I recently had the great pleasure of putting together one of my science and technology quizzes for the SameAs meetup group. SameAs is a monthly event bringing together scientists, technologists, designers and other creative people in one place. Usually a pub. It’s like a mini-conference for free-thinkers; Scifoo without the steroids. Or something.
The quiz was held last night at the trendy Shoreditch bar known as The Book Club. Kaitlin Thaney and Matt Wood were affable and able hosts as they worked their way through 10 rounds of six questions.
Try your hand at some of the posers below. I’ll publish further rounds tomorrow.
Robot identity parade
1. Name this robot, and the main film he featured in.
2. Which Radiohead track did this woebegone robot inspire (albeit in an earlier incarnation)?
3. Asimo is the only non-fictional robot in our lineup. Name the Japanese corporation who created him.
4. This golden chap is, of course, C-3PO. Which character in the Star Wars movies first constructs him?
5. Name the actor who plays this pale-skinned fellow in Star Trek: The Next Generation.
6. Yes, it’s a T-800 from the Terminator movies. But name the artificial intelligence that controls these and other malevolent androids.
The Web (theme of the first ever SameAs event in October)
1. Name the chap who co-founded Wikipedia, and whose concerned countenance currently graces the top of every Wikipedia page in an annoying plea for cash.
2. In the recent film ‘Social Network’, which famous singer plays the part of Napster founder Sean Parker?
3. Name the island chain which, in the year 2000, negotiated a crafty deal worth $50 million for leasing its top-level domain name of .tv (dot-T-V).
4. What colloquial name is often given to the area we’re currently in, and centered on Old Street Tube station, to reflect the large concentration of tech startups?
5. What does HTTP stand for?
6. In which city would you find the Googleplex, Google’s main corporate headquarters?
Sound (theme of the second SameAs event, in November)
1. What name is given to the effect whereby a siren apparently changes pitch as it moves towards and then away from the listener?
2. Name the pilot who, on 14 October 1947, officially became the first person to fly faster than the speed of sound.
3. What is the lowest note on a standard modern piano?
4. What is the SI unit of frequency?
5. Which of the following is not a bone in the human ear? Stirrup, Tongs, Anvil, Hammer
6. Other than bats (and humans artificially), what is the only known type of land animal in Britain to use a form of echolocation?
More questions tomorrow. Let us know in the comments how many you think you got this time round. And keep an eye on the SameAs web site and Facebook page for information about future events. @Same_As