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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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Raak] Is the red an association with the uniforms they wore on the cover of the Sergeant Pepper album? No
Rosie] Strawberry fields? No
Penny Lane?
Has it got the word "Sun" in the title?
Back in the USSR?
Raak] Penny Lane? No
Kim] Has it got the word "Sun" in the title? No - that was never a number one, was it?
ImNotJohn] Back in the USSR? No
Can't Buy Me Love?
Free as a Bird?
Darren] Can't Buy Me Love? No
Gusset Login - Free as a Bird? No
I want to hold your hand?
She Loves You?
Too slow - I agree with Flerdle.
Funny, because I actually agree with Raak :-) My guess was no 1 for too long in the UK to be technically correct...
ps sorry I haven't been around much this time, this week's been "interesting".
[Flerdle]I reckon you're right 'cos it's the only one that was a Uk & US No1 in different years (63 &64).
[INJ] Which one of my statements? :-D
Have a look here and turn to the next year... Very good site, btw, but can't get to the front page right now.
it looks completely dead now. Oh well.
I dunno, you take your eye off it for a minute...
And the winner is RAAK! (I did think the different years was a bit of a give-away). The red association is simply that it's on the red album. Over to you, Raak.
Well, that was a fluke, never heard of a red album, didn't look at the web sites, and I doubt I could name more than half a dozen Beatles songs.
The next item is a definitely concrete MINERAL (and no, the answer isn't "concrete").
A half-brick?
Manufactured?
[Tuj] No.
[Rosie] Yes.
A specific object?
Is it bigger than a phone box?
[I] Yes.
[GL] Yes.
A building?
The TARDIS?
[Kim] No.
[I] No (but murmurs from the audience).
Is it a planet?
[GL] No. (The audience goes back to sleep.)
The 'Heart of Gold'?
[I] No.
Some form of transport?
[Rosie] No.
Does it have moving parts?
[flerdle] No.
Does it really exist?
[Darren] Yes.
Is it an object associated with a TV series?
Is there more than one of it?
[GL] Hmm...briefly.
[Darren] No.
Can someone get inside it?
[flerdle] (Laughter from the audience.) Well...there's certainly room.
10 Downing Street?
[I} No.
Is it in Britain?
[Tuj] Yes.
The Milleniun Stadium?
Wow, this one's rattling along. So: Stonehenge?
[R,D] No, no.
Is it bigger than a shipping container?
Is it in London?
Is it taller than it is wide?
[INJ] No, Yes.
[Kim] No.
Is it a permanent feature (i.e. not just in place for a predefined short period)?
[INJ] Yes.
The Millennium Dome?
Is the mineral liquid?
or metal?
or stone?
[I] No.
[INJ] No, YES!, no.

Summary:
It is: a single, existing, permanent, manufactured metal object in the U.K., bigger than a phone box and smaller than a shipping container, big enough to get inside (laughter), at least as wide as tall, um er briefly associated with a TV series, and without moving parts.
It is not: a form of transport, or any of the specific things mentioned so far.

And it's in London.
And has no moving parts.
Is the metal bronze?
Is it a statue?
Is it that "A Conversation with Oscar Wilde" thing near Trafalgar Square?
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/224663.stm for those who've never seen it.
Big Ben?
Surprisingly (to me) wider than it is tall
[INJ] So, Big Ben's smaller than a shipping container these days, is it? ;)
Actually I'd guess the bell Big Ben probably is. I was getting confused with the clocktower (as so many others do). My vote's with your guess now.
INJ, Darren] Dammit! I was thinking of the clocktower as well. But without moving parts? If it's a physical bell, surely it has a clapper?
A ocean container is either 20 or 40 foot long by 8'0" wide and 8'0" tall whereas Big Ben is 9'0" diameter, 7'6" high.
Big Ben is the bell, which is fixed at the top (although it can obviously resonate). It is struck by a hammer on the outside, which (arguably) is not part of the bell. However, Raak is about to come along and say 'No' and put paid to all this speculation.
Yes, no, no, YES!! It is Big Ben (the bell). Over to you, INJ.
Onward, ever onward
Well - I may not be so conscientious about answering questions, but I'll do my best (I'm going home now, so no responses for a few hours).

This one is ABSTRACT

Is it purely a human concept?
Is it artistic?
[GL] No
[Raak] No
Is it generally regarded as positive?
Is it one word?
[Darren] No (but neither is it generally regarded as negative)
[Tuj] No
The speed of light?
[Iroul] No
Is it visible?
[Fl] No
Is it found on Earth?
{Iroul] Yes (a few murmurs from the audience)
Is it acoustic?
[Raak] No
[GL]No
(That's better, I'm back in my stride now - you know where you are with 'No')
Is it found on other planets or the moon?
Can it be perceived without instruments?
[Inkspot] 1. Not as such. 2. No
[Iroul]No (scattered applause)
Is it a current news topic, even if not high up the agenda?
[Rosie] No
Is it an atmospheric layer?
Inks] No
Is it related to mainstream science?
[Darren] Yes
Is it related to subatomic particles?
[GL] No (I could probably find a reason for answering 'Yes', but that would be much less helpful)
Is it to do with biology?
Is it to do with geology?
Sorry for the double move, but I just had that thought.
[Darren]1. No,
2. Yes (broadly)
Is it something that can be perceived by examining rocks with instruments?
[Darren] No (further audience reaction)
Does it have something to do with time?
{raak} No
Is the word "instrument" causing the audience reactions?
[Darren] I don't know, you'll have to ask them ;-)

(No - not as such - more just a general sense that the question could lead in the right sort of direction)

Volcanic activity?
[Iroul] No
(won't be responding for a few hours now)
Plate tectonics?
[Inks] No
(I did debate with myself whether or not to answer Yes to the geology question)
Is it something to do with chemistry?
[Darren] No
Is it an event?
Is it something to do with oil?
is the word 'earth' part of the answer?
[Inks] No
[CdM] No
[Iroul] No
This is fun, isn't it?
Can it be measured?
[Flerdle] No, not as such, but that's not a bad line of thought to pursue
I'll be available to answer questions until for about another 4 hours - after that I will probably be offline until Monday evening or Tuesday, so I'll start putting clues out in a couple of hours if no-one's got it by then
Is it the name of a group of people or a tribe?
Is it a job?
[Chalky] No
[Darren] No
Is it something to do with weather?
Is it a particular type of or name for wind?
[Flerdle] No
[Iroul] No
OK - to summarise those things which might help:
It is found on earth (though earth is not part of the answer - which is more than one word), it is broadly to do with geology, it is part of mainstream science, it cannot be perceived without instruments, it doesn't exist on the moon and not as such on other planets, it is not an event nor anything to do with weather (though that might have got the audience murmuring as well).
You've been concentrating a lot on what - there may be other productive lines of enquiry.
Is there more than one of it?
[Flerdle] No (but that's partly because of the specific description)
The Earth's magnetic field?
[Rosie] No - not quite (but loud and prolonged applause from the audience)
The north pole?
[Flerdle] No (the audience are on the edge of their seats)
The aurora?
Oh actually you can perceive that without instruments so ignore that one.
The South Pole?
Being a bit less clever, this time! Heh.
the north magnetic pole?
(since Darren took the other pole, and the tendency here is to be pedantic, I take it)
[Darren] No
Flerdle YES (Thunderous applause, with maybe just a slight tinge of relief, from the audience)
I might have given it to you anyway if Rosie hadn't already said 'the magnetic field'.

So, it's over to Flerdle

whoah
Oh. Ah. umm... M I N E R A L
Is it an object?
Is there more than one of it?
[Rosie] Yes
[Darren] Yes
Is it man made?
let's set a speed record
[Dujon] Yes
A household item?
Do you own one?
[Rosie] Yes
[Irouléguy] Yes and no.
Is it a natural feature?
[Raak] No
Does it have a practical use?
[flerdle] I doubt a speed record is possible any more. If memory serves, someone once managed to guess one of these on Pants MC in the first move.
ah.
[Darren] Yes
Is it one word?
Darren] Genuinely? And if so is there evidence?
Do you own more than one?
[Tuj] How can there be evidence since Pants came down? All that remains is a memory of what was inside when we were last able to have a look. I still miss having Pants.
Is this essentially an electronic device? (meaning it's construction rather than its use)
'its construction' - *slinks off*
[Tuj] No
[Darren] Yes and No; to clarify my answer to your and Irouléguy's questions I have it, but number, as such, is not an issue
[Dujon] No
Double glazing?
what, here??
[Raak] No
Is it powered?
[Raak] No.
Is it (or are they) used at mealtimes?
Is it a container of some sort?
[Irouléguy] No
[Rosie] No
Is it used in the construction of a house, rather than being brought in afterwards?
[Darren] No
Is it decorative?
(This isn't mutually exclusive with "practical" of course.)
[Darren] No, but it could be, if you were creative.
Artexed ceilings?
[Raak] No
Is it of mainly man made materials?
Mainly metallic?
Something to do with interior decoration?
[Inkspot] Yes
[Rosie] No
[Raak] No
It's too early in the morning, so some clarifications:
[Inkspot] Is it of mainly man made materials? Yes, as it is known now.
[Raak] Something to do with interior decoration? You could probably use it somehow in interior decoration, but to be fair, no, that's not the usual reason for having it.
Would this have something to do with reading?
[Dujon] No
Would people have used this a thousand years ago?
[Raak] Yes, there is apparently evidence for it having been used well before then, but of course not in its modern form which is what I really want, so strictly, no.

I'm having some network problems here, so sorry for some delay over the next day or two.

Is it to do with cosmetics?
Summary
It is - a man-made object, a household item, with a practical use.
It is not - one word, a natural feature, double-glazing, powered, a container, used at mealtimes, used in the construction of a house, aertexed ceilings, mainly metallic, decorative, something to do with interior decoration, something to do with reading.
flerdle owns more than one of it, and something like it was in use over a thousand years ago, but its modern form is the answer.
A question about cosmetics is outstanding.
Is it some form of clothing?
[Irouléguy] I suspect that "flerdle owns more than one of it" may be a misunderstanding. I interpreted flerdle's response to mean that it's a thing which doesn't usually have number, such as wallpaper (although interior decoration has been ruled out).
[Darren] hmmm... No.
[Irouléguy] No.
[Darren] Your interpretation is correct. And no, it's not wallpaper.
A comb?
[Rosie] No.
Is it a liquid?
[Tuj] No.
Air conditioning?
[Raak] No.
Is it portable?
is it an aid to personal hygiene?
[Raak] Yes
[CdM] Yes
Toothpaste?
ghhnnnn
[INJ] No
Soap?
I'd call soap vegetable (possibly veg/animal) but that's me. Still worth asking.
Toothbrush?
Razor?
Shaving foam/gel?
Dental floss?
Darren] Thanks - well spotted.
ker-ching!
[Darren] No.
[Darren] Still No.
[Raak] No.
[Kim] No.
[Irouléguy] YES it is indeed dental floss; remember, you don't have to floss all of your teeth, just the ones you want to keep.
I was hoping more of its qualities would come out but it was a race through the bathroom that got it in the end, thanks to CdM's astute observation. hmmm...

Over to Irouléguy

ah, just too slow... I thought of toothpaste first, but realized it suffered from the one-word problem, and so went for my general question instead.
Is it a Higgs boson?
Is it something you'd want to show your friends?
Sorry for the delay, y'all - I'm off work so only switching the computer on intermittently. So, our answer is ABSTRACT. No colour clues, but with a connection to tomorrow's elections.
CdM] Is it a Higgs boson? No
Darren] Is it something you'd want to show your friends? Possibly
Opinion Poll(s)?
Is it a vote?
A broken promise?
A political party?
Gusset Login] Opinion Poll(s)? No
Darren] Is it a vote? OOH - close *audience breaks into prolonged applause*
all] A broken promise? No
Kim] A political party? No
A tactical vote
A protest vote?
ImNotJohn] A tactical vote?
flerdle] A protest vote?
Both equally close, but not exactly right
A wasted vote?
a transferable vote?
postal vote?
An informal vote?
A donkey vote?
(mind you, i don't expect either of these two to be it, because the terms are probably confined to Aus, because of the preferential voting system; see here and here. Just think of the fun you'd have if you got preferential voting in the UK. woot.)
A spoiled vote?
Darren] A wasted vote? Close, but no cigar
CdM] a transferable vote? Almost certainly not
all] postal vote? As close as the other close guesses
flerdle] An informal vote? Possibly
flerdle] A donkey vote? No
So that's what a donkey vote is. I always thought it was the loyal vote for a long-standing member - because healw-healw-healways gets elected sorrysorrysorry
Raak - A spoiled vote? Almost certainly not
[Irouléguy] That deserves a thwap. *thwap*
A casting vote?
goodness, how many are there?
flerdle] *thwap* Ouch
flerdle] A casting vote? Almost certainly not.
goodness, how many are there? GOOD question
A vote for a specific party?
A majority?
Does the answer contain the word 'vote'?
A proxy vote?
An illegal vote?
A Pop Idol vote?
Tuj] A vote for a specific party? As close as anyone else has got, but no
Raak] A majority? No
Chalky] Does the answer contain the word 'vote'? GOOD question - No
Gusset Login] A proxy vote? Close, but no
Gusset Login] An illegal vote? Almost certainly not
Gusset Login] A Pop Idol vote? Definitely not
One of the guesses above contains the answer
Protest?
flerdle - Protest? No
Normal service may be interrupted for some time, as I'm off out canvassing, knocking up, etc and I'm not quite sure when I'll be back. Clues
1) The answer could be in number 10
2) The answer is in the next government
Brown?
An invitation from the Queen to form the next government?
Pop?
Is it a political post?
Is it marginal?
A mandate?
An exit poll?
A proxy?
...and then there was drinking. Apologies for the delay.
all] Brown? No
Raak] An invitation from the Queen to form the next government? No
ImNotJohn] Pop? No
Darren] Is it a political post? No
Kim] Is it marginal? No
CdM] A mandate? No
Raak] An exit poll? No, but partly correct
ImNotJohn] A proxy? No, but partly correct
The result of the election?
Does the word 'proxy' appear in the answer
A swingometer?
I'm too old to stay up all night...
Raak - The result of the election? No
ImNotJohn] Does the word 'proxy' appear in the answer? No, but if you rearranged the sentence, the answer would be YES and the audience would go Whooooooo!
Darren] A swingometer? No
Does the answer appear in the word 'proxy'?
Is it an X?
In fact, reading back, I am quite sure it is ... and also that the credit really goes to Raak.
WACK-WACK-WACK-WACK We have a winner!
Raak] Does the answer appear in the word 'proxy'? YES!!
CdM] Is it an X? YES!!
Thnaks, everyone - that was fun. And now over to over to CdM in the studio...
All right. This is ABSTRACT, with animal and mineral connections.
Is it a geographical feature?
Is it a fictional thing?
geographical feature? No.
fictional thing? No.
Is it a human construction?
Is it an activity of any kind?
human construction? Depends what you mean by construction, but I would say no (except under a very broad definition of the term)
an activity? Not really an activity as we would usually use the term (although, again, maybe yes under a very broad definition of the term).
In both cases I think that the most helpful answer is probably no.
service announcement
I am going to Thailand for a week tomorrow (for those who don't know, the reason why is here). We are staying somewhere new, and so I do not know if I will have easy connection to the internets. If I fail to respond to questions here within 24 hours, someone else should take over.
urging all to follow that link
[CdM] Thank you. Hope the trip goes well for you all.
having followed link, seconds Chalky's urging
[Chalky, Iroul] Thanks. Of course, if nobody posts any questions, it will be a non-issue. :-)
Is it an emotion?
Is it located in a particular place?
Is it a saying or proverb?
Is it fun?
Is it generally regarded as positive?
Looks like CdM is in an internet-free zone - anyone want to do a quick interim one to see us through until he returns?
not so fast...
Having just found the internets again...
an emotion? no
located in a particular place? yes, it was.
saying or proverb? no.
fun? no. (except, just possibly, for one person, but probably not even for him)
generally regarded as positive? definitely not.
Anything to do with a tsunami?
Was it a single event?
Sorry for trying to kill you off prematurely.
The crucifixion?
Did this event occur pre 1900?
[Irouléguy] That's a fine guess you've made there and I was going to ask the same question, but then - He died to 'save' us all - so that might be constrooooood as a positive result :-)
Was it a natural disaster?
Generalising Raak's question.
Was the place in Europe?
tsunami-related? no.
single event? yes. (and it wasn't premature -- I had passed my own 24 hour deadline, after all)
crucifixion? no. (but a slight smattering of applause perhaps)
pre-1900? no.
natural disaster? no.
in Europe? no.
Did this event occur pre 2000?
pre-2000? yes.
A political event?
was the event connected to religion in any way?
Did it involve death?
Was it a trial or legal process?
Chalky] I can never hear 'Jesus saves' without thinking 'but Keegan scores on the rebound'.
political event? no.
connected to religion? no.
involve death? yes. (*applause*)
trial or legal process? no.
Was it the first occurrence of something?
first occurrence of something? it was a unique event, so in that sense yes, but it is not noteworthy for being a first occurrence.
So is the answer something along the lines of "The Death of ........"?
"the death of..."? yes. *applause* (although if I were to insist on the exact answer I have in mind, that would not be the phrase)
Was it the death/demise of a human being?
Or perhaps the death/demise of an animal?
Or maybe the death/demise of a concept?
Excuse my exuberance - just trying to narrow it down a bit.
death/demise of a human being? yes.
of an animal? no (except in the AVMA sense, of course)
of a concept? no
...of a male?
The assassination of John F Kennedy?
a male? yes.
JFK? no. (but some applause)
...Martin Luther King?
...or Robert Kennedy?
John Lennon?
Does the answer contain a specific person's name?
The assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand?
Sorry for the multipost, but I suddenly thought "if not 'death' then ...."
The death of Lee Harvey Oswald?
cutting to the chase...
Raak WINS -- it was the murder/assassination of John Lennon.
Best wishes for your Thailand trip, CdM. Next!
ABSTRACT with ANIMAL connections.
Do the animal connections refer to a person?
[Raak] Thanks!
A cultural artefact?
[CdM] No.
[I] Yes.
White Elephant?
Is it a mythological creature?
Does it involve a gathering of individuals?
[all] No.
[Darren] No.
[Rosie] Yes.
A fictional creature?
[Kim] No.
Does it involve sport?
Is it the Rugby pilg?
[Rosie] No.
[Darren] No.
I'll be away most of Saturday.
A musical ensemble of some sort?
A science-fiction convention?
Does it usually involve money changing hands?
[Rosie] Yes.
[Irouléguy] No.
[Darren] Yes.
A gig?
Is this a series of gatherings?
[Rosie] Yes. Although I think that only a musician would call it that.
[Dujon] (applause from the audience) No.
The Last Night of the Proms?
More generally, is this one of a series of gatherings?
[CdM] YES! It is The Last Night of the Proms.
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