X is usually encountered when something unexpected occurs. While the origin of the term is unknown, according to one theory – it was because there was no logical option give to the user on encountering X.
Over the years, the company behind X tried to soften impact of X by adding an emoticon.
Can you guess what am I talking about?
Officially called the stop screen, or stop error, the blue screen of death (BSOD) is a most unwanted error, second only to malware or ransomware in indicating that a user is in for a very bad day. It comes with no warning and all unsaved work is immediately lost. And given what it indicates, that could be the least of a user's problems.
Read More about the outage faced by millions of users recently.
Category: Business
[269]
Connect the following images to a Brand.
[266]
While it started more than 100 years ago, this publication still continues to stay relevant in today’s time.
Over the years, they have popularized words like “socialite”, “guesstimate”, “televangelist”, “pundit”, and “tycoon”.
In fact they’re also credited with introducing the names “World War I” and “World War II”, as opposed to older forms like “First World War” and “World War No. 2”.
Id the publication.
[262]
This method of management has been named after the 34th President of US after he gave a speech about it at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois in 1954.
The exact quote goes on as “I have two kinds of problems, the X and the Y. The X are not Y, and the Y are never X.”
Can you identify the method & name X &Y?
Show AnswerWe're talking about the Eisenhower Matrix, named after Dwight D Eisenhower.
X is Urgent & Y is Important. The quote goes like “I have two kinds of problems, the urgent and the important. The urgent are not important, and the important are never urgent.”
The matrix has been used by many for time management.
[258]
The original names considered for the property were Bombay and Bombay Club. However, the name X was finally chosen to symbolize the attraction in the desert.
It was the first megaresort of its kind and was popular for its ‘volcano’ attraction. X will close down this month and will be taken over by Hard Rock Cafe.
What am I talking about?
Show AnswerThe Mirage at Las Vegas.
The resort will be demolished & a new guitar shaped casino will be constructed over a period of 3 years.
Watch a video on the Battle for Las Vegas Casinos.
[255]
The inspiration for the design of X originally came by extending the lines of Morse code. Over the years, there were many configurations (concentric rings, starburst pattern, etc) which were tested, but many were rejected due to issues with ink smearing.
It was IBM’s design which was finally selected, and was first used on a 10-pack of Wrigley’s Juicy Fruit gum.
What am I talking about?
[250]
In Japan, X sounds similar to Kitto Katsu (きっと勝つ), translated as “You will surely win”. The company behind X has tried to leverage this by positioning the product as a good luck charm, especially for students.
The people can also write messages on X & directly mail it via post for good luck.
Also, the product has 70+ variants in the country.
Can you identify X?
[248]
The U.S. Olympic Team Trials – Track & Field were held in Eugene, Oregon this week on the campus of the University of Oregon. The event was held in the small college town due to its history with the sport.
Can you name the company started in Eugene, Oregon (by two college alums) which as a distributor to a Japanese company & went on to ‘invent’ jogging?
[241]
The first version of this product was called Multiplan and was launched in 1982. 3 years later the product that we know today was launched for Macintosh.
Over the years, it has been called the greatest consumer product launched, with an estimated 1 billion people using it around the world. Some people have even used it to create paintings.
Can you identify what I’m talking about?
[239]
X is a low cost multi-utility computer originally designed for education purposes. The product was named as an homage to early computer companies being named after fruits.
However, the product became extremely popular & is now being used not just by hobbyists, but also by researchers and corporations. The company behind the product even went for an IPO in this month.
Identify the product.
[236]
Can you connect the following brands to a sportsperson?
[234]
X was an informal list of about 4 dozen large-cap stocks on the New York Stock Exchange that were most favored by institutional investors in the 1960s and 1970s. These included American Express, Coca Cola, IBM, Pfizer, among others.
However today, the term X is mostly associated with the Indian stock market.
Can you identify X?
[227]
In 1981, Jane X a popular British actress was sitting next to Hermès CEO Jean-Louis Dumas on a flight, when he noticed her overflowing straw bag.
“You should have one with pockets” Dumas told X. “The day Hermès makes one with pockets, I will have that” X replied.
Inspired by this conversion, Dumas launched a new bag named after the actress, and rest was history.
Identify X.
[217]
X Fine Spinning Associates was an American textile company, founded in 1889.
Y Manufacturing Company was a producer of cotton textiles founded in 1888.
In 1955, both the companies merged together to create XY.
As of 2024, the company XY’s market capitalization has been north of $800B and has been among the most valued companies in the US.
Identify the company XY.
[213]
MVPL was founded by Maharaja Krishnaraja Wadiyar IV in 1937. It became a public sector company when India gained independence in 1947.
The company is the sole manufacturer of an iconic product in India & has a fairly cyclical business. The company also exports the product to countries like Thailand, Singapore, Nigeria, Malaysia and South Africa.
Can you identify the product made by the company?
[211]
In 1970s, Chinni Krishnan saw an opportunity to disrupt the FMCG market in India by introducing smaller pack items targeted towards economically weaker section of the society.
In 1980s, his son C.K. Ranganathan carried the legacy forward by launching a product named after his father. The product disrupted the market, and is something which has become quite common these days.
Can you identify the product that was launched? Or what was unique about it?
[204]
The following simple tweet by a ‘financial analyst’ sent the stock prices of meme stocks like GameStop & AMC to shoot up by ~50-70% in a single day.
Can you identify the individual behind the tweet, or his claim to fame?
[203]
Rapidfire round. These are the original names of which famous companies?
1. Pete’s Super Submarines
2. Brand’s Drink
3. Jerry’s Guide to the World Wide Web
4. Cadabara
5. Backrub
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X is an oil which is derived from a special variety of rapeseed, modified to have lesser erucic acid, and hence be healthier. The name of the oil is a portmanteau which includes the country of its origin, which is Canada.
Can you guess the name of the oil?
[187]
In 1950s, Marcel X started a business of manufacturing stationary items in France & then expanded it globally. He named the company Y, by dropping a letter from his surname X, to avoid sounding like a curse word in the English language.
The company has since then, sold 100 billion units of this product, making it the best selling product in its category.
Identify the company Y. Bonus points for getting the founder’s name X.