Word of the Week - 9-15-2008

Word of the Week
IRRESOLUTE
Pronunciation: \i-ˈre-zə-ˌlüt, ˌi(r)-, -lət\
Function: adjective
Date: 1579
: uncertain how to act or proceed : vacillating


Interesting Fact
Robert (Bob) Propst was the inventor of the Action Office which evolved into the cubicle office furniture system.
Robert Propst was from Colorado and worked for Herman Miller (Research) in Zeeland, Michigan. Propst's work has been exhibited at the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis, the Smithsonian Institution, and the Henry Ford Museum. When Bob Propst designed the "Action Office," he never in his worst dreams believed that the much criticized "cubicle" would be the result of work. In fact, Propst's own research into developing the action office philosophically was against the cubicle in every way. That is to say, the Action office was designed to promote productivity, privacy, and health (they attempted to increase blood flow) at the expense of some inefficient use of space. Cubicles, meanwhile, are designed to maximize efficient use of space at the expense of all else.
The reason the extremely efficient "cubicle" came into vogue was because the moveable wall design of the "Action Office" saved money in construction and development costs. Therefore, the "Action Office" materials were redesigned to pack in as many employees as possible into an office space. This vision was absolutely contrary to Propst's intentions, and he stated that the success of the cubicle was a "monolithic insanity."


Trivial Pursuit
Here are this week’s questions:
Global View (Geography):
What U.S. candy is popular in Australia, despite being sold in flavors called “Musk” and “Thirst”?

Entertainment:
What TV clown slipped off his size 83-AAA shoes for the last time, in 2001?

News:
What former JFK aide found himself back in the news when he unwittingly passed off an Internet hoax as the real thing, in 1996?

Written Word:
What name did DC Comics’ Prince Uxas adopt when he killed his brother to rule Apokalips?

Life and Science:
What concept did novelist William Gibson seek to clarify by noting: “It’s not really a place, it’s not really space. It’s notional space”?

Games and Sports:
Who gave Byron Russell a little shove to free himself for the last shot of 1998’s NBA Finals?


Here are last week’s answers:
Global View (Geography):
What South American nation produced a Miss Universe or Miss World eight times from 1976 to 2001? Venezuela

Entertainment:
What movie introduced film buffs to the line: “I crap bigger than you”? City Slickers

News:
What religious leader sighed: “Sometimes in dream I have violence or am meeting women. Then in dream I remember, I am monk”? The Dalai Lama

Written Word:
What standup comic managed to squeeze Brain Droppings onto bestsellers lists in 1998? George Carlin

Life and Science:
What did Duke researchers claim was at least as effective as Zoloft in fighting depression – chicken soup, exercise or singles bars? exercise

Games and Sports:
What gold medal Olympic skier nearly lost a leg in a motorcycle mishap in Radstadt, Austria? Hermann Maier