> First off, I get that Norvig is a celebrity. Celebrity has little to do with teaching ability.

Perter Norvig is a celebrity because of his technical accomplishments and teaching prowess. He is the author of PAIP which is regarded as one of the best books on programming. If you haven't already, check out his articles:

http://norvig.com/lispy.html http://norvig.com/spell-correct.html http://norvig.com/sudoku.html

So yes, when someone of Norvig's caliber wants to teach me something, social be fucked, I settle down and listen.