c4countdown

L'oisleatch McGraw

Graeme:

How do you answer all these questions so readily?
Do you have a whole bunch of Countdown stats entered into a database that can be manipulated in different ways?
And if so, what sort of database? Access? MySQL?

L'oisleatch McGraw

My SEMI 2 qualifiers (in decreasing order of likelihood) #1. BULGARIA #2. SWITZERLAND #3. DENMARK #4. GREECE #5. MOLDOVA #6. ICELAND #7. FINLAND #8. AUSTRIA #9. SAN MARINO #10. LATVIA It is very hard to call... there are 3 more that I can see possibly making it instead of some of those, and they wou...

L'oisleatch McGraw

But I don't think it's appropriate to be discussing finer details of Jay's appearance on a forum that he could read. It's likely to be more upsetting than anything Paul or I said on the stream. It is appropriate. A publicly aired stream is up for public discussion. Jay has no reason to be upset unl...

L'oisleatch McGraw

I'm really not sure what you mean by "just for Jay". What I meant by that, is that ZD contestants should all be treated equally and given equal respect. If John's "I have a 9" from the wings was entertained, so should Jay's "I have an 8". No contestant should receive a...

L'oisleatch McGraw

Well, thankfully we don't need to rely on either of our interpretations, as it is still there in plain sight at precisely 8 minutes into this video: https://youtu.be/4uaR_kwHORU - so people can judge for themselves. Probably unsurprising that this has more "dislikes" than Zoomdown videos n...

L'oisleatch McGraw

Neither of Sweden or Croatia are nailed on here... and by all accounts Roxen is tanking at rehearsals, so Romania a possible shock NQ.
Australia one of the few who was vocally strong in the SF1 dress rehearsal thing.

L'oisleatch McGraw

Jay Butler: "I have an 8..." Paul Anderson: "Jay, if we want your contribution, we'll ask for it". I seem to remember other players offering their longer words when watching but not playing, but never receiving that frosty response. Is this to be a new more formal way forward for...

L'oisleatch McGraw

They're both just dividing by 5, so either's fine. OMG... It would be great if I had some lame justification for why I didn't see that (drunk / rapture of the deep etc.), but no. I actually just am that dumb. I put this 'quandary' to my sister this morning, and she was like 'just divide the scores ...

L'oisleatch McGraw

A question for the mathsy / statistically minded types among you... I am trying to arrange a televote for a preview party this coming weekend (voting link here btw, and still looking for as many votes as possible, plz don't be shy! https://scorewiz.eu/rsvp/383995/xKpL5Em3NwH ) I want the televote an...

L'oisleatch McGraw

Gavin Chipper wrote: ↑Tue Apr 20, 2021 4:17 pm I'm still waiting for hint #2.

hahaha, this forum is so much better than facebook!

L'oisleatch McGraw

Rhys Benjamin wrote: ↑Fri Apr 16, 2021 9:44 am Moldova pulled out of this year’s Eurovision Song Contest and got replaced by The Mamas (Sweden 2020).

The crucial question here being: did Sugar get replaced by Move or In the Middle?
If it was the 2021 effort, then the proposal has my full support!

L'oisleatch McGraw

Rhys Benjamin wrote: ↑Tue Apr 06, 2021 11:36 pm Here's how I personally rank them: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qo1gcYfDMeo

Nothing better than a personal rank.
Jonathan Ross can confirm this.

L'oisleatch McGraw

Tight game!
I was rooting for you Malcolm... ul

L'oisleatch McGraw

New version with the March dictionary update: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1wFb81qX96Eezqs1pbohYiVOBoD4LcS_4 Hey! It looks like the March update is not the only change in this version. I am noticing a few tiny differences in the order of usefulness. e.g. In V4, ANODISERS and INSULATED wer...

L'oisleatch McGraw

Fiona T wrote: ↑Wed Mar 31, 2021 10:05 am Stats and that are all very interesting, but shouldn't undermine...

This thread is not about 'undermining'. It is about discussion of stats.
Feel free to set up a "Celebrating wonderful achievements" thread where we can pour oodles of praise on each new Octochamp.

L'oisleatch McGraw

Series 75 Highest max = 1093 Lowest max = 1025 Average max = 1061 Series 55 Highest max = 1066 Lowest max = 990 Average max = 1022 It would be interesting to see if, in the age of regular OED updates, this average octomax stat has been steadily rising with each new series... Sam C-L - 1045 points a...

L'oisleatch McGraw

We are on the cusp... Another Luke about to use the force (of his anagramming skill) to join the relatively newly minted but burgeoning 1000 club! Atta Boynton! But enough with the cringy puns. No-one's here for those! The concept of CD's 1000 club has moved on greatly since this thread was first ma...

L'oisleatch McGraw

Does JOS mean "just on screen" or something?

L'oisleatch McGraw

Phil H wrote: ↑Fri Mar 26, 2021 7:36 pm A couple of times Dan probably didn't help him points-wise by picking a final consonant...

Totally this.
It was one of those - screaming "PICK A VOWEL!" at the telly - sorts of games...

L'oisleatch McGraw

Matt Morrison wrote: ↑Thu Mar 25, 2021 10:54 pm No one calls him an agitator.

Or a statistician?

What I neglected to say in my first post (but probably should have) was:
"This is a cool observation Rhys. Nice work. I had been wondering how long it might take for Susie to overtake Carol."

L'oisleatch McGraw

Don't care enough, Rhys.
About that, or about this conversation.
It is, in fact, weird that I keep putting new comments on it.
Clearly have too much time on my hands.

L'oisleatch McGraw

You can say that again!
And if Rds 3 and 6 had been just a little kinder, a new record would have been set today.

L'oisleatch McGraw

My one absolute solid piece of advice for ZD people would be this:- <Be firm and fair.> --------------------------------- Being fair is paramount. Being fair is more important than being nice, and certainly more important than being 'politician nice / corporate nice' (aka, nice on the surface, but n...

L'oisleatch McGraw

Christmas has come early this year!

L'oisleatch McGraw

Nah, Catsdown is a merger of two formats, rather than a spin off of one... and as the comedy probably takes more airtime than gameplay, it should get bumped off the list for sure. (Perhaps the other two you mentioned should be dropped too from a purist's point of view? I am not sure. I don't know wh...

L'oisleatch McGraw

Adam Dexter wrote: ↑Wed Mar 24, 2021 4:28 pm I had the saddest amount of cakes, which is of course NOCAKES

hahaha, love it!

L'oisleatch McGraw

Whatever. It's immaterial... The point is, while Catsdown is a comedy show that isn't Countdown, Susie is not due to overtake Carol on April 13th. If Catsdown counts, I would agree that ZD may as well also be included. (Though yes, I understand that you mentioned several times in the original post t...

L'oisleatch McGraw

Well, for it to have credibility... it should probably meet a certain standard that is generally accepted. e.g. Should the actual show acknowledge Susie's achievement when she reaches Rhys's threshold, or when she reaches a threshold that only includes real CD episodes sans gimmickry? By the same to...

L'oisleatch McGraw

Rhys Benjamin wrote: ↑Tue Mar 23, 2021 5:44 pm Catsdown episodes: 135

Those qualify?

L'oisleatch McGraw

More interesting goaty stuff from RD 13...

The selection was VTLOEIAN before Luke plumbed for a final consonant.
Consonant gives around a 5% chance of a 9, vowel would give 40%ish.
(again the %s do not take letters distribution into account... if they did, both %s would be a bit higher.)

L'oisleatch McGraw

5 vowels in R11 was a mistake. Yes! I wondered about that too. Luke seemed to hesitate before his final vowel pick, as though he were fishing... I expected him to go consonant. Afterwards when I checked the SEDATION stems, I was surprised to see that a final vowel gives a 20% chance of a 9 whereas ...

L'oisleatch McGraw

And I want a million euro, but boohoo. We don't always get what we want. This is not comparable. This is much more like posting online that your closeted friend is gay. I don't think anyone would agree that it's a nice thing to do. I'm not saying that revealing your pseudo is equivalent to coming o...

L'oisleatch McGraw

Edward McCullagh wrote: ↑Sun Mar 21, 2021 5:47 pm I'm in Waterford the week after

Funny you mention that.
Originally it was supposed to be scheduled for that very weekend, but there are two regulars who cannot make that date, so it got pushed back.

L'oisleatch McGraw

Replying to the "gay marriage" topic has been on my to-do list for a while now (almost 2 months) but better late than never. :) My objection to the introduction of SSM here, was to do with the language... but moreso to do with muddying the clarity of the concept itself. -------------------...

L'oisleatch McGraw

I'll take a "mumsy" image over "a bit of a dick" one any day. Wanting to shake off your "Mumsy image" was something that you mentioned publicly before... ...but "bit of a dick" is simply you resorting to name-calling, so yeah, I won't be replying to any more ...

L'oisleatch McGraw

Just makes me a bit glum... then some tedious judgy stuff. The 'firm dressing down' comment was supposed to be a bit of banter, but if we must venture into tediousness, I have some tedious advice for you too. If you are keen to shake off the 'mumsy' image, cutting back a bit on the schoolmarmy stuf...

L'oisleatch McGraw

L'oisleatch McGraw wrote: ↑Sat Mar 20, 2021 10:05 pm No doubt it'll be confirmed for sure soon.

Yeah, it's him.

Congrats to Luke / William on a barnstorming 2nd debut!

L'oisleatch McGraw

Yeah, I can't say I get the whole secrecy thing - but that's his choice - it's not really for you to announce to the world. Are you giving me a firm dressing down again Fiona? I do so love our little chats! :mrgreen: Maybe it's not him, but that is the word on the street... either him, Bruce Wayne ...

L'oisleatch McGraw

TL;DR summary: ~It will probably be a socially distanced event with hand sanitiser and facemasks. ~We worked within these parameters last year, and it worked well. ~The numbers are provisionally capped at 24, but if social distancing rules are relaxed in the interim, we will review that. ~It costs €...

L'oisleatch McGraw

Gavin Chipper wrote: ↑Sat Mar 20, 2021 2:08 pm
L'oisleatch McGraw wrote: ↑Sat Mar 20, 2021 12:30 pm
Gavin Chipper wrote: ↑Fri Mar 19, 2021 3:06 pm Who is this new champion guy? Is he on Apterous?
Yes he is.
What name does he go by?

William R. Draper

L'oisleatch McGraw

Gavin Chipper wrote: ↑Fri Mar 19, 2021 3:06 pm Who is this new champion guy? Is he on Apterous?

Yes he is.

L'oisleatch McGraw

I'm afraid that's all you're going to get. Not at all Fiona. This community is too small for that sort of secretive malarky to fly. I'll get as much as I please. for personal reasons Yeah, but that's the same lie you used for James, so it can't be taken at face value this time either. "Suspect...

L'oisleatch McGraw

Fiona T wrote: ↑Mon Mar 15, 2021 9:20 am Ashwin has withdrawn for personal reasons.

But why reinstate Ruth?
Is this another cheating (well suspected cheating) controversy that ye are trying to hush up?

L'oisleatch McGraw

Why has Ruth been reinstated for Monday's episode?
That is weird. She was beaten last Monday.

2moro should see Ashwin bid for Tetrachampdom...

L'oisleatch McGraw

3. Sam is right that the 'two letters rounds + conundrum' value of a 9 is an important factor raising the value of a 9. You mention conundrums... If you look at CD holistically (rather than focusing on letters rounds in isolation) 9s become even more important again, as every conundrum that will be...

L'oisleatch McGraw

I only mentioned it because she has a habit of being biased towards female players in games. Sometimes she's quite vocally disappointed if they lose. Meh. I suppose that can be a little bit grating in general. Agreed. But I didn't see anything bad in how she went about the whole "RACHEL OATH&q...

L'oisleatch McGraw

Yeah, no. As in she's not funny, or she wasn't on flying form? Methinks someone's just jealous cuz she's prettier than him... ;) The remark at the end about RACHEL OATH, was warm and kind, but was also a throwaway jokey remark. Shows she's human. I am sure that whoever played in today's match was ma...

L'oisleatch McGraw

Did ye notice Rachel in this episode? She was on flying form. From her "Price is right gags" at the start... to saying she'd like to continue with pies for 45mins. Then after Rd6 nums, going down a fake elevator after her solve. lol Something in the water. She may have a future in comedy y...

L'oisleatch McGraw

Right so! I wouldn't have bothered with this post, but I got labelled as "Agitator" in the ZD documentary so I now feel obligated not to disappoint. Here are some much needed criticisms of Zoomdown (Ye can thank me later! :mrgreen:): -------------------------------------- 1. Paul's gift of...

L'oisleatch McGraw

JackHurst wrote: ↑Thu Feb 04, 2021 6:05 pm Next thing you know they will be calling him "The Overweight Controller". This is Rhys's nightmare.

Didn't they change that over 20 years ago to "Sir. Toppam Hat"?

L'oisleatch McGraw

Phil H wrote: ↑Thu Feb 04, 2021 12:42 pm I'm guessing they've given it some kind of 'woke' makeover, given that Rhys seems to want to turn every conversation these days into that conversation.

Pointless dig at Rhys.
Stay classy Phil.

L'oisleatch McGraw

From what I've seen here it looks like my usefulness spreadsheet does undervalue 9s, as suspected by a few people in the thread (even when ignoring things like match-winning potential and psychological factors). Also my spreadsheet still overvalues words with repeated letters, despite the measures ...

L'oisleatch McGraw

Is this the first time pseudonyms have appeared in the COLIN results?

L'oisleatch McGraw

As much as I like Colin, if all this pseudo-controversy within this influenceless and invisibly small niche group leads to him not getting the job... I believe this invisibly small niche group (and Apterous) lead to people being cast in Christmas specials a month ago. I'd say that's a little more i...

L'oisleatch McGraw

Marc Meakin wrote: ↑Thu Jan 28, 2021 5:28 pm I think personally, I am more of a Nick must go camp member

Well, Nick IS going, so you have your wish. That's a non-issue now.
The important consideration is who the replacement will be?
Mr. Murray a strong front runner.

L'oisleatch McGraw

The Countdowners group is quite a good barometer of public opinion, and he has as many fans as detractors at the moment. I wouldn't agree with that. "Countdowners" will show a more pro-Colin slant than would occur naturally. The anti-Colin threads get locked, and there is a general consen...

L'oisleatch McGraw

- Nines only come up in 7% of rounds, compared to 34% where the max is eight and 41% where the max is seven (according to apto) - A single eight can be the most useful word in many different rounds. - You can play sevens and eights even when they're not the max, although my doc doesn't account for ...

L'oisleatch McGraw

So, are we still loving Colin in Nick's chair? I was mostly onboard until Monday's episode where some doubts arose. In that episode he did these things... ------------------------------------------- 1. Gave a stern "pens down" instruction to the challenger in one of her first letters round...

L'oisleatch McGraw

The main reason I'm not a vegetarian/vegan is, and I know this sounds shitty, the convenience. Was going through this thread silently eye-rolling, till I saw this clanger. No-one ever has to apologise for not being vegan. The opposite, ...maybe, if e.g. it makes hosting a dinner party more awkward ...

L'oisleatch McGraw

I voted "No" on gay marriage Just to slightly deviate from the topic at hand, might one enquire why you voted "no"? No problem. I was ashamed that same sex marriage was being pushed for, that it made its way onto the political agenda, and very disappointed that many gay people w...

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