Archive for the 'Six Degrees' Category

Six Degrees of Sir Francis Bacon: Michael Moore

Friday, June 29th, 2007

First, read the rules of the game.

This week’s challenge is Sicko filmmaker Michael Moore.

I was able to link Michael Moore to Sir Francis Bacon in six degrees or fewer, though that shouldn’t stop you from posting a longer response, or looking for a shorter one. Entries will be accepted until midnight on Thursday, July 5.

Good luck!

And congratulations to Lee for winning last week’s challenge by linking Tony Soprano to Sir Francis Bacon in five degrees:

Tony Soprano > Junior Soprano > Dominic Chianese > Gilbert and Sullivan > William Shakespeare > Sir Francis Bacon

Tony Soprano is the nephew of Junior Soprano, who was played by Dominic Chianese, who appeared in the work of Gilbert and Sullivan, whose Yeoman of the Guard resembled the language of William Shakespeare, who is believed by some to be Sir Francis Bacon.

Six Degrees of Sir Francis Bacon: Tony Soprano

Friday, June 22nd, 2007

First, read the rules of the game.

This week’s challenge is everybody’s favorite mob boss, the gruff but lovable Tony Soprano.

I was able to link Tony Soprano to Sir Francis Bacon in six degrees or fewer, though that shouldn’t stop you from posting a longer response, or looking for a shorter one. Entries will be accepted until midnight on Thursday, June 28.

Good luck!

Six Degrees of Sir Francis Bacon: August Wilson

Friday, May 25th, 2007

First, read the rules of the game.

This week’s challenge is Pulizer Prize-winning playwright August Wilson.

I was able to link August Wilson to Sir Francis Bacon in six degrees or fewer, though that shouldn’t stop you from posting a longer response, or looking for a shorter one. Entries will be accepted until midnight on Thursday, May 31.

Good luck!

And congratulations to DeLisa for winning last week’s challenge by linking Paul Wolfowitz to Sir Francis Bacon in three degrees:

Paul Wolfowitz > Richard Nixon > William Shakespeare > Sir Francis Bacon

Paul Wolfowitz worked for the Arms Control and Disarmament Agency under President Richard Nixon, who in high school showed a penchant for the writings of William Shakespeare, who is believed by some to be Sir Francis Bacon.

Six Degrees of Sir Francis Bacon: Paul Wolfowitz

Friday, May 18th, 2007

First, read the rules of the game.

This week’s challenge is disgraced former head of the World Bank Paul Wolfowitz.

I was able to link Paul Wolfowitz to Sir Francis Bacon in six degrees or fewer, though that shouldn’t stop you from posting a longer response, or looking for a shorter one. Entries will be accepted until midnight on Thursday, May 24.

Good luck!

And congratulations to Kenneth W. Davis for winning last week’s challenge by linking Ken Jennings to Sir Francis Bacon in three degrees:

Ken Jennings > King Henry VIII > Queen Elizabeth I > Sir Francis Bacon

Ken Jennings was eliminated from Last Man Standing by incorrectly answering King Henry VIII, who was the father of Queen Elizabeth I, who reigned during the time of Sir Francis Bacon.

Six Degrees of Sir Francis Bacon: Ken Jennings

Friday, May 11th, 2007

First, read the rules of the game.

This week’s challenge is Jeopardy champion and Brainiac Ken Jennings.

I was able to link Ken Jennings to Sir Francis Bacon in six degrees or fewer, though that shouldn’t stop you from posting a longer response, or looking for a shorter one. Entries will be accepted until midnight on Thursday, May 17.

Good luck!

And congratulations to DeLisa for winning last week’s challenge by linking Jimmy Wales to Sir Francis Bacon in four degrees:

Jimmy Wales > Ayn Rand > Fyodor Dostoevsky > William Shakespeare > Sir Francis Bacon

Jimmy Wales is a follower of the Objectivist philosophy developed by Ayn Rand, who was heavily influenced by Fyodor Dostoevsky, who was heavily influenced by William Shakespeare, who is believed by some to be Sir Francis Bacon.

Six Degrees of Sir Francis Bacon: Jimmy Wales

Friday, May 4th, 2007

I’d like to bring back an older feature called “Six Degrees of Sir Francis Bacon.” If people like the game and want to play it, I will continue to post it weekly.

You are given a famous person from the past or the present, and you have to connect that person to Sir Francis Bacon in Wikipedia in as few links as possible.

First, read the rules of the game.

We’ve been talking a lot about Wikipedia lately, so this week’s challenge will be its founder, the outlaw Jimmy Wales.

I was able to link Jimmy Wales to Sir Francis Bacon in six degrees or fewer, though that shouldn’t stop you from posting a longer response, or looking for a shorter one. Entries will be accepted until midnight on Thursday, May 10.

Good luck!

Shakespeare Teacher Special Feature

Thursday, March 15th, 2007

Well, I’m off to the Shakespeare Teacher conference. I’m very excited about attending, but it means that I may have to step away from the blog for a few days. I’ll post when I can, but I’ll probably be more interested in blogging about the conference than in keeping up with my regular features.

But what if I could leave behind just one post that combines all of my regular features for the week? Why, we’d just have to call that a Shakespeare Teacher Special Feature! Here’s how it breaks down:

  • I. Please find below eight brand-new riddles. This should more than satisfy fans of the Thursday Morning Riddle. Each answer will be one word. Please tell us which number you’re solving and your one-word answer.
  • II. Once the riddles have been solved, place the eight one-word answers in the Venn Diagram below, using the numbers as guides. This will be your Conundrum. Can you guess the rules? Venn diagram explanation and sample here.
  • III. The answer to Circle A (Riddles 1,3,5,7) will be a place. To stand in for the fact vs. fiction Headline Game, can you name three fictional television shows (of at least four seasons each) that are set in this real-life place?
  • IV. The answer to Circle B (Riddles 2,3,6,7) will be a question. This is the Question of the Week. Once the games are done, feel free to discuss this question in the comments below. I have already registered my opinion elsewhere on the blog.
  • V. The answer to Circle C (Riddles 7,4,6,5) will be a historical person. I was able to link this person to Sir Francis Bacon in four degrees, though that shouldn’t stop you from posting a longer response, or looking for a shorter one. Entries will be accepted until midnight on Thursday, March 22.

Use the comments section below to register any and all answers, discussion, and comments. I won’t be around much the next couple of days to moderate this, so please work together. If someone posts an answer you think is right, go ahead and say so and offer some words of encouragement. Also, feel free to pass this along to anyone you think may be interested. Here is the direct link.

If this is all too overwhelming or confusing, then just enjoy these eight riddles, and I’ll be back soon to talk about something simple, like Shakespeare.

The Riddles:

1. I act Maynard G. Krebs, and I Gilligan feign;
I’m the Mile High hub; leaving on a jet plane;
With the dinosaurs gone, I’m the last to remain;
And peppers, ham, onions, and eggs I contain.

2. I’m a weave, or the shirt type for which it is known;
I’m the college of Thatcher and William Gladstone;
I’m an unabridged lexicon, standing alone;
And I’m also the clay that preserves a fish bone.

3. I was first worn by Chaplin before his divorce;
I’m a race to be run by a three-year-old horse;
When in cars, I’m a wreck; when on skates, I use force;
And the kids on their soap boxes follow my course.

4. I’m the former first lady of all New York State;
A Nobel-winning chemist who won for a date;
A survivor on Lost with too sudden a fate;
And an ex-Cheney aide who is now an inmate.

5. A brigade made of Wolverines served my command,
When the Sioux and Cheyenne boldy tried to expand.
But the Little Big Horn didn’t go quite as planned,
When I stood up to Sitting Bull – that’s my last stand.

6. If you’re bringing me home, it can be quite a slog;
You can link me to Hoffman or to Skip the Dog;
I’m a fried strip of meat from the gut of a hog;
And a regular feature right here on the blog.

7. I am not Robert Browning, but captured his soul;
I am Stanton, and Hurley, and Taylor, and Dole;
Though I lost that which Shakespeare in Love from me stole;
It was won back by Helen for playing my role.

8. Both the lion and lamb are my two weather guides;
I’m the music of Sousa; the steps it provides;
When in basketball, madness; in history, strides;
In the middle, a novel; Beware of the Ides!

Who are we? 

UPDATE: Riddles 1-6 and 8 solved by Andrew.  Riddle 7 solved by DeLisa.  Circles B and C solved by Annalisa.  See comments for all answers. 

Six Degrees of Sir Francis Bacon: Ursula K. Le Guin

Friday, March 9th, 2007

First, read the rules of the game.

This week’s challenge is science fiction and fantasy writer Ursula K. Le Guin.

I was able to link Ursula K. Le Guin to Sir Francis Bacon in six degrees, though that shouldn’t stop you from posting a longer response, or looking for a shorter one. Entries will be accepted until midnight on Wednesday, March 14.

Good luck!

And congratulations to Kenneth W. Davis for winning last week’s challenge by linking Ferdinand Magellan to Sir Francis Bacon in three degrees:

Ferdinand Magellan > Priest John > William Shakespeare > Sir Francis Bacon

Ferdinand Magellan had a plan that might have led to contact with the legendary Priest John, who is mentioned in Much Ado About Nothing by William Shakespeare, who is believed by some to be Sir Francis Bacon.

Six Degrees of Sir Francis Bacon: Ferdinand Magellan

Friday, March 2nd, 2007

First, read the rules of the game.

This week’s challenge is the later, greater, circumnavigator Ferdinand Magellan.

I was able to link Ferdinand Magellan to Sir Francis Bacon in four degrees, though that shouldn’t stop you from posting a longer response, or looking for a shorter one. Entries will be accepted until midnight on Thursday, March 8.

Good luck!

Six Degrees of Sir Francis Bacon: Bill Gates

Friday, February 23rd, 2007

First, read the rules of the game.

This week’s challenge is only the richest person in the whole wide world, but otherwise probably just like you and me, Microsoft macrostar Bill Gates.

I was able to link Bill Gates to Sir Francis Bacon in four degrees, though that shouldn’t stop you from posting a longer response, or looking for a shorter one. Entries will be accepted until midnight on Thursday, March 1.

Good luck!

And congratulations once again to Lee for winning last week’s challenge by linking Master Shake to Sir Francis Bacon in four degrees:

Master Shake > Meatwad > Abraham Lincoln > William Shakespeare > Sir Francis Bacon

Master Shake appears in Aqua Teen Hunger Force with Meatwad, who has the ability to take the shape of a samurai version of Abraham Lincoln, who schooled himself in the works of William Shakespeare, who is believed by some to be Sir Francis Bacon.