Category: Competition

Premier League Predictor

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So there we were discussing the English Premier League and the current loss of form by perennial trophy winners Manchester United (being a life long Eastern Province supporter, I’m an expert on trophyless seasons.)

There was a lot of mirth among the group following the loss to Chelsea on the previous Sunday. I happened to mention that in the greater scheme of things, no planner would pencil in 3 points at the beginning of a season for a trip to Stamford Bridge, I further suggested that I doubt if visiting managers pencil in wins for visits to other title rivals, no, when planning a long campaign I assume points collected from these visits are considered a bonus.

I then laid down a challenge, put the managers hat on and predict how many points your team will gather from now ’till the end of the season, there are Liverpool, Man City, Arsenal and Chelsea fans in the circle, we’ve all stuck in R50 (£3) and there could well be 10 of us accepting the challenge  by next weekend.

A mate of mine met me on Tuesday and gave me my ‘scoresheet’, to be completed and handed in by end of January (he’s done one for every team! Is he keen or what?)

As you can see, I’ve got Manchester United, only the total after all 15 games matters, it matters not how I get to the total. It’s winner take all, 10 x R50 = a nice dinner out for me, I’ve got a figure of 32pts in my head for my submission (3,3,0,3,0,3,1,3,3,0,3,1,3,3,3,)

We will be getting weekly updates on the progress of all entrants, any suggestions / advice / help would be appreciated.

Quiz

The following initials represent the first lines of well known nursery rhymes:

1. R A R O R – Ring a ring a roses

2. D D B P I T W

3. T W A O W W L I A S – There was an old woman who lived in a shoe

4. O T, B M S -One two, buckle my shoe

5. T L P W T M

6. R A R T G – round and round the garden

7. J A J W U T H – Jack and Jill went up the hill

8. L J H S I T C – Little Jack Horner sat in the corner

9. J S W E N F – Jack Sprat would eat no fat

10. J B N, J B Q -Jack be nimble, jack be quick

Can you tell me which is which?

Movie title competition

Here’s a fun challenge for cherished colleagues. While watching a recent NFL game (that’s American Football to some or Gridiron to others) the production team came up with a couple of humorous takes on movie titles …

SILENCE OF THE RAMS

The St Louis Rams are having a bit of a tough time of their opening fixtures this season and this title is more than appropriate 🙂 Continue reading “Movie title competition”

Not Physics, but Fun.

I was leafing through the October edition of Physics World this morning (well we do don’t we?).  I get it here about a week after it is mailed in the UK.

Neat puzzle in this months edition in partial celebration of 25 years in print (for a hundred years before that it was called “The Physics Bulletin”).  Anyhow I thought the puzzle was fun and the answer was a treat.  Here it is.

Can you crack the code?

TNVERI SMH EG ZSMRNPMUD: M SLRN PYMP VERRNVPT M ZSMRNP PE PYN TQR THNNZT EQP NXQMS MUNMT LR NXQMS PLKNT

There is a word missing from the above.  Please provide the word in encrypted form as the answer.

Stand up and be elected

It’s refreshing to see that the worlds of politics and entertainment are finally merging with Backside’s hero – the toffs’ answer to Russell Brand – threatening to return to the House to lead the ever-amusing Tories into the next election.

So all together now!


Bring me Sunshine, in your smile,
Bring me Laughter, all the while,
In this world where we live, there should be more happiness,
So much joy you can give, to each brand new bright tomorrow……..

Repeat ad nauseam

Cheats always prosper

Human nature stinks so often, especially in so-called sport.

I always think of Dean Richards, the Leicester, England and Lions no. 8 who starred in the Bloodgate Incident; and Luis Suarez, the mercurial Uraguayan footballer who has an outstanding record of crossing the line. (Don’t even mention the countless cyclists.)

Both of my named cheats are now ‘reinstated’ and prospering. Does that mean we are expected to forget their transgressions? Is it OK to ‘put your hands up’ when you’re caught and go back to ‘normality’?

I don’t think so.

A formulaic poem for the J man

I am mad, it makes me holler
I go purple round the collar
This rage happens when I see politicians
Sounding off like an empty drum
I would love to kick them up the bum!

This takes me back to my days as a research scientist. I can only just about remember Ohm’s law these days and I really do not like present day pollies, as you may have guessed. 🙂

This formula is not only for nerds

What’s he going on about now? Formula? Nerds?

Yes, I’m sorry. It’s Backside again, being abstruse (one of his fave words). It’s about poetry – wot he likes doing – but he finds it impossible without a formula, a framework, a function. The three Fs, you might say.

So your mission this month, should you wish to engage, is to reveal your innermost workings by means of this plan:

 

  • The first line of the poem involves an emotion: sadness, anger, confusion, hurt, love, jealousy.
  • The second line describes the emotion as a colour. For example, you might describe anger as “red as a rag to a bull ;” happiness might be “as pink as a chimp’s chuff.”
  • The third line starts with “It happens when . . ..” For example, “Anger happens. . .when I’m told to move myself or words to that effect.” “Confusion happens when I do it but apparently not well enough.”
  • The fourth line begins with “It sounds like . . ..” For example, “Sadness sounds like. . .a Rangers supporter.”
  • The last line of the poem repeats the original emotion.

There! That was easy, eh? Only five lines at a time, rhyming or not, scanning or not, serious or not – but as many emotions as your constitution will stand. But no deviation from the formula, p-lease!

Closing date 27th October after Backside’s standard, formulaic breakfast. Thank you.