General Knowledge - Movies, Maps, Quotes & Gaming

Assassin's Creed I is modeled on the Prince of Persia game engine and gameplay mechanics. Ubisoft developed AC-I building on the success and mechanics of the Prince of Persia series, particularly the parkour movement and climbing systems.

Altair's failed assassination takes place in Jerusalem, where he attempts to kill Robert de Sable. This failure occurs because Altair is arrogant and breaks the tenets of the Assassin Brotherhood, leading to his demotion and journey to learn humility and proper discipline.

This quote is attributed to Abraham Lincoln. The full sentiment reflects Lincoln's belief that constructive criticism should come from those genuinely willing to help improve a situation, rather than from those who merely complain without offering solutions.

The Mercator projection is the most famous map projection, widely used for navigation because it preserves angles and shapes. While it distorts size near the poles (making Greenland appear larger than Africa), it became the standard for world maps and maritime navigation during the age of exploration.

The Lambert conformal conic projection is standard for aeronautical charts because it preserves angles (conformal) and accurately represents shapes over medium latitudes. Pilots rely on these charts for navigation as straight lines roughly represent great circle routes, making flight planning more accurate.

Mappa mundi (Latin for 'map of the world') refers to Medieval European world maps that ranged from simple diagrams to elaborate detailed maps. These maps often combined geographical knowledge with religious symbolism, placing Jerusalem at the center and showing the three known continents (Europe, Asia, Africa) in a T-O shape.

Geological maps specifically show rock types, ages, fault lines, folds, and subsurface structures through colors and symbols. Unlike physical maps that show elevation or political maps showing boundaries, geological maps reveal the composition and structure of the Earth's crust, essential for understanding natural resources and landforms.

Map projection is the mathematical process of transforming the 3D Earth's surface (geoid) onto a 2D plane. Since a sphere cannot be flattened without distortion, projections always compromise some properties (area, shape, distance, or direction). Different projections serve different purposes - navigation, preservation of area, or visual representation.

The T-O map was a medieval world map scheme showing only the known inhabitable world, arranged in a T shape within an O (representing the ocean). Asia occupied the top half, with Europe and Africa in the lower quadrants, and Jerusalem at the center. This reflected the medieval European conception of the world based on Roman and biblical knowledge.

Ancient world maps (Greek, Roman, and early medieval) document the evolution from classical geographical knowledge through the Age of Discovery. These maps show expanding understanding as explorers mapped new territories, culminating in modern systematic geography. Ptolemy's Geographia was foundational, influencing cartography for 1400 years until new discoveries required updated worldviews.

The Ptolemy world map was based on Claudius Ptolemy's 'Geographia' (c. 150 AD), which compiled geographical knowledge with coordinates for over 8,000 locations. His work introduced the concepts of latitude and longitude and map projections, remaining the most authoritative geographical reference until the Renaissance, despite its inaccuracies and missing regions.

A reversed map flips the traditional orientation, placing south at the top. This challenges the cultural convention of 'north-up' mapping (which became standard due to European cartography) and shows that map orientation is arbitrary. Reversed maps are used to provoke thought about perspective and cultural assumptions in map-making.

A world map is a map of the entire Earth's surface, representing all or most of the planet. Unlike specialized maps (physical, political, thematic), a world map's primary purpose is to show global geography, though it may incorporate various thematic elements. World maps have evolved from ancient depictions to modern digital representations using various projections.

Political maps display territorial boundaries between countries, states, provinces, and other political entities. Unlike physical maps (showing landforms) or geological maps (showing rock structures), political maps emphasize human-drawn borders and administrative divisions, often using different colors for different countries but providing minimal topographic detail.

Abraham Lincoln consistently used this metaphor to describe his approach during the Civil War and his presidency. Despite facing criticism for perceived slowness or caution, he maintained that he never retreated from his ultimate goals of preserving the Union and ending slavery. The quote reflects his determination and belief in steady, unwavering progress.

Richard Gere was not part of the voice cast in Kung Fu Panda. Angelina Jolie voiced Tigress, Ian McShane voiced Tai Lung, and Jackie Chan voiced Monkey - all actual cast members.

Jack Black provided the voice for Po, the main protagonist who is a giant panda that becomes the Dragon Warrior. Dustin Hoffman voiced Shifu, Angelina Jolie voiced Tigress, and Ian McShane voiced Tai Lung.

'Prepare for awesomeness' is the famous tagline from Kung Fu Panda's marketing. The other options are taglines from different movies or contexts.