Q.2059

Like in May 2015, the Government of Iraq once again ordered a complete shutdown of all internet services in the country, from 5 am to 8 am on certain days in May 2016. While governments usually block the internet for political reasons, this reason is highly unusual since the target is mainly a small segment of the population

What is the government trying to prevent?

[+ Show Answer]

Cheating in exams. Exam papers are sent to schools in the morning before 8 am and leaks (posted online) are common. By preventing any internet access, the government hopes to thwart such kinds of cheating. More here.

Q.1893

On 4 December 2015, the Civil Aviation Administration of China got the approval for the production of ‘RX1E’, a unique aircraft. It was developed by Shenyang Aerospace University and it will be China’s first manned _____ ______ aircraft. This two-seater plane is capable of flying a maximum altitude of 3000 meters.

What is peculiar about this aircraft?

[+ Show Answer]

First domestically developed electricity-powered aircraft

It was approved for electric light-sport aircraft and is powered by lithium batteries.

Q.1668

"The Sixth ________: An unnatural history" won the 2015 Pulitzer Prize for General Non-Fiction. The book by Elizabeth Kolbert claims that we are currently in the middle of the 6th version of an event that results in a dramatic decrease in life on Earth (some of the previous 5 are Triassic-Jurassic and Late Devonian).

What word completes the title of this book, and what concept is this about?

[+ Show Answer]

"Extinction", referring to Mass Extinction Events. More details on the book.

Buy the book at Flipkart.

This day last year: Q.1303

Q.1630

‘Race Together’ is an initiative started by a Company. The chain will have its workers in the US outlets write Race Together on their containers alongside the image of the twin-tailed ‘Siren’. They also plan to publish Conversation Guides on racial discrimination.


However, the campaign has received a lot of criticism for having a political agenda and being a mere marketing ploy.

Which famous brand are we talking about?

[+ Show Answer]

Starbucks
CEO Howard Schultz has defended the campaign after the backlash. This is not a Marketing or P.R. exercise, he said.

Q.1581

Image: Bill Gates

In this photo published in Jan 2015, Bill Gates is seen drinking water made by "Omniprocessor", a machine that recycles it from a very unusual source material. This is part of his foundation's work to 'reinvent' a part of most households.

What is this material?

[+ Show Answer]

Human waste. More here.

This day last year: Q.1216

Q.1557

Braigo includes a microprocessor with assorted components such as electric motors, sensors and actuators. It was designed by 13-year-old Shubham Banerjee.
In September 2014, it was demonstrated at the Intel Developers Forum.
What is special about Braigo? And what was it made from?

[+ Show Answer]

Braille printer made from Lego blocks
In August 2014, a new company called Braigo Labs Inc. was formed. Since Shubham Bannerjee is a minor, his mother Malini is listed as the President of the company. Also, World Braille Day is celebrated every year on the 4th of January.

Q.1523

Paul Taylor used to occasionally tweet from the handle @Squizabilly and returned to Twitter in Oct 2014, saying:

Embracing twitter again with a more positive, focused vibe #neverletgo

— Paul D. Taylor (@Squizabilly) October 22, 2014

On Nov 27, 2014, he tweeted a photo taken just outside his house. What did that result in?

[+ Show Answer]

The poignant "#putoutyourbats" tribute campaign to honour the memory of Aussie cricketer Phillip Hughes who died in a freak accident while playing domestic cricket. More on how this began, and here's that tweet:

#RIPPhillipHughes #putoutyourbats pic.twitter.com/qqbrtOr93A

— Paul D. Taylor (@Squizabilly) November 27, 2014

This day last year: Q.1158

Q.1475

Based on a guest question by Vaibhav Bajpai | contribute questions

A group called Creative Trench released an "anti-imperialist" typeface (font) in July 2014 to commemorate the 60th birth anniversary of a former Latin American Head of State. This distinctive font is a digitized form of the Latin American leader’s handwriting in letters that he wrote while in prison on charges of a failed coup attempt in 1992.

So who has this ‘anti-imperialist’ typeface dedicated to him?

[+ Show Answer]

Hugo Chavez, former Venezuelan President. ChavezPro is the font dedicated to him. More here.

This day last year: Q.1109

Q.1447

In March 2012, Pete Frates, a salesman and former college baseball player, got some bad news from his neurologist. He decided to approach the problem more positively than a man in his position would be expected to do.

In July 2014, he was widely credited with pioneering what social media phenomenon?

[+ Show Answer]

Pete Frates was diagnosed with the degenerative disease ALS in 2012. He is usually given credit for launching the 'ice bucket challenge' for ALS, though it's not clear if it originated with him. More here.

This day last year: Q.1082

Q.1394

David Mitchell is an author, perhaps well-known for his experimental story-telling in works such as "Cloud Atlas" (made into a film in 2012). In 2014, he experimentally (and serially) published a story called "The Right Sort" to promote his upcoming novel "The Bone Clocks".

To do this experiment, he first wrote down sentences of the story in a certain manner which made it easier to publish them. What was the experiment?

[+ Show Answer]

He published the story as a series of tweets. More here.

This day last year: Q.1029

Q.1330

"Cubed" is the name of a 2014 book by Nikil Saval. Subtitled "A Secret History of the Workplace", it discusses the evolution of modern office culture, such as workplace layouts and relations between colleagues.

The book begin with a photo from a 1999 English film (and ends with a reference to it). Which film?

[+ Show Answer]

"Office Space", the minor cult classic that involves, among others, the slaying of a demon printer. More on the book here. (Buy the book at Amazon)

This day last year: Q.965

Q.1314

"There Will Never Be Silence" is the name of an art exhibition at New York's Museum of Modern Art, that began in 2013 and will end in 2014. The main attraction of this exhibition is this painting called 4'33" (In Proportional Notation), which is accompanied by such artworks as "The Voice", "Zen for Film", and "3 Standard Stoppages".

This exhibition marks the museum's acquisition of a famous piece of music, also called 4'33" by John Cage (also the artist). What is interesting about this piece of music, which is hinted at by the painting?

Image: MOMA

[+ Show Answer]

It is a 'silent' piece - all musicians and instruments are silent during the 4 min 33 secs of the piece. The audience is encouraged to pay attention to the prevailing silence and ambient sounds. More on 4’33", John Cage, and the exhibition.

This day last year: Q.949

Q.1309

This puzzle form continues to be popular in Britain, especially in newspapers such as The Times. In March 2014, the newspaper introduced a new form of the puzzle between its two conventional forms, which might therefore be said to be intermediate in speed and degree of mystery.

What type of puzzle, and what two word name is this new puzzle form called by The Times?

[+ Show Answer]

The crossword; they are calling it, somewhat obviously, the Quick Cryptic. More here.

This day last year: Q.944

Q.1291

Based on a guest question by Rajib Phukan | contribute questions

In Mar 2014, news of this unusual 'strike' drew attention when a group of Ukrainian women appealed for it against Russians. The practice of this kind of 'boycott' is over two millennia old, first noticed in "Lysistrata", a comedy about Greek women during the Peloponnesian War. Something similar also took place in Japan in Feb 2014, with a group of Japanese women using it to protest against the possible election of a Tokyo governor.

What is this?

[+ Show Answer]

A 'sex strike'. More on the Ukrainian target="_blank" and Japanese cases.

This day last year: Q.926

Q.1231

This writer is also an amateur flier. In 2012, he nearly died after a plane he was piloting touched a power line. This prompted him to write a sequel to his 1977 book "Illusions", which was released in 2014. It also inspired him to publish 'Part Four' of the 1970 novella that made him famous in book shop windows around the world.

Who is this author, who sounds like he's back, or what was the famous novella?

[+ Show Answer]

Richard Bach, the author of "Jonathan Livingston Seagull", the allegorical book about finding your true self, etc.. More on this.

This day last year: Q.866

Q.1223

The legendary American folk singer-musician Pete Seeger passed away in January 2014. Comiing from a family which was academically and artistically involved in folk traditions, he was known around the world for popularising several folk anthems.

Perhaps his most famous contribution was to make one of these anthems a household name, which included the memorable replacement of the word 'will' by another word. What song, and what was the replacement?

[+ Show Answer]

"We Shall Overcome". The song, which traces its roots to black folk, was in a previous iteration called "We Will Overcome". More about Seeger, and about this song.

This day last year: Q.858

Q.1218

In December 2013, this technology company signed a deal with the Spanish football club F.C.Barcelona to put their logo on the inside of the team's official jerseys. This was largely hailed as a smart move, as it nicely fits in with the company's 'interior positioning'.

So when Barca players celebrate a goal by pulling their shirts inside-out, what will you see inside?

[+ Show Answer]

Intel, which is known for its "Intel Inside" slogan. More here.

This day last year: Q.853

Q.1186

A bypoll was held for the Noksen assembly constituency in Nagaland on Sept. 4, 2013. This became the first major Indian election to use the VVPAT system, which brings an innovation to Indian elections.

What is this system about?

From a quiz done at Mood Indigo 2013

[+ Show Answer]

"VVPAT" stands for Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail, allowing voters to check that the EVM has recorded the right vote, and generating a paper trail that can be counted later if needed. This was also used in the Mizoram elections, but didn't fare that well. More here on the first use.

This day last year: Q.821

Q.1144

Image: Mumbaiboss.com

This is the Bandra-Worli Sea Link in Mumbai. In October 2013, it went 'pink' for the very first time. Doing so, it joined other landmarks around the world such as the White House in Washington, the Twin Towers in Kuala Lumpur, and the Eiffel Tower, Paris.

Why the pink?

[+ Show Answer]

To help raise awareness about breast cancer, as part of a global Breast Cancer Awareness Month, annually marked in October. More here.

This day last year: Q.779

Q.1137

The IgNobel Prizes are given annually for curious, weird, and usually interesting works in science and other disciplines. 2013's prizes were awarded went to authors of papers such as "Are Cows More Likely to Lie Down the Longer They Stand?" (for "Probability") and "'Beauty Is in the Eye of the Beer Holder': People Who Think They Are Drunk Also Think They Are Attractive" (for "Psychology").

The Peace Prize was awarded to the President of Belarus, Alexander Lukashenko. A couple of years ago, he made it illegal to do something in public. The prize was also given to the Belarus State Police, who arrested a one-armed man for doing that very thing the President had banned.

What had been banned?

[+ Show Answer]

Applause (Don't put your hands together for this answer) - this happened in 2011, because people seemed to using it as a form of protest. Here's the winners list, and here's an article about this applause bit.

This day last year: Q.772