Ken Jennings

Seas un padre con ganas de saber sobre qué debes dejar de preocuparte, o un hijo con ganas de responder“eso no tiene pies ni cabeza”, este es tu libro. ¡Si pones los ojos así te vas a quedar bizco! ¡

Ken Jennings takes readers on a world tour of geogeeks from the London Map Fair to the bowels of the Library of Congress, from the prepubescent geniuses at the National Geographic Bee to the computer programmers at Google Earth. Each chapter delves into a different aspect of map culture: highpointing, geocaching, road atlas rallying, even the unreal estate charted on the maps of fiction and fantasy. Jennings also considers the ways in which cartography has shaped our history, suggesting that the impulse to make and read maps is as relevant today as it has ever been.From the Here be dragons parchment maps of the Age of Discovery to the spinning globes of grade school to the postmodern revolution of digital maps and GPS, Maphead is filled with intriguing details, engaging anecdotes, and enlightening analysis. If youre an inveterate map lover yourselfor even if youre among the cartographically clueless who can get lost in a supermarketlet Ken Jennings be your guide to the strange world of mapheads.

Learn all about the human body with thisinteractive trivia book fromJeopardy!host and champion andNew York Timesbestselling author Ken Jennings!Dive into anatomy with Ken Jennings to become a Junior Genius! Did you know that your hair is as strong as copper wire? Or that if you could spread it out, your small intestine could cover a tennis court? With cool illustrations, fascinating trivia, and fun quizzes to test your knowledge, this Junior Genius Guide will have you on your way to whiz-kid status in no time!

Travel back in time to the dinosaur age with this interactive trivia book from Jeopardy! winner and New York Times bestselling author Ken Jennings.With this book about dinosaurs, youll become an expert and wow your friends and teachers with some awesome facts: Did you know that dinosaurs skin was more like bump bird skin than modern snake or crocodile scales? Or that the Tyrannosaurus Rex might have croaked like a frog instead of roaring? With great illustrations, cool trivia, and fun quizzes to test your knowledge, this guide will have you on your way to whiz-kid status in no time.

From New York Times bestselling author and legendary Jeopardy! host and champion Ken Jennings comes a hilarious travel guide to the afterlife, exploring to die for destinations from literature, mythology, and pop culture.Ever wonder which circles of Dantes Inferno have the nicest accommodations? Wheres the best place to grab a bite to eat in the ancient Egyptian underworld? How does one dress like a local in the heavenly palace of Hinduisms Lord Vishnu, or avoid the flesh-eating river serpents in the Klingon afterlife? What hidden treasures can be found off the beaten path in Hades, Valhalla, or TVs The Good Place? Find answers to all those questions and more about the world(s) to come in this eternally entertaining book from Ken Jennings.Written in the style of iconic bestselling travel guides, Jennings wryly outlines journeys through the afterlife, as dreamed up over 5,000 years of human history by our greatest prophets, poets, mystics, artists, and TV showrunners. This comprehensive index of 100 different afterlife destinations was meticulously researched from sources ranging from the Epic of Gilgamesh to modern-day pop songs, video games, and Simpsons episodes. Get ready for whatever post-mortal destiny awaits you, whether its an astral plane, a Hieronymus Bosch hellscape, or the baseball diamond from Field of Dreams.Fascinating, funny, and irreverent, this gung-ho travel guide to Heaven, Hell, and beyond (The New Yorker) will help you create your very own bucket listfor after youve kicked the bucket.

Become a presidential pro with this interactive trivia book from Jeopardy! champ and New York Times bestselling author Ken Jennings.With this book about U.S. Presidents, youll become an expert and wow your friends and teachers with clever facts: Did you know that Abraham Lincoln made Thanksgiving a national holiday? Or that Jefferson introduced the first French fries at a fancy state dinner? With great illustrations, cool trivia, and fun quizzes to test your knowledge, this patriotic genius guide will have you on your way to whiz-kid status in no time!

A KirkusReviews Best Book of the YearThe witty and exuberant New York Times bestselling author and record-setting Jeopardy! championKen Jennings relays the history of humor in lively, insightful, and crawling with goofy factlings, (Maria Semple, author of Whered You Go Bernadette)from fart jokes on clay Sumerian tablets to the latest Twitter gags and Facebook memes.Where once societys most coveted trait might have been strength or intelligence or honor, today, in a clear sign of evolution sliding off the trails, it is being funny. Yes, funniness.Consider: Super Bowl commercials dont try to sell you anymore; they try to make you laugh. Airline safety tutorialsthose terrifying laminated cards about the possibilities of fire, explosion, depressurization, and drowninghave been replaced by joke-filled videos with multimillion-dollar budgets and dance routines. Thanks to social media, we now have a whole Twitterverse of amateur comedians riffing around the world at all hours of the dayand many of them even get popular enough online to go pro and take over TV.In his smartly structured, soundly argued, and yespretty darn funny (Booklist, starred review) Planet Funny, Ken Jennings explores this brave new comedic world and what it meansor doesntto be funny in it now. Tracing the evolution of humor from the caveman days to the bawdy middle-class antics of Chaucer to Monty Pythons game-changing silliness to the fast-paced meta-humor of The Simpsons, Jennings explains how we built our humor-saturated modern age, where lots of us get our news from comedy shows and a comic figure can even be elected President of the United States purely on showmanship. Fascinating, entertaining andIm being dead serious hereimportant (A.J. Jacobs, author of The Year of Living Biblically), Planet Funny is a full taxonomy of what spawned and defines the modern sense of humor.

Record-setting Jeopardy! champion-turned-host and New York Times bestselling author of Planet Funny Ken Jennings explores the world of maps, geography, cartography, and map obsessives, a literary gem (The Atlantic).Ken Jennings takes readers on a world tour of geogeeks from the London Map Fair to the bowels of the Library of Congress, from the prepubescent geniuses at the National Geographic Bee to the computer programmers at Google Earth. Each chapter delves into a different aspect of map culture: highpointing, geocaching, road atlas rallying, even the unreal estate charted on the maps of fiction and fantasy. Jennings also considers the ways in which cartography has shaped our history, suggesting that the impulse to make and read maps is as relevant today as it has ever been. From the Here be dragons parchment maps of the Age of Discovery to the spinning globes of grade school to the postmodern revolution of digital maps and GPS, Maphead is filled with intriguing details, engaging anecdotes, and enlightening analysis. If youre an inveterate map lover yourselfor even if youre among the cartographically clueless who can get lost in a supermarketlet Ken Jennings be your guide to the strange world of mapheads.

The all-time champion and host of Jeopardy! gives you the chance to test your trivia mettle in this ingeniously organized book of 8,888 questions. For exampleFebruary 21: In 1912, on this day, Teddy Roosevelt coined the political phrase hat in the ring, so Ken Jennings fires off a series of ring questions. In 1979, who became the first NFL quarterback with four Super Bowl rings? What rings are divided by the Cassini Division? Also on this date, in 1981, the goth music scene was born in London, so heres a quiz on black-clad icons like Darth Vader, Johnny Cash, and Zorro. Do you know the secret identities of Ivanhoes Black Knight or Men in Blacks Agent M? In this ultimate book for trivia buffs and other assorted know-it-alls, the 365 entries feature This Day in History factoids, trivia quizzes, and questions categorized by Jennings as Easy, Hard, and Yeah, Good Luck. Topics cover every subject under the sun, from paleontology to mixology, sports feats to Bach suites, medieval popes to daytime soaps. This addictive gathering of facts, oddities, devilishly clever quizzes, and other flights of fancy will make each day a fun and intriguing new challenge.

NATIONAL BESTSELLER A witty, charming, and engaging dive into trivias colorful history, from Americas highest-earning game show contestant of all time and host of Jeopardy!Insightful, informative, and written with a strong dose of humor and humility. . . . I loved this book.Will Shortz, crossword editor, The New York TimesKen Jennings is trivias undisputed kingand as he traces his rise from anonymous computer programmer to nerd folk icon, he explores his newly conquered kingdom: the world of trivia itself. Trivia, he has found, is centuries older than his childhood obsession with it. Whisking us from the coffeehouses of seventeenth-century London to the Internet age, Jennings chronicles the ups and downs of the trivia fad: the quiz book explosion of the Jazz Age; the rise, fall, and rise again of TV quiz shows; the nostalgic campus trivia of the 1960s; and the 1980s, when Trivial Pursuit again made it fashionable to be a know-it-all.Jennings also investigates the shadowy demimonde of todays trivia subculture, guiding us on a tour of trivia across America. He goes head-to-head with the blowhards and diehards of the college quiz-bowl circuit, the slightly soused faithful of the Boston pub trivia scene, and the raucous participants in the annual Q&A marathon in Stevens Point, Wisconsin, The Worlds Largest Trivia Contest. And, of course, he takes us behind the scenes of his improbable 75-game run on Jeopardy! But above all, Brainiac is a love letter to the useless fact. (Who knew that theres a crater on Venus named after Laura Ingalls Wilder? Ken Jennings, thats who.) Engaging and erudite, Brainiac is an irresistible celebration of nostalgia, curiosity, and geeky obsessionin a word, trivia.

Blast off into outer space with this interactive trivia book fromJeopardy!host and champion andNew York Timesbestselling author Ken Jenningsfeaturing updated facts!Take one giant leap into space with Ken Jennings to become a Junior Genius! In this book about outer space, youll discover Marss massive volcanoes, witness the birth of stars like our sun, explore black holes, and more! With stellar illustrations, cosmic facts, and out-of-this-world activities, this Junior Genius Guide will have you reaching for the stars!

Unleash your inner genius and become a master of mythology with this interactive trivia book from Jeopardy! host and champion and New York Times bestselling author Ken Jennings.With this Junior Genius Guide to Greek mythology, youll become an expert and wow your friends and teachers with all the best ancient stories: how Prometheus outsmarted the gods, how Achilless heel led to his death, and that most of our eighty-eight constellations are based on what Greeks and Romans imagined thousands of years ago! With great illustrations, cool trivia, and fun quizzes to test your knowledge, this guide will have you on your way to whiz-kid status in no time!

Discover fun facts about the world and become a master of geography with this interactive trivia book from Jeopardy! host and champion and New York Times bestselling author Ken Jennings.With this Junior Genius Guide to maps and geography, youll become an expert and wow your friends and teachers with clever facts: Did you know that the biggest desert in the world is actually covered in snow? Or that Christopher Columbus wasnt the first to think the Earth was round? With great illustrations, cool trivia, and fun quizzes to test your knowledge, this guide will have you on your way to whiz-kid status in no time!

National BestsellerThe first new trivia book in more than a decade from Jeopardy! host Ken Jenningsbased on his hugely popular online game Kennections!Five trivia questions. Five answers that share a secret theme. Whats the Kennection?Since 2012, Jeopardy! champion and host Ken Jennings has created a weekly puzzlefirst appearing in Parade, then Mental Flossinvolving a series of trivia questions whose answers have something in common. The trivia questions run the gamut of topicsfrom pop culture (movies, TV, music) to academic knowledge (history, geography, the arts) to lifestyle (food and drink, sports, hobbies). But the trickiest part might be finding the Kennection that links all five answers. Many are standard trivia categories (D-Day beaches! Presidential middle names! Santas reindeer! Batman villains!), but almost anything goes, so thinking outside the box is just as important as trivia knowledge. What do feet, McDonalds, fingerprints, and St. Louis have in common? They all have arches. What about Mercury, Chihuahuas, electrons, and Rhode Island? Theyre all the smallest of their kind. Columbia, Grease, and I Ran (by A Flock of Seagulls)? Theyre homophones for nations of the world.For the first time, the Kennections canon is available in one convenient volume, with hundreds of new and updated quizzes. The Complete Kennections is the perfect gift for any Jeopardy! fan, trivia buff, or New York Times Connections puzzler.

Learn all about the human body with thisinteractive trivia book fromJeopardy!host and champion andNew York Timesbestselling author Ken Jennings!Dive into anatomy with Ken Jennings to become a Junior Genius! Did you know that your hair is as strong as copper wire? Or that if you could spread it out, your small intestine could cover a tennis court? With cool illustrations, fascinating trivia, and fun quizzes to test your knowledge, this Junior Genius Guide will have you on your way to whiz-kid status in no time!

Uncover the wonders of Ancient Egypt with this interactive trivia book from Jeopardy! host and champion and New York Times bestselling author Ken Jennings!Travel back in time with Ken Jennings to become a Junior Genius! Did you know that the Egyptians invented toothpaste? Or that the Great Pyramid of Khufu was the tallest building on Earth for almost 3,800 years? Discover fascinating facts about Egypts amazing monuments, powerful pharaohs, and more in this Junior Genius Guide filled with neat illustrations, cool trivia, and fun activities.

Este libro es sobre esa gente, amantes de los viajes en auto por carretera, buscadores de tesoros...Existe un pequeño reducto de fanáticos de la geografía, gente que duerme con un atlas bajo el brazo, que recorre autopistas al milimetro para corregir errores en los mapas y que vive fascinada por la semblanza del perfil geografico de Wisconsin y Tanzania. Este libro es sobre esa gente, amantes de los viajes en auto por carretera, buscadores de tesoros que siguen unas coordenadas GPS publicadas por otros locos delgeocaching, programadores de Google Earth o cartografos de tierras imaginarias. Una obra que revela la capacidad que ha tenido la cartografia para transformar el mundo.

¿Por qué nos fascinan tanto los mapas? Un libro único y sorprendente sobre las curiosidades,historias y anécdotas presentes en los mapas y en la capacidad que ha tenido la cartografía paratransformar el mundo.En el caso de que se haya preguntado alguna vezcuantas cosas se pueden hacer con un mapa, estelibro de Ken Jenningses su libro. Ahora bien, un libroque va a desbordarle completamente porque lo que esseguro es que nadie habia pensado que las posibilidadeseran infi nitas.Desde el arranque, en el que el autor pone en relacionperfi les geografi cos que estan alejadisimos pero queson identicos, vamos de sobresalto en sobresalto. Enel libro se encuentran todas las rarezas relacionadascon mapas: los cartografos de tierras imaginarias, losroadtrippers, los amantes de la latitud, los afi nes a lalongitud, la vida de los tipos que se dedican a GoogleMapsDestaca, por ejemplo, la asistencia de Jenningsal concurso interestatal de expertos en geografiao el grupo de tipos (escapados de un libro de Pynchon)que se dedican a estudiar al milimetro el sistemainterestatal de carreteras, intentando buscar un erroren los mapasTodo esto trufado con cientos de anecdotas sobre losmapas del pasado, su imprecision, su utilidad, su exhibicioncomo medio de prestigio, las tecnicas de elaboraciony conservacion, la aplicacion de la fotografia yde las matematicas

Una imprescindible guía a un inevitable destino para viajeros inmortales.Este libro proporciona información turística privilegiada sobre 100 destinos de ultratumba, a través de mitos, escrituras sagradas, peliculas, cuadros, videojuegos, universos de superheroes y parques tematicos. Nunca es demasiado tarde para empezar a planificar futuros viajes. Ademas la eternidad es terriblemente larga como para ir a parar al lugar equivocado, y nunca se sabe cuando se producira la partida. En este libro estan todas las claves para descubrir donde esta la terra incognita. ¡Son viajes que miles de millones de personas se mueren por realizar!

Una imprescindible guía a un inevitable destino para viajeros inmortales.Este libro proporciona información turística privilegiada sobre 100 destinos de ultratumba, a través de mitos, escrituras sagradas, peliculas, cuadros, videojuegos, universos de superheroes y parques tematicos.Nunca es demasiado tarde para empezar a planificar futuros viajes. Ademas la eternidad es terriblemente larga como para ir a parar al lugar equivocado, y nunca se sabe cuando se producira la partida. En este libro estan todas las claves para descubrir donde esta la terra incognita. ¡Son viajes que miles de millones de personas se mueren por realizar!