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The All New All New Groundspeak UK Pub Quiz

Simply Paul
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Pajaholic

Pajaholic

Posted
Posted

Not anti-inertia either. To be honest, this book was published in 1928 and so well before the stuff it attempts to describe were understood. The mechanism for transmitting the power is very loosely described. Some of that description borders on gravity, but it's more than just gravitational attraction. That said, I'm after just the source of power rather than the mechanism by which that power moves stuff.

 

To make this fair on those who're not familiar with E.E. Smith, I'll mention that getting the answer by reading the book is not cheating, and that some of the Skylark series are available as free eBooks. They can be downloaded in a variety of formats from http://manybooks.net/authors/smithee.html (among others). ;)

 

BTW, I loved the Lensman series when I read them decades ago, but I haven't been able to find more than Triplanetary as an eBook and so I might be a while before I get around to re-reading them!

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Pajaholic

Pajaholic

Posted
Posted

I'm going off-grid for a while and so won't be able to hand over the ding. TBH I'm surprised that nobody has correctly answered this question -- even more so since I've given a freely accessible source of the answer. FWIW, E.E. Smith appears alongside Isaac Asimov, Arthur C. Clarke, Robert A. Heinlein, et al. in just about every top 10 list of sci-fi authors I've seen. We've already had a question from "A Stranger in a Strange Land" (Heinlein) and this question seems to me no more obscure than that as it asks for the pivotal 'fact' of the book.

 

Since I'm unable to participate for a while, I guess it's time to roll things back. I pm'd earlier today to ask Mellers to set another question, but haven't had a reply. So if anyone wants to jump in and set a question, please go ahead.

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Pharisee

+Pharisee

Posted
Posted

I guess we're all familiar with the events of "9/11"... the 11th September 2001, but there was another 9/11 event that for those involved was probably just as momentous but without the extreme trauma and horrific loss of life. This "9/11" was the 9th November 1989.... What happened?

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Pharisee

+Pharisee

Posted
Posted

I think that might be when the Berlin wall came down (but Mr f says it has something to do with a Rugby match England did particularly well at...)

 

That's close enough for a DING. In fact, it was the day that the East German government announced that travel restrictions on their citizens had been lifted and that they were free to travel into the west if they wanted to. The wall started to come down that evening but it was quite some time before it was completely demolished.

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mellers

+mellers

Posted
Posted

Time out.

A new rule: If a Dingee fails to ask a question one week after bing Dinged, anyone can step in with a fresh question.

A reminder of the other rules: Questions should be Pub-Quiz level and Internet searches aren't allowed to find the answer... unless things drag-on and the Questioner ok's Googling (or similar). It's also fine to ask friends or family - so long as they don't look up the answer online either - and books are alright to check. The various QI ones seem a good bet ;)

Game on!

Invoking Simply Paul's adjudication from a few weeks ago, I'll set a new question if that's OK with everyone.

 

A nice easy one to ease us back in to the swing...

What are the names of the two mascots for the 2012 London Olympics and Paralympics)?

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Fianccetto

+Fianccetto

Posted
Posted

Which long distance boat race, held over the Spring Bank Holiday weekend, is 125 miles long, has 77 portages and finishes on the tidal portion of the River Thames, opposite the houses of Parliament. (The non-stop version of this race is the longest non-stop boat race of its kind in the world.)

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Fianccetto

+Fianccetto

Posted
Posted

Is it as simple as The Thames Challenge?

 

Would love to give you a ding but the first 55 miles of the race are on different waterways (both rivers and canals).

 

The name of the challenge gets shortened to 2 letters, the initials of the start and finish of the race. X-Y So will accept the correct letters and the type of boat involved. (checking paper maps is allowed, online maps not allowed).

 

Another minor clue, because if you were near one of the waterways last weekend, you might have seen some participants (a red herring otherwise.): When we walked around Reading on Saturday we saw a lot of the participants, some singles, some doubles. This is just over half way, they have to go through the town centre and it is at Reading they join the Thames. A race number with the name of the race is clearly fixed to each boat.

 

Going to work today, will check back when I get home.

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dodgydaved

dodgydaved

Posted
Posted

Devices to Westminster.

 

Used to be a kayak/canoe only race, don;t know if it still is - first heard of it back in the 60's when a scout in Bath - came across it early one morning in the 70's when moored up in a narrow boat on the Thames whilst looping the GU, Thames, Oxford canal.

 

Kept us awake half the night!!

 

DDD

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Fianccetto

+Fianccetto

Posted
Posted (edited)

Devices to Westminster.

 

Used to be a kayak/canoe only race, don;t know if it still is - first heard of it back in the 60's when a scout in Bath - came across it early one morning in the 70's when moored up in a narrow boat on the Thames whilst looping the GU, Thames, Oxford canal.

 

Kept us awake half the night!!

 

DDD

DING!

(Devized to Westminster)

Some do it in 4 stages, but for the non stop race they carry on all through the night.

Edited by Fianccetto
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dodgydaved

dodgydaved

Posted
Posted

Devices to Westminster.

 

Used to be a kayak/canoe only race, don;t know if it still is - first heard of it back in the 60's when a scout in Bath - came across it early one morning in the 70's when moored up in a narrow boat on the Thames whilst looping the GU, Thames, Oxford canal.

 

Kept us awake half the night!!

 

DDD

DING!

(Devized to Westminster)

Some do it in 4 stages, but for the non stop race they carry on all through the night.

 

 

OK, at the present I am on Holiday in aq location I sometimes communicated with some of you a few years ago!

 

Sooooooo where are the Grutas Maravilla?

 

Back on Thurs flying from Sevilla (clue) mind I want the town!!

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dodgydaved

dodgydaved

Posted
Posted

There seem to be no takers for my Aracena question so try this one, asked in last night's Comrades Club Quiz:

 

The Bank of England was founded in 1694 and issued the first English banknotes (of a sort) the same year - but who was the first English monarch to have their portrait on an English banknote?

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mellers

+mellers

Posted
Posted

There seem to be no takers for my Aracena question so try this one, asked in last night's Comrades Club Quiz:

 

The Bank of England was founded in 1694 and issued the first English banknotes (of a sort) the same year - but who was the first English monarch to have their portrait on an English banknote?

Elizabeth II?

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dodgydaved

dodgydaved

Posted
Posted

There seem to be no takers for my Aracena question so try this one, asked in last night's Comrades Club Quiz:

 

The Bank of England was founded in 1694 and issued the first English banknotes (of a sort) the same year - but who was the first English monarch to have their portrait on an English banknote?

Elizabeth II?

 

Ger DOING!!!!!!!!!

 

over to you mellers!

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mellers

+mellers

Posted
Posted

I think most of us will know of, or have at some time heard, the famous operatic aria by Puccini called Nessun Dorma. The most famous bit, is probably at the end when the tenor sings "Vincero, vincero, vincer-o" (pronounced vinchero).

 

What does 'Vincero' mean in English?

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