I'm designing and typesetting a big book of Marxist commentary.

On second pass, they edited a mention of Taiwan to “China’s Taiwan region.”

I commented to the publisher, “That’s planting a flag, for sure.”

He responded, “Taiwan has always been part of China.”

It took all I had not to reply “Yes, and Oceania has always been at war with Eastasia.”

What Madrid museum displays The Surrender of Breda by Velazquez and The Third of May 1808 by Goya?

What one-word title is shared by Justin Timberlake's debut solo album and a 2010 neo-western crime drama series on FX?

What nine-letter word describes one of several forms of the same chemical element, such as diamond, graphite, or buckminsterfullerene ?

In what countries are the following four-letter cities:  Lima, Giza, Cork, Cebu, Kano ?
​​​​​​​
What composer's last opera was The Magic Flute ?

One of these days I’m going to gather together a lot of my people and collectively sue McDonald’s for bringing the “Mc” prefix into disrepute.

I resisted trying Nethack 5.0 for a while, but there is some good news:

"You finish eating the xorn corpse.  You feel less concerned about becoming petrified."

There's also a tutorial mode which should help anyone who wants to start playing Nethack after 40+ years of development.

When I was a kid, we lived in a neighbourhood where the closest grocery store was an A&P.

It had a feature no other grocery chains had at the time – in fact, one that was unusual here till decades later: a coffee grinder. It was up front by the doors, so you were greeted by a rich aroma of fresh-ground coffee and a slight drift of coffee grounds around it on the floor.

The coffee was sold, I've since discovered, in three levels of quality. The best stuff was packaged in a black tin with the name BOKAR in a striking Art Deco typeface. I found this fascinating and mysterious – my parents never bought BOKAR, not having any method of brewing any coffee besides instant, and instant coffee smells like a wet dog to me.

We left that area just after I turned 9, and never went to an A&P anywhere else, but I've since realized I was deeply imprinted by both the coffee and the lettering. I didn't start drinking coffee till my late teens when I discovered espresso with some of my more bohemian friends, around the same time I started work as a typesetter.

My life has been spelled out in decorative letters and coffee beans.

I live under a flight path. Installing Flightradar 24 has interested me in seeing which planes make the most outrageous noises overhead (Airbus 300s and Embraer e195s) but I also learned something else.

Flightradar 24 has shown me that, in general, most planes passing over before noon are landing, followed by a relative lull after noon, then mostly takeoffs in late afternoon and evening.

What always puzzled me before was that the overall sound always goes down the scale as a plane passes over. But now I know it’s irrelevant to whether the plane is going or coming. Going down the scale strongly suggests that the plane is landing, but no. It’s dopplering, coming or going.

I also need a word for the uncanny moment when a plane briefly casts you into shadow – it happens here quite often. Aeroclipse?

What vitamin group, which includes retinol, is important for healthy vision?

What Basque sport is similar to racquetball and squash?

Shopska salad is the national dish of what country?

What island nation was the setting for Dr. No?

What Dr. Quinn actress starred in Live and Let Die?  

What make of car replaces Bond's Aston Martin in Tomorrow Never Dies?

What is the logo of SPECTRE ("Special Executive for Counter-intelligence, Terrorism, Revenge and Extortion")?

Who sang the first Bond film theme song to win an Academy Award for Best Original Song?

What 2011 Martin Scorcese film with a one-word title starred Asa Butterfield, Ben Kingsley, and Sacha Baron Cohen?

The Battle of Tewkesbury was a decisive event in what conflict?

What influential video game trilogy by FromSoftware is noted for its extreme level of difficulty and a subgenre which it inspired?

The four major networks haven't been nominated for an Outstanding Drama Series Emmy since what CBS legal drama in 2011?

I haven't been to New York City for a long time, but last night I dreamed I was standing outside the fabled public library building, trying to figure out how to get from there to some other notable landmark.

My phone worked, but the responses were all deliberately obscure and jokey. I tried several times to work it out, but the answers became more and more enigmatic, after which the dream faded out. I wish I could remember what the other location was.

We were in third place before the final question, but won thanks to our team members with midwestern roots!

The official sports of Canada are ice hockey and what summer sport?

The oldest MLB rookie was what Negro Leagues star who signed with the Cleveland Indians on his 42nd birthday?

What U.S. president campaigned with the slogans "Vote Yourself a Farm" and "Don't Change Horses in Midstream"?

What mother of one of Henry VIII's wives was the first real woman to be depicted on a U.S. coin?

Lake St. Clair, with an average depth of 11 feet, connects which two Great Lakes?