U of Chicago Scavenger Hunt List - 2004

nightsweat writes "The list of items and tasks for the 2004 version of the infamous University of Chicago Scavenger Hunt (or scavhunt for short) is up as a PDF. As a veteran of the first hunt in 1985, I'm glad to see the youngsters carrying on the madness. Some of the highlight items - the URLs of the blogs of the judges, five pages of Queer Eye for Doctor Doom, A McDonald's Sad Meal, Mrs Potatohead giving Mr. Potato head, Eudaemonia (300 points!), and a permanent tattoo that says 'Sorry about the syphilis, can we still be cousins?'"

a couple years ago...

[dijjnn]

Some of the kids successfully built a working breeder reactor...

the last time the reactor was seen, it was in the back of one of the "idiot twins" cars. The idiot twins were genius physics students, one of which went on to work at los alamos...

makes you think.

Hunts in France

[Sch0pehauer]

In France this type of hunts is common in quite every Grande École. I don't find nothing so interesting in this articles.

Im sure some folks here can do this one

[pw1972]

"Have a computer combust through nothing but its own internal workings" Ok, there has to be some /.'ers here who can and have already done this!

UC Prank or scavenger hunt?

[GPLDAN]

Was it a UC prank or part of the hunt, when several UC students stole a Chicago Police Department cruiser (maybe stole is the wrong word), dismantled it, and reassembled it on the roof of the Museum of Science and Industry?

The story goes they started the lights and siren up before leaving, thus insuring attention, as if people might not notice a cop car on the roof otherwise.

Is this an urban legend or did it happen? I'm not having much luck with trying to Google it.

Re:a couple years ago...

[Cyclotron_Boy]

Actually, no. I wish I had known that was the list item. Justin and I have always wanted to have a triumphant alumni rematch with the Scav Hunt. I wasn't involved in 2k2. AJ was a great supporter of ours back then. When it was first /.-ed, and the rumors started spreading on campus, seemingly thousands of people disputed the story and several people complained to the Housing office at the U of C. In the end, Sherry Gutman already knew us and what we were all about, so the university complaints ended at her desk. He and a few others really helped fend off ridiculous claims and rumors during those first few days.
-F

The 2002 Hunt

[JawFunk]

A good one form the 2002 list was: A CT scan of a Furby (206 points; 75 bonus points for visible tumors or hemorrhages)

Re:Eudaemonia means

[reverseengineer]

The term comes from Aristotle's Nicomachean Ethics (at least, I know of no earlier discussion), and while often translated as "happiness," it's not happiness in the sense of "bliss" or "joy," but rather is the satisfaction and sense of accomplishment obtained by striving for excellence and through perfect use of one's capacities- in fact, Aristotle is careful to differentiate the concept from happiness obtained through idle amusement. In Aristotelian philosophy, it is held as the highest good of all, a perfect and complete end.

As a side note, I'm pretty sure I first encountered the term a few years ago, prior to reading any serious philosophy, while playing Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri- it's on the tech tree, as a matter of fact, and comes complete with a quote from the Nicomachean Ethics. You could even designate that your society act in accordance with the aims of achieving eudaimonia, though cruel and unjust leader that I am, I generally preferred the Cybernetic or Thought Control options.

Heh. Scav hunt.

[piratedan]

I still remember the "6-inch oe larger statue of Sadam Hussein made entirely of chewed gum" that Rich made for scav hunt in 1991. I have pictures. I also remember getting married for scav hunt in... um... 1998. Yeah, I think it was '98. Ahhh. 48 hours of wedded... -ness. I saw a guy get a tattoo for scav hunt in like '95. And around that time I saw my (not yet) friend (and /.er) Molly [intrepidheroines.net] get her head shaved. Heh. Molly rules.

Raw egg absorber

[SnappingTurtle]

Item 249: Make a device such that, when a Judge throws a raw egg at it at full speed, the egg remains intact. [98 points]

A really big, loosely packed feather pillow.

Re:Raw egg absorber

[Wog]

You can do this with a properly-tied button-up shirt, if I remember correctly. I saw it in a book and conviced a professor to try it in a physics class.

He was dubious, so I offered to sit behind the egg catcher when the egg was thrown.

Then he missed the freaking catcher and hit me with the egg. Second throw worked, though.

Re:This brings back memories

[word munger]

Yeah, I remember one year (1986?) participants were required to obtain Mike Royko's autograph on that day's issue of the Chicago Tribune. While dozens of students harrassed the real Royko all day, another enterprising team found a different "Mike Royko" in Pinola, Indiana. No problem getting his autograph!

Re:Item #183 is impossible.

[geekoid]

so who pumps the attendants gas?

Same thing in Oregon, illegal to pump your own gasoline.

I suspect that if I gave a guy 50bucks, he would be elseware while I pumped my own gas. Perhaps I could just grab the handle real quick when someone snaps a picture.