General Knowledge and IT Questions 042

1. It is a computer operating system based on the Debian distribution of Linux and distributed as free and open source software. It is named after the Southern African philosophy of “humanity towards others”. It is sponsored by the UK-based company Canonical Ltd., owned by South African entrepreneur Mark Shuttleworth. What are we talking about?


Answer: Ubuntu


2. This creation by E.A. Johnson has given a total new dimension to the gadgets of today. What did he invent?


Answer: Touch Screen




3. Head quarters of Sun Microsystems (Now a Subsidiary of ORACLE Corp.) in Menlo Park, California, is going to be used by another IT giant which caused a complete revolution in the way people communicate. Which IT giant are we talking about?

Answer: Facebook

4. To prove/confirm something , the students/members of MIT conducted an experiment, where they showed that the specific gravity of specimen X is greater than the specific gravity of specimen Y . They hence showed that this was correct.

Answer: They scientifically proved the proverb - "Blood is thicker than water".

5. "I'm really happy to reach 80. I never expected it, not least having a neighbour – the greatest power in the world – trying to kill me every day." Who said these lines? CLUE: He was the longest-ruling non-royal leader. 

Answer: Fidel Alejandro Castro Ruz (He is a Cuban revolutionary and politician, having held the position of Prime Minister of Cuba from 1959 to 1976, and then President from 1976 to 2008. His term length was of 47 years, 165 days.)

6. Identify the lady below. She has been called "the world's longest hunger striker" for fasting for over 10 years; she is also called the "Iron Lady of Manipur".

Answer: Irom Sharmila Chanu (She has been on hunger strike to demand that the Indian government repeal the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, 1958)

7. Something that we use everyday is named after Harold _______ 2 , a 9th century Viking King. What are we talking about?

Answer: Bluetooth

8. Which brand is being advertised in the below ad?

 Answer: Pantene

9. Identify the lady below. She founded which modern day holiday?

Answer: She is Anna Jarvis, she is credited for having founded Mother's Day in USA. She first celebrated it in 1908 as she held a memorial for her mother

10.  This structure is the longest cemetery in the world. It is also known as “Wan Li Chang Cheng” in its country. Which structure are we talking about? 

Answer: The Great Wall of China (It is known as the longest cemetery in the world because lakhs of commoners died while constructing the Wall and their bodies got buried under the Wall. Wan Li Chang Cheng in China, means ‘Ten Thousand Li Wall’)

General Knowledge Questions 041

1. The name of this sportswear company comes from the Afrikaans spelling of a type of African antelope or gazelle.  It is a subsidiary of the German sportswear company Adidas. Which company are we talking about? 


Answer: Reebok


2. Identify the breed of the dog from the picture below and state it's specialty.

    Answer: It's the Basenji Dog. It is the only dog which can not bark due to the shape of it's larynx and hence makes a yodel-like sound. It is also nicknamed as the "Barkless Dog".


3. It was known as Moksha Patam or Vaikunthapaali or Paramapada Sopaanam.  The game was popular in ancient India and emphasized the role of fate or karma. Presumably the number "100" represented Moksha (salvation). What are we talking about?


    Answer: Snakes and Ladders / Chutes and Ladders


4. What is being displayed in the below patent diagram and who filed this patent?

    Answer: The above diagrams are of the first Mouse as the part of the patent filed by its inventor Douglas Engelbart.


5. Name the ship in the below picture and what is special about it?

    
    Answer: USS New York LPD-21. It has been made out of the steel from the remains of the World Trade Center.

General Knowledge Questions 040

1. Yes Madam, Sir, is nonfiction feature film which has been produced by Australian film maker, Megan Doneman. On whose life is this movie based upon? He/ She had been awarded Ramon Magsaysay Award in 1994 and a UN Medal in 2004.

    Answer: Kiran Bedi

2. What is being displayed in the below picture (edited)?

    

    Answer: This is the last menu of the last meal served to first-class passengers on board the Titanic which has fetched 76,000 pounds at an auction held recently. The original photo below.

3. What is the significance of the Google doodle below?

    Answer: It is to mark the 100th Anniversary of International Women's Day in 2011.

4. Identify this Google Product.

    Answer: Gmail Tap (https://mail.google.com/mail/help/promos/tap/index.html - It's a prank played by Google on the occasion of April Fool's Day)

5. Hirsz, Aaron, Szmul, Itzhak are better known as?

     Answer: Warner Bros. (Harry was born "Hirsz," Albert was "Aaron," Sam was "Szmul," and Jack was "Itzhak." Their original surname is also unknown.)

SACHIN TENDULKAR DOES IT FINALLY!

Tendulkar scored his 100th International hundred at Dhaka today against Bangladesh

General Knowledge 038

1. Identify the person below.

    Answer: Akira Yoshizawa (Today's Google Doodle is dedicated to him. He is considered the master of Origami. He is credited to have raised the craft to a living art.)

2. Identify the device below.

    Answer: It is the "Airdrop". (It is a simple device which literally sucks out water from thin air and through a network of piping underground condenses the air to water droplets. Irrigation through this method called Airdrop Irrigation.) (For more information: http://www.jamesdysonaward.org/Projects/Project.aspx?ID=1722)

3.

    Answer: Air India (The first logo is of "Indian" formerly known as "Indian Airlines", the second logo is the old logo of "Air India". The two airlines officially merged in 2011, and the resultant company retained the latter's name and hence we see the current logo of Air India has an adaptation from both of the above logos. [Pictured below].)

4. Below is the Google doodle celebrating the 80th Anniversary of which Indian movie and what is special about this movie?

    Answer: The Movie being depicted is "Alam Ara". It was the first Indian Movie with sound. (Today marks its 81st Anniversary.)

5. Which famous company's logo do you see below?

    Answer: Encyclopedia Britannica (It has announced that it will stop producing the print edition.)

General Knowledge and Technology 037

1. Identify the structure below. It was built by David Jin, an entrepreneur from Las Vegas with the help of architect Mark Ross Johnson.

    Answer: Grand Canyon "Skywalk"

2. What is special about this stamp?

    Answer: It is India's first ever perfumed postage stamp. It gives out sandalwood fragrance every time it is rubbed.

3. Identify the robot below and mention its purpose.

    Answer: It is called "The Battlefield Extradition Assist Robot" or simply "BEAR". It is developed by Vecna Technologies for the US Army. It's main purpose is to carry out the injured soldiers away from the battlefield so that they can be given medical attention, and also to perform some other tasks considered dangerous for humans in the battlefield.

4. What is special about these shoes?

    Answer: Developed by Electrolux it is called "Dustmate". The shoes vacuum as you walk around, the base of the shoe collects the dust without requiring any effort.

5. Identify the person below.

    Answer: Joseph Kony (He is a Ugandan guerrilla group leader, head of the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA). He recently caught fame due to the 27 minute documentary titled "Kony 2012" by film maker Jason Russell.)

General Knowlede 035

1. What was was founded by the Portuguese as São Sebastião __ ___ __ ______ on 29th February, 1565?


    Answer: Rio de Janeiro (It was founded as São Sebastião do Rio de Janeiro. Rio de Janeiro means the "River of January" )


2. Identify the structure below, which was completed on 29th February, 2012 and what feat does it hold?

   Answer: Tokyo Sky Tree earlier known as the "New Tokyo Tower" is the tallest tower in the world. It is is a broadcasting, restaurant, and observation tower in Sumida, Tokyo, Japan. With the height of 634 metres (2080 ft) it is the second tallest structure in the world, only behind Burj Khalifa)


3. Identify the person below.

  Answer: Gioachino Rossini (A tendency for inspired, song-like melodies is evident throughout his scores, which led to the nickname "The Italian Mozart". Until his retirement in 1829, Rossini had been the most popular opera composer in history. His birth anniversary was marked by a Google Doodle (Pictured Below) dedicated to him yesterday (29th February, 2012)

4. Which Indian state does “Utkala” in our National Anthem, refer to?

   Answer: Orissa

5. Identify the four men below.

   Answer: Warner Brothers (Harry, Jack, Sam and Albert (Clockwise))

General Knowledge - 26th January Republic Day

1. This note is a type of fantasy money issued in India as a means of helping to fight systemic political corruption. The notes are paid in protest by angry citizens to government functionaries who solicit bribes in return for services which are supposed to be free. What are these notes called?

    Answer: Zero Rupee Note

2. It was previously known as Anniversary Day, Foundation Day, and ANA Day. It is the official national day of the country. Which day are we talking about?

   Answer: Australia Day (Celebrated every year on 26th January)

3. Identify the person below.

    Answer: Pingali Venkayya (Designer of India's national flag.)

4. Identify the woman below. She is the first female in her country to hold the post she holds presently. She came to India as the Chief Guest for the Republic Day Function. Who is she?

    Answer: Yingluck Shinawatra (She is the first female Prime Minister of Thailand and also the youngest at the age of 44 in over 60 years.)

5. This ceremony is conducted on January 29th ever year at Raisina Hills and an adjacent square, Vijay Chowk, with the President of India as its Chief Guest. Which ceremony are we talking about?

  Answer: Beating Retreat (It officially denotes the end of Republic Day festivities)

DID YOU KNOW?


On August 29, 1947, the Drafting Committee was appointed to draft a permanent constitution, with Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar as its Chairman.

General Knowledge 034

1. Identify and name. What extraordinary record does it hold?

   Answer: Sunswift Ivy (It is the fastest solar car which recently recorded a speed of 88 km/hr.)

2. Below is a picture of a very famous ad campaign. Identify this mascot and the service which uses them.

    Answer: United States Forest Service. The mascot is "Smokey Bear" famous for the ad campaign to educated people about the dangers of forest fires.

3. Below is the ad of which non profit institution?

    Answer: National Geographic Kids(The ad suggests that the channel can be watched by parents and their kids together.)

4. Identify the girl below and what record does she hold?

   Answer: Laura Dekker (She is youngest person to sail solo around the globe.)

5. What is being signified in the below doodle?

    Answer: Chinese New Year or the "Spring Festival" which was celebrated yesterday (23rd January, 2012).

DID YOU KNOW?


Sir Isaac Newton was an ordained priest in the Church of England.

General Knowledge and Technology 032

1. What does this traffic sign pictured below, in Dresden, East Germany signify?

   Answer: It stands for "NO ENTRY"

2. Hard disks when impregnated with X can increase the amount of data that can be held by the disk by almost six times. Name the substance X.

    Answer: Table Salt (NaCl).

    (For more information on this: http://www.geekosystem.com/salty-terabits/)

3. Name the two people below, with each of them holding their own inventions in the picture.

    Answer: (Left) Eastman Kodak, (Right) Thomas Alva Edison (George Eastman Co. founder of Kodak, and Thomas Edison are seen with their inventions in the 1920s. Edison invented the motion picture equipments and Kodak invented the roll film and the camera box, which helped to create the whole of movie industry.)

4. Name the watch and what is so special about this watch?

   Answer: Titanic DNA Watch (The metal frames of the watch is actually made of the metal in the hull of the ship Titanic.)

5. It is called Rashin Coatie in Scotland, Zezolla in Italy, and Yeh-hsien in China. Who are we talking about?

    Answer: Cinderella

DID YOU KNOW?

The colour blue has a calming effect. It causes the brain to release calming hormones.

General Knowledge and Technology 029

1. What is being displayed in the pictorial diagram below?

    Answer: Nanocar (It is the world's smallest car (one molecule in size). It takes 10 pulses of electrons to move the vehicle 6 nanometres.To keep the car moving requires a pulse of electrons every half turn. It was developed by Netherlands based researchers.)

2. Name the wristband and what is special about it?

    Answer: It is the "UP Wristband" produced by Jawbone. It is the combination of a wristband and iPhone application that tracks your activity and sleep and inspires you to move more, sleep better and eat smarter.

3. It is an extremely radioactive synthetic element that on Earth can only be created in a laboratory. It is a d-block element whose name was approved by the IUPAP on November 4, 2011 making it the last element in the Periodic Table to have a permanent name (presently). It has been named after a very famous Renaissance Astronomer. Which element are we talking about?

   Answer: Copernicium (It is named after the astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus)

4. A very famous video game character is now an emblem of the opposition Democratic Progressive Party's Presidential candidate, Tsai ing-wen, in Taiwan. Identify the character.

   Answer: Red Angry Bird

"Angry Birds" Sculpture made of piggy banks
outside her campaign office in Taichung.

5. Who is going to mostly top the list of the top-paid C.E.O. of 2011 in US with a total value of around $378 million?

    Answer: Timothy D. Tim Cook (The Apple C.E.O.'s worth is more than the top 10 of the 2010 list combined.)

DID YOU KNOW?


Armored knights raised their visors (hats) to identify themselves and also a gesture of respect when they rode past their king. This custom has become the modern military salute.

General Knowledge 028

"Choose the highest ideal and live your life upto that. Look at the "ocean" and not at the wave." - Swami Vivekananda
Today is his 150th Birth Anniversary, and also the National Youth Day in India.


1. Rene Descartes came up with this theory by looking at a fly walk across a tiled ceiling. He was a french mathematician and philosopher who used the name Cartesius in Latin. Which theory are we talking about?


Answer: Theory of Co-ordinate Geometry


2. Name the three wheeler below.

Answer: "HyAlfa" (Produced by Mahindra and Mahindra, it is the world's first hydrogen powered three wheeler. It was showcased at the Auto Expo 2012 which concluded yesterday (11-01-2012).)


3. What is displayed in the picture below?

Answer: It is the world's lightest material (It is an ultralight metallic microlattices. It is mainly composed of air and a very minute amount of Nickel Phosphorous.)


4. Which was the first hotel in India to have refrigeration , laundry, all-day dining restaurant and the first 24-hour coffee shop? It was also the first building in its city to be lit by electricity.


Answer: Taj Mahal Palace Hotel, Mumbai. (It was converted into a six hundred-bed hospital during the World War I)


5. Identify the person below.

Answer: Nitin Nohria (He is the 10th and the current dean of Harvard Business School. He is the first Indian origin dean and only the second dean to be born outside United States.)


DID YOU KNOW?


The little bags of netting for gas lanterns (called 'mantles') are so radioactive that they are capable of setting of an alarm at a nuclear reactor.

General Knowledge 027

1. Which organisation holds the Guinness World Record for the largest choir in the world? 


    Answer: Art of Living


2. Identify the occasion by the below picture.

    Answer: It's the pink day to raise awareness for breast cancer and to support the McGrath Foundation.


3. Whats this structure below?

    Answer: Ice Disneyland (It is made entirely of ice and snow has been built in China's freezing northern city of Harbin as part of the city's Ice Festival.)


4. Identify the famous personality below.

    Answer: Mark Andrew Spitz (He won 7 Gold Medals at the 1972 Munich Olympic only surpassed by Micheal Phelps)


5. Identify this very famous Indian.

    Answer: Homi Jehangir Bhabha (He is known as the father of India's Nuclear Program)


DID YOU KNOW?

Prince Charles and Prince William, never travel together on the same airplane because if it crashed or was sabotaged both the apparent heirs to the kingdom might both be killed hence they travel separately so that in case of such a tragic event only one of them would die.

General Knowledge 024

New years come and new year go,

Pieces of time all in a row.

As we live our life, each second and minute,

We know we are privileged to have you in it.

Our appreciation never ends,

For our greatest blessings: our family and friends.

- Joanna Fuchs

FORGET THE PAST, FORGET THE TEAR,

BECAUSE GOD GAVE US ANOTHER CHANCE WITH YET ANOTHER YEAR!

1. Which is the one and only place in the United Kingdom where the Queen/Monarch is not allowed to enter?


Answer: The House of Commons of the United Kingdom (This is because the Queen/Monarch is not considered to be a “commoner”)


2. Which sport would you be witnessing if you were seated in velodrome? 


Answer: Track Cycling


3. Identify the person below.

   Answer: Bernard Charles 'Bernie' Ecclestone (The President and CEO of Formula One)


4. If England has its 'Barmy Army', in the same way what does India have?


   Answer: 'Swami Army' (The Barmy Army is a group of English Cricket Fans who follow the English team in the overseas tours, similarly is the Swami Army for India.)


5. Who is the only woman in the world to have been first lady of two different countries (not at the same time)? 


Answer: Graça Machel (She was the wife of late Mozambican president Samora Machel (11 November 1975 - 19 October 1986) and then after his death she got married to Former South African President Nelson Mandela (18 July 1998 – present) during his reign of Presidency.)


DID YOU KNOW?

The Mayan Long Count calendar shows time ends on December 21, 2012.

An elder of the New Zealand Maori reports that the Maoris have taught for centuries that the great curtain over the world will be “torn” in 2012.

Not to forget 2012 is going to be a leap year, with 53 Sundays.

Deaths of 2011

"No one wants to die. Even people who want to go to heaven don't want to die to get there. And yet death is the destination we all share. No one has ever escaped it. And that is as it should be, because Death is very likely the single best invention of Life. It is Life's change agent. It clears out the old to make way for the new. Right now the new is you, but someday not too long from now, you will gradually become the old and be cleared away."  
- Steve Jobs


“Death must be so beautiful. To lie in the soft brown earth, with the grasses waving above one's head, and listen to silence. To have no yesterday, and no to-morrow. To forget time, to forgive life, to be at peace.” 

- Oscar Wilde

"Because I could not stop for Death,
He kindly stopped for me.
The Carriage held but just ourselves
And Immortality"

- Emily Dickinson


"Our death is not an end if we can live on in our children and the younger generation.  For they are us, our bodies are only wilted leaves on the tree of life."
- Albert Einstein


"Death smiles at us all, all a man can do is smile back"
- Movie Gladiator


May their souls Rest in Peace.


MUSIC

Bhupen Hazarika

Jagjit Singh

Amy Winehouse

WRITER

Christopher Hitchens

TECHNOLOGY

Dennis Ritchie

Steve Jobs

MOVIES

Dev Anand

Elizabeth Taylor

Shammi Kapoor

ARTISTS

Mario Miranda

M F Hussain

SPORTS

Dan Wheldon

Marco Simoncelli

Joe Fraizer

Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi

POLITICS

Valcav Havel

Kim Jong -li