This has become his sacred burden
January 7, 2020 7:47 AM Subscribe
There are national congresses that are less comprehensive than the J! Archive, and Robert Schmidt, a 39-year-old patent attorney and the original architect of the website, tells me over email that the full scope of documenting Jeopardy! requires a near-insurmountable amount of work. Still, he doesn’t think he’s doing enough.
I always wondered how many people were behind J Archive - always figured it was a tiny number. Damn useful site and a good way to revisit the blur of being on the show as well.
posted by drewbage1847 at 8:25 AM on January 7, 2020 [3 favorites]
posted by drewbage1847 at 8:25 AM on January 7, 2020 [3 favorites]
This post reminds me that I really need to convert my videotape from 1992 into some digital format and send him a copy of my episode. Haven't watched the tape since 2002, so no idea if it's even still playable.
posted by briank at 8:33 AM on January 7, 2020 [2 favorites]
posted by briank at 8:33 AM on January 7, 2020 [2 favorites]
PSA: the Jeopardy: Greatest of All Time tournament begins tonight.
posted by ZeusHumms at 10:05 AM on January 7, 2020 [1 favorite]
posted by ZeusHumms at 10:05 AM on January 7, 2020 [1 favorite]
'Jeopardy: Greatest of All Time' shines a spotlight on a TV institution: Alex Trebek
...But there is something more than usually significant about this event, given not just the status of the competitors but also the state of host Alex Trebek, who made his pancreatic cancer public in March....
...As the human embodiment of the show, Trebek has the knack of seeming actually to know the answers and more to all the questions — or the questions to the answers, in “Jeopardy!” parlance — independently of whatever information the writers have supplied him. But he never sounds superior to a player who might get something wrong: While winning demands a wide range of knowledge, there is nothing elitist about “Jeopardy!” An amused decorum, a puckish dignity reins. There’s room for humor but not for attitude...
...Science lives here, and history and language and statistics. There is no room for rumor, conspiracy theories or the actual fake news that has convinced some that the actual news is fake — unless, of course, the category is Rumors, Conspiracy Theories and Fake News. (“Jeopardy!” writers would come up with something clever for that.) Facts are facts, and when the show does get something wrong, it issues a correction and adjusts accordingly. We should all be so clear-headed.
posted by nubs at 11:50 AM on January 7, 2020
...But there is something more than usually significant about this event, given not just the status of the competitors but also the state of host Alex Trebek, who made his pancreatic cancer public in March....
...As the human embodiment of the show, Trebek has the knack of seeming actually to know the answers and more to all the questions — or the questions to the answers, in “Jeopardy!” parlance — independently of whatever information the writers have supplied him. But he never sounds superior to a player who might get something wrong: While winning demands a wide range of knowledge, there is nothing elitist about “Jeopardy!” An amused decorum, a puckish dignity reins. There’s room for humor but not for attitude...
...Science lives here, and history and language and statistics. There is no room for rumor, conspiracy theories or the actual fake news that has convinced some that the actual news is fake — unless, of course, the category is Rumors, Conspiracy Theories and Fake News. (“Jeopardy!” writers would come up with something clever for that.) Facts are facts, and when the show does get something wrong, it issues a correction and adjusts accordingly. We should all be so clear-headed.
posted by nubs at 11:50 AM on January 7, 2020
But he never sounds superior to a player who might get something wrongHaving been on the receiving end of being told you're wrong by Alex - I say horse pucky to that assertion! :)
posted by drewbage1847 at 1:38 PM on January 7, 2020 [8 favorites]
Schmidt remembers the single time a reporter asked Trebek for his thoughts on the J! Archive. His response? “Come on, people, get a life.”
I wonder if Trebek was thinking of the famous Shatner SNL skit when he said that.
posted by Chrysostom at 7:17 PM on January 7, 2020
I wonder if Trebek was thinking of the famous Shatner SNL skit when he said that.
posted by Chrysostom at 7:17 PM on January 7, 2020
With my various methods of viewing TV, I usually don't have a way to record the broadcast or see it on demand. The archive site is great for catching up on the questions themselves.
(BTW pro tip, if you watch the show live but don't feel like sitting through that enormous commercial break after the second round, jboard.tv always has the Final answer up by early evening, often before that full episode archive is up.
Also, I was at a meeting, so missed first night of the "GOAT" tourney & the regular episode. If anyone has, um, links, well, as Lauren Bacall might've said, "You do know how to DM, dontcha?")
posted by NorthernLite at 7:47 PM on January 7, 2020
(BTW pro tip, if you watch the show live but don't feel like sitting through that enormous commercial break after the second round, jboard.tv always has the Final answer up by early evening, often before that full episode archive is up.
Also, I was at a meeting, so missed first night of the "GOAT" tourney & the regular episode. If anyone has, um, links, well, as Lauren Bacall might've said, "You do know how to DM, dontcha?")
posted by NorthernLite at 7:47 PM on January 7, 2020
"Potent Potables" are a helluva drug.
posted by RobotVoodooPower at 9:29 PM on January 7, 2020
posted by RobotVoodooPower at 9:29 PM on January 7, 2020
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posted by nubs at 8:05 AM on January 7, 2020 [3 favorites]