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The Know-It-All

Posted by timothy on from the nyah-nyah dept.

SDurham writes "Americans love trivia. From the bookish facts of Jeopardy! to the daily dose of ESPN Sportscenter, trivia is as much a part of our pop culture as hot rods or baseball. Few sources contain as much fact (or trivia) as the Encyclopaedia Britannica, and in The Know-It-All, A. J. Jacobs chronicles his attempt to read this collection of knowledge. At 33,000 pages, Jacobs' task is not one to be taken lightly. Jacobs manages not only to complete this challenge, but to weave an engaging account of his year-long obsession in Know-It-All." Read on for Durham's review. The Know-It-All: One Man's Humble Quest to Become the Smartest Person in the World author A. J. Jacobs pages 369 publisher Simon & Schuster rating 7 reviewer SDurham ISBN 0743250605 summary An account of a single-minded approach to mind expansion.

Jacobs is certainly suited to his task. A former editor at Entertainment Weekly and now a senior editor at Esquire, Jacobs' day-to-day work brings him into contact with a variety of American obsessions. After the first few chapters, however, it becomes clear that this is more than an account of consuming such a massive amount of information. The book is divided into chapters based on each section of the Britannica, and Jacobs' tale unfolds under headings that link his reflections to related Britannica entries. These reflections begin to reveal several themes that emerge throughout the book: Jacobs' struggle to match, or at least come to terms with, his father's accomplishments, the ongoing attempts of Jacobs and his wife to become parents, and the nature of intelligence and intelligent people.

Know-It-All reads easily, and Jacobs has a knack for humorous writing. Throughout the book Jacobs encounters a wide array of interesting, if not mildly eccentric, individuals. From Mensa members to the actual editors of the Britannica, Jacobs successfully humanizes many people normally viewed as stiff or uncharismatic. He tries to glean bits of wisdom as he goes, and these encounters best transmit Jacobs' message.

One recurring character in Jacobs' life often appears as his nemesis. Jacobs' brother-in-law Eric is described as a thoroughly knowledgeable Mr. Perfect, whose career -- from an Ivy League education to the U.S. Foreign Service to Wall Street -- constantly antagonizes Jacobs in some small way. With his newly acquired Britannica knowledge, Jacobs searches for ways to finally one-up Eric.

In one early encounter, he tries to apply what he has learned about aerodynamics in a tennis match against Eric. These encounters rarely end as Jacobs hopes, but they almost always provide humorous interludes between Jacobs' more serious discussions about the Britannica and its contents. This is not an overly serious book, however; Jacobs manages to infuse his humor into almost every entry in the book.

One theme within Know-It-All that is more serious in tone follows Jacobs and his wife's attempt to become parents. Even in this area of Jacobs' life he tries to apply his rapidly growing Britannica knowledge. Jacobs notices a plethora of fertility gods and goddesses as he reads through each volume, and the couple adopts a new one each week as a sponsor. Julie, Jacobs wife, describes herself as a 'Britannica widow' during Jacobs' project because of the hours he spends reading. It is in Julie that Know-It-All becomes a successful book. While readers may scoff at Jacobs' neglect of his wife (as he portrays it) during his project, the relationship between the two raises Know-It-All above a simple intellectual pursuit.

A surprising number of typographical errors are scattered through the book. Surprising, because Jacobs is an editor, and the book is clearly meant to appeal to an inquisitive, intelligent audience. These errors do little to detract from the overall experience of Know-It-All, however, and it is a solid, worthwhile read. For anyone who finds himself answering TV trivia questions in his head, or enjoys browsing through all sections of a bookstore, this book is a fun weekend read.

You can purchase The Know It All: One Man's Humble Quest to Become the Smartest Person in the World from bn.com. Slashdot welcomes readers' book reviews -- to see your own review here, read the book review guidelines, then visit the submission page.

149 comments

  1. with WP, by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    he had to copy-edit the whole 33.000

  2. But... by Ariane+6 · · Score: 4, Funny

    Does it say "Don't Panic" in big, friendly letters on the cover?

    1. Re:But... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

      Yeah... I finished the Encylopedia Galactica in a year, only to discover that my knowledge was out of date because the universe by then had been replaced by something infinitely more complex and inscrutable. Apparently, some fool went and Figured It All Out.

      Someone is going to be introduced to the business end of my towel.

  3. Used to Know it all by CypherXero · · Score: 3, Funny

    I used to know it all, and then I hit my head on a SPARC system.

    1. Re:Used to Know it all by PMJ2kx · · Score: 2, Funny

      That brings to mind "System Core Dump". :-)

    2. Re:Used to Know it all by eclectro · · Score: 1

      I used to know it all, and then I hit my head on a SPARC system.

      Yeah, me too. Then I started reading slashdot and became a 1337 know-it-all

      Kiss my ring.

      --
      Take the cheese to sickbay, the doctor should see it as soon as possible - B'Elanna Torres, "Learning Curve"
  4. As an editor... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful
    A surprising number of typographical errors are scattered through the book. Surprising, because Jacobs is an editor, and the book is clearly meant to appeal to an inquisitive, intelligent audience.
    As an editor, I'll point out that while I can, and do, readily spot the typographical errors of others, I often completely overlook my own.

    I've always attributed it to the fact that when I read my own writing, I'm more likely to simply remember what I meant as I go along than take in new information, whereas when I read the work of others I don't have what was meant already in my head.
    1. Re:As an editor... by gnuLNX · · Score: 3, Funny

      Just out of curiosity do you have any particular techniques that you use to try and limit this? I also foudn I make many errors and then never catch them...probably as you suggest because when I re-read them I know what I wanted to say.

      --
      what?
    2. Re:As an editor... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
      Oh Lord yes - hear the cry of 10,000 authors saying "me too"

      I do lots of writing: books, magazine articles and professional documents. All of them are riddled with typo's and grammo's.

      Worst is my tendency to outline ideas in sketch form and then fill them in. Or to cut and paste text between paragraphs. In all thse cases I forget to fill in the gaps or to smooth the sentence joins.


      Your guess is mine too: when you are too close to your work you know what you meant and so are blind to the actual variance.

      I tend to do work and leave it to the following day. Review it and leave it another day. Review it and leave it another day. Give it to a friend or colleague and repeat the process. That works very well if you have enough time but often timescale prohibit this.

    3. Re:As an editor... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Interesting

      a former roommate would use some mac program (simpletext?) to speak papers to him as a final method of proofreading.

    4. Re:As an editor... by secretsquirel · · Score: 0

      I really don't see why people care that much, as long as you know what they're saying. We should just get websters to include all the common mispellings as synonyms so then you could all stop your bitching.

    5. Re:As an editor... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      As a design engineer, I keep begging for more thorough design reviews for this very reason. It is extremely hard to check your own work. Sadly, my company doesn't see the value, so all my mistakes show up during fabrication.

      They wonder why we aren't making money...

    6. Re:As an editor... by iocat · · Score: 5, Informative

      Read out loud (softly -- otherwise people will think you're a moron) and say every single word. As an editor, that's what I had to do when editing my own stuff. It's very slow, but you quickly realize just how many of your own errors you'd otherwise skip over.

      --

      Dude, I think I can see my house from here.

    7. Re:As an editor... by DNS-and-BIND · · Score: 1

      Do you do all your writing in longhand? Otherwise, there's a "spell check" option in your word processor...using it generally eliminiates misspellings.

      --
      Shutting down free speech with violence isn't fighting fascism. It IS fascism!
    8. Re:As an editor... by illest503 · · Score: 1


      Prior to the advent of ubiquitous spell-checking, I found it effective to read my own work backwards in a search for typos.

      Even a sentence at a time, reading backwards would dissociate me from the content enough that I would catch things I missed having read it forward several times...

    9. Re:As an editor... by forkazoo · · Score: 2, Interesting

      When I am able, I try to read things backwards. My brain doesn't remember the flow of the words that way, and will examine each word individually, and I go, "wait, I don't remember using the word fiend on that page..." Everybody's brain works different, so some experimentation with how you read is the best way to find what works for you. foudn.

    10. Re:As an editor... by EvilNTUser · · Score: 1

      I'm not doubting your claim, but personally I've found that I'm somewhat likely to miss others' errors as my mind seems to do error correction in hardware (or something...).

      When I write, however, I rarely make mistakes that survive longer than a few seconds - I virtually always catch them immediately. Has anyone else noticed the same tendency?

      P.S. and slightly off topic: I used to be able to spell any word instantly, but am now sometimes confused just because I've seen the wrong spelling on the internet so many times. Annoying as hell.

      --
      My Sig: SEGV
    11. Re:As an editor... by Jugalator · · Score: 1

      That's a well known "problem".

      And why you should have proofreaders for your books. :-)

      --
      Beware: In C++, your friends can see your privates!
    12. Re:As an editor... by DeepHurtn! · · Score: 1

      I'm no editor, but I do TA and mark undergrad papers, and I think you're spot on. I've handed in papers before that have had typos and ambiguous sentences in them, even after proofreading, but when I mark I catch everything. When you read your own stuff, you really are reconstructing it -- memory is doing half the work.

    13. Re:As an editor... by anagama · · Score: 4, Funny

      • Do you do all your writing in longhand? Otherwise, there's a "spell check" option in your word processor...using it generally eliminiates misspellings.

      I maid shore I spell-checked this sentence to insure its devoid spelling errors. Editors should be wear as the future of there jobs is in danger.

      --
      What changed under Obama? Nothing Good
    14. Re:As an editor... by TheoMurpse · · Score: 1

      I'll second this. Everyone in my elementary school was required to proofread anyone's work by reading backwords word by word. It works for me on my own work as well.

    15. Re:As an editor... by rinks · · Score: 1

      Never any mod points when I need them... Good point.

      --
      My good looks paid for that pool, and my talent filled it with water.
    16. Re:As an editor... by 1u3hr · · Score: 1
      Just out of curiosity do you have any particular techniques that you use to try and limit this? I also foudn I make many errors and then never catch them...probably as you suggest because when I re-read them I know what I wanted to say.

      Best solution: get someone else to read it, preferably who hasn't seen it in an earlier form. Otherwise, wait at least a few days after writing it before checking it yourself. (Aside from errors, repetitiveness is the most common bug.) And for God's sake, use the spellcheck. I am a book editor, and I now just expect every file to be full of simple stupid spelling mistakes, 95% of which any spellchecker would detect. Maybe people spellcheck once, but then go back and change something, and don't bother to check. If you do it as a routine once a day when working on a long work, it's pretty painless -- just 10 choose the correct "language" (generally UK or US), and make a new custom dictionary for each project. It's good to review the custom dictionary towards the end to see if you've accidentally added wrong words, or variant spellings of the same word (especially names).

    17. Re:As an editor... by pipingguy · · Score: 1


      I often completely overlook my own.

      "Fresh eyes" is a concept used in process plant design which means that a similarly experienced and knowledgeable (but independant) designer will pick apart each feature and poke holes. Now, with 3D modelling and CAD we don't have to do this anymore since everything's perfect from the get go.

    18. Re:As an editor... by DNS-and-BIND · · Score: 1

      What part of "generally" did you not understand?

      --
      Shutting down free speech with violence isn't fighting fascism. It IS fascism!
    19. Re:As an editor... by danila · · Score: 1

      Unles you are illitearte, msot misspellings dont make sense, thats' why their usually catched by spell checkers quiet well.

      P.S. As you can see, there are exceptions to that, but it's not on the scale your joke implied.

      --
      Future Wiki -- If you don't think about the future, you cannot have one.
    20. Re:As an editor... by anagama · · Score: 1

      • Unles you are illitearte, msot misspellings dont make sense, thats' why their usually catched by spell checkers quiet well.

        P.S. As you can see, there are exceptions to that, but it's not on the scale your joke implied.

      Well, my joke was meant to be humorous and exageration is a kind of humor. On the other hand, humor always carries with it some kernal of truth (whether in the joke itself, or about the teller). Having once been involved in a writing project that was well over 200 pages long, I can tell you that spell checking was great for spelling mistakes (and I'm subject to them) - but lousy as a means of editing. Spell check does nothing for mistakes in actual syntax. For example, it is very easy to leave out two letter glue words (to, of, in, etc) and when proofing, read those into the sentences - especially after 5 or 6 reads through the document.

      The burden of editing large texts is enormous, and spell check, though nice and convenient, is no substitute for an edit by someone who has never read the document before.
      --
      What changed under Obama? Nothing Good
    21. Re:As an editor... by Jim+Starx · · Score: 1

      The part where you think it's the job of an editor to generally get out all of the errors, as opposed to actually getting out all of the errors.

      --
      The darkness... controls the music. The music... controls the soul.
    22. Re:As an editor... by danila · · Score: 1

      May be we can even go as far as saying that spellcheck is only good enough to compensate for typing errors. :) You would never write "never" as "nveer" when writing it.

      --
      Future Wiki -- If you don't think about the future, you cannot have one.
    23. Re:As an editor... by DNS-and-BIND · · Score: 1
      As a rule; usually

      For the most part

      What definition were you using, nitwit?

      --
      Shutting down free speech with violence isn't fighting fascism. It IS fascism!
    24. Re:As an editor... by Jim+Starx · · Score: 1

      Definition of what, nitwit? You would think that while posting ina thread about editing you would try to make your statements at least coherent.

      --
      The darkness... controls the music. The music... controls the soul.
  5. the obvious by myukew · · Score: 0

    Here he is, brain the size of a planet and they want him to write a book about it. Call that job satisfaction? 'Cause he doesn't.

    --
    See pictures of tits
  6. Saw him on BookTV on C-Span by gaber1187 · · Score: 4, Informative
    This guy is pretty funny actually. I saw him on cspan bookTV talking about his book... he is pretty nerdy sounding, but also pretty smart...

    I definitely don't think reading the encylopedia set makes you smart, but I think it does make you knowledgeable in history and art because those areas often are more related to memorizing facts rather than building upon one equation after another. As such most technical areas of the EB are pretty simplistic and often a little out of date...

    1. Re:Saw him on BookTV on C-Span by Lordrashmi · · Score: 2, Funny

      Anyone who watches bookTV on cspan shouldn't be making comments about sounding nerdy ;)

  7. what? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Insightful

    So this guy reads books, and writes a book about it? Maybe I need to write a book about the hours I spend reading /.

    1. Re:what? by Zardus · · Score: 1

      Nah.. Set up a blog and blog about reading slashdot.

      --
      You can mod your friends, you can mod your nose, but you can't mod your friend's nose.
    2. Re:what? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      HAHAHA
      FUCKING ACE IDEA

    3. Re:what? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      IMO what you should do is to post a comment to slashdot about the hours you spend reading slashdot.

      oh, wait... that's what you just did :O

  8. Good guy by MSG · · Score: 2, Informative

    We bring authors to RealNetworks from time to time, and I had the chance to meet Mr. Jacobs a short while ago. He was running a few minutes late (he was supposed to talk at noon), and tried to excuse himself by explaining that they used to adjust hours according to the day so that an hour was shorter during shorter days of the year. That's a good anecdote, but I pointed out that noon would be at the same time anyway.

    We all had a laugh. I haven't read the book yet, but I may at some point. He's an interesting guy.

  9. Americans love trivia... by Exluddite · · Score: 3, Funny

    "I'll take people with way too much time on their hands for 1000 please, Alex."

    --
    What does this button do...
    1. Re:Americans love trivia... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

      "Who is 'the parent of this post'?"

    2. Re:Americans love trivia... by Mad_Rain · · Score: 1

      Who is Exluddite?

      hmmmm, there appears to be something ironic here.

      --
      "What do you think?" "I think 'What, do you think?!'"
    3. Re:Americans love trivia... by nizo · · Score: 1

      Am I the only one who thinks that Alex Trebek would be a kickbutt trivial pursuit player? Imagine all the questions and answers he has heard over the years (thought perhaps he hasn't absorbed much of it, I dunno).

      --
      I Am My Own Worst Enemy
    4. Re:Americans love trivia... by nebaz · · Score: 1

      I remember being in France for a semester in College. They had a program over there called "Questions for a Champion", quiz show, not exactly Jeopardy, but same idea.

      The host of this show was a celebrity contestant on a celebrity quiz show, and got some questions wrong.
      The other celebrities ribbed him, the guest host even saying, 'See, it's easy when you have the cards'.

      --
      Rhymes that keep their secrets will unfold behind the clouds.There upon the rainbow is the answer to a neverending story
  10. speaking of encyclopedias.. by hitchhacker · · Score: 2, Interesting


    wikitrivia anyone?

    -metric

    1. Re:speaking of encyclopedias.. by deathcloset · · Score: 1

      Hmm. OK. But trivia with Wikipedia seems pretty easy; since so much knowledge is available. Let's play something more like...counter-trivia. yeah, that sounds good.

      Here is the challenge: Name 10 common, generic, everyday things that are NOT in Wikipedia.

      Here's one: "mouse click"

      GO! ;)

    2. Re:speaking of encyclopedias.. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      then put a better definition in there.

    3. Re:speaking of encyclopedias.. by deathcloset · · Score: 1

      I guess the question is, can one really play that game at all?

      Tough question, I have an idea! Lets Debate It!

    4. Re:speaking of encyclopedias.. by ElderKorean · · Score: 1

      Some company peobably has a patent out on that name or action.

      I also see that the linked page is up for deletion.

  11. A. J. Jacobs by Concerned+Onlooker · · Score: 1, Funny

    a.k.a. "Anonymous Coward."

    --
    http://www.rootstrikers.org/
  12. Re:Gentoo?? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Well, know-it-all trivia buffs tend to be just as insufferably full of themselves as Gentoo users.

  13. Important knowledge. by grub · · Score: 3, Funny


    Does he know the identity of the goatse.cx guy? No? Then he doesn't know everything.

    --
    Trolling is a art,
    1. Re:Important knowledge. by Antonymous+Flower · · Score: 1

      Does he want to?

    2. Re:Important knowledge. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Kirk Johnson.

      Don't ask how I know, damnit! I'm trying to burn it from my memory!

    3. Re:Important knowledge. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
      I know that was just a joke, but many people have tried to figure out who he is. The best guess is some guy named Kirk. From the wikipedia article:

      A series of pictures by a man identified as Kirk Johnson contains the precursor images to hello.jpg and some following. At this point, it is highly likely that Kirk Johnson is the "Goatse Man". Kirk Johnson is a regular poster to the newsgroup alt.binaries.pictures.erotica.male.anal, among others, and a rather simple analysis confirms this; it is unlikely that there is another practitioner of anal stretching with the same mole on the upper-left edge of his anus. Furthermore, both the gap.zip (see below) pictures and Kirk Johnson's pictures show the same large yellow buttplug being used.
    4. Re:Important knowledge. by jxyama · · Score: 1

      it must be him... so he *does* know everything... but we can't be told...

    5. Re:Important knowledge. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I hear Goatsex guy is doing a cameo in the next Star Teck film.

      As is Cowboy Neal.

      Come to think of it, have you ever seen the two of them at the same time? Mmm

    6. Re:Important knowledge. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Why do people keep bringing up the goatse guy up on slashdot? Is it one guy posting (that topic) many times, or many posting once?

  14. Question by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Interesting

    This brings up an interesting question. Does Intelligence increase wisdom? or do they work independently from each other? I have met many people who were "Know it all" people, but lacked the wisdom to direct their knowledge or focus their minds.

  15. Not particularly difficult.... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Insightful

    Reading 33,000 pages in a year means 90.41 pages each day. This is hardly a monumental feat; I know several people who regularly read over a hundred pages per day.

    1. Re:Not particularly difficult.... by Dorothy+86 · · Score: 1

      yeah... but can you imagine reading 90.41 pages a day out of the Encyclopaedia Britannica? It'd be tough for me to do that anyways, even though I read well over that on most days.

      --
      Game Overdrive - Gaming News
    2. Re:Not particularly difficult.... by penguin_asylum · · Score: 1

      But, I presume, he tried to remember all of the details from it. I doubt that these people whom you know could, after reading at that rate for 33,000 pages could tell you all of the things that happened in what they read.

    3. Re:Not particularly difficult.... by anonymous_wombat · · Score: 1
      Reading 33,000 pages in a year means 90.41 pages each day. This is hardly a monumental feat; I know several people who regularly read over a hundred pages per day.
      Yes, but there is not plot, unless it's: God did it.
    4. Re:Not particularly difficult.... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I can barely remember what was in the last post I read. Luckily, the "reply to" page quotes the "replied to" message...

    5. Re:Not particularly difficult.... by Stanistani · · Score: 1

      When I was even much younger than you whelps, I decided to read 3 books a day - sometimes more. My total books read now exceed 20,000 - some folks say it has done nothing more than made me an extremely annoying person.

      But - I have also traveled widely, taken a few dozen odd jobs, spent eight years as an artist, twenty years in IT, and am a proud father. I enjoy helping people, and the vast knowledge available in books has helped me in this.

      Of course, sometimes I refer to myself as a "vast land mine of useless information."

      --
      You can't talk about Wikipedia's flaws on Wikipedia
    6. Re:Not particularly difficult.... by michaeldot · · Score: 1
      Yes, but there is not plot, unless it's: God did it.

      That'd be the Creationist Britannica. One page long, all you need to know!

      Evolution is just a silly atheists' theory, dinosaurs chased Adam & Eve out of Eden, and vote for Bush because homosexuals are evil.

      See, I'm the smartest man in the bible belt already!

    7. Re:Not particularly difficult.... by anonymous_wombat · · Score: 1

      I thought that Adam and Eve ate the dinosaurs after they shoved apples in their mouths.

    8. Re:Not particularly difficult.... by maxpublic · · Score: 1

      I agree. The "Wheel of Time" series has got to be getting pretty close to that number by now, and for the life of my I couldn't tell you what the hell's going on or who did what, or why.

      Max

      --
      My god carries a hammer. Your god died nailed to a tree. Any questions?
    9. Re:Not particularly difficult.... by Hal9000_sn3 · · Score: 1

      Took me more than a year to read the Entire Brittanica. And I read about 60 pages per hour. You see, when you are reading the Encyclopedia, you don't just stop all your other reading.

    10. Re:Not particularly difficult.... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      And the luckiest with 10 beautiful daughters 9 months apart. You have backups when the get all haggard once they reach 17.

  16. Similar Goal by Pentrant · · Score: 5, Interesting

    I've actually set out to do something similar, albeit with somewhat different methods. As a New Year's Resolution, I promised to read a book every month on a subject I knew little about, in addition to the normal sci-fi and computer science related reading I tend towards.

    For the month of January, I've nearly finished a commentated version of Sun Tzu's Art of War, and have found that it has helped me gain new insight into a few situations, insight that would never have occured to me prior to starting this project.

    Becoming the master of one trade/knowledge area is a great goal, but I've found enjoyment in just the little branching out I've done. Bravo to this guy for daring to reach out and learn new things... it certainly keeps life interesting!

    1. Re:Similar Goal by INetEngineer · · Score: 1

      My New Year's resolution was to read my quote book, "20,000 Quips & Quotes" by Even Esar. I've always been one to enjoy Harper's Index http://www.harpers.org/MostRecentIndex.html rather than read the daily news.

      --
      --I smoked my sig.
    2. Re:Similar Goal by anonymous_wombat · · Score: 1
      I tried doing this with the electronic version of the Encyclopedia Britannica. I was planning to do this over about 20 years. I got as far as "ac".

      More interesting at least for me is reading a range of books. Taking the list of 101 interesting books from, "The Readers Guide to Good Literature" seems to me to be a more interesting project.

    3. Re:Similar Goal by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Wow, 20 something slashdotter discovers the value of a (pseudo-)liberal education!

    4. Re:Similar Goal by DrCode · · Score: 1

      Mine was to read the dictionary, but it was too wordy. Then I tried the phone book: Lots of characters, but not much of a plot.

    5. Re:Similar Goal by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Unfortunately, Sun Tzu's Art of War does overlap with the interests of geeks alot. Reading a book on gardening or a Jane Austen novel would be impressive.

  17. So, once he learns all there is to know... by TexVex · · Score: 1

    Is he going to destroy the entire universe? Does anybody have a quantum bomb handy to send this guy into an alternate universe before he can carry out his evil giant brain plan?

    --
    Fun with Anagarams! LADS HOST, SHALT DOS. HAS DOLTS. AD SLOTHS, HATS SOLD. ASS HO, LTD.
    1. Re:So, once he learns all there is to know... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Just remember that Scooty Puff Junior Sucks.....!

      Good Futurama reference- I think that episode was called "The Why of Fry".

    2. Re:So, once he learns all there is to know... by kesuki · · Score: 1

      they just showed it last night. or the night before, or something, I don't know what night it was but it was this week sometime.

      --
      https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/free-sw.html
  18. Weekend Read?! Weeks to read... by INetEngineer · · Score: 1

    I tried reading that book and returned it to the library owing dollars in late fines, having finished 1/5 of the story... I suppose it was entertaining. But, I'd rather read the Britannica. I'm sure it's like sports... Spectator vs. Participant. I don't like watching. Besides, Jacobs probably wouldn't read his book either.

    --
    --I smoked my sig.
  19. Sun Tzu by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Americans love Sun Tzu. Duh

  20. Sound Interesting by TekMonkey · · Score: 1

    Very nice review! I might just have to get this book (when I finish reading all the other books on my list :/).

  21. I tried this... by John3 · · Score: 1

    When I was about six or seven my parents purchased a set of the Encyclopedia Brittanica. Seemed to be the thing to do back then for parents that wanted their kids to do well in school, and of course it looked real impressive on the bookshelves in the living room (like all my O'Reilly books over my desk at work). I decided that I was going to learn everything there was to know so I started to read the first volume with the goal of reading the entire encyclopedia (and the annual Book of the Year update!). I got about three pages into the thing and gave up. Pretty dry reading the encyclopedia so props to Mr. Jacobs for getting through it.

    --
    "We make our world significant by the courage of our questions and by the depth of our answers." Carl Sagan
    1. Re:I tried this... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Make it intresting, read it drunk.

    2. Re:I tried this... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I tried too...
      When I was a child, I read about 15 volumes out of 22 of an encyclopedia at my grandfathers, where I went during holydays. Actually that was the encyclopedia for my father to do well in school. I was 6 when I began, I just learned to read at that time. Pretty motivated huh ? ;)

  22. Only 33k pages? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Let me know when he finishes Robert Jordan's books, then I'll be impressed.

    1. Re:Only 33k pages? by starrsoft · · Score: 1
      Let me know when he finishes Robert Jordan's books, then I'll be impressed.

      Robert Jordan has written approximately 117,000 pages.

      --
      Read my blog: HansMast.com
    2. Re:Only 33k pages? by quiller · · Score: 1

      I'd have to say that there are probably more words on a page of the Encyclopedia than a Robert Jordan book.

      Of course, if it is like Robert Jordan, I'll just wait for the EB to come out in paperback...

    3. Re:Only 33k pages? by JNighthawk · · Score: 1

      I've read every book from the Wheel of Time series. That's like 12,000 pages. What other books are you guys talking about? Did he do another 90 books outside of the Wheel of Time?

      --
      Wheel in the sky keeps on turnin'.
    4. Re:Only 33k pages? by starrsoft · · Score: 1

      I took the amount of pages in his latest book (a prequel, I think) and multiplied that by the amount of results for an Author search on Amazon. Hey! I said approximately.

      --
      Read my blog: HansMast.com
    5. Re:Only 33k pages? by JNighthawk · · Score: 1

      *cough* 115k is not aproximately 15k :-P

      --
      Wheel in the sky keeps on turnin'.
  23. Bullwinkle Part Deux by ackthpt · · Score: 2, Funny
    Used to Know it all .. I used to know it all, and then I hit my head on a SPARC system.

    What about Bullwinkle J. Moose, the original Mr. Know It All?

    --

    A feeling of having made the same mistake before: Deja Foobar
  24. How much can you retain by CastrTroy · · Score: 1

    If you did set out to read encyclopedia britannica, how much of the information could you actually retain. I'm sure 75% of the subjects discussed are boring to any one person. Especially in trying to read it in a year. You'd probably have to devote 4 or 5 hours a day to it.

    --

    Anthropic principle: We see the universe the way it is because if it were different we would not be here to see it.
    1. Re:How much can you retain by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I'm sure he retains more than someone who hasn't read it....
      Did he read the Great Works of the Western World and the Annals of American History as well?
      Those are on my list of items to read -- after devoting so much time to technical stuff I feel the need for a more well-rounded education as well.

  25. Read it backwards... by HaeMaker · · Score: 2, Interesting

    I had this problem too. A friend of mine, who attended journalism school, advised me to proofread a paper backwards to find errors. That way, you do not get caught up in the flow of the writing, and miss the errors.

    1. Re:Read it backwards... by pclminion · · Score: 2, Funny
      Sounds like good advice, but it won't protect you from grammatical errors.

      Sentence in this error an is there that tell you can? It studying without?

    2. Re:Read it backwards... by rco3 · · Score: 1

      Well, no, but Yoda doesn't need a proofreader.

      --

      Ce n'est pas un vrai mouvement de robot!
    3. Re:Read it backwards... by Read+Icculus · · Score: 1

      Not to mention having the "wrong" word spelled right. What if tar is there instead of tear? Lots of little mistakes like this can only be determined by reading the work in context.

      --
      Anti-social? My code is just platform-specific.
    4. Re:Read it backwards... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Sentence in this error an is there that tell you can? It studying without?

      And this is the reason why Yoda never became an editor.

    5. Re:Read it backwards... by Jim+Starx · · Score: 1

      I don't think he meant word by word backwards. It would be a little more reasonable go backwards by sentances or by paragraphs.

      --
      The darkness... controls the music. The music... controls the soul.
    6. Re:Read it backwards... by HaeMaker · · Score: 1

      Bingo!

  26. Re:Gentoo?? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Gentoo rules!!!

  27. I checked this book out from the library by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    ...because I thought it would be cool to read it, but now that it's on the front page of /. I'm not so sure anymore.

  28. Our Wonderful World by Caractacus+Potts · · Score: 0

    I did this 20 years ago with a set of encyclopedias called "Our Wonderful World". Anybody remember those? It was about 2/3 the shelf length of EB, with entries in no particular order and plenty of pictures. Took me three years to read them, but they definitely made me a know-it-all. So, when I say I've forgotten more than most of you guys know, I'm serious.

    1. Re:Our Wonderful World by Jiggily · · Score: 1

      Using that thinking, and considering everything I've ever learned and forgot; I've forgotten more than I know....

      --
      Do not meddle in the affairs of sysadmins, for the are subtle and quick to anger.
  29. What's the big deal? by donour · · Score: 0, Flamebait

    When I was growing up my father spent lots of his spare time reading britannica. I think he read three full sets (~1960, ~1980, ~1995). That's something like 50 volumes. I know of several other people who've done the same. It's reading them that big of a deal?

    1. Re:What's the big deal? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Should that be "is it"? Or "It is a big deal; reading them", or even "Vodka is great, fuck everything else".

  30. Nice for a laugh, not much else by dmccarty · · Score: 2, Informative
    I got the book for a Christmas gift. It's a cute book from the parts that I've read, but I'll be taking it back for something a little more interesting.

    The book is actually an executive overview of the EB, and each snippet is interwoven with his experiences in that point of his life. Some parts are hilarious, but it's not much deeper than a casual read.

    FWIW, of course. YMMV.

    --
    Have fun: Join D.N.A. (National Dyslexics Association)
    1. Re:Nice for a laugh, not much else by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      As a very very drunk dyslix, it took me many minutes to work out your sig.

      It is not really all that funny or orginal.

      Drunk Dyslix.

  31. Good book. . . by jhobbs · · Score: 3, Informative
    I read this book last fall. It is a good book with a humorous take on trivia and some dime store psychology about its possible relationship with intelligence.

    The book is also a very indepth analysis of the author's own personal neuroses.

    Actually, that is the reason I keep hiding the book from my partner. I also consider a eventful evening a trip from the sofa to the fridge. I certainly don't need to offer up any amunition to my partner.

    All in all, it is a take on information overload, and those people who belive that simply knowing a lot means they are intelligent.

  32. But what about the Wikipedia challenge? by Krik+Johnson · · Score: 2, Interesting

    This page lets you read Wikipedia pages in order. With over 450,000 articles and over 150 million words, this is a monster! Even Slashdot's inside!

    --
    I have a fetish for traffic cones
    1. Re:But what about the Wikipedia challenge? by kamapuaa · · Score: 1

      True! Wikipedia is a great source for trivia! For instance, in-depth discussions of Slashdot trolls, the censorious tendencies of political extremists, pseudo-historic conspiracy theories forwarded by Russians, random pieces of misinformation put in obscure articles, and conflicting "facts" standing side-by-side in the same paragraph!

      --
      Slashdot: providing anti-social weirdos a soapbox, since 1997.
    2. Re:But what about the Wikipedia challenge? by DrEasy · · Score: 1

      I wonder if it's a feasible task. Wikipedia might be expanding faster than you can read it. Pages you have already read have probably changed since.

      --
      "In our tactical decisions, we are operating contrary to our strategic interest."
    3. Re:But what about the Wikipedia challenge? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Hahah.... there is an extra slash in your slashdot link.

  33. creators' planet/population rescue short of funds? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    fortunately, the whole thing runs on newclear power.

    also fortunate (deepending on who you are/yOUR motives), is that the daze of the felonious corepirate nazi execrable are #ed/WANing into coolapps, at the (sometimes slow) speed of right.

    lookout bullow.

    consult with/trust in yOUR creators, disempowering unprecedented evile, & restoring (&/or wiping out) civilizations since/until forever. see you there?

  34. I'll take the easy way... by Mikmorg · · Score: 1

    Wouldn't it be easier to build a computer intertwined with our brains directly linked to an all-knowing database? :)

    --
    Codito, ergo sum.
  35. Yeah, this bugs me by pclminion · · Score: 2, Insightful
    Sometimes people who meet me think I'm an asshole because I like to quote random facts. They think I'm trying to "show off" how smart I am.

    First of all, knowing a bunch of facts is not equivalent to being smart. Second of all, I am not doing it to impress you, I'm doing it because I like random facts and I want to share something with you that I enjoy. Every once in a while, I encounter somebody else who also knows a bunch of random stuff, and we end up having really fun conversations.

    People also seem to think it's magic. It isn't magic, it's about reading stuff. When I was little, when I was in the bathroom I would read the ingredient lists off the back of shampoo bottles. Did you know that most shampoos contain a compound called methylchloroisothiazolinone? I have no idea what it is, but I remember how to spell it :-)

    My mom bought me a periodic table placemat. I stared at that thing every morning while eating my cereal for two years. Now I know every chemical element by name, symbol, and atomic number. I'm no genius, I just stared at a placemat for hours.

    1. Re:Yeah, this bugs me by Praetor11 · · Score: 1

      I think I know what you mean, but I also know people who spout off random facts-- and sometimes it can annoy me to no end. Perhaps you do like sharing knowledge; just be sure that others enjoy HEARING random knowledge... Some of us enjoy being blissfully ingorant!

    2. Re:Yeah, this bugs me by MooCows · · Score: 1

      Methylchloroisothiazolinone (5-chloro-2-methyl-4-isothiazolinon-3-one) is a preservative with antibacterial and antifungal effects, it is effective against gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria, yeast and fungi.

      It is found in many water-based personal care products and cosmetics. It is also used in glue production, detergents, paints, fuels and other industrial processes. Methylchloroisothiazolinone is known by the registered tradename Kathon CG when used in combination with methylisothiazolinone.

      It can be used in combination with alcohols and other long-chain organics in compounds such as methylchloroisothiazolinone ethylparaben benzalkonium chloride or methylchloroisothiazolinone 2-bromo-2-nitropropane-1,3-diol benzalkonium chloride.

      It was first used in cosmetics in the 1970s. In high concentrations it can cause chemical burns and it is a skin and membrane irritant and so it was largely removed from most cosmetic products except for those with only short duration skin contact such as rinse-offs. Its inclusion in certain forms makes it more acceptable to sensitive users, so it can be found in cosmetic creams and lotions which require skin contact. In the US accepted concentrations are 15 ppm in rinse-offs and 8 ppm in other cosmetics.

      Like a number of other common cosmetics ingredients methylchloroisothiazolinone has been attacked as carcinogenic.

      From Wikipedia of course

      --
      The path I walk alone is endlessly long.
      30 minutes by bike, 15 by bus.
    3. Re:Yeah, this bugs me by MRsackler · · Score: 0

      I also have a similar pet peeve. I also greatly enjoy reading. Just as many of my friends love watching movies and listening to CDs, I will take a good, thick book on almost any subject over a movie or a CD any day. It isn't because I think reading books is better or makes me smarter, but because I just love to read. However, when I try to talk about interesting facts I've read in books or magazines in conversation, people think I am trying to act smart or that I'm showing off! That makes me wonder what the world is coming to, when you have to be super smart just to enjoy reading.

    4. Re:Yeah, this bugs me by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      It's also been linked to nerve system damage.

    5. Re:Yeah, this bugs me by Caseyscrib · · Score: 1

      Do you also happen to be the author of this book? :P

  36. Ha, that's nothing by atomm1024 · · Score: 1

    I'm still working on reading every article in the English Wikipedia, all 450,000 of them. When I'm done, I'll make sure to write a book and alert Slashdot, assuming it's still around a few centuries from now.

    --
    Signature.
    1. Re:Ha, that's nothing by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      So instead of knowing-it-all, your head will just full of misinformation and poorly written articles by people who thought they knew it all. Congrats.

  37. Maybe he was late... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    because he was using a clock powered by RealPlayer and it kept buffering every few seconds, thereby making him late.

  38. The know-it-all by Orion+Blastar · · Score: 1

    I thought maybe this book was about the typical Slashdot reader, or maybe Alex Trebeck, or perhaps Al Gore or John Kerry, people that claim themselves to be know-it-alls?

    --
    Remember, Slashdot does not have a -1 disagree moderation, and no, troll, flamebait, and overrated are not substitutes.
    1. Re:The know-it-all by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Yeah, why vote for a guy like Gore or Kerry? They seem too much like they might know things, and we'd sure hate to have someone like that as President! Much better to vote for the candidate who doesn't let things like facts, figures, and basic realistic constraints affect them.

  39. 33000 pages, thats nothing by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    just wait till Robert Jordan finishes the Wheel of Time Series

  40. Re:What a freak by laughingcoyote · · Score: 1

    Says the AC troll posting to /. Back under the bridge, please.

    --
    To fight the war on terror, stop being afraid.
  41. MATCH OF THE CENTURY!!! A.J. vs. K.J.! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    ...Ken Jennings, anyone?

  42. I find that the word 'wisdom' doesn't mean... by exp(pi*sqrt(163)) · · Score: 1

    ...what people think it means. Mostly it's a way for people who aren't very smart to make themselves feel better by saying things like "he's smart but he lacks wisdom" so as to make themselves somehow seem less unintelligent, or at least somehow morally superior.

    --
    Doesn't it make you feel good to know that our freedoms are protected by politicans, lawyers and journalists.
    1. Re:I find that the word 'wisdom' doesn't mean... by Peyna · · Score: 1

      Wisdom is the ability to discern right from wrong, truth from false. Perhaps it doesn't mean what you think it means?

      --
      What?
    2. Re:I find that the word 'wisdom' doesn't mean... by ikkonoishi · · Score: 1

      What? I always though wisdom just helped your will save.

    3. Re:I find that the word 'wisdom' doesn't mean... by exp(pi*sqrt(163)) · · Score: 1

      Yes. 'Right' and 'wrong'. Another means by which untalented people label others so they can make themselves feel superior.

      --
      Doesn't it make you feel good to know that our freedoms are protected by politicans, lawyers and journalists.
    4. Re:I find that the word 'wisdom' doesn't mean... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Hmm, see if this example is good. Nazi scientists. They were intelligent (had the science to develop weapons), but certainly were not very wise...

  43. after reading... by tq_at_sju · · Score: 1

    After reading part of the encyclopedia jacobs quiped, "the letter l really sucks"......

    --
    http://www.vanillaafro.com - take me seriously and I will shoot you
  44. Changed my mind of Mensa.... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I have this sitting by the John. It's a pretty good read. I was considering to join Mensa, but after reading Jacob's experiences, e.g. unemployed, social retards. Mensa lost it's appeal.

  45. Trivia is more prominant by Jeff+Benjamin · · Score: 1
    From the bookish facts of Jeopardy! to the daily dose of ESPN Sportscenter, trivia is as much a part of our pop culture as hot rods or baseball.

    Trivia is probably more prominant in our pop culture than baseball. As far as I know, Jeopardy has never gone on strike.

  46. British obsessed with pub quizzes by j.leidner · · Score: 1
    Americans love trivia. From the bookish facts of Jeopardy! to the daily dose of ESPN Sportscenter, trivia is as much a part of our pop culture as hot rods or baseball.

    The UK population is even more keen on trivia, sometimes with dramatic consequences, according to this BBC news report.

    --
    Try Nuggets , our automatic SMS question answering service. Now free all across the UK (please do not use to cheat in pub quizzes).

  47. Errors and omissions too? by KontinMonet · · Score: 1

    Does he correct for all those errors in real-time too?

    --
    Did he inhale?
  48. Raises a few questions... by Kynde · · Score: 1

    "Americans love trivia. From the bookish facts of Jeopardy! to the daily dose of ESPN Sportscenter, trivia is as much a part of our pop culture as hot rods or baseball."

    From the wannabe-clever dept. :
    Quiz shows are history. Now it's all reality tv, baby.

    From the bush-hating-rest-of-the-world dept. :
    How can a nation that knows so little claim to love trivia?

    --
    1 Earth is warming, 2 It's us, 3 it's royally bad, 4 we need to take action NOW
  49. Really? by Grendel+Drago · · Score: 1

    Really? Well-written Wikipedia articles captivate my attention, because there's a lot of interesting stuff out there.

    Did You Know that Robert Heinlein invented the waterbed? He never built or patented it, but because of the descriptions he wrote in his books, an attempted patent on the design was turned down due to the existence of prior art.

    Did You Know of the Boston Molasses Disaster? A tank of molasses exploded, sending a Crushing Molasses Wave traveling at about thirty-five miles an hour, and peaking at over eight feet in height, outwards through the north end of the city. This may be the weirdest disaster I ever read about.

    Did You Know that, until the early 1980s, it was not known that peptic ulcers were mostly caused by the bacterium Heliobacter pylori? It was thought that ulcers were caused by stress and spicy food, and theories to the contrary were ridiculed. The Australian scientist Barry Marshall, to make a point, ingested a test tube of the bacteria, developed a rather nasty case of peptic ulcers, and cured himself with antibiotics.

    Did You Know that Fritz Haber, the inventor of Zyklon B, was a German Jew who was actually forced to emigrate in 1934. (To be fair, it was intended for use as an insecticide, not as a weapon.) He had earlier been involved in the production and delivery of chlorine gas on the Western Front during World War I, at the Second Battle of Ypres. His wife committed suicide with his service revolver upon learning of the use of poison gas. (The Canadian forces fought through the gas using urine-soaked handkerchiefs as primitive gas masks. No joke. The ammonia neutralized the chlorine.)

    Reading the encyclopedia is one of life's pleasures, I think. Bit by bit.

    --grendel drago

    --
    Laws do not persuade just because they threaten. --Seneca
  50. Feynman anecdote by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    When the Nobel Prize winning physicists Richard Feynman and Julian Schwinger first met socially, they discovered they a shared childhood passion for EB. They played a game where one would shout out the low range word printed on the spine of one of the volumes, and the other would respond with the high word.

  51. Big words. by Grendel+Drago · · Score: 1

    I do the same thing, though I'll admit to not knowing the long, sordid tale of methylthatthingy that you tell above. I learned the elements' symbols and names from this little quiz program that came in the games/ directory of my dad's old SCO server in his office. (I can't sing the Tom Lehrer song, though)

    I end up apologizing for slipping "big words" into conversation, though they're not really big, and I couldn't "give you a big word" off the top of my head, I only notice when people get on my case about it. But saying "after seeing so much gore, you become inured to it" isn't the same as saying "after seeing so much gore, you become used to it". If you asked me where I picked up the word, I couldn't tell you, but English is a great language partly because we have so many near-synonyms and weird words, like eldritch or cthonic. Gives the language flavor.

    I do tend to retain stuff, but it's seldom useful. Thanks to Cerebus, I have a fine understanding of the difference between inferring and implying (inference and implication), and some day I'm going to get to use the word "imbrue! to taint... to stain... imbrue!".

    I don't think I ever really picked up a jumble of totally uninteresting data, but I do pick up little bits of things here and there. (For example.)

    --grendel drago

    --
    Laws do not persuade just because they threaten. --Seneca
    1. Re:Big words. by Brian_Confucius · · Score: 1

      (I can't sing the Tom Lehrer song, though)

      There's antimony, arsenic, aluminum, selenium...

    2. Re:Big words. by Grendel+Drago · · Score: 1

      And hydrogen and oxygen and nitrogen and rhenium!

      Err. That was a guess. And Google confirms! I win! But I had to look up the following lines.

      And nickel, neodymium, neptunium, germanium
      And iron, americium, ruthenium, uranium...

      Oh, good times. The flash animation makes it even more fun.

      --grendel drago

      --
      Laws do not persuade just because they threaten. --Seneca