Friend of the Star Chamber and regular commenter JMike is the guest author today. He wrote this in an email to me some time ago, and I asked him if I could post it. I’ve been meaning to put it up on the site for a while, and when I saw his recursive Billy Crystal comment on the surprisingly long comment thread kicked off by my JetBlue post, I knew it was time.
This is the way they play Jeopardy in JMike’s imagination. Count all the quotes and make sure it compiles. And watch your step!
Today’s final Jeopardy! category is “Needless Verbal Cleverness” and the answer is:
It is the correct way to phrase the question when the answer is “The opening semi-rhetorical question posed in ‘Atlas Shrugged’ by Ayn Rand.”
Alyssa, you’re in third place with $3000, what is your response?
Who is John Galt?
No, I’m sorry, that is incorrect. And what did you wager? $3000. That puts you at zero.
Our reigning champion, Barney, is in second place with $11500. Barney, what is your response?
What is “Who is John Galt?”
Again, I’m sorry, that is incorrect. And your wager? $11500. There seems to be some unwarranted confidence on the part of our contestants to be needlessly verbally clever, and that puts you down to zero as well.
Carl, you’re in first place with $14000. And your response?
What is “What is ‘Who is John Galt?'”
That is the correct answer. And your wager? $9001. That puts you at $23001 and you are today’s champion.
Thanks for viewing, everyone. Come back tomorrow!
Thanks JMike!
Rambles Blog at Star Chamber 
I’d say “I’m afraid I’m starting to caricature myself around here”, but I’m afraid I’m starting to caricature myself around here.
–JMike
“is written on old jars of mustard to keep them fresh” is written on old jars of mustard to keep them fresh.
Is “Is ‘is a gratuitous Douglas Hofstader reference’ a gratuitous Douglas Hofstader reference?” a gratuitous Douglas Hofstader reference?
!!
Fuzzy Wuzzy was a bear
Fuzzy Wuzzy had no hair
Fuzzy Wuzzy wasn’t self-referential
Was he?
No he wasn’t. Not a bit.