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AVMA Take 2
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Yes, it's another round of that classic guessing game - Animal, Vegetable, Mineral, Abstract [or any combination thereof]. This effort - '03/'04 should address any queries, but then again, may just serve to confuse and baffle which some might say is the point of the game. Patience, integrity and a decent search engine may be useful ....
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[GL] Mainly metal.
Located in the Eastern hemisphere?
[CdM] *murmuring in the audience* Not in the Eastern hemisphere.
Is it in London?
[Boolbar] Not in London.
Is it on Earth?
Is it larger than the Airbus A380?
Is it human-made?
Well, that narrows it down.
[Tuj] *applause* Not on Earth.
[Chalky] Smaller than an Airbus.
[Boolbar] Human-made.
Is it less than 2 AU from the Sun?
[Boolbar] Less than 2 AU from the Sun.
On the moon?
In orbit around the Earth?
[INJ] Not on the moon.
[BB] Not in orbit around the Earth.
A spacecraft that has crashed into either Mars or Venus?
An asteroid?
[Rosie] *applause* Not a spacecraft that has crashed into either Mars or Venus.
[Software] Not an asteroid.
On or orbiting Mars?
[jim] Yes! On or orbiting Mars!
I confidently expect to see the right answer tomorrow morning.
The Mars Odyssey craft?
Or one of the other handful.
Spirit or Opportunity?
[Rosie] Nor the Odyssey.
[CdM} Yes! Spirit or Opportunity. But which one?
Count me out
I'll be incommunicado for the full 4 days of the weekend so I refuse to guess.
Actually, one of the earlier answers is enough to decide the matter, with a bit of research.
Opportunity?
I think that's right.
[CdM] Yes! Mars does have a meridian defined, according to which Spirit is in the Eastern Hemisphere, Opportunity in the Western. *passes CdM a spare robot arm*
[Raak] So if I had asked, "Located in the Western hemisphere?", you would have answered yes, and we would have been chasing wild geese for a long time.

ANIMAL with VEGETABLE connections
A boar's head with an apple in its mouth?
Roast kid goat with anchovies, rosemary and lemon?
oh, so close
Sundry banquet items? No. (Also, both of those include vegetables, rather than simply having vegetable connections.)
Is the animal human?
Well someone has to ask a boring question.
Jasper Carrott?
Unique?
Percy Thrower?
Woodworm?
Human? No.
Jasper Carrott? No.
Unique? No.
Percy Thrower? No.
Woodworm? No. *smattering of applause*
Does the vegetable connection refer to the animal's diet?
Is the animal a mammal?
Death Watch beetle?
Stick insect?
Vegetable = diet? Yes. *applause*
Mammal? No.
Death watch beetle? No.
Stick insect? No.
Is it a bird?
A woodpecker?
Bird? No.
Woodpecker? The answer to this question is left as an exercise for the reader.
Woody Woodpecker?
*ignores The Reader*
Is the Animal portion an insect?
Just for clarification purposes, like. :)
Animal = insect? Yes.
A locust?
Locust? No.
Is it an insect with a vegetable in its name?
A fruit fly?
Among the lepidoptera?
Veg in name? No.
Fruit fly? No. *brief smattering of applause*
Butterfly? No.
Does this insect have a particular liking for cellulose?
Taste for cellulose? No. (If anything, perhaps the opposite, although I may be over-interpreting what I have read.)
As usual, there are other ways of approaching this AVMA rather than just guessing at insects.
Is any part of this insect used as a foodstuff?
Insect used as foodstuff? No.
Begins with P?
Is the vegetable connection to its diet?
Does the insect have wings?
Begins with P? It most certainly does.
Vegetable = diet? Still Yes.
Insect have wings? Yes.
Actually...
The "does it have wings?" question really deserves a more detailed answer. This particular insect has a rather complicated life-cycle which includes several different stages; in one of these stages it may have wings.
Does the answer on the card live out all its life cycles on land? (as opposed to, say, a mosquito.)
Live on land? Yes. (Except for when it is flying, obviously.)
Clarification/correction: I answered "No" to the question about whether the insect has a vegetable in its name. The technical term for this insect does in fact include a reference to a vegetable item. Non-technical references to this insect can also include a vegetable item, but more usually do not.
Is it a beetle?
John Peul George or Ringo? No.
Is it a social insect?
Is the insect destructive to vegetable gardens/crops?
Social insect? You mean, like ants or bees? No.
Destructive to gardens/crops? Yes. *applause*
Plant lice?
Aphids? No (although I have seen this described as a "louse", and there is also *prolonged applause*).
The leaf-cutter ant?
Leaf-cutter ant? No. *audience subsides back into their seats*
Potato moth?
Potato moth? No.
Passion vine bug?
Phylloxera?
Enthusiasm brings reward...
Dactylosphaera vitifoliae (Phylloxera) is the correct answer! I think cfm deserved that, since she (?) did most of the heavy lifting and got very close earlier with aphid (correct phylum, class, order, and suborder...)
*hands cfm baton that has been grafted onto resistant N. American rootstock*
*examines baton carefully for signs of infestation* Thank you.
This next one is ABSTRACT WITH ANIMAL AND VEGETABLE CONNECTIONS
Any artistic connection?
[INJ] A qualified yes to that, employing a somewhat broad definition of art.
Related to food?
Musical connections?
[Tuj] Delicious and nutricious? NO -- or, at best, only in a fairly obscure and not-very-helpful way.
[CdM] Give it a 9 and dance to it? NO.
Is the animal human?
A human invention?
Is it something I can experience now?
Does it begin with U X A R P?
[INJ] YES, the strongest animal connection is human, though I can think of other animal connections.
[Tuj] YES, hence the strong human connection.
[Boolbar] YES, it is a contemporary concept.
[CdM] YES, it does indeed begin with P.
*loud applause...several audience members faint, overcome by the excitement of so many yes-es in a row*
Is it an essentially technological invention?
Was it known of in the year 1900?
A culinary invention?
[INJ] NO, not tech-y.
[Boolbar] YES, it was known in 1900.
[Raak]NO, still unrelated to food, except in an obscure, symbolic way.
Related to architecture?
[Raak] Architectural? NO. That would be Frank Lloyd Wrong :)
Is the strongest animal connection to a particular individual?
[CdM] NO. Not to an individual.
Fictional?
*proffers smelling salts to remaining audience members yet to come round*
Is this a group of people with something in common?
Is it a method of creating something?
An area of knowledge?
[Tuj] NO, the thing is quite real.
[Chalky] NO, the thing is abstract with animal and vegetable connections, not in and of itself animal.
[Boolbar] Tough one. But I think the best answer is NO, not a method. But creating is a relevant concept.
[INJ, NO, not an area of knowledge.
Related to a craft?
[INJ] YES, related to a craft. *enthusiastic applause ensues*
Does it involve writing?
Does it involve painting?
Does it end in "ism"?
[Raak] NO, not made with words.
[Boolbar] NO, no paint required.
[Tuj] NO, not a P-ism. :-)
Is it a particular method or style of creating something?
[Tuj] See my answer to Boolbar's earlier question. NO. It is not a method. But style is a relevant concept as well.
Does religion have any relevance to this?
Some sort of weaving?
Fashion?
[Chalky] YES, there is an ancient religious connection--though ti seems that's the case with everything. :-) .
[Raak]YES, the item can be related to weaving.
[Tuj] YES, there is a fashion association.*audience swoons once again*
Is there a connection to clothing?
Fancy dress?
Is it just the one word beginning with P on the card?
[Boolbar] YES. Connected to clothing.
[Raak] YES. And NO. By that I mean not necessarily and not always associated with fanciness.
[Chalky] YES. There is single word on the card.
Pattern?
Pinstripe?
[CdM] NO. Pattern is not the word on the card. But it is a relevant concept. *enthusiastic applause from the audience*
[GL] NO. Not pinstripe. *lingering applause nonetheless*
IS the AOTC a name of a pattern often found on clothing?
[Boolbar] YES! It is a pattern found on clothing! *audience knows it's just a matter of time now until the other shoe drops and relapses into its regularly scheduled apathy
Plaid?
Houndstooth?
[GL] NO. Not plaid.
[Raak] NO, not houndstooth. Or poundstooth, for that matter. :-)
Corduroy?
[Raak] NO. Not corduroy. (See previous questions; the answer begins with P.)
Paisley?
Patchwork?
[Raak] YES! Love it or hate it -- paisley is the word on the card. *turns up the Grateful Dead and extends a psychedelic baton to Raak*
pointing out a simple error
Well played Gusset Login - for t'was you, was it not, that gusseted the correct AOTC?
*embarrassed* Sorry, GL.
*turns up the Grateful Dead and extends a psychedelic baton to Gusset Login*
Either way is fine, but could you turn the music down a bit? I've got a headache... Now I feel old.
Anyway new AOTC is MINERAL
Occuring naturally?
Does it begin with a P?
[Dujon] Natural? - No
[Boolbar] P...? - No
Metal?
Rock?
Unique?
Was it first created after 1900?
[ImNotJohn] Metal? At least partly, often mostly
[Chalky] Rock? No, at least not that I've seen
[cfm] Unique? No *Audience laughs*
[Boolbar] Created after 1900? Yes
Is it used as currency?
A feature of urban architecture?
[Boolbar] Currency? No
[ImNotJohn] feature of urban architecture? No

I have done some more research and discovered that in fact the AOTC was created *before* 1900. Please ignore my previous answer.
Mobile?
[jim] Mobile? Depends on how you define mobile. It can be moved, but it isn't usually used while doing so.
A tool of some kind?
Bigger than a phone box?
Are there currently more than a million of these?
Is it used in communication?
[cfm] A tool of some kind? I wouldn't say it was, but I've heard it both ways.
[jim] Bigger than the Tardis? No.
[Raak] 1,000,000+ extant? Yes.
[Boolbar] Is it used in communication? Not to my knowledge.
Does it have moving parts?
Exactly the same size, shape and function as a toaster?
[Boolbar] Moving Parts? Yes
[ImNotJohn] Effectively a toaster? No.
Do parts of it get hot?
Is it an item of stationery?
[Tuj] Do parts of it get hot? They do generate heat but they are not well known for it.
[Raak] Is it an item of stationery? No.
A houshold utensil?
[Dujon] utensil? Never sure about that word, but it is used for a purpose so I guess, Yes... household? I tend to expect the AOTC more in offices, but I have one at home and items similar to the AOTC are not uncommon in houses...
So:
[Dujon] A houshold utensil? Yes
Does it do things to sheets of paper?
[Boolbar] Does it do things to sheets of paper? It depends what you do with it/them. Personally I try to avoid letting mine do anything to sheets of paper but not always successfully.
It is electrically powered?
Is it used to control temperature?
[Raak] Electric? Yes
[Boolbar] Used to control temperature? Yes
An air conditioner?
A fan?
[CdM] Air conditioner? No
[Raak] A fan? The AOTC is Electric Desk Fan but you are close enough.
Have an air cooled baton
The next is VEGETABLE.
Wooden?
[INJ] Mainly wooden.
Unique?
Alive?
The Larch?
Smaller than a toaster?
[Tuj] Not unique.
[jim] Not alive.
[Boolbar] Not the Larch.
[Chalky] Usually smaller than a toaster.
Is the bit that's not wooden - paper?
Begins with P?
Mass-produced?
[Chalky] I was a bit misleading there -- the paper is what's mainly wooden.
[Tuj] Yes! Yes, it does begin with P!
[CdM] I couldn't swear that no-one has ever set up a factory to make these, but no, not mass produced as far as I know.
Of value?
[Tuj] No particular value.
Is origami involved?
[Boolbar] *applause and cheering* Yes, the craft of paper-folding is involved.
A paper aeroplane?
*the audience launch a hail of paper darts* Yes, a paper aeroplane.
Crikey. We're damn good at this game.
Oh, is it me?
Most of the hard work was done for me ... I just supplied the answer. But then, it's always a communal effort.
Let's try a MINERAL, with ANIMAL and ABSTRACT connections.
Unique?
Metal?
Bigger than a toaster?
Human-made?
A fairly good start
[GL] YES, unique.
[CdM] NO, not metal.
[Tuj] YES, bigger than a toaster.
[Boolbar]YES, human made.
Functional?
In Europe?
[CdM] NO, not functional. A few giggles from the audience
[Tuj] YES, in Europe.
Is it inside a building?
Is it a statue?
Michelangelo's David?
Is it a city?
[Boolbar] NO, not inside a building.
[Raak] NO, not a statue, and hence not Michelangelo's David. Some audience approval of this line of questioning
[GL] NO, not a city.
But is it art?
Or architecture?
Made since 1900?
In the UK?
Does it involve water in any way?
[Tuj] YES, it is art.
[INJ] NO, it is not architecture.
[Raak] NO, not made since 1900.
[CdM] YES, in the UK.
[Chalky] NO, does not involve water any more than anything else in the UK not enclosed in some sort of building :)
Is it a sculpture?
Is it made of stone?
Is it in London?
[CdM] NO, it is not a sculpture. (You could make a case for its being one, but on the whole I'd say no.)
[Chalky] YES, it is made of stone. Some murmurs from the audience but no outright dissent.
[Tuj] NO, it is not in London.
The Stone of Scone?
That looks *so* wrong when typed out
[Chalky] NO, not the Stone of Scone.
A monument?
Does it have some religious significance?
Begins with P?
[Raak] NO, not a monument.
[cfm] POSSIBLY, but nobody knows for sure.
[Tuj] NO, alas, does not begin with P.
An ancient stone circle?'
Is it in England?
The Cerne Abbas Giant?
A very impressive guess
Might as well cut to the chase ...
[INJ] YES! It is the Cerne Abbas Giant, aka the Rude Man of Cerne, for reasons that should be obvious.
It may be an Iron Age depiction of a god or a fertility symbol, or it may be a giant 17th-century satirical drawing. But it is quite rude.
Over to ImNotJohn goes one baton in the shape of ... well, probably best not to go into that.
The giggles gave it away!
Ah well, thinking cap on again.
OK We'll go for ABSTRACT with MINERAL connections
A well-known phrase or saying?
Does it involve singing?
Fictional?
A quick start
[cfm] I say, I say? - YES
[Boolbar] musical/vocal? - NO
[Tuj] Fictional? - YES
On the bike today, so leaving the laptop at work - normal service will resume in the morning
The title of a written work?
Are the mineral connections metal?
Good Morning again
[cfm] Literary? - YES (but I didn't think of that when I set it)
[Tuj] Metallic? - NO
Begins with P?
Is a place name in the AOTC?
Are mineral connections liquid?
[Tuj] A P? - PNO
[Boolbar] Locational? - NO
[Chalky] Liquidity? - NO
Is it getting blood from a stone?
[Boolbar] Petric exsanguination? - NO
Does it come from the Bible?
[Raak] Biblical? - YES
Rock of Ages?
[cfm] Old Rock? - NO (is that biblical or just from the hymn? I shall check.)
Back again. The exact phrase seems to relate to the hymn although there are close biblical links turned up in my swift googling. BTW the rock that is referred to is on the Isle of Wight, but I've not been there myself.
The salt of the earth?
[INJ] Impulsive, misguided guess. Especially as you'd already said there was no connection to singing. But it's the name of a film playing in theaters now. So I thought it might be top of mind.
[Raak] Terrestrial salinity? - NO *the audience are fidgeting and getting their things together in preparation for an early getaway*
[cfm] - Always worth a try. I did know the story of the writing of the hymn, but I didn't (and don't) know if the phrase came to mind because it was biblical.
The widow's mite?
[Raak] The potentially willing widow? - NO
From the Old Testament?
[Raak] OT? - Y
A column of smoke by day and a pillar of fire by night?
A pillaf of salt?
Don't forget the first answer
[Raak] Where there's smoke...? - NO
[GL] Salty? - NO
The stone tablets of the law?
Dust to dust - [ashes to ashes]?
[Raak] Mosaic tablets? - NO
[Chalky] Funereal soil? - NO
Is it from the Pentateuch?
[Raak] GenExoLevNumDeu? - NO
You may not know this as biblical - I chose it first and then checked the origin, so picking biblical quotes that fit might take a long time.
Is this a three word answer?
[Chalky] I'll name that in 3? - YES
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