Search found 13277 matches
- Wed Feb 28, 2024 12:15 pm
- Forum: Countdown - General
- Topic: OED vs ODP: what’s the difference?
- Replies: 9
- Views: 985
Re: OED vs ODP: what’s the difference?
The decision seems quite arbitary in places, including RUINEYAT as Fiona mentioned. With a print dictionary, which has to be a reasonable size, it makes sense that they would have to make these decisions, but online it seems less important to have the two distinct dictionaries, except maybe for Coun...
- Wed Feb 28, 2024 12:04 pm
- Forum: Countdown - General
- Topic: OED vs ODP: what’s the difference?
- Replies: 9
- Views: 985
Re: OED vs ODP: what’s the difference?
Well that's the difference between the OED and ODP. There's an all-time dictionary and a current usage one. I don't think it's that insane.
- Tue Feb 27, 2024 4:38 pm
- Forum: Off-topic
- Topic: Politics in General
- Replies: 1644
- Views: 1722513
Re: Politics in General
This is quite an interesting speech at the ICJ about Israel's crimes against Palestine over the years.
- Mon Feb 26, 2024 6:01 pm
- Forum: Countdown - Events
- Topic: CO:parkrun Recaps
- Replies: 597
- Views: 324806
Re: CO:parkrun Recaps
Yeah, you'll both get 500 points!
- Mon Feb 26, 2024 3:20 pm
- Forum: Countdown - Events
- Topic: Co-Event Suggestion Box
- Replies: 181
- Views: 17830
Re: Co-Event Suggestion Box
The discussion in the "You are the Ref" thread starts here I think with the scenario put by Noel Mc. But I don't think whether playing like this is a valid tactic is the main point of contention here. It's whether you should set up the game to allow for this to happen when you can just as ...
- Mon Feb 26, 2024 2:22 pm
- Forum: apterous.org
- Topic: Words You Would Have Thought...
- Replies: 479
- Views: 171654
- Mon Feb 26, 2024 9:07 am
- Forum: Countdown - Events
- Topic: Co-Event Suggestion Box
- Replies: 181
- Views: 17830
Re: Co-Event Suggestion Box
The standard declaration isn't used on Apterous as there isn't a separate length/word part of the declaration. But there is an argument for consistency, although different TV hosts in the past have done it differently and it could change again overnight. As it is, I think I will cease reversing the ...
- Sun Feb 25, 2024 9:48 pm
- Forum: Countdown - Events
- Topic: Co-Event Suggestion Box
- Replies: 181
- Views: 17830
Re: Co-Event Suggestion Box
I'd consider that a good thing.
You can just write down loads of plausible-ish words and hope your opponent declares one, and then go with that.
You can just write down loads of plausible-ish words and hope your opponent declares one, and then go with that.
- Sun Feb 25, 2024 9:16 pm
- Forum: Countdown - Events
- Topic: Co-Event Suggestion Box
- Replies: 181
- Views: 17830
Re: Co-Event Suggestion Box
This is a perfect example of why Nick should swap the order when asking for the words. If C1 is asked for their length first, and they're the same length, C2 should be asked for their word first. This is the system my wife and I use when we play against each other at home. We can't be bothered with...
- Sun Feb 25, 2024 8:14 pm
- Forum: Other game shows
- Topic: The 1% Club
- Replies: 58
- Views: 6912
Re: The 1% Club
For the record I don't really think EFF is commonly used enough to be a valid answer, regardless of how many times I used it during last night's episode. I was trying to avoid spoilers. OUR and WHY definitely are though "Common" is too vague to use in a quiz question. I wouldn't say EFF i...
- Sun Feb 25, 2024 8:07 pm
- Forum: Off-topic
- Topic: The Dead of 2024
- Replies: 62
- Views: 5768
Re: The Dead of 2024
Wilson Fittipaldi died the other day by the way. He was the brother of F1 champion Emerson, but also a driver and team owner in his own right.
- Sun Feb 25, 2024 8:02 pm
- Forum: Other game shows
- Topic: The 1% Club
- Replies: 58
- Views: 6912
Re: The 1% Club
You could potentially also have ESS, like the ess bends at Suzuka (racing track).
- Sun Feb 25, 2024 7:58 pm
- Forum: Other game shows
- Topic: The 1% Club
- Replies: 58
- Views: 6912
Re: The 1% Club
OK, thanks.
- Sun Feb 25, 2024 6:57 pm
- Forum: Other game shows
- Topic: The 1% Club
- Replies: 58
- Views: 6912
Re: The 1% Club
What were the actual questions and "correct" answers? Might as well make it explicit at this point.
- Sun Feb 25, 2024 6:09 pm
- Forum: Countdown - Events
- Topic: Co-Event Suggestion Box
- Replies: 181
- Views: 17830
Re: Co-Event Suggestion Box
I'm the same hosting order as Graeme, except I usually look up the maxes (jack's thing is best for this since it gives sub maxes etc) before writing the thing down, so that I can then tab back in to the timer and put the phone visible to the players as early as possible (usually 10 seconds in or so...
- Sun Feb 25, 2024 5:52 pm
- Forum: Countdown - Events
- Topic: Co-Event Suggestion Box
- Replies: 181
- Views: 17830
Re: Co-Event Suggestion Box
I tend to time on my phone (except for numbers rounds where I use my watch and use a random number generator on my phone) as I think it's helpful to have a timer the players can see. So I check for maxes etc. after the round. Edit - This is also why it's useful to write the selections down, as someo...
- Sun Feb 25, 2024 3:06 pm
- Forum: Countdown - Events
- Topic: Co-Event Suggestion Box
- Replies: 181
- Views: 17830
Re: Co-Event Suggestion Box
I don't tend to really play along as host. I'll glance at the letters and might spend a few seconds on the numbers but if I don't solve it I leave it to watch the time. Also has this been said - as host, don't write the letters down on the scoresheet until the time starts. You don't need to interrup...
- Sat Feb 24, 2024 8:06 pm
- Forum: Off-topic
- Topic: Questions you've always wanted answered
- Replies: 1615
- Views: 672964
Re: Questions you've always wanted answered
They didn't have chains back then and the pedals were directly on the wheel and you had to sit above that, so the drive wheel had to be big. Two big wheels means just extra mass to carry around so you have a big wheel and a small wheel.
- Fri Feb 23, 2024 3:55 pm
- Forum: Off-topic
- Topic: What TV programmes have you been watching lately?
- Replies: 773
- Views: 613198
Re: What TV programmes have you been watching lately?
Looking forward to watching that.
- Fri Feb 23, 2024 12:44 pm
- Forum: Off-topic
- Topic: Unpopular opinions you genuinely hold
- Replies: 281
- Views: 36962
Re: Unpopular opinions you genuinely hold
Too many Mar(k/c)s.
- Fri Feb 23, 2024 10:06 am
- Forum: Countdown - Spoilers
- Topic: Spoilers for Wednesday 21st February 2024 (Series 89, Heat 37)
- Replies: 2
- Views: 843
Re: Spoilers for Wednesday 21st February 2024 (Series 89, Heat 37)
I don't think OCTANE can be pluralised.
- Thu Feb 22, 2024 10:54 pm
- Forum: Countdown - General
- Topic: You Are The Ref
- Replies: 355
- Views: 153721
Re: You Are The Ref
This is a perfect example of why Nick should swap the order when asking for the words. If C1 is asked for their length first, and they're the same length, C2 should be asked for their word first. This is the system my wife and I use when we play against each other at home. We can't be bothered with...
- Thu Feb 22, 2024 10:36 pm
- Forum: Countdown - General
- Topic: Ask Graeme?
- Replies: 1740
- Views: 718743
Re: Ask Graeme?
Interestingly there are two Michael Calders, so if we get a third, perhaps we could count the first name and surname together as one name!
- Thu Feb 22, 2024 2:22 pm
- Forum: Countdown - Spoilers
- Topic: Spoilers for Thursday 22nd February (Series 89, Heat 38)
- Replies: 3
- Views: 600
Re: Spoilers for Thursday 22nd February (Series 89, Heat 38)
Ten would be quite something but we could easily go through a fallow period.
- Wed Feb 21, 2024 6:20 pm
- Forum: Off-topic
- Topic: Track and Field (and Road) Athletics
- Replies: 252
- Views: 52393
Re: Track and Field (and Road) Athletics
I can fully understand why existing athletes are whinging about this idea, as they've practised for a long time to perfect the take-off. If it becomes just a long jump event rather than a long jump from as close to an arbitary line as possible, then it simply renders a lot of their work obsolete. D...
- Wed Feb 21, 2024 6:17 pm
- Forum: Off-topic
- Topic: Track and Field (and Road) Athletics
- Replies: 252
- Views: 52393
Re: Track and Field (and Road) Athletics
I can fully understand why existing athletes are whinging about this idea, as they've practised for a long time to perfect the take-off. If it becomes just a long jump event rather than a long jump from as close to an arbitary line as possible, then it simply renders a lot of their work obsolete. D...
- Wed Feb 21, 2024 6:13 pm
- Forum: Off-topic
- Topic: The Dead of 2024
- Replies: 62
- Views: 5768
Re: The Dead of 2024
Ewen MacIntosh - aka Keith from The Office! Also one of the Strictly Come Dancing dancers died yesterday I think. *checks* Yeah, Robin Windsor. Wasn't aware of him myself but some of you probably were.
- Tue Feb 20, 2024 10:06 pm
- Forum: Countdown - Spoilers
- Topic: Spoilers for Thursday 8th February 2024 (Series 89, Heat 28)
- Replies: 11
- Views: 1008
Re: Spoilers for Thursday 8th February 2024 (Series 89, Heat 28)
This was round 2 btw.
- Tue Feb 20, 2024 3:00 pm
- Forum: Off-topic
- Topic: Track and Field (and Road) Athletics
- Replies: 252
- Views: 52393
Re: Track and Field (and Road) Athletics
That would be very interesting but by reducing the take-off gap to zero, it does kind of break old records. They do generally show the gap to the line nowadays anyway, but I don't know if they know the gaps for the old records of Mike Powell and Jonathan Edwards.
- Mon Feb 19, 2024 2:07 pm
- Forum: Off-topic
- Topic: Track and Field (and Road) Athletics
- Replies: 252
- Views: 52393
Re: Track and Field (and Road) Athletics
Also Grant Holloway beat the 60m indoor hurdles record.
And an outdoors one - Letsile Tebogo beat the 300m world record with a time of 30.69, beating Wayde van Niekerk's 30.81 and Michael Johnson's 30.85, which was the record before that.
And an outdoors one - Letsile Tebogo beat the 300m world record with a time of 30.69, beating Wayde van Niekerk's 30.81 and Michael Johnson's 30.85, which was the record before that.
- Sun Feb 18, 2024 9:28 pm
- Forum: Off-topic
- Topic: Track and Field (and Road) Athletics
- Replies: 252
- Views: 52393
Re: Track and Field (and Road) Athletics
In other news, Dwain Chambers made the UK indoor championships 60m semi-finals at the age of 45 ! He has previously served a drugs ban of course. And Josh Kerr beat the 2-mile indoor world record . It's "only" the indoor record obviously, but his time of 8:00.67 would be the 4th fastest ti...
- Sun Feb 18, 2024 7:55 am
- Forum: Countdown - Spoilers
- Topic: Spoilers for Thursday 8th February 2024 (Series 89, Heat 28)
- Replies: 11
- Views: 1008
Re: Spoilers for Thursday 8th February 2024 (Series 89, Heat 28)
I wonder what they'd have done if she'd said something like "UNPOWD ... Oh no, GUNPOWDER". You are the ref . . . I think I'd have to say that she lost, and she shouldn't be able to profit by actually giving the answer away completely, so any sort of rerun would be wrong. Maybe just refilm...
- Sat Feb 17, 2024 4:26 pm
- Forum: Off-topic
- Topic: REALLY obvious things you've just realised
- Replies: 640
- Views: 294901
Re: REALLY obvious things you've just realised
Wikipedia (always reliable obviously) says: Whether there is any historical reality behind the Trojan War remains an open question. Many scholars believe that there is a historical core to the tale, though this may simply mean that the Homeric stories are a fusion of various tales of sieges and expe...
- Sat Feb 17, 2024 7:40 am
- Forum: Countdown - Spoilers
- Topic: Spoilers for Friday 16th February 2024 (Series 89, Heat 34)
- Replies: 2
- Views: 546
Re: Spoilers for Friday 16th February 2024 (Series 89, Heat 34)
Would anyone else have been tempted by the invalid ‘opacities’ in Round 1? https://wiki.apterous.org/Episode_8210 R9 alt: (100+5*6-7)*(9-1)=984 R14 alt: (50*3+10/2)*5=755 I thought about opacities after Susie got OPACITES. I think it would be better if she was more explicit about the obvious extens...
- Fri Feb 16, 2024 6:03 pm
- Forum: Countdown - General
- Topic: Ask Graeme?
- Replies: 1740
- Views: 718743
Re: Ask Graeme?
You have to include everyone with that name, not just the top three.
- Fri Feb 16, 2024 2:12 pm
- Forum: Countdown - General
- Topic: Ask Graeme?
- Replies: 1740
- Views: 718743
Re: Ask Graeme?
As far as I can see, there are three Darryls. Darryls Hall and Johnson both lost their only game, so we're on 0/2. But then we have Darryl Francis . He won 15 out of 19 "normal" games. He lost a masters game though, and was on the winning team in some weird special . We won't count the wei...
- Fri Feb 16, 2024 1:12 pm
- Forum: Countdown - General
- Topic: Ask Graeme?
- Replies: 1740
- Views: 718743
Re: Ask Graeme?
What is the most successful first name in countdown (if we say at least 3 people have to have been called this and do it by percentage of games won) My money is on Tom/Thomas. Or maybe Mark. My gut is it will be a more unusual name. Lets say there's been 2 random people called Innis pop up over the...
- Thu Feb 15, 2024 4:15 pm
- Forum: Off-topic
- Topic: Politics in General
- Replies: 1644
- Views: 1722513
Re: Politics in General
Or just people on social media (even peace seeking nice people on my FB for example) having a valid post against Israeli war crimes in Gaza / occupation of the west bank, but then ending it with the "From the river to the sea" phrase which is basically a call for an ethnic cleansing of Je...
- Thu Feb 15, 2024 12:57 pm
- Forum: Off-topic
- Topic: Politics in General
- Replies: 1644
- Views: 1722513
Re: Politics in General
Here I disagree. The fact that there's a certain term for a specific sub group of a more general group isn't a problem. The anti- prefix isn't reserved only for Jews, but many other groups, races, religions, so being specific isn't a problem here at all and doesn't imply that it's different from ot...
- Wed Feb 14, 2024 6:26 pm
- Forum: Off-topic
- Topic: Politics in General
- Replies: 1644
- Views: 1722513
Re: Politics in General
Here's a thing. I think the term anti-Semitic (or antisemitic) is generally not a good one to use. If someone is racist against black people, they are racist. If they are racist against Asian people, they are racist. But if they are racist against Jewish people, they are anti-Semitic. Why does it ma...
- Wed Feb 14, 2024 6:22 pm
- Forum: Off-topic
- Topic: Track and Field (and Road) Athletics
- Replies: 252
- Views: 52393
Re: Track and Field (and Road) Athletics
Also the shoes Kipchoge wore were I believe the Alphaflys, which are a legal shoe. At the time they were a prototype, so perhaps technically illegal due to not being available to the public or something.
- Wed Feb 14, 2024 5:50 pm
- Forum: Off-topic
- Topic: Track and Field (and Road) Athletics
- Replies: 252
- Views: 52393
Re: Track and Field (and Road) Athletics
Yeah it's not a massive big deal, though still not legal.
- Wed Feb 14, 2024 4:05 pm
- Forum: Off-topic
- Topic: The Dead of 2024
- Replies: 62
- Views: 5768
Re: The Dead of 2024
I've always thought of him as Mr. TOTP2.
- Wed Feb 14, 2024 12:56 pm
- Forum: Off-topic
- Topic: Track and Field (and Road) Athletics
- Replies: 252
- Views: 52393
Re: Track and Field (and Road) Athletics
The pacemakers dropped in and out (there were several laps) so it wasn't like in a proper race where they start with you and then drop out when they can't keep it going.
- Tue Feb 13, 2024 10:02 pm
- Forum: Off-topic
- Topic: Politics in General
- Replies: 1644
- Views: 1722513
Re: Politics in General
Well actually believing something about what the Israeli government might have done is not racist, and so not anti-Semitic. The same standards apply across the board. Criticising a government, even if not based in truth, does not make one a racist, whatever the country is. Israel does not have speci...
- Tue Feb 13, 2024 4:36 pm
- Forum: Off-topic
- Topic: Questions you've always wanted answered
- Replies: 1615
- Views: 672964
Re: Questions you've always wanted answered
You mean a dog?Marc Meakin wrote: ↑Tue Feb 13, 2024 4:14 pmIve never experienced this but my step daughter (in her early thirties) says it happens whenever she hears a cat scarerMark Deeks wrote: ↑Tue Feb 13, 2024 3:47 pm What's that whole thing about when your ear goes PING and then you're deaf for a few seconds?
- Tue Feb 13, 2024 3:11 pm
- Forum: Off-topic
- Topic: Track and Field (and Road) Athletics
- Replies: 252
- Views: 52393
Re: Track and Field (and Road) Athletics
The thing is Kiptum was the sub-2 hour hope. He was also fun to watch. He'd take the first half of his marathons fairly easily and then just go in the second half. With better pacing, sub-2 looked a formality. Also, for whatever reason, the women's marathon records are often set by people you've nev...
- Mon Feb 12, 2024 11:20 pm
- Forum: Countdown - Spoilers
- Topic: Spoilers for Monday 12th February 2024 (Series 89, Heat 30)
- Replies: 3
- Views: 416
Re: Spoilers for Monday 12th February 2024 (Series 89, Heat 30)
It was the 197 trick all along!
- Mon Feb 12, 2024 12:36 pm
- Forum: Off-topic
- Topic: Track and Field (and Road) Athletics
- Replies: 252
- Views: 52393
Re: Track and Field (and Road) Athletics
According to this Wikipedia page , people in Kenya are about 10 times as likely as people in the UK to die in a car accident in a given year. But fewer people have cars in Kenya. Per car, the death rate is more than 100 times as much! From here : Giving details of the crash, police said Kiptum was d...
- Sun Feb 11, 2024 11:29 pm
- Forum: Off-topic
- Topic: The Dead of 2024
- Replies: 62
- Views: 5768
Re: The Dead of 2024
As I put in the athletics thread, Kelvin Kiptum.
- Sun Feb 11, 2024 11:28 pm
- Forum: Off-topic
- Topic: Track and Field (and Road) Athletics
- Replies: 252
- Views: 52393
Re: Track and Field (and Road) Athletics
Kelvin Kiptum has died in a road accident. Shit. I mean, fucking hell.
- Sun Feb 11, 2024 6:20 pm
- Forum: Countdown - Events
- Topic: CO:parkrun Recaps
- Replies: 597
- Views: 324806
Re: CO:parkrun Recaps
At my parkrun the JW10 record (so girls 10 and under) was at one point held by a 40-ish-year-old man who used the wrong barcode. I suspect deliberately because he did the same at another local parkrun. There's also something a bit off about this guy in general. I did contact the event director (and ...
- Sun Feb 11, 2024 6:04 pm
- Forum: Off-topic
- Topic: Unpopular opinions you genuinely hold
- Replies: 281
- Views: 36962
Re: Unpopular opinions you genuinely hold
I don't think you can make such a binary distinction between humans and all other animals. So while the way dogs and cats love humans may differ from how humans love humans, they are also likely to differ from each other in significant ways too.
I'll get over it.
- Sun Feb 11, 2024 4:44 pm
- Forum: Off-topic
- Topic: Politics in General
- Replies: 1644
- Views: 1722513
Re: Politics in General
If anyone was still in any doubt over whether what Israel is doing is reasonable or not, even the Tories (specifically the guy off the street they recruited to be foreign secretary) are having doubts over the latest move to attack Rafah.
Edit - And Biden as well.
Edit - And Biden as well.
- Sun Feb 11, 2024 2:44 pm
- Forum: Off-topic
- Topic: Unpopular opinions you genuinely hold
- Replies: 281
- Views: 36962
Re: Unpopular opinions you genuinely hold
You didn't, you just posted a bunch of tangential philosophy that didn't really address the point at all. If anything, you proved the point further. OK, so humans and fungus are the same. I'm not sure how anything you're saying is really related to the original point that cats and dogs are equally ...
- Sun Feb 11, 2024 1:56 pm
- Forum: Off-topic
- Topic: Real life situations that made you laugh
- Replies: 3
- Views: 1094
Re: Real life situations that made you laugh
You did that before!Marc Meakin wrote: ↑Sun Feb 11, 2024 12:54 pm Just made a typo talking about tonights American football ended up writing Superb Owl
- Sun Feb 11, 2024 1:54 pm
- Forum: Off-topic
- Topic: Unpopular opinions you genuinely hold
- Replies: 281
- Views: 36962
Re: Unpopular opinions you genuinely hold
OK, so humans and fungus are the same.Elliott Mellor wrote: ↑Sun Feb 11, 2024 10:05 amYou didn't, you just posted a bunch of tangential philosophy that didn't really address the point at all. If anything, you proved the point further.Gavin Chipper wrote: ↑Sat Feb 10, 2024 9:38 pmI debunked it. Unless you accept the conclusion that all life is the same.
- Sun Feb 11, 2024 7:52 am
- Forum: Off-topic
- Topic: Unpopular opinions you genuinely hold
- Replies: 281
- Views: 36962
Re: Unpopular opinions you genuinely hold
Remember I added "Unless you accept the conclusion that all life is the same."Mark James wrote: ↑Sun Feb 11, 2024 2:59 amNo you haven't.
- Sun Feb 11, 2024 7:51 am
- Forum: Off-topic
- Topic: Unpopular opinions you genuinely hold
- Replies: 281
- Views: 36962
Re: Unpopular opinions you genuinely hold
Cats and dogs are the same. People think cats are cold and heartless and dogs show love. Bullshit. They've both learned to manipulate humans to get food. You can apply this reductive logic to all life, including humans. Obviously not just about manipulating humans to get food, but more generally ma...
- Sat Feb 10, 2024 9:38 pm
- Forum: Off-topic
- Topic: Unpopular opinions you genuinely hold
- Replies: 281
- Views: 36962
Re: Unpopular opinions you genuinely hold
I debunked it. Unless you accept the conclusion that all life is the same.Elliott Mellor wrote: ↑Sat Feb 10, 2024 8:39 pmThis is a good one.Mark James wrote: ↑Fri Feb 09, 2024 10:04 pm Cats and dogs are the same. People think cats are cold and heartless and dogs show love. Bullshit. They've both learned to manipulate humans to get food.