c4countdown

Michael Wallace

Hmm, the CV solution in round 14 gets it spot on by my count (for the sake of completeness).

Michael Wallace

I was pondering ABLINES in one round, but then realised that ABLINE is just a command from R, and so is unlikely to be valid in Countdown (let alone its plural).

Perhaps I am spending too much time (failing at) coding...

Michael Wallace

Clearly we need a competition for the best representation of the history of the British Isles in the space of an avatar.

Maybe.

Michael Wallace

Whilst I like Go in principle (the simplicity and all), I've barely begun to learn how to be any good at it, and to call it daunting is an understatement. Chess I've started looking at again, but am getting a bit bored by learning all the opening theory. Monopoly just annoys me

Michael Wallace

Settlers is awesome, haven't had a game in ages though. I think that perhaps the reason I enjoy it the most though is the capacity for being an utter bastard to people, which probably isn't the best reason...

Michael Wallace

Looks like Joseph might escape after all...

Michael Wallace

You know what to do.

...

OR DO YOU??

Michael Wallace

Michael Wallace

Totally football - it's about the only sport where I can sit down and watch the whole game even when I don't really care who wins. Well, I quite like watching snooker too, but it's not quite as engaging.

Michael Wallace

A slightly less convoluted method than Carol's - get 28 by 10+9+9, and then you've got 7 and 4 left over.

Michael Wallace

Wow, did they miss ENFORCES? or did I mis-see the letters?

Michael Wallace

How is this not here yet?

Can you not have FORESTED in, er, one of the rounds in the second half, I don't know which one...

Michael Wallace

After all that my reception refused to work (well, it worked long enough for me hear something about a W on a triple word score, but then it cut out for the entire opening round). Sorry about that. If no-one else can do it I have a friend who gets them all saved automatically (they have virgin tv), ...

Michael Wallace

Righto. I may have to skip putting in all the maxes if CountMax doesn't work on WINE for some reason (I'm presuming it's a .exe, haven't actually looked yet).

From looking at the HOWTO - do I need a password or somesuch?

Michael Wallace

It's on More4 at 2.40am, so unless someone else appears and is all "oh don't worry I recorded it I'll do it" I can try and put something together from that (I have yet to see today's episode myself, so I'd be staying up to watch it anyway).

Michael Wallace

is OPTIME Not in? (round 13)

Michael Wallace

And 24x14 if you want an 8 to keep your 10 company on the way home.

edit: although BW's is obviously nicer, and gives your 10 *2* companions!

Michael Wallace

71x12 for the first numbers leaves you a 10 left over if, say, you didn't want to use it so you could take it home with you.

Michael Wallace

Ginger Jono wrote:O, I thought Matt was joking.

O, that hadn't occurred to me...

Michael Wallace

Given the situation with the O's, why dont me, Micheal and Howard have a round-robin and the winner takes Heathers place and plays Dino? I'm not entirely convinced by this - if the O thing was an actual problem it would only really make sense for us to replay our preliminary round opponents, rather...

Michael Wallace

Yeah, I'm totally an O-specialist.

Maybe.

(so who's responsible for this? I see Soo has claimed he is a non-O specialist, very suspicious...)

Michael Wallace

Matthew Green wrote:Is the Plate competition just a little play-off to gain some pride or is it to gain a spot in the later rounds?

Wait, if the plate is 'just a little play-off to gain some pride', then what's COOT?

Michael Wallace

dinos_the_chemist wrote:I think you mean 790 - 3 = 787 for the last line but well done!

*cough* ah yes, well spotted, obviously I was just testing you all, maybe...

plus it wasn't quite well done - that was about 5 seconds late (although I did get to within 1 (786) in the time, so have a moral victory over carol

)

Michael Wallace

25*6 = 150
150+5+3 = 158
158*5 = 790
790-3 = 787

(edited to make me look less silly ¬_¬)

Michael Wallace

Richard Brittain wrote:Note that some people may prefer not to know the outcome before reading the recap.

This occurred to me, yes, but I had a good reason for not thinking it mattered (which escapes me now...). I'll edit my post, but have been quoted by Howard, so it might not help.

Michael Wallace

Spoilers!

Michael Wallace

Richard and I are going to start in about 10 minutes (short notice, I know) in case any of you guys want to watch some molestation occur.

Michael Wallace

David O'Donnell wrote:
Charlie Reams wrote: Onanists. (The Private Eye crossword is mostly in this style.)
Always amuses, Cyclops had this clue in the last issue:

"Sexist vibrating gismo, yes ....... no ....... YES!"

I'm guessing that's something like MISOGYNY (anagram of gismo, then, Y(es) N(o) Y(es))?

Michael Wallace

I notice that Richard and myself so far have a total difference of +1 (to me, bwaha...well, depending on whether that whole 12 point conundrum thing stood...) in online games. Admittedly we've only played twice, but still... Apparently we'll play when we notice both of us are online as well as someo...

Michael Wallace

A few one-word clues which I remember being impressed by (mostly from The Times): Starfish (6) Geg (9,3) Wolf (3) The last one is probably a bit hard with no intersecting clues, but I'll throw it out there anyway. I remember an episode of Drop the Dead Donkey where 'gegs' was a clue that one of the...

Michael Wallace

Hope you enjoyed your stint on the national ITV news bulletin Jason Very much so Damian. Cheers for the opportunity (i'm presuming you had something to do with it!). It kinda made up for the disappointment of not playing in the finals. Felt like a bit of a numpty though but still it was a great exp...

Michael Wallace

Surely everyone will give their answers before looking through other people's (WTF does the apostrophe go in that?), so it seems a bit of a pointless rule. Yeah, I thought that too. Plus if you're sensible you'll guess the ones you don't know anyway, so then the one you didn't answer would clearly ...

Michael Wallace

Matt Coates wrote:loos like they cut out the bit where david dropped the trophy

Did that really happen, or is this a funny funny joke?

And yes, well done DOD, great stuff (although sucks to be you missing that conundrum - although I found the scramble NICELOSER initially distracting in itself

).

Michael Wallace

jasoncullen wrote:I'm surprised some people can't even remember their own quotes let alone other peoples

Am I the only person who paid attention to

jasoncullen wrote:Please do not ... own up to saying a certain quote because it defeats the object of the game !

?

Michael Wallace

Im going to blame most of my wrong answers on never remembering anyone's name. Ever. 1. I'll go for Conor (I know about the maths and darts bit, at least) 2. 3. Damian? 4. 5. Surely that's Larson 6. Dinos? 7. JaCu?? 8. Well DOD is from that place with all the christians. Wait. Which bit is the bit w...

Michael Wallace

The following question; 27. Which European football team knocked Blackburn Rovers out of the UEFA Cup qualifying rounds in September last year? seems to be causing problems. I think you can guess what it probably begins with :D . I know the answer to this because my dad is a Rovers fan :) Well you ...

Michael Wallace

Ok, so the answers that are in bold are those which I didn't cheat for :P Edit: And now I've done them in the right format... A: Affliction, AE Larissa B: Bow C: Carrot , Curriculum D: Darlington E: Ear , Ewing F: Fudge G: George H: Hartlepool, Hudson I: Ice J: Jones K: Kingston , Kermit L: Luke M: ...

Michael Wallace

wow, awesome conundrum spot, there

Michael Wallace

I'm surprised they both missed HEAVE when it came up yesterday in a similarly awful roung.

Michael Wallace

Matt Coates wrote:Round 6: WONDERER

I was just about to ask about that one - it sounds all wrong though, like BANTERER or BARTERER.

Michael Wallace

Will today's semi-final be as nail-bitingly pants-wettingly exciting as yesterday?

Let's hope so.

Michael Wallace

I don't see how it fits perfectly. The clue suggests a singular answer (rather than "They keep going up and down") and I don't see any punny or cryptic link to bouncy castles. Am I missing something? Amusingly I was about to post almost precisely this until I spotted that it's because you...

Michael Wallace

This thread has inspired me to start taking cryptics more seriously. Do any of the afficionados on here have suggestions about which crossword a relative beginner should cut his teeth on? (I'm a bit rubbish, so nothing too hardcore please) Depending on how much of a beginner you are (i.e. don't be ...

Michael Wallace

oh and of course, well played Jonathon - that was a pretty awesome performance (second numbers aside), especially considering the opposition - certainly seemed to have stepped his game up from his preliminary games, too

Michael Wallace

so how much was DOD paid to make it that exciting?

seriously, that was quite awesome

Michael Wallace

DOD needs to get lucky with the last numbers to avoid a crucial conundrum

COULD THIS BE ANY MORE EXCITING?

edit: looks like it'll be a crucial conundrum, then...

Michael Wallace

I thought that numbers would get Jo(h?)nathon, but not DOD - must be the nerves! I would've thought Jonathan is more nervous because David's declarations on the word rounds is making Jonathan supposedly take risks. True, but I'd imagine going into the finals as everyone's favourite (and I don't jus...

Michael Wallace

I thought that numbers would get Jo(h?)nathon, but not DOD - must be the nerves!

Michael Wallace

well this is exciting

Michael Wallace

some awesome 4 tops selections coming out this week

Michael Wallace

Just saw these this morning Michael but I'd go for FLOODLIGHT and PLATO as two of the answers - would you mind explaining the PLATO one if it's right as I wasn't sure about about how the O gets to the end of PLAT. Edit: They're crucial at election time, maybe as a result of being filled with hot ai...

Michael Wallace

Wow, one of these that hasn't been completed yet!

4. KINDHEARTEDLY

Which leaves: A I L M N P T

6. OTOASINGLETON
7. NICOTINECYSTS
9. HISPLANNEDROW
10. ULITCHARACTER
13. RESTSUSPICION
14. IKOUNTGAMBLER
22. BARTIIEASYLUM

Michael Wallace

was it just me who felt it was a bit weird of Des to ask David "how risky" his 8 was *before* asking Ben for his declaration?

Michael Wallace

Howard Somerset wrote:(75-1) x 10 - 3 x 4 seems a little better than Carol's

How did she do it? (I went the 720 + ((1+1) x 4) route)

Michael Wallace

RESONATE as well?

Michael Wallace

Ben Pugh wrote:I'm guessing that Conor is doing Further Maths, the people doing Further Maths have their last exam on Thursday, so he might be back after then.

Isn't he doing STEP, too? Back in my day STEP was well after A levels, so it may be longer still.

Michael Wallace

Joseph Bolas wrote:
Samuel Jefferson wrote:For round 5 can't you just do;

(100 X 10) - (8 X 8) + (7-3)

?
This would make 946, so it would be 10 away, sorry.

940, shurely?

Michael Wallace

I went the 99x4 + 75 route, which is clearly more exciting

Michael Wallace

wasn't MODULES there in round 12?

Michael Wallace

And whilst I waste my time getting one of my crosswords on the internets for your enjoyment/piss-taking, here's a few clues of mine that I'd be interested in feedback on (especially any of the form "that doesn't really work because of...") For when the football pitch is waterlogged? (10) N...

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