cellphedia

Cellphedia
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On a trivial tangent - will this spell the end of pub trivia as we know it?

The knowledge base seems more aligned to the typical Trivia question, but the delivery speed might not match the 10 results in 0.23 seconds, which makes Google the major player around the radio quiz traps.

Maybe the new skill of a quiz-master will be the art of asking questions that muddle a search engine. Noted here:

Yeah, we don't like the internet's effect on this contest, but we have to deal. Believe it or not there is such thing as a "good" and "bad" googler. Sometimes just typing in the keywords from a question won't get you very far, you have to word it properly. Also, we are trying to write a lot of questions that defy google

I've been trying to think of such questions...
But then to publish any results might be a self-defeating exercise.

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Comments: cellphedia

Hmmmmm. I predict cheatation.
Posted by Tony.T at May 11, 2005 04:59 PM

And hopefully cryptic clues.

"What is the primary consonant of a recent War of the Roses combatant?"
Posted by Tony.T at May 11, 2005 05:02 PM

In fact, "consonant" is the wrong word. Try "character" instead.
Posted by Tony.T at May 11, 2005 05:05 PM

Darren?

(cue: zonk)

Before you added that second point I thought I knew:

Y

( + "what is recent?" )


I think it would certainly add another few neurons into the bargain to have to answer general knowledge in this way, but I dare say there would be a reasonabvle turn-out at Pub Cryptic-Trivia.
Britney or BB questions would never sound so undumb.

Posted by boynton at May 11, 2005 05:40 PM

Primary as in first and main. Character as in letter. Recent as in new. War of the Roses combatant as in Lancaster or York.
Posted by Tony.T at May 11, 2005 05:49 PM

Yeah I got all that, Mr Taylor.

That's why I said Y.

My primary answer was on the right cryptic track.
Even if I took a bewitching branch line.
Posted by boynton at May 11, 2005 05:54 PM

yah well. Who can ever get on to Tony Delroy's quiz anyway? noone except frikkin Magpie.

Do you think Google really does know everything worth knowing? I'm almost certain it doesn't.
Posted by laura at May 12, 2005 11:14 AM

Never tried. But used to listen to "The Challenge" until Google seemed to be taking over in the brains trust dept. That tell-tale gap bewteen stumped silence and the apparently obscure answer delivered casually after 10 seconds.
I tell you, it RUINS the espirit de radio trivia IMHO.

I googled that question, Laura, and Google sent me to Oscar Wilde quotes:
"A search Engine is an admirable thing, but it is well to remember from time to time that nothing that is worth knowing can be googled."

So who/google knows.
Posted by boynton at May 12, 2005 04:36 PM

yeah. You used to be able to hear pages being frantically turned (i speak of circa 1994, the period of Nevin's annoying acendancy in quizland)
Posted by laura at May 12, 2005 06:10 PM

Hmm - I know that era in question ( I listened) but did not realise that reference books were at hand.
(Apparently a certain blogger beat the ascendant one in a local Pub Trivia contest one night. No books, no phones.)

And I heard Red take N on recently (with mutual good humour) when once again he managed to sneak into the quiz under a false name.
Posted by boynton at May 12, 2005 08:12 PM

Oh and is it the Big Apple, T?

27 hours is not such a bad turnaround, is it?

(If this is wrong, I retire hurt)
Posted by boynton at May 12, 2005 08:47 PM

Nearly. Not quite.

Primary + Character = Capital (letter).

Recent = New.

War of the Roses combatant = York.

What is the capital of New York? Albany.

Hopelessly hamfisted clue, by the way.

PS: The ascendant one was none too happy. Unchuffed, you might say.
Posted by Tony.T at May 13, 2005 06:17 PM