Trivia Database

Pub trivia (or trivia of any kind, for that matter) is becoming a pretty big part of my life these days. I do my darnedest to attend the three local events (as covered here) and always try to hit up new spots whenever I travel. It's fun. It's engaging. And it can be pretty dang lucrative. Well, as is my way, I decided to start tracking me and my team's showings just for kicks. Not only will it be neat to look back at how we did, etc., but it will serve as a way to track winnings. At one spot alone last year, we earned an estimated $2000 in gift certificates. Not bad for a bunch of nerds. Much in the same way I keep my sleeping around online, I've put the trivia data up as well, just for yucks. You can check it out here. Take that NSA. No need to bug my phone or e-mail. I've got it all laid out nicely for you right here on my blog.

Friday January 10 2014

File under: games, data

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Game Night 2013

Remember those game nights from back in the day, when a bunch of people gathered at my mom's house, chatted, ate yummy food, and played games? If you don't, here's a few links to refresh your memory (2006 and 2007). Well, after a far too long hiatus, we tried it again. And again, it proved to be dang fun. Thanks to everyone that came and played along. A first time addition to this game night was trivia, which I wrote and hosted. I really like writing and hosting trivia. I had a go at it this past summer with Chautauqua which proved to be a hit. And this turned out pretty great. An innovation I hadn't experienced before emerged: everyone contribute one question for the final round. Good times. The picture round can be seen here*. To counter the new time addition, we played a couple rounds of the good old standby Pictionary Telephone (covered here on BdW before). Here are a few of the highlights: 1, 2, and 3. Yep, to whomever suggested the resurrection of game night, a hearty thanks. And now that I remember how awesome it is, maybe we'll have to do it again next year!

Thursday January 2 2014

File under: games

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Anacortes Ultimate Points Naming

I've been playing ultimate frisbee here in Anacortes for, gosh, over 10 years now? (Tuesdays 6:30 @ Smiley's bottom except in late Sept and Oct when we go up to Storvik for lights. Join us!) It is a great way to get out and get some exercise and it's a total hoot to boot! For that last year or so, we've been trying to compile names for every possible combination of points in hopes of us being able to remember the score better between points. It all started with the Richard Nixon Point when the score was 2 to 2. From there, it just exploded. Here's is my attempt to preserve, for posterity, the official Anacortes Ultimate Frisbee points naming conventions. Hopefully they will get picked up internationally and beyond! Oh, and it should go without saying that yes I realize these are incredible nerdy. Like uber nerdy. But I'm okay with that. Score Name Explanation (if necessary) 0-1 Baby point Among the more crude explanations. Requires a bit of a visual. 1-1 Oh, deer fingers look like horns 1-2 Jack Black opposite of Blackjack 2-1 Blackjack 2-2 Richard Nixon I am not a crook 3-1 Blastoff! "Three to one..." 3-2 Wii When held up on the fingers, it looks like a "W" and two "i"s 4-2 Jackie Robinson Was the universe point, but that's already a thing 4-0 High Four to zero = 420 = pot smokers' bingo! 3-3 Forest "threes" sounds like "trees" 5-0 Po po Do you smell bacon? I smell bacon. 4-4 Star Wars May the fours be with you 4-5 7-inch Record speed/size 5-5 Mime When holding up two open hands, it can look like you are a mime hitting a wall I might be forgetting a few, and I know new ones will crop up. If you feel so inclined, contribute below. Whoop!

Tuesday October 22 2013

File under: Anacortes, games

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on Fri 25th Oct, 2013 10:33 pm PDT Jule said: I'd call 2-2 the Desmond. ************************ on Sun 27th Oct, 2013 09:41 am PDT Mark said: 7-7 Seven-Up! 6-4 Beatles Point (When I'm Sixty-Four) ************************ on Tue 29th Oct, 2013 06:08 pm PDT Wren said: 6-6 Battle of the sixes 10-10 Cigars of the Pharoah (Tin tin book) ************************

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Portland Octathalon 2013

Andrew* and I have somewhat of a competitive relationship. In fact, not a single Portland visit goes by without at least a little money changing hands on one bet or another. This trip to Portland, however, we decided to get organized. We devised a list of 8 events, spanning various disciplines, to comprise a winner-take-all Octathalon. While some events were old stand-bys (such as darts or Dr. Mario), a few new ones were thrown into the mix. The competition was 4 day of fun filled intensity with lots of good humored swearing and racket throwing. Andrew Wren Tennis   X* Simpsons Trivia X*   Frisbee golf X* Darts X*   Child-sized foosball X* Dr. Mario X* Words With Friends Results pending completion HORSE (on mini-sized hoop) Currently tied at HORS to HORS, Andrew's shot* While officially the final results are still up in the air, Andrew has graciously conceded knowing that as WWF game stands, he hasn't a prayer. But that just makes way for fresh start next visit. Yet again, Portland proves to be great fun!

Sunday March 31 2013

File under: Portland, games

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on Mon 01st Apr, 2013 08:59 pm CDT Andrew! said: Oh my. Never in my dreams did I think that I would have to bow my head in defeat. Damn you Black X! If only you hadn't been nearly lost on the 13th hole. (I just suck at Foosball, Words with Friends, and Dr. Mario) ************************ on Wed 03rd Apr, 2013 07:33 am CDT Saxtor said: I recently saw this and thought of you both. But didn't know how to send it to both of you in a public, Facebook-y manner. So, perfect timing! http://spitshake.com/ ************************ on Sun 07th Apr, 2013 12:32 am CDT Andrew! said: Haha! That site has some great challenges! ************************

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Trivia Trifecta Achieved!

My long sought after trivia goal was achieved this week with the help of some wonderful teammates. We completed the Western Skagit Pub Trivia Trifecta*, coming in first place in 3 consecutive nights of pub trivia (the three establishments in question are the ones I reviewed here.) The competition was tight (esp. at the Longhorn, where it was more crowded than ever), but the categories were with us (former geographic names and Simpsons, to name a few). There was a helpful little overlap on the various pictures rounds* (answers in comments below), though. And for this triumph, there was no prize in addition to those of the various establishments. But those do add up: 2 pitchers of beer, 2 mixed drinks, 4 t-shirts, and $95 in gift certificates. If I drank or wore beer swag t-shirts, that would be a pretty good haul. But a burger, desert, and good times is enough of a reward for me. Next week I head to Portland to get a little trivia in down there. Hopefully the streak will continue! Did I mention that I really like trivia?

Friday March 22 2013

File under: Anacortes, games

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on Fri 22nd Mar, 2013 02:16 pm CDT Wren said: First picture round (from the Brown): 1. Nikola Tesla 2. Cambodia 3. Dionysus or Bacchus 4. Diamonds are Forever (missed) 5. Yugo 6. Some heavy rocker dude I forgot to remember (missed) 7. Mexico 8. Record adapter* 9. Chicago (missed*) and 10) Weekly World News Second picture round (from the Longhorn): 1. Henley 2. Glory 3. Honda, Civic, Del Sol (missed "civic") 4. Tow Mater 5. Iditarod 6. Some guy I forget now but Aunt Julie knew 7. Warcraft(? or something like that) (missed) 8. Wisconsin 9. Roberto Clemente and 10. That handsome devil Nikola Tesla again. ************************ on Sun 24th Mar, 2013 09:08 pm CDT Dave said: You're welcome. ************************ on Mon 25th Mar, 2013 05:09 am CDT Horge said: I think it intersting that they went full-cricle with both rounds: 2 Teslas and a Yugo (all from the same former country) and in round one you had Batboy, while in round two, you had his older brother, James Carville (2.6) ************************

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New Crosswords!

After taking a bit of a break from crossword creation, I'm back at it. I posted a while ago about the puzzle I submitted to the New York Times. Well, I got a very cordial "no-way bub" response*, so that means I can now make it available to ya'll! It can be found here or at on the games page. Since then, I've put together two new ones, both of which I think are pretty dang neat. They can both be found over at the games page as well. Format wise, I've forgone the html online version in favor of just .pdf and .puz. If you're greatly missing the html version, let me know and I'll resurrect it. One puzzle is worth calling attention to: A Reason For Celebrating was created as a welcome to the world for baby Soren (although in reality, it'll be at least 8 months before he's figuring out "Rooty Tooty Fresh 'N Fruity spot" in 4 letters.) Anyway, do the puzzles, share them with your puzzle-oriented friends, and let me know what you think. I've farmed a few more out in hopes of getting published, but I'm not holding my breath. I'll no doubt keep you posted on if anything ever comes of that. In the meantime, I'll keep cranking out puzzles. Because if nothing else, I certainly enjoy them.

Wednesday February 20 2013

File under: games

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Nothing Ventured Nothing Gained

Last week, I submitted a crossword to the New York Times for my first time. I've submitted to the LA Times before, and while I've never gotten one published, the editor there has been very courteous in responding to each submission with why it wasn't selected, etc. But as any crossworder knows, the NYT is where it's at. I recently met a guy who had a couple puzzles published and he walked me through the process. In this age of e-mails, PDAs, etc., I found it surprising (and pretty dang neat) that the NYT takes submissions by snail mail only. It took a while to format the puzzle to the precise standards of submission (double spaced, numbered clues with no period, etc. etc.), but now it is in the hands of the crossword gods, Will Shortz be thy name. If you are so inclined, cross your fingers for me in hopes of being able to check that item off my life to do list. And if you are the puzzle inclined, shoot me a message and I'll e-mail you a copy of the puzzle. Or you can always do some of my older (yet still fun!) puzzles over at the games page.

Friday November 30 2012

File under: games

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on Sun 02nd Dec, 2012 10:35 am CST Steve said: Want!! fingers crossed for you ************************ on Mon 14th Jan, 2013 08:15 pm CST Wren said: :-( ************************

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Two For Tuesday on the Whale

Anacortes has only one radio station, which happens to be on the AM dial*. It isn't often that I feel the need to switch over to AM but the work* truck's radio is a relic of the past and only gets AM. Because of this, however, we invented a wonderful game that causes us to look forward to every Tuesday. Two for Tuesday!!! Every Tuesday, the Whale (1340 AM) plays two songs in a row by the same artist. The game is to correctly predict the second song after hearing only the first one. There's more to it than you might think. You've gotta first be able to identify the artist as quickly as possible in the first song, then determine another song or songs by that artist, and finally decide which one is most popular/likely given a range of circumstances (i.e. they probably wouldn't have two slow ones by Green Day). I'll concede that there is a lot of luck involved. And it is a pretty slow game, usually with only a couple points scored in an 8-hour day. And their strictness of playing 2 songs in a row by the same artist isn't isn't exactly German*. But it is actually a really really fun game. And it can't hurt my ever failing music round at trivia nights. So as long as I'm working, bring on Two for Tuesday!

Tuesday October 23 2012

File under: Anacortes, games

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on Wed 24th Oct, 2012 06:09 pm PDT Andrew said: Oh Wren. How quickly we forget 1997. "There's something unpredictable, but in the end it's right..." ************************

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Word With Friends

Have you played Words With Friends? With their website saying over 20 million people are addicted, chances are you have. I can safely say that I am 1 in 20 million. For those of you who haven't played, it's Scrabble® with a slightly different board. The great part is, though, that you can take as much time working on the words as you want. And you can be playing as many games at a time as you want. I've currently got 4 going so there is usually a move waiting for me whenever I sit down with it. Just like in Scrabble, there are many was to approach success. The most points, obviously, is a good one.* Or the best word (using all your letters, or obscure letters together). But one move that I just made that I'm super proud of is stringing words together so they make sense (kind of). While only worth 20 points, "shit here" is my proudest move on that front. If anyone out there is looking to get in on the action, I'm totally up for starting a new game. My username is my name, no spaces. Find me and let's play!

Tuesday February 7 2012

File under: games

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on Wed 08th Feb, 2012 01:37 am PST Horge said: Just be careful that you don't play it on an airplane. Otherwise you'll end up on SNL's Weekend Update... ************************ on Sat 11th Feb, 2012 12:27 am PST word.game.lover said: Its a great game..Just like me I get addicted with the game words with friends..I always play that on my phone during my past time. Instead of watching TV..I use the ANAGRAMMER to give me hint in times I'm having trouble. ************************ on Sun 19th Feb, 2012 07:52 pm PST Wren said: See? Everyone likes Words with Friends. ************************

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Jeopardy at Home

Last week, I tried out to be a contestant on Jeopardy!. Again. As opposed to last time, where you get dressed up*, went to some fancy conference center, and walked away with a souvenir pen, this time was a measly little online test. It was still fun, but I'm sure 100 times more people took it which doesn't bode well for my odds*. They don't tell you how you did, win or lose, so I can't say for sure, but I'm fairly certain I won't be receiving The Call any time soon. But that doesn't mean it wasn't a step towards my goal of eventually being a television trivia game show contestant. Not only did taking the test give me a better idea of what to expect for next time around, but in surfing around before hand, I came across this guide on How to Win on Jeopardy!. One thing that he recommends doing is, when watching, keep score of yourself using his handy system. It is a way to judge your relative competitiveness as well as keep track of the progress of your training. And while it is optimistic to think I will ever get to test the whole competitiveness thing and I'm not really training, I thought it would be a fun exercise for a week where I'm available to watch Jeopardy! every night*. The results: My score of $17,000 isn't up to his recommended threshold of a consistent $24,000 to have a shot. But who knows what the week will bring. I'll try to post my progress/stats in the comments at the end of the week. Jeopardy! Round Country Groups Constellations Dominos Pizza Treason 2-letter Words Arctic • O O • O O • O O • O O • O O • • O • O O • O O • • O O X • $0 $2000 $3000 $1000 $400 $2000 $8400 Double Jeopardy! Round Country Groups Picture the "S" Moments Real People In Novels Weather Talk Science Fiction TV O O • • O X O O O • O • • O • • O X • O • • • • • • • • O • $1200 $4000 $800 $0 $4400 -$1600 $8600 • Didn't answer O Correct answer X Incorrect Answer

Monday January 23 2012

File under: games

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on Mon 23rd Jan, 2012 09:34 pm PST Mom said: Interesting...you answered all the Domino Pizza questions correctly. ************************ on Tue 24th Jan, 2012 12:24 am PST Horge said: And clearly you need to severely bone up on your knowledge of country music, novels and sci-fi... And don't think you can just watch/read "Cowboys and Aliens" to study all 3 at once... ************************ on Tue 24th Jan, 2012 08:30 pm PST Wren said: Tuesday 1/24/12: $20400 (despite having to call it in*.) Strong subjects: Canadian Postal Codes, Homonyms(?), "Old Ball Game". Weak subjects: Insurance, New Age, Names the Same. ************************ on Thu 26th Jan, 2012 08:31 pm PST Wren said: Thursday 1/26/12: $23000. Strong subjects: Sports by Movie, Author Rhyme Time, Familiar Firsts, Appliances. Weak Subjects: Biblical Geography, Marvel-ous, Real Rhodes Scholar ************************ on Tue 31st Jan, 2012 11:31 am PST Wren said: Friday 1/27/12: $10000. Strong subjects: Answer Lies Therein*. Weak Subjects: Child TV stars, 40s Lit, First War, National League ************************ on Tue 31st Jan, 2012 11:32 am PST Wren said: Monday 1/30/12: $27800. Strong subjects: Art "R"eview, Tie One On, Bring Your Own Bottle, "U". Weak Subjects: Albums ************************ on Tue 07th Feb, 2012 08:02 pm PST mely said: my NOLA boyfriend won $10,000 and a trip to the Bahamas on Jeopardy! He says he studied by watching a lot of TV. ************************

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