Silicon & Pixels: Tech & Gaming Trivia

Created by Guido van Rossum in 1991, this language is named after a British comedy troupe, not a reptile.

Answer:Python

Note:Named after Monty Python's Flying Circus.

Brendan Eich famously developed this web powerhouse language in just 10 days in May 1995.

Answer:JavaScript

Note:Originally codenamed Mocha, then LiveScript, before being named JavaScript.

In Git, this command is used to download commits and objects from a remote repository and integrate them into the current branch.

Answer:git pull

Note:git pull is essentially a git fetch followed immediately by a git merge.

This statically-typed systems language from Mozilla was voted the 'most loved programming language' on Stack Overflow for years.

Answer:Rust

Note:Rust emphasizes memory safety and concurrency without a garbage collector.

In computational complexity theory, this famous problem asks whether every problem whose solution can be quickly verified can also be quickly solved.

Answer:P vs NP (or P = NP)

Note:One of the seven Millennium Prize Problems offering a $1,000,000 prize.

This Italian plumber in red overalls first debuted as 'Jumpman' in the 1981 arcade game Donkey Kong.

Answer:Mario

Note:Created by Shigeru Miyamoto.

Originally released in 2011 by Mojang, this blocky sandbox survival game is the best-selling video game in history.

Answer:Minecraft

Note:Minecraft has sold over 300 million copies.

In the Halo franchise, this AI companion guides the Master Chief and is named after an ancient Greek battle tactic.

Answer:Cortana

Note:Cortana is based on the legendary sword Curtana.

This 2022 FromSoftware title directed by Hidetaka Miyazaki features worldbuilding contributions from George R.R. Martin.

Answer:Elden Ring

Note:Set in the Lands Between, it won Game of the Year in 2022.

Up, Up, Down, Down, Left, Right, Left, Right, B, A, Start is famously known by this publisher's name.

Answer:The Konami Code

Note:Created by Kazuhisa Hashimoto during the development of Gradius in 1985.

CPU stands for this central brain of any computing system.

Answer:Central Processing Unit

Note:The primary component that executes machine instructions.

Founded in 1993, this tech giant initially known for gaming GPUs has become the dominant titan of AI hardware.

Answer:Nvidia

Note:Led by CEO Jensen Huang.

This rule of thumb, stated in 1965, projected that the number of transistors on a microchip doubles roughly every two years.

Answer:Moore's Law

Note:Formulated by Intel co-founder Gordon Moore.

Based in Veldhoven, Netherlands, this company is the sole manufacturer of extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography machines.

Answer:ASML

Note:ASML is essential for manufacturing the world's most advanced microchips.

Unlike von Neumann architecture, this microcomputer architecture uses separate memory storage and signal pathways for instructions and data.

Answer:Harvard architecture

Note:Named after the Harvard Mark I relay-based computer.

The first video uploaded to YouTube on April 23, 2005, shows co-founder Jawed Karim at this California location.

Answer:San Diego Zoo (Me at the zoo)

Note:The video is titled 'Me at the zoo'.

Baiting someone into clicking a hyperlink that unexpectedly plays Rick Astley's 'Never Gonna Give You Up' is known as this.

Answer:Rickrolling

Note:Originated as a spin-off of duckrolling on 4chan in 2007.

This dog breed became the face of the beloved 'Doge' meme and later inspired a major cryptocurrency.

Answer:Shiba Inu

Note:The famous rescue dog's name was Kabosu.

Tim Berners-Lee created the World Wide Web in 1989 while working at this European nuclear research organization.

Answer:CERN

Note:Conseil Européen pour la Recherche Nucléaire in Geneva.

In 1996, this 3D animation of a dancing infant became one of the internet's earliest viral media sensations.

Answer:The Dancing Baby (or Baby Cha-Cha / Oogachaka Baby)

Note:Created using 3D Studio Max by Michael Girard and Robert Lurye.

In 2022, OpenAI kicked off the generative AI boom by launching this conversational chatbot based on GPT-3.5.

Answer:ChatGPT

Note:Reached 100 million active users in just two months.

The 'T' in GPT stands for this neural network architecture introduced in the 2017 paper 'Attention Is All You Need'.

Answer:Transformer

Note:Generative Pre-trained Transformer.

In 2001: A Space Odyssey, this sentient supercomputer calmly refuses to open the pod bay doors.

Answer:HAL 9000

Note:'I'm sorry, Dave. I'm afraid I can't do that.'

Isaac Asimov famously introduced this number of fundamental 'Laws of Robotics' in his 1942 short story 'Runaround'.

Answer:Three (The Three Laws of Robotics)

Note:A zeroth law was introduced in later novels.

Proposed in 1950 by a British mathematician, this benchmark evaluates a machine's ability to exhibit intelligent behavior indistinguishable from a human.

Answer:The Turing Test (or The Imitation Game)

Note:Proposed by Alan Turing in 'Computing Machinery and Intelligence'.