Hvaldimir, a suspected Russia spy was found dead off the coast of Norway a week ago. Hvaldimir was known for his friendly demeanor, however was spotted wearing a GoPro camera and a harness marked “Equipment of St. Petersburg,” sparking speculation that he was a Russian agent.
However, what was unique about Hvaldimir as a Russian spy?
[316]
In the 18th century, Carl Linnaeus named them after the Latin for spirits of the dead, wandering ghosts. He knew they roamed an African island’s forests at night, their large eyes brimming with moonlight, their shrill cries cracking through the treetops.
Which animal?
Show AnswerLemur
They are endemic to the island of Madagascar with around 100 different species. They chiefly live in trees and are active at night.
Read more about Lemurs.
[315]
After the resignation of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, Muhammad Yunus was nominated to serve as the head of the interim government of Bangladesh.
Yunus is a Nobel Peace Prize awardee known for pioneering the concepts of microfinance through a bank that he founded.
Identify the bank.
[314]
X is the seventh studio album by this American hip hop group Y. Only one copy of this album was created, with no ability to download or stream it. The only copy was purchased directly from the group in 2015 for $2 million by Z (a Pharma CEO), making it the most expensive work of music ever sold.
Identify X, Y & Z.
[313]
Yahweh was an ancient god of the Israelite kingdoms of Israel and later of Judaism.
Yahweh’s name is continued to be taken today through the term X, which literally means ‘praise to Yahweh’.
The term X can be found in Christian prayers & through songs of Jeff Buckley & Leonard Cohen.
Identify the term.
[312]
Concept of X originated in Japan pre-17th century (perhaps originating from China even earlier).
X most commonly consists of 3 characters: Mizaru, Kikazaru, Iwazaru and in some variations, even a fourth one called Sezaru.
X entered the Indian culture when it was gifted to Mahatma Gandhi by a Japanese monk named Nichidatsu Fujii.
What am I talking about?
Picture HintA Japanese scroll depicting X
Show AnswerThree Wise Monkeys
Mizaru "does not see evil", covering his eyes
Kikazaru "does not hear evil", covering his ears
Iwazaru "does not speak evil", covering his mouth
Also sometimes Sezaru "does no evil", covering his privates
Read about the Origin of the philosophy.
[311]
Seen in the visual is St Brides Church, located on Fleet Street in London. Legend has it that a certain baker drew inspiration from the design of the church and created something which became a tradition across the world. What did he create?
Show Answer(Tiered) Wedding Cake
The wedding cake is said to date back to 1703 when Thomas Rich, a baker's apprentice fell in love with the daughter of his employer and asked her to marry him. He wanted to make an extravagant cake, and drew on the design of St Bride's Church for inspiration.
Read More.
[310]
The name of this video game comes from a type of crime committed.
Some of the stories that the games have followed are:
Protagonist returning home after the murder of his mother and finding his friends & family in disarray.
An Eastern European immigrant seeking a fresh start and the American Dream.
A mobster recently released from prison, who’s sent to oversee a drug deal.
Identify the game.
[309]
Harry Beck devised this with the following simple realization – because most of the system was underground, the physical locations themselves were largely irrelevant to the common person.
Hence, he used lines running only vertically, horizontally, or on 45° diagonals. This is similar to (though not inspired by) the electric circuit diagrams.
What did Harry Beck create, which is considered a standard across the world now?
Show AnswerThe line diagram for the London Underground transport system
Since then, the concept has been used for almost all the metro/transport systems across the world.
Watch the Impact of Beck's map on the world around him.
Pre-Beck
Post-Beck
[308]
This star recently launched his YouTube channel named UR. The philosophy behind the name is that symbolizes inclusivity and a sense of family. It is also supposed to showcase more than his accomplishments, aiming to present a more intimate and authentic portrayal of the renowned icon.
[307]
Tesla posted the following job description on their website. Which division/product is this required for?
Must be able to walk 7+ hours a day while carrying up to 30 lb
Height between 5’7″ and 5’11″
Must have the ability to stand, sit, walk, stoop, bend, reach, crouch, and twist throughout the day
Ability to travel up to 25% of the time and daily regional driving
[306]
In 1880s, Wilbur Atwater conducted experiments burning food items. A highly simplistic outcome of this experiments was the following equation:
X = 4*Carbohydrates + 9*Fat + 4*Protein
This output is followed the food industry till date.
What is this equation supposed to measure?
[305]
In this novel, there are 3 superpowers which are fighting a perpetual war and contesting for territories.
Which novel is this from?
[304]
Is it ever too late to start? Can you identify these successful people who started late in life.
1 – She wrote her first book at the age of 31 while living on public assistance between stints as a French teacher
2 – At the age of 35, his first idea was to create a platform for experts to write about topics. Seeing this not work, he created a product where anyone could contribute
3 – He created his first hit comic at the age of 39 and went on to have a Marvelous career in the entertainment industry
4 – He was selling milkshake machines, at the age of 52. He became a Founder of one of the most successful fast-food company
5 – He developed a secret recipe at the age of 65 and became a mascot for his own business
[303]
Due to years of aging & darkened canvas, this painting came to be called XY. However, in reality both X & Y are incorrect. The painting is supposed to be a day time scene & the subjects are a civic guard.
The original name of the painting ‘Militia Company of District II under the Command of Captain Frans Banninck Cocq’ and is one of the most famous Dutch Golden Age paintings.
Identify the painting.
Show AnswerThe Night Watch, a 1642 painting by Rembrandt van Rijn
Watch a Nerdwriter Video on why it is so popular.
Or Zoom Infinitely into the painting to see its aging.
[302]
In The Social Network, during one of the depositions, it is mentioned that the invention of Facebook made Mark Zuckerberg “the biggest thing on a campus that included nineteen Nobel Laureates, fifteen Pulitzer Prize winners, two future Olympians, and a movie star.”
When asked, “Who was the movie star?” the response is “Does it matter?“.
This movie star was, in fact helped screenwriter Aaron Sorkin by providing him insider information.
Identify the movie star.
[301]
Around 10% humans & most of the kangaroos show this attribute.
In humans, it is thought to give advantage in certain fields such as music, sports, etc. Some famous personalities known to have this attribute are Oprah, Sir Paul McCartney, Lady Gaga & Bart Simpson.
13th August is celebrated for this. What am I talking about?
[300]
The exact meaning of the number has been a topic of hot debate. It is commonly considered to denote Emperor Nero, who was cruel to Christians.
Symbolically, the number 7 has been thought to represent completeness. Hence, this number (in question) in contract signifies incompleteness and imperfection. Or alternatively, a quality of being complete in sinfulness.
Which number am I talking about?
[299]
In 1992, a paper titled “A fair result in foul weather” was presented at the Royal Statistical Society. This was in response to the rather farcical ending of sports semi final match.
The method introduced the concept of ‘resources’ in making score estimations for truncated games – X & Y. Simply put, a team with more X & Y would have a higher scoring potential.
Give me the Sport, the Method and X & Y. 5 points for each.
[298]
The conflict between Russia & Ukraine has been cited as the first large scale use of this technology in warfare. The ability to neutralize a multi million dollar equipment such as a tank with a $500 weapon has been a game changer.
Looking this trend the Ukrainian government has even created an ‘Unmanned System Forces’ earlier in 2024 to specialize on this front.
Which technology am I talking about?
Show Answer(Warfare) Drones
The war in Ukraine has been characterized by drone deployment of unprecedented scale, with thousands of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) used to track enemy forces, guide artillery and bomb targets.
Read more about use of Drone in Ukraine & State of Drone Warfare.
