Walking Randomly

Here in the UK we have a TV show called University Challenge where teams of students from British Universities compete in a general knowledge quiz.  I don’t watch it often but when I do I usually feel very pleased with myself if I manage to answer more than a couple of questions or so – my general knowledge isn’t anywhere near as good as I would like it to be.

The most recent series of the show was won by a team from Oxford’s Corpus Christi College but the star of the show was undoubtedly 26 year old Gail Trimble who has been heralded as possibly the greatest contestant in the show’s history. Jeremy Paxman, the show’s host, referredto her performance as an “intellectual blitzkrieg”.  I haven’t seen any of the shows she was in but I have read accounts and I am deeply impressed by the breadth and depth of this woman’s knowledge.

The reason I am bringing this up is up is because of the amount of people who have vilified her both online and in print.   As far as I can tell, the principal complaint is that she knows too much and that annoys people.  That’s right….she has been ridiculed for being clever!  How depressing.

Well Gail, on the faint off chance that you are reading this  I would like to congratulate you and your team for so soundly ‘opening a can of whup-ass’ on Manchester (The University that employs me for those who don’t know).  I salute you and in the spirit of the fabled Chuck Norris (and Jon Skeet of Stack Overflow fame) I offer the following Gail Trimble ‘facts’.

• Gail Trimble can divide by zero
• If your IQ is 170 and Gail Trimble’s IQ is 170 then she is more intelligent than you.
• Gail Trimble once answered a question 42 seconds before it was asked.
• Gail Trimble is the traveling salesman.   Only she knows the shortest route.
• Gail Trimble doesn’t answer questions…she stares them down till they answer themselves.
• The only time Gail Trimble was wrong was when she thought she had made a mistake.
• Gail Trimble has counted to infinity…..twice.
• If Gail Tribmle programmed computers then she would use butterflies.
• Gail Trimble can determine the next random number in a sequence.
• When you search for “guru” on Google it says “Did you mean Gail Trimble?”
• Gail Trimble can believe it’s not butter.

If you are completely baffled by this little reference to geek culture then maybe this wikipedia page will help you.