I think you need to just start answering. You've stayed clam for so long, now you've forgotten how to respond at all. Retrain the brain!TenPoundHammer wrote: ↑Mon Oct 16, 2017 7:31 pm How do I stop myself from blanking on things so often? It seems I'm only getting worse at lt. I've seen those Alexa ads all the time, and three of my friends own an Echo, but I just could not pull the name.
The Official TPH Education Thread (POTENTIAL GAME DAY SPOILERS)
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- Volante
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Re: The Official TPH Education Thread (POTENTIAL GAME DAY SPOILERS)
The best thing that Neil Armstrong ever did, was to let us all imagine we were him.
Latest movies (1-10): Everything Everywhere All at Once (10), Ruby Gillman: Teenage Kraken (6), Black Sunday /1960/ (6), Marcel the Shell with Shoes On (7)
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Re: The Official TPH Education Thread (POTENTIAL GAME DAY SPOILERS)
The clue read "Population about 70,000, it's where to go to see the Hawkeyes play in Kinnick Stadium." Iowa has more than 70,000 residents. I was also surprised it was BMSed, but not in the same way you were.I'm surprised Iowa was BMSed to the city. Especially since the clue said nothing about the city. Also, "Iowa City" is only like the 20th most popular city in Iowa.
Also, Iowa City is the fifth largest city in the state (and home of the University of Iowa, which is an internationally known AAU university and a member of the Big Ten). This is not a tough clue for someone familiar with the Midwest. BTW, Ottumwa, fictional home of Radar on M*A*S*H, is the 20th-largest city in Iowa, at about 25k.
Rock has dozens of sub-genres, including soft rock and just about everything else you'd find in the top 40 except maybe rap. It's just a generic term.Weird Al is a "rock" satirist? That almost seems like it should be tagged as erratum. Most of the songs he parodies seem to fall under Top 40/pop.
Yep, a tough one. I started that way, too, then realized "appenditis" is not a word. I think they should have reworded the clue to include the word "operation."I bit on the "itis" negbait. That was a nasty clue.
The payphone (if there still are any) is about 100 years old.That phone clue had a lot of guesses. I would've thought payphone.
With geography, it's often a matter of knowing the 15 or so major seas and oceans in the world and an idea of what countries might be in those coastal areas. It was a visual clue for me. I went immediately to Iran, but was only about 80% sure I had it.I saw no way to even guess on this FJ!
- Volante
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Re: The Official TPH Education Thread (POTENTIAL GAME DAY SPOILERS)
Yeah...if you don't know any Asian countries, you're completely sunk rather than 98% sunk.I saw no way to even guess on this FJ!
The best thing that Neil Armstrong ever did, was to let us all imagine we were him.
Latest movies (1-10): Everything Everywhere All at Once (10), Ruby Gillman: Teenage Kraken (6), Black Sunday /1960/ (6), Marcel the Shell with Shoes On (7)
Latest movies (1-10): Everything Everywhere All at Once (10), Ruby Gillman: Teenage Kraken (6), Black Sunday /1960/ (6), Marcel the Shell with Shoes On (7)
Re: The Official TPH Education Thread (POTENTIAL GAME DAY SPOILERS)
I'm from the Midwest and I had no idea which of the major cities in Iowa to pick.Anachronism wrote: ↑Tue Oct 17, 2017 10:28 pm Also, Iowa City is the fifth largest city in the state (and home of the University of Iowa, which is an internationally known AAU university and a member of the Big Ten). This is not a tough clue for someone familiar with the Midwest.
Still, very few of his songs would qualify as rock simply because the original un-parodied forms don't. For instance, there's nothing "rock" about "Blurred Lines", and therefore nothing rock about "Word Crimes". Same thing with "Ridin'", "Happy", "Like a Virgin", "MacArthur Park", etc. -- none of those songs are rock, so "White & Nerdy", "Tacky", "Like a Surgeon", "Jurassic Park", etc. aren't either. Likewise with original content: "Dare to Be Stupid" is a style-parody of Devo, who is new wave; "One More Minute" is 50's doo-wop and not even any artist in particular; and of course, all his polka medleys. Not that he hasn't done his share of rock parodies, but I never thought of it as his primary genre.Anachronism wrote: ↑Tue Oct 17, 2017 10:28 pmRock has dozens of sub-genres, including soft rock and just about everything else you'd find in the top 40 except maybe rap. It's just a generic term.Weird Al is a "rock" satirist? That almost seems like it should be tagged as erratum. Most of the songs he parodies seem to fall under Top 40/pop.
Every sea just blends together for me and I can never pinpoint which is where, no matter how hard I stare at the map. Given my affinity for maps, you'd think I'd be great at geography, but nope.Anachronism wrote: ↑Tue Oct 17, 2017 10:28 pm With geography, it's often a matter of knowing the 15 or so major seas and oceans in the world and an idea of what countries might be in those coastal areas. It was a visual clue for me. I went immediately to Iran, but was only about 80% sure I had it.
- This Is Kirk!
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Re: The Official TPH Education Thread (POTENTIAL GAME DAY SPOILERS)
Just take a look at the list of bands/artists in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and you'll see the term "rock music" is often used quite liberally.TenPoundHammer wrote: ↑Wed Oct 18, 2017 12:01 am Still, very few of his songs would qualify as rock simply because the original un-parodied forms don't. For instance, there's nothing "rock" about "Blurred Lines", and therefore nothing rock about "Word Crimes". Same thing with "Ridin'", "Happy", "Like a Virgin", "MacArthur Park", etc. -- none of those songs are rock, so "White & Nerdy", "Tacky", "Like a Surgeon", "Jurassic Park", etc. aren't either. Likewise with original content: "Dare to Be Stupid" is a style-parody of Devo, who is new wave; "One More Minute" is 50's doo-wop and not even any artist in particular; and of course, all his polka medleys. Not that he hasn't done his share of rock parodies, but I never thought of it as his primary genre.
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Re: The Official TPH Education Thread (POTENTIAL GAME DAY SPOILERS)
Water, water everywhere....TenPoundHammer wrote: ↑Wed Oct 18, 2017 12:01 am
Every sea just blends together for me and I can never pinpoint which is where, no matter how hard I stare at the map. Given my affinity for maps, you'd think I'd be great at geography, but nope.
OCSam
Re: The Official TPH Education Thread (POTENTIAL GAME DAY SPOILERS)
Why I Don't Guess, Volume XVIII:
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TenPoundHammer wrote: ↑Wed Oct 18, 2017 12:45 pmI still had nothing else that fit. It's like last week, I never would've guessed that fax machines are older than telephones.Elijah Baley wrote: ↑Wed Oct 18, 2017 12:42 pmExcept that wouldn't account for all of those payphones in movies going back to at least the 30s. Not to mention Superman used to do his quick change in an always conveniently located phonebooth.TenPoundHammer wrote: ↑Wed Oct 18, 2017 12:35 pmWhich, in my case, was payphone.Elijah Baley wrote: ↑Wed Oct 18, 2017 12:34 pm I hadn't considered the fact that there were car phones much earlier, but for $800 (if that was the value), it's probably a clue where the first thing that came to mind would typically be correct.
- Woppy T
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Re: The Official TPH Education Thread (POTENTIAL GAME DAY SPOILERS)
Absolutely -- but this is really just evidence of how completely lame the Rock and Roll HOF is.This Is Kirk! wrote: ↑Wed Oct 18, 2017 12:05 amJust take a look at the list of bands/artists in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and you'll see the term "rock music" is often used quite liberally.TenPoundHammer wrote: ↑Wed Oct 18, 2017 12:01 am Still, very few of his songs would qualify as rock simply because the original un-parodied forms don't. For instance, there's nothing "rock" about "Blurred Lines", and therefore nothing rock about "Word Crimes". Same thing with "Ridin'", "Happy", "Like a Virgin", "MacArthur Park", etc. -- none of those songs are rock, so "White & Nerdy", "Tacky", "Like a Surgeon", "Jurassic Park", etc. aren't either. Likewise with original content: "Dare to Be Stupid" is a style-parody of Devo, who is new wave; "One More Minute" is 50's doo-wop and not even any artist in particular; and of course, all his polka medleys. Not that he hasn't done his share of rock parodies, but I never thought of it as his primary genre.
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Re: The Official TPH Education Thread (POTENTIAL GAME DAY SPOILERS)
Agreed.Woppy T wrote: ↑Wed Oct 18, 2017 1:30 pmAbsolutely -- but this is really just evidence of how completely lame the Rock and Roll HOF is.This Is Kirk! wrote: ↑Wed Oct 18, 2017 12:05 amJust take a look at the list of bands/artists in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and you'll see the term "rock music" is often used quite liberally.TenPoundHammer wrote: ↑Wed Oct 18, 2017 12:01 am Still, very few of his songs would qualify as rock simply because the original un-parodied forms don't. For instance, there's nothing "rock" about "Blurred Lines", and therefore nothing rock about "Word Crimes". Same thing with "Ridin'", "Happy", "Like a Virgin", "MacArthur Park", etc. -- none of those songs are rock, so "White & Nerdy", "Tacky", "Like a Surgeon", "Jurassic Park", etc. aren't either. Likewise with original content: "Dare to Be Stupid" is a style-parody of Devo, who is new wave; "One More Minute" is 50's doo-wop and not even any artist in particular; and of course, all his polka medleys. Not that he hasn't done his share of rock parodies, but I never thought of it as his primary genre.
Re: The Official TPH Education Thread (POTENTIAL GAME DAY SPOILERS)
Yet another "why I don't guess" moment:
Okay, category of "Historic Connections" is of no use here. Experiment could be anything. English farm girl? No help. Breakthrough? No idea. Geneva? May 1980? Yeah, everything is totally meaningless here. I give up.A 1796 medical experiment with an English farm girl ultimately led to this breakthrough announced in Geneva May 8, 1980
- Wheatley
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Re: The Official TPH Education Thread (POTENTIAL GAME DAY SPOILERS)
They gave you an example (cub to cube), and E is such a versatile letter that a 3-minute song can only cover one function.TenPoundHammer wrote: ↑Thu Oct 19, 2017 1:20 am I saw no way to "Be more specific" on "E". That was a tough clue.
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Re: The Official TPH Education Thread (POTENTIAL GAME DAY SPOILERS)
And yet we got the umpteen billionth "Deer in the headlights after a BMS followed by triple-stumper" moment. I say undervalued and/or poorly pinned.Wheatley wrote: ↑Thu Oct 19, 2017 8:06 amThey gave you an example (cub to cube), and E is such a versatile letter that a 3-minute song can only cover one function.TenPoundHammer wrote: ↑Thu Oct 19, 2017 1:20 am I saw no way to "Be more specific" on "E". That was a tough clue.
- hbomb1947
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Re: The Official TPH Education Thread (POTENTIAL GAME DAY SPOILERS)
I actually have to agree with TPH to the extent that the clue was vague and undervalued (It was obviously pinned to a segment on the show, albeit a show that many of us hadn't seen in several decades.) The clue was vague because it didn't advert to a "function" of the letter at issue. The clue simply read, "Tom Lehrer wrote songs for the show, like one about this letter that likes to 'turn a can into a cane.'" (emphasis added). A silent "e" is not simply a letter, but a letter performing a particular function -- which goes beyond the wording of the clue.TenPoundHammer wrote: ↑Thu Oct 19, 2017 10:09 amAnd yet we got the umpteen billionth "Deer in the headlights after a BMS followed by triple-stumper" moment. I say undervalued and/or poorly pinned.Wheatley wrote: ↑Thu Oct 19, 2017 8:06 amThey gave you an example (cub to cube), and E is such a versatile letter that a 3-minute song can only cover one function.TenPoundHammer wrote: ↑Thu Oct 19, 2017 1:20 am I saw no way to "Be more specific" on "E". That was a tough clue.
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Re: The Official TPH Education Thread (POTENTIAL GAME DAY SPOILERS)
There have been tons and tons of actors who have portrayed presidents. It's 100% possible that a famous one played a president in a recent movie that I've never heard of, since I pay no attention to movies or actors. There is a remote chance that it could be the only actor I can name off the top of my head who recently played a President. But the odds are far, far, far, FAR greater that it's gonna be a NHOI for me. Therefore, I'm going with the odds.He’s the only actor to win 3 Best Actor Oscars, the most recent for his portrayal of a U.S. President
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Re: The Official TPH Education Thread (POTENTIAL GAME DAY SPOILERS)
Good for you! How did it feel to get this one right?TenPoundHammer wrote: ↑Thu Oct 19, 2017 8:00 pmThere have been tons and tons of actors who have portrayed presidents. It's 100% possible that a famous one played a president in a recent movie that I've never heard of, since I pay no attention to movies or actors. There is a remote chance that it could be the only actor I can name off the top of my head who recently played a President. But the odds are far, far, far, FAR greater that it's gonna be a NHOI for me. Therefore, I'm going with the odds.He’s the only actor to win 3 Best Actor Oscars, the most recent for his portrayal of a U.S. President
Odds of getting FJ right by leaving it blank: 0%
Odds of getting FJ right with a guess you have no confidence in: Infinitely greater
Always go with the odds. Always.
Re: The Official TPH Education Thread (POTENTIAL GAME DAY SPOILERS)
I meant "going with the odds" in terms of "the odds are far greater that it will be a NHOI than someone I have heard of. Because I know exactly one actor who has played a President, but he is literally one of hundreds of people who have portrayed a president. Therefore, the odds are far greater that the correct response will be someone I've NHO, than the one that I HAVE heard of.
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Re: The Official TPH Education Thread (POTENTIAL GAME DAY SPOILERS)
The odds against the answer being an empty space are maximally worse than the odds against the one name you can give.
Re: The Official TPH Education Thread (POTENTIAL GAME DAY SPOILERS)
Still. I was infinitely certain that it was NOT going to be the one name I could give.seaborgium wrote: ↑Thu Oct 19, 2017 10:43 pm The odds against the answer being an empty space are maximally worse than the odds against the one name you can give.
That's why I clam on FJ! so much. I'm so used to it being something I don't know, that I'm mentally preparing myself for that. Every part of me is expecting to get Liederkranz'd every time. It's happened before, so it'll happen again.
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Re: The Official TPH Education Thread (POTENTIAL GAME DAY SPOILERS)
Like you, I'm not a movie person at all. I haven't even set foot inside a movie theater in the last five years. Nonetheless, I was helped on this one by remembering a very similar FJ question last season where some of the wrong guesses were Daniel Day-Lewis, thinking of the Lincoln biopic. That led me to guess him for tonight's FJ.
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Re: The Official TPH Education Thread (POTENTIAL GAME DAY SPOILERS)
How can you be so sure? In your own words:TenPoundHammer wrote: ↑Thu Oct 19, 2017 11:03 pm Still. I was infinitely certain that it was NOT going to be the one name I could give.