Phone a friends not using the Internet..

[jalman]

[quote name=\'lobster\' post=\'180301\' date=\'Mar 6 2008, 03:13 PM\']
well, the fact that you get to CHOOSE your PAFs gives you the ability to select people who ARE internet-savvy .. who doesn't know someone else out there that doesn't know how to use a search engine? :p

or am i too much of an internet nerd to think that people who can use Google are plentiful?

/maybe i'd be surprised..
[/quote]
I also wrote:

There's an alternate method: gathering PAFs who the contestant knows are experts at a subject area. That doesn't mean there would [sic] no search engine users on the list, but there would be some "backup" just in case a particular PAF isn't known to be comfy with computers.

Filling PAFs with Googlers is a great, if not essential, strategy.  I don't disagree with that.   However, it is not always possible to have people who can quickly parse Google results as well as they can breathe.

[Jimmy Owen]

The problem is the internet isn't always correct.  I'd rather have a friend with the knowledge.  If you remember the John Carpenter question, I just typed in "President Laugh-in" in Google and the first thing that came up was Ronald Reagan.

[jalman]

[quote name=\'Jimmy Owen\' post=\'180332\' date=\'Mar 6 2008, 04:54 PM\']
The problem is the internet isn't always correct.  I'd rather have a friend with the knowledge.  If you remember the John Carpenter question, I just typed in "President Laugh-in" in Google and the first thing that came up was Ronald Reagan.
[/quote]
'Twas a poor search.  Alternate searches that includes "sock it to me" or even "sock it" would be more helpful.  Searching "laugh-in "sock it to me"" or even "laugh-in "sock it"" would bring the correct answer.

Then again, how people know how to properly search phrases and that Google may ignore "to" or possibly "me" without the proper phrasing?

[chad1m]

[quote name=\'jalman\' post=\'180338\' date=\'Mar 6 2008, 05:18 PM\']
'Twas a poor search.  Alternate searches that includes "sock it to me" or even "sock it" would be more helpful.  Searching "laugh-in "sock it to me"" or even "laugh-in "sock it"" would bring the correct answer.
[/quote]

But... that was never in the original question. Your average phone-a-friend surfer may not know that Nixon uttered that phrase.

[lobster]

[quote name=\'jalman\' post=\'180338\' date=\'Mar 6 2008, 04:18 PM\']
[quote name=\'Jimmy Owen\' post=\'180332\' date=\'Mar 6 2008, 04:54 PM\']
The problem is the internet isn't always correct.  I'd rather have a friend with the knowledge.  If you remember the John Carpenter question, I just typed in "President Laugh-in" in Google and the first thing that came up was Ronald Reagan.
[/quote]
'Twas a poor search.  Alternate searches that includes "sock it to me" or even "sock it" would be more helpful.  Searching "laugh-in "sock it to me"" or even "laugh-in "sock it"" would bring the correct answer.
[/quote]

Well, to be fair, the question didn't mention "Sock it to me" so a PAF Googler wouldn't have that info to put in.. the question was worded like this: "Which of these former U.S. presidents appeared on the television series 'Laugh-In?'" .. but still, (to Jimmy Owen:) Reagan isn't one of the four answers, so still further looking down the list yields tons of Nixon references... Having that said,  I believe there are ways to optimally Google MOST Millionaire questions that should yield the answer 100% concretely.  A lot of their higher-dollar questions that have to do with obscure facts (that most PAFs appear to not know off the top of their heads) are very easily researchable ..  

I'm not saying that brainy PAFs have their merits and trivia skills to handle it themselves, but come on, you have a world full of possible questions that you'd have a much faster and better chance of finding online over someone who has a specialty in certain trivial fields.  I would venture to bet even Mr. Jennings himself wouldn't know half the $500k/million-dollar questions definitively off the top of his head.

[jalman]

[quote name=\'lobster\' post=\'180342\' date=\'Mar 6 2008, 05:35 PM\']
Well, to be fair, the question didn't mention "Sock it to me" so a PAF Googler wouldn't have that info to put in.. the question was worded like this: "Which of these former U.S. presidents appeared on the television series 'Laugh-In?'"
[/quote]
Jimmy and lobs, I sit corrected.

I'm not saying that brainy PAFs have their merits and trivia skills to handle it themselves, but come on, you have a world full of possible questions that you'd have a much faster and better chance of finding online over someone who has a specialty in certain trivial fields.  I would venture to bet even Mr. Jennings himself wouldn't know half the $500k/million-dollar questions definitively off the top of his head.

That's an interesting point.  However, I'm not advocating NOT taking the optimal method of PAF but acknowledging that possibilities exist that neither involve interacting with a computer or utilizing someone with a lack of confidence in their Google-fu.

[Matt Ottinger]

[quote name=\'lobster\' post=\'180325\' date=\'Mar 6 2008, 04:31 PM\']
heh i'll be the first to admit my dissertation-sized story illustrates a more ridiculous and hardcore game show fan edge to it, but i hope it was made clear the concept of having fun on a game show is not at all lost on me
[/quote]
On the contrary, it's clear that the devotion to preparation was precisely part of the fun for you, and I apologize if any negative inference at all was made.

[lobster]

[quote name=\'Matt Ottinger\' post=\'180361\' date=\'Mar 6 2008, 06:18 PM\']
[quote name=\'lobster\' post=\'180325\' date=\'Mar 6 2008, 04:31 PM\']
heh i'll be the first to admit my dissertation-sized story illustrates a more ridiculous and hardcore game show fan edge to it, but i hope it was made clear the concept of having fun on a game show is not at all lost on me
[/quote]
On the contrary, it's clear that the devotion to preparation was precisely part of the fun for you, and I apologize if any negative inference at all was made.
[/quote]

naw i don't take it that way at all, it's all good -- I hope my wordy response didn't come off as defensive .. -- as you know from the megastory you were one of the  key elements to my overall "training" so you know I have nothin' but respect for the Matt..  and yes, although I did have an obscenely good time going through all of that Lingo silliness, I can't say I would have bothered if not for the potential cash prize (even though it was GSN-grade cash ) ..  I can play Lingo online all I want for fun .. but to me, this was business .. }:D dollar mission!

And I suppose you're right.. not everyone takes it to that level, these are just games to a lot of people.  It's just weird to me that with so much money on the line on some of them (namely WWTBAM), that more people don't employ more tactics that seem obvious.. especially with a game that's been well-known in the mainstream for 8 years..