Quite Interesting (And Completely Wrong) Facts from QI

[BOD]

Some 'facts' are so obviously doubtful that any person working as a researcher on a quiz programme (and BBC at that) should immediately double check them.

"QI: Quite Interesting facts about Indonesia
A quietly intriguing column from the brains behind QI, the BBC quiz show...

"Despite being one of the G20 group of leading economies, half of Indonesia’s population live on less than $2 a day. Its oil reserves mean it is the only south-east Asian member of Nato. "

Part of the G-20 major economies??? On $2 a day?

Maybe they mean one of the Group of Twenty developing countries.


A member of NATO??? A country in South East Asia??

Maybe they mean OPEC? But Indonesia withdrew in 2008 because it was a net oil IMPORTER.


"Indonesia’s national proverb Bhinneka Tunggal Ika (Many, yet one) "

Surely they mean motto?

Does the BBC still receive its financing form the TV licencing fee?

I find Al-Jazeera far more accurate. Time to unplug the Beeb.



http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/q...Indonesia.html

[Bigfoot]

I don't watch QI because it is basically up its own backside and as you point out, often full of erroneous information touted by a bunch of people who think they are smart alecks.

[Matt.S]

Does the BBC still receive its financing form the TV licencing fee?

I find Al-Jazeera far more accurate. Time to unplug the Beeb.

Unfortunately yes. The Beeb has lost its way for sure.

[gregorach]

It's a comedy show, not a documentary. Don't take it too seriously.

I love the BBC - nobody else produces anything worth watching. (OK, except Channel 4. Occasionally.)

[nitrambur]

Part of the G-20 major economies??? On $2 a day?

Maybe they mean one of the Group of Twenty developing countries.

It really is one of the g20 major economies http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/G20

[Tadpole]

Members of G20
Argentina Australia Brazil Canada China European Union France Germany India Indonesia Italy Japan Mexico Russia Saudi Arabia South Africa South Korea Turkey United Kingdom United States
So that is true
Indonesia suspended its membership effective January 2009. So it is still a member, and can reactivate it when it becomes a net producer once more.
Oh and the average income is $11 per day. (Average for the UK is £73,800, though 50% of the working population average pay is £14 924)
So for OPEC it is still a member
Though saying that, it is a member of ASEAN, which is working alongside and a ‘partner’ of NATO
"Indonesia’s national proverb Bhinneka Tunggal Ika (Many, yet one) "
Surely they mean motto?”
I’m sure they do mean Motto, it is a Old Javanese poem and literally means
'(Although) in pieces, yet One'.

I guess from that apart from a few typos the Telegraph got it pretty right. So apart from it being nothing to do with QI "the programme", and just cobbled together by the Writer of the questions for QI it was written for and published by a national paper, if’n you are going to have a go, have ago for the right reason, at the right people, and with all your facts right.

[Harvestman]

The QI 'fact' that annoys me most is that Rock Hyraxes have killed more people than any other animal. This is because they carry the plague (Yersinia pestis) in their nasal passages.

But, 1) Yersinia pestis caused all the deaths, not the Hyraxes, and 2) The nasal passages of Hyraxes isn't the only place in the world where plague bacteria are found.

Grrr...

Oh yes, and I had an argument with someone at a former workplace over whether a banana was a herb or a fruit. Her argument went like this: "QI said it is a herb, so it is. Fact" (!) My argument is that the banana plant is a herb in the sense that it is herbaceous (as opposed to a herb in the culinary sense), but the curved yellow thing that we call a banana is a fruit, as it is the fruit of the aforementioned banana plant. She was too stupid to understand my argument, and so stomped off with her head held high proclaiming that I was wrong because QI said so.

I hate stupid people!

Ok, rant over now. I'll take a few deep breaths and calm down again...

[Tadpole]

The banana plant is a herb, but the banana (that yellow thing) is a Berry "being many seeded with a fleshy inner layer"

[Harvestman]

I knew that would cause an argument! Of course a berry is just a particular category of fruit...

Lets agree to disagree (if we do), rather than hijack the thread

[BOD]

Members of G20
Argentina Australia Brazil Canada China European Union France Germany India Indonesia Italy Japan Mexico Russia Saudi Arabia South Africa South Korea Turkey United Kingdom United States
So that is true
Indonesia suspended its membership effective January 2009. So it is still a member, and can reactivate it when it becomes a net producer once more.
Oh and the average income is $11 per day. (Average for the UK is £73,800, though 50% of the working population average pay is £14 924)
So for OPEC it is still a member
Though saying that, it is a member of ASEAN, which is working alongside and a ‘partner’ of NATO
"Indonesia’s national proverb Bhinneka Tunggal Ika (Many, yet one) "
Surely they mean motto?”
I’m sure they do mean Motto, it is a Old Javanese poem and literally means
'(Although) in pieces, yet One'.

I guess from that apart from a few typos the Telegraph got it pretty right. So apart from it being nothing to do with QI "the programme", and just cobbled together by the Writer of the questions for QI it was written for and published by a national paper, if’n you are going to have a go, have ago for the right reason, at the right people, and with all your facts right.

I am certainly guilty of not checking all my facts thoroughly but however I am a mere forum member not a newspaper of record or a QI 'brain' .

But you seem to hold me to a higher standard of accuracy than them. Its okay for them to "cobble" the questions together but I must get all my facts right. Since they are using the QI brains to write the article it seems fair to assume that the same 'facts' would have been used on the programme.


Yes Indonesia is a member of both G-20 and G20. I am wrong about the former.

Their errors are rather more egregious.

It is NOT a member of NATO.

(NATO dialogue with ASEAN does not meant Indonesia is a member. Does NATO dialogue with Russia make it a 'member'?)

OPEC - Suspension of membership means one can not longer exercise the rights and privilges of membership. OPEC's website does not include Indonesia in the list of members. In any case this point is moot since the QI writers never mentioned OPEC

$2 a day is their figure, not mine. You have found another of their mistakes if it is actually $11 which I do not dispute.

So the error score is

QI/Telegraph 3

BOD 1

(or have I got my facts rong again?)

[gregorach]

I am certainly guilty of not checking all my facts thoroughly but however I am a mere forum member not a newspaper of record or a QI 'brain'.

But you seem to hold me to a higher standard of accuracy than them. Its okay for them to "cobble" the questions together but I must get all my facts right.

If you're going to complain about people getting their facts wrong, you need to check that they actually have got their facts wrong. If you choose to step into the arena, it's no use complaining about the lions.

[BOD]

If you're going to complain about people getting their facts wrong, you need to check that they actually have got their facts wrong. If you choose to step into the arena, it's no use complaining about the lions.

Indeed. They did get most of the facts cited wrong without doubt though i stuffed one up as well.