bonus points.

2009-04-26T23:08:00.003-04:00

I've been traveling a good bit so I haven't posted as much as I'd like to this blog. This week I'm headed to the west coast for a few days. The photo above will be a travel destination and I expect I'll be driving my rental across that bridge a few times.

I won't tell you where it is, but some may recognize the bridge or the city behind it. If I get a good Internet connection I'll post some photos from along the way.

Friday Fun Site: Name That Color

2009-04-26T23:00:00.004-04:00

I'm a guy, so that means I'm generally bad with colors. So this little tool is really helpful.

The idea is pretty simple, select a color, and the website will tell you what it's called. Or, you can select from the more than 1,500 named colors, and it'll show you what it looks like.

For example, I explored various shades of green and found the following: parsley, salem, malachite, shamrock, bay leaf, zanah and padua (but they all look green to me).

Here's the link

"This Day in Music Trivia" on Twitter.

2009-04-26T22:47:00.007-04:00

I've started something new. When I do research for the Great Openings Music Trivia Podcast, I keep running across interesting music trivia and facts. So I decided to add a daily feature where I post "This Day in Music Trivia" on my Twitter feed. I put them out Monday thru Friday around noon each day and so far everyone seems to like them. But you can only get them by following me on Twitter.

Invisible Movie Hint

2009-04-26T22:38:00.003-04:00

This week's Invisible Movie from 2001 was the first in a series of wildly popular films based on a series of wildly popular books. Five movies have been released with three more on tap through 2011. Incidentally, in this first film, he was just 11 years old. How's that for a clue?

Simply identify the movie and turn it in with your first answer at Trivia for five bonus points.

A video about jump ropes? You bet!

2009-04-19T22:59:00.005-04:00

Forget about Susan Boyle. Where did these girls come from? I didn't think a video about jump ropes would capture my attention till I saw this.

I did some quick research and the "Firecrackers" are from the Cincinnati area and have performed at a number of halftimes and high profile events including the inaugural parade for George W. It appears that this performance is from a basketball game at the U.S. Naval Academy earlier this spring.

Great Openings Podcast 043

2009-04-18T01:02:00.001-04:00

Another podcast is up! This week it's a fun one with an unusual relationship between our featured artists. Can you identify the song and the artist after hearing only the opening notes? And as always I pass along some trivia about each of our featured classics; nuggets of information about how they came to be written or recorded, about the artist or something unusual that you’re sure to find interesting. The clues are from the bonus from our Saturday Music and Entertainment trivia shows.

To hear it, use the player in the column to the right (Click on the PLAY arrow)

or download it here:
Download to Windows Media Player, I-Pod or favorite music player

Here are the Shownotes and Answers

RSS FEED

Invisible Movie Hint

2009-04-17T23:56:00.002-04:00

This week's invisible Movie is a 1998 comedy-drama that was based on the story of Hunter Campbell Adams, M.D., a real-life person who is a doctor and founder of Gesundheit! Institute. The notable star of this movie is often pictured wearing a red clown's nose in the film's promotional material.

Simply identify the movie and turn it in with your first answer at Trivia for five bonus points.

Friday Fun SIte: Dead at Your Age

2009-04-17T23:38:00.004-04:00

My birthday is coming up in a month or so, so this web site really caught my eye for a Friday Fun Site. It's called Dead.AtYourAge.com.

Simply enter your birth date and it will give you a list of famous people who died at your age. For example here's the main entry for me...

"You've outlived Paul Gauguin by almost two weeks. He was a French painter whose best canvases depict Tahitian life in brilliant colors. He died of a heart attack on May 8, 1903, 51 years before you were born."

Other notable who died around my current age are (or were) Bevin Fagan, John Calvin, Peter Sellers and John Ritter.

As an added treat, it will also tell you how many days you've been alive. For me, it's 20,070 days. Now I'm really depressed.

Here's the link

Jim's Trivia Question of the Day

2009-04-12T23:17:00.003-04:00

People really liked this when I did it before, so I'm bringing back my Trivia Question of the Day. I'll post the questions at 8 am, and answers at 8 pm. But you'll have to follow me on Twitter to see them. Starts Monday.

Monday Night Live Trivia Webcast

2009-04-12T22:32:00.000-04:00

We'll do our live video webcast again this week from Wings & Things. Join us right here from 7-9 pm, or go to my "live webcast page" and chat.

Big celebration on July 8

2009-04-12T22:30:00.004-04:00

It's a little too early to start getting excited about this, but if I wait to post it, I might forget about it.

At five minutes and six seconds after 4 AM on the 8th of July this year, the time and date will be - 04:05:06 07/08/09.

Should we plan a party!

Listen carefully and you can still hear the records playing

2009-04-12T22:14:00.006-04:00

Most of you won't be interested in this, but I found it on YouTube today. This is a tour through the radio station building in Savannah where I worked about 30 years ago. Back then the stations were 63-WKBX and 95-WSGF. The building was abandoned about 10 years ago when the station moved into new facilities. The building may be in disrepair and now the home to snakes and rats, but its halls remain filled with memories of disco, rock & roll, talk radio and the Saturday Night Treasury of Gold.

I worked either part time or full-time at the stations over a five year period and logged a lot of hours in the control room and the sales offices. The tour guides are old co-workers and friends Big Mac and Lyndy Brannen, both of whom still work in radio in Savannah.

Friday Fun Site: Ball Droppings

2009-04-12T22:06:00.004-04:00

I can see that this week's Friday Fun Site could, in the right circumstances, be therapeutic.

It's called Ball Droppings, and I'm not sure how to describe it, exactly. Just make sure your sound is turned up, watch the balls drop, draw a few lines, and enjoy the music. That's all there is to it.

Here's the link

Invisible Movie Hint

2009-04-12T21:56:00.002-04:00

This week's invisible movie as a 1995 superhero film and the actor playing the role picture in our screenshot is a wacky comedian and actor that we all know and love.

In the film he plays a puzzling character who, in the TV version of the movie, was played by Frank Gorshin and John Astin. As a bit of trivia, among the many who have provided the voice of this odd character in animated versions, was Robert Englund, aka Freddie Kruger.

Simply identify the movie and turn it in with your first answer at Trivia for five bonus points.

Great Openings Music Trivia Podcast 042

2009-04-05T23:33:00.003-04:00

Another podcast is up! Can you identify the song and the artist after hearing only the opening notes? And this episode there's a theme. Plus, as always I pass along some trivia about each of our featured classics; nuggets of information about how they came to be written or recorded, about the artist or something unusual that you’re sure to find interesting. As always, the clues are from the bonus from our Saturday Music and Entertainment trivia shows.

To hear it, use the player in the column to the right (Click on the PLAY arrow)

or download it here:
Download to Windows Media Player, I-Pod or favorite music player

Here are the Shownotes and Answers

RSS FEED

Monday Night Live Trivia Webcast

2009-04-05T22:41:00.003-04:00

Last Monday night the video webcast worked great and we'll be streaming live from Wings & Things again this week. Join us right here from 7-9 pm, or go to my "live webcast page" and chat.

Invisible Movie Hint

2009-04-05T22:34:00.003-04:00

I'm not sure if this week's Invisible Movie screencap is from the original 1940 Disney animated feature or one of the later versions. I do know that it's story is based on a 1883 story by Italian author Carlo Collodi, and that the name of the lead character is a Tuscan word meaning "pine nut." You can do the research from there.

Simply identify the movie and turn it in with your first answer at Trivia for five bonus points.

Mega and Giga Roller Coasters

2009-04-05T22:18:00.005-04:00

I'm not a ran of roller coasters. In fact, I pretty much refuse to ride them at all. But they do fascinate me. Since we're getting into the travel season and a lot of folks will be making their way to amusement parks, this caught my eye. It's an interesting collection of "mega" and "giga" coasters. They're the world's scariest, highest, and fastest roller coasters.

"These monstrous beasts defy the laws of gravity, making our brains slosh around in our craniums and occasionally produce a trace of sickness as you are thrown over the sidecars."

Here's the link with some fascinating photos.

Friday Fun Site: Antipodes Map

2009-04-05T21:52:00.006-04:00

I always wondered about this. When I was a little kid, I was always told that if I dug a hole deep enough, I would end up digging all the way through the earth and come back out in China. It turns out the geography of that notion is a little off. I would have actually wound up somewhere in the middle of the Indian Ocean.

This week's Fun Site is pretty simple. It's called an Antipodes Map.

"In geography, the antipodes of any place on Earth is its antipodal point; that is, the region on the Earth's surface which is diametrically opposite to it. Two points which are antipodal to one another are connected by a straight line through the centre of the Earth."

To use the site, just find your starting point in the top map and see the antipodes on the bottom map.

It should be noted that my China digging projects that I referenced actually occurred in suburban Pittsburgh, where I grew up, The map that I'm attaching shows the antipodal point for Atlanta, which is where most of my visitors are from. Either way, we'd still end up in the Indian Ocean.

Here's the link. Let's start digging!

Friday Fun Site - Where is That School?

2009-03-29T23:35:00.004-04:00

We've been enjoying a lot of March Madness basketball, and although they've become familiar names, where in the heck are schools like Gonzaga, Binghamton, Radford and Butler? That's the whole idea of this quiz, called "Where is that School?" from the folks at Mental Floss.

I got 8 out of 12 correct, which is pretty amazing since I guessed at most.

Here's the link

Monday's Live Video Trivia Webcast

2009-03-29T23:19:00.002-04:00

Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't. But we'll try again on Monday night for another live video webcast of trivia at Wings & Things. Join us right here from 7-9 pm, or go to my "live webcast page" and chat.

Invisible Movie Hint

2009-03-29T23:02:00.002-04:00

I'm stumped on this week's Invisible Movie. I honestly don't know if it is the 1988 version, which inspired a hit Broadway musical, or if it is the 2007 version, which was inspired by the hit Broadway musical. I think it's the later one.

Either way, the movies have the same name, so simply write down the title and turn it in with your first answer at Trivia for five bonus points.

Driving.

2009-03-28T22:21:00.000-04:00

Funny...

100 Great Southern Foods

2009-03-25T23:12:00.006-04:00

Here's one of those lists of places to eat great Southern food. I've only been to four (or five) of the places mentioned, but considering the wide geographic area they cover, I think that's pretty good.

Here are the places on the list I've been to:

Nu-Way Hot Wieners, Macon
Harolds Barbeque - Atlanta
Mary Mac's Tea Room - Atlanta
The Varsity - Atlanta
And if you count all the Waffle Houses that I've eaten at (but not the original in Avondale Estates) I think that should count, too.

In fact, I actually had a Fried Peach Pie at the Varsity today. Here's what the author said about that delicacy:

"I speak fluent Varsity, which means I know the difference between a naked steak and a glorified steak. And I know that the sleeper eat at this drive-in on steroids is the fried peach pie, a pillow of dough encasing a cobbler of goodness."

I can think of plenty of others that should have made the list. Here's the link

Thanks Capn' Craig

Monday Night Webcast

2009-03-22T21:55:00.004-04:00

We had a great time last Monday night with our new live video webcast. An added wi-fi repeater did the trick and we were able to stay online all night. In fact we had some of our regular players from the Sputniks join us online all the way from Indiana

We'll do it again this week. If you can't make it out to play trivia, join us right here from 7-9 pm, or go to my "live webcast page" and chat.

Invisible Movie Bonus Hint

2009-03-22T21:40:00.004-04:00

This week's Invisible Movie, from 2003, was the first in hugely successful series. It was originally based on one of the rides at the Disney theme parks.

As a hint, most of the location filming for this movie was on the island of St. Vincent where they built built three piers and a backlot as the settings for Port Royal and Tortuga. (I won't tell you in what the sea you'd find St. Vincent, since it might be too much of a giveaway.)

Simply identify the movie and turn it in with your first answer at Trivia for five bonus points.

Friday Fun Site: Soundry

2009-03-19T22:46:00.002-04:00

This is an accomplishment. I'm actually posting a Friday Fun Site on a FRIDAY!

Remember the old Concentration card game where you turn over a bunch of playing cards then try to remember where the duplicate is. There are all kinds of versions on the net, but this on is really cool. It's called Soundry and instead of images, it uses snippits of popular songs. So it tests your listening memory rather than your visual memory.

Here's the link

Live Trivia Webcast - Let's Try Again!

2009-03-17T11:42:00.001-04:00

I'm keeping my fingers crossed that our Internet connection will hold up tonight. If it does, we'll try again to do a video webcast live from Wings & Things in Fayetteville. Join us here, or you can go to my "live webcast page" and chat.

Great Openings Podcast 041

2009-03-15T22:36:00.004-04:00

I finally got around to doing another podcast. As usual, we bring you the clues from the bonus from last Saturday's Music and Entertainment Trivia. Can you identify the song and the artist after hearing only the opening notes? It's sort "name that tune." Plus, as always I pass along some trivia about each of our featured classics; nuggets of information about how they came to be written or recorded, about the artist or something unusual that you’re sure to find interesting.

To hear it, use the player in the column to the right (Click on the PLAY arrow)

or download it here:
Download to Windows Media Player, I-Pod or favorite music player

Here are the Shownotes and Answers

RSS FEED

Friday Fun Site (on Sunday)

2009-03-15T21:33:00.005-04:00

We're getting a little more serious with this week's Fun Site. It's not a game, but I still find it interesting.

It comes from rayogram.com and is a perfect cross between reading newspapers online, and reading the paper version. This site shows the scans of front pages of about 15 top newspapers. The images are big enough to be readable, and if you want them bigger, you can get that, too. The papers include the NY Times, Wall Street Journal, Chicago Tribune, a few foreign papers and others. Pretty neat.

Find it here

Invisible Movie Hint

2009-03-15T21:20:00.004-04:00

It's Spring Training time, and we thought this 1988 movie might be just perfect this week. It's a baseball movie, but that's pretty obvious. If you need to know which one, take a close look at the logo on the uniform.

The movie is based upon the minor league experiences of writer/director Ron Shelton who played second base in the Baltimore Orioles' farm system, eventually playing at the AAA level for Rochester in the International League. He quit when he realized that he would never become a major league player, and went on to make movies.

Simply identify the movie and turn it in with your first answer at Trivia for five bonus points.

"Monday" Fun Site: Touch the Bubbles

2009-03-09T00:00:00.002-04:00

I missed Friday's Fun Site, but nothing says we can't do one for Monday.

This is called "Touch the Bubbles." It's a cool little flash game that will help you exercise your musical ear. Just copy the song by pressing the correct bubbles.

Here's the link

Invisible Movie Hint

2009-03-08T23:37:00.004-04:00

The clue for this week's invisible movie, from 1991, is short and sweet. It shares the name with a 1964 hit by Roy Orbison.

Simply identify the movie and turn it in with your first answer at Trivia for five bonus points.

Join Me LIVE on Monday Night

2009-03-01T22:25:00.005-05:00

If all goes well, I'll be video webcasting Monday's night's Trivia Show live from Wings & Things in Fayetteville. Join us here, or you can go to my "live webcast page" and chat.

Invisible Movie Hint

2009-03-01T19:48:00.003-05:00

This week's Invisible Movie is from 2007. The film's plot summary on IMDB.com says it is a classic Disney fairytale that collides with modern-day New York City in a story about a fairytale princess who is sent to our world by an evil queen.

Simply identify the movie and turn it in with your first answer at Trivia for five bonus points.

Friday Fun Site - LOST Trivia Challenge

2009-02-26T21:42:00.003-05:00

Most of my readers know by now that I'm a huge fan of ABC's Lost. So that's why I really like this week's Friday Fun Site. The folks at UGO.com have put up a very well don series of trivia games about Lost. I must warn you that some of the questions are very tough and you need to be a hard-core fan to even hope of answering any of the correctly. But if you're a "Lostie" you'll enjoy it. Here's the link.

By the way, I got 8 of 10 correct in the "Jack Edition" but only 4 of 10 in the "Kate Edition." It should also be noted that the quiz was put up after last season, and since we're now seven episodes into season five, some of the answers may have changed a bit, especially in the "general" Lost trivia quiz. (At least that's my excuse for not doing better.)

Monday Night at Wings & Things

2009-02-25T22:51:00.003-05:00

Congrats to the Snamish, who won on Monday night at Wings & Things in Fayetteville with a winning score of 296 points. The Flying Monkeys and We're Not Adult Film Stars took second and third.

The most discussed question of the night - and my favorite - was:

A TV movie based on what 1960's sitcom featured the Harlem Globetrotters playing basketball against a team of robots?

Several teams knew the answer immediately, but most did not and were suprised to learn te answer in "Gilligan's Island." Here is the opening theme from that TV movie:

The TV movie was the third based on "Gilligan's Island" and it aired on May 15, 1981. Here's the IMDB page for that movie.

Celebrity Yearbook Photos

2009-02-25T22:33:00.002-05:00

Last week I posted some great pictures of politicians from their high school yearbooks. This week I found some celebrity photos that will crack you up. That's Brad Pitt, Paula Abdul and Jennifer Lopez pictured. The guys at Relaxing Hub have more here.

Putting Ella's crib together in a minute-and-a-half

2009-02-22T16:33:00.000-05:00

I put together a crib for when our new granddaughter Ella stays at our house. I wanted to try out the time-lapse video function on my new Canon SD-1100 camera and this video makes it look a lot easier than it was. My favorite part is at about :35 when I was crawling on the floor under the bed looking for all the nuts and screws I dropped.

The music is "Flight of the Bumble Bee" played on a 7-string bass by Jeff Corallini

Friday Fun Site of the Week - Sirtet

2009-02-19T23:33:00.002-05:00

It's just like Tetris, only harder and, I think, more fun. I only got about 1,500 points, which is really bad. But with a little practice...

Here's the link

Jim's a Granddad!

2009-02-19T22:57:00.002-05:00

Michael, our trivia boss and CEO, and his wife Erin, got a hurry-up call from the adoption agency this morning and rushed to South Carolina. They are now parents! Ella Rae Driscoll was born about 2:00 this afternoon at a whopping 5 lbs, 12 oz. She's cute as a button and healthy. We heard her crying over the phone tonight. They'll be able to take her from the hospital on Saturday and we plan to be there by then. Can't wait.

Invisible Movie Hint

2009-02-19T09:41:00.001-05:00

This week's Invisible Movie is a 1996 thriller with the advertising tagline "Someone is going to pay." For the actor who's face you'd normally see in this shot, this was his first role since his portrayal of William Wallace the previous year. In this movie he plays the part of Tom Mullen. a self-made, wealthy head of a large airline. And that would be image of his son, Sean, on the screens in the back.

Simply identify the movie and turn it in with your first answer at Trivia for five bonus points.

Great Openings Music Trivia Challenge 040

2009-02-18T22:50:00.008-05:00

Finally, here's another podcast
This week I bring you the clues from the bonus from last Saturday's Music and Entertainment Trivia. Here's a hint: Saturday was Valentine's Day, which may gave some insight into the theme. Can you identify the song and the artist after hearing only the opening notes? Plus, as always I pass along some trivia about each of our featured classics; nuggets of information about how they came to be written or recorded, about the artist or something unusual that you’re sure to find interesting.

To hear it, use the player in the column to the right or download it here:
Download to Windows Media Player, I-Pod or favorite music player

Here are the Shownotes and Answers

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Monday NIght @ Wings & Things

2009-02-17T21:58:00.005-05:00

There's a new sheriff in town and it's the Sputniks.

The Sputniks came on strong Monday night with a new-perfect night. They also were one of only two teams to get the final bonus correct and they won with 328 points. The Fruitloops came in second.

We had a wild tiebreaker for third place after every team bet the max and ended up in a 12-way tie for third. The Snamish won by coming within 18 miles of the correct answer (see below)

News & Notes: I had a good time Monday night taking video of teams with my new Flip video camera. When I get a chance I'll edit the clips and post them here on the blog... We also said goodbye to Ricky, the Wings & Things manager who worked hid last Monday at Wings & Things. He's been there for more than 10 years. Good luck Ricky!

Here are a couple of my favorite questions from the night...

TV – What was the three-word nickname for the man that lived directly opposite and slightly below Rachel and Monica’s apartment on Friends?
Movies – What 1960’s television series was released as a 1991 film starring Christopher Lloyd and Angelica Huston?
History – The purchase that brought the US modern day states Arizona and New Mexico in 1853 is named for what American ambassador to Mexico?
Sports – In what Summer Olympic track and field event is a style known as the “Fosbury Flop” used?

And here was the tie-breaker that the Snamish got within 15 miles to win third...

Covering parts of five different states, how long (in miles) is Interstate 85?

Answers in the comments

Amazing Yearbook Photos of U.S. Politicians

2009-02-15T23:30:00.002-05:00

I found this on a blog called RelaxingHub.com. Recognize the young folks above. You probably can figure out all four, but it's still fun. There are a lot more here.

In case you can't figure out these four, I'll put the answers in the comments

These guys are doing a BIG business

2009-02-15T23:14:00.005-05:00

I'm not in the habit of giving free publicity to online stores that I don't know, but this one caught my eye. They sell BIG stuff. All the items in their store are oversized versions of everyday objects. I like the big name tag above, or possibly the gigantic boxing gloves below. Clever!

Here's their link

Invisible Movie Hint

2009-02-15T22:47:00.004-05:00

This week's invisible move clue is a tough ones, but those familiar with the movie might get it easily. This 1988 action film was the first in the series that featured NY City detective John McClane.

As a bit of trivia, much of the action for this film took place at the fictional Nakatomi Plaza. In real life, the exterior shots are of the building are of the Fox Plaza in Los Angeles, which happens to be the headquarters for 20th Century Fox. The building has been used in a number of other films including the site of "KPPX Rebel Radio" for the rock and roll comedy Airheads. The building's lobby was featured in the opening scene of Speed and it was used as a template for one of the buildings brought down at the end of the Fight Club.

Simply identify the movie and turn it in with your first answer at Trivia for five bonus points.

Friday Fun Site: Name All 50 States

2009-02-12T23:12:00.005-05:00

I've always been a sucker for geography quizzes and puzzles, so that's why I like this one. This task is simple. Type in the names all all 50 states in five minutes.

It sounds easy but it tougher than it looks. The catch is that you also have to spell them correctly. I missed four but probably could have gotten them had I not gotten hung up on trying to spell Connecticut.

Here's the link

Coke, Soda, Pop, anyone?

2009-02-10T09:00:00.002-05:00

What do you call carbonated beverages? Soda? Pop? Coke (genarically)?

I never thought that there was much of a difference until I was a teenager and we moved from western Pennsylvania to Florida. NOw we know where the differences really are thanks

?The article was written by Luanne von Schneidemesser, PhD in German linguistics and philology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and senior editor of the Dictionary of American Regional English. And although there might be weightier issues in life (or even in linguistics) than the preferred terminology for a can of soft drink, there’s nothing trivial about this part of the beverage industry."

Here's the summary

coke: this generic term for soft drinks predominates throughout the South, New Mexico, central Indiana and in a few other single counties in Nevada, Utah and Wyoming. ‘Coke’ obviously derives from Coca-Cola, the brand-name of the soft drink originally manufactured in Atlanta (which explains its use as a generic term for all soft drinks in the South).
pop: dominates the Northwest, Great Plains and Midwest. The world ‘pop’ was introduced by Robert Southey, the British Poet Laureate (1774-1843), to whom we also owe the word ‘autobiography’, among others. In 1812, he wrote: A new manufactory of a nectar, between soda-water and ginger-beer, and called pop, because ‘pop goes the cork’ when it is drawn. Even though it was introduced by a Poet Laureate, the term ‘pop’ is considered unsophisticated by some, because it is onomatopaeic.
soda: prevalent in the Northeast, greater Miami, the area in Missouri and Illinois surrounding St Louis and parts of northern California. ‘Soda’ derives from ‘soda-water’ (also called club soda, carbonated or sparkling water or seltzer). It’s produced by dissolving carbon dioxide gas in plain water, a procedure developed by Joseph Priestly in the latter half of the 18th century. The fizziness of soda-water caused the term ‘soda’ to be associated with later, similarly carbonated soft drinks.
Other, lesser-used terms include ‘dope’ in the Carolinas and ‘tonic’ in and around Boston, both fading in popularity. Other generic terms for soft drinks outside the US include ‘pop’ (Canada), ‘mineral’ (Ireland), ‘soft drink’ (New Zealand and Australia).

Click the map to see if full size and here's a link to the details: strangemaps.wordpress.com

Top 10 Moments Caught on Google Maps Street View

2009-02-08T20:48:00.005-05:00

It's been out for nearly two years, but I'm still fascinated with Google Map's Street View, especially since they're covering more area all the time. So it was with interest that I found this link to "Top 10 Moments Caught on Google Maps Street View" on urlesque.com.

Among their "top moments" was the house fire in North Little Rock, Arkansas that I wrote about last year in my blog (that's now disappeared).

I just checked and noticed that Google has apparently taken down the images of the house fire (see the photo) but you can still get within a half block to see the smoke from it.

Here's a link to the top 10.

The Day the Music Died - 50 years ago

2009-02-08T20:18:00.005-05:00

I missed this event last week. February 3 marked the 50th anniversary of the day that Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and J. P. "The Big Bopper" Richardson died in a small-plane crash near Clear Lake, Iowa. The day was later called The Day the Music Died, and of course was immortalized by Don McLean in his 1971 song "American Pie."

As a bit of trivia, Don McLean was a paperboy when Holly died. He learned about the plane crash when he cut into his stack of papers and saw the lead story. And contrary to rumors, the plane that crashed was not named the "American Pie" - Dwyer's Flying Service did not name their planes. McLean made up the name.

Here's the McClean song courtesy of Grooveshark

Invisbile Movie Hint

2009-02-08T20:02:00.005-05:00

The pocket protectors are good hints to this 1984 comedy that featured lead characters named Lewis Skolnick and Gilbert Lowe and their battle with the Alpha Beta fraternity.

As a bit of trivia, the exterior scenes of the fictitious Adams College and the fraternity houses in the movie were filmed at the University of Arizona in Tucson.

Simply identify the movie and turn it in with your first answer at Trivia for five bonus points.

Friday Fun Site: Drop Zone

2009-02-05T23:25:00.005-05:00

Strap-on your helmet and climb into your cockpit, its time for another mission with the Royal Air Force. It's called Drop Zone and this little flash game is a good time-waster as you work your way through increasingly difficult missions requiring dropping military supplies from combat transport aircraft. Have fun!

Here's the link

Monday Night @ Wings & Things

2009-02-03T21:10:00.005-05:00

The Snamish almost pulled off a perfect night at Wings & Things on Monday, missing only one question (France?!). They won the trophy with 278 points. The Pagan Babies and Kurt Warner is our MVP were 2nd & 3rd.

I almost forgot to congratulate last week's (Jan 26) winners. We're Not Adult Film Stars, But We Play Them on TV won the final bonus and the night. Second and thrid were the Snamish and the Sputniks.

Last night's bonus was a good one. Name the animals that appear on the state flags of the following:

Louisiana
Michigan
Oregon
Wisconsin
Wyoming

Answers are in the comments

Invisible Movie Hint

2009-02-01T23:05:00.002-05:00

This week's Invisible Movie is a 2007 comedy that had Eddie Murphy starring in not one, not two, but three leading roles. He plays the part of the title character, a Chinese man, and the lead character's girl friend.

Simply identify the movie and turn it in with your first answer at Trivia for five bonus points.

Great Openings Music Trivia Podcast 039

2009-01-31T23:27:00.011-05:00

I'm finally back with another episode of the Great Openings Music Trivia Podcast. Theses are the clues and featured songs from Saturday's Music & Entertainment Bonus and this week we have a theme: all of our groups or artists have something in common in their name. Plus, I pass along some trivia about each of our featured classics; nuggets of information about the show, or how the theme came to be written or recorded, about the artist or something unusual that you’re sure to find interesting. Answers and shownotes here

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Download: Download to Windows Media Player, I-Pod or favorite music player

Friday Fun Site: 2 Wires

2009-01-31T00:41:00.002-05:00

One of the things I missed when my blog was down was posting a Friday Fun Site. I've been featuring these for about two years on "most" Fridays. They're usually interactive, entertaining web sites that might be little games, or something else unusual. But they are almost always fun, of course.

This week's is called "2 Wires." The limpy character is dressed a lot like Spiderman and your job is to help him negotiate a landscape of crudely painted buildings using wires that squirt from his wrists. I didn't do well, but that's not suprising.

Find it here

Introducing the new Wings & Thing's trophy

2009-01-25T23:20:00.000-05:00

Last Monday we unveiled the new rotating trophy for our winning teams. The old one had just gotten too big and we had to retire it. For now, the old trophy is on display at Wings & Things in the bar area.

Thanks to Albee from Just Us for the trophy he donated. We had it updated with a new year and a custom front plate to really make it "official."

Our first winners of the new trophy: The Snamish! Congratulations.

Invisible Movie Hint

2009-01-25T23:07:00.000-05:00

This week's Invisible movie is a classic from 1976. The big clue in this screenshot is the meat carcasses hanging in the background that our hero is about to beat the heck out of with his fists. That should pretty much give it away.

As a bit of trivia, the movie was made for only $1.1 million and shot in just 28 days. But it ended up a hit earning over $117 million, and winning three Oscars, including Best Picture.

Simply identify the movie and turn it in with your first answer at Trivia for five bonus points.

I'm back!

2009-01-25T23:03:00.001-05:00

Most of my readers know the story by now. Over New Year's weekend, my blog crashed and I couldn't get it back online. The past couple weeks, I've tried to find a few minutes to get it back up, and now we're here. But unfortunately, all of the posts and comments from the old blog are not. I did have them backed-up, but importing them into the new blog will take time. In the meantime, I'll start posting regularly, and we'll see you at Trivia!