Search found 4063 matches

by Michael Wallace
Wed Nov 26, 2014 10:12 pm
Forum: Countdown - Spoilers
Topic: SP01L3R5 4 W3DN35D4Y TH3 26TH 0F N0V3MB3R
Replies: 19
Views: 6723

Re: SP01L3R5 4 W3DN35D4Y TH3 26TH 0F N0V3MB3R

I don't see the need for debate. You have to take the first answer, which in this case was "I".
by Michael Wallace
Mon Nov 24, 2014 3:33 pm
Forum: Countdown - General
Topic: Countdown/Scrabble Champion
Replies: 9
Views: 5055

Re: Countdown/Scrabble Champion

Someone should write a program to generate WSC newspaper articles; I love how they're almost identical every year.
by Michael Wallace
Sun Nov 16, 2014 4:40 pm
Forum: Countdown - Events
Topic: Co-event spreadsheet and stats
Replies: 8
Views: 5500

Re: Co-event spreadsheet and stats

Ben Wilson wrote:the 'points' system on sheet 2 is based on formula 1 scoring, with 25 points for a win, 18 for 2nd etc etc
I'm expecting a huge attendance at my soon-to-be-planned Co-Abu Dhabi.
by Michael Wallace
Fri Oct 24, 2014 12:09 am
Forum: Other game shows
Topic: Only Connect Series 10
Replies: 21
Views: 12908

Re: Only Connect Series 10

Jordan F wrote:I vaguely recognize Simon from another team. I didn't know people were allowed to be on different teams.
Tsk. If you read the blog of one of the best four Only Connect recappers on the Internet you'd know he was in Series 2 on the Cambridge Quiz Society team!
by Michael Wallace
Tue Oct 07, 2014 2:29 pm
Forum: Other game shows
Topic: Only Connect Series 10
Replies: 21
Views: 12908

Re: Only Connect Series 10

Is it just me or have the Chessmen been on before? I recognise Stephen Pearson from watching the Only Connect repeats on Dave recently. Yes, Victoria Coren Mitchell mentioned it during the wall round. Yep, they got to the semi-finals (losing to Mark Labbett's gamblers) and then won a third place pl...
by Michael Wallace
Mon Sep 29, 2014 2:16 pm
Forum: Other game shows
Topic: Only Connect Series 10
Replies: 21
Views: 12908

Re: Only Connect Series 10

Meant to say this ages ago and forgot. Did you see the team that met on a forum for Doctor Who? They were basically who we all are. Haha yes, I noticed that, I was sad because I naturally went snooping but couldn't actually find a Doctor Who forum with an Only Connect thread. (Lest this sound like ...
by Michael Wallace
Mon Sep 08, 2014 9:05 pm
Forum: Off-topic
Topic: C4C Fantasy Football
Replies: 174
Views: 68593

Re: C4C Fantasy Football

This situation I'm sure must have come up for someone before; when I chose my team, I went for three Chelsea players: Ivanovic, Cahill and Fabregas. But I also had Loic Remy (selected when he was at QPR) so now he's been transferred to Chelsea I've got four. The "Transfers" page is giving...
by Michael Wallace
Tue Jul 29, 2014 8:44 pm
Forum: Countdown - General
Topic: You Are The Ref
Replies: 345
Views: 146828

Re: You Are The Ref

Graeme Cole wrote:Before the game, one of the contestants, with a cast on her right arm...
I was hoping this was going to go into some elaborate scheme where all of the 'friends' signatures' on her cast were actually times tables and stems.
by Michael Wallace
Tue Jul 08, 2014 2:41 pm
Forum: Other game shows
Topic: Countdowners On Other Quizzes
Replies: 253
Views: 164605

Re: Countdowners On Other Quizzes

I was quite interested by the focus on City University, London, as this was where I worked for a spell between my PhD and coming out here. I even went as far as getting in contact with the chap organizing the team for the 2013/2014 series to see if I could help out, but that never came through (and ...
by Michael Wallace
Tue Jul 08, 2014 1:17 pm
Forum: Other game shows
Topic: Countdowners On Other Quizzes
Replies: 253
Views: 164605

Re: Countdowners On Other Quizzes

We both completely lost our shizzle when Innis popped up. Although that pipe-smoking dude was, er, a bit of a character?
by Michael Wallace
Sun Jun 29, 2014 10:01 pm
Forum: apterous.org
Topic: Apterous World Cup 2014 - Half Time Team Talk
Replies: 4
Views: 3679

Re: Apterous World Cup 2014 - Half Time Team Talk

Spectacular effort. (I can't really think of anything constructive/witty/interesting to say, but wanted to acknowledge my appreciation of the effort MWM has gone to with this whole tournament, even if he sucked at rigging it so South Korea could win.)
by Michael Wallace
Sat May 24, 2014 6:15 pm
Forum: Off-topic
Topic: Guess who...
Replies: 476
Views: 53411

Re: Guess who...

Sally Funnell?
by Michael Wallace
Mon May 12, 2014 5:07 pm
Forum: Other game shows
Topic: The Deal Or No Deal "Red Light" indicators?
Replies: 45
Views: 16483

Re: The Deal Or No Deal "Red Light" indicators?

Steven M. McCann wrote:I see Noel and the stooges, sorry players, are going to be dressed up as Superheros all this week, one question, why??????????????????????????
I'm pretty sure the 'one question' is 'Deal or No Deal?', they explain that in like, every show.
by Michael Wallace
Mon May 05, 2014 2:08 pm
Forum: Other game shows
Topic: The Deal Or No Deal "Red Light" indicators?
Replies: 45
Views: 16483

Re: The Deal Or No Deal "Red Light" indicators?

Rhys Benjamin wrote:I don't know, but the 'pilgrim of the day' who fetches the box is usually quite tall.
'Pilgrim of the day'? They should've called them the 'Choice Pilgrim' and got a cheese company to sponsor it.
by Michael Wallace
Thu May 01, 2014 4:26 pm
Forum: Other game shows
Topic: The Deal Or No Deal "Red Light" indicators?
Replies: 45
Views: 16483

Re: The Deal Or No Deal "Red Light" indicators?

Steven M. McCann wrote:Call me a cynic, but I think the +£10,000 is put in box 23 as a kind of insurance policy for players the producers like who look like going home with very little.
If they're going to do that, why don't they just rig the original box?
by Michael Wallace
Thu Apr 17, 2014 4:32 pm
Forum: Countdown - Spoilers
Topic: Spoilers For Monday April 14th 2014
Replies: 42
Views: 11407

Re: Spoilers For Monday April 14th 2014

Sort of an aside, but Michael mentioned a disability for himself, and from what I recall watching Only Connect, the only thing I noticed about you was one eye perhaps looked like a lazy eye. This is just me being curious, but is there more to it than that? Again, I just happen to not know. Ha, Only...
by Michael Wallace
Tue Apr 15, 2014 7:05 pm
Forum: Countdown - Spoilers
Topic: Spoilers For Monday April 14th 2014
Replies: 42
Views: 11407

Re: Spoilers For Monday April 14th 2014

Dave Preece wrote:It's not as if being deaf is something to hide or be ashamed of - like having AIDS or something!
You should probably clarify that you're talking about bad AIDS, rather than good AIDS there, otherwise that might come across as a bit offensive to people with the latter.
by Michael Wallace
Tue Apr 15, 2014 7:04 pm
Forum: Countdown - Spoilers
Topic: Spoilers For Monday April 14th 2014
Replies: 42
Views: 11407

Re: Spoilers For Monday April 14th 2014

FWIW I would be a bit wtf if I was on a show and in my intro they brought up that I was disabled without discussing it with me first. Obviously I can't speak for Ciaran (or anyone else) but growing up with a major disability one often finds it's considered a 'defining feature'. To put it in the same...
by Michael Wallace
Thu Mar 13, 2014 4:39 pm
Forum: Other game shows
Topic: University Challenge 2013/2014
Replies: 74
Views: 29782

Re: University Challenge 2013/2014

Thanks for your comments, Michael. I think that Manchester are so weighed down with the pressure of previous years, it's hard for them to enjoy it in the same way as teams with no expectations. Off set, we got on really well with them. I bet that was all part of their game plan, drilled into them i...
by Michael Wallace
Wed Mar 12, 2014 5:16 am
Forum: Other game shows
Topic: University Challenge 2013/2014
Replies: 74
Views: 29782

Re: University Challenge 2013/2014

I don't know - I guessed dimension, but was still surprised when it was right. Maths questions are often necessarily convoluted that I reckon they're much harder than, say, a tough history question. Yeah agree - I almost never get those sorts of questions right which is kinda ridiculous. General sa...
by Michael Wallace
Wed Feb 05, 2014 2:18 am
Forum: Other game shows
Topic: University Challenge 2013/2014
Replies: 74
Views: 29782

Re: University Challenge 2013/2014

Thanks Michael. I think the last round taught us that if we had a solid hunch, it was probably right, so we were much more confident. I think only Australia and Guggenheim were educated guesses for me (I did actually know Dostoevsky, even though I unnecessarily Hansforded it), and there were a lot ...
by Michael Wallace
Tue Feb 04, 2014 1:34 am
Forum: Other game shows
Topic: University Challenge 2013/2014
Replies: 74
Views: 29782

Re: University Challenge 2013/2014

Cracking stuff, we were both thoroughly impressed, particularly with how many you clearly knew you knew, rather than just educated guesses.
by Michael Wallace
Thu Dec 26, 2013 9:40 pm
Forum: Other game shows
Topic: Only Connect Series 8
Replies: 22
Views: 12708

Re: Only Connect Series 8

Thanks chaps. I've said it elsewhere, but anyone who's even vaguely considered applying should really do so. It's amazing fun and the team behind it are the best we've encountered in TV. (Plus you won't get on the show if you're not good enough at the audition, so you don't need to worry about makin...
by Michael Wallace
Sun Dec 22, 2013 8:42 pm
Forum: Countdown - General
Topic: Ask Graeme?
Replies: 1740
Views: 682581

Re: Ask Graeme?

That is quite interesting. Normally I'd say do the letters*10/11 + numbers*4/3 + conundrum score to convert from old to new, or do the add two points per game rule of thumb. But if we're looking at confidence intervals, perhaps we should really do this for everyone. Jack's score converts to slightl...
by Michael Wallace
Sun Dec 22, 2013 8:19 pm
Forum: Countdown - General
Topic: Ask Graeme?
Replies: 1740
Views: 682581

Re: Ask Graeme?

I've been having a think about the high scores 'record' thing, as it's a moderately interesting problem. Obviously the basic conclusion is "Jack has the old-15 record, Dylan has the new-15 one", because a straight comparison is always going to involve some subjectivity. However, I thought ...
by Michael Wallace
Fri Dec 06, 2013 5:57 pm
Forum: Other game shows
Topic: Pointless (In General)
Replies: 24
Views: 15042

Re: Pointless (In General)

Oh yeah, we're selling our spare pointles trophy, in case any of you c4cers are interested (and yes, I write excellent copy).

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Trophy-from-B ... 4616e81c84
by Michael Wallace
Thu Dec 05, 2013 6:25 pm
Forum: Other game shows
Topic: Pointless (In General)
Replies: 24
Views: 15042

Re: Pointless (In General)

JackHurst wrote:Did anybody see the final round on tuesdays (3rd Dec) episode?

Am pretty sure if at least one person in their survey was from London there would have been at most a quarter as many pointless answers than there were!
More details plz.
by Michael Wallace
Mon Dec 02, 2013 3:26 pm
Forum: Countdown - General
Topic: Countdown in the news
Replies: 217
Views: 63259

Re: Countdown in the news

Jon Corby wrote:
Heather Styles wrote:I'm sure Rachel and Jamie could do without the gutter press giving their tuppence worth at this difficult time. As far as I can tell, the word 'divorce' is a figment of The Sun editorial team's collective imagination.
No, it's definitely in my ODE2r.
Yeah, but what about the ODO?
by Michael Wallace
Wed Nov 27, 2013 3:12 pm
Forum: Other game shows
Topic: Only Connect Series 8
Replies: 22
Views: 12708

Re: Only Connect Series 8

Little late, but spoiler comments art below: Good job Michael and co. for making it to the semi-finals. Never commented on your game with the Lasletts, but they definitely seemed like tough cookies that game, perhaps just nicked you guys on the buzzer too. What seems strong about your team, perhaps...
by Michael Wallace
Fri Nov 22, 2013 4:10 pm
Forum: Countdown - General
Topic: Geeks
Replies: 12
Views: 6566

Re: Geeks

They put a show about geeks on during the Monday Quiz Hour?
by Michael Wallace
Tue Nov 19, 2013 6:19 pm
Forum: Countdown - Spoilers
Topic: Spoilers For Monday November 18th 2013
Replies: 38
Views: 11504

Re: Spoilers For Monday November 18th 2013

Well that escalatt quickly.

(I don't think I'm very good at this game.)
by Michael Wallace
Fri Nov 15, 2013 6:32 pm
Forum: Countdown - General
Topic: Random?
Replies: 27
Views: 9102

Re: Random?

Bet it fails Benford's Law. Haha. Very good. Dave: nope, it's a very even spread. Using your suggesting to look at groups of 100, 11.2% of CECIL's draws have been in the range 900-999, while 11.1% have been in the range 100-199. You'd 'expect' about 11.1% of numbers to fall in each set of 100, so t...
by Michael Wallace
Fri Nov 15, 2013 4:12 pm
Forum: Countdown - General
Topic: Random?
Replies: 27
Views: 9102

Re: Random?

Charlie was kind enough to wang me CECIL's output (up to October 2012, or 13,364 draws), and I've done a spectacularly simple analysis as a 'first pass' of the data. The rarest number is 100, which is presumably thanks to it no longer being possible to generate. It has come up four times, the most r...
by Michael Wallace
Fri Nov 08, 2013 3:07 pm
Forum: Countdown - General
Topic: Random?
Replies: 27
Views: 9102

Re: Random?

OK, If we showed a (for want of a better name) random numbers expert the whole list of the thousands and thousands of numbers - in order - that CECIL has picked from the start of Countdown, would he or she be 100% happy that they were random? So... Yes or no? I don't know if he or she would be 100%...
by Michael Wallace
Thu Nov 07, 2013 6:22 pm
Forum: Countdown - General
Topic: Random?
Replies: 27
Views: 9102

Re: Random?

There's various tests statisticians might apply to the data, but like scientific tests in general, they'd really only be testing for whether it fails. You'd never say "yeah, it is random", but you might say "there's no particular reason to suggest it isn't random, so it could be"...
by Michael Wallace
Thu Nov 07, 2013 5:32 pm
Forum: Countdown - General
Topic: Random?
Replies: 27
Views: 9102

Re: Random?

in a sample of 1,000 numbers you'd 'expect' to see every number from 100-999 exactly once Would you? The way I understand it, that output of numbers is no more likely than any other list of 1,000 numbers. By 'expect' I mean if you did it lots and lots of samples of 1,000, you'd eventually average (...
by Michael Wallace
Thu Nov 07, 2013 4:52 pm
Forum: Countdown - General
Topic: Random?
Replies: 27
Views: 9102

Re: Random?

I am totally going to start calling myself a 'random numbers expert' rather than a statistician now. Surely a statistician is to random numbers what a hairdresser is to trimming a beard? Random numbers (and the processes that generate them) are pretty much the bedrock of everything we do. I'm not r...
by Michael Wallace
Wed Nov 06, 2013 9:49 pm
Forum: Countdown - General
Topic: Random?
Replies: 27
Views: 9102

Re: Random?

I am totally going to start calling myself a 'random numbers expert' rather than a statistician now.
by Michael Wallace
Mon Nov 04, 2013 5:34 pm
Forum: Countdown - General
Topic: Jobs?
Replies: 34
Views: 10444

Re: Jobs?

Statistician.
by Michael Wallace
Wed Oct 02, 2013 5:31 pm
Forum: Other game shows
Topic: Round Britain Quiz
Replies: 11
Views: 6797

Re: Round Britain Quiz

Ryan Taylor wrote:A question submitted by me will feature on next week's episode (7th October @ 3pm).
While I have nothing insightful to contribute, this is sufficiently awesome that it warrants some kind of comment, so here you go.
by Michael Wallace
Tue Oct 01, 2013 2:01 am
Forum: Other game shows
Topic: Only Connect Series 8
Replies: 22
Views: 12708

Re: Only Connect Series 8

Very entertaining stuff Michael. Well done on the performance. I'm sure I've seen the captain of your team on University Challenge recently ? Hope you guys go far ! Thanks :) You're bang on, Jamie was captain of the UCL team two series ago (2011/12) - Hywel was in the same team (and I was on a diff...
by Michael Wallace
Mon Sep 30, 2013 9:53 pm
Forum: Other game shows
Topic: Only Connect Series 8
Replies: 22
Views: 12708

Re: Only Connect Series 8

Didn't know you guys were going to be on it and just happened to watch it this week. Well done (except for the connecting wall)! My mum somehow got 'cow' from the first connection in the 'how now brown cow' round, which was pretty impressive (she also got 'y=x' and 'MP' pretty sharpish)! My dad got...
by Michael Wallace
Mon Sep 30, 2013 8:18 pm
Forum: Other game shows
Topic: Only Connect Series 8
Replies: 22
Views: 12708

Re: Only Connect Series 8

Knew you'd come good in the missing vowels round. Well done. That wall was painful, though. Don't think I've ever seen anyone press so many buttons. Haha yep, Twitter is very annoyed about that :p Thing is, if you're not pressing, you're definitely not going to get anything, and most of the time we...
by Michael Wallace
Mon Sep 16, 2013 9:50 pm
Forum: Countdown - General
Topic: Jon Corby
Replies: 32
Views: 13357

Re: Jon Corby

Mark Deeks wrote:Really hoping this is the moment Charlie accidentally forgot to log out of his other account and the truth is revealed - that Charlie is Jason and always has been. Really hoping this. Demanding, even.
Especially as they'd then have to be an explanation for who it is in 'Jason's' Facebook videos.
by Michael Wallace
Wed Sep 11, 2013 5:05 pm
Forum: Other game shows
Topic: Only Connect Series 8
Replies: 22
Views: 12708

Only Connect Series 8

I know there's already an Only Connect thread, but if UC gets its own thread every series, then so can this, especially when it features such exciting contestants as me and CF. The new series starts on September 23rd, with our first (SPOILERS?!?!?!?!*) episode airing on the 30th. Be sure of it! *It'...
by Michael Wallace
Thu Sep 05, 2013 1:28 pm
Forum: Countdown - General
Topic: Episode 5723
Replies: 16
Views: 4377

Re: Episode 5723

Tbh, if there's any chance a paedo was involved (which as far as I can tell from this thread there definitely was) then just tell the Sun, they'll sort it out and hopefully we'll get our episode back. In fact, new game: Sun style headlines about paedos on Countdown. I'll start with "Can I have ...
by Michael Wallace
Thu Jul 25, 2013 10:05 am
Forum: Other game shows
Topic: Take On The Twisters
Replies: 9
Views: 4992

Re: Take On The Twisters

Yeah, it feels like someone had the idea for "plate juggling egg timers with question answering" (which is a questionable idea at best) and then tried to spin it into a game show. They make no attempt at explaining what's going on before it happens (presumably because it's basically imposs...
by Michael Wallace
Mon Jul 01, 2013 11:16 am
Forum: Countdown - Spoilers
Topic: Grand Final Spoilers For Friday June 28th 2013
Replies: 50
Views: 11093

Re: Grand Final Spoilers For Friday June 28th 2013

What do we think about Rachel announcing as a fact that a numbers game is impossible? Susie never announces that there isn't anything better. The information can only come from a computer. Where do they draw the line? If Rachel blanks for some reason, might she be fed a solution? Any rational outsi...
by Michael Wallace
Fri Jun 28, 2013 12:13 pm
Forum: Countdown - Spoilers
Topic: Spoilers For Thursday June 27th 2013
Replies: 18
Views: 6045

Re: Spoilers For Thursday June 27th 2013

I have to say I did think that was all a bit patronising towards Eileen at the end. The subtext was definitely "Well done for doing so well despite being so old at 75! Normally people have completely lost their marbles by the time they're 75, so good on you for still having some brain function...
by Michael Wallace
Wed Jun 19, 2013 4:17 pm
Forum: Countdown - General
Topic: De Chiffres et Des Lettres live on France 3
Replies: 10
Views: 4040

Re: De Chiffres et Des Lettres live on France 3

I watched today for the first time in a while and missed the opening, but I had a strange feeling I'd seen the current champion (Arnaud) before. Here's where. Has there any been any explanation as to why he's appearing now despite having already been on the show and winning 5 games only a few years...
by Michael Wallace
Fri Jun 07, 2013 11:55 pm
Forum: Other game shows
Topic: Currently Pointless
Replies: 4
Views: 3377

Re: Currently Pointless

Just caught up with this. It's a pretty weird change, as all of a sudden we're faced with three list style questions simultaneously which feels a bit overwhelming (plus when you only get 60 seconds to come upw ith an answer, they kinda have to rush through asking the questions to avoid giving contes...
by Michael Wallace
Mon May 20, 2013 9:23 pm
Forum: Off-topic
Topic: C4C Fantasy Football
Replies: 174
Views: 68593

Re: C4C Fantasy Football

I think I enjoyed it a little more, but not loads. Obviously when things are going well you get annoyed a bit less, but at the same time it's pretty stressful when you find yourself with the opportunity to obtain such a high ranking. Fortunately(?) I was never in contention for the top spots so didn...
by Michael Wallace
Mon May 20, 2013 6:06 pm
Forum: Off-topic
Topic: C4C Fantasy Football
Replies: 174
Views: 68593

Re: C4C Fantasy Football

Oh, I see what's happened. That's a list of 'current' players, so people who've left the EPL aren't on it. The highest scoring omission is Ryan Nelsen of QPR, while the most famous is probably Balotelli of City. Edit: So here's my version, which includes players who left the league, but doesn't take...
by Michael Wallace
Mon May 20, 2013 5:50 pm
Forum: Off-topic
Topic: C4C Fantasy Football
Replies: 174
Views: 68593

Re: C4C Fantasy Football

Oh you fucker, I literally just did it myself. Although I get some slightly different numbers (the most alarming being that I have QPR with 1256 points, which looks correct when I do a manual check using this page). Agree for the most part with the others, including Chelsea top. Although I wonder ho...
by Michael Wallace
Mon May 20, 2013 4:56 pm
Forum: Off-topic
Topic: C4C Fantasy Football
Replies: 174
Views: 68593

Re: C4C Fantasy Football

Top question. They used to do tables of this on the site but I can't find them. Might run the numbers later. It should correlate pretty well with goals scored and clean sheets, but we'll see.
by Michael Wallace
Mon May 20, 2013 2:49 pm
Forum: Off-topic
Topic: C4C Fantasy Football
Replies: 174
Views: 68593

Re: C4C Fantasy Football

My approach was probably almost entirely stats/maths. You can get some sense for players to keep an eye on from watching teams live, but as I don't have Sky I mainly just caught up with things on Match of the Day which doesn't tell you much about how individual players are doing. Moreover, almost ev...
by Michael Wallace
Mon May 20, 2013 1:12 pm
Forum: Off-topic
Topic: C4C Fantasy Football
Replies: 174
Views: 68593

Re: C4C Fantasy Football

Cool. Where were you before your wildcard week? Where would you have finished if you didn't make the Coutinho switch? I was 189th, and had pretty much flatlined at that rank for the preceding 5 weeks. Looks like not making the Coutinho switch would have seen me finish in 82nd (although that's a bit...
by Michael Wallace
Mon May 20, 2013 12:54 pm
Forum: Off-topic
Topic: C4C Fantasy Football
Replies: 174
Views: 68593

Re: C4C Fantasy Football

Intriguing. What sort of articles? What sort of stats? What was your biggest mistake of the year and what was your boldest/best move? (Or is everything such a calculated risk that you can't have such an emotional response?) How do the other people who were in your league feel about you finishing in...
by Michael Wallace
Mon May 20, 2013 11:13 am
Forum: Off-topic
Topic: C4C Fantasy Football
Replies: 174
Views: 68593

Re: C4C Fantasy Football

Yeah, I thought we'd already talked about this on here, but if we have it wasn't in this thread. I've been in a league with some friends for years, and I don't like to battle on more than one front because of strategy and stuff. I take it you won the league you were in with your "friends"...