Wow...Painful interview

[justtxyank]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xhXKXQeLYKc

She should get an award for simply surviving this thing.

[Smokey]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xhXKXQeLYKc

She should get an award for simply surviving this thing.

The kid is a douche.

[ima_drummer2k]

Good Lord, what a 'gloid. Not exactly a ringing endorsement for home schooling....

[hooroo]

was he autistic?

[gunn]

Home schooling = zero social skills

[Smokey]

was he autistic?

Are autistic kids really smart but have zero social skills? If this kid has a condition, then I take back my comment. Otherwise, his mom needs to get slapped.

[swilkins]

He's seems a bit out of it, socially.

The lady burned him with the challenge. :D

[Cesar^Geronimo]

Are autistic kids really smart but have zero social skills? If this kid has a condition, then I take back my comment. Otherwise, his mom needs to get slapped.

Sometimes not allways

Not all autistic kids are "really smart" but must have alot of trouble reading people and therefore trouble responding properly.

[thelasik]

seriously. worst interview ever. i really feel sorry for that lady. she did well given the circumstances.

[Cesar^Geronimo]

Sometimes not allways

Not all autistic kids are "really smart" but must have alot of trouble reading people and therefore trouble responding properly.

That being said -- this kid wasn't autistic just annoying

[justtxyank]

Yeah I didn't get the idea that he had any mental disorder.

I won't be harsh to the kid on a personal level because he is just a kid, but man alive that was brutal. I really felt bad for the lady doing the interview.

[swilkins]

I wonder what the lady said after the camera turned off.

F#cking BRAT!!! :mad:

[thelasik]

this kid was also in jimmy kimmel. even kimmel was caught off guard.

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[LegendZ3]

Well, the host asked a lots of close-end questions that can be answered by just saying yes or no. She should of known better.

[SwoLy-D]

was he autistic?No, just an *sshole. :D

I kid.

That lady is HOT, but that goes to prove that beauty is only skin deep... "You got it RIGHT! Oh, yes or no?" :rolleyes:

[thelasik]

Well, the host asked a lots of close-end questions that can be answered by just saying yes or no. She should of known better.

True, but anyone with a lick of social skills would expand upon the yes or no answer.

[DonkeyMagic]

very john nash in his early years.

[swilkins]

this kid was also in jimmy kimmel. even kimmel was caught off guard.


When Kimmel mentioned porn, the kids face looked nervous.

I'll bet that he thought that it would risk his super brain power, ala George Costanza.

[gifford1967]

That kid looked like he might be somewhere on the autism spectrum. He might have Asperger's syndrome.

[Smokey]

That kid looked like he might be somewhere on the autism spectrum. He might have Asperger's syndrome.

I feel bad for calling him a douche. In the Kimmel video, he acts retarded. There is something wrong with him. The lack of social skills cannot be put on home schooling and nerdiness alone.

I'm curious why his parents would put him out in the media circuit when he is struggling to get through interviews. It's wrong.

[rhino17]

very john nash in his early years.
yeah, really

[ima_drummer2k]

I think they would have mentioned it if the kid had some kind of condition. Remember, that chick that won it a few years ago by yelling out the letters to the last word (that Jim Rome use to make fun of) was equally as weird.

I think these spelling bee parents just push these kids too hard, therefore turning them into human vegetables.

[Astro101]

I don't think he acts like a retard. He's just socially inept.

[hooroo]

He comes off normal in this video.

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[rhino17]

I don't think he acts like a retard. He's just socially inept.
Yeah, I think he may just be screwed up because he has ZERO social skills because of his homeschooling.

[JuanValdez]

He was a little awkward in his NPR interview, but nothing terribly bad.

[Smokey]

I don't think he acts like a retard. He's just socially inept.

Yes or no answers might be socially inept, but when he doesn't respond to questions and stares...that's retarded.

[hooroo]

http://www.contracostatimes.com/ci_6019445?nclick_check=1
Evan O'Dorney was not yet 2 when he surprised his mother by pointing to a sign in the fabric store.

"E-X-I-T," he read. "Exit."

It wasn't the first evidence of what lay ahead. Already, the toddler had learned to recognize a few simple words -- ant, bird, cat, dog -- printed on one of his favorite puzzles. And he could recite the entire text of Dr. Seuss' "The Foot Book," a story his parents often read aloud.

"But that was auditory," said his mom, Jennifer, by way of qualification.

Not long after his spelling debut, 2-year-old Evan tore into math, performing addition problems from flash cards.

"I would be on the bed and he would run around me and just say what the answers were," Jennifer recalled. "Anything I could tell him, he wanted to know -- especially with math, but really with anything."

At 13, Evan's curiosity still thrives. Taught at home through San Ramon's Venture School, the Danville eighth-grader keeps busy exploring calculus, composing piano concertos and learning Latin.

He also has become one of the nation's top spellers.

This week, Evan will compete in his third and final Scripps National Spelling Bee, an annual event so popular its final rounds are broadcast live on network television.

This year's competition features 286 spellers, most of them middle-school students.

After three straight wins at the regional bee sponsored by the Times, Evan will be among 11 making a third appearance at the national event.

Three other spellers -- Matthew Evans, Maithreyi Gopalakrishnan and Tia Thomas -- are making their fourth trip to the national bee.

And 13-year-old Samir Patel of Texas, nicknamed the "rock star of the spelling world," will take his fifth shot at the championship.

Blogging at last year's bee, journalist Sean Mussenden named Evan and Samir among a half-dozen favorites to win.

Evan's age made him a "dark horse," but his confident stage presence made him stand out, said Mussenden, who works in the Washington, D.C., bureau of Media General newspapers. The chain sends 17 spellers to the annual bee and covers the event heavily.

"He had this kind of interesting voice," Mussenden remembered. "He was just kind of fun and he was always smiling, he had these big old glasses.

"He just looked pretty much unfazed up there, just rhythmically rolling off the letters."

Among Mussenden's six favorites, four finished as last year's top four spellers, he said.

The other two were Evan and Samir, both knocked out in round seven of the finals.

Bee fans and oddsmakers often name Samir as a favorite to win this year's competition.

But Mussenden likes Evan's odds, too. "I think he probably has a really real chance of winning, or finishing in the final three.

"He's just really easy to get behind," he said. "You're supposed to root for all of them, but there's some kids you root for more than others."

He may not look it, but Evan does get nervous at the national bee -- in part, he said, because he knows luck always remains a factor.

A more accurate measure of spelling ability would test a larger sample of words, with multiple errors before a speller struck out, he said. Instead, he said, "they make it dramatic, so the audience will like it."

In truth, Evan doesn't much like spelling

His real loves are math and music, in that order.

"In general, I like things that are logical," said Evan, who studies piano and composition at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music.

"I like the way that math works. It's not like spelling, where you have to memorize all the exceptions to all the words. Math is orderly. It makes sense. You can always figure out whether something is true, and once you figure it out, it will always be true, if the logic is correct."

Ken Perano, a computer scientist at Sandia National Laboratory in Livermore, calls Evan a "one-in-a-million student" who likely will begin placing at the top of national math exams soon.

"It's just an extreme aptitude," he said. "He's a genius."

Perano first met Evan three years ago while speaking to students on a field trip touring the lab.

"At first, I thought he was a younger sibling of one of the advanced students," he remembered. "Then Evan started asking some very probing questions, which proved he knew what he was talking about."

Perano, whose children also are home-schooled, began spending an hour each week mentoring Evan.

In the past three years, they have covered a variety of college- and graduate-level math and physics, including differential and integral calculus, tensor analysis, dynamic systems, stress analysis and, more recently, computer science.

"To me, the fascinating thing is not just the level at which I can work with Evan, but the speed at which he can assimilate the information," Perano said. "When I found I could teach him stuff probably 10 times faster than I would expect to be able to teach the average bright college student, that's phenomenal to me."

In the field of number theory, not the usual purview of engineers and physicists, "Evan's abilities far exceed my own," Perano said.

"Sometimes he would bring in a piece of paper and say, look at this proof he had been working on over the weekend. If I tried hard I could sort of follow it, but I couldn't come up with it on my own."

Perano respects Evan's preference for pure math over applied forms, such as computer programming. But he also tries to expand the boy's horizons, pushing him to explore fields of science and engineering that he may not have pursued on his own.

"He's very refreshing to be around," said Perano. "I just enjoyed the challenge of seeing what I could teach Evan. He challenged me mentally. It can be a very intense hour."

Perano looks forward to resuming their sessions, which have been put on hold partly to allow Evan to prepare for the national bee.

In the past several weeks, spelling has dominated life in the O'Dorney home, suspending Evan's usual schoolwork.

"We don't really do anything else, except eat and sleep and maybe some music or something," he said.

Don't worry that he'll fall behind: Evan has passed his high school proficiency exam and plans to begin biology and calculus courses in the fall at Diablo Valley College.

In the living room, a large marker board leans against the fireplace, covered with words that Evan has tripped over and now wants to look at every day.

The couch is stacked with loose-leaf binders that contain his personal study guides, page after page of words categorized in elaborate gradations of mastery: checks, stars, circles and pluses that show which entries he knows, which he misses, which he spells correctly but remains uncertain about and which he is likely to miss in random, instead of alphabetical, order.

While he practices spelling, Evan juggles.

"It's just kind of a habit," he said. "When I have balls in my hands, I automatically juggle them ... otherwise, my hands will drift over to other things, and then my eyes will drift to them, and then my brain.

"The juggling doesn't take my mind, but it does take my hands."

Sometimes Evan studies silently, staring at the words and trying to memorize them. "I'm so visual," he said. "I see things and I remember them."

Other times, he has his mother quiz him, or he quizzes her.

"It doesn't matter if I botch it up; he'll remember what he saw in the book," said Jennifer. "I'm getting worse: It seems like the more words I see, the more I forget."

Not long ago, Jennifer found herself remembering a word Evan still needed to learn: "djoor." Before quizzing her son, she tried to look up its definition. Only then did she realize it wasn't a real word at all, but one she had imagined in a dream.

Evan smiled, enjoying the memory.

But the made-up word wasn't "djoor," he corrected, smiling happily.

It was "djorr."

[Yaozer]

I would put him in a soccer or a football league or something if I was his parent before it's too late. Ok maybe that's too big of a jump.. maybe start of with a ping pong league.

This kid better not run into kids like me when I was young.. I guess that home schooling was for a good reason.

[justtxyank]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H6iwD4PI47c&mode=related&search

HOLY CRAP HAHAHAHA

[krnxsnoopy]

Blame the mother:

http://wwwimage.cbsnews.com/images/2007/05/31/image2873181g.jpg

Cause this guy's never getting laid.

http://www.venture.srvusd.k12.ca.us/images/even-odorney.jpg http://shisa.ukzn.ac.za/pictures/The-40-Year-Old-Virgin.jpg

[thelasik]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H6iwD4PI47c&mode=related&search

HOLY CRAP HAHAHAHA

ROFL!! wow this is hilarious.

[Clutch]

Within 10 years the GARM will read:

[Chron] Rockets O'Dorney will honor Spanoulis trade demand

Book it.

[Poloshirtbandit]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H6iwD4PI47c&mode=related&search

HOLY CRAP HAHAHAHA

lol I saw that, the kid almost ruins it by taking it so seriously.

[Poloshirtbandit]

The 2006 one is better:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mgaUzfcQV7o

[hooroo]

The 2006 one is better:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mgaUzfcQV7o

she sounded older than 13.

[Tommyboy]

Wow how does this kid survive in society? And how does he have a black belt? Do they home school karate as well??? :confused:

[Chicken Boy]

Doesn't anyone care that little dude is a genius? Who cares that he's a little socially awkward. He can probably read minds. He's gonna explode our heads with his mind power.

[rezdawg]

Rain man.

If he stepped foot in a regular school, he'd get his ass kicked...Im still shocked at how socially retarded he is. wow.

[Invisible Fan]

Wow how does this kid survive in society? And how does he have a black belt? Do they home school karate as well??? :confused:

With a very thick bubble.

Maybe he'll redeem himself when he finds the cure for not getting any for the rest of his life.

[Cannonball]

I knew a guy in college who was socially inept. Everyone thought he was home schooled but he wasn't. At one point he wanted to go to beauty school after he got his degree. He spent his summers working at Sally's Beauty Supply. He'd walk up to girls and without any setup, bluntly ask them if he could wash their hair. Everybody who knew him avoided him like the plague. Some of us who had to deal with him a lot tried to help him out but the ideas never sunk in.

He's now a proud member of the US Navy.

[AntiSonic]

Wow, you guys must be some charming mofos. The kid could have just been nervous what with being on national television and all.

I'm sure the high paying job he snags when he grows up will more than make up for any "not getting laid" time you guys are condemning him to.

[Smokey]

I'm sure the high paying job he snags when he grows up will more than make up for any "not getting laid" time you guys are condemning him to.

Thank God for hookers.

[krnxsnoopy]

Wow, you guys must be some charming mofos. The kid could have just been nervous what with being on national television and all.

I'm sure the high paying job he snags when he grows up will more than make up for any "not getting laid" time you guys are condemning him to.

One problem: Interviews

"Did you say exPERIENCE or did you say EXperience?"

[WhoMikeJames]

The fact that he answers a lot of questions with Yes or No only and doesn't expand on them shows his lack of social skills. Kid needs help.

[knote32]

Damn, Are you sure he is not retarded?

[Zac D]

Wow, you guys must be some charming mofos. The kid could have just been nervous what with being on national television and all.

I'm sure the high paying job he snags when he grows up will more than make up for any "not getting laid" time you guys are condemning him to.

Spelling skills /= high-paying job.

:o

[Smokey]

One problem: Interviews

"Did you say exPERIENCE or did you say EXperience?"

Damn I spit up my drink.

[Dr of Dunk]

This kid is incredible. His math skills are equally impressive. I was looking around the WWW for worldwide math competitions a couple of months ago (human calculator type competitions) when I came across his name - he competes and does well against the elite math students from 10-12th grades in the US (in the US Math Olympiad). This is while he's still in 8th grade.

Here are the results :
http://www.unl.edu/amc/e-exams/e8-usamo/e8-1-usamoarchive/2007-ua/2007usamotop12.shtml


Here is an example of the US Math Olympiad questions :
http://www.unl.edu/amc/e-exams/e8-usamo/e8-1-usamoarchive/2007-ua/2007USAMOprob.pdf

What the USAMO is :
http://www.unl.edu/amc/e-exams/e8-usamo/usamo.shtml

[Air Langhi]

That guy is a genius. He will be the boss of us all.

[Dr of Dunk]

Spelling skills /= high-paying job.

:o


Math skills can, though. :)

[LeGrouper]

This is strongly reminiscent of a Syd Barrett interview about forty years ago

[AntiSonic]

OMG a LeGrouper sighting! I haven't seen you in like three years. Do you only post in GARM or something?

[rezdawg]

Wow, you guys must be some charming mofos. The kid could have just been nervous what with being on national television and all.


No, his answers are retarded...has nothing to do about being nervous. Ive been in plenty of interviews where I could feel my heart burst, but that doesnt keep me from conversating properly. Kid has 0 social skill.

Smart kid though.

[TTRocket]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=06JUfkiMOVc&mode=related&search=

HAHA this one is hilarious. He faints, and notice the girl behind him casually steps up for her word as if nothing happened.

[Azadre]

That guy is a genius. He will be the boss of us all.
I wasn't aware we were all doomed to work at Webster's spelling department... He could never become 1) a medical doctor 2) a scientific doctor 3) businessman or 4) entertainer. I'd like to see how he is post-puberty.

[TTRocket]

I wasn't aware we were all doomed to work at Webster's spelling department... He could never become 1) a medical doctor 2) a scientific doctor 3) businessman or 4) entertainer. I'd like to see how he is post-puberty.

He could definitely become the first 2. Basically any field where social skills aren't that important (ie academic fields)

[hooroo]

With a very thick bubble.

Maybe he'll redeem himself when he finds the cure for not getting any for the rest of his life.

It's all an act to get p****. Youth today are into a trend called "Emo". Emo chicks dig the nerd-thang.

[Azadre]

He could definitely become the first 2. Basically any field where social skills aren't that important (ie academic fields)
Social skills are incredibly important in all 4 occupations. For the first example, in order to attend medical school one must posses enough personality to make it past the interviews. In the second example, receiving funding as an academic or working in a commercial environment requires one to posses the charisma to get things moving.

[fadeaway]

I have to laugh at everyone opining on the kid's lack of social skills. HE'S JUST A KID! Yeesh.

[BigSherv]

my wife is well versed on this kind of stuff and he says he has social issues not any kind of mental handicap/gift

[NewYorker]

my wife is well versed on this kind of stuff and he says he has social issues not any kind of mental handicap/gift

Yeah, it's called being immensely arrogant and pompous and lacking complete self-awareness.

Probably what happens when you are sheltered from the outside world and told you are better then everyone else all the time, and have parents not focusing on normalizing you into society.

It's not the kid, it's the parents. That kid is going to have a lot of trouble when he gets older.

[Air Langhi]

I wasn't aware we were all doomed to work at Webster's spelling department... He could never become 1) a medical doctor 2) a scientific doctor 3) businessman or 4) entertainer. I'd like to see how he is post-puberty.

I wouldn't call bill gates a very good speaker or particularly charismatic. Neither would I was steve woz the brains behind apple particularly socially adept either.

Basically it is like sports, if you can perform and do things very few others can people will always give you chances look at pacman.

[thelasik]

It's even worse when the parents are laughing their a$$es off while their son is being made fun of on national television.

[KellyDwyer]

That guy is a genius. He will be the boss of us all.

Or we will be dead by his hand.

This is strongly reminiscent of a Syd Barrett interview about forty years ago

I keep trying to find the clip of him staring into space during the Pat Boone show on YouTube, but to no avail. Listening to his albums, though I love his gifts, is a lot more upsetting to me than watching this kid.

[BigSherv]

a guy at work has him kids home schooled. They are pretty normal. but they meet up with other home schooled kids and no things together so they have a normal social life. This kid seems like he just hangs out all day with his mom.

[KaiSeR SoZe]

he won the spelling be but he is also a loser..

can you spell paradox?

[Jeff]

I love it when nerds make fun of other nerds for being nerdy. Next up in the Hangout: Star Wars vs. Star Trek, coding for fun and profit and what's cooler, trigonometry or calculus!

:D

[TreeRollins]

I keep trying to find the clip of him staring into space during the Pat Boone show on YouTube, but to no avail.

There is no recording of it. That is unless CBS has a copy.