BobHarris.com - Also, between my ears

Books! Actual books!

"A rollicking ride of intellectual discovery and emotional growth... his comic timing never fails"

-- The Wall Street Journal

"Pulls you in like a good sports story"

-- The New York Times Book Review

"Endearingly frank... jubilant... lighthearted and fast-paced"

-- New York Newsday

"A surprisingly touching memoir"

-- Entertainment Weekly

"Snappy and informative"

-- Associated Press

"Effortlessly funny and informative... tender, human, and very wise... A must for anyone who loves Jeopardy!, or has ever seen it, or is breathing."

-- Joss Whedon, creator, Buffy the Vampire Slayer

"I haven't seen Jeopardy! since I was a kid, and yet I was charmed and amused by Bob Harris's fascinating and surprisingly suspenseful book. Through sheer force of personality, he takes this brainy TV show and makes it funny and easy to relate to."

-- Ira Glass, creator and host, This American Life

"A surprisingly intimate, entertaining book."

-- Orson Scott Card, 4-time Hugo Award winner, author of Ender's Game

"Funny, enlightening -- and just might help you win a million bucks on Jeopardy!"

-- A. J. Jacobs, author of The Know-It-All

"A masterful job of describing the feel of Jeopardy! in the heat of battle... I knew Bob was a great guy and a fantastic Jeopardy! player. Now I've found that he's also a wonderful writer. I think I'm starting to hate him."

-- Brad Rutter, top money-winner in Jeopardy! history

Books I'm Getting

Who Hates Whom:
Well-Armed Fanatics, Intractable Conflicts,
and Various Things Blowing Up —
A Woefully Incomplete Guide™

“Revelatory... Harris's sly wit and infectious curiosity make understanding world chaos fascinating... witty, horrific, and necessary.”

— Boston Globe

"Brave... irreverent... charges into the thick of the globe's myriad simmering wars... hilariously relaxed."

— New York Observer

"Only Bob could make a user’s guide to our increasingly hostile world this absorbing, this breezy, and—ultimately—this hopeful.”

— Ken Jennings, author of Brainiac: Adventures in the Curious, Competitive, Compulsive World of Trivia Buffs

“Fascinating, enlightening, and surprisingly: NOT TOTALLY DEPRESSING. A gimlet-eyed look at the world we endure that’s also suitable for enjoying with a gimlet.”

— John Hodgman, author of The Areas of My Expertise
and correspondent for The Daily Show with Jon Stewart

"All three [presidential] candidates should read all three of these [recommended] books, but McCain gets first crack at Bob Harris's "Who Hates Whom“... a lighthearted overview of the insurrections and civil wars in the world today."

— Steven Pinker, author of The Stuff of Thought, in the New York Times Book Review

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Thursday, 19 May 2005

A belated thanks to Josh DenHartog, Alan Bailey, Michael Rooney, and the folks at CalTech for a terrific time last weekend. The other three and I were invited as a team of certain-game-show-related ringers for CalTech's annual Quiz Bowl competition.

This was as intimidating and fun as it sounds. I mean, those people have actual educations and stuff. True story: on one of the questions, the referee got as far as saying, and I quote:

"Eight-point-eight-five-four-two times ten to the minus-twelfth Farads per meter..."

before one of the kids across the table from us hit his buzzer and chimed in:

"Permittivity of free space!"

which was, of course, correct, leaving me to mutter under my breath:

"Holy f@#$ing sh*t."

Still and all, we managed to hold our own against these feisty young ones, and even managed to push them down and take their bicycles a few times.

By "we" here, of course, I mean "Michael, Josh, and Alan" mostly.

Anyhow, thanks very much to the folks at CalTech for a terrific day, and to that certain game show for creating this wonderful ad hoc fraternity.

PS -- you really should be watching the c.g.s. this next week. I have no idea what's about to happen, but it should be terrific to see.

In no way is this more important than calling your Senator, of course. But it's a good way to reward yourself after you do.