Transcript 09/16/09 - Jeff Birt

[BBTranscriptTeam]

Jeff Birt
Louisville, KY
Firefighter

Today's expert is Ali Wentworth.

Question Topics:
*Science Class
*Periodicals
*Numbers Game
*Elected Officials
*Sizes and Shapes
*Pop Music
*Current Events
*Useful Devices
*Literature
*Show Business
*Architecture
*Cartoons
*Slang
*Year in Review
*Customs


$500 - Customs
What occasion inspired a Hallmark card that reads, "Sometimes when we're lying in bed, I look over at you and think, "I am so lucky"?
A: College Graduation B: Bar mitzvah
C: Wedding Anniversary D: Shark Week

Spoiler

C: Wedding Anniversary (9)

$1000 - Year in Review
A single white, crystal-covered glove figured prominently in memorials to what late entertainer?
A: Ed McMahon B: David Carradine
C: Farrah Fawcett D: Michael Jackson

Spoiler

D: Michael Jackon (10)

$2000 - Slang
Merck, Eli Lilly, and AstraZeneca are three companies in an industry slangily referred to as what?
A: Big Oil B: Big Tobacco
C: Big Steel D: Big Pharma

Spoiler

D: Big Pharma (10)

$3000 - Cartoons
Introduced in the cartoon "Mr. Duck Steps Out," who is Donald Duck's longtime girlfriend?
A: Daisy Duck B: Dorothy Duck
C: Dixie Duck D: Debbie Duck

Spoiler

A: Daisy Duck (10)

$5,000 - Architecture
What signature architectural feature of its dine-in restaurants is prominently included in the logo for Pizza Hut?
A: Yellow turret B: Blue door
C: Red roof D: Green arch

Spoiler

C: Red roof (10)

$7,500 - Show Business
Which of these well-known singers was most commonly referred to as the "hardest working man in show business"?
A: Perry Como B: James Brown
C: Sam Cooke D: John Denver

Spoiler

B: James Brown (24)

$10,000 - Literature
"The Moneypenny Diaries" is a series of novels about a personal secretary who works with what fictional character?
A: James Bond B: Sherlock Holmes
C: Jack Ryan D: Jason Bourne

Spoiler

A: James Bond (24)

$12,500 - Useful Devices
The L-shaped device known as a "croupier's rake" is designed to move what?
A: Fireplace embers and ashes B: Billiard balls
C: Masonry Cement D: Casino chips and dice

Jeff answers after chuckling to himself for a few seconds.

Spoiler

D: Casino chips and dice (19)

$15,000 - Current Events
In April 2009, the U.S. Navy rescued Capt. Richard Phillips of the Maersk Alabama from pirates off the coast of what nation?
A: Somalia B: Egypt
C: Tanzania D: Libya

Spoiler

A: Somalia (20)

-- Commercial Break --

Meredith comments that Jeff resembles David Duchovney. Jeff's fiance Lorena is introduced.

$25,000 - Pop Music
The musical duo 3OH!3 takes its name from the area code where the group first formed, encompassing what U.S. City?
A: Cleveland, OH B: Tucson, AZ
C: Boulder, CO D: Austin, TX

With 22 seconds remaining, Jeff decides to Ask the Audience
ATA: A: 50% B: 3% C: 30% D: 17%

Jeff is skeptical of the audience ("I had an inkling of my own") and with 9 seconds remaining, he decides to Phone a Friend. Jeff calls his friend Charlie.

Jeff rephrases the question to "I need to know what city has the area code 3-zero-3" and provides the choices within the first 9 seconds. With 10 seconds left, Charlie says "

Spoiler

Boulder

, I'm sure." Jeff answers

Spoiler

Boulder

.

Spoiler

C: Boulder, CO (7)

$50,000 - Sizes and Shapes
Which of these snack foods are common examples of hyberbolic paraboloids, a type of mathematical shape?
A: Funyuns B: Bugles
C: Pringles D: Combos

Spoiler

C: Pringles (32)

-- Commercial Break --
Meredith asks if the guys back at the firehouse would give him a hard time if he weren't doing so well. "I'm a fire training officer, so I have 39 recruits that have to march to my drum..."

$100,000 - Elected Officials
Like Barack Obama, which of these men was elected president while he was a sitting U.S. Senator?
A: Harry Truman B: Warren Harding
C: Andrew Johnson D: Benjamin Harrison

With 27 seconds, Jeff decides to Double Dip.
Jeff's first response is

Spoiler

B. Warren Harding

Spoiler

B: Warren Harding (27)

$250,000 - Numbers Game
Approximately how many Social Security numbers have been issued since the first one was assigned in 1936?
A: 450 million B: 517 million
C: 575 million D: 631 million

There is an audible groan among the audience members when this question is revealed.

With 35 seconds remaining, Jeff decides to Ask the Expert.

During Meredith's into chat with Ali, there are a few comments from the audience, loud but not quite discernable to this transcriber...

"Jeff, you probably know better than I... my inkling is that it's in the 500 million category, but there's two of those. If I were there I'd pick 575 million. For some reason 575 million feels about right."

With 18 seconds remaining, Jeff decides to walk with $100k.

Spoiler

A: 450 million

[Southpaw Fanny]

(I recorded this show because Florida Girl was on, DVR Rocks!)

I felt sorry for this cat, he was a likable dude. When Meredith was talking about him looking like David Duchovny, I thought "looks more like Lyle Lovett to me". Then he comes out with the Lovett. Ha!

He must not listen to a lot of current music, because it seems like EVERY TIME they play this band on the Sunday morning countdown or have an interview with them, it's mentioned that their name is from the area code.

I think the audience was swayed to Cleveland because of the OH in the middle of the band name, that was a mean distractor.

[Estonut]

He must not listen to a lot of current music, because it seems like EVERY TIME they play this band on the Sunday morning countdown or have an interview with them, it's mentioned that their name is from the area code.

That doesn't help a lot, unless they mention the city, too...

[Southpaw Fanny]

He must not listen to a lot of current music, because it seems like EVERY TIME they play this band on the Sunday morning countdown or have an interview with them, it's mentioned that their name is from the area code.

That doesn't help a lot, unless they mention the city, too...

Okay, they mention that the name is from the area code for Colorado (I made the assumption that the Colorado would be implied).

They wouldn't have to mention the city at all.....

[silverscreenselect]

The proper strategy with Ali Wentworth appears to be to automatically assume she is wrong. That way you can safely eliminate one answer. A dream stack, to be at 250K with all the lifelines and a question that should be very googlable.

[Jeemie]

I would be at $500K with an ATE and ATA left.

I would have needed my PAF for the 3OH!3 question, and would have DD'ed at $250K- my reasoning was the number was probably one of the lower two, because for much of the 73 years since Social Security numbers have been around, you didn't get one unless you applied for it. Having a SSN assigned at birth is a fairly recent phenomenon.

So I would have DDed with A and B as my guesses.

[earendel]

Jeff Birt
Louisville, KY
Firefighter

And a former RoFer from the PTBAM anniversary shows (I don't know which one).

Today's expert is Ali Wentworth.

Yeah, right.

$50,000 - Sizes and Shapes
Which of these snack foods are common examples of hyberbolic paraboloids, a type of mathematical shape?
A: Funyuns B: Bugles
C: Pringles D: Combos

Spoiler

C: Pringles (32)

I would have thought "potato chips" before the choices came up.

$100,000 - Elected Officials
Like Barack Obama, which of these men was elected president while he was a sitting U.S. Senator?
A: Harry Truman B: Warren Harding
C: Andrew Johnson D: Benjamin Harrison

With 27 seconds, Jeff decides to Double Dip.
Jeff's first response is

Spoiler

B. Warren Harding

Spoiler

B: Warren Harding (27)

I should know this, but I don't. However I know it's not A or C, so it's time for the DD.

$250,000 - Numbers Game
Approximately how many Social Security numbers have been issued since the first one was assigned in 1936?
A: 450 million B: 517 million
C: 575 million D: 631 million

There is an audible groan among the audience members when this question is revealed.

With 35 seconds remaining, Jeff decides to Ask the Expert.

During Meredith's into chat with Ali, there are a few comments from the audience, loud but not quite discernable to this transcriber...

"Jeff, you probably know better than I... my inkling is that it's in the 500 million category, but there's two of those. If I were there I'd pick 575 million. For some reason 575 million feels about right."

With 18 seconds remaining, Jeff decides to walk with $100k.

Spoiler

A: 450 million

At least he didn't trust the expert and go with her answer. As for me, my thought was C, but when the "expert" said that, I would have backed away from that answer. Of course I wouldn't have asked the "expert" in the first place - time for a Google PAF.

So I end up going for the $500K with ATA and ATE still remaining. Not good, but better than nothing.

[MarleysGh0st]

Here are two short articles (too short, relative to his performance) about Jeff:

http://www.whas11.com/news/local/storie ... ca34f.html

Birt says his secret to playing the game was all about strategy, especially who was handy with internet searches.

“If you're playing the game smart, you use the resources that are available to you. Search engines certainly help,” he says.

Jeff gets second billing in this column, after “The Biggest Loser” contestant Mozziz “Mo” DeWalt.

http://www.courier-journal.com/article/ ... able+loser

Off-topic, but worth quoting for a laugh:

Quote of the Day

"I would rather have a rectal examination on live TV by a fellow with cold hands than have a Facebook page."

— GEORGE CLOONEY at a Toronto press conference

[Appa23]

He must not listen to a lot of current music, because it seems like EVERY TIME they play this band on the Sunday morning countdown or have an interview with them, it's mentioned that their name is from the area code.

That doesn't help a lot, unless they mention the city, too...

Okay, they mention that the name is from the area code for Colorado (I made the assumption that the Colorado would be implied).

They wouldn't have to mention the city at all.....

I was trying to figure out why that area code did not ring a bell for me, as I do a considerable amount of work in Colorado.

I normally am in Colorado Springs, which is Area Code 719.

303 is Denver area.

Likely would have spent my PAF there, making the SS # question much harder to get.

[Thousandaire]

I've lived in CO and I wasn't sure about this (at the time the whole state had one area code).

I thought the SS answer was 450 million. Honest.

[frogman042]

....
$250,000 - Numbers Game
Approximately how many Social Security numbers have been issued since the first one was assigned in 1936?
A: 450 million B: 517 million
C: 575 million D: 631 million

There is an audible groan among the audience members when this question is revealed.

With 35 seconds remaining, Jeff decides to Ask the Expert.

During Meredith's into chat with Ali, there are a few comments from the audience, loud but not quite discernable to this transcriber...

"Jeff, you probably know better than I... my inkling is that it's in the 500 million category, but there's two of those. If I were there I'd pick 575 million. For some reason 575 million feels about right."

With 18 seconds remaining, Jeff decides to walk with $100k.

....

I would have loved it if she said, I think its around 500 million, plus or minus 30% of that figure, for sure.

[Bob Juch]

That doesn't help a lot, unless they mention the city, too...

Okay, they mention that the name is from the area code for Colorado (I made the assumption that the Colorado would be implied).

They wouldn't have to mention the city at all.....

I was trying to figure out why that area code did not ring a bell for me, as I do a considerable amount of work in Colorado.

I normally am in Colorado Springs, which is Area Code 719.

303 is Denver area.

Likely would have spent my PAF there, making the SS # question much harder to get.

And for the record, 720 is layed over 303.

[vettech]

Overall I like the way this guy played. I especially liked how he parsed out the real question for his PAF - that's how you do it! I would've had to ATA for that one, too, I had never heard of the band and I didn't know the area code. The 2 big spikes would've had me use my DD.

Hell, I work for SSA and I didn't know this one. My guess was B. but I definitely would've PAF for that one.

So far, I don't thing there's ANY question I'd trust this "expert" on.

[MarleysGh0st]

Hell, I work for SSA and I didn't know this one. My guess was B. but I definitely would've PAF for that one.

Heh! I was going to ask where one would have learned this fact. Not at the SSA, I guess!

I was trying to reason it out, from the premise that, since kids get their SSN right after birth, everyone alive now has one. Then add to that all of the people who have died between 1936 and now--but I couldn't come up with a solid estimate for that.

[Southpaw Fanny]

Overall I like the way this guy played. I especially liked how he parsed out the real question for his PAF - that's how you do it! I would've had to ATA for that one, too, I had never heard of the band and I didn't know the area code. The 2 big spikes would've had me use my DD.

Hell, I work for SSA and I didn't know this one. My guess was B. but I definitely would've PAF for that one.

So far, I don't thing there's ANY question I'd trust this "expert" on.

Somebody (I think gs) has said before that if the number two choice is really strong, then that means that it's right and the people who didn't know got taken in by a distractor that ended up giving one wrong choice the highest percentage instead of being spread out over the three of them.

I think that's right in this case. People who didn't know chose Cleveland (whether or not it was conscious) because of the OH in the middle of the name, leaving the people who did know a strong second instead of first.

[Estonut]

I was trying to reason it out, from the premise that, since kids get their SSN right after birth, everyone alive now has one. Then add to that all of the people who have died between 1936 and now--but I couldn't come up with a solid estimate for that.

What Jeemie said earlier in this thread is true.

...because for much of the 73 years since Social Security numbers have been around, you didn't get one unless you applied for it. Having a SSN assigned at birth is a fairly recent phenomenon.

I wonder how many people born before the at-birth assignment days never applied for one...

[Bob Juch]

I was trying to reason it out, from the premise that, since kids get their SSN right after birth, everyone alive now has one. Then add to that all of the people who have died between 1936 and now--but I couldn't come up with a solid estimate for that.

What Jeemie said earlier in this thread is true.

...because for much of the 73 years since Social Security numbers have been around, you didn't get one unless you applied for it. Having a SSN assigned at birth is a fairly recent phenomenon.

I wonder how many people born before the at-birth assignment days never applied for one...

This should let you figure that out:

http://www.socialsecurity.gov/history/s ... olume.html

[MarleysGh0st]

I was trying to reason it out, from the premise that, since kids get their SSN right after birth, everyone alive now has one. Then add to that all of the people who have died between 1936 and now--but I couldn't come up with a solid estimate for that.

What Jeemie said earlier in this thread is true.

...because for much of the 73 years since Social Security numbers have been around, you didn't get one unless you applied for it. Having a SSN assigned at birth is a fairly recent phenomenon.

I wonder how many people born before the at-birth assignment days never applied for one...

This should let you figure that out:

http://www.socialsecurity.gov/history/s ... olume.html

That would have been a handy table for a PAF to have (except that Jeff had already used his PAF). But, in general, I think you can assume that just about everyone who has been employed at some time since 1936 has had an SSN. That might have excluded a lot of women back in the 1930s, but then a lot of those same women might have gotten one during WWII or afterwards.

[Estonut]

What Jeemie said earlier in this thread is true.
I wonder how many people born before the at-birth assignment days never applied for one...

This should let you figure that out:

http://www.socialsecurity.gov/history/s ... olume.html

That would have been a handy table for a PAF to have (except that Jeff had already used his PAF). But, in general, I think you can assume that just about everyone who has been employed at some time since 1936 has had an SSN. That might have excluded a lot of women back in the 1930s, but then a lot of those same women might have gotten one during WWII or afterwards.

I suspect you are underestimating the number of people who work under the table. Even U.S. citizens...

[NellyLunatic1980]

$25K: I have friends in the Cleveland area. I know it's not Cleveland. That's 216, with 440 in the suburbs. I'll ask the audience, reject their majority vote of Cleveland, and take their second vote of Boulder.

$100K: We can easily eliminate Truman and Johnson since they both became President upon the death of another President. Double Dip on B and D.

$250K: While laying in my bed in pain, I called the correct number. I figured it would be a low number because I added the current U.S. population to the approximate U.S. population 70 years ago. In the HS, I would've used the PAF for confirmation.

So I'd be going for $500K with Schmoopie left on my lifeline list.

[vettech]

This should let you figure that out:

http://www.socialsecurity.gov/history/s ... olume.html

That would have been a handy table for a PAF to have (except that Jeff had already used his PAF). But, in general, I think you can assume that just about everyone who has been employed at some time since 1936 has had an SSN. That might have excluded a lot of women back in the 1930s, but then a lot of those same women might have gotten one during WWII or afterwards.

I suspect you are underestimating the number of people who work under the table. Even U.S. citizens...

Then add in all the legal aliens that work here...

I would've assumed the info was on the website (it has a lot of good info), which is why I would've used a PAF.

[ten96lt]

What Jeemie said earlier in this thread is true.
I wonder how many people born before the at-birth assignment days never applied for one...

This should let you figure that out:

http://www.socialsecurity.gov/history/s ... olume.html

That would have been a handy table for a PAF to have (except that Jeff had already used his PAF). But, in general, I think you can assume that just about everyone who has been employed at some time since 1936 has had an SSN. That might have excluded a lot of women back in the 1930s, but then a lot of those same women might have gotten one during WWII or afterwards.

Yes my grandmother got one during WWII to work because she said that by about then a lot of employers wanted to see you have one to work, but I think she either said to extent of sometimes a woman would use her husbands SSN duirng that time to contribute since I guess they'd share the income after retiring. Or was it she said sometimes widows take their husbands SSN after they pass away because my grandfather passed away when my father was 12 I can't remember which it was, but I remember holding my breath when she pulled out her Social Security Card to show to the Illinois Secretary of State to get an ID card because they wanted to make sure she didn't have that situation of using her late husband's SSN.