Alphabet associations - I

[Nick Armstrong]

I thought we'd cracked it, and I have a G all ready.....

Then I saw the 'almost there'

With a and a I can offer these options:

F----- Perfect - Pink
F--- Me Pumps - Amy Winehouse
F--- Tha Police - N.W.A
F--- The System - System of a Down
F--- The World - Insane Clown Posse
F--- Time - Green Day
F--- Yeah! - Wonderlick
F--- You - Archive
F--- You - Lily Allen
F--- You - Anna David
F--- You - Bad Religion

[Flay]

I think we should <ahem> leave things at that and swiftly move on to the G-spot....

[Nick Armstrong]

If you like.

Oddball, could you perhaps pull the three elements together for us when you're back online? It's known as Anna's Law* (which somehow transmuted into coleslaw) so that those reading or returning to the thread can catch up and see the answer clearly in one place

Meantime, for the nightwatchmen and early-risers, this is the little G that occurred to me:

A particular sporting life in New York plus some evenings in Barcelona?



* Anna it was who first requested that answers spreading over several pages are pulled together for clarity

[Quarky]

There seem to be a couple of songs entitled "The F Word"... that's as far as I've got...

Yes you were correct Caliban the first time and I muddied the waters.
The F Word by babybird (hence reference to absence of birds in the garden in this weather), which is used as signature tune by Gordon Ramsay Chef in his programme of same name (hence reference to Annas place in kitchen).
The other clues were the musical note F, and the number F hexcode.

Reviewing my performance here and many thanks for sticking with it, it is evident I need to put more thought into setting clues, and so I will try to follow my advice and maintain a low profile for the time being!

[mercia]

if, at some time, oddball could provide a layman's guide/explanation [or link to one] of hexcodes I would be very interested [is computer programming dependent on them ?]

[Quarky]

if, at some time, oddball could provide a layman's guide/explanation [or link to one] of hexcodes I would be very interested [is computer programming dependent on them ?]

Mercia, it is not particularly complicated, in fact considerably less complicated than the duodecimal code A to G used by musicians to denote the 12 notes of the chromatic scale. I will try to find an appropriate link, but unfortunately most links dive very quickly into higher mathematics.

Hexcode is commonly used to denote computer memory addresses, and you might spot it on your screen when cleaning up the memory of your PC. Computers work on a binary number system, 0, 1. A computer is quite happy to deal with numbers in millions, billions or trillions in binary code, but a human programmer would be easily confused by a string of 0, 1s of great length. So hexcode was devised to make the computer number system more accessible to humans.

Hexcode operates from a number base of 16,. in contrast to the decimal code of 10, and the musical code of 12, and the binary code of 2.

Binary code always starts from 0, zero (http://php.about.com/od/programinggl.../qt/binary.htm). A computer recognises 0 as absence of an input voltage, 1 as presence of an input voltage. Number 2 is represented as 10, 3 as 11 - and 15 as 1111 - and 255 as 1111 times 1111 =11111111.
Hexcode has 16 numbers 0 to 9, A to F. decimal number 10 is A, decimal number 15 is F. 17 in hexcode is 11. 255 in Hexcode is FF, which is easier to recognise than binary 11111111 !

[mercia]

A particular sporting life in New York plus some evenings in Barcelona?

I tink sporting life is the name of a character - but I also think this may be irrelevant

[mercia]

thanks oddball, that all makes perfect sense

[cloughie]

Anything to do with Granados or Goyescas?

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

Mercia, it is not particularly complicated, in fact considerably less complicated than the duodecimal code A to G used by musicians to denote the 12 notes of the chromatic scale.

A to G#, surely?

I think Cali's puzzle neatly follows on from Oddy's as it leads us to a composer who was fond of Hexachords? (Can't contribute much else: hospital visits this week.)

[Nick Armstrong]

I tink sporting life is the name of a character - but I also think this may be irrelevant

Yes, irrelevant, mercs... That was my sneaky Gershwin misdirection (he's a character in Porgy & B)

[Nick Armstrong]

Anything to do with Granados or Goyescas?

Nothing to do with them either, I'm afraid...

[Nick Armstrong]

Thanks Oddball for that explanation. I follow most of that, but for two things:

First, this:

255 in Hexcode is FF

... I don't follow how that works.

Second: what's the purpose of having a numerical - alphabetical code based on 16 - it just seems random to me, why not based on 13 or 19 or 34 or any other number for example?

[Nick Armstrong]

I think Cali's puzzle neatly follows on from Oddy's as it leads us to a composer who was fond of Hexachords? (Can't contribute much else: hospital visits this week.)

Sorry to hear than, ferney: best of luck!

As far as hexachords are concerned.... you may be right, you may be right....

[Quarky]

OK Caliban -

This is worse than answereing one of your clues! Just going out, but will reply later this afternoon, after putting ice pack on head!