Friday Fun Site - LOST Trivia Challenge

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

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

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

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

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!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.