TO CZECH AND SLOVAKIA AND BACK:So was the Africa map on
Where In The World Is Carmen Sandiego? the ultimate test of physical and mental agility?
SB Nation makes a good case.
Here's a video of one of the few winners. And of course, I don't need to remind you that there's one more thing for you to do, and you know what it is--"
Do It Rockapella!"
Two a cappella posts in a row. Are you TRYING to kill Isaac?
ReplyDeleteI watched this show religiously. Whenever the finals came up as Africa, it was just heartbreaking. I never knew why you got the same amount of time on the clock regardless of what continent you got - fundamentally unfair.
SB Nation's coverage of game shows has been fantastic. Please check out: http://www.sbnation.com/2013/2/27/4028998/legends-of-the-hidden-temple
ReplyDeleteBeing the huge geography geek I was (and am), I watched this show pretty much every day. I agree that Africa is especially challenging, but that's why we had a map-of-the-world shower curtain in my house.
ReplyDeleteFor me, it always seemed that the biggest hurdle would be trying to do it with the upside down map! I get that from the TV perspective that made sense, but when we spend our whole lives and education looking at it one way, to suddenly have to do it differently, I think would be a shock. If I'd ever had a chance to be on the show, I definitely would have done some upside-down map studying.
I knew when I clicked that Tatsuo would win, but I got so excited when he did. I know my African countries pretty good, and I don't think I could do that unless I got crazy lucky.
ReplyDeleteIn college, International Studies 100 (International Studies and Political Science were separate departments) featured the notorious "map test," on which you had to score a 90 or higher to pass the class. You were given a blank world map (just borders, no names) and had to identify/place every country. And by the way, spelling counts. The nightmare was West Africa.
ReplyDeleteWait. Tatsuo could go anywhere and he chose Arizona? I am confused.
ReplyDeleteAs I recall from watching it growing up, people pretty regularly picked fairly random locations--it was "Continental United States" at first, and later expanded to "North America."
ReplyDeleteWow. Is it weird that I'm actually thinking to myself "I would like to see how I'd do on that test now"? West Africa for some reason was never really that difficult for me (and now that I've had so many friends go to the Peace Corps, I feel like I could still get through most of it), but once the eastern bloc/Soviet Union broke up, I was completely overwhelmed by eastern Europe and central Asia. I probably could do the new Europe now, but don't ask me about any of the former-soviet-stans other than Kazakhstan.
ReplyDeleteMy challenge was always the little island nations of the south/western Pacific -- Vanuatu, Tuvalu, etc. I'll never remember which are which!
For what it's worth, I spent the weekend with the vocal percussionist from Rockapella at an a cappella festival. Good guy.
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