Eventually, this voluntary act led to more books being written out, and more volunteers joining what could now be termed a project. What appropriate name did Hart give to this project?
Nov 30, 2011
Q.426
Michael Hart passed away in September 2011. The Economist in its obituary for him, noted that on the night of the American Independence Day in 1971, Hart, a student at University of Illinois in Urbana, began typing out the American Declaration of Independence on a computer. He then sent a link to friends saying they could download it for free.
Nov 29, 2011
Q.425
This comic actor conducted proceedings for the first time in 1990 and continued doing so for the next three years in a row. He returned in 1997, 1998, 2000, and 2004, usually to popular acclaim.
Apparently, he always carried a toothbrush with him to these events as a lucky charm. As a kid, he would often practice speeches in front of the mirror at night with a toothbrush in hand standing in for a coveted award.
He'll have a chance to carry it once again in 2012. Who?
Nov 28, 2011
Q.424
Halloween is when a lot of websites put out special pages dedicated to the spooky. In 2011, Bing, Microsoft's search engine that has a background image each day, had the darkest of the lot.
What you see on the right is a well-known architectural figure, seen in many cultures. Apart from their decorative animal shapes, these figures also helped in the draining of water away from building walls.
The name of these figures comes from a French word for "throat". What are they called?
Nov 27, 2011
Q.423
The 2nd 'Pearls' World Cup Kabaddi tournament (there have been two non-Pearl cups earlier) was held in November 2011 in Punjab. (This is the second year running that this tournament has been conducted, further strengthening the case that these are being organised by the state government with an eye on elections next year.)
Fourteen countries participated in an event severely hit by doping scandals.
Eventually (and expectedly), India won both the men's and women's titles. In the men's title, India faced a not-so fancied opponent, who knocked out the other favourites Pakistan in the semis.
Which country was the other finalist? (The answer may seem odd, but would make sense if you think about why.)
Nov 26, 2011
Q.422
2011 will mark the event's first edition after his passing away. Though he was not actively involved in organising it since 2002, he made appearances almost every year since. The event began in 1953 as a way to pay homage to his guru. The organisers have now appended his name to the event as well.
Who and what event?
Nov 25, 2011
Q.421
This question is about the English cricket writer Peter Roebuck, who recently passed away. Before turning into a widely read and much acclaimed writer-commentator, Roebuck was a cricketer who rose to become captain of his Somerset team in the 80s. Himself a caustic character, he had several run-ins with some of his superstar team-mates in that time.
He often batted at no. 4 for Somerset. He once described his job as staying in long enough to prevent the batsman at no.3 & the batsman at no.5 from batting at the crease together, because #5 would try to hit the ball further & higher than #3.
Who were these two batsmen?
Nov 24, 2011
Q.420
A question on the "Ig Nobels" seems like a natural succession to yesterday's question, especially given today's question number. The "Ig Nobels" are awarded by the magazine "Annals of Improbable Research" and is a spoof of the Nobels, rewarding real 'achievements' that "that first make people laugh then make them think".
This year's winners for Mathematics won it "for teaching the world to be careful when making mathematical assumptions and calculations". The list below gives their names and the year associated with whatever put them in the spotlight:
What did they do?
- Dorothy Martin, USA, 1954
- Pat Robertson, USA, 1982
- Elizabeth Clare Prophet, USA, 1990
- Lee Jang Rim, Korea, 1992
- Credonia Mwerinde, Uganda, 1999
- Harold Camping, USA, Sept 6-7, 1994 and later Oct 21, 2011
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