Thursday, September 26, 2019 Game Recap and Discussion (SPOILERS)

[Woppy T]

Sydney Opera House never occurred to me. I focused on “eight wonder,” which took me to the Astrodome, and I never moved even though 1973 seemed kind of late for that building. (Turns out it opened in 1965.)

[Picked Off]

Congrats to Jason on a great run and also to Gabe for putting himself into scoring position on the last pivotal clue of DJ!

[yclept]

Just goes to show you that skill is very important in Jeopardy, but you also need luck to be on your side. Jason seemed a little bit off (fatigue?) in DJ, but still managed to dominate the Coryat and put himself in a strong position to win. Good job by Gabe to give himself a fighting chance entering the final.

We will finally get to see if a new champ who saw James’ style will try to emulate it in any way. Will Gabe go to a category like “Starts with B” for $200 to begin Friday’s show? I am intrigued to find out.

[alietr]

Between AP's comment yesterday and the number of early posts in the thread, I figured Jason was going down today. Great job, though, and that's gotta be an awesome financial windfall for a teacher.

I ignored the music part and couldn't get my mind off the WTC, even though I knew the answer wasn't likely to be in the U.S. because of the category, but at least I had the right year. And the WTC was considered to be an amazing feat when it was built.

I had come across this a ways back; it shows the alternative designs for the Sydney Opera House:

https://www.arch2o.com/what-the-sydney- ... XT8pKRpI1U

[mahatma]

Like Christine, I, too, said the other major world building that opened in 1973.

Unlike Christine, I said the other-other major world building that opened in 1973.

For me, at least, it would've been important to recognize the 'world = not US' rule of thumb. I do generally hate those (that one, along with 'North America = not US', 'Europe = not UK', etc), but they seem to prove out in the game.

[heppm01]

Completely failed to pick up on the opera hint in the clue. Eventually settled (uneasily) on the Sears Tower after considering WTC, Space Needle in Seattle (1962), CN Tower in Toronto (1976) and whatever that tall building in Dubai is called (2009).

[Peter the accountant]

I'm surprised it took so long in the thread to get around to the wrong answer from New York. I went there almost immediately and couldn't shake it. Most frustrating to me is the fact that the whole "world something means not USA" was discussed earlier this week. And I let that slip away so quickly. I also missed the librettist hint in the clue. I doubt it would have helped, but I need to work on noticing those little things.

It's a shame to see Jason go. He was an enjoyable champ to watch. But the game has 61 clues, and that last one can make a difference. I look forward to seeing Jason again in whatever ToC he is invited to.

[Woppy T]

I'm surprised it took so long in the thread to get around to the wrong answer from New York. I went there almost immediately and couldn't shake it. Most frustrating to me is the fact that the whole "world something means not USA" was discussed earlier this week. And I let that slip away so quickly. I also missed the librettist hint in the clue. I doubt it would have helped, but I need to work on noticing those little things.

It's a shame to see Jason go. He was an enjoyable champ to watch. But the game has 61 clues, and that last one can make a difference. I look forward to seeing Jason again in whatever ToC he is invited to.

Just wondering -- would a question about the WTC refer to a singular "building"? I think they would word it differently -- maybe by using "structure," "complex," etc.

[hbomb1947]

I'm surprised it took so long in the thread to get around to the wrong answer from New York. I went there almost immediately and couldn't shake it. Most frustrating to me is the fact that the whole "world something means not USA" was discussed earlier this week. And I let that slip away so quickly. I also missed the librettist hint in the clue. I doubt it would have helped, but I need to work on noticing those little things.

It's a shame to see Jason go. He was an enjoyable champ to watch. But the game has 61 clues, and that last one can make a difference. I look forward to seeing Jason again in whatever ToC he is invited to.

Just wondering -- would a question about the WTC refer to a singular "building"? I think they would word it differently -- maybe by using "structure," "complex," etc.

Yes, the word "building" (singular) in the clue should alone have eliminated the Twin Towers as a viable response, even leaving aside that the category name effectively ruled out anything in the U.S.

[opusthepenguin]

Gabe had a tendancy to make unforced errors.

Maybe not completely unforced. When you're up against a 19-day champ, it makes sense to adapt your strategy. This can include accepting a higher level of risk on the clues you attempt. "Playing it safe" isn't much different from conceding the game early in this situation. If Gabe had gone true DD at every opportunity, I'd be more inclined to suspect that this was his thinking. He was fairly aggressive, though, so maybe.

[talkingaway]

I also had "Sears Tower" and "WTC" on my short list of guesses. I knew both were wrong...but for some reason, the names "Alan John" and "Dennis Watkins" sounded so darn American that I couldn't get myself out of the US, despite the fact that the category was "World Landmarks". Sometimes you have to focus on the right part of the clues - "librettist" and "world" alone made the FJ almost slam dunk - add in a non-Italian name and a modern date, and you're there if you go continent-by-continent.

I was surprised that both Sears and the original WTC complex were also built in 1973. I did write down WTC as my "final guess", because I couldn't come up with anything else, but I had a vague feeling it was built in the mid-to-late 60s. Apparently construction started in 1968, so I was sort of right, and again didn't read the clue carefully - opening, not construction or groundbreaking.

My lesson: You have to focus on the correct clue(s) within the clue to get a FJ! right. The year, the names of the people, the title of the piece, the other seven wonders, the exact category, and the words "composer" and "librettist" - it's may not seem like a lot at first, but it's a lot of information to process in 30 seconds, and only some of the clues are cromulent.

In retrospect, WTC isn't the worst answer, especially since it opened in 1973. It wouldn't seem totally off-base for someone to have written an operatic elegy to the twin towers, to be played at, say, the Met. If you're going "what building(s) have a dramatic history to have an opera?", then WTC comes close. The only really bad things about a WTC guess are the "world = non-US" trope, and the fact that it's a complex, not a building. I say this assuming that the names of the two people aren't well-known; I'm no opera buff, but I'm guessing they're not modern Puccinis, and their names are outside of the J! scope without context.

[LucarioSnooperVixey]

58 R (Cannonball Run was my only miss today.)
DD: 3/3
FJ:
LT: (Ruminants), Deer, Chitin

[LucarioSnooperVixey]

In retrospect, WTC isn't the worst answer, especially since it opened in 1973.

WTC was completed in 1973, but it opened in 1976.

[mahatma]

In retrospect, WTC isn't the worst answer, especially since it opened in 1973.

WTC was completed in 1973, but it opened in 1976.

Actually Alert!

The WTC actually opened before it was completed. 7WTC wasn’t even built until the 80s, but each individual building started taking tenants before the building itself was complete. Not uncommon with skyscrapers. I’m not sure where you got 1976. I could see 1970, 1971, any number of other years, but the official opening was 1973.

[CasketRomance]

In retrospect, WTC isn't the worst answer, especially since it opened in 1973.

WTC was completed in 1973, but it opened in 1976.

Actually Alert!

The WTC actually opened before it was completed. 7WTC wasn’t even built until the 80s, but each individual building started taking tenants before the building itself was complete. Not uncommon with skyscrapers. I’m not sure where you got 1976. I could see 1970, 1971, any number of other years, but the official opening was 1973.

glad someone put that dude in his place...claims to have missed 1 jeopardy clue in this episode and then botches something that he could have easily fact-checked

[This Is Kirk!]

Anyone else think this was a strange clue?

On an iPhone this "mode" disables Wi-Fi features

It seems like it more properly should have said this mode disables cellular service. It turns off Wi-Fi, but I wouldn't really say it "disables" it since it can be turned back on while still in Airplane Mode. Minor quibble, but just curious if anyone else noticed it at the time...

[seaborgium]

Anyone else think this was a strange clue?

On an iPhone this "mode" disables Wi-Fi features

It seems like it more properly should have said this mode disables cellular service. It turns off Wi-Fi, but I wouldn't really say it "disables" it since it can be turned back on while still in Airplane Mode. Minor quibble, but just curious if anyone else noticed it at the time...

I did, because on three different international trips where I've had my phone, I've left it on airplane mode with wi-fi on the whole time.

[econgator]

Anyone else think this was a strange clue?

On an iPhone this "mode" disables Wi-Fi features

It seems like it more properly should have said this mode disables cellular service. It turns off Wi-Fi, but I wouldn't really say it "disables" it since it can be turned back on while still in Airplane Mode. Minor quibble, but just curious if anyone else noticed it at the time...

Yep, sure did.

[cthulhu]

Anyone else think this was a strange clue?

On an iPhone this "mode" disables Wi-Fi features

It seems like it more properly should have said this mode disables cellular service. It turns off Wi-Fi, but I wouldn't really say it "disables" it since it can be turned back on while still in Airplane Mode. Minor quibble, but just curious if anyone else noticed it at the time...

Airplane mode hasn’t turned off WiFi in some years now, ever since the FAA approved using WiFi at all times several years ago.

[econgator]

Anyone else think this was a strange clue?

On an iPhone this "mode" disables Wi-Fi features

It seems like it more properly should have said this mode disables cellular service. It turns off Wi-Fi, but I wouldn't really say it "disables" it since it can be turned back on while still in Airplane Mode. Minor quibble, but just curious if anyone else noticed it at the time...

Airplane mode hasn’t turned off WiFi in some years now, ever since the FAA approved using WiFi at all times several years ago.

Wifi is still turned off when you activate Airplane Mode, but you can turn it right back on.