Bomo
May 11-12, 2012
On-Air Questions and Songs
Unused questions are shown with gray text.
| Number | 1 |
| Realm | A long, long time ago... |
| Subrealm | In a galaxy far far away... |
| Question | ...two Williams freshman gathered in Sage Hall for an evening of simple mind-altering pleasures, typical of their era (and maybe any era). Their names were Peemo and Gunny. Their partakings resulted in the inevitable outcome, a bad case of the munchies. But all they could find at that late hour to satisfy their urges was some turkish taffy. And not just any turkish taffy, but the leading brand. In their condition, they were unable to correctly pronounce all three syllables of this brand name, and ended up chanting a mumbled two-syllable version over and over again. What were they mumbling? |
| Answer | BOMO (short for Bomono Turkish Taffy) |
| Song | She's Not There |
| Artist | Zombies |
| Number | 2 |
| Realm | Back before there were computers... |
| Subrealm | ...There were still programmers |
| Question | There is a computer programming language named after a famous poet's daughter, who is often credited as being the first programmer. Name the poet and his daughter. |
| Answer | Lord Byron and Ada Lovelace |
| Song | Ada |
| Artist | The National |
| Note | Lady Lovelace worked with Charles Babbage on his (never completed) Analytical Engine. |
| Number | 3 |
| Realm | gestures |
| Subrealm | with meaning! |
| Question | If you hold out your pointer and middle fingers on both hands and rub the right hand fingers back and forth on top of the left hand fingers, what are you saying in American Sign Language? |
| Answer | train |
| Song | Midnight Train to Georgia |
| Artist | Gladys Knight and the Pips |
| Number | 4 |
| Realm | Jackie Robinson |
| Subrealm | Was only the first |
| Question | The Brooklyn Dodgers took the first step over the baseball color line by debuting Jackie Robinson in 1947. What major league team was the last to enlist a player of African descent? |
| Answer | Boston Red Sox |
| Song | Going Out in Style |
| Artist | Dropkick Murphys |
| Note | The Red Sox added Pumpsie Green to the lineup on July 21, 1959, twelve years after Robinson joined the Dodgers. Of course, there were expansion teams who joined the majors in later years, and they arguably qualify as answers to the question. |
| Number | 5 |
| Realm | Too bad his career never worked out |
| Subrealm | Actually it hasn't been so great recently... |
| Question | Everyone knows Kevin Costner ended up on the cutting room floor for his first significant role in "The Big Chill" - he played Alex, the one who committed suicide, and all his flashback scenes were edited out. But the director Lawrence Kasden made it up to him by featuring him in his breakout starring role in what movie? |
| Answer | Silverado |
| Song | Theme from "The Magnificent Seven" |
| Artist | Elmer Bernstein |
| Number | 6 |
| Realm | You Didn't See a White Straw Skimmer, Did You? |
| Subrealm | Who Are Those Guys? |
| Question | In "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid", Butch and Sundance are about to make their stand, unbeknownst to them their last charge, not knowing the Bolivian army awaits them. They are terribly injured, and as they wrap their wounds and load their guns, Butch is trying to convince Sundance of the merits of his next idea....Australia. What is his main selling point for Australia? |
| Answer | "They speak English in Australia" |
| Song | I Melt With You |
| Artist | Modern English |
| Number | 7 |
| Realm | This is Not Your Grandmother's Book Club Book |
| Subrealm | But It May Be Your Mother's!!! |
| Question | SHE'S a college senior. HE'S a CEO who is going to speak at her college commencement. SHE wants to profile him for the student newspaper. HE has plans for her as well....naughty plans. S&M, that is, and I don't mean the Sox and the Mets. And those plans start percolating, rather explicitely, from Chapter 9 on....this is the plot, as it were, of what steamy bestselling novel? |
| Answer | 50 Shades of Gray |
| Song | The 59th Street Bridge Song (Feelin' Groovy) |
| Artist | Simon & Garfunkel |
| Number | 8 |
| Realm | Blizzard watch out! |
| Subrealm | World of Warcraft isn't what it used to be |
| Question | Which immensely popular game, released in 2009 with 17 available champions, currently logs more than twice the number of minutes played per day than World of Warcraft? |
| Answer | League of Legends |
| Song | Maps and Legends |
| Artist | R.E.M. |
| Number | 9 |
| Realm | This song is in memory of BOMO legend Tom Soybel |
| Subrealm | With love to Ginny... |
| Question | The abiguously named Jaye Davidson was the star of a 1992 thriller with a stunning plot twist, in which it was revealed, rather explicitly, that he was a man and not a woman as was presumed. What as the movie? |
| Answer | The Crying Game |
| Song | 96 Tears |
| Artist | Question Mark and the Mysterians |
| Number | 10 |
| Realm | Hair |
| Subrealm | Straight or curly? |
| Question | The expression "not turn a hair" means to stay calm and not show emotion in a difficult situation. Where does this phrase originate? |
| Answer | horseracing (after a race, a horse's hair is turned out) |
| Song | The Distance |
| Artist | Cake |
| Number | 11 |
| Realm | Percentages |
| Subrealm | Babies! |
| Question | What country has the highest rate of natural multiple births? |
| Answer | Nigeria |
| Song | Someone like you |
| Artist | Adele |
| Number | 12 |
| Realm | Battle of the Sexes |
| Subrealm | Sometimes it isn't very close |
| Question | In 1995, Carnegie Mellon defined a new measure of the number of women in their computer science department. What is this measure, and how did it originate? |
| Answer | The Dave-to-Girl ratio, which came about when CMU realized that there were more men named Dave than women in their CS department. |
| Song | The Best of What's Around |
| Artist | Dave Matthews Band |
| Number | 13 |
| Realm | It Probably Would Have Gone Gold Anyway |
| Subrealm | Or at least been a terrific McDonald's Commercial |
| Question | When the artist first wrote this song, he had the tune before the lyrics. When he first played the tune for his songwriting partner, he used these dummy lyrics instead: "Scrambled eggs. Have an omelet with some muenster cheese. Put your dished in the washbin please, so I can clean the scrambled eggs." What is the song? |
| Answer | Yesterday (McCartney singing to Lennon) |
| Song | Yesterday's Gone |
| Artist | Chad and Jeremy |
| Number | 14 |
| Realm | Everyone Should See This Movie |
| Subrealm | You Must Remember This |
| Question | The opening credits of "Casablanca" are followed by an introduction that describes the "tortuous roundabout refuge trail" by which Europeans tried to escape the coming of World War II by getting to America. The voiceover describes the journey as a line marks the trail, which links four cities... What are the four cities? |
| Answer | Paris, Marseilles, Oran, Casablanca |
| Song | Roam |
| Artist | B-52s |
| Number | 15 |
| Realm | Everyone DID See This Movie |
| Subrealm | ...Right? |
| Question | In the movie "Titanic," when the Titanic goes down, what is Jack Dawson wearing on his wrists, and why? |
| Answer | Handcuffs. He's wearing them because he was set up as having stolen the Queen of the Sea diamond. {Rose split the handcuffs with an axe.} |
| Song | I Fought the Law |
| Artist | The Bobby Fuller Four |
| Number | 16 |
| Realm | Your first words |
| Subrealm | Mama and Papa |
| Question | In most modern day languages, the words "mama" and "papa" refer to "mother" and "father", respectively. However, in what language does "mama" actually mean "father" and "dada" mean "mother"? |
| Answer | Georgian |
| Song | De do do do de da da da |
| Artist | The Police |
| Note | The words are the easiest syllables to pronounce. |
| Number | 17 |
| Realm | Day[9] |
| Subrealm | Funday Monday! |
| Question | In Day[9] daily number 200, what did the Protoss player Uniden fail to protect causing his unexpected defeat? |
| Answer | His last pylon |
| Song | Isla del Sol |
| Artist | Ottmar Liebert |
| Note | day9.tv is a website with daily vidoes on how to be a better gamer. |
| Number | 18 |
| Realm | Tough year so far for the Red Sox |
| Subrealm | Their pitchers can't pitch, so why would we expect their hitters to pitch? |
| Question | Just a few weeks ago, major league baseball saw something for the first time in 87 years... a position player took the mound FOR EACH TEAM when both teams ran out of pitchers in extra innings. First basemen Chris Davis of the Orioles outdueled outfielder Darnell McDonald of the Red Sox in the 17th Inning. The last time two hitters pitched in the same game was in 1925, and it was two Hall of Fame hitters that did the honors. Who were they? |
| Answer | Ty Cobb and George Sisler |
| Song | Wild Thing |
| Artist | Troggs |
| Number | 19 |
| Realm | No soup for you! |
| Subrealm | And you didn't even make me famous! |
| Question | Everybody's seen the famous "Soup Nazi" episode from the 7th season of "Seinfeld". But that was NOT the first reference to that character in pop culture. A few years before, a very popular movie made reference to the "greatest soup you've ever eaten" that is made by "the meanest man in America". What is that movie? |
| Answer | Sleepless in Seattle |
| Song | Sleepless |
| Artist | Until June |
| Number | 20 |
| Realm | Nerds |
| Subrealm | Yes, some are female |
| Question | Now Lady Gaga is known for her flamboyant and, frankly, strange, musical and performance style. When she was in middle school, she attended a summer camp that would have firmly gained her a classification as a nerd. What is this camp? |
| Answer | Johns Hopkins CTY |
| Song | American Pie |
| Artist | Don Mclean |
| Note | CTY is the "Centet for Talented Youth." Its classes are enrichment for high school students. |
| Number | 21 |
| Realm | Playing with fire |
| Subrealm | Professionally, that is |
| Question | One German band is known for performing with lots of fire effects. In fact, the lead vocalist is a licensed pyrotechnician. What is the name of that vocalist? |
| Answer | Till Lindemann |
| Song | Feuer Frei |
| Artist | Rammstein |
| Note | Till Lindemann is the lead singer for the band Rammstein. According to Wikipedia, the band has become extrmely famous for its pyrotechnics, and Lindemann "spends entire songs engulfed head-to-toe in flames. He has suffered multiple burns on his ears, hair and arms. ... The heat is so intense that on occasion, people have been carried out of Rammstein concerts suffering from heat exhaustion, and lighting gantries have been seen glowing red-hot from repeated fireball hits." |
| Number | 22 |
| Realm | Computers |
| Subrealm | They've come a long way |
| Question | Today, debugging a program consists of changing code and running it again. A few decades ago, it was a mental exercise because it took so long to actually run a program from punch cards. But what was involved with the very first debugging procedure? |
| Answer | Removing a moth from the vacuum tubes of an early computer - literally debugging it. |
| Song | Bug |
| Artist | Phish |
| Note | The term debugging was coined by Admiral Grace Hopper, one of the creators of the FORTRAN language, in response to the moth incident, which occurred while she and a group of programmers were working on the Mark II computer at Harvard in 1947. The remains of the moth can be found in the group's log book at the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of American History in Washington, D.C. |
| Number | 23 |
| Realm | Ancient Medicine |
| Subrealm | Hippocrates knew his stuff |
| Question | In the United States, this wild flower is named after a British monarch. Back in the day, Hippocrates prescribed it as a means of birth control. Name the flower. |
| Answer | Queens Anne Lace (aka Daucus Carota) |
| Song | A Human Body |
| Artist | Queen |
| Note | People still use Queen Anne's Lace as a contraceptive today. |
| Number | 24 |
| Realm | Main characters |
| Subrealm | First names |
| Question | In a recent popular movie, 2 of the 3 main characters had popular names. In fact, they were the top male and female baby names in 2010. What movie is it? |
| Answer | Twilight |
| Song | Dancing in the Moonlight |
| Artist | King Harvest |
| Note | The names were Jacob and Isabella. |
| Number | 25 |
| Realm | Death |
| Subrealm | Avian and Human varieties |
| Question | John Megna played Dill Harris in "To Kill A Mockingbird". What did he die of at age 42? |
| Answer | AIDS |
| Song | Disease |
| Artist | Matchbox Twenty |
| Note | John Megna also appeared as one of the children in "Miri", an episode of Star Trek. His character in To Kill a Mockingbird was based on Truman Capote. He died in 1995. |
| Number | 26 |
| Realm | What?! |
| Subrealm | It was the butler?! |
| Question | When speaking, it is easy to convey a mixture of surprise and confusion using inflection. Writers find this harder to accomplish without using the rather informal alternating question mark and exclamation point. In 1962, Martin Speckter solved this problem. How? |
| Answer | He invented the interrobang, a symbol that combines ? and ! |
| Song | I Shot the Sheriff |
| Artist | Eric Clapton |
| Note | The interrobang's Unicode number is U+203D. |
| Number | 27 |
| Realm | He sure didn't seem like the type |
| Subrealm | But hey, split happens |
| Question | Everyone knows Ross Geller of "Friends" had three wives, Carol, Emily, and Rachel, and three divorces. We want to know, exactly how did Ross's marriage to Emily end, virtually as soon as it started? |
| Answer | When taking his wedding vows with Emily, he said Rachels name instead of Emily's |
| Song | You Can't Always Get What You Want |
| Artist | Rolling Stones |
| Number | 28 |
| Realm | There are many ways to be famous... |
| Subrealm | ...at least this one lasts far longer than 15 minutes |
| Question | Slate magazine came up with a new measure of fame, called the "Shortz Factor" in honor of Will Shortz, the New York Times crossword puzzle editor. Slate counted the number of times a person appeared in the Times crossword puzzle and divided it by the number of times the same person appeared in the regular pages of the New York Times. The higher the ratio, the more "crossword famous" someone was. Among those who did well were singer Etta James, former New York Giants slugger Mel Ott, and former NYPD Blues star Esai Morales. But who was at that top of the list? That is, who is the most "crossword famous" person of them all? |
| Answer | Mystery writer Erle Stanley Gardner |
| Song | Mystery Dance |
| Artist | Elvis Costello |
| Note | Other top scorers were Charolette Rae and Uri Geller. Estes Kefauver didn't make the list. |
| Number | 29 |
| Realm | YouTube |
| Subrealm | It's for nerds |
| Question | In 2007, John and Hank Green, better known as the vlogbrothers, did not use any form of text-based communication with each other. Instead, they uploaded daily videos to youtube. Today, their youtube videos have over 220 million views, and they have a huge following who call themselves the Nerdfighters. Where did the name Nerdfighters come from? |
| Answer | John saw an arcade game called "Aerofighters" which he mistakenly read as "Nerdfighters" |
| Song | Mama Kin |
| Artist | Aerosmith |
| Number | 30 |
| Realm | A new twist on the "My Sweet Lord"/"He's so Fine" controversy |
| Subrealm | But don't all these songs kinda sound alike anyway? |
| Question | Recently, two major artists were mistakenly given the same soundtrack by a producer, and each released the song with different lyrics and productions. We're going to play half of both songs, and you'll get one point if you name one song and artist, and two points if you name both songs and artists |
| Answer | See: songs |
| Song | #1: Already Gone / #2: Halo |
| Artist | #1: Kelly Clarkson / #2 Beyonce |
| Note | Both songs were co-written by Ryan Tedder of the band OneRepublic. The two divas were none too pleased with him. |
| Number | 31 |
| Realm | It wasn't Long Tall Sally |
| Subrealm | Or even Ride Sally Ride |
| Question | In the movie "Coming Home", Luke Martin (played by Jon Voight) remembers Sally Bender's nickname from high school. What was that nickname? |
| Answer | Bender Over |
| Song | It's Over |
| Artist | Roy Orbison |
| Number | 32 |
| Realm | $500,000 |
| Subrealm | Only to lose |
| Question | Kimbo Slice's first sanctioned mixed martial arts loss is widely accepted as the main cause in the bankruptcy of EliteXC in 2008. Who beat Kimbo Slice in this match and, for a another point, who was Kimbo Slice scheduled to fight? |
| Answer | Seth Petruzelli (winner), Ken Shamrock (initial opponent) |
| Song | Kung Fu Fighting |
| Artist | Carl Douglas |
| Note | 3-point play |
| Number | 33 |
| Realm | Critics |
| Subrealm | You can't trust them |
| Question | Which Broadway show had opening night on December 1st, 2011, and closed on December 30th, 2011, ending its expected run prematurely despite positive audience reactions? |
| Answer | Bonnie and Clyde |
| Song | Something to Talk About |
| Artist | Bonnie Raitt |
| Number | 34 |
| Realm | A Good Year for Harvard Sports, Part II |
| Subrealm | And for the Newfoundland Newfs |
| Question | Ryan Fitzpatrick of the Buffalo Bills has achieved notoriety as the first Harvard quarterback to start an NFL game, and he is a very good quarterback. But once a Harvard grad famously started an NFL exhibition game at quarterback, was as bad as Fitzpatrick is good, and wrote about it....who was that Harvard grad? |
| Answer | George Plimpton (author of "Paper Lion") |
| Song | Paperback Writer |
| Artist | The Beatles |
| Number | 35 |
| Realm | Hmm, That Does Look Good |
| Subrealm | But is it Live, or is it Memorex? |
| Question | We all remember, in the movie, "When Harry Met Sally," Meg Ryan's famous "fake orgasm" scene in Katz' Deli. We also remember the end of the scene, when a middle-aged woman at a nearby table memorably says to the waiter: "I'll have what she's having." Who was the actress who played that woman? |
| Answer | Estelle Reiner, director Rob Reiner's mother |
| Song | Fakin' It |
| Artist | Simon & Garfunkel |
| Number | 36 |
| Realm | National Lampoon's Family Vacation |
| Subrealm | Well, it's not from that but sure sounds like it |
| Question | Gail Collins of the New York Times has mentioned one particular lovely story about Mitt Romney and the Romney family vacations in each one of her columns in the 2011-2012 election season. What as the subject of her story? |
| Answer | Romney put the family dog, Seamus, in a crate and strapped it to the roof of the car for a 12-hour ride from Boston to a Romney vacation home in Canada. (accept "dog on roof") |
| Song | Up on the Roof |
| Artist | The Drifters |
| Number | 37 |
| Realm | I failed my hearing test. |
| Subrealm | What?!? |
| Question | What is the deal with this song? |
| Answer | it is not in English, but is designed to sound linguistically like English |
| Song | Prisencolinensinainciusol |
| Artist | Adriano Celentano |
| Note | According to Wikipedia, "Celentano's rationale for the song was that, after releasing albums about ecology and social issues, 'having just recorded an album of songs that meant something, I wanted to do something that meant nothing'". |
| Number | 38 |
| Realm | computers |
| Subrealm | and plumbing |
| Question | In computer software, a particular kind of test is done to do some quick spot checks rather than trying every function. The name of this test comes from a plumbing term for a similar function. What is this kind of test called? |
| Answer | Smoke test |
| Song | This is only a test |
| Artist | The Smoking Popes |
| Number | 39 |
| Realm | Saving the world |
| Subrealm | by curing disease |
| Question | What is the name of the high school student who was recently in the news for discovering a possible cure for cancer? |
| Answer | Angela Zhang |
| Song | Save the world |
| Artist | Swedish House Mafia |
| Note | Zhang won the national Siemens science contest for her work. "I created a nanoparticle that's kind of like the Swiss Army knife of cancer treatment in that it can detect cancer cells, eradicate the cancer cells and then monitor the treatment response. So the major aim of the project was to personalize cancer medicine," she told ABC News. |
| Number | 40 |
| Realm | Blasphemy laws |
| Subrealm | Should be burned at the stake |
| Question | In which repressive regime would you still find the following law on the books: "Whoever willfully blasphemes the holy name of God by denying, cursing or contumeliously reproaching God, His creation, government or final scriptures shall be punished by imprisonment in jail for not more than one year or by a fine of not more than three hundred dollars, and may also be bound to good behavior"? |
| Answer | The Commonwealth of Massachusetts |
| Song | More than Words |
| Artist | Extreme |
| Number | 41 |
| Realm | Knitting |
| Subrealm | It's not just for old women |
| Question | On June 11, 2011, many ordinary outdoor sights such as trees, fences, and parking meters were a lot more colorful than usual. Why? |
| Answer | It was the first International Yarnbombing Day |
| Song | Doozer Knitting Song |
| Artist | Fraggle Rock/The Muppets |
| Number | 42 |
| Realm | Passengers and Cargo |
| Subrealm | Takeoffs and landings |
| Question | The Airports Council International defines three measures of the world's busiest airport. In 2010, which airport was the only one to rank in the top 10 busiest airports in all three categories? |
| Answer | Charles de Gaulle, Paris, France |
| Song | Leaving on a Jet Plane |
| Artist | Peter, Paul, and Mary |
| Number | 43 |
| Realm | Error 404 |
| Subrealm | Realm Not Found |
| Question | We all know that Error 404 stands for "Not Found". But what about Error 418? |
| Answer | I'm a teapot. |
| Song | Tom's Diner |
| Artist | Susanne Vega |
| Note | According to Wikipedia, "This code was defined in 1998 as one of the traditional IETF April Fools' jokes, in RFC 2324, Hyper Text Coffee Pot Control Protocol, and is not expected to be implemented by actual HTTP servers. However, known implementations do exist." |
| Number | 44 |
| Realm | Really really big |
| Subrealm | That's what she said |
| Question | There are approximately 8x10^67 permutations for a standard deck of playing cards. How many permutations are there for a deck of Tichu cards? |
| Answer | 56! or approximately 7.1x10^74 |
| Song | That's Mathematics |
| Artist | Tom Lehrer |
| Note | The number of orderings of an ordinary deck of cards is approximately the same as the number of atoms in the Milky Way. So if you truly randomize the deck, the probability is good that that ordering has never ever appeared in any deck in the history of card playing. |
| Number | 45 |
| Realm | The hills are alive |
| Subrealm | But the lyricist is not |
| Question | Although commonly believed to be an Austrian folk song, this tune was actually written specifically for a musical, and was the last song its lyricist ever wrote. Name the song and the writer. |
| Answer | Edelweiss, Oscar Hammerstein II |
| Song | The Last Song |
| Artist | Edward Bear |
| Number | 46 |
| Realm | comma Mike |
| Subrealm | I don't know, does he have kids or something? |
| Question | When Mike Relm made a mashup of this movie, the studio immediately asked if they could use it for an ad. What was the movie? |
| Answer | Iron Man 2 |
| Song | Highway to Hell |
| Artist | AC/DC |
| Number | 47 |
| Realm | D&D |
| Subrealm | When you die in the game you die in real life |
| Question | If real life was 4th edition Dungeons and Dragons and you jumped off the roof of the Empire State Building, how much damage would you take (assuming you don't do anything to stop it)? |
| Answer | 125d10 |
| Song | Free falling |
| Artist | Tom Petty |
| Number | 48 |
| Realm | I am not a number |
| Subrealm | I am a free man! |
| Question | What do Mitt Romney, Paul McCartney, and Dale Earnhardt have in common? |
| Answer | Their popular "first" names are actually their given middle names. |
| Song | Stuck in the Middle With You |
| Artist | Stealers Wheel |
| Note | Their real first names are Willard, James, amd Ralph, respectively. |
| Number | 49 |
| Realm | Fox News |
| Subrealm | Ah, who cares about news? |
| Question | This woman is a Fox News Anchor, and comes from a famous family: her step sister is an actress who has been on multiple prime time tv shows in the past five years, her step-grandfather was a comedy writer for MGM and worked with Laurel and Hardy, Bing Crosby, Frank SInatra, and Robert F Kennedy, and her mother was a well-known actress beginning in the 1950's and as recently as several episodes of 7th heaven. What is her name? |
| Answer | Claudia Cowan |
| Song | C is for cookie? |
| Artist | Cookie Monster? |
| Note | Claudia Cowan's stepsisters are Melissa Gilbert and Sara Gilbert. Her stepmother is Barbara Cowan, the daughter of comedy writer Harry Crane. Her mother is Barbara Rush. |
| Number | 50 |
| Realm | Are you pondering what I'm pondering? |
| Subrealm | I think so, Brain, but... |
| Question | On the show Pinky and the Brain, with whom does Pinky ponder procreating? |
| Answer | Pippi Longstocking |
| Song | Everybody wants to Rule the World |
| Artist | Tears for Fears |
| Note | Brain: Pinky, Are you pondering what I'm pondering? Pinky: I think so, Brain, but me and Pippi Longstocking... I mean, what would the children look like? |
| Number | 51 |
| Realm | Friggatriskaidekaphobia |
| Subrealm | Relatively Speaking... |
| Question | On Friday, September 13th, 1963, in the bottom of the 13th inning, Dick Schofield scored the winning run for the Pirates, a rare Friday the 13th, 13th inning win...so rare, in fact, that it did not happen again until 2012, when a Washington Nationals slugger drove in the gamewinner on April 13th in the 13th inning. Who was that slugger, and what was his incredible connection with Dick Schofield? |
| Answer | Jayson Werth...Dick Schofield's grandson! (need both parts for the point) |
| Song | For What It's Worth |
| Artist | Buffalo Springfield |
| Note | "It's freaky, a little. It's cool," Werth said the next day. "I like stuff like that - the unexplainable." |
| Number | 52 |
| Realm | That's a lot of wine! |
| Subrealm | Please drink responsibly |
| Question | Many of the larger sized wine bottles are named after biblical figures. For example, there are 20 liters or 26.66 standard bottles in a Solomon. Measured in standard bottles, how much wine would you have if you had a Methuselah, a Mordechai, a Balthazar, and a Nebuchadnezzar? |
| Answer | 8+12+16+20=56 standard bottles |
| Song | God of Wine |
| Artist | Third Eye Blind |
| Number | 53 |
| Realm | Sports |
| Subrealm | 363 Days a year?! |
| Question | Apart from years with the Winter Olympics, there are only two days without an NFL, NHL, MLB, or NBA game. When are these two days? |
| Answer | The day before and day after the MLB All Star Game |
| Song | All Star |
| Artist | Smash Mouth |
| Note | Of course, the Home Run Derby happens the night before the All Star Game. So you really only have to do something else once a year. |
| Number | 54 |
| Realm | This is not about sheep |
| Subrealm | Or necrophilia |
| Question | Simon De Bruxelles described seahorses as "promiscuous, flighty, and more than a little bit gay". Of his 3168 observed sexual encounters, what percentage were homosexual? |
| Answer | 37% |
| Song | Seahorse |
| Artist | Jonathan Coulton |
| Note | Simon De Bruxelles writes for The Times of London. |
| Number | 55 |
| Realm | Skiing |
| Subrealm | But not snowboarding |
| Question | There are currently three ski resorts in the United States that do not allow snowboarding: Mad River Glen in Vermont, Deer Valley and Alta (both in Utah). Four years ago, a ski resort in New Mexico decided to lift their ban on snowboarding when the other three held theirs. Name that resort. |
| Answer | Taos [Ski Valley] |
| Song | A Hazy Shade of Winter |
| Artist | Simon & Garfunkel |
| Number | 56 |
| Realm | Subjective |
| Subrealm | Truthiness |
| Question | In 2006, Stephen Colbert advised his viewers to go on Wikipedia and "create" the "fact" that a particular animal had tripled in population in the past six months. What animal was it? |
| Answer | African Elephant |
| Song | Africa |
| Artist | Toto |
| Note | Colbert was making the point that you can't trust Wikipedia. Jon Stewart later suggested that people change his Wikipedia page to say that he is Batman. |
| Number | 57 |
| Realm | Darwin Awards |
| Subrealm | I'll be what I am... angry wheelchair man |
| Question | The 2011 Darwin Awards, an annual award given, posthumously of course, to the person who made the world a safer place by not reproducing. That is, basically, for dying in the supidest way. So, how exactly did Angry Wheelchair Man meet his demise simply by missing an elevator? |
| Answer | Enraged, he rammed his chair three times against the lift doors, angrily breaking through and falling down the rabbit hole of the elevator shaft to his death. |
| Song | We Will not Grow Old |
| Artist | Lenka |
| Number | 58 |
| Realm | If I had a hammer |
| Subrealm | ...I'd use it on some legends |
| Question | Henry Aaron is, of course, the all-time leading home run hitter. (Oh yeah, the Bonds guy. Juiced beyond belief. Forget about him.) Anyway, who were the last two players Aaron passed to become third and then second on the all-time list before passing Babe Ruth? |
| Answer | He passed Mickey Mantle with his 537th homer in 1969 to become 3rd on the list, and then hit homer 649 to pass the still active Willie Mays in 1972 to become 2nd. |
| Song | People Have the Power |
| Artist | Patti Smith |
| Number | 59 |
| Realm | Red means stop |
| Subrealm | Green means go |
| Question | The British get the credit for the first red/green traffic light, which was installed in 1868 in London. A month later, however, the still-successful traffic light project was abandoned. Why? |
| Answer | Because one of the gas-powered lights blew up in the face of the policeman who was operating it. |
| Song | Traffic Lights |
| Artist | Monty Python |
| Number | 60 |
| Realm | He's the greatest wizard of the age |
| Subrealm | But, yes he's a little bit mad |
| Question | You might remember Dumbledore's start-of-term speech in Sorcerer's Stone to be short and a bit boring. He mentions that the Forbidden Forest is forbidden, as is the third-floor corridor on the right hand side. But this is the movie version of Dumbledore's speech. In the book, what more interesting words does he deliver? |
| Answer | Nitwit, blubber, oddment, tweak! |
| Song | Dumbledore |
| Artist | Harry and the Potters |
| Number | 61 |
| Realm | Gliding the resume Lily? |
| Subrealm | Yes but don't call me Lily.... |
| Question | She's a Stanford graduate who has earned master's degrees at Columbia and Oxford, and is pursuing a doctorate at Oxford. She's worked for McKinsey & Company and NBC News, and sits on the boards of School of American Ballet, Common Sense Media and InterActive Corp, among others... all by the tender age of 32. Who is she? |
| Answer | Chelsea Clinton |
| Song | Chelsea Morning |
| Artist | Joni Mitchell |
| Number | 62 |
| Realm | Real time strategy |
| Subrealm | In space! |
| Question | This Starcraft: Brood War professional gamer was one of the best zerg players. He is known as the "Storm Zerg" for his aggressive style and as the unofficial "King of Silver" due to the lack of major league victories despite advancing to the finals repeatedly. |
| Answer | Hong Jin-Ho (or YellOw) |
| Song | Honey and the Bee |
| Artist | Owl City |
| Number | 63 |
| Realm | Drink the rainbow! |
| Subrealm | No wait, that's not it |
| Question | What popular sports beverage was developed at and then named for the football team at the University of Florida? |
| Answer | Gatorade |
| Song | Crocodile Rock |
| Artist | Elton John |
| Number | 64 |
| Realm | Farming |
| Subrealm | Organic Farming |
| Question | In 1924, this man gave a lecture series on farming techniques that are known today as Biodynamic Farming. Name Him. |
| Answer | Rudolf Steiner |
| Song | Let it Rock |
| Artist | Kevin Rudolf featuring Lil Wayne |
| Number | 65 |
| Realm | The Time of My Life |
| Subrealm | Catskill Style |
| Question | In "Dirty Dancing," when Johnny returns to the resort for his final dance with Baby, what does he shout to the Housemans as he pulls her up from their table for the dance? |
| Answer | "Nobody puts Baby in the corner!" |
| Song | Down on the Corner |
| Artist | Credence Clearwater Revival |
| Number | 66 |
| Realm | You Actually Find Out Some Things in Those Debates, Thank God |
| Subrealm | "Oops!" |
| Question | Rick Perry had an agonizing 53-second brain freeze when he tried to identify the three cabinet departments he would eliminate if he were President. He got two....but what was the one department he could not come up with? |
| Answer | The Department of Energy |
| Song | Laugh Laugh |
| Artist | Beau Brummels |
| Number | 67 |
| Realm | How about some Williamsiana |
| Subrealm | Related to trivia lore |
| Question | In December, 1973, when BOMO won its first contest, the highlight of the night was a trek to Stetson Library, then the main library on campus, by four BOMOs, on a successful mission to break into the library and look up on New York Times microfilm - yes, microfilm - a few facts about Hammerin' Henry Aaron. In the cold air that night, the four BOMO's passed by the ghostly remains of a building that had just been razed to make room for the soon-to-be-constructed Sawyer Library. So, what was the name of that building that preceded Sawyer Library, a building remembered today in a large portrait on the main floor of Sawyer? |
| Answer | Van Rensselaer House |
| Song | Moondance |
| Artist | Van Morrison |
| Note | The trek to Stetson is immortalized in Stephen Gardner's essay <a href="http://wso.williams.edu/orgs/trivia/awareness.html">Cosmic Trivia Awareness</a> |
| Number | 68 |
| Realm | It Had to be Someone |
| Subrealm | But him? |
| Question | The New York Mets are now 50 years old....and who is their all-time leader in base hits? |
| Answer | Ed Kranepool |
| Song | Original Fire |
| Artist | Audioslave |
| Note | Ed Kranepool played 1853 games for the Mets between 1962 and 1979. He amassed 1418 hits. |
| Number | 69 |
| Realm | Obviously he wasn't a strict constructionist |
| Subrealm | And perhaps he played without a helmet one too many times... |
| Question | The first space shuttle was originally to be named "Constitution". But someone - obviously partial to a certain famous science TV show - decided to change the name to "Enterprise" after a fierce write-in campaign by Trekkies. Who was that person? |
| Answer | President Gerald Ford |
| Song | Peaches |
| Artist | Presidents of the United States |
| Note | The shuttle Enterprise appeared in the movie Star Trek: The Motion Picture in 1979, thus providing an instance of art imitating life imitating art. |
| Number | 70 |
| Realm | You've come a long way baby |
| Subrealm | But apparently he hasn't |
| Question | Back in 1973 there was a famously sexist ad for Geritol, the iron poor blood medication that had a tagline that enraged feminists everywhere. What was that tagline, spoken by a presumably proud husband? |
| Answer | My wife. I think I'll keep her. |
| Song | He Thinks He'll Keep Her |
| Artist | Mary Chapin Carpenter |
| Note | The commercial was the inspiration for the song. |
| Number | 71 |
| Realm | Not exactly "Cheers" |
| Subrealm | And they don't serve Droids |
| Question | Everyone knows the famous bar scene in "Star Wars: Episode IV", where all sorts of bad dude creatures were hanging out looking for trouble. But what we want to know is, Luke and Obi Won go to the cantina for a very specific purpose. What is it? |
| Answer | To find a pilot who can take them to Alderaan (accept: meet Han Solo but Alderaan MUST be mentioned) |
| Song | Two Tickets to Paradise |
| Artist | Eddie Money |
| Number | 72 |
| Realm | Pixar |
| Subrealm | Wasn't the first |
| Question | As you might know, Toy Story was the first full-length computer animated movie. But the first computer animated lead character in a feature film beat Woody by six months. Who was this character? |
| Answer | Casper |
| Song | Ghost on the Dance Floor |
| Artist | Blink-182 |
| Number | 73 |
| Realm | Please, just name one |
| Subrealm | This was supposed to be the "softball" question! |
| Question | A three-point play...you get a point for each answer and, of course, one for the song and artist. Okay, THIS was HER answer to the question: "Um, all of 'em, any of 'em that, um, have, have been in front of me over all these years. Um, I have a vast variety of sources where we get our news too. Alaska isn't a foreign country...". What was the question and who gave the answer? |
| Answer | Question: (accept anything close to) "What newspapers do you read to stay informed?" Person: Sarah Palin |
| Song | It's the End of the World as We Know It |
| Artist | R.E.M. |
| Note | 3-point play |
| Number | 74 |
| Realm | "Roadtrip!" |
| Subrealm | Shortly after "Food Fight!" |
| Question | In "Animal House," when the boys from Delta Tau are on their road trip, Otter poses as Frank Lymon to pick up Fawn Liebowitz on a date. What college does "Frank" say he is from? |
| Answer | Amherst |
| Song | Shout |
| Artist | Otis Day and the Nights - OR - The Isley Brothers |
| Number | 75 |
| Realm | And here's to you, Jackie Robinson |
| Subrealm | And to the great Mariano |
| Question | Everyone knows that Mariano "Mo" Rivera continues to be the only player in baseball to wear #42, by virtue of a "grandfather" clause at the time Major League Baseball retired #42 for all teams in honor of Jackie Robinson that said that anyone wearing #42 was allowed to continue wearing it until they retired. For nine years, Mo has been the sole #42 in baseball....we want to know, who was the second to last player to wear that number? |
| Answer | Another "Mo," Mo Vaughan of the Mets |
| Song | Mo' Money Mo' Problems |
| Artist | The Notorious B.I.G. (and Mase and Puff Daddy) |
| Number | 76 |
| Realm | A Good Year for Harvard Sports, Part I.... |
| Subrealm | LINSANITY! |
| Question | Jeremy Lin of the New York Knicks became a global brand in the space of about a week...among other amazing feats, he scored 101 points in his first four starts, the most since 1976. What former Georgetown player had previously held that distinction? |
| Answer | Allen Iverson |
| Song | Overnight Sensation |
| Artist | Raspberries |
| Number | 77 |
| Realm | Life is Like a Box of Chocolates |
| Subrealm | Or a Bucket of Shrimp |
| Question | This is a three-point play. Forrest Gump's friend Bubba knew everything there was to know about shrimp. Bubba names 10 ways you can cook or prepare shrimp, and 10 types of shrimp. We want you to name 3 of each, that is, according to Bubba, for 1 point name 3 ways to cook or prepare shrimp, and for another point name 3 types of shrimp. |
| Answer | "Anyway, like I was sayin', shrimp is the fruit of the sea. You can barbecue it, boil it, broil it, bake it, saute it. Dey's uh, shrimp-kabobs, shrimp creole, shrimp gumbo. Pan fried, deep fried, stir-fried. There's pineapple shrimp, lemon shrimp, coconut shrimp, pepper shrimp, shrimp soup, shrimp stew, shrimp salad, shrimp and potatoes, shrimp burger, shrimp sandwich. That- that's about it." |
| Song | Beyond the Sea |
| Artist | Bobby Darin |
| Note | 3-point play |
| Number | 78 |
| Realm | Idioms |
| Subrealm | about letters |
| Question | In the expression "Mind your P's and Q's," what do the P and Q stand for? |
| Answer | Pints and Quarts (of alcohol) |
| Song | Crazy ABCs |
| Artist | Barenaked Ladies |
| Note | Other origin stories include French dance instructions, (pieds and queues) and advice to sailors (peas and queues). |
| Number | 79 |
| Realm | Des Devlin, Do You Know What Time It Is? |
| Subrealm | It's Time for My Favorite Trivia Song |
| Question | In a famous episode in the second season of M*A*S*H*, an inept North Korean pilot attempts to bomb an ammo dump next to the 4077th every day at the exact same time, failing miserably each time. What do Hawkeye and Trapper nickname the pilot? |
| Answer | Five O'Clock Charlie |
| Song | Five O'Clock World |
| Artist | Vogues |
| Note | 5:00am question |
| Number | 80 |
| Realm | RTFM |
| Subrealm | Did he even write one? |
| Question | The inventor of this early combat-ready submarine was on-board and drowned when it sank for the second time. After being recovered again, it became the first submarine to successfully torpedo an opposing warship before sinking for a third and final time. |
| Answer | H.L. Hunley |
| Song | Life'll Kill Ya |
| Artist | Warren Zevon |
| Note | The Hunley was a Confederate States of America submarine, and it sank in Charleston harbor. It was rediscovered in 1995 and raised in 2000. |
| Number | 81 |
| Realm | Pacific Island Nations |
| Subrealm | For 1200 Alex |
| Question | What island nation put out a commemorative dollar coin featuring Pikachu? |
| Answer | Niue |
| Song | Pokemon Theme Song |
| Artist | N/A |
| Number | 82 |
| Realm | Hold on a sec |
| Subrealm | Where's the Tonga Question? |
| Question | What was the codename used by the Allies in WWII for decrypting enemy transmissions, especially messages encoded by the enigma? |
| Answer | Ultra |
| Song | MK Ultra |
| Artist | Muse |
| Number | 83 |
| Realm | Snail Mail |
| Subrealm | It still exists |
| Question | This country's postal innovations make it popular with stamp collectors around the world. Here, in addition to the world's first self-adhesive stamps, you can also find heart, bird, and banana-shaped stamps. What is this country? |
| Answer | Tonga |
| Song | Caffeine |
| Artist | Alice Cooper |
| Number | 84 |
| Realm | Not exactly the light bulb... |
| Subrealm | Or the laptop computer |
| Question | One of the top new inventions is the "Defendius Door Chain", a new security gadget. Exactly how does it work? |
| Answer | The door chain is attached to a metal maze puzzle, and you can only open the door once you work the chain through the maze. |
| Song | Maybe I'm Amazed |
| Artist | Paul McCartney |
| Note | The Door Chain was invented by Art. Lebedev Studios, and was released on April First, 2008. |
| Number | 85 |
| Realm | Let the wild rumpus begin! |
| Subrealm | Time to detonate a few megatons of nostalgia... |
| Question | Maurice Sendak died last week, and what better way to honor him than with a question. What are the last five words of "Where the Wild Things Are"? |
| Answer | ...and it was still hot. |
| Song | Hot Hot Hot |
| Artist | Buster Poindexter |
| Number | 86 |
| Realm | Feel Good Story of the Decade |
| Subrealm | Even With That Torn ACL |
| Question | Western Oregon senior softball player Sara Tucholsky, with a batting average of .088, hit her first home run ever at the perfect time, to give her team a 3-0 lead against rival Central Washington in a game that had playoff implications. But Sara tore her ACL rounding first and crumpled in an agonized heap. Rules prevented any help from her teammates, and she could not even crawl to second, much less home. But ultimately, she did touch home plate. How? |
| Answer | Her opponents carried her around the bases. One of her opponents, Mallory Holtman, suggested it, and there was no rule prohibiting it. |
| Song | Walk Away Renee |
| Artist | Left Banke |
| Number | 87 |
| Realm | Do you got it? |
| Subrealm | If you don't got it, I can't help you. |
| Question | Gene Barry starred in the movie "War of the Worlds". What was his real last name? |
| Answer | Klass |
| Song | Ain't no other man |
| Artist | Christina Aguilera |
| Note | Klass chose his professional name in honor of John Barrymore. |
| Number | 88 |
| Realm | Everythings made up |
| Subrealm | And the points don't matter |
| Question | About a month ago, Groupon had an ad campaign featuring Edward Norton to celebrate Earth Day. How old did they claim the earth was? |
| Answer | 400 years |
| Song | Galaxy Song |
| Artist | Monty Python |
| Number | 89 |
| Realm | Getting Dressed |
| Subrealm | For babies |
| Question | Children's clothes comes in sizes like "6 month", "9 month", "12 month" and "18 month". What is the next size after that? |
| Answer | 2T |
| Song | Dressed to Kill |
| Artist | New Found Glory |
| Number | 90 |
| Realm | Hot like the sun? |
| Subrealm | Nope |
| Question | In 2003, Peter Hagelstein chaired the 10th international conference on what type of nuclear reaction? |
| Answer | Cold Fusion |
| Song | Walkin' on the Sun |
| Artist | Smash Mouth |
| Number | 91 |
| Realm | Culinary Creativity |
| Subrealm | Necessity is the Mother of Invention |
| Question | Very simply, who invented the "wrap" sandwich? |
| Answer | Current Red Sox manager Bobby Valentine, in his Stamford, Ct. restaurant, Bobby V's |
| Song | My Valentine |
| Artist | Paul McCartney |
| Note | There are of course many precedents for the wrap sandwich, including burritos and gyros. Valentine himself is not adamant about the claim that his restaurant invented it. He says, "Well, that's legend and folklore, but until somebody disputes me or comes up with a better story, I'll say I invented the wrap." |
| Number | 92 |
| Realm | British |
| Subrealm | Expressions |
| Question | What does the expression "not cricket" mean? |
| Answer | Unfair or unsportsmanlike |
| Song | When An Old Cricketer Leaves The Crease |
| Artist | Roy Harper |
| Note | Not used |
| Number | 93 |
| Realm | Star Fox |
| Subrealm | Do a barrel roll! |
| Question | A puzzle designer in the UK created a series of puzzles based on the use of dexterity, memory, endurance and self-control. What are these "mind-maze" puzzles called? |
| Answer | Revomaze |
| Song | Revolution Deathsquad |
| Artist | DragonForce |
| Note | Not used |
| Number | 94 |
| Realm | Alcoholics |
| Subrealm | Not so anonymous |
| Question | In Malaysia, if you are caught drunk driving, you are put in jail. But something else happens, too. What is it? |
| Answer | Your spouse is put in jail. |
| Song | Royal Oil |
| Artist | Mighty Mighty Bosstones |
| Number | 95 |
| Realm | That's my motto |
| Subrealm | That's my blood type |
| Question | What is Jack Gallo's blood type? |
| Answer | B-positive |
| Song | Positive |
| Artist | Taio Cruz |
| Note | Not used |
| Number | 96 |
| Realm | Television |
| Subrealm | Children's programming |
| Question | In the Teletubbies intro, the sun comes up. What appears inside the sun? |
| Answer | a baby face |
| Song | Simple Days |
| Artist | Babyface |
| Note | Not used |
| Number | 97 |
| Realm | Vocabulary |
| Subrealm | How big is yours? |
| Question | What is glossophobia? |
| Answer | Fear of public speaking |
| Song | Lose Yourself |
| Artist | Eminem |
| Note | Not used |
| Number | 98 |
| Realm | It's not a bird! |
| Subrealm | It's not a plane! |
| Question | Growler can refer to a device used to test electric motors or to a specific class of jet fighters. What beverage can you buy in a growler? |
| Answer | Beer |
| Song | One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer |
| Artist | George Thorogood |
| Note | Not used |
| Number | 99 |
| Realm | Eating |
| Subrealm | Babies! |
| Question | Why don't they let you eat during labor? |
| Answer | in case you need a c-section (you must have an empty stomach for the level of anesthesia) |
| Song | Yippiyo-Ay |
| Artist | The Presets |
| Note | Not used |
| Number | 100 |
| Realm | Mia Farrow |
| Subrealm | 1968 |
| Question | Who should you pray for? |
| Answer | Rosemary's Baby |
| Song | Devil Inside |
| Artist | INXS |
| Note | Not used |
| Number | 101 |
| Realm | Cultural |
| Subrealm | Gardening |
| Question | The Mayan sacred calendar has fewer than 365 days. How did they know when to plant the crops? |
| Answer | They had a separate agricultural calendar. |
| Song | It takes two |
| Artist | Rob Base & DJ E-Z Rock |
| Note | Not used |
| Number | 102 |
| Realm | Free online games |
| Subrealm | Not to win |
| Question | There's a website online where you can play the boardgame Carcassonne, but they use a different city in Southern France as its title. What do they call it? |
| Answer | Toulouse |
| Song | Play the Game |
| Artist | Queen |
| Note | Not used |
| Number | 103 |
| Realm | Young life |
| Subrealm | Of plants |
| Question | Which of the following does NOT start with exactly 2 leaves? eggplant, spinach, sugar snap peas, zucchini. |
| Answer | Sugar snap peas |
| Song | Garden Song |
| Artist | John Denver |
| Note | Not used |
| Number | 104 |
| Realm | Wildlife |
| Subrealm | Eyeballs |
| Question | Name all four animals with rectangular pupils. |
| Answer | Sheep, Goats, Octopuses, and Toads |
| Song | Hungry Eyes |
| Artist | Eric Carmen |
| Note | Not used |
| Number | 105 |
| Realm | What else is there besides real estate? |
| Subrealm | In Monopoly |
| Question | How many Chance and Community Chest spaces are there on a Monopoly board? |
| Answer | 6 |
| Song | Gambling Man |
| Artist | The Overtones |
| Note | Not used |
| Number | 106 |
| Realm | Childhood stars |
| Subrealm | Movies with strange titles |
| Question | In 1958, a very young Jack Lord and Tina Louise starred in what movie? |
| Answer | God's Little Acre |
| Song | God's Law in the Devil's Land |
| Artist | Kingdom of Sorrow |
| Note | Not used |
| Number | 107 |
| Realm | Manawa |
| Subrealm | Wa |
| Question | If it's 4pm on Tuesday in Hawaii, what day and time is it in New Zealand? |
| Answer | 2PM on Wednesday |
| Song | World Destruction |
| Artist | Time Zone |
| Note | Not used |