Thursday, May 30, 2013 Game Recap & Discussion [SPOILERS]

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alietr
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Re: Thursday, May 30, 2013 Game Recap & Discussion [SPOILERS]

Post by alietr »

MarkBarrett wrote:Many players who had the potential to go on extended runs have been derailed in game one. It stinks that fate had to fall on you. Many of us here who know you outside the forum are fully aware of your playing skills and how much you know.
Couldn't agree more, Mark.
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Re: Thursday, May 30, 2013 Game Recap & Discussion [SPOILERS]

Post by cheezguyty »

harrumph wrote:The combined pre-FJ scores for the three players was very high, does anyone know the all time records for that stat?
$69,400 in the first quarterfinal of the 2008-A Teen Tournament is the all-time record, while $62,200 in Mark Wales's second game is the record for regular play.
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Mark B
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Re: Thursday, May 30, 2013 Game Recap & Discussion [SPOILERS]

Post by Mark B »

Can't deny it, I really really wanted this one to end differently. After having spent quite a few years amassing the materials for my current avatar, vicarious success is about the only J! success I can hope for, and I watched this game digging my fingernails into the palm of my supportive 9-year-old daughter, who became fraught when I started to squirm as my friend leslark fell behind. Molly doesn't like you any more lark; you make daddy upset.

Les played this one just right: faced with what appeared to be a really quick-buzzing and relatively strong champion, he danced around the DJ board trying to keep his opponents off balance and look for DD's. A big bet got him out of the hole and he held on for the post-DJ lead. He has to bet to cover in FJ. Category looks helpful.

When the clue came up I lamented to my girl "Oh no! This doesn't look obvious!" Halfway through the think music, I worked it out just as the camera was panning past Les. I saw in his manner that he didn't have it. My heart sank. I didn't know it would be a TS but I did know it wouldn't matter. I'm sorry that you knew it and couldn't pull it lark. That sucks. I'm sure you'll find a nice picture of Goddard for your board avatar. It was, I agree, a really good FJ clue.

This game played out a bit like that of another longtime boardie: Tova. She too fought back to take the late slim lead only to meet a TS.

Have a pupusa de queso on me lark. You made the show and played great, more than most can say.
Last edited by Mark B on Fri May 31, 2013 12:39 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Von Braun: The Reich Stuff

Post by Vanya »

Sage on the Hudson wrote:
Jasoni22 wrote:[Von Braun] even became a US citizen a full 22 years before his death. I think he could be called both German and American.
Half-German, half-American, and all Nazi (I'm reminded of the 1961 movie adaptation of von Braun's autobiography, "I Aim for the Stars," dealing at length with von Braun's leadership in the program to develop the Germans' V-2 rockets, about which the great Mort Sahl once quipped, "I Aim for the Stars...but sometimes I hit London").
Better us than the Soviets.
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Re: Thursday, May 30, 2013 Game Recap & Discussion [SPOILERS]

Post by John Boy »

Golf wrote:These FJ puzzle type clues are fun, not much way to outright know the answer but easy to ration out. Why would they retract in July 1969, what was going on? Obviously the moon landing. Rockets is Pavlov for Goddard and 1920 fits. Can't wait to see if people think this is unfair like Peck, knowing dates is so important.

Smart FJ wagering wins a game many would lose. Kudos.
It's true that Sam avoided the usual pitfall of throwing all of his $ into FJ because he was trailing. Still if I had been in his shoes I would have bet $1,801, just enough to cover being passed from behind and just enough to cover a $0 bet by the leader. He reduces his take if he gets FJ right and Les misses, but makes $4,699 more in the event of the TS, as it really happened. Maybe that's a matter of personal preference, but that's what I would have done.

I immediately recognized July 1969 as the Apollo 11 mission. IIRC they launched on the 16th, left earth orbit on the 17th (the date in the clue) and landed on the moon on the 20th. My first thought was Armstrong, who was certainly a scientist. But he certainly wasn't in high school in 1920 (wasn't born yet) so I had to throw that out. Goddard came next, so it wasn't that hard a clue.

No comparison between this and the Gregory Peck clue, as far as I'm concerned.

Idle question for no one in particular: if Goddard predicted rockets leaving earth orbit and was ridiculed for that, why did the apology come when Apollo 11 left earth orbit in July 1969, instead of when Apollo 8 left earth orbit in December 1968?

Congrats to the champ. I'm wondering how fluent he is in 11 languages, as that is almost unheard-of. I'm not sure I can name 11 languages.

Alphabetically-first first name of a first lady? How about start with Aa (no Aaron, I suppose), so what about Ab? Yeah, Abigail was Instaget and I sat there screaming at the screen while the contestant on stage agonized for what seemed like a half hour over that one. Must be the bright lights and the pressure of real money.
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Re: Thursday, May 30, 2013 Game Recap & Discussion [SPOILERS]

Post by bpmod »

John Boy wrote:Idle question for no one in particular: if Goddard predicted rockets leaving earth orbit and was ridiculed for that, why did the apology come when Apollo 11 left earth orbit in July 1969, instead of when Apollo 8 left earth orbit in December 1968?
That's what I was wondering.

Brian
...but the senator, while insisting he was not intoxicated, could not explain his nudity.

If I had 50 cents for every math question I got right, I'd have $6.30 by now.
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Re: Thursday, May 30, 2013 Game Recap & Discussion [SPOILERS]

Post by OrangeSAM »

John Boy wrote:...Idle question for no one in particular: if Goddard predicted rockets leaving earth orbit and was ridiculed for that, why did the apology come when Apollo 11 left earth orbit in July 1969, instead of when Apollo 8 left earth orbit in December 1968?

Congrats to the champ. I'm wondering how fluent he is in 11 languages, as that is almost unheard-of. I'm not sure I can name 11 languages....
Not to mention the unmanned missions, both American and Soviet, which preceded Apollo 8.

This was all-around a well played game. All three players should be proud of that.

But, John Boy, can you name 11 women authors? ;)
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Re: Thursday, May 30, 2013 Game Recap & Discussion [SPOILERS]

Post by marpocky »

John Boy wrote: Idle question for no one in particular: if Goddard predicted rockets leaving earth orbit and was ridiculed for that, why did the apology come when Apollo 11 left earth orbit in July 1969, instead of when Apollo 8 left earth orbit in December 1968?
Same here.
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Re: Thursday, May 30, 2013 Game Recap & Discussion [SPOILERS]

Post by nserven »

marpocky wrote:
John Boy wrote: Idle question for no one in particular: if Goddard predicted rockets leaving earth orbit and was ridiculed for that, why did the apology come when Apollo 11 left earth orbit in July 1969, instead of when Apollo 8 left earth orbit in December 1968?
Same here.
The Times Archives has a PDF of the editorial (titled ‘A Severe Stain on Credulity”). The gist of the editorial seems to be there was less doubt about the ability of a rocket to escape the atmosphere than to get the craft where it needed to go.

A few snippets:
Professor Goddard’s multiple-charge rocket is a practicable, and therefore promising, device. … It is not obvious, however, that the instruments would return to the point of departure; indeed, it is obvious they would not, for parachutes drift exactly as balloons do. And the rocket, or what was left of it after the last explosion, would have to be aimed with amazing skill, and in a dead calm, to fall on the spot whence it started.

It is when one considers the multiple-charge rocket as a traveler to the moon that one begins to doubt and looks again, to see if the dispatch announcing the professor’s purposes and hopes says that he is working under the auspices of the Smithsonian Institution. It does say so, and therefore the impulse to do more than doubt the practicability of such a device for such a purpose must be—well, controlled.
It later accuses Goddard of making the same mistakes of science that Jules Verne made in his fiction, that a rocket explosion “would not have had in the slightest degree the effect of releasing them from their dreadful slavery [trapped in lunar orbit]."

Last paragraph:
All the same, if Professor Goddard’s rocket attains sufficient speed before it passes out of our atmosphere—which is a thinkable possibility—and if its aiming takes into account all of the many deflective forces that will affect its flight, it may reach the moon. That the rocket could carry enough explosive to make on impact a flash large and bright enough to be seen from the earth by the biggest of our telescopes—that will be believed when it is done.
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Re: Thursday, May 30, 2013 Game Recap & Discussion [SPOILERS]

Post by slam »

Lark -

Great game. After your opponent took a big lead, I thought there was the possibility that he would just continue on a steamroller, but you showed your grit and simply wouldn't let that happen. It was a great achievement to fight back to the pre-FJ lead by a combination of a number of good gets and good strategery. You put yourself in a position to win against a solid champion. I'd bet that sitting at home, you would have pulled down that FJ routinely, but "under the lights" (which I've never been, of course), other elements come into play. You should be proud of your performance and move on with no regrets.
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Re: Thursday, May 30, 2013 Game Recap & Discussion [SPOILERS]

Post by ElendilPickle »

larkin1734 wrote:The game hasn't aired here yet, but I thought I'd chime in now. If I'd were sitting at home, I'd love this FJ. It's exactly the type of clue I like.

Before Alex was done reading the clue, I knew it had to be von Braun ... or the other guy. I forgot the category for a second, but I regained focus and kept trying to think of the American name in rocketry. I spent the next 30+ seconds blanking on the name. Every time I tried to pull Goddard, "von Braun" kept floating through my mind. It was like one of those scrolling scoreboards you see at the bottom of the tv screen during baseball games or the giant news headlines outside the Good Morning America studio in Times Square. Except mine kept scrolling "VON BRAUN" in all caps and wouldn't stop. I couldn't shut it off. All the while, the 30 second clock counted down. I knew Oppenheimer was wrong, but I didn't want to leave it blank. I figured Sam would bet as he did, so I resigned myself to a loss whether or not he was correct. At least, I got that part right.
Too bad you couldn't get it - that was a really good game.

I knew FJ must have had something to do with the moon landing, but couldn't get to the right name until Alex gave that additional information before revealing the responses.

ETA Goddard spent most of the 1930s in New Mexico, and Roswell named one of their high schools after him. Someone needs to revoke my NM citizenship.
Yes, the January 8, 2013 game with Ashok/Matt/LeeAnn had a pre-FJ total of $58,400, and likely holds the record most combined money lost on FJ, with $54,999.
Thanks for the reminder. ;)
Last edited by ElendilPickle on Fri May 31, 2013 2:28 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Thursday, May 30, 2013 Game Recap & Discussion [SPOILERS]

Post by Vanya »

nserven wrote: Last paragraph:
All the same, if Professor Goddard’s rocket attains sufficient speed before it passes out of our atmosphere—which is a thinkable possibility—and if its aiming takes into account all of the many deflective forces that will affect its flight, it may reach the moon. That the rocket could carry enough explosive to make on impact a flash large and bright enough to be seen from the earth by the biggest of our telescopes—that will be believed when it is done.
How prescient of them
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Re: Thursday, May 30, 2013 Game Recap & Discussion [SPOILERS]

Post by Case »

I especially enjoyed that question about Curie with the response of Warsaw. That's the kind of J clue I love: two steps from the correct response. I wish more of the clues were like this.
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Re: Thursday, May 30, 2013 Game Recap & Discussion [SPOILERS]

Post by TenPoundHammer »

Vanya wrote:I am reminded of the Reader's Digest version of GWTW, via Mad magazine.

"Fiddle-dee-dee."
Boom!
"Well, the war is over, Scarlett."
Reminded me of this song for some reason:

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Re: Thursday, May 30, 2013 Game Recap & Discussion [SPOILERS]

Post by jpahk »

John Boy wrote:Alphabetically-first first name of a first lady? How about start with Aa (no Aaron, I suppose), so what about Ab? Yeah, Abigail was Instaget and I sat there screaming at the screen while the contestant on stage agonized for what seemed like a half hour over that one. Must be the bright lights and the pressure of real money.
but he doesn't get any extra money for saying abigail quickly, and the extra time is there—alex will prompt you when it's over. it is just plain sound strategy to keep thinking after you have what might be the answer in a category like this. what if the zodiac one ($400, mind you) had been the DD? "well, there's only 12*... aries starts with A... must be it!" but if you keep on thinking, you might come up with aquarius.

there certainly isn't enough time to run through all of the first ladies, and few of us know all of their names anyway. that means you can't be 100% certain, under time pressure, that your answer is correct, so there is an enormous incentive to spend every second you have thinking about them. obviously abigail turned out to be correct, but it is not the alphabetically first conceivable woman's name. (in fact, aaliyah is a top-100 girl's name these days, although it is not hard to rule out as a first lady's name.)

*: la la la. i can't hear you, ophiuchus.
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Re: Thursday, May 30, 2013 Game Recap & Discussion [SPOILERS]

Post by gobobbygo »

I cannot believe all this menioning of Werner Von Braun went by without http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QEJ9HrZq7Ro

Also, I like to think I'd have gotten to Goddard from rockets and such. But I feel like "New York Times taking almost 50 years to apologize" is a thing that I've heard about all by itself. Am I the only one?
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Re: Thursday, May 30, 2013 Game Recap & Discussion [SPOILERS]

Post by StevenH »

This was a fantastic game to watch, with three great contestants and a pretty good board.

Les, I am super happy for you being able to make it onto the show and play such a terrific game. As others have mentioned, you were super cool under pressure with the way you managed to battle back. I wish that it had ended differently but you have much to be proud of.

And congrats to Sam for being able to pull out the win!
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Re: Thursday, May 30, 2013 Game Recap & Discussion [SPOILERS]

Post by alietr »

Speaking of the Apollo program, I was catching up on some shows on the DVR, and watched "For All Mankind". Wonderful documentary on the Apollo program well worth finding and watching.
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Re: Thursday, May 30, 2013 Game Recap & Discussion [SPOILERS]

Post by davey »

marpocky wrote:
John Boy wrote: Idle question for no one in particular: if Goddard predicted rockets leaving earth orbit and was ridiculed for that, why did the apology come when Apollo 11 left earth orbit in July 1969, instead of when Apollo 8 left earth orbit in December 1968?
Same here.

I think it's simple - nobody at the paper thought of it earlier. Newspapers aren't in the habit of looking for 50-year-old stories to retract. The understatement of the last paragraph shows that this one was meant to be a lighthearted bit of eating crow, in the spirit of celebration of the accomplishment.

http://www.popsci.com/military-aviation ... work-space

I didn't get it. I spent so much time brooding over famous American scientists of 1920 that I didn't consider enough the implications of the 1969 date - except to think that Einstein certainly could be considered an American by then. I'd like to think if I had, I'd have gone to Goddard.
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Re: Thursday, May 30, 2013 Game Recap & Discussion [SPOILERS]

Post by John Boy »

jpahk wrote:
John Boy wrote:Alphabetically-first first name of a first lady? How about start with Aa (no Aaron, I suppose), so what about Ab? Yeah, Abigail was Instaget and I sat there screaming at the screen while the contestant on stage agonized for what seemed like a half hour over that one. Must be the bright lights and the pressure of real money.
but he doesn't get any extra money for saying abigail quickly, and the extra time is there—alex will prompt you when it's over. it is just plain sound strategy to keep thinking after you have what might be the answer in a category like this. what if the zodiac one ($400, mind you) had been the DD? "well, there's only 12*... aries starts with A... must be it!" but if you keep on thinking, you might come up with aquarius.

there certainly isn't enough time to run through all of the first ladies, and few of us know all of their names anyway. that means you can't be 100% certain, under time pressure, that your answer is correct, so there is an enormous incentive to spend every second you have thinking about them. obviously abigail turned out to be correct, but it is not the alphabetically first conceivable woman's name. (in fact, aaliyah is a top-100 girl's name these days, although it is not hard to rule out as a first lady's name.)

*: la la la. i can't hear you, ophiuchus.
I don't KNOW what he was THINKING (obviously) during that time. My IMPRESSION was that he was struggling to come up with Abigail or any other name early in the alphabet, not that he quickly came up with Abigail and was straining to think of who could come before her alphabetically. You might be right. That's just not the impression I got.
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