Bots. Everywhere.

I have noticed some peculiar things going on TAFKA Twitter recently.

To start, it seems there are far too many bots responding to posts. I'll be fair, some come across as realistic. However, there are some which are way off and are saying things which are dated.

For example, a few weeks ago, I saw one 'person' respond to a tweet about the Indianapolis Colts playing Joe Flacco instead of an injured Anthony Richardson and the responder said something about the move being a surprising one because Gardner Minshew has been playing well for the Colts.

I replied 'your AI is a bit off' to the 'person' because Minshew left the Colts during the off-season.

A real person also wouldn't complain about Flacco taking over ahead of Minshew!

The other peculiar thing is when I post my Wordle results each night. I've noticed I get liked by females. And, if I look closely, ALL of those females happen to live in the same city as me.

I should test it out by changing my location on my bio to see if I start getting liked by females in whichever city I am falsely representing.

I don't even know where the con would come in if I responded to any of those likes,

Be careful out there. 

McRib Update

If you read Friday's post, you'll know that I had a McRib Sandwich from McDonald's because the UK arm of the company has relaunched the product for a limited time.

Well - here's an important update for you.

I had another one last night!

That was the last one I'll have for now. I'll buy another one the next time they're available. Unlike the last time, I doubt it'll take a decade for them to make another comeback.

NFL Spreadsheet And Database Betting: Week 7 2024

In last week's NFL Spreadsheet and Database post, I decided to pass on suggesting any picks. It's a good job I did because two of the games I had written about, but were eventually turned off by, would have ended up being losing plays.

One of those picks I avoided was Dallas +3. They were obliterated 47-9 by the Detroit Lions on Sunday night.

As far as this week goes, I am taking an Under and a road dog.

Las  Vegas @ LA Rams Under 43.5
My spreadsheet has the Raiders' visit to Los Angeles to have a total score of forty points. That's three-and-a-half below the current line.

Checking over previous meetings between these two sides, I notice the Under has struck five out of seven times since the 1995 season. 

The teams have met in the Rams' home three times in that period with the O-U coming in with a 1-2 record.

In an attempt to make the case even more positive, I had a look at the O-U results whenever the Rams have returned from a bye week (as they're doing this week) and that is 14-16. So, not much to make a strong argument for. However, if I were to only focus on times when the Rams have returned in week seven following a bye, then the O-U is 1-3 (75% to the Under) since '95.

Miami +3 against Indianapolis
My spreadsheet has the Miami Dolphins .vs. Indianapolis Colts game to be tied. Whenever it does that, it means to take a look at the underdog in the fixture.

The Dolphins are three-point road dogs. They've found themselves in this situation ten times since 1995 and have won on eight occasions.

If I were to spotlight only on games played with Miami as the road dog, then the percentage improves to 88% because the team has a win-loss of 7-1 under those conditions as the visiting team.

Another thing working in favour of Miami is they are coming off a bye. However, their against the spread win-loss is not strong, although it does work in their favour, as the team is 13-12-4 (52%) in that position.

The Spreadsheet and Database plays are currently 7-4 during the 2024 NFL season. You can see which plays I chose, along with their results (Green for a win, red for a loss) in the table below.

Return Of The McRib

McDonald's UK has brought back its McRib Sandwich after a ten year absence. I bought one for last night's dinner.

Just like in previous times it has been available, the pork patty comes with barbecue sauce, onions and pickles inside a special bun.

I watched a few videos on social media - of people sampling the McRib - over the past couple of days. One of the clips had a guy saying how much he loved McRibs back in the day. However, after taking a bite or two, he felt the sandwich was a letdown.

To me, they taste just like how they used to. However, according to reports, there is a difference in how they are created because - back then - the pork was apparently dipped into the barbecue sauce. The current approach is to pour the sauce onto the sandwich. I don't know whether it's on the meat itself or on the bun. I feel like it's the latter based on how mine looked.

I cannot recall the last time I had a McRib. I know I had one in 1998ish, but that might not have been the last one.

My youngest nephew hadn't tried one until last night. His opinion of it was a simple 'I think it's over-hyped'.

I suppose he has a point.

Absence made the public's demand for the McRib fonder. If you are, or were, one of those clamouring for the patty, act fast. They're only back for a limited time.

Christmas Countdown ‘24

I have finally bought an Advent scratch card for 2024.

This must be the latest I have found, and bought, one of these cards in recent memory, for the past few years, I’ve purchased them in September. We’re now in the bottom end of October.

The card will now be pinned to my bedroom door ready for December.

Remembering Jean Shepherd

Today marks the twenty-fifth anniversary of Jean Shepherd's passing, so I thought I would spend a few lines of today's post remembering the famous writer, radio host and raconteur.

I first became aware of Shepherd's work in the early 2010s. Somebody I knew online mentioned the festive film - A Christmas Story - so I sought it out. 

Whilst watching the movie, I took notice of Shepherd's narration and kind of guessed he had a radio voice. I don't really know why, I just sensed it. So, after viewing A Christmas Story, I looked further into Shepherd's history and learnt more about his writing and radio career.

As well as buying all of Shepherd's books, I have been able to come across websites that play old recordings of Shepherd's radio shows which aired out of WOR Radio in New York. 

The shows are a treat to listen to. They take me back to a place I was not alive for. Shepherd was great.

The lady who introduced me to A Christmas Story passed away a few months after I watched the movie, so I feel very fortunate to have had that conversation because Jean Shepherd's work has been very enjoyable to come across. I have been reading, listening and - if you have followed the annual Christmas Day posts - watching as much as I can take in from this legend.

Excelsior!

3-3

This past weekend, I had another win in the fantasy NFL league I play in.

That result meant I am now 3-3 after six weeks of play. 

It also means I have achieved above my personal goal for the season.

You may recall that, on September 2nd, I mentioned that the NFL Fantasy computer projected the team would go 1-14 after it scored my draft a C.

Well, I've not only done one better than it guessed, my team has two wins more.

And I hope there will be more than that.