The Know-It-All
I just started reading the book “The Know-It-All: One Man’s Humble Quest to Become the Smartest Person in the World” by A.J. Jacobs. So far it’s pretty entertaining. It’s something I thought a few of you, here in my small geek circle, might be interested in
He writes:
“Part memoir, part Cliff’s Notes to every topic under the sun, The Know-It-All is about the year I spent reading the Encyclopaedia Britannica from A to Z (or, more precisely, from a-ak to zywiec). All forty-four million words of it. The book is many things:
First, it’s a compendium of the funniest, most fascinating, and most profound facts I uncovered-from the history of canned laughter to Nathaniel Hawthorne’s obsessive-compulsive behavior to female spies in the Civil War.
Second, it is a search for meaning and wisdom among that ocean of facts.
Third, it’s a memoir of my eccentric, knowledge-loving family. (My dad, for instance, holds the world record for the most number of footnotes in a law review article: 5,435.)
And finally, it is a series of adventures to test the limits of intelligence. I competed in a crossword-puzzle tournament, went on Who Wants to Be a Millionaire, and attended a Mensa convention.”
What are you reading?
Yeah, “Cliff’s Notes”, as in, Cliff Claven.
“What are you reading?”
Your blog.
I feel smarter already.
After I am finished with everything john steinbeck has ever written i will read that. it sounds good.