Ken Jennings
Born
in The United States
May 23, 1974
Twitter
Genre
Maphead: Charting the Wide, Weird World of Geography Wonks
20 editions
—
published
2011
—
|
|
|
Because I Said So! : The Truth Behind the Myths, Tales, and Warnings Every Generation Passes Down to Its Kids
6 editions
—
published
2012
—
|
|
|
Brainiac: Adventures in the Curious, Competitive, Compulsive World of Trivia Buffs
10 editions
—
published
2006
—
|
|
|
100 Places to See After You Die: A Travel Guide to the Afterlife
11 editions
—
published
2023
—
|
|
|
Planet Funny: How Comedy Took Over Our Culture
8 editions
—
published
2018
—
|
|
|
Greek Mythology (Ken Jennings' Junior Genius Guides, #1)
by
13 editions
—
published
2014
—
|
|
|
Maps and Geography (Ken Jennings' Junior Genius Guides, #2)
9 editions
—
published
2014
—
|
|
|
U.S. Presidents (Ken Jennings' Junior Genius Guides, #3)
10 editions
—
published
2014
—
|
|
|
Ken Jennings's Trivia Almanac: 8,888 Questions in 365 Days
9 editions
—
published
2007
—
|
|
|
Outer Space (Ken Jennings' Junior Genius Guides, #4)
by
6 editions
—
published
2014
—
|
|
Related News
Need another excuse to treat yourself to a new book this week? We've got you covered with the buzziest new releases of the day, according to early...
23 likes · 2 comments
For those of us who like to spend entire days curled up with a book, summertime reading is the best kind of reading. All those outdoor...
332 likes · 85 comments
His Favorite Gifts for Trivia Buffs: The Jeopardy! champion compiles parental wisdom and myth in Because I Said So! and shares his top five gifts...
21 likes · 2 comments
“After all, we're currently living in a Bizarro society where teenagers are technology-obsessed, where the biggest sellers in every bookstores are fantasy novels about a boy wizard, and the blockbuster hit movies are all full of hobbits and elves or 1960s spandex superheroes. You don't have to go to a Star Trek convention to find geeks anymore. Today, almost everyone is an obsessive, well-informed aficionado of something. Pick your cult: there are food geeks and fashion geeks and Desperate Housewives geeks and David Mamet geeks and fantasy sports geeks. The list is endless. And since everyone today is some kind of trivia geek or other, there's not even a stigma anymore. Trivia is mainstream. "Nerd" is the new "cool.”
― Brainiac: Adventures in the Curious, Competitive, Compulsive World of Trivia Buffs
― Brainiac: Adventures in the Curious, Competitive, Compulsive World of Trivia Buffs
“The decline of geography in academia is easy to understand: we live in an age of ever-increasing specialization, and geography is a generalist's discipline. Imagine the poor geographer trying to explain to someone at a campus cocktail party (or even to an unsympathetic adminitrator) exactly what it is he or she studies.
"Geography is Greek for 'writing about the earth.' We study the Earth."
"Right, like geologists."
"Well, yes, but we're interested in the whole world, not just the rocky bits. Geographers also study oceans, lakes, the water cycle..."
"So, it's like oceanography or hydrology."
"And the atmosphere."
"Meteorology, climatology..."
"It's broader than just physical geography. We're also interested in how humans relate to their planet."
"How is that different from ecology or environmental science?"
"Well, it encompasses them. Aspects of them. But we also study the social and economic and cultural and geopolitical sides of--"
"Sociology, economics, cultural studies, poli sci."
"Some geographers specialize in different world regions."
"Ah, right, we have Asian and African and Latin American studies programs here. But I didn't know they were part of the geography department."
"They're not."
(Long pause.)
"So, uh, what is it that do study then?”
―
"Geography is Greek for 'writing about the earth.' We study the Earth."
"Right, like geologists."
"Well, yes, but we're interested in the whole world, not just the rocky bits. Geographers also study oceans, lakes, the water cycle..."
"So, it's like oceanography or hydrology."
"And the atmosphere."
"Meteorology, climatology..."
"It's broader than just physical geography. We're also interested in how humans relate to their planet."
"How is that different from ecology or environmental science?"
"Well, it encompasses them. Aspects of them. But we also study the social and economic and cultural and geopolitical sides of--"
"Sociology, economics, cultural studies, poli sci."
"Some geographers specialize in different world regions."
"Ah, right, we have Asian and African and Latin American studies programs here. But I didn't know they were part of the geography department."
"They're not."
(Long pause.)
"So, uh, what is it that do study then?”
―
Topics Mentioning This Author
topics | posts | views | last activity | |
---|---|---|---|---|
The Seasonal Read...: Fall Challenge 2011 Completed Tasks - DO NOT DELETE ANY POSTS IN THIS TOPIC! | 2264 | 777 | Nov 30, 2011 09:05PM | |
Washoe County Lib...: Best of 2011 | 19 | 35 | Feb 15, 2012 02:48PM | |
Fans of Maps: April 2012 Group Read! | 31 | 25 | May 04, 2012 08:32PM | |
The Seasonal Read...: Spring Challenge 2012: Completed Tasks -DO NOT DELETE ANY POSTS IN THIS TOPIC | 2302 | 765 | May 31, 2012 09:02PM | |
Science and Inquiry: Sept 2012 Book Club Nominations | 17 | 89 | Jul 26, 2012 01:18PM | |
Crazy Challenge C...: * R2: Team Four - The Loose Pages | 419 | 91 | Nov 18, 2012 01:06PM | |
Fans of Maps: * Our bookshelves! | 44 | 118 | Dec 17, 2012 02:30PM | |
The Seasonal Read...: Fall Challenge 2012: Completed Tasks - DO NOT DELETE ANY POSTS IN THIS TOPIC | 2310 | 747 | Dec 28, 2012 03:29PM |
Is this you? Let us know. If not, help out and invite Ken to Goodreads.