Sunday, October 29, 2006
Name that tune
I finally got confirmation about the song that plays in the GEICO ad with the caveman in the airport. It's called "Remind Me" by Royksöpp. Oddly enough, I got the information straight from the Gecko's blog on GEICO's site.
Wednesday, October 25, 2006
What is missing the point?
While my double review of Brainiac and Trebekistan was a little bit rambling and such, it still isn't this New York Times twin review, which seems to want a lot more from the books than what could ever be offered from former contestants, even those who have been on plenty of times, like Ken and Bob.
Monday, October 23, 2006
27 and counting
27 and counting
Just as I thought I was outgrowing Weird Al Yankovic, all of a sudden, he has his first top 10 album and top 10 single.
The first single is a YouTube sensation, which is a big reason for the chart sucess. YouTube somehow reached the people wanting to buy the album and single, even moreso than a "Top 40" station, wherever those actually exist these days.
Slate has an interesting piece going into how Al's career has lasted all this time, although I'm still trying to figure exactly what he did this time around to get major chart action when he hasn't really changed the formula (nor does he have to).
Just as I thought I was outgrowing Weird Al Yankovic, all of a sudden, he has his first top 10 album and top 10 single.
The first single is a YouTube sensation, which is a big reason for the chart sucess. YouTube somehow reached the people wanting to buy the album and single, even moreso than a "Top 40" station, wherever those actually exist these days.
Slate has an interesting piece going into how Al's career has lasted all this time, although I'm still trying to figure exactly what he did this time around to get major chart action when he hasn't really changed the formula (nor does he have to).
Saturday, October 21, 2006
This day in infamy
Note to self: Do not order a sandwich called the meltdown while watching your alma mater set a dubious NCAA football record. And oh yeah, I was on hand for this account of said meltdown.
More updates on the past few weeks in due time.
More updates on the past few weeks in due time.
Tuesday, October 03, 2006
Publishing industry for $2000
Publishing industry for $2000
So I've now finished off both Brainiac and Prisoner of Trebekistan, fulfilling the need for books about Jeopardy! for about 10 years -- although there will be plenty of first-person accounts in various media outlets until the show finally runs it course.
These books are definitely must-reads for Jeopardy! fans, or more to the point obsessed game show geeks like myself. The actual target fan (i.e. those who actually have a use for HeadOn or the life insurance policies plugged on the show) definitely will not get a lot of the snappy writing in both books.
Of course, both books answer some of the basic questions people have about the show that I, too, have had to answer recently (What's Alex like? How does the taping session work? Do they give you a list of things to study beforehand? No, really, do they give you a list of things to study?), so a lot of that is very familiar -- especially since I've prattled on about it myself. Having plenty of friends precede me on the show also made a lot of the book very familiar.
After going over some of the basic mechanics of the show, the books take somewhat different paths to further complement the Jeopardy! experience.
In Brainiac, Ken Jennings used the Jeopardy! experience to highlight America's trivia subculture with some fun stories about trivia writers, the crazy radio trivia marathon in Wisconsin, Thomas Edison's test and even how the word trivia is misused. And of course is a trip to the quizbowl world that is definitely familiar, given I was at the NAQT high school tournament in Chicago that Ken discusses. He paints an interesting picture of how people are drawn to knowing stuff -- and Jeopardy! is probably the best jumping off point anyways given its status in the current cultural landscape. (What is funny is that Ken regularly talks about "general knowledge" -- a term seemingly derided in some corners of the quizbowl world.)
Given the number of games he won, it's both surprising and a bit refreshing that Ken doesn't recreate every single episode in his run -- although something about the Ultimate Tournament of Champions might have been nice. However, there were plenty of anecdotes during his run to spice things up (the constant trips from Salt Lake City to L.A., running into people he knows at the taping). He can't really downplay 75 episodes, but at least he made it not just a simple narrative of his time on the show.
What made Brainiac a very good read was Ken's writing style. I suppose I got used to it recently reading his blog before getting the book, but it seemed very comfortable and in many ways sounded like the way I sometimes write, or at the very least, some of my friends whose blogs are linked over at the left. Sure, I know Ken somewhat, but it really felt familiar reading it.
As for Prisoner of Trebekistan, it's a bit more self-indulgent and a lot more interesting for the truly rabid Jeopardy! fans wanting to recreate games. However, Bob Harris is also a funny writer and he makes what really is just his life story somewhat relevant to people (at least Jeopardy! fans). Finding a way to connect his life experiences to what categories appeared on the show was clever -- although I suppose if you're on the show as many times as he had, it probably shouldn't have been a surprise. On the other hand, Bob did show that his studies for the show did open up his mind to new experiences (which he got to act on after winning enough to allow him to travel to such places)
Bob also had a great insight on how some Jeopardy! contestants can remain close even after trying to outwit each other on national TV. The tournaments may be better at fostering that friendship, and sometimes I wish I could've stayed closer in touch with some of the contestants from my taping (I've found one on MySpace and that's about it).
As a more "general interest" book, Ken's is obviously the way to go. Crafting Brainiac the way he did opened himself up to a lot more interesting writing and avoided excess first-person stuff that Bob slipped into (although he could spread out the ultimate inside experience over a lot more time). Of course with the right writer and editor, anybody's life story can be interesting as long as you've got a good hook.
What is interesting is that just about a year after my taping in L.A., Jeopardy! has been all over the place in life -- with the books and a trip to see a Celebrity Jeopardy! taping on Thursday. It really does make me wish I could do the whole experience again.
So I've now finished off both Brainiac and Prisoner of Trebekistan, fulfilling the need for books about Jeopardy! for about 10 years -- although there will be plenty of first-person accounts in various media outlets until the show finally runs it course.
These books are definitely must-reads for Jeopardy! fans, or more to the point obsessed game show geeks like myself. The actual target fan (i.e. those who actually have a use for HeadOn or the life insurance policies plugged on the show) definitely will not get a lot of the snappy writing in both books.
Of course, both books answer some of the basic questions people have about the show that I, too, have had to answer recently (What's Alex like? How does the taping session work? Do they give you a list of things to study beforehand? No, really, do they give you a list of things to study?), so a lot of that is very familiar -- especially since I've prattled on about it myself. Having plenty of friends precede me on the show also made a lot of the book very familiar.
After going over some of the basic mechanics of the show, the books take somewhat different paths to further complement the Jeopardy! experience.
In Brainiac, Ken Jennings used the Jeopardy! experience to highlight America's trivia subculture with some fun stories about trivia writers, the crazy radio trivia marathon in Wisconsin, Thomas Edison's test and even how the word trivia is misused. And of course is a trip to the quizbowl world that is definitely familiar, given I was at the NAQT high school tournament in Chicago that Ken discusses. He paints an interesting picture of how people are drawn to knowing stuff -- and Jeopardy! is probably the best jumping off point anyways given its status in the current cultural landscape. (What is funny is that Ken regularly talks about "general knowledge" -- a term seemingly derided in some corners of the quizbowl world.)
Given the number of games he won, it's both surprising and a bit refreshing that Ken doesn't recreate every single episode in his run -- although something about the Ultimate Tournament of Champions might have been nice. However, there were plenty of anecdotes during his run to spice things up (the constant trips from Salt Lake City to L.A., running into people he knows at the taping). He can't really downplay 75 episodes, but at least he made it not just a simple narrative of his time on the show.
What made Brainiac a very good read was Ken's writing style. I suppose I got used to it recently reading his blog before getting the book, but it seemed very comfortable and in many ways sounded like the way I sometimes write, or at the very least, some of my friends whose blogs are linked over at the left. Sure, I know Ken somewhat, but it really felt familiar reading it.
As for Prisoner of Trebekistan, it's a bit more self-indulgent and a lot more interesting for the truly rabid Jeopardy! fans wanting to recreate games. However, Bob Harris is also a funny writer and he makes what really is just his life story somewhat relevant to people (at least Jeopardy! fans). Finding a way to connect his life experiences to what categories appeared on the show was clever -- although I suppose if you're on the show as many times as he had, it probably shouldn't have been a surprise. On the other hand, Bob did show that his studies for the show did open up his mind to new experiences (which he got to act on after winning enough to allow him to travel to such places)
Bob also had a great insight on how some Jeopardy! contestants can remain close even after trying to outwit each other on national TV. The tournaments may be better at fostering that friendship, and sometimes I wish I could've stayed closer in touch with some of the contestants from my taping (I've found one on MySpace and that's about it).
As a more "general interest" book, Ken's is obviously the way to go. Crafting Brainiac the way he did opened himself up to a lot more interesting writing and avoided excess first-person stuff that Bob slipped into (although he could spread out the ultimate inside experience over a lot more time). Of course with the right writer and editor, anybody's life story can be interesting as long as you've got a good hook.
What is interesting is that just about a year after my taping in L.A., Jeopardy! has been all over the place in life -- with the books and a trip to see a Celebrity Jeopardy! taping on Thursday. It really does make me wish I could do the whole experience again.
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