University Challenge

[gurnemanz]

Worth bearing in mind that on the answers where conferring is allowed and captain speaks you cannot always clearly tell who has actually supplied a correct answer. These answers are often a real team effort with much whispering, as in pub quizzes, where you can also contribute by rejecting someone else's suggested answer.

[Richard Tarleton]

Back to the competition proper.....Camp indeed So much for Susan Sontag

[BBMmk2]

That guy wearing the bow tie was very good, I thought! The classical music questions, not one iota I knew but guessed the Verdi. Opera not my strong point.

[Richard Tarleton]

That guy wearing the bow tie was very good, I thought! The classical music questions, not one iota I knew but guessed the Verdi. Opera not my strong point.

His captain was even better.

I got them all immediately....

Back to Susan Sontag for a moment - her characterisation of camp is rather broad.... There is an interesting essay by her in the programme for the 1993 WNO Tristan on "Wagner's Fluids". "Several kinds of fluids enter the body in Wagner's stories but in only one form does fluid leave it, blood, and this in male bodies only. Women have bloodless deaths: usually they simply expire, abruptly (Elsa, Elizabeth, Isolde, Kundry), or they immolate themselves, in water (Senta) or in fire (Brunnhilde). Only men bleed...bleed to death".

[Dave2002]

That guy wearing the bow tie was very good, I thought! The classical music questions, not one iota I knew but guessed the Verdi. Opera not my strong point.

The hardest for me was the Bellini - which I dredged up out of a distant memory. Newcastle were very good. One suspects that some winning teams have members who are willing to risk hitting the button to gain an advantage, and the person who gains the question may manage to get the right answer by using most of the clue to guess.

What would be interesting would be if the games organisers altered the button press logic, so that it would actually detect responses from different members in the teams - say within one second. This could be of interest even if it didn't affect the game, as it would then be possible to observe whether some teams are being pushed out "simply" because of lack of speed on button pressing. An example would be the Pippa Greenwood missed question. We don't know whether she pushed the button or not. I am assuming she would have got the answer right if asked.

It is of course possible that the technology does analyse button presses in more detail than we know about, though the final of the Christmas series with nul points for the losing team does make one wonder a bit.

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

His captain was even better.

[Richard Tarleton]

I was curious about Mr Howe's sartorial accessory last night - what was that about?

[BBMmk2]

Quite enjoyed the classical music questions which I guessed all of them, and at least the team answered some right!

[oddoneout]

I was curious about Mr Howe's sartorial accessory last night - what was that about?

In touch with his feminine side?

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

Quite a close-run thing wasn't it?



No - not the Result, but the question of which team Captain had the more annoying mannerisms.

[MrGongGong]

Kerry Andrew sometimes writes a blog about this which is worth a read IMV

http://universitychallenged.tumblr.com

[LMcD]

Quite a close-run thing wasn't it?



No - not the Result, but the question of which team Captain had the more annoying mannerisms.

I'd rate it a no-score draw.

[Richard Tarleton]

Kerry Andrew sometimes writes a blog about this which is worth a read IMV

http://universitychallenged.tumblr.com

Brilliant stuff MrG, thank you for this!

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

I'd rate it a no-score draw.

(I doubt whether either of them has. )

[vinteuil]

(I doubt whether either of them has. )

... and a saucer of milk for my friend.


.