Ken Jennings on Reddit's "Ask Me Anything"

Fellow _floss contributor and all-around Brainiac Ken Jennings has recently made a public resurgence, after (sadly) losing to IBM's Watson on Jeopardy!. Jennings is now on Twitter, his blog continues to be smart and funny (check his post about nine-digit ZIP codes), and he recently participated in Reddit's Ask Me Anything online mass interview. His answers are, as you'd expect, awesome. (Reddit's page also includes an ad that says "You bastards broke Ken's blog, the least you could do is buy his book." I've got a copy right here -- and no, I don't get kickbacks for kissing up to my man Ken. So Ken, who do I talk to about getting some of those sweet kickbacks I keep hearing about?)

Here are some favorite bits from the Reddit discussion. Note that this is an interview with zillions of interviewers and one interviewee, so things get a little nuts sometimes. Also note that Jennings adopted the handle "WatsonsBitch" on Reddit.

rdfiii: What is Alex Trebek like off camera? WatsonsBitch: Trebek takes a lot of heat for being sort of smug and starchy on camera, but that's just for TV. In person he is sort of a nut, always doing goofy jokes and accents and little bits of soft-shoe and stuff. He's like your good-natured, slightly-losing-it grandpa. btrostelsc: What has been the single biggest change in you life since your epic winning streak, besides the money? WatsonsBitch: Old people can't keep their dry, lilac-scented hands off me. Man, do old people ever love Jeopardy. I can't go anywhere in public where there might be old people, like Hallmark stores or cemeteries. LxRogue: What do the contestants talk about when you stand next to Alex while they roll the credits? Just pretending to look suave for the cameras? WatsonsBitch: It's normally a pretty awkward social scenario. Two of you are shell-shocked and pissed, one of you has just realized he's going to have to come back and do it all again after a 10-minute tape break, and one of you is slightly drunk and wants to get out of there before the Lakers game starts.

There's tons more where that came from! Including a delightful Blade Runner reference. Now that's nerdcore.

(Photo of Watson as “Turd Ferguson” courtesy of charliecurve, used under Creative Commons license.)