So here I go, I am going to 'Ask Jeeves'!!.
1. What is the weight of the world’s biggest machine? How much did it cost to build?
This question tends to be a little ambiguous, as it asks the weight for the world's biggest machine but doesn't specify if biggest refers to heaviest or largest in physical dimensions.
One machine that would definitely be in contention for the winner of the heaviest machine would have to be the Knock Nevis, which is the world's largest supertanker and weighs a whopping 564 763 tonnes. The Knock Nevis cost an estimated $9 billion to be constructed.
In regard to actual physical size and dimensions, what I believe to be the world's largest machine is the Large Hadron Collider
, a particle accelerator located near Geneva, Switzerland. This machine has a length of 27km and a circumference of approximately 175m. The Large Hadron Collider cost approximately $8.4 billion in total to construct.
Sources:
http://www.bukisa.com/articles/40463_worlds-largest-machines-ever-built
http://www.vincelewis.net/viking.html
http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-the-largest-machine-in-the-world.htm
http://www.moneyweek.com/news-and-charts/economics/what-is-the-worlds-biggest-machine-costing-us-13577.aspx
2. Find a live webcam in Antarctica. Can you find a place to stay in Antarctica?
<a href="http://www.live-webcam-directory.com/antarctica/live-webcam-mawson-station.html" title="Mawson Station live webcam">Mawson Station Live Webcam</a>
This links you to the live webcam at Mawson Station, Antarctica. This is a still image taken from the webcam.
Now, as for a place to stay in Antarctica, short of camping (brrr, forget that!), your best bet for accommodation is on a boat/ship as, apparently, there are no hotels physically located on the mainland. An example of a vessel that could be utilised as accommodation is the Aleksey Maryshev, which is not only a research vessel but also provides accommodation for up to 46 travelers.
Sources:
3. When and what was the first example of global digital communication?
Before I officially answer this question, can I just say that in the search results that I was perusing about global digital communication, I found a link to the contact information for Ozzy Osbourne.. Hmm, ok?! How very odd!!
Anyways, back to the real answer..
In 1837, line telegraphy was perfected and was noted as an important event in the history of electronic communication. In following years, things such as the telephone and wireless telegraphy were produced, improving communication systems further.
Sources:
http://glennavendano.com/Course_Lectures/Digital_Comm/OverviewDigitalComm.pdf
4. What is the cheapest form of travel from the Gold Coast to Melbourne?
The cheapest way I found to travel from the Gold Coast to Melbourne was via Tiger Airways. The question didn't specify where in Melbourne one was travelling to, so I checked fares for both the Tullamarine and Avalon airports. The cheapest flight available landed at Avalon airport in Melbourne and was a discounted sale fare priced at $46.34.
Sources:
http://www.webjet.com.au
http://booking.tigerairways.com/
5. Who is Douglas Engelbart? What is he known for?
Douglas Engelbart is most famous for his invention of the computer mouse, which was developed in the 1960s, but not used commercially until the 1980s. Engelbart invented a number of interactive, computer based systems years before personal computers became commonplace in society.
Sources:
http://www.ideafinder.com/history/inventors/engelbart.htm
6. What is the best way (quickest, most reliable) to contact Stephen Conroy? (who is this guy?)
My results for this search brought up several Stephen Conroys, including an artist, the Australian minister for Broadband and a lawyer based in Louisiana. For relevance sake, I will focus on the Australian minister for Broadband, but if you want contact details for either of the other two, let me know!
Stephen Conroy is the Australian Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy. In this role, his responsibilities include overseeing the National Broadband Network, the digital television switchover, media policy, community broadcasting, as well as cyber security and safety.
As Stephen Conroy is obviously a very busy man, I'd suggest the best way to contact him would be via email. However, there are a range of other options, including telephone and fax, details of which can be accessed on his contact page.
Sources:
7. What song was top of the Australian pop charts this week in 1990?
For some reason, Asking Jeeves about this wasn't very helpful and it took me quite some time to find the answer to this question! But.. I do have it.. The number 1 song in the Australian Pop Charts for the week ending 28, January, 1990 was... *insert drumroll here*...
Love Shack by The B-52s!!
Wow, what a year 1990 was.. what a decade it started! I may well spend all day going through these charts and reminiscing now!!
Sources:
8. How would you define the term 'ontology'? In your own words, what does it really mean?
Definitions of 'ontology'
[on-tol-uh-jee] 
(noun)
1. the branch of metaphysics studying existence or being
Definitions of ontology
1. [n] - the metaphysical study of the nature of being and existence
My own interpretation of what ontology means:
Admittedly, I didn't know what this word meant before I had to answer this question, so hooray for learning new things. From what I have found out about my search, ontology basically is the study of one's existence and being; investigating the relationships between all beings and the principles and causes of being. (Wow, there are too many 'beings' in that sentence...)
Sources:
9. What type of camera is used to make ‘Google Street View’?1. [n] - the metaphysical study of the nature of being and existence
My own interpretation of what ontology means:
Admittedly, I didn't know what this word meant before I had to answer this question, so hooray for learning new things. From what I have found out about my search, ontology basically is the study of one's existence and being; investigating the relationships between all beings and the principles and causes of being. (Wow, there are too many 'beings' in that sentence...)
Sources:
The camera used to create the images in Google Street View is called a Dodeca 2360, which is a softball-size camera that records from almost 12 different angles at 30fps.
Sources:
10. Name three computer operating systems (not for phones) that are NOT Apple OS or MS-Windows operating systems?
a) who created it and when? b) how can you get a copy of the operating system to use on your computer?
Unix: Development of Unix started in the late 1960s by members of the Multics team. Today, many other organisations and individuals contribute to the Unix that is used today. In 1991, a variant of Unix, called Linux, was introduced in Finland by a student named Linus Torvalds. Derivatives of Unix can be downloaded for free from here.
MS-DOS: v1.0 of MS-DOS was created and released by Microsoft in 1981. MS-DOS is short for Microsoft Disk Operation System and is a command line operating system. Most modern Windows based computers contain MS-DOS as well as the GUI, Microsoft Windows. To run a DOS operating system on its own, one can visit here and download FreeDOS, which is a DOS compatible OS for IBM-PC compatible systems.
Haiku: A fast and efficient open source operating system inspired by the BeOS, which specifically targets personal computing. Although work commenced on the Haiku OS in 2001, the system was not released until mid 2010. Haiku can be downloaded here for use on your computer, in the future, one will also be able to purchase an installation CD if that method of installation is preferred.
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