Test your geek IQ

We're back again for our annual survey of your certifiable geek cred, so dust off your pocket protector, suck face with your closest Ewok doll, and dig into your Bag of Holding to bring forth the answers to our nerdiest set of 20 questions yet. Answer enough correctly, and you may don the geek sherpa guru label, to guide the unwashed to geek heaven. Answer too many wrong, and find your inner geek flatlining.

Give yourself 5 points for every right answer.

1. Who came up with the term "big-bang theory?"
- Georges Lemaitreb
- Fred Hoylec
- Albert Einsteind
- Chuck Lorre

2. Who developed ARCNET and in what year?
- John McCain, 1936
- John Backus, 1975
- John Murphy, 1976
- John Morrison, 1985

3. What's the default IPsec server for the Debian Linux distro?
- Pringles
- MyIpsecServer
- Rodent
- Racoon

4. Which Android OS is the Kindle Fire slated to run?
- "Gingerbread"
- "Ice Cream Sandwich"
- "Cupcake"
- "Donut"

5. Who was the last-minute pilot replacement on Apollo 13?
- Ken Mattingly
- Jim Lovell
- John Swigert
- Don Mattingly

6. What's the primary function of the Domain Controller in a Windows Server 2008 network?
- Validate users to the network and provide the AD object catalog of Active Directory
- Validate users to the network and provide branch DC synchronization
- Validate users to the network and provide AD sync with Exchange 2007
- Validate users to the network and provide AD forest ranger services

7. Which one of these is not an acronym associated with cloud computing?
- PaaS
- SaaS
- IaaS
- GraaS

8. In the TV series "Heroes," Hiro flashes forward to a catastrophic explosion in New York on what date?
- January 14, 1966
- October 31, 2005
- February 14, 2007
- November 8, 2006

9. What does "CIDR" stand for, and what is another name for it?
- "CIDR" stands for "Classless Inter-Domain Routing" and is sometimes known as "supernetting."
- "CIDR" stands for "Class-based Internet Daemon Routing" and is sometimes known as "subroute networking."
- "CIDR" stands for "Completely Illegal Digital Recordings" and is sometimes known as "royally pissing off Sony execs."
- "CIDR" stands for "Competence In Department heads is Rare" and is sometimes known as "take this job and shove it."

10. Which company originally sold Dungeons & Dragons, and which company sells it now?
- Hasbro, Sony Entertainment
- TSR, Wizards of the Coast
- Parker Brothers, TSR
- TSR, Parker Brothers

11. What was the code name for Intel's first Core i5 chip, a 45nm quad-core processor released in September 2009?
- Lynnfield
- Clarksdale
- Scottsdale
- Arrandale

12. What was the first code name for Apple's OS X?
- Lynx
- Cougar
- Cheetah
- Puddy Tat

13. Associated with DNS, what is the main purpose of SRV records?
- SRV records provide IP routing services.
- SRV provides service, record, and virtualized network information to DNS requests.
- SRV records are used in locating hosts that provide certain network services.
- The ability to forget about friggin' DNS and take a Seriously Recreational Vacation.

14. What's Emoji?
- Windows 7's Japanese font
- RIM's last gasp in portable computing
- Ichiro Suzuki's dog
- Japanese emoticons

15. Related to quantum mechanics, what is the term for the observation that some physical quantities can be changed only by discrete amounts, or quanta?
- Multiples of Planck's constant
- Divisibles of Planck's constant
- Integers of Planck's constant
- Sex lives of Sheldon Cooper and Leslie Winkle

16. Jscript is ...
- Another term for JavaScript
- Junior BASH scripting
- Microsoft's name for its JavaScript-like scripting language
- J.Lo's handwriting

17. What’s the worst thing you can hear your IT consultant say while he’s working on one of your servers?
- "There's a hitch with Patch Tuesday. I'll need to remediate."
- "Hmm ... interesting."
- "RAM failure -- looks like the motherboard is going."
- "Can I use your bathroom? I had dodgy Mexican food for lunch, and I think there's an epic evacuation coming."

18. When Kelsey Grammer appeared on "Star Trek NG," what was his character's name and which ship did he captain?
- Captain William Larkin, USS Andromeda
- Captain Morgan Bateson, USS Bozeman
- Captain Jonathan Archer, USS Enterprise 1
- Captain Han Solo, USS Millennium Falcon

19. Banyan VINES was a ____ and the acronym stood for _____
- Directory Service, Validated Information for Network Extensible Services
- Secure DNS server, Virtual Internet Name and Encryption Service
- Star Wars STD medication, Venereal Immunization for Nobody but the Emperor's Sex life
- Network operating system, Virtual Integrated Network Services

20. Who is most often referred to as the "father of science fiction"?
- Jules Verne
- Isaac Asimov
- Gene Roddenberry
- Glenn Beck

See page 2 for the answers

Question 1: Who came up with the term the "big-bang theory"?

Correct Answer: Fred Hoyle

Glenn Beck's "The Overton Window" may be the first book of political science "faction," but let's hope that genre finds its way on a journey to the center of the earth.

Question 2: Who developed ARCNET and in what year?

Correct Answer: John Murphy, 1976

The fact that you can still find ARCNET in some dingy gnome-hole computer rooms is what amazes me (more children left behind).

Question 3: What's the default IPsec server for the Debian Linux distro?

Correct Answer: Racoon

Apparently, that's spelled correctly. And anyone making the switch to Pringles should beware the oily IP packet discharge.

Question 4: Which Android OS is the Kindle Fire slated to run?

Correct Answer: "Gingerbread"

Geeks really should know this, and yes, I'm getting one for Christmas, though my gut tells me to wait for the "Donut" refresh -- sticky fingers and a tablet good enough to eat!

Question 5: Who was the last-minute pilot replacement on Apollo 13?

Correct Answer: John Swigert

Hey, rockets are geeky, and if you picked Don Mattingly, hit yourself in the head with a bat. You're too much jock to stuff in a locker.

Question 6: What's the primary function of the Domain Controller in a Windows Server 2008 network?

Correct Answer: Validate users to the network and provide the AD object catalog of Active Directory<?p>

If you picked D, just click off this Web page and head over to FHM. Better yet, just take a hike. There's no room for hacky sack in this server closet.

Question 7: Which one of these is not an acronym associated with cloud computing?

Correct Answer: GraaS

Not yet -- but if the industry wanted IT to really start smoking its cloud promises, it would immediately roll out the GraaS.

Question 8: In the TV series "Heroes," Hiro flashes forward to a catastrophic explosion in New York on what date?

Correct Answer: November 8, 2006

If you got that one correct, may you soon flash forward to your first date.

Question 9: What does "CIDR" stand for, and what is another name for it?

Correct Answer: "CIDR" stands for "Classless Inter-Domain Routing" and is sometimes known as "supernetting."

You can also say "Clarity in Department heads" or "Common sense in Department heads" or "Courtesy in Department heads" or blam!!

Question 10: Which company originally sold Dungeons & Dragons, and which company sells it now?

Correct Answer: TSR, Wizards of the Coast

If you're over 40 and still answered this question correctly, I'm impressed. And a little sad.

Question 11: What was the code name for Intel's first Core i5 chip, a 45nm quad-core processor released in September 2009?

Correct Answer: Lynnfield

Sorry, I have to do at least one of these every quiz or the editors get cranky. [Ed.: Motherboard itch successfully scratched.]

Question 12: What was the first code name for Apple's OS X?

Correct Answer: Cheetah

Rumor has it Mac OS X Puddy Tat's implementation of Siri will be written in Lisp.

Question 13: Associated with DNS, what is the main purpose of SRV records?

Correct Answer: SRV records are used in locating hosts that provide certain network services.

Don't we all need a vacation just a little more than a functioning DNS server?

Question 14: What's Emoji?

Correct Answer: Japanese emoticons

Yes, the iPhone has them and the Windows Phone still doesn't. Then again, what's wrong with a good, old-fashioned ☺?

Question 15: Related to quantum mechanics, what is the term for the observation that some physical quantities can be changed only by discrete amounts, or quanta?

Correct Answer: Multiples of Planck's constant

Yeah, I watch that show, so what?!

Question 16: Jscript is ...

Correct Answer: Microsoft's name for its JavaScript-like scripting language

J.Lo's curvy bracket syntax keeps my compiler humming.

Question 17: What’s the worst thing you can hear your IT consultant say while he’s working on one of your servers?

Correct Answer: "Hmm ... interesting."

When IT pros think something's "interesting," it means there's a problem and they have no clue what it is. Hope you're not paying the techie by the hour. The epic evacuation is a close second, though.

Question 18: When Kelsey Grammer appeared on "Star Trek NG," what was his character's name and which ship did he captain?

Correct Answer: Captain Morgan Bateson, USS Bozeman

If you got this right without the Internet, you should get a trophy. And a hooker.

Question 19: Banyan VINES was a ____ and the acronym stood for _____

Correct Answer: Network operating system, Virtual Integrated Network Services

You might also say "epic fail" and "Very Interesting Nerdware does not Equal Sales." But is the history of network operating systems nearly as interesting as the emperor catching a case of clone clap from an Ewok? Or, dark lord forbid, Jabba the Hutt?

Question 20: Who is most often referred to as the "father of science fiction"?

Correct Answer: Jules Verne

Glenn Beck's "The Overton Window" may be the first book of political science "faction," but let's hope that genre finds its way on a journey to the center of the earth.

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