Conan O'Brien ribs 'nerds' at Intel science fair
How do I calculate the size of meatballs?--O'Brien asks.
(Credit: 'The Tonight Show' with Conan O'Brien)"How do I calculate the size of meatballs?" That was the title of one of the seminal Intel science projects that late-night comedian Conan O'Brien covered in a segment last night on NBC's "The Tonight Show."
O'Brien was at the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair, billed as the world's largest pre-college science fair. Intel is one of the sponsors of the "The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien," which launched recently with the retirement (from that show) of Jay Leno.
"Even though Intel is one of the world's largest corporations and they could crush me like a fly, they were nice enough to let me go visit their science fair in Reno, Nev.," O'Brien said.
"1,500 dweebs, nerds, and Poindexters," O'Brien said, describing the high school kids attending the event.
Conan O'Brien interviews science fair participants
(Credit: The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien)A project of note was a "See Through Camera Jammer." "So if someone has a see-through camera, your device stops them from seeing through people's clothing?" O'Brien asked. "Why would you make this?" The response from the high school kid who did the project: "Because it's illegal." And Conan responded: "But I paid a lot of money for that thing."
He ended the segment with a visit to the meatball size-measuring project. "Of course, not everyone here is a genius. 'How do I calculate the size of meatballs?' This was a $13 million study commissioned by Chef Boyardee," he joked.
The link to "The Tonight Show" replay is here. Note that the Intel segment begins at about the 6:30 marker into the show.
Brooke Crothers has been an editor at large at CNET News, an analyst at IDC Japan, and an editor at The Asian Wall Street Journal Weekly, among other endeavors, including co-manager of an after-school math-and-reading center. He writes for the CNET Blog Network and is not a current employee of CNET. Disclosure. 
He was out of his element until he had the drink at the slot machine. Maybe he should have gone there first and then a strip joint. Leave the science to the scientists.
He ridicules things for a living, mostly himself. He makes a living doing it.
Leave the comedy sketches to the comedic writers.
Learn better.
Those kids weren't stupid - they were in on it. I especially liked when Conan was trying to weasel in on the one guys project and he turned it around to get credit for the show.
I never watched Conan O'Brien before he got The Tonight Show - I didn't think he was funny. Guess I was wrong. He's also kinda nuts.
for those that didn't know, conan has been making fun of geeks his entire tv career in an entertaining way. intel has also been a sponsor of his since the late show with conan o'brien. this is nothing new.
anybody remember his visit to san fran sponsored by sam wo's restaurant and intel? or his visit to george lucas' ilm? or triumph's segments poking fun of star wars geeks? he does so not in a hateful manner, but in a funny way where you can laugh at stereotpical idiosyncracies within the subculture.
in a manner of speaking conan's a nonconformist who is just like a geek that pokes at these stereotypes in a comical way.
- by Kainchild June 30, 2009 8:18 AM PDT
- Conan is the best thing on television.
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