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Not being from the US (and not getting Jeopardy in my country), i've never heard of this guy. He's incredibly entertaining in this interview, definitely caught

Not being from the US (and not getting Jeopardy in my country), i've never heard of this guy. He's incredibly entertaining in this interview, definitely caught me off guard considering how serious and straight-faced he seemed throughout the Watson matches (Thanks, YouTube). This interview is the funniest thing i've read today (3 hour work commute, I read LOTS.) Oh, and did anyone else keep wanting to upvote his answers?

bmelton 16y ago
Ken Jennings got famous as being the longest-lasting Jeopardy contestant ever. He remained undefeated in Jeopardy for over 70 games, and won over 2 million dollars. He was very likeable on the show as well, especially given that we were able to enjoy so much of the show with him on it, which is unusual for contestants. He's somewhat notorious in the IT industry because his day job (not sure if he still holds it) was a programmer, which at least endeared him to me.
- lylejohnson 16y ago
  Notorious?
  - jcsalterego 16y ago
    As in the Duran Duran song
  - bmelton 16y ago
    Notorious: publicly or generally known, as for a particular trait It's an acceptable usage, though I freely concede I overuse it when 'famous' would be more easily understood.
    - lylejohnson 16y ago
      Ah, OK. Given the negative connotation (at least for its more common usage) I was wondering if there was some Ken Jennings backlash out there that I'd missed.
      - taylorbuley 16y ago
        You might be conflating notorious with "nefarious," which is used when someone is notorious for something bad.
        keiferski 16y ago
        I hate to be one that argues about definitions, but: generally known and talked of; especially : widely and unfavorably known http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/notorious http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/notorious
        sesqu 16y ago
        You don't have to be famous to be nefarious. flagrantly wicked or impious : evil Origin: Latin nefarius, from nefas crime http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/nefarious http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/nefarious

bmelton 16y ago

Ken Jennings got famous as being the longest-lasting Jeopardy contestant ever. He remained undefeated in Jeopardy for over 70 games, and won over 2 million dollars. He was very likeable on the show as well, especially given that we were able to enjoy so much of the show with him on it, which is unusual for contestants. He's somewhat notorious in the IT industry because his day job (not sure if he still holds it) was a programmer, which at least endeared him to me.

lylejohnson 16y ago
Notorious?
- jcsalterego 16y ago
  As in the Duran Duran song
- bmelton 16y ago
  Notorious: publicly or generally known, as for a particular trait It's an acceptable usage, though I freely concede I overuse it when 'famous' would be more easily understood.
  - lylejohnson 16y ago
    Ah, OK. Given the negative connotation (at least for its more common usage) I was wondering if there was some Ken Jennings backlash out there that I'd missed.
    - taylorbuley 16y ago
      You might be conflating notorious with "nefarious," which is used when someone is notorious for something bad.
      - keiferski 16y ago
        I hate to be one that argues about definitions, but: generally known and talked of; especially : widely and unfavorably known http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/notorious http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/notorious
      - sesqu 16y ago
        You don't have to be famous to be nefarious. flagrantly wicked or impious : evil Origin: Latin nefarius, from nefas crime http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/nefarious http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/nefarious