Plaskett and Woffinden's book on the "Who Wants to be a Millionaire?" Fraud

[Roger de Coverly]

The £1,000,000 question that I thought was far too easy for that stage of the game was the one your friend, also known as 'the coughing major' had to answer. I just assumed that everyone knows Google is the biggest website and the name of which was itself founded on an accidental misspelling of googol, which made the question too easy.

This was September 2001 when I don't think the search engine was particularly well known.

The term Googol along with Googolplex is mentioned in https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Mathema ... 7s_Apology which I had read at school.

[Kevin Thurlow]

I recall the legendary William G Stewart informing us (prior to a recording of "15 to 1") that, "The questions are only difficult if you don't know the answer". Obviously, the reverse applies.

Having said that, I got the question, "With what is a chrematist obsessed?" I had no idea, (and I have never met anyone who did) but if I had thought of Croesus, I might have got it. The next question was, (paraphrasing) "What is it called when people in a crowd stand up in turn and raise their arms?", which I thought was easy... I also got a scientific question wrong because I automatically thought of a difficult answer, when they wanted a simple one.

[James Plaskett]

That was my 500K Question, not 250K.

Here's all the background gen for you, too -

https://james-plasketts-coincidence-dia ... ileux.html

[MJMcCready]

Well I thought you did very well. I felt as though your questions were harder than usual.

[John Clarke]

The £1,000,000 question that I thought was far too easy for that stage of the game was the one your friend, also known as 'the coughing major' had to answer. I just assumed that everyone knows Google is the biggest website and the name of which was itself founded on an accidental misspelling of googol, which made the question too easy.

This was September 2001 when I don't think the search engine was particularly well known.

The term Googol along with Googolplex is mentioned in https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Mathema ... 7s_Apology which I had read at school.

I remember coming across those terms in a Guinness Book Of Records when I was about 11.

[MJMcCready]

I encountered it as a piece of homework when I was nine.

[Kevin Thurlow]

Why didn't the creators of google use a search engine to find out how to spell googol?

[John Hickman]

Why didn't the creators of google use a search engine to find out how to spell googol?

They could have used Ask Jeeves

[Nick Ivell]

While we're about it, I want to dismiss the notion that there's no difference between hard and easy questions. Professional quizzers sometimes promote this notion, perhaps out of modesty.

Example of an 'easy' question: what is the name of Manchester United's ground?

'Hard' question': what is the name of Blackpool's home ground?

But of course, the second question is very easy for people brought up in Blackpool, like me!

[John Upham]

'Hard' question': what is the name of Blackpool's home ground?

But of course, the second question is very easy for people brought up in Blackpool, like me!

And if the name of the ground has changed?

I do a fair few quizzes but am hopeless if needed to ID so-called celebrities. Many others (who do not do quizzes) will find this trivial.

[Nick Ivell]

I purposely chose names which have not changed.

[MJMcCready]

While we're about it, I want to dismiss the notion that there's no difference between hard and easy questions. Professional quizzers sometimes promote this notion, perhaps out of modesty.

Example of an 'easy' question: what is the name of Manchester United's ground?

'Hard' question': what is the name of Blackpool's home ground?

But of course, the second question is very easy for people brought up in Blackpool, like me!

Strange thing to say. One of the ways they make questions harder to answer is to make the answers closer in proximity. The topic more academically orientated too.

[MJMcCready]

The saddest thing of all, and also an unanswered question in this thread is when are we going to see a chess-themed Who wants to be a millionaire on tv? An example £4000 question could be:

At the 37th chess olypiad in Turin, which English GM started throwing punches on the dance floor? Was it:

A James Plaskett
B Jon Speelman
C Danny Gormally
D Keith Arkell

[James Plaskett]

er, yes.
I'm sorry that I lost my head on that occasion.

[MJMcCready]

I don't think it was you James.