July 26, 2007 -- Telecopter Trivia

Today we think nothing of seeing high speed pursuits and other "Breaking News" broadcast live from a helicopter - in High Definition!

The very first helicopter built to broadcast live TV pictures and sound was developed by KTLA Channel 5 right here in Los Angeles, and they named it the Telecopter.

TRIVIA QUESTION:

The KTLA Telecopter was introduced to the Los Angeles audience on July 29th of what year?

TRIVIA ANSWER:

July 29, 1958.

Close up of "Telecopter" National Helicopter built and operated for KTLA in the late 50's and early 60's. Bell 47G2

KTLA's Chief Engineer at the time, John Silva, got the idea of designing and building a flying mobile news unit to beat the competition to breaking news events.

On July 3rd, 1958 Silva and pilot Larry Scheer made the first test flight at the Van Nuys Airport.

In 1974, during a period of lean years caused by an industry recession, KTLA sold the Telecopter to KNBC in order to reduce the cost of doing local news. KTLA received $350,000 for the Telecopter.

A really great story about this can be found in the newsletter at: www.tech-notes.tv/Archive/tech_notes_137.pdf

More photos and KTLA historical info is at: http://aznewsletters.s5.com/custom4.html

Congratulations to all who got the answer to tonight's Trivia Question and a hearty thank you to everyone for playing along. Here is the list of stations that checked in to tonight's net along with their answers:

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

* WB6A - Pat - 1961
* AC6AJ - Lee - 1959
* WB6ATV - Ron - 1950
* KE6CZH - Robert - 1947
* KG6DBL - Bill - 1953
* W6DTS - Ted - 1958
* K6FCC - Khalil - 1959
* N6HY - Ernie - 1960
* KB6IS - Madeline - 1968
* KD6JEV - John - 1958
* N6KAS - Andy - 1956
* KG6KTC - Leon - 1950
* NY6L - Jay - 1961
* K6LMN - Roger - 1955
* KE6MSS - Thomas - 1954
* N6NGU - Lee - 1956
* KD6NIW - Oliver -
* W6NVY - Gary - 1954
* KG6NWJ - Barry - 1963
* KD6OBM - Jason - 1959
* KF6PIH - Scott - 1958
* K6QVZ - Joe - 1957
* KG6RDA - Sidney - Checked in by ZQM
* KG6TRR - Bob - 1958
* AD6UP - Louie - 1955
* WA6USL - Murray -
* KF6YBM - Henry - No Answer
* KF6ZQM - Harry - 1958
* N6ZZK - Theo - Checked in by ZZK
* K6OTHJ - Elmer - 1963
* KI6JVA - Mark - 1967
* WA6JWF - Joey - 1955
* KA6LUI - David - 1953
* K6DWL - David - 1959

Thanks to all who checked in. Se ya next week!

73. de N6CIZ.

July 19, 2007 -- Presidential Pay Trivia

The President of the United States, George W. Bush, is paid a yearly salary of $400,000 and gets additional money in various expense accounts.

TRIVIA QUESTION:

How much per year did George Washington get paid when he became President back in 1789?

TRIVIA ANSWER:

$25,000


The First U.S. Congress voted to pay Washington a salary of $25,000 a year - a large sum in 1789 and about $531,000 in today's terms.

Washington, already wealthy, declined the salary, since he valued his image as a selfless public servant. At the urging of Congress, however, he ultimately accepted the payment. A dangerous precedent could have been set otherwise, as the founding fathers wanted future presidents to come from a large pool of potential candidates - not just those citizens that could afford to do the work for free.

By the way, today Vice President Dick Cheney receives a salary of $208,100. Back in Washington's time his VP, John Adams, was paid $5,000.

On top of the salary and expense accounts, both the U.S. president and vice president are given free housing with plenty of amenities. The White House has 132 rooms, 32 bathrooms, a movie theater, bowling alley, billiards room, tennis court, jogging track and putting greens. Bush also has use of Camp David, the presidential retreat. Cheney lives in Number One Observatory Circle, which has been the official vice presidential residence since 1974.

Here's a link to an interesting article on Presidential salary:

http://www.cnn.com/ALLPOLITICS/stories/1999/05/24/pay.raise/

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

Congratulations to all who got the answer to tonight's Trivia Question and a hearty thank you to everyone for playing along. Here is the list of stations that checked in to tonight's net along with their answers:

* WB6A - Pat - $50,000
* AC6AJ - Lee - 50 Pounds (Just don't ask pounds of what)
* WB6ATV - Ron - $150
* KE6CZH - Robert - $300
* W6DTS - Ted - $100
* K6FCC - Khalil - $22,500
* KF6GKR - Terry - $400
* N6HY - Ernie - $100
* KB6IS - Madeline - $500
* KD6JEV - John - 50 Pounds
* N6KAS - Andy - $1300
* KG6KTC - Leon - Nothing
* NY6L - Jay - $300
* K6LMN - Roger - Nothing
* KE6MSS - Thomas - $25,000
* N6NGU - Lee - Nothing
* W6NVY - Gary - $1000
* KG6NWJ - Barry - $1 Plus Expenses
* KF6PIH - Scott - $50
* K6QVZ - Joe - $25,000
* KG6RDA - Sidney - $10
* KG6TRR - Bob - $600
* AD6UP - Louie - $25,000
* KF6YBM - Henry - $600 Pounds but he did not accept it.
* KF6ZQM - Harry - Checked in by KG6RDA
* N6ZZK - Theo - $1
* KN3ICK - Nick - Late Check In

de N6CIZ.

July 12, 2007 -- Etch-A-Sketch Trivia

Today marks the anniversary of the day when the Ohio Art Company put the Etch-A-Sketch drawing toy on the market.

TRIVIA QUESTION:

In what year was the Etch-A-Sketch first sold?

TRIVIA ANSWER:

The Etch-A-Sketch went on the market July 12, 1960.


The Etch A Sketch is a toy invented in 1959 by Frenchman Arthur Granjean and introduced commercially by the Ohio Art Company in the 1960s. Granjean originally called it "The Magic Screen."

The toy is relatively flat and rectangular, looking somewhat like a small television. Introduced near the peak of the baby boom, the classically simple Etch A Sketch is one of the best-known toys of that generation, and remains popular to this day.

The toy can be considered a simplified version of a plotter. The inside surface of the glass screen is coated with aluminum powder which is then scraped off by a movable stylus, leaving a dark line on the light-gray screen. The stylus is controlled by the two large knobs, one of which moves it vertically and the other horizontally. To erase the picture, one simply turns the toy upside down and shakes it, causing styrene beads to smooth out and recoat the inside surface.

The "black" line merely exposes the darkness inside the toy. Filling in large "black" areas will allow enough light through to expose parts of the interior (see picture).


The device was invented in the late 1950s by Arthur Granjean, who first called it 'L'Ecran Magique,' or 'The Magic Screen'. He tried selling it to toy manufacturers and eventually got the Ohio Art Company interested. Through television advertising in the 1960s, it became a popular toy. The toy has changed very little over the years. It was also in the film Toy Story and the sequel Toy Story 2.

You can see the official Etch A Sketch web site at: http://www.etch-a-sketch.com/

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

Congratulations to all who got the answer to tonight's Trivia Question and a hearty thank you to everyone for playing along. Here is the list of stations that checked in to tonight's net along with their answers:

* WB6A - Pat - 1950
* WB6ATV - Ron - 1954
* KE6CZH - Robert - 1970
* KG6DBL - Bill - 1953
* W6DTS - Ted - 1960
* K6FCC - Khalil - 1910
* KB6IS - Madeline - 1957
* KD6JEV - John - 1957
* N6KAS - Andy - 1956
* KG6KTC - Leon - 1960
* W6NVY - Gary - 1940
* KG6NWJ - Barry - 1957
* KF6PIH - Scott - 1937
* K6QVZ - Joe - 195something...
* KG6RDA - Sidney - 1957
* AD6UP - Louie - 1960
* KF6YBM - Henry - 1955
* KF6ZQM - Harry - Checked in by KG6RDA
* N6ZZK - Theo - 1954
* KI6KGK - Reo - 1959
* WA6ARC - Steve - 1955
* KD6DRH - Fred - No Answer
* KA6HCT - Tim - La Mirada

Thanks to all. 73.
de N6CIZ

July 5, 2007 -- Spam Trivia

Tonight we're talking about Spam. Not spam as in unsolicited bulk email messages. No. We're talking Spam - the canned precooked meat product made by the Hormel Foods Corporation.

TRIVIA QUESTION:

On this date in history... July 5th... Spam was introduced to the world. In what year did Spam first appear?


TRIVIA ANSWER:

July 5, 1937. Yes, today marks the 70th anniversary of Spam!


The labeled ingredients in the Classic variety of Spam are: chopped pork shoulder meat with ham meat added, salt, water, sugar, and sodium nitrite. The product has become part of many jokes and urban legends about mystery meat, which has made it part of pop culture and folklore.

Other varieties of Spam include Spam Less Sodium, Spam Garlic, Spam and Cheese, Spam with Bacon (Hormel bacon), Spam Spread, Spam Lite (containing pork and chicken), Spam Golden Honey Grail, Spam Hot and Spicy (with Tabasco sauce), Spam Hickory Smoked, and Spam Oven Roasted Turkey - the latter is a halal food, meaning that it is allowed under Islamic law, and is especially popular in Muslim markets.

The name "Spam" was chosen when the product, whose original name was far less memorable (Hormel Spiced Ham), began to lose market share. The name was chosen from multiple entries in a naming contest.

A Hormel official once stated that the original meaning of the name Spam was "Shoulder of Pork and hAM". According to writer Marguerite Patten in Spam - The Cookbook, the name was suggested by Kenneth Daigneau, an actor and the brother of a Hormel vice president.

At one time, the official explanation may have been that the name was a syllabic abbreviation of "SPiced hAM", but on their official website, Hormel denies this and states that "Spam is just that. Spam." The fact that the originator was given a $100 prize for coming up with the name, however, still appears on the site's Spam FAQs.

For more than you've ever wanted to know about Spam, visit the Wikipedia page at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spam_%28food%29

or listen to the classic Monty Python Spam skit at http://www.detritus.org/spam/skit.html

and visit the official Spam web site at http://www.spam.com/ where you can join the Spam Fan Club...

Congratulations to all of you who got this one right (must be a lot of Google-ing going on out there!) Here's the list of folks that checked in to tonight's net and their answers.

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

* WB6A - Pat - 1940
* WB6ATV - Ron - 1850
* KE6CZH - Robert - 1930
* W6DTS - Ted - 1937
* K6FCC - Khalil - 1937
* KB6IS - Madeline - 1940
* KD6JEV - John - No Answer
* N6KAS - Andy - 1941
* KG6KTC - Leon - 1937
* NY6L - Jay - 1937
* KE6MSS - Thomas - 1926
* N6NGU - Lee - 1937
* KD6NIW - Oliver - 1942
* W6NVY - Gary - 1938
* KG6NWJ - Barry - 1917
* KF6PIH - Scott - 1955
* K6QVZ - Joe - 1937
* KG6RDA - Sidney - (checked in by KF6ZQM)
* AD6UP - Louie - 1937
* KF6YBM - Henry - 1938
* KF6ZQM - Harry - 1907
* N6ZZK - Theo - 1935
* K6MSU - Ron - 1940

Thanks to all!

73. de N6CIZ