Unlike the complex game of chess, mastering Jeopardy with a computer would seem to be a simple matter of automating Wikipedia searches. But there's more to it than that:

One of the toughest challenges for Watson's programmers is predicting confidence in answers-in other words, programming the computer to know when to buzz. Jennings, during his record-breaking Jeopardy! run, would sometimes buzz early, then seem to think for a few seconds before answering.

"I can't validate one way or another exactly what Ken Jennnigs was doing, but I can say the behavior you described is one that suggests that I'm extremely confident that I know all the answers," Ferucci said.

Okay then, but if IBM was searching for an even more impressive feat, how about programming its computer to host Jeopardy rather than play it? Trebek's robotic delivery makes him easily replaced by a speech synthesizer. Heck, we bet Watson's blinking lights would be more watchable.

First up, the categories. Maybe when Art Fleming was alive, America just couldn't get enough clues about "Botany" and "Ballet" and "The Renaissance," but come on. Does every freaking category have to be some effete left-coast crap nobody's heard of, like "Opera," or, um, "U.S. History" or whatever? I mean, wake me up when you come up with something that middle America actually cares about. I think it would rule if, just one time, Alex had to read off a board like:

• PlayStation

• The Arby's 5-for-$5.95 Value Menu

• Reality TV

• Men's Magazines

• Skanks from Reality TV Who Got Naked in Men's Magazines

• Potpourri

As if a mormon's understanding of the FHM slut du jour is going to put his kids through college. Thus Jennings' words are in jest; alas, Michael Starr's response in yesterday's Post didn't quite grasp that. But what did Jennings expect? The Post has a feeble grasp of these things — it's not like you'd see Starr raping and pillaging Alex Trebek's piggy bank.

Dear Jeopardy! [Ken Jennings via AP]
Sense of Humor, Meet Michael Starr [Ken Jennings]