Thursday, December 14, 2017 Game Recap and Discussion [SPOILERS]

[econgator]

While "decapitated" is certainly classifiable as an adjective, IIRC Alex gave a specific instruction at the start of the round that all responses would begin with (not merely include) "CAP". So the adjectival sense of "capital" (i.e. "…punishment", beheading) is the sole solution.

True, but why use that "definition"? I don't think there's any place in the world right now where committing a capital offense will cause you to lose your head.

[DBear]

Surprised that the three stand-and-stares on Steinbeck were not edited out. Would've stood and stared right along with them
Got capricious and thumb trash. Didn't get capital, but ignored the decapitate negbait.
Was disappointed that just 'blimp' was accepted. What is the Goodyear blimp?

[opusthepenguin]

I'm no wagering savant but I thought that a poor FJ bet by Craig. He was apparently trying to protect against a double by Brennan, but since if he misses the answer he drops to third he might as well have bet $5401 to have a shot at winning if Bryce misses or bet $0.

I think I can safely call myself a wagering savant and I think Craig's bet was perfectly cromulent.

[EDIT: I miscalculated. I now agree that $5,401 is the best wager. Sigh. If I ever get on the show, I just know I'm going to screw my calculations up there as well. We now return you to my original post, with which I no longer agree.]

Agreed. He made the bet I would have made. He could not have made a safer bet. And if you want to argue that betting $5401 (or up to $5,999 really) is EQUALLY safe since Bryce will ABSOLUTELY make the shutout bet, I'd have to disagree. Any bet over $5,201 takes on some additional risk. The risk is probably very slight in comparison to picking up an extra $798. But the risk is not non-existent. I would not want to go home after this game because Bryce miscalculated and wagered $100 shy of the shutout bet.

[opusthepenguin]

Yet another FJ! that's a billion miles over my head. Can they make this crap any goddamn harder?! What kind of insane leap of logic made this 2/3?!?

Depends how you get there. If you knew that GoodYear was headquartered in Akron, it was two easy steps. I went the route of knowing that Akron was connected with rubber which is used to make tires which is what GoodYear does and they have a blimp. I'm not sure how many steps that is, but it went by pretty quickly in my mind. I can easily see it not going so well on another night. I can see getting stuck on the Wright Brothers. Like others here, I started down that path. I could see focusing on the year 2016 and spending all my time trying to think of some cutting edge high tech aircraft. I could see getting caught up in the less than elegant syntax of the clue and not knowing how to parse the phrase "one of these" until the 31st second (at which point everything would suddenly make sense). I could see keying in on Akron as the TOM and still not figuring out where to go from there.

Still, I'll predict this polls over 50%. Not sure why. It just feels like a clue that fits well with the way many boardies think.

[TenPoundHammer]

Yet another FJ! that's a billion miles over my head. Can they make this crap any goddamn harder?! What kind of insane leap of logic made this 2/3?!?

Depends how you get there. If you knew that GoodYear was headquartered in Akron, it was two easy steps. I went the route of knowing that Akron was connected with rubber which is used to make tires which is what GoodYear does and they have a blimp. I'm not sure how many steps that is, but it went by pretty quickly in my mind. I can easily see it not going so well on another night. I can see getting stuck on the Wright Brothers. Like others here, I started down that path. I could see focusing on the year 2016 and spending all my time trying to think of some cutting edge high tech aircraft. I could see getting caught up in the less than elegant syntax of the clue and not knowing how to parse the phrase "one of these" until the 31st second (at which point everything would suddenly make sense). I could see keying in on Akron as the TOM and still not figuring out where to go from there.

Still, I'll predict this polls over 50%. Not sure why. It just feels like a clue that fits well with the way many boardies think.

I spent the whole 30 seconds going "Um... what is Akron famous for?... ... ... ... Nah, I got nothing."

Seriously, why is it that I can't do this? Why can't I just THINK when I need it? Ask me any other time of day what Akron's famous for, and I can say Goodyear in a heartbeat. But if the FJ! music is playing, I can't even remember what state Akron is in.

[econgator]

Depends how you get there. If you knew that GoodYear was headquartered in Akron, it was two easy steps. I went the route of knowing that Akron was connected with rubber which is used to make tires which is what GoodYear does and they have a blimp. I'm not sure how many steps that is, but it went by pretty quickly in my mind. I can easily see it not going so well on another night. I can see getting stuck on the Wright Brothers. Like others here, I started down that path. I could see focusing on the year 2016 and spending all my time trying to think of some cutting edge high tech aircraft. I could see getting caught up in the less than elegant syntax of the clue and not knowing how to parse the phrase "one of these" until the 31st second (at which point everything would suddenly make sense). I could see keying in on Akron as the TOM and still not figuring out where to go from there.

Still, I'll predict this polls over 50%. Not sure why. It just feels like a clue that fits well with the way many boardies think.

I got it from Wingfoot, which is the Goodyear symbol.

[Category 13]

Any bet over $5,201 takes on some additional risk. The risk is probably very slight in comparison to picking up an extra $798. But the risk is not non-existent. I would not want to go home after this game because Bryce miscalculated and wagered $100 shy of the shutout bet.

A $5500 wager leaves Craig a $400 saftey margin over that hypothetical $100 error and still forces third place to at least get it correct to overtake him.
In Brennan's position, I would have only wagered 198 and hoped for the oftenly seen over wager from second place.

[Ironhorse]

I got derailed (or deblimped) by the Wright Brothers and couldn't get back on track.

[BigDaddyMatty]

Coryat: $33,600
46 R/4 W
DD: 3/3
FJ:
LT: thumb, East of Eden, The Red Pony, capricious

Really well-played game. I was surprised to see Bryce miss FJ!, especially given that he apparently made the Goodyear connection.

Reason #1187 why I love my wife:
Me: What is a garden gnome?
Her: I think it's pronounced "arden gnome." I hear the "g" is silent.

[Ironhorse]

While "decapitated" is certainly classifiable as an adjective, IIRC Alex gave a specific instruction at the start of the round that all responses would begin with (not merely include) "CAP". So the adjectival sense of "capital" (i.e. "…punishment", beheading) is the sole solution.

True, but why use that "definition"? I don't think there's any place in the world right now where committing a capital offense will cause you to lose your head.

Saudi Arabia.

[Lefty]

Bryce missing the FJ! clue is something I can understand as I initially had a wrong turn as well. The clue had Akron and I processed it as Dayton. Thinking Wright Bros. and some kind of anniversary thing I wrote “biplane.” That was crossed out soon after when I got my Ohio cities straight and knew where to go for an easy switch.

My immediate reaction was "soap box derby car" but on further reflection it seemed an unlikely topic for an adult game and a christening ceremony rather overblown.

[cf1140]

Instafell for the negbait and said a derby soapbox

NOT FAIR

[Anachronism]

We're moving to the Akron area as soon as we can sell our house built at the height of the bubble and unwanted for two years now. We will probably have to live inside something with tires, if this market continues. So, insta-connect Akron with tires, a little hesitation because I didn't think they were still building airships or blimps, but couldn't think of anything else worth bleating out.

I wondered where the Steinbeck category was going. Pre-called the first three as they seem like the three all Steinbeck fans would know. I've even read Cannery Row, but long since forgot character names, so no guess there. Decapitate... didn't fit the category and somewhere I knew capitate was a word, so I figured that was worth a shot. Turns out it's a bone in your hand.

[DBear]

I wondered where the Steinbeck category was going. Pre-called the first three as they seem like the three all Steinbeck fans would know. I've even read Cannery Row, but long since forgot character names, so no guess there. Decapitate... didn't fit the category and somewhere I knew capitate was a word, so I figured that was worth a shot. Turns out it's a bone in your hand.

I know capitate as a health insurance term meaning to pay health care providers per patient seen, instead of fee for service.

[This Is Kirk!]

For Final I said "What is an airship?" Can I have a ruling from the judges, please?

The Wingfoot generation of Goodyear Blimps are actually semi-rigid, and thus not truly blimps at all. Count it.

I was hoping someone would mention this. Now I'm going to go on the J! Facebook page to rant about how unacceptable it is for "blimp" to be taken as a correct response!

[I did write down "airship." I just couldn't bring myself to write the technically inaccurate "blimp."]

[twelvefootboy]

Pasting of post accidentally put in TPH thread. No Ramanujan, me.

Finally back after mini-vacation to the Fire Coast to view a day of Jeopardy! taping. I hope to start a thread and post some details in case the experience has changed or for benefit of anybody planning to go later. But the main takeaway - Johnny Gilbert is incredible! And, I finally got another pic for my avatar - but count me out as any wannabe player - I'm going the other way from the sign!

FJ was a big overthink for me and I'm surprised the contestants didn'talso blow it. I couldn't believe it was something dumb like another bi-plane or Wright Flyer, and why any hoopla about another blimp? (edit- I did juxtapose Dayton and Akron - duh). So I went modern and thought human powered flight - Winged Foot - why not? But that is so 1980's and the major prize challenges have been won (Channel crossing, etc..). So I upped the SciFi to solar powered airplane. Instead we get 18th century French technology from the Montgolfier brothers. Brother! .

I had my first Monte Cristo about 5 years ago and would weigh about 500 lbs by now if they were available near me.

I stared at the three men staring at the last Steinbeck clues - could not pull the titles and would never match them to the clue if I did.

Another word I've read all my life and never heard pronounced apparently - "eponymous", pronouced as "ee-PAWN-a-muss". It's always played in my head as EH-poe-nim-mous. I had the same issue with "facade" and even used "fass-sod" in speech before I merged the two words in my 20's. Just remarking for no good reason.

I questioned the 2nd place bet and decided it was cromulent. But I think I would have gambled for the big payday over the 1000 dollar hedge.

[Category 13]

We're moving to the Akron area as soon as we can sell our house built at the height of the bubble and unwanted for two years now.

I have a niece that has lived in or near Akron for the last 12 years. Last year while stopping over on a cross country drive, she took us and her daughters to the Akron zoo. I never would have known there was a zoo in that city and it's a pretty impressive facility.

I was trying to think of a much smaller mode of transportation and didn't even pick up on Akron being the TOM, thanks to a momentary brain lapse.
I couldn't get it in thirty seconds but it was a head slapper on the reveal. Pretty decent clue.

[idearat]

I would also have gone with '"airship" since the Wingfoot Two is *not* a blimp. While filled with helium, a blimp is basically a balloon with a gondola. The semi-rigid airship from Zeppelin has an internal frame. From the outside, compared to the old blimps this is very noticeable. The old blimp had a small gondola that had the motors and propellers mounted to it. The new airship has no motors mounted to the gondola, rather they are mounted to the frame of the airship on each side of the envelope and at the rear. The old Goodyear blimp required everyone riding in it to wear ear protection due to the sound of the very close engines. The new airship has no such requirement.

With no one getting the answer correct, the returning champ should have been the winner. While someone might argue that "blimp" was closer than "tire", it really is not the correct answer at all.

[dhkendall]

I would also have gone with '"airship" since the Wingfoot Two is *not* a blimp. While filled with helium, a blimp is basically a balloon with a gondola. The semi-rigid airship from Zeppelin has an internal frame. From the outside, compared to the old blimps this is very noticeable. The old blimp had a small gondola that had the motors and propellers mounted to it. The new airship has no motors mounted to the gondola, rather they are mounted to the frame of the airship on each side of the envelope and at the rear. The old Goodyear blimp required everyone riding in it to wear ear protection due to the sound of the very close engines. The new airship has no such requirement.

With no one getting the answer correct, the returning champ should have been the winner. While someone might argue that "blimp" was closer than "tire", it really is not the correct answer at all.

[seaborgium]

With no one getting the answer correct, the returning champ should have been the winner.

How do you figure, given he finished behind someone who bet $0?