tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-54939319679112681922024-03-18T17:39:39.283-04:00speaking in CAPSLogging the spoken & written thoughts<br>
of <b>Jim Styro</b> Jim Styrohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10671368781577441067noreply@blogger.comBlogger240125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5493931967911268192.post-90846244621115443972024-03-18T10:30:00.001-04:002024-03-18T10:55:52.503-04:00Care for a SNORT?<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCpO1JatVQMbTcdThf6bVFhm3rigT5kt10BsAfYN17cWeZDERm3s0wSaOB-ZOVd6mbjjl0R_V4p_gDUNoaXf62voEZMvKj5dQt9vD46_KH9X0m8aQE1mfw54e2uIdglw85AvD6DHXiA4nEs6fgpTFyHcKITZKG9nxT_tpC1HaUwYawgoZgY2bHqAcg2Xw/s680/2024-03-17%20SNORT.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="276" data-original-width="680" height="130" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCpO1JatVQMbTcdThf6bVFhm3rigT5kt10BsAfYN17cWeZDERm3s0wSaOB-ZOVd6mbjjl0R_V4p_gDUNoaXf62voEZMvKj5dQt9vD46_KH9X0m8aQE1mfw54e2uIdglw85AvD6DHXiA4nEs6fgpTFyHcKITZKG9nxT_tpC1HaUwYawgoZgY2bHqAcg2Xw/s320/2024-03-17%20SNORT.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />Here's my post on the <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/03/17/crosswords/wordle-review.html#commentsContainer" target="_blank">New York Time's Wordle Review comments</a> for yesterday.<p></p><div><div>Wordle 1002 2/6</div><div><br /></div><div>🟩⬜🟩🟨⬜ SHONE 9 WL</div><div>🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 SNORT</div><div><br /></div><div>WordleBot</div><div>Skill 76/99</div><div>Luck 93/99</div><div>Streak 753</div><div><br /></div><div>Well, let’s hope The Bot doesn’t try to cheat me out of a second Deuce in the last 4 days. Guess #1 provided beaucoup letters today — S & O (as Letters 1 & 3, respectively) plus N (out of position). I didn’t know it at the time — but only 9 solutions remained. I decided to go with a word starting SNO— for Guess #2. Between SNORT & SNOWY, I decided to try SNORT since R & T are such frequently occurring letters. Luck was with me and I watched all the letters turn green for a Deuce. I defeated both The Bot (2 vs 3) and the (current) NYT avg (2 vs 3.8). </div><div><br /></div><div>I’ve not received any feedback from the WordleBot Police regarding the theft of my correct data for Game #999 on March 14. I solved in 2 guesses - but WordleBot now shows my score as 3. Other than that, my weekend was fantastic. </div></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-size: large;">Take care and stay safe.</span></div> Jim Styrohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10671368781577441067noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5493931967911268192.post-35299035525740402342024-03-17T09:30:00.003-04:002024-03-18T10:56:07.185-04:00The TOXIN Avenger?<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjh77JwieC4i5K0MfMGA3Z1oPg5ji5AYMOVRWk2qN-KdMjJvJeygusvqEDDFupNBa6h_PoBSeA0lgxISgRgOSJN3jJ-LsWcn290YLHAulvaTkr4GGgVyNoE9taXKyaswwo9-Q_NwpvDhbvMwD4C5pHP0jzA6AbsdQFPDlzU2MYmkgx3Rb0pY5xLDsVLy5U/s677/2024-03-16%20TOXIN.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="411" data-original-width="677" height="194" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjh77JwieC4i5K0MfMGA3Z1oPg5ji5AYMOVRWk2qN-KdMjJvJeygusvqEDDFupNBa6h_PoBSeA0lgxISgRgOSJN3jJ-LsWcn290YLHAulvaTkr4GGgVyNoE9taXKyaswwo9-Q_NwpvDhbvMwD4C5pHP0jzA6AbsdQFPDlzU2MYmkgx3Rb0pY5xLDsVLy5U/s320/2024-03-16%20TOXIN.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />Here's my post on the <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/03/16/crosswords/wordle-review.html#commentsContainer" target="_blank">New York Time's Wordle Review comments</a> for yesterday.<p></p><div><div>Wordle 1001 3/6</div><div><br /></div><div>⬜⬜🟨🟨⬜ SHONE 67 WL</div><div>⬜⬜🟨🟨⬜ GATOR 5 WL</div><div>🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 TOXIN</div><div><br /></div><div>WordleBot</div><div>Skill 99/99</div><div>Luck 58/99</div><div>Streak 752</div><div><br /></div><div>Good to get back Under Par this morning since today’s game featured an unusual word. Guess #1 showed me the O & N (both out of position) and almost 70 solutions remained. Guess #2 gave me T (out of position) — but I still didn’t have O in the right place. Luckily for me, uncontrollable record-keeping swung into action. My play during Game #760 (TONIC on 7/18/2023) revealed that 3 of the 5 remaining solutions had been previously used — so it was down to JUNTO & TOXIN. While neither of these words held great appeal for me, one was far more familiar. I played TOXIN for Guess #3 and watched all the letters turn green. I tied The Bot with my 3 and bested the (current) NYT avg (3 vs 3.9). </div><div><br /></div><div>Has anyone else noticed the phenomenon of selecting to see WordleBot after playing — and still seeing the choice to play that day’s Game? Choosing to “Compare and recent scores” allows me to confirm WordleBot knows I’ve played — but this behavior seems related to changes initiated for Wordle 1000.</div><div><br /></div><div>Another side Note: WordleBot seems to have lost the correct info for my Game #999 on March 14. I solved in 2 guesses - but WordleBot now shows my score as 3. Anyone else notice problems with their data for that game displaying incorrectly? I sent an inquiry to the WB team but haven’t heard back yet. </div><div><br /></div><div>Hope you're having a fine weekend. </div></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-size: large;">Take care and stay safe.</span></div> Jim Styrohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10671368781577441067noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5493931967911268192.post-10899151717082167892024-03-16T08:00:00.002-04:002024-03-18T10:56:35.727-04:00Wordle 1000: Words ERUPT<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsHLxIAHRQPRvDvjkBdGz1vGZz3Cpn47bCMFP9uF74unr_u2xI2c7XxpHjlGrIeHCStrQIfTNwyEPNhbEaLDqgiod3xfnXwRivYEa8j2e0tdfnw2zvn55gSSDyyP6a6SuBs9J348pzm18IN4dw7HU5KwMRsBTsTJynkoMntIzLl-FV-o6md6D8deKMMAY/s336/2024-03-15%20ERUPT.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="274" data-original-width="336" height="261" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsHLxIAHRQPRvDvjkBdGz1vGZz3Cpn47bCMFP9uF74unr_u2xI2c7XxpHjlGrIeHCStrQIfTNwyEPNhbEaLDqgiod3xfnXwRivYEa8j2e0tdfnw2zvn55gSSDyyP6a6SuBs9J348pzm18IN4dw7HU5KwMRsBTsTJynkoMntIzLl-FV-o6md6D8deKMMAY/s320/2024-03-15%20ERUPT.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />Here's my post on the <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/03/15/crosswords/wordle-review.html#commentsContainer" target="_blank">New York Time's Wordle Review comments</a> for yesterday.<p></p><div><div>Wordle 1000 4/6</div><div><br /></div><div>⬜⬜⬜⬜🟨 SHONE 496 WL</div><div>🟨🟩⬜⬜⬜ TRAIL 4 WL</div><div>🟩🟩⬜⬜🟩 ERECT 1 WL</div><div>🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 ERUPT </div><div><br /></div><div>WordleBot</div><div>Skill 99/99</div><div>Luck 44/99</div><div>Streak 751</div><div><br /></div><div>I was due for an ordinary result after my deuce yesterday — and it just happened to fall on 1K Day.</div><div><br /></div><div>Guess #1 showed me only the E (out of position, almost 500 solutions remaining) but Guess #2 was more helpful, providing T (out of position) and R (in position as Letter 2). My hunch was that today’s solution either started with ER— or ended with —ET. None of the —ET words struck my FANCY (not yet used a solution), so my favorites were ERECT & ERUPT. Feeling that erection should come before eruption, I played ERECT for Guess #3 — and (not surprisingly) lost that coin flip. But ERECT turned all the letters green. I tied The Bot with my four — but was bested by the (current) NYT avg (3.7 vs 4). Hope you're having a fantastic day. </div></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-size: large;">Take care and stay safe.</span></div> Jim Styrohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10671368781577441067noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5493931967911268192.post-86540477057653901222024-03-15T08:00:00.002-04:002024-03-18T10:56:53.833-04:00Ever SINCE I got back from vacation...<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWJX8RKFNaGUcIlQnDGWErxeda0CypaEDInyogr4abl7AJhh2R7dNWyvCV6zVVyenlxqR50GdqkDTAnJgQ3ED-xhKPNzLcaweheKPKTsRBAveK5gzdo8WPNDZTvImQnKtRXrnVglNToYLm4wjejCwF61zL5SuweMsPIFtKARlGGYOhypnX6JkYHt8ZmZM/s337/2024-03-14%20SINCE.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="136" data-original-width="337" height="129" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWJX8RKFNaGUcIlQnDGWErxeda0CypaEDInyogr4abl7AJhh2R7dNWyvCV6zVVyenlxqR50GdqkDTAnJgQ3ED-xhKPNzLcaweheKPKTsRBAveK5gzdo8WPNDZTvImQnKtRXrnVglNToYLm4wjejCwF61zL5SuweMsPIFtKARlGGYOhypnX6JkYHt8ZmZM/s320/2024-03-14%20SINCE.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />Here's my post on the <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/03/14/crosswords/wordle-review.html#commentsContainer" target="_blank">New York Time's Wordle Review comments</a> for yesterday.<p></p><div><div>Wordle 999 2/6</div><div><br /></div><div>🟩⬜⬜🟨🟩 7 WL</div><div>🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩</div><div><br /></div><div>WordleBot</div><div>Skill 87/99</div><div>Luck 93/99</div><div>Streak 750</div><div><br /></div><div>And to think — I almost wimped out and went for the guaranteed 3!</div><div><br /></div><div>Guess #1 shared the bounty of S & E (in position, as the first and last letters) and N (out of position, destined for either Letter 2 or 3). Based on my (nearly infallible) record-keeping from Game #983 (SENSE on 2/27/2024), I knew that only 7 solutions remained — and 3 of those were previously used. Instead of playing CRISP (for a "sure thing" 3), I threw caution to the winds and played SINCE. It was a happy sight to watch all the letters turn green. I’ve been Under Par 9 out of the last 10 days, beat The Bot again (2 vs 3), and bested the (current) NYT avg (2 vs. 3.7). It's the BIG 1K tomorrow.</div></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-size: large;">Take care and stay safe.</span></div> Jim Styrohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10671368781577441067noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5493931967911268192.post-41625828479930215342024-03-14T08:00:00.002-04:002024-03-18T10:57:14.233-04:00LOCAL Hero<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjODgUZ6Yt-CdRzM_lsLlmtxcQsquMdfIrLTI0P5CmLKIfIVF5Ts20zxaNCPMWjJzxQ_hXaLElEdgGDuEuOoPEWUqlMEdje0nOu-b_XS68ETj245I0zT0G7O0Lq2gv5z02kNivX-wbynUmU8CKljHTP37DU2RuZc86qS_9ulqdi7V-MBGxilmdHEo-OfGc/s340/2024-03-13%20LOCAL.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="206" data-original-width="340" height="194" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjODgUZ6Yt-CdRzM_lsLlmtxcQsquMdfIrLTI0P5CmLKIfIVF5Ts20zxaNCPMWjJzxQ_hXaLElEdgGDuEuOoPEWUqlMEdje0nOu-b_XS68ETj245I0zT0G7O0Lq2gv5z02kNivX-wbynUmU8CKljHTP37DU2RuZc86qS_9ulqdi7V-MBGxilmdHEo-OfGc/s320/2024-03-13%20LOCAL.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div>Here's my post on the <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/03/13/crosswords/wordle-review.html#commentsContainer" target="_blank">New York Time's Wordle Review comments</a> for yesterday.<p></p><div><div>Wordle 998 3/6</div><div><br /></div><div>⬜⬜🟨⬜⬜ 193 WL</div><div>⬜🟩🟨🟩⬜ 5 WL</div><div>🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩</div><div><br /></div><div>WordleBot</div><div>Skill 99/99</div><div>Luck 60/99</div><div>Streak 749</div><div><br /></div><div>My strong play continues since returning from vacation toward the end of last month — and the weather has been unusually warm (for the most part) as well. Let the good times roll, I say.</div><div><br /></div><div>Guess #1 provided only the O (out of position) and nearly 200 remaining solutions. But Guess #2 showed me that O was Letter 2 - and gave me two more letters, L (out of position) and A (in position, as Letter 4). My thorough Wordle record-keeping served me in good stead, as my play from Game #829 (LOYAL on 9/26/2023) showed that only 5 solutions remained — and 2 of those were previously used. I had even included a note to try LOCAL as Guess #3. Viewing myself as a credible source of information, I played LOCAL and watched all the letters turn green. I’ve been Under Par 8 out of the last 9 days, beat The Bot (3 vs 4), and bested the (current) NYT avg (3 vs. 4.0). Hope you're having a wonderful day. </div></div><div><br /></div><div>And you need to watch a great movie, check out <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VCFhg6Q6gXU" target="_blank">"Local Hero."</a></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-size: large;">Take care and stay safe.</span></div> Jim Styrohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10671368781577441067noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5493931967911268192.post-81107577058698424082024-03-09T10:30:00.002-05:002024-03-18T10:57:56.793-04:00(Humble) Bragging<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMhVFxfHLcy2Siov0tJ75sXcA90Kc7N3AvteMbHl5PgXX3YRbHe-6CZwGQ85y_gTenEIIk-QZNr9ydVTVGmUTZZwGJvRkKSRZ8Jwu61Vw29MtkHPEUkiqpKWAfdVw8M-qA-6ri_6ONcxs7DXQUS3MmPGtiumxiggZDsYSe-nL7C0z9d8kMlHzbh-VypQQ/s676/2024-03-08%20EARLY.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="408" data-original-width="676" height="193" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMhVFxfHLcy2Siov0tJ75sXcA90Kc7N3AvteMbHl5PgXX3YRbHe-6CZwGQ85y_gTenEIIk-QZNr9ydVTVGmUTZZwGJvRkKSRZ8Jwu61Vw29MtkHPEUkiqpKWAfdVw8M-qA-6ri_6ONcxs7DXQUS3MmPGtiumxiggZDsYSe-nL7C0z9d8kMlHzbh-VypQQ/s320/2024-03-08%20EARLY.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />Here's my post on the <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/03/08/crosswords/wordle-review.html#commentsContainer" target="_blank">New York Time's Wordle Review comments</a> for yesterday.<p></p><div><div>Wordle 993 3/6</div><div><br /></div><div>⬜⬜⬜⬜🟨 496 WL</div><div>⬜🟨🟨⬜🟨 10 (6) WL</div><div>🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩</div><div><br /></div><div>WordleBot</div><div>Skill 81/99</div><div>Luck 53/99</div><div>Streak 744</div><div><br /></div><div>Since returning home from Hawaii during the last week of February, my posting of feedback in the Wordle forum has been poor. I don’t know whether to attribute this lapse to being busier at work, attempting to get my sleep schedule back on-track (maybe DST will help beginning this weekend), a push to finish my annual goal of viewing all the Best Picture nominees prior to the Oscars (also this weekend — and only “Poor Things” remains. Tickets purchased for tomorrow) — or maybe I’m just lazy. I even neglected to humble-brag about reaching my milestone of two years without losing a game (Notice how I’ve cleverly worked the bragging in right here anyway. It happened on Feb. 24 — Game #980, PIPER — a day that will live in infamy, I suspect, based on the NYT avg of 5.2 in that game)! But enough stalling — let’s talk about today.</div><div><br /></div><div>Guess #1 provided only the E (out of position) and almost 500 remaining solutions. But Guess #2 gave me three more letters, R, A & L (all also out of position). My meticulous Wordle record-keeping (some might use the term “anal”) served me in good stead, however. My play from Game #816 (CLEAR on 9/13/2023) showed that only 6 solutions remained — and even included a note to try EARLY as Guess #3. Eager to follow my own previous advice, I played it and watched all the letters turn green. I was Under Par for a fourth straight day, tied The Bot, and bested the (current) NYT avg (3 vs. 3.6). </div></div><div><br /></div><div>Hope you're having a great day.</div><div><span style="font-size: large;">Take care and stay safe.</span></div><div><br /></div> Jim Styrohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10671368781577441067noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5493931967911268192.post-26372489715977912072024-02-29T08:00:00.013-05:002024-03-18T10:58:10.145-04:00The DEVIL made me do it<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAp5-lTPZMRVuon5om3vCt4U-HGAA8ia6etIaE5UpING1WGKFIt_7EeWxiJSkO9IpUW_-FUw2gxpEO3naSBvmSXtcZAT5IdoOr9Ic6lrb1ugwokNS994xWWVzg72OoYKmUv7RmwWKtKdxCnXX43lr1Hfm-l0rHUjMrjiag4xIhE5zYyk4Tfys6MbV36-I/s337/2024-02-28%20DEVIL.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="203" data-original-width="337" height="193" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAp5-lTPZMRVuon5om3vCt4U-HGAA8ia6etIaE5UpING1WGKFIt_7EeWxiJSkO9IpUW_-FUw2gxpEO3naSBvmSXtcZAT5IdoOr9Ic6lrb1ugwokNS994xWWVzg72OoYKmUv7RmwWKtKdxCnXX43lr1Hfm-l0rHUjMrjiag4xIhE5zYyk4Tfys6MbV36-I/s320/2024-02-28%20DEVIL.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div>Here's my post on the <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/02/28/crosswords/wordle-review.html#commentsContainer" target="_blank">New York Time's Wordle Review comments</a> for yesterday.</div><div><br /></div><div><div>Wordle 984 3/6</div><div><br /></div><div>⬜⬜⬜⬜🟨 496 WL</div><div>⬜⬜⬜🟩🟩 1 WL</div><div>🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩</div><div><br /></div><div>WordleBot</div><div>Skill 99/99</div><div>Luck 57/99</div><div>Streak 735</div><div><br /></div><div>Wordle players of a certain level of maturity (read: “old, like me”) may find themselves thinking about comedian <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O4A8CwAqI8M" target="_blank">Flip Wilson</a> for the first time in a while today.</div><div><br /></div><div>Guess #1 provided only the E (out of position) and almost 500 remaining solutions. But Guess #2 showed me that the word ended with —IL. I thought of PERIL first — but realized it couldn’t be the solution (since no R was present). But I was a lucky DEVIL, as it seemed only one possible solution remained for Guess #3 (<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jwtyn-L-2gQ" target="_blank">“Hope you guessed my name!”</a>). All the letters turned green and I was Under Par a fourth straight day. I tied The Bot and bested the (current) NYT avg by almost a full guess (3 vs. 3.9). </div></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-size: large;">Take care and stay safe.</span></div> Jim Styrohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10671368781577441067noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5493931967911268192.post-44920015348444058022024-02-28T08:00:00.013-05:002024-02-28T15:08:43.380-05:00Start Making SENSE<blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p style="text-align: left;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqZNHeWD5TrVVVY0QuOMvyU7Rv71vrEojT4CHEhxHY571a_T57dzZfRww46mSfxRTvYXrvsjS_ajA937AOWXM8_D1nna_-ydLEOCr0wAl1P6NRXX-yR_A8jHfmW1yIhxPmMS0iE8vEWR9FB7fCpqtjkkokq4Z_WURHGH6V_8b3NpBqBiNDFtSkH8I02LI/s338/2024-02-27%20SENSE.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="205" data-original-width="338" height="194" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqZNHeWD5TrVVVY0QuOMvyU7Rv71vrEojT4CHEhxHY571a_T57dzZfRww46mSfxRTvYXrvsjS_ajA937AOWXM8_D1nna_-ydLEOCr0wAl1P6NRXX-yR_A8jHfmW1yIhxPmMS0iE8vEWR9FB7fCpqtjkkokq4Z_WURHGH6V_8b3NpBqBiNDFtSkH8I02LI/s320/2024-02-27%20SENSE.jpg" width="320" /></a></p></blockquote></blockquote></blockquote><div>Here's my post on the <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/02/27/crosswords/wordle-review.html#commentsContainer" target="_blank">New York Time's Wordle Review comments</a> for yesterday.</div><div><div><br /></div><div>Wordle 983 3/6</div><div><br /></div><div>🟩⬜⬜🟨🟩 7 WL</div><div>🟩⬜🟩⬜🟩 1 WL</div><div><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9r7X3f2gFz4" target="_blank">🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩</a></div><div><br /></div><div>WordleBot</div><div>Skill 93/99</div><div>Luck 82/99</div><div>Streak 734</div><div><br /></div><div>A ten-day trip to Maui seems to have been good for my game — it was certainly beautiful and relaxing. I missed my routine of posting and reading the Wordle comments — but I had to get out of my normal routine in order to fully embrace the vacation. </div><div><br /></div><div>Guess #1 gave me a bunch of letters again today (S & E, in position, and N, out of position) — and only 7 solutions remaining. Of course, based on information from Game #952 (SNAKE on 1/27/2024), I knew only 5 solutions remained — which gave me confidence to play aggressively on Guess #2. SINCE wasn’t the solution — but it left only one possibility for Guess #3. I had the good SENSE to type it in and watched happily as the letters all turn green. I tied The Bot and bested the (current) NYT avg by more than a full guess (3 vs. 4.1). It’s my third straight day under par (6th, if you count my 4 on PIPER when the avg was 5.2). </div></div><div><br /></div><div>Hopefully, I can post some pictures from Hawaii soon.</div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-size: large;">Take care and stay safe.</span></div><div><br /></div><div>PS: Yesterday, the temperature broke 70° F here in southern Lower Michigan. Today, I saw snowflakes. If that's not "extreme weather," I don't know what would qualify.</div><p></p> Jim Styrohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10671368781577441067noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5493931967911268192.post-80506280409164593362024-02-10T08:00:00.002-05:002024-02-10T08:00:00.366-05:00Knock It STIFF<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCoFB4__a7qeA0aJYCFo3B6ojC7NtQsDiRkYuTbmfhiAIiTZ9a6nrXj4-ZORvmuE3rRvJWlh3DQSCEQ9_ssyQmk2DlIrQqF1zhKhOi2awq8LZyktRdu1gpSiAHfNxRAujILUcRtFjOGJ15lfd319Cw1zxmzDSI-t1jO0XMiSEsMfGcsULjNL77Z8ZaVag/s338/2024-02-09%20STIFF.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="204" data-original-width="338" height="193" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCoFB4__a7qeA0aJYCFo3B6ojC7NtQsDiRkYuTbmfhiAIiTZ9a6nrXj4-ZORvmuE3rRvJWlh3DQSCEQ9_ssyQmk2DlIrQqF1zhKhOi2awq8LZyktRdu1gpSiAHfNxRAujILUcRtFjOGJ15lfd319Cw1zxmzDSI-t1jO0XMiSEsMfGcsULjNL77Z8ZaVag/s320/2024-02-09%20STIFF.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div>Here's my post on the <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/02/09/crosswords/wordle-review.html#commentsContainer" target="_blank">New York Time's Wordle Review comments</a> for yesterday.<p></p><div><div>Wordle 965 3/6</div><div><br /></div><div>🟩⬜⬜⬜⬜ SHONE 107 WL</div><div>⬜⬜⬜🟨🟨 PLAIT 3 WL</div><div>🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 STIFF</div><div><br /></div><div>WordleBot</div><div>Skill 99/99</div><div>Luck 60/99</div><div>Streak 716</div><div><br /></div><div>It feels like “I learned my lesson well” — to quote <a href="https://youtu.be/OukwGBpnuXE?si=iU85M-7Z1yos4K5J" target="_blank">Rick Nelson</a> — which got my day off to a good start and my Wordling back on-track.</div><div><br /></div><div>Guess #1 gave me only a Green S (107 solutions remaining) — but Guess #2 again gave me enough info to get within striking distance of the solution (I & T - both out of position). STICK was the first word that came into my mind — but it had been a previous solution. STIFF seemed like a viable alternative — but SIXTY was also a possibility. I didn’t find out until finishing play that these were the *only* three solutions remaining.</div><div><br /></div><div>Remembering that I had gotten into trouble yesterday by overthinking things, I decided to remain firm and stick with STIFF. Which paid off big time, as I watched the letters all turn green. I *crushed* The Bot (3 vs 5 — almost avenging yesterday’s ignominy) and bested the (current) NYT avg by more than a full guess (3 vs. 4.3). It’s a nice way to head into the weekend. </div></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-size: large;">Take care and stay safe.</span></div> Jim Styrohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10671368781577441067noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5493931967911268192.post-72999561239715687072024-02-09T11:00:00.004-05:002024-02-09T23:24:48.876-05:00"Do you know how non-PLACE he was?"<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgynzTq5myAayaVshk99SxUY83ehkIfAhvKeTnvHlDlcsFcLPs5f0MhAl5w4sfoBoltGsBHcK-WjzxzTDDVunCXasiLZyUym_Afa45zh9qaZkyT2sd_CIiGdjcHY8ZQoKsDJGxf2TAPqz4pJ1-PtW_kKR9Azlynf9P04ZeeYiEafuopk-kdOhVrsZ5pwMI/s342/2024-02-08%20PLACE.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="339" data-original-width="342" height="317" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgynzTq5myAayaVshk99SxUY83ehkIfAhvKeTnvHlDlcsFcLPs5f0MhAl5w4sfoBoltGsBHcK-WjzxzTDDVunCXasiLZyUym_Afa45zh9qaZkyT2sd_CIiGdjcHY8ZQoKsDJGxf2TAPqz4pJ1-PtW_kKR9Azlynf9P04ZeeYiEafuopk-kdOhVrsZ5pwMI/s320/2024-02-08%20PLACE.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />Here's my post on the <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/02/08/crosswords/wordle-review.html#commentsContainer" target="_blank">New York Time's Wordle Review comments</a> for yesterday.<p></p><div><div>Wordle 964 5/6</div><div><br /></div><div>⬜⬜⬜⬜🟩 SHONE 193 WL</div><div>⬜⬜🟩⬜🟨 TRAIL 11 WL</div><div>⬜🟨⬜⬜⬜ DEBUG 4 WL</div><div>⬜🟩🟩⬜🟩 FLAME 2 WL</div><div>🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 PLACE</div><div><br /></div><div>WordleBot</div><div>Skill 96/99</div><div>Luck 35/99</div><div>Streak 715</div><div><br /></div><div>I don’t believe I’m suffering from <a href="https://youtu.be/9nnGtB-PSw4?si=L2QhMGOTdpF5BGQs" target="_blank">manic depression</a> — just expectations which have gotten out of control. The Bot advised that “No one in our sample of 1,738,870 completed Wordles faced this scenario!” — and I should hope not. I didn’t want to face it either. </div><div><br /></div><div>Guess #1 gave me only a Green E (193 solutions remaining) — but Guess #2 gave me enough info to get within striking distance of the solution (A - in position & L - out of position). In fact, PLACE was the first word that came into my mind — but playing too hastily got me into trouble earlier in the week. So I decided to get into trouble by overthinking things today instead. </div><div><br /></div><div>I knew from Game #873 (GLAZE on 11/9/2023) that about 10 solutions remained after my second guess (OK, probably only 7 adjusting for previous & unlikely solutions) — I thought I should probably play it safe on Guess #3 and try to position myself for a “sure thing” in 4. But DEBUG didn’t match any letters I didn’t already know about — and didn’t eliminate nearly enough words. Now I was playing defensively, since solving in 4 wasn’t a sure thing — and a very big number seemed more likely. So, instead of taking a risk, going with my gut, and playing PLACE — I used FLAME for Guess #4. It didn’t solve — but I had finally weaseled my way to the right PLACE. (The Bot claimed CLAVE was another possible solution but…give me a break! CLAVE? I don’t *think* so.)</div><div><br /></div><div>I lost to The Bot (5 vs 2 — hoo boy!) and the (current) NYT avg (5 vs. 3.3). I think I even lost my self respect (OK, that’s a little dramatic, I know). Tomorrow is another day and all that. </div></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-size: large;">Take care and stay safe.</span></div> Jim Styrohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10671368781577441067noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5493931967911268192.post-76989061717211683172024-02-08T08:00:00.002-05:002024-02-08T08:00:00.245-05:00The Day AFTER<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivg-MDkzIdkHwyme_cJP18DWH6eU84ehOozWBHC1YIbxaSRyfKiGuN-n9MXHnVaVitIU614iTB2LQw7WEXYv697_TCROhxXrNiyy5P7P5E-b5sqqWBWkFo4Xat08FIqWFL9xKgwSyRgXGodncAM9UUwPTf72lJAspcU6FimRRnWDRaBICAkOUa30_JRNU/s339/2024-02-07%20AFTER.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="202" data-original-width="339" height="191" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivg-MDkzIdkHwyme_cJP18DWH6eU84ehOozWBHC1YIbxaSRyfKiGuN-n9MXHnVaVitIU614iTB2LQw7WEXYv697_TCROhxXrNiyy5P7P5E-b5sqqWBWkFo4Xat08FIqWFL9xKgwSyRgXGodncAM9UUwPTf72lJAspcU6FimRRnWDRaBICAkOUa30_JRNU/s320/2024-02-07%20AFTER.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />Here's my post on the <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/02/07/crosswords/wordle-review.html#commentsContainer" target="_blank">New York Time's Wordle Review comments</a> for yesterday.<p></p><div><div>Wordle 963 3/6</div><div><br /></div><div>⬜⬜⬜⬜🟨 SHONE 496 WL</div><div>🟨🟨🟨⬜⬜ TRAIL 11 WL</div><div>🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 AFTER</div><div><br /></div><div>WordleBot</div><div>Skill 90/99</div><div>Luck 56/99</div><div>Streak 714</div><div><br /></div><div>Under Par on back-to-back days — I’m starting to feel good about myself again.</div><div><br /></div><div>Guess #1 gave me only a Yellow E (496 solutions remaining) — but Guess #2 hit the jackpot, providing T, R & A (all out of position). So, I had 4 of 5 letters — but didn’t know the location of any — just places where they *didn’t* belong. Not to mention (although I’m about to), there’s a TON of words you can make with E, T, R & A! Once I had cross referenced with previous solutions and eliminated letters, I felt my best options were: AFTER, EATER & WATER. Since I wasn’t at all sure those three words were the *only* solutions left, I didn’t consider playing “defensively” (for example: WATER would ensure a solution in 4 among those 3 words). I felt good about AFTER — and I felt even better AFTER I played it. I tied The Bot but bested the (current) NYT avg handily (3 vs. 3.8). </div><div><br /></div><div>Hopefully I can go “3 for Three” tomorrow. </div></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-size: large;">Take care and stay safe.</span></div> Jim Styrohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10671368781577441067noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5493931967911268192.post-89156219959791117802024-02-07T13:00:00.002-05:002024-02-07T16:46:03.705-05:00Which Is WHICH<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsdUXCbnI2F87Gzpxt1a3vSOzBu3C9x3us12VIn2cQ2bT0WTL7MXfEoqlRYsU27goWP1GUDD82ifGxByZ-j1XRiqbpsVI24Rt7pLy5RE2WsmqwZaiCZc5zbqcxd1JIhp4ecXXYoYTJORhcKEdXuy384Nh0nFW1-fjoSUOtSX3VCx-fa9_fq-A8RnqFS3I/s676/2024-02-06%20WHICH.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="408" data-original-width="676" height="193" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsdUXCbnI2F87Gzpxt1a3vSOzBu3C9x3us12VIn2cQ2bT0WTL7MXfEoqlRYsU27goWP1GUDD82ifGxByZ-j1XRiqbpsVI24Rt7pLy5RE2WsmqwZaiCZc5zbqcxd1JIhp4ecXXYoYTJORhcKEdXuy384Nh0nFW1-fjoSUOtSX3VCx-fa9_fq-A8RnqFS3I/s320/2024-02-06%20WHICH.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />Here's my post on the <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/02/06/crosswords/wordle-review.html#commentsContainer" target="_blank">New York Time's Wordle Review comments</a> for yesterday.<p></p><div><div>Wordle 962 3/6</div><div><br /></div><div>⬜🟩⬜⬜⬜ SHONE 31 WL</div><div>⬜⬜🟩🟩⬜ TRICK 1 WL</div><div>🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 WHICH</div><div><br /></div><div>WordleBot</div><div>Skill 99/99</div><div>Luck 77/99</div><div>Streak 713</div><div><br /></div><div>Back under par with a Sea of Green this morning. Why, yes — I *am* feeling better about myself today.</div><div><br /></div><div>Based on the info from my play during Game #667 (WHIFF on 4/17/2023), I knew there were approximately 30 solutions remaining after Guess #1. When Guess #2 provided I & C as Letters 3 & 4, respectively — I focused on three -HIC- words: CHICK (can’t be that — K eliminated), THICK (can’t be that either — same reason) and WHICH (it’s gotta be *that*, right?). Due to yesterday’s mental collapse, I checked my work multiple times before submitting — then watched with relief as all the letters turned GREEN. I tied The Bot (figures) but bested the (current) NYT avg (3 vs. 3.9). </div><div><br /></div><div>With a little luck, I can start a new Under Par streak tomorrow. Hope you're having a good day.</div></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-size: large;">Take care and stay safe.</span></div> Jim Styrohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10671368781577441067noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5493931967911268192.post-81096621138268270062024-02-06T08:00:00.012-05:002024-02-06T08:00:00.243-05:00Finding Myself REPEL-lent<p style="text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlA9oMd8RN_EdZ-oifTWzcPLxay5pkHd0e80zQWggjKxuz7if09zizth2BDOKtrQq-IytE8rm-_AaNkDXt4UyA8h_naIeZGSzjotrFehpnqdrk7tE5_p1IPjbiSCqyQ8E2Y62k1p4DqeCtEyghCqSctoG_uPnKJ_CJmZKLUchcDNww4VwBGGsycnQL3n4/s338/2024-02-05%20REPEL.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="338" data-original-width="338" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlA9oMd8RN_EdZ-oifTWzcPLxay5pkHd0e80zQWggjKxuz7if09zizth2BDOKtrQq-IytE8rm-_AaNkDXt4UyA8h_naIeZGSzjotrFehpnqdrk7tE5_p1IPjbiSCqyQ8E2Y62k1p4DqeCtEyghCqSctoG_uPnKJ_CJmZKLUchcDNww4VwBGGsycnQL3n4/s320/2024-02-05%20REPEL.jpg" width="320" /></a></p><p>I just *hate* making an unforced error. It's particularly dissappointing when the unforced error occurs only moments after determining the right thing to do -- but then NOT doing it.</p><p>To elaborate on this feeling of self-loathing, here's my post on the <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/02/05/crosswords/wordle-review.html#commentsContainer" target="_blank">New York Time's Wordle Review comments</a> for yesterday.</p><div><div>Wordle 961 5/6</div><div><br /></div><div>⬜⬜⬜⬜🟨 SHONE 496 WL</div><div>⬜🟨⬜⬜🟩 TRAIL 4 WL</div><div>🟩🟩⬜🟩🟩 REBEL 2 WL</div><div>🟩🟩⬜🟩🟩 REVEL 1 WL</div><div>🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 REPEL</div><div><br /></div><div>WordleBot</div><div>Skill 99/99</div><div>Luck 38/99</div><div>Streak 712</div><div><br /></div><div>Unforced errors are difficult for me to take. But STUPID mistakes — where you KNOW the right thing to do — but don’t do it? I’m REPEL-led by them.</div><div><br /></div><div>After Guess #1 & #2 today, I was quite certain that 3 possible solutions remained. “How could I be so sure?” you ask. Because Game #629 (on 3/10/2023 — where REVEL was the solution) told me so. I consulted my list of PU words just to be sure — because my brain had seized on the idea that Wordle might be tricky and pick solutions with a V two days in a row. Nope — REBEL & REPEL were left. If I got lucky, I could solve in 3 or settle for a par, at the worst. So I played REBEL for Guess #3, exactly like The Bot. But then…I didn’t do what I *knew* I had to do. I didn’t play REBEL, like I was supposed to. The man with the V’s in his bonnet played REVEL — just like The Bot (which keeps itself blissfully ignorant of previous solutions)! I was so disappointed in myself. I tied The Bot (adding insult to injury somehow) but was roundly defeated (as I deserved to be) by the (current) NYT avg (5 vs. 4.3). </div><div><br /></div><div>The journey to restore my self-image will already be underway, by the time you read this. Hope your week started better than mine. </div></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-size: large;">Take care and stay safe.</span></div> Jim Styrohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10671368781577441067noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5493931967911268192.post-44181962315297746222024-02-05T08:00:00.004-05:002024-02-05T08:00:00.236-05:00On The VERGE<div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbTbpX_WDAlG3I32rRzcLvaGggQyrkXsdkT8_XKKmf_WqAOfv6_bbWD6Z17rJBFegK7su5KlmoBQPgjxf-hK7yjBbo1zLi6__6ns7EC_PJfXJzKQ-gfWA8M55xoxhlbCi8WTcUiQGgmsoVo5eB4Vpgk9WitkAfyuKw0Z1MIcINY2-YT_F4uSYZm4oEf9s/s340/2024-02-04%20VERGE.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="276" data-original-width="340" height="260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbTbpX_WDAlG3I32rRzcLvaGggQyrkXsdkT8_XKKmf_WqAOfv6_bbWD6Z17rJBFegK7su5KlmoBQPgjxf-hK7yjBbo1zLi6__6ns7EC_PJfXJzKQ-gfWA8M55xoxhlbCi8WTcUiQGgmsoVo5eB4Vpgk9WitkAfyuKw0Z1MIcINY2-YT_F4uSYZm4oEf9s/s320/2024-02-04%20VERGE.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div>Here's my post on the <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/02/04/crosswords/wordle-review.html#commentsContainer" target="_blank">New York Time's Wordle Review comments</a> for yesterday.</div><div><br /></div><div><div>Wordle 960 4/6</div><div><br /></div><div>⬜⬜⬜⬜🟩 SHONE 193 WL</div><div>⬜🟨⬜⬜⬜ TRAIL 8 WL</div><div>⬜🟩🟩🟩🟩 MERGE 1 WL</div><div>🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 VERGE</div><div><br /></div><div>WordleBot</div><div>Skill 99/99</div><div>Luck 41/99</div><div>Streak 711</div><div><br /></div><div>Oh, so we’re back to the old “Guess #1 matches the E & Guess #2 gives you a single Yellow letter” deal, is that it? </div><div><br /></div><div>Today, Guess #1 was E as Letter 5 and Guess #2 was R someplace else. But detailed record-keeping provided guidance from Game #795 (VERVE on 8/23/2023), so I knew The Bot’s favorite in that scenario was MERGE (which had *not* been a previous solution) and I used it for Guess #3. It wasn’t the solution — but I could see that I was on the VERGE of victory. I changed an M to a V and watched all the letters turn green. I tied The Bot but bested to the (current) NYT avg (4 vs. 4.8). </div><div><br /></div><div>Saw “The Zone Of Interest” in my quest to see all the Best Picture nominees again this year, before the Oscar telecast. A disturbing film (as it should be, given the subject matter) but very well-done. </div></div><div><br /></div><div>And Rie (aka The Girl aka My Daughter -- remembering to blog in code takes a lot of effort) went with me to church yesterday morning! So I call that a good day.</div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-size: large;">Take care and stay safe.</span></div> Jim Styrohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10671368781577441067noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5493931967911268192.post-46860975264100006372024-02-04T22:30:00.000-05:002024-02-04T22:38:23.568-05:00Tiny Victories<p style="text-align: left;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7rIxSE4XUZYfD4UhvXb0s1phtI5JI-Z1toNDq4ZmwV76f5OezEASCTRdOZU14C80lZpfDQiZCbrxbszmHlkEhfQila_MImBuVGvpy9495UE0TooppknB8EitfPZIaDEoV70qxURwk_NNiM0-I-FekM83GkabGbQrX4QW2wnDzWuLHTipdi9kAeG66CE4/s680/2024-02-03%20MICRO.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="413" data-original-width="680" height="194" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7rIxSE4XUZYfD4UhvXb0s1phtI5JI-Z1toNDq4ZmwV76f5OezEASCTRdOZU14C80lZpfDQiZCbrxbszmHlkEhfQila_MImBuVGvpy9495UE0TooppknB8EitfPZIaDEoV70qxURwk_NNiM0-I-FekM83GkabGbQrX4QW2wnDzWuLHTipdi9kAeG66CE4/s320/2024-02-03%20MICRO.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />Here's my post on the <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/02/03/crosswords/wordle-review.html#commentsContainer" target="_blank">New York Time's Wordle Review comments</a> for yesterday.<p></p><div style="text-align: left;">Wordle 959 3/6</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />⬜⬜🟨⬜⬜ SHONE 193 WL<br />🟩🟨⬜⬜🟨 MOLAR 1 WL<br />🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 MICRO</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />WordleBot<br />Skill 99/99<br />Luck 64/99<br />Streak 710</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />Some days things fall into place quickly. Today, Guess #1 yielded only the O (out of position) which The Bot (again) described as “unlucky”. Guess #2 provided M (in position) & R (out of position) — and O didn’t match as Letter 2 either. Since had go in as Letter 4 or 5, I thought I’d look for a word with the pattern, M—RO. MICRO was the first thing that came to mind (and, I found out later, the only remaining solution), so I quickly played it and watched all the letters turn green. I tied The Bot but bested to the (current) NYT avg (3 vs. 3.9). Weekend going well so far.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;">Take care and stay safe.</span></div> Jim Styrohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10671368781577441067noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5493931967911268192.post-30272245293123561992024-02-03T08:00:00.001-05:002024-02-03T08:00:00.128-05:00Low On Luck<p style="text-align: left;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOyRENFbtwUn7GogywonGYDzA4EWKOeSghUmpyRot688aZsD7w1LOZYOGcme6uDaM5ZOI59B4lLq3dmSi-t3cfxU_RQqummIgxcmGJcoMixHc-qafVpNL0hI-upPC4qCaloV0Y7MjSm8bgcAmUN1THdPIbfjolO6z43yDZ9VBdgeI4zu7D2uWp5-pOF7k/s338/2024-02-02%20CLEFT.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="276" data-original-width="338" height="261" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOyRENFbtwUn7GogywonGYDzA4EWKOeSghUmpyRot688aZsD7w1LOZYOGcme6uDaM5ZOI59B4lLq3dmSi-t3cfxU_RQqummIgxcmGJcoMixHc-qafVpNL0hI-upPC4qCaloV0Y7MjSm8bgcAmUN1THdPIbfjolO6z43yDZ9VBdgeI4zu7D2uWp5-pOF7k/s320/2024-02-02%20CLEFT.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />Here's my post on the <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/02/02/crosswords/wordle-review.html#commentsContainer" target="_blank">New York Time's Wordle Review comments</a> for yesterday.<p></p><div style="text-align: left;">Wordle 958 4/6</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />⬜⬜⬜⬜🟨 SHONE 496 WL<br />🟨⬜⬜⬜🟨 TRAIL 9 WL<br />🟨🟩🟩⬜🟩 FLEET 1 WL<br />🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 CLEFT</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />WordleBot<br />Skill 99/99<br />Luck 41/99<br />Streak 709</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />Don’t let anyone tell you it’s not better to be LUCKY than SKILLful in this game. Since Sunday, I’ve had 90+ SKILL scores every day — but I’ve only been under par the one day (yesterday) that my LUCK score exceeded 50.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />Guess #1 yielded only the E (out of position) which The Bot described as “unlucky”. Guess #2 provided T & L (both out of position), which theoretically left 9 possible solutions. Based on out-of-control record keeping, however, I knew from my play in Game #666 (DWELT on 4/16/2023) that only 5 solutions remained and The Bot’s favorite word in that scenario was FLEET, which had not previously been a solution — so I played it for Guess #3. It wasn’t today’s solution either, but it did confirm that LE & T were in their proper places — and F had to be Letter 4. It was a bit anticlimactic to play CLEFT — but I did it anyway, so I could watch all the letters turn green. I tied The Bot but fell to the (current) NYT avg (4 vs. 3.6) — which seemed to me an unusual circumstance that I will need to research further. Just glad the work week is coming to an end. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">And, since I missed posting both here and in the NYT comments on Thursday, I'm including my results from that game below.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div>Wordle 957 3/6</div><div><br /></div><div>⬜⬜⬜⬜🟩 SHONE 193 WL</div><div>⬜⬜🟨🟨🟨 TRAIL 3 (1) WL</div><div>🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 ALIVE</div><div><br /></div><div>WordleBot</div><div>Skill 99/99</div><div>Luck 61/99</div><div>NYT avg = 3.6</div><div><br /></div><div>Better finish this up so I don't miss a second day of posting. I have standards to uphold after all.</div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-size: large;">Take care and stay safe.</span></div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div> Jim Styrohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10671368781577441067noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5493931967911268192.post-9888059971089745432024-02-01T08:00:00.004-05:002024-02-01T08:00:00.139-05:00Guesses In BULK(Y)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn7seKsw6GNVR452aioB5w5WoEJeKwM1cF5H2fEAGhrh_8BOVeQeUh0YLQ8sqyHG2V-TQYk8DJprAbbAQqdSKa4N3SQ7vhDwwBCcKVSjEbXNouAQBEi6_ltWlCCTsjV-HLoagKhxdQXlQ5vhhn16hlu-hYTP1aZIKFV4zC04P2-OdFje1ZutkI9onSJaM/s348/2024-01-31%20BULKY.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="342" data-original-width="348" height="314" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn7seKsw6GNVR452aioB5w5WoEJeKwM1cF5H2fEAGhrh_8BOVeQeUh0YLQ8sqyHG2V-TQYk8DJprAbbAQqdSKa4N3SQ7vhDwwBCcKVSjEbXNouAQBEi6_ltWlCCTsjV-HLoagKhxdQXlQ5vhhn16hlu-hYTP1aZIKFV4zC04P2-OdFje1ZutkI9onSJaM/s320/2024-01-31%20BULKY.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div>Here's my post on the <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/01/31/crosswords/wordle-review.html#commentsContainer" target="_blank">New York Time's Wordle Review comments</a> for yesterday.</div><div><div>Wordle 956 5/6</div><div><br /></div><div>⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜ SHONE 376 WL</div><div>⬜⬜⬜⬜🟨 TRAIL 18 WL</div><div>🟨🟩⬜⬜🟩 LUMPY 6 WL</div><div>⬜🟩🟩⬜🟩 FULLY 2 WL</div><div>🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 BULKY</div><div><br /></div><div>WordleBot</div><div>Skill 93/99</div><div>Luck 31/99</div><div>Streak 707</div><div><br /></div><div>I *hate* using a word for Guess #3 (or later) that I *know* can’t be the solution. Some days — like today — that strategy is going to result in a big number. Or (gulp) losing a game. But for the 4th day in a row, it’s “Another day, another 4+ NYT Wordle average.” </div><div><br /></div><div>Guess #1 yielded nothing but gray squares this morning and Guess #2 provided only the L (out of position). My super-nerdy record keeping provided guidance from Game #812 (LUCKY on 9/9/2023) that 18 solutions remained and The Bot’s favorite word in that scenario was PUBIC. Now don’t get me wrong — I love me some PUBIC — but I did mention earlier my aversion to playing purely strategically for Guess #3 and higher. My first thought was the previously used LUCKY — so I went with LUMPY instead. The good news? I now had U & Y identified and in position. The bad news? It looked to me like I was looking for a word ending —ULLY, with multiple opening letter possibilities (BULLY, DULLY, FULLY, GULLY) and not enough guesses left. </div><div><br /></div><div>I decided to use FULLY for Guess #4 — which showed me that I *hadn’t* fallen into the —ULLY trap. But I still hadn’t found the solution. Thankfully, BULKY seemed to be the only viable word remaining (BULGY? I don’t *think* so…) — so I typed it in and watched all the letters turn green. I lost to both The Bot (5 vs 4 — Bottie went with BULLY for Guess #3. Pretty LUCKY, in my opinion) and the (current) NYT avg (5 vs. 4.3). A bit humbling — but that’s not all bad. Tomorrow is another opportunity to go “under par.” </div></div><div><br /></div><div>We received a good bit of snow here yesterday morning -- but high temps are supposed to reach the low 40s for the coming week. So it's not clear how long yesterday's white stuff will remain with us.</div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-size: large;">Take care and stay safe.</span></div> Jim Styrohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10671368781577441067noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5493931967911268192.post-31503105011107508022024-01-31T12:00:00.001-05:002024-01-31T12:11:09.638-05:00EXPEL-ledHere's my post on the <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/01/30/crosswords/wordle-review.html#commentsContainer" target="_blank">New York Time's Wordle Review comments</a> for yesterday.<div><br /></div><div><div>Wordle 955 4/6</div><div><br /></div><div>⬜⬜⬜⬜🟨 SHONE 496 WL</div><div>⬜⬜⬜⬜🟩 TRAIL 10 WL</div><div>⬜🟨⬜🟩🟩 LEVEL 2 WL</div><div>🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 EXPEL</div><div><br /></div><div>WordleBot</div><div>Skill 99/99</div><div>Luck 40/99</div><div>Streak 706</div><div><br /></div><div>Another day, another 4+ NYT Wordle average. January is “going out like a lion.” (It hurt me a little to use that phrase, I admit it.)</div><div><br /></div><div>Guess #1 yielded only E (out of position) AGAIN, for the third day in a row. Guess #2 provided only the L (in position this time -- yesterday, it was out of position). My out-of-control record keeping provided guidance from Game #810 (DWELL on 9/7/2023) that only 10 solutions remained (actually, only 6 — adjusting for previous & unlikely solutions). I went with LEVEL to give myself a shot at 3 and ensure a par, at worst. </div><div><br /></div><div>Side note: Some folks on the NYT Wordle forum have suggested that a “par” shouldn’t always be 4, birdie always 3, etc. But adjusting par based on the overall player average every day, is probably more effort than anyone is willing to devote to the matter. Even me. </div><div><br /></div><div>Guess #3 showed me the solution included two Es and ended with —EL. So, I EXPEL-led the solution and watched all the letters turn green. I tied The Bot and bested the (current) NYT avg (4 vs. 4.7). I just hope this run of “tough pars” doesn’t jeopardize the efforts I took to get my 3-Guess solutions to exceed my 4-Guess solutions (all-time stats). </div><div><br /></div><div>On Tuesday, I was (and still am) healing up from a dental procedure Monday evening. I will be making quite a few more trips to the dentist over the next month+ to complete the "installation" of an implant for my new front tooth (#8 -- for you dental aficionados out there).</div></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-size: large;">Take care and stay safe.</span></div> Jim Styrohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10671368781577441067noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5493931967911268192.post-67844714139911857272024-01-30T11:30:00.002-05:002024-01-31T11:44:31.152-05:00Catching Up / A "Leg Man"Had a busy weekend with my Dad visting from Dayton, Ohio. Between that and a bittersweet result in the NFC Championship game in San Fransciso, I failed to post comments on my Wordle play over the weekend.<div><br /></div><div>Here's my post on the <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/01/29/crosswords/wordle-review.html#commentsContainer" target="_blank">New York Time's Wordle Review comments</a> for Monday, Jan. 29.<div><br /></div><div><div>Wordle 954 4/6</div><div><br /></div><div>⬜⬜⬜⬜🟨 SHONE 496 WL</div><div>⬜⬜⬜⬜🟨 TRAIL 12 WL</div><div>🟨🟨⬜🟩🟩 ELEGY 1 WL</div><div>🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 LEGGY</div><div><br /></div><div>WordleBot</div><div>Skill 95/99</div><div>Luck 46/99</div><div>Streak 705</div><div><br /></div><div>I’d be feeling worse about having back-to-back pars, if NYT averages the past couple days hadn’t been above 4. Or, as my my bride put it this morning, “Wordle was rather difficult.”</div><div><br /></div><div>Guess #1 yielded only E (out of position) for the second day in a row. Guess #2 provided only the L (also out of position - yesterday, it was only R). Overzealous record keeping provided guidance from Game #742 (BLEEP on 7/1/2023) that only 12 solutions remained (actually, only 5 — adjusting for previous & unlikely solutions). I liked ELEGY best and thought it would likely ensure a par, at worst. Guess #3 showed me I still didn’t have E & L in the right place — but that the word ended with—GY. So, I guess it was a good day to be a “Leg Man”. I lost to The Bot (4 vs 3) but bested the (current) NYT avg (4 vs. 4.4). This continued the mixed emotions following last night’s NFC Championship game, where the Detroit Lions fell to the 49ers, ending their unexpectedly strong playoff run. </div></div><div><br /></div><div>And, for the sake of completeness, I will also include my Wordle results for the previous days:</div><div><br /></div><div><div>Wordle 952 3/6</div><div><br /></div><div>🟩⬜⬜🟨🟩 SHONE 7 WL</div><div>🟩🟨⬜🟨⬜ SKIED 1 WL</div><div>🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 SNAKE</div><div><br /></div><div>WordleBot</div><div>Skill 88/99</div><div>Luck 86/99</div><div><br /></div><div>NYT avg = 3.7 </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Wordle 953 4/6</div><div><br /></div><div>⬜⬜⬜⬜🟨 SHONE 496 WL</div><div>⬜🟨⬜⬜⬜ TRAIL 36 WL</div><div>⬜⬜🟩🟩⬜ CUBED 1 WL</div><div>🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 EMBER</div><div><br /></div><div>WordleBot</div><div>Skill 99/99</div><div>Luck 32/99</div><div><br /></div><div>NYT avg = 4.7</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div></div><div>So now you're *WAY* more well-informed than you ever wanted to be about my Wordle play. Although, if you *not* interested in that, I'm surprised you've stuck around long enough to read this sentence.</div></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-size: large;">Take care and stay safe.</span></div> Jim Styrohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10671368781577441067noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5493931967911268192.post-88038947393781000252024-01-27T08:00:00.006-05:002024-01-27T08:00:00.131-05:00Double OsHere's my post on the <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/01/26/crosswords/wordle-review.html#commentsContainer" target="_blank">New York Time's Wordle Review comments</a> for yesterday.<div><br /></div><div><div>Wordle 951 3/6</div><div><br /></div><div>⬜⬜🟩⬜⬜ SHONE 91 WL</div><div>🟨⬜🟨⬜⬜ FRAUD 3 WL</div><div>🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 ALOOF</div><div><br /></div><div>WordleBot</div><div>Skill 99/99</div><div>Luck 62/99</div><div>Streak 702</div><div><br /></div><div>My Double O fixation may have failed me yesterday — but it came in handy today. In fact, it got me back “Under Par.” *WAY* under par.</div><div><br /></div><div>Guess #1 yielded only O (in position) again today. But Guess #2 provided F & A (both out of position). I thought about words starting AFO— (AFOOT didn’t excite me) but a different double O word was more appealing. Maybe I just like women who “play hard to get.” I went with ALOOF for Guess #3 — and was glad I did, because it turned all the letters green. I bested both The Bot (by two guesses, 3 vs 5!) and the (current) NYT avg (3 vs. 4.1). </div></div><div><br /></div><div>Hope you're having a great weekend.</div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-size: large;">Take care and stay safe.</span></div> Jim Styrohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10671368781577441067noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5493931967911268192.post-51181920342403520002024-01-26T11:00:00.001-05:002024-01-26T11:17:11.006-05:00BLOCKed<p style="text-align: left;">Here's my post on the <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/01/25/crosswords/wordle-review.html#commentsContainer" target="_blank">New York Time's Wordle Review comments</a> for yesterday.</p><div style="text-align: left;">Wordle 950 4/6</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />⬜⬜🟩⬜⬜ SHONE 91 WL<br />⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜ FRAUD 16 WL<br />⬜⬜🟩🟨⬜ WOOLY 3 WL<br />🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 BLOCK</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />WordleBot<br />Skill 87/99<br />Luck 50/99<br />Streak 701</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />Mercifully, I was spared ending my “Under Par” streak (at 7 games) until I had reached my 700 consecutive win milestone. It was somehow easier to handle playing a mediocre game once I had reached my long-sought goal.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />Guess #1 yielded only O (in position) — and Guess #2 came up completely empty. I had a strong suspicion that today’s solution could be a double O word — and WOOLY got stuck in my head. I had doubts that it would be the solution, but I couldn’t think of anything quickly that I liked better. After Guess #3, I also had the L out of position — and started to consider words ending —OCK. My first thought was BLOCK (which had not been a previous solution) and I went with it, pleasantly surprised when all the letters turned green. I lost to both The Bot and the (current) NYT avg (4 vs. 3.8). Tomorrow morning offers another opportunity to start a new “Under Par” streak. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">My Dad arrived in town yesterday evening for a brief visit and is spending the day seeing friends and family in Flint, MI today. Hopefully, my kids will be able to join us for dinner tonight or tomorrow. Hope everyone has a great weekend.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;">Take care and stay safe.</span></div> Jim Styrohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10671368781577441067noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5493931967911268192.post-84433693281835676442024-01-25T08:00:00.009-05:002024-01-25T08:00:00.137-05:00700<p style="text-align: left;">I did it!</p><p style="text-align: left;">Here's my post on the <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/01/24/crosswords/wordle-review.html#commentsContainer" target="_blank">New York Time's Wordle Review comments</a> for yesterday.</p><div style="text-align: left;">Wordle 949 3/6</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />⬜⬜⬜⬜🟨 SHONE 496 WL<br />⬜🟨⬜🟩🟨 TRAIL 1 WL<br />🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 RELIC</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />WordleBot<br />Skill 99/99<br />Luck 57/99<br />Streak 700</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />A RELIC is an item from the (ancient) past, unsuitable to the present-day. Sometimes, that seems like an apt description of me. But this morning, I cast off all negative thinking to embrace having achieved the milestone of 700 consecutive wins! </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />It seems so appropriate that today’s win involved my all-time favorite opening combination of SHONE & TRAIL. Guess #1 yielded only E (out of position) — but Guess #2 hit the jackpot again today, matching R & L (out of position) as well as I (in position as Letter 4). I had 4 of the 5 letters I needed after 2 guesses — and one was in the right spot. There was only one solution remaining, although I didn’t know that at the time. My first thought was that E would probably be Letter 2. Then I focused on what could follow I as the last letter. RELIC was the first word that came to me — and it hadn’t been a previous solution. I submitted it as Guess #3 and watched all the letters go green for the 700th straight day. It never gets old!</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />I tied The Bot and bested the (current) NYT avg (3 vs. 3.7). The Magic Number to reach 800 consecutive wins is 100 — but I’m not looking that far ahead. My current “Under Par” streak is 7 games, so let’s see how far I can take it this time. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Hope you have a great day.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;">Take care and stay safe.</span></div> Jim Styrohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10671368781577441067noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5493931967911268192.post-34365977236436919372024-01-24T08:00:00.065-05:002024-01-24T08:00:00.128-05:00STILL Making A Plan for the 2024 OscarsHere's my post on the <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/01/23/crosswords/wordle-review.html#commentsContainer" target="_blank">New York Time's Wordle Review comments</a> for yesterday.<div><br /></div><div><div>Wordle 948 3/6</div><div><br /></div><div>🟩⬜⬜⬜⬜ SHONE 107 WL</div><div>⬜🟨⬜🟨🟨 PLAIT 2 WL</div><div>🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 STILL</div><div><br /></div><div>WordleBot</div><div>Skill 99/99</div><div>Luck 59/99</div><div>Streak 699</div><div><br /></div><div>This morning, Guess #1 yielded only S as the first letter — but I used The Bot’s favorite in that scenario (PLAIT) as Guess #2. This hit the jackpot, matching the P, I & T (all out of position). The Bot later claimed there were 2 solutions remaining (STILL or SILTY), but my thinking was: SILTY? Really?! Since P wasn’t Letter 2, it seemed most likely to me that T *was* — and that I was Letter 3. In any case, it STILL seems obvious to me that SILTY is a second-rate word. With STI— accounted for, a double L ending seemed the way to go for Guess #3. I typed it in and was delighted to watch all the letters turn green. I bested The Bot (3 vs 4 — how are you feeling about TRACE *now*, eh, Bottie?) and the (current) NYT avg (3 vs. 3.6). But most significantly — The Magic Number to reach 700 consecutive wins has been reduced to ONE. I’m looking forward to Wednesday morning — and will likely need to fight a strong temptation to play at midnight. In fact, by the time that you read this, I will know whether or not the milestone has been reached. </div></div><div><br /></div><div>Sorry to keep you in suspense - but I don't want ANY Wordle spoilers here. I know that has happened on the NYT comments section in the past - but it won't happen here.</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://aframe.oscars.org/news/post/2024-oscars-nominations-full-list?utm_source=newsletter&utm_source=sfmc%e2%80%8b&utm_medium=email%e2%80%8b&utm_campaign=01232024_Newsletter+Week+146%e2%80%8b&utm_term=http%3a%2f%2faframe.oscars.org%2fnews%2fpost%2f2024-oscars-nominations-full-list%3futm_source%3dnewsletter%e2%80%8b&utm_id=343617%e2%80%8b&sfmc_id=38234346cm_ainfo=%e2%80%8b%e2%80%8b&%e2%80%8b%e2%80%8b&%e2%80%8b%e2%80%8b&%e2%80%8b%e2%80%8b&%e2%80%8b%e2%80%8b&&utm_source=sfmc&utm_term=&utm_content=131036&utm_id=a361d0bd-b5a0-4365-aa02-4414aeb0401b&sfmc_activityid=791d9f05-cd9f-4f53-b597-076fb2b7809d&utm_medium=email" target="_blank">Nominations for the 2024 Academy Awards</a> were announced yesterday morning -- and I got some work to do. Those of you that know me (and if you're reading my blog, you probably do), know that part of my prep work for the Oscars each year is to see as many of the Best Picture nominees as possible. Since nominations in this category have expanded beyond five films, it has become more difficult - but I normally don't miss more than one or two, even with a full slate of 10 films.</div><div><br /></div><div>The good news this year is: I've already seen half of the nominated films -</div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>American Fiction</li><li>Barbie</li><li>The Holdovers</li><li>Maestro</li><li>Oppenheimer</li></ul><div>That means I still need to see:</div></div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Anatomy Of A Fall</li><li>Killers Of The Flower Moon</li><li>Past Lives</li><li>Poor Things</li><li>The Zone Of Interest</li></ul><div>Some of these have only recent come to theaters in my part of the world, so hopefully I will be able to see them on the big screen, as their creators intended (and I prefer). I don't know that I will have time to do full fledged reviews of all these movies in the blog - but I will try to work out a few sentences about each to aid me in my Oscar handicapping.</div></div><div><br /></div><div>I will say this: Of the five Best Picture nominees I've seen so far, the one I'd most like to see again (at this moment) is "American Fiction." It was hilarious and moving and smart - and I don't think Jeffrey Wright has ever given a bad performance (at least, I haven't seen one).</div><div><br /></div><div>Anyway, that's a lot of information for one day. Hope you have a good one - day, that is.</div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-size: large;">Take care and stay safe.</span></div> Jim Styrohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10671368781577441067noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5493931967911268192.post-46840123061940634862024-01-23T08:00:00.001-05:002024-01-23T08:00:00.244-05:00Making A Few TWEAKs<p style="text-align: left;">Here's my post on the <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/01/22/crosswords/wordle-review.html#commentsContainer" target="_blank">New York Time's Wordle Review comments</a> for yesterday.</p><div style="text-align: left;">Wordle 947 3/6</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />⬜⬜⬜⬜🟨 SHONE 496 WL<br />🟩⬜🟨⬜⬜ TRAIL 4 WL<br />🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 TWEAK</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />WordleBot<br />Skill 99/99<br />Luck 54/99<br />Streak 698</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />My “Go To” starting combination of SHONE & TRAIL paid dividends this morning, keeping me “Under Par” for a FIFTH (not a previous solution) consecutive day. Guess #1 was “unlucky” according to The Bot, matched only the E as the last letter, and left a LOT of possible solutions. But Guess #2 gave me the T (in position as the first letter) and A (out of position). Although I didn’t know it at the time, The Bot thought there were only 4 solutions remaining. But *my* post-game analysis was: Three of those words ended -ED and were *extremely* unlikely to be the answer. I was looking for just *one word* — but needed to find out where the vowels were placed. I decided to look for words starting TA— or TE— but when I didn’t find anything suitable, I decided to TWEAK my approach (after verifying it hadn’t been a solution previously). I tied The Bot, bested the (current) NYT avg (3 vs. 3.7), and reduced The Magic Number to 2 for reaching 700 consecutive wins. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">An added bonus: The Detroit Lions played their best game of the season against Tampa Bay last night, earning the right to play for the NFC Championship (and the opportunity for their first ever Super Bowl appearance) next weekend in San Francisco. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>GO LIONS! </b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv7K8IS80WN52nL6v17Tc1iEqPPom9tyQ8k28BWMkNV2mV1iXpqJnn64yn8Qioc7i4wO1X0gp0FEuiRTuzO1FnXYuHmgdfgX4h-BfWAQvpV_HfT9GS2vbb36M6WtO0nivtEUjlgJjunNKwBBr4WbIFAlDB2DImtk50DHb7vyL2WT5MvJzfssbNQmdN88w/s1035/Detroit%20Lions%20NFC%20North%20Champions%202023b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1035" data-original-width="1035" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv7K8IS80WN52nL6v17Tc1iEqPPom9tyQ8k28BWMkNV2mV1iXpqJnn64yn8Qioc7i4wO1X0gp0FEuiRTuzO1FnXYuHmgdfgX4h-BfWAQvpV_HfT9GS2vbb36M6WtO0nivtEUjlgJjunNKwBBr4WbIFAlDB2DImtk50DHb7vyL2WT5MvJzfssbNQmdN88w/s320/Detroit%20Lions%20NFC%20North%20Champions%202023b.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;">Take care and stay safe.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div> Jim Styrohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10671368781577441067noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5493931967911268192.post-72693131650148993062024-01-22T15:30:00.004-05:002024-01-22T15:36:44.888-05:002 For 1My bride asked me this morning why I hadn't posted a Wordle update to my blog. So apparently, I have at least one reader.<div><br /></div><div>To make up for this lapse, today is a BOGO opportunity here at "speaking in CAPS."</div><div><br /></div><div>First, my post on the <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/01/20/crosswords/wordle-review.html#commentsContainer" target="_blank">New York Time's Wordle Review comments</a> for Saturday, Jan. 20.</div><div><br /></div><div><div>Wordle 945 3/6</div><div><br /></div><div>⬜⬜⬜⬜🟩 SHONE 193 WL</div><div>⬜🟨🟨⬜🟨 TRAIL 1 WL</div><div>🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 LARGE</div><div><br /></div><div>WordleBot</div><div>Skill 99/99</div><div>Luck 60/99</div><div>Streak 696</div><div><br /></div><div>My “Go To” starting combination of SHONE & TRAIL paid dividends this morning, with a quick & stress-free 3. Guess #1 was “unlucky” according to The Bot, matched only the E as the last letter, and left a LOT of possible solutions. But Guess #2 matched R, A & L (all out of position) — and left only one solution remaining. I decided to go LARGE — and go home. I tied The Bot, bested the (current) NYT avg (3 vs. 3.5), and gave me my third straight 3. The Magic Number is 4 to reach 700 consecutive wins. Good way to start the weekend.</div></div><div><br /></div><div>And, without further ado, my post on the <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/01/21/crosswords/wordle-review.html#commentsContainer" target="_blank">New York Time's Wordle Review comments</a> for yesterday (Sunday, Jan. 21).</div><div><br /></div><div><div>Wordle 946 2/6</div><div><br /></div><div>⬜🟨🟨🟨⬜ SHONE 7 WL</div><div>🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 NORTH</div><div><br /></div><div>WordleBot</div><div>Skill 99/99</div><div>Luck 92/99</div><div>Streak 697</div><div><br /></div><div>I love being “extraordinarily lucky” — and that’s how The Bot described my Guess #1 today, which matched H, O & N (all out of position). Although I didn’t know it at the time, there were only 7 solutions remaining. What I *suspected* was — that H was last letter of the solution (with a TH or CH) combination and O was Letter 2. The first word that came to mind was NORTH. Since R & T are very common letters and NORTH had not been a previous solution, I went with it — and was rewarded with a deuce. I crushed The Bot (by 2 guesses!), bested the (current) NYT avg (2 vs. 3.7), and earned a fourth consecutive day “Under Par.” The Magic Number is 3 to reach 700 consecutive wins. GO DETROIT LIONS!</div></div><div><br /></div><div>Since you're reading this the day after the Detroit / Tampa Bay game (or, possibly MUCH later than that), you may already know that the Lions played their best football game of the year yesterday and earned the right to play San Francisco next weekend in the NFC Championship Game. </div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>GO DETROIT LIONS!!</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><br /></b></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik7NNJP_KgGiVtBAKXZjAC4JINP9-I5leGjUBQ4YVEjRROojQWDfutoKyTq8VGdJrOjvYdaaFY85ZJrTTdne1fkn88kIeXO7qlfG-Pg1cDKdxYFBKIefLl1afUYU3E76TfZ8DxsxrHwF0tEaFCOG1BbT5PPT1KTwf8iGzCtj_rEBDth8I2Jq_9i94w7T4/s900/Detroit%20Lions%20NFC%20North%20Champions%202023.jpg" ><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="900" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik7NNJP_KgGiVtBAKXZjAC4JINP9-I5leGjUBQ4YVEjRROojQWDfutoKyTq8VGdJrOjvYdaaFY85ZJrTTdne1fkn88kIeXO7qlfG-Pg1cDKdxYFBKIefLl1afUYU3E76TfZ8DxsxrHwF0tEaFCOG1BbT5PPT1KTwf8iGzCtj_rEBDth8I2Jq_9i94w7T4/s320/Detroit%20Lions%20NFC%20North%20Champions%202023.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div>Hope your Monday is going swimmingly.</div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-size: large;">Take care and stay safe.</span></div> Jim Styrohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10671368781577441067noreply@blogger.com0