mc5 - AVMA Take 2

Pausing only to take the ribbon and bow off the baton

OK then, this one is Animal or Vegetable (with Abstract connections)

A musical instrument?

[Raak] Instrumental? - NO

Is it edible?

[Tuj] Food, glorious food? - NO

Manufactured?

As you state Animal OR Vegetable - is this an either/or - or can it be both?

[and thanks INJ for welcome back. I am healing - slowly but shurely :)]

[Projoy] Manufactured - YES
[Chalky] Animal/Vegetable? - Either/Or is probably the most helpful, but in both cases that would be predominantly, rather than entirely.

Is it found indoors?

If animal, then a specific part of an animal?

[Chalky] Indoors? - YES
[Rosie] Specific part of an animal? - YES (at least for the predominant part)
Thinking about my answer to Chalky, the 'predominantly' bit, although true, is probably not helpful. From now on I will ignore the minor elements in my answers unless specifically asked.

Sticky in texture?

Is the vegetable wood?

(I don't think that's the same question as Software just asked...)

Begins with P?

[Chalky] A hearty welcome back from over here too =)

Is the animal bone?

[Software] Like a stick? - NO
[CdM] Like a big stick? - NO
[Tuj] P....? - NO
[Rosie] Bonie? - NO

Does its name describe its function?

Leather?

Like Dan and Dunx, it is well known that Rosie and Raak are the same person, an 80 year old hedgehog-trapper living in the New Forest.

Some sort of covering?

Perfume?

[Projoy] Does what it says on the tin? - NO
[Raak] Leather? - YES - that is the animal component - at least, that's easily a better answer than No
[GLog] A covering? - NO
[Rosie] Smellie? - NO

A lucky rabbits foot?

[Software] Cruelty to lapines? - NO

Functional?

Larger than a toaster?

Is the vegetable a fabric?

[CdM] Functional? - NO * A few 'tut's from a small minority of the audience*
[Chalky] That toaster question - Similar in total volume, depending on the toaster, but differently shaped.
[Projoy] A fabric? - NO (though we might get into a discussion of definitions)

Is it written on?

[Projoy] Written on? - YES *Applause*

Is it a scroll?

Is The Answer the name of a type of document?

[Raak] Scroll? - NO
[Projoy] A type of document - NO - but *applause*

Ornamental?

[Chalky] Ooh, innit pretty? - NO - at least not primarily (or secondarily, or tertially, come to that)

Not Functional/Ornamental - how about Educational?

[Chalky] Educational? - NO (to most values of 'Educational') - some would disagree quite strongly

Software`

A plaster cast?

A book?

Is there a specific kind of writing to be found thereon?

[Software] Plaster Cast? - NO
[Chalky] Book? - YES
[Projoy] specific kind of writing? - NO

To summarise, it's a book primarily made of leather that isn't funtional, ornamental or educational?

The Bible?

A specific title.

I hope Rosie has it.

An autograph book?

Getting close

[GLogin] Remember: either Animal or Vegetable
[Rosie] The Bible? - YES, *Applause* But you have not yet got the words on the card
[Projoy] A specific Title? - YES
[Raak] Sign here please? - NO

The Authorised King James Version?

A Gutenberg Bible?

A Gideon's Bible?

We have a winner.

Projoy has it - A/The Gutenberg Bible it is. There were about 180 Gutenberg bibles, about 40 printed on vellum and the rest on paper, giving the either/or.

A leather-bound baton passed on to Projoy

Splendid. OK. Here's another. ABSTRACT/ANIMAL

Is the animal element human?

[Kinrah] Animal human? Strictly speaking, NO. *audience laughter and cries of "bad luck!"*

Is it a mythical animal?

Fictional?

[GL] Mythical? NO
[CdM] Fictional? YES

Best known from Film or TV?

[INJ] Best known from film or TV? NOT SURE. I expect that some would say yes, others no, but no stats available.

(PS. For myself and probably for yourself, the answer would be NO, I suspect.)

The Christmas elf?

[Software] Winterval wellbeing? NO

A character in literature later adapted for the screen?

[INJ] Book > Screen? *much animated whispering in audience* Strictly, NO. *continued animated whispering in audience*

Character in a comedy?

[Rosie] Comedy? YES *applause*

Associated with a particular actor?

[CdM] Particular Actor? Mm. NOT SURE. To me the answer is YES, but it wouldn't be to everyone.

Bottom?

Begins with P?

[Duj] I beg your par... oh, you mean the series Bottom. NO.
[Tuj] P-led? NO

An animated character? [or have we established this and I'm being a bit thick]

Archie Andrews?

[Chalky] Animated? NO
[Rosie] The uneducated one? NO.

From children's literature?

Were they adapted for the stage before TV or film?

[CdM] Kidlit? NO
[GL] A previous stage? NO

Addendum

[INJ] On further thought, I feel like I should change my answer to your adaptation question. As you phrased the question: "A character in literature later adapted for the screen?" the truthful answer is YES, but this isn't a wholly typical case, so check your assumptions.

From works of Shakespeare?

[Chalks] Bardly? *audience laughter* NO.

Is this more than one character?

Is it related to The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen?

[Chalky] Multiple? NO
[GL] TLOEG? NO.

Adapted from comics/graphical novels?

Supernatural?

Male?

[INJ] Graphic? NO
[Softers] Supernatural? NO, at least not in the conventional sense.
[Chalky] Male? YES].

In a radio programme?

[INJ] Radio? YES *tumultuous applause*

Won't have 2 guesses in a row, but I think we're close

Well - your addendum helped

Slartibartfast?

From HHGTTG?

Marvin?

[GL] He said it wasn't important? NO
[INJ] H2G2? YES *applause*
[Software] Brain the size...? NO

Ford Prefect?

Zaphod Beeblebrox?

Freow.

[Kinrah] You have hit the subject on one of its two heads! It was ZAPHOD BEEBLEBROX, indeed. As you can see, my confusion over the adaptation question arose because of course, while the screen versions followed the book version chronologically, they didn't do so adaptationally, as it were. Plus of course, the character didn't originate in the books.

Over to you, Kinrah. *Hands over a perspex baton shaped like a cricket stump, just before there is the sound of a million billion people saying "Wop"*

I was trying to weigh up whether to go for Zaphod or the Pan Galactic Gargle Blaster (which has the potential to be part animal), even though I have just realised [Tuj] ruled that out with his 'P' question. Whee. Now, let's see if I can get the formatting right with
ABSTRACT/ANIMAL connections
This shouldn't be too difficult.

Begins with a P?

Glad to see my usual question served a small purpose, Kinrah!

Is it a fictional person?

Rudolf The Red Nose Reindeer - the song?

*correction* RudolPH The Red NoseD Reindeer - the song?

[Tuj] P-aff? *audience laugh... then applause* YES
[GL] Imaginary? NO
[Chalky] Lyric of an oddly coloured creature? NO

Seasonal connections?

A work of art?

[INJ] Seasonally speaking? NO
[Projoy] Arty-farty? NO

Are the animal connections human?

Connected with science?

[Tuj] Humanimal? YES
[Projoy] Psy-ense? After giving it some careful thought, SOMETIMES (but the connection there really isn't worth following)

Culturally specific?

Is it related to psychology?

Involves an action or actions?

To do with religion?

[INJ] Cultural terms? NO
[GL] Psycho-analytic? NO
[Rosie] Requiring effort? NO
[Projoy] Belief system? NO

A feature of the intellect?

Related to politics or public life?

Is The Answer a noun or noun phrase?

[Rosie] Intellectual? NO *audience whispers among itself*
[INJ] Political? NO
[Projoy] Nounal? YES
I've also been considering the science question, and much like Projoy, I'm going to do a bit of a U-Turn; YES FOR A GIVEN VALUE OF SCIENCE. I believe it could be called a science by some people.

A social science?

Connected to the "Paranormal"?

[Projoy] Socially scientific? NO
[GL] Paranormal? NO

To do with the natural world?

Was it invented?

[Projoy] Natural? NO
[Tuj] Created? YES *audience applause*

Is it a type of person?

[Projoy] Demographic? NO

A theory? (Of anything)

Does it exist?

[Rosie] Theory? NO but *very loud applause from audience*
[Projoy] Existential? YES

Heredity?

Something that exists both in theory and in practice?

[Rosie] Passed down? NO
[Projoy] Works both ways? YES

Connected to economics?

Is it really really really small?

Is it a one word answer?

Is it something that can be studied in a reasonably mainstream environment?

Does it end with a Y?

Is it a process?

Sorry about the so long gap - had a LOT of stuff to do over the end of the weekend.
[Projoy] Economical? NO
[Tuj] Teensy-Weensy? DEPENDS ON WHAT YOU ARE COMPARING IT TO *audience laugh*
[Chalky] Just the one? NO
[INJ] Mainstream? YES
[GL] Why-y? NO
[Projoy2] Process? NO *more hushed whispers from audience*

A human activity?

Related to games or entertainment?

A cartoon?

Any medical connections?

[Projoy] Active? NO
[INJ] Move that joystick? NO
[Software] Cartoon? NO
[Rosie] Doctor, Doctor? STRICTLY NO (There is one connection, but it's so far gone from the standard question bounds that it's also not worth looking into.)

Since this is taking much longer than I anticipated (I really hope it's not because I'm giving the wrong answers) as a sort of first hint here's a roundup of what you do know.
Begins with P
Given value of science
Noun
It was invented
Audience gave loud applause to Theory
It exists
It works in both theory and practice
Studied in a mainstream environment
Also, it seems the audience have changed their mind and decided to give some rather late *loud applause* for 'Process'.

The Peter prinicple?

Can we change the audience?

Associated with business or commerce?

Parkinson's Law?

To do with the internets?

Pi?

Sorry if it's been mentioned. I'm ever so wrung out.

[Rosie] Incompetence rising? NO *audience laugh... then quickly fall silent*
[INJ] Businesslike? YES (but in the same way as Theory and Practice)
[Software] Filling the time available? NO
[Projoy] Intarwebs? NO
[Dujon] 3.14? NO-*is deafened by audience applause*

A pie-chart?

Is The Answer a type of number?

Probability?

[INJ] Sliced diagram? NO
[Projoy] Numerical? YES *more applause from the audience*
[Software] What's the chance? NO

Prime number(s)?

Pascal's triangle?

INJ's got it.

Planck's Constant?

Please, miss, can I have another go?

Pythagorus' Theorem?

No, not a theory. How about Fermat's Conjecture?

[INJ] Itself and one? NO
[Rosie1] Triangular numbers? NO
[Rosie2] Quantum mechanics? NO
[Projoy1] Square of the Hypotenuse? N- *audience explodes into applause* NO
[Projoy2] Pythagoras no greater than two? N- *audience applauds even louder, if that's even possible* NO

I'm probably spiraling out from the core but (it goes by a number of names) -"The Golden Square"?

Phi, the Golden Ratio?

If this is right, the winner should really be Dujon.

[Dujon, Rosie] Shiny yellow maths? NO *audience shout "Colder!"*

Pythagoreanism?

Poincaré's conjecture?

Had forgotten it started with P...

(a) Perfect Number(s)?

[Software] Mathematician Philosophy? NO *a few claps from audience*
[Projoy] Ball manifolds? NO
[INJ] Something we've yet to hear from Colin Sell? NO *audience ooh quietly*

Are we in the world of geometry here?

(I was about to suggest a platonic solid, but then realised that the whole point of them is that they don't exist in the real world.)

Oh, it's not a (mathematical) proof, is it?

Can I just say, btw, that this AVMA is (a) bloody hard and (b) very enjoyable.

[Projoy] Shaping the world? YES
(Taking the other one as a question as well) [Projoy2] Demonstrating true maths? YES
Glad you like it. I still hope that it's not taking this long because I'm answering the questions wrong. Just for another hint though; one of the questions I answered NO to earlier has got something to do with the answer, but I took the question to mean the definite article, as it were, because that's what I suspect it was intended as.

Pappus' Theorem?

Getting a bit arcane.

Polynomials?

A protractor?

I know it's wrong but I have to get it out of my head. I generally think it's a bad thing to know the first letter. Leads to all kinds of weird guesses.

Does the answer include the name of a mathematician?

I was sure Software was right until I noticed the answer to the "proof" question.

Is it, in fact a proof of Fermat's Last Theorem?

[Rosie] Surface areas? NO
[Software] Maths expression? NO
[Projoy] Angle measurer? NO
[CdM] Clue in the name? YES *audience applause*
[Projoy2] Proving the square? YES *more applause*

A Pythagorean Triple?

We're there.

[Rosie] Correct, it was indeed a Pythagorean Triple!
My confusion with some of the earlier questions arose when trying to work out whether mathematics could be classed as a science or not. But by reaching the correct answer I can rest easy knowing that if any of my answers were wrong, they weren't so wrong as to block out the answer completely.

One triangular baton handed over to Rosie.

(I can't resist pointing out that although I had never previously heard of "a Pythagorean triple", I still came quite close to winning that round! Good clues.)

*can't resist pointing out that she has never heard of a Pythagorean Triple and didn't even come close to asking any relevant questions but happily embraces fresh knowledge*

3,4,5 and all that

(Projoy, Chalky) Yes, I'd agree it doesn't quite trip off the tongue in the same way that Pythagorean Triangle does though it is a quite genuine mathematical term. BTW, did you know that 3 cubed plus 4 cubed plus 5 cubed equals 6 cubed?

OK, this is ANIMAL

Human?

(Projoy) Human? - YES.

Watt?

I'll go away now.

Still Alive?

(Dujon) Mr Steam Engine? - alas, NO.
(GL) Alive? - YES. Still alive? - A separate question

In entertainment?

Fictional?

(Softers) Entertainment? - NO, and for some, not in any way whatsoever.
(Projoy) Fictional? - NO. You may have been misled by my supplementary to Gusset Login in which I had taken his question to be "Alive and very old?" This person exists.

Born before 21st December 1969?

Born before 1940?

(Gusset Login) - A fortified over-forty? - YES.
(Projoy) At least a couple of years older than me? - YES.

Begins with P?

This question definitely coloured the last round strongly, although I'm not sure for better or for worse.

(Tuj) - Won't help here - does not begin with P.

Would a wheelchair come into this equation?

(Dujon) - Wheelchair-bound? - NO

Male?

(Gusset Login) - Male? - He is.

Political?

British?

(Softers) - Political? - NO .
(Projoy) - British? - NO.

Scientific?

American?

(Softers) - Scientist? - NO.
(Projoy)- American? - YES.

An entertainer?

(Chalky) - Entertainer? - Strictly speaking NO, but see Softers' first question. *some scattered mild applause*

Sporting?

(Projoy) - Sporting connection? - NO, none known.

Professorial?

(Softers) - Not a professor

Journalist?

(Projoy) - Hacking away? - NO.

In architecture?

(Projoy) - NO, not an architect. I know very little about American architects.

Does he belong in the broad category of 'religious'

(Dujon) - Known for his religion? - NO, although he is actually quite devout. Happy Christmas, mate.

A writer?

Would this man have connection with Jazz (perhaps as a clarinet player)?

DAMN!

Please ignore that question, Rosie.

(Projoy) - Not a writer.
(Dujon) OK, if you insist. *audience turn to each other, bewildered.*

Military?

You brushed aside 'entertainer' (Chalky's query and Software's earlier reference). As I find jazz entertaining therefore my second thought.

Would this man have connection with Jazz (perhaps as a clarinet player)?

I'm a glutton for punishment, me.

(Dujon) A jazzer? - He certainly is. *audience cheers and applauds*
(Projoy) - Not a military man.

Are you really saying you don't class jazz as entertainment?

(Projoy) It can be, and the subject of this AVMA is undoubtedly grateful for the money it generates but he would not be flattered to be called merely an entertainer, unlike say a comedian, who needs an audience above all else.

An instrumentalist (i.e. not a singer)?

(Projoy) - Instrumentalist? - YES.

Plays a brass instrument?

Was this gentleman once a part of Lawrence Welk's orchestra?

(Projoy) - Brass instrument? - NO.
(Dujon) - A middle-of-the-roader? - NO. *audience splutters in embarrassed amusement*

Is the man known for his artistry with a 'free reed' instrument.

I'm just narrowing the field.

(Dujon) - Reed instrument - NO.

Is this jazz instrumentalist NOT particularly entertaining?

:-) :-)

Given Chalky's drum roll: A percussionist?

Dave Brubeck?

(Chalky) - YES, not always easy listening, you could say.
(Dujon) Someone who hangs around with musicians? - well, actually he does, of course, because PROJOY has it. It's the great DAVE BRUBECK, 89 the other day. Well persisted, Pj. Your go.

Gosh! I must clearly take more pains in future to be less entertained when I listen to Blue Rondo à la Turk...

The next is ABSTRACT/ANIMAL...

Figurative?

Animal human?

(Proj) Me too, but not everybody. Have you tried playing it? Brubeck must have colossal maulers.

Begins with P?

[Raak] Figurative? KIND OF. Not sure which is the most helpful answer.
[Rosie] Human? YES and NO, but then again, NO
[Tuj] P-headed? NO

Mortality?

[Rosie] Le Grand Mort? NO (for that would also apply to vegetable matter, I think)

Does this apply to Life in the David Attenborough sense?

[Rosie] I'm not quite sure how to interpret the question.
Incidentally, I now realise there should have been some *applause* for your "Mortality" question.

Music-y?

Does it represent a state of mind?

(Pj) penult. question - Yes, it is a bit obscure. I was knackered and not totally sober after a prolonged bout of pub piano-tuning and payment in kind.

[Chalks] Musical? NO
[Rosie] State of mind? NO

Is it an observation on the behaviour of animals, including humans?

Sentience?

[Rosie] Observation? NO, a bit less abstract than that.
[Dujon] Sentience? NO

Was it invented?

[Proj] "YES and NO, but then again, NO" was a beautiful answer.

[Tuj] Invented? YEEES, I guess so. Not in the same sense as seed drills and nuclear reactors were, tho.

To do with ghosties and ghoulies?

A theory of behaviour?

[Chalky] Grabbed by the... NO, but you're moving in the right direction.
[Rosie] Theory? NO

Fictional?

Tough start here!

Is this a human idea or construct?

I think I see a glimmer of light...

[Tuj] Fictional? YES *a single pedantic audience member (probably Breadmaster) clears his throat disapprovingly at this answer, but everyone else ignores him*
[Duj] A human construct? YES

connected with Religion?

[Chalky] Religious connection? YES! *applause*

A dietary proscription?

[Rosie] Thou shalt not scoff? NO

Nativity thingy?

[Softers] Nativity? NOT AT ALL *audience laughter*