Navin chweetly rocks SEQC

Putting together a quiz that 'rocks' -- to use Ameya's phrase -- is not easy. You need to put in something for everybody, to make sure that you grab your audience. The questions must be at the right level of difficulty: challenging without being incomprehensible. And at the end of it, one should feel that one has learnt something. If you can get the 'A-ha' factor in, you're certainly rocking. And if you have what was probably the highest number of participants ever for a SEQC monthly, and if they give you the thumbs up... well, you're in QM heaven.

In SEQC we have been very fortunate, with QMs like Annie, Rajiv and Harsh providing top-class treats, and the newer QMs dishing out groovy fare as well. But one of the very best SEQC quizzes, IMHO, was the one provided by cho-chweet Navin Pai, one of our younger members, on Sunday, 3 January 2010.

On all the above-mentioned counts, Navin scored high, setting a high bar for others to aim at. The questions were challenging, and when some answers were provided, people said, "Wow" -- for example, the first question on TASER (Navin was confident enough about this deceptively easy-looking question to write 'gotcha' on the slide) and the question on henna. For many of the questions, you felt that you knew the answer but didn't come close (TASER qualifies on this count too, as does 'Les Horribles Cernettes').

Great going, Navin, and we expect to see more of you in your QM avatar!

Okay, now that I've got all this rubbish out of the way, let's cut to the chase and start grouching. One wishes that our young QMs would conduct their quizzes standing up -- it makes things go better, as well as being more respectful to the audience. Also, turkeys like the connect about Star TV channels should be directed to Arul Mani for inclusion in Go Ogle and not inflicted on SEQC. Furthermore, QMs -- if male -- must dress properly, with a suit and tie and well-polished shoes.

(The remaining 3000 words of this grouch will be posted when I have time. While I write it, searching for suitably scathing remarks to put young upstart Navin properly in his place, go and try the quiz.)