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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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Dazed5 - No.
Raak - No. Don't forget the answer has an essentially abstract meaning.
Although the answer could be classed as a little arcane or academic it should be known here, and has 172,000 Google hits worldwide.
[Rosie] So does F's P, a certain novel...
The King's shilling?
Raak - No (Yeah, it means bugger all really. :-) )
Is there a scientific connection?
Is there a religious connection?
Irouléguy - Yes, this could be used in science.
Dazed5 - No.
Did the person live before the 20th century?
Was the person male?
Raak - Yes.
Dazed5 - Yes.
Was he English?
Raak - He was.
So, although this was a real person and a real metal thingy [that could be used as a weapon, or in science] essentially this is an abstract notion? Is it a 2-word answer?
Was the person involved a 19th century Englishman, or did he live (and die) prior to that?
Was the 'weapon' a pen?
Morton's Fork?
Chalky - Yes and yes. The whole thing could be used in science, among other things. The metal thing is part of the abstract idea but as an actual object could be used as a weapon.
irach - Died before 1800.
Dazed5 - No, but some appreciative murmurs from the audience.
ImNotJohn - No.
Chalky - (PS) See my answer to Raak's Lord Byron's bicycle query.
Anything to do with Newton?
Is there a literary connection?
Is the metal thing a hammer?
irach - No. Pre-dates Newton.
Dazed5 - No.
Raak - No.
Predates Stonehenge?
irach - No, not by a long chalk.
Anything to do with Freemasonry?
Any connection to medicine?
Occam's Razor?
Funny you should ask that [Raak] because Occam's Razor attracts exactly 172,000 Google hits worldwide. I reckon you've got it. I've never heard of it mesself :-)
Raak - YES! Well done. A rather obscure one which I thought might just get by, particularly in a place like this. It's meaning is this: If someone says those lights in the sky are UFOs then the application of Occam's Razor makes one ask "couldn't they be aeroplanes, or unusual reflections in the glass, or were you just a bit pissed?", i.e always think of the simple explanation first. Do not elaborate unnecessarily, etc. etc.

Carry on, Raak

VEGETABLE, with ANIMAL and ABSTRACT connections.
Is it edible (or drinkable?)
Is it a constructed object?
Could this be held in your hand?
Is the animal connection a human one?
Edible/drinkable: No.
Constructed: Yes.
Held in the hand: Some could be.
Human connection: Yes.
Is the vegetable wood?
Any religious connection?
Is it purely decorative?
A Water Diviner?
Wood? No.
Religious? Yes.
Purely decorative? Nothing to stop anyone from having one as an ornament.
Water diviner? No.
Correction of my previous answer about being small enough to hold in the hand: as far as I can tell from Google, none of them ever are, when called by the words on the card. The hand-sized ones have a completely different name, so should be excluded.
OK - re. the human connection - does this thing have to be in contact with a human in some way in order to fulfil its function?
Re: religious connection: Eastern religion?
(and I don't mean "originating in the Middle-East")
[Chalky] Not nowadays.
[Néa] No.
A crucifix?
Is the religious connection christian?
Crucifix? No.
Christian? No.
An item of clothing?
Pagan?
Clothing? No.
Pagan? Yes. (applause)
A wicker man?
[Dazed5] Yes!
Here we go with....
MINERAL
Jumping the gun...
Should read MINERAL with the possibility of some VEGETABLE in it also.
A carrot encased in a slab of crystal?
[Nea] That's even better than mine, but sadly, no.
A long shot - coal?
Something to do with fossils?
Is the mineral pure or a mixture?
Rosie. Not coal.
Raak. Nothing to do with fossils.
Irouleguy.Yes, a mixture.
(Apologies to Nea and Irouleguy, I do not know how to do an 'e' with an accent over).
A pearl?
Is the mineral (semi-)precious?
Dazed5 - re. the acute accent - just type [(the ampersand symbol)eacute;] - when you would normally type the 'e' - the semicolon is important.
As for a question ... I expect I'll think of one soon
Another frivolous long shot - Soil?
If I'm right it's my question, otherwise it's Chalky's. Another way to do e-acute is Alt+0233. Look, é.
Does this occur naturally, or is it a human artefact?
A cute accent
INJ. Not a pearl.
INJ(2). Not precious, nor semi-precious, although some older versions may be of considerable value.
Rosie/Chalky. It is not soil (thanks for the pointers).
Irouléguy. Yes, a human artefact.
Is the vegetable part wod?
Or wood?
Raak. Yes it would be, but on the whole, it is quite insignificant.
Is it a toy?
Chalky. It is not a toy.Very slight murmers from the audience.
Is it a weapon?
Made of metal?
Chalky. Not a weapon.
Raak. The relevant bits are metallic, certain bits may probably be wood or even perhaps plastic, but this is not significant.
Is it small enough to hold easily?
A musical instrument?
Is it normally a particular colour or colours?
INJ. No.
Chalky, yes. Major applause from audience.
Iroulegéguy; I don't think so.
A saxophone?
Harmonica?
Rosie, irach. Both no. See INJ question above.
A church organ?
A barrel organ?
A drum kit?
irach. No
Raak. No
Rosie. No
Trinidad steel drums?
Tubular bells?
To produce sound from this musical instrument does one ( a) Bang it (b)Blow on it ? (c)Hit on some keys (d)both b and c (e) Turn a handle (f) Turn on a switch (g) None of the above?
Church bells?
[RedSnapper] While you are waiting for Dazed5 to get back, I can tell you that the answer to your question is "yes".
irach. No
Raak. No
Red Snapper. a)No. b)No. c)No. d)Therefore, no. e)no. f)Not in isolation. g)see f)
irach, No.
Does it require electrical power?
Can it be strummed?
Oversized Karaoke machine?
A mechanical carillon?
A choir of metallic singing robots?
Raak. Yes
irach. No
RedSnapper. No
Raak. No (had to look that one up)
irach, lovely idea but wrong.
Jukebox?
Update
irach, it is not a jukebox.
Whilst doing further research, I have learned that some modern instances of these can be held in the hands, but not the type I was thinking of. Apologies if this has mislead anyone but size is quite irrelevant, or so the females in my life would have me believe.
It's a
I think I know what this is - but I'll leave it for someone else
A Moog synthesiser?
Irouléguy. Not a Moog - Murmers of appreciation from the audience
A Yamaha Synthesizer
irach. It is not a Yamaha synthesizer.
Is it an electronic musical instrument?
Raak. Yes -More excited murmers and much shuffling in seats
Trying not to awaken anyone
I would have thought the musicians in here would have killed this long before now. I will give a further clue if requested.
207,000 Google hits worldwide
Chalky, I get 368,000, but who knows?
Go on, have a guess.
Is it known by its brand name?
Rosie, not a brand name as such, it is named after it's inventor.
The Hammond organ? (171,000 hits)
Irouléguy. It is not a Hammond organ. (Clue: if you find out how it is played you will get there)
A theremin?
BINGO!
Well done CdM, it was a theremin.
Wow, something of a lurker's victory there.
This next one is NONE OF THE ABOVE.
The instant of the Big Bang?
BANG No.
Another fungus?
an emotion?
fungus? No.
emotion? No.
Something Infinite?
Is it connected to the game of MC and/or the Morniverse?
Is it alive?
a vacuum?
<gloat>I hope I'm wrong as I probably won't be logging on more than a couple of times in the next 16 days</gloat>
A sound?
The number zero?
Not a very auspicious start
infinite? No.
connected to MC? No.
alive? No.
a vacuum? No.
A sound? No.
Zero? No.
Is it Animal, Vegetable, Mineral or Abstract?
AVMA? No. Hence my introduction.
The spatio-temporal continuum?
Nothing?
spatio-temporal continuum? No.
Nothing? No.
Might I respectfully suggest that if you just guess without gathering more information this is likely to take you a long time...
Has it ever been alive?
ever alive? No.
Has it ever existed?
Can it be seen?
An elementary particle?
(CdM) Sorry for being a bit thick. :-(
Has it been theorised but not proven?
Could it be better described as real or virtual?
Is there a religious connection?
Is it something one might aspire to?
Why isn't this abstract?
I assumed that all four categories [or any combination thereof] covered everything - are we in danger of becoming über-pedantic?
ever existed? It often exists.
can it be seen? Yes. *applause*
elementary particle? No. *some applause*
!proven? No.
real or virtual? Yes. Oh, all right then, real.
religious connection? Hmmmmm... There were once several religious connections, but nowadays the best answer is No.
aspire to? No. At least, it does not make sense to aspire to the answer on the card, although one might have an aspiration connected to it. Sorry if that sounds cryptic; it is meant to be straightforward.
AVMA Redux? Let me say the following. It is definitely not animal, vegetable, or abstract. If it is anything, it is mineral, but I thought is was misleading to describe it as such. (Apologies in advance if people end up disagreeing!)
The aurora?
The Northern Lights?
A rainbow?
A solar eclipse?
Light?
getting right to the point...
The words on the card were either "aurora borealis" or "northern lights". Thus, although Rosie's answer got massive applause, it did not exclude the possibility of the aurora australis. Thus the judges award victory to Chalky!
taking a bow
Aww shucks - thanks CdM.
Hand on heart, I wasn't influenced by Rosie's guess possibly because I recall this very subject cropping up in the original Pants game a few years ago - I think we labelled it Abstract/Mineral, although I'm sure someone who was there will correct me if I'm wrong ...

And now for something completely tangible ...

A N I M A L

Is this one specific individual?
[Raak] Specific? No. [good question]
Human?
Vertebrate?
Ungulate?
Homo Florensis?
[Rosie] Human - Yes
[Irach] Vertebrate - Yes
[RedSnapper] Ungulate? No
[Raak] Homo Florensis? No, probably not :-)
A group with a common purpose? Eg, The Cabinet, Crystal Palace Football Club. No, scrap that last one.
Is this a species of man?
Meaning Cro-Magnon or its ilk.
Genus Homo?
Are all members of this group of the same gender?
[Chalky] I have to say, I don't see how the aurora would be abstract, since it certainly has a physical existence...
Is this group culturally specific?
[Rosie] Common purpose? They certainly have something in common
[Dujon] species of Man? Yes
[irach] Genus homo? Of course - as previous answer
[CdM] Same gender - No
[Irouléguy] Culturally specific? If I said yes, that might be misleading. Can you be more culturally specific? :-)

[CdM - Abstract as an adjective. Yes, agree in principle. The word should mean something that only exists as a mental concept, but I have noticed is often used in this game to suggest a wider/popular interpretation of the merely physical. I chose not to tag it on to the ANIMAL label in this round, because I felt sure that this 'group of people with something in common' would be established fairly early on.]

Us?
[Raak] Us? As in Us? No.
Is this group linked by a common language, religious or cultural practice?
A musical ensemble?
The ISIHAC teams?
Homo-sapiens?
Person(s) specifically known to carry outd certain particular actions or follow particular professions?
[Irouléguy] Linked? As I've already stated that they have something in common, the answer must be Yes - sort of
[Rosie] Musical ensemble? No
[Gusset Login] ISIHaC teams - No
[all] Homo Sapiens? I think that's been established
[RedSnapper] particular actions or professions? Yes *discernible muttering in audience*
The thing that links these people, is it what they do for a living?
Person(s) of a particular profession?
Persons with a particular hobby or penchant?
A Greek chorus?
Chalky] My question was about how they were linked.
[Raak] making a living? No
[irach] particular profession? No
[Redsnapper] Hobby or Penchant? No and Yes
[Irouléguy] Greek Chorus? No
[it would probably be safer to say that there is no cultural link in the way that you mean]
Are these people fans of something?
Anything to do with sports?
Commuters?
[Raak] Fans of something? Mmmm - I have to say Yes. *polite applause*
[irach] Sports? No
[Dazed] Commuters? No
Does this 'group' number in millions?
[Dazed] Millions? Probably not in the UK
Is this group then specific to the UK?
This thing that they are, one might have to say, fans of, are they practitioners of it?
Do these people go out of the house to indulge their interest?
Would you expect many of the Morniverse's inhabitants to be among these people?
Would many of them gather together in one place to experience this thing for which they have a penchant?
... sorry - been busy
[Dazed] specific to UK? No
[Raak]practitioners? In a manner of speaking, Yes.
[Rosie] Out of house indulgence? No - not necessarily
[Irouléguy] Crescenters? Can't say I know them all well enough, but No *chuckles*
[Kim] Gathering? Some may, some may not.
When somebody gets the right answer, will this site become NSFW?
*laughs out loud*
[CdM] I only practise safe chairwomanship
Would this shared interest be considered risqué in a polite society?
Does it involve any aspect of procreation?
[Dazed] Risqué? No
[irach] Procreation? No

... so that's eliminated any saucy shenanegans :-)
However, both questions are the type of questions that need to be asked.

Are particular types of clothing involved?
[Irouléguy] Clothing? No
Would most people say these people are anoraks?
[Rosie] Anoraks? No
Does this shared interest require any specialist equipment?
Does the shared interest require ambulation of any kind?
Are there roughly equal numbers of both sexes involved?
Does it involve the playing of a game?
[Dazed] specialist equipment? Equipment isn't really the right word, but it certainly requires a certain something to belong to this group
[irach] ambulation? Not really [see Rosie previous question]
[Rosie] equal numbers? I should think so
[Raak] game playing? No

CLUE: The word 'hobby' got a thumbs down, if you read back. This isn't an 'interest' either. It is something that a certain group of people have in common. 'Fan' [as in fanatical] and 'penchant' have both been given a cursory nod ..

Is it connected with either eating or drinking?
[Dazed] Yes! At last :-) * audience wakes up and overcompensates by whooping and hollering *
Wine connoisseurs?
Are they linked by food from a particular part of the world?
[Raak] Wine Connoisseurs? They may well be [but that's not the word on the card]
[Irouléguy] Linked? Food? Part of World? No, No and Thrice No
Alcoholics?
Gourmands of any kind?
Is the "certain something" that is required inherent in the individual?
Vegetarians?
Four very good questions, but only one is correct:

Well done Raak - Alcoholics is the right answer. Over to you ...

I'm off to the Worldcon on Wednesday, but I'm sure you'll get this before then.

MINERAL

Something made by humans?
A natural phenomenon?
[I] Yes.
[K] No.
Uses electricity?
[Rosie] Yes.
Used in the preparation of food?
[nights] No.
Used for recreation?
Normally used in the home?
[irach] Can be.
[Rosie] No.
Is it noisy when in operation?
Can it be used to get from one place to another?
Bigger than one metre cubed?
Ever used in the office?
[irach] No.
[RS] Yes.
[Chalky] No.
[irach] Yes.
Can it be used for communications?
[irach] No.
Is its primary use as a means of transport?
[I] Yes! (applause)
A mode of transportation that's used in the office? (you said above it WAS used in the office). Or primarily to get you to work at the office?
[irach] You asked "Ever used in the office?" so the answer was yes, because I've heard of it happening. But that's an unusual use.
An electric scooter?
An electric wheelchair?
[I] Erm...not entirely sure whether "scooter" would cover this or not.
[R] No.
A Segway?
I was going to post this guess on Friday, but thought that RS's comment would have earned applause if it was right... however, it seems to fit with some of the later Q and A...
[CdM] Yes, a Segway.
OK, an easy one: MINERAL
The new planet 'Xena'?
not that easy
warrior princess? No.
Man-made?
Is it a specific object?
Man-made? No.
Specific object? No.
A type of rock?
A present from Brighton? No.
Is it a solid in its normal state?
Solid in normal state? No. *applause*
Is it bigger than a phone box?
Given that it is not a specific object, the question does not really make sense. However, in the individual instances in which it is normally encountered, it is smaller than a phone box.
Is it mobilel?
A snowman?
mobile? If you mean can it be easily moved, the answer is yes.
snowman? No.
A snowflake?
Is it fluid?
Does "not a specific object" mean "not a named object", so it could be "a mountain" but not "The Matterhorn" even though a mountain could be classed as a specific object?
Is this a type of metal (e.g. mercury)
?
snowflake? No.
fluid? Yes.
clarification of 'not a specific object'? The words on the card are a fairly generic term that refer to a category or class (using those terms loosely) of which there are many different instances, some of which are named. In terms of your example, it is more like the answer being "mountains". Which isn't the answer.
metal? No. silence? No.
A spring?
boingggg? No. *substantial applause from audience, together with stamping of feet and a chant of  "Ro-SIE! Ro-SIE! Ro-SIE!"*
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