A molecular biologist from Madurai, our quizmaster enjoys trivia and music, and is working on a rock ballad called ‘Coffee is a Drink, Kaapi is an Emotion’. @bertyashley
Sunday Quiz: Easy like Sunday morning
1 / 10 |
On April 3, 1973, the very first mobile phone call was made in downtown Manhattan by Martin Cooper, an employee of Motorola, to a rival industrial research and scientific development company in New Jersey. The latter company is named after a certain person who started a telecommunication company in 1877. Though many people such as Antonio Meucci and Johann Philipp Reis had proof of the earlier design, this person is often credited with starting the field of telecommunication. After whom is the company that received the first mobile call named?
2 / 10 |
In 2012, the Mexican military was trying to dismantle an extensive network of radio antennae built and operated by an organisation called Zeta. Unfortunately, the military didn’t have much luck shutting Radio Zeta down because much of the equipment was cheap and easy to replace. Zeta could replace them fast because they kidnapped all the top technicians and made them work for the organisation. What type of an organisation was Zeta, which has almost as many antennae as the national network?
3 / 10 |
Co-founder of tech giant Apple, Steve Wozniak, was the first owner of the fancy phone number 888-888-8888. Unfortunately it proved unusable as he received over 100 wrong calls a day. What was the most frequent reason he got called, which might be due to frustrated parents needing some time to themselves?
4 / 10 |
In 1997, Ericsson unveiled the GS88, also known as ‘Penelope’. Based on a geoworks operating system, it had a POP3 email, world clock, browser and a QWERTY keyboard. It unfortunately didn’t do well as it was heavy and the battery didn’t last long. It was the first phone to use a certain term in its marketing (with a hyphen). What term is this, which is now used as a single word?
5 / 10 |
In 2013 researchers from the University of Surrey wanted to check the resistance of a Google Nexus phone’s components in vacuum conditions. Seven phones were part of a stunt carried out by a team and the entire process was captured on video. It was deemed a success when at the end of the experiment all the phones worked perfectly. What did the team do to the phones?
6 / 10 |
Harald Blatand was a Scandinavian king from the 10th century who was able to unify the Norwegian, Swedish and Danish tribes. He was known for multiple talents such as oratory skill and military acumen; he was also known for some unfortunate dental issues. When a Dutch engineer for Ericsson (a Swedish company) came up with a revolutionary technology that could unite all phones he decided to name it after the king. What is this technology that we all use very liberally?
7 / 10 |
The Falcon Supernova Pink Diamond is an ultra-premium upgrade to an existing phone. It has a case made of 18-carat gold and has a large pink diamond on its back. It is sold for ₹360 crore, making it the most expensive phone of all time. The original donor phone it is built on is one of the best selling smartphones of the decade. First introduced in 2014 by Apple, it was the company’s most successful product for a long time. On which phone is the Falcon Supernova based?
8 / 10 |
Phubbing is a portmanteau term that was first coined in 2012 by an Australian advertising agency. It was created to describe the growing phenomenon of people ignoring their friends and family right in front of them while scrolling on their phones. One study showed that more than 17% of people phub others at least four times a day and around 32% of people report being phubbed three times a day. From which two words is ‘phubbing’ derived?
9 / 10 |
Nomophobia is used to describe a psychological condition that has seen a rise over the last few decades, especially among younger generations. The symptoms include anxiety, respiratory alterations, trembling, perspiration, agitation and disorientation. One of the cures for this condition is to re-establish human-human interactions, and face to face connections. What is nomophobia?
Answer : Fear of losing mobile/ mobile connectivity — No Mobile Phone phobia
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10 / 10 |
One of the theories behind the mythical status of a certain phone is that it was developed in a country that has very long, dark, harsh winters with temperatures dropping to -40 °C. Here, no one wants to be out unless absolutely necessary. So they build everything to be sturdy — from sheds and lamp posts to electronics. The people are called ‘Sisu’, which loosely translated means ‘unbreakable’. Which country is the home of a certain phone that is the source of the legend?
