QUANDO OMNI FLUNKUS...GOOGLE

QOFG 7 - All about movies...

2010-02-20T17:14:00.029+05:30

Hello World,

Due apologies for the delayed answers and response. Fully deserve the brickbats for same. Pls find answers below:

1. According to IMDB, the first of the type was Another Part of the Forest in 1948. Can be traced to the original press kit for The Godfather II. The Oxford Dictionary mentions that this word first came up in the article The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction in 1958. What is being referred to here ?

Prequel

2. Actually lot easier than it sounds: W, the fine actor he is desired to play the role in X, but was offered Y the same year and he ended up taking the latter role. He eventually lost the Best Actor Oscar that year to Z who played the role of X in X. Name W, X, Y and Z.

W - Dustin Hoffman; X - Gandhi; Y - Tootsie; Z - Ben Kingsley.

3. Identify the fictional movie organisations from their logos and also the the movies which they feature.

a. Umbrella Corporation - Resident Evil
b. Weyland Yutani Corp - Alien Series
c. Omni Consumer Products - Robocop
d. Tyrell - Blade Runner
e. Cyberdyne Systems - Terminator Series

4. Thomas Dixon wrote a book The Clansman, which was made into the landmark film, The Birth of a Nation. However Dixon did not make money out of the movie. He went on to do something which created a Hollywood tradition. What did he do ?

Thomas Dixon went on make 'The Fall of a Nation', thereby making the first Sequel.

5. Id the brand ambassador .

Ronald Reagan.

6. Name the two characters and the creator.

Feluda and Topshe by Satyajit Ray

7. Identify the building, logo and connect.

Fox Plaza, LA featuring as Nakatomi plaza in Diehard and the logo is the fictional Nakatomi Corporation in the movie.

8. How is this book significantly immortalised ?

The book was by ornithologist James Bond whose name was borrowed by Ian Fleming for his protagonist.

9. What is the poster a parody of ?

Parody of 'Munich' movie poster

10. Identify the movie and what is the significance of this scene.

The only (fraction of a second) scene from Enter the Dragon where both the legends, Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan are seen together. (click link for video)

Scores:

K Suresh - 18.5 (Congrats !)
Sripriya - 18 (Congrats !)
Rad Krish - 16 (Good Show !)
Bharat - 15
Raja - 12
Karthik U - 9
Ashok Gharpure - 9
Radhika - 9
Animesh - 8
Devdan Mitra - 7.5
Kaushik - 6
Anubhav Chatterjee - 4
Arkadev Ghoshal - 4
Sukhi - 3
Aditya Gupta - 2
Alakesh - 2

Thanks a bundle for your response...

Pls send in your feedback, comments to kartheegeyans@gmail.com

Regards,

Kartheegeyan S

QOFG 6 - The Madras Connexn

2009-08-28T11:17:00.037+05:30

Hello World,

Apologies for the long hiatus...

Pls find answers to the last post below:

1. A saga was started in the year 1842 in Mount Road, Madras by a Portuguese piano tuner by name Misquith. Originally known as M/s Misquith & co., the store metamorphosed into the largest and oldest in South India when it broke the western adjunct and started retailing Indian and far eastern goods. What is the present name of this establishment ?

Musee Musicals

2. Who does the lyrics of this song refer to, outside of the context of the movie in which it appears. Explain.

or download direct : Qn2audio

The song gives an indirect eulogy reference to Ilaiyaraja, his mother's name is Chinnathayammal

3. He was Mani Ratnam's first choice for the lead role in his 'Bombay' who on his refusal settled for Arvind Swamy. However he played a major role in the movie behind the screens. Economic Times has ranked his company, No. 2 in the country in the field. He also runs a film school. Who is this multifaceted guy ?

Rajeev Menon

4. He is Sampooran Singh Kalra, more popularly known by his pseudonym. Identify.

Gulzar

5. Who acted, performed and composed music for this Cannes entry movie ?

Ustad Zakir Hussain

6. Identify the music composer of this song which is still a hot listener's choice on radio and light music concerts ?

or download direct : Qn6Audio

R K Shekar

7. Born in London and came to prominence in early 2004 through file-sharing of 'Galang' and 'Sunshowers' on the Internet. Time magazine placed this person in the TIME 100 list of 'World's most influential people' for having 'global influence across many genres'. Who ?

MIA (Mathangi Arulprakasam)

8. Identify this fruit. Normally orange or red, but could be dark purple and also black in some species.

Rose hips (the fruit of rose flower)

9. Identify the speaker and what is he talking about ?

or download direct : Qn9Audio

Danny Boyle talking about his movie Trainspotting

10. It was created by Henry Luce and Briton Hadden in 1923 making it the first of its kind in the US of A. They first considered naming it 'Facts' but settled for this name. Whatizit ?

TIME magazine

The obvious grand connect is AR Rahman

ARR born to music composer RK Shekar, initially worked for Musee Musicals and then for Ilaiyaraja as keyboardist. He also accompanied Ustad Zakir Hussain on his world tour. Rajeev Menon brought him to the world of ad jingles, he made his film score debut with Roja (Rose). Danny Boyle got him to compose for SM which got him 2 oscars, one of which he shared with Gulzar and a nomination with MIA and in 2009, Time magazine placed him in their list of 'World's 100 most influential people'.

Scores: (Check leader board for consolidated tally)

1. Radhika - 28 (Congrats !)

2. Sripriya - 28 (Congrats !)

3. Karthik U - 27 (Good show !)

4. Ashok Gharpure - 26

5. Ajith Kumar JSV - 26

6. Mayura G - 24

7. Raja - 20

8. Paul Teresa - 7

9. Suresh Ramasubramaniam - 5

Ciao,

Kartheegeyan S

QOFG 5 - Ind(ia)ependence Quiz

2009-08-17T00:23:00.025+05:30

Hello World,

Answers to the Ind(ia)ependence Quiz, a quiz on India and her Independence movement.

The number of responses were far and few...hardly patriotic to note...and nobody maxed.

1. What / who does this painting illustrate and who is the painter ?

The illustration of Bharat matha by Abanindranath Tagore, nephew of RNT.

2. Who sang the song Vande Mataram on the first (Independence) session of the Indian Constituent assembly on the early hours of 15 August 1947 ?

Sucheta Kripalani who went on to become India's first woman Chief minister.

3. Identify the flag.

The flag of the British East India Company, though it went through many changes, this was the first.

4. This legend was born around 1725 in the Hindu Vellalapillai caste in Tamilnadu. From modest beginnings he joined the troops of Arcot and later became the commandant of the East India company forces. He proved an able administrator when he was entrusted with the responsibility of administering Madurai after the decline of the nayaks in the region, during which period he converted to Islam. He eventually turned against the Nawab and the British after a feud erupting between the two and organised a revolt against them. His revolt against the British predates the 1857 uprising and ranks as one of the true armed reprisals against the British with a mobilised and organised army. Eventually his aides were bribed to have him caught and he was hanged in 1764 in Madurai. How is this forgotten legend (and remembered for other reasons) popularly known as?

Muhammed Yusuf Khan, originally and popularly known as Marudhanayagam (Pillai). He is hardly remembered except for Kamal Hassan's unfulfilled biopic on him.

5. Identify this cover / story of Amar Chitra Katha ?

Anand Math (ACK version of Bankim Chandra Chatterjee's novel on the Sanyasi Rebellion of the 1700s)

6. She was born in Switzerland. She later married an Indian, took the nationality of India and became a Hindu and came to be known as ________ Bai. Thanks to her artistic skills and indepth knowledge of the mythology of India, the Vedas and the Sanskrit language she was entrusted with this responsibility. Identify the person and what is the responsibility?

Savitri Khanolkar and the designing of the Param Vir Chakra

7. Identify the singer.

or download direct http://sites.google.com/site/kartheegeyansstore/home/qofg--5

MS Rajeswari in the movie Naam Iruvar.

8. Considered the revolution’s best general. A day after his hanging, the London Times mentioned in its report of this popular hero’s hanging that a great scramble was made by officers and others to get a lock of his hair. Identify.

Tantya Tope

9. Lal Bahadur Shastri coined the slogan Jai Jawan; Jai Kisan indicating the importance of security and self sustenance of food for the country. Who added what to the slogan to underline the importance of something else to the nation's progress as late as 1998 ?

Atal Behari Vajpayee added Jai Vighyan (Hail Science !) to the slogan after the Pokhran tests of 1998.

10. Identify all pics and connect:

Nobody cracked this...though not very tough... the pics in clockwise order from top left indicate Mrignayani (a painting of a lady - mrignayani means 'doe-eyed'); Talai Cauvery (the origin of River Cauvery; Phoolkari embroidery; Trimourti cave rock-cut at the Elephanta caves; the ruins of Poompuhar in Tamilnadu; the Lepakshi nandi statue in Andhra Pradesh; and the two logos in the middle are that of TV channels Kairali and Gurjari. The connect is simple as that of the names of Handicraft emporia of different states of India - Mrignayani - Madhya Pradesh; Cauvery - Karnataka; Phoolkari - Punjab; Trimourti - Maharashtra; Poompuhar - Tamil Nadu; Lepakshi - Andhra Pradesh; Kairali - Kerala and Gurjari - Gujarat.

Scores:

1. Ajith Kumar JSV - 18 ( Good Show ! )
2. Rad Krish - 17 ( Congrats ! )
3. Sripriya - 17 ( Congrats ! )
4. Raja - 16
5. Ashok Gharpure - 16
6. Karthik U - 14
7. Mayura G - 13
8. Radhika - 12
9. Shekar Singh Sengar - 10

Pls check leaderboard for consolidated scores and await the next quiz.

Ciao,
S Kartheegeyan

QOFG 4 - Personality Connexn Quiz

2009-08-05T15:01:00.021+05:30

Hello World,

Time for the answers and scores of the QOFG-4 - Personality Connexn Quiz...Fairly good response...and three people maxed...kudos...

1. He is acclaimed as the final emir of the Egyptian islamic jihad. More often referred to as ‘lieutenant’ and the ‘real brains’ behind the dreaded outfit. He was one of the many scores arrested after the Anwar Sadat assassination and tortured in prison. The attack on the Egyptian embassy of Pakistan was hailed as his first major act to prominence. He is famous/notorious for his fatwa against jews and crusaders and infamous even among his sympathisers for his statement that women’s job is limited to bearing children for the fighters corresponding to an anomaly on the participation of the opposite sex in organisation like Sajida al-rishawi. Who is this most wanted ?

Ayman Al Zawahiri

2. At the age of 13, she attended an all-boy technical school in preparation for her dreams of becoming an engineer. Her initial candid success was when her wards of less than nine year old retarded children applied and succeeded in the state examinations scoring above-average scores which was claimed as a ‘miracle’. She was exiled by Benito Mussolini as she declined to yield her principles in converting kids to soldiers. Her visit to India in the late thirties was more than fruitful as she extensively trained her methodology enabling the still present prevalence of the model in India. Who is this Legend ?

Maria Montessori

3. He was the fourth Prime Minister of his country and the first from modest origins. He held the post for 22 years from 1981 till 2003 when he retired voluntarily, making him one of Asia's longest-serving political leaders. Identify this controversial yet powerful leader.

Mahathir bin Mohammad

4. Born in 1848, he grew up to be one of the six giants of the game of the _______ century. A serious bout of pneumonia disturbed his schooling and he was mostly home educated. Despite this he claimed that he could have gone to either Oxford or Cambridge as offers were aplenty from both. He excelled in his sporting skill 'as if he were fighting a small war'. Who is this legend and fill in the blank.

W. G. Grace, one of the six giants of the Wisden Century.

5. In 1994 this person achieved the unique feat for a creative guy to have his works charting No. 1 in television, book sales and films at the same time. Who is this chartbuster and what are the three works ?

Michael Crichton with his 1994 chart-toppers - ER (tv series), Jurassic Park (movie) and Disclosure (book).

6. He invented the electric telegraph which predates the Morse telegraph by an year. He also discovered that every element has its own emission spectrum. He invented a short range telephone, a precursor to Graham Bell’s telephone. He also invented an electric clock and a method of extracting oil from coal. Identify this prolific inventor.

David Alter

7. His father arranged for him to be born in the British embassy in France, as at the time, the French law stated that all children born on French soil could be conscripted for military service. His troubled and private childhood contributed to his writing skills and his first work which was almost autobiographical. His major works were Of human bondage, The moon and six pence and The razor’s edge. Identify this gifted writer.

Somerset Maugham

8. Norris McWhirter, the later publisher and editor of the Guinness Book of World Records teased the gathering with the longdrawn announcement of this feat as:

"Ladies and gentlemen, here is the result of event 9, 1st, No. 41, _____ _______, Amateur Athletic Association and formerly of Exeter and Merton Colleges, Oxford, with a time which is a new meeting and track record, and which - subject to ratification - will be a new English Native, British National, All-Comers, European, British Empire and World Record. The time was 3...". Fill in the blank and what is the feat ?

Roger Bannister achieving the first sub - 4 minute Mile Run

9. This was a photograph when he was 22. however a later photograph before his death at the age of 39 was immensely popular across the world. Who is this ?

Ernesto Che Guevara

10. His first name is Aron. He is born to a Lithuanian father and Jewish mother. He got his nickname from an Arabian fantasy character. His nephew played the game for his emigrated country which he himself played, led a team and currently administers. Name the administrator and his nephew.

Aron Ali Bacher and Adam Bacher

11. She became the first Indian to win this in the year 1966. She was preceded by Lesley Langley and succeeded by Madeline Hartog Bell. Identify the person and what did she win ?

Reita Faria - Powell, the Miss World, 1966

12. He played as a goalkeeper for an amateur football team. An astute cricketer, he played between 1899 and 1907, in ten first-class matches for the Marylebone cricket club. He also bowled occasionally and took only one first class wicket. Was also a golfer and elected captain of the Crowborough golf club in the year 1910. This Jack of many sports was a master in a field where he is renowned for his famous creation. Who ?

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

And the Grand Connect is that all the luminaries above are Medical Professionals (Doctors) who were more famous in other fields.

Scores:

Karthik U - 30 ( Good Show ! )
Anand Chaganty - 30 ( Good Show ! )
Ajith Kumar JSV - 30 ( Good Show ! )
Puneet Raj - 27.5
Raja - 27
Ashok Gharpure - 26
Animesh Kashinath - 25
RadKrish - 25
Radhika - 24
Govind Paliath - 24
Ratnakar Sadasya - 23
Razzaq Siddhiqui - 21
Kaustuba Venugopal - 19
Shashank Abhishek - 19
Sripriya - 18
Mayura G - 14
Ashwin Sudhir - 12.5
Nirad - 12
Sandeep Kumar - 10
Amrutanshu Mishra - 10
Beckam Dravid - 4

Thanks a lot for the response and feedback.. Please check leaderboard for consolidated top positions and standby for the Independence weekend quiz...

Ciao,

Kartheegeyan S

QOFG 3 - Connexn Quiz - Answers

2009-07-16T02:35:00.048+05:30

Hello World,

Time for the answers and scores for the connection quiz QOFG - 3; Decent response, nobody maxed, few came awfully close though...

1. This stone is named after the flaunter and the buyer. Name it.

The Taylor - Burton diamond bought by Richard Burton for Elizabeth Taylor

2. Identify the kid who rocked the world.

Elvis Presley

3. It was originally titled Al capone. Written about a woman named Annie, who was attacked by an assailant in her apartment, what was this famous piece titled ?

The song, Smooth Criminal

4. What is the claim to fame of this song ?

or download from link http://sites.google.com/site/kartheegeyansstore/home/qofg-3-1/audio4.mp3

First Video on Mtv

5. It is a chronic disorder and a familial trait in domestic animals; called the Pinky Syndrome it is common with Arabian horses and dog breeds like Dobberman and Rottweiler. Also prevalent among humans, what is this unfortunate condition termed?

Vitiligo

6. Mother of all sitters...Identify the composer and the movie.

or download from link http://sites.google.com/site/kartheegeyansstore/home/qofg-3-1/audio6.mp3

Quincy Jones in Mackenna's Gold

7. Daniel Defoe's Robinson Crusoe probably is the first English novel to use the term. The term possibly could owe its usage to the appearance where, as Crusoe shot down many of these birds and hung them like English prisoners. In Japanese mythology, it appears as a deity Kuebiko, who knows everything about the world but who cannot walk. What is the word in question ?

The word is Scarecrow

8. This African country has strong links to the US of A, as much represented by its flag and so much that its capital is named after an US president. Name the country ?

Liberia

9. Who is the speaker and what is the purpose of the first speech and the occassion of the second speech. ?

First:

or download from link http://sites.google.com/site/kartheegeyansstore/home/qofg-3-1/audio9a.mp3

Second:

or download from link http://sites.google.com/site/kartheegeyansstore/home/qofg-3-1/audio9b.mp3

The first speech is JFK requesting for higher funds for space research and putting man in space and trying to pass the bill in the senate.
The second speech is again JFK announcing the US goal of putting man on the moon..after Alan Shepherd, became the first american to fly in space.

10. This flower is named appropriately for its vivacious beauty and the colour. Remember the ill fated pink jacket..?

The Jacqueline Kennedy-Onassis Water lily

CONNECT : The grand connect is Michael Jackson and here is how it connects.

1. Elizabeth Taylor, long term friend of MJ and the first person to refer him as 'King of Pop'
2. Elvis Presley, King of Rock, MJ owns copyrights of his songs and also married his daughter, Lisa Marie.
3. Smooth Criminal - a direct connect
4. The first song on MTV and MJ's 'Billie Jean' was the first black video to break the colour barrier and appear on MTV
5. Vitiligo - MJ suffered from this skin ailment
6. Quincy Jones; MJ and QJ became a winninng combo producing many successful albums starting with Thriller
7. MJ played the role of Scarecrow in his acting debut Wiz (the adaptation of Wizard of Oz) where he met Quincy Jones
8. MJ's Liberian Girl
9. Moonwalk is an obvious connect, but I was looking for something more arbit like Moonwalk which is MJ's autobiography which was nicknamed 'Neil Armstrong' till publication.
10. Jackie Kennedy edited the MJ autobiography - Moonwalk.

Scores:

Kaustuba Venugopal - 24 (Good Show !)
Karthik U - 23 (Congrats !)
Shardha Sankarraman - 22.5 (Congrats !)
Raja - 19
Govind Paliath - 17.5
Ashok Gharpure - 17
Radhika - 15
Kunal - 14
Mayura G - 14
Magesh Shanmugham - 10
Ramanand - 10
Uma Murthy - DNS

Check out the leaderboard for consolidated scores and await the next quiz shortly..

Ciao,
Kartheegeyan S

QOFG 2 - Connexn quiz

2009-07-02T12:54:00.040+05:30

Hello World,

Lukewarm response for the second quiz...nobody maxed and only one cracked the connection...

Pls find the answers:

1. A paralympic selected for this task added to the drama. He was one of 200 people considered; sunrise practices with wind machines simulating different weather conditions and he was one of 4 people waiting for their moment; 2 hours before the actual release, he became the chosen one...though a manual backup was ready for a worst case scenario, he apparently did not miss the target and got his 5 minutes of fame. Though later video slo-mos proved that he actually missed the target, the gas which was fully open saved him the blushes. Who is this person and what was his sporting moment of fame ?

Antonio Rebello, the archer who shot the flaming arrow to light the olympic torch in 92' Barcelona. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g0nNBLxY0pM

2. Connect the three visuals:

The first visual is the advt. for Chupa Chups (sugar free) lollipop...the second face is Mae West...The third visual is Vadivelu with a unique moustache from the movie.

The connection is Salvador Dali (He designed the logo for Chupa Chups, drew the surrealist painting Face of Mae West Which May Be Used as an Apartment in 1935, and Vadivelu sports the Dali moustache. Check Links:-
http://www.oldskull.net/wp-content/uploads/chupachups800orig_1.jpg
http://imagecache5.art.com/p/LRG/6/667/RUYC000Z/salvador-dali-face-of-mae-west-c-1935.jpg
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_7ND9xW_1s6o/SNelCZNYHEI/AAAAAAAACVk/0SWpddBRc_o/s400/salvador_dali_flower_moustache.jpg

3. The bird or the animal...and that's the question.

The connection is Canary Islands. Tweety is a canary and on the right is the coat of arms of Canary Islands. The Islands are named after the dogs (Isla Canariis) and not the birds (though they are found there) which is a misconception.

4. Commentator Bud Collins nicknamed her the '________ Bumblebee'. She started playing tennis at age four, when she followed her older brothers to the court and hit balls against the wall with her first racquet. As a 17-year old, she became the youngest winner of the women's singles title at a Grand slam tournament defeating Steffi Graf in the final. Monica Seles broke the record the following year when she won the title at age 16. She holds the records for the most matches won by a player in Fed Cup competition at 72. Name this legend who achieved her worth by true grit and hardwork competing with arguably more talented contestants ?

Barcelona Bumblebee, Arantxa Sanchez Vicario

5. Evolution of ?

Evolution of Shell logo of the petrochemicals giant

6. Connect the three visuals to a legend:

Shatranj ki khilari, all three Padma Awards and an advt. for NIIT...the connect is Viswanathan Anand

7. AB, Identify the perfume line.

The perfume line is that of Antonio Banderas

8. Identify this logo:

The Olympics bidding logo of Madrid 2016

9. What does this illustration depict ?

It depicts Queen Isabella donating her jewels to fund Columbus's voyage

10. What are these models named after ?

Adidas models named after the festival La Tomatina

The Grand Connect is - SPAIN

1. Barcelona 1992 Olympics
2. Salvador Dali
3. Canary Islands (governed by)
4. Arantxa
5. Shell logo (The yellow and red colours used are thought to relate to the colours of the flag of spain as Shell built early service stations in the state of California which had strong connections with Spain)
6. Viswanathan Anand (a resident of Collado Mediano in Spain)
7. Antonio Banderas (popular face from Spain in Hollywood)
8. Madrid
9. Queen Isabella of Spain
10. La Tomatina (the popular street festival of Spain)

Scores: (25)

Kaustuba Venugopal - 13 (Good Show !)
Ashwini - 10 (Congrats !)
Raja - 9
Magesh Shanmugham - 8
Radhika - 7
Mayura G - 6
Vamsi - 6
Pandiaraj - 6
Crescent - 4
Sandeep Kumar - 2
Uma Murthy - 2

Thanks for your response and feedback. Please standby for the next quiz.

Ciao...
S Kartheegeyan

QOFG...1

2009-06-24T17:00:00.012+05:30

Hello World,

Answers to the first visual quiz...

1. Famous landmark of Chennai...Which semi-fictional literary character is the guy modelled after ?

Ans: He is modelled on the illustration of artist Maniam's Vandhiya Thevan from Ponniyin Selvan by Kalki Krishnamurthy. Check link for illustration: http://sruthiloga.esmartweb.com/images/ps/5.jpg

2. What is special with these swiss watches launched specially for the indian market ?

Ans: The droplet on the right side of the dial shows the rahukalam every day, during which believers avoid key decision making and inking of important documents...starts at 90 (minutes) and recedes to zero when the rahukalam ends. More: http://news.infibeam.com/blog/news/2009/04/17/borgeaud_comes_with_indian_astro_based_watch.html

3. Identify the logo.

Ans: Faber Castell, http://www.thewritingdesk.co.uk/fabercastell/fc_logo.jpg

4. Where do you find this street in Chennai ?

Ans: Private street inside the Fort St. George.

5. Which Tamil movie ripped this idea for its poster design ?

Ans: Sillunu Oru Kadhal, check link: http://www.nowrunning.com/comingsoon/Jillendru%20Oru%20Kadhal/still22.jpg

6. What does this visual explain ?

Ans: They are the silhouette images from under water, of a human surfer, turtle and sea lion, and thus they explain why sharks attack humans...

7. What is harvested here ?

Ans: Saffron (Kesar)

8. What is the name of this movie-inspired toy ?

Ans: Pride rock, (from the Pride rock of Lion King)

9. The year was 1953. What is the location of this photograph ?

Ans: Mecca

10. Making of what...?

Ans: Oscar Statuettes, http://www.monstersandcritics.com/movies/features/article_1388589.php/In_photos_The_Making_of_an_Oscar_statuette

Scores:

Raja 6 (congrats!)
Kamal Rathi 5.5 (good show!)
Kaashyap 5
Karthik U 4
Balakrishnan 4
Ashok Gharpure 4
Kalyani G 3.5
Manav 3
Chatty 2
Ashutosh 2
Basky 1.5
Magesh Shanmugam 1
Kundappan 1
Kuldeep Jain 0

Thanks for your response and feedback and await my connection Quiz.

Ciao,
Kartheegeyan S