MR’s De-Educational Quiz – GPS – VHS – HVD
Three short questions this week….. If I’m still at this next week, the Points System will be converted to Chess pieces…..
1. The first GPS satellite was launched in 1978 for use by the U.S. Military….. How many satellites currently make up the system?….. Worth Four (4) Red Checkers……
2. What was the last major motion picture released on VHS (the year was 2005)?……. Worth Five (5) Red Checkers……
3. There’s a new optical disc technology currently in development called HVD….. a. What does HVD stand for?…… and, b. How many bytes of information can a single disc hold?….. Worth Three (3) Red Checkers each…..
July 23rd, 2007 at 7:39 pm
I have heard it called Holographic Video Disc but it is really Holographic Versatile Disc because, at 3.9 TB, it isn’t just for video and it isn’t targetted to the average consumer.
The 3.9 bugs me though. It couldn’t be an even 4. Or even just 3.5 for sanity. No, 3.9. If it were a gas tank, I would find a way to fit the other .1 gallons.
July 23rd, 2007 at 7:40 pm
Oh yeah…they don’t do VHS anymore? I assume cartoons don’t count?
July 24th, 2007 at 12:09 am
There are 24 NAVSTAR GPS satellites.
July 24th, 2007 at 7:44 am
Izard strikes first again!….. It is called “Holographic Versatile Disc” and it does hold 3.9 terabytes of info…. Good one, Izard, that’s Six (6) Red Checkers for you……
RtG is correct on the GPS satellite network….. There are Twenty-Four (24) of them….. Good Go, RtG, that’s Four (4) Red Checkers for you……
I’m sure that they are still making VHS releases, but, I’m looking for the last major motion picture that was released and only available first on VHS…. It was later released on DVD….. The title fits the World’s situation – past and present (This is a hint)……
July 24th, 2007 at 12:01 pm
I broke down and had to find out. I expected more out of that movie.
Although, while looking that up, I did find this:
On November 27, 2006, the Motion Picture Association of America
(MPAA) announced that commercial films are no longer released on
VHS.
But, in the spirit of the old tape systems, we now have the Blu-Ray vs. HD DVD debate with a big win going to Blu-Ray because 20th Century Fox, MGM and Walt Disney are Blu-Ray exclusively.
Unfortunately I chose HD DVD…
July 24th, 2007 at 12:23 pm
Yeah, I just bought a Sharp Aquos 42″ LCD HDTV, 1080p, a new 900 watt Sony 5.1 system, and a Sony HD upscale DVD player….. They all connect with the HDmi cables and the DVD player is supposed to “upscale” your old DVD’s from 480 to 740 resolution, while playing true HD DVDs at 1080… I’m not going to replace my complete video library like with the Beta – VHS conflict…. How much sharpness can your eyes focus on anyway?…….
July 24th, 2007 at 8:58 pm
If I may dispute the “24” answer to the GPS question, although it was designed for 24, I believe there are currently more GPS satellites. Something like 28 or 30.
July 25th, 2007 at 1:12 am
I believe hs is correct. Although the NAVSTAR GPS system is designed for 24 satellites, NASA and DOD has began to replace some of them, so there are currently more than 24 in orbit.
July 25th, 2007 at 8:52 am
The official answer is still 24….. I got this out of the current “Circuit City” newsletter, but, they may be behind on the latest data…. HS, for your enlightening observation, I hereby award you Four (4) Red Checkers also…….
July 26th, 2007 at 7:51 am
Hint on the VHS answer: Going by the title, as I have never seen it, I would say it is a documentary-type film – “A History of -BLANK-“….. Since I have given most of the title, the Red Checker count for a correct answer drops to Three (3)…….
July 26th, 2007 at 9:37 am
It’s not a documentary. It’s an action/drama film staring Viggo Mortensen.
July 26th, 2007 at 10:42 am
See how much I know!…. You’re talkin’ ’bout the dude from “Lord of the Rings”?….. Is it any good, or have you seen it, Izard?…… Don’t give the rest of the title yet….. Someone out there may still hazard a guess, but, the Red Checker counts goes down to Two (2) as I consider this as another hint…..
July 26th, 2007 at 2:16 pm
Like I said, I expected more from it. And that wasn’t really a hint to go along with your hint. That was a hint to counteract your de-hint.
July 27th, 2007 at 7:09 am
While you corrected my hint, you gave a new hint by naming one of the stars of the movie….. That was the new hint I was referring to….. If no one else gets it by tomorrow noon, I’m going to award the Two (2) Red Checkers to Izard for his help, even though he peeked……
July 27th, 2007 at 10:48 pm
I guess considering all the hints post comment 10 ” history of the world part 1″ By Mel Brooks is RIGHT OUT. Also Viggo Mortensen, any relation to the evil Viggo from Ghostbusters II?
July 28th, 2007 at 2:56 am
Izard, you might check out an early in-depth review of the HD-DVD vs. Blu-Ray war right here on MRC. It’s a bit old, being posted on April 19, 2006, and made an arguably wrong prediction, but there’s some good reasoning in there. And what’s more interesting than an inevitable BetaMax conversation?
July 31st, 2007 at 8:23 am
I still have a BetaMax Camcorder……. Still works….. Okay, the answer to the Last major VHS release is “A History of Violence”….. Since no one got it, and Izard appropriately bowed out because he “Googled” it, but gave he helpful hints, I award him the Two (2) Red Checkers as promised…….