This is Jeopardy!

I get so excited (and I just can't hide it) when I hear the Jeopardy! intro music start. For those who don't know me already, I watch Jeopardy! 5 days a week, talk about it with my boyfriend on the phone almost every night, and lately (I must admit) I've even been reading the Jeopardy! forums. Given the blog name, I suppose it's fitting that I watch Jeopardy!. I'm just a curious soul and Jeopardy! has all the answers (or questions I suppose ...).

I'm hopeful that most people watch Jeopardy! already but if you don't you definitely should start. It's not all about the trivia or competition. Jeopardy! is pure entertainment! Alex Trebek is absolutely amazing. I'll watch some episodes and honestly only be listening for him. He has the perfect reading skills. He never missed a beat on reading the clues and can do like every accent imaginable - that is except for the Pillsbury doughboy. Listen around the 2:05 mark:

Alex Trebek with #3 all-time
 winner Larissa Kelly

But aside from that, he does pretty good accents, whether it be of nationalities, celebrities, or presidents. Sometimes I know the answer (uh, question) just based on the type of accent he's using. Secondly, what is very amusing about Trebek is his condescending ways. I'm sure he means well but sometimes he is such a jerk when he says "Sorry, that incorrect". I thought I was the only person who thought this of Alex Trebek but A.J. Jacobs, author of The Know-It-All feels the same way.

On a bit of tangent, this book is absolutely amazing. It's basically an autobiography of Jacobs as he goes on the "humble quest to become the smartest person in the world" by reading the Britannica Encyclopedia. Every chapter is a different letter of the alphabet (I'm currently in L) and under the entry for frigate birds he says this:

"Truth is, I have conflicted feelings about Trebek. One the one hand, I love Jeopardy! and respect the way he runs the show with stern colonel-like authority - not a moment wasted on buffoonery. On the other hand, I want to pop Trebek in his smug Canadian mouth. I mean, this is the man who pretends to know every potent potable and every presidential pet, who oozes faux sympathy for mistaken contestants  with his famously condescending "sorry," who pronounces "burrito"as if he went to kindergarten with Fidel Castro and "Volkswagen" as if he grew up on the banks of the Rhine."

A.J. Jacobs is talking about Trebek because he's actually given an opportunity to interview him for Esquire (his day job when he's not reading the Britannica Encyclopedia). Jacobs discovers that Trebek isn't the mustache-twirling villain that he was thought to be, especially since he doesn't even have a mustache anymore. He gardens, and wears baseball caps (crazy, I know!) and doesn't remember most of the clues he reads. When asked of the quarter million clues, what was his favourite fact was he responded:

"You know how in nautical law, a country has jurisdiction over the first three miles from its coast? Well, that came about because a cannon's range was three nautical miles"

Not exactly the epic response I, or Jacobs, were expecting but interesting all the same. At the end of their interview Jacobs asked Trebek for his philosophy of knowledge. He responds: "I'm curious about everything - even things that don't interest me." Powerful words eh? I think that exactly how I feel. It's not that I'm particularly interested in Wholphins but I want to know about them all the same.

I really went on a much larger tangent with the book than I wanted to but oh well. For those left wondering, the connection to frigate birds is that after his talk with Alex Trebek, A.J. Jacobs went home to read about things that don't interest him, including friendly societies and frigate birds.

Everybody remembers the glory days of Ken Jennings but how many of you actually watched the show when he was on? One of my favourite moments ever (to this date) is the following response Jennings gave:

When Jennings gave his response, I agreed with him whole-heartedly. I actually think I gave that response before he did. His answer makes definitely more sense than a rake. A rake? Seriously? OK I looked it up and it apparently is a man who is habituated to immoral conduct but who would know that? For only $200 as well!

I'll end this blog with a very perplexing Final Jeopardy! clue. The category is PRIMETIME TV:

Now it season 23, its producer says it's the only show with "no script, no actors, no host & no re-enactments"

I certainly did not get this and neither did anyone else I asked. Do you know the question? You have 30 seconds. Good luck ;)

Math is Not Linear

So my friend Shannon from McMaster posted this on Facebook the other day. I think the point is very clear. In math, I always felt like you did it just because it was a challenge (well at least I enjoyed the challenge - most I suppose give up). The part in the presentation about learning something because it's "the next chapter in the textbook". OMG I remember hearing that oh too many times in high school.

Math is not linear on Prezi

I don't really have much to add because I think this presentation or "Prezi" (has anyone even heard of this before?) says it all. I don't quite know what the solution is yet but I do know that something has to change in the way mathematics is taught.