February 22, 2007 - Daylight Saving Time Trivia

Today's trivia subject was suggested by Khalil, K6FCC.

Since 1986, DST started on the first Sunday in April and ended on the last Sunday of October. Beginning this year we are extending Daylight Saving Time a bit. Daylight Saving Time will start on the second Sunday of March (March 11) and end on the first Sunday of November.

TRIVIA QUESTION:

In Antarctica, there is no daylight in the winter and months of 24-hour daylight in the summer. So... Does Antartica observe Daylight Saving Time?



TRIVIA ANSWER:

Yes... and No.

Many of the research stations in Antartica observe Daylight Saving Time to synchronize with their supply stations in Chile or New Zealand but the rest of the continent does not.

U.S. bases, including both McMurdo and Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station, use New Zealand's time zone and daylight saving dates.

The Antarctic Peninsula (Palmer Station) uses Chile's time zone and daylight saving dates.

Rothera, a British base, does not implement daylight saving, but instead remains GMT -3.

Today, approximately 70 countries utilize Daylight Saving Time in at least a portion of the country. Japan, India, and China are the only major industrialized countries that do not observe some form of daylight saving.

> > > > > > NET CHECK IN's < < < < < <

Here's the list of folks that checked in to tonight's net, and their answer to the Trivia Question.

* WB6A - Pat - No
* WB6ATV - Ron - Yes
* KE6CZH - Robert - No
* KG6DBL - Bill - Yes
* W6DTS - Ted - Yes
* K6FCC - Khalil - No Answer
* N6GXS - Ralph - Gumdops (To be fair, he called me on the phone during Newsline and didn't have any idea what the question was...)
* KD6JEV - John - No
* N6KAS - Andy - Yes
* KG6KTC - Leon - No
* NY6L - Jay - No
* K6LMN - Roger - No
* N6NGU - Lee - Yes
* W6NVY - Gary - Maybe No
* KG6NWJ - Barry - No
* KF6PIH - Scott - Yes
* K6QVZ - Joe - No
* KG6RDA - Sidney - No
* AD6UP - Louie - No
* KF6YBM - Henry - No Answer
* KF6ZQM - Harry - No (Checked in by KG6RDA)
* N6ZZK - Theo - No
* KG6TRR - Bob - Yes

Thanks to all who checked in.

73
de N6CIZ





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January 15, 2007 - Toy Trivia

Last week I was under the weather and I want to thank Gary, W6NVY, for taking over Net Control duties for me. Of course, Gary has 20 or so years of experience doing the net before me, so I guess it's like riding a bicycle - you never forget.

Now, on to this week's net and Trivia Question...

On this day in history, in 1884, Albert C. Gilbert was born. He was an inventor, athlete, toy maker, outdoorsman and businessman. He held over 150 U.S. Patents and he won the Gold medal in Pole Vaulting at the 1908 Olympics.


In 1908 he formed the Mysto Manufacturing Company in New Haven, Connecticut to produce apparatus for professional magicians and tricks for the general public as well as many educational toys.

TRIVIA QUESTION:

What famous toy did A.C. Gilbert introduce in 1913 that was sold for the next 75 years?

TRIVIA ANSWER:

The Erector Set.

A. C. Gilbert invented the Erector set in 1913. It was not the first metal construction toy, and arguably was not even the best construction toy. However, Gilbert was a master of marketing and sold the set as an educational toy. Engineers at the time earned more than doctors, parent’s were quick to snatch up the sets for their aspiring engineer(s).


Erector sets evolved through the years, new parts were added, old parts discontinued, packaging changed, and models added and/or revised. One consistent trait of Erector was a boy or girl using nuts and bolts to fasten pieces together. Simple machines could be built. The manuals left a lot to the imagination, either a case of saving print space with just a single picture or encouraging the "junior engineer" to use their creativity to figure out how it went together.

For more, visit the A.C. Gilbert Heritage Society Web Site.

Here's the list of folks who checked in to tonight's net and their answers to tonight's Trivia Question. Congratulations to all who got the answer right!

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . NET CHECK IN's . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

WB6A - Pat - Jack in the Box
WB6ATV - Ron - Erector Set
KE6CZH - Robert - Kite
KG6DBL - Bill - Top
K6FCC - Khalil - Erector Set
KF6GKR - Terry - Erector Set
N6HY - Ernie - Erector Set
KB6IS - Madeline - Erector Set
N6KAS - Andy - Yo-Yo
KG6KTC - Leon - Yo-Yo
K6LMN - Roger - Erector Set
N6NGU - Lee - No Idea
W6NVY - Gary - Yo-Yo
KG6NWJ - Barry - Erector Set
KD6OBM - Jason - Too noisy to hear
KF6PIH - Scott - Clockwork Mouse (???)
K6QVZ - Joe - Erector Set
KG6RDA - Sidney - No Idea
AD6UP - Louie - Erector Set
KF6YBM - Henry - Train Set
KF6ZQM - Harry - Checked in by KG6RDA
N6ZZK - Theo - Slinky
KG6WXY - Ralph - Radio Flyer Wagon
AA6DW - Alan - Electric Train


73's and we'll see you next week.

de N6CIZ

February 1, 2007 - Satellite Trivia

ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY...

...America's first satellite, Explorer 1, was launched in 1958. It's on-board gieger counter found strong radiation coming from a belt of charged particles trapped in space by the Earth's magnetic field, now known as a Van Allen radiation belt. Although the satellite stopped transmitting data on May 23, 1958, (143 days after it was launched) it stayed in orbit for a longer time.

EXPLORER 1

TRIVIA QUESTION:

Launched in 1958, in what year did America's first satellite, Explorer 1, fall out of orbit?

A) 1960
B) 1970
C) 1980
D) 1990


TRIVIA ANSWER:

It made a fiery reentry over the Pacific Ocean on March 31, 1970, more than 12 years after it was launched.

Instrumentation consisted of a cosmic-ray detection package, an internal temperature sensor, three external temperature sensors, a nose-cone temperature sensor, a micrometeorite impact microphone, and a ring of micrometeorite erosion gauges. Data from these instruments were transmitted to the ground by a 60-milliwatt transmitter operating on 108.03 megahertz and a 10 milliwatt transmitter operating on 108.00 MHz.

Transmitting antennas consisted of two fibreglass slot antennas in the body of the satellite itself and four flexible whips forming a turnstile antenna. The rotation of the satellite about its long axis kept the flexible whips extended.

The discovery of the Van Allen Belts by the Explorer satellites was considered to be one of the outstanding discoveries of the International Geophysical Year.

For more, go to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Explorer_1

XXXXXXXXX NET CHECK IN's XXXXXXXXXXXX

Here's the list of folks that checked in to tonight's net along with their answers to the trivia question. Congrats to all of you who said 1970 and got this one correct!

WB6A - Pat - 1990
WB6ATV - Ron - 1960
KE6CZH - Robert - 1970
KG6DBL - Bill - 1970
W6DTS - Ted - 1980
K6FCC - Khalil - 1970
N6HY - Ernie - 1970
KB6IS - Madeline - 1970
KD6JEV - John - 1970
KG6KTC - Leon - 1970
KE6MSS - Thomas - 1980
W6NVY - Gary - 1960
KG6NWJ - Barry - 1980
KD6OBM - Jason - 1970
KF6PIH - Scott - 1960
K6QVZ - Joe - 1980
KG6RDA - Sidney - 1960
AD6UP - Louie - 1970
WA6USL - Murray - 1970
KF6YBM - Henry - 1970
KF6ZQM - Harry - 1960
N6ZZK - Theo - 1960

Thanks to you all!

73,

DE N6CIZ