TD 275: The 275th Think Different Contest

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StevenH
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TD 275: The 275th Think Different Contest

Post by StevenH »

I wanted to celebrate the end of the semester by writing and running another TD contest, so here it is: welcome to the 275th edition of Think Different! This edition of the game will be a regular, general knowledge theme.

The 11 Questions
1. The number of points for a correct response to a question will be equal to the total number of people, including you, who give that same correct response. Your objective is to give the correct response to each question that you believe will be the least used by everyone else who enters the contest.
2. The number of points for an incorrect response to a question will be equal to the number of people who give the most popular answer (or one of the answers that is tied for the most popular) +5.
3. You may DROP one of the eleven questions, for a score of 0 points. Since the lowest cumulative score wins there is no good reason not to use your drop.
4. You have one additional lifeline: you may also SHEEP one of the eleven questions. This means that the number of points that you receive for that question will be equal to the total number of people, including you, who also sheep that question. Using your sheep is optional, but there is no bonus for not using it.

Basic Rules
1. You may only submit your answers by private messaging them to me. Please do not post any of your answers in this thread.
2. You may only use what is already in your brain to answer the questions! Absolutely NO CHEATING is allowed! This includes but is not limited to searching the Internet, looking at a book, or asking another person for help. Everyone is welcome to enter this contest; all I ask in return for putting in the time to run it is that you play honestly.
3. Scoring is by addition, and the lowest cumulative score wins.
4. Ties will be broken in the following order: 1) lowest multiplied score on the ten questions that you don't drop, 2) earliest entry received
5. If you want to change any of your answers after you have submitted then you may do so, as long you give me your new answer(s) before the deadline and you haven’t purposely looked up the answer(s). However, if you do choose to change any of your answers then your spot in the order that the entries were received will be moved to reflect the timing of your new answer(s) being submitted to me. And this will apply to your most recent revised answer(s) if you send more than one correction to me. I don’t anticipate that any tiebreakers will get to the “time of entry received” point, but I still wanted to point this out.
6. You’re welcome to plead your case publicly or privately if you disagree with a ruling that I make, but I still reserve the right to accept, prompt, or ding any response to any of the questions. And if I have to prompt you for an answer(s) then your place in the order in which the entries were received will stay the same, but you are still responsible for sending me a new answer before the deadline at the risk of your original answer being ruled incorrect.
7. If you need a clarification then feel free to ask in this thread or by private messaging me, but if your question may potentially spoil any answers for any of the questions then please ask me via private message.
8. The deadline to submit your answers to me is Monday December 28, 2015, by 6:00 PM eastern. However, I will accept late entries as long as I receive them before I start the reveal.

Best of luck to everyone who enters! I hope that a good time will be had by all.
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StevenH
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Re: TD 275: The 275th Think Different Contest

Post by StevenH »

1. Give the title of a short story, short story collection, play, novella, or novel that Nikolai Gogol (1809-1852), Ivan Turgenev (1818-1883), or Anton Chekhov (1860-1904) wrote.


2. Name an actor or actress who was credited during the opening credits of That ‘70s Show at any point during the show’s eight season run.


3. Name either a sea that is located at least partially north of the Arctic Circle or a sea that is located at least partially south of the Antarctic Circle.


4. StevenH usually has either an NBA or MLB question in his TD games. However, I am going to throw you a curveball and have a question that combines two other sports that not only intrigue me, but have a lot in common with each other: UFC and competitive eating. Identify an individual who, as of 6:00 PM eastern on December 21, 2015, falls into any one of the following three categories (letter not required):

a) is either the current champion of or one of the top 15 ranked fighters in one of the eight men’s UFC weight classes (flyweight, bantamweight, featherweight, lightweight, welterweight, middleweight, light heavyweight, heavyweight), according to ufc.com

b) is either the current champion of or one of the top 15 ranked fighters in one of the two women’s UFC weight classes (strawweight and bantamweight), according to ufc.com

c) is currently one of the top 10 ranked competitive eaters* (men and women are combined in the rankings) in the world, according to majorleagueeating.com (*HINT: in order to make this part of the question a little bit more fair, I will go ahead and tell you that the first five competitive eaters who just miss making the cut are Yasir Salem, Gideon Oji, Juan Rodriguez, Richard LeFevre, Steve Hendry)


5. StevenH has a history of including music questions on artists that he likes in his TD games--but instead of repeating that trend I think that I’ll once again change things up a little. Listed below are twelve pairs of albums that were recorded by twelve different music artists who StevenH loathes, ‘er, I mean, who StevenH does not particularly care for. Identify the music artist who recorded any one of the pairs of albums that is listed below (letter NOT required):

a) Crash (1996) and Before These Crowded Streets (1998)

b) Only by the Night (2008) and Come Around Sundown (2010)

c) One of These Nights (1975) and Hotel California (1976)

d) Kid A (2000) and In Rainbows (2007)

e) Cold Spring Harbor (1971) and 52nd Street (1978)

f) Make Yourself (1999) and Morning View (2001)

g) Weather Systems (2003) and Armchair Apocrypha (2007)

h) The Unforgettable Fire (1984) and All That You Can’t Leave Behind (2000)

i) Departure (1980) and Escape (1981)

j) Whatever People Say I am, That’s What I’m Not (2006) and AM (2013)

k) Illinois (2005) and Carrie & Lowell (2015)

l) Parachutes (2000) and Ghost Stories (2014)


6. While we’re on the subject of things that StevenH hates: name a film for which Judd Apatow is credited as a producer, writer, and/or director.


7. Name someone who served as the United States Secretary of War at any point between September 12, 1789 and September 18, 1947.


8. Wait, there is going to be an NBA question after all. Sekou Smith writes a weekly article for nba dot com in which he gives his pick for the current top ten candidates plus five honorable mentions to win the MVP award for the current NBA season. Smith’s latest picks were published on December 18, 2015. Name one of the 15 NBA players* who, as of December 18, 2015, is one of Sekou Smith’s top 15 picks to win the NBA MVP award for the 2015-2016 season. *HINT: in order to make this question more fair I will give you the breakdown of players by their teams and their positions: 1 from the Chicago Bulls (a guard/forward), 1 from the Cleveland Cavaliers (a forward), 1 from the Dallas Mavericks (a forward), 1 from the Detroit Pistons (a center), 2 from the Golden State Warriors (a guard and a forward), 1 from the Houston Rockets (a guard), 1 from the Indiana Pacers (a forward), 1 from the Los Angeles Clippers (a forward), 2 from the Oklahoma City Thunder (a guard and a forward), 1 from the Portland Trail Blazers (a guard), 1 from the Sacramento Kings (a center), 1 from the San Antonio Spurs (a forward), 1 from the Toronto Raptors (a guard)


9. Name a painting by Diego Velazquez (1599-1660), Francisco Jose de Goya (1746-1828), or Salvador Dali (1904-1989).


10. Brazil has 27 states. Identify the capital of any one of Brazil’s 27 states.


11. Most trivia buffs probably know that It Happened One Night, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, and The Silence of the Lambs are the only three films that have won all five of the “big five” categories in the Academy Awards—Best Picture, Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Director, and Best Original or Adapted Screenplay. But how many films came up just short of reaching that milestone? Identify a film* that won exactly three or exactly four of the big five categories in the Academy Awards. *HINT: in order to make this question a little easier I will tell you the directors of ten films that are correct responses (there could be others): Woody Allen, Hal Ashby, Clint Eastwood, Victor Fleming, Sidney Lumet, Sam Mendes, Mark Rydell, Billy Wilder, William Wyler, Fred Zinnemann
Last edited by StevenH on Mon Dec 21, 2015 9:21 pm, edited 7 times in total.
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StevenH
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Re: TD 275: The 275th Think Different Contest

Post by StevenH »

Entrants
MarkBarrett
geolawyerman
ElendilPickle
econgator
gamawire
Peggles
patkav
quaterrican
Blue Lion
Ryno

caknuck
dott888
naurae29
9021amyers
Batraxos
mrexley
ihavejeoprosy
RandyG
Magna
goforthetie

tjconn728
Armandillo
Holocene Hero
CheezeWhiz
BigDaddyMatty
Vermonter
barandall800
Last edited by StevenH on Mon Dec 28, 2015 7:49 pm, edited 21 times in total.
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StevenH
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Re: TD 275: The 275th Think Different Contest

Post by StevenH »

I am still finalizing the questions, so they probably will not be posted until tomorrow evening. Sorry for the delay.
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Magna
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Re: TD 275: The 275th Think Different Contest

Post by Magna »

StevenH wrote:I am still finalizing the questions, so they probably will not be posted until tomorrow evening. Sorry for the delay.
Oh, so I shouldn't have sent in my answers yet? :oops:
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StevenH
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Re: TD 275: The 275th Think Different Contest

Post by StevenH »

Questions are up.

I didn't originally plan for there to be 2 geography, 2 film, and 2 sports questions, but in the months since I signed up to do this TD I couldn't think of any better questions to use. Sorry for the overkill in those categories.
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MarkBarrett
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Re: TD 275: The 275th Think Different Contest

Post by MarkBarrett »

StevenH wrote:Questions are up.

I didn't originally plan for there to be 2 geography, 2 film, and 2 sports questions, but in the months since I signed up to do this TD I couldn't think of any better questions to use. Sorry for the overkill in those categories.
It's always okay to ask a question about The Simpsons and I like the idea of questions about things the host does not like. That could be a whole game that could guarantee to make the players mad:

Name a (one party or the other) President.
Name a song by the (well known act with many fans) that hit the top 10
Name a novel by...
Name a (famous actress) movie
Name someone on (many overrated but popular NBC sitcoms)
Name a hall of famer from (hated sports team)
Name a landmark in (pick a populous city where multiple boardies live/have lived)
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StevenH
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Re: TD 275: The 275th Think Different Contest

Post by StevenH »

Bump

at 8 entries now, with a lot of time to go
BennyBXB
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Re: TD 275: The 275th Think Different Contest

Post by BennyBXB »

I'm horribly offended that you don't like the music of [REDACTED]. WHO DOESN'T LIKE [REDACTED]? How do you live with yourself? Us [REDACTED] fans know that you should be ashamed of yourself.
"It's always better to know a thing than not to know it." -Samuel Parr (as cited by Ken Jennings)
9021amyers
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Re: TD 275: The 275th Think Different Contest

Post by 9021amyers »

BennyBXB wrote:I'm horribly offended that you don't like the music of [REDACTED]. WHO DOESN'T LIKE [REDACTED]? How do you live with yourself? Us [REDACTED] fans know that you should be ashamed of yourself.
I barely had enough self-awareness to not do this with the Obscure Cultural Reference of my current game. (Of course, I wasn't expecting anyone here to like [REDACTED], so that was kind of the point.)
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StevenH
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Re: TD 275: The 275th Think Different Contest

Post by StevenH »

BennyBXB wrote:I'm horribly offended that you don't like the music of [REDACTED]. WHO DOESN'T LIKE [REDACTED]? How do you live with yourself? Us [REDACTED] fans know that you should be ashamed of yourself.
To be fair, you're more than welcome to make fun of me for the fact that I love Blink 182, and Enema of the State is one of my top five favorite albums of all time.

I can't believe that I just admitted that...
BennyBXB
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Re: TD 275: The 275th Think Different Contest

Post by BennyBXB »

StevenH wrote:
BennyBXB wrote:I'm horribly offended that you don't like the music of [REDACTED]. WHO DOESN'T LIKE [REDACTED]? How do you live with yourself? Us [REDACTED] fans know that you should be ashamed of yourself.
To be fair, you're more than welcome to make fun of me for the fact that I love Blink 182, and Enema of the State is one of my top five favorite albums of all time.

I can't believe that I just admitted that...
Nothing wrong with that, dammit.
"It's always better to know a thing than not to know it." -Samuel Parr (as cited by Ken Jennings)
9021amyers
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Re: TD 275: The 275th Think Different Contest

Post by 9021amyers »

BennyBXB wrote:
StevenH wrote:
BennyBXB wrote:I'm horribly offended that you don't like the music of [REDACTED]. WHO DOESN'T LIKE [REDACTED]? How do you live with yourself? Us [REDACTED] fans know that you should be ashamed of yourself.
To be fair, you're more than welcome to make fun of me for the fact that I love Blink 182, and Enema of the State is one of my top five favorite albums of all time.

I can't believe that I just admitted that...
Nothing wrong with that, dammit.
"Dammit" was on the Dude Ranch album.
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StevenH
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Re: TD 275: The 275th Think Different Contest

Post by StevenH »

Bump, with 11 entrants. It's time to take a break from wrapping presents and baking, and submit an entry!
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Batraxos
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Re: TD 275: The 275th Think Different Contest

Post by Batraxos »

:)
Hello!
I am new to this board, so I cannot yet send a private message. The game looks like fun.
One question, though.
Aside from a cute quadruped, what is SHEEP?
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StevenH
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Re: TD 275: The 275th Think Different Contest

Post by StevenH »

Batraxos wrote::)
Hello!
I am new to this board, so I cannot yet send a private message. The game looks like fun.
One question, though.
Aside from a cute quadruped, what is SHEEP?
You should be able to send a private message once you make 3 regular posts on the message board (a mod can correct me if I am wrong).

For the purposes of this game, SHEEP is an option that you are allowed to use on one question where the number of points that you receive for that question will be equal to the total number of people who also play the SHEEP option. It is meant to be used in the event that you have a hard time coming up with an answer to a question that you feel comfortable with and you have already used your DROP.
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Re: TD 275: The 275th Think Different Contest

Post by Caboom »

StevenH wrote:
Batraxos wrote::)
Hello!
I am new to this board, so I cannot yet send a private message. The game looks like fun.
One question, though.
Aside from a cute quadruped, what is SHEEP?
You should be able to send a private message once you make 3 regular posts on the message board (a mod can correct me if I am wrong).

For the purposes of this game, SHEEP is an option that you are allowed to use on one question where the number of points that you receive for that question will be equal to the total number of people who also play the SHEEP option. It is meant to be used in the event that you have a hard time coming up with an answer to a question that you feel comfortable with and you have already used your DROP.
And to avoid any confusion, for most other TD's the Sheep is the most popular answer for a particular question ('the worst correct answer'). A wrong answer is usually worth 2 x Sheep or Sheep + 5.
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StevenH
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Re: TD 275: The 275th Think Different Contest

Post by StevenH »

Bump

18 entries now, with a little over a day to go
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Re: TD 275: The 275th Think Different Contest

Post by StevenH »

Bump

Up to 21 entries, with about 6 hours to go
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Re: TD 275: The 275th Think Different Contest

Post by StevenH »

1. Give the title of a short story, short story collection, play, novella, or novel that Nikolai Gogol (1809-1852), Ivan Turgenev (1818-1883), or Anton Chekhov (1860-1904) wrote.


Dead Souls--5
MarkBarrett
Blue Lion
BigDaddyMatty
Magna
goforthetie

Uncle Vanya--5
Ryno
Batraxos
Vermonter
Armandillo
Holocene Hero

The Cherry Orchard--4
ElendilPickle
econgator
dott888
naurae29

Three Sisters--3
gamawire
patkav
mrexley

Fathers and Sons--2
Peggles
CheezeWhiz

The Seagull--2
quaterrican
Randy G

A Sportsman’s Sketches--1
geolawyerman

SHEEP--1
barandall800

DROP
caknuck
tjconn728

INCORRECT--10
9021amyers (“The Cherry Blossom”)
ihavejeoprosy (The Lower Depths—is a play by Maxim Gorky)
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