Comments on: My 5 Minutes Of Geek Fame http://www.johnsadventures.com/archives/2008/03/my-5-minutes-of-geek-fame/ The personal website of John Conners, a Scotsman living in Yorkshire who loves photography and writes software for a living Fri, 12 Mar 2010 10:12:18 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: Malcolm Girling http://www.johnsadventures.com/archives/2008/03/my-5-minutes-of-geek-fame/comment-page-1/#comment-6766 Malcolm Girling Sat, 21 Jun 2008 00:15:37 +0000 http://www.johnsadventures.com/?p=500#comment-6766 I have been looking for references to the competition for many years but most of them come in publications by Harold Gale! Some years ago I did look on the Times website and found reference to the competition but there now seems to be a gap in the Times archive from 1985-2000 and I can no longer find it. I must admit that, like you, I do not consider myself very clever but I just happened to have a copy of the MacMillan Encyclopaedia that Harold Gale used for the general knowledge questions. Eventually I realised that, over days 1-20 of the competition, he had gone through the encyclopaedia alphabetically and that he only chose questions that had pictures associated with them in the encyclopaedia! So, when I did not know an answer to a question I just went through the pages (between two questions I knew the answers for) looking for entries with pictures! This gave me some insight into the mentality of Mr. Gale and made me question his bona fide. A few days after the competition was over, every entrant received an invite to take a Mensa Test and also subscribe to a publication from Harold Gale Associates!!! It was then that I realised that Mr. Gale was of a dubious (possibly fraudulent) character. I note that you are a computer programmer. At the time of doing the competition, so was I! So, for most of the puzzles I wrote programming solutions (in BBC BASIC) on my BBC Micro. I have to say that Harold Gale also wrote programs to create the puzzles but there were some serious problems with software writing skills - as evidenced by his publications - some of which contain up to 15% errors in answer to questions. Luckily, one cannot defame the dead!!! I have been looking for references to the competition for many years but most of them come in publications by Harold Gale!

Some years ago I did look on the Times website and found reference to the competition but there now seems to be a gap in the Times archive from 1985-2000 and I can no longer find it.

I must admit that, like you, I do not consider myself very clever but I just happened to have a copy of the MacMillan Encyclopaedia that Harold Gale used for the general knowledge questions. Eventually I realised that, over days 1-20 of the competition, he had gone through the encyclopaedia alphabetically and that he only chose questions that had pictures associated with them in the encyclopaedia!

So, when I did not know an answer to a question I just went through the pages (between two questions I knew the answers for) looking for entries with pictures!

This gave me some insight into the mentality of Mr. Gale and made me question his bona fide. A few days after the competition was over, every entrant received an invite to take a Mensa Test and also subscribe to a publication from Harold Gale Associates!!! It was then that I realised that Mr. Gale was of a dubious (possibly fraudulent) character.

I note that you are a computer programmer. At the time of doing the competition, so was I! So, for most of the puzzles I wrote programming solutions (in BBC BASIC) on my BBC Micro. I have to say that Harold Gale also wrote programs to create the puzzles but there were some serious problems with software writing skills – as evidenced by his publications – some of which contain up to 15% errors in answer to questions.

Luckily, one cannot defame the dead!!!

]]> By: John Conners http://www.johnsadventures.com/archives/2008/03/my-5-minutes-of-geek-fame/comment-page-1/#comment-6762 John Conners Fri, 20 Jun 2008 23:06:42 +0000 http://www.johnsadventures.com/?p=500#comment-6762 Well well well. First of all, congratulations! That's a very impressive achievement (at least I could stand on the shoulders of my classmates). And secondly, thanks for the information - I was beginning to wonder if I'd imagined the Times Tournament of the Mind, there are very few references to it out there on the interweb! Well well well. First of all, congratulations! That’s a very impressive achievement (at least I could stand on the shoulders of my classmates). And secondly, thanks for the information – I was beginning to wonder if I’d imagined the Times Tournament of the Mind, there are very few references to it out there on the interweb!

]]> By: Malcolm Girling http://www.johnsadventures.com/archives/2008/03/my-5-minutes-of-geek-fame/comment-page-1/#comment-6754 Malcolm Girling Fri, 20 Jun 2008 20:49:55 +0000 http://www.johnsadventures.com/?p=500#comment-6754 I remember the Times Tournament of the Mind. It ran for four years from 1988-1991. I was the first ever individual winner. In the first three years of the competition, the questions appeared in The Times on 20 consecutive days. The top 100 individuals and the top (six?) schools got through to the finals. By 1991, the competition was relegated the Times educational supplements (TES & THES). The questions were set by Harold Gale who was, then, executive director of Mensa. Mr. Gale was subsequently thrown out of Mensa because he used Mensa (and the Tournament of the Mind) to promote his own business interests. Sir Clive Sinclair instigated his ejection from Mensa but Mr. Gale did have his supporters (notably Carol Vorderman of Countdown fame). Harold Gale died shortly afterwards in a car accident that was rumoured to be suicide because of his failed bid to set up a Mensa rival and the death of his mother. I remember the Times Tournament of the Mind. It ran for four years from 1988-1991. I was the first ever individual winner.

In the first three years of the competition, the questions appeared in The Times on 20 consecutive days. The top 100 individuals and the top (six?) schools got through to the finals. By 1991, the competition was relegated the Times educational supplements (TES & THES).

The questions were set by Harold Gale who was, then, executive director of Mensa. Mr. Gale was subsequently thrown out of Mensa because he used Mensa (and the Tournament of the Mind) to promote his own business interests. Sir Clive Sinclair instigated his ejection from Mensa but Mr. Gale did have his supporters (notably Carol Vorderman of Countdown fame).

Harold Gale died shortly afterwards in a car accident that was rumoured to be suicide because of his failed bid to set up a Mensa rival and the death of his mother.

]]> By: John Conners http://www.johnsadventures.com/archives/2008/03/my-5-minutes-of-geek-fame/comment-page-1/#comment-3941 John Conners Fri, 28 Mar 2008 13:58:27 +0000 http://www.johnsadventures.com/?p=500#comment-3941 Ha ha, I guess I haven't hidden it particularly well then! Ha ha, I guess I haven’t hidden it particularly well then!

]]> By: Kenny http://www.johnsadventures.com/archives/2008/03/my-5-minutes-of-geek-fame/comment-page-1/#comment-3940 Kenny Fri, 28 Mar 2008 13:54:11 +0000 http://www.johnsadventures.com/?p=500#comment-3940 Point of order: how come no-one has picked up on "..I’m a complete geek. I’ve hidden it well..."? Point of order: how come no-one has picked up on “..I’m a complete geek. I’ve hidden it well…”?

]]> By: John Conners http://www.johnsadventures.com/archives/2008/03/my-5-minutes-of-geek-fame/comment-page-1/#comment-3925 John Conners Thu, 27 Mar 2008 20:51:27 +0000 http://www.johnsadventures.com/?p=500#comment-3925 Well, I'm the rather sheepish looking lad third from the left with the yellow label thing on my jacket! Sadly I have no idea what happened to any of the other people in the photo... Maybe in years to come if they search for 'Times Tournament Of The Mind' they'll come across this page and let me know! Well, I’m the rather sheepish looking lad third from the left with the yellow label thing on my jacket!

Sadly I have no idea what happened to any of the other people in the photo… Maybe in years to come if they search for ‘Times Tournament Of The Mind’ they’ll come across this page and let me know!

]]> By: Ross Goodman http://www.johnsadventures.com/archives/2008/03/my-5-minutes-of-geek-fame/comment-page-1/#comment-3924 Ross Goodman Thu, 27 Mar 2008 20:44:18 +0000 http://www.johnsadventures.com/?p=500#comment-3924 Go on then, which one are you in the photo? Ross http://www.RossGoodman.com Go on then, which one are you in the photo?

Ross
http://www.RossGoodman.com

]]> By: John Conners http://www.johnsadventures.com/archives/2008/03/my-5-minutes-of-geek-fame/comment-page-1/#comment-3922 John Conners Thu, 27 Mar 2008 17:42:48 +0000 http://www.johnsadventures.com/?p=500#comment-3922 Ha ha! If I did I'd have stayed on for a PhD in advanced Tandoori cooking! Of course I could argue that by moving to Yorkshire near near the curry capital of the UK (Bradford) I've continued my studies well beyond degree level! ;) Ha ha! If I did I’d have stayed on for a PhD in advanced Tandoori cooking!

Of course I could argue that by moving to Yorkshire near near the curry capital of the UK (Bradford) I’ve continued my studies well beyond degree level! ;)

]]> By: John Topley http://www.johnsadventures.com/archives/2008/03/my-5-minutes-of-geek-fame/comment-page-1/#comment-3921 John Topley Thu, 27 Mar 2008 17:27:37 +0000 http://www.johnsadventures.com/?p=500#comment-3921 Did you go on to Vindaloo University? ;-) Did you go on to Vindaloo University? ;-)

]]>