Rounds: Here.
In the initial chat tonight, David mentions the wonderful Free Rice website, which provides simple games to test and improve one's knowledge in vocabulary, basic mathematics, geography, and various other topics. For every correct answer they will donate ten grains of rice through the World Food Programme to help end hunger, so it's educational and charitable. Strongly recommended to spend some time there.
Nick Terry returns for his second game; Richard asks him what the process of learning to fly was like. Nick says that it was quite a challenge, but the real magical moment for him was his first solo flight -- taking off was easy, but once up there he realised that there was only one person who could land it again.
Today's challenger is litigation lawyer Hannah Marshall, who is also a keen surfer. Her husband surfs as well, and actually proposed to her when they were both out on the surf. It's stated that the ring was tied very securely!
It was an awkward start to this game for me, thanks to a misheard letter (more about that shortly). It was a good game for David, with two full monties to be found, although neither are ones I'd have been comfortable risking (assuming that I had even seen them). The advantage of having the dictionary to hand!
Hannah keeps relatively close to Nick in score, but a couple of rounds where all she can find are five-letter words leave her adrift and she can't make up the lost ground (if you'll pardon the mixed metaphor), fizzling out to a 33 to 46 loss.
I'm happy with my performance in the letters rounds this time (modulo that mishearing), but definitely should have done better in one of the numbers rounds. Still, a comfortable victory for me.
As usual, details after the jump.
Monday, 31 October 2011
Saturday, 29 October 2011
Weekly summary: Episodes 301 to 305
Well, that's the first week out of the way, 19 more to go in this season. It's been good, results-wise, but has definitely shown that I have some improving to do. Here's the breakdown so far:
The current rankings for finals purposes (top eight contestants, although I'll only list those who have played at least three games):
Some other statistics ("tough numbers" are number games that turn out to be solvable, but that are not solved in time by either the contestants or Lily):
| Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Me | 48 | 59 | 46 | 68 | 64 |
| Champion | 33 | 35 | 33 | 13 | 54 |
| Challenger | 30 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 37 |
| David + Lily | 87 | 79 | 72 | 88 | 77 |
The current rankings for finals purposes (top eight contestants, although I'll only list those who have played at least three games):
| Shaun Ellis | 43 | 56 | 38 | 59 | 40 | 44 | 280 |
|---|
Some other statistics ("tough numbers" are number games that turn out to be solvable, but that are not solved in time by either the contestants or Lily):
| Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full Monties | 1 | 1 | 2 | |||
| Tough Numbers | 1 | 1 | ||||
| Impossible Numbers | 0 |
Friday, 28 October 2011
Ep 305: Nick Compton, Nick Terry (October 28, 2011)
Rounds: Here.
In the early banter, David reveals that he likes typewriters, particularly the percussive aspect, and also fonts. He mentions the book Just My Type by Simon Garfield, which is all about the origins of different typefaces. This prompts Richard to note that he was slightly disturbed to discover that there is a font called "Poor Richard", which his partner (Alison Mackay) found and loves to use.
There are two new contestants today, after Shaun's retirement, and both called Nick. Joining us in the champion's seat is Nick Compton, a French teacher who now manages a bakery cafe.
Facing him in the challenger's position is "daredevil accountant" Nick Terry -- he's an accountant and a daredevil, not an accountant to daredevils. When asked about his adventurous exploits, he noted that in his younger days he jumped out of a plane (with a parachute), did some helicopter flying, has flown a plane, and also done some rally driving. Top of his wish list to do, if it becomes possible in his lifetime, is to go into outer space.
Referred to throughout the show as Nick C and Nick T, they prove formidable competition, but a failed numbers round early on leaves Nick C trailing by too much to recover; Nick T takes the victory, 71 to 44.
I struggled to better either of them, with Nick T and I particularly being on each other's wavelength. I fell behind in one letters round, managed to get it back in the next, and ended up equal with him going into the conundrum round. I got it comfortably ahead of him on time (3-4s, compared to 21s), just squeaking through to victory.
I've still got some work to do, clearly, as I missed some words and fragments I should have found, and a numbers game that was a little difficult but very gettable. Time to put in some more practice on the numbers, I think.
As usual, details after the jump.
In the early banter, David reveals that he likes typewriters, particularly the percussive aspect, and also fonts. He mentions the book Just My Type by Simon Garfield, which is all about the origins of different typefaces. This prompts Richard to note that he was slightly disturbed to discover that there is a font called "Poor Richard", which his partner (Alison Mackay) found and loves to use.
There are two new contestants today, after Shaun's retirement, and both called Nick. Joining us in the champion's seat is Nick Compton, a French teacher who now manages a bakery cafe.
Facing him in the challenger's position is "daredevil accountant" Nick Terry -- he's an accountant and a daredevil, not an accountant to daredevils. When asked about his adventurous exploits, he noted that in his younger days he jumped out of a plane (with a parachute), did some helicopter flying, has flown a plane, and also done some rally driving. Top of his wish list to do, if it becomes possible in his lifetime, is to go into outer space.
Referred to throughout the show as Nick C and Nick T, they prove formidable competition, but a failed numbers round early on leaves Nick C trailing by too much to recover; Nick T takes the victory, 71 to 44.
I struggled to better either of them, with Nick T and I particularly being on each other's wavelength. I fell behind in one letters round, managed to get it back in the next, and ended up equal with him going into the conundrum round. I got it comfortably ahead of him on time (3-4s, compared to 21s), just squeaking through to victory.
I've still got some work to do, clearly, as I missed some words and fragments I should have found, and a numbers game that was a little difficult but very gettable. Time to put in some more practice on the numbers, I think.
As usual, details after the jump.
Thursday, 27 October 2011
Ep 304: Shaun Ellis, Kate Philip (October 27, 2011)
Rounds: Here.
Win or lose, Shaun will be heading home after this game. Asked about moments that stand out for him, he is embarassedly amused about trying GASHEAD on his first night. (It's not valid, I should add, which is part of the amusement.) In an amusing reference to round two of episode 302, he adds that he has a new life mission now: To write a screenplay wherein a character says "I'm just going to go and re-lock the door".
The challenger tonight is former air traffic controller Kate Philip, who is now studying for her bachelor of science. Richard tries to draw some connection between being an air traffic controller and playing the game, and Kate helps the link by saying that being able to form patterns out of disparate information should be useful. Richard follows up on her use of 'disparate', using it to segue into noting that she's involved in the business of vintage clothing. She responds that she's always loved the style, fit, and form of vintage clothes, and she's started a plus-size vintage clothing store online called Curvy Vintage.
I had a much better relative performance this game -- I came close to keeping both contestants scoreless. On the other hand, I missed some of the higher scoring options, including a full monty. There's something to be said for the French version's more generous time limit of 45 seconds per round...
Shaun cruised to an easy 44 to 6 victory over Kate, and retires undefeated with a total of 280 points. The season starts off with someone going the distance, which is hopefully a sign of good things to come.
As usual, details after the jump.
Win or lose, Shaun will be heading home after this game. Asked about moments that stand out for him, he is embarassedly amused about trying GASHEAD on his first night. (It's not valid, I should add, which is part of the amusement.) In an amusing reference to round two of episode 302, he adds that he has a new life mission now: To write a screenplay wherein a character says "I'm just going to go and re-lock the door".
The challenger tonight is former air traffic controller Kate Philip, who is now studying for her bachelor of science. Richard tries to draw some connection between being an air traffic controller and playing the game, and Kate helps the link by saying that being able to form patterns out of disparate information should be useful. Richard follows up on her use of 'disparate', using it to segue into noting that she's involved in the business of vintage clothing. She responds that she's always loved the style, fit, and form of vintage clothes, and she's started a plus-size vintage clothing store online called Curvy Vintage.
I had a much better relative performance this game -- I came close to keeping both contestants scoreless. On the other hand, I missed some of the higher scoring options, including a full monty. There's something to be said for the French version's more generous time limit of 45 seconds per round...
Shaun cruised to an easy 44 to 6 victory over Kate, and retires undefeated with a total of 280 points. The season starts off with someone going the distance, which is hopefully a sign of good things to come.
As usual, details after the jump.
Ep 303: Shaun Ellis, Nathan McCain (October 26, 2011)
Rounds: Here.
Shaun is back for his fifth game; Richard talks a little more to him about his online poker playing. Shaun admits to not having a poker face, which is why he sticks to playing it online. He also relates how it kept his ego in check after he became the carryover champion of the show -- the feeling of invincibility quickly faded after losing $50 in five minutes.
Today's challenge is Nathan McCain, an outdoor recreation facilitator and surfing instructor. The early banter was about nicknames (David's poker nickname is Slingshot, after twice winning from a long way back), and Nathan reveals that his is Tambour, after the tambourine. This resulted from a mate heckling him and then challenging him to perform on stage, which has led to him playing at festivals in various places.
Oh, dear, I definitely felt out of form for this game. I was trying to get it done in a hurry before I had to go out, but that's hardly an excuse given that a filming would be more hurried. The first five rounds went relatively poorly and soon had me fourteen points adrift; it took a tricky numbers round (not solved perfectly) to get me back in the right direction, and the final numbers round gave me a narrow lead going into the conundrum. Unusually for me, I managed to get it straight away, sealing an unconvincing victory in a low-scoring contest.
Shaun was in much more comfortable territory, as Nathan was only able to score in one round. Shaun thus (relatively speaking) cruised to his fifth straight victory with a final score of 40 points to 7. Will he go the distance? Tomorrow will tell!
As usual, details after the jump.
Shaun is back for his fifth game; Richard talks a little more to him about his online poker playing. Shaun admits to not having a poker face, which is why he sticks to playing it online. He also relates how it kept his ego in check after he became the carryover champion of the show -- the feeling of invincibility quickly faded after losing $50 in five minutes.
Today's challenge is Nathan McCain, an outdoor recreation facilitator and surfing instructor. The early banter was about nicknames (David's poker nickname is Slingshot, after twice winning from a long way back), and Nathan reveals that his is Tambour, after the tambourine. This resulted from a mate heckling him and then challenging him to perform on stage, which has led to him playing at festivals in various places.
Oh, dear, I definitely felt out of form for this game. I was trying to get it done in a hurry before I had to go out, but that's hardly an excuse given that a filming would be more hurried. The first five rounds went relatively poorly and soon had me fourteen points adrift; it took a tricky numbers round (not solved perfectly) to get me back in the right direction, and the final numbers round gave me a narrow lead going into the conundrum. Unusually for me, I managed to get it straight away, sealing an unconvincing victory in a low-scoring contest.
Shaun was in much more comfortable territory, as Nathan was only able to score in one round. Shaun thus (relatively speaking) cruised to his fifth straight victory with a final score of 40 points to 7. Will he go the distance? Tomorrow will tell!
As usual, details after the jump.
Tuesday, 25 October 2011
Ep 302: Shaun Ellis, Crockett Cooke (October 25, 2011)
Rounds: Here.
Shaun Ellis returns for his fourth night and it is revealed that he has an ambition to write a screenplay. He has a few in the works, but -- as many of us can relate to -- has to overcome his laziness. He continues to display gently self-directed humour as he adds that he also has to make them just a little bit better.
Going up against Shaun is former police officer Crockett Cooke, who once completed the Great Victorian Bike Ride on a tricycle for charity. He's wearing a cornflower, the symbol of the Motor Neurone Disease Association -- he lives with a rare form of that disease. The bike ride involved a distance of almost 600 kilometres over ten days, which sounds like an impressive effort on a tricycle!
I put in a much better effort today, even though I felt somewhat "off". There was definitely some room for improvement and the conundrum continues to be difficult for me. I started on the back foot as Shaun got off to a good start, but then he overreached and I soon gained the lead and kept ahead thereafter. Unfortunately, Crockett never really got into the match, and Shaun gained his fourth victory to the tune of 59 to 13.
Details after the jump.
Shaun Ellis returns for his fourth night and it is revealed that he has an ambition to write a screenplay. He has a few in the works, but -- as many of us can relate to -- has to overcome his laziness. He continues to display gently self-directed humour as he adds that he also has to make them just a little bit better.
Going up against Shaun is former police officer Crockett Cooke, who once completed the Great Victorian Bike Ride on a tricycle for charity. He's wearing a cornflower, the symbol of the Motor Neurone Disease Association -- he lives with a rare form of that disease. The bike ride involved a distance of almost 600 kilometres over ten days, which sounds like an impressive effort on a tricycle!
I put in a much better effort today, even though I felt somewhat "off". There was definitely some room for improvement and the conundrum continues to be difficult for me. I started on the back foot as Shaun got off to a good start, but then he overreached and I soon gained the lead and kept ahead thereafter. Unfortunately, Crockett never really got into the match, and Shaun gained his fourth victory to the tune of 59 to 13.
Details after the jump.
Monday, 24 October 2011
Ep 301: Shaun Ellis, Ilona Coote (October 24, 2011)
Rounds: Here.
Series 4 starts off with Shaun Ellis in the champion's seat. Shaun is an online data producer, who wants to live and work in New York; he's also an avid online poker player and would like to make a career out of it one day. He returns after having won two games at the end of series three; the first was a 43 to 27 victory over accountant Deborah Kemper, and the second was a very close 56 to 53 win against neuroscience student Patrick Clark, courtesy of the conundrum.
In this episode it is revealed that Shaun has an unusual tattoo on his left inner forearm. In a nice bold font a centimetre or two high it reads: ouch1 (aʊtʃ). When asked why he got such an unusual tattoo, he remarks that he thought it would be funny, and with delightful good humour adds "... because there's nothing like funny tattoos." Richard checks about Shaun's plans for an accompanying tattoo on the other forearm; Shaun responds that the most common remarks about his existing tattoo were "You'll regret that" and "That's a big mistake", so he's thinking of getting either "regret" or "big mistake" tattooed there.
In the challenger seat for this game is meteorologist Ilona Coote. She's still in training so she doesn't actually get to make the predictions yet, but may well be doing so in a year or so.
It's a decidedly shaky start to this project; after beginning well I stumbled badly and limped home to an unconvincing win. Perhaps ironically, if I had started less well I might have ended up with a higher score. That said, Shaun scraped by even more barely, with a 38 to 36 victory for his third successive win.
Breakdown after the jump.
Series 4 starts off with Shaun Ellis in the champion's seat. Shaun is an online data producer, who wants to live and work in New York; he's also an avid online poker player and would like to make a career out of it one day. He returns after having won two games at the end of series three; the first was a 43 to 27 victory over accountant Deborah Kemper, and the second was a very close 56 to 53 win against neuroscience student Patrick Clark, courtesy of the conundrum.
In this episode it is revealed that Shaun has an unusual tattoo on his left inner forearm. In a nice bold font a centimetre or two high it reads: ouch1 (aʊtʃ). When asked why he got such an unusual tattoo, he remarks that he thought it would be funny, and with delightful good humour adds "... because there's nothing like funny tattoos." Richard checks about Shaun's plans for an accompanying tattoo on the other forearm; Shaun responds that the most common remarks about his existing tattoo were "You'll regret that" and "That's a big mistake", so he's thinking of getting either "regret" or "big mistake" tattooed there.
In the challenger seat for this game is meteorologist Ilona Coote. She's still in training so she doesn't actually get to make the predictions yet, but may well be doing so in a year or so.
It's a decidedly shaky start to this project; after beginning well I stumbled badly and limped home to an unconvincing win. Perhaps ironically, if I had started less well I might have ended up with a higher score. That said, Shaun scraped by even more barely, with a 38 to 36 victory for his third successive win.
Breakdown after the jump.
Sunday, 23 October 2011
Introduction
Airing on SBS, Letters and Numbers is an Australian version of the long-running UK game show Countdown (which in turn is based on the original French show Des chiffres et des lettres). Contestants aim to find long words from nine letters, or reach a target number from 6 starting ones; if you're not familiar with the show, there are more details on the Wikipedia page.
I discovered this show by accident about midway through the second series, and have been hooked ever since. It's great fun to play along with at home, and starting with the fourth series I've decided to record my progress, and possibly the odd piece of commentary along the way. If anyone else out there stumbles on this and does something similar, I'd love to hear about it.
A couple of points of procedure:
Similarly, if you're interested in being a constestant, then you should definitely send in an application. Auditions are held in Melbourne and Sydney, and I think Brisbane either has had auditions, or is planned to. And who knows, this blog might just have the odd bit of advice for you if you make it onto the show.
I discovered this show by accident about midway through the second series, and have been hooked ever since. It's great fun to play along with at home, and starting with the fourth series I've decided to record my progress, and possibly the odd piece of commentary along the way. If anyone else out there stumbles on this and does something similar, I'd love to hear about it.
A couple of points of procedure:
- The official dictionary used for the show is the Macquarie Dictionary (5th edition); only words appearing in it, or standard inflected forms thereof, can be scored. It is possible I may note non-scoring words of interest.
- I'll be attempting to work under the same restrictions as the contestants: Thirty seconds on the clock, everything must be written down in order to count. The video on the website has a tendency to undergo long pauses sometimes, so this may be approximate, but the results will represent a good-faith effort on my part to meet those conditions.
- I'll score the games as though I was a third contestant. This will lead to scores differing from the match result in those cases where I find a better solution than either contestant. When this occurs, actual scores shall be noted in brackets.
- I tend to pause the game when the time runs out in each round, to see what I can find with more thought (and before I am exposed to the answers of contestants or presenters). After that I sometimes use programs to search for answers, in case something interesting has been overlooked. I will try to be clear about which category answers I list fall into.
- The show only displays the contestants' first names, so often I have to guess at the spelling of the surnames. It is very likely that some will be incorrect, and I welcome corrections.
- The detailed gameplay will be behind jump cuts. So if the summaries all look a little sparse, just click on the "Read more" links.
Similarly, if you're interested in being a constestant, then you should definitely send in an application. Auditions are held in Melbourne and Sydney, and I think Brisbane either has had auditions, or is planned to. And who knows, this blog might just have the odd bit of advice for you if you make it onto the show.
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