Latest news with #Competitive
Los Angeles Times
28-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Los Angeles Times
How ‘Jeopardy!' whiz Ken Jennings learned to make ‘Kennections' everywhere and why he fears AI
Ken Jennings wants you to know he didn't name his trivia game 'Kennections.' 'It's really an unpleasant name,' the 'Jeopardy!' champion turned host says of the quizzes now published weekly by Mental Floss. 'We have to lead with that. It was suggested by an editor at Parade Magazine, but it doesn't look good or sound good.' But Jennings loves the quizzes themselves, which are now collected (kellected?) in 'The Complete Kennections.' The Simon & Schuster release, on shelves July 29, follows earlier Jennings books that included more writing. Those include: 'Brainiac: Adventures in the Curious, Competitive, Compulsive World of Trivia Buffs,' 'Maphead: Charting the Wide, Weird World of Geography Wonks,' 'Because I Said So!: The Truth Behind the Myths, Tales, and Warnings Every Generation Passes Down to Its Kids' and '100 Places to See After You Die: A Travel Guide to the Afterlife.' Jennings recently spoke about his books, AI and why trivia matters. This interview has been edited for length and clarity. Was writing books always a goal? I was an English major in college. I wanted to write and to teach, but writing didn't seem like a practical choice. I was also doing a double major in computer science, and in 2000 it was absurdly easy to get a job at a friend's startup, even if you were a terrible programmer, which I was. Writing about geography and myths and fabled places of the afterlife all seem to make sense coming from the brain of a 'Jeopardy!' champion. It's easy to imagine the same kid in an elementary school library, reading about these things in the World Book encyclopedia during a rainy recess. That's my origin story. I was just a sponge for weird information. That's my origin story right there. I thought of 'Jeopardy!' as a fun, crazy summer and did not think it would be my life, so I tried making each book less about 'Jeopardy!' and trivia than the one before it. Is the information in your books trivial, or do you think it's important to get readers to understand geography and the way our culture passes down myths and tales? I'm a believer that trivia is not just a bar pastime, or even a way for little Lisa Simpsons to get told they're smart into adulthood. I always felt trivia was kind of a universal social good, a way to enjoy cultural literacy. I feel I'm part of the last generation that had to justify having nerdy interests. It was kind of shameful and made you the punchline of jokes in movie comedies and stand-up. Today, it seems self-evident to everyone younger than us that, well, of course you would just be obsessive about lunchboxes or about 'Battlestar Galactica' or fossils. That's totally normalized, and it's actually good. But I've also been mourning the loss of generalists, people who knew a little bit about everything, which is what 'Jeopardy!' celebrates, but it's not fashionable. We live in a siloed society of specialists. And I really think we'd be better off if everybody knew a little bit about everything. I do think it's good to know trivia is not something that makes you better than other people. It doesn't exist to show off or even to make you feel smarter about yourself. Ideally, it should bring people together and make the world more interesting and make you a more sparkling conversationalist. 'Jeopardy!' and your books strive to make learning facts fun. Is there a lesson there for educators? I think that's the beauty of trivia. I wrote a series of books for kids with amazing facts because I liked that kind of book when I was a kid. And you can see it in a classroom, when you see kids' eyes light up about information and about serious subjects and about knowledge when it's presented in a fun way, especially with narrative. Narrative is the secret sauce. It just makes kids think the world is an amazing adventure and you just have to be curious and dig into it. But that gets beaten out of us, and then a lot of us at some point just specialize in one thing. You need to remind people that learning is not a chore. If it's not fun, you're doing it wrong. And trivia is very good at that. Every good 'Jeopardy!' clue tells a story in some way, saying, here's why you should want to know this or here's what this might have to do with life and the reason why this is not random minutia, which I think is a lot of people's stereotype of trivia nerds. A trivia question can help you connect it to other things. Trivia is just an art of connections. That's certainly true in your 'Kennections' book. I grew up doing crosswords, riddles and rebuses. I've always liked trivia that rewards not just the recall of the right fact but has a little more mental clockwork involved so you have to solve some puzzles. You have to analyze the clue and figure out why it exists and what it's asking or what it's not asking, what was included, what was omitted. There's a lot of analysis that can kind of lead you to the right answer by deduction, even if you don't know the right fact off the top of your head. One half of your brain is just trying to recall these five facts, but you've got this other half that's trying to figure it out and step back and take the big picture. And it might be something outside the box. The art of it is finding five things that fit in the category but that can have double meanings: Commodore is both a computer and a member of a Lionel Richie combo. You write that 'Kennections' consumes your life — you go into a bagel store and wonder if you can build five questions out of the flavors. Is the problem that in your day-to-day life, you're constantly seeing things and thinking things this way? Or is the problem that you can't say this out loud because you'll make your family crazy? That's something I learned early — that being this trivia-loving kid has the potential to be annoying. But my kids know what they're getting from me at this point. And they both have the gene themselves. One is obsessed with Major League Baseball, and one is obsessed with the history of Disney theme parks, and they have encyclopedic knowledge every bit as awe-inspiring and freakish as I had as a kid. And I'm proud of that. Do you worry about living in a culture that's so polarized that facts aren't even universally received and where AI takes over people's need to be curious, allowing students to take shortcuts in learning? I think an oligarch class is going to deliver us a combination of both, where the AI will not only create reliance on it but give us bad, counterfactual information about important issues. And it's really something I take seriously. It's really something we need to be pushing back on now. You don't want to trust an AI summary of a subject or AI's take on an issue without understanding who controls that algorithm and why they want you to hear that information.
UPI
26-06-2025
- Politics
- UPI
Rubio nominates Rosa Maria Paya for OAS human rights commission
Cuban activist Rosa Maria Paya (C) and members of the Cuban exile and freedom activists participate in a Miami demonstration supporting Cubans protesting against the government of Cuba on November 14, 2021. File Photo by Cristobal Herrera-Ulashkevich/EPA-EFE June 26 (UPI) -- The Organization of American States is scheduled to elect new members of its Inter-American Commission on Human Rights on Friday, and the United States wants Rosa Maria Paya on it. The IACHR is the OAS's primary body for defending human rights and fundamental freedoms in the Western Hemisphere, according to Secretary of State Marco Rubio. "Rosa Maria Paya is a principled, courageous and deeply committed human rights and democracy defender," Rubio said on Thursday in a news release. "Her record of fearless leadership and moral clarity -- particularly in confronting authoritarianism and promoting democratic values -- reflects the very ideals upon which the IACHR was founded," he said. "Rosa Maria brings the dignity and resolve to tackle the commission's greatest challenges with innovative solutions, all while keeping a focus on serving the people of the Americas," Rubio added. "I have full confidence in her ability to make the commission more effective, efficient and relevant." Paya is a Cuban human rights and democracy activist and the daughter of Oswaldo Paya, who was a Cuban democracy activist who was killed, according to the Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation. Paya is a graduate of the University of Havana and Georgetown University's Global Competitive Leadership Program. She founded Cuba Decide, which is a grassroots organization seeking to foster democracy in Cuba, and is president of the Latin American Youth Network for Democracy. The 55th OAS General Assembly started on Wednesday and runs through Friday.
Mint
05-06-2025
- Business
- Mint
NTPC Green Energy share price gains over 3% on signing of 1000 MW power purchase deal
NTPC Green Energy share price in focus: Shares of NTPC Green Energy, a wholly owned subsidiary of NTPC Limited that recently debuted on Dalal Street, soared 3.8% in early trade on Thursday, June 04, to reach ₹ 112. The rally followed an exchange filing by the company on Wednesday, in which it announced that NTPC Renewable Energy, a wholly owned subsidiary of Green Energy, had signed a Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) for a 1,000 MW capacity at a discovered tariff of ₹ 2.56 per kWh. NTPC Renewable Energy had won the 1,000 MW project in the Uttar Pradesh Power Corporation Ltd. (UPPCL) solar PV power project through an e-reverse auction held on January 4. The tender was part of the 'Selection of Solar Power Developers for Setting up 2000 MW ISTS-connected Solar PV Power Projects in India under Tariff-Based Competitive Bidding.' NTPC REL secured a capacity of 1,000 MW under this process. The shares have been buzzing on Dalal Street lately, driven by multiple renewable energy order wins and a strong performance in the March quarter. On May 22, the company also announced that it had successfully emerged as the winning bidder in the e-reverse auction conducted by NHPC Limited on May 21, 2025, securing a cumulative capacity of 80 MW/320 MWh under the competitive bidding process. For the March ending quarter, the company reported a net profit of ₹ 233.21 crore, a 255% YoY jump, while its consolidated revenue from operations rose 22.4% year-on-year to ₹ 622.27 crore. For the full year, NTPC Green's net profit rose 39% to ₹ 475.5 crore in FY25, from ₹ 342.8 crore in FY24. Revenue from operations grew 12.5%, reaching ₹ 2,209.6 crore in FY25 compared to ₹ 1,962.6 crore in the previous fiscal year. The company shares over the last four months have jumped from ₹ 87 apiece to the current level of ₹ 109, resulting in a healthy gain of 25.3%. The company's shares debuted on Dalal Street on November 27 at ₹ 121.70, compared to the IPO price of ₹ 108. The stock initially maintained its upward momentum, reaching an all-time high of ₹ 155.35 apiece. At current levels, the stock is trading at a modest 10.4% discount to its listing price of ₹ 121.70 but trades near to the IPO price. Despite recent volatility, analysts remain bullish on the stock, citing NTPC Green Energy's strong fundamentals and strategic positioning in India's renewable energy sector. NTPC Green is the largest renewable energy public sector enterprise (excluding hydro) in terms of operating capacity. Its portfolio includes both solar and wind assets across more than six states, helping mitigate the risks associated with location-specific generation variability. Disclaimer: The views and recommendations given in this article are those of individual analysts. These do not represent the views of Mint. We advise investors to check with certified experts before taking any investment decisions.
Agriland
07-05-2025
- Business
- Agriland
EU Commissioner to visit Shannon region
An EU Commissioner to set to visit the Shannon region to see first-hand concerns about flooding, nature restoration and rural transition. EU Executive Vice-President for a Clean, Just and Competitive Transition, Teresa Ribera accepted the invitation from Independent Ireland MEP Ciaran Mullooly following a meeting in Strasbourg. MEP Mullooly said he was 'pleased that the commissioner now had a better understanding of the major issues of concern to farmers, caused by the new Nature Restoration Act and previous historical flooding along the River Shannon catchment area.' Shannon region MEP Mullooly met with the Save Our Shannon Committee in Athlone in February to discuss their concerns. Today (Wednesday, May 7), he handed over a letter from the committee seeking EU support to address ongoing threats to farm incomes, harvesting and livestock losses caused by serious, annual flooding along the River Shannon. 'I am pleased that Commissioner Ribera was in a position to listen to the first-hand stories I presented today of farmers such as Michael Silk from Meelick, Co. Galway, who have spent the last 30 years campaigning for recognition of the special circumstances that the farmers in this region have to live in,' Mullooly said. Commissioner Ribera said she was acutely aware of the issues surrounding the Nature Restoration Act. However, she felt compensation and financial supports must be dealt with in the context of negotiations on the Multi-Annual Funding Framework, or EU budget, and the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP). MEP Mullooly also raised his proposal for a new Just Transition Fund for the Midlands. He emphasised the need to simplify the fund and introduce pre-funding of up to 40% for community groups unable to raise initial funds. He also highlighted the need for greater EU support for local community-led groups in renewable energy scheme projects, enabling citizens to participate and invest in their communities. Executive Vice-President Ribera promised to discuss both matters with her relevant colleagues in the commission.
