University Challenge gave easier questions to ‘old codgers’
And other stories from the stranger side of life
Jeremy Paxman has revealed University Challenge questions were sometimes made easier for “old codgers”. The broadcaster said that producers gave older contestants simpler questions but that this seemed to be changing. “We used to make the questions easier for the old codgers, but this time they mostly seemed as tricky as the ones we put to the students,” he wrote in Saga magazine. A BBC spokesman said: “To suggest questions are made easier is inaccurate.”
Musk previews brain chips
Elon Musk said that a brain chip for controlling a computer with thoughts will be tested on humans within six months. The chips, made by the colourful billionaire’s company Neuralink, are the size of a coin with flexible “threads” that can be inserted into the brain, said The Times. “It’s like replacing a piece of your skull with a smartwatch, for lack of a better analogy,” said Musk.
Rare Sondheim recording found on bookshelf
A rare live recording of one of Stephen Sondheim’s earliest musicals has been discovered on a bookshelf. “This is the first original cast recording of a Sondheim show,” Paul Salsini told BBC News, after he found the CD while cleaning his office in the US city of Milwaukee. The music scholar Stephen Banfield said he is "absolutely delighted that it's come to light" and it is a significant find.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
For more odd news stories, sign up to the weekly Tall Tales newsletter.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
-
Today's political cartoons - April 27, 2024
Cartoons Saturday's cartoons - natural gas, fundraising with Ted Cruz, and more
By The Week US Published
-
Aid to Ukraine: too little, too late?
Talking Point House of Representatives finally 'met the moment' but some say it came too late
By The Week UK Published
-
5 generously funny cartoons on the $60 billion foreign aid package
Cartoons Artists take on Republican opposition, aid to Ukraine, and more
By The Week US Published
-
Zoos offer cockroach naming and hippo poo candles
Tall Tales And other stories from the stranger side of life
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
NHS tells Scots to walk like penguins
Tall Tales Walk like penguins in the snow, says NHS
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
Experts discover why dogs wag their tails
Tall Tales And other stories from the stranger side of life
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
Peruvian 'aliens' aren't really aliens
Tall Tales And other stories from stranger side of life
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
Woman accidentally puts nan in washing machine
Tall Tales And other stories from the stranger side of life
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
Why Dutch people put pancakes on their heads today
Tall Tales And other stories from the stranger side of life
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
Fly found in man's colon
Tall Tales And other stories from the stranger side of life
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
Judi Dench accidentally video called co-star from bath
Tall Tales And other stories from the stranger side of life
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published