XCentricity 2016 by Apratim Chandra Singh conducted for The Computer Society, St.Stephen's College

1. XCentricity Quiz
By Apratim Chandra Singh

2. XCentricity Quiz
Prelims with Answers
By Apratim Chandra Singh

3. Rules and Regulations
• 16 questions in prelims.
• Points from prelims will carry forward in finals.
• Questions are pretty much easy and workable so whatever the
first thing comes into your mind. Go for it.
• May contain traces of tech
• Poorly worded hints in italics are very much intentional
• #DQCrocks

4. Q1
Growing up with this iconic brand and running man logo. Expand
DTDC.

5. Desk to Desk Courier and Cargo

6. Q2
A total of 5 women can be seen in this ‘iconic’ video. Though the
identity of the group hasn’t been released by the company but
certain internet enthusiasts have figured that the third women in
the video is a certain lady named Amanda Auclair ( who goes by
other names as well) of Canadian descent.
Identify the company and what ‘iconic’ thing am I talking about ?
#aurkyahihoga

7. Naughty America. Nobody does it better
<video>

8. Q3
• While the exact origin of the idiomatic expression
_____________________ remains unknown, the earliest recorded use of
the phrase in the context of _____________ can be found in the title of
a video uploaded by Vimeo user Ionut Puiu on August 20th, 2009.
Dubbed “Trust me… _______________” the video shows a cat pawing
its owner’s typing hand on the keyboard. FITB with five word
phrase.
Something that I tell myself every time Soumya Sir posts from OT on
DQC group.

9. That's Enough Internet for Today

10. Q4
According to Alexa, X is the No. 14 Indian web portal. It has more
than 316 employees. 89.1% of the millions of visitors to X are from
India, while the rest come primarily from the USA (3.4%) and China.
In April 2001, X acquired and began offering India Abroad. As of
December 2012, it ranked 213 on Alexa. X was the first website
domain name registered in India in 1996. Identify this website
which is now dying a slow death and is only in public conscience
perhaps due to its shady online marketplace.

11. Rediff.com

12. Q5
X is a for-profit educational organization founded by Sebastian
Thrun, David Stavens, and Mike Sokolsky offering massive open
online courses (MOOCs).According to Thrun, the origin of the name
________ comes from the company's desire to be "audacious for you,
the student.While it originally focused on offering university-style
courses, it now focuses more on vocational courses for
professionals. Identify this free university.

13. Udacity

14. Q6
In China, the X waist challenge is going viral, especially with women,
and social media is flooded with the results. The X challenge
encourages women to use X as a standard to measure their waist. X
has a standard width of 21cm. What’s X ?
<image> on next slide.

16. A4 Paper

17. Q7
X was founded in 1963, during the Licence Raj, by TPG Nambiar in
Palakkad, Kerala, as a company for manufacturing hermetically
sealed precision panel meters for the defence forces.Nambiar had
worked in the United Kingdom and United States, and when he
returned to India, he desired to create a company that manufactured
high-quality electronic products. After 1982 Asian Games, X became
a big player in the Indian market and expanded its range of
products.
Identify X, a company that just might be favourite of Indian
(Socialist) Economists.

18. BPL or British Physical Labotaries

19. Q8
What company did Forrest Mars & William Murie found which even
today pays homage to the two gentlemen by embedding them in
their cores ?

20. M & M’s

21. Q9
Discussing the app on Silicon Alley Insider website, Dan Frommer
described the program as a "scam", "worthless", and finally "a joke
that smells like a scammy rip-off" on August 5, 6, and 8,
respectively.Without purchasing the app, FOXNews.com's Paul
Wagenseil guessed that the secret mantra was "German for
'Sucker!'" (as Heinrich is German).Wired magazine's Brian X. Chen
described ____________ as a waste of money to "prove you're a jerk",
and contrasted the expenditure with donating to cancer foundations
and Third-World countries.
FITB with a three word answer or the funda.

22. I am Rich

23. Q10
Futura is a geometric sans-serif typeface designed in 1927 by Paul
Renner. It was designed as a contribution on the New Frankfurt-
project. It is based on geometric shapes that became representative
of visual elements of the Bauhaus design style of 1919–33. It was
commissioned as a typeface by the Bauer Type Foundry, in reaction
to Ludwig & Mayer's seminal Erbar of 1922. Here’s an example of
Futura font.
<next slide>

24. Which organisation which hosts its event every year in the month of
purification adopted this font in 2014 thus making a sort of transition
from the standard which was set in 1920s. ?

25. AMPAS. Academy Awards

26. Q11
Kanda Shrine, is a Shinto shrine located in Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan.
The shrine dates back 1,270 years, but the current structure was
rebuilt several times due to fire and earthquakes. It is situated in
one of the most expensive estate areas of Tokyo. Kanda Shrine was
an important shrine to both the warrior class and citizens of Japan,
especially during the Edo period, when shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu
paid his respects at Kanda Shrine.On the next slide is an image of
the Shrine.

28. What kind of wishes or rather what sort of unique activity takes place in
the shrine making it a must visit place for geeks ?

29. Laptops are blessed against virus attacks.

30. Q12
What sort of technique was developed by EL Thorndike and his
assistant Benjamin Wood which is boon for examiners but bane for
Quizzers ?

31. Multiple Choice Question

32. Q13
”Satellite Imaging for Rail Navigation (GPS-based system) jointly
developed by IIT-Kanpur and RDSO would go a long way in reducing
train accidents at unmanned crossings. If used in roadways buses,
passengers would help the passengers in knowing the location of
the bus. The gangmen, while repairing the railway tracks, would
also know about the arrival of the trains, thereby leaving no chance
for mishap.” as said by Dr.SG Dhande,IIT Kanpur Director.
By what name is the technology better known as ? A name which will
be remembered by 90s kids.

33. SIMRAN

34. Q14 – ID this very anti-climatic tumblr account.

35. Pratibha Patil doing things

36. Q15
“Jamming on ideas, rapping on what's next is what entrepreneurs
do. ________ and I would get some good music, good drinks, and jam
until 5 AM. _________ big idea was cracking the horrible ________
problem in San Francisco. ________ m.o. fits the X brand. He likes to
roll in style, comfort, and convenience. His over-the-top idea in Paris
that winter started as a limo timeshare service.”
Identify X.

37. Uber

38. Q16 - #reverseM=B. Connect. One Word.

39. Barra :P

40. XCentricity Quiz
Finals
By Apratim Chandra Singh

41. Rules & Regulations
• 24 questions in the finals.
• 12 questions clockwise & 12 questions anti-clockwise and 1 List it
question.
• Flat scoring in bounce with points scoring of +10/0
• All or nothing pounce. Scoring of +20/-10 if only one team
pounces and +10/-10 if more than one team pounces.
• #DQCrocks
• Poorly worded hints in italics are very much intentional.
• Questions are pretty much easy and workable so whatever the
first thing comes into your mind. Go for it.

42. Round 1

43. Q1 FITB with a two-word term that has rather very homosexual
overtones.

44. Safety Slide

45. Smash Bros’

46. Q2 – Identify this high flying company founded by Rollin King and
Herb Kelleher.

47. Safety Slide

48. Southwest Airlines

49. Q3
“The journey has been marked by highs and lows, surprises and
disappointments, but ultimately immense satisfaction. I’m humbled
to have had the privilege of both founding and presiding over what
is easily one of the greatest communities to ever grace the web.”
Who was quoted saying the above lines and what is the “greatest
community” in question ?

50. Safety Slide

51. Christopher Poole talking about his
retirement from 4chan

52. Q4
Ryan Collins, 36 a resident of Lancaster, Pennsylvania works
as creative project manager for the eCommerce marketing company
Listrak in Lancaster. He has previously worked as an art director
and webmaster, and as a personal chef. However we should know
remember him because he did something back in 2014 which
caused him to become almost sort of a demigod among teens and
adults alike. What did Ryan Collins do that attracted world media
attention ?

53. Safety Slide

54. The Fappening

55. Q5 – Who is this person who can be seen enjoying a cigarette
without any need to worry about his concoctions ?

56. Safety Slide

57. Alan Rickman

58. Q6
Though not explicitly mentioned under the terms and agreement of
Apple’s Warranty agreement. Performing this activity near an Apple
Mac renders the warranty void. According to the Consumerist
website, a user was reported as saying “I checked my Applecare
warranty and it says nothing about not honouring warranties if the
owner is __________. The Applecare representative said they defer to
the technician and my son's computer cannot be fixed at any Apple
Service Centre due to being listed a bio-hazard.”
What is the activity in question which voids warranty of Apple Mac ?

59. Safety Slide

60. Smoking

61. Q7
How was the compound “2-(2-Carboxylato-ethyl)-1,1,1-
trimethylhydrazinium” suddenly catapulted into mainstream media
recently ?

62. Safety Slide

63. Meldonium. Maria Sharapova Scandal.

64. Q8
• ____ is a e-commerce company headquartered in Mumbai. It was
started by an IIT Kanpur alumnus in January 2008 as a product
research and price comparison service. In 2009 it adapted the
marketplace model and stated selling products online. Its slogan is
" _____ kiya kya? ", which features in its many TV commercials
• In 2015, Japanese conglomerate Mitsui & Co. invested 136M in ____.
• FITB
#straightouttaquora

65. Safety Slide

66. Naaptol

67. Q9 – What has been blanked out ?
Will make for a good knock-knock joke.

68. Safety Slide

69. Doctor Who

70. Q10
X is a corporation in the United States that sells movie tickets via
telephone and Internet. X charges a premium to use its services, ranging
from 75¢ to $2.50 (the additional surcharge for phone orders), which
reserves a ticket to be printed out upon arrival at a movie theater,
thereby avoiding lines. Initially, seating was promised for sold-out shows,
but this feature was discontinued for most theaters, as not all were
equipped to handle reserved seating and will call lines. X's
advertisements play before previews at participating movie-theater
chains and feature lunch bag puppets telling various one- or two-line
jokes and riddles centering on the company's name. The company also
produced an advertising segment that is based on the song, "We are the
World".
Identify X. <image>

72. Fandango

73. Q11 – Floor plan of which iconic place.

74. Safety Slide

75. Playboy Mansion

76. Q-12
If it was God with two faces for the first edition, the “Windy City” for
the second then what is it for the latest edition ?
#pushingthelimits

77. Safety Slide

78. Threshold

79. List It
• List all the members of PayPal Mafia

80. Safety Slide

81. Peter Thiel
Max Levchin
David Sacks
Reid Hoffman
Roelof Botha
Luke Nosek
Jeremy Stoppelman
Russ Simmons
Jawed Karim
Steve Chen
Chad Hurley
Premal Shah
Elon Musk
Kenny Howery
Keith Rabois

82. Round 2

83. Q13
The Financial News was a daily published in London by Harry
Marks and set up to expose fraudulent investments. When a rival of
this newspaper wanted to differentiate themselves in 1893, they did
something that made them immediately distinguishable—the
practice has continued till today, with the distinctive element
becoming “slightly deeper”.
What practice did they start ?
#straightouttaarchives

84. Safety Slide

85. Salmon Coloured Paper

86. Q14 – Reddit AMA by which caretaker ?

87. Safety Slide

88. Steve Wozniak

89. Q15 – Identify this app.

90. Safety Slide

91. Himmat by Delhi Police

92. Q16
Which TV show was this setup a part of ?

93. Safety Slide

94. Sherlock

95. Q17
What did Roman Emperor Caligula commanded his soldiers to do
when he waged war with Poseidon ?
#notsokolzstyle

96. Safety Slide

97. He asked them to stab water

98. Q18
Hidenori Maezawa is a Japanese sound artist, he credits his
inspiration to his elder brother who was a big fan of The Beatles.
Hidenori has worked on a variety of projects in the Japanese film
and TV industry. However Hidenori is remembered by millions of
children around for the world for something he composed in late
1980s against the current of system generated music. Identify the
game which was known for its music as well as its gameplay.

100. Contra

101. Q19
The nickname of this person has its origin from an anecdote where
once in a bar he remarked to a lady “Honey, you got a nice ass. And I
mean that as a compliment” in front of her brother.
What is the nickname he got due to this and who is the person in
question ?

103. Scarface, Al Capone

104. Q20
Excerpt from an article “20 fictional companies that changed the
world”
“Founded by villainous Dr. Evil, X focuses on world domination. Dr.
Evil gives little thought to financials, preferring initiatives like
creating sharks with laser beams on their heads and turning the
moon into a death star.”
Which company ?

105. Safety Slide

106. Virtucon

107. Q21
The gentleman on next slide shares its name with a famous
company with whom almost 10+ million people in India be familiar
with.
Who is this popular yet unknown gentleman who may have died
young but his name lives on ?

109. Safety Slide

110. Philip Morris

111. Q22 – After whom is this programming language modelled on ?

112. Safety Slide

113. Donald Trump

114. Q23
• Andres B – Born in Chile and a market researcher. Age - 38
• Mama B – Born in Uruguay. Age - 36
• Mr Monkey – Born in Canada. Age – 10
• Gabrielle Umika B AKA Miss Monkey – Born in Canada. Age-9
What do these four together as a familial unit are known as which at
best evokes a Canadian Interjection-esque response ?

115. Safety Slide

116. Eh Bee

117. Comments and brickbats welcome at
asingh825@gmail.com
www.facebook.com/apratim.singh
Quiz by Apratim Chandra Singh
Last question follows…..

118. Q24
#aurkyahihoga
FITB with a two word phrase which might be heard in every indian
household on a hot, sunny day.

119. Safety Slide

121. fin