These questions were written to be asked in Toronto on 2014-02-24,
and should be interpreted accordingly. All questions were written
by members of the Cellar Rats, but have been reformatted and may
have been retyped and/or edited by me. I will reveal the correct
answers in about 3 days.

For further information, including an explanation of the """
notation that may appear in these rounds, see my 2022-09-09
companion posting on "Reposted Questions from the Canadian
Inquisition (RQFTCI*)".

* Game 6, Round 7 - History - American Vice-Presidents

In all cases that ask for a name, if more than one person with
the same surname was *either* president or vice-president (VP),
then you must be sufficiently specific.

1. Who was the first US VP?

2. <answer 1> then became president, but when he ran for reelection,
he was defeated by the man who had been *his* VP. Who was that?

3. Elbridge Gerry [with a hard G, not "Jerry"], VP under James
Madison, pioneered the technique of contriving the boundaries
of electoral districts so as to benefit one party. What is
the name of his eponymous ploy?

4. What Texas city is allegedly named after the 11th VP?

5. Upon succeeding to the presidency following the assassination
of William McKinley, which VP became the youngest president at
the age of 42?

6. Herbert Hoover's VP, Charles Curtis, was the first person
with significant non-white ancestry to rise to that office:
which non-whites was he descended from?

7. Taking office at the age of 40, who was the youngest VP of the
"""last 150 years"""?

8. """Two""" VPs have resigned from office. Name *either one*.

9. Which president did Nelson Rockefeller serve as VP?

10. Who is the only person in the """last 150 years""" to be
elected president while serving as VP?

* Game 6, Round 8 - Miscellaneous - When it's on the Internet,
it's Everybody's Business!

A round on Internet businesses.

1. We start off with """last week's""" stunning announcement
that Facebook was paying 1/10 of its entire value for smartphone
instant-messaging service WhatsApp. In US dollars to the
nearest whole billion, how much is Facebook paying for WhatsApp?

2. In 2008, CEO Jerry Yang of this Internet company turned down
a $44,600,000,000 offer from Microsoft -- much to the chagrin
of its shareholders, since the company """has never again"""
been worth as much. What company?

3. This much-hyped-at-the-time Internet startup is remembered as
much for being the highest-profile bust of the 2000 dot-com
bubble as it is for its sock-puppet advertising campaign mascot.
Name it.

4. In 1999, when Yahoo bought this geographically-based online
community, organized around virtual versions of real
neighborhoods and regions, it was the 3rd-most-popular site on
the Web. It is """now""" defunct everywhere but in Japan.

5. In 2000, AOL merged with this this major old-school media company
in what turned out be such a disastrous deal: it destroyed over
$200,000,000,000 in shareholder value, before AOL was eventually
spun off again in 2009. What company?

6. In 1998, AOL paid $4,200,000,000 for *which* early fixture
of the World Wide Web in a bid to free itself of the tyranny
of Microsoft's Internet Explorer?

7. Google bought *which* once-leading mobile phone maker in
2011, only to sell it to Lenovo in January 2014 -- for about
$10,000,000,000 less?

8. Rupert Murdoch's News Corp. bought this social-networking
site in 2005 for $580,000,000, but due to bad corporate decisions
regarding the site and competition from Facebook, sold it just
6 years later for a mere $35,000,000. What site?

9. It was reported """last November""" that the founders of
this social-networking app, which features photo messages that
disappear forever seconds after they are viewed by the recipient,
had recently turned down a $3,000,000,000 offer from Facebook,
and possibly a $4,000,000,000 offer from Google as well.
What app?

10. Google's purchase of this website for $1,650,000,000 in 2006
left many scratching their heads, as the site in question had
no business model (i.e. no plan for earning money), and risked
opening up the deep-pocketed Google to copyright lawsuits from
movie and music studio companies such as Viacom. """Today,
though, the site earns billions for Google and is said to be
the 3rd-most-visited site on the web""", after Facebook and
Google itself. Name it.

--
Mark Brader | "Well, that is a really tough question...
Toronto | I've narrowed it down to two possibilities: yes and no."
msb@vex.net | --Chidi Anagonye (Alan Yang, "The Good Place")

My text in this article is in the public domain.

On Monday, April 10, 2023 at 9:17:52 PM UTC-5, Mark Brader wrote:
>
> * Game 6, Round 7 - History - American Vice-Presidents
>
> In all cases that ask for a name, if more than one person with
> the same surname was *either* president or vice-president (VP),
> then you must be sufficiently specific.
>
> 1. Who was the first US VP?

John Adams
> 2. <answer 1> then became president, but when he ran for reelection,
> he was defeated by the man who had been *his* VP. Who was that?

Thomas Jefferson

> 3. Elbridge Gerry [with a hard G, not "Jerry"], VP under James
> Madison, pioneered the technique of contriving the boundaries
> of electoral districts so as to benefit one party. What is
> the name of his eponymous ploy?

gerrymandering

> 4. What Texas city is allegedly named after the 11th VP?

Dallas

> 5. Upon succeeding to the presidency following the assassination
> of William McKinley, which VP became the youngest president at
> the age of 42?

Theodore Roosevelt

> 6. Herbert Hoover's VP, Charles Curtis, was the first person
> with significant non-white ancestry to rise to that office:
> which non-whites was he descended from?

Native Americans

> 7. Taking office at the age of 40, who was the youngest VP of the
> """last 150 years"""?

Richard Nixon

> 8. """Two""" VPs have resigned from office. Name *either one*.

Spiro Agnew

> 9. Which president did Nelson Rockefeller serve as VP?

Gerald Ford

> 10. Who is the only person in the """last 150 years""" to be
> elected president while serving as VP?

George H.W. Bush

> * Game 6, Round 8 - Miscellaneous - When it's on the Internet,
> it's Everybody's Business!
>
> 2. In 2008, CEO Jerry Yang of this Internet company turned down
> a $44,600,000,000 offer from Microsoft -- much to the chagrin
> of its shareholders, since the company """has never again"""
> been worth as much. What company?

Yahoo!

> 3. This much-hyped-at-the-time Internet startup is remembered as
> much for being the highest-profile bust of the 2000 dot-com
> bubble as it is for its sock-puppet advertising campaign mascot.
> Name it.

Pets.com

> 4. In 1999, when Yahoo bought this geographically-based online
> community, organized around virtual versions of real
> neighborhoods and regions, it was the 3rd-most-popular site on
> the Web. It is """now""" defunct everywhere but in Japan.

Geocities

> 5. In 2000, AOL merged with this this major old-school media company
> in what turned out be such a disastrous deal: it destroyed over
> $200,000,000,000 in shareholder value, before AOL was eventually
> spun off again in 2009. What company?

Time Warner

> 6. In 1998, AOL paid $4,200,000,000 for *which* early fixture
> of the World Wide Web in a bid to free itself of the tyranny
> of Microsoft's Internet Explorer?

Netscape

> 8. Rupert Murdoch's News Corp. bought this social-networking
> site in 2005 for $580,000,000, but due to bad corporate decisions
> regarding the site and competition from Facebook, sold it just
> 6 years later for a mere $35,000,000. What site?

Myspace
> 9. It was reported """last November""" that the founders of
> this social-networking app, which features photo messages that
> disappear forever seconds after they are viewed by the recipient,
> had recently turned down a $3,000,000,000 offer from Facebook,
> and possibly a $4,000,000,000 offer from Google as well.
> What app?

Snapchat

> 10. Google's purchase of this website for $1,650,000,000 in 2006
> left many scratching their heads, as the site in question had
> no business model (i.e. no plan for earning money), and risked
> opening up the deep-pocketed Google to copyright lawsuits from
> movie and music studio companies such as Viacom. """Today,
> though, the site earns billions for Google and is said to be
> the 3rd-most-visited site on the web""", after Facebook and
> Google itself. Name it.

Napster

--
Joshua Kreitzer
gromit82@hotmail.com

Mark Brader <msb@vex.net> wrote:

> * Game 6, Round 7 - History - American Vice-Presidents

> 1. Who was the first US VP?

John Adams

> 2. <answer 1> then became president, but when he ran for reelection,
> he was defeated by the man who had been *his* VP. Who was that?

Thomas Jefferson

> 3. Elbridge Gerry [with a hard G, not "Jerry"], VP under James
> Madison, pioneered the technique of contriving the boundaries
> of electoral districts so as to benefit one party. What is
> the name of his eponymous ploy?

gerrymandering

> 5. Upon succeeding to the presidency following the assassination
> of William McKinley, which VP became the youngest president at
> the age of 42?

Theodore Roosevelt

> 6. Herbert Hoover's VP, Charles Curtis, was the first person
> with significant non-white ancestry to rise to that office:
> which non-whites was he descended from?

American Indians

> 7. Taking office at the age of 40, who was the youngest VP of the
> """last 150 years"""?

Richard Nixon

> 8. """Two""" VPs have resigned from office. Name *either one*.

Spiro Agnew

> 9. Which president did Nelson Rockefeller serve as VP?

Gerald Ford

> 10. Who is the only person in the """last 150 years""" to be
> elected president while serving as VP?

George H. W. Bush

> * Game 6, Round 8 - Miscellaneous - When it's on the Internet,
> it's Everybody's Business!

> 1. We start off with """last week's""" stunning announcement
> that Facebook was paying 1/10 of its entire value for smartphone
> instant-messaging service WhatsApp. In US dollars to the
> nearest whole billion, how much is Facebook paying for WhatsApp?

$30 billion; $40 billion

> 3. This much-hyped-at-the-time Internet startup is remembered as
> much for being the highest-profile bust of the 2000 dot-com
> bubble as it is for its sock-puppet advertising campaign mascot.
> Name it.

pets.com

> 4. In 1999, when Yahoo bought this geographically-based online
> community, organized around virtual versions of real
> neighborhoods and regions, it was the 3rd-most-popular site on
> the Web. It is """now""" defunct everywhere but in Japan.

Second Life

> 5. In 2000, AOL merged with this this major old-school media company
> in what turned out be such a disastrous deal: it destroyed over
> $200,000,000,000 in shareholder value, before AOL was eventually
> spun off again in 2009. What company?

Time Warner

> 6. In 1998, AOL paid $4,200,000,000 for *which* early fixture
> of the World Wide Web in a bid to free itself of the tyranny
> of Microsoft's Internet Explorer?

Netscape

> 7. Google bought *which* once-leading mobile phone maker in
> 2011, only to sell it to Lenovo in January 2014 -- for about
> $10,000,000,000 less?

Motorola

> 8. Rupert Murdoch's News Corp. bought this social-networking
> site in 2005 for $580,000,000, but due to bad corporate decisions
> regarding the site and competition from Facebook, sold it just
> 6 years later for a mere $35,000,000. What site?

MySpace

> 9. It was reported """last November""" that the founders of
> this social-networking app, which features photo messages that
> disappear forever seconds after they are viewed by the recipient,
> had recently turned down a $3,000,000,000 offer from Facebook,
> and possibly a $4,000,000,000 offer from Google as well.
> What app?

Snapchat

> 10. Google's purchase of this website for $1,650,000,000 in 2006
> left many scratching their heads, as the site in question had
> no business model (i.e. no plan for earning money), and risked
> opening up the deep-pocketed Google to copyright lawsuits from
> movie and music studio companies such as Viacom. """Today,
> though, the site earns billions for Google and is said to be
> the 3rd-most-visited site on the web""", after Facebook and
> Google itself. Name it.

YouTube

--
_______________________________________________________________________
Dan Blum tool@panix.com
"I wouldn't have believed it myself if I hadn't just made it up."

On Monday, April 10, 2023 at 10:17:52 PM UTC-4, Mark Brader wrote:
> These questions were written to be asked in Toronto on 2014-02-24,
> and should be interpreted accordingly. All questions were written
> by members of the Cellar Rats, but have been reformatted and may
> have been retyped and/or edited by me. I will reveal the correct
> answers in about 3 days.
>
> For further information, including an explanation of the """
> notation that may appear in these rounds, see my 2022-09-09
> companion posting on "Reposted Questions from the Canadian
> Inquisition (RQFTCI*)".
>
>
> * Game 6, Round 7 - History - American Vice-Presidents
>
> In all cases that ask for a name, if more than one person with
> the same surname was *either* president or vice-president (VP),
> then you must be sufficiently specific.
>
> 1. Who was the first US VP?

john adams
> 2. <answer 1> then became president, but when he ran for reelection,
> he was defeated by the man who had been *his* VP. Who was that?

thomas jefferson

> 3. Elbridge Gerry [with a hard G, not "Jerry"], VP under James
> Madison, pioneered the technique of contriving the boundaries
> of electoral districts so as to benefit one party. What is
> the name of his eponymous ploy?

gerrymandering

> 4. What Texas city is allegedly named after the 11th VP?

dallas

> 5. Upon succeeding to the presidency following the assassination
> of William McKinley, which VP became the youngest president at
> the age of 42?

teddy roosevelt

> 6. Herbert Hoover's VP, Charles Curtis, was the first person
> with significant non-white ancestry to rise to that office:
> which non-whites was he descended from?

native americans [kansa, I think]

> 7. Taking office at the age of 40, who was the youngest VP of the
> """last 150 years"""?

dick nixon

> 8. """Two""" VPs have resigned from office. Name *either one*.

spiro agnew

> 9. Which president did Nelson Rockefeller serve as VP?

gerry ford

> 10. Who is the only person in the """last 150 years""" to be
> elected president while serving as VP?

george h w bush

>
> * Game 6, Round 8 - Miscellaneous - When it's on the Internet,
> it's Everybody's Business!
>
> A round on Internet businesses.
>
> 1. We start off with """last week's""" stunning announcement
> that Facebook was paying 1/10 of its entire value for smartphone
> instant-messaging service WhatsApp. In US dollars to the
> nearest whole billion, how much is Facebook paying for WhatsApp?

$16 billion

> 2. In 2008, CEO Jerry Yang of this Internet company turned down
> a $44,600,000,000 offer from Microsoft -- much to the chagrin
> of its shareholders, since the company """has never again"""
> been worth as much. What company?

yahoo!

> 3. This much-hyped-at-the-time Internet startup is remembered as
> much for being the highest-profile bust of the 2000 dot-com
> bubble as it is for its sock-puppet advertising campaign mascot.
> Name it.

pets.com

> 4. In 1999, when Yahoo bought this geographically-based online
> community, organized around virtual versions of real
> neighborhoods and regions, it was the 3rd-most-popular site on
> the Web. It is """now""" defunct everywhere but in Japan.

geocities

> 5. In 2000, AOL merged with this this major old-school media company
> in what turned out be such a disastrous deal: it destroyed over
> $200,000,000,000 in shareholder value, before AOL was eventually
> spun off again in 2009. What company?

time warner

> 6. In 1998, AOL paid $4,200,000,000 for *which* early fixture
> of the World Wide Web in a bid to free itself of the tyranny
> of Microsoft's Internet Explorer?

netscape

> 7. Google bought *which* once-leading mobile phone maker in
> 2011, only to sell it to Lenovo in January 2014 -- for about
> $10,000,000,000 less?

motorola

> 8. Rupert Murdoch's News Corp. bought this social-networking
> site in 2005 for $580,000,000, but due to bad corporate decisions
> regarding the site and competition from Facebook, sold it just
> 6 years later for a mere $35,000,000. What site?

myspace

> 9. It was reported """last November""" that the founders of
> this social-networking app, which features photo messages that
> disappear forever seconds after they are viewed by the recipient,
> had recently turned down a $3,000,000,000 offer from Facebook,
> and possibly a $4,000,000,000 offer from Google as well.
> What app?

snapchat

> 10. Google's purchase of this website for $1,650,000,000 in 2006
> left many scratching their heads, as the site in question had
> no business model (i.e. no plan for earning money), and risked
> opening up the deep-pocketed Google to copyright lawsuits from
> movie and music studio companies such as Viacom. """Today,
> though, the site earns billions for Google and is said to be
> the 3rd-most-visited site on the web""", after Facebook and
> Google itself. Name it.

youtube

> --
> Mark Brader | "Well, that is a really tough question...
> Toronto | I've narrowed it down to two possibilities: yes and no."
> m...@vex.net | --Chidi Anagonye (Alan Yang, "The Good Place")
>
> My text in this article is in the public domain.

swp

On 4/10/23 19:17, Mark Brader wrote:
>
>
> * Game 6, Round 7 - History - American Vice-Presidents
>
> In all cases that ask for a name, if more than one person with
> the same surname was *either* president or vice-president (VP),
> then you must be sufficiently specific.
>
> 1. Who was the first US VP?

John Adams

>
> 2. <answer 1> then became president, but when he ran for reelection,
> he was defeated by the man who had been *his* VP. Who was that?

Thomas Jefferson

>
> 3. Elbridge Gerry [with a hard G, not "Jerry"], VP under James
> Madison, pioneered the technique of contriving the boundaries
> of electoral districts so as to benefit one party. What is
> the name of his eponymous ploy?

gerrymander

>
> 4. What Texas city is allegedly named after the 11th VP?

Dallas

(There's uncertainty about that city's name origin, but there are a
number of other Dallases that are definitely named for the guy. The one
here in Oregon, for example. (Not to be confused with The Dalles, which
has a totally different (French voyageur) origin.))

>
> 5. Upon succeeding to the presidency following the assassination
> of William McKinley, which VP became the youngest president at
> the age of 42?

Theodore Roosevelt

>
> 6. Herbert Hoover's VP, Charles Curtis, was the first person
> with significant non-white ancestry to rise to that office:
> which non-whites was he descended from?

American Indian

>
> 7. Taking office at the age of 40, who was the youngest VP of the
> """last 150 years"""?

Dan Quayle

>
> 8. """Two""" VPs have resigned from office. Name *either one*.

Spiro Agnew

>
> 9. Which president did Nelson Rockefeller serve as VP?

Gerald Ford

>
> 10. Who is the only person in the """last 150 years""" to be
> elected president while serving as VP?

George H W Bush

>
>
> * Game 6, Round 8 - Miscellaneous - When it's on the Internet,
> it's Everybody's Business!
>
> A round on Internet businesses.
>
> 1. We start off with """last week's""" stunning announcement
> that Facebook was paying 1/10 of its entire value for smartphone
> instant-messaging service WhatsApp. In US dollars to the
> nearest whole billion, how much is Facebook paying for WhatsApp?
>
> 2. In 2008, CEO Jerry Yang of this Internet company turned down
> a $44,600,000,000 offer from Microsoft -- much to the chagrin
> of its shareholders, since the company """has never again"""
> been worth as much. What company?
>
> 3. This much-hyped-at-the-time Internet startup is remembered as
> much for being the highest-profile bust of the 2000 dot-com
> bubble as it is for its sock-puppet advertising campaign mascot.
> Name it.
>
> 4. In 1999, when Yahoo bought this geographically-based online
> community, organized around virtual versions of real
> neighborhoods and regions, it was the 3rd-most-popular site on
> the Web. It is """now""" defunct everywhere but in Japan.
>
> 5. In 2000, AOL merged with this this major old-school media company
> in what turned out be such a disastrous deal: it destroyed over
> $200,000,000,000 in shareholder value, before AOL was eventually
> spun off again in 2009. What company?

Time Warner

>
> 6. In 1998, AOL paid $4,200,000,000 for *which* early fixture
> of the World Wide Web in a bid to free itself of the tyranny
> of Microsoft's Internet Explorer?
>
> 7. Google bought *which* once-leading mobile phone maker in
> 2011, only to sell it to Lenovo in January 2014 -- for about
> $10,000,000,000 less?
>
> 8. Rupert Murdoch's News Corp. bought this social-networking
> site in 2005 for $580,000,000, but due to bad corporate decisions
> regarding the site and competition from Facebook, sold it just
> 6 years later for a mere $35,000,000. What site?

MySpace

>
> 9. It was reported """last November""" that the founders of
> this social-networking app, which features photo messages that
> disappear forever seconds after they are viewed by the recipient,
> had recently turned down a $3,000,000,000 offer from Facebook,
> and possibly a $4,000,000,000 offer from Google as well.
> What app?

Instagram

>
> 10. Google's purchase of this website for $1,650,000,000 in 2006
> left many scratching their heads, as the site in question had
> no business model (i.e. no plan for earning money), and risked
> opening up the deep-pocketed Google to copyright lawsuits from
> movie and music studio companies such as Viacom. """Today,
> though, the site earns billions for Google and is said to be
> the 3rd-most-visited site on the web""", after Facebook and
> Google itself. Name it.

YouTube

--
Dan Tilque

Mark Brader (msb@vex.net) writes:
> * Game 6, Round 7 - History - American Vice-Presidents
>
> 1. Who was the first US VP?

Thomas Jefferson
> 2. <answer 1> then became president, but when he ran for reelection,
> he was defeated by the man who had been *his* VP. Who was that?

Thomas Jefferson
> 3. Elbridge Gerry [with a hard G, not "Jerry"], VP under James
> Madison, pioneered the technique of contriving the boundaries
> of electoral districts so as to benefit one party. What is
> the name of his eponymous ploy?

Gerrymandering
> 4. What Texas city is allegedly named after the 11th VP?

Austin

> 5. Upon succeeding to the presidency following the assassination
> of William McKinley, which VP became the youngest president at
> the age of 42?

Theodor Roosevelt
> 6. Herbert Hoover's VP, Charles Curtis, was the first person
> with significant non-white ancestry to rise to that office:
> which non-whites was he descended from?

Apache
> 7. Taking office at the age of 40, who was the youngest VP of the
> """last 150 years"""?

Don Quayle

> 8. """Two""" VPs have resigned from office. Name *either one*.

Spiro Agnew
> 9. Which president did Nelson Rockefeller serve as VP?

Gerald Ford
> 10. Who is the only person in the """last 150 years""" to be
> elected president while serving as VP?

George Bush Sr
> * Game 6, Round 8 - Miscellaneous - When it's on the Internet,
> it's Everybody's Business!
>
> A round on Internet businesses.
>
> 1. We start off with """last week's""" stunning announcement
> that Facebook was paying 1/10 of its entire value for smartphone
> instant-messaging service WhatsApp. In US dollars to the
> nearest whole billion, how much is Facebook paying for WhatsApp?

123
> 2. In 2008, CEO Jerry Yang of this Internet company turned down
> a $44,600,000,000 offer from Microsoft -- much to the chagrin
> of its shareholders, since the company """has never again"""
> been worth as much. What company?

Yahoo
> 5. In 2000, AOL merged with this this major old-school media company
> in what turned out be such a disastrous deal: it destroyed over
> $200,000,000,000 in shareholder value, before AOL was eventually
> spun off again in 2009. What company?

Times Warner
> 6. In 1998, AOL paid $4,200,000,000 for *which* early fixture
> of the World Wide Web in a bid to free itself of the tyranny
> of Microsoft's Internet Explorer?

Netscape
> 7. Google bought *which* once-leading mobile phone maker in
> 2011, only to sell it to Lenovo in January 2014 -- for about
> $10,000,000,000 less?

Motorola
> 8. Rupert Murdoch's News Corp. bought this social-networking
> site in 2005 for $580,000,000, but due to bad corporate decisions
> regarding the site and competition from Facebook, sold it just
> 6 years later for a mere $35,000,000. What site?

MySpace
> 9. It was reported """last November""" that the founders of
> this social-networking app, which features photo messages that
> disappear forever seconds after they are viewed by the recipient,
> had recently turned down a $3,000,000,000 offer from Facebook,
> and possibly a $4,000,000,000 offer from Google as well.
> What app?

Snapchat
> 10. Google's purchase of this website for $1,650,000,000 in 2006
> left many scratching their heads, as the site in question had
> no business model (i.e. no plan for earning money), and risked
> opening up the deep-pocketed Google to copyright lawsuits from
> movie and music studio companies such as Viacom. """Today,
> though, the site earns billions for Google and is said to be
> the 3rd-most-visited site on the web""", after Facebook and
> Google itself. Name it.

YouTube

Mark Brader wrote:
> These questions were written to be asked in Toronto on 2014-02-24,
> and should be interpreted accordingly. All questions were written
> by members of the Cellar Rats, but have been reformatted and may
> have been retyped and/or edited by me. I will reveal the correct
> answers in about 3 days.
>
> For further information, including an explanation of the """
> notation that may appear in these rounds, see my 2022-09-09
> companion posting on "Reposted Questions from the Canadian
> Inquisition (RQFTCI*)".
>
>
> * Game 6, Round 7 - History - American Vice-Presidents
>
> In all cases that ask for a name, if more than one person with
> the same surname was *either* president or vice-president (VP),
> then you must be sufficiently specific.
>
> 1. Who was the first US VP?

Jefferson

>
> 2. <answer 1> then became president, but when he ran for reelection,
> he was defeated by the man who had been *his* VP. Who was that?

Adams

>
> 3. Elbridge Gerry [with a hard G, not "Jerry"], VP under James
> Madison, pioneered the technique of contriving the boundaries
> of electoral districts so as to benefit one party. What is
> the name of his eponymous ploy?

Gerrymandering

>
> 4. What Texas city is allegedly named after the 11th VP?
>
> 5. Upon succeeding to the presidency following the assassination
> of William McKinley, which VP became the youngest president at
> the age of 42?

Theodore Roosevelt

>
> 6. Herbert Hoover's VP, Charles Curtis, was the first person
> with significant non-white ancestry to rise to that office:
> which non-whites was he descended from?
>
> 7. Taking office at the age of 40, who was the youngest VP of the
> """last 150 years"""?
>
> 8. """Two""" VPs have resigned from office. Name *either one*.

Agnew

>
> 9. Which president did Nelson Rockefeller serve as VP?

Ford

>
> 10. Who is the only person in the """last 150 years""" to be
> elected president while serving as VP?
>
>
> * Game 6, Round 8 - Miscellaneous - When it's on the Internet,
> it's Everybody's Business!
>
> A round on Internet businesses.
>
> 1. We start off with """last week's""" stunning announcement
> that Facebook was paying 1/10 of its entire value for smartphone
> instant-messaging service WhatsApp. In US dollars to the
> nearest whole billion, how much is Facebook paying for WhatsApp?

2; 5

>
> 2. In 2008, CEO Jerry Yang of this Internet company turned down
> a $44,600,000,000 offer from Microsoft -- much to the chagrin
> of its shareholders, since the company """has never again"""
> been worth as much. What company?

Yahoo

>
> 3. This much-hyped-at-the-time Internet startup is remembered as
> much for being the highest-profile bust of the 2000 dot-com
> bubble as it is for its sock-puppet advertising campaign mascot.
> Name it.
>
> 4. In 1999, when Yahoo bought this geographically-based online
> community, organized around virtual versions of real
> neighborhoods and regions, it was the 3rd-most-popular site on
> the Web. It is """now""" defunct everywhere but in Japan.

Geocities

>
> 5. In 2000, AOL merged with this this major old-school media company
> in what turned out be such a disastrous deal: it destroyed over
> $200,000,000,000 in shareholder value, before AOL was eventually
> spun off again in 2009. What company?

Time Warner

>
> 6. In 1998, AOL paid $4,200,000,000 for *which* early fixture
> of the World Wide Web in a bid to free itself of the tyranny
> of Microsoft's Internet Explorer?

Netscape

>
> 7. Google bought *which* once-leading mobile phone maker in
> 2011, only to sell it to Lenovo in January 2014 -- for about
> $10,000,000,000 less?

Motorola

>
> 8. Rupert Murdoch's News Corp. bought this social-networking
> site in 2005 for $580,000,000, but due to bad corporate decisions
> regarding the site and competition from Facebook, sold it just
> 6 years later for a mere $35,000,000. What site?
>
> 9. It was reported """last November""" that the founders of
> this social-networking app, which features photo messages that
> disappear forever seconds after they are viewed by the recipient,
> had recently turned down a $3,000,000,000 offer from Facebook,
> and possibly a $4,000,000,000 offer from Google as well.
> What app?

Snapchat

>
> 10. Google's purchase of this website for $1,650,000,000 in 2006
> left many scratching their heads, as the site in question had
> no business model (i.e. no plan for earning money), and risked
> opening up the deep-pocketed Google to copyright lawsuits from
> movie and music studio companies such as Viacom. """Today,
> though, the site earns billions for Google and is said to be
> the 3rd-most-visited site on the web""", after Facebook and
> Google itself. Name it.

Youtube

>

Pete Gayde

Mark Brader:
> These questions were written to be asked in Toronto on 2014-02-24,
> and should be interpreted accordingly... For further information...
> see my 2022-09-09 companion posting on "Reposted Questions from the
> Canadian Inquisition (RQFTCI*)".

> * Game 6, Round 7 - History - American Vice-Presidents

> In all cases that ask for a name, if more than one person with
> the same surname was *either* president or vice-president (VP),
> then you must be sufficiently specific.

> 1. Who was the first US VP?

John Adams. "John" or "J." was required. 4 for Joshua, Dan Blum,
Stephen, and Dan Tilque.

> 2. <answer 1> then became president, but when he ran for reelection,
> he was defeated by the man who had been *his* VP. Who was that?

Thomas Jefferson. 4 for Joshua, Dan Blum, Stephen, Dan Tilque,
and Erland.

> 3. Elbridge Gerry [with a hard G, not "Jerry"], VP under James
> Madison, pioneered the technique of contriving the boundaries
> of electoral districts so as to benefit one party. What is
> the name of his eponymous ploy?

Gerrymandering [now pronounced with a soft G]. 4 for everyone --
Joshua, Dan Blum, Stephen, Dan Tilque, Erland, and Pete.

The term originates with this 1812 cartoon:

http://pic.caixin.com/blog/Mon_1211/m_1352260334_zCeArt.jpg

which shows the towns in one part of Massachusetts -- and all the
dark ones form a single district, being likened to a salamander of
the mythical kind. Sadly, the practice of gerrymandering still goes
on in many US states. Here is a 1992 example from North Carolina:

http://web.archive.org/web/20180104013915/https://www.senate.mn/departments/scr/graphics/NCCD12.GIF

> 4. What Texas city is allegedly named after the 11th VP?

Dallas. 4 for Joshua, Stephen, and Dan Tilque.

The city was founded in 1841 and George Dallas wasn't VP until
1845-49, under President Polk; but he was already well known, having
previously been a mayor and a senator. A number of his family
members and other people named Dallas have also been suggested as
the city's eponym.

> 5. Upon succeeding to the presidency following the assassination
> of William McKinley, which VP became the youngest president at
> the age of 42?

Theodore Roosevelt. "Theodore" or "Teddy" or "T." was required.
4 for everyone.

> 6. Herbert Hoover's VP, Charles Curtis, was the first person
> with significant non-white ancestry to rise to that office:
> which non-whites was he descended from?

Native Americans. As this was sufficient I accepted any reference to
a specific tribe also. 4 for Joshua, Dan Blum, Stephen, Dan Tilque,
and Erland.

His mother's ancestors included Kaw [aka Kansa], and apparently also
Osage and Potowatomi, although sources differ as to the details.
He spoke Kansa and French before he spoke English.

> 7. Taking office at the age of 40, who was the youngest VP of the
> """last 150 years"""?

Richard Nixon. 4 for Joshua, Dan Blum, and Stephen.

He was the second-youngest ever: John C. Breckenridge became James
Buchanan's VP in 1857 at age 36. The next-youngest was Dan Quayle,
VP to George H.W. Bush starting in 1989 at age 41. (All still true.
Kamala Harris, by the way, was 56 when she became VP.)

> 8. """Two""" VPs have resigned from office. Name *either one*.

John Calhoun (1832), Spiro Agnew (1973). (Still true.) 4 for
everyone.

In the original game, only Agnew was expected.

> 9. Which president did Nelson Rockefeller serve as VP?

Gerald Ford. 4 for everyone.

> 10. Who is the only person in the """last 150 years""" to be
> elected president while serving as VP?

George H.W. Bush, elected 1992. "Herbert" or "H." or "Sr." was
required. (Still true.) 4 for Joshua, Dan Blum, Stephen, Dan Tilque,
and Erland.

Adams did it in 1796 and Jefferson, as noted above, in 1800; and so
far the only other one since then has been Martin Van Buren in 1836.

> * Game 6, Round 8 - Miscellaneous - When it's on the Internet,
> it's Everybody's Business!

> A round on Internet businesses.

This was the easiest round in the original game.

> 1. We start off with """last week's""" stunning announcement
> that Facebook was paying 1/10 of its entire value for smartphone
> instant-messaging service WhatsApp. In US dollars to the
> nearest whole billion, how much is Facebook paying for WhatsApp?

Accepting $16,000,000,000 or $19,000,000,000 (the payment included
$3,000,000,000 in restricted stock, which some news stories counted
and some didn't). 4 for Stephen.

In 2014 everybody guessed low, by margins varying from $1,000,000,000
to $15,999,999,996. Answers in 2023 included $123 and $2!

> 2. In 2008, CEO Jerry Yang of this Internet company turned down
> a $44,600,000,000 offer from Microsoft -- much to the chagrin
> of its shareholders, since the company """has never again"""
> been worth as much. What company?

Yahoo!. (I have not attempted to trace its stock price history
since 2014.) 4 for Joshua, Stephen, Erland, and Pete.

> 3. This much-hyped-at-the-time Internet startup is remembered as
> much for being the highest-profile bust of the 2000 dot-com
> bubble as it is for its sock-puppet advertising campaign mascot.
> Name it.

Pets.com. 4 for Joshua, Dan Blum, and Stephen.

> 4. In 1999, when Yahoo bought this geographically-based online
> community, organized around virtual versions of real
> neighborhoods and regions, it was the 3rd-most-popular site on
> the Web. It is """now""" defunct everywhere but in Japan.

Geocities. (Now defunct everywhere.) 4 for Joshua, Stephen,
and Pete.

> 5. In 2000, AOL merged with this this major old-school media company
> in what turned out be such a disastrous deal: it destroyed over
> $200,000,000,000 in shareholder value, before AOL was eventually
> spun off again in 2009. What company?

Time Warner. I did not accept "Times Warner" since Times is the
name of several other news media than Time. 4 for Joshua, Dan Blum,
Stephen, Dan Tilque, and Pete.

> 6. In 1998, AOL paid $4,200,000,000 for *which* early fixture
> of the World Wide Web in a bid to free itself of the tyranny
> of Microsoft's Internet Explorer?

Netscape. 4 for Joshua, Dan Blum, Stephen, Erland, and Pete.

> 7. Google bought *which* once-leading mobile phone maker in
> 2011, only to sell it to Lenovo in January 2014 -- for about
> $10,000,000,000 less?

Motorola. 4 for Dan Blum, Stephen, Erland, and Pete.

> 8. Rupert Murdoch's News Corp. bought this social-networking
> site in 2005 for $580,000,000, but due to bad corporate decisions
> regarding the site and competition from Facebook, sold it just
> 6 years later for a mere $35,000,000. What site?

Myspace. 4 for Joshua, Dan Blum, Stephen, Dan Tilque, and Erland.

> 9. It was reported """last November""" that the founders of
> this social-networking app, which features photo messages that
> disappear forever seconds after they are viewed by the recipient,
> had recently turned down a $3,000,000,000 offer from Facebook,
> and possibly a $4,000,000,000 offer from Google as well.
> What app?

Snapchat. 4 for Joshua, Dan Blum, Stephen, Erland, and Pete.

> 10. Google's purchase of this website for $1,650,000,000 in 2006
> left many scratching their heads, as the site in question had
> no business model (i.e. no plan for earning money), and risked
> opening up the deep-pocketed Google to copyright lawsuits from
> movie and music studio companies such as Viacom. """Today,
> though, the site earns billions for Google and is said to be
> the 3rd-most-visited site on the web""", after Facebook and
> Google itself. Name it.

YouTube (now 2nd-most-visited after Google). 4 for Dan Blum, Stephen,
Dan Tilque, Erland, and Pete.

Scores, if there are no errors:

GAME 6 ROUNDS-> 2 3 5 6 7 8 BEST
TOPICS-> Sci Ent Aud Can His Mis FOUR
Joshua Kreitzer 32 32 20 15 40 28 132
Dan Blum 36 28 16 7 36 28 128
Dan Tilque 36 8 4 20 36 12 104
Pete Gayde 14 12 36 3 16 28 94
Erland Sommarskog 24 4 16 7 28 24 92
Stephen Perry -- -- -- -- 40 40 80
John Gerson 24 0 -- -- -- -- 24

--
Mark Brader | "But... soon enough he'd be a master writer,
Toronto | licensed to... smoke cigarettes in public."
msb@vex.net | --Fritz Leiber, "The Silver Eggheads"

My text in this article is in the public domain.