Quizzical
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Quizzical
Origin States and Brothers Irate | 26.1.2
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This week, James and Sam go head to head in trivia games called "Don't be mad bro" and "Statymology". Play along and see how you score. Could you have made the final?
***Check out James's newsletter at https://artisanalsudoku.substack.com/ and his book "Artisanal Sudoku" wherever you buy books.***
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Created by Scott Strosahl
Theme song by Scot Aird (@scotairdmusic on instagram)
Intro
Speaker 3What famous book was written after the author's editor bet them they couldn't write a book using less than 50 unique words? The answer to that at the end of the show. Welcome to Quizzical, the trivia show where the margin between genius and embarrassment is very thin. I'm Scott Strosahl, and today two players will attempt to retrieve facts that their brains insist are in there somewhere. If you're new here, so are we, and we need contestants. If you would like to be a contestant on Quizzical, go to quizzical.fm to sign up. And if you know someone you'd like to hear on the show, tell them to sign up as well. Please share the show with your friends and give us a review on iTunes. It really helps us spread the word. You can find links to all the things at quizzical.fm. This is our second of four head-to-head matchups, the winners of which will face off in a final showdown in a few weeks. In today's games, we'll discuss the origins of states and keep brothers from getting irate. And along the way, we'll crown our first people's champion with the answer to last week's listener question. So play along, pause if you need to, insist you knew it, we'll believe you. We've got questions, we've got answers, and we've got at least one fact today that will feel useful once, briefly, someday. Now let's meet our two contestants and get to the trivia. First up we have James from Florida. Welcome, James. Hi, very happy to be here. Uh James knows a lot about pro wrestling, I assume, since he's from Florida, or maybe because he told me he knows a lot about pro wrestling. It's it's it's the official state sport, I think. Uh do you have a favorite wrestler?
Speaker 2Uh well, I I he's not active anymore, but I've always been a fan of Shawn Michaels.
Speaker 3And and the big question is: if you were a wrestler, what would your wrestler name be?
Speaker 2Uh was not prepared for this one. I don't know.
Speaker 3I have a suggestion for you. If you don't have an answer prepared, I would suggest the puzzler. That's that's that's that's pretty good. I'll yeah, I'll go with that. Which seems like a good time to transition to the reason I suggest that as your wrestler name is because you create and solve lots of puzzles. In fact, you have a newsletter called Artisanal Sudoku. Lots of great puzzles on there. I've solved a lot of them before. I've even done some on my YouTube channel, and I believe you have a book that just came out.
Speaker 2Yeah. Yeah, I do. It it came out March 17th. It's called Artisanal Sudoku, the same as as my newsletter, and I'm I'm pretty excited about it. It's uh put a lot of work into it. They're handmade puzzles, and there's there's written hints in the book, so it's all meant to be accessible to to newcomers and and for experienced solvers alike.
Speaker 3And how do people find that book if they're interested? Uh it should be available wherever you buy books. There you go. Perfect. That makes it easy. And I'll uh leave a link uh wherever people are you know listening or watching this episode, there'll be a link to your site as well. So they can find it that way. Oh, great. Cool. All right, and next up we have Sam from Ohio. Welcome, Sam.
Speaker 1Hello. Nice to be here.
Speaker 3Yeah, I understand you know a lot of country capitals.
Speaker 1Um that was the claim, yes.
Speaker 3That was the claim. Okay, nice. Well, we won't we won't make you list all of them right now or anything. Is there any particular reason you learned the country capitals, or you just it was something you're interested in, or not really.
Speaker 1Just was interesting.
Speaker 3Did you set out to specifically learn them, or you just kind of pick them up? Cool. So I I'm gonna ask you one of them. What is the capital of Indonesia? We'll put you on the spot here. Do you know?
Speaker 1Uh that would be Jakarta.
Speaker 3Yes. Do you know that it's moving though? That's why I'm asking.
Speaker 1I did not.
Speaker 3I I I didn't know this. The only reason I knew this is because I wanted to ask you about a country capital, and so I just googled like what country's capital has changed most recently to see if you would know. Uh which I wouldn't expect you to, but it's apparently moving from Jakarta to Nusantara. They're like building a new city just to be the capital, which is kind of crazy. Interesting. Yeah, there you go. All right. Well, now that we know each other, are you guys ready for our first game?
Speaker 1Yeah. Yeah.
Game 1 - "Don't be mad, Bro"
Speaker 3Then let's get quizzical. All right, for round one, we're starting with a game called Don't Be Mad, bro. In this game, I will describe something that I'm supposedly mad about, and every answer will contain the word mad. Okay, so the letters M A D will be in there. It won't necessarily be pronounced as mad, but the letters M A D will be together in the word in that order. It could be at the beginning, in the middle, and you have to answer as don't be blank bro. For example, if I said I'm getting frustrated trying to address my mother in Spanish, you would respond with don't be madre bro, or maybe don't be madre hermano in this case, but because madre is the Spanish for mother, and it starts with M-A-D. Make sense? Alright. You're gonna buzz into answer, but if you get it wrong, your opponent will have a chance to steal. Sam, your buzzer sounds like. And James, your buzzer sounds like. Alright. Question one. It really annoys me when people wander from place to place and don't have a permanent home. James. Uh don't be nomad, bro. Very good, don't be nomad, bro. Alright. Question two. I can't believe the best-selling female artist of all time is dating someone less than half her age. James.
Speaker 2Uh don't be ben sorry, don't be Madonna, bro.
Speaker 3Very good, don't be Madonna, bro. Alright, next question. Mammals with leathery armored shells and long claws really tick me off. Sam. Don't be armadillo, bro. Don't be armadillo, bro. Very good. Next question. I am livid about this large fleet of warships sailing away from Spain. Ooh, Sam got in just just in front of James. Don't be Armada, bro. Don't be Armada, bro. Very good. That was a close one. You guys basically buzz in at the same time. Alright, question five. I can't stand having unkempt hair, so I always use this waxy hair treatment that gives me a shiny, slick appearance. James. Uh don't be pomade, bro. Yep, pomade or pomade. I've heard it pronounced both ways. Yep. Yep, very good. Alright. Next question. I'm irate that Saquon Barkley is on the cover of this game instead of me. Sam.
Speaker 1Don't be Madden, bro.
Speaker 3Yes, don't be Madden. Do you want to be more specific? You don't have to be, but do you know specifically which Madden?
Speaker 1Madden 26?
Speaker 3It is Madden 26, very good. I was gonna give you the point either way, but listeners will be more impressed now, maybe. Possibly. Perhaps. Alright. Next question. I'm seeing red about the ninth month of the Islamic calendar, which is observed with fasting, prayer, and reflection. James.
Speaker 2Uh don't be Ramadan, bro.
Speaker 3Don't be Ramadan, bro. Very good. Alright. Final question. Sam, you have to get this one to force a tiebreaker. Otherwise, James will take the first game. Last question. I am so upset that I have to travel to this African island where 90% of the wildlife exists nowhere else. Ooh, Sam.
Speaker 1Don't be Madagascar, bro.
Listener Question
Game 2 - "Statymology"
Speaker 3Don't be Madagascar, bro. Very good. He didn't crumble under the pressure, he tied it up, so our tiebreaker question. Here we go. I'm furious that I have to fly all the way to New York to visit the arena where the Knicks and Rangers play. James. Don't be Madison Square Garden, bro. Very good. Alright. Great job to both of you, but especially good job to James, who is one step closer to making the final. And Sam, you'll have to win the next game to force a tiebreaker and keep your hopes alive. Today's episode is brought to you by the patrons, as always, because this show will always be ad-free. People like Chinook UT, who will always have a special place on this show, because they were the first one to sign up to be a patron. You won't hear any commercials because of their generous support. And if you would like to help us keep this show going and maybe get a few perks along the way, go to quizzical.fm to sign up. We really appreciate it. Alright, now it's time for the answer to last week's listener question. Just as a refresher, the question was what do bananas, brazil nuts, basements, and smoke detectors have in common? And the answer is they are all slightly radioactive. So bananas and Brazil nuts are radioactive partly because they contain potassium. Bananas have quite a bit of potassium. Brazil nuts have a little bit of potassium. And some of that potassium is going to be the natural isotope potassium 40. Brazil nuts can also contain a small amount of radium that's taken from the soil in which they are grown. But the EPA says that a single banana provides about 0.01 millirem of radiation. So it's far too low to cause any damage. So it's fine to eat them. Smoke detectors, it does depend a little bit on which type of smoke detector, but they often use americium to ionize air molecules. And so they are slightly radioactive. And basements can often accumulate harmful levels of radon, in fact. And so at least where I live, if you buy a new house or build a house, you have to test the basement and put in a radon mitigation system if the levels are too high. And that radon comes from the decay of uranium in the soil and rock around the basement. And since it's underground and it's an enclosed space, it kind of captures the radon in there. So there you go. Bananas, Brazil nuts, smoke detectors, and basements are all slightly radioactive. And we had several people sending correct answers, but the randomly selected winner from those that submitted correct answers this week is Jason from Las Vegas. Congratulations, Jason. You are our first people's champion. We'll be posting on all our socials, and feel free to share that with all your friends to show them that you are the champion this week. And now for this week's listener question, it's gonna be short and sweet. It's very simple. What makes this number unique? 8,549,176,320. I'll give you that number again. 8,549,176,320. What is unique about that number? And I'll give you a little hint. You don't need any math to figure this one out. If you think you know the answer, send us a message to people at quizzical.fm. Or if you want to, you can go to our site quizzical.fm and click on the send a voicemail button, and you can submit your answer in audio form. And you could be next week's People's Champion. Alright, and with that, it's time for our second game. Sam, James, are you guys ready? Yep. Yep. Our second game today is called Statymology, which is a made-up word that I invented. Uh, this is a fairly straightforward, trivia type round. I will give you the origin of a US state name, and you simply need to name the state. Simple enough, right? We'll take turns on this one so you can put the buzzers down and feel free to talk it out before you answer. But if you miss, your opponent will get a chance to steal. So the first question will be for James. This state was named in 1683 for the then king of France.
Speaker 2Okay. Uh that was probably in the time where all the French kings were called Louis, so I don't know exactly which king, but I'm gonna go with Louisiana.
Speaker 3Louisiana is correct. It was Louis the Fourteenth, in fact.
Speaker 1Yes.
Speaker 3Alright. Sam, next question is for you. This state was named in 1732 for the then King of England.
Speaker 1Um seventeen thirty-two King of England. It's not Virginia. That was after Queen. Definitely on the east coast or near it, because this is so early. It's not a Carolina, so it's not Maine, Massachusetts. Maine wasn't a state yet then. Florida wasn't a state either. Georgia, no. I think it's names King John, King Edward.
Speaker 3All right. Well, what do you got? You got a guess?
Speaker 1Uh guess. Uh Delaware. No, I don't know.
Speaker 3Delaware. Yes, that is that is wrong, but not a bad guess. Um, James, can you steal?
Speaker 2Um, yeah, so uh Sam, you you you cycled through Georgia and dismissed it, but I think it'd be King George.
Speaker 3Okay, so I'm gonna say Georgia. It is Georgia after King George II. Very good. Yep. Alright, James, next question is for you. This state's name means colored red.
Speaker 2Uh trying to think of a way to to to talk through my thought process, but really it's just that the the one the one that popped into my head is Colorado, so I'm just gonna say Colorado.
Speaker 3Colorado is correct. Alright, Sam, next one's for you. This state's name means flowery. Flowery.
Speaker 1What states have flowers? Uh Florida has flowers. Wouldn't that be Florida? Florida.
Speaker 3Florida is correct, yeah. It was originally named La Florida by Ponce de Leon, who landed there at Easter during the Pasqua Florida or Flowery Passover. Alright, James, next one's for you. This state was named for a Duke after England took control of it from the Netherlands.
Speaker 2Okay, so that that sounds like uh you know, one of the early ones. That would have been like 1600s or so. And that like you know, I'm thinking New York City was called New Amsterdam, so so it has the the the Dutch lineage there, so I'm I'm gonna go with New York.
Speaker 3New York is correct. Yeah, it's funny because it seems like it was named after York, but supposedly it was named after the Duke of York, which is interesting. But it yeah, it was it was New Amsterdam, it was also called New Netherlands. Uh between New Amsterdam and New York, it was New Netherlands for a while. Yeah. Very good. Alright, Sam, next one's for you. This state's name comes from an island in a sixteenth century Spanish romance described as a paradise abundant with gold and gems.
Speaker 1Abundant with gold and gems. Sounds like the California gold rush. Could also be the Alaska gold rush. Um Rhode Island first popped into my head, but I don't think that would be right. I gonna go with California.
Speaker 3It is California, very good. Yeah, it's Las Cergas de Esplandion, which is probably not the correct way to pronounce it, but it's the adventures of Esplandion. Whatever. Yeah, explorers thought California was an island originally, and they named it that after this island in a book. So Yep, very good. Alright, James, back to you. This state's name means mountainous.
Speaker 2Uh I'm gonna use the same logic I did for Colorado. The first one that came to mind was Montana. Kinda sounds like it. I'm gonna go with Montana.
Speaker 3It's going with Montana, so it's either because the word looks like mountain, or maybe it's a red herring and it's not. But that's correct. It is Montana. Very good. Alright, and Sam. This state's name means Green Mountains.
Speaker 1Um I know Vermont has Green Mountains. Uh does it mean that. Would make sense to.
Outro
Speaker 3Vermont is correct. Vertmont is Green Mountains. It was named by Samuel de Champlain. Champlain. There's the Lake Champlain named after him. Alright, very good. James wins that game and is moving on to the final round at the end of the month, so congratulations to James. Thank you to Sam for playing. But before we go, the answer to the question I asked at the beginning. What famous book was written after the author's editor bet them they couldn't write a book using less than 50 unique words? Do you guys have a guess? It doesn't matter for any points or anything, but uh I'm I'm thinking Dr. Seuss. You were thinking correct with Dr. Seuss. Do you know which book? Um Green Eggs and Ham. Green Eggs and Ham, of course. So his editor bet him $50 that he couldn't write a book with only 50 unique words, and that's where the idea for Green Eggs and Ham came from, basically. He was trying to do it with just a limited set of words. It has exactly 50 unique words, and 49 of them are single syllable words. Do you guys know what the only word in the book that has more than one syllable is? That's a really tricky one. Yeah, it's been a while. I don't know if I'd be able to come up with it. I wouldn't have been able to come up with it. It's anywhere. I would not eat them anywhere. He says anywhere several times. That's the only book in the word with more or the only word in the book with more than one syllable. So there you go. Now you know green eggs and ham was written to win a bet. A conversational wild card you now officially own. That's it for this week. And remember, some people collect stamps, we collect answers. I'm Scott. This has been Quizzical.