Full Vote Archives

Question:

OK, so last week's vote question did get me thinking about the old saying that pets take after their owners. When I look at my little babies, here are the characteristics I see:

Trillion:

• clean
• cuddly
• quiet
• well behaved

• stinky
• stupid
• does what he wants to
• noisy
• gets upset if he doesn't get his way
• frequently has diarrhea

Results:

Rag was the clear winner with 38% of the votes from the following selection:

• Grandpa (25%)
• Ivan (13%)
• Rag (38%)
• William (25%)

Analysis:

Just because he's got bad diarrhea doesn't mean he takes after me. I have to laugh, that's why William said he chose me. He saw someone who'd by sympathetic to his bowel problems. Speaking of which, today was hose down the litter tray day during which I do a full clean of the utility room. There was cat litter everywhere. It's up the walls, on the inside of the door. Thankfully, there was none on the ceiling. It's like they go digging for gold or something when they're in there. An amusing thing is that the litter robot comes with a mat for the cat to clean its feet on when it comes out of the litter bowl. My cats see that as a challenge to jump over.

Question:

So, the mice seem to have disappeared. They seemed to be everywhere, but all of a sudden it's like they packed up and left, no sign of them at all, even in the garage. I did read that mice will just leave if they have no food or if they no longer like their habitat. What do you think caused the mice to leave my house?

Results:

My farts was the clear winner with 44% of the votes from the following selection:

• Cats (11%)
• Cat shit (22%)
• Cat pee (0%)
• Tea bags (22%)
• My farts (44%)

Analysis:

OK, so I figured you'd think it was my toots that are keeping the mice at bay. In fairness, that might have something to do with it. I did think it was my cats as Zaphod is pretty stinky at the best of times, but then I read that mice didn't like tea bags and I do drink tea over coffee, so it must be that. I mean, they did say peppermint teabags and I only have regular teabags, but it can't be the smells of my cats and myself can it?

Question:

Well, we're coming up on some kind of vote that may be a little bigger than the EastBayRag vote. Should I offer to give away $1m to a random person that votes on the EastBayRag site?

Results:

Yes - go for it was the clear winner with 80% of the votes from the following selection:

• Yes - go for it (80%)
• No - that would be illegal (20%)

Analysis:

And this week's lucky winner is .... get real! Elon probably has a few more dollars than I do.

Question:

It's William's birthday next weekend and, rather than spend lots of money on a present like any parent could do, I'm making him a present. Will William like the birthday present I'm making for him?

Results:

Yes was the clear winner with 75% of the votes from the following selection:

• Yes (75%)
• No (25%)

Analysis:

First, Happy Birthday to William. Whether he likes his present or not is yet to be seen. I sent him a picture of his bedroom door. I was going to send him a picture of his present, but, because it's a secret, I shut his bedroom door before taking the picture. He'll get to see it when he comes back at Thanksgiving. I also sent him a video of my cat sniffing my bum after I farted, then seemingly pouncing to catch it before it escaped. I mean, who wouldn't want that as a birthday present?

Question:

I debated whether to make this week’s vote an actual test and not allow answers to be posted until Thursday. I ended up getting sidetracked and didn’t make the changes need. The question to fit that test is: if you don’t do it now, will you remember to do it later?

Results:

Yes was the clear winner with 83% of the votes from the following selection:

• Yes (83%)
• No (17%)

Analysis:

You're all lying. There's no way you'd remember to do it if you didn't d o it now. If I said to not vote until Thursday, I'd have no votes in the week.

Question:

One of the main reasons I moved into a house was so I could go out on my bike when I wanted to. That said, I've managed to find excuses not to actually go on it yet since I've been here. Will I go out on my bike this week?

Results:

Ride like the wind was the clear winner with 100% of the votes from the following selection:

• Ride like the wind (100%)
• Let's get the excuses ready (0%)

Analysis:

Technically, yes, I did get out on my bike this week. I went out for a ride on Tuesday morning, then realized we are in the middle of a heat wave. I decided against going out this past weekend as the temperatures were really high (above 100). I didn’t quite get as far as Mexico. Far from it, I realized that it’s quite hilly where I am and that it’s going to be a lot of work. The problem is that I live near the top of the hill, so I have to be concerned about going too far down the hill so I can’t make it back.

Question:

A pretty boring question this week as I turn my attention to the Premier League. Will Leicester survive and stay up in the Premier League this season?

Results:

Yes was the clear winner with 75% of the votes from the following selection:

• Yes (75%)
• No (25%)

Analysis:

Based on his comment, I assume that it's Mr O of little faith. The rest of us are holding on to hope. I do agree that the manager may not have been the best choice and it definitely seems that he's not going down too well with the fans. That said, the one thing I do think we've got to hold onto is the fact that we're scoring. I recognize that we lost 4-2 against Arsenal, but Man City struggled to score against a 10 man Arsenal side and we did at least get 2 goals. Now, stopping conceding goals is a whole other problem that we need to work on.

Question:

I had a vote question, but unfortunately I didn't write it when I had it and now I've forgotten, so we're going to go with the only thing that's on my mind. Will I get a definitive date to get my car fixed this week?

Results:

Yes was the clear winner with 67% of the votes from the following selection:

• Yes (67%)
• No (33%)

Analysis:

I was skeptical, but I did indeed get a definitive date for the car to be fixed. Sadly it's not until the end of October, but there is a light at the end of the tunnel. I've just been out to turn the car over to try and make sure nothing else falls to bits on it before I get it into the shop.

Question:

We're going to take a slight departure from the cat related vote questions, but possibly drop into the realms of being cryptic. I have a surprise for Luke this Friday, assuming he joins the call with me. Will Luke be surprised this coming Friday?

Results:

Yes was the clear winner with 80% of the votes from the following selection:

• Yes (80%)
• No (20%)

Analysis:

I did indeed give Luke a surprise and then gave Owen the same surprise. Luke said it was a nice surprise and I'm still confused as to what he thought I was going to do that would make it a bad surprise. Anyway, a friend of ours who I've not seen for about 15 years, messaged me to say he was doing a West Coast trip to the states and that he'd be in the area. Had a great time, was fantastic to see him and we had an afternoon drinking beers in the back garden to catch up. Before that, I video called Luke as he had no idea he Adam was going to be here. Coincidentally, he's my first official guest in the house which is quite cool too.

Question:

We have a short week this week with Monday being Labor day. That said, the big day for me is going to be Wednesday as I have to take the kitties to the vet. Nothing going wrong, they just need a check up, apparently, and a jab I think. I've been worried about catching Trillion as she's been very shy up until now, although now she seems to trust me. At least until I put her in a cage and take her to the vet to be jabbed. Will I be able to catch the kittens to get them into their carriers and take them to the vet?

Results:

Yes was the clear winner with 100% of the votes from the following selection:

• Yes (100%)
• No (0%)

Analysis:

It was indeed yes. I was able to catch the kitties quite easily and get them into their respective carriers. All went well. I did write a little blog on the vet trip if you're interested.

Question:

There's a high likelihood that we're in for a series of kitty related vote questions, particularly as I'm spending most of my time buying toys and running round chasing them off surfaces they're not supposed to be on. So, in the analysis of the last question I mentioned I'd moved their litter box three times. It was in the spare bedroom, then I moved it into the hallway, but it's a pretty big litter robot and it kind of blocked the hall. William went off to college on Thursday so I've put the litter box in his bedroom so it's out of the way. That said, I'm a little worried about the smell when he comes back at Thanksgiving. Do you think the cats will put up with the smell when William comes back at Thanksgiving?

Results:

Yes and No tied with 50% of the votes each from the following:

• Yes (50%)
• No (50%)

Analysis:

A mixed response. In fairness, cats are quite particular about where they go for a shit. I am thinking I may need to move their toilet before William comes back so as to not upset them.

Question:

Well, my little bird is flying the nest as he's off to San Diego this week to college. I've decided to replace my little bird with two little birds. Albeit not so much birds and more like cats. I'm now the proud father of two little three month old kitties. They will have been with me for just over 24 hours when this vote goes out, so they are very new to the house (and me). I have a tuxedo colored baby boy that's very adventurous and little grey tabby girl who's very shy. He's been all round the house and in places he's not supposed to go already. She hasn't let me stroke her yet, although she has been out to play and she is eating healthily. Which of my two bundles of joy will be the first to shit in the house somewhere other than the litterbox?

Results:

Neither was the clear winner with 40% of the votes from the following selection:

• Zaphod (20%)
• Trillion (20%)
• Neither (40%)
• You won't know the culprit (20%)

Analysis:

I have to say, it's unlikely that one of them will go for a poop on the floor as they both seem very well litter trained. I've moved the litter box three times now and they don't seem to mind and have been able to find the toilet when they need it. Now, I do think I'm going to get some puke at some point as cats do tend to do that breakdance (they should enter the Olympics) and then cough up a hairball.

Question:

We’re slowly, very slowly, getting there with the house. One of the things we’ve done is hung 12 pictures. Now, when I say hung, what I mean is precariously balanced on top of nails or hooks. William dropped a TV stand in the living room and a painting fell off the wall in the dining room ~30 feet away. How many times will a painting fall off the wall this week?

Results:

0, 5 and 7 tied with 22% of the votes each from the following:

• 0 (22%)
• 1 (0%)
• 2 (0%)
• 3 (11%)
• 4 (11%)
• 5 (22%)
• 6 (0%)
• 7 (22%)
• 8 (11%)
• 9+ (0%)

Analysis:

Interestingly, the answer is none. I say interestingly as I've just acquired two picture knocker offers (the subject of next week's vote) and neither of those have managed to knock one of yet. That said, I'm wondering what the damage will be after the first earthquake.

Question:

We're going to continue the Olympic theme, although I suspect the answer to this question may vary depending on whether you're male or female. I've been studying the talent that's been performing in both the women's gymnastics and the beach volleyball. (Sidetrack, I have to say Simone Biles is amazing). It strikes me that even in this day and age, they haven't managed to create a leotard or bikini bottoms that don't go right up a woman's arse. The question I have though is if they could make a leotard and/or bikini bottoms that don't go up a woman's arse, would you want them to?

Results:

Yes and No tied with 50% of the votes each from the following:

• Yes (50%)
• No (50%)

Analysis:

A tie. I do wonder how much pluckage occurs through the duration of the Olympics. It must be a lot. Probably just me that wonders that.

Question:

Alrighty, we have yet another sporting marvel upon us with the Olympics. It's time to get ready for those track and field events along with the other things that nobody knows why they've been included. Where do you think Great Britain will come in the overall 2024 Olympic medal standings?

Results:

7th and 9th tied with 25% of the votes each from the following:

• 1st (13%)
• 2nd (0%)
• 3rd (13%)
• 4th (0%)
• 5th (13%)
• 6th (0%)
• 7th (25%)
• 8th (13%)
• 9th (25%)
• 10th+ (0%)

Analysis:

A lot of pessimistic folks out there and one huge optimist. I went with third assuming that first and second would be wrapped up by the US and China. I think the fight for third could be tight and we do tend to do OK at the Olympics. The most common answers were 7th or 9th which seems quite low, but I guess we've got another week left before we find out the actual answer.

Question:

Alright, so we’re in the new house and the main thing I need is a sofa. When do you think I will get a new sofa in the house?

Results:

4 weeks time was the clear winner with 25% of the votes from the following selection:

• This week (6%)
• Next week (6%)
• 3 weeks time (13%)
• 4 weeks time (25%)
• 5weeks time (0%)
• 6weeks time (6%)
• 7 weeks time (13%)
• 8 weeks time (19%)
• 9 weeks or longer (13%)

Analysis:

An interesting spread when I look at the bar graph. Most people went with 4 weeks, then there's a dip and it goes back up again with 8 weeks being the second favorite. Well, one thing's for sure, it wasn't last week and it won't be next week as I've not even made it to the furniture shop to order anything yet. It's on the ever increasing list of things to get done.

Question:

‘Tis the big move this Wednesday into my new house. The website will go down Wednesday morning for me to move the EBR server farm to its new location. What day this week will I get the website back up after the move on Wednesday?

Results:

Not this week was the clear winner with 67% of the votes from the following selection:

• Wednesday (33%)
• Thursday (0%)
• Friday (0%)
• Saturday (0%)
• Not this week (67%)

Analysis:

Oh dear! Those of you with little faith. I’ve moved several times with the website and it’s always been back up and running on the same day. There was a small element of luck as I’d ordered a new router and it arrived on the day of the move. Not intentional, just worked out that way as I bought it as part of the prime day deals on Amazon. Anyway, the old router seemed to give up after the move. I’ve had a lot of trouble with it before and it just wouldn’t connect to the cable modem. As soon as the new router arrived, got it up and running almost immediately, so the correct answer was Wednesday.

Question:

With all the phenomenal sporting events that have gone on this weekend, notably Lewis Hamilton winning again and doing it on home soil, along with the England football team winning on penalties (I didn’t even know that was an option, I’m so used to watching us go out to those), we have to ask a sporting question and we’ll go with football. Now we’re down to the semi finals, let’s see if you can predict the winner. Which country do you think will win the major soccer tournament going on?

Results:

Uruguay was the clear winner with 40% of the votes from the following selection:

• Argentina (30%)
• Canada (20%)
• Columbia (10%)
• Uruguay (40%)

Analysis:

First, let me say congratulations to Spain for winning Euro 2024. As disappointed as I am, I have to acknowledge that Spain were the best team throughout the tournament and the better team in the final. England did get better as the tournament went on, but just didn’t have enough to win.

Moving on to the subject of the question, Argentina were victorious taking the country and Messi to new records in the Copa America, so congratulations to them too. I did vote for Uruguay. I thought they played well to get to the semi final, but sadly they didn’t progress any further. Looks like the majority of you either thought or hoped it would be Uruguay.

Question:

As I write this question, the clock on the intro page dipped below 365 days signifying that I have under a year left before I retire. The clock has, however, timed out before and I reset it deciding to continue on a bit longer. Will I actually retire in a year (June 30, 2025 at 5:00pm)?

Results:

Yes was the clear winner with 83% of the votes from the following selection:

• Yes (83%)
• No (17%)

Analysis:

Interesting, the majority of you think I’ll go through with it, myself included. Only time will tell, but I think that time is soon as I have to give 9 months notice. Who would have thought anyone would consider me valuable enough to require a 9 month notice period, but there you go.

Question:

Well, we've done most of the packing which means I'm going to be living in box city for at least 2 weeks until I move and then probably a bit longer while unpacking at the other end. What I've been doing is watching the Euro 2024 competition while I've been packing to have something on in the background. I'll do a who do you think will win once we progress a bit more. For this week, I will ask what round do you think England will get knocked out of the Euro 2024 competition?

Results:

They will win was the clear winner with 27% of the votes from the following selection:

• Group stage (9%)
• Round of 16 (18%)
• Quarter Finals (18%)
• Semi Finals (18%)
• Finals (9%)
• They will win (27%)

Analysis:

Well, those of you that voted for the group stage or the round of 16, tough! We've got through those rounds with an amazing display of football. Wait ... the drugs are wearing off ... yeah, we barely scraped through and got lucky with a last minute goal against Slovaka. Still, could be worse ... could be Italian. It's sad that the only thing positive I can say about England is that other teams have played worse. I guess we'll see how far we can keep going and kudos to those that had faith that we would win the tournament - I hope you're right, although that means I'm going to watching a lot more clinging on to a flimsy lead while crapping myself every time the opponents push forward.

Question:

More house questions, but that’s not surprising as it’s pretty much dominating my time right now. So, we did the final walk through before taking ownership and I took the opportunity to figure out where I want to put TVs. The only thing I’m trying to decide is should I put a TV in the bathroom?

Results:

Yes was the clear winner with 75% of the votes from the following selection:

• Yes (75%)
• No (25%)

Analysis:

Interesting, I was the only one to vote no. I’ll be honest I did think about it more from a having a bath perspective than going for a poo. The thing is it’s probably as easy to just use a tablet and pop it on a chair.

Question:

The biggest challenge I have this week is to figure out what insurance to get for my house. California is a bit of a mess right now and there aren’t too many options. Which of the following home insurance options should I get?

Results:

Dr Nick’s Discount Insurance Emporium was the clear winner with 75% of the votes from the following selection:

• Trusty but under insured (0%)
• Expensive but no backup (0%)
• Very expensive state fund (25%)
• Dr Nick’s Discount Insurance Emporium (75%)

Analysis:

Got to laugh, Dr Nick refused to insure me in the end. That was the route I was going down until they turned their nose up at me. In the end I struggled to get quotes and went with option A, the trusty but under insured option as they at least gave me a firm quote. I did get it to a better number than it was. Time to cross that task off the list and move on.

Question:

Taking on a difficult and sensitive task, I gave Paul the news that ImperialHal has left TSM. I broke the news gently so as to not get him too worked up, risking another heart attack. How devastated were you at the news of Hal leaving TSM?

Results:

What is TSM? was the clear winner with 30% of the votes from the following selection:

• A little (20%)
• Moderately (20%)
• A lot (20%)
• Who is Hal? (10%)
• What is TSM? (30%)

Analysis:

It looks like the majority of you don’t know what TSM is and I’m going to guess by default, no idea who Hal is. So let me tell you. TSM, which stands for Team Solo Mid, is a professional esports team. They started in a game called League of Legends. The name derives from that game. They have subsequently expanded to several other competitive games, one of which being Apex Legends. ImperialHal has been the in game leader (IGL) of that team and is currently the most successful player in the game. He just left the team which came as a bit of surprise to me. He is now with Zero and Genburton in Team Falcons, being dubbed a dream team, but only time will tell.

Question:

Yet again, this weeks vote question is brought to you courtesy of William and his ineptitude. He managed to get outsmarted again by a seemingly routine task, turning to YouTube for help and still struggling. What task did William struggle to do this past week?

Results:

Iron a shirt was the clear winner with 24% of the votes from the following selection:

• Bake a potato (6%)
• Change a bike tire (12%)
• Change a light bulb (12%)
• Cook a tin of beans (18%)
• Iron a shirt (24%)
• Make a cup of tea (18%)
• Vacuum the floor (12%)

Analysis:

Ah! The vote was very split, however the majority was indeed correct. William had borrowed one of my shirts so I made him wash and iron it. He had no idea how to iron the shirt, so I told him to watch a YouTube video. He did and seemed to get annoyed with it, but he did persevere and I now have a clean, ironed shirt.

Question:

Next weekend has a lot going on, not least of which being my Dad’s 80th. On top of that we have the Monaco Grand Prix and the FA Cup final. Which side of Manchester do you think will take the FA Cup?

Results:

City was the clear winner with 100% of the votes from the following selection:

• City (100%)
• United (0%)

Analysis:

And everybody was wrong, including the bookies. Apparently you could get 9-1 on United which are pretty good odds in any two horse race. The spoils and congratulations do, however, go to the red half of Manchester as United beat City 2-1.

Question:

Alright, so a certain someone (who will remain nameless) decided to get an ambulance after eating a dodgy curry because he thought he was having a heart attack. Do you think said certain person would call the fire brigade if he ran out of bog roll?

Results:

Yes was the clear winner with 71% of the votes from the following selection:

• Yes (71%)
• No (29%)

Analysis:

Yes, I think so. I think he does it for the attention really. Seeking medical attention for a sore botty.

Question:

After a rather eventful week with a couple of trips to hospital, one to urgent care and another to a doctor, I’m hoping for a quiet week. Will this week be a quiet one?

Results:

Yes was the clear winner with 60% of the votes from the following selection:

• Yes (60%)
• No (40%)

Analysis:

I would say yes, it was a relatively quiet week. Not a boring one, plenty of little bits and pieces going on, but no trips to the hospital, thankfully. That said, I did have two doctors appointments.

Question:

I’m facing somewhat of a serious dilemma. It’s something I find difficult to talk about. Not knowing what people will think of me if they find out. I have to decide fairly quickly. Do I want soups or salads for lunch this week?

Results:

Soup was the clear winner with 83% of the votes from the following selection:

• Soup (83%)
• Salad (17%)

Analysis:

Interesting, I did indeed go for soup. I’ve had salads for lunch for probably about a year and fancied a change. I’m on soup again this week, but plan to return to salads the week after.

Question:

As we come down to the final three games of the Championship in the English Football League, there are three possible title winners. Who do you think will win the EFL Championship in 2024?

Results:

Leicester was the clear winner with 75% of the votes from the following selection:

• Ipswitch (0%)
• Leeds (25%)
• Leicester (75%)

Analysis:

I feel sorry for whoever voted for Leeds as they are now out of the running for the title. It is definitely in Leicester’s hands. Two points needed from two games. A win on Monday and it’s all over.

Comments:

1 comment

Mr O
02:08:59
29th April 2024

I voted for Leeds in the hope they'd crumble and they did

back to top

Question:

I just finished watching a 6 part TV series and then watched a movie. Both of these were on Netflix and there was something awesome in both of them. What was awesome in the TV series and movie I just watched on Netflix?

Results:

Owen and I was the clear winner with 57% of the votes from the following selection:

• Action (14%)
• Suspense (14%)
• Unexpected ending (0%)
• George Clooney (0%)
• Julia Roberts (14%)
• Owen and I (57%)

Analysis:

Wow! Was this the most controversial vote question ever set. It's caused so much concern and chaos amongst the EBR voters. All three of them have had significant issues, it's crazy. It started with my dad questioning the grammar in the answers. It then cascaded to Paul saying he did not understand the question and it didn't make sense. To Owen telling me the website was broken and he couldn't post a discussion comment after trying four times.

Well, I maintain the grammar is correct and to be really clear and give you the answer so you're not going to fall off the edge of your seat waiting, the correct answer is “Owen and I made the TV series and movie I watched [last weekend] awesome.” Seems good to me. I provided the answer to Paul and actually told him that Owen and I feature in a TV series and a movie on Netflix and he said he still didn't understand. He did just turn 50 though and, we wish him Happy Birthday, but also note that he's struggling with his new found age. That is the only explanation I have there. As for Owen, the four discussion comments left by him would indicate that the program is actually functioning as intended, although, I will admit here that there are bugs here and there on the site that pop up from time to time. It's not my day job.

Anyway, all the complaints aside, I think it's pretty cool that Owen and I are international stars. Well, that's what I thought at first and then I realized that in both instances, we are there as an example of what can go wrong. This probably fits our capabilities a lot better than being celebrities. I should note that movie may be a little misleading as it's more of a docufilm, but still, we are indeed there. Now, I will say that you need a keen eye to spot us. I think Owen might be trying to hide behind a pole and I'm running out of shot, but if you look close enough you will see us. And, as I mentioned, being truly international stars, the TV show filmed us in the US and the docufilm had us on camera in England.

I'm guessing that anyone reading this far is marginally interested in which TV show and which film Owen and I feature. Well, the TV show is “100 days to Indy” that follows teams and drivers in the first 100 days of the 2023 IndyCar series to the Indy 500. The docufilm is “Schumacher” that goes through the amazing career of Michael Schumacher. Owen is probably a little confused as to the first of these, but has figured out the second given it's our one and only trip to a Formula 1 race. Go back to what I said about the fact that we're there to highlight what could go wrong and sadly we are at the Indy Car race where Dan Wheldon died which is featured on the show. For everyone else, we were there when Michael Schumacher had a whoopsie moment, thankfully not as bad as the IndyCar incident.

Question:

A strategic medical question is upon us this week. I got myself a yummy curry take out last night and as normal, ordered enough for two so I have half one night and half the other. I did indeed have half last night which was superseded by an almighty bog explosion. We're talking running down the back of your legs explosion. If you had really bad shits after eating a curry, would you eat the leftovers the next day?

Results:

Yes - waste not, want not was the clear winner with 80% of the votes from the following selection:

• No way Jose (20%)
• Yes - waste not, want not (80%)

Analysis:

Yes, I did indeed eat the day old curry. Interestingly, my stomach was fine after. But only for a day and then it went bad for a whole week. Yes, there’s a pun in there somewhere about it making my hole weak, but I don’t think it was the curry that caused it.

Question:

I’m not entirely sure how, but I’ve not only been entered into the world championship qualifiers for Clash of Clans, I’m actually team captain. Just goes to show that you should keep your mouth shut otherwise you end up in these kind of situations. It’s actually quite intense with a lot to do this week. If we get past that, we move into a monthly bracket and then a monthly final. Win that and it’s off to Finland for the finals. There’s 4 months of play and then a last chance qualifier. Will my team make it out of the open ladder in the clash of clans world championship?

Results:

Yes and No tied with 50% of the votes each from the following:

• Yes (50%)
• No (50%)

Analysis:

Interesting that we got a split vote. I voted no as I pretty much knew we wouldn't get very far. You see, the thing is that I'd read the tournament rules which was a very large document and I knew what the requirements were. That was the reason I ended up as captain as I was the only one that knew what to do. I condensed the requirements into a short message to my fellow team member and as expected, they had no clue what they'd signed up for and were not able to follow through. Only 3 of the 5 members turned up at the start time, so we didn't even play a match. At least we can say we didn't lose.

Question:

Are you wondering what to do this coming weekend? Well, what if you’ve made plans to go somewhere, but still don’t know what to do? Maybe there’s something of local interest or an activity you can partake in. Well, is there anything to do in Shrewsbury?

Results:

No was the clear winner with 60% of the votes from the following selection:

• Yes (40%)
• No (60%)

Analysis:

I’ll be honest, I have absolutely no idea. I haven’t bothered to Google it as I’m not going. Best I can come up with is to visit the Leicester player Shrewsbury Hall. Something tells me, however, that I’m going to hear all about Shrewsbury after Paul visits.

Question:

Leicester's run in the FA cup has come to an end. There were some really good games this weekend - I managed to watch three of the four. Who do you want to win the FA cup?

Results:

Coventry City was the clear winner with 57% of the votes from the following selection:

• Chelsea (14%)
• Coventry City (57%)
• Manchester City (14%)
• Manchester United (14%)

Analysis:

Yes indeed, we’re all going to be Coventry fans for the rest of the FA cup. Just a quick trip down the 69 from my home town and who doesn’t like a 69? It’s going to be tough though. I kind of think it’s going to be the two Manchesters in the final.

Question:

Sticking with the sporting theme, we move to football and my beloved Leicester than have managed to turn a 12 point lead in the Championship into a 3 point lead. Will Leicester hang on and win the Championship?

Results:

Yes was the clear winner with 75% of the votes from the following selection:

• Yes (75%)
• No (25%)

Analysis:

I really, really hope so, but we're no longer top. We have a game in hand, but we are not having a good run right now. Still a ways to go, so we'll see.

Question:

Well, the F1 yawn fest for 2024 has started and Max is on his way to his fourth title. How many of the 24 races in the 2024 F1 season do you think Max won’t win?

Results:

2 and 9+ tied with 18% of the votes each from the following:

• 0 (6%)
• 1 (12%)
• 2 (18%)
• 3 (12%)
• 4 (6%)
• 5 (6%)
• 6 (12%)
• 7 (6%)
• 8 (6%)
• 9+ (18%)

Analysis:

Lots of votes, but the website has seen a significant uptick in hack attempts, so it's probably bots voting. I can't think there's over ten people out there actually reading the site, but I could be wrong. Anyway, the consensus seemed to be either three or over nine. I think over nine is optimistic as I can't see Max not winning that many this season and his start seems to back that up. It does look like the Ferrari's will be the ones pushing Red Bull, but they've got to get past Perez first before they can even think about taking on Max.

Question:

The F1 season is upon is and the race game is open again, but will anyone be able to beat me this year?

Results:

No was the clear winner with 57% of the votes from the following selection:

• Yes (43%)
• No (57%)

Analysis:

Well, Owen has come out of the blocks hard and fast, scoring the highest ever points in this game, but does he have the stamina or has he shot his wad? Only time will tell, but the one thing we don’t need time for is to know that everyone is going to pick Max to win each week. It looks like is setting up to be a pretty boring season and the race is for second place.

Question:

OK, so the vote question last week to ask why the question last week wasn't sent out on time was also delayed. This time I do know the reason that it was delayed and it was that humongous idiot - me! But what caused me to stop last week's vote question going out on time?

Results:

Venomous Budgie, Vicious Potato and Volatile Donut tied with 25% of the votes each from the following:

• Venomous Budgie (25%)
• Vibrant Trumpet (13%)
• Vicious Potato (25%)
• Virtual Turnip (13%)
• Volatile Donut (25%)

Analysis:

It was kind of a trick question because the answer is all of them. These are mini accounts that I’ve started on Clash of Clans. I got a new cheapo tablet and signed in with these and my original accounts. I couldn’t remember the password on the emails from the original accounts, so reset them. The weekly email from this site bounces off one of those emails and when I reset the password, it invalidated all the keys that are used to send the email. Annoying and stupid on my part. I had to reset everything on the Google dev console and all is right in the world again.

Question:

I don’t actually know the answer to this question, so it’s purely one of those for you to use judgement on. If you were astute, which none of you were, you would have noticed the weekly vote didn’t go out last week. In order to fix it, I had to reset the home network and reconnect the server, but I’m not 100% what caused it. The Wi-Fi router is dodgy and that could have caused it. I also updated Linux the day before. Also, the day before, the power was fluctuating because of the storms. Finally, I saw William plugging his network cable back into the router the day after because he has to unplug it the night before so the cleaner doesn’t bundle it up. What do you think caused last week’s email not to go out?

Results:

William was the clear winner with 75% of the votes from the following selection:

• Dodgy router (0%)
• Linux update (25%)
• Power fluctuation (0%)
• William (75%)

Analysis:

Poor William, gets the blame for everything. I honestly think it was the Linux update. It's actually done a few recently that's messed things up a bit, but hey, let's blame William. Why not?

Question:

So, there has been much shouting at William to get this bike put together. It has been an eye opener to me what little experience he has with anything and that he just doesn't know how to do anything. He then argues for the sake of it to try and prove he's not completely useless, however, he was outsmarted earlier today. What was William outsmarted by earlier today?

Results:

Cardboard box was the clear winner with 67% of the votes from the following selection:

• Goldfish (0%)
• Potato (17%)
• Cardboard box (67%)
• Mobile phone (0%)
• Cheesecake (0%)
• Light switch (0%)
• Cupboard door (17%)

Analysis:

It was indeed the cardboard box. What’s more is that it beat him twice. I’d asked him to fold the box flat and put it under the bed so we could use it if we moved as it was a very sturdy box. It’s what the bike came in. He couldn’t figure out how to fold it flat insisting that you would need to rip the staples out to make it work. Magically, I showed him that if you pulled the flaps out it would collapse and be flat. Not satisfied with that failure, he then claimed it wouldn’t go under the bed without being ripped as there wasn’t enough room to get it down to push it in. I then had to show him that the box would fold where the flaps join the main box and that folding it down while pushing it under would work. Sigh.

Question:

Ooops, a little late setting this week's vote question. Got caught up with some other stuff and forgot. Need to think of a quick one ... errr ... will I get a house this week?

Results:

Yes was the clear winner with 100% of the votes from the following selection:

• Yes (100%)
• No (0%)

Analysis:

No would be the simple answer. I did put an offer in on one, but sadly didn't get it.

Question:

Hmmm. Is it going to rain tomorrow?

Results:

Yes was the clear winner with 100% of the votes from the following selection:

• Yes (100%)
• No (0%)

Analysis:

You know, I have absolutely no clue whether it did or it didn't. I'm pretty sure I didn't go out, so it won't have mattered either way. I have a feeling it did as it did rain several days last week. I guess if you care, you can look it up, but I'm not going to bother.

Question:

It's been a bit of a rough start to the year with Covid and this bike thing taking forever. Will this week start to be a better week for 2024?

Results:

Yes was the clear winner with 57% of the votes from the following selection:

• Yes (57%)
• No (43%)

Analysis:

Well, err, no. This week continued the troubled start to the year. For some unknown reason my blood pressure has shot through the roof. I’ve been in to urgent care and they didn’t seemed as concerned as I did, but I’m now on a monitor it daily. If it stays as is, I need pills. If it drops, then all is good. If it goes up, hopefully I notice before I have a heart attack and get to ER. Fun!

Question:

Well, my bike is finally set to arrive on Wednesday of this week. It's been an ordeal and there's been some very confusing messages as we get close that have me worried. Will the right bike arrive this Wednesday?

Results:

No was the clear winner with 57% of the votes from the following selection:

• Yes (43%)
• No (57%)

Analysis:

How to unpick this. So, technically the right bike did arrive, but it arrived on Tuesday a day early. DHL's website said Wednesday, their tracking said Wednesday, it showed that it was being held on Tuesday for delivery on Wednesday, but it turned up on Tuesday. Not only did it turn up on Tuesday, but it was left in a public place even though it was marked as signature required. Delivery is so shit these days and DHL doing their best to be top of the pile of shit. We rescued the bike and got it to the apartment, well, William did. We started to put it together, but there's a mystery ring that's bent. Rather than force it together, I messaged the guy I've bought it from to replace the bit and well, he's even more shit than DHL ... I've now been waiting a week after sending photos. At the end of the day, I actually don't think the bit that's bent is supposed to be in there, but I want them to tell me that rather than make the decision, but this whole journey has been incredibly frustrating to say the least.

Question:

I’m sure there’s at least one person that noticed I didn’t set a vote question last week. I did contemplate setting one late, but I figured I’d take the week off for Christmas. Now I’m back in the States to see the new year in. Are you looking forward to 2024?

Results:

Yes was the clear winner with 75% of the votes from the following selection:

• Yes (75%)
• No (25%)

Analysis:

Who wouldn't be looking to their last full year of working before retirement? 2024 does seem like it's going to be a year of getting stuff sorted out. At least for me, anyway.

Question:

William's college applications draw to a close. Now, let's assume he gets into all the colleges, how does he choose which one to go to? Well, I think you need to decide based on the college's mascot. Probably more similar to football teams in the UK in that I would be known as a Fox. Which mascot best fits William?

Results:

Banana Slug was the clear winner with 43% of the votes from the following selection:

• Banana Slug (43%)
• Bear (0%)
• Bulldog (14%)
• Duck (14%)
• Guacho (0%)
• Mustang (14%)
• Triton (14%)

Analysis:

Yes, who wouldn’t want to be a Banana Slug?

Question:

My last full week before the holidays. I'm starting to get excited about the break, although, there's a fair bit of work to do before then. That said, we're in for an early treat as Clash of Clans is releasing a big update this week. What day will the Clash of Clans update drop this week?

Results:

Wednesday and Friday tied with 40% of the votes each from the following:

• Monday (0%)
• Tuesday (20%)
• Wednesday (40%)
• Thursday (0%)
• Friday (40%)

Analysis:

It was Tuesday and it definitely looks like a very interesting update. New mechanics always spice up the game play!

Question:

Earlier this week I said to William that I was worried I was losing my hair on my crown and would look like a monk. He said he hadn’t noticed, but when I bent down to show him he said oh yeah, you’ve got the …. What was the term William used to describe my hairstyle?

Results:

Piedo Trim was the clear winner with 57% of the votes from the following selection:

• Bowl (14%)
• Mullet (0%)
• Bob (14%)
• Quiff (0%)
• Mowhawk (0%)
• Buzz Cut (14%)
• Flattop (0%)
• Piedo Trim (57%)

Analysis:

Yes, my dear son did tell me I was getting the Piedo Trim. Which he said would be a good look when I get my van. Nice to know what he thinks about me.

Question:

Thanksgiving is over and we're on the final run in to Christmas. It's that weird time of year in America where not a lot of change happens. Everyone's just keeping their heads down between the holidays looking to get their shopping and everything else done before the next holiday. All that said, I seem to have put my back out somehow. Will my back be better by the time I fly back to England for Christmas?

Results:

Yes was the clear winner with 80% of the votes from the following selection:

• Yes (80%)
• No (20%)

Analysis:

Well, seems like most of you think I’ll be good to go and I certainly hope so. That said, I’m a week in and it’s still pretty bad. Trying to make sure I don’t do anything that will aggravate it between now and my trip. Which is a really silly thing to say when you think about it, as it’s not like I try to aggravate it at other times.

Question:

Inspired by the Las Vegas Grand Prix, I was thinking. If I ever get a house, should I get one of those big spheres in the garden like the one in Vegas?

Results:

Yes was the clear winner with 75% of the votes from the following selection:

• Yes (75%)
• No (25%)

Analysis:

I don't think this was ever in question was it? Of course I need to get one of those big balls. Honestly, I thought it was really cool. I liked the eyes looking at everything. Apparently you can go inside it. Maybe something to do if I return to Vegas at some point, although might be hard depending on how much walking there is to do.

Question:

This week has a significant focus on college applications as they are due at the end of the month. I've been helping William through his answers and it's quite a battle. Can you describe an example of leadership experience when you've positively influenced others?

Results:

Yes was the clear winner with 57% of the votes from the following selection:

• Yes (57%)
• No (43%)

Analysis:

The good news is we got all the answers done. William has gone to England with his mother for Thanksgiving and they now need to review them. We should be in tweak mode this week and be ready for submission next week.

Question:

The year is disappearing quickly. The clocks have gone back, the nights are drawing in and I’ve booked my trip back for Christmas. I have a big ride planned for next weekend, weather permitting. Will I make it to Yerba Beuna Island on Saturday?

Results:

Yes was the clear winner with 80% of the votes from the following selection:

• Yes (80%)
• No (20%)

Analysis:

I did indeed make it to Yerba Buena Island this weekend. I'm extremely pleased with myself. It was a 14 mile round trip and I think the bridge has an clearance of 200ft so I assume I climbed 200ft. I was a bit worried I wouldn't make it, but I did manage to slog all the way up. The feeling was quite rewarding, but what I wasn't ready for was how much fun it was coming back down again. I guess that was the reward for the grind on the way up. The one thing I was potentially worried about was the wind as it doesn't take much for it to get very windy on an exposed bridge. Thankfully the weather was great. Quite cool, but the sun was out and there was hardly any wind at all.

Question:

This week's question comes sort of from a TV show I'm watching where Supergirl has made an appearance. Supergirl appears to be similar to Superman in that she has the same abilities and is vulnerable to kryptonite. No idea where she came from given Superman's home planet was destroyed, but that's a question for another day. In one episode Supergirl has a boyfriend that she's very close to and is clearly having sex with which got me wondering - if Supergirl did a kegel during sex, would she rip her boyfriend's dick off?

Results:

Yes and No tied with 50% of the votes each from the following:

• Yes (50%)
• No (50%)

Analysis:

Interesting, a split result. I’m pretty sure a mere human couldn’t stand up to the strength of of a Kryptonian. The next question that sprung to mind for me though was whether there would be insanely loud clanking if the man of steel were to have sex with the woman of steel. I mean, my upstairs neighbors make a lot of noise, but that would be like living on a building site. I guess depending on how many times they did it. Anyway, enough of that, time to move on.

Question:

I feel like I’m in a big wait right now. Waiting for the right house, waiting for my bike and waiting for William’s car. Time to book the Christmas holiday I guess. Will I get round to booking my Christmas trip this week?

Results:

Yes was the clear winner with 67% of the votes from the following selection:

• Yes (67%)
• No (33%)

Analysis:

Haven't booked it yet, but will do so very soon. Need to double check what day William finishes school and figure out cost for the options. Expect to book on Monday.

Question:

We appear to be a question short of a vote. Appears that not getting the house I put an offer on distracted me from my routine, however, I have a good feeling about this week. Will a house I like come on the market this week?

Results:

Yes was the clear winner with 67% of the votes from the following selection:

• Yes (67%)
• No (33%)

Analysis:

I have to say, I was really optimistic that Williams 18th would bring the right home, but sadly it didn’t, so the search goes on. I’m sure one will show up sooner or later.

Question:

After buying a house, should a Wi-Fi enabled toilet be top of the shopping list?

Results:

Yes was the clear winner with 100% of the votes from the following selection:

• Yes (100%)
• No (0%)

Analysis:

Yes, of course it should. Who doesn’t need an app to flush the toilet? Or better still, get alerts when it’s full.

Question:

Alright, so I’ve found a house that I like. I’m just waiting for the final disclosures to be released and if all is good, we’ll put an offer in. Not sure what timetable the seller will be working to, but my guess is I’ll know next week if I’ve got it or not. Will I have another house next week?

Results:

Yes was the clear winner with 100% of the votes from the following selection:

• Yes (100%)
• No (0%)

Analysis:

Well, we’re all wrong, the answer is no. But … it’s not because I don’t want to, simply because the house I want have set a deadline of Tuesday for offers, so I won’t find out if I’ve been successful until later this week. Fingers crossed.

Question:

I seem to have a rather busy week coming up with a trip into San Francisco, multiple doctor appointments and lab appointments. Nothing critical going on, just checkups with various people. There's also a lot going on at work which is a good thing. Which day will prove to be the busiest this week?

Results:

Wednesday was the clear winner with 43% of the votes from the following selection:

• Sunday (0%)
• Monday (14%)
• Tuesday (29%)
• Wednesday (43%)
• Thursday (0%)
• Friday (14%)
• Saturday (0%)

Analysis:

It was actually Wednesday. I had a couple of doctor appointments and a fair bit of work. Friday was pretty easy, but Fridays on the West Coast are generally pretty good. Saturday was relatively busy, but in a good way. I got out and about on the handcycle and got a decent session in, then looked at a few houses.

Question:

Alright, the race is on. I ordered my bike and William's car a couple of week's ago. The bike was quoted as 8-12 weeks and the car 8-10 weeks. Do you think William's car or my bike will arrive first?

Results:

Bike and Same Day tied with 40% of the votes each from the following:

• Car (20%)
• Bike (40%)
• Same Day (40%)

Analysis:

Interesting, I was the only one that voted for car. Given the car is coming from Japan and the bike from Poland, I kind of figured I'd back the Japanese efficiency. At this point, there's no indication from either and no further estimate of delivery date, so it's still unknown which will arrive first. William did wonder if one of the F1 teams could bring his car over given they were in Japan this week and are in the US in a few weeks time. Perhaps Lewis could have driven it over for him.

Question:

Honestly, it's my own fault. I created a shopping list so I can post items that I want William to get from the supermarket on the way home. I only wanted three items: salad, grapes and tea bags. I figured he'd be able to remember. In fairness, I got lucky as I got two of the three (salad and grapes), but the thing was he came home really proud of himself and said “look what I got you.” What did William get me instead of tea bags?

Results:

Radishes was the clear winner with 33% of the votes from the following selection:

• Coffee (17%)
• Milk (0%)
• Cocoa (17%)
• Gatorade (0%)
• Sausages (17%)
• Potatoes (17%)
• Radishes (33%)

Analysis:

Yes, I was indeed presented with a bag of radishes instead of tea bags. Easy to confuse between the two. Apparently a few weeks earlier I'd said I like radishes, which, I will admit, I do. For some reason he'd remembered this and was pleased with himself for showing initiative and getting something I hadn't asked for, but wanted. In fairness, this would have been greatly appreciated if it wasn't for the fact that we were completely out of tea bags.

Question:

Those of us in the US have a short week with Monday being Labor Day. That said, my week is going to be crazy busy for the other four days. Some of them I might even have to get up before lunch time - crazy, right? Anyway, given that I've got tomorrow off and it looks like a bad week, I want to grab a beer, but I'm trying to be good and more healthy. Should I have a cheeky beer tonight?

Results:

Yes was the clear winner with 100% of the votes from the following selection:

• Yes (100%)
• No (0%)

Analysis:

If truth be told, I was already having a cheeky beer when I wrote this question, so yes, I did enjoy a cheeky beer ... or two last Sunday. And I will probably do the same again this evening.

Question:

I think this weekend might see me car shopping for William's first car. He wants me to go with him to buy it, which might be a bad choice as I'm going to want to negotiate as that's what I've done every time I've bought a car and I'm not sure there's too much wiggle room these days with the chip shortage and all that. Will William get his first car this weekend?

Results:

Yes was the clear winner with 75% of the votes from the following selection:

• Yes (75%)
• No (25%)

Analysis:

So the answer to the question is no, but not necessarily through lack of trying. We've narrowed down what he wants and we need to order it, but the muppet at the car dealership couldn't figure out how to enter a new vehicle request into the computer, so we've left him to figure that out by himself. We should be going in tomorrow to pay the deposit and the estimate is about 8 - 10 weeks until we get it, but I did want to confirm that part of the equation, but that required computer access which seemed to be a limiting factor.

Question:

It's house procrastination time again. I think we ended up looking at 12 this weekend, but there were a lot that came onto the market. I seem to manage to find something wrong with pretty much all of them and I don't really know why. Will I find a house I like this year?

Results:

Yes was the clear winner with 67% of the votes from the following selection:

• Yes (67%)
• No (33%)

Analysis:

I do feel like I'm getting close, so I do think I'll end up taking the plunge at some point before the end of the year. The market's pretty interesting, but I'm staying on top of it. There's pretty much perfect information out there, so any house that's priced right is selling pretty quick. Only those that are over priced are hanging around.

Question:

OK, this this week I'm going on a mission to find a vehicle that will be able to carry my handcycle when I get it. I also want it to have the ability to lock it away, so a truck is not going to work. I was going down the path of a van, but now realize that several SUVs would be big enough with two rows of seat folded down. What vehicle should I get to transport my handcycle?

Results:

Van, SUV and Minivan tied with 29% of the votes each from the following:

• Truck (14%)
• Van (29%)
• SUV (29%)
• Minivan (29%)

Analysis:

A very split vote. I'm honestly leaning towards a van because of the practicality of it. William doesn't want to be seen driving a van as he thinks piedo's drive vans. The trouble with the other options is that I need to get extended versions and they actually end up being larger than the van itself.

Question:

This week’s question should have been asked last week as it was the all important question asked by my dad at the BBQ. What is knob cheese?

Results:

Salty was the clear winner with 30% of the votes from the following selection:

• Buttery (10%)
• Lemony (0%)
• Mild (0%)
• Nutty (10%)
• Piquant (10%)
• Salty (30%)
• Sharp (10%)
• Smoky (10%)
• Sweet (10%)
• Tangy (10%)

Analysis:

I'm not entirely sure the question was asked with taste in mind as opposed to what it actually is. That said, it probably would be salty although I have no intention of trying it. But, perhaps, we should ask Mr O given that he sent me this picture from Sainsbury's. I guess his supermarket offers a variety of different flavors.

Question:

The vacation is coming to an end and work will soon be upon me before the end of the week. How miserable will I be when I get back to work?

Results:

Extremely was the clear winner with 75% of the votes from the following selection:

• Not at all (0%)
• A little (0%)
• Moderately (25%)
• A lot (0%)
• Extremely (75%)

Analysis:

Im not sure I’d go as far as saying I’m extremely miserable at being back at work. To be honest, I don’t really get extreme emotions about anything. I will, however, say that I’m not glad to be back. At least I only had two days last week to catch up on everything, but I’d definitely rather be doing more fun vacation stuff even if that does involve sitting around and watching the cricket.

Question:

This week will see my return to Sheffield. One thing that’s been driving me crazy is trying to remember where various places are, certain pubs, friends houses etc. it seems like I’ve forgotten a lot of the place. Will I remember Sheffield when I get back there later this week?

Results:

Yes and No tied with 50% of the votes each from the following:

• Yes (50%)
• No (50%)

Analysis:

An evenly split vote with half of you doubting my memory. As it happens, I did remember most of the places and got to see what I wanted. Really enjoyed the trip down memory lane. Most of the pubs and shops have changed name or moved, but I expected that. Maybe I’ll get to see it again in another 10 years or so.

Question:

Now, I'm heading back to the UK on Tuesday for a much needed vacation, but things have just gone stupidly crazy at work. It's always the same way, you try and clear your schedule and low and behold, everyone wants you the minute you're not going to be around. I'm trying to take as much time off as possible, but the inevitable is going to happen and I'm going to need to do some work while I'm back. How many days will I have to work my vacation?

Results:

9+ was the clear winner with 23% of the votes from the following selection:

• 1 (8%)
• 2 (8%)
• 3 (8%)
• 4 (15%)
• 5 (15%)
• 6 (0%)
• 7 (15%)
• 8 (8%)
• 9+ (23%)

Analysis:

So far it’s not been too bad. One phone call and some emails. Hopefully next week will be quiet too and I can enjoy my trip to Sheffield and the handcycle fitting I have scheduled later in the week.

Question:

Alright, this week is handcycle week and it's time for me to think about buying one, but which one should I get?

Results:

Nuke, XCR and Fat Explorer tied with 22% of the votes each from the following:

• Excellerator (11%)
• Lasher ATH (0%)
• Nuke (22%)
• Force G (11%)
• Jeetrike (11%)
• XCR (22%)
• Fat Explorer (22%)

Analysis:

Now here was me thinking that the Fat Explorer would win hands down, but it didn't, it just tied with the XCR and the Nuke. All of which are viable options, but I do feel like the front runner is the XCR at the minute. I'm planning to look at one while I'm back in the UK to get a better idea, but if it looks like it will live up to expectations, a purchase will be imminent.

Question:

As we head into the July 4th week, it seems only fitting to ask a truly American question. Will England win any of the Ashes test matches?

Results:

Yes was the clear winner with 80% of the votes from the following selection:

• Yes (80%)
• No (20%)

Analysis:

Well, it looks like the answer to that question is yes given that England just won a close third test to keep the series alive. Maybe this is the start and we can still win this.

Question:

Talking to friends about what to do when I come back to England for the summer holidays and Louisa came up with an idea for a game. Do you think it's a good idea to drop some mentos into a 2 liter bottle of coke then push it up my bum to see how high I shoot into the air?

Results:

Yes was the clear winner with 100% of the votes from the following selection:

• Yes (100%)
• No (0%)

Analysis:

Of course this is a good idea. I’ve no idea why I’ve not thought about doing this before. We can have hours of fun. The trouble is, it’s like everything. It’ll be fun until I shoot over the next door neighbor’s fence and someone has to go round and knock on the door to ask for me back. Like when you lose your football and it always goes over the miserable persons fence.

Question:

I seem to have spent the weekend not really doing very much and avoiding the things I really should do. Did anybody else procrastinate this weekend?

Results:

Yes was the clear winner with 60% of the votes from the following selection:

• Yes (60%)
• No (40%)

Analysis:

Yeah, it definitely was a weekend of doing not very much really. The trouble here in the US is we're about to head into the July 4th week where everyone will have plans, so there's not too much going on ahead of that.

Question:

For some unknown reason, William decided to challenge me to a race with me on the scoot and him running around the last lap I did which was 4.6 miles long. I told him before we started that he wouldn’t be able to run the whole distance let alone at the speed the scoot goes. I was right. By a long way. It ended up being a slow stroll around the neighborhood. Should I tie a rope around William and attach it to the back of the scooter next time so if he slows down we end up dragging him around the neighborhood?

Results:

Yes was the clear winner with 67% of the votes from the following selection:

• Yes (67%)
• No (33%)

Analysis:

Yes, I think a bit of tough love is needed to whip this boy into shape. Although, if we’re being honest, it’s me that needs whipping into shape as I do appear to have become somewhat of a blob.

Question:

It seems that this week is a big nothing week. There’s nothing major going on and nothing in particular to look forward to. I think it’s that calm before the storm type thing where everyone is heads down before heading into holiday season that really hits in the US the July 4th week. Do you have anything you’re looking forward to this week?

Results:

No was the clear winner with 67% of the votes from the following selection:

• Yes (33%)
• No (67%)

Analysis:

Well, good for the folks that did have something on last week. My week ended up being a stinker. I thought it was going to be a nothingness week, but ended up being crazy busy and not in a good way.

Question:

Holiday time is here and I've booked my summer trip back to England. I'm debating if I want to tackle up and dangle my little maggot in a pond again. Should I go fishing on my summer holiday?

Results:

Yes was the clear winner with 83% of the votes from the following selection:

• Yes (83%)
• No (17%)

Analysis:

I definitely want to go fishing while I’m back, I just don’t know if I’ll have the time. The challenge is more the amount of time it will take to sort my kit out in order to go. I’m going to need to re-spool a reel with line and/or re-elasticate a pole which is quite time intensive. I’ll need to think about this a little more to see if I can figure out how to get a day or two in.

Question:

I got put on some new antibiotics on Friday. Not sure why, but I read the warnings label ... I think I was looking to see if I could drink alcohol while on them. Which of the following side effects do you think I'm suffering from on my new antibiotics?

Results:

Severe Diarrhea was the clear winner with 57% of the votes from the following selection:

• Diarrhea (14%)
• Worsening Diarrhea (29%)
• Severe Diarrhea (57%)

Analysis:

Yeah, so these tablets had on them that they may cause diarrhea. As you read further, there’s a warning about worsening diarrhea. After that, there’s a not that in rare cases they may cause severe diarrhea. I did indeed have what I would consider to be severe diarrhea. As soon as I ate or drank anything, the walls got a brown coating. I did message the doctor and they told me to stop the tablets, however, by the time I got the reply I only had one tablet left. Also, the symptoms appeared to have stopped. I’m a bit lost as to whether it was the tablets or a violent reaction to something I ate or drank. The only other thing I can think it was would have been the organic tea I drank in a coffee shop where I met a friend. Oh well, all appears to be well now.

Question:

We're just about to head into a triple header weekend in Formula 1. At the beginning of the season, I asked if anyone could end Owen's reign, but it seems he's not firing on all cylinders as they say and he's lagging behind in the competition. Perhaps these three races are what he needs to turn it around, but as it stands, there's only one critical question. Has Owen got a little behind?

Results:

No was the clear winner with 67% of the votes from the following selection:

• Yes (33%)
• No (67%)

Analysis:

Although this is clearly a joke question I need to start by acknowledging how tragic the floods are in the Emilia Romagna region of Italy. As much of an F1 fan that I am, there wasn't any alternative but to cancel the race that was supposed to run this past weekend. There were talks about them potentially looking to reschedule, but I'm not sure how possible that would be given the heavy schedule for the remainder of the season and also the amount of planning it takes to put an event on like this.

Back to the vote question, however, I'm somewhat surprised that there were some yes votes. I mean, Owen's lost a lot of weight recently, but I wouldn't go as far as to say he's got a little behind.

Question:

A crowning weekend with King Charles being coronated and Max Verstappen demonstrating he's currently the undisputed king of Formula 1. Will I ever be the king of anything?

Results:

Yes was the clear winner with 67% of the votes from the following selection:

• Yes (67%)
• No (33%)

Analysis:

Interesting, I have no idea what I was thinking of when I set this vote question. Likely that I couldn't think of a question and this was all that came to mind. I have no delusions of grandeur, I don't intend or expect to be king of anything, but it appears the majority think I will attain such a level. Perhaps king of my own bedroom or something insignificant like that.

Question:

OK, so the new scooter arrived and it wasn't damaged on arrival so I took it out ... down the Bay Trail ... which doesn't allow motorized vehicles including scooters, however, I did look online and it said there was an exception for mobility devices and I figured why not go for it and let someone tell me I'm not supposed to be there. As you would expect, nobody I came across cared and pretty much everyone is friendly and says hello, so yeah. Now, the first part of the trail is a nice paved area, but then you get onto a hard gravel / stone type trail. So I figured it made sense to hoon it down there at the 12mph top speed which was like sitting on a jack hammer, but lots of fun. At least until we blew out the front right tire. The scooter has solid tires on the rear and air tires on the front. Presumably to give a bit of shock absorption. Now, I'm note entirely sure we've blown out the tire as it is currently holding air after we pumped it back up, but it definitely lost all its air. Some mini testing is required, but assuming it's damaged, I can either replace the innertube or there appears to be solid tires available. The wheel is the same size as the e-scooters and apparently they've suffered many punctures so a lot of models have switched to solid rubber, but with holes in to provide some flexibility/cushioning. All this to say, if I have a puncture on my mobility scooter, should I replace the innertube or switch to solid tires?

Results:

Solid tires was the clear winner with 67% of the votes from the following selection:

• Inner tube (33%)
• Solid tires (67%)

Analysis:

Back to normal with a vote that nobody cares about. Yeah, I think going to solid is the right answer, but I've pumped up the current tires and they're holding out pretty well. At least for the spin around Heather Farm I did on Saturday, so I'll probably leave these on until I notice problems. Plan is to go out with William next weekend and do a bit more off-roading, so we'll see if that causes problems or not. If the tire goes down again, I'll replace both of them. After William's carried me back because I can't ride the scooter due to a flat tire 😁

Question:

After getting a refund on the mobility scooter I ordered, I've ordered another one. Now, the issue with the first one is that it was badly damaged when I received it. The box was badly damaged so it was either shipped damaged or it was damaged during shipment. An issue for the seller and shipper to sort out. Now, my new order has shipped. Who do you think is shipping my new order?

Results:

Ding Hong was the clear winner with 43% of the votes from the following selection:

• Fedex (14%)
• DHL (14%)
• XPO (14%)
• UPS (0%)
• USPS (14%)
• Ding Hong (43%)

Analysis:

OK, so it was actually shipped by FedEx, however, I got a note about a shipment and it was USPS that when you clicked to track it noted that it was being shipped by Ding Hong which apparently is a Chinese shipper that coordinates with USPS. That package, however, was just for some cane holders and not the scooter itself.

Question:

Well, I've been out for a couple of weeks and it's time to get back to the grind. Somehow I feel like I should get some time off for good behavior versus having to push through my après surgery and face work, but sadly, that's not how it goes. How is my return to work week going to go?

Results:

Very Bad and Diabolical tied with 23% of the votes each from the following:

• Excellent (8%)
• Very Good (8%)
• Good (8%)
• Neutral (15%)
• Bad (15%)
• Very Bad (23%)
• Diabolical (23%)

Analysis:

Oooh! Back to the random vote for each option. I guess Google's doing some more testing. In fairness, this past week wasn't so bad other than the fact that I'm very tired, so have had to go to bed early every night to get a good night's sleep. I probably need it as am still recovering. I would probably say is was neutral over all. Far too many emails to catch up on and other admin crap, but some good times with clients. As far as week's go, not too good and not too bad, so meh! Neutral.

Question:

Following the theme of botty problems, has my beloved Leicester City shit the bed this season and going to get relegated?

Results:

Yes was the clear winner with 60% of the votes from the following selection:

• Yes (60%)
• No (40%)

Analysis:

It's looking pretty grim isn't it! Another loss this weekend gives us just seven games to make something happen. We do still have the chance to make something happen, but there are some must win games coming up against Everton and Leeds if we're going to stand a chance. Otherwise, it's back to being a yo-yo side after our time in the spotlight. I still voted positively as I'm trying to be as optimistic as I can.

Question:

An exciting week ahead of my that starts with a surgery on my bum. The surgeon has told me that I'm going to be in pain for a month after, but I'm obviously hoping it's not going to be that bad (or that the drugs are that good). Will my bum stop hurting by the end of the week?

Results:

Yes was the clear winner with 75% of the votes from the following selection:

• Yes (75%)
• No (25%)

Analysis:

Not even close! I've ended up having to take the whole week off work due to complications. These are kind of related to the pain, but it definitely looks like I'm in for at least another week of anal agony.

Question:

We've started a news section in the blogs on AI and we're going to base this week's question on that very topic. But not the AI you're used to that actually has some sort of intelligence, but the AI here on this site which posses no intelligence whatsoever. Given that the AI overwrote Owen's picks for the last F1 race, we ask this week, who will Owen have as winning next week's F1 race in Australia? (The thing I like most about this is that neither he or I will know the answer until we get there).

Results:

Stevie Wonder was the clear winner with 43% of the votes from the following selection:

• Max Verstappen (0%)
• Fernando Alonso (0%)
• Jimmy Johnson (14%)
• Jeff Gordon (14%)
• Nigel Mansel (0%)
• Engelbert Humperdinck (14%)
• Sterling Moss (0%)
• Janet Jackson (14%)
• Stevie Wonder (43%)

Analysis:

Did they use my AI to make decisions on the race? It definitely looks like they did. Seriously, what a farce that was! I couldn't understand why they called the red flag. Then when they did, I was thinking - surely they'll do a rolling start, otherwise there's just going to be a pile up going into turn 1. Well yeah. Anyway, Owen did indeed get the picks he made without them being overwritten this week.

Now, as for you lot ... I voted for Engelbert Humperdinck. I didn't really give much thought to the options when I created them, but Stevie Wonder ...

Question:

Right, well, it's time to get myself a small rear jack. That way when I get caught scratching my bollocks I can say I wasn't, it was the rear jack and that doesn't count as touching it (or them). Seriously though, are we going to see anything other than a Red Bull win a grand prix this season?

Results:

Yes was the clear winner with 67% of the votes from the following selection:

• Yes (67%)
• No (33%)

Analysis:

Back to normal voting and just the three votes - that's what we like to see. None of this making out that we're a popular site. OK, so the general feeling is that we will see another car on top of the podium of F1. I guess we'll find out in the coming weeks, but the most likely scenario for that happening is the Red Bull's taking each other out as nobody is close to them right now.

Question:

There's an element of more context to this question if you read the analysis of the previous vote's question, but it's not required. Given all the focus on emoji's, there's really only one question I'm going to ask this week. Which of the following is your most used or favorite emoji?

Results:

🤢, 😎 and 🍑 tied with 15% of the votes each from the following:

• 😀 (8%)
• 😂 (8%)
• 😚 (8%)
• 🤢 (15%)
• 😛 (8%)
• 😎 (15%)
• 🥱 (8%)
• 😈 (8%)
• 🍆 (8%)
• 🍑 (15%)

Analysis:

Right, well I'm going to guess that only three people voted and it was split between barfing, cool and the peach. I need to write a blog about what's going on, but I'm being hit by something from Google that's causing the extra votes. I suspect it's their new AI that they officially released this week, but I do believe they've been using it under the covers for a while .... more to come (that's what she said).

Question:

First thing I have to acknowledge is that result for Liverpool this past weekend. I loved the commentator saying who would believe before the game that Liverpool would score three against Manchester United. If only, I'm sure the Man U fans are saying. Moving on, however, I'm still stuck on the number of votes that were registered last week. Will this week see another bumper week of voting on this question?

Results:

No was the clear winner with 67% of the votes from the following selection:

• Yes (33%)
• No (67%)

Analysis:

Mathematically, the answer to this question was always going to be no. Given that whatever bot is running is selecting every answer in turn, then we're going to get more votes if we have more options to select from. In order to prove this out, we will need to set next week's question with 10 options for answers and expect that there will at least be one vote for each answer. (Whereas normally, we don't get 10 votes in total). Let's see shall we? Then we can determine if it is indeed aliens as Marvin suggested.

Question:

I'm going to guess the same thing applies to emoji's, but we're going to start small with the vote question. Sidetracking for a minute, I have been accused of using the wrong emoji's at work, however, this is on purpose. I will explain more in the analysis of this week's vote question, which is, at what age do you become unable to control the caps lock key?

Results:

60 was the clear winner with 19% of the votes from the following selection:

• 10 (5%)
• 20 (14%)
• 30 (5%)
• 40 (5%)
• 50 (10%)
• 60 (19%)
• 70 (14%)
• 80 (10%)
• 90 (10%)
• 100 (10%)

Analysis:

Not the explanation I was intending to give when I set this rather awkwardly worded question, but this question relates to my father's use of capital letters. I noticed that his entry into the F1 fantasy game was all lower case. I went back and looked at his prior entries into the NASCAR game and he seems to alternate between all caps or no caps. I asked him about it this past weekend and he just claimed he'd never entered the fantasy competition before. Clearly the memories of that are tucked away with those on how to use a shift key. What I've actually concluded is that the cleaner is periodically knocking the caps lock key so he's switching between all caps or no caps depending on how it's been knocked.

On another note, there's something weird afoot. We seem to have jumped significantly in the number of vote responses. I'm looking into this because it's really strange for two reasons, first - you can't do more than one vote per IP address unless you manually enter a name (and that hasn't been done). Second - the votes are coming from the weekly email response rather than posts from the site directly. I'll see what happens this week, but it's a bit of a mystery for now.

Question:

I feel that I've started to make headway on the UI/UX redesign of this website to make it more responsive. We've done most of the foundational areas along with the comms, games and blog. There are, however, a few major areas left. Which area of the site should I tackle next to make it more responsive?

Results:

Forums, Fun Stuff and Vote tied with 33% of the votes each from the following:

• Forums (33%)
• Fun Stuff (33%)
• Photos (0%)
• Videos (0%)
• Vote (33%)

Analysis:

A really lack luster vote with hardly anyone being bothered to comment which tells me that nobody really cares. Assuming that Slartibartfast is Mr O, I did expect the majority of folks to pick vote as it's the only page that folks really visit, however, I did post the answer to the question before it was set on the forum as I did say which area of the site I was going to update next. The correct answer was Forums, however, I also did the vote too along with some others.

Question:

It's probably a little late to be asking this question as we're two matches into the competition, but we're going to ask it anyway. Who do you think will win the 2023 Six Nations Championship?

Results:

Ireland was the clear winner with 43% of the votes from the following selection:

• England (0%)
• France (14%)
• Ireland (43%)
• Italy (0%)
• Scotland (29%)
• Wales (14%)

Analysis:

It looks like Ireland just pipped the vote and that's probably a good bet. It looks like it's going to come down to Ireland or Scotland. Maybe Scotland can pull something off in a couple of weeks, we'll see.

Question:

It seems that China has been taking a peek into the US with a balloon, which kind of seems odd as I thought they'd be using satellites, but what do I know? Anyway, it reminds me of the Nena song from the 80's, so I'm asking 99 red balloons or one Chinese spy balloon?

Results:

99 red balloons was the clear winner with 60% of the votes from the following selection:

• 99 red balloons (60%)
• One Chinese spy balloon (40%)

Analysis:

You and I in a little toy shop ... or so it goes. Yes, Nena's 99 Luftballons is still one of the darkest songs I've heard and it's to such a jolly tune. I've got to be honest, I watched the song on a YouTube video and she's playing in front of kids. Makes me laugh so much after all the crap people used to say about Metal, but they let their kids listen to that. Go figure!

Anyway, this 'ere Chinese Balloon is causing a bit of a stir isn't it. Seems they've got quite a few of these things floating around given four have now been shot down. Well, four objects. I think the first balloon hit a few firsts - first F-22 kill, first high altitude kill and I think it's the first kill in US airspace. I know it's fake, but I really like the image below:

Question:

Well, it's important that we remember to set a vote question this week, otherwise last week's question would automatically fail. Everything I've been doing recently has been focused on moving my website to a new environment, so clearly that's where this week's question is going to come from and I'll ask a super technical question that you won't know the answer to. Where do you think the team will come from that wins the Split 1 playoffs next weekend in London?

Results:

South America was the clear winner with 50% of the votes from the following selection:

• APAC North (0%)
• APAC South (25%)
• EMEA (25%)
• North America (0%)
• South America (50%)

Analysis:

I'm not sure how South America was picked as the most likely. No disrespect, but they're probably the weakest region as it stands. The correct answer was North America.

Huge congratulations to TSM for winning the tournament. Interesting being the most written off and most supported team at the same time. I do feel sorry for NRG, always the bridesmaid .... But what a great performance from Hal, Reps and Verhulst under the guidance of Raven. That last game and the control at Thunder Watch followed by that call to do the skyward dive off the roof. To make that call under that pressure was insane and no question it was the game winning call. It was kind of an all or nothing move, but it paid off. Also need to give credit to Acend for a fantastic showing as well.

Question:

This is probably the last question on the Windows platform as it's looking like we can cut over to the new Linux system next weekend, which begs the all important question - will next week's vote question go out on schedule?

Results:

No was the clear winner with 57% of the votes from the following selection:

• Yes (43%)
• No (57%)

Analysis:

Well, we did have a bit of an oopsie last night, but who here can't say they've suffered from a bit of premature sendification from time to time? So, what happened was that I got the days wrong on the scheduler so the system sent the emails out a day early. On top of that, I've put some security over parts of the site and I'd inadvertently added it to the page that loads the details of the weekly email, hence it was asking for an id and password. The good news is that this happened yesterday which gave me a day to fix it and, all being well, the right email will go out as planned today. Then again, if it doesn't, you probably won't see this and it won't matter anyway.

Question:

I've been working crazily hard on updating this site so I can put it onto a Linux / Docker stack. I've also changed the file structure and the method that the database is called, so I've had to update every page ... which is a lot. One of the things that caught my attention is the race game that I used to do on NASCAR. I'm currently thinking of reviving it for the Formula 1 season. Should I start a fantasy F1 competition?

Results:

Yes was the clear winner with 80% of the votes from the following selection:

• Yes (80%)
• No (20%)

Analysis:

Not really much of a question as I'm going to do it anyway. Once I get this site moved to its new Linux home, I'll setup the competition and send out a notification email for anyone who's interested in playing. It's going to follow the same format as the previous game, with the only difference being the bonus amounts will be changed. More to come.

Question:

The holiday is definitely over and we're back to work. What's more is that we've got miserable weather too with high winds and floods. Probably the worst weather I've seen in the Bay Area (which isn't that bad compared to what other areas experience). Do you think we'll see the sun this week?

Results:

No was the clear winner with 56% of the votes from the following selection:

• Yes (44%)
• No (56%)

Analysis:

I forgot I set this question and, to be honest, I can't remember. It seems like it's rained constantly all week. I'm pretty sure the answer is no, we just had rain all week and no sun. The forecast is better for next week though, so it should be better.

Question:

Happy new year everyone!! I hope you all had a fantastic time over the holidays and are facing the new year fresh and revitalized. I would say I hope you’re looking forward to work being fresh and revitalized, but since you’ve been off indulging yourself, AIs have taken your job and you’re no longer needed. Will 2023 see the rise of the machines?

Results:

Yes was the clear winner with 67% of the votes from the following selection:

• Yes (67%)
• No (33%)

Analysis:

Yeah, I spent a lot of time over the holidays looking at AI with the release of ChatGPT and the existing art AI like MidJourney and Stable Diffusion. I'm absolutely fascinated by what's been created and where it will go. Specifically the disruption it's going to have on everything. I've got to think we'll start seeing companies adopt AI during 2023. I don't think we'll start to see people being replaced immediately, but it's not going to be long before AI is doing a lot of jobs that people are currently doing.

Question:

Merry Christmas everybody. I hope you all got what you wished for regardless of whether you've been naughty or nice. Apologies for last week and having to enter a name when you voted. I implemented a reverse proxy as part of a big change in making and it masked ip addresses being sent to the website server. I should have fixed it this week (hopefully). Who would like a nice piece of cheesecake?

Results:

Yes please was the clear winner with 67% of the votes from the following selection:

• Yes please (67%)
• No thank you (33%)

Analysis:

Yes, cheesecake for everyone. Well, everyone except the people that didn’t want any.

Question:

The excitement of the world cup is over and now I have the excitement of traveling back home for Christmas. As an early present, it seems that most of the airport workers have gone out on strike and there are crazy queues at Heathrow to get through immigration, collect bags and all the goodness you have to deal with when traveling. How many hours will I get delayed at Heathrow airport this Friday?

Results:

2 was the clear winner with 60% of the votes from the following selection:

• 0 (0%)
• 1 (0%)
• 2 (60%)
• 3 (0%)
• 4 (0%)
• 5 (20%)
• 7 (0%)
• 10 (0%)
• 15 (20%)

Analysis:

Well, the correct answer is zero as I flew on Friday, but didn't land until Saturday. A mistake I made when setting the question. That said, I wasn't held up at all in the airport and made it through pretty easily. The army is doing a great job covering for passport control.

Question:

Sad to see England go out of the world cup, but at least happy they played well in their final game. Now we're down to the final four - who do you think will win the FIFA World Cup 2022?

Results:

Argentina was the clear winner with 50% of the votes from the following selection:

• Argentina (50%)
• Croatia (17%)
• France (17%)
• Morocco (17%)

Analysis:

Congratulations to Argentina for winning the world cup and congratulations to both Argentina and France for putting on an amazing game. I can honestly say it's one of the best world cup games I've seen and it was the final. Both teams gave it everything. Shame it ended on penalties, but that really was the only way to decide between the two teams.

Question:

Never let it be said that we don't live life on the edge and ask the risque questions. Where are you from?

Results:

Here was the clear winner with 50% of the votes from the following selection:

• Here (50%)
• There (0%)
• Everywhere (17%)
• None of your business (0%)
• You shouldn't ask (33%)

Analysis:

Yes, most people are from here, but the correct answer is that you shouldn't ask. Just ask Lady Hussey.

Question:

The long weekend is over for Thanksgiving and it's back to a busy week for the final push to Christmas. Only four weeks left until I head home for the holidays. Watching the world cup should make that more bearable as it'll give me something to focus on. This week seems to be the week of doctors - I had my covid booster yesterday and have three doctor appointments this week on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. None of these are critical, just check ins really, but I will end up with several tests I'm sure. Will I survive the week without finding a new ailment?

Results:

Yes was the clear winner with 60% of the votes from the following selection:

• Yes (60%)
• No (40%)

Analysis:

Yes indeed, we did find a new ailment. This is a by product of existing conditions, but apparently I have to get vitamin B12 shots for the next few weeks.

Question:

Ah yes, another four years have passed and it's time to get my hopes up again that England will perform in the World Cup. How well do you think England will do in the 2022 World Cup?

Results:

Quater Finals was the clear winner with 40% of the votes from the following selection:

• Group Stage (20%)
• Round of 16 (20%)
• Quater Finals (40%)
• Fourth (0%)
• Third (0%)
• Second (0%)
• Winners (20%)

Analysis:

A spread on the vote answers from being knocked out in the group stage to being the overall winners. We got off to a good start against Iran, but the showing against the US was abysmal. I've now gone into survival mode and not being worried about how badly we play, just hoping we can survive until the next round. It does look like we'll get through the group stages, but I'm not sure we'll get much further in the competition. Hopefully I'm wrong.

Question:

Not a bad weekend to be English - congratulations to the England T20 cricket team and to George Russell. Here in the US we have Thanksgiving coming up and I'm trying to decide whether or not to do a track day (assuming there's a reasonable one to go to). Should I do a track day over Thanksgiving?

Results:

Yes was the clear winner with 80% of the votes from the following selection:

• Yes (80%)
• No (20%)

Analysis:

In a splurdge of event spending, not only did I book a track day next Friday, but I also booked my trip back to England for Christmas. A little bit cautious of the track day given it's been a couple of years since I've been, but I need to get back out there if I'm to do this while I can.

Question:

Rarely uttered words, but I do feel a little sorry for Paul. After roughly 3 years of Luke and myself telling him he needed a new headset to cut out the echoing, he splurged about 75% of his weekly pay on a state of the art new headset. Eager, excited and ready to go, he logged on to talk to us, only to find out that these new ones are not working. This set is cutting him out all the time so you only get every other word at best. Given this second failure, I have to wonder, is technology trying to tell Paul to shut up?

Results:

Yes was the clear winner with 100% of the votes from the following selection:

• Yes (100%)
• No (0%)

Analysis:

Yeah, it's one of those vote questions where you know the answer before you post the question, but you also know it will never happen. Wishful thinking whether it be organic or non-organic.

Question:

OK, back to the wonderful world of health problems. I have a surgery that I need to have. It’s not life and death, but, as with most things, the sooner the better. Should I get a needed surgery done immediately or after the holidays?

Results:

Immediately was the clear winner with 100% of the votes from the following selection:

• Immediately (100%)
• After Holidays (0%)

Analysis:

Interesting, everyone going for immediately, but I’m actually thinking after the holidays now. I honestly don’t think they’ll be able to get me in until after the holidays.

Question:

A couple of big wins for Leicester City against Leeds and Wolves. Are we going to see Leicester City stay in the premiere league?

Results:

Yes was the clear winner with 60% of the votes from the following selection:

• Yes (60%)
• No (40%)

Analysis:

It’s going to be close, that’s for sure. I think it’s safe to say the glory days are behind us once more. The unfortunate cycle is that we will likely struggle for a while, go down, then get some decent players and rise again. We just don’t have the funds to stay at the top.

Question:

It seems like there’s a lot of turmoil in British politics with the Chancellor being sacked after only 38 days. Will Britain still have a prime minister at the end of the week?

Results:

No was the clear winner with 75% of the votes from the following selection:

• Yes (25%)
• No (75%)

Analysis:

Ha ha! You didn't think it was going to happen that quick did you? I think most people saw the writing on the wall that she would resign at some point, but not last week. Well, I guess she figured there was no way out from the mistakes she'd made. It does seem that the tenure of the prime minister is now somewhat akin to that of a football manager. I guess it's results or you're out. Oh well, on to the next one.

Question:

Congratulations to Max Verstappen on his second world championship. I have to laugh as it was another decision that gave him the title (the 5 second penalty to LeClerc), but I have to say that this one isn’t controversial and Max would get the title next week if not this week. Which brings me back to the teaser from last week about chess and the cheating that has been going on. How much money would you need to win in order to use vibrating anal beads to receive cheat messages?

Results:

Wouldn’t do it was the clear winner with 33% of the votes from the following selection:

• $0 - for pleasure (17%)
• $10 (8%)
• $100 (8%)
• $1,000 (0%)
• $10,000 (0%)
• $100,000 (8%)
• $1,000,000 (8%)
• $10,000,000 (17%)
• Wouldn’t do it (33%)

Analysis:

Let’s start with some details. There is an accusation by Carlson that Niemann cheated against him in their recent match. Neumann has, apparently, been caught cheating before in online matches. There is a theory that he used vibrating anal beads to get messages from his coach who was using a computer to advise on the best moves. Now, there seems to be a lot of interest as this has generated the most vote answers in a while. The majority of people saying they have morals and would not take this action for any amount of money. Interestingly, the next most popular answer was that they would do it for please. I guess you’d be wanting to receive a really long message if that we’re the case. I think I put that I’d do it for $10m. I guess there’s a whole lot of other factors that would need to come into play like the likelihood of getting caught.

Question:

With all the headline news this week about cheating in chess, I was going to have a question on that. I’ll let it buzz around my head for another week. At least I think the buzzing is in my head. Anyway, this weeks question comes from a walk around a local park and I noticed a new bench. One of those that is dedicated to the loving memory of someone. It just struck me that someone probably passed that spot multiple times and said it would be great if there was a bench there. Rather than do something about it, they died and their loved one wanted to have a legacy for them so put a bench in that spot. You can’t help think it would have been better to put the bench there when they were alive so they could have benefitted from it. So how come I’ve never donated a bench to a park?

Results:

Didn’t occur until now was the clear winner with 50% of the votes from the following selection:

• Lazy (0%)
• Didn’t occur until now (50%)
• Seems weird (25%)
• Waiting until I’m dead (25%)

Analysis:

Yeah, it didn’t really occur until now. To be honest, I forgot that I set this as the vote question until I came to set the next week …. So I guess we won’t be donating any benches anytime soon.

Question:

One of the things that's significantly caught my attention this past week is the pound and it slipping to all time lows - dropping as far as $1.04. Will we see the pound drop below $1?

Results:

Yes was the clear winner with 100% of the votes from the following selection:

• Yes (100%)
• No (0%)

Analysis:

Nobody has faith in the pound, but it seems to have rallied, getting back to the dizzy heights of $1.11. That said, part of me thought if it dropped more, I’d be able to buy the country. How cool would that be?

Question:

Let’s continue the theme of the royal death and move on to the funeral. The talk right now is who is and who is not invited to the funeral. Have you been invited to the royal funeral?

Results:

Yes and No tied with 50% of the votes each from the following:

• Yes (50%)
• No (50%)

Analysis:

I had no idea we had royalty or dignitaries voting on this site, but good on you to those that got an invite to the royal funeral. I did think the news was going to continue on this as they seemed to want to speculate as to who was invited, then do a review of who actually got invited. I kind of thought that we were going to have a week long opinion on who was and who wasn't, but thankfully we didn't.

Question:

Pretty much most of everything this week has been taken up with the death of the Queen. I’m sad to see her go, but at the same time, 96 is a pretty good age. I have to be honest, I was a little surprised given how close her death was after seeing her earlier in the week appoint Liz Truss as PM. Moving on, we look to King Charles III and say “long live the King”. Do you think Charles will bring changes to the monarchy?

Results:

Yes was the clear winner with 75% of the votes from the following selection:

• Yes (75%)
• No (25%)

Analysis:

Interesting. I’m the only one that thinks there won’t be any changes to the monarchy. I’m kind of intrigued as to what changes you think Charles will bring about. I just think he’s been raised with expectations of taking this position and has been groomed in the way of things and not to upset the apple cart so to speak.

Question:

This weeks question is back to Formula 1, but it’s not a question about who is good or who will win that. Pretty much because the answer to that is Max. No, this weeks question comes from the commentators that we’re going on about the fact that the gravel had been glued in place with a resin so that cars going off don’t drag it back onto the track. Is gravel that has been glued in place still gravel?

Results:

No was the clear winner with 67% of the votes from the following selection:

• Yes (33%)
• No (67%)

Analysis:

I saw gravel defined as a loose aggregation of rock fragments. Based on that, if you glue it together, it’s no longer gravel.

Question:

This week's question is again dedicated to my talented Apex friend - the one and only Paul. Renown for his ability to fall off the map, I think he did himself one better this past weekend. Is it possible to fall off the Apex map if you haven't been on it?

Results:

Yes was the clear winner with 100% of the votes from the following selection:

• Yes (100%)
• No (0%)

Analysis:

Apparently it is. In an amazing show of skill, Paul managed to fall off the map. We resurrected him and he dropped straight off the res ship and missed the map. The only thing I regret is that I didn’t clip it as it really was funny. Made even more so by the fact that our random teammate hadn’t said anything all game and came on the Mike to say “bro, you gotta stop fucking dying!” Little do they know that dying is Paul’s speciality.

Question:

Very limited inspiration right now, but I am looking forward to next weekend and the return of F1 after the summer break. Definitely looking to see which teams have made improvements with their cars. Will any of the other F1 teams be able to challenge Red Bull and Ferrari?

Results:

Yes and No tied with 50% of the votes each from the following:

• Yes (50%)
• No (50%)

Analysis:

Honestly, I have to say, after several weeks wait, that was rather disappointing. If your name didn't begin with Max and end with Verstappen, it was a pretty bad weekend. Max absolutely obliterated everyone. He just seems to have got stronger and looks well on his way to his second world championship. A lot of races to go, but I can't see anyone stopping him right now.

Question:

A very pleasant weekend. I spent most of today up the coast chatting to a friend overlooking the sea. Was honestly very nice and relaxing. Did I miss my calling to be a professional loafer?

Results:

Yes was the clear winner with 60% of the votes from the following selection:

• Yes (60%)
• No (40%)

Analysis:

Honestly, the thought is so appealing, but I do think I'd get bored very quickly. I can't do beach holidays for that very reason. I end up getting bored. The only time I've managed to go on the beach is when I was younger and that was mainly to sweat out the alcohol and stare at the girlies.

Question:

Ooopsie, forgot to set the vote question last week. One of those instances where I remembered, then forgot, realized I missed it, meant to update on Monday, forgot on Monday, then just thought “fuck it”. Anyway, the holiday is over and I’m back State side. This week I face the joy of going for a colonoscopy as well as working. Will this week be good or a pain in the arse?

Results:

Pain in the arse was the clear winner with 80% of the votes from the following selection:

• Good (20%)
• Pain in the arse (80%)

Analysis:

In fairness, the whole procedure thing went really well. It’s just the prep that’s unpleasant and …. Well, yes, a pain in the arse

Question:

A shopping related question thanks to my son. If you were in the supermarket and picked up a pack of fizzy drinks and one of the cans started spraying everywhere, what would you do?

Results:

Walk down the aisle spraying everywhere was the clear winner with 67% of the votes from the following selection:

• Put it back (33%)
• Buy it anyway (0%)
• Walk down the aisle spraying everywhere (67%)

Analysis:

Clearly the majority of you agree with the modern day teenager. He did indeed walk down the aisle spraying soda everywhere

Question:

Right, I’m back and all is good. There’s a heat wave and the UK is expected to see record temperatures. How many days will it rain while we’re in Scotland the following week?

Results:

4 and 5 tied with 33% of the votes each from the following:

• 0 (17%)
• 1 (0%)
• 2 (0%)
• 3 (17%)
• 4 (33%)
• 5 (33%)

Analysis:

I probably should have asked this question this week so I could post the answer. I will come back and post a comment with the answer. In the meantime, it looks like most people think it’s going to rain every day more or less.

Question:

Alrighty, I’ve had a week off. Now I have three days of work, then I’m off for two weeks to England. It seems like forever since I’ve done a vacation flight and I’m racking my brain on what I need to take. Will I forget something when I come back to England next week?

Results:

Yes was the clear winner with 67% of the votes from the following selection:

• Yes (67%)
• No (33%)

Analysis:

So far, so good. I’m back and I don’t appear to have forgotten anything. It’s always possible something will pop up, but I’m going to declare it for now.

Question:

Wow! I have to start off and say what an amazing British Grand Prix. So glad Zhou is OK and congratulations to Carlos Sainz for his first win. This week's vote question is inspired by Paul. What do you think will happen if you stand in front of the gondala on a cable car?

Results:

You will be swept up and crushed was the clear winner with 100% of the votes from the following selection:

• Nothing (0%)
• The gondala will break (0%)
• You will be swept up and crushed (100%)

Analysis:

This is still bringing a smile to my face a week later. Paul seemed genuinely surprised that standing in front of the gondola on a cable car would sweep him up and crush him. He even said it was bad programming. Interestingly, I watched every game of the four day ALGS tournament and nobody pulled off the Paul maneuver. All the players managed to safely avoid the massive objects that move. Congratulations to Dark Zero for their victory.

Question:

The summer holidays are almost upon us. I'm thinking about doing a trip within a trip and heading up to Scotland to drive the NC500 tourist route around the top of the country. Just trying to figure out timing with wanting to be around at the weekends. Should I take the plunge and do the NC500 this summer?

Results:

Yes was the clear winner with 60% of the votes from the following selection:

• Yes (60%)
• No (40%)

Analysis:

Yeah, I think we're going to try and make this happen. Few no responses. Booo!

Question:

Today was a huge day. The three idiots won a game of Apex and I had a viewer on Twitch! Sadly the viewer had left the stream when we won the game. Clearly they now have the false impression that we're completely useless. While that may be true, there's some people out there that are even more useless. Anyway, is this a sign that Paul should start a wildlife channel?

Results:

Yes was the clear winner with 100% of the votes from the following selection:

• Yes (100%)
• No (0%)

Analysis:

Well, we all know that Paul should start his own video channel and stream the wildlife he has, but we all know that he won't. The otters will have babies. He still won't do anything. The otters will move on. He will miss the opportunity. Oh well, you can lead a horse to water ....

Question:

A wonderful week ahead of me with a couple of doctors visits. One of which is to get a needle jabbed in my throat to do a biopsy of something or other. Will I sound like a dalek after I get a needle in my throat?

Results:

Yes was the clear winner with 100% of the votes from the following selection:

• Yes (100%)
• No (0%)

Analysis:

Well, the good news is that nothing was found from either of the tests I went for this past week. Sadly, however, it didn't make me sound like a dalek. It didn't really affect me other than there was a bit of discomfort afterwards.

Question:

Inspired by Paul's back garden wildlife and a question I saw on some other site somewhere, if the following animals could talk, which would be the rudest?

Results:

Badger, Penguin, Walrus and Warthog tied with 25% of the votes each from the following:

• Armadilo (0%)
• Badger (25%)
• Chimpanzee (0%)
• Hippopotamus (0%)
• Hyena (0%)
• Goat (0%)
• Lion (0%)
• Penguin (25%)
• Walrus (25%)
• Warthog (25%)

Analysis:

When I set this question, I thought that chimpanzee was going to win hands down, but the vote appears to have been split. I guess most animals can be rude in their own way. Probably should have included dog as one of the options too.

Question:

Continuing the theme or stream, I've built up quite a nice setup with some overlays and transitions. It's almost like I think someone's going to see this, ha ha. Anyway, as is customary, I've create a ”be right back“ page that is used when you need to step away for a moment or two. I've customized my message so it gives the viewer more information than simple the fact that I'll be right back. How do you think I've ended the message be right back ...?

Results:

Taking a dump was the clear winner with 100% of the votes from the following selection:

• Taking a quick break (0%)
• Having a snack (0%)
• Getting a drink (0%)
• Stretching my legs (0%)
• Mentally preparing (0%)
• Taking a dump (100%)

Analysis:

Am I really that transparent? Yes, my be right back message did say be right back, taking a dump. William pointed out that someone would probably see this and have no sense of humor and wonder why I was letting the world know I was taking a shit. I have changed it slightly. It now has a rotating message that says be right back, making a tea, then grabbing a snack, then taking a dump.

Question:

I've started streaming again because I bought a NAS drive that has some fancy functionality. I've set it up as a media server using Jellyfin, but it also has this ability to restream to multiple platforms. I've been streaming to Twitch, Youtube and Facebook simultaneously. Three platforms and no viewers which is completely what I expected, but it keeps me amused. Will I ever get a legitimate viewer on one of my streams?

Results:

No was the clear winner with 75% of the votes from the following selection:

• Yes (25%)
• No (75%)

Analysis:

No seems to be the popular answer and I do believe that's true ... albeit with one exception and that is that I may get to stream a large clash of clans battle and I'm pretty much guaranteed 50 viewers during the stream, but I'm not sure if it's going to happen or not.

Question:

Alright, so the upgrades to the website are done (at least the bits that needed to be done by the end of the month). We’ve upgraded the software, implemented SSL to secure the website communication and can now securely connect to Google to send emails …. Like this one. Anyway, while doing it I found some more functions and am going to change the look of the weekly mail starting next week. Do you think you’ll like the new look EBR weekly mail when you see it next week?

Results:

Yes was the clear winner with 80% of the votes from the following selection:

• Yes (80%)
• No (20%)

Analysis:

Well, I hope that folks aren't disappointed. I guess the first things is whether or not the email will actually work and send out. If it doesn't, you won't be reading this, so it won't really matter. The next thing is whether I fixed the glitch I introduced last week whereby the email may have gone to you several times. If that happens again, I guess you'll be reading this a lot, ha ha! Anyway, feel free to send comments if you see the email.

Question:

It's been a long time since I've done anything touristy in San Francisco, but next weekend I have a friend in town and it's going to be time to remember all those things that visitors like to see. One of the things that several people have said is that Twin Peaks offers the best view of San Francisco, but there is a risk that you can be fogged out of the view. Will we get a good view of San Francisco next weekend from Twin Peaks?

Results:

Yes - it will be a clear day was the clear winner with 100% of the votes from the following selection:

• Yes - it will be a clear day (100%)
• No - it will be foggy (0%)

Analysis:

Sadly the actual answer was no. There was a lot of difficulty traversing San Francisco on account of the fact that Sunday was the Bay to Breakers race. A running race that shuts down the roads in the city. That said, we did meet up and headed out of town to get those sites done first, but by the time we went back in and up to Twin Peaks, the fog had rolled in. It wasn’t even a nice white fluffy fog, it was a grey rainy looking thing. Anyway, other than that, it was a great day and we got to see a lot.

Question:

I appear to have undertaken a mammoth of a project with my website. Essentially this is down to Google shutting down the ability to mail using the api I'm currently using. I've figured out what I have to do to change it, but there's been a cascade of things that need to be done. In order to get one thing to work, I have to change something else and that breaks something else and requires yet another thing ... if you catch my drift. Anyway, we finally made a bit of progress today after spending pretty much the entire day on it. The project needs to be completed by the 30th as that's when Google shuts off the existing service I'm using. Will I complete my website project by the 30th of this month?

Results:

No was the clear winner with 60% of the votes from the following selection:

• Yes (40%)
• No (60%)

Analysis:

Huh! All ye of little faith! I've broken the back on the project that I'll start to write up soon (not that you're waiting for a write up of what I've been doing, but you're going to get one anyway). As of today (yesterday when you're reading this), the website is signed, secured and encrypted. You will notice the little padlock icon in the address bar when you access the site and no longer can you get to the plain old vanilla htttp://www.eastbayrag.com, but now you get the https://www.eastbayrag.com so I can now be officially trusted. Well, sometimes, anyway. There's still a ways to go on the project and right now there are some parts of the site that don't quite work the way they're intended, so there's a lot more work to be done. I have a friend in town next weekend, so not going to get much time then, but I can probably take a big swing at the remainder the weekend after.

Question:

Congratulations to Red Bull for taking the fight to Ferrari on their home soil. A huge win for Verstappen and the team. Looks like we've got another two horse race this season with Ferrari taking the place of Mercedes who don't seem very competitive. Which constructor do you think will win this year's Formula 1 season?

Results:

Red Bull was the clear winner with 67% of the votes from the following selection:

• Alfa Romeo (0%)
• Alpha Tauri (0%)
• Alpine (0%)
• Aston Martin (0%)
• Ferrari (0%)
• Haas (0%)
• McLaren (0%)
• Mercedes (33%)
• Red Bull (67%)
• Williams (0%)

Analysis:

Interesting that nobody went for Ferrari given they're the team to beat right now. I do suspect that Red Bull will be the team to beat in the end, but I'm sure Mercedes will manage to find some late season performance even though they've had a bad start.

Question:

I’m rather annoyed that I forgot to set last weeks vote question as I had it in my mind ready to go. I guess the travel made me forget. Anyway, I’m going to ask the question this week even though it relates to events last week. If I ask for a tea in Boston, will I get thrown in the harbor?

Results:

Yes was the clear winner with 67% of the votes from the following selection:

• Yes (67%)
• No (33%)

Analysis:

As it happens, I wasn't thrown into the harbor, but there are a few that will argue I probably should have been. Might have made for a more fun trip thinking about it.

Question:

Heading into a quiet week after the surgery last week and a trip to Boston the week after this one. Will this week remain quiet or will something come up?

Results:

No, something will come up was the clear winner with 75% of the votes from the following selection:

• Yes, it will remain quiet (25%)
• No, something will come up (75%)

Analysis:

Well, this question relates to the week before last as I appear to have forgotten to set the vote question last week. Anyway, the week in question did remain quiet, unlike last week which was rather hectic and not in a good way.

Question:

Now to the gaming wonders that be the weekend geriatrics. We’re back on Apex Legends …. Well, more like I’m back on Apex and the other two are playing it because they can’t think of anything else to play. I will say though that they are struggling a bit. Paul has managed a couple of kills since his return, but Luke hasn’t quite found his form yet. Will Luke get another kill in Apex Legends?

Results:

No was the clear winner with 75% of the votes from the following selection:

• Yes (25%)
• No (75%)

Analysis:

Well, he didn't actually play this weekend (at least not with me), so still sitting on zero. I'm sure eventually he'll spray a stray bullet and catch a final kill on someone.

Question:

I’ve been away all week at a conference and we had this keynote speaker talk about economics. Pretty interesting stuff if you’re into that kind of thing. One of the things he talked about was the fact that millennials tend to value experiences over tangible items, so would rather go somewhere or do something than buy an object. The interesting thing is that Owen was talking about the same thing (between eating pineapple chunks) in that he was now focused on events and experiences above other things. Is Owen a millennial in disguise?

Results:

Yes was the clear winner with 75% of the votes from the following selection:

• Yes (75%)
• No (25%)

Analysis:

Interesting. I didn’t think he was a millennial, but you all think he is. My rationale is that if you cut him open and counted the rings, you’d find he’s too old to be a millennial. Maybe he died and a millennial assumed his body. Maybe not, lol.

Question:

I've just packed my stuff for a drive down to San Diego for a conference next week. I noted that I still have a pair of my Dad's underpants that I've been wearing for the last 10 years or so. Not continuously, obviously, they would have given up by now if that were the case. Will my Dad want his underpants back after 10 years of use?

Results:

No was the clear winner with 60% of the votes from the following selection:

• Yes (40%)
• No (60%)

Analysis:

I think the answer is no, but interesting that a few of you went with yes. Perhaps you like old and used underpants. Still, at least I now have a family heirloom to hand down to William.

Question:

Holidays/vacations always seem to be over before they started and this one is no exception. It only seems like two minutes ago since I was setting off for the drive over to Vegas. Oh well, it's Sunday night and we'll be back at the grind tomorrow. Still, it could be worse given what's happening in the Ukraine. It's obvious this week is going to be a pain. Which day this week is going to be the worse after returning from vacation?

Results:

Monday and Tuesday tied with 50% of the votes each from the following:

• Monday (50%)
• Tuesday (50%)
• Wednesday (0%)
• Thursday (0%)
• Friday (0%)

Analysis:

A split between Monday and Tuesday. I feel that Monday gets a bad rap because we compare it to the weekend before whereas if you compared it to any other day, it's probably not any better or worse ... save for the fact that it's longer to get from Monday to the next weekend than from any other day. Anyway, Monday was the correct answer as I had some plop that needed to be dealt with on Monday and it wasn't pleasant.

Question:

Probably dangerous to set a question in advance, but I don't want to forget to set one on Sunday when I get into Las Vegas, so I'm doing it ahead of time. One of the reasons I'm driving over is because I want to drive an off road track that Mr O and I tried before in a rental car and were unable to get through. Time to tackle it with a full on 4 wheel drive. Will we be able to get through the corn creek off road this trip?

Results:

Yes was the clear winner with 75% of the votes from the following selection:

• Yes (75%)
• No (25%)

Analysis:

Well, the answer is yes, but it wasn't exactly plain sailing. We had a puncture about 21 miles into a 43 mile track. If you're interested, you can read the full story and see some pictures

Question:

Well, onto happier thoughts. This time next week, I should be meandering across the Sierra Nevada to meet up with Mr O in Vegas. By the time you read the vote question next week, I should be in Vegas sleeping, but getting ready for a mini road trip adventure through Death Valley, up to Tahoe, then back to the Bay Area. I'll save the road trip question for next week, but before we get there, one of Mr O's favorite things to do in Vegas is to go shopping with me and having people think we're a couple. What makes shop assistants think Mr O and I are a couple?

Results:

The way he blows kisses was the clear winner with 40% of the votes from the following selection:

• His dress (20%)
• His lipstick (0%)
• His walk (20%)
• His handbag (20%)
• The way he blows kisses (40%)

Analysis:

We probably should look at what Mr O responded with, but I'll leave him be ... well, probably not as by the time this analysis goes wrong, we should have met up in Vegas and be ready to start our mini road trip. Seems like the majority of you think it's the way he blows kisses. My question to you is how do you know what he looks like when he's blowing kisses? Definitely not something I've seen him do, but maybe you know him better than me.

Question:

Let's have a light hearted question after tempting fate last week ... are we going to war over the Ukraine?

Results:

No was the clear winner with 57% of the votes from the following selection:

• Yes (43%)
• No (57%)

Analysis:

The press, being the press, would have us believe that war is imminent as they continue to fearmonger. Always looking for misery and doom - one minute it's covid, the next it's Ukraine. The vote was close though and, to be honest, it's pretty touch and go. Hopefully it's not war, but you kind of don't really know what Putin's going to do. Seems weird that war really boils down to the personalities of a few people.

Question:

Fair warning, this is a bit of a morbid question. I found out this week that a close work friend had been murdered. Ben, who I've hung out with outside of work as well as having a lot of respect for, is the subject of an ongoing homicide investigation. There's really very little information out there, other than he went missing, his friends were concerned and tried to find him (going through an elaborate process of tracking his car), then his body was found in a river. No cause of death given. Loads of obvious questions like was he caught up in something or just in the wrong place at the wrong time? Regardless, it does bring things into perspective. The fact that his friends looked for him almost immediately made me wonder - if something happened to me, how long would it be before anyone realized?

Results:

4 days, 1 week and Over a week tied with 33% of the votes each from the following:

• 1 day (0%)
• 2 days (0%)
• 3 days (0%)
• 4 days (33%)
• 5 days (0%)
• 6 days (0%)
• 1 week (33%)
• Over a week (33%)

Analysis:

The vote question that was left up for two weeks because I tempted fate a bit and ended up with a trip to the hospital only to be released and then pulled back in again. Talk of Anthrax, but no Scott Ian sadly. Anyway, the answer to this question very much depends on what week it is. I think if it's the week I have William he'd pretty much figure out something was wrong on the day as he'd be wondering why he hadn't been picked up after school. That said, if something happened the day I drop him off for the week, it could probably go a week before anyone truly realized something was wrong. Maybe some folks at work would notice, but not sure how long they wait before they raise the alarm. Even if they did, they just reach out to your emergency contact and mine is my friend who wouldn't know if something had happened. Oh well, probably not worth dwelling on it for too long. I think you could probably split the difference and figure it would be on average about 3 days before anyone noticed.

Question:

Big congratulations to TSM and their win in the NA ALGS pro series. I watched most of it and have to say it was a pretty clinical show with some great calls from Hal and great teamwork from Reps and Verhulst. A fantastic win against some really good competition. That said, the biggest news in gaming this week is Microsoft’s planned acquisition of the troubled Activision Blizzard. This could be a really good thing or it could go horribly wrong. Will Microsoft successfully integrate Activision Blizzard?

Results:

Yes was the clear winner with 67% of the votes from the following selection:

• Yes (67%)
• No (33%)

Analysis:

It's a big question in both the gaming and business world. The hope is that it will all go well and it will add a lot to gaming overall. Even form the start of the metaverse so to speak. That said, Microsoft has had a go at other things and pulled the plug on them - Nokia and Mixer being a couple of examples. I guess we'll see.

Question:

I just found out I have a bonus day off work for Martin Luther King day. First, huge respect to Dr King. Do you think I’m going to do something constructive with my additional day off or play video games?

Results:

Video Games was the clear winner with 100% of the votes from the following selection:

• Constructive (0%)
• Video Games (100%)

Analysis:

Yup, pissed it up the wall and did nothing constructive, but totally enjoyed the extra day off.

Question:

Going into a potentially exciting week. My vacuum cleaner broke last week and I let the cleaner pick the new one. Unfortunately it's experiencing a shipping delay. Will my new vacuum cleaner arrive this week?

Results:

Yes was the clear winner with 60% of the votes from the following selection:

• Yes (60%)
• No (40%)

Analysis:

It did indeed arrive. Everything I was expecting arrived with only one hitch - I had some medical stuff left in a public place, so that was stolen. No resale value. All the stuff with resale value actually arrived.

Question:

Happy New Year to one and all! Hope you had a good celebration if that's your thing. Will you complete your 2022 New Year's Resolution?

Results:

Didn't make one was the clear winner with 100% of the votes from the following selection:

• Yes (0%)
• No (0%)
• Didn't make one (100%)

Analysis:

I guess new year resolutions are a thing of the past. In fairness, I don't think I've ever made one. I'm not sure I get the significance of the calendar year changing being the factor to determine a change in lifestyle. Kind of think you need to make those decisions based on what's going on at the time, for example giving up smoking isn't something I did at the turn of the year.

Question:

Well, this time next week it'll be 2022. Are you looking forward to the 2022 new year?

Results:

Yes was the clear winner with 75% of the votes from the following selection:

• Yes (75%)
• No (25%)

Analysis:

Looks like most folks are looking forward to 2022. I've got to say, I'm looking forward to it too. I think we're going to come out the back of this here Covid thing one way or another. Probably just going to let everyone who's been vaccinated go about their lives as normal and just hope it dies down. I guess we'll see.

Question:

There's really only one question right now - will I be back in England this time next week?

Results:

Yes was the clear winner with 67% of the votes from the following selection:

• Yes (67%)
• No (33%)

Analysis:

Well, the answer is no. I decided to cancel at the last minute because of all the news articles on whether the UK was going to go back into lockdown, put a curfew in place or limit the number of folks that can meet at any one time. In the end, they did nothing and I'm not entirely sure I made the right decision to stay in the US, but the decision is made, so here I stay for now.

Question:

First, let me say a huge congratulations to Max Verstappen for his first Formula 1 championship. An amazing driver and thoroughly deserving of the title. I’m sure there will be many more to come. I am, however, stuck on the fact that the championship concluded on a decision and not on racing. Ironically, the reason the last lap was run. Let’s stick with sport for the question though and the continuing disappointment for the English. Will England get a test win in the current Ashes tournament?

Results:

Yes was the clear winner with 75% of the votes from the following selection:

• Yes (75%)
• No (25%)

Analysis:

I admire the optimism, but it's not looking very likely the way things are going.

Question:

After deciding Luke and Paul needed a change in pace from first person shooters, we thought we'd try monopoly. Was monopoly always boring?

Results:

Yes was the clear winner with 63% of the votes from the following selection:

• Yes (63%)
• No (38%)

Analysis:

This is kind of an add question really as Monopoly is a game I’ve always loved, but somehow playing it the other day, it seemed really boring. We haven’t played since, so it could just be a state of mind. Maybe next game will be more fun.

Question:

It looks like we have another variant of the Corona virus (this one being Omicron). New measures have gone into effect for quarantine into the UK. It looks like I can still make it, but I have to quarantine for 10 days or until I get a negative Covid test. Ironically, I'm still allowed to take public transport to my place of quarantine (as of the time of writing this question). Will travel still be allowed when I'm due to fly back to the UK at the end of December?

Results:

Yes was the clear winner with 67% of the votes from the following selection:

• Yes (67%)
• No (33%)

Analysis:

This one's a little touch and go. I don't know which way it's going to turn. I see more travel restrictions coming into effect, but all signs are that if you're vaccinated, you should be ok. I guess we'll find out in a few weeks.

Question:

One of the things I have on my todo list before I come back to England at Christmas is to get a Covid booster jab. This is probably one of the best weeks to get it done because it's Thanksgiving, so work should be a little quieter. That said, the hospital doesn't seem to have any vaccines. Will I be able to get a Covid booster jab this week?

Results:

Yes was the clear winner with 86% of the votes from the following selection:

• Yes (86%)
• No (14%)

Analysis:

I did manage to get my Covid booster jab this past week, but it wasn't as easy as I thought it was going to be. I ended up having to book it through a pharmacy and the only one I could find that had an opening at a time I could make it was a drive away. Still, got it done, so that's another job crossed off the list.

Question:

After a catastrophic end to the week of damaging parts of my body, I have to ask, am I going to fall over again this week and injure myself?

Results:

Yes and No tied with 50% of the votes each from the following:

• Yes (50%)
• No (50%)

Analysis:

Yeah, it's generally a 50/50 this one. Thankfully I've managed to get through most of the week and haven't had a mishap yet. Still 6 hours to go, but not really planning on doing much in those 6 hours, so will hopefully hold out.

Question:

I think most people know that I've been doing these gaming sessions with a couple of friends on a Saturday and Sunday morning. Well, it turns out that Paul is really into Strictly Come Dancing.'ve nothing against the show (I can't have as I've not seen it), I'm just not into these types of shows. I don't have TV anymore as it seems that's all that's on there nowadays, so I just stream what I want to watch. Anyway, it's getting difficult to play when you want to focus on the gameplay and someone's going on and on about some TV show. What's worse is that he's got this special laugh when he talks about it .... kind of high pitched, almost a giggle. I guess it's the kind of laugh you get when you're infatuated by something or someone. Anyway, what is it about Strictly Come Dancing that Paul likes the most?

Results:

All of the above was the clear winner with 100% of the votes from the following selection:

• The hosts (0%)
• The celebreties (0%)
• The dancers (0%)
• The dancing (0%)
• The show format (0%)
• The gossip (0%)
• The affairs (0%)
• Guessing who will win (0%)
• All of the above (100%)

Analysis:

I probably shouldn't have included the all of the above answer as that was obviously going to take it. It's obviously more than just the one reason when you're into something this much. Interestingly Luke commented all of the above plus the outfits. Adding he really likes the sequins. Again, having never seen the show, difficult for me to comment.

Question:

I will admit that I spend a lot of time gaming over the weekends, but we do sneak in some housework here and there. William had put dinner on and then was doing something, so I was getting it out to dish up and I turned to him and asked if he could move the washing from the washing machine into the dryer and turn it on. He said yes, but asked how to turn it on. I told him to turn the knob anti clockwise to very dry and then pull it out to start it. When I turned round after asking William to put the dryer on did I see A) the dryer humming along to make my clothes fluffy and warm or B) a teenager holding the dryer knob in his hand asking what do I do now?

Results:

B - knobless dryer was the clear winner with 100% of the votes from the following selection:

• A - humming dryer (0%)
• B - knobless dryer (100%)

Analysis:

Yup, you got it. I turned round to see William looking at a knob in his hand (no, not that kind of knob) and that expression on his face of I want to laugh, but I don't know if I'm going to get shouted at, so I probably shouldn't laugh yet. Honestly, I was in tears as I thought it was hilarious. The issue, in all fairness, was with me as it's the washing machine that has the knob that pulls out. The dryer has a button that needs to be pushed once the knob is positioned correctly.

Question:

And now for a question to test your knowledge of the London Underground. Is the circle line a circle or is it broken?

Results:

Broken Circle and Depends what map you have tied with 50% of the votes each from the following:

• Circle (0%)
• Broken Circle (50%)
• Depends what map you have (50%)

Analysis:

Ah! The age old is the circle line a circle. Apparently it hasn’t been a circle since 2009. My dad keeps going on about it as he apparently tried to go round it through the broken part of the circle. I keep saying it’s a circle because it was when I lived in London. I’m unlikely to try and travel round where the broken bit is. As for the maps, some show it as a circle and some show the break. I just hope the give the unbroken maps to the tourists. Well, it’ll give them something to do.

Question:

Probably going to book a trip back to England for Christmas. Do I want to fly direct to England for ease or switch planes in NY to save money?

Results:

Fly direct was the clear winner with 83% of the votes from the following selection:

• Fly direct (83%)
• Save money (17%)

Analysis:

I did actually book my flight which may be a surprise to some people as I'm really on the fence about traveling still with Covid and all that, but I'm also really in need of a break, so I took the plunge and did indeed book to fly direct.

Question:

With the best news of this past week being that William Shatner is going into space …. Dare I say boldly going into space? The question has come up how many of the 9 members of the original Star Trek cast (ignoring the pilot) are still alive?

Results:

2, 4 and 5 tied with 33% of the votes each from the following:

• 1 (0%)
• 2 (33%)
• 3 (0%)
• 4 (33%)
• 5 (33%)
• 6 (0%)
• 7 (0%)
• 8 (0%)
• 9 (0%)

Analysis:

The correct answer is 4 being William Shatner (Kirk), Nichelle Nichols (Uhura), George Takei (Sulu) and Walter Koenig (Chekhov). Big congratulations to Shatner for going into space. I know he’s the oldest to date, but I think the main thing is that he’s gone to space. Not many of us will get to do that. So cool.

Question:

Well, we’ve done a big cleanup in anticipation of my new desk coming. I don’t have an exact date for it to arrive. Apparently it will come in multiple shipments. Will I get all of my new desk delivered this week?

Results:

No was the clear winner with 83% of the votes from the following selection:

• Yes (17%)
• No (83%)

Analysis:

Nope, bloody thing didn't arrive. I don't have an update on when it will come either.

Question:

I ordered a new desk to give me more room to work and setup my gaming stuff. Some concern has been raised over where it’s going to fit so I got the old tape measure out to do some measuring up and my penis really isn’t that small. That’s got nothing to do with the vote question, just thought I’d share. The question this week is one I’m not actually sure of myself. I’ll explain more in the analysis, but it evolves around a tournament where there are group games that decide the knockout brackets, e.g. the World Cup. Is it cheating to deliberately lose a group match to get a favorable opponent in the knockout phase?

Results:

No was the clear winner with 71% of the votes from the following selection:

• Yes (29%)
• No (71%)

Analysis:

It’s interesting that the majority of folks say no. That’s exactly how I would answer. If a tournament is setup a certain way, it doesn’t seem like cheating to me to deliberately lose a match. That’s just playing smart to maximize your chance of getting to the finals. Anyway, in the current clash of clans tournament, two teams were banned for cheating for doing exactly that, throwing a game. I believe the irony is that the two teams that threw were the two teams due to face each other. I guess neither of them wanted to meet until the finals. Not sure if the results had been allowed to stand when they would have come up against each other. Presumably before the finals and possibly in the next round anyway.

Question:

This weeks vote question comes from a slight miscalculation on my part. I’ll explain a bit more in the analysis, but for now, do you think it’s too cold to drink beer in a garden in England at Christmas?

Results:

No was the clear winner with 67% of the votes from the following selection:

• Yes (33%)
• No (67%)

Analysis:

Exactly! It’s never too cold to drink beer in the garden. Famous last words as he shivers. Yeah, I don’t think I’m going to be trying it. Not unless some kind of shelter or heating option is available.

Question:

Well, I was wondering what question to set this week and it was just presented to me on Wallah’s stream. If you’ve got an upset stomach and you feel some wind, do you risk a fart?

Results:

No was the clear winner with 75% of the votes from the following selection:

• Yes (25%)
• No (75%)

Analysis:

There’s one brave sole among us. The rest of us are going to err on the side of caution and sit on the pot to pass gas when suffering from an upset stomach. I just hope the one brave sole has a change of underwear handy.

Question:

I have to start by saying congrats to Max Verstappen. An utterly boring race to be honest, but fantastic for him to win on home soil. He drove a faultless race. It's definitely going to be a close one. Who is your pick to win the F1 title?

Results:

Lewis was the clear winner with 100% of the votes from the following selection:

• Lewis (100%)
• Max (0%)

Analysis:

Well, if today’s showing is anything to go by, I should have included an option for neither of them. Congrats to Danny Ric for his first McLaren win and a solid race. Boo to the boys at the top of the table. It does, however, look like the folks here think Lewis is on for his eighth title.

Question:

Is this week going to prove as challenging as the last?

Results:

Yes was the clear winner with 67% of the votes from the following selection:

• Yes (67%)
• No (33%)

Analysis:

Sadly the answer was indeed yes and it doesn't show any signs of slowing up anytime soon. I'm sure there will be light at the end of the tunnel and we'll run towards it and have just about enough time to realize it's a train before it splats us. Happy thoughts.

Question:

Sunday night and I'm wondering the same thing as I normally do of a Sunday evening - shall I grab a beer before I go to bed?

Results:

Yes was the clear winner with 100% of the votes from the following selection:

• Yes (100%)
• No (0%)

Analysis:

It was never really in question, was it? Of course I grabbed a beer before heading off to beddy byes. That said, I had a crazy busy week and ended up going to bed early most nights because I was pooped and had to get up early.

Question:

This week's question comes courtesy of Paul who was talking about going for a plop when we were gaming. A regular topic I might add. Anyway, it got me wondering is a plop called a plop because it makes a plop when you plop?

Results:

Yes was the clear winner with 83% of the votes from the following selection:

• Yes (83%)
• No (17%)

Analysis:

Ah, most of you went for yes, but I think this is another one of those chicken and egg questions. Which came first, the plop or the plop?

Question:

This week marks the end of what I assume will be a completely forgettable summer for William. Stuck inside with social distancing has meant no real holiday to create the memories that we would normally have. School starts again this week. Do you think school starting back up in person is going to cause another Covid spike?

Results:

Yes was the clear winner with 75% of the votes from the following selection:

• Yes (75%)
• No (25%)

Analysis:

Of course it's going to cause another Covid spike. Sending the kiddies back to their petri dishes to see what grows ..... what could go wrong?

Question:

'Tis the final week of the first cycle of Vault of Glass challenges in Destiny 2. That means that this week is the earliest that you can earn the Fatebreaker title. In order to do that, you need to complete several tasks, but also get the Vex Mythoclast exotic gun from the raid. Sadly, it's random luck as to whether this drops or not and I haven't got it yet. Will I get Vex Mythoclast this week to complete the Fatebreaker title?

Results:

Yes was the clear winner with 75% of the votes from the following selection:

• Yes (75%)
• No (25%)

Analysis:

No. I can do all the hard stuff, but I can’t get random luck to shine on me. Maybe next week.

Question:

There's a dawning realization that at some point in the not too distant future, I'm going to have to return to a client site. I'm guessing the first one will be local rather than jumping on a plane, but, based on the past, jumping on a plane can't be too far away. How long do you think it will be before I have to go to a client site?

Results:

Month and 3 Months tied with 50% of the votes each from the following:

• Week (0%)
• Month (50%)
• 2 Months (0%)
• 3 Months (50%)
• 4 Months (0%)
• 5 months (0%)
• 6 months (0%)
• Year (0%)
• Longer (0%)

Analysis:

A split between a month and three months. Let's split the difference and call it two months. Sadly it seems inevitable.

Question:

I was explaining my general contempt for the human race and its many flaws and I was called a misanthropist. Am I a misanthrope?

Results:

Yes was the clear winner with 100% of the votes from the following selection:

• Yes (100%)
• No (0%)

Analysis:

Well, that's pretty unanimous. I guess I have an inherent dislike for the human race. The thing is though, I did a bit of research on misanthropy and I couldn't really find that much. The things I did find seemed to focus on a lack of trust being a common trait of a misanthrope. Which is not something I suffer with. But then I got to question what exactly is trust? To me, it's just a factor of predictability. Given a person's personality and a set of inputs, you can generally predict how they are going to act, so it's generally easy to trust someone if everything seems to line up. Obviously you do get it wrong sometimes, but I think generally most people don't aim to do wrong and there's no reason to mistrust in general. I have to be honest, the traits that were listed for misanthropy seem to me to be more aligned with paranoia. I'm definitely not paranoid. It's certainly feasible that someone who suffers from paranoia would also be a misanthrope. If you think everyone's out to get you then, it would seem natural that you'd develop a dislike for the human race. So I challenge the limited research that's out there and suggest that they've concluded on some traits that aren't directly tied to misanthropy. But then again, what do I care? I hate you all anyway.

Question:

What should I do with this Champagne now then?

Results:

Save it was the clear winner with 50% of the votes from the following selection:

• Save it (50%)
• Drink it (13%)
• Throw it away (0%)
• Butt Plug (38%)

Analysis:

Honestly, giving it to Lewis is probably the best bet as he certainly has a use for it. Did anyone else pick up on the commentary when there was a battle between Ferrari and McLaren and the commentator said oh look, another Italian team taking on an English team. Too soon my friend, too soon.

Question:

After the epic performance of my home country earlier this week, there’s really only one question. Will England go all the way and win the Euros?

Results:

Yes was the clear winner with 75% of the votes from the following selection:

• Yes (75%)
• No (25%)

Analysis:

Errr, no. It was nice of Disco Stu to step up and try to take a penalty. Put in some serious moves on the run up and then, well, you know how it ended.

Question:

The world is so crazy right now. I literally can't spend money it's stupid. I couldn't find anyone to do my car. I've spent months trying to get a new Xbox and they continue to be sold out. I've decided to get a gaming PC instead. Got one in the cart and I can't get it to checkout because some of the items it let me select are out of stock. Will I be able to buy a gaming PC by the end of the week?

Results:

Yes was the clear winner with 57% of the votes from the following selection:

• Yes (57%)
• No (43%)

Analysis:

I did indeed submit an order for a gaming PC. It took until Thursday I think. Got several into the cart, but errored before I could buy. But I think I’m there. Going to take a month to actually get it, but we’ve committed anyway.

Question:

Are you enjoying the Euros?

Results:

Yes was the clear winner with 60% of the votes from the following selection:

• Yes (60%)
• No (0%)
• Not watching (40%)

Analysis:

That's pretty cool, those that are watching the Euros are enjoying it. I wonder if I'd get the same response after England get knocked out.

Question:

Not too much coming up this week. Williams going in for his second jab. Did you have any side effects from your vaccine?

Results:

No was the clear winner with 75% of the votes from the following selection:

• Yes (0%)
• Some but minor (25%)
• No (75%)
• Decline to say (0%)

Analysis:

Poor young William. He had side effects from the second jab unlike most folks here. Only lasted a night, but he turned into the chunder monster.

Question:

Well, it’s that time of the year again when doctors want to push a really long pipe with a camera at the end up my poo chute. I’ve done the day without eating and cleared my inner workings ready for the procedure. How was your Sunday?

Results:

So so was the clear winner with 67% of the votes from the following selection:

• Good (17%)
• Bad (17%)
• So so (67%)

Analysis:

Still nobody doing much these days. I think most days are so so.

Question:

I’ve got a pile of clean clothes ready to be put away and there’s a stray pair of underpants between the clean pile and the dirty bin. They could have been knocked off the clean pile or possibly missed the dirty bin when I threw them at it. I’m debating what to do. Are the underpants between the clean pile and the dirty bin clean or dirty?

Results:

Clean and Sniff them to find out tied with 50% of the votes each from the following:

• Clean (50%)
• Dirty (0%)
• Sniff them to find out (50%)

Analysis:

It seems like my dad confuses dirty underwear with spaghetti. One of those, you should throw at the wall to determine if they’re ready. Note to self, make sure you check food preparation next time you get to go back home. I also don’t know why I would sniff them when simply looking inside to see if the skid marks are fresh would suffice. Anyway, they were clean. I concluded that they must have been knocked off the clean pile as the trajectory was all wrong for it to have been a wayward throw to the dirty bin.

Question:

So close, but Leicester couldn't hold on for the Champions League spot. That said, I'm really happy with the season. FA cup win and a fifth place finish is definitely something I would take at the beginning of the season, so I can't be disappointed. I also had my failing in trying to complete the Day 1 raid challenge after trying non stop for 16 hours. How many hours would you stick at something if you were constantly failing?

Results:

1 was the clear winner with 50% of the votes from the following selection:

• 1 (50%)
• 3 (25%)
• 5 (0%)
• 7 (0%)
• 10 (0%)
• 15 (25%)
• 20 (0%)
• 24 (0%)
• >24 (0%)

Analysis:

I see. So most of you are the type that give up easily. I guess I’m just a stubborn old mule.

Question:

Huge congratulations have to be given to Leicester for winning the FA cup yesterday. I'm still in shock from the league title a few years back and they've done it again. Who knows, perhaps a European title is in the making at some point. A man can dream, can't he?

Results:

Yes was the clear winner with 67% of the votes from the following selection:

• Yes (67%)
• No (33%)

Analysis:

A man can indeed dream. This man dreamed he was going to complete the Vault of Glass raid on Day 1 and that turned out to be a dream. 16 hours I plugged away at it before admitting defeat and deciding to give up. Oh well. Kind of sad as I've done it now on normal mode and it's really easy on normal.

Question:

Will Lewis win his eighth world championship?

Results:

Yes was the clear winner with 71% of the votes from the following selection:

• Yes (71%)
• No (29%)

Analysis:

Well, the voters from a few weeks ago were right about Leicester winning the FA cup, so hopefully another prediction is in the making and Lewis will win his eighth world title.

Question:

Paul wasn't able to play with us on Saturday because he had something better to do. Not entirely sure I can fathom that, but I've had to accept it and move on with my life. What was most noticeable about Paul's absence in the fireteam this Saturday?

Results:

No explaining how to get to Xur, Nobody was killed by a teammate and Nobody shit themselves tied with 33% of the votes each from the following:

• No waiting around (0%)
• No explaining how to get to Xur (33%)
• Nobody got lost in a strike (0%)
• The phrase “Guardian Down”was heard less (0%)
• Nobody was killed by a teammate (33%)
• Nobody shit themselves (33%)

Analysis:

A split on the voting. He still maintains that he didn't shit himself, but his underpants say otherwise.

Question:

Continuing the football theme and all the shenanigans that have gone on this week, do you think I should have been asked to play in the European Super League?

Results:

Yes was the clear winner with 100% of the votes from the following selection:

• Yes (100%)
• No (0%)

Analysis:

Absolutely! Team Rag for the win!

Question:

There is a huge amount of fear for tempting fate here, but I never thought I’d see Leicester win the premiere league. Will Leicester win the FA cup?

Results:

Yes was the clear winner with 83% of the votes from the following selection:

• Yes (83%)
• No (17%)

Analysis:

Yes, we all have faith in the blue army. But then again, given that we’re playing Chelsea, the blue army will win one way or the other.

Question:

You know when you get an idea in your head and it just seeds and keeps growing. Well yesterday I realized it'd been a long time since I'd just drunk listening to Black Label Society. Which, in my opinion, is the reason alcohol was invented. It's just awesome to let yourself sink into despair and let the music take you to all the dark places of your mind. Feeling all the pain in your life rise to the surface, realizing all your mistakes and welcoming the darkness. “Once you step inside, no one gets out alive”. Then, through the darkness comes a moment of clarity. Everything makes sense. There's just one question. Were the Oompa Loompa's a form of slave labor?

Results:

Yes was the clear winner with 60% of the votes from the following selection:

• Yes (60%)
• No (40%)

Analysis:

Yes indeedy, that Willy Wonka ran a sweat shop.

Question:

And once again we return to a gaming question of sorts. This past weekend, the young 'uns joined us and helped drag Luke and Paul through the raid in Destiny 2 enabling them to do their first completion. There is much I could say about this epic feat, but I will leave it that Paul's main contribution continued to be demonstrating how far up his arse he can push his mic before farting. It was funny to start with, but even the kids stopped laughing as it went on. That was until the time when it sounded like he squeezed to hard and pushed out some solids. Mysteriously, he did disappear for a while after that. Did Paul actually shit himself while playing Destiny this past weekend?

Results:

Yes and No tied with 50% of the votes each from the following:

• Yes (50%)
• No (50%)

Analysis:

A split decision and I guess we'll never actually find out. He's adamant he didn't pop a poop into his pants, but it's not like it's something you would really want to advertise.

Question:

Well congratulations to Lewis Hamilton for hanging on to win the opening Grand Prix of the season. But, moving from fast to slow, I know it’s causing huge problems, but do you find it funny that something as slow as container ships are stuck in a traffic jam?

Results:

Yes was the clear winner with 70% of the votes from the following selection:

• Yes (70%)
• No (30%)

Analysis:

Rather a lot of interest in the vote question this week which seems odd for such an inane topic. That said, the consensus appears to be that it is amusing the that the tanker ships are in a traffic jam. It does, however, seem that the boat was freed and all has resumed back to normal. Crisis averted.

Question:

Back to the gaming questions and I have my sights set on the conqueror seal which requires completion of 6 different grand master strikes. I have the first one done. They change every week, so I have 5 more weeks to go. Will I get the conqueror seal?

Results:

Yes was the clear winner with 63% of the votes from the following selection:

• Yes (63%)
• No (38%)

Analysis:

This week saw a huge push towards the seal, but there is still a way to go. I do think that we will get there though.

Question:

How annoying is it going to be to have to fast tomorrow all day while being busy at work?

Results:

Really, really, really annoying was the clear winner with 75% of the votes from the following selection:

• Not at all (0%)
• Little (0%)
• A bit (0%)
• Moderately (0%)
• A lot (25%)
• Really, really, really annoying (75%)

Analysis:

Honestly, it really wasn’t that bad. I’d actually forgotten about it and forgot what vote question I even set. I was really busy at work, so had enough going on to distract me. I did feel a bit tired by the time I went in is all.

Question:

I’ve noticed that the media (well, the BBC website - maybe others, but I don’t really check them) has been dominated by Meghan Markle. Not sure why as I haven’t read the articles. Similar to when Donald Trump was in power, I didn’t really read articles about him either even though it dominated the press. This does, however, beg the question Is Meghan Markle trying to be the next Donald Trump?

Results:

Yes was the clear winner with 100% of the votes from the following selection:

• Yes (100%)
• No (0%)

Analysis:

Don't know if this question was too topical, but there seems to be a resounding response of yes. I have to be honest, I really haven't read any of the articles related to her as I really couldn't care less. I know a lot of people have though and I've heard all negative comments like “media hungry whore” which does indeed put her in the same category as Trump. No idea if that's the case, but wasn't she an actress or something before all this. All seems to point to needing attention.

Question:

Let's look outside the window at mother nature. Too long have we been stuck indoors from this here Covid thing. Now it's time to ponder that age old nature question. Do badgers eat deer?

Results:

Yes and No tied with 50% of the votes each from the following:

• Yes (50%)
• No (50%)

Analysis:

The answer is absolutely yes, badgers eat deer. Badgers will definitely strip down a deer carcass. Perhaps the better question would have been whether or not badgers kill deer. The answer to that is also yes, but only really babies or fawn as their better known. The don’t really go around killing fully grown deer.

Question:

Does a murmuration of starlings excite you?

Results:

Yes and No tied with 50% of the votes each from the following:

• Yes (50%)
• No (50%)

Analysis:

Ooooh! A split vote. Been a while since I've seen one of those. I guess it's kind of cool, but not exactly the rarest thing to see.

Question:

It's time to mix things up and move away from the gaming related questions. Are you looking forward to a non gaming question?

Results:

Yes was the clear winner with 80% of the votes from the following selection:

• Yes (80%)
• No (20%)

Analysis:

Yes, of course you were looking forward to a non gaming related question. Well, now that's out of the way, we can go back to normal.

Question:

Alright, so next week is the start of the new season in Destiny 2, Season of the Chosen. Will Season of the Chosen be exciting?

Results:

Yes was the clear winner with 60% of the votes from the following selection:

• Yes (60%)
• No (40%)

Analysis:

Fairly split result with the majority of folks opting for yes, Season of the Chosen will be exciting. It's a little early to actually say as we're in the honeymoon period of new content, so anything's exciting right now. We'll have to see if it lasts the entire season or whether interest starts to wane.

Question:

Tuesday will start the final week of the Season of the Hunt in Destiny 2 before we get a whole load of new content. Will I be lucky enough to get Eyes of Tomorrow before the end of the season?

Results:

Yes was the clear winner with 67% of the votes from the following selection:

• Yes (67%)
• No (33%)

Analysis:

Nope, sadly I was not able to get it. You only have a max of three attempts each week to see if you're lucky enough and none of my attempts were successful. I was, however, extremely pleased with everything else I got done this season. Quite happy with a few of the acheivements.

Question:

The first full week of a new president. Do you think we'll have as many tweets with the new president as the last one?

Results:

No was the clear winner with 80% of the votes from the following selection:

• Yes (20%)
• No (80%)

Analysis:

Yeah, I somehow doubt that we're going to see as many tweets as we did before. It's like we've got a bland blancmange in the White House after the multi colored dipstick. I'm sure the news organizations are starting to panic about what to do now. It's like they'll have to go out and do their job and fine things that are news worthy as opposed to it being presented to them and they just give their opinions on it.

Question:

There's only one vote question that can be asked this week and it's courtesy of William who's asked a question based on people joining his online games. Is everyone from Scotland miserable?

Results:

Yes was the clear winner with 60% of the votes from the following selection:

• Yes (60%)
• No (40%)

Analysis:

It's probably the weather that causes it.

Question:

An educational question, how dare he I hear you say. At the end of the last vote analysis I ended with a rhetorical question. Put a question mark at the end of it, deleted it for a period, then changed the period back to a question mark. I wasn't really sure how to punctuate it. How should a rhetorical question be punctuated?

Results:

Question mark was the clear winner with 100% of the votes from the following selection:

• Question mark (100%)
• Period (0%)
• Exclamation mark (0%)
• Hash (0%)
• Ampersand (0%)
• Eggplant emoji (0%)
• Poo emoji (0%)

Analysis:

Doesn't look like anyone voted, so I'm assuming you don't know. It's apparently up to the writer how they want to punctuate a rhetorical question. Normally it is done with either a period, question mark or exclamation mark.

Question:

Hello and welcome to the new year. I guess we need to start off with a seasonal question. Will 2021 be exciting?

Results:

Yes was the clear winner with 67% of the votes from the following selection:

• Yes (67%)
• No (33%)

Analysis:

Excellent, that majority of folks think 2021 will be exciting. I have to be honest, I do too. It's off to a pretty interesting start with the shenanigans in the US. Who knows what else is in store for us?

Question:

Did you realize it was Monday already?

Results:

Yes and No tied with 50% of the votes each from the following:

• Yes (50%)
• No (50%)

Analysis:

I don't actually know what happened to this vote question. I didn't forget it, I did set it. Owen pinged me to say it wasn't set because he hadn't got the email, so something must have happened after I set it to stop the email from going out. I couldn't exactly resend the question as it wouldn't have made sense, so I just left it. Perhaps the answer is that even though I knew it was Monday, my computer did not. Anyway, hopefully this one goes out without a hitch and normal service will be resumed. Happy New Year to everyone by the way - I hope you all had a good time and stayed safe which seems to be the saying these days.

Question:

Congrats to Lewis Hamilton for winning sports personality of the year. He's won everything else and thoroughly deserves it. But, is there a sinister element to this? We know that Lewis is faster than everyone else. We also know that he had Covid 19. And now the new variant travels faster than everyone else. Did Lewis Hamilton teach the Corona Virus to drive his Mercedes?

Results:

Yes was the clear winner with 60% of the votes from the following selection:

• Yes (60%)
• No (40%)

Analysis:

It does seem that one of the new strains is UK centric, so it is highly possible that Lewis taught it to move quickly.

Question:

One more week until the holidays and then Christmas will be upon us. Are you looking forward to Christmas in this Covid world?

Results:

No was the clear winner with 67% of the votes from the following selection:

• Yes (33%)
• No (67%)

Analysis:

Oooh, most people said no. I answered yes as I'm still looking forward to a break from work. Admittedly it won't be the same as a trip back home. There's something about getting off a plane that really marks the start of a break and helps with that separation from work. Still, there won't be as many emails over the holidays.

Question:

So, what exactly are triumphs for?

Results:

Riding was the clear winner with 40% of the votes from the following selection:

• Driving (0%)
• Riding (40%)
• Confusing (20%)
• Rewarding (20%)
• Bragging (0%)
• Celebrating (0%)
• Masturbating (20%)

Analysis:

Triumphs are still a mystery to me. Obviously they make perfect sense in the car or motorcycle world, but in Destiny 2 they don't really seem to serve a purpose. At least that I can figure out, anyway.

Question:

Oh boy! A long weekend with Thanksgiving and facing a Monday morning. Is this going to be a long week?

Results:

Yes was the clear winner with 71% of the votes from the following selection:

• Yes (71%)
• No (29%)

Analysis:

I’ve got to be honest, it did feel quite long. It wasn’t a bad week though. In fairness it was pretty good, but was definitely looking forward to the weekend.

Question:

A nice easy week ahead of me with Thanksgiving holiday. I do have to do some work, but I should get plenty of time to focus on other things. Will I do anything productive this Thanksgiving or piss it away playing video games?

Results:

Video Games was the clear winner with 100% of the votes from the following selection:

• Productive (0%)
• Video Games (100%)

Analysis:

I’m not sure I entirely pissed it all away playing video games, but I tried my hardest to.

Question:

What an amazing day (Sunday November 15th) that will go down in history. Triumphs galore. Lewis Hamilton with a world class drive to win a seventh world championship. Today's result was all about the driver and not about the car. A fantastic drive to take the win when he was clearly struggling throughout the weekend. Just an amazing way to win the championship with a win in Turkey. And if that wasn't enough to make it an amazing day, we completed a campaign in Destiny 2 with Paul. Who do you think had the biggest success on November 15th 2020?

Results:

Rag was the clear winner with 80% of the votes from the following selection:

• Lewis Hamilton (20%)
• Rag (80%)

Analysis:

Ha, ha, ha. I hadn’t taken a look at the results until now, when I’ve come to add the analysis. I know I voted for Lewis, but nobody else did. I do have to say, it is quite an ordeal to manage Paul through a mission. The thing, in my mind, that swings it in Lewis’ direction is that he’s out there on his own. I normally have someone to bear some of the Paul burden. On Saturday, we had three others along for the ride, showing that other generations can participate too. However, even with big machine gun that goes boom, we did not succeed this past weekend.

Question:

Alrighty, so totally hypothetical question .... honestly. If you were on a team and one of the people screwed up and it caused you to have to redo the last hour, how would you react?

Results:

Stand by your teammate, Comment but work to resolve, Get angry but carry on and Shout and give up tied with 25% of the votes each from the following:

• Stand by your teammate (25%)
• Grin and push forward (0%)
• Comment but work to resolve (25%)
• Get angry but carry on (25%)
• Shout and give up (25%)

Analysis:

Come on! You have to stand by your teammate regardless.

Question:

Apparently there’s an election or something this week. I’ll be honest, I’ve not really been watching it that closely and it’s kind of crept up on me. I should probably have been a bit more organized if I was going to get elected. Probably not old enough yet though. Anyway, do you think it will rain on Tuesday?

Results:

Yes was the clear winner with 67% of the votes from the following selection:

• Yes (67%)
• No (33%)

Analysis:

Interesting, most of you thought it would rain on Tuesday and, well, I guess you saw what happened!

Question:

It doesn't look like this Covid thing is going anytime soon. Do you think Santa will need a vaccine to deliver presents this Christmas?

Results:

Yes was the clear winner with 80% of the votes from the following selection:

• Yes (80%)
• No (20%)

Analysis:

But surely Santa is immune to viruses and things like that. Thinking about it though, Santa is going to spread COVID at Christmas. Expect a spike in cases.

Question:

Oh dear. We’ve moved onto a new game, Destiny 2. We were supposed to do it together, but Luke went ahead and then glitched the game for Paul and I. I’ve fixed mine, but it meant going back and redoing some of the stuff we’ve done earlier. Will Paul have the tenacity to go back and redo missions in Destiny 2?

Results:

Yes was the clear winner with 60% of the votes from the following selection:

• Yes (60%)
• No (40%)

Analysis:

An interesting one this as I'm not really sure how to call it. He did go back and try to do them, but didn't manage it. That said, it's very confusing. We did, however, get to play together today and he completed them then, so it's all done.