On The Fly

Question 1

What are the number-sound relationships in the Major memory system?

Answer 1

0 s z
1 t d th
2 n
3 m
4 r
5 l
6 sh ch j soft g
7 k c hard g
8 f v
9 p b

Question 2

What are some interesting things about billiards?

Answer 2

If Earth were the size of a billiard ball, it’d be smoother.
Billiard balls used to be made of ivory, as it was the perfect material at the time for bouncing off rails, other balls, etc. the highest grade ivory, at that. It was even called billiard-ball ivory. Could only get about billiard balls from the average tusk. Prize of 10,000 (~$3 million) was offered to whoever could come up with an alternative to ivory—this indirectly inspired the invention of celluloid.

Question 3

What is the significance of the song Baba Yetu?

Answer 3

It was the theme song for Civ IV and was the first piece of music composed for a video game to win a Grammy (in 2011). Composer Christopher Tin mentioned it in his acceptance speech. The lyrics are a Swahili translation of the Lord’s Prayer.

Question 4

Tell me about the first Ferris wheel.

Answer 4

Opened in 1893 for the World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago.
250-foot diameter, cars that held 60 people, 50 cents for 20-minute ride

Question 5

Tell me about McDonald’s

Answer 5

First one in 1940 in San Bernadino. Ray Kroc got franchise rights in 1954. Hamburger University to standardize product. 2 million people work at 36,000 stores in 119 countries

Question 6

What are the Roman numerals?

Answer 6

I
V
X
L
C
D 500
M
IM 999
Line over the letter multiplies it by 1,000

Question 7

What’re the numeric prefixes and their multipliers?

Answer 7

yocto 10 -24
...
pico 10 -12
nano 10 -9
micro 10 -6
milli 10 -3
centi 10 -2
deci 10 -1
deka 10 1
hecto 10 2
kilo 10 3
mega 10 6
giga 10 9
tera 10 12
peta 10 15
exa 10 18
zetta 10 21
yotta 10 24

Question 8

How do you make an origami bookmark?

Answer 8

Triangle
Fold corners in, unfold
Fold closer top half down
Tuck corners inside

Question 9

How do you fold…
A cell-phone stand
An envelope
A corner bookmark

Answer 9

folds

Question 10

Why should one not regret growing older?

Answer 10

It is a privilege denied to many.

Question 11

What up with gondolas?

Answer 11

Ferro(?) named for being made of iron, has 6 teeth, one for each district of Venice; one on opposite side for an island that’s part of Venice; whole thing serves as a counterweight; must be painted black because warlords started getting crazy with their gang colors

Question 12

duffel etym

Answer 12

Dutch duffel, from Duffel, town in Brabant where the cloth was originally sold. Duffel bag is American English, 1915.