# Complete the useless fact, if you can! **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [March 30, 2009, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/complete-the-useless-fact-if-you-can/491338 "2009-03-30T18:22:43Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Hoopy\_Frood](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hoopy_frood/32/8452_2.png) [@Hoopy\_Frood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hoopy_Frood)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2009, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/complete-the-useless-fact-if-you-can/491338/21 "2009-03-31T17:50:54Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Cell phones? Office building lighting panels? Babbage analytical difference engines? I’m not sure there’s ever been any information-processing machine that hasn’t had Tetris ported onto it. My thought as well when I read that. Maybe that’s the point he’s going for in that it’s the only game ported to every compuing/game-playing platform out there. (Granted, I don’t know if that fact is in fact true, but of any game out there, it’d be the one most likely to be true about.) ---
**Author:** ![Hoopy\_Frood](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hoopy_frood/32/8452_2.png) [@Hoopy\_Frood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hoopy_Frood)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2009, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/complete-the-useless-fact-if-you-can/491338/22 "2009-03-31T17:52:05Z")
> [@Giles](#): > > … be attacked by the king. Not true. The king can’t be attacked by the king either. ---
**Author:** ![Trepa\_Mayfield](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/edb3f5/32.png) [@Trepa\_Mayfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trepa_Mayfield)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2009, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/complete-the-useless-fact-if-you-can/491338/23 "2009-03-31T17:54:29Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Cell phones? Office building lighting panels? Babbage analytical difference engines? I’m not sure there’s ever been any information-processing machine that hasn’t had Tetris ported onto it. I was thinking oscilloscope, but the office lighting panels version is of a higher quality. ---
**Author:** ![glee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b5a626/32.png) [@glee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/glee)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2009, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/complete-the-useless-fact-if-you-can/491338/24 "2009-03-31T18:44:23Z")
> [@glee](#): > > And a new one: > > In chess only the queen cannot … … > [@Giles](#): > > … be attacked by the king. > [@Hoopy\_Frood](#): > > Not true. The king can’t be attacked by the king either. True! Giles, close … but no cigar! ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2009, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/complete-the-useless-fact-if-you-can/491338/25 "2009-03-31T19:32:20Z")
> [@glee](#): > > In chess only the queen cannot … … jump over other pieces in any situation? I think that’s wrong, but it’s worth a guess. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2009, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/complete-the-useless-fact-if-you-can/491338/26 "2009-03-31T19:49:08Z")
No, bishops and rooks can’t go over (or around, or through) other pieces as they move, either. King Arthur’s sword was named Excalibur, but his lance went by the more friendly name of \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_. ---
**Author:** ![Lungfish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/d78d45/32.png) [@Lungfish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lungfish)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2009, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/complete-the-useless-fact-if-you-can/491338/27 "2009-03-31T19:57:02Z")
> [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](#): > > King Arthur’s sword was named Excalibur, but his lance went by the more friendly name of \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_. Ron. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2009, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/complete-the-useless-fact-if-you-can/491338/28 "2009-03-31T20:02:35Z")
Correct! Did you know that off the top of your head, or did you Google? Is Googling even allowed in this thread? George Washington’s most oddly-named dog was \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2009, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/complete-the-useless-fact-if-you-can/491338/29 "2009-03-31T20:05:00Z")
> [@](#): > > And a new one: > > In chess only the queen cannot … … Pee standing up? ---
**Author:** ![Hoopy\_Frood](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hoopy_frood/32/8452_2.png) [@Hoopy\_Frood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hoopy_Frood)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2009, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/complete-the-useless-fact-if-you-can/491338/30 "2009-03-31T20:16:41Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Pee standing up? This post wins. (Of course, the knight is technically sitting down as well.) ---
**Author:** ![Meeko](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e495f1/32.png) [@Meeko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Meeko)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2009, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/complete-the-useless-fact-if-you-can/491338/31 "2009-03-31T21:07:24Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > And the first one is that there are 293 ways to change a US dollar. **Correct**. But, keep the Factual Mad Libs a comming. ---
**Author:** ![Meeko](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e495f1/32.png) [@Meeko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Meeko)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2009, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/complete-the-useless-fact-if-you-can/491338/32 "2009-03-31T21:08:35Z")
And a new one: In chess only the queen cannot … This has me stummped. Can’t wait for the answer. ---
**Author:** ![Lungfish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/d78d45/32.png) [@Lungfish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lungfish)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2009, 9:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/complete-the-useless-fact-if-you-can/491338/33 "2009-03-31T21:34:35Z")
> [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](#): > > Correct! Did you know that off the top of your head, or did you Google? Television actually. An early episode of QI shown on BBC2 in Blightly. BTW, Ron is short for Rhongomynad. (That came from Google: [timelessmyths.com](http://www.timelessmyths.com/arthurian/objects.html) :)) ---
**Author:** ![Lungfish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/d78d45/32.png) [@Lungfish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lungfish)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2009, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/complete-the-useless-fact-if-you-can/491338/34 "2009-03-31T21:45:41Z")
> [@glee](#): > > In chess only the queen cannot … … move like a knight. ---
**Author:** ![mobo85](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b19c9b/32.png) [@mobo85](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mobo85)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2009, 10:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/complete-the-useless-fact-if-you-can/491338/35 "2009-03-31T22:55:01Z")
> [@pedescribe](#): > > You can play Tetris on (machine). Practically every gaming machine in existence. The creator of the sitcom \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_ wrote the theme song to \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2009, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/complete-the-useless-fact-if-you-can/491338/36 "2009-03-31T22:57:23Z")
Multiply the numbers of the Rainy Day Women and you get… ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2009, 12:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/complete-the-useless-fact-if-you-can/491338/37 "2009-04-01T00:41:51Z")
> [@Lungfish](#): > > move like a knight. How can the pawn, bishop, rook, or king move like a knight? To be fair, mine suggested jumping pieces, which sounds wrong. ---
**Author:** ![Alive\_At\_Both\_Ends](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/73ab20/32.png) [@Alive\_At\_Both\_Ends](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alive_At_Both_Ends)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2009, 1:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/complete-the-useless-fact-if-you-can/491338/38 "2009-04-01T01:02:28Z")
> [@glee](#): > > In chess only the queen cannot … … Move to give a discovered check? ---
**Author:** ![glee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b5a626/32.png) [@glee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/glee)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2009, 1:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/complete-the-useless-fact-if-you-can/491338/39 "2009-04-01T01:07:07Z")
> [@glee](#): > > And a new one: > > In chess only the queen cannot … … > [@Mahaloth](#): > > jump over other pieces in any situation? > > I think that’s wrong, but it’s worth a guess. Not bad - the King + Rook ‘jump’ in castling. But bishops don’t jump. > [@Lungfish](#): > > move like a knight. 😕 > [@Mahaloth](#): > > How can the pawn, bishop, rook, or king move like a knight? Quite so! > [@Alive\_At\_Both\_Ends](#): > > Move to give a discovered check? That is correct! ---
**Author:** ![Alive\_At\_Both\_Ends](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/73ab20/32.png) [@Alive\_At\_Both\_Ends](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alive_At_Both_Ends)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2009, 1:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/complete-the-useless-fact-if-you-can/491338/40 "2009-04-01T01:14:37Z")
> [@glee](#): > > That is correct! Yay me! Now I can go to sleep. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/complete-the-useless-fact-if-you-can/491338.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/complete-the-useless-fact-if-you-can/491338.md?page=3)