September 17, 2005
Although it is downright tiresome to talk too much about ourselves, I have to tell you that I am now an expert on just about everything, and, what’s more, it has nothing to do with living many years on this planet.
Granted, it is flattering to have folks think I really know everything about everything.
Secret is, I don’t.
Truth is you, too, can be an expert.
Wanna know how?
All you need is ready access to the web through your desktop, laptop, cell phone, Blackberry, or whatever electronic means you have at hand.
It doesn’t hurt to have a good dictionary nearby either.
Ok, so maybe a little imagination will be required as well, but, trust me, you can do it.
My college-age kids call me the “Google Queen” because “googling” is now my favorite pastime.
Just this morning, I had a caller ask me how to find the Kansas City City Hall. The driver was hopelessly lost among the one-way downtown streets, had the address, but couldn’t get from here to there.
He called me on his cell and said, “I knew you would know what to do.”
My head swelled a bit. I had no idea how the one-way streets ran, but I knew how to find out.
A simple click or two, and Bingo! I found a comprehensive map with the one-ways clearly marked, and, in a flash, off the caller went to 12th and Oak.
Simple as that.
Another day I got a call from a relative who was stuck in a long airport line because his flight was cancelled on a stopover. He absolutely had to get to his destination or miss his younger brother’s graduation.
“What do I do,” he said. “Everyone is trying frantically to get out of here, and I am in a very long line. My chances don’t look good. They tell me there are only a few flights left on all airlines. The flights will all be gone before I get to the counter.”
No worries.
A click or two and I had him booked on another flight with another airline, deftly reserving a ticket well ahead of those in front of him in line. Then, all he had left to do was check-in.
A simple Google search did the trick once again.
There you have my secret. I don’t really know all these things, but I do know where to look.
So, you can understand why I am so baffled by the likes of Jeopardy TV show phenomenon Ken Jennings. This guy, if you were asleep and somehow missed his winning streak in 2004, compiled an amazing amount of cash on Jeopardy.
Now, Ken really knows what he is talking about.
Not only does he know where to look for information, he has committed gigabytes of it to memory.
Does he have a super-human memory or is he just a regular guy who likes facts and figures?
I’m betting on the latter.
Ken was a 30-year-old software engineer from Salt Lake City when he started winning on Jeopardy.
Today, he is a multi-millionaire, has a book deal, a Microsoft Encarta encyclopedia deal, numerous speaking engagements, and a trivia board game in the works.
Just take a look at these amazing statistics about Ken Jennings and his run on Jeopardy:
Ken Jennings finally lost with the simple question “What is FedEx?” The Final Jeopardy answer was: “Most of this firm’s 70,000 seasonal employees work only four months a year.”
Real estate agent, Nancy Zerg, gave the correct question: “What is H&R Block?”
Jennings explained that he does his own taxes so the idea of H&R Block simply did not come to mind.
Apparently, he is human after all!
As I am writing this piece, my phone rings, and it is Lila. She says, “I have a question, and I know you will know the answer.”
Her question was: “Where can I find a reliable gardener, someone who can come regularly to trim shrubs, plant flowers, and change plants from season to season?”
I’m stumped. My charade is up. All the ‘Googling’ in the world can’t help me now.
Turns out Lila moved here from California where nearly everyone has gardeners, so I can’t blame her for asking.
How is she to know that here we just put out a few spring flowers that last until about early July when the weeds take over. Then, the drought comes, everything turns brown, folks quit watering, and most of us don’t even know a gardener.
For the first time, I was forced to say, “I don’t know.”
My run is over. Ken Jennings lasted longer!
