Baron Dave Romm
Quiz Stomping
By Baron Dave Romm
Shockwave Radio Theater podcasts
Not just for Facebook anymore
Little quizzes, sometimes misnamed "memes", were popping up in LiveJournal posts. Some were okay, most were ignorable. When I first started on Facebook late last year, some were around. But too many sites made it too easy to make your own quizzes, and most were either poorly written or just not very revealing. Not, in and of itself, a bad thing. But Facebook is far more insistently viral than LifeJournal, and various quizzes and challenges pop up in annoying places. As they became harder to ignore, they got under my skin.
Making up fake quizzes, and providing fake answers to fake quizzes, was more fun than actually taking the challenges and quizzes presented. So there.
Those of you who follow me on Facebook or read my LiveJournal already have seen these in some form. Enjoy again.
Perhaps these should go viral. Feel free to spread them (or your variants) around.
Quiz Stomping
Baron Dave Romm...
... took the "Who's On First" quiz and discovered he's "I Don't Give A Darn".
... took the "What's your favorite number of quizzes to take?" quiz and scored a big fat 0. That's within two of being right.
... took the quiz "What shade of White are you?" I was #63: Off White.
... took the "Fish or Bicycle Quiz" with the result -- Indonesia.
... completed the "How do you pronounce 'tomato'" quiz and the result is "tomato".
... took the "How tall are you?" quiz. Twice. The first time I was 4'10". The second time I was 6'3". For a quiz with only one question, it seems poorly worded.
... took the quiz, "If Dom DeLouise were Dr. Who, Who Would Be His Companion?" Your answer: Burt Reynolds.
A priest, a minister and a rabbi walk into a bar and take the "Which Religion Are You?" Quiz with mixed results.
... was forced by exigent circumstances to take the quiz "Which Conspiracy Theory Can't He Tell You About Are You?" Results: Can't tell you.
... took the quiz, "Which Type Of Covalent Bond Are You?", with the result Agostic Interaction. [a bit too geeky, I guess]
... started to take the quiz "Do You Have ADD?" but didn't finish.
... took on the challenge, "What Do IQ Tests Measure?" and responded, IQ, duh.
... took the quiz "Knock Knock" with the result "Who's There?"
... took the quiz "Which 60s TV Show Should JJ Abrams Reinvent Next?" with the result being Mr. Ed. [I'd pay to see that]
... took the Quiz "If A Tree Falls In A Forest" but wasn't around to hear the results.
... just got his Bob name in "Get your own Bob name." It's Bob.
... scored one point in the challenge "Name the Artist Formerly Known as The Artist Formerly Known As Prince's Current Name".
... took the challenge "Mac vs. PC" and just laughed.
... took the quiz, "Which Global Warming Denier Are You?" with the result being "Are you nuts?"
... took the quiz, "When You Were An Infant, Which Of Your Mother's Breasts Did You Enjoy Suckling From The Most?" with the result: Left. [a Mother's Day entry]
... took the challenge, "What Kind Of Non-Sequitur Are You?" and determined that he likes cats.
... took the quiz, "What Number Falls Between 1 and 3?" with the result: 65.7. Hmmm.....
... took the quiz, "Can You Keep A Secret?" with the result: Yes, heh heh heh.
... is looking for the bucket, detergent and dirty water in Mop Wars.
... took the "What Do You Smell Like To Your Dog?" Quiz, with the canine result being Can Opener.
... took the challenge "How Many Places of Pi Can You Recite Before You Break Down and Brag About It?" and got to eight ("coffee").
... took the quiz "Which Enterprise Shuttlecraft Are You?" with the result being Bacon.
Baron Dave Romm is a conceptual artist and a noble of Ladonia who produces Shockwave Radio Theater, writes in a Live Journal demi-blog maintains a Facebook Page, plays with a very weird CD collection and an ever growing list of political links. Dave Romm reviews things at random for obscure web sites. You can read all his music recommendations from Bartcop-E. Podcasts of Shockwave Radio Theater. Permanent archive. More radio programs, interviews and science fiction humor plays can be accessed on the Shockwave Radio audio page.
Thanks to everyone who has sent me music to play on the air.
Recommended Reading
from Bruce
A. N. Wilson: As The Walkman Returns After 30 Years, Why We'd All Be Happier If We'd Never Heard Of The Gadget That Helped Break Britain (dailymail.co.uk)
Is it possible that by inventing what seemed like a marvellous new gadget which would enhance all our lives, Sony actually created one of the biggest blights of urban life?
This column will change your life (guardian.co.uk)
Beware the kindness of strangers, advises Oliver Burkeman.
Roger Ebert: Fings ain't wot they used t'be
I want things to stay the way they always were. This is insane, because they weren't that way in the first place. I see friends who have grown older, and want them to grow younger. In Cannes, I look around and see a new building where an old one was. A new franchise store where once there was a bookshop, or a little cafe, or a woman who thought she could make a living selling flowers.
Roger Ebert: I spring up from my deep slumber
As is my custom, I fell into a deep and dreamless slumber after arriving at the Hotel Splendid from the overnight flights. I was awakened two hours later by Chaz: "Pierre Rissient is downstairs!" If Barack Obama had been downstairs, I would have rolled over and buried my head in the pillow. But Pierre!
Roger Ebert: Irving! Brang 'em on!
It's been more than 25 years since Billy (Silver Dollar) Baxter last graced the Cannes Film Festival, and yet as I pack for this year's event, I am thinking about him even now, and I am smiling. Billy single-handedly created an alternate reality at Cannes, and such was the force of his personality that those who came within earshot were seduced. In the words of Elaine May, he carried on a way of life that was extinct before he was born.
Dana Goldstein: "XXX: Is the Porn Industry Doomed? (The American Prospect ; Posted on Alternet.org)
Like newspapers and other businesses buffeted by the financial crisis, the porn industry is in danger of extinction.
Laurie Penny: Burlesque laid bare (guardian.co.uk)
As a shy, bewildered teenager, Laurie Penny joined a burlesque troupe in search of attention - and rebellion. But what initially seemed subversive and political soon turned out to be nothing more than a misogynist sham
Sam Jordison: "Booker club: Schindler's Ark" (guardian.co.uk)
One could question whether Thomas Keneally's book is fiction, but it's undoubtably essential reading.
Luke Z. Fenchel: Review of "Wendy and Lucy" (popmatters.com)
A moving portrait of a woman and her canine companion as well as a powerful comment on contemporary American poverty.
Roger Ebert: Wendy and Lucy
I know so much about Wendy, although this movie tells me so little. I know almost nothing about where she came from, what her life was like, how realistic she is about the world, where her ambition lies. But I know, or feel, everything about Wendy at this moment: stranded in an Oregon town, broke, her dog lost, her car a write-off, hungry, friendless, quiet, filled with desperate resolve.
David Bruce: "Jane Austen's 'Pride and Prejudice': A Discussion Guide" (lulu.com)
Free download.
Hubert's Poetry Corner
George W. Bush: Trekkie or Trekker?
Live Wrong and Prosper!
The Weekly Poll
The 'Space, the final frontier' Edition...
Star Trek opened this weekend with strong reviews and grossed 76.5 million dollars.
Obviously, there is no lack of support for the Sci-If movie genre..
Set Phasers To "Ka-Ching" - CBS News
Meanwhile, with little notice or fanfare, the space shuttle Atlantis was launched Monday on what has been said is a critical and dangerous mission to repair the Hubble telescope in order to keep it operation for 5 more years until its replacement is ready. NASA's 2010 budget is 18.7 billion dollars which includes a 5% increase under Obama's stimulus plan.
High stakes in NASA's last visit to Hubble
Do you support continued space exploration programs?
Send your response to
replied:
Alan J A-17 | L-17
Charlie A-16 | L-17
DC Madman A-1 | L-1
Gary G A-0 | L-1
Jim from CA A-2 | L-2
Joe S A-17 | L-17
José-Ariel A-1 | L-2
MAM A-17 | L-17
Maria in Chicago A-11 | L-11
Marian the Teacher A-14 | L-14
Sally A-17 | L-17
Tom B A-1 | L-1
Selected Readings
from that Mad Cat, JD
In The Chaos Household
Last Night
Sunny and pleasant on the coast, hellish inland.
Yes, we felt the quake.
It was large enough stuff fell off some shelves but nothing broke.
OTOH, it really rattled the kid.
He's grown up with 'em, but this one got his attention.
Ins Wien
Life Ball
"Desperate Housewives" star Eva Longoria Parker, former U.S. President Bill Clinton and singer Katy Perry attended a flamboyant Austrian charity gala Saturday dedicated to raising money for people with HIV and AIDS.
Other celebrities spotted at the Life Ball were actress Fran Drescher, former Baywatch babe Pamela Anderson and model Amber Valletta.
The annual bash, held in and around Vienna's neo-gothic city hall, each year draws thousands of revelers in quirky and kinky costumes - and sometimes nothing more than G-strings and glitter.
The party kicked off with an extravagant outdoor opening ceremony that combined music and dance segments with pleas to stay focused on fighting the devastating disease.
Life Ball
Seeks Status As Video Gamers' Mecca
Ottumwa
For a brief shining moment in the 1980s, Ottumwa was the unlikely hot spot of the fledgling video game industry as gamers around the globe flocked to this sleepy Iowa city and its video game arcade for a series of landmark tournaments.
Gamers set world records, the TV show "That's Incredible" broadcast a tournament to a national audience, and then-mayor Jerry Parker dubbed Ottumwa "The Video Game Capital of the World."
The glory days didn't last long. The Twin Galaxies arcade closed within a couple years, and memories of Pac-Man and Donkey Kong dimmed for everyone - except arcade owner Walter Day, who dreamed of making Ottumwa into a permanent game destination.
Day said he envisioned making Ottumwa a "cultural home base" for the lucrative worldwide gaming industry. The Entertainment Software Association, a game publishers trade group, said computer and video game industry sales climbed to $22 billion in 2008.
Ottumwa's bid to reclaim its past also was inspired by a pair of 2007 video-game documentaries, "King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters" and "Chasing Ghosts," both of which featured the Twin Galaxies' heyday when Day was known as the king of video game stats.
Ottumwa
Canadian Pianist Record Attempt
Gonzales
Canadian pianist Gonzales launched a bid on Sunday to break the world record for the longest-ever solo concert during a grueling 27-hour performance.
Gonzales took the stage at midnight at a small theatre in Paris' trendy Montmartre and was determined to stay there until the curtain drops at 3:00 am Monday (0100 GMT).
"He's doing fantastically well," said Frank Chambers, an official from the Guiness Book of World Records who was overseeing the record-breaking attempt.
"This is not just an endurance test, but an artistic performance."
For the 27-hour near-continuous concert, Gonzales chose 300 musical pieces from Gershwin's "Summertime" to Britney Spears' "Hit Me Baby One More Time."
Gonzales
NBC Renews
"Chuck"
In the battle of "Chuck" vs. the Network Suits, the geeky hero has prevailed.
NBC has granted Josh Schwartz's well-liked action-comedy another shot next fall.
The network picked up 13 episodes of the series from Warner Bros., which, in an across-the-board trend this year, made some budget concessions to secure the show a third season.
"Chuck" joins "Southland" and "Parks and Recreation" among the "bubble" shows NBC has renewed for fall. Given that 10 p.m. will be off the table due to Jay Leno's talk show, the network has considerably fewer slots than usual to fill.
"Chuck"
Kilts Not Cross-Dressing
Gavin McFarland
The principal of a Utah middle school has been asked to apologize for forcing a kilt-wearing student to change his clothes.
Weber School District spokesman Nate Taggart says Craig Jessop has been asked to extend an apology to 14-year-old student Gavin McFarland of Hooper after the school official's comments Wednesday.
Gavin says he wore the kilt twice in the past two weeks to Rocky Mountain Junior High as a prop for an art project. Jessop told the boy that the outfit could be misconstrued as cross-dressing.
Taggart says the district recognizes the kilt as an expression of the boy's Scottish heritage and that the kilt was not inappropriate.
Gavin McFarland
Wasilla Grad
Bristol Palin
Gov. Sarah Palin's oldest daughter is now a high school graduate.
Palin family spokeswoman Meghan Stapleton says 18-year-old Bristol Palin received her Wasilla High School diploma Thursday night at a ceremony with her fellow classmates at the Wasilla Sports Complex.
She is now a Teen Ambassador for The Candie's Foundation, an organization devoted to educating teenagers about the consequences of teen pregnancy.
Bristol Palin
Study Looks At Smoke Signals
Navajo
Archaeologists and volunteers armed with special flares will fan out over part of the Four Corners region on Saturday to study how early Navajos could have used smoke signals to warn against invaders.
There are more than 200 pueblitos - usually high on rock outcroppings overlooking the San Juan Basin - that archaeologists believe were built by Navajos three centuries ago to protect against Spanish explorers and neighboring tribes.
The sites in the area where New Mexico, Arizona, Colorado and Utah meet feature the remains of what were once formidable structures made of stacked sandstone. The theory is that Navajos bunkered down inside the pueblitos and possibly used smoke to send warnings across long distances, said Jim Copeland, an archaeologist with the Bureau of Land Management in Farmington.
Copeland said experiments in the early 1990s showed the method of warning could work in general, but scores of new sites have been identified since then and scientists want to know more about how the signals could have been relayed. Improved computer modeling and analysis has refined the idea of an "early warning system."
Navajo
Veneration Ventilation
Virgin Mary
A Massachusetts hospital is trying to figure out what to do with a window in which some Catholics claim to see an image of the Virgin Mary.
Hundreds of faithful gathered last October to view the second-story office window at Mercy Medical Center in Springfield, about 80 miles west of Boston. They wept and prayed.
The Catholic hospital removed the window after the crush of visitors caused traffic problems. It's storing the window at a secret location.
Hospital spokesman Mark Fulco tells The Republican newspaper of Springfield he's waiting for a report from experts to determine if the window is worthy of veneration.
Virgin Mary
Weekend Box Office
`Angels & Demons'
"Angels & Demons" took the box office from "Star Trek" by earning $48 million in its first weekend of release.
The haul was far less than the earlier Dan Brown adaptation "The Da Vinci Code" - which earned $77.1 million when in opened in 2006 - but still enough to topple the popular "Star Trek," according to studio estimates Sunday.
In its second weekend, Paramount Pictures' "Star Trek" took in $43 million, a strong number after its $75.2 million opening last weekend, excluding its Thursday midnight screenings. The cumulative total for J.J. Abram's reboot of the sci-fi franchise is $147.6 million.
Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Hollywood.com. Final figures will be released Monday.
1. "Angels & Demons," $48 million.
2. "Star Trek," $43 million.
3. "X-Men Origins: Wolverine," $14.8 million.
4. "Ghosts of Girlfriends Past," $6.9 million.
5. "Obsessed," $4.6 million.
6. "17 Again," $3.4 million.
7. "Monsters vs. Aliens," $3 million.
8. "The Soloist," $2.4 million.
9. "Next Day Air," $2.2 million.
10. "Earth," $1.7 million.
`Angels & Demons'
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