Researchers,

We all have Answers of which we were *really* proud, or Answers which
were something totally new, unusual, and interesting for us.

Please post your 2 best in the Comments area. The winning Answer will
be the set that *I* find most interesting, enlightening and/or
spectacular, depending on the day of the week, the position of the Sun
in the Zodiac, and what controlled substances I might be ingesting.

Here's your chance to toot your horn!

ace

---

Request for Question Clarification by leli-ga on 16 May 2003 03:10 PDT

Won't you tell us what your own two favorite and/or best answers are?

---

Clarification of Question by aceresearcher-ga on 22 May 2003 01:37 PDT

Yes, Leli, I will.

But first, I'd like to see responses from some more Researchers. ;-)

---

Request for Question Clarification by omnivorous-ga on 13 Jun 2003 07:46 PDT

Okay ace -- time to choose.  Question expires tomorrow!

---

Clarification of Question by aceresearcher-ga on 13 Jun 2003 21:58 PDT

Leeler,

My particular favorites would have to be:


Because this eventually became a fabulous team effort in arduous
foreign language translation among Leli, Tehuti, and me, and because
what we all fully expected to be just boring genealogical data
actually ended up being QUITE dramatic:

Q: Prince Alexander John Cuza of Rumania - mistress, children etc.
http://answers.google.com/answers/main?cmd=threadview&id=102907


Because I ended up learning a great deal about something of which I
was barely aware, and in which I ultimately became quite interested:

Q: Land Art
http://answers.google.com/answers/main?cmd=threadview&id=121920

:-)

---

Clarification of Question by aceresearcher-ga on 13 Jun 2003 21:59 PDT

Thanks for the reminder, Omni!

Wow -- I was so impressed reading through all these Answers. They
truly are the BEST.

However, I must confess that I picked errol-ga to "Answer" this
Question, because his two Answers were actually to things that I have
wanted to know and was delighted to learn!

So, please post your Answers as an "Answer", errol.

For any Researchers who have not yet posted their best, please
continue to do so.

ace

Hi Aceresearcher!
Thanks for choosing me to answer!

For those who don't feel like scrolling all the way down there, I'll
repost it here :)

===

"How to see a web folder directory (II)" 
https://answers.google.com/answers/main?cmd=threadview&id=203521 
I felt a bit hesitant about this one but it worked out nicely. 
 
"Know one domain, want to find others registered by the same people" 
http://answers.google.com/answers/main?cmd=threadview&id=100799 
This one includes my favourite quote "Beautifully 
complete answer." 
 
I enjoyed answering both of these and made two customers very
satisfied. :)

===

If I may, I'll just draw attention to a couple of others I answered
recently:

"PHP or Perl script to send instant message via Apache"
http://answers.google.com/answers/main?cmd=threadview&id=203507
One of my most challenging questions to date, which I enjoyed working
on.

"Subjecting DVD-disks to freezing temperature"
http://answers.google.com/answers/main?cmd=threadview&id=208801
In this one, I learned about the dangers of deep freezing DVDs.

Thanks Ace!
errol-ga.

Thanks!

Here are two of my favorite answers, each of which hinged on my memory
of an obscure word:

http://answers.google.com/answers/main?cmd=threadview&id=156832

http://answers.google.com/answers/main?cmd=threadview&id=108877

If, a year ago, someone had told me that I would soon be earning money
by using my knowledge of words such as "burundanga" and
"triboluminescence," I would have laughed.

~Pink

These questions were really fun for me. :)

Mickey Mouse Cartoons
https://answers.google.com/answers/main?cmd=threadview&id=77332

French Wars from 732 until present day
https://answers.google.com/answers/main?cmd=threadview&id=93693

Smart Card Factory Issues
http://answers.google.com/answers/main?cmd=threadview&id=176906

Not the best written answer, but intricate, pretty good value for the
price, and containing the words "Sama Kama Wacky Brown"! --

http://answers.google.com/answers/main?cmd=threadview&id=94919

Better written, more intricate, and concerning a language I don't know
--

http://answers.google.com/answers/main?cmd=threadview&id=146595

My all time favourite has to be a question about the languages needed
by medical students in Padua 1500-1550. This was a question I could
really get my teeth into, because it required a variety of searches
and analysis of the results.
http://answers.google.com/answers/main?cmd=threadview&id=97115

Many would contend for the runner-up position. In the end I chose a
question about the Planetary Conjunction of 1186. I started off just
making a comment, because initial searches did not turn up enough for
an answer. Then I began to get interested in the topic, and worried
away at it for several hours.
http://answers.google.com/answers/main?cmd=threadview&id=69293

Neither of these relate to my main field of expertise, which is
biomedicine. I do have several medical answers I am proud of, but the
above two gave me a wonderful sense of escape from my usual topics.
:)))

Howdy ace!

The more obscure and mundane, the more I like it.
Both of these also just "clicked" into place after
several dead ends.

Even though this was before I became a GAR, it was
very satisfying to "answer" this one in a comment.

Q: General information on lifting capacity of Toyota Forklift model 4FGC14
http://answers.google.com/answers/main?cmd=threadview&id=85380

What can I say?  NO.BS!

Q: Acquiring the domain NO.BS
http://answers.google.com/answers/main?cmd=threadview&id=200255

Looking Forward, denco-ga

Here are two of my favorites:

http://answers.google.com/answers/main?cmd=threadview&id=75789
I am proud of this one, really proud. It was not that easy to locate a
tiny village in the Ukraine, with nothing but a misspelled name...

http://answers.google.com/answers/main?cmd=threadview&id=173434
Google Answers made me discover new talents I never knew I had! I
wrote German lyrics for Edwin Starr's "War" ... not just a
translation, REAL lyrics! I am proud of that...

There are so many more that deserve to stand here ... but with a tear
in my eye, I had to choose only two...

'course I'm not a Google Researcher, but I thought I provided this
$2.50 seeker with a great comment/answer:

http://answers.google.com/answers/main?cmd=threadview&id=158879

and I was a bulldog on this much-commented upon question about the
physics of two cars crashing into each other:

http://answers.google.com/answers/main?cmd=threadview&id=155209

The impact of China's entry of WTO
http://answers.google.com/answers/main?cmd=threadview&id=71385
NBA Basketball
http://answers.google.com/answers/main?cmd=threadview&id=77482

I'd have to say the two abovementioned, not because the questions were
what I'd call exciting, but because they were completely outside of my
expertise -- personally, couldn't care less for sports or politics!
Subsequently, my knowledge of the WTO and NBA basketball equalled nil.
Feeling like living on the edge, Google Answers style, I decided to
attempt a crash course, and provided a couple of pretty decent answers
within 2 hours. Definitely not my favorites on the fun meter but the
most challenging.

These two are my favorites because the customers seemed so pleased
with the answers.

Lyrics and music for 1937 song
http://answers.google.com/answers/main?cmd=threadview&id=183181

Care of Antique furniture
http://answers.google.com/answers/main?cmd=threadview&id=165690

Googlenut

My all-time favorite question was the “German Brown Babies” customer
asking for help to find his mother. His four related questions told a
dramatic story that could easily be the basis of a book or a
movie-of-the-week. It was great to be able to help him by asking
questions that were mostly based on my intuition which convinced him
to reveal more of his story. I’m hoping that he was able to find her
with our help.

http://answers.google.com/answers/main?cmd=threadview&id=155096
Post War "German Brown Babies" enter the U.S.A.
http://answers.google.com/answers/main?cmd=threadview&id=155930
WW II History in Poland
http://answers.google.com/answers/main?cmd=threadview&id=155086
SAS Pasenger lists in Germany 1953
http://answers.google.com/answers/main?cmd=threadview&id=155945
Polish Public Records

I enjoyed the US Dataport question because it let me play detective
and helped me put together useful information about a very secretive
company.
http://answers.google.com/answers/main?cmd=threadview&id=96270
Who is U.S. Dataport?

As you can see, I like digging for stories, especially ones with a
strong human interest element.

czh

Hi ace...

I especially enjoyed working on these two, since they allowed me
to draw fom my experience as well as research, and the topics are
of great interest to me, so I love sharing about them.

Subliminal Universal Energy
http://answers.google.com/answers/main?cmd=threadview&id=141361

enlightenment
http://answers.google.com/answers/main?cmd=threadview&id=189570

Digging a hole from U.S. to China
(I got quite dizzy working it out)
http://answers.google.com/answers/main?cmd=threadview&id=76669

What Is The Secret of Women?
(None of my answer was from personal experience)
http://answers.google.com/answers/main?cmd=threadview&id=18407

I like this question for several reasons: the boxer's sad story behind
it, the extraordinary relationship with the customer, the off line
effort required, and the fact that I got five stars even before the
customer got what he was looking for (some time later, when he finally
got it, he posted a $2 question just to give me a $50 tip):
https://answers.google.com/answers/main?cmd=threadview&id=48005

This one was the first time I took the challenge to do something
completely different to what I had been doing so far, and kind of
succeeded:
https://answers.google.com/answers/main?cmd=threadview&id=159692

Here're mine, two examples:

Market research - buyers of wholesale electricity and electric
capacity
http://answers.google.com/answers/main?cmd=threadview&id=75999

The Last Trump of 1 Thess. 4:16
http://answers.google.com/answers/main?cmd=threadview&id=193167
- Quite some followup that took advantage of one mistake, but I nailed
it in the end.

As far as favorites are concerned, I have many to mention:

Date that Antidotes and Skull & Crossbones appeared on poisons...
http://answers.google.com/answers/main?cmd=threadview&id=189105
(It's really a challenge to research for a GA researcher.)


Why don't Pagemaker photos export to PDF?
http://answers.google.com/answers/main?cmd=threadview&id=200477

Screen Res problem
http://answers.google.com/answers/main?cmd=threadview&id=166454

Likely a dumb question about QUARK XPRESS
http://answers.google.com/answers/main?cmd=threadview&id=105232
(Answering a question is always easy when you have personal knowledge
about the topic.)


Digital camera gets wet - takes very unique pictures afterward 
http://answers.google.com/answers/main?cmd=threadview&id=196380

looking for aesop's fable about blind man and boy sharing grapes 
http://answers.google.com/answers/main?cmd=threadview&id=173203

Voice recongition & auto translation over the phone... (techtor, lot)
http://answers.google.com/answers/main?cmd=threadview&id=148932
(I will never stop looking for the answer especially when I'm
interested.)


Lastly, this is the question that I enjoyed the most:

Ten more things one can do with an antique cast iron cobbler set
http://answers.google.com/answers/main?cmd=threadview&id=136567

What a fantastic idea!

Mine are:
"How to see a web folder directory (II)"
https://answers.google.com/answers/main?cmd=threadview&id=203521
I felt a bit hesitant about this one but it worked out nicely.

"Know one domain, want to find others registered by the same people"
http://answers.google.com/answers/main?cmd=threadview&id=100799
This one includes my favourite quote "Beautifully
complete answer."

I enjoyed answering both of these and made two customers very satisfied. :)

"Seeking rare autograph"
(managed to track down an autograph of "Jock Ewing" from Dallas)
http://answers.google.com/answers/main?cmd=threadview&id=175625
-  I felt Jock's spirit was guiding me!
&
"Voluntary brewery work in Europe, especially Belgium" 
(located an obscure Belgian brewery offering work in return for beer)
http://answers.google.com/answers/main?cmd=threadview&id=115374
- I was intrigued about this business arrangement, and was eager to
find out more about this brewery. But all my leads turned out to be
dead ends, so i gave up and released the question. A few days later i
was told the answer could be found on the "Burgundian Babble Belt"!
   
"Freedom from the desire for an answer is essential to the
understanding of a problem" - Krishnamurti

Here's mine

This one, coz it was fun and not a lot of work :)
http://answers.google.com/answers/main?cmd=threadview&id=75694

and this one, coz it wasn't fun, took an awful lot of work, only got
me $5, $3.75 after Google's cut, approximately £0.50p after the bank
charges and tax are taken out. And -STILL- I got a deep sense of
satisfaction out of it. :)
http://answers.google.com/answers/main?cmd=threadview&id=71954

willie-ga

My two favorite answers -

"Revolutionary war prisoners of war"
http://answers.google.com/answers/main?cmd=threadview&id=135115

This took some real sleuthing - I started off thinking that surely the
Web cannot possibly harbor information that would lead to such an
accurate response on something that happened so long ago.  I was
wrong...  Customer was thrilled, and I received a 40% tip... :-)

I also love -

"Alladin Hotel Lawsuit"
http://answers.google.com/answers/main?cmd=threadview&id=134275

Similar kind of story, but much more recent - again, a real research
challenge, and a good bounty to boot - $200.  Only disappointment was
that I never did receive customer feedback on this.  In fact, just
checked and kingo-ga has never been back.  Oh well...

ragingacademic

Ace, thanks, this has been a great invitation to look back and
remember all the interesting questions I've worked on - and how good
it is when you know you've helped a customer. I'm also enjoying
reading what other researchers have picked out.

One of the pleasures of GA is the opportunity to travel in time and
space while working on a question. Although I've visited several
fascinating places, including two separate trips to nineteenth century
Persia, I've chosen a question about Rome as one of my favorites,
since the research had a real "thrill of the chase" quality.
http://answers.google.com/answers/main?cmd=threadview&id=110933

This next question combined a bit of previous knowledge with some
interesting new discoveries. At first it looked like a history
question, but it was also about shopping and so fits an unexpected
theme in my researching life: finding suppliers for unusual objects,
not just these knitting sticks but also a spherical ice-cream mold, a
naked French rugby players calendar, extra-large crystal chandeliers,
plush stuffed airplanes and more . . .
http://answers.google.com/answers/main?cmd=threadview&id=203542

Hiya Ace

Great question and really good chance for us researchers to check out
fellow researchers gems.

I feel a bit like a pauper among princes as I've only answered a few
questions since becoming a Google Researcher but 2 of my favs (in no
particular order of preference) are:

http://answers.google.com/answers/main?cmd=threadview&id=193858

Contract law is a speciality of mine but this question still required
me to do a fair amount of good old fashioned research which I think is
always a good exercise and a reminder that one's knowledge always
benefits from being challenged.  It also required me to make a
judgement call as to what kind/type of information the customer
ultimately wanted and would find useful.  The customer seemed
genuinely pleased with the answer and made a point of saying so, which
is always nice.  I generally tend to gravitate towards questions where
the customer is happy to receive guidance from a researcher based on
that researcher's experience and knowledge as I find it makes my
background research strategy easier to focus on.

http://answers.google.com/answers/main?cmd=threadview&id=60302

This question I particularly liked because a) I was in a similar
position myself in the past and it was good to be able to help someone
who was clearly frustrated with his particular situation, b) it deals
with consumer rights of which I am a huge champion and c) it was the
first time that I saw what it was like to receive additional help from
a fellow researcher and I liked the camaderie. It was a question which
required me to focus on the problem at hand and it also gave me a
chance to publicise some genuinely useful UK consumer resource sites
which many people in the UK don't know about.  My view has always been
that loads of UK consumer issues would be resolved a lot more quickly
and in favour of the consumer if only the consumer had known of
resources such as those listed in my answer.

At the end of the day, if someone asks my opinion or thoughts on
something <grin>, I'm always happy to oblige!!

jem-ga :)

I'm not a Researcher, so I hope you'll forgive my intrusion. 
Mathtalk-ga answered a technical question that was truly off-the-scale
in terms of difficulty and obscurity.  I'd spent hundreds of dollars
on books and over a hundred hours working on it before Mathtalk-ga
provided a solution and detailed explanation.

http://answers.google.com/answers/main?cmd=threadview&id=163255

I remain eternally grateful.

Jo –

A great question, as it shows what researchers have done to bring wit
and wisdom to the Internet.  Some of the research tasks have truly
been Herculean.

You can take this list and make an entertaining book!

There were at least 10 answers that I really liked.  Some are just
great techniques to tease out obscure information, such as the
customer who wanted rainfall measurements on Salt Spring Island (just
east of Vancouver Island) - - and I found several.  Others cover a
narrow interest, such as "Unusual attitudes and flight training."

Here are the two that I think were the most fun and the most readable.
 There’s the barroom bet over whether a customer could come up with a
list of 10 worthwhile MBAs:
http://answers.google.com/answers/main?cmd=threadview&id=62925

In that one I was wondering if I’d find 10 better examples of
successful MBAs after posting.  I haven’t.

This one involved a question that asked whether Ph.D. degrees had
historically been more oriented to scholarly or research activities. 
The answer covered centuries:
http://answers.google.com/answers/main?cmd=threadview&id=123699

Best regards,

Omnivorous-GA

What a good idea Ace!

My two favorite answers have to do with the asker. In both of these
cases, the person asking the question turned out to be involved
personally in the answer one way or another ... and both times I
didn't know that until after I posted my answer.

I found it incredibly rewarding to work directly with these people,
both of whom were recipients of the worst that life could throw at a
person, but rather than fold, they each turned it into something
positive.

--------------------------------------

 Re: HIV Heart Transplant Recipients 
http://answers.google.com/answers/main?cmd=threadview&id=32125

"I am the questioner Mavis (my dog's name), and I thank you for your
prompt answer -- good job ....  I was the second HIV positive
recipient of a new heart -- on the fourth of july 2001..."

--------------------

Re: Neuroscience Research
http://answers.google.com/answers/main?cmd=threadview&id=35520

 
"I am not going into the field, but writing a screenplay about what
these folks actually do.... My son is paralyzed, and we passed a
research bill in California providing funds for spinal cord injury
research...."

-------------------------


 
Thanks Ace. It makes me feel good on this gloomy rainy day to reread
each of these questions and answers.

-K~

My two favorite answers are:

24 hours - asked by qpet
http://answers.google.com/answers/main?cmd=threadview&id=186507

I loved working on this question.  I learned so much about our early
ancestors in the course of researching this project, and I also got to
flex my creative writing muscles.  qpet is always a pleasure to work
for anyway, but this question in particular was a real thrill to
complete.

Teaching Daisy some Good Manners - asked by probonopublico
http://answers.google.com/answers/main?cmd=threadview&id=175517

Asked by one of my favorite customers, this question gave me the
chance to give that customer a little good-natured ribbing about his
pet preference - I'm a cat person, and Bryan is clearly a dog person,
so there's already the natural "rivalry".  It also reminded me of a
frustrated parent trying to teach his kid some manners, a position
I've been in several times.  It was light-hearted and fun, and a
welcome change from the more serious projects I often tackle.

Of course, I also liked this one:

Who wants a one star rating and some money? - asked by hailstorm
http://answers.google.com/answers/main?cmd=threadview&id=175507

...but I've never professed to be anything approaching sane.

--Missy

Two of my favorites were from long ago (in Internet time).  Probably
my favorite is one where I was surprised to find out what the answer
was and where I learned something as well.  I never thought I'd be
spending my time talking about subatomic physics:

Conservation of mass+energy
http://answers.google.com/answers/main?cmd=threadview&id=76608

Another one I enjoyed doing, despite the (somewhat deserved) thrashing
I received from other researchers for my initial comment, was one that
ended up seeming like a soap opera. I'd still like to know what
happened to this woman:

While vacationing & enjoying cocktails emergency occurred forcing me
to drive
http://answers.google.com/answers/main?cmd=threadview&id=34826

The questions I enjoy the most are those that pique my curiosity. And
that can involve just about any subject.

Mvguy-ga

One of my favorite answers would have to be the one that ended up
being research for an episode of the TV show "Judging Amy". It had to
do with the cleanup required to make an apartment livable in lower
Manhattan after September 11. It was a real treat to see my research
appear in the actual episode, several months after the question was
answered.

http://answers.google.com/answers/main?cmd=threadview&id=47594


The other, I think, was a question that I was very reluctant to
answer, because the questioner asked for a subjective opinion on
artwork that she had inherited. Because I have a background in art and
framing, I took a chance and answered it, and was very glad to find
that it was exactly what the customer needed to know.

http://answers.google.com/answers/main?cmd=threadview&id=58973
 
Beth

Here are my two:

Johnny Patton, the Boy Mayor of Burnham,IL
http://answers.google.com/answers/main?cmd=threadview&id=67605

Truckload of Oreo Cookies
http://answers.google.com/answers/main?cmd=threadview&id=119370

Regards,
luciaphile-ga

What percentage of the world has made a phone call?
http://answers.google.com/answers/main?cmd=threadview&id=20411
One of those "unanswerable" questions. I gave it my best shot, and the
customer was very happy. You have to read my answer to appreciate it.
There is some fault with the logic, but it was fun to do nevertheless.

Buy Bar Table in Seattle Area
http://answers.google.com/answers/main?cmd=threadview&id=58396
I was raised in the coin-op industry. This answer took me all of 5
minutes.

--Cynthia

I feel honored that I was able to answer these two and that the
customers were so pleased:

Signs of Bisexual?
http://answers.google.com/answers/main?cmd=threadview&id=187192

Learning American Sign Language (ASL)
http://answers.google.com/answers/main?cmd=threadview&id=166177

Hi ace,

These two questions provided interesting research for me.

Primo Beer in the State of Hawaii. 
http://answers.google.com/answers/main?cmd=threadview&id=137666

Covered bridges 
http://answers.google.com/answers/main?cmd=threadview&id=196356

tlspiegel

http://answers.google.com/answers/main?cmd=threadview&id=197319
 Can you help me plan my husband's 50th party ... quickly! 
Asked by  stressedmum-ga 

And

http://answers.google.com/answers/main?cmd=threadview&id=181508
 New company name required for DIY art-as-entertainment businesses 
Asked by   ericfromsydney-ga 

I enjoyed working on both questions, because they required creativity
on my part. :-)
chellphill-ga

Well, I'm told that this one is worth mentioning:

How to respond to a client who feels like they haven't been listened
to
http://answers.google.com/answers/main?cmd=threadview&id=155693


Also, this one is a personal favorite of mine, just because the
asker's cover story is so absurd:

Simple C Program
http://answers.google.com/answers/main?cmd=threadview&id=178038

- Hammer

I really enjoyed all of my questions so this is like picking a
favorite child.  Thankfully, I'm not very prolific ... or fertile for
that matter but here are my envelopes of entertainment:

Most Fun: {tie}
Tantra Workshops/Retreats for Singles 
http://answers.google.com/answers/main?cmd=threadview&id=34239

Psychological Effects of Musical Beats 
http://answers.google.com/answers/main?cmd=threadview&id=95370

**************

Most Fun in a Comment Section:
English Word
http://answers.google.com/answers/main?cmd=threadview&id=45805

**************

Most Scenic Drive Question Answered in a Comment:
CYRK Polish Poster Books 
http://answers.google.com/answers/main?cmd=threadview&id=33742

**************
 
Most Interesting Reading Along the Way to an Answer:
St. Augustine of Hippo  
http://answers.google.com/answers/main?cmd=threadview&id=68009

**************

Most Consumer Helpfulosity Information (general):
Best Iron for Sewing and Crafting 
http://answers.google.com/answers/main?cmd=threadview&id=124661

**************

Most Consumer Helpfulosity Information (medical)
Stroke Information
http://answers.google.com/answers/main?cmd=threadview&id=149384

**************

Most Satisfied Customer:
Becoming a Yoga Instructor
http://answers.google.com/answers/main?cmd=threadview&id=74903


Personal thanks to yreka, cryptica, and my colleague nellie_bly for
allowing me a rave-for-cash question.  Thanks also to respree and
seattle for being satisfied with answers that were long on linkage and
short on narrative.

Appreciate your question, Ace, since it provided us this jaunt down
GAR Memory Lane.

What a great question, ace!  I was actually looking through my answers
a few days ago to see which ones were the best!

My two best answers are for these questions:

Planning a cheap trip to Wacken Open Air Festival in Germany 
http://answers.google.com/answers/main?cmd=threadview&id=186225

stock market 
http://answers.google.com/answers/main?cmd=threadview&id=191398


I am also quite fond of my answers to these two questions:

Windows 2000 professional max concurrent connections. 
http://answers.google.com/answers/main?cmd=threadview&id=193693

Capital Gains and Losses 
http://answers.google.com/answers/main?cmd=threadview&id=170207
(This question was answered in a comment, and it was the first comment
that I ever posted!)


sldreamer

In both cases a learned quite a bit in the precess of the search.
It feels a bit like reading a good mystery.

http://answers.google.com/answers/main?cmd=threadview&id=149887

http://answers.google.com/answers/main?cmd=threadview&id=138413

Just saw this question.  Been working for The Man (aka IRS) on night
shift the past couple of months and been totally out of it as to time
and opportunity for much else than work, sleep and a few chores. 
Thank goodness we got furloughed as of Friday night.  I think my
circadian rhythms might've been permanently skewed had we not ....

Ok, excuses done, I'd have to pick the following as my two favorites,
just because they  allowed me to use existing knowledge of a favorite
subject (aviation) to learn something further myself while helping out
someone else.  Best combination, I think! Wish they'd both been $200
questions, but oh well, can't have everything.   ;-)

Aviation aerobatics and specifically recovering from a spin  
http://answers.google.com/answers/main?cmd=threadview&id=167616

REPLACEMENT FOR RC130B ELINT SURVELLANCE AIRCRAFT
http://answers.google.com/answers/main?cmd=threadview&id=159481

These two involved particularly interesting quests, and both received
good reviews from fellow researchers whose opinions I particularly
respect.  The second example also includes the most heartwarming
customer feedback I have received so far.

Nestor's Cup Recipe 
http://answers.google.com/answers/main?cmd=threadview&id=185619

Biography of famed guitarist "Sunny Joe Wolverton," Where is he today?
http://answers.google.com/answers/main?cmd=threadview&id=179044

markj-ga

Hi Ace,

I haven't done anything stellar but I had a lot of fun answering the
following question about Latin American culture:

http://answers.google.com/answers/main?cmd=threadview&id=124293

The following was my one and only $50 question.    

http://answers.google.com/answers/main?cmd=threadview&id=116306

In both cases it was really nice to answer questions with which I had
such intimate experience.  That doesn't happen very often.

Thanks for the fun question,
gitana

Nothing very rock and roll!   (and only nine questions answered so
far)

I'll pick this one, because it refers to a film which was perhaps my
favourite of 2002:
- http://answers.google.com/answers/main?cmd=threadview&id=126081

The second is this one, which should come with a public boring
warning, but it was a question that I could answer largely from my own
knowledge, which was a confidence booster. This question is also asked
by one of the nicest guys you'll find around this little site:
- http://answers.google.com/answers/main?cmd=threadview&id=172198

The answers I liked most were those which took me on a long but
eventually triumphant journey.

Like the search for an old Hollywood movie about an out-of-work actor
who gains work as a singing waiter:

Classic (B&W) Film info
http://answers.google.com/answers/main?cmd=threadview&id=58532

The posted answer doesn't show the hours spent exploring old movie
plots and song lyrics, and the delightful discoveries I made along the
way.

Even more enjoyable was my search to retrieve a customer's childhood
memory about a painting that used to hang at the end of his parent's
hallway. The customer drew a very rough sketch of the painting and
could remember a few quirky things about it, which really helped.
Although seedy-ga and I kept coming back to Maxfield Parrish as the
artist (which turned out to be correct), this question took me on a
grand tour of the art world, past awe-inspiring work that I'd never
have looked at otherwise:

A Painting of a young lady in a dark forest
http://answers.google.com/answers/main?cmd=threadview&id=35397

The customer's excitement as the hunt drew to a close added to the
enjoyment too:

"criminy, eiffel! ... it's placement, size, and look are absolutely
bullseye! This service rawx! :) Researcher Eiffel was able to lay down
the law so far as looking for something I haven't seen in roughly
twenty years, and could only
provide atrocious descriptions of :) ... This soujern was worth every
last copperhead :)"

Latrine Maintenance
http://answers.google.com/answers/main?cmd=threadview&id=99263

java (i'm a beginner)
http://answers.google.com/answers/main?cmd=threadview&id=97993

These are purely self-indulgent answers, which I enjoyed researching
and writing, but which may or may not have been a hit with the
questioners.

Rivers in London
http://answers.google.com/answers/main?cmd=threadview&id=74170

Analysis poem [sic]
http://answers.google.com/answers/main?cmd=threadview&id=69903


And these left me with a warm glow of satisfaction at finding
information which was genuinely useful to the questioner:

Phone number of Brigadier pub
http://answers.google.com/answers/main?cmd=threadview&id=58861

Livery stables in Berkshire
http://answers.google.com/answers/main?cmd=threadview&id=34141

Posted on behalf of sgtcory-ga:

"Simple answer, but I can relate - I love history with regards to the Marines."

Iwo Jima Flag
http://answers.google.com/answers/main?cmd=threadview&id=106554