Kumar Shashwat (03-04-18)

India
Nature
Dogs
Inventions
Architecture
Kumar Shashwat
Year II
Meet #97

Rules
• +10/-10 on pounce, 10 on bounce
• Extra points/hints wherever applicable
• QM is dog.

The dog in question, half-aptly, is a Bull Terrier that serves as the
mascot of a corporation. The make-up process for its official
appearances is pretty simple, and it goes as such:
“When in character, she is bathed, and then it's a brushing, followed
by the red-and-white rings. The vegetable paint actually enhances the
dog's skin and fur, so imagine, at every event, being able to go through
it, like a spa treatment. Not a bad way to live.”
- Of which company is this dog the official mascot?
- Bonus: Give its name.
1

The story of how ______ emerged (or was invented?) comes from the
18th century. Sailors distilled wine which made it easier for merchants
to transport the distillate, and added the water removed by distillation
back to the brandy shortly before consumption.
One reason this process was used was to preserve the delicate wine.
However, distillation also saw the formation of various compounds
which went on to change the taste of the product significantly, thus
bringing ______ into a class of its own.
- However, there was another reason (albeit unconfirmed) why the
above process was employed – what was it?
- Also, FITB.
2

To avoid taxes as they were assessed by measuring
wine volume; Brandy
2

In 2012, Jasper Verguts, a gynaecologist at the University Hospital
Leuven in Belgium, measured the dimensions of the uteruses of 5000
women, using ultrasound, over the course of a few months to
determine the fertility of the organ over various age bands.
The data showed that the uterus of a female at birth is twice as long as
it is wide. For an older woman, the number dropped to almost three
quarters of the previous figure. As expected, the uteruses of women
aged between 16 to 20 were the most fertile, which confirmed Dr.
Verguts’ hunch too.
What was the aim of this study?
3

To check if the length of a fertile uterus was 1.6 times
its width – the golden ratio
3

In 2003, nearly one million lampposts in Derbyshire were checked by
the Derbyshire County Council, with the entire procedure costing
£75,000.
This was done as a accident prevention measure after the death of a
local, who was killed by a street light falling on his head. The council’s
cabinet member for environment and highways, Walter Burrows,
made it clear that the matter was not light-hearted.
This action was taken after a report proved an activity being the cause
of such an accident, the effect of which was in the making for many
years.
What was the activity?
4

Dogs urinating on the posts, corroding them
4

Some of the design principles of this “type” of architecture, which has
interested a fair share of students and other enthusiasts alike, are
outlined in this excerpt from a case study:
Cost and Efficiency
Adaptability
Visibility
Verticality
Other insights have interestingly seen some ask about the rules of
construction:
“And while there are no official rules of construction, there is a law of
mutual respect. After all, this is a small world, where everyone knows
and talks to everyone else, and so they must come to peaceful
agreements among themselves.”
What is being explained here?
5

Who’s the targeted author?
6

This is an algae called Dunaliella salina. To survive, these
organisms contain high concentrations of β-carotene to
protect against intense light, and high concentrations of
glycerol to provide protection against osmotic pressure.
β-carotene is also part of the diet of a migratory bird,
which lends it its unique characteristic which is the
subject of an oft-repeated question.
As a hint, β-carotene is present in foods such as carrots,
apricots and sweet potatoes.
What phenomenon is being talked about, which is
exhibited by either Dunaliella salina, or the bird’s diet?
7

Why some lakes, and flamingos, are pink
7

Some days back, Apple submitted a proposal to Unicode regarding the
addition of various accessibility emojis. The move was appreciated by
the disabled community, with most calling it a need that makes
communication a lot easier for them.
The set has 13 emojis, of which 11 are shown in the image below.
There are two emojis missing – one concerns blind people, and the
other is suited for people with various disabilities (including blindness.)
What are they?
8

In the image is a patent application from the year 1894. Albert
Richardson, having already patented the butter churn, found another
problem he wanted to fix. His effort did not let him down, and Patent
US529311 was granted.
Fast forward to 2018, and his patent still forms the basis of all such
(related) products used today. It’s safe to his legacy isn’t dead yet.
What did he invent?
(Image, next slide.)
9

The name of which US city, most famous for housing the University of
Michigan campus and thousands of its employees, is composed of the
name of the wives of the founders of the then-village, and the Latin
word for tree?
This city, understandably, is densely forested and contains over 50,000
trees, earning its nickname ‘Tree Town.’ However, what makes things
more interesting is its history – one could also attribute the nickname
to the city’s open support of a cause, stemming from numerous radical
organizations in the 60s, and its reputation as an important center for
liberal politics.
Which city?
What cause/movement?
10

Ann Arbor; legalization of cannabis
10

This is the Calakmul Corporate Building, present in the Santa Fe area in
Mexico City. The structure was designed by Agustin Hernandez
Navarro to honour the Mayan from whom the name Calakmul derives,
and incorporates elements that represent the earth and the sky.
However, the building is nicknamed ‘La Lavadora’ due to its
appearance. Try to imagine viewing the image from another angle (or
not, still workable), and tell what this building is popularly called by
onlookers freshened by the marvel in front of them.
(Image, next slide)
11

Talking about this phenomenon, Ayaka Sugiyama of the company
Kawakami Sangyo said:
“It’s a phenomenon that’s easy to deride for its utter simplicity, but
that is precisely its appeal. There is a psychological factor involved - it’s
similar to being compelled to sit if there is a chair or to pull if there is a
knob.”
Deviating from the seemingly mundane theme of protection, the
company teamed up with Bandai to create Mugen Puchi-Puchi (or Puti-
Puti), a reusable toy with a special purpose keeping the above quote in
mind.
What’s the purpose of this toy?
12

Infinite (bubble-wrap) popping
12

Basava was a 12th-century philosopher, statesman, and poet. He
rejected gender or social discrimination, and superstitions and rituals,
but introduced a necklace named Isthalinga, to every person
regardless of his or her birth, to be a constant reminder of one’s
devotion to a certain deity.
The Isthalinga is said to be the object, the wearing of which makes a
________.
With this story, the founding (or at least the revival, per modern texts)
of what is credited to Basava?
(Hint image available, if required.)
13

This is a dark, granular, naturally occurring rock called emery. It is
usually pulverized into different mesh sizes to be applied on to variants
of the most common product associated with itself, ranging from
coarse to fine.
The rock has since been phased out by aluminum oxide and silicon
carbide, due to their increased hardness and durability, for the same
product; technically proving _________ to be a misnomer.
FITB with the product’s name.
14

This is the fabric roof of the Denver International Airport. When
its design was being finalized, the architects behind the project
wanted to reflect the history and heritage of a group of people.
However, the then-Mayor Federico Pena thought it might be
offensive to part of the public, and hence officially stated the
design to be a reflection of something else.
What are the two inspirations behind this work?
(Image, next slide)
15

Teepees (tents) of Native Americans residing across the
Great Plains;
Rocky Mountain range
15

In an exhibition to prove the fact that abandoned dogs can be adopted
and trained, PremieR Pet, a pet food brand, brought back four shelter
dogs at an event for the second year running.
The dogs Frida, Costela, Mel and Isabelle dutifully completed the task
natural to them, for which the _____ were intentionally missed for
obvious reasons. Wearing orange ribbons which aligned them with the
look of the surface, the pups got more attention than the expected
figures.
What’s the funda?
16

Chimbote, a small town in Peru, came to be known as the world’s
anchovy capital in the late 1960s. The anchovetas were found
abundantly in the southeastern Pacific Ocean, and the industry grew
rapidly around that time, with the yield crossing 13 million in 1971.
However, the collection figures fluctuated considerably the very next
year, and so the world’s largest fishery collapsed. The trend continued,
as once every five or six years, the anchovetas vanished in the month
of December, when the water and weather became warmer.
In their misery at the disappearance of fish, the fishermen
humourously named this phenomenon keeping the arrival of someone
else in mind.
What’s the term?
17

El Nino (the little one, Jesus Christ)
17

This is a segment from the song Yenda, from the Tamil film Ula. Almost
the entire film was made in 2013, but circumstances forced it to a
2018 release – a fitting coincidence with the return of the singer to the
region this month, after three long years.
Who’s the man behind the voice?
18

(Apologies for a second Peru question)
The city of Lima has an interesting climate pattern. The city is located
in the desert, but is also close to the Pacific Ocean, lowering the
average temperature considerably against expectations.
Understandably, the humidity reaches 98% despite the dry climate.
However, the annual rainfall falls short of an inch on average.
As a result, the University of Engineering and Technology of Peru and
their ad agency Mayo DraftFCB combined to take advantage of the
above facts and produced a billboard that would attract prospective
students to pursue careers in engineering – and then some.
What first did the billboard achieve?
19

The billboard produces water from the air
19

On his website, Raj Rewal, describes his magnum opus as follows:
“The design was evolved to meet the constraints of time, availability of
materials and labour, but above all, to reflect symbolically and
technologically, India's intermediate technology in the 25th year of its
independence. The depth of the structural system was utilized as a Sun
breaker and conceived of in terms of the traditional 'jaali', a
geometrical pattern of perforation that serves to obstruct directs rays
of the harsh Sun while permitting air circulation.”
Three days back, the website Architecturelive.in reported a huge
scoop, by announcing Narendra Modi’s decision to rebuild the
structure in its original glory. As you have probably guessed, there’s a
catch involved.
Which structure?
20

Kumar Shashwat (03-04-18)

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Kumar Shashwat (03-04-18)