As much as I'm enjoying "The Know-It-All", I must say that A.J. Jacobs is an insufferable little twit. At least, Jacobs the character is. I suspect the man himself isn't so bad, but as a device the Jacobs who shows up in print is more appropriate for, as the full title advises, "One Man's Humble Quest to Become the Smartest Person in the World". Jacobs never misses an opportunity to share some nugget of knowledge he has absorbed, whether it be contextually reasonable or not. His wife Julie comes off as rather saintly, calm in her acceptance of life with a lunatic. Jacobs frequently encounters people who either don't appreciate his endeavour, or belittle his intellectual abilities, or both. The most annoying character is his brother-in-law Eric, the kind of overeducated creep we've all met and loathed, the kind of guy you simply must defeat, whether it be in a contest or simply in a back alley with a tire iron. Add in memory experts, Mensans, speed readers and Alex Trebek, and you have a cornucopia of brainy freaks.
By the way, one tip of value gleaned from my reading. If you ever hope to compete on "Jeopardy", make sure you have never met Trebek. That alone is enough to get you disqualified even if, as Jacobs did, it was only for an interview.
My own Britannica experiment started today, with entries on a Finnish architect, the biblical priest Aaron and several Muslim leaders whose reigns ranged from 685 to 1629 A.D. Day one's reading equaled seven pages; at this rate, it will take 168 days just to finish the first volume.
There is also the question of how much I expect to remember. I really have no expectations on this. What I hope is simply to accomplish what any valid educational experience accomplishes - that on some subjects the Britannica will spark a flame to learn more, and I will go on to do other reading independent of my project. Those are the things that I expect will stick with me long after the reading is done.
Oh, and on the question of reading the 1974 edition instead of the latest flame - other than the sciences, and the day-to-day events through which I have lived and observed from afar, not much has changed in 31 years. The French Revolution is still the French Revolution. It may be more interesting to see how some tastes and perceptions have changed over the years. Plus, the current Britannica apparently has room for such eminences as Madonna, Andrew Lloyd Webber and Donald Trump, entries I am content to miss.
By the way, one tip of value gleaned from my reading. If you ever hope to compete on "Jeopardy", make sure you have never met Trebek. That alone is enough to get you disqualified even if, as Jacobs did, it was only for an interview.
My own Britannica experiment started today, with entries on a Finnish architect, the biblical priest Aaron and several Muslim leaders whose reigns ranged from 685 to 1629 A.D. Day one's reading equaled seven pages; at this rate, it will take 168 days just to finish the first volume.
There is also the question of how much I expect to remember. I really have no expectations on this. What I hope is simply to accomplish what any valid educational experience accomplishes - that on some subjects the Britannica will spark a flame to learn more, and I will go on to do other reading independent of my project. Those are the things that I expect will stick with me long after the reading is done.
Oh, and on the question of reading the 1974 edition instead of the latest flame - other than the sciences, and the day-to-day events through which I have lived and observed from afar, not much has changed in 31 years. The French Revolution is still the French Revolution. It may be more interesting to see how some tastes and perceptions have changed over the years. Plus, the current Britannica apparently has room for such eminences as Madonna, Andrew Lloyd Webber and Donald Trump, entries I am content to miss.
posted by George @ 9:10 p.m.
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